Switzerland training has been cancelled ahead of their Euro 2025 quarter-final against Spain after ilness spread through the squad.
Switzerland cancel training Alisha Lehmann and Co told 30 minutes priorFace Spain on FridayFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Per Blick, Swiss training was cancelled just 30 minutes before the players were due to begin, as a cold spreads through the camp. Multiple players are reported to have suffered symptoms, and the host nation of Euro 2025 thus decided to cancel their session on Tuesday.
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Alisha Lehmann and Co face Spain on Friday in their quarter-final, but their preparations have now been disrupted. Julia Stierli and Coumba Sow are both reported to be under the weather and the squad have been given the day off for recovery and recuperation.
DID YOU KNOW?
Switzerland came through the group stages in dramatic fashion, as Riola Xhemaili's injury-time equaliser sealed qualification against Finland. They have only played at two European Championships previously, in 2017 and 2022, being eliminated at the group stages on both occasions.
Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT?
Switzerland play Spain on Friday as they attempt to reach the semi-finals. Spain, of course, are ranked as the second-best international team in the world by FIFA.
West Ham United have now made contact over a deal to sign a “world-class” midfielder, and his club could be willing to sanction a departure in the summer transfer window, according to a report.
West Ham's summer transfer plans taking shape
The summer is edging ever closer, which presents Graham Potter with his first real opportunity to put his own stamp on the squad he inherited from Julen Lopetegui, having arrived at the London Stadium in the middle of the January transfer window.
It has been a poor season by the Hammers’ recent standards, with Potter’s side languishing near the bottom of the Premier League table, which means the manager could oversee a mass exodus of first-team players.
As many as ten players could be moved on this summer, including Guido Rodriguez, Niclas Fullkrug, Emerson Palmieri, and Michail Antonio, with the manager clearly planning a serious rebuild.
Offer made: West Ham leading race to sign 27 y/o star compared to Emerson
The Irons are in pole position.
By
Charlie Smith
Apr 10, 2025
It seems likely the Irons will need to bring in a new striker, given that Antonio and Fullkrug could be moved on, with both forwards now in their twilight years, while Rodriguez’s departure could pave the way for the arrival of a new defensive midfielder.
According to a report from The Boot Room, West Ham have now made contact over a deal for Bayern Munich’s Joao Palhinha, who could be allowed to leave the Allianz Arena this summer, having endured a difficult debut campaign in Germany due to injuries and illness.
Bayern Munich's JoaoPalhinhalooks dejected as he walks off after receiving a red card
Fulham have also made an approach for their former midfielder, who joined Bayern in a £42m deal last summer, so there could be competition for his signature this summer.
Palhinha intends to stay and fight for his place at Bayern, so it remains to be seen whether a transfer is possible this summer, but should he become available, it appears as though the Hammers could look at taking him to the London Stadium.
"World-class" Palhinha could be fantastic Hammers signing
The central midfielder’s move to Bayern hasn’t panned out how he would’ve liked up to this point, but he is clearly a very talented player, having already proven himself in the Premier League with Fulham.
During his time with the Cottagers, the Portugal international was lauded as “world-class” by reporter Dom Smith, and he has continued to impress from a defensive point of view since completing a move to the Bundesliga.
The 29-year-old ranks highly across some key metrics for midfielders over the past year, when compared to his positional peers, most notably impressing with his tackling ability.
Statistic
Average per 90
Tackles
4.08 (99th percentile)
Blocks
1.70 (89th percentile)
Aerials won
1.84 (89th percentile)
Pass completion %
89.4% (90th percentile)
Palhinha could be a fantastic signing for West Ham, given that he has already proven himself in the Premier League, but it remains to be seen whether a deal is possible, given the midfielder’s commitment to making things work at Bayern Munich.
da imperador bet： Autor do ‘pênalti’ que gerou o gol de empate em 1 a 1 do Corinthians e motivou as reclamações do São Paulo sobre a arbitragem do carioca Bruno Arleu de Araújo no clássico deste domingo (14), em Itaquera, pelo Campeonato Brasileiro, o lateral-direito Rafinha foi mais a endossar o coro tricolor contra o homem do apito nos vestiários. O jogador relembrou também a expulsão de Nestor no empate sem gols com o Fortaleza, durante o meio de semana. Confira:
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After what has felt like a lifetime, the international break is finally over and Arsenal are back to winning ways.
Mikel Arteta’s side played host to the high-flying Fulham in a Premier League game that’s unlikely to impact the title race but offered the home side a chance to make right their draw at Craven Cottage earlier in the campaign. Fortunately, they did just that, winning the game 2-1.
With a season-defining game against Real Madrid in the Champions League next week, Tuesday evening’s game offered the squad the chance to build positive momentum.
Arsenal's Mikel Merino celebrates
However, to ensure his side are in the best shape possible for that, Arteta might need to make a few changes, such as dropping Mikel Merino.
Arteta's unorthodox options
Before we get to the change up top that we think Arteta should be making, it’s worth examining some of the other potential, if a little unlikely, changes he could make, like throwing the returning Bukayo Saka in from the start.
The Hale Ender has been out of action since late December, but he announced his return to first-team training with a social media post last week. Then, on Monday morning, the manager revealed he was back in contention for Fulham, saying, “Bukayo is ready to go.”
Having the 23-year-old available again is a massive game-changer for the Gunners, as despite not playing for almost four months now, he remains the club’s most productive player this season, with 23 goal involvements in just 24 games.
However, his importance is also why he didn’t start against Fulham and may not even start against Everton at the weekend as losing him again, even for a short spell, would make the club’s chances of progressing in the Champions League far smaller.
Likewise, while there have been some calls to start fellow Hale Ender, Ethan Nwaneri, down the middle in recent weeks, it would probably be best to avoid doing so.
Ethan Nwaneri
The 18-year-old has played there at youth level and was even touted to eventually move there by the manager, but seven of his eight goals and his only assist have come from him playing off the right or in the middle of the park, and as the old saying goes, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.
Moreover, there is another player Arteta should look to start down the middle in place of Merino.
The Arsenal star who should start over Merino
So, the first thing to say is that while Merino hasn’t been Arsenal’s answer over the last few weeks, he hasn’t been too bad, considering he’s a central midfielder being asked to play up top.
However, while his overall haul of five goals and one assist in seven appearances as a striker is quite impressive, the reality is that those goal involvements all came in four vgames.
Then, against West Ham United, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United, he failed to score or assist, making it clear that Arteta needs to replace him with a recognised attacker tonight.
The best candidate for this, from the players available, is undoubtedly Leandro Trossard.
Now, while the £27m Belgian has been a little inconsistent at times this season, he’s proven himself to be deadly in the penalty area over the last couple of years, and if Ian Wright thinks he’s “clinical” and the “best finisher” in the squad, then he must be doing something right.
For example, since joining the club in January 2023, the “sensational” attacker, as dubbed by Arsenal podcaster Adam Keys, has scored 24 goals and provided 20 assists in 112 appearances, totalling 5999 minutes.
That means the former Brighton & Hove Albion ace has averaged a goal involvement every 2.55 games, or every 136.34 minutes at the club.
Furthermore, the 30-year-old “wizard,” as dubbed by journalist Charlie Haffenden, has already played up top for the Gunners, racking up a haul of four goals and eight assists in 15 games, totalling 866 minutes, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.25 appearances, or every 72.16 minutes.
Finally, starting the Waterschei-born dynamo down the middle means that Gabriel Martinelli can start in his strongest position off the left, and Nwaneri can start off the right, before Saka comes on late to get some minutes under his belt, therefore making the whole frontline far more intimidating for their opponents.
Trossard’s Arsenal record at CF
Appearances
15
Starts
11
Minutes
866′
Goals
4
Assists
8
Goal Involvements per Match
0.80
Minutes per Goal Involvement
72.16′
All Stats via Transfermarkt
Ultimately, with a big couple of weeks coming up, Arteta needs to make sure his side are in the best shape possible to ensure they can end the season with a bang, and one of the ways to ensure that happens, is starting Trossard in place of Merino.
Arsenal's "special" teen was meant to be Ramsey 2.0, then Arteta sold him
da premier bet： One of Aston Villa’s standout players could still be on the move this summer, despite both the club and the player reportedly being “happy” with the current situation, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.
Villa thump Magpies to boost Champions League hopes
da marjack bet： Aston Villa kept their Champions League hopes alive in emphatic fashion over the weekend with a dominant 4-1 win over high-flying Newcastle United at Villa Park. Ollie Watkins, Ian Maatsen, and Amadou Onana all found the net for Unai Emery’s side, while Magpies defender Dan Burn added to their tally with an own goal.
Forget Watkins & Rogers: 9/10 star is becoming Aston Villa's best player
Aston Villa secured a vital 4-1 win over Newcastle on Saturday
ByRoss Kilvington Apr 20, 2025
The result moved Villa within just two points of Newcastle. They’re also now just one point behind Manchester City and level with Chelsea, making the race for a top-four finish incredibly tight with only a handful of games remaining.
Next up is a daunting trip to the Etihad Stadium to face City on Tuesday, a fixture that could prove decisive in the push for Champions League qualification. Speaking after the weekend’s win, Emery stressed the importance of maintaining momentum.
“We can’t stop. We are involved in the key moment of the season. Through the Premier League, we are trying to reach our first objective,” he said.
On Watkins – whose goal drew him level with Gabriel Agbonlahor as Villa’s all-time top Premier League scorer – Emery added: “I’m so happy with how he’s performing and progressing under our management. His individual goal is important—for him, for us, for the club, and for our overall development. Hopefully, we can keep helping him to achieve more and more.”
Watkins could leave Villa Park this summer
While Unai Emery is clearly thrilled with Watkins—who has scored 15 Premier League goals this season—his future at Villa Park isn’t entirely secure. According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Watkins could still leave the club this summer if the right offer arrives. Writing in his exclusive GIVEMESPORT newsletter, Romano noted that both Villa and the player are happy with the current situation, but didn’t rule out a move.
“They’re happy with Watkins and he’s happy at the club,” Romano wrote. “Then if a proposal comes, never say never – as it was the case in January.”
Watkins was reportedly the subject of a £40 million bid from Arsenal during the winter transfer window, though Villa ultimately chose to reject the offer.
Having already seen Jhon Durán depart for the Saudi Pro League in January, losing Watkins this summer would represent a major blow for Aston Villa – particularly if they’re unable to secure the permanent signing of Marcus Rashford from Manchester United.
That said, Villa have shown a knack in recent seasons for replacing outgoing talent with even stronger additions, so it wouldn’t be wise to bet against them pulling off something similar again if Watkins does move on.
New Zealand legspinner Ish Sodhi has backed the “experienced heads” in their side to bounce back from the defeat in the opening Test against Bangladesh. New Zealand went down by 150 runs in Sylhet, after which their captain Tim Southee felt they didn’t bowl consistently in the right areas for long enough.Sodhi, who was the last batter dismissed in Sylhet, said the home side’s impressive showing also gave New Zealand the “blueprint” to play in these conditions.”The great success this [New Zealand] team’s had over the past decade has been being able to park these sort of things pretty quickly, whether it’s success or loss,” Sodhi said. “That’s going to be tested though. It is never anything to take for granted. It is always hard to come back off the back of a loss. But with the experienced heads here, we’ve been there, we’ve done that. We know how to apply ourselves into the next games. Hopefully, that’s something that we can commit to really well and apply to this next game.”It is obviously tough to come out on the losing side in that first game in Sylhet, but I think as the Test progressed, we found a bit more rhythm. Obviously, I haven’t played Test cricket in a while, so it’s always going to be tough in these conditions. The way that Bangladesh played, they certainly outplayed us. But upon reflection, I think they gave us a blueprint on what’s successful in these conditions, and hopefully we can apply that to this next Test match.”Related
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Bangladesh scored 310 and 338 in the first Test, totals that Southee felt were more than what New Zealand should have conceded. Sodhi also called for accuracy from the bowlers in their bid to draw level in the two-Test series.”It is about just working in partnerships and being a little bit more accurate,” Sodhi said. “That’s something hopefully we can come together as a bowling group over the next couple of days – discuss as a spin bowling group, seam bowling group, whatever that looks like, and try to make improvements. It’s always going to be challenging, not playing a lot of Test cricket over a long period of time, but when you come together, [it is about] how quickly you can adapt.”Sometimes you wish you could have adapted sooner in the last game, but we can’t sort of look back now. We’ve got to try to find all the learnings that we had in that last game and apply them to this one, and hopefully we can come out on the winning side.”Sodhi, who picked up three wickets in Sylhet, will return to Mirpur, the setting of his best ODI haul of 6 for 39 after scoring 35 off 39 balls with the bat against Bangladesh in September, for the second Test that starts Wednesday.”Going into conditions where you have had a bit of success, you always have a bit more confidence going into games like that,” he said. “It’ll just be about exposing the conditions as best as we can, figuring out whether it’s going to turn, or if it’s not, what that looks like for us in terms of attacking and defence. So I am really looking forward to the prospect of the second Test, but a couple of good hard days of practice beforehand.”
Victor Lindelof and Christian Eriksen are among 10 players Manchester United have released as their summer shake-up continues.
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Man Utd release 10 players this summerLindelof & Eriksen among those let goRed Devils continue summer shake-upFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
United have confirmed their retained list following the conclusion of the 2024/25 season, with the likes of Eriksen, Lindelof, and Jonny Evans among those departing as their contracts come to an end. Tom Heaton is also included on the list of free transfers but the club remains in discussions with the goalkeeper about a new deal. Finally, academy players Hubert Graczyk, Jack Kingdon, Sam Murray, Tom Myles, James Nolan, and Tom Wooster have been released.
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Lindelof's eight-year spell at United has now come to an end, as has Eriksen's after three seasons at Old Trafford. The pair have won the Carabao Cup and FA Cup together but they are now being offloaded as Ruben Amorim's side try to move on from one of the worst seasons they have had in decades. More exits could follow in the coming weeks and months as they try and start next campaign on a high.
DID YOU KNOW?
Evans has just completed his second spell at United (2023-25), after a first stint that ran from 2007-15. Over his Red Devils tenure, the Northern Irishman won three Premier Leagues, one Champions League, one Club World Cup, and an FA Cup.
Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT?
Although the likes of academy product Marcus Rashford, wide man Jadon Sancho, and winger Antony are on United's retained list, it seems all three could head out the Old Trafford exit door ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.
da poker： With no Premier League victories coming their way during the early stages of 2025, Ipswich Town do look set to fall immediately back down to the Championship.
da realbet： The Tractor Boys haven’t completely disgraced themselves with memorable wins against Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea at least sticking out, but there just doesn’t seem to be enough in the tank at Portman Road to maintain their top-flight position past this fleeting visit.
One factor that has arguably hindered Ipswich has been their hit-and-miss approach in the transfer market, with a number of loanees entering the building going on to have contrasting fortunes in Suffolk.
One of which is January arrival, Ben Godfrey.
Where Ben Godfrey ranks among Ipswich's loan signings
It has to be said that the Tractor Boys have at least been proactive in the market to try and give themselves a fighting chance at survival, regardless if many of their temporary signings haven’t been overwhelming success stories.
The additions of Jens Cajuste and Kalvin Phillips have boosted the underdogs somewhat, with Cajuste even picking up two Player of the Month accolades for November and December, off the back of the Napoli loanee winning an encouraging 3.3 duels per league clash.
Moreover, the ex-Leeds United man has also shown flashes of his class by winning 3.9 duels per match but it hasn’t been smooth sailing for every loan recruit.
Indeed, Julio Enciso has found his stint in Suffolk so far to be mainly injury-ridden, whilst the aforementioned Godfrey has largely found his spell away from Atalanta to be crushing for his confidence when looking at the sheer number of goals he’s leaked lining up in defence.
Godfrey’s numbers from two PL games for Ipswich
Stat
Man City
Spurs
Minutes played
64
45
Goals conceded
5
2
Touches
50
14
Accurate passes
34/40 (85%)
6/8 (75%)
Clearances
1
0
Blocked shots
0
1
Interceptions
0
2
Total tackles
0
0
Total duels won
2/3
0/1
Stats by Sofascore
Looking at the numbers, Godfrey has looked out of his depth on his return to English soil, further leaving Ipswich full of anguish that they didn’t sign anyone better over the winter.
As it happens, a fellow full-back is now starring after a loan spell at Portman Road many years ago.
Ipswich loan star is now a Ben Godfrey upgrade
As is the case with a large quantity of EFL clubs, the loan market proves to be invaluable in gifting your side some additional star quality on a short-term basis.
Where Are They Now
Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast’s Where Are They Now series.
When Ipswich were routinely competing towards the top end of the second tier, Portman Road was home to many a standout loanee, including ex-Arsenal youngster Ainsley Maitland-Niles during the 2015/16 season.
At the time, Maitland-Niles was just a wide-eyed product of the illustrious Gunners academy eager to prove a point in the senior game, rated at just £210k, according to Transfermarkt.
Fast forward past his formative time in Suffolk and Maitland-Niles would eventually go on to make a name for himself, with the versatile presence picking up an impressive two goals and three assists from 32 appearances when regularly lining up as a right winger.
The five-time senior England international had to spread his wings away from Arsenal to fully show off his best game, however, but his current spell at Olympique de Lyonnais is definitely playing to his strengths as an attack-oriented right-back.
Maitland-Niles’ Lyon numbers this season
Games played
32
Goals scored
1
Assists
5
Clean sheets
6
Transfer value now
£8.3m
Value increase by %
3852%
Sourced by Transfermarkt
As a consequence of a handful of England caps and his performances in Ligue 1, his transfer valuation has gone all the way up to £8m during his time with the French giants, representing a major 3852% increase from his once meagre price-tag.
Hailed as “tremendous” by football journalist Rob Sills during a different loan adventure out at Southampton, there must be some woe on Ipswich’s end that they can’t call upon Maitland-Niles in the right-back spot now when you take into account his six clean sheets for Lyon this campaign among other glowing numbers.
Capable of playing in midfield too, he could really have given McKenna a useful utility body, but the relegation-threatened side will simply have to make do with what they’ve got.
Ipswich loan flop who left in 2022 is now a bigger talent than Philogene
The special player didn’t have a great time with Ipswich.
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O jogo
Desde os minutos iniciais, o Internacional mostrou a sua superioridade e não deu chances ao rival. Com apenas 7 minutos, Vinicius Souza abriu a contagem com chute de for da área. Melhor em campo, o time gaúcho ampliou o marcado através de Rangel soltou o pé de dentro da área e estufou as redes.
Na etapa final o Inter manteve o ritmo acelerado e chegou ao terceiro gol em falta de Tortello. O Aster chegou a diminuir com Dieguinho, mas a resposta do Inter foi imediata ao Ryan acertar uma cabeçada certeira. Nos minutos finais o time capixaba fez o seu gol de honra através de Acácio.
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He also reveals how moving around the crease has helped him, a skill he developed during the last LPL
Andrew Fidel Fernando10-Sep-2023If Sri Lanka had aimed too high in their Super Four game against Bangladesh, they could have ended up with a sub-par score. These are the thoughts of Sadeera Samarawickrama, the star of Sri Lanka’s batting innings, who struck 93 off 72 balls.Across the match, Samarawickrama was the only batter to make more than 20 at more than a run a ball. But he lauded Pathum Nissanka, who hit 40 off 60, and Kusal Mendis, who made 50 off 73, for setting the foundation.”When Pathum and Kusal were batting, the pitch seemed a bit slow and they did really well,” Samarawickrama said. “If they had taken risks at that point and got out, maybe I would have got out cheaply too. But because they took the game a little deeper and gave us some momentum, I found it easier too.Related
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“When I saw the pitch, we talked about how this wasn’t a 320 pitch – it’s a 250 surface. Even that you just have to get in the last eight overs or so. If we had gone too hard early, we might have been out for 220. So what I tried to do after getting a start was to get the team to 250.”Samarawickrama, who made his Sri Lanka debut in Tests in 2017, has clearly worked on his white-ball batting since then. On Saturday, he frequently shuffled towards off stump to access the leg side, and backed away to leg to hit through off – often behind point.These were skills he had developed and used in last year’s Lanka Premier League, he said. In that tournament, he was second on the run-scorers chart, with 294 runs and a strike rate of 131.25. It was that performance, in fact, that had launched him back into the conversation as an international player.”Moving around the crease is something that I started in the LPL last year – playing with the bowler’s mind and figuring out how to put pressure on him,” Samarawickrama said. “However the pitch plays, I have to back my strengths, one of which is to back away and hit. It’s something I learned with a lot of hard work, so I back myself to do that.”Sri Lanka have now also won 13 ODIs consecutively, second only to Australia, who had won 21 in a row.”When you play as a team, your own performances are lifted,” Samarawickrama said. “If we had lost, my performance today wouldn’t be highlighted either. If the top order isn’t doing well, the middle order gets it done. If the middle order can’t do it, the top order has scored runs. We’re playing as a team.”