Scotland have added James Morrison to Steve Clarke’s coaching staff.
The former Middlesbrough and West Brom midfielder earned 46 caps for Scotland during his career and was part of the backroom team for their Euro 2024 qualifier wins against Norway and Georgia earlier this month.
Following his retirement in 2019 Morrison joined West Brom’s coaching staff and will continue in his role with the Baggies academy.
He told the Scottish FA website: “It was always a great honour to represent Scotland every time I put on the shirt and it is a privilege to be given an opportunity to work with the men’s national team in a coaching capacity.
“During the recent camp, I witnessed the high standards driven by the coaching staff and players alike and I am thrilled to be a part of the group going forward, at what is a hugely exciting time for the Scotland men’s national team.”
The summer transfer market remains busy with plenty of deals and speculation.
Here, the PA news agency rounds up some of the latest business and stories.
Top story
Arsenal’s pursuit of West Ham captain Declan Rice continues to command the most headlines. After having two bids rebuffed for the England midfielder, the Gunners’ third offer of £100million plus £5m in add-ons was reportedly accepted on Wednesday.
Manchester City had been interested but, after having a £90m bid rejected, decided not to match Arsenal’s proposition.
Done deals
Tottenham completed the signing of James Maddison from Leicester for an initial £40m on Wednesday. The 26-year-old England international has signed a five-year deal and becomes new manager Ange Postecoglou’s third new recruit.
Kai Havertz has crossed London to join Arsenal from Chelsea in a £65m deal and goalkeeper Edouard Mendy has also left Stamford Bridge to sign for Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli.
Deals closing in
Arsenal are shaping up to be one of the biggest movers in the summer window as they also close on the signing of Ajax defender Jurrien Timber.
Chelsea are also reportedly in “advanced talks” over Santos winger Angelo Gabriel.
Other gossip
Chelsea’s interest in Brighton’s Moises Caicedo has now apparently been matched by Manchester United. This adds a layer of intrigue to United’s pursuit of Chelsea’s Mason Mount.
Caicedo has emerged as a potential United target after they were knocked back by the Blues over Mount, so it will be interesting to see if this changes the picture.
Meanwhile, Celta Vigo’s Gabri Veiga, who has a £34m buyout clause, is being looked at by Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City.
Fulham and Nottingham Forest are potential destinations for another Chelsea player, Callum Hudson-Odoi. Liverpool are also being linked with RB Leipzig midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai and the German side’s centre-back Josko Gvardiol is another potential target for champions City.
Unlikely move
The future of Tottenham and England striker Harry Kane remains the subject of considerable speculation as Bayern Munich apparently prepare a second bid, but the prospect of this move happening still seems remote.
Bayern’s first offer of £60m was rejected out of hand and the feeling is the Germans would have to up it considerably just to get Spurs to the table. Even then, there has been no indication that Kane would be interested in such a switch.
No move
It was inevitable there would be some interest in Jamie Vardy following Leicester’s relegation but the 36-year-old apparently has no interest in joining Saudi Arabian side Khaleej FC.
What the papers say
West Ham are reportedly interested in three players this summer to help fill the void left by Declan Rice’s expected departure, with the club said to be targeting England international Harry Maguire. The Mirror says the club are also interested in Everton midfielder Amadou Onana and Juventus midfielder Denis Zakaria.
Bayern Munich are set to up their offer for Tottenham striker Harry Kane after their initial deal of £60million was rejected by the club, the Sun reports. The new bid is reportedly worth £80million.
Wolves have accepted a deal worth £7.5million from Leicester for defender Conor Coady, the Daily Express says.
The Nottingham Post says Chelsea are willing to let 22-year-old Callum Hudson-Odoi leave the club for £15million, with Nottingham Forest interested in signing the young forward.
Social media round-upPlayers to watch
Moises Caicedo: Brighton are reportedly set to receive an offer from Manchester United for the Ecuadorian after contact was made earlier in the week, according to Sky Sports.
Dominik Szoboszlai: The Athletic says Liverpool are interested in signing RB Leipzig’s Hungarian midfielder who has a release clause worth £70million.
Demarai Gray had a birthday to remember, as he got on the score sheet twice to lead Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz to a 4-1 win over Caribbean rivals Trinidad and Tobago in their second Concacaf Gold Cup Group A fixture, at Citypark in St Louis, Missouri on Wednesday.
Gray, making his second appearance for the Reggae Boyz, celebrated his 27th birthday in style when he scored his first goal as a Jamaican international in the 14th minute and added a second in the 28th minute.
The Everton winger’s second came after Leon Bailey (17th) doubled the lead, while Chelsea-bound rising sensation Dujuan Richards, who was an 82nd-minute substitute, capped the victory with his first senior team goal in the 90+2 minute. With that, the 17-year-old became the youngest ever goalscorer in Gold Cup history.
Trinidad and Tobago got what turned out to be a consolation through Andre Rampersad in the 49th minute.
The win –which was also Heimir Hallgrimsson’s first since taking the reins as Jamaica’s Head coach late last year –provisionally saw the Boyz to the top of the standing on four points, one ahead of Trinidad and Tobago.
Group favourites United States, on a point, were leading newcomers St Kitts and Nevis, without a point, 4-0 at half-time in the late kickoff.
The much-anticipated clash between Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago
Was the first international men’s game to be played at the 22,000-plus capacity stadium and though it wasn’t the most attractive or entertaining encounter, the spectators that turned out were well treated to five goals.
It was initially projected to be a close contest, especially as the Soca Warriors Head coach Angus Eve opted for a defensive 5-4-1 formation that was expected to prove difficult for the Reggae Boyz to break down.
But it became clear early that the objective of the formation would prove futile, as Michail Antonio dispossessed a defender a played a cheeky pass off to send Bobby Reid on his way. However, Reid took an unwanted touch and later hit the ball in the side netting.
The Soca Warriors briefly enjoyed a good passage of possession where they looked threatening in open play but couldn't create any meaningful opportunity and later found themselves behind.
In the 14th minute, a decent build up by the Reggae Boyz ended with Bailey finding an unmarked Gray, who buried his right-footed effort in the left corner beyond the slightly advanced, Frenderup in goal for Trinidad and Tobago.
Bailey doubled the lead three minutes later when he timed his run to perfection to latch on to a long pass from Joel Latibeaudiere and finished with aplomb in a one-one-one situation with Frenderup. The goal was initially flagged as offside, but that decision was later overturned on by VAR.
The Soca Warriors tried to play their game but were hardly allowed any room to cause any problems for Jamaica’s defence and, as such, only absorbed consistent pressure.
They found themselves 3-0 down before the half-hour mark after Kevon Lambert won possession and found Antonio. The West Ham man then slipped by a defender and placed a pass on a platter for the wide-opened Gray to complete one of the easiest finishes of his career.
As the score remained unchanged at the break, the half-time team talk by Angus, coupled with Jamaica's defensive frailties, saw Trinidad pulling one back four minutes into the resumption.
Captain Levi Garcia got away from Jamaica’s debutant Dishon Bernard and drove a pass in for Rampersad to apply a back heel finish beyond Andre Blake, while under pressure from two defenders.
Still, the Jamaicans continued to apply consistent pressure and created numerous opportunities to add to their tally, but those were squandered due to both faulty shooting and poor decision-making.
It wasn’t until close to the end that they got another when Richards’s shot from a distance took a wicked deflection and sailed past the flat-footed Frenderup, who had no chance.
Teams: Jamaica -Andre Blake, Damion Lowe, Kemar Lawrence (Dexter Lembikisa 46th), Bobby Reid (Shamar Nicholson 62nd), Joel Latibeaudiere, Kevon Lambert, Demarai Gray, Leon Bailey (Dujuan Richards 82nd), Michail Antonio (Corey Burke 77th), Dishon Bernard, Javain Brown (Daniel Johnson 62nd)
Subs not used: Coniah Boyce-Clarke, Jahmali Waite, Kaheem Parris, Jonathan Russell, Adrian Mariappa, Amari’i Bell,
Booked: Brown (9th), Lowe (75th)
Trinidad & Tobago: Nicklas Frenderup, Alvin Jones, Sheldon Bateau, Kareem Moses, Aubrey David, Shannon Gomez (Molik Khan 76th), Malcolm Shaw, Andre Rampersad (Kevin Molino 63rd), Ajani Fortune (Kaile Auvray 46th), Levi Garcia, Neveal Hackshaw
Subs not Used: Marvin Phillip, Denzil Smith, Leland Archer, Luke Singh, Triston Hodge, Ryan Telfer, Joevin Jones, Real Gill, Kadeem Corbin
Booked: Hackshaw (5th), Bateau (41st), Jones (73rd)
Referee: Fernando Guerrero (Mexico)
Assistant referees: Enrique Bustos (Mexico); Jorge Sanchez (Mexico)
Fourth Official: Reon Radix (Grenada)
Var: Benjamin Pineda (Costa Rica)
Avar1: Ricardo Montero (Costa Rica)
Former Barcelona and Argentina manager Gerardo Martino has been appointed as the new head coach of Inter Miami.
The 60-year-old Argentinian arrives at the Major League Soccer outfit co-owned by David Beckham after they sacked the latter’s ex-Manchester United team-mate Phil Neville earlier this month.
It will reunite Martino with his compatriot Lionel Messi, with the World Cup winner to join the Florida side after leaving Paris St Germain at the end of his contract.
Martino, who coached Messi with Barcelona and Argentina, said in a club statement: “I’m very excited to join a big club like Inter Miami and I know together we can accomplish many great things.
“The club has the necessary infrastructure to be a major competitor in the region and I believe that with everyone’s hard work and commitment we can get there.”
Beckham said: “’Tata’ is a highly respected figure in our sport whose track record speaks for itself.
“We are confident that his achievements in the game and experience as a head coach will inspire our team and excite our fans and look forward to seeing the impact he will have on and off the field.”
Martino has been a Copa America runner-up twice with Argentina and once with Paraguay, and also overseen Mexico winning the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Tottenham have completed the signing of James Maddison from Leicester.
Spurs entered advanced talks with the recently relegated Foxes earlier this week and have secured the services of the England international in a deal worth £40million plus add-ons.
Maddison has agreed a five-year deal with the club and becomes new boss Ange Postecoglou’s third arrival of the summer.
The transfer of Maddison will represent a major coup for Spurs, who have been long-term admirers of the 26-year-old.
England Under-21s boss Lee Carsley hailed the cutting edge shown by his side in the opening minutes of their 2-0 victory over Germany in the European Under-21 Championship.
The Young Lions hit the front after just four minutes when Cameron Archer latched onto a threaded pass from Jacob Ramsey before slotting the ball past Noah Atubolu, and they made it 2-0 with 21 minutes on the clock as Harvey Elliott scored a superb solo effort.
England secured a quarter-final date with Portugal on Sunday by topping the group with three straight 2-0 wins over their group-stage opponents, while holders Germany were sent crashing out.
Carsley told UEFA.com: “We were fortunate to take our chances. Germany had some really good chances but didn’t take them. We’re really happy with the result but more importantly the performance.
“We thought it was a really difficult game. We knew preparing for the game that it was going to be a tough one.
“We were lucky enough to play Germany in one of the international windows in a friendly. We knew the quality that they had. Tactically they’re very difficult to break down and you’ve seen that in the game today.”
England have yet to concede a goal in the tournament having kept three straight clean sheets, and Carsley praised the performance of his defensive unit.
He continued: “We talk about the whole team defending, as opposed to just the defence.
“I thought Levi (Colwill) and Taylor (Harwood-Bellis) as well as Jarrad (Branthwaite) and Charlie (Cresswell) have done outstandingly at centre-back, and obviously James (Trafford) in goal.
“As a whole, we’ve defended really well from full-back areas, with midfielders and forwards. It was really pleasing to see, right at the end of the game, players making blocks on the edge of the box and blocking crosses. It’s good to see.”
Arsenal have signed Kai Havertz from Chelsea on a “long-term contract” and have reportedly moved closer to sealing a deal for West Ham captain Declan Rice.
Havertz joins after three years with the Blues, during which he made 139 appearances, scoring 32 goals, including the winner in the 2021 Champions League final.
The news regarding the 24-year-old Germany international comes as it was reported that Arsenal had also agreed a £105million fee with West Ham for Rice.
Havertz said on Arsenal’s official website: “It’s super exciting for me to be joining this amazing club and to be part of the Arsenal family. This club has such a big history, and I hope we can achieve lots of things.
“The mentality in the Arsenal squad is very high and you can feel that. That was one of the reasons why it has been so hard to play against Arsenal recently.
“The aim is to win trophies and I’m going to give everything to do that for the supporters and everyone at the club. I’m now looking forward to meeting all the players and the staff when we come back for pre-season.”
England Under-21s made it three wins from three and dumped Germany out of the European Under-21 Championship with a 2-0 win in their final group game in Batumi.
Two goals in the opening 21 minutes from Cameron Archer and Harvey Elliott were enough to secure another three points as England topped Group C with maximum points while holders Germany were sent crashing out without a win to their name.
England made an explosive start and hit the front after just four minutes when Jacob Ramsey’s clever through ball found Archer and he calmly tucked the ball past Noah Atubolu to make it 1-0.
The Young Lions nearly doubled their advantage six minutes later when the ball fell to Ramsey inside the area but his low drive went wide of the far post.
Lee Carsley’s side did make it two in the 21st minute thanks to a wonderful solo effort from Elliott. The Liverpool midfielder collected the ball inside his own half, drove at the German defence into the penalty area before coolly slotting home to make it 2-0.
Germany needed to win to have any chance of qualifying and their first chance came on the half-hour mark but Brentford forward Kevin Schade’s shot from inside the area found the hands of James Trafford.
Schade was Germany’s main threat and he had another chance to pull one back just before half-time when he sprinted down the right-hand side but saw his effort tipped away by the keeper.
Germany may have been facing an early exit but they posed little threat in the second half as England continued to probe, with half-chances falling to Cole Palmer after Elliott had forced a great save from Atubolu.
James Garner came close to a third with 15 minutes to go after some neat link-up play but the Everton midfielder could not steer his effort on target from close range.
Germany’s best chance of the game came three minutes from time when Finn Ole Becker’s powerful deflected effort was palmed away by Trafford, who secured another clean sheet alongside three straight 2-0 wins.
Polish full-back Mateusz Zukowski has left Rangers to join Slask Wroclaw.
The 21-year-old moved to Ibrox on a three-and-a-half-year contract from Lechia Gdansk in January 2022.
However, the Poland Under-21 international made only one first-team appearance, in a Scottish Cup win away to Annan just weeks after his arrival.
Zukowski has been allowed to leave Rangers and return to his homeland for an undisclosed fee.
“Everyone at the club wishes Mateusz Zukowski the very best of luck for the future,” Rangers tweeted as they confirmed his departure.
Meanwhile, Rangers appear to be close to finalising a fifth new signing of the summer, with Brighton forward Abdallah Sima reportedly undergoing a medical on Wednesday ahead of a proposed season-long loan at Ibrox.
The 22-year-old Senegalese played against the Gers for Slavia Prague in the Europa League in March 2021, just months before earning a £7million move to Brighton.
Sima has struggled to establish himself with the Seagulls so far, however. He spent part of his first season in England on loan at Stoke before being farmed out to French Ligue 1 side Angers last term, scoring five goals in 34 appearances as they finished bottom of the table.
Rangers have already signed Kieran Dowell, Dujon Sterling, Jack Butland and Sam Lammers this summer as manager Michael Beale continues reshaping his squad following the departure of high-profile players like Allan McGregor, Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos.
Edouard Mendy has become the third player to leave Chelsea for Saudi Arabia this summer after the club confirmed he has joined Al-Ahli.
A fee of £16million is understood to have been agreed for the goalkeeper, who lost his place in the team to Kepa Arrizabalaga during the second half of last season.
The 31-year-old had risen to become one of the most highly-rated keepers in the world after helping Chelsea to win the Champions League in 2021, but played only once for the club after returning from the World Cup in Qatar, costing his side a goal after a mistake in a 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest in May.
The PA news agency understands that new manager Mauricio Pochettino decided weeks ago that Arrizabalaga would be his first choice to start next season in goal, rendering Senegal international Mendy surplus.
He joins N’Golo Kante and Kalidou Koulibaly in having swapped Stamford Bridge for clubs in the Saudi Professional League, with the pair having joined Al-Ittihad and Al-Hilal respectively.
Another Chelsea outcast, Hakim Ziyech, is understood to be on the brink of moving to the Gulf state after a deal was struck for him to join Al-Nassr, where Cristiano Ronaldo also plays.
The club are eager to clear as many of their unwanted players out as possible before June 30 so that the sales can be included in financial accounts for 2022/23.
PA understands confirmation will come this week of Kai Havertz’s £65m move to Premier League rivals Arsenal, after Mateo Kovacic joined champions Manchester City on Tuesday. Ruben Loftus-Cheek has agreed a £15m move to AC Milan.
A £55m bid from Manchester United to sign Mason Mount remains on the table after the England international told Chelsea he wants to leave, but on Wednesday the clubs remained apart in their valuation of the player.
St Mirren have signed Middlesbrough goalkeeper Zach Hemming on a season-long loan
The 23-year-old Englishman has returned for another stint in Scotland after spending the last two campaigns on loan at Kilmarnock, where he made 54 appearances.
Hemming, who is yet to make a first-team appearance for Boro, has also spent time on loan at Darlington and Blyth Spartans.
“I’m delighted to be here,” he told the St Mirren website.
“I remember seeing the team when I was at Kilmarnock and it seems very structured and everyone knows their role in the team.
“The manager knows how capable I am and what I can do so I just want to impress. I can’t wait to get going.”
Hemming arrives at St Mirren at a time when last season’s number one Trevor Carson is being linked with a move away from the Paisley club.
“Zach is someone that we have been looking at for a while,” said manager Stephen Robinson. “We watched him at Kilmarnock and I know the goalkeeping coach at Middlesborough.
“We’ve had really good reports on Zach and we’ve seen him at close hand so I’m very confident that he will come in and do well.
“He’s a young, enthusiastic goalkeeper and we’re delighted to have him in.”
Roma head coach Jose Mourinho has been hit with a 10-day suspension for the start of the Serie A season over comments he made about a referee.
Mourinho has been sanctioned by the national federal court of Italy’s football federation, the FIGC, after describing official Daniele Chiffi as “the worst referee (he) had ever seen” after Roma’s match against Monza on May 3.
The Portuguese, who has also managed Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham, will not be allowed to appear on the touchline or in the club’s dressing room on matchdays during the first 10 days of the new domestic campaign.
He has also been fined 50,000 euros (just over £43,000).
Last week Mourinho was banned for four matches by UEFA for abusing English referee Anthony Taylor at the Europa League final on May 31.
Though his missed penalty saw the Reggae Boyz dropping points in their Concacaf Gold Cup opener against United States, winger Leon Bailey says it doesn't take away from the fact that he gave his best for the team.
With Jamaica up 1-0 in the first half of the game, Bailey could have doubled the lead but hit his 12-yard kick at a decent height for Matt Turner, in goal for United States to block. However, the Aston Villa man had a second bite at the cherry as the rebound came right into his path, but even then, he failed to capitalise with an empty net at his mercy.
The game ended 1-1 after Brandon Vazquez's 88th-minute strike, cancelled out Damion Lowe's 13th-minute goal at Soldier Field in Chicago.
While not using added pressure as an excuse, Bailey said critics have little idea of what it is like being a player of his calibre tasked with performing efficiently at all times.
"Do you know how much pressure I'm always under when I'm representing the national team? But that's no excuse for me because I've been in the game for too long now. I've been a professional for eight years. I'm used to pressure," Bailey said during a pre-game press conference on Tuesday.
The former Genk and Bayer Leverkusen player has often been heavily scrutinised for his style of play, as he tends to hog possession of the ball and oftentimes over dribbles, and, as a result, thwarts the team's progress in the process.
Still, Bailey, who made his Reggae Boyz debut in 2019 and has so far logged three goals and four assists in 19 games, rubbished those claims, while expressing his unwavering passion for leaving it all on the field.
"It has nothing to do with the way I play. If you watch how I play, you will see that I always try to do my best, I always work hard, and no matter what, I'll always give 110 per cent for my nation, and that will never stop," he declared.
"If that means I didn't perform well, then so be it. When I walk off the pitch I want to know that I gave my 110 and I did that against the US and nobody's ever going to take that away from me. Once my family is good, the team is good, we're all good, I'm good.
"I'm always going to be there for my teammates and so they're always there for me as well and that's what really matters. At the end of the day, football is a sport in that you win some, you lose some, you make mistakes, and you go again. That's just life and football," Bailey added.
The 25-year-old and the new-look Reggae Boyz team will be hoping to make amends when they take on leaders Trinidad and Tobago in their second Group A contest at City Park in St Louis, Missouri, this evening at 6:30 pm Jamaica time.
Meanwhile, United States and pointless newcomers St Kitts and Nevis, who went down 0-3 to the Soca Warriors in their open game, will do battle at 8:30 pm.
Reggae Boyz Head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson, who is still hunting his first win since taking the reins, knows the importance of this fixture with their Caribbean rivals and, as such, is backing his team to come good.
"The second game is always important. A win for Trinidad would get them through. We know what we are facing; we need to get good results against them. We just want to go out there so we can have a good performance and hopefully a win. That's the only thing we are thinking about at this stage of the tournament," Hallgrimsson said.
In their most recent meeting on Jamaican soil, Trinidad and Tobago won 1-0 with the other contest ending in as a goalless stalemate.
“The Trinidad games we played in Jamaica, there was a lot of long balls, there was a lot of fight everywhere on the pitch; it was not played much on the ground, those matches. We kind of played the same style in those games. It wasn’t pretty to watch, so, hopefully, we can do better. When we have the ball, we can hopefully play better than we did in Jamaica," the Icelandic coach stated.
“We will not get anything for free. We will face hard tackles, a lot of balls to fight for — the first balls, the second balls, we have just been talking about that. We are growing as a unit, as a team, and the understanding between the players about the tactics is increasing as we play more games together. We will grow as a team,” he ended.
Chelsea and other European clubs will no longer be able to spread a transfer fee across more than five years of a player’s initial contract after UEFA closed a loophole in its regulations.
The Blues have signed a number of players on lengthy deals over the last two transfer windows, including handing eight-and-a-half-year contracts to Enzo Fernandez and Mykhailo Mudryk in January.
The transfer fees are then spread evenly over the course of that contract, meaning the longer it is, the smaller the annual payments recorded on the club’s accounts.
For instance, a £100million fee would be amortised at £20million a year with a five-year contract, but at only £12.5m a year if a deal was eight years.
There is still nothing in the rules – which come into force from July 1 – preventing a club from spreading the cost by extending a contract, but for amortisation purposes that extension itself could not be for more than five years either.
Clubs can still sign players to longer contracts if their national associations allow it, but the cost of the transfer fee must be amortised over the first five years unless the contract is extended.
UEFA said the new regulations would not apply to deals already done, but would “ensure equal treatment of all clubs and improve financial sustainability”.
European football’s governing body has also moved to prevent clubs colluding to inflate the value of players for accounting purposes.
This follows the capital gains scandal involving clubs in Italy, which led to the entire Juventus board resigning in November last year.
Clubs must assess whether a transaction counts as a straight swap, in which case it must be accounted for in line with international standards. International Accounting Standard (IAS) 38 states that if it is not possible to calculate the fair value of a player, profit on a sale cannot be recognised.
UEFA confirmed Lisbon’s Jose Alvalade Stadium would host the 2025 Women’s Champions League final, and announced plans for a minimum standards framework for women’s national teams to ensure equality of player welfare standards and travel and training conditions. UEFA said the detail would be announced in due course.
The 2024 and 2025 Europa Conference League finals are set to be staged in Athens and Wroclaw in Poland respectively. The Athens venue is a new arena, so will be assessed during AEK Athens’ European competition matches and Greece’s Euro qualifiers before being confirmed officially in December.
Europe’s third-tier men’s club competition will be rebranded as the UEFA Conference League from 2024-25, dropping the word ‘Europa’ from its title following research among fans and commercial partners to further distinguish it from the Europa League.
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