West Ham United and Graham Potter are ready to sell a “smart” Julen Lopetegui signing this summer.

West Ham preparing for Potter’s first full season in charge as Irons eye signings

It hasn’t been a season to remember for the Hammers after splashing the cash in the summer transfer market under Lopetegui. The former boss and Tim Steidten brought a number of new players to the London Stadium, however, neither are still at the club.

West Ham 2024/25 signings	From	Fee (Transfermarkt)
Max Kilman	Wolves	€47.5m
Crysencio Summerville	Leeds United	€29.3m
Niclas Fullkrug	Borussia Dortmund	€27m
Luis Guilherme	Palmeiras	€23m
Mohamadou Kante	Paris FC	Undisclosed
Aaron Wan-Bissaka	Man Utd	€18m
Wes Foderingham	Sheffield United	Free transfer
Guido Rodriguez	Real Betis	Free transfer
Jean-Clair Todibo	Nice	Loan transfer
Carlos Soler	PSG	Loan transfer
Evan Ferguson	Brighton	Loan transfer

Potter replaced Lopetegui who was sacked at the beginning of the year, while former technical director Steidten left weeks later. West Ham and Potter now appear to be working behind the scenes on signings ahead of the 2025/26 season, with a new forward high on the to-do list.

West Ham now racing to sign "phenomenal" £30m Alisson-esque goalkeeper

The Hammers have entered the race for a ‘keeper who has been compared to Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson.

By
Dominic Lund

Mar 24, 2025

A number of attackers have been linked with moves to London. Potter is keen on Lille striker Jonathan David, whereas an approach has been made for Fiorentina’s Moise Kean and an offer is thought to be on the table for Corinthians striker Yuri Alberto.

After an attacking arrival, there could be a departure in the final third, with Pitter and West Ham willing to cash in on a recent addition.

West Ham want to sell Guilherme for £25m as Feyenoord eye move

According to reports in the Netherlands, relayed by Sport Witness, West Ham are looking to get rid of Luis Guilherme.

It is stated that Dutch side Feyenoord are looking to sign the 19-year-old after failing to bring him in during the January transfer window, with the Hammers wanting €30m (£25m).

The youngster joined West Ham from Palmeiras for just over £25m last summer, and he has made seven appearances during that time, three of which have come under Potter.

Lopetegui praised Guilherme shortly before his sacking, calling him “very humble” and “very smart”.

“Step by step he’s more ready to help us and he’s going to take advantage of his opportunity. I have the feeling that, with time, he’s going to become a very good player for the Premier League.

“He has one very, very good thing: his mentality. He’s a hard worker. He’s a very humble boy and a very smart boy. He wants to improve. That’s why I think that he’s going to have a good future.

“I would like that his future is as soon as possible because we want to take advantage of him. I have a good opinion about the future because of his condition, physical, technical and his mentality. Mentality is key in all the players. If you have the right mentality, you are able to survive in the Premier League.”

Enzo Maresca has personally been in ongoing contacts with a transfer target’s representatives, while Chelsea themselves have also approached his club over the possibility of a transfer this summer.

Chelsea planning to invest in new centre-back this summer

According to some reports, Chelsea are planning to significantly invest in the acquisition of a centre-back this summer, and there are a few targets who are said to be on the agenda heading into the next transfer window.

Chelsea now determined to win race for Ramos-esque £50m Real Madrid target

The Blues are looking to move ahead of Real Madrid in the race for a “phenomenal” defender.

By
Dominic Lund

Mar 27, 2025

Crystal Palace star Marc Guehi, who is about to enter the final 12 months of his contract at Selhurst Park, could be available for a much cheaper price than in previous windows, with Tottenham most recently having a £70 million bid rejected for the England international in January.

Chelsea’s next five Premier League fixtures	Date
Tottenham (home)	April 3rd
Brentford (away)	April 6th
Ipswich Town (home)	April 13th
Fulham (away)	April 20th
Everton (home)	April 26th

Chelsea are rumoured favourites to re-sign Guehi, after the centre-back departed Stamford Bridge for £18 million in 2021, but another Premier League star is also thought to be high on their transfer shortlist.

Bournemouth starlet Dean Huijsen has starred under Andoni Iraola for the Cherries this season, and news of a release clause in his contract is reportedly motivating clubs to seriously consider a move for the Spain international this summer.

Chelsea are expected to make a serious push for Huijsen, with Spanish news outlet Sport now claiming that they’ve already begun to lay the groundwork.

Chelsea make approach for Huijsen after "direct contact" from Maresca

The website and journalist Fermin de la Calle reports Chelsea have approached Bournemouth over signing Huijsen, as have PSG, Man United, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, but Maresca has done serious homework on the player.

The Blues boss has strong connections to the defender through Malaga, and he’s been in “direct contact” with Huijsen’s representatives “for years”.

Maresca is also apparently very acquainted with the coaches who worked with Bournemouth’s star youngster in the youth academy at Malaga, and while Real are working hard to get close to the player through his agents, Chelsea’s manager is already there and has been for a long time.

This is why Real aren’t counting their chickens just yet in the race for Huijsen, as Chelsea and Maresca specifically pose a serious threat to them.

The 19-year-old, whose exit clause stands at around £42 million according to this report, is being continuously linked with an exit from the Vitality Stadium, and Bournemouth expert Mark Mitchener admits that his exit is a possibility.

“If his release clause doesn’t come into play until the summer at least you know you’ve got four, five months left of him,” said Mitchener.

“If Bournemouth are in a position at the end of the season where they will play in Europe next year, then you would like to think he would want to stay unless a team came in and offered him a deal too good to turn down.

“He made the decision to come to Bournemouth as a 19-year-old and not wait for a bigger club even though people were saying very nice things about him so he wants to play. He’s doing a very good job of it.

“I’d like to think the club can keep him, but with some of the very best young players in the world it’s very difficult to tell what will happen.”

Manchester United’s comfortable 3-0 win over relegation strugglers, Leicester City, marked yet another proud day for the Red Devils’ academy, with 18-year-old full-back, Harry Amass, making his senior debut off the bench in the second half.

Tipped to be “Luke Shaw’s successor” by journalist Alex Turk, the promising teenager was handed a long overdue first-team bow on his birthday no less, with manager Ruben Amorim going on to state that he has “so much fun” in handing opportunities to the club’s young talents.

The Portuguese coach – who also handed a debut to Chido Obi against Tottenham Hotspur last month – has followed on from Erik ten Hag in looking internally to find first-team solutions, with the Dutchman having been central to the rise of FA Cup final heroes, Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho.

As Amorim showcased against Spurs – in which Obi was the only youngster introduced off the bench – he isn’t one to hand out chances willy-nilly, following on from Ten Hag’s mantra of academy stars needing to “deserve” a place in the side, rather than simply be gifted one.

At a time when the cash-strapped outfit may be wary of making costly mistakes in the transfer market, it may be wise for Amorim to continue looking to the youth ranks – not least to find a perfect successor to an ageing Christian Eriksen.

Christian Eriksen's future at Manchester United

Sunday’s win at the King Power marked Eriksen’s 99th game for United in all competitions since signing on a free transfer from Brentford back in the summer of 2022 – just a year on from having suffered a cardiac arrest at Euro 2020.

For the experienced Dane to have even been able to play again at all after that horrific ordeal is a testament to his courage and resilience, having proven a particularly astute pick-up for the Red Devils.

Indeed, during Ten Hag’s first campaign, in particular, the former Tottenham Hotspur man was masterful in those opening few months alongside Casemiro, with club legend Paul Scholes highlighting the playmaker’s “intelligence” in that deep-lying role.

Sadly, an injury sustained against Reading in January 2023, following a tackle from Andy Carroll, halted that fine early form, with Eriksen having been forced to endure a far more peripheral role since then.

A return of 24 goals and assists for the club to date is no mean feat, although Eriksen has only started 17 games in 2024/25 to date, chipping in with eight goal involvements in all.

The £150k-per-week asset came agonisingly close to adding to that tally last time out, only to see his whipped effort strike the woodwork, albeit with it having been a largely difficult night for the Dane in that advanced number ten berth.

With the veteran talent out of contract this summer, it looks almost a certainty that he will be moving on to pastures new, with Amorim’s 3-4-3 set-up demanding a potentially more mobile and dynamic option, despite Eriksen remaining a classy operator.

69 minutes

43 touches

72% pass accuracy

2 shots off target

3 key passes

0 successful dribbles

0 duels won

14x possession lost

2/5 crosses completed

2/2 long balls completed

As such, it could be a case of out with the old and in with the new, with academy sensation Jack Moorhouse potentially deserving of a chance to stake his claim as Eriksen’s successor.

Man Utd's next academy sensation

The 19-year-old is perhaps not a name familiar to too many of a United persuasion, with the teenager still waiting to make his first-team bow, albeit while making the matchday squad, alongside Obi, against Spurs and Arsenal in recent months.

In The Pipeline

The Republic of Ireland U21 international has had to bide his time for senior involvement, although he appears to have caught the eye of the new management team, with the Daily Mail’s Nathan Salt stating that Amorim has been left “particularly impressed” with the youngster’s ability as a “ball carrier”.

That follows previous comparisons to Aston Villa’s newest superstar, Morgan Rogers, with young Moorhouse appearing to possess that ability to drive and weave his way forward to then attack the opposition penalty area.

As per Transfermarkt, the Manchester-born starlet has scored three times in just nine U21 games for the Red Devils, having typically operated as an attacking midfielder or on the left flank, thus making him ideal for the role that Eriksen took up against the Foxes.

Moorhouse has endured his own fair share of injury woe of late after only returning from a 431-day absence back in December, although now fit and firing again, he could force his way into Amorim’s plans before the season is out.

Indeed, broadcaster Nathan Murphy has claimed the teen dynamo is “highly rated” by those at Carrington, as evidenced by his recent promotion, with it set to be no surprise if he does follow Amass and Obi in making his debut in the near future.

Eriksen, it must be said, has been a solid servant to United over the past three years or so, yet now could be the perfect time for a changing of the guard.

Saved by Fernandes: Amorim must drop 5/10 Man Utd star who lost 100% duels

Man United extended their unbeaten run to seven games with a thumping 3-0 win at Leicester.

1 ByAngus Sinclair Mar 17, 2025

Manchester United are preparing to pursue Antoine Semento and Eberechi Eze should they fail to land Bryan Mbeumo.

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• Spurs reportedly lodge £70m bid for Mbeumo
• United's £55m bid has been trumped
• Semenyo and Eze also linked to London club

Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Old Trafford club have been heavily linked with the Brentford star, but are preparing to lose out to Spurs. United lodged a £55 million offer to the west London club, but have been outmanoeuvred by Tottenham's reported bid of £70m. ESPN are now reporting United have earmarked Bournemouth's Semenyo and Palace's Eze as potential Plan Bs.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Both players have been linked with a move to north London themselves, but it is believed Thomas Frank wants to reunite with the impressive Mbeumo. Semenyo and Eze impressed in the 2024/25 season, respectively logging 16 goal contributions in the Premier League.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Mbeumo remains the prized asset however. A recent analysis of xG performance revealed Mbeumo was the most efficient goalscorer in last season's Premier League. The Cameroonian bagged 20 goals, on just 12.3 xG.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR MBEUMO, EZE AND SEMENYO?

  The early stage of the transfer window is always fascinating, as you feel one major move can produce a domino effect. Should Mbeumo choose Tottenham, or United, it might just dictate where Semenyo, Eze or another star player might end up.

Marnus Labuschagne’s hopes of featuring in the ODI World Cup appear to be over after his omission from the squads to play in South Africa and India next month, but he will have a chance to push the selectors by lining up for Australia A against New Zealand A.Labuschagne was the notable omission from Australia’s 18-player ODI squad for next month’s matches, which forms the preliminary group for the World Cup in October.”It is form based,” chair of selectors George Bailey said about Labuschagne’s omission. “We know Marnus at his best is good enough to hold down a spot in the one-day team, [but] we just haven’t seen enough of it consistently in the role that we’d like him to do. Leading into the World Cup, there’s some opportunities for others to get a bit more game time.Related

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• Hardie, Sangha and more – four new names in Australian cricket

“We’ve been really clear with Marnus. He’s going to be part of some Australia A games around the same time, so he can focus on some white-ball cricket. Clearly, the squad we have going to South Africa have the frontrunning for [the World Cup] but Marnus, the age he is, the skillset he has, I have no doubt he’ll play a part in one-day cricket in the future. We know at his best he can play a really important role in one-day cricket.”Australia will narrow their list down to 15 names early next month but will be able to make changes up to September 28, the day after the last of the ODIs against India, where they will play three of the eight games in the lead-up to the World Cup.Labuschagne has paid the price for not kicking on from a promising start to his ODI career over the last 18 months. Since March 2022, he averages 24.93 at a strike-rate of 74.94 from 17 matches, having averaged 39.41 with a strike-rate of 91.13 in his first 13 games, which included a maiden century against South Africa in March 2020.Australia A play New Zealand A in three one-dayers from September 10 to 15 in Mackay and Brisbane, the squad for which is due to be named this week. Shortly after that, the domestic Marsh Cup begins, which will give Labuschagne further opportunity to play one-day cricket for Queensland.Marnus Labuschagne hasn’t been able to build on a strong start to his ODI career•Getty Images

If, as expected, he now misses out on the World Cup, it means he will be able to feature in a full run of Sheffield Shield matches during October and November ahead of the home Test season beginning against Pakistan, in Perth, on December 14.Labuschagne had an underwhelming Ashes series in England, where he made 328 runs at 32.79, although he did have an excellent match at Old Trafford, where he struck a second-innings century.Australia’s Test players who feature in the World Cup will have very limited opportunity for any first-class cricket ahead of the Test summer, although it is unlikely any of them will be part of the five-match T20I series against India will follows the tournament.One player who could be particularly challenged by the schedule is Cameron Green, who was dropped for the final Ashes Test at The Oval. He has been rested from the T20I series in South Africa, but if he makes the cut for the final World Cup squad, there will be little opportunity for him to find red-ball form and rhythm to push his claims for a recall.The last round of Shield matches before the Test series against Pakistan – and the BBL window – begins on November 28. The World Cup final takes place on November 19, and the round-robin matches finish on November 12.”A really important thing to remember with Cam [is] he’s doing his learning at the coalface in international cricket,” Bailey said. “Even as far as Test cricket [is concerned], he’s going to play a huge role and be a really, really important member of that side; and he’s going to be a really important member of our white-ball teams in the near future. He’s certainly one where it’s about giving him a little bit more time off to make sure he hits the ground running for the one-day series.”David Warner, who is aiming to close out his Test career at the SCG in early January, would also have a maximum of one Shield match for New South Wales, meaning the selectors will likely need to make a call on his place based on the Ashes, where he averaged 28.50. Thus, the first part of the Shield season will be vital for those vying to fill Warner’s place at the top of the order.

Paul Collingwood to work with London Spirit, Richard Dawson at Welsh Fire, Carl Hopkinson at Superchargers

Matt Roller29-Jun-2023

Paul Collingwood is due to work at London Spirit•Gareth Copley/Getty Images

Several England men’s assistant coaches have lined up jobs in the Hundred in August, which takes place between the end of the Ashes and the start of the white-ball team’s run-in to the 50-over World Cup.ESPNcricinfo understands that Richard Dawson is set to work alongside Michael Hussey at Welsh Fire, while Carl Hopkinson is due to link up with James Foster’s Northern Superchargers. The pair both act as assistants to Matthew Mott in England’s white-ball set-up.Paul Collingwood, who is an assistant coach to Brendon McCullum in the Test side, is also due to work in the competition. He will work at London Spirit, who are coached by the former England coach Trevor Bayliss.England’s white-ball team have not played since March and their next fixture is the first of four T20Is against New Zealand on August 30, leaving their coaching staff relatively short on work for the majority of the home summer.Mott encouraged Dawson and Hopkinson to apply for roles in the Hundred, and said that their roles would benefit the England team. “They’ve both been around the county scene for a long time, and I think they’ll do well at it in the Hundred,” Mott told ESPNcricinfo. “It’s a good opportunity for them.”It’s great that we’ve got eyes and ears in those camps, too – even just around some of the international players that are coming in. It’s almost like having a couple of scouts out there, extra eyes and ears. There’s only positives to come out of that.”Mott himself was due to coach Welsh Fire Women in the inaugural season of the Hundred but pulled out due to Covid-related travel restrictions, and said that it “wouldn’t sit right” to be involved in the competition while working as England’s head coach.But he is open to working in franchise cricket at some stage during his tenure, most notably in the IPL – where he acted as Kolkata Knight Riders’ assistant coach during the competition’s early years. “I’d be open to it, but it’d have to fit into my schedule,” he said.The 2024 edition is off the table due to its proximity to the T20 World Cup but there is a window in England’s white-ball schedule the following season, after the Champions Trophy. Mott added: “It’s definitely a goal to get back there at some point, but I’m not in a rush at the moment.”

Both teams are on course for a top two finish at the ongoing Europe Region Qualifier

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jul-2023Ireland and Scotland have qualified for the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup, after favourable results in the Europe Region Qualifier on Thursday. While a washout against Germany pushed Ireland through, hosts Scotland beat Denmark by 33 runs to confirm their berth for next year’s tournament.”While it’s true that we’d rather have achieved qualification on the field today, we’re delighted to have achieved our primary objective of qualifying for next year’s T20 World Cup,” Ireland captain Paul Stirling said. “We came to Scotland with a clear plan and style of play we wanted to implement, and I think we delivered on that front.”So we’ll celebrate job done this afternoon, but there is a trophy on the line tomorrow, and we are keen to continue that winning momentum going into the India T20 series next month.”Related

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Scotland’s victory over Denmark makes it five wins out of five for them in the Europe Region Qualifier. This spree also has them on top of the tournament’s points table. However, had Denmark beaten Scotland, then Italy would have stood a chance of making it to the T20 World Cup next year, since they would have been the only other team that could match Scotland’s points total had they beaten both Austria and Germany in their upcoming games. Ireland, meanwhile, won all four of their matches before their match against Germany was rained out.

Ticket punched!

Due to rain today’s match against Germany has had to be abandoned, so we’ve qualified for the T20 World Cup.

Congratulations lads

WE’RE HEADING TO THE WORLD CUP #BackingGreen pic.twitter.com/EOlFRer0qm

— Cricket Ireland (@cricketireland) July 27, 2023

Ireland and Scotland gained automatic entry into the Europe Region Qualifier thanks to their participation in the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia. Germany and Jersey made the Qualifier on the basis of taking part in the 2022 global qualifiers, while Austria, Denmark and Italy earned their spots by winning their respective sub-regional qualifiers.The 2024 T20 World Cup, scheduled to be hosted jointly by the West Indies and the USA, is set to be a 20-team tournament. The teams will be divided into four groups of five each for the first round, with the top two teams from each group qualifying for the Super 8 stage. The Super 8 teams will be split into two groups of four each, with the top two in each group reaching the semi-finals.Twelve teams had already qualified for the next T20 World Cup before the regional qualifiers. These are hosts West Indies and USA, the top eight teams at the 2022 T20 World Cup – Australia, England, India, Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka – and Afghanistan and Bangladesh, who qualified by virtue of the T20I rankings.The East Asia Pacific Qualifier is currently underway in Papua New Guinea, with the hosts on top of the four-team table. The top team from this event will qualify for the T20 World Cup.Qualifiers for the Americas (for one spot at the World Cup), Africa (two spots) and Asia (two spots) will also take place over the coming months.

يواصل نادي برشلونة الاستعداد لبدء الفترة التحضيرية للموسم الجديد، ويسعى لتعزيز صفوفه لمحاولة المنافسة على كل الألقاب الموسم المقبل تحت قيادة مدربه هانز فليك.

وصل روني باردجي نجم كوبنهاجن الدنماركي السابق إلى مطار إل برات صباح اليوم الجمعة للانضمام إلى معسكر برشلونة التحضيري للموسم الجديد.

وبحسب صحيفة “السبورت” الكاتالونية فإن روني باردجي سيخضع بجانب زملائه للفحوصات الطبية يوم الأحد، وسيبدأ الفريق في التدريبات يوم الاثنين تحت إشراف هانز فليك.

أقرأ أيضاً..برشلونة يترقب وصول لاعبه الجديد.. وفليك يحسم موقفه مع الفريق

وقال باردجي في أول تصريح بعد انضمامه لنادي برشلونة :”نعم بالتأكيد، أنا سعيد جداً بالانضمام لبرشلونة”.

وسينتقل روني باردجي نجم برشلونة القادم إلى مدينة خوان جامبر الرياضية للقاء زملائه الجدد وزيارة مرافق تدريب البلوجرانا.

وكان برشلونة قد توصل لاتفاق مع كوبنهاجن للتعاقد مع باردجي مقابل 2.5 مليون يورو مع احتفاظ النادي الدنماركي بنسبة أرباح 15% في أي صفقة انتقال محتملة في المستقبل.

وقد رجح هذا البند كفة برشلونة في الصفقة رغم اهتمام أندية أوروبية كبرى بالتعاقد مع روني الذي سيصبح ثاني صفقات النادي بعد خوان جارسيا حارس مرمى إسبانيول.

MatériaMais Notícias

Não bastassem as quatro derrotas seguidas que complicaram o futuro do São Paulo nas competições nesta reta final de temporada, a votação a ser promovida na próxima segunda-feira (5) pelo Conselheiro Deliberativo para decidir sobre a aprovação ou não da chance de reeleição ao presidente Julio Casares em assembleia de sócios eclodiu uma crise interna de grandes proporções no Morumbi.

RelacionadasSão PauloVÍDEO: Com falhas de Jandrei, Ceni admite rodízio com Felipe Alves no gol do São PauloSão Paulo02/09/2022São PauloDa defesa ao ataque, São Paulo definha em momento mais crucial da temporada e ‘junta os cacos’São Paulo02/09/2022Fora de CampoNeto detona jogadores do São Paulo após derrota na Sul-Americana: ‘Vocês não tem vergonha na cara’Fora de Campo02/09/2022

>>> Confira a avaliação dos jogadores do São Paulo na derrota em Goiânia (GO) segundo as notas dadas pela equipe LANCE!

O LANCE! apurou que há, entre alguns dos conselheiros são-paulinos, uma sensação de que talvez não deva ser o melhor momento para esse tipo de votação.

O motivo para isso é simples: a pressão das torcidas organizadas. O L! conversou com algumas lideranças de facções e algumas delas pretendem ir ao Morumbi na segunda para ajudar nos protestos contra a votação que estão sendo organizados por torcedores e sócios em redes sociais.

À reportagem, o clima exposto é de desagrado profundo com a situação do clube. E por isso há o entendimento de que tem que se aproveitar a presença de toda a cúpula da gestão Casares em um mesmo local para fazer um protesto.

Tão logo o jogo acabou em Goiânia, por exemplo, a Independente, principal e maior organizada são-paulina, divulgou um manifesto público, onde Igor Gomes, expulso no Serra Dourada, foi o principal alvo.

– Muito respeito com a camisa Tricolor Canalhas !!!! Igor Gomes querendo dinheiro para renovar contrato? Rogério Ceni mostrando teimosia mais uma vez ? Se essa diretoria tiver vergonha na cara, já afasta Igor Gomes e se o Rogério tomar as dores manda ele embora também! – diz o manifesto da agremiação.

Pelo clube, conselheiros tentaram durante a manhã abafar as críticas divulgando falsas informações sobre supostas tratativas para o retorno de Lucas Moura após o término de seu contrato com o Tottenham, da Inglaterra, em junho do ano que vem. Sonho distante, visto que o meia ganha mais de R$ 2 milhões mensais e interessa ao West Ham, do mesmo país.

De qualquer maneira, o técnico Rogério Ceni, um veterano tricolor que conhece muito bem as entranhas do clube, está ciente de que somente uma vitória contra o Cuiabá neste domingo (4), às 19h (de Brasília), fora de casa, pelo Brasileirão, é o único meio de acalmar as coisas. Pelo menos um pouco, claro.

The International Football Association Board (IFAB) has made a change to the offside rule paying heed to a Swedish third-tier side's persistence

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Swedish club persistence led to adjustmentOffside rule footnote correctedClub elated to bring more clarity to the ruleFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

In 2023, Torns IF found a loophole in the footnote of the offside rule and took the matter to IFAB. The Swedish side pursued the matter for two years until finally the IFAB clarified the footnote and removed the loophole. The technical director of IFAB, David Elleray, thanked Torns for pursuing this matter and bringing the loophole under the spotlight.

AdvertisementTHE BIGGER PICTURE

According to the footnote of the offside rule, the first point of contact of the 'play' or 'touch' of the ball should be used to determine offside. This meant that if a player were to stay in a position, control the ball firmly between his feet, wait for a forward to make a run, and then make a 'delayed' scoop pass to him, it would not have counted as offside. This is because the first contact was when the player initially controlled the ball. The error was outright visible, which prompted the Swedish team to bring the matter in front of IFAB. The board first dismissed the case, but after constant persuasion they gave in and chose to remove the loophole by clarifying the footnote.

DID YOU KNOW?

Torns' social media account made a video of the loophole and uploaded it to their YouTube handle back in 2023. The video went viral soon, which initially prompted IFAB to look into the case. Although finding the loophole "amusing," the board went on to change the wording after Torns' relentless convincing.

After IFAB's changes to the rule, Torns' player Tim Nielsen said: "IFAB required some convincing, but we got there in the end."

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gettyWHAT NEXT FOR IFAB?

Nielsen was elated to have played a part in bringing a change to the rule stating the board needed convincing but he highlighted that such a change wouldn't have been possible without the increased clarity brought to matches by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR). However, VAR has often been cited to cause delay in decision-making for on-field referees as well. The injury to Taiwo Awoniyi of Nottingham Forest is one such incident, and the IFAB will aim to make VAR more efficient in the years to come.