Ryan Gravenberch believes he has joined one of the biggest clubs in the world after sealing his £35million move to Liverpool.
The 21-year-old Netherlands midfielder has signed a long-term contract at Anfield after spending one season at Bayern Munich.
“I’m very happy. Very happy that the deal is done and I’m finally here,” Gravenberch told Liverpoolfc.com.
“If you see it from the outside, it’s one of the biggest clubs in the world. Also the fans, the stadium, I think everything from the outside is top. So that’s why (it was the right club).”
Revealing that he spoke to fellow Dutch players Virgil van Dijk and Cody Gakpo ahead of his switch to Merseyside, Gravenberch added: “Yeah before the move I spoke a lot with the guys and they said we have a good team and everything is top here.
“Actually my decision was quick. I left his office (Jurgen Klopp) with a great feeling and I can’t wait to start working with him on the pitch.
Klopp is enthusiastic about his reinvented midfield and believes the club have done good business this summer.
The Liverpool manager was always planning to revamp that department of his team this summer but even he did not expect to change the whole unit, only for the departures of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho to Saudi Arabia to force him into a radical overhaul.
Argentina’s World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister and RB Leipzig’s Dominik Szoboszlai were early arrivals as part of the planned revamp.
But the addition of Wataru Endo and Gravenberch, who was a long-term target but was considered unavailable, came much later than expected after Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia both turned down a move to Anfield in favour of Chelsea.
“We pretty much had to reinvent the team. The midfield is all ready and will be completely new,” he said.
“We had to do that in a season where we didn’t qualify for the Champions League, which has a massive impact.
“I know people expect it to be different but it is how it is. I really think we did good business, the players we brought in are really good, will help the team.
“We are less experienced but that is normal, but we are full of desire and I love this team.”
Mac Allister, who was initially asked to play an unfamiliar holding role, and Szoboszlai have both settled in quickly, which was to be expected as they had a full pre-season to adapt to Klopp’s methods.
The manager expects them to make bigger strikes, although he conceded Endo will take longer after only arriving from Stuttgart mid-August, but believes they have the capability to match the successes of the players they have replaced.
“The natural skill-set is obvious but we had to replace the most successful midfield in the young (recent) history of this club,” added Klopp ahead of Sunday’s visit of Aston Villa.
“Fabinho, Henderson, Milner, Gini Wijnaldum a few years ago. All had big parts in the team. Naby (Keita), (Alex) Oxlade-Chamberlain, they all played big parts in that midfield.
“In our best periods I remember you asked me the question if we had enough of a goal threat from this midfield when we scored all the goals from the front line.
“I think we have much more goal threat in midfield now but the work-rate these guys put in, the stability they gave us was second-to-none and that is what we have to create as well.
“We will see how we do that because we can play different systems, we have to think about that during the season definitely.
“But I think it is clear the players we brought in have real quality, are young and in a super way really excited about the opportunity of being here, so that’s a cool mix.”
Goals from Jarrod Bowen and Kurt Zouma saw West Ham continue their fine start to the season as they went top of the Premier League with a 2-1 win at Luton.
The Hatters, who were hosting a top-flight clash for the first time since April 1992, tried to make a quick start as Ross Barkley dragged a volley wide from just outside the box.
West Ham offered little as an attacking force in the opening exchanges bar a Said Benrahma shot that flew wide, as Barkley had another chance for the hosts after 15 minutes, once more failing to test visiting goalkeeper Alphonse Areola from a decent position.
Bowen had been kept quiet until the 26th minute when he took Nayef Aguerd’s long ball on his chest and fired narrowly wide.
The visitors almost led after 36 minutes when Edson Alvarez fired goalwards, denied by a brave block from Mads Andersen, with Benrahma curling the loose ball wide.
They were in front just 60 seconds later as Lucas Paqueta was given time and space to pick out Bowen, whose close-range header had too much power for Thomas Kaminski.
Luton responded well to the goal as Elijah Adebayo fired a decent opportunity over the top and then Ryan Giles got away on the left, his cross nodded on to the roof of the net by Carlton Morris.
Town ended the half on the front foot with a corner causing trouble inside the area and Tahith Chong nudging the ball behind from a good position.
The Hammers thought they had doubled their lead five minutes after the break when Emerson blasted the ball into the net after some ponderous defending, only for the offside flag to be raised and the goal disallowed following a VAR check.
Buoyed by still being in the game, the Hatters looked to restore parity with Marvelous Nakamba’s inviting ball into the box not being read by Adebayo, who was unable to turn the ball in under pressure from Aguerd at the back post.
Bowen sensed a second just after the hour mark after being left unmarked once more but this time couldn’t beat Kamsinki.
Roared on by a vociferous home crowd, Luton tried their utmost to find a way back into the game and almost did so when the ball dropped to Morris eight yards from goal, but his shot appeared to take a nick off Aguerd and go over.
West Ham then made them pay with four minutes to go as James Ward-Prowse’s corner was met imperiously by Zouma and his downward header flew in.
Luton gave themselves hope in stoppage time with Morris’ header turned in by Andersen but the Hammers held on.
Jonny Bairstow hopes to enjoy plenty more great partnerships with Harry Brook after the Yorkshire pair set England up for a convincing T20 victory over New Zealand on Friday.
Bairstow and Brook shared in a ferocious third-wicket stand of 131 from just 65 balls to lay the platform for an emphatic 95-run win in the second Vitality international at Old Trafford.
Bairstow batted throughout the innings for an unbeaten 86 from 60 balls while Brook, making a further point after his recent World Cup snub, smashed five sixes in a 36-ball 67.
“We tried to bide our time a little bit because it was quite tricky to start on,” said Bairstow.
“He hit a couple of magnificent shots over extra cover, and then that kind of kickstarts momentum.
“We had a bit of a chuckle the other day because we haven’t actually batted that much together, to be honest, and we were (saying), ‘come on’ we’re due a decent partnership at some point. I hope that’s the first of a few over the next few years.”
Their stand provided the backbone of England’s imposing 198 for four.
The Kiwis were never in the contest as they slumped to 103 all out in reply with impressive England debutant Gus Atkinson taking four for 20.
Bairstow said: “It was a great win. Any time that you bowl a team out in a T20, I think that’s some feat. Hats off to the bowlers for executing the skills as well as they did.
“But that wasn’t by any means the perfect game. We’ll go to Edgbaston looking to go better than that as well because naturally there’s some areas that we can improve on.”
England will head to Birmingham for the third encounter in the four-match series on Sunday leading 2-0.
Atkinson’s impressive display came after fellow seamer Brydon Carse shone on his debut in the series opener in Durham on Wednesday.
Bairstow is impressed with the attacking options available.
He said: “The guys that have come into series, Brydon and Gus, making the impact that they have, being so clear on how they want to go about it, I think is a testament to them.
“I think they’re going to play over a period of time for England, there’s no reason why not. Look at the skills that they’ve got.
“If you’ve got two guys that release the ball as high as they do and with as much pace as they have, I think it’s a good weapon.”
New Zealand seamer Adam Milne admitted the game ran away from the tourists during the Bairstow-Brook partnership.
He said: “I thought they were better really. Obviously they had a great partnership, very destructive for the small boundary there.
“They batted really well and it was tough to bowl to them when they’re in that sort of mode. Their line-up is full of quality players and explosive powerful players.”
Goals from Olivier Giroud and Rafael Leao helped AC Milan make it three consecutive wins with a 2-1 victory over Roma at the Stadio Olimpico.
Goals at the start of either half by Giroud from the penalty spot and Leao’s spectacular overhead kick put Milan in prime position to make it three wins from a possible three.
Milan looked in cruise control but they were forced to play the last half an hour with 10 men after Fikayo Tomori was shown a red card.
However, Leonardo Spinazzola’s late consolation was not enough as Milan held on to go top of Seria A, while Jose Mourinho’s Roma remain winless.
Milan hit the front with nine minutes on the clock after Ruben Loftus-Cheek was brought down inside the area by Rui Patricio and Giroud stepped up to dispatch from 12 yards.
Milan could have made it two with 22 minutes on the clock but Christian Pulisic’s close-range volley was remarkably tipped over the bar thanks to Patricio’s sharp reflexes.
Roma had a chance just before half-time when Leandro Paredes was brought down outside the area – Lorenzo Pellegrini’s free kick was headed out to Stephan El Shaarawy who fired wide of the target just before the interval.
The visitors doubled their advantage three minutes after the break in outstanding fashion when Davide Calabria swung in a cross and Leao’s overhead kick arrowed straight into the bottom corner via the post to make it 2-0.
Roma were offered a lifeline on the hour mark after Tomori received a second yellow card for bringing Andrea Belotti down outside the area.
Roma went in search of a way back into the encounter and Romelu Lukaku was brought off the bench for his debut after signing on loan from Premier League club Chelsea.
The Belgium striker almost made an instant impact but his effort from outside the area sailed over the crossbar.
The hosts continued to knock on the door but failed to test Mike Maignan as Spinazzola’s audacious effort flew well over the bar.
Roma’s late pressure set up a grandstand finish when Spinazzola’s effort deflected past Maignan and into the net during stoppage time but the hosts were unable to find an equaliser.
Barcelona have signed Joao Felix on loan from Atletico Madrid.
The Portugal forward has joined Barcelona until June 2024, with no option for a permanent transfer.
“The club wishes to thank the player publicly for the financial effort made and his desire to wear the Barca shirt,” read a Barcelona statement.
“Now, at just 23 years of age, and after expressing his long-held desire to be a blaugrana, Joao Felix has the chance to show the world his talent in a Barca shirt.”
Felix said of his move on the Barcelona Twitter feed: “It was always my dream since I was a kid.”
After breaking through at Benfica, Felix joined Atletico in the summer of 2019 and made more than 100 appearances in three-and-a-half seasons for them.
He spent the second half of last season on loan at Chelsea, scoring four goals in 20 appearances.
Barca later announced the arrival of Manchester City defender Joao Cancelo, also for the duration of the 2023-24 season.
The 29-year-old Portuguese, who has made 154 appearances for City, spent time with Bayern Munich last term.
Barcelona have signed Joao Felix on loan from Atletico Madrid.
The Portugal forward has joined Barcelona until June 2024, with no option for a permanent transfer.
“The club wishes to thank the player publicly for the financial effort made and his desire to wear the Barca shirt,” read a Barcelona statement.
“Now, at just 23 years of age, and after expressing his long-held desire to be a blaugrana, Joao Felix has the chance to show the world his talent in a Barca shirt.”
Felix said of his move on the Barcelona Twitter feed: “It was always my dream since I was a kid.”
After breaking through at Benfica, Felix joined Atletico in the summer of 2019 and made more than 100 appearances in three-and-a-half seasons for them.
He spent the second half of last season on loan at Chelsea, scoring four goals in 20 appearances.
The next time Iga Swiatek takes her best friend Kaja Juvan out for dinner, bagels are unlikely to be on the menu.
The world number one and defending US Open champion thrashed Slovakian qualifier Juvan 6-0 6-1 to reach the fourth round at Flushing Meadows.
The pair had been out for a meal in New York just last week, and Swiatek spoke of their enduring friendship on the WTA Tour before the match.
But with friends like Swiatek, who needs enemies? The Pole surrendered just eight points as she raced away with the first set to love in only 33 minutes.
Juvan did at least avoid the dreaded ‘double-bagel’, finally getting a game on the board 40 minutes into the match for 3-1 in the second and raising her arms aloft in mock triumph to the acclaim of the Louis Armstrong crowd.
But it was only delaying the inevitable, with Swiatek wrapping up another clinical, statement victory – she beat Rebecca Peterson by the same scoreline in the first round – in well under an hour.
“I didn’t like that I was winning with my best friend but I knew I had to be focused and not think about that,” said the 22-year-old.
“It’s like playing your sister. I don’t have many friends and she’s my best friend so that was the toughest, for sure.”
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has hailed Liel Abada’s contract extension after receiving “significant interest” in the Israel winger from elsewhere.
Abada has signed a new four-year deal after netting 29 goals in 105 appearances and winning five major trophies since joining the Hoops from Maccabi Petah Tikva in July 2021.
Rodgers told Celtic’s website he was delighted with the news, which follows extended deals for Daizen Maeda and Kyogo Furuhashi earlier this summer.
“We know there was significant interest in Liel from other clubs so we’re delighted that he has committed his future to Celtic,” Rodgers said.
“Already he has made a great contribution to Celtic, delivering some great performances and making a real impact. His energy and ability are real assets to us and his delivery in terms of goals and assists from wide areas has been excellent.
“He is a fantastic young player and now we hope he can build on what he has achieved so far and develop even further.”
Abada added: “Every time I score for this club is really amazing. To score in Celtic Park is always special and the atmosphere is amazing.
“Hopefully I can show more this season for everyone and I will try and get better for the team.”
Rodgers has been keen to keep the core of his team together towards the end of the transfer window and earlier insisted Matt O’Riley was going nowhere after a reported £10million offer from Leeds.
Rodgers said at a media conference: “When you have good players, there’s always going to be interest but definitely Matt is a player that I want to have here and part of what I’m doing.
“I have been really impressed with him. We look forward to continuing working with him.
“We are trying to put strength into the squad rather than deplete it.”
Sports stars and clubs across the world continue to provide an insight into their lives on social media.
Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the best examples from September 1.
FootballAnother busy transfer deadline day.
Ange Postecoglou made light of his Robbie Williams-inspired terrace song.
Birthday wishes.
Ricky Gervais set up a game of hide and seek.
Karen Bardsley was – mostly – happy to be home.
Liverpool turned the clock back.
Formula OneDoes a retweet mean yes?
Happy birthday Carlos Sainz.
George Russell had the floor.
New helmet for Max Verstappen.
Haas took in some Milan sights.
GolfRobert MacIntyre enjoyed a lucky break.
View this post on InstagramFormer Dundee skipper Charlie Adam played a key role in their latest signing after informing Burnley winger Marcel Lewis he was on his way to Dens Park.
Boyhood Dundee fan Adam is Burnley’s loan manager and helped secure a deal for the 21-year-old former Chelsea youth player.
After his first training session, Lewis told Dundee’s website: “Charlie Adam at Burnley gave me a phone and said I was coming up to Dundee which I was over the moon about.
“Charlie told me that the club is a great place to be with great players and a really good set-up.
“I want to get as many games as I can and pitch in with goals and assists to help the team.”
Lewis moved from Chelsea to Belgian side Royale Union Saint-Gilloise and had a loan spell at Accrington before making a permanent switch to Burnley 12 months ago.
Manager Tony Docherty said: “He is a very productive attacking player who likes to drive at defenders.
“He is also a technically-gifted footballer, who has real ability on the ball and will help us be creative in that final third.
“He has been recommended by Jody Morris and Charlie Adam as an extremely-creative player and has been brought in to enhance an already-strong squad.
“Marcel gives us another young hungry player who wants to impress and prove himself in this league and I am delighted we have been able to bring him in.”
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has no doubts about his formula for success as he looks to put some teething problems behind him ahead of their first meeting of the season with Rangers.
The treble-winners go to Ibrox on Sunday on the back of a Viaplay Cup defeat by Kilmarnock and goalless home draw with St Johnstone.
It was the first time Celtic have failed to score in consecutive domestic games since May 2018, when they did so immediately after clinching the title for a second time under Rodgers.
Attacker Daizen Maeda last week admitted he was taking time to adjust to a new style of player after previous manager Ange Postecoglou’s tactics were instilled in him.
Celtic’s Daizen Maeda during a training session at Lennoxtown )Andrew Milligan/PA)
Although Celtic embarked on a 69-game unbeaten run before Rodgers suffered the first defeat of his first reign, he feels the adjustment might take some time. But he is adamant his project will come good.
“I think it will do (take some time),” he said. “Listen, I’m not here to jeopardise the strategy of the team or lock the team and myself into anything that would fail or not work. It’s just time. It’s just time.
“I don’t really want to go on about injuries but there’s injuries to key players that can really make the system function.
“But I have absolutely no doubt… I know how to win. I know what it takes to win, and I will show the players how to win.
“It might not be in the first game of the season but over the course of the season and over the course of my time here I believe we will do that.
“But there’s just little details of what will improve with the players as we work forward.
“But my teams have always been based, and my body of work hopefully shows that, my teams have always been aggressive, on the front foot, attacking, creative and fast, powerful. And this team will be that over time as well.
“But in the meantime we need to continue to get results and look to improve.”
Rodgers feels the rivalry and pressure of Sunday’s occasion – in front of 50,000 home fans only – will ensure his side are up to speed.
“It’s an iconic game, a fantastic game to be involved in,” he said. “You certainly don’t need to motivate the players.
“Our opening three (league) games, we have won two and drawn one.
“More for me it’s the performance level. But when I analyse the game last weekend, we could have won the game four or five nil, if we get the early goal. The keeper makes a great save.
“But the performance level, I look at the speed of the game and the position of the game, it needs to improve, but I analyse the game and the fix of the things that we need to improve on, I have seen already over the course of the week. So I think we are only going to get better.
“You certainly don’t win a league in August. But it’s something we will improve on for sure.”
Lewis Hamilton finished only 17th in practice for the Italian Grand Prix as Sergio Perez crashed out.
Carlos Sainz provided Ferrari’s home fans with reason for cheer by posting the fastest time at the Italian team’s home track in Monza.
The Spaniard, who celebrated his 29th birthday on Friday, edged out McLaren’s Lando Norris by 0.019 seconds with championship leader Max Verstappen in fifth place, two tenths back.
But seven-time world champion Hamilton, who signed a new £50million-a-year contract with Mercedes earlier this week, ended up only 17th of the 19 drivers who set a time after bemoaning the lack of straight-line speed.
Hamilton’s Mercedes team-mate George Russell finished ninth, 0.821sec slower than Sainz.
While Verstappen has romped to 11 wins from 13 this season – and could become the first driver in history to seal 10 consecutive victories on Sunday – his team-mate Perez has endured a turbulent campaign.
And the Mexican faced more misery here after he lost control of his Red Bull machine through the high-speed Parabolica.
Perez ran on to the gravel on the exit of the corner leading into the main straight and skidded across the sandtrap before nudging the wall.
Perez was able to limp back to the pits but team principal Christian Horner was left grimacing on the Red Bull pit wall.
Before his spin, Perez had displayed encouraging pace – finishing third, 0.185 behind Sainz – and unusually ahead of Verstappen.
Verstappen, 138 points clear in the world standings on his unstoppable march towards a hat-trick of titles, ended the opening running at the top of the time charts. But his best effort in the day’s concluding running was scuppered by traffic.
The 25-year-old wanted to go for another timed lap, only for his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase to tell him “it isn’t qualifying”.
The Dutch driver was also fined 500 euros (£428) for breaking the 50mph pit-lane speed limit by 3mph.
However, given his crushing dominance this year, he will head into the remainder of the weekend as the favourite to land another win and better the record he shares with Sebastian Vettel.
McLaren have bounced back from a poor start to the year following an upgrade at June’s Austrian Grand Prix. Behind Norris in second place, Oscar Piastri finished fourth.
Elsewhere, Charles Leclerc, who won here to the delight of the Tifosi in 2019, was sixth, one place ahead of the ever-impressive Alex Albon in his Williams, with Fernando Alonso eighth for Aston Martin.
Alonso’s team-mate Lance Stroll failed to set a lap after he broke down with a fuel system failure in the opening moments.
Geoffrey Soupe was the surprise winner of stage seven of the Vuelta a Espana as the Frenchman edged out Orluis Aular in a chaotic sprint after a crash-strewn finish in Oliva.
A late corner on the 201km stage from Utiel put favourite Kaden Groves and several other quick men out of position and set up a messy finale, in which TotalEnergies’ Soupe just hung on to beat Caja-Rural’s Aular in a photo finish.
The battle for position had already been significantly disrupted by a big crash a little over six kilometres out which left Thymen Arensman of the Ineos Grenadiers needing lengthy medical treatment before leaving the race in an ambulance.
Earlier in the stage, the Ineos team leader Geraint Thomas had also gone down, and continued to receive treatment to his left knee as the Welshman looked uncomfortable for much of the day, losing another 24 seconds on the line after the crashes contributed to splits in the bunch.
Sepp Kuss, winner of Thursday’s mountain stage to Javalambre, was also caught up in a late incident but quickly got back into the peloton to stay second overall, eight seconds behind 20-year-old Frenchman Lenny Martinez, who retained the red jersey he took on Thursday.
The rest of the main favourites finished in the front group to mean no major changes ahead of Saturday’s return to the mountains.
The Frankie Dettori farewell tour will hit Budapest on Saturday where the Italian will take centre stage on one of the biggest days in the Hungarian racing calendar.
Dettori will have six rides on the nine-race card but will be linking up with some familiar faces at the capital’s Kincsem Park as officials prepare to welcome British-trained raiders for the first time.
All four horses making the journey from the UK are owned by Fitri Hay and her husband Jim, whose connection with Hungarian minister of defence Kristof Szalay-Bobrovniczky – also a key figure on the Hungarian horse racing scene – has led to this somewhat unexpected leg of Dettori’s international swansong.
The 52-year-old is set to partner Ian Williams’ Silent Film in a local Group Two contest before getting the leg-up aboard Paul and Oliver Cole’s Splendent in the feature Kincsem Stakes, a race which carries local Group One status.
Andrew Balding’s Sceptic and David Simcock’s Tides Of War are the other Hay-owned runners in action and their racing manager Alex Cole is hoping he has selected the correct squad for a fruitful venture to eastern Europe.
He said: “It’s very difficult to gauge the level for which they race, but I hope I’ve picked the right ones out of the stable rated around the 90s mark to be highly competitive.
“Horses can make days or ruin days, but fingers crossed.
“We’re all here now, Jim and Fitri are here, Frankie is here and the trainers are here. It all revolves around the Hays’ business interests, which ties in with the minister of defence who is also in charge of horse racing in Hungary.”
Dettori is no stranger to winning major contests around the world but a win in Bratislava in the Slovakian Derby is the closest the well-known racing figure has come to stepping foot on Hungarian turf, with officials hoping the Italian’s visit will provide a shot in the arm for racing in the country.
They also hope the ‘Dettori factor’ will see a bumper crowd in attendance for the feature of their Autumn International Meeting, which also sees greyhound racing and trotting take place at Budapest’s Kincsem Park.
“There are four major stakes races and Dr and Mrs Hay have four horses running, two in the mile race and two in the mile and a half,” said Botond Kovacs, international liaisons officer at Kincsem Park.
“It is the first time we are hosting English-trained horses here in Budapest and we are absolutely thrilled and over the moon, especially that Frankie Dettori is here. It is a huge privilege to have both Frankie and the Hays. It is his last season and he was gracious enough to accept our invitation.
“Frankie has arrived and he says our racecourse is 10 out of 10 and hopefully we will get a good crowd, we are hoping for a number around 6,000 to 7,000, perhaps more.
“The meeting is part of a horse and greyhound festival and the Autumn International Meeting is the highlight of the year, with obviously the Kincsem Stakes the feature race of the day with 55,000 euros in the pot up for grabs.
“We are very hopeful that this meeting can put Hungarian racing back on the map of racing in Europe.”
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