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Third-place WSL finish will be hard to repeat but Champions League group stages are in reach and Fridolina Rolfö is an eye-catching signingGuardian writers’ predicted position: 4th (NB: this is not necessarily Tom Garry’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips)Last season’s position: 3rd Continue reading...

Adelaide star speaks publicly on return from overseas trip‘I am fully committed to bettering myself,’ says Crows forwardAdelaide ace Izak Rankine says he is committed to regaining society’s trust in the wake of his AFL ban for a homophobic slur. An emotional Rankine returned to Australia on Tuesday night and fought back tears during a public apology at Adelaide airport.“Going away has given me space to reflect and educate myself to understand the weight of my mistake,” Rankine said. “And I am fully committed to bettering myself. In the next few days I will be standing in front of my teammates and the AFLW and apologising to them personally – and they deserve this at the very least.Ahead of finals sign up for our free weekly AFL newsletter Continue reading...

This gripping documentary follows early Premier League footballers who lost it all following investment advice that went wrong. It perfectly captures the melancholy of being an ex-proSympathy for the financial plight of former Premier League footballers, you say? No, wait, hear us out. You might be surprised by this previously untold story. Richard Milway’s documentary, Football’s Financial Shame: The Story of the V11, is a gripping, moving and human enough tale to inspire more than a little fellow feeling.The V11 may sound like a fictional spy ring from a shonky airport novel but they’re actually a group of retired footballers whose careers spanned the 90s and early 00s. This era-specificity is crucial. They are members of the Premier League’s in-between generation. They’re mid-rankers: household names but it depends on the household. Danny Murphy. Rod Wallace. Brian Deane. Tommy Johnson. Michael Thomas. Craig Short. If you know, you know. And they played at a time when wages were merely brilliant and not yet mind-boggling. At that point in football history, there was still a fragment of connective tissue linking the lives of players and supporters. As Deane puts it, having money meant being able to buy a house and pay off your parents’ mortgage, too. Continue reading...

Spaniard cruises to emphatic 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 victoryAlcaraz reaches last four without dropping a setIt took just seven minutes for Carlos Alcaraz to recognise that he was having another one of those days where he could do whatever he wanted with a tennis ball. Up a game point in his opening service game, the Spaniard skipped around the ball from far behind the baseline in his backhand corner and attempted the riskiest shot possible, unleashing a remarkable forehand winner.This would not be the last time that the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd collectively gasped at Alcaraz’s greatness as he continued to radiate confidence and calm in New York, moving effortlessly into the semi‑finals with a 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 win against Jiri Lehecka. Continue reading...

West Ham forward cleared in July of spot-fixing Paquetá to have hearing to determine punishmentLucas Paquetá is poised to receive only a fine after being found guilty of two misconduct charges relating to the spot-fixing allegations he was cleared of in July.The independent commission that acquitted Paquetá of being deliberately booked to fix betting markets upheld two lesser charges against him of failing to answer questions and provide information to the Football Association’s investigation, with its written reasons for both verdicts due to be published this week. Continue reading...

Italy goalkeeper joins for €35m and signs five-year dealEderson signs for Fenerbahce; Gündogan to GalatasarayManchester City have confirmed the signing of Gianluigi Donnarumma from Paris Saint-Germain as Ederson closed his eight-year stint at the club with a move to Fenerbahce. Ilkay Gündogan’s departure for Galatasaray was also confirmed on Tuesday.Donnarumma has signed for an undisclosed fee, understood to be in the region of €35m (£30.4m), committing himself to a five-year contract. The Italy international will wear the No 99 shirt at City. Continue reading...

The juggernaut was captured in one three-month tracking shot, but this summer market told us something deeper – about football and the nationBy the time the clock hit 7.30pm the main presenter on Monday’s Sky Sports Window Slam Countdown looked not just frazzled, but oddly heroic, like a man who has ingested a potentially fatal overdose of late-breaking excitement and is now being encouraged to keep talking in a low, dogged voice about massive deals and unexpected snags just to keep himself awake until the paramedics arrive.There was something of the Situation Room about the whole tableau, five nobly dishevelled talking heads leaning in around the curved tables, lists of names earnestly reeled off. Eberechi Eze. Randal Kolo Muani. We’re hearing that Coventry has fallen. In the bottom corner of the screen a picture of Marc Guéhi would flash up now and then reproachfully, Guéhi wearing a strange, lost smile as though he has in fact died. And below it all the countdown clock replaced with the simple end‑of‑days message: WINDOW CLOSED. Continue reading...

Defender says Chelsea ‘could have played better’ despite winning the WSL, FA Cup and League Cup last seasonSo, Naomi Girma, how do you top a treble-winning season? The US international, sitting relaxed on the 3G pitch at Chelsea’s Cobham training ground, bits of the rubber crumb being squeezed between her fingers, does not hesitate before answering.“We feel like we have another level we can get to,” she says. “It’s not about how we maintain this level but how we continue evolving and keep getting better. Having that mentality is always better than focusing on making sure no one catches us. Continue reading...

American into last four after 6-3, 6-3 win over world No 62Pegula to face Sabalenka after Vondrousova withdrawsJessica Pegula continues to redraw the limits of her career in New York. The 31-year-old American swept into the last four of the US Open on Tuesday with a 6-3, 6-3 dismissal of Barbora Krejcikova, becoming the first woman to reach back-to-back semi-finals here without dropping a set since Serena Williams strung together four straight runs between 2011 and 2014.It was a performance of cool authority, built less on fireworks than on persistence and precision. She needed only 86 minutes to subdue her opponent, whose serve collapsed under pressure with seven double faults and a first-serve percentage barely above 40%. Where Krejcikova unravelled, Pegula stayed the course, drawing energy from a nearly full Arthur Ashe Stadium that sensed they were watching a home contender gather momentum. Continue reading...

Vine climbs to win as departing teammate speaks outVingegaard regains red jersey at top of Larra-BelaguaJonas Vingegaard looked casual while he slipped back into the red jersey at the top of the Larra-Belagua but it was a dramatic day at the Vuelta a España for UAE Team Emirates as Jay Vine, the mountains classification leader, won the 10th stage and his teammate Juan Ayuso accused the team’s management of acting “like a dictatorship”.Vine took his second stage win, the fourth of the race for UAE, with a well-timed attack on the last climb to distance his final challenger left in the breakaway, Pablo Castrillo. The Australian had originally called off plans to go for a stage win as the peloton attacked the hilly route at pace – with average speeds regularly topping 49km/h – but as the race unfolded an opportunity arose for Vine to bridge over to the day’s breakaway group and he took it. Continue reading...