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Villa’s £30 million bid for Smith Rowe rejected

Arsenal have rejected a second official bid from Aston Villa for midfielder Emile Smith Rowe according to numerous reports.

Villa tabled their first bid last week worth around £25m, have come back with an improved offer for the young star.

A £30 million bid worth has been reported after an opening offer was rejected by the London club.

The Gunners are hoping to extend Smith Rowe’s current Arsenal contract which is set to expire in the summer of 2023.

The Midlands side has already spent big this summer. Signing Norwich winger Emiliano Buendia from Norwich City worth up to £35 million pounds. Who Arsenal was also in the market for.

 

Dean Smith will be hoping to capture the Englishman this summer to strengthen his midfield options going forward with the potential departure of captain Jack Grealish.

With Manchester City set to test the waters for Grealish, they are heavily rumoured to start negotiations after EURO 2020 with an opening bid of £100 million pounds on the table.

Smith-Rowe has broken into Mike Arteta’s side after numerous loan spells with Huddersfield and RB Leipzig and impressing with the Arsenal U18’s and Arsenal U23’s have made him a main starter in the midfield.

The 20-year-old England youth international has come into his own this season, with impressive displays at the latter end of last season. Contributing to 14 goals in 37 games across all competitions.

The relationship between Arsenal and Villa have been positive in recent years, with goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez leaving for the midlands last season for £16 million.

French team Rennes make offer for Irish youngster

Ligue 1 side Rennes are the leading European club in talks with St Patricks Athletic player, Glory Nzingo according to the Examiner

Nzingo made his debut for St Pats back in 2019 in a friendly against Chelsea. He is now a regular at the club, winning u15 FAI Player of the Year last season.

Little is known about the star, but it is clear he has a creative touch and can play for world-class through balls. The central midfielder has also been a shining light in Irelands u15 and u16 teams in the last few years, captaining the sides on a few occasions.

He is now 16 years old and big European clubs are looking to sign the former Home Farm midfielder.

Nzingo is one of many young League of Ireland being scouted by European teams this summer. Shamrock Rovers Kevin Zefi is set for a move to Inter Milan while Justin Ferizaj was recently at a trial at AS Roma.

 

Why does everyone want Irish players now?

The increase in exports of Irish young players is mainly down to Brexit’s effect on English football. Now, players will have to wait until they are 18 before, they can sign for a club outside of Britain, leaving a gap in the market that Irish players are exploiting.

At first, this might seem worrying for Irish football but there are great positives to this; League of Ireland clubs will get more money and players will get more exposure from bigger clubs.

With the addition of the new Europa Conference League, there will be more of a chance for Irish clubs to play in Europe as well.

It has been a long time since we saw Irish players like Liam Brady tearing it up in big European clubs outside of England but that might change.

The future of Irish football is looking bright.

Ireland Lock James Ryan Injured Ahead Of Japan Test

The Irish Rugby Football Union has confirmed that Ireland lock James Ryan is suffering from an injury sustained in training.

James Ryan, who is set to captain Ireland in the Summer Series against Japan and the USA, is confirmed to have an adductor issue and will be monitored across the week to determine his availability for this weekend’s test.

Andy Farrell is unlikely to risk the 24-year-old who has had an injury-filled season for Leinster and Ireland.

However, the lock has not been ruled out of the game against Japan at this moment in time.

it is believed that the injury may have been a factor in Warren Gatland’s decision to choose Wales lock Adam Beard to replace Alun Wyn Jones in the British and Irish Lions squad.

Munster’s Peter O’Mahony will be among the candidates for the captaincy if Ryan is deemed unfit for the weekend.

Ulster’s Michael Lowry will continue to train with the squad this week.

The squad have reassembled after dispersing on Saturday afternoon following four days at the IRFU High Performance Centre in Dublin.

The Ireland team to play Japan on Saturday at 1 pm at the Aviva Stadium will be announced at lunchtime on Thursday.

Heineken Champions Cup Format and Qualifiers Announced

The 2021/22 Heineken Champions Cup’s format and qualifiers have been announced following the conclusion of the domestic seasons in England and France.

Europe’s elite club rugby tournament is set to return with a highly competitive schedule of 71 matches for the upcoming season.

The 2021/22 Champions Cup season will begin in December when Stade Toulousain begin the defence of their title.

The competition will once again be competed for by 24 clubs across Europe’s top three leagues – the Pro14 (now United Rugby Championship), the Premiership and the Top 14.

Each league will be represented by eight teams who have qualified based on their position in the 20/21 league tables.

The clubs will be divided into two pools of 12 – Pool A and Pool B – using a draw and the tournament will be played over nine weekends with four of those rounds of matches in the pool stages.

The eight highest-ranked clubs from each pool will qualify for the tournament’s knockout stage, consisting of a Round of 16 on a home and away basis, quarter-finals, semi-finals, and a final.

The final will be held at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille on May 28th, 2022.

The draw for the pools will be carried out the same way as last season’s draw with the 24 clubs separated into four tiers based on their 20/21 league position.

Clubs from the same league in the same tier will not be drawn into the same pool.

The number one and two ranked clubs from each league will be in Tier 1, the number three and four ranked clubs will make up Tier 2, the number five and six ranked clubs will be in Tier 3, and the number seven and eight ranked clubs will occupy Tier 4.

The Tier 1 and Tier 4 clubs which have been drawn into the same pool but are not from the same league will play one another on a home and away basis during the pool stage.

The same process will occur for Tier 2 and Tier 3 clubs that are drawn into the same pool but are not from the same league.

The pool draw will be live-streamed on HeinekenChampionsCup.com and the date of the event and further details will be communicated shortly.

As previously announced, EPCR is finalising a new shareholder agreement and discussions to finalise the Challenge Cup format and future Champions Cup and Challenge Cup seasons.

These future plans include the South African URC sides.

2021/22 Heineken Champions Cup qualifiers

Premiership: 1. Harlequins, 2. Exeter Chiefs, 3. Bristol Bears, 4. Sale Sharks, 5. Northampton Saints, 6. Leicester Tigers, 7. Bath Rugby, 8. Wasps

Pro14: 1. Leinster Rugby, 2. Munster Rugby, 3. Ulster Rugby, 4. Connacht Rugby, 5. Scarlets, 6. Ospreys, 7. Cardiff Blues, 8. Glasgow Warriors

Top 14: 1. Stade Toulousain, 2. Stade Rochelais, 3. Racing 92, 4. Union Bordeaux-Begles, 5. ASM Clermont Auvergne, 6. Stade Francais Paris, 7. Castres Olympique, 8. Montpellier Herault Rugby

2021/22 Key Dates

Round One – 10/11/12 December

Round Two – 17/18/19 December

Round Three – 14/15/16 January 2022

Round Four – 21/22/23 January 2022

Round of 16 (1st leg) – 8/9/10 April 2022

Round of 16 (2nd leg) – 15/16/17 April 2022

Quarter-finals – 6/7/8 May 2022

Semi-finals – 13/14/15 May 2022

Challenge Cup Final – Friday 27 May 2022; Stade Velodrome, Marseille

Champions Cup Final – Saturday 28 May 2022; Stade Velodrome, Marseille

12-Year-Old Emer McKee Smashes her own 5k record

12- year-old Emer McKee has recently smashed her own record for fastest 5km in her own age group on Sunday.

Mckee, who runs for her native Belfast club Willowfield Harriers, has smashed her own record by an incredible 13 seconds.

The 12-year-old fitness starlet finished her last 5km in a remarkable 16:27 at the Lisburn Festival of Running at the weekend.

This is after McKee (12), set the record for road running in her age group at the Down Royal Racecourse situated in Northern Ireland in April. Setting her race time at a sharp 16 minutes and 40 seconds.

While speaking to the BBC after her first set record, McKee admitted she endures the pain associated with running but carries on for the memories she makes along the way.

“Normally I’m just running as fast as I can and just waiting for it to be over,” she said.

“I started doing Parkruns and I then joined the running club when I was nine and everybody there was really nice and supportive and friendly”.

She went onto state how it’s more than the running that keeps her so motivated to improve.

“All my coaches have helped me to just keep at it. I think what I love most about running is that I get to run with loads of my friends in the running club,” she said.

McKee joined her current club Wllowfield Harriers at the age of nine.

Her mother Catherine, could not be happier with her daughter’s success.

When her daughter first broke a world record, she admitted she was  “bursting with pride”.

“She’s so determined and so motivated and she just gets out there in all weather,” she said.

Emer broke the original 5km record of 17 minutes and 16 seconds in Florida by Annabella Veltcheva in early 2017.

Grealish on the cusp of €100m move to Man City

Manchester City has shown interest in spending big money to lure Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish to the Sky Blues

With four years left on his contract at Aston Villa, Man City would need to spend upwards of €100m to sign the 25-year-old.

Grealish is presently representing England at Euro 2020 and it is known that no transfers will be done until the end of the competition.

Although football agents are not allowed to enter the England training ground, they can still talk to their players over the phone.

The Englishman is yet to say publicly if he would like to move to the Premier League champions or stay with his boyhood club.

Also, Aston Villa has no interest in selling their prized player, offering a new, improved contract to his representatives.

 

Would Grealish be worth the money?

It is no secret that Grealish is one of the hottest prospects in English football. Last year he got six goals and 10 assists in a season plagued by a shin injury.

He still managed to be the most fouled player in the Premier League in just 26 games showing that he is the focal point of Villa.

For Man City, it is clear that they will be prioritizing a move for a striker this summer. They have already in talks with Harry Kane and Erling Haaland for big money transfers.

If the move happened, Grealish would be competing with Riyad Mahrez, Ferran Torres, Kevin De Bruyne, and Raheem Sterling for a starting place.

The English man is undoubtedly a great talent and players like Mahrez and Bernardo Silva could be sold to make way for new stars.

Olympics 2020: Serena Williams will not go to Tokyo

The American tennis superstar Serena Williams has announced she will skip the Tokyo 2020 Olympics this summer

The four-time Olympic gold medallist made the announcement at a pre-Wimbledon press conference.

The now 39-year-old athlete won singles gold in London 2012 after beating Maria Sharapova in the final. She has also won three gold medals in the double’s competition with her sister Venus in 2000, 2008, and 2012.

Williams did not go into detail about why she wouldn’t be going to the Olympics, but this may be a sign that her career is beginning to slow down. Spaniard Rafael Nadal has also told reporters that he will not travel to Tokyo this summer due to him not wanting to make any health risks.

“There’s a lot of reasons that I made my Olympic decision. I don’t feel like going into them today. Maybe another day. Sorry,” Williams told reporters.

 

The tennis player has had a busy summer having already competed in the French Open and now preparing for Wimbledon.

She will begin the tournament against Belarusian player Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the first round on Tuesday.

Now, she is aiming to win a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title. Williams is one away from the record held by Australian Margaret Court.

“In the past, it’s ( the Olympics) been a wonderful place for me, but I really haven’t thought about it, so I’m going to keep not thinking about it,” she added.

While Williams is skipping the Olympics, Japanese player Naomi Osaka plans to return to tennis in Tokyo 2020.

Osaka left the French Open after saying that press conferences were having a bad effect on her mental health. After some backlash from the organizers of the Open, she has been given widespread praise for her decision.

The Tokyo 2020 Games will begin on July 23rd with the tennis starting the next day.

Reaction: Dublin GAA Legend Cian O’Sullivan Announces Retirement

Dublin GAA legend Cian O’Sullivan announced his retirement from Gaelic football yesterday.

The 33-year-old defender posted a statement on Twitter that listed the reasons for his retirement.

O’Sullivan said that “the competitive demands have taken their toll” on him and that he can no longer continue to play.

“While my heart would love dearly to continue on, my body simply can’t,” the Dublin stalwart conceded.

O’Sullivan leaves behind him a career filled with gold medals and glory.

His personal inter-county haul is up there as one of the best of all time.

His eight All-Ireland medals for Dublin is the joint-best haul ever.

He shares the aforementioned achievement of eight All-Ireland medals with 11 other players in history.

Seven of those players are part of this golden generation of Dublin football.

Stephen Cluxton, Philly McMahon, Michael Fitzsimmons, Kevin McManamon, James McCarthy and Michael Darragh McAuley have all played with O’Sullivan throughout his career with the county.

Three Dublin medals, one Leinster medal and an All-Ireland medal for Kilmacud Crokes only compliments the footballer more.

Comments underneath his statement underlined his legendary status among Gaelic football fans, especially Dublin fans.

One user crowned O’Sullivan, James McCarthy and Jack McCaffrey as the best half-back to ever play the game.

User @SquareAround stated that the Kilmacud Crokes star made the sweeper role his own in his time playing the sport.

Diarmuid Connolly showed his support for his former teammate’s decision with a blue heart.

Former Republic of Ireland footballer Andy Reid also offered words in response to the statement, congratulating O’Sullivan and wishing him well in his next chapter.

User @nigelmcevoy offered his thoughts on the ex-Dublin defender’s greatest game in blue.

He said that the Dublin legend’s second-half performance against Kerry in the 2013 All-Ireland semi-final has to be up there.

The game is seen as one of the best ever Gaelic football matches and Cian O’Sullivan played a massive part in it.

O’Sullivan leaves behind an enviable legacy and will be remembered fondly by everyone who saw him play.

PSG have signed another Mbappé

PSG have confirmed the signing of Ethan Mbappé, younger brother of the star Kylian Mbappé on a three-year deal

Ethan Mbappé is only 14 years old but signing his first contract will have him stay at the club until 2024.

He is still young but has shown to be a future attacking threat while being a part of the PSG academy team.

Ethan does have another brother that plays football professionally. Jirès Kembo Ekoko is their adoptive older brother and currently plays for DR Congo and Bursaspor in Turkey.

PSG made the announcement, along with fellow youngster Titu Senny Mayulu, in the middle of a heated transfer marketed for brother, Kylian.

What does this mean for Kylian Mbappé?

It is clear that PSG president, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, has chosen to use Mbappé’s family to convince him to stay in Paris longer.

The 22-year-old signed four years ago by PSG for an estimated €180 million. He is now heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid who are looking to start a new Galacticos era.

Since joining the Paris club, he has won three league titles, a World Cup and made it to the finals of the Champions League. He has reached the new heights in his young career but is he ready for his next step?

The signing of his younger brother, Ethan may make the Frenchman want to stay in Paris to spend more time and take care of his sibling.

The Kylian Mbappé to Real Madrid transfer saga has been going on for more than two years and is reaching its boiling point. It would be hard for the youngster and PSG to say no if Madrid offer around €200 million for his signature.

Only time will tell if PSG’s sneaky plan to convince Mbappé to stay has actually worked.

Dublin’s Cian O’Sullivan hangs up Dublin boots

Dublin veteran Cian O’Sullivan has announced his retirement from Gaelic football.

The Dublin and Kilmacud Croke’s full-back is officially hanging up his boots at the age of 33. Boasting an outstanding career for club and county.

The eight-time All Ireland SFC winner went public with the announcement on Twitter, admitting that injuries were the focal point behind his decision.

O’Sullivan revealed that although he would love to continue playing, the high demands of elite Gaelic football was too much for his body to endure.

Cian O’Sullivan Career Honours

O’Sullivan made his debut in 2009, starting in the 2011 All-Ireland victory against Kerry, which was Dublin’s first All-Ireland since 1995.

For Dublin, he has won eight All-Ireland titles, ten Leinster titles, and five National League titles. While appearing in the All-Star team of the season on three different occasions (2013, 2015 and 2017) in his glistering 12-year county career.

He also experienced a successful club career with his native Kilmacud Croke’s. Picking up two Leinster titles, three Dublin titles and topping off his legacy with one All-Ireland club title to his name.

 

 

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