Brad Friedel has told GOAL why elite clubs in the Premier League should be doing all they can to acquire USMNT star Weston McKennie this summer. The versatile midfielder, who previously endured a troubled loan spell in England at Leeds, is running down his contract at Serie A giants Juventus. Free agency will soon be hit, meaning that new challenges can be sought.

Manchester United have decisively ended speculation linking them with a record-breaking swoop for Chelsea talisman Cole Palmer, with Old Trafford chiefs deeming the move financially unviable. Despite reports suggesting the England international is unsettled in the capital, the Red Devils have ruled out a summer approach, opting instead to prioritise a replacement for Casemiro over another marquee addition to their forward line.

Conor Coady has seen his spell at Wrexham cut short after just six months in North Wales. The former Everton and Wolves defender, who has plenty of Premier League experience to his name, joined the Red Dragons from Leicester for £2 million during the summer of 2025. He will now be spending the remainder of the current campaign with Charlton Athletic.

Roy Keane has admitted he "hopes" Michael Carrick is handed the permanent Manchester United job, marking a surprise softening of his stance on the interim boss. While the former captain remains sceptical about whether Carrick can deliver a league title, he conceded his former teammate has "took advantage" of the role. However, Keane urged caution, warning fans that recent wins do not solve the club's long-term issues.

Chelsea’s dramatic Champions League resurgence could have a sting in the tail as the club faces the bizarre prospect of surrendering their home advantage due to a logistical clash with their London rivals. Liam Rosenior’s side fought hard to secure a top-eight finish, but a little-known UEFA regulation regarding city-based fixture congestion now threatens to force the Blues into a neutral venue or a fixture reversal to accommodate Arsenal and Tottenham.

The Premier League secretly removed Ryan Giggs from its inaugural Hall of Fame lineup after he was charged with domestic abuse, fresh reports have revealed. The Manchester United legend was set to be unveiled alongside Alan Shearer and Thierry Henry in 2021, but executives intervened to scrub his name. Despite being cleared in 2023, the 13-time champion remains exiled from the prestigious list.

Darren Fletcher played alongside twin brothers Rafael and Fabio da Silva while at Manchester United, but little did he know that many years later, his own twin sons would be vying for a place in the Red Devils' first team. Fletcher opted against playing either of his sons, Jack or Tyler, during his brief spell as interim coach, perhaps out of fear of accusations of nepotism.

Hertha Berlin fans haven't had much to cheer about in recent years. Their decade-long stay in the Bundesliga ended after the team slumped to an 18th-placed finish in the 2022-23 season, just four years on from Lars Windhorst's €224 million minority takeover that came with the billionaire's promise to build a "true ‘big-city club’, like those in London or Madrid."

With all the data and all the video footage you could ever hope for, there really shouldn't be many secrets left in the world of youth football. Sure, progress isn't linear and some players' attributes translate better to the adult game than others, but for most teams, picking and finding the best young talent still feels like a bit of a lottery, at least from the outside looking in.

Kylian Mbappe has accused his Real Madrid team-mates of lacking “desire”, with the Blancos looking anything but a “team of champions” when suffering a costly European defeat at Benfica. An “embarrassing” goal was conceded there, to the home side’s keeper, and the Liga giants will now have to navigate their way through the Champions League knockout play-offs.

With the teams narrowed down, the knockout phase of the Champions League has come into view. Here's your complete guide to the upcoming draw.

Joe Cole has hailed Liam Rosenior’s immediate impact at Stamford Bridge as "superb" after the new Chelsea boss guided his side to a dramatic Champions League victory over Napoli. The former Blues midfielder believes the 41-year-old has rapidly transformed the squad's mentality, pointing to a run of five wins in six games as proof that the decision to replace Enzo Maresca is already paying huge dividends.

Modernising the role of a full-back 30 years ago, Roberto Carlos undoubtedly set the benchmark. A tactical genius and a physical specimen, the Real Madrid and Brazil legend won countless trophies at club and international level, contributing bucket loads of goals and assists. No one in the past, present or future can ever claim to be his equal - he was that good.

One of the best midfielders of his era, perhaps the greatest crosser of a football ever and a free-kick taker to rival the best the game has ever produced, David Beckham was a special player to say the least. And yet due to his off-field impact, one of the sport's great champions of the past 30 years is generally forgotten when it comes to referencing the true legends of the game.

Romario moved around the penalty area with the stealthy gait and sly gaze of a panther, ready to suddenly accelerate as soon as the ball came his way, to disorient the opposing defenders with a couple of feints, to pounce on the ball, which inevitably ended up at his feet, as if magnetised, and finish with an unstoppable shot of pure technique or power, or alternatively serve up a perfect assist for one of his team-mates. He was a Hall of Fame striker if ever there was one.

In 1969, at the age of 23, George Best wanted to focus solely on the essentials. Just football, just his job. So he turned his back on his two other great passions, alcohol and women. His sobering conclusion: "It was the worst 20 minutes of my life." A Manchester United legend, that quote sums up Bet's rebellious attitude towards football, and life in general.

Rebel United introduces players who prefer to swim against the tide, such as Barcelona and Spain legend Gerard Pique, who has achieved great significance beyond the pitch thanks to his Catalan pride and innovative spirit...

"La France, c'est vous." Translated as 'France, is you', that was what French president Charles de Gaulle told footballer Rachid Mekhloufi in 1968. Mekhloufi had just led his Saint-Etienne side to the double, and the reward was an audience with the most powerful man in the country. For Mekhloufi, this sentence brought things full circle. Now he was both Algerian and French; 10 years earlier, he had - in a sense - been neither.

On September 15, 2018, N'Golo Kante walked off the Stamford Bridge pitch, satisfied. As was often the case, the Frenchman had just covered every blade of grass over the course of the 90 minutes. And, as was so often the case, he was not one of the major speaking points at full-time. Not right away, at least.

Anyone that manages to carve out a career for themselves in professional football is ridiculously talented. The standard at the highest level is just so high that it is simply impossible to 'fake it 'til you make it'. However, not everyone is as prodigiously gifted as Lionel Messi or Lamine Yamal. Your average player will require some time to get to grips with the rigours of the elite game.

Player development in football follows many different paths. Some exceptional talents, such as Lamine Yamal and Estevao, make an impact at the highest level at a very young age. At the same time, countless players need more time before their qualities fully emerge.