Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has revealed that Real Madrid No.1 Thibaut Courtois sent him a voice note giving his verdict on Senne Lammens. Courtois believes that his Belgium understudy will be a good fit for the Premier League after the goalkeeper's £18 million ($24m) move to Manchester United from Royal Antwerp.
Kylian Mbappe was denied two goals in Real Madrid's tightly-contested 2-0 win over Mallorca after the Frenchman was adjudged to have been offside by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) in both instances. The France captain has now shared the controversial confirmation image that saw his first goal chalked off, which showed Mbappe's shoulder and sleeve just barely offside.
Rodrygo will stay back at Real Madrid after winning manager Xabi Alonso's trust. The Brazilian winger was linked with a move to the Premier League throughout the summer, with Manchester City and Liverpool keen on signing him, however, after featuring in Madrid's starting lineup last week, he is satisfied with his role and has decided against exiting Santiago Bernabeu.
Chelsea face a tough trip to Bayern Munich whereas Newcastle are set to host Barcelona in the opening week as UEFA announced Champions League fixtures for the 2025-26 campaign. The German giants, led by Harry Kane, will be eager to assert their dominance early, making Chelsea’s task all the more difficult.
Thomas Tuchel had a "difficult" phone call with Trent Alexander-Arnold to inform the defender of the England axe with the Three Lions boss keen to make squad "more spicy". The German manager confirmed that the Real Madrid right-back, once considered an automatic pick, was dropped after falling behind Reece James and rising star Tino Livramento in the pecking order.
Trent Alexander-Arnold has been dropped by England boss Thomas Tuchel for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers but the likes of Adam Wharton and Djed Spence have earned a call-up. The Three Lions face Andorra at Villa Park on September 6 before travelling to Serbia on September 9, and Tuchel has taken a brave call by omitting the star right-back.