12/08/2025

SPORTS TUESDAY | AUG 12, 2025

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Wrexham can cope with spotlight: Coady Ű BY PHIL BLANCHE

SHORTS Spurs make shock move for Savinho TOTTENHAM have made a surprise move for Savinho but Manchester City are not interested in selling the winger. Talks have taken place between the Europa League winners and the former Premier League champions but City want to keep the 21-year old. City also believe Savinho is worth much more than a mooted price of €50 million (RM250m) after his encouraging first year at the Etihad Stadium. Pep Guardiola tends to let players leave if they want to go – and Savinho is yet to say he does – and if City’s asking price is met and they have time to find a replacement, if one is needed. Now Guardiola has said his squad is too big after making six summer signings but the players City are keenest to offload include Jack Grealish, after Everton made an approach to take him on loan, James McAtee, who is of interest to several clubs, and goalkeeper Stefan Ortega. Savinho got eight assists in the Premier League in his first season at City, following a £31 million (RM179m) move from their sister club Troyes. He had excelled on loan at Girona in 2023-24, helping them qualify for the Champions League. Grealish gives green light to join Toffees EVERTON have intensified their pursuit of Jack Grealish as the winger looks to reinvigorate his stalling career. The Manchester City star faces an uncertain future at the Etihad Stadium after being informed by Pep Guardiola that his services are no longer required. According to The Times , David Moyes’ outfit are ramping up their bid to bring Grealish to Merseyside. They are eager to secure him on a temporary basis, with fresh discussions over a potential arrangement having taken place recently. City are determined to recover as much of Grealish’s £300,000 per-week (RM1.74m) salary as they can, a requirement that Everton appear willing to accommodate. The England international is said to have given the green light to a switch across the north west. Should Grealish seal a move, he could be Everton’s sixth summer acquisition. The club has already secured signings including Thierno Barry and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall from Villarreal and Chelsea, respectively. Adam Aznou and Mark Travers are among the new faces at Goodison Park, while Carlos Alcaraz’s temporary stint from Flamengo has been converted into a full-time commitment. Moyes’ squad is also eyeing Southampton’s prodigy Tyler Dibling, who was absent from the Saints’ Championship curtain raiser against Wrexham on Saturday.

Coady said: “It’s amazing to see where this club has gone. I have so much respect for what this club has done since the National League to get to this point. “But we’re at a point now where we don’t just enjoy being here. We want to improve and mix ourselves with teams like this (Southampton). “Maybe go higher, but to do that we have to make sure we’re dominant at this level and get to that level as quick as we can. “What we’ve got to do is take it one game at a time, but let’s enjoy the ride. “Let’s not take anything away from it. Southampton were in the Premier League last season, Wrexham were in League One. “So we’re in a position now where we’re fighting with these teams, showing we can play, and showing we’ve got an idea.” Wrexham play Championship rivals Hull at home in the first round of the Carabao Cup tomorrow (2.45am Malaysian time). – The Independent

year-old England international who was used to Premier League football at Wolves, Everton and Leicester. “We know what we are. We know how we’re going to play and we’re here to upset and disrupt a few teams in this division. “We’ll keep on trying to do that. We’ve shown we can play. We’ll keep building, we’ll keep improving. “We have to improve, we have to get better. That’s the biggest thing.” Coady, one of seven players who made their Wrexham debuts at Southampton after heavy summer investment from Reynolds and McElhenney, admits to being shocked by huge interest in the Welsh club. The 32-year-old watched the friendly against Groningen in the Netherlands last week when “the people there for Wrexham was unbelievable” and Ollie Palmer – a star of the Welcome to Wrexham documentary series – “got mobbed”.

CONOR COADY says Wrexham aim to “upset and disrupt”Championship teams on their return to the second tier of English football. Wrexham marked their return to the level after a 43-year absence at Southampton on Saturday when a late Saints double condemned them to a heartbreaking 2-1 defeat. Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney were not present on the south coast to see Wrexham suffer, perhaps waiting until West Brom’s visit to the SToK Racecourse on Saturday for their first taste of Championship action. There has been inordinate external noise around Wrexham due to their celebrity owners and three successive promotions taking them from the National League to the Championship in record time, but summer addition Coady insists Phil Parkinson’s squad can handle the fierce spotlight. “We’re going to cope with it,” said Coady, the 32

Mark of champions Ter Stegen buries hatchet as Barcelona smash Como R EIGNING Spanish champions Barcelona completed their pre-season preparations by thrashing Italian side Como 5 but also blowing the chance to tap into an empty net. It would have been easier for Rashford to score than miss, given how close he was to the goal. Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal (left) and Como’s Alex Valle fight for the ball during the 60th Joan Gamper Trophy match. – AFPPIC

0 yesterday in a game which sig nalled a thawing of relations with goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen. Barca also gave Marcus Rashford a substitute’s appearance two weeks after the England forward joined on loan from Manchester United. Double strikes from Fermin Lopez and Lamine Yamal and a first-half goal from Brazilian Raphinha completed the rout in the Joan Gamper Trophy. Played at the Johan Cruyff Stadium within the team’s training complex, while Barcelona wait for the heavily delayed modernisation of the Camp Nou to be completed, Hansi Flick’s team showed fluency as they prepare to begin their La Liga title defence away to Mallorca on Sunday (1.30am Malaysian time). Before kickoff yesterday, Ter Stegen gave the traditional captain’s speech from the pitch, just days after his dispute with the club over the handling of his back injury broke to the surface. “I think it was important to resolve the issue between the club and me, and now it’s time to look forward,” said the 33-year old German goalkeeper, two days after having the captaincy restored. “We’re going to fight again for all the trophies and we hope that with your help we can win all the titles possible,” Ter Stegen told the fans. Rashford suffered mixed fortunes, providing the cross for Raphinha to score

He reacted by shrugging his shoulders in disbelief as some of his teammates put their hands on their heads. The 27-year-old will be hoping to revive his career in Spain after struggling at United over the last few seasons. He was loaned to Aston Villa for the second half of the previous campaign, scoring four goals in 17 appearances. United icon Owen Hargreaves has backed Rashford to thrive at Barcelona, suggesting they will provide him with the perfect environment to rediscover his form. Speaking to TNT Sports , Hargreaves said: “I think he’ll do great. He’s got one of the best managers in the world in Hansi Flick and he plays super attacking football. He’s got an amazing intelligence as a manager. “He understands the games, (his) players are very close to him. I’ve spoken to players about him. They say that he’s the best manager they’ve ever had. “Not (just) in terms of tactics, in terms of scoring goals and playing that high line, but also just the way he talks to his players, the confidence he gives them. Marcus, talent wise, is very unique, but obviously his confidence has been hit. “To go there and play under a manager that trusts you, he really wanted him. I think it’s going to be a great opportunity for him to go into a place where the culture’s going to be really good, which he hasn’t had at Manchester United.” – AFP/Express Newspapers exploits since joining Chelsea from fellow Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion in July, scoring his fifth goal in as many games for the Blues. The 23-year-old was full of praise for his teammate Delap, who netted a brace against Milan. “I don’t want to say competition, I think it is very good for Chelsea to have both strikers at a good level. In the last game, he did not score. Today, he scored two goals. I am very happy for him,” Pedro told Channel 5 . Chelsea host newly-crowned FA Community Shield winners Crystal Palace in their Premier League opener on Sunday (9pm Malaysian time). – Reuters

Blues boss Maresca upbeat after perfect pre-season CHELSEA manager Enzo Maresca expressed confidence ahead of his second season at the West London club, as his team gears up for the new campaign following their Club World Cup triumph and a flawless pre-season. the red card. We started the way we wanted – intense and with a high tempo on and off the ball,” Maresca said. “The red card changed a little bit the game but it’s also normal as Milan started pre-season 40 days ago and this was their sixth friendly.”

Chelsea clinched the Club World Cup in July with an emphatic 3-0 win over European champions Paris St Germain in the final, and wrapped up their pre-season on Sunday with a commanding 4-1 victory over AC Milan at Stamford Bridge. Their new forward signings, Joao Pedro and Liam Delap, were both on the scoresheet against Milan, who were reduced to 10 men after defender Andrei Coubis was sent off in the 18th minute. “I think the performance was very good until

Chelsea had earlier defeated Bundesliga runners-up Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 in their opening pre-season friendly on Friday. “It’s our second one (pre-season game). But overall I’m very happy, and now we start the Premier League,” the Italian added. “I’m confident in general and excited. We have another long season ahead and we are going to try to do our best.” Brazilian Pedro continued his goal-scoring