Key events
Australia 1-0 New Zealand
International friendly: Australia have beaten New Zealand in a Down Under derby that had threatened to go down as an exercise in Antipodean apathy at at Canberra’s GIO Stadium. NAC Breda midfielder Max Balard scored on his debut to secure the win for a largely experimental Australia side in the 87th minute. He had only taken the field two minutes previously. Both countries have already secured qualification for next summer’s World Cup.
World Cup qualifiers: Bolivia, Peru, struggling Nigeria and flagging Italy face an uphill struggle to qualify for next summer’s World Cup, but others have reason for optimism, writes Ed Aarons, as he casts his eye across some of the international window’s more eye-catching fixtures.
Transfer news: Afternoon all. The former Burnley midfielder Josh Brownhill is reported to be on the verge of joining the Saudi Pro-League side Al-Shabab after leaving Turf Moor as a free agent during the summer.
The 29-year-old is expected to sign a two-year deal with the club managed by the former Real Sociedad boss Imanol Alguacil, despite reported interest in his services from Premier League outfits such as Wolves, West Ham and Brentford.
According to Sky Sports News, Brownhill was due in Saudi Arabia today to undergo a medical and will sign a contract worth north of £100,00 a week. Brownhill scored 18 goals last season as he helped Burnley win promotion to the Premier League but decided to leave the club when his contract expired in June.
That’s my stint in the chair done, you lucky folk have now got Barry Glendenning for company.
Stones “very upset” to withdraw from England qualifiers
England head coach Thomas Tuchel has revealed that John Stones was “very upset” to have seen his England return cut short by a minor injury.
The 31-year-old has not added to his 83 caps since last October, with injury ruling home out of the manager’s first two squads after taking over at the start of the year.
Stones was selected for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Serbia, only for a muscular problem to bring his camp to a premature end.
“He came with minor issues, muscular issues, to camp and didn’t progress as we thought and hoped he would,” Tuchel told the press ahead of the Andorra game, saying “we will not take the risk” with the Manchester City defender.
“I think he would have maybe started as a central defender in this match (against Andorra), but he was in contention for playing number six for us as well,” Tuchel told TalkSport.
“When we need maybe a more physical six, and more a six that is like John, more educated as a central defender, so to stay deep and create a block of three with a central defender.
“So, it was in our thoughts to maybe use him as a six against Serbia. But, listen, this is how it is. He’s very upset. He’s very upset because he does everything on a daily basis to be fit.
“Now he has again minor issues. It will cost him two caps for the national team. It will maybe cost him some minutes for Manchester City.
“So, he is very, very disappointed and upset. He was a big part of camp so far.
“We have to adapt. We have to find solutions. We will have a strong team tomorrow and we will come up with solutions without John.”
While it is a gut punch for Stones, the England boss has told the defender not to be too downbeat as he remains a major part of his plans.
“I hope he keeps his spirit up because he will stay important for us,” Tuchel told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“I saw in these three days what he means to the group as a personality and as a social glue within the group.
“What he brings to the pitch is outstanding quality as a central defender and possibly as a pivotal number six, but we have to adapt to it.
“He’s now not available anymore. We will find solutions for it.”
Reporting by PA Media
Today’s scheduled European Under-21 championship qualifier between France and Luxembourg in Lorient has been postponed after a traffic accident involving the visitors.
Eight people suffered injuries in the accident on Thursday, including four players, three members of staff and the driver, according to local newspaper Ouest France. The coach carrying the Luxembourg squad and staff overturned in a roadside ditch near the town of Languidic.
The French Football Federation said the fixture has been rescheduled for 3rd October, 2026.
“We extend our full support and wish a speedy recovery to the members of the Luxembourg delegation who were injured and traumatised, as well as to the bus driver,” said FFF president Philippe Diallo. “Faced with this unprecedented situation, UEFA, in coordination with the French and Luxembourg delegations, has wisely decided to postpone the match to a later date.”
Reporting by the Associated Press
Anyone else here a big fan of Wayne Rooney’s new podcast? I’ve been saying for ages that we need another ex-United player talking into a microphone on a regular basis – nowhere near enough of them. To give Wazza some credit, he is a pretty good pundit and at the very least he doesn’t hold back with his views.
Anyway, the spiciest line from his latest episode was describing the type of fixture England face this weekend – a mouthwatering matchup against Andorra – as a “nonsense” game. He is at least correct that Tuchel is in a no-win situation for the game at Villa Park.
“Watching England now and some of the games you know they’re going to win it’s a bit boring,” said Rooney on the latest episode.
“The last few games, it was against Andorra or something like that. It was painful. Obviously getting into the tournament, that’s when you enjoy it.
“(I feel) sorry for Thomas Tuchel because he probably wants a decent game where he can go and show what he can do. It’s a no-win (situation) really.
“He’s a top manager and I know he’s maybe got a little bit of stick about the way that England played – those games are just nonsense really.
“You turn up and you just know England’s gonna win the game. It’s 10 men sat behind the ball and you’ve got to break them down, which is not easy against any team.”
My work here is done. Tom Bassam is stepping into the breach.
Jocelyn Prêcheur, the London City Lionesses manager, has been talking about the £1.43m capture of Grace Geyoro from Paris Saint-Germain.
“She is a player I know very well,” Prêcheur said. “I’m looking forward to working with her.”
And of the promoted club’s summer spending spree under owner Michele Kang, he said:
“It’s an ambitious project. All the signings we made are proof. Many players are interested in joining our club, because we are creating something special.”
As stated, Dan Burn of England and Newcastle was asked about the messy Alexander Isak saga earlier. The nice people at PA Media have typed up the quotes:
“I’ve been in football long enough to understand that for a player, the careers are short and they’ve got things that they want to achieve,” Burn said. “So for me, happy that it’s over.
“Alex is a mate, so it was tough situation because you wanted him to be around and helping the team, but also understand for him, what he needs to do personally. So I’ve got nothing but good wishes for Alex.
“No animosity, I think as a Newcastle fan, and you know what Newcastle fans are like, we’re very protective of our club, and our city. You want players to be there who want to play for Newcastle, and naively you don’t want them to think that there’s anywhere else to go, apart from playing at Newcastle.
“So I understand why our fans are frustrated. But as I said, I think I’ve been in the game long enough now to understand what goes on. I wish Alex all the best, apart from when we play Liverpool.”
Burn is focusing on making the plane to North America for the World Cup next summer.
“I try to go in with that mentality that I am leaving absolutely everything out there and not have any regrets,” he said. “The more camps I take, the more confidence from it. On a personal level, I am probably playing the best football of my career.
“I am in a good place physically and mentally, where I am up for the challenge. In my first camp, the World Cup was something not close to being on my radar. But now I am on camp three, I just want to implement what the gaffer is asking of me in the team and play as well as I can, so I can get picked for these camps.”
“It was Levy’s misfortune to be a parsimonious chairman in an era of unchecked avarice as first Chelsea an then City changed the game forever,” comments TonyMansell.
“From clubs building better facilities to house more people to generate more funds whilst keeping the wage bill manageable, to spend what you don’t have, if you get it wrong, who cares and if there’s a rule, break it and pay the fine or clog the process with expensive lawyers.
“Sixteen semi-finals and seven finals would likely have turned to several more trophies without those two clubs, but it is what it is, and we may regret calling for his head as we turn into just another play thing of random billionaires or nation states.”
“The Levy Out brigade always needed someone to moan about,” comments Uncle_Paulie, below the line down there.
“They never realised that it wasn’t just Levy making the decisions. But we’ll see how the new order get on. Levey has set the club up well for the future and not many people would walk away. Maybe he finally got bored with it all?”
The Republic of Ireland head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson says Saturday’s opening World Cup qualifier against Hungary could be the most important of their Group F campaign.
Ireland face Marco Rossi’s men at the Aviva Stadium with both knowing defeat in Dublin would be a major blow to their hopes of keeping pace with Portugal.
Hallgrimsson’s side go to Armenia on Tuesday and would do so with optimism if they emerged from the Hungary match with three points, as they attempt to reach the finals for the first time since 2002.
Asked if it was the most important game of the campaign, the head coach said: “Yes, I think it is, probably.
“When we look at it back in six games’ time, this game will have a huge impact on who will qualify from this group, definitely. We don’t want to hide from that, that’s just a fact.”
Having been drawn into a four-team group, Ireland’s campaign will be condensed into less than three months and Hallgrimsson believes it is effectively a race for second.
He said: “It’s natural, that’s the seeding in the group. Portugal comes first, everybody expects Portugal to be first.
“And then it’s a small gap between ourselves and Hungary on the FIFA ranking, but still they are ranked higher than us, so everybody would expect that it will be between us.
“I think there are going to be dropped points in more places than just us and Hungary, but not kidding, this game is hugely important for the rest of the campaign given the nature of the campaign, only six games in 70 days.
“It’s going to be a sprint and it’s always nice when you are in a sprint to have the lead and not be chasing.” (PA Media)
Australia v New Zealand is locked at 0-0 in the final 10 minutes.
Chris Wood of Nottingham Forest started in Canberra, so he’ll be covering some serious mileage in this international break.
Join Joey Lynch right here for your live footie fix:
The Billericay Town legend, Jamie O’Hara, was just talking about Daniel Levy’s time at Tottenham. O’Hara was at the club when they won the Carling Cup, as it was then, in 2008.
“You never felt like he wanted more,” O’Hara says. “Can we go to the next level?
“It never felt like you was going to be a Liverpool, or a Manchester United, or an Arsenal … It was: ‘Oh, amazing, we won the Carabao Cup.’”
And what of the future? Can Spurs become a force in the Premier League?
“Spending money is easy … there has to be a plan in place. If Tottenham have a plan in place, I believe they can challenge for the title in the next five, six years.”
Tuchel was also talking about England’s lack of a natural No 6 in this squad – “Maybe John Stones, but he left this morning.”
Then he was asked if the success of the England Women’s team, and the Under-21s, has added pressure for him?
Of course, Tuchel says no. He was really happy for Sarina Wiegman and Lee Carsley, they have done a great job, but it doesn’t add pressure for him approaching the men’s World Cup.
More from Tuchel’s press conference: “We need to be flexible. It’s not the moment to make final decisions for the World Cup. The decisions are made for Andorra and nothing else.”
And here is the Newcastle and England defender Burn, applying some kind of defensive stroke to a question earlier about IsakGate:
“I’m happy it’s over,” he says. “Alex is a mate … I’ve got nothing but sort of good wishes for Alex.
“No animosity … As a Newcastle fan, we’re very protective of our club and city … we want people there who want to play for the club and the city … I understand why fans are frustrated, but I’ve been in football long enough to know what goes on. I wish Alex all the best, apart from when we play Liverpool.”
“He didn’t flat-bat it,” says the Sky Sports News reporter, of the fact that Dan Burn spoke about Alexander Isak’s departure from Newcastle at today’s England press conference.
I think he means “straight-bat”? Or even “dead-bat”? But not flat-bat. You can flat-bat a ball anywhere, including over the pavilion.
Thanks John. Football – it really is back, whether you like it or not. Personally I try and ignore it until the County Championship has wrapped. Any thoughts on that or anything else – Email me.
With that, taking the lunchtime baton, is Luke McLaughlin.
Everton seek to secure Pickford future
Andy Hunter
Everton are planning talks over a new contract for Jordan Pickford that they hope will keep England’s first-choice goalkeeper at the club for the remainder of his top-flight career.
Pickford is under contract at Everton until 2027 but the club’s new owners, The Friedkin Group (TFG), want to secure him on a lucrative, long-term deal that reinforces his importance to their future ambitions. Negotiations are expected to commence with the 31-year-old’s representatives now that the summer transfer window is out of the way.
The England international joined Everton from Sunderland for £30m in 2017 and has played a key role in preserving the club’s Premier League status throughout a troubled period. With the club raising its ambitions under TFG, Everton believe retaining the services of the country’s best goalkeeper is important for the team’s improvement and their long-term strategy.
Pickford is already one of Everton’s highest earners on the four-and-a-half years contract he signed in February 2023. He has received interest from rival Premier League clubs but Everton hope the player, who has a strong relationship with the club’s hierarchy, will commit his peak years to Moyes’ team on improved terms.
Pickford, who could win his 77th England cap against Andorra on Saturday, has grown in influence behind the scenes at Everton in recent years and is part of the team’s leadership group alongside captain Seamus Coleman and James Tarkowski. A good friend of Jack Grealish, he was also influential in encouraging his England colleague to join Everton on loan from Manchester City this summer.
Moyes considers the defensive trio of Pickford, Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite as the cornerstone of his attempts to improve Everton and compete higher up the table. Branthwaite signed a new five-year contract at Everton amid interest from other clubs this summer and Pickford could follow in committing his long-term future to Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Who remembers Steve McClaren after Andorra in 2007?
A highly amising outburst that could only end in umbrella shame.
Tuchel looked back on the previous Andorra game in June, which was something of a grind.
“We made it too easy for Andorra to find the moments to close us down and to find the moments to slow our game down and we will find new solutions to break down the block a bit easier. We always have to balance our expectations because Andorra is a well drilled team, I know it maybe sounds a little silly but that is the way it is, they know what they are doing after 8-10 years with the same coach.
“It can feel a little like chewing gum to break a block down like this but we have to play with more energy and more enthusiasm and so far I’m sure we will.”
Marc Guehi’s had an interesting week but Tuchel has every faith: “He is the main driver of Crystal Palace’s success, he is the captain and the leader and he played very impressively at the end of last season. He has continued like that in camp and he handles it [his transfer situation] with respect and with and with brilliant attitude.”
Ruben Loftus-Cheek was given props, Tuchel having worked with him at Chelsea: “It was always a pleasure to work with him and I am very happy that I had the chance to call him up. He is a nice guy to be around, very friendly and very polite with a good sense of humour.
“He is full of qualities and sometimes I don’t think he is aware how good he is and how good he can be but he fits in seamlessly because of his character and his quality and he competes for a place in central midfield and it is good to see that he is fit and not injured.”
Tuchel has been speaking to the broadcast media:
“We have had excellent training sessions, excellent energy, both on and off the pitch. The group worked very well and I am at the moment very, very positive.
“Like I said, in sport it is not about what you have done yesterday but about what you do tomorrow to get better and so I expect a good training session from the players to be ready for tomorrow. We will face – in both matches – a deep block and a 5-4-1 for sure in the first match and it is the challenge to overcome that quickly and aggressively and play with more rhythm than we did in the first match [against Andorra].”
Harry Kane will start.
“There is no balance, the competition is on and it is World Cup season. We have a condensed camp and that means we will start with the team that we trust and the best team possible and we will manage the second game. We will not do it backwards.
“We will not get caught up in experiments and everything that counts is today and tomorrow and then we will do our assessment after the match to see who is available.
John Stones ruled out for England
The Manchester City defender has withdrawn from the England squad through injury.
Thomas Tuchel said: “Unfortunately, John Stones just left. He came with minor issues, muscular issues, to camp and didn’t progress as we thought and hoped he would. So, he left camp this morning (Friday) because we will not take the risk. Everyone else is available.”
Tuchel confirmed captain Harry Kane will lead the line for England as he names a strong line-up for the qualifier against Andorra.
Just like Ezri Konsa, Matty Cash, on Poland duty, has been speaking about Aston Villa’s PSR problems. At one point, he was headed for a return to Nottingham Forest.
“The PSR and stuff, it’s frustrating because obviously the owners have got money that they want to spend and do what’s best for the club, and obviously we’ve got limits and we can’t do it,” Cash said.
“But obviously we’ve had good success with the squad that we’ve got now in. So as players, you can’t really get too drawn into it. You just have to focus on your job. We’re the ones that are out there on the pitch. Our jobs as players, we get paid to perform on the pitch, and that’s all we can do. We’ve got a good, strong group. We’re very close together as a team. So it’s important to have that.
Some reaction to that Germany defeat to Slovakia. Their next World Cup qualifier is at home to Northern Ireland in Cologne on Sunday in Group A.
“We have a chance to do things better in three days,” Joshua Kimmich said. “We have talked about the World Cup before this match but we first have to qualify. Because with performances such as this it won’t work with the qualification.”
“I do believe that the players now feel what is needed (on Sunday). The entire team must carry that energy. If we are more energetic then we will have a better game on Sunday,” said Julian Nagelsmann.
Leander Schaerlaeckens pays warm tribute to Michael Bradley, former USMNT mainstay now on his coaching journey.
Did he walk or was he “eased aside”? We’re expecting plenty more fallout from the sudden departure from Tottenham of Daniel Levy.
Thursday’s World Cup qualifiers. Great win for Northern Ireland, a rather difficult night for Germany and Newcastle’s new boy, Nick Woltemade.
It’s time to go off to the England camp, and hear from Elliott Anderson.
And Djed Spence.
Ezri Konsa voices a familiar complaint.
Surely Messi plays at the World Cup. Or does he?
“Day by day, trying to feel good and above all, being honest with myself. When I feel good, I enjoy it, but when I don’t, honestly, I don’t have a good time, so I prefer not to be there if I don’t feel good. So we’ll see. I haven’t made a decision about the World Cup.”
Good luck, Terry Dunn, the 54-year-old keeper.
Women’s transfer record broken again
One of the WSL’s most heralded graduates, these days with Bayern Munich, Georgia Stanway, speaks to Don McRae.
“I had three weeks on crutches, six weeks in a brace, but as soon as I heard that I was going to need surgery I was asking: ‘Will I make the Euros?’ Nobody could really give me an answer. That was difficult but every day I said: ‘Whether you think it’s possible or not, I will make it.’
The biggest stories from the WSL deadline day here.
Not only that, but it’s the start of the WSL season, with a blockbuster as Chelsea v Manchester City.
Morning, we’ve kicked off the blog with some big news coming out of London Colney, and there will more reaction to follow on the other club in north London, as part of the buildup to a weekend of international football.
Russo signs long-term Arsenal extension on eve of new season
Alessia Russo has signed a new long-term contract with Arsenal. On the eve of the club’s Women’s Super League opener against London City Lionesses at the Emirates Stadium, the Gunners have confirmed that the 26-year-old has put pen to paper on a new deal – the length of which is undisclosed.
Arsenal signed Russo from Manchester United in July 2023 after her contract expired, having failed with two bids in the preceding January. The forward, a European champion for club and country, has scored 36 goals in 72 games for Arsenal. She helped the team to a League Cup win in 2024 and a Champions League victory in May.
Last season Russo jointly claimed the WSL’s Golden Boot with Khadija Shaw, with 12 goals, and was named the Football Writers’ Association’s women’s footballer of the year. After being named in the Professional Footballers’ Association and Uefa teams of the year, Russo has been shortlisted for the Ballon d’Or.
“Arsenal feels like home,” said Russo. “This is such a special club and it has felt that way to me from the moment I joined two years ago. Playing for Arsenal is an honour and has pushed me to develop and grow as a player, and I feel empowered with this badge on my chest.”
The manager, Renée Slegers, said: “As a striker, Alessia’s goals often take the spotlight – but she brings so much more to our group. She’s a selfless player, working so hard for the team, and she also contributes so much to our team culture.”
