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Lionesses legends Alex Scott and Steph Houghton are among four new inductees into the Women's Super League Hall of Fame.

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WSL announces four new Hall of Fame inducteesFormer Lionesses Scott, Houghton & Flaherty addedTrailblazing referee Welch also recognisedFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Scott, now well-known for her role as a pundit and a presenter, called time on her playing career back in 2018, after racking up 140 caps for England and winning 22 major honours at Arsenal, including the Champions League. The full-back was part of the Lionesses side that reached the final of the European Championship in 2009, and the one that finished third at the 2015 Women's World Cup.

Houghton, meanwhile, only retired earlier this year, after a 22-year club career at the top of the English game which returned 16 trophies. Eight of those came at Manchester City, whom she captained for her entire 10-year stay, an honour she also held with England. Only Faye White has had a longer stint as Lionesses skipper than Houghton, who helped her country reach three successive semi-finals as they firmly established themselves among the elite in the women's game.

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Also inducted into the Hall of Fame this year are Gilly Flaherty, the former England defender, and referee Rebecca Welch. Flaherty won nine caps in a 17-year career which saw her represent Arsenal, Chelsea, West Ham and Liverpool. Stints with the former two produced trophies galore, with her also part of Arsenal's European triumph in 2007 alongside Scott. Flaherty racked up 177 WSL appearances and scored the league's first-ever goal back in 2011.

Welch completes the 2024 inductees, following her retirement from officiating back in August. The 41-year-old is a trailblazing figure in her realm of the game, becoming the first woman to referee an English Football League match in 2021 and the first to do so in the Premier League in 2023, after several years of officiating at the highest level of in the women's game.

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These four inductees take the WSL Hall of Fame's total up to 14, after it was established in 2021. It is mainly made up of players, with Kelly Smith, Rachel Yankey, Fara Williams, Karen Carney, Katie Chapman, Eni Aluko, Jill Scott, Ellen White and Anita Asante all recognised. Welch is just the second non-footballer to be added, after former Chelsea boss Emma Hayes.

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Scott, Houghton, Flaherty and Welch will be part of an official induction at a special WSL Hall of Fame celebration event in January 2025.

It's been a relatively positive summer for Tottenham Hotspur so far this year, with four wins out of five in pre-season and the progressive signings of Archie Gray and South Korean youngster Yang Min-Hyeok.

However, if Ange Postecoglou is going to achieve his goals in North London and lead the club back up the Premier League table next season, he will need more firepower in his team.

The good news is that Daniel Levy and Co seem to share this opinion. Over the last week or so, the club has been linked to several exciting strikers, particularly Bournemouth's Dominic Solanke.

However, recent reports have suggested the North Londoners are just as interested in another quality number nine who may be an upgrade on the Cherries ace.

Tottenham Hotspur striker search

According to a recent report from TEAMtalk, alongside Solanke, Tottenham are currently 'chasing' Brentford's Ivan Toney this summer.

The report claims that the Bees ace is available 'at the right price' and that the Lilywhites could lodge a bid for the striker in the coming weeks.

There is no mention of how much he could cost the North Londoners, but reports from earlier this summer revealed that, due to his contract expiring next year, he could be available for £50m or less.

It would still require a significant fee, but given Toney's record in the Premier League, he's worth splashing the cash on, and he'd be a better signing than Solanke.

How Toney compares to Solanke

So, if Tottenham's choice this summer is between Toney and Solanke, who should they sign? And how do they compare?

Well, the pair's output over the last couple of seasons is a little hard to compare given the Brentford star's eight-month betting ban last season, but even so, when it comes down to goal involvements per appearance, he comfortably beats out the Cherries ace.

For example, when combining the last two campaigns, the "unplayable" 28-year-old, as dubbed by Alan Shearer, has scored 25 goals and provided seven assists in 52 appearances, which equates to an impressive average of a goal involvement every 1.62 games, despite coming back into last season without any real preparation.

In contrast, the former Chelsea ace has scored 28 goals and provided 11 assists in 77 appearances, equating to an average goal involvement every 1.97 games.

Okay, how about their underlying numbers across the last two seasons, then? Is it another easy win for the Brentford ace when we look under the hood?

Toney vs Solanke

Stats per 90

Toney

Solanke

Non-Penalty Expected Goals + Assists

0.53

0.48

Non-Penalty Goals + Assists

0.49

0.48

Progressive Passes

2.43

1.56

Progressive Carries

0.76

1.78

Shots

2.82

2.65

Shots on Target

1.10

0.92

Shot-Creating Actions

2.15

2.04

Goal-Creating Actions

0.29

0.28

Aerial Duels Won

3.33

2.17

All Stats via FBref for the 22/23 & 23/24 Premier League Season

Indeed, in every relevant metric, the Northampton-born "monster," as dubbed by manager Thomas Frank, comes out ahead, including non-penalty expected goals plus assists, actual non-penalty goals plus assists.

He's also ahead for progressive passes and carries, highlighting his ability to get possession up the pitch, shots and shots on target, shot and goal-creating actions and aerial duels won, all per 90.

Ultimately, while both strikers would surely bring more goals to Spurs next season, Toney would be the better signing. Even when including his entirely unusual campaign last season, he comes out ahead of Solanke in every measurable comparison.

Related Talks underway: Spurs pushing for "dream" Johnson teammate in £60m star

The impressive goalscorer would be an incredible signing.

Posts 1 ByJack Salveson Holmes Aug 7, 2024

Therefore, Levy and Co must do what they can to bring the Brentford star to N17 this summer.

Ambati Rayudu, Ruturaj Gaikwad part of preparatory camp starting from March 9

Nagraj Gollapudi04-Mar-2021MS Dhoni has landed in Chennai. That means the Chennai Super Kings are back in town ahead of IPL 2021. Dhoni reached Chennai on Wednesday evening for the Super Kings preparatory camp, which is set to begin on March 9. Among the other Super Kings players that will join Dhoni in the camp, which will be held at the MA Chidambaram stadium, are the batting pair of Ambati Rayudu and Ruturaj Gaikwad along with the uncapped Tamil Nadu players.Related

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Team review: Ageing Chennai Super Kings need an immediate revamp

According to Kasi Viswanathan, the Super Kings’ chief executive officer, Suresh Raina, the second-most senior player in the franchise, is expected to join the camp at some point next week. Viswanathan said that the majority of the squad, along with head coach Stephen Fleming and the other overseas support staff, are expected to assemble around March 18. Former India fast bowler L Balaji, who is the Super Kings’ bowling coach, along with fielding coach Rajeev Kumar, will assist Dhoni during the initial part of the camp.Ravindra Jadeja, who has been ruled of the Test and T20I segments of India’s series against England due to a finger surgery he underwent during the Test series in Australia, will be joining the Super Kings only in the first week of April. Jadeja is currently at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, and earlier this week posted videos and pictures of him returning to active training. It is not clear if he will picked for the three-match ODI series against England, scheduled in Pune in late March.”The camp will begin with all available players from March 9. The tentative plan is to go on until the tournament starts,” Viswanathan said. Viswanathan pointed out that the Super Kings will operate out of bio-secure environment, a mandatory requirement during the pandemic. Incidentally, several members of the Super Kings contingent tested positive – including the pair of Gaikwad and fast bowler Deepak Chahar – last August, immediately after landing in Dubai for the 2020 IPL. The franchise has decided to be extra vigilant this time around.Asked whether the franchise planned to vaccinate players, Viswanathan said no firm decision had been taken. “All the players, coaching staff and those part of the team bubble who arrive to Chennai will be in quarantine for five days at the team hotel, where they cannot come out of the room during this period,” Viswanathan said. Post quarantine all members in the bubble will undergo testing before starting the camp. Testing will carry on every fifth day.Ahead of IPL 2020, the Super Kings were the only team to conduct a preparatory camp before heading to the UAE. However once more than a dozen positive cases were reported from the Super Kings contingent in the UAE, questions were raised about how secure the camp was in Chennai.Vishwanathan said that the franchise had taken all necessary precautions last year, too. He said crowds and media would not be able to enter the ground to watch the preparatory camp. Also, the groundstaff and security at the venue would be undergoing testing and stay away when the squad is training. “The entire staff at the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association, along with ground staff and security, will be tested frequently.”

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O Flamengo está com os “dois pés” na decisão da Copa do Brasil Sub-17. Nesta terça, os Garotos do Ninho “atropelaram” o Palmeiras na Gávea: vitória por 7 a 3 no jogo de ida da semifinal. Foi um show do time de Mario Jorge, que contou com quatro gols de Matheus França, que desceu do Sub-20 para esta partida.

No primeiro tempo, o Rubro-Negro já havia marcado outros três gols com o zagueiroDarlan e os meias Victor Hugo e Matheus Gonçalves. Os gols do Palmeiras só saíram após o intervalo, com Daniel, Endrick e Luis Guilherme.

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Atual campeão brasileiro da categoria, vencendo o Vasco na final em agosto, o Flamengo vai ao Allianz Parque na próxima quarta-feira, às 17h. Para tirar a vaga do Rubro-Negro na decisão da Copa do Brasil Sub-17, o Palmeiras terá que vencer por cinco gols de diferença. Qualquer triunfo do time de Orlando Ribeiro com a diferença de quatro gols levará a decisão para os pênaltis.

ATROPELO RUBRO-NEGRO NO PRIMEIRO TEMPO

Uma atuação coletiva e individual de destaque resultou em um atropelo do Flamengo nos 45 minutos iniciais. O Palmeiras até exigiu intervenções de Francisco Dyogo, mas foi o ataque rubro-negro que brilhou com quatro gols antes do intervalo. Aos oito, Matheus Gonçalves aproveitou o contra-ataque puxado por Petterson, abrindo o placar com um toque na saída do goleiro rival.

Aos 16, mais uma assistência de Pet: escanteio cobrado na cabeça do zagueiro Darlan, que ampliou. Três minutos depois, a pressão na saída de bola do Palmeiras deu certo, e Victor Hugo só rolou para Matheus França fazer 3 a 0.

Ainda teve tempo para o camisa 10 – que havia servido o companheiro no gol anterior – arrancar pela direita, deixar dois marcadores para trás e fazer 4 a 0.

MATHEUS FRANÇA DÁ SHOW PELO FLAMENGO

Depois do intervalo, o Palmeiras voltou com mudanças e logo descontou com Daniel. Mas Matheus França – que já integra o Sub-20 do Flamengo – foi o protagonista total. Aos 14, aproveitou a assistência de Zé Wellinton e marcou. Aos 20, mostrou o faro de artilheiro mais uma vez e completou para o fundo das redes o cruzamento que veio da direita, mais uma vez do meia Victor Hugo.

Aos 28, Endrick fez o segundo do Palmeiras, ao invadir a área e finalizar forte, sem chances para Francisco Dyogo. O nome do jogo, contudo, seria mesmo de Matheus França, que, aos 33, foi lançado e marcou seu quarto gol no jogo – o mais bonito da tarde -, com um toque sutil, cobrindo o goleiro Zé Henrique. No último lance da partida, Luis Guilherme, de pênalti, marcou para o Palmeiras.

FICHA TÉCNICA
FLAMENGO 7X3 PALMEIRAS

Estádio: Gávea, no Rio de Janeiro (RJ)
Data: 5/10/2021, às 15h15

Cartão amarelo: Matheus França (FLA); Léo e Mina (PAL)
Cartão vermelho: Não houve.

Gols:Matheus Gonçalves (1-0, 8’/1ºT),Darlan (2-0, 16’/1ºT),Matheus França (3-0,19’/1ºT), Victor Hugo (4-0, 43’/1ºT), Daniel (4-1, 5’/2ºT), Matheus França (5-1, 14’/2ºT, 6-1, 21’/2ºT), Endrick (6-2, 28’/2ºT), Matheus França (7-2, 33’/2ºT) e Luis Guilherme (7-3, 46’/2ºT)
​
FLAMENGO (Técnico: Mario Jorge)
​
Francisco Dyogo, Samuel, Iago, Darlan e Zé Welinton; Vitor Müller (Rayan, 38’/2ºT), Dudu, Matheus França e Victor Hugo; Matheus Gonçalves (Carbone, 38’/2ºT) e Petterson.

PALMEIRAS (Técnico: Orlando Ribeiro)

Zé Henrique, Gilberto, Serafim, Mina (Jean Carlos, Intervalo) e Gabriel Vareta (Kauã Oliveira, 15’/2ºT); Léo (Jota, Intervalo), Luis Guilherme e Luiz Freitas; Giovani (Daniel, Intervalo), Endrick e Kauan Santos (Allan, 37’/2ºT).

Paris Saint-Germain cruised to a 3-0 Le Classique victory over Marseille in Ligue 1 on Sunday after an early red card diminished their fierce rivals.

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PSG cruise to win over 10 menAmine Harit sent off after just 20 minutesParisiens open six-point gap to fierce rivalsFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱AFPTELL ME MORE

PSG did not wilt in the face of the partisan Stade Velodrome atmosphere as Joao Neves capped a confident start by slamming in from close range early on. The game was then effectively ended as contest in the space of 10 minutes, with Marseille's Amine Harit harshly shown a straight red card for a high boot and Leonardo Balerdi diverting a cross into his own net before the half-hour mark. Bradley Barcola then compounded the hosts' misery by adding a third with five minutes of the first period still to play, sweeping in at the back post. English winger Mason Greenwood was peripheral and was hooked at half-time by Roberto De Zerbi, and the second half passed by largely without incident as PSG took their foot off the gas – although Ousmane Dembele and Fabian Ruiz both spurned glaring opportunities.

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PSG fans have not been able to attend Le Classique away from the French capital since 2015, with the fixture deemed high risk in terms of potential crowd trouble. The police issued a banning order on away supporters both entering the Stade Velodrome and travelling south to Marseille ahead of the game – a common occurrence in France's biggest rivalries due to concerns over hooliganism.

THE MVP

Les Parisiens' trio of diminutive midfielders – Vitinha, Warren Zaire-Emery and Neves – were all pretty dominant as PSG controlled the game from the first whistle, but it was the latter who shone yet again. The 20-year-old was flawless throughout and scored his first goal for his new club since his blockbuster £60 million ($78m) transfer from Benfica, adding to the six assists he has already by gleefully firing into an empty net after seven minutes when a cross was parried into his path.

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AFPTHE BIG LOSER

Poor Harit. The Marseille attacker was the victim of an extremely harsh refereeing decision just 20 minutes in as he was shown a shock red card, and in truth it was all downhill from there. He was presumably adjudged to have used excessive force as he collided with Marquinhos with his studs raised, but replays showed the contact wasn't enough to warrant a dismissal. A hugely controversial moment, and it was staggering that the VAR didn't intervene.

Celtic have just under three months left to improve their squad before the summer transfer window, which officially opens on Friday, slams shut at the end of August.

The Hoops ended the 2023/24 campaign with two pieces of silverware added to the cabinet as they won the Scottish Premiership title and the SFA Cup.

It was a solid return to the dugout at Parkhead for Brendan Rodgers, who replaced Ange Postecoglou last summer, as the Northern Irish boss ensured that the club's dominance in the league continued for a third straight year.

The former Leicester City boss may, however, now look to push on and achieve more in Europe after a dismal campaign in the Champions League.

Celtic finished rock bottom of their group, below Lazio, Feyenoord, and Atletico Madrid, and could hope for more success in the new structure next term, which will see them play eight games against eight different teams – half at Parkhead and half way – in the league phase to qualify for the knockouts.

Rodgers could now dip into the market to improve his squad in order to push on and achieve better results in Europe, and the Scottish giants are already reportedly looking to add a new number nine to the team.

Celtic's interest in Championship star

According to the Bristol Post, the Hoops are one of a number of teams interested in a possible swoop to sign Bristol City centre-forward Tommy Conway.

Rodgers is eyeing up a potential deal to sign the Scotland international to bolster his attacking options in the final third, but is set to face competition to land his signature.

The report claims that Glasgow rivals Rangers and Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers are also keen on the young marksman ahead of next season.

It does not, however, state how much the Robins are set to demand for his services this summer, with his contract currently set to expire next year.

The Bristol Post reveals that the Championship side are open to offers for the 21-year-old attacker as they do not want to risk losing him for a small compensation fee in 2025.

It states that Rangers and Celtic would only have to pay £300k in compensation if they swooped to sign Conway when his contract expires next summer.

Rodgers could now repeat the blinder he played with the signing of Adam Idah in January by securing a deal for the Bristol City ace, whether that is in the current window or for £300k next year.

Celtic's Adam Idah masterclass

The Scottish giants sealed a late swoop to snap up the Ireland international on loan from English Championship side Norwich City on deadline day at the start of February earlier this year.

Rodgers plucked the 6 foot 3 marksman up from the second tier of football in England and it turned out to be a masterclass from the Northern Irish boss.

The Canaries academy graduate hit the ground running in Scotland and proved himself to be a lethal goalscorer in the Premiership in his short time with the Bhoys.

Idah had scored six goals in 28 Championship appearances for Norwich, starting 12 of those games, during the first half of the season, and outperformed his xG (5.83) in the process.

He carried that finishing quality over to the Premiership with a return of eight goals from 6.86 xG. Of players at Celtic during the second half of the campaign, only Matt O'Riley (18 goals from 14.86 xG) overperformed his expected tally by more than the Yellows loanee.

As you can see in the table above, Idah was more prolific than Kyogo Furuhashi in the Scottish top-flight as he found the back of the net more frequently and efficiently.

These statistics show that the loan signing was a huge success for the Hoops, which was backed up by his winning goal in the SFA Cup final against Rangers at Hampden Park in his last appearance.

Rodgers could now repeat that trick by dipping back into the Championship market to seal a deal for Conway ahead of the Gers and Wolves this summer.

Why Tommy Conway could be Adam Idah 2.0

Much like Idah, Conway is a young centre-forward with room to grow and improve, which means that the Bhoys boss could work to develop him on the training ground.

At the age of 21, the Bristol City starlet, who was once dubbed "clinical" by Statman Dave, would come in as a long-term signing as well as a player who has the quality to make an immediate impact on the pitch.

The big difference, however, would be that the Scottish youngster would come in on a permanent deal, rather than a loan, and this would give the boss more time to improve the right-footed ace.

The talented whiz is in the Scotland squad for Euro 2024 this summer and that could give supporters, and the club, an opportunity to see how he performs on one of the biggest stages, to see if he would be up to the task of leading the line at Parkhead.

Conway's form in the Championship for the Robins this season does, however, suggest that the potential is there for him to be even better than Idah for the Scottish giants.

As you can see in the table above, the 6 foot 1 star outperformed his xG by more than the Irishman did for the Canaries, which shows that the finishing quality is there for him to be ruthless in front of goal in a Hoops shirt.

This shows that the club could repeat the blinder they played with the Yellows forward as they could land another impressive, young, finisher from the English second tier to light up the Premiership next season.

Rodgers lining up bargain Celtic swoop for "smooth" O'Riley partner

The Hoops are reportedly interested in a deal to sign the central midfielder this summer.

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Dan Emery

Jun 10, 2024

Conway could, therefore, be a fantastic alternative to Idah, who Football Insider claimed is set to be assessed by new Norwich boss Johannes Hoff Thorup before they make a decision on his future, amid interest from Celtic.

Spain and AC Milan forward Alvaro Morata has discussed his battles with depression ahead of Euro 2024.

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• Morata was Spain captain at Euro 2024
• Struggled with depression months before
• Feared he would have to quit football

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Months before he went on to win Euro 2024 with Spain, the ex-Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid striker went through a battle with depression that was so strong he feared he would have to bring a premature end to his playing days.

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  The 31-year-old opted to leave Spain for the third time in his career by joining AC Milan, having previously enjoyed spells at Juventus and Chelsea outside of his time with the Madrid clubs. However, earlier this year he had fears that he would never play another game.

• WHAT MORATA SAID

  "I thought I wouldn’t be able to put my boots on and go out on the pitch again. I received a lot of help from people, like Diego Simeone, [Atletico captain] Koke and [president] Miguel Angel Gil, and my psychiatrist," he said on .

  "What you see on TV or social media often is not real and is just an image because it is your job, but often I could not do simple things like lacing up my boots and there were times I went home early because I could not speak and my vision became blurry."

  He added: "I didn’t know what was happening to me but it was very complicated and delicate. At that moment you realise that what you like most in the world is what you hate the most, it is complicated."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MORATA?

  Morata went on to score one goal and set up another as captain of La Roja as they went on to claim the European title, adding to the two La Liga and Serie A crowns, among other trophies, he already has to his name.

Mary Earps and Paris Saint-Germain crashed out in Champions League qualifying on Thursday with a surprisingly heavy 4-2 aggregate defeat to Juventus.

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PSG went into the second leg of this second round qualifier with plenty of work to do, having lost 3-1 in Turin last Wednesday. That task became even harder almost immediately when Sofia Cantore capitalised on the chaos caused by a Juve corner to put her team 1-0 up on the night, and even further ahead on aggregate, with only two minutes on the clock.

It took until after half-time for the Parisians to get one back, when Romee Leuchter converted from the penalty spot after a foul on Marie-Antoinette Katoto, but it did spark them into life a little. Korbin Albert was extremely close to reducing that deficit further when she struck the crossbar and then Jennifer Echegini forced a strong save out of Pauline Peyraud-Magnin.

However, set piece defending – or a lack thereof – proved PSG's undoing once again, Barbara Bonansea coming off the bench to dart completely unmarked to the near post and flick a header beyond Earps that killed the tie off with 18 minutes remaining.

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As well as the Italian giants, this was a result for Manchester City to celebrate, as it ensured the English side will be in Pot 2 for Friday's group stage draw. City knew that if PSG and Arsenal both progressed on Thursday, they would be downgraded to Pot 3 and theoretically have a tougher European schedule. However, the Parisians' elimination made sure it was best case scenario instead.

Getty ImagesTHE MVP

The goal that gave Juventus the lead on the night, and helped them secure progression through to the group stage more comfortably, was by no means pretty. However, the manner in which Cantore quickly pounced on the ball and prodded it beyond a helpless Earps was characteristic of her start to the season. After also scoring in the first leg of this tie, the 24-year-old now has four goals in her first five games of the 2024-25 season. She's flying.

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THE BIG LOSER

Earps has spoken a lot about why she joined PSG this summer. She has talked about the opportunity to get out of her comfort zone, and she certainly appears to be enjoying the chance to experience a different culture and lifestyle in France, and about the quality of this team, one she has described as among the best in Europe.

After a difficult final season at Manchester United saw the club miss out on Champions League qualification, it felt like this move was a fantastic chance for Earps to play in the competition regularly for the first time in her career. To once again crash out at this stage then, after doing so 12 months ago with the Red Devils, will be hugely frustrating for the England star and put a dampener on a new chapter that she looks to have been thoroughly enjoying to this point.

Lionesses star Mary Earps responds to her Paris Saint-Germain teammates joking with her

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Earps responds to team-mates mocking herPSG colleagues joke around on the tour busLionesses star 'taking in the Paris sights'Getty Images SportWHAT HAPPENED?

Earps joined Paris Saint-Germain this summer following the end of her contract with Manchester United – as she called it time on her five-year stint with the Red Devils. The Lionesses star has already got involved in Les Parisiennes' team dynamics as she joined PSG's pre-season tour bus around the city of Paris.

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Earps' Paris Saint-Germain team-mate Sakina Karchaoui posted a story on Instagram with the Lionesses star looking out of the bus taking in the sights of the 'City of Love'. In the video, Karchaoui along with team-mates Jackie Groenen and Aissatou Tounkara jokingly mocked Earps as she seemed out of sorts, with the left-back asking the England keeper: "Are you okay?"

WHAT EARPS SAID

Earps has now responded to the funny story on Instagram, as she said: "FFS. Just looking around trying to take in the Paris sights."

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WHAT NEXT FOR EARPS?

The 31-year-old goalkeeper is likely to be the starting keeper for Fabrice Abriel at PSG when they begin their league campaign later this month, She will also be a starter for PSG when they take on Juventus in the second round of UWCL play-offs.

Aitana Bonmati's agent confirmed that Chelsea were ready to trigger the release clause of the Barcelona star to lure her to WSL.

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Chelsea hold a long-standing interest in BonmatiWere ready to put in a historic bid for the Ballon d'Or winnerThe midfielder snubbed the Blues to continue at BarcaWHAT HAPPENED?

Bonmati has entered the final year of her contract with the Blaugranas but has reached an agreement to ink a renewal which could potentially make her the highest-paid player of the side. She has been at Camp Nou since the age of 13 and is set to continue her journey at the Catalan club in the future.

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However, English giants, Chelsea were ready to break the bank for Bonmati by triggering her €3 million (£2.53m/3.32m) release clause – which would have made her the most expensive signing in the history of women's football. But the player rebuffed the approaches and placed her trust in the sporting project at Barcelona which has helped her scale the heights of success.

WHAT CHRISTIAN MARTIN SAID

In an interview on Catalunya Radio'sprogramme, Bonmati's agent Cristian Martin revealed: "Chelsea were willing to pay the €3m termination clause. That Barça can compete with offers of this calibre shows you that, instead of lowering the women's budget, it is the other way around. In addition, Barça wants to continue to capitalise on the hegemony it has. It is consolidating its hegemony and Aitana's role within Barca is also being consolidated."

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DID YOU KNOW?

However, Martin has warned that it would be a challenge for the Spanish league to compete with the financial muscle of WSL clubs in the future and Barcelona are well aware of the consequences. They have already lost forward Mariona Caldentey to Arsenal this summer after she refused to extend her contract and other stars could follow suit.

"The risk is that over the years the Spanish League will not improve and that this will not let it compete with the English clubs. The players may have new ambitions, as has happened with Mariona this season," he said.