Opinion

Few managers in world football can match the Portuguese tactician's recruitment record, but which players made the biggest impact under his guidance?

No Premier League or La Liga, the Serb is heading to Besiktas on a lucrative salary

After a quiet summer in the transfer market, the manager would be wise to fast-track the development of the Red Devils' most promising youngsters

After a raft of new arrivals, the Blues and their new manager have plenty of work to do in what remains of the transfer window to cut down their bloated squad, with plenty of big-name players facing an uncertain future.

The former Manchester City man is set to join up with Luis Enrique's back-to-back European champions, and will once again face intense competition for a starting berth

The England international is set to join the Red Devils' pre-season camp with a view to becoming a key member of the team again, but that decision should not be taken lightly

Rodri joining Barcelona would certainly be a slap in the face for Real Madrid, but it is not the end of the world

Fresh from their long-awaited Premier League title win, a £75m deal for the Newcastle skipper promises to be transformative for an Arsenal side who already have the opportunity to build a dynasty next season

Juventus are still missing four fundamental pieces in the transfer market for a team that want to start winning again

The Manchester City talisman has rejected the chance to return to his home city and is now destined for Camp Nou in what is likely to be a cut-price deal - a damning setback for the club from the Spanish capital

Arsenal's pursuit of Vinicius Junior always seemed like a stretch. It emerged in a bombshell revelation in late July that the Gunners were 'exploring' the possibility of striking a deal for the Real Madrid superstar as they seek to make a marquee left-wing signing, but those explorations ultimately came to nothing as he agreed a new contract at the Bernabeu. So, where do they turn next?

The 23-cap England international finds himself at another career crossroads, having dropped into the free agency pool following an underwhelming loan stint at Aston Villa

The Reds will have to shatter the Premier League transfer record again to land their top summer target, but the fleet-footed 23-year-old could pay back that investment tenfold over the coming years

The winger is locked in showdown talks with Los Blancos with the aim of finally agreeing a new contract, but the Spanish giants are ready to cash in if they come to nothing as the Gunners circle - that would be a big mistake

It's been sad to watch a generational talent decline so rapidly, and the veteran forward risks doing irreparable damage to his legacy as his attitude threatens to derail his club

The Red Devils must get moving in the transfer market after a quiet start to the summer, or else they risk falling well behind their main rivals once again

No one could ever accuse Julian Alvarez of not knowing exactly what he wants. It was a surprise when he decided to push for a move away from Manchester City in 2024, after winning a pair of Premier League titles and the Champions League in his first two seasons at the club, but the Argentine forward had grown tired of being in the shadow of Norwegian terminator Erling Haaland.

Ten days on from the death of Kevin Keegan, Newcastle have been rocked again by the news that the man who completed their beloved former manager's work is stepping down. After U-turning on his decision to continue in the role after a nightmarish 2025-26 campaign, Eddie Howe leaves the Magpies under a cloud with just three weeks until the season begins.

Danny Welbeck and Jordan Henderson could be about to give a whole new meaning to 'the Chelsea Pensioners'. In a staggering pivot away from the youth-driven transfer policy that has defined BlueCo's stewardship since their takeover in 2022, Chelsea are remarkably considering bringing in both the 35-year-old striker and 36-year-old midfielder this summer.

Luis Enrique may perhaps be the only manager capable of bringing out the Portuguese player’s true potential.

A stormy crisis engulfs Al Alami

The World Cup that revealed the truth: the tournament that changed the rules of the game

The football world seems to move faster and faster these days. No sooner had the World Cup ended than attention immediately shifted to the transfer market - which is understandable, given some massive deals are expected to be confirmed in the coming days, following in the footsteps of Morgan Rogers' shock £117 million move from Aston Villa to Chelsea.

After five weeks, a record 104 matches played and 308 goals scored, the 2026 World Cup is officially over. From a purely footballing perspective, FIFA's biggest tournament of all time did not disappoint, with 48 teams doing battle across three host countries and the vast expanse of North America. And when 46 of those nations had been whittled away, only the top two ranked teams on the planet remained: Spain and Argentina.

There's no sporting event bigger than the World Cup. It's the pinnacle of professional football, where global superstars are born, dreams die and legends live forever. Sometimes, with just one goal, one pass, one tackle, one block or one save, a previously little-known player can become a national hero, a name eternally etched in the memory of a country's collective consciousness.

England at least managed to put a bit of shine on their World Cup campaign. The highly-entertaining, 6-4 win over France in Saturday's bronze-medal match didn't change the fact that they collapsed in the semi-final against Argentina three days earlier, but it did at least save a little bit of face.

Lamine Yamal has always looked up to Lionel Messi. The Barcelona legend was - and remains - his one and only idol. "I never had another," Yamal admitted to Tuttosport. "I once took a photo with him. I was unknown." He wasn't just unknown, though; he was still only a baby, just a few weeks old when he and his mother partook in a 2007 photoshoot organised by SPORT for a charity calendar.

Thomas Tuchel is about to learn the true meaning of an England tournament post-mortem - something the country does best. The inquest is well underway, with widespread calls for the manager's head in the wake of Wednesday's bitterly disappointing World Cup semi-final exit at the hands of the holders Argentina, as a defensive shift backfired and Tuchel's side slumped to defeat in stoppage time, despite leading in the 85th minute.