Francis walks like he knows exactly where he’s going, even though he’s in foreign territory. He strolls into the room, and pauses. He’s not alone, there’s another girl already waiting. She looks up from her phone, holding his gaze. It’s more than just a casual glance. A few seconds pass, and they size each other up. He looks away, and walks over to a tiny table where a stack of dilapidated magazines sits. Nothing interests him, and he looks back at the girl, she’s still staring, and she looks down at her shoes when their eyes meet again. She looks worried, but she wears a faint smile now. It’s enough for him, he sits down near her, and decides that he’s going to say something. This is the worst possible situation, and nothing comes to him. No funny observation. No witty remark. He goes for the first thing that comes to mind.
“What are you doing here?” Francis asks.
“Getting help,” She replies.
They’re sitting outside the therapist’s office at Carlow University. It’s perched in an office building overlooking Pittsburgh’s Fifth Avenue and the cars below inch at a crawl, working their way homewards - wherever that may be. Cheesy posters extolling “Teamwork,” “Dialogue!”, “Go Celtics!”, cling to the wall, there’s a bookcase stuffed with self-help and psychology textbooks. It stinks like Glade and Clorox baby wipes.
“You look like the last person that needs help.” Francis says.
“Really?” She breaks into a smile, choking back the tears that have been threatening for the past half hour, the worry haunting her expression disappears - it’s like the sun after a storm, and Francis senses that she’s someone special.
“Really. I’m fine too. But I need a cigarette. I don’t even smoke. I only smoke when I’m drunk.”
“I smoke.” She smiles.
“No way.”
She reaches for a pack in her purse. Marlboro Reds.
“No shit. Cowboy killers?” Francis smirks. “You smoke cowboy killers?”
“I usually smoke Gitanes. You say, cowboy killer?” The words form awkwardly - hesitantly, it dawns on Francis that English isn’t her first language. He swears she’s Italian.
“Are you Italian?” He asks.
She tosses her head back in laughter, the black hair tucked behind her ear comes loose and falls across her cheek. It’s almost too much and a stray tear trickles from her eye.
“Are you alright?” Francis is stupefied, raising a brow and leaning forward.
“No.” She shakes her head. “Or else I’d be somewhere else right now. Maybe a beach. Maybe in bed. My life is finished.”
“Same. I’m breaking up with my girlfriend and she said she was going to kill herself. It’s insane. My Pap told me to go talk to someone about it.” He blurts the statement thoughtlessly, and he looks away for a moment when he realizes it – he’s stressed and the cracks are showing.
“Do you want to kill yourself too?”
“No, not at all. She’s the one who needs to see someone. I’m basically going to the therapist for her, just to get advice. We’ve known each other since we were thirteen and my Pap is best friends with her parents. She’s basically his adopted granddaughter. He says he’ll quit paying for both my car and health insurance if I don’t stay with her. So here we are.”
Francis feels compelled to explain himself after sharing his initial revelation. He’s never seen a therapist, and he’s faltering – he doesn’t think it’s going to solve anything. Francis decides to open up to this girl, a total stranger. His words are honest, without the fear of judgement that comes with full disclosure to someone he knows well. He’s seen her around campus before, she was in one of his classes, but they never had a chance to talk. It’s strange, he still remembers the fun fact she shared on the first day. “My favorite band is the Rolling Stones.” It stuck with him, that’s his favorite band too.
“That’s sad about your girlfriend, but it’s funny that your Pap is uh, bullying you.” She smiles.
“Maybe.” Francis laughs. “What brings you here again?”
“I don’t know,” she says, brushing a strand of hair from her cheek.
“So, you’re just here for fun?”
“No! I actually broke up with my girlfriend too.” She laughs nervously, and freezes for a moment in anxiety – a crooked smile on her face.
“No shit.” Francis stares. She possesses a rare, imperfect beauty, and makes no attempt to mask her flaws. Dating another girl at this school is enough to make her a pariah. Carlow is a private, Catholic University located a block away from the University of Pittsburgh. The school is an afterthought, obscure to some even in Pittsburgh. There’s a convent on campus, and the social life is dead - if you go to a party, chances are it’s up the road at Pitt.
“It’s not as you think. I like men, but women too. The whole thing was a mistake. That’s why I’m here.”
“How do you accidentally date another girl?”
“It was just to, as you say, try it out, for fun, but she was too serious. I’m here abroad, I’m only here for one semester. She twisted me, as you say, um, I can’t think of the word. I just want to go home, if I even have one.”
“She screwed you?” Francis says. Picturing her going all the way with another girl floors him - it takes her to the edge, and that’s something he likes in a girl, that ability to break the mold and step outside the boundaries, to see something and pursue it. He lives life the same way.
“Yeah, um, she’s going to tell my father that we had the fling, she may have already. She’s a friend of the family, and she’s living here in Pittsburgh with a host and I stayed for one semester.” An ambulance speeds past on the street below, they glance out the window behind them. Two hospitals are located a block away from Carlow, and the sound of a meat-wagon howling past is usually enough to scare Francis awake during his lectures. Muffled conversation drifts from behind the closed door nearby. “That’s why I’m so upset. Because I will be uh, de-owned by my father.”
“You’re French, aren’t you?” Francis finally places the accent.
“Yes! But Italy is only a few miles away from where I live. That’s why I sound Italian. I live near Nice and Monaco.”
They gaze at each other. He feels it, there’s a connection.
“You’re something.” Francis sits for a moment and comes to a sudden decision. He needs a change, he’s desperate for it – he’s spent the last seven years in a relationship with the same girl, and he isn’t satisfied. This girl’s looks are captivating, with a unique, Mediterranean quality, stunning, and carefully refined. He risks it. “Listen, I’m a psych major. I bet you the guy behind that door is an asshole. Let’s go outside, and we could smoke a couple of those cowboy killers and talk this all out. I bet we’ll both get a lot more out of it. Besides, I’ve never met anyone from Monaco. I’m Francis by the way.” He offers his hand.
She takes it. “I’m Fae.” She pauses, considering the idea. “Let’s go.”
She stands and picks up her purse, she doesn’t think twice. Sometimes you meet someone, and once it happens you can’t un-see it.
“Allo!”
Fae plops into the passenger seat of the Hyundai. Through the gloom Francis can see she’s wearing one of those black, quilted jackets that reach down to the knee, black skin-tight jeans that are frayed on the thighs exposing the right amount of skin, and black Vans with the laces tied neatly. Her black hair reaches just below her shoulders, and she parts it down the middle, tucking half behind her left ear and the rest falling across her face - it’s like she’s hiding, her right eye covered, but she smiles, and her hazel eyes light up as they meet Francis’s gaze. For once he can’t find the words.
“You look great.” Francis says as she pulls the door shut behind her. The anxiety she had yesterday has disappeared. There’s something distinct in her movement, she makes the simple act of getting in the car seem smooth, effortless - sexy even. Francis is excited for tonight, but his mouth is dry and his heart is thumping, he just got off the phone with Allie - his girlfriend. He grilled her about her ‘suicidal ideations,’ and she admitted her bluff – this isn’t the first time Francis has threatened to end the relationship, and this isn’t the first time she’s responded with hysterics. “You couldn’t survive without me!” She screamed, her words still ringing in his ear. Just watch me, he told her. Just watch.
Rain patters on the windshield, and the tiny four-liter engine hums patiently as the car idles. Francis’s battered, six-year-old iPod is plugged into the sound system, and music from The Walkmen’s album ‘Lisbon’ plays low in the background.
“Merci, et tu, and you I mean.” She laughs, “Sometimes I say things in French and don’t even realize, I hope you don’t mind.”
“I’ll get used to it.” Francis says as they pull away from the posh mansion in Pittsburgh’s Shadyside neighborhood where Fae has been staying. “How’s Katrine?”
“She won’t speak to me. Must we? Let’s talk about music, I’m so glad we have a common passion.”
“I’m glad too. I don’t know many girls who play the guitar.”
“Or are so good at photography.” She smiles – it’s white, perfect, framed by two shallow dimples. The car is sterile, he cleaned it earlier, emptying a half a bottle of Febreeze in the process, he is embarrassed by the huge coffee stain on the passenger side floor where Fae’s feet are now resting. Allie never cared, but Fae is immaculate and he prays she doesn’t notice.
“Photography?” Francis says, considering her statement as they make their way through the traffic on Penn Avenue, they’re hitting the back end of rush hour, and Francis tries to hone his focus as he splits his attention between Fae and the maze on the road. It’s dark, December – the rain picks up, tapping insistently on the Hyundai’s roof. The semester is almost over, and it’s reading week at Carlow. What Francis doesn’t know is that Fae has failed almost every one of her classes, she’s studying sociology, but the American classes don’t translate well to what she learned in the French system. Surprisingly, she finds the courses more rigorous in America. She doesn’t know what she’s going to do next. Francis is on track to make the dean’s list again, despite all the nights in the South Side.
“The picture I sent?” Fae says.
“Oh, yeah.” That photography. He smiles. They texted for hours after they parted ways the previous afternoon. They discussed their love of music mostly, but it didn’t take long until the conversation turned to romance. Francis eventually asked Fae what she looks for in a potential lover. She answered honestly – she wants confidence and sincerity, and she responded with the same question. Francis told her he wants loyalty and honesty. They made plans to meet up for what was essentially a date. It reached a point where Francis thought the conversation was over, until Fae sent a text that caught him off guard entirely. “Do you know how to French kiss, or am I going to have to teach you?” Francis wondered how far things would go. The next morning, he woke up to it – Fae striking a seductive pose in a mirror, in nothing but her black underwear. “That was nice.”
“I knew you’d like it.”
“I did.”
“I was expecting something in return.” There’s a playful glint in her eye.
“Sorry, I’ve only known you for twenty-four hours. I’m a prude.”
“No fun.” She says and faux frowns.
“I didn’t think you were that type.”
She throws her head back, and laughs. “I’m French!”
He laughs too now. It’s ridiculous, she’s the first French girl he’s ever met, and she has him hooked.
Francis parks near the door. The mall looms in the distance across the parking lot, illuminated by the soft yellow sodium bulbs of the street lights. The new movie theater juts out like a sore thumb, tacked on a couple years earlier. It looks like a sinking ship, and the rain is starting the gradual transition to snow. Francis catches a glimpse of himself in the car window, and meditates upon his reflection. His hair is black, cut short and styled with Garnier Fructis hair gel that sticks to the fingers and smells like a rotten fruit smoothie - it’s unpleasant, but it gets the job done. His clothes are understated yet suave, and Francis looks like someone you’d see within the pages of Vanity Fair magazine – cool, debonair, but grittier and more driven. His eyes are a grey-blue, placid, thoughtful, girls always remarking upon them, “You have such nice eyes Francis,” and he just brushes it off like always because of Allie. Francis is good-natured, and he knows it. He’s never had trouble getting along with other people, and he senses that in Fae – they’re extroverted, maybe even a little cocky.
The snow is sticking to their hair in white specks and making the ground slick. Francis’s leather jacket is too thin and he shivers. The red sign tacked to the side of the strip mall reads “Guitar Center” except some of the bulbs are out so it’s “Gut Center.”
“This place is the Walmart of guitar shops,” Francis says clicking the key fob and locking his Sonata.
“How so?” Fae asks.
“You’ll see what I mean.” Francis hasn’t mentioned that he comes here with Allie sometimes out of boredom, and they’d spend an hour or two playing every guitar and the drums, and sometimes the keyboards too. They’d leave after purchasing a pack of picks or some strings because they felt bad for disturbing the peace in the otherwise empty store. Francis had noticed at some point that they never seemed to sell the guitars, you’d come back a month or two later and there’d still be that Fender Duo-Sonic hanging from the wall, biding its time until the right player comes along.
“The weather was so nice yesterday. What happened?” Fae says as they cross the parking lot and head toward the door.
Yesterday, Fae and Francis went outside into the brisk December air on the tiny commons at Carlow University, and smoked a few Marlboros and chatted for about an hour. Fae was full of stories about her relationship with Katrine, who was the daughter of Fae’s father’s best friend. It was physical, and nothing else as she claimed, but Katrine had genuine feelings for Fae which weren’t reciprocated. Fae told Francis repeatedly that her only intention with Katrine was to experiment sexually. After a while, she asked Francis about his girlfriend. Francis realized he didn’t want to talk about Allie, but he was honest. He said he wanted to end things. “I don’t love her anymore.” He said, and he was lying. He still does, but she is smothering him - scaring the shit out of him at the same time.
“Just think, if we get married, we’ll be buried together.” She had said. Allie haunts him. Over the summer, one of her cousins exchanged vows with a man she’d only known for three years. Afterwards, she fixated on the idea of marriage. “I’m ready whenever you are.” She brought it up constantly, and he played it off as best he could. Things finally came to a head, and one night she laid bare the terms of her love, and exposed just how deep it went – she’s obsessed with him. It terrified Francis, and he pushed her away, he went a week without speaking to her. That’s when things blew up. Francis loves Allie, but their relationship is like a burning building ready to collapse. On the other hand, the prospect of throwing away seven years of commitment to her gnaws on Francis – it undercuts his willingness to rush into things with Fae. The mere thought of Allie with another man is enough to incite feelings of heated jealousy. Tonight however, he pushes aside his misgivings, and focuses on Fae – she’s like a breath of fresh air.
“Do you know those guys?” Francis gestures towards the windows. Giant posters of Cobain, Lennon, and Clapton look on from behind the huge black panes, tonight Francis wishes they could speak. He trusts them – Kurt and Courtney, John and Yoko, Eric and Pattie. What would they say about Fae? And then he reconsiders, some of those relationships didn’t exactly goes as planned.
“Of course, I know those guys!” Fae gives Francis a playful shove. They hit it off yesterday, and this was agreed as just a short stop before dinner today, Friday. It was Francis’s idea after Fae mentioned she had played for years.
Francis holds the door for Fae.
“Merci!” She says as she steps through. They’re on the same wave length tonight, and there’s a palpable sense of attraction even when they aren’t talking - the way Francis keeps catching her gazing at him when she thinks he isn’t looking. Francis already knows from the short time they’ve spent together that Fae and Allie are the same type - outgoing, yet mysterious in some ways. When you look past her flaws, Allie is a girl of matchless beauty, but Fae is already proving herself.
Fae all but gasps when she sees the carousel of amplifiers, and the rows of mint-condition guitars waiting to make music. They make their way to the wall of instruments, the warmth of the indoors leading them to unzip their jackets. Fae is wearing a blue sweater over a white blouse, and something about the way the neatly buttoned collar of her shirt peeks above the neck line of her sweater looks distinctly French.
“Didn’t you say earlier you have a Fender Jaguar at home?” Francis asks.
“Oui, il est douane… uh custom. It has an uh, hum-bucker in the uh,” She makes a gesture.
“The bridge? That’s cool, and you like the Stones, right?”
“Oui! I love the Rolling Stones! I like Serge Gainsbourg too especially! Any rock!”
They edge closer to the wall, scanning for the right guitar.
“Oh, here is a Jaguar!” Fae spots a red Squier model and plucks it from its wall hanger. “It’s a poor man Jaguar but still the same.” She’s beaming.
“Have you ever played a Tele?” Francis reaches and pulls down a sunburst Fender Telecaster. Fae steps forward to examine the guitar, and is standing only inches away from Francis now, and she keeps brushing against him, he gets the sense it isn’t accidental.
“Yes! But I do not own one sadly. Just my Jaguar and my Stratocaster, and my acoustic.”
They plug into a couple of Marshall amps and noodle a bit. Francis knows instantly that Fae is lightyears ahead in her playing. She runs down an impressive jazz scale and plays a melodic chord progression he’s never heard. Francis is good, but not this good.
“You’ve been playing how long exactly?”
“Since I had four years! Guitar and football are my true passions!”
“Soccer?” “Yes! Football! I played at my university in France until, I, uh,” her bright mood dims, “until I tore my knee. Now I can’t ever again.” She rocks on the stool, her hair falling in her face.
“I’m sorry. It sounds weird, but at least you can play guitar for your whole life. That’s something I like to tell myself,”
“I never thought that!” She says. She smiles.
Francis plays a riff on his telecaster. “Do you know this?”
“Of course!” She responds with the serpentine rhythm part, they play for a few seconds and Fae starts to sing, quietly at first, and then more confidently.
“I can’t get no, sat-is-fac-tion, I can’t get no sat-is-fac-tion!” Her accent disappears as she sings, her voice ringing true, confident - resonant. Francis is thrilled, they play the whole song, she knows every word. They lock into each other’s groove, forgetting everything else, their problems fading into the music. They finish, and Fae finishes by flashing through a blues scale, concluding in a flourish.
Francis nods his head, playing it cool, trying to mask how ecstatic he is. “That was neat.”
“Neat?” Fae tosses her head back into that infectious laughter, and Francis watches with concern as Fae laughs, and laughs - she can’t stop. Fae has an absolute fit of laughter, and when she finally does stop, Francis notices that she’s drooling. His expression shows an edge of concern. She slowly wipes her face after finally coming to her senses. Francis job-shadowed at Western Psychiatric last summer, and he saw patients that acted just like this. It dawns on him that he met her at the therapist’s office. If it was anyone else Francis would run, and fast, but he’s in too deep now. He’s blinded, not only by the fact she’s gorgeous, but by the depth of their rapport – they give off the same vibe, they have the same personality. Not only is she ‘trop sexy’ as they would say in Nice, but she’s better than Francis at something, he’s used to being the best at most things, and he appreciates the occasions when he isn’t.
They pause, and lock eyes, neither looks away, and they’re both smiling. Fae is composed now. Francis leans forward and puts a hand on her knee.
“That wasn’t neat, that was amazing.”
“Thank you! I had a sudden idea, we are so good together, that we should start a band!” Fae remarks suddenly.
“We just met!”
“I know, but it would work! And I like you, a little too much I think!”
“I like you too.” Francis says. Then the quip about the band hits him – Allie is a superb drummer, he’s more than proficient on the bass, and Fae is clearly a gifted guitarist. Something clicks in his head. Maybe I don’t have to get rid of Allie after all, maybe we can learn to simply be friends. Maybe we can all coexist. He knows that if he got Fae and Allie together, they would click.
“What’s dating like in France?” Francis asks after they’ve been seated at Mad Mex. It’s a yuppie Cali-Mex restaurant exclusive to Pittsburgh where you can order a big azz margarita or seasonal burritos. Chili lights are strung from the ceiling and indie rock blares from the stereo, cubist graffiti art reminiscent of Picasso adorns the walls. Hipsters seriously dig the place, and Francis knows that’s exactly what he and Fae are. Not the casual sort who buy a vinyl Beatles LP from a thrift shop and let it gather dust in the corner of their dorm room – they’re the militant type who can quote Neutral Milk Hotel and tell you every type of guitar Lou Reed owned while he was with the Velvet Underground.
She collects her thoughts before answering the question. “Nothing like in America, much different. In France, it is much easier for guys and girls to be friends. Here it is uh, like if you’re not dating, or uh, if you’re not doing sex, then what’s the point? And when you do become exclusive in France, there is not so much possession. It is common to see a married woman go out with her married friend who is a man, and they are that, just friends, and nothing more. Contrary to popular ideas, I feel that French women are more conservative than those in America, because once she is exclusive she is loyal to a point of her honor.”
“That picture you sent me wasn’t very conservative.” Francis smirks. The lights are dimmed low, and Fae has a radiant, soulful look. There’s a spark in her eyes, she’s full of life and excitement. They have each other’s undivided attention.
“That was just me saying, ‘I’m interested.’” Fae explains. As the night has worn on Francis notices she is very touchy, very flirty. He likes it. He tries to ignore the thought, but she’s a more sophisticated, more attractive version of Allie. Even though Fae has an accent, it almost feels like he’s talking to Allie sometimes, they’re both very cool and easygoing. And then that remark hits him. I’m interested.
“That’s one of way of getting that across.” They laugh, and Fae leans forward with intent, rests her elbows on the table and cradles her chin in the palms of her hands. Francis can’t take his eyes off her, and he takes a moment to appreciate her. She doesn’t look like an American girl, and there’s an intangible sense that she’s European, even if he didn’t know already he could guess.
“You’re really tan for December.”
“My mother was Algerian,” Fae says.
“That’s interesting, do you think she’ll care when she finds out about you and Katrine?”
“Well, my mother is dead, Francis.” Fae looks down at the table, for a second he thinks he’s killed the vibe.
The waitress appears - she’s young, college age, and her arm is emblazoned with a full sleeve of colorful, floral tattoos. She takes their drink orders. Francis orders a Corona, and Fae asks for an expensive glass of wine. They both have fake IDs, and the server scrutinizes Fae’s heavily before letting it slide. She walks off.
“I’m sorry about your mother. That’s one more thing we have in common.” Francis says.
“What do you mean?”
“My parents died in a car accident when I was thirteen. That’s why I live with my Pap.”
The words hang heavy between them, and it’s terrible, but Francis feels a deeper sense of connection to her. He carries the weight every day, and usually waits a long time to tell people - until he can be sure that they won’t try to patronize him with half-hearted pity. Fae looks away. A group of yuppies sitting at the bar burst into raucous laughter.
“So, you know how it is?” Fae says, she stares off into the distance with a wounded expression.
“All too well.”
Neither has the words.
“Where’d you get your fake?” Francis says, changing the subject, they need to get off this. He wants things to go back to how they were just a minute ago, when it felt like everything was coming together.
“A website. I’d go insane if I couldn’t drink here.”
“I thought the waitress was going to take it.”
“As did I. The picture looks nothing like me.”
“Neither does mine. But it scans so I can go down Carson Street.”
“Lucky.” The drinks come and Francis squeezes the lime into the Corona bottle and Fae sips on her wine. They enjoy each other’s company for a few moments in silence.
“I just thought of something, Francis,” Fae remarks.
“Yeah?” “You’re more French than you realize.” Francis laughs. “How?” “Your way of acting. You are uh, laid back, yet confident, too many American men are inconsiderate.”
“I like the comparison, but you haven’t seen me around my friends,” he considers her statement, and adds, “you’re definitely not like other girls I know.” Francis says.
“How?” She laughs.
Francis pauses and chooses his words, he smiles. “You have a spark. You have this energy that’s fun to be around. Most girls I know these days don’t have that.”
“Really?” She laughs, her smile is unequaled, and the way she holds her expression is subtly seductive – it’s airy and inviting. “Anyways, what is your uh, situation, with your girlfriend, I feel you haven’t fully explained to me yet.”
“With Allie?” He doesn’t want to talk about her, he’s skirted around the subject so far. “We’re still dating technically.” He says. He feels stupid. The breakup isn’t official yet, and he doesn’t want to acknowledge the fact that he’s in the act of cheating right now. The fact troubles him, and the thought of letting Allie go for good ties his stomach in a knot. The unforgettable impression Fae has made so far complicates his feelings. Somehow, he wishes it was possible to have them both.
“Oh.” She says. Fae looks frustrated, and she purses her lips.
“I’m trying to end it, but the weird thing is, I think if you and Allie met, you’d really like each other.”
“That’s a funny thought.” Fae is playing with her hands, her hair falling from behind her ear. “The truth is, I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t feel something, I can’t describe it, but when we met yesterday, I wanted to get to know you. I know I sound crazy, but sometimes you just look at someone, and you feel something, you can’t describe why or how, you just know it’s happening. When we played music tonight Francis, I felt like we were in unison, the same. I wish we could have that feeling all the time.” She says.
Francis contemplates her words. She can feel it too then. He thinks she’s incredible. “How long are you in America?” He asks.
“Just until the new year,” She responds absently.
“Fae,” He hesitates. “We might be rushing things. We just met yesterday, and now we’re having dinner together. I don’t know about you, but I don’t care. It’s like this was all supposed to happen.” Francis takes a long sip from his Corona.
“Like fate?” She leans forward, her hazel eyes alive, warm.
“Yeah. Like fate. And if you’re leaving soon, we’ll have to make the most of it.”
Steph returns and asks if they’re ready to order. They’ve been caught up in each other and have forgotten entirely to look at the menu. Francis asks her to come back, and they quickly decide upon their orders while she’s gone. It hits him how hungry he is – the scent of Mexican cooking wafting around the restaurant – the tantalizing prospect of a spicy burrito.
“Not to bring up a shitty subject, but will your father really care that much when he finds out about Katrine? It’s almost 2013, if you want to try dating another girl I don’t see what the big deal is.”
“He will because he is very conservative, and, um, because I am nobility, and it is unacceptable for me to have relations with a girl.”
“What do you mean by nobility?”
“Whenever my father is gone I will be the Countess de Menton.”
Francis blinks. He doesn’t know what to make of it, but he’s intrigued. “You’re a countess?”
“The French government recognizes the fact that you are a marquis or what have you, but it’s meaningless mostly. Usually it just says that you come from an old family with a lot of money.” Fae explains.
“Is that true about you?”
She’s hesitant, Fae looks down and takes a breath. “I won’t tell you how much money I have. I feel that if you think I’m wealthy it will change things between us.” She pauses again, and Francis guesses that she doesn’t want to say too much. “But I will tell you that through my father, you can trace my bloodline back to the time of the crusades.”
Francis can’t wrap his head around the notion, but he puts two and two together. Her outfit probably cost a few hundred dollars, she just ordered a twelve-dollar glass of wine, and as subtle as it is, she comes across as somewhat arrogant, even though he can tell she’s at her most vulnerable. He doesn’t doubt her claim that she’s a countess, it makes sense. It dawns on him how high-class she is. Francis wavers, he leans back in his seat and runs a hand through his hair. He feels like he’s finally met his match, and he can’t shake the feeling that they’re developing genuine feelings for each other - it’s undeniable. He knows he’s diving headlong into things with this girl. At best, they have a brief fling, she goes home, and he never sees her again, but the way it seems now, there’s something genuine happening, and the last thing he wants is to hurt her.
Fae’s iPhone is laying on the table and buzzes to life. She reaches for it, reads the screen, and considers what she has just read. She sets the phone down, and then she bursts into laughter -it’s worse than before. She can’t stop, it’s manic, uncontrollable and she laughs until she can’t breathe, tears pouring down her face, and when she can’t laugh anymore she starts to cry. She covers her face with her hand, her whole body wracked with sobs.
“Fae!” He’s shaken. She is incredible, yet here she is having a nervous breakdown. He’s seen it before with Allie - she has her own issues. She continues. “Fae!” He repeats louder. She looks at him and gasps, her tears abate momentarily.
“Let’s go outside. You need some air. Trust me.” They stare at each other. “Trust me.”
“Oui.” They stand and walk through the mostly empty restaurant past the waitress.
“We’ll be right back.” Francis says as he leads Fae past the bar and outside through the porch and the iron gate that opens onto the parking lot. They’re on the sidewalk now, and Fae wraps her arms around Francis and buries her face in his chest and sobs, and he just hugs her as close as he can and lets her cry. There’s nothing else he can do. Snow flurries flutter through the air and his breath billows in white clouds. He closes his eyes. It’s been one day, and they’re virtual strangers. This is insane. She cries for a little while longer before going silent, and still they embrace.
“Want to talk about it?” he asks.
“Mon pere.” She can’t find the words. “My father, he texts me, he says, I had a conversation with Katrine’s father, about the sickening things you’ve done.” She collects herself. “He says, don’t come home. You are on your own.”
Francis grits his teeth and pulls her closer.
“I’m sorry.” He doesn’t know what else to say.
“I didn’t want to go home anyways. I hate home… and I can’t go back to my host. Katrine is there. I have nowhere.”
Francis speaks without consideration – he goes all in. “You can stay with me. I live at home with my Pap in Regent Square. We have a guest room, and you can stay as long as it takes for you to get things figured out. I promise.”
“Merci. Merci beaucoup Francis.” She releases him, takes a step back, and smiles. It’s the first time he’s seen her without worry. “That’s why I like you.”
“Why?” He laughs.
“We just met, but we don’t play games. We’re honest. Boys in France are taught to flirt, they flirt endlessly, and go in a circle and you get nowhere. But yesterday you said, let’s go talk, and we went outside and we’ve been nothing but honest with each other. I’ve never had this before.”
Francis gazes at her, the white puffs of their breath clouding the air between them.
“Fae, I can’t describe how I feel about tonight. I don’t care if we just met. We understand each other, it’s natural, and it’s like we were meant to find each other.”
Fae looks at him and smiles. They stare at each other wordlessly for a while, there’s something quietly passionate in the way they stand admiring each other.
“Want a smoke, cowboy?” She laughs. Fae reaches into her coat pocket and pulls out a pack of Marlboros. Francis laughs too. She hands him the cigarette and he places it in his mouth, he cups his hands around it and she lights it for him, the pungent smoke filling his lungs. He exhales. She lights her own cigarette. “So, what are we doing tomorrow?”
Francis takes a step forward, “We’ll think of something.” He pulls her close and they kiss.
{I had to cut the final scene because of excessive character count. If there is some interest or demand, and if the mods are gracious enough to allow, I will post it either in the comments or a separate post}

27/30 rankers reporting this week. /NBA's Power Rankings are published every two weeks which is a bit different from most rankings. Other than that we rank the teams the same way as our competition. If write ups are left blank the team rep decided not to submit. We encourage any user to fill in the blanks in the comment section.

#	Team	Δ	Record	Comment
1	Warriors	+2	18-9	After KD put up 40 points in 3 consecutive games for the first time in his career. Steph came back and after 1 poor showing quickly got to form dropping 42/9/7 and shooting 9/14 from 3. Iguodala flipped the switch against Milwaukee and looked like the playoff Iggy we know. Warriors have had the injury bug but look to be getting healthy right as we head into the holidays.
2	Raptors	-1	21-7	The regression of Kyle Lowry these recent weeks has directly resulted in losing 3 of our most 4 recent matchups. His aggressiveness has been nonexistent, shooting has been terrible, and overall impact has been negligible. If things continue this way for some time, Nurse will need to make changes, although I’m sure Lowry will find his stroke eventually. Let’s just hope it’s sooner rather than later. One bright side of all this is we’ve been able to compete well through all these losses, not losing by more than 2 possessions in any. We can thank Pascal, Serge, JV, and Kawhi for this. With the upcoming schedule being so difficult, replacing Lowry with Delon in the starting lineup may be the right choice, although one could argue that doing so would only make it more likely that Lowry continues shooting so horribly. Nurse will definitely be tested in these coming weeks.
3	Bucks	-1	17-8	The Bucks continue to hover around .500 since their 7-0 start, but we just swapped the injured Henson and the below-replacement-level-preforming Delly for George Hill and beat the Raps on the road in the last few days so that's exciting.
4	Thunder	+3	16-8	Last ranking, I wrote about OKC's success so far this season against under .500 teams, a significant weakness in years past. This Friday, the Thunder lost to a Chicago Bulls team that only 24 hours later would then lose a professional basketball game by 56 points. Some things never change. What has changed is that OKC's defense has evolved from last year's quality unit that collapsed without Andre Roberson to the league's best--even without him--putting up a 102.3 DRTG powered by a 14.8% Opponent Turnover Percentage. Yours truly has always been a Roberson fan, but the growth of younger players like Ferguson and Diallo who fill a similar role for a cheaper price undeniably raises the question: is Roberson now redundant on OKC's roster?
5	76ers	+1	18-9	Maybe the best takeaway from these past two weeks (besides Butler continuing to be great) has been Ben's increased aggression and overall better performances. With Butler as a secondary ballhandler, Ben's getting better at playing off ball and finding some points in the post. Embiid's minutes, however, seem to be taking a bit of a toll unfortunately, leading to some less than stellar performances from him. With taking Friday's game off, hopefully he can rejuvenate a bit.
6	Nuggets	-1	17-9	What a rollercoaster two weeks for the Nuggets. Thet reeled off yet another impressive win streak, this time reaching 7 games, which propelled them to the top of the Western Conference. However, the train derailed dramatically in the process, as the team lost two more starters (Gary Harris, Paul Millsap) to long term injuries, leaving Jamal Murray (who’s nursing a minor injury himself) and Nikola Jokic as the only healthy opening day starters. The team will have to rely on the likes of Juancho Hernangomez and Mason Plumlee to step up immensely in order to maintain ground in the West until the team is back to full strength.
7	Clippers	-3	16-9	The Clips held their own against some of the best teams in the league, but fell to some slightly worse-record teams. The Dwyane Wade retirement tour hit us hard, and DJ seems to have it out for us, with a near 20-20 in the Mavs win. Maybe the Clips hit their ceiling during their brief time as the #1 seed, but more likely than not I think they will bounce back soon.
8	Lakers	+3	16-10	The Lakers were finally finding a groove on both sides of the court and then we were hit with more injuries. Ingram was getting into his groove on the offensive side as well as being disruptive on the defensive side next to Lonzo. Lakers have jumped into the top 10 of defensive rating after starting out the season 30th. Kuzma has also stepped up his game in a significant way, averaging over 4 assists in his last 8 games compared to 1 assist over his previous 18. He's giving Laker fans solid argument as to who is the #2 behind Lebron.
9	Pacers	+1	16-10	The Pacers keep finding ways to win without their star Victor Oladipo, who has no timetable to return from a knee injury. Indiana has relied heavily on Bojan Bogdanovic, who currently sits at third in the NBA in 3P%. Myles Turner has also shined on both ends of the court, filling up the stat sheet with rebounds and blocks. His presence is largely the cause for Indiana leading the league in opponents' points allowed.
10	Celtics	+5	15-10	After one of the hardest opening schedules in the league, the Celtics finally (on paper) are hitting one of the easier schedules in the league, and have thus gone 5-0 since our last powerrankings. They're absolutely rolling offensively, tying the record for the biggest margin of victory as a road team in their last game against the Bulls. The Celtics have 7 games over the next 2 weeks, with games against the Hawks, Pistons, Suns, Bucks, and Hornets. Personally I'm guessing they go 6-1, maybe 5-2 at worst (jinx). Danny Ainge also uses emojis way more than he should on Twitter.
11	Grizzlies	-3	15-10	The Grizzlies have had some ups and downs the past couple weeks. JaMychal Green's injury opened the door for more Jaren Jackson playtime which turned out to be a positive. The Lakers game exposed the Grizzlies lack of wing depth. The West is brutal but the Grizzlies look to be a force to be reckoned with.
12	Trail Blazers	-3	15-11	Portland is struggling. After a hot start, they lost 6 of 7 games before back-to-back wins against the Suns and Wolves. Of course, it's hard ot know how excited to get about those two wins. The one against the Suns was...against the Suns, and the Wolves were missing Robert Covington.
14	Mavericks	+2	13-11	Yet again, things have improved since the last rankings. Luka has not had high efficiency over the last week and a half, but he has still been the king of clutch and highlight plays. Beating Houston twice and Portland was a major mark for this Mavericks team. There's still issues to be worked out, but the issues from a month ago have been almost all worked out. The touches are being distrubted fairly and evenly, which has really helped Wesley Matthews' efficiency. An efficient Wesley Matthews gives this Mavericks team an edge that they haven't seen in their 4 years with Matthews on the roster.
14	Pistons	-2	13-11	Detroit has slipped recently against a tough schedule, and the schedule remains brutal for the entire month. With Ish Smith hurt and now Stanley Johnson and Reggie Bullock missing time they were/are bound to lose a lot in this stretch. If they can find enough wins to come out of the month at or above .500 they should still be fine. Blake Griffin is still playing at an incredible level, Andre Drummond is still awesome. All they need is for some of the secondary guys to get going as almost all have severly struggled.
15	TWolves	+6	13-13	After a good 4-1 home stand the Wolves are making there way through their first road trip post Butler trade that will he a true test of where this team is at.
16	Kings	+2	13-12	With ⅓ of the season done, the Kings are currently second in 3P% behind only the Warriors, and the Kings are forcing the 4th most turnovers in the league, despite slumping since our last ranking. My player shoutout this week is Iman Shumpert who is shooting 38% from three and has in many ways been a spark plug for the team on both ends. He has revitalized his NBA career and was seen as a buyout candidate, but many Kings fans (and the team) want him here.
17	Pelicans	-3	14-14	Two days ago our entire fanbase was ready for a full on mutiny. Something clearly needs to be changed with this team, but no one can agree on what the problem is. Is it the coaching? Is it the bench? Do we need to line up the next trade for a star? In reality we are playing through one of the toughest schedules in the league, through one of the toughest stretches that any team will face all season. Over the last month this team has not had more than one days rest between games. They've had 4 back-to-backs, 12 of their 15 games from November 16 to December 12 will have been against teams in the playoff hunt, and on top of that we've dealt with a litany of injuries to multiple different starters. The schedule lightens up after this week, where we'll have 1 game in 6 days, and this team can be expected to be right back on track.
18	Hornets	+1	13-13	I’m sure you’ve seen the memes. The Hornets seem hell bent on finishing .500 this year. Sitting at 13-13 on the season, their resume includes wins against Milwaukee and Denver, but losses to Atlanta, Chicago and Cleveland. Kemba Walker is mired in a shooting slump right now but Jeremy Lamb has really played well and might be one of the early favorites for MIP this year. MKG continues to be a game-changing player on the defensive side of the ball and routinely limits the oppositions best offensive player each night. Sunday marked game one of a five game homestand with some winnable games and a visit from LeBron and company this upcoming Saturday.
19	Jazz	+3	13-14	The Jazz have made early season adjustments in trading Alec Burks for Kyle Korver, and the recent changes have paid off so far, with Utah sporting a 4-2 record since the swap. With Utah rolling into Oklahoma City tonight to play the Thunder right after playing the Spurs yesterday, Utah continues through their difficult December schedule, hoping to keep afloat in the demanding Western Conference.
20	Spurs	-3	13-14	To be a pessimist, it seems that the writing is on the wall this season: the Spurs are just kind of mediocre this year. Even on the heels of a nice little winning streak now, against two teams we lost to earlier in the week no less, the Spurs are no longer prohibitive favorites against at least 2/3rds of the league as Spurs fans have grown accustomed to prior to this season. It seems that DeMar has risen out of the funk he’d been going through the last two weeks, and Poeltl has started to rise out of the Popovich purgatory that he seemed to be mired in. Optimistically, the Spurs might be putting something together and could rattle off a 6-8 game winning streak right now that would put them back in the conversation of the middle/high seeds in the West. Realistically, I see them hovering around .500 in the most competitive Western conference in recent memory, maybe ever.
21	Rockets	-8	11-14	Right now Rockets are on pace to have the 3rd worst record following a 60 win season only behind Jordan's 1998 retirement bulls and Lebron's 2010 Cavaliers departure. The effectiveness of the switch everything defense isn't quite the same as it was last year. Bigger defenders are exposed and the 3&D replacement pieces. Teams are giving the Rockets a taste of their own medicine: pick and rolling and iso-ing the Rockets poor perimeter defenders. Per the Ringer article released today teams finish 19.4 percent of their possessions using isolations against Houston—which is the highest frequency in a Synergy Sports database that goes back to the 2004-05 season.
22	Magic	-2	12-14	At the start of the season, nobody expected the Magic to beat the likes of Golden State or Denver but through three quarters in each game it definitely seemed possible. The Magic have to learn how to hold leads and finish games, even if it seems like the refs are out to get them. Ross continues to be a force off the bench and Isaac seems to have gotten back into the swing of things after his injury concerns. Bamba has shown growth but he's a project player and is still trying to let the flow of the game come to him.
23	Heat	--	11-14	The Heat aren't doing too well but we're around what the roster is capable of achieving. Hopefully as players come back it'll be able to give us a boost so we can try and compete for 7th or 8th spot in the East. Thankfully we're not too far down the hole yet and we can easily climb back into the playoff picture.
24	Wizards	--	11-15	The Wizards looked like they would take advantage of an easy stretch of the schedule and jump back into a playoff spot, and they almost got there, moving to within half a game of the 8th seed. Then, John Wall tried to play through illness and the team completely fell apart in a blowout loss to the lowly Cavaliers. Dwight Howard's injury issues will continue to hurt this team on the glass, and the defensive woes that have plagued the Wizards for the past couple of seasons will continue to hinder any chance they have at coming back into games. If these struggles continue, it wouldn't surprise me to see one or more of the three max contract players moved at the deadline (most likely Porter to Sacramento or Brooklyn).
25	Nets	--	10-18	The Nets might just be the worst fourth quarter team I've ever seen. With massive leads choked in consecutive games, it felt like tanking season was out in full force. However, in true Nets fashion, they went on to beat the best team in the NBA and made fans question everything. However, it still appears this team is tanking but players don't tank & the players still compete to win games.
26	Knicks	--	8-20	After 2 disasterous games, 3 DNPs and ever reducing minute time Ntilikina finally had a good offensive half dropping 18 against the Hornets. Though the last few spots in the East are totally up for grabs we must await Porzingus return.
27	Hawks	+3	6-20	John Collins. In case you missed the approximate 40,000 posts about John Collins over the past week, John Collins is really, really, really good at basketball. In the past week Collins has set a new career high in points 3 times, averaging 26.7 points per game on a TS% of 73 percent while pulling down 12 rebounds per game and shooting 45% from three. Trae Young still can't shoot or play defense but he is still top-10 in the NBA in assists per game which is good. Even if Trae Young never puts it all together, at the very least we have someone who is very good at getting the ball to our best player John Collins.
28	Cavaliers	+1	6-20	Welcome home, Delly.
29	Bulls	-1	6-21	The Bulls fired Fred Hoiberg because he lost the locker room due to not being able to win with most of the important pieces of the team missing. His replacement, Jim Boylen, is a fuckhead. Shortly after the firing, when we were 5-19, a groupchat of hometown friends I'm in was discussing our season outlook. One friend, Phil, was willing to bet actual U.S. currency that the Bulls would go at least .500 in the rest of the season (that's 29-29 or better) and have a chance to sneak into the playoffs. Phil, you're a fool. Perhaps Phil was sorely mistaken. Perhaps he, and every other Bulls fan, would be better off bandwagoning the Bears in football. And yet, I envy him. Why is that, you ask? Because Phil is capable of experiencing positive emotions about the Chicago Bulls.
30	Suns	-3	4-22	Suns are ranked too high. If Devin Booker and TJ Warren aren't healthy the Suns should just go play in the GLeague.

The Scottish Premiership reached week 9 before I had a football-induced breakdown; so, if you have a spontaneous craving for a thousand words on Aberdeen Football Club’s lacklustre start to the season - and a roundup of all the other events over the last two weeks in Scottish football - just wait until you see this!

Scottish Premiership

Fixtures

KEY MATCH

Sat	20/10/18	Heart of Midlothian	2 - 1	Aberdeen

I’ll admit that my personal biases may have influenced me to write about Hearts-Aberdeen instead of Celtic-Hibs, but since I’m the one forgoing a uni essay to write this on the train, I can do what I like.
Hearts have deservedly garnered the attention of a wider audience following an almost perfect first 7 games, in stark contrast to the mid-table obscurity (well, as obscure as you can be under Craig Levein) of last season. They ended up making up the numbers in the top 6 following the end-of-season split, losing all 5 games against the teams above them.
Meanwhile, Aberdeen have been busy embarrassing themselves. The club received a 50-50 split of over 20,000 tickets for Sunday’s League Cup semi-final clash against Rangers, despite “commonsense” dictating the Glasgow team should have the “Lion’s Share”. Unfortunately, under half of these tickets have been sold, so Aberdeen have been forced to return part of their allocation. The whole thing is a bit tin-pot and, like I said, embarrassing, so I can’t really bring myself to write much more than that. The silver-lining to this is that we did get BBC Sportsound tweeting a picture of current Aberdeen captain, Graeme Shinnie, holding the head of a decapitated, former Aberdeen captain and current Rangers player, Ryan Jack. Every cloud.
The fact remains, this season’s Aberdeen are a far cry from the club that finished 2nd last season (and as such were one of the teams to ease past the Jambos at the end). Currently it looks as if they would be lucky to replicate that Hearts performance. It simply has not been the Dons’ season so far. Star defender Scott McKenna served the second match of his ban following his outrageous tackle on Odsonne Edouard, and, following calls from the Aberdeen chairman for a summit on the state of Scottish football, demanding greater transparency (a move I am very proud of,) the SFA finally published their reasoning for the retrospective ban. I am now going to talk about this, but would like to add the disclaimer that I know it was a terrible tackle and I know that he deserves to be banned. If you just want a breakdown of Saturday’s action, skip the rest of this paragraph. Now, I am attempting to study law, but it doesn’t take a brilliant legal mind to realise that paragraph 11 of the SFA report, specifically the point at which the referee states he saw the incident but was unsure of the extent of the contact, clashes a bit with the SFA’s Judicial Panel Protocol (available here for your interest), specifically sections 13.3.1 and 13.3.3.2. I just don’t believe for one moment that not one of the officials saw McKenna completely clatter Edouard, and I’m frustrated by the gymnastics taken by the SFA to ban an Aberdeen player for this sort of conduct when the likes of Alan McGregor and Leigh Griffiths have gotten away with stamps and kicks which have genuinely not been seen by the refs. I can’t believe it’s gotten me so tilted that I’ve actually whipped out the JPP. Riddy.
Anyway, now I’ve got that off my chest…
Fears that the Hearts bubble may have burst following the 5-month injury layoffs of Uche Ikpeazu and John Souttar seem to be unfounded. Hearts were fully in control for the opening half, but this may be down to the unique Aberdonian big-game tactic of letting the opposition attack you until they score.
When Hearts did take the lead through a Djoum header, they remained in control, before the opportunity to double their lead from the spot came in massively controversial fashion. There was absolutely nothing in the challenge which saw Lewis Ferguson penalised against Steven Naismith, which you can see 13 seconds into the highlight video below. Naismith tucked away the resulting pen.
Aberdeen were significantly better in the second half but trailed off after a Gary Mackay-Steven penalty pulled one back. Hearts were awarded the third penalty of the game, but this time Joe Lewis kept out Naismith’s effort. Hearts now have a 10 point advantage over Aberdeen, and stay 3 points ahead of Celtic at the top of the table. I imagine they will extend their advantage against Dundee on Tuesday, whilst Celtic prepare for European action and the League Cup semi-final.
Full highlights of this game here.
Final statement: Aberdeen have now faced every other member of last season’s top 6, and have yet to get a win. The Derek McInnes known for failing to deliver solid tactical performances in big games is going to be under the microscope soon because Aberdeen won’t finish in a European spot by bullying the bottom 5. If the Dons are anything but completely bodied by Rangers in Saturday’s semi-final it’ll be a surprise.
Happy birthday Craig Levein.

Saturday’s other matches

Celtic	4 - 2	Hibernian

Just a quick introductory note - “over 2.5 goals” is an extremely sensible bet in most Hibs matches.
Capturing the hearts and imagination of the Scottish football audience this week is a bizarre song about Leigh Griffiths and bees. The only way I can think to describe it is that it’s what you’d get if you took Flight of the Conchords’ “Albi The Racist Dragon”, but replaced ‘Albi’ with ‘Leigh’, ‘dragon’ with ‘Griffiths’, and put the air-quotes around the other two words.
Anyway, it is with a heavy heart I must announce that Celtic finally appear to have a degree of motivation about them. Despite mauling St Johnstone 6-0 last week this is by far their most competent and comprehensive performance of the season.
Meanwhile one can’t help but wonder what this Hibs team could achieve with some defensive solidity. One has to assume they wouldn’t be able to attack as fluidly, so for that reason we are glad that they are the way that they are. They were without their ubiquitous right-back David Gray, so switched to a back 3, and as such conceded 4 goals.
Within 20 minutes Celtic had gone 2-0 up thanks to Olivier Ntcham and Tom Rogic, before captain Scott Brown was forced off the pitch with injury. Hibs threatened to come back twice in the second half, with Flo Kamberi’s effort cancelled out by Edouard, before Martin Boyle’s goal to make it 3-2 received the same treatment.
Hibs fall down to 5th, Celtic now breathing down Hearts’ neck.
Highlights of the best encounter of the weekend here.

Motherwell	0 - 1	St Johnstone

Quite a big result for both teams, putting 5 points between St Johnstone and the bottom of the pack, and making sure Motherwell remain firmly in amongst it.
Just like my match report, this game never really took off, and it lasted 92 minutes before Jason Kerr broke the deadlock and made sure the points headed to Perthshire. Motherwell, whose strike force terrorised Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup semi-final last season, look bereft of creativity. St Johnstone have done well to take 3 points after being battered about the park, credit to them.
Highlights here.

Livingston	4 - 0	Dundee

I can’t believe I’m finally saying it, but it has finally happened. Neil McCann has been sacked! As the international break drew to a close with no sign of any change I was wondering if Dundee would persist and we’d see a Livingston ’05/’06 type season.
Although we may still see that. Jim MacIntyre’s arrival may not have been in time for Dundee to take advantage of the ‘new manager bounce’, because they appear to have been absolutely done here.
Gary Holt was on the radio today drawing attention to the fact that 3 of the 4 goals today came from defenders. Given that previous manager Kenny Miller’s plan was to source goals from Kenny Miller, it’s probably for the best that Declan Gallagher, Craig Halkett and Alan Lithgow have got their eye in early.
Steven Lawless added another long range goal to his collection to score the third, although he did not mean it, and I will not let anyone convince me otherwise. A proper rout to welcome Jim McIntyre to Dundee. Livi comfortably in the top half, they reside in 4th.
Have a look at the highlights here.

St Mirren	1 - 2	Kilmarnock

Oran Kearney’s step into full-time management may well be wiping years off his life at this point. He must be hankering back to the days of teaching PE, winning a few games of football and an Irish cup on the side, and feeling a degree of comfort in the decisions that had led him to this point. Jack Ross’ St Mirren team were a force to be reckoned with in the Championship, ousting teams fancied far heavier than them to the title, but having lost talisman Lewis Morgan and hired um… Alan Stubbs, they’re a dumpster fire that Kearney can’t seem to put out. 4 losses in a row from his first 5 games, the only comfort being Dundee, the source of their only 3 points in Gameweek 1, being equally terrible.
Kilmarnock, on the other hand, have had no such managerial woe, they’ve been a total revelation under Steve Clarke. If I’m not mistaken, this result means no team has more points in 2018 than Killie! Between that and having the best pies in world football, not a bad time to be part of the Rugby Park loyal.
They’ve achieved all this without relying too heavily on last season’s Premiership Top Scorer Kris Boyd, a fact which was pointed out to him during his part-time punditry gig on Sunday.
Kearney’s side actually took the lead through Adam Hammill’s 14th minute goal, and held on until half-time, but Alan Power and Aaron Tshibola scored 12 minutes apart before halfway in the second half, and saw out the rest of the game.
Full highlights.

Sunday’s Match

Hamilton Academical	1 - 4	Rangers

Kyle Lafferty had to sit this game out after dropping out of the Northern Irish squad to spend some time with his newly born daughter, or, if the tabloids are to be believed, to send dick-pics on snapchat. I forget what the official reasoning was.
Anyway, contrary to what the scoreline may suggest, Rangers made pretty hard work of this one.
They were up 1-0 through a well-taken first-half goal from Ryan Kent, but in the 80th minute Stephen Boyd scored the pick of the weekend’s goals to give me the faintest hope that Rangers might just be at it again. 15 minutes later, James Tavernier has scored two penalties and Alfredo Morelos has snuck in a goal just before full-time. Life’s a bitch.
Highlights of a fun one here.
Hearts stay 3 points ahead at the top, Aberdeen now 5 points adrift of the top 6 making up a mid-table with St Johnstone. Motherwell, Hamilton, St Mirren and Dundee all languishing.

Table

#		Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts	Form
1		Heart of Midlothian	9	7	1	1	16	7	+9	22	WDWLW
2		Celtic	9	6	1	2	17	6	+11	19	DLWWW
3		Kilmarnock	9	6	1	2	15	8	+7	19	LWWWW
4		Livingston	9	5	3	1	12	5	+7	18	WDWDW
5		Rangers	9	5	2	2	22	9	+13	17	WWLWW
6		Hibernian	9	5	2	2	21	10	+11	17	WWWWL
7		Aberdeen	9	3	3	3	10	9	+1	12	DWLWL
8		St Johnstone	9	3	2	4	8	18	-10	11	DLLLW
9		Hamilton Academical	9	2	0	7	7	20	-13	6	LWLLL
10		Motherwell	9	1	2	6	8	15	-7	5	LLLDL
11		St Mirren	9	1	1	7	5	19	-14	4	DLLLL
12		Dundee	9	1	0	8	5	20	-15	3	LLWLL

Championship Round Relegation Round

BEST OF THE REST

Scottish Championship

Sat	20/10/18	Greenock Morton	1 - 0	Falkirk

Falkirk manager Ray McKinnon’s return to Cappielow had Morton not so much rolling out the red carpet as dishing out red cards to their support, who weren’t particularly welcoming in the first place. Incompetent Falkirk goalkeeper Leo Fasan was sent off 49 minutes in, and Robert McHugh made sure his former manager wouldn’t leave with a point.
Falkirk cast off from the rest of the table by 4 points.
Comprehensive highlights here.

Sat	20/10/18	Ross County	2 - 1	Ayr United

A top of the table clash between the two form-teams of the division. Ross County leapfrog Ayr into first thanks to two first half goals from Billy McKay and Josh Mullin, before Lawrence Shankland inevitably pulled one back.
Highlights.

NATIONAL TEAM

UEFA Nations League

Thu	11/10/18	Israel	2 - 1	Scotland

trainspotting_its_shite_being_scottish.mp4
Every so often as a Scottish football fan an event occurs which instils a fragment of hope and promise in an otherwise barren wasteland where one’s heart would reside. Such events could be, for example: Leigh Griffiths’ second free-kick against England; the sacking of Gordon Strachan; or the creation of the UEFA Nations League. Invariably, this hope is snatched away almost immediately, by events such as: Stuart Armstrong not booting it away; the hiring of Alex McLeish, a manager who has been out of work for two years, apparently with good reason; or losing by a very kind 2-1 scoreline having been completely outplayed by the 94th ranked team in the world.
Our national team is infamous for the problem of having our two perceivably most-talented players being left-backs, but, as pointed out by captain Andy Robertson himself, Alex McLeish has opted not to play a left-back in his system.
I will give Alex the benefit of the doubt here, Robertson as a full-back and Tierney on the left of a back 3 is an experiment he had to try, or he would have been slaughtered. However, that which I will not forgive him for is playing high-flying Bournemouth left-winger Ryan Fraser as the right sided full-back, the kind of thing that results in him withdrawing from the squad at the earliest opportunity, perpetuating the feeling that a lot of Scotland’s players don’t really want to play for Scotland. As someone whose dream it was as a wee boy to play for their country, it’s not a practice I have much sympathy for, but it happens.
Anyway, I digress. As I said, fully outclassed. Scotland went into the break 0-1 up, with Charlie Mulgrew converting a penalty, but thanks to a Dor Peretz goal and a classy finish from Kieran Tierney into his own net, Israel got their deserved result. Here’s a video of James Forrest running to cheer us all up.
Highlights.
Scottish League Cup semi-finals at the weekend, meaning the fixture organisation all gets a bit confusing, and I have to work out how I’m gonna do this. See yous when I see yous.
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DAY 0 - June 10th, 2019 - GSW vs Raptors Finals Game 5
When Durant went down, I felt bad bc the way he went down can only mean that he tore his Achilles. He leaves the game and nobody’s expecting him back. Then a few moments later there’s a clip showing Durant leaving the building with a guy in a suit and Doris Burke says “Durant was seen leaving the arena with his agent”. Now that seems odd...why is Durant leaving the arena when his team that he ‘sacrificed his body’ for is still playing a finals elimination game? Kobe even did a post game interview when he tore his Achilles while still wearing his jersey. Meanwhile we see Durant leaving in crutches and a cast on his foot accompanied by a few people, including our mystery man in the suit. Keep this in mind as we switch over now to the end of the game.
Now the last 3 minutes of the game, when the refs had to determine whether Cousins did basket interference, the entire game got rigged in favor of the Raptors. The Raptors got every single call in their favor: basket interference, illegal screen, goal tending, backcourt violation. The refs are never on the raptors side. They were obviously being told to make Raptors win and here is why: The odds were Raptors -3. From the moment Durant was cleared to practice to the moment that he was cleared to play the line moved to golden state -1. Everyone is slamming GSW this game after hearing that Durant is back. Durant goes down 2nd quarter. All the GSW betters are gg. The bookies are laughing bc there’s so much money on GSW now bc of Durant and now when they lose, the bookies cash the fuck out. So they got the NBA to ensure Raptors win and so Raptors got refs on their side for the remainder of the game. They're doing everything they can but splash brothers lit it up and Raptors missed all their shots. Comes to the last possession. No calls, nothing. Why? Bc the spread was GSW -1 and score was 106-105. Best case for the bookies, Raptors score and bookies cash out. Worst case they push the -1 spread and only pay out the GSW ML, while still cashing out on the Raptors ML. So basically they break even and still have 1-2 more games in the series to make their money. The bookies free rolled the last possession, and GSW wins. Rewatch the last 3 minutes, it is very clear that the refs are match fixing.
Back to Durant. At this time (Day 0 - June 10th) I believe that the bookies paid Durant and that this was all a scripted performance. When he goes down, he gestures to the same man in the suit that he was seen leaving the arena with, our mystery man. He comes to get Durant. There were no medical staff, no Steve Kerr, just our mystery man and Durant had his arm around him while walking off the court. Durant walks straight to the locker room. Didn’t even say a word to Drake or Kerr or anyone. Iguodala had to take Durant's arm and put it around himself, otherwise Durant was happy leaning on our mystery man. Then he’s seen leaving the arena with the same man. Durant got paid by the bookies to practice, and play so the line moves from raps -3 to gsw -1 and everyone slams their money only to lose it when Durant fakes the injury in the 2nd quarter and the Raps go on to win. When the game was close in the end, bookies in Vegas called and made sure the refs made the Raptors win. Unfortunately, Curry and Thompson were too good and Raps were too shit. Durant left the building bc that was his one last dance bc he plans on leaving GSW anyways. But he thought Raptors were gonna win but they didn’t. So then he makes a half hearted ig story which honestly sounds like he actually doesn’t give af.
Now here are a few additional observations that I made on this same day that strengthen the theory. First, we can all agree that the GM crying was super fake. Second, Durant didn’t look like he was in any pain. Even Kobe showed pain. Youtube Torn Achilles NBA compilation and you'll see what a man that tore his Achilles looks like. Third, Klay in a post game interview says “he’s a war- uh a competitor” (Freudian slip in reverse). Bc he knows Durant is leaving. Fourth, Curry in his post game interview clearly looks like lying. He keeps touching his beard, his body language is reserved and he keeps looking away. He knows what the entire plot was, and hates that he has to stick with it. These guys obviously know. And no, its not bc Curry is upset about the injury. However, these are just behavioral reads.
End of Day 0 - Is it a real injury? Who is the mystery man? And why did KD leave the arena with him in the middle of a finals elimination game instead of being there to at least support the team?
​
Day 1 - June 11th, 2019
No news all day on his injury. Durant flew out to NYC to "get evaluated" and get an MRI done.
Now, a torn Achilles is very obvious and is always called what it is whenever it happens. Even before the MRI, they usually say torn Achilles. But this has been called everything but that and still at the time of writing this at 10:23pm EST June 11, 2019, there is still no update. MRI should’ve been done a long time ago. The reason why there’s no update is bc the act was supposed to end after game 5 but now there’s a game 6, so they have to rewrite the script. Figure out what to do. Bc Durant is still leaving the warriors, he needs to sign with a team. SO, he can’t have a torn Achilles. BUT they also can’t announce that he doesn’t have a torn Achilles bc then why did he not play for 4 weeks after the first injury and WHY tf did he leave the damn arena!?! And who is our mystery man?? It doesn’t make sense. They need to come up with a story, so it’s taking time for them to officially release an injury report.
I started researching more. Doris Burke had said that Durant was leaving the arena with his agent. I had assumed that our mystery man in the suit, was his agent. I was confused as to why his AGENT would come pick him up and walk him off the court for BOTH injuries. If you watch the videos, you will see our mystery suit man. And if you google Rich Kleiman, you will see that Kleiman is Durant's agent and Kleiman is bald ..so he definitely can not be our mystery man. But Doris Burke said he was leaving with his agent...if you look closely in the video of Durant leaving the arena, you will see bald Kleiman in a grey hoodie walking behind Durant and mystery man.
​
Quick bio on Rich Kleiman:
Kleiman was a bookie in New York before becoming a manager. In April 2013, Kleiman was hired as VP at Roc Nation Sports, which is Jay Z's company. He used to mainly manage music artists when Durant hired him later that year. In 2015, Jay Z gave Kleiman approval to drop his entire client list, step down from VP and solely manage Durant. Durant signs with GSW in 2016.
​
Now I came to the following conclusion the same day (Day 1 - June 11), BEFORE the report on Kyrie joining Roc Nation came out, which was the next day (Day 2 - June 12) so we'll talk about that later. Right now, I was focused on Durant's free agency.
Durant is signed to Roc Nation Sports which is Jay Z’s company. Jay Z sold his stake in the Nets in 2013 when he opened Roc Nation Sports bc of conflict of interest but he kept his stake in Barclays Centre. With Durant as a free agent, it’s in Jay Z's best interest to bring him to Brooklyn because the Nets have cleared cap space to sign 2 max contracts, they made a solid run this season led by D’Angelo Russell, and MOST IMPORTANTLY, now Jay Z can profit off Durant AND Barclays Center bc of the shit ton of revenue having Durant will bring. He’ll take Brooklyn to atleast the conference finals. Durant flew to NYC to "get evaluated" earlier this same day (June 11). Then the lines are released for who Durant will sign with and we see -167 Knicks. Nets are +700. Sportsbetters are going to be slamming Knicks -167. Nets +700 is too little returns for the amount of risk for the casual bettor. So when Durant DOES sign with Nets, the bookies will cash out bc all the money will be on Knicks. Bookies always win.
Durant is signing with Brooklyn bc he is managed by Jay Z who has stake in Barclays Centre and he flew to NYC bc that was the plan all along: one last dance with GSW and off to Brooklyn he goes. Side note - Kleiman has family in New York and he spends way too much time away from them in Oakland so it's in Kleiman's family's best interest that Durant comes to Brooklyn. Sports is a business. And at the end of they day, business is business.
​
Sharp Prediction: Durant is signing with the Nets (+700)
​
End of Day 1 - If they officially announce that Durant tore his Achilles and he misses a large portion of the next season, then all of the above is invalid. But if he has any other injury and he starts the next season, everything above is valid.
​
Lastly, throughout the day, it was all about prayers for Durant. Durant went from being one of the most hated to the most loved. His rep made a full comeback bc he "sacrificed his body". And GSW looks like the bad corporation that forced Durant to work. Durant became a hero overnight. Makes you wonder if this entire plot wasn't just for the bookies to make money but also to flip Durant's image right before free agency. While at the same time proving that the Warriors do in fact need Durant. So now whether he stays or leaves, he's a hero either way. Food for thought.
​
And STILL, if the mystery man is not Durant's manager, then who is he?!?
​
Day 2 - June 12th, 2019
There was no update on the injury until late afternoon when an interesting series of events happens. In a press conference when Steve Kerr is asked about Durant's injury, Kerr says that they have no news on Durant. Moments later Durant posts a photo of himself in a hospital bed, the picture perfect injured hero and in the caption he states that he had an Achilles rupture and that he had a successful surgery. Surgery was completed and the GSW organization had no clue? Interesting. But you know what, at this point, I'm thinking "Fine, they actually said Achilles rupture/tear. It must be real, I was just overthinking and being dumb." But the mystery of the mystery man kept nagging at me.
After hours of digging, finally found an article that dated back to May 23, 2019 and a tweet from verified Senior NBA Writer Sam Amick that dated June 9, 2010 and we learn that our mystery man is Rick Celebrini, the Director of Sports Medicine and Performance for the Warriors. We also learn that he is the one individual that ultimately gives the green light for any of the Warriors to play after injury.
Quick bio on Rick Celebrini: He is originally from Vancouver, Canada. He was the physiotherapist for the Canadian Alpine Men's Ski Team (1994, 2002, 2010) and is currently the physiotherapist for the Vancouver White Caps Football club. He was hired by GSW in August 2018 and that's his first and only NBA gig. And this was the man trusted to make the call for Durant.
If Celebrini says KD plays, he plays. If he says he can't, he can't. Celebrini gave the green light for Durant to play which resulted in Durant having a career altering injury, in an elimination NBA Finals game. All day today I'm reading about who to blame. The public is blaming the GSW organization. The Warriors GM Bob Myers himself said (while fake crying) to put all the blame on him. So is the public satisfied? Bob Myers cried and took the blame and the public is content with that answer, when the ACTUAL person at fault left the arena mid-game!! Why isn't Celebrini getting interviewed? Why isn't he fired? Why is the GM that most likely hired him taking the blame for him?? And how can he just leave the arena? He works for the Warriors, not for Durant...doesn't he need to be present for the remainder of the game? It just doesn't add up.
Later in the evening it was announced that Kyrie Irving is now signed to Roc Nation Sports. Durant and Kyrie are now both signed to Jay Z. Kyrie is definitely going to Brooklyn now. Which makes me question the Celtics/Bucks Series. Celtics won Game 1 then lost 4 in a row, and everyone is betting Celtics every game. At one point it was Celtics +8.0 but Bucks covered the spread! Kyrie stopped competing bc he knew he's going to sign to Roc Nation and go to Brooklyn. The bookies could have made sure Celtics won Game 1, and lost the rest and they cashed out. Just like they used Durant to cash out in the Finals. Lastly, the doctor that performed Durant's surgery in NYC is the physician for the Brooklyn Nets. Durant and Kyrie are both getting max contracts with the Nets. Jay Z will make bank off the management deal and his stake in Barclays Centre. Celebrini was the man that made the decision that changed the line from Raptors -3 to GSW -1, which made would have the bookies a shit ton of money had the Raptors won. Next game, the Raptors MUST win. The refs will make sure of it, meanwhile behind the scenes, Celebrini is under 0 scrutiny and everyone involved made $$$.
​
At the end of the day, business is business.
​
End of Day 2 - If Durant gets signed to the Nets and starts the season healthy, this entire theory is true. If Durant signs with the Nets but misses a large portion of the season, I will cash out on the Nets. If neither are true, then hey, I'm just JoeBlowDownTheSt.

Auto-Refreshing Transfer News Thread from Sky Sports
Auto-refreshing reddit comments link
21:56

THAT'S ALL FOLKS!

That's all we have time for this evening, many thanks for joining us. We'll be back here from 7am tomorrow with the latest news, rumours and done deals.
See you then!
21:42

TRANSFER HEADLINES

As we head towards the end of the day, here’s a recap of the day’s biggest stories:

• Man Utd are preparing to make a bid for Harry Maguire before the transfer window closes on Thursday, according to Sky sources.
  
• West Brom striker Salomon Rondon is on Tyneside to complete his move to Newcastle.
  
• Leicester have completed the signing of winger Rachid Ghezzal from AS Monaco for an undisclosed fee.
  
• Wolves are closing in on a club-record transfer for Middlesbrough winger Adama Traore, Sky Sports News has been told.
  
• Everton remain in contact with Barcelona over a deal to sign Colombia defender Yerry Mina, Sky Sports News understands.
  
• Pep Guardiola has confirmed Man City are trying to sign another midfielder before Thursday's transfer deadline.
  
• Ben Gibson has joined Burnley on a four-year deal from Middlesbrough for a joint club record fee.
  

21:28

WOLVES CLOSE ON TRAORE

Wolves are closing in on a club-record transfer for Middlesbrough winger Adama Traore and a deal has been agreed, Sky Sports News has been told.
Traore has a release clause in his Boro contract of £18m, but it’s understood Wolves are likely to pay more than that, with an initial £10m up front, and more in installments which will take the total fee over £20m, depending on appearances.
There is broad agreement over personal terms. He is expected to complete a medical tomorrow.
21:21

WILLIAN STAYING PUT

https://twitter.com/SkyKaveh/status/1026214759522349058
21:05

MINA STIL ON EVERTON'S RADAR

Everton remain in contact with Barcelona over a deal to sign Colombia defender Yerry Mina, Sky Sports News understands.
Reports in Spain have claimed a deal is already in place between the two clubs with Everton paying just over £28m for Mina.
Mina scored three goals in the World Cup, including the late equaliser that sent their last-16 tie with England to extra-time.
20:51

VIDAL IN BARCELONA

Arturo Vidal has arrived in Barcelona ahead of his official unveiling tomorrow afternoon.
The midfielder completed his move to the club from Bayern Munich on Friday, signing a three-year deal.
https://twitter.com/FCBarcelona/status/1026193897503027206
20:29

MEE CLOSE TO NEW DEAL

Ben Mee is close to signing a new deal with Burnley, the Lancashire Telegraph reports.
Talks over an extended contract have rumbled on for months, but the newspaper says an agreement is close.
20:08

DUO MAKE DEBUTS

https://twitter.com/atletienglish/status/1026171990535806976
19:51

GOFF GOES ON LOAN

Northampton Town goalkeeper James Goff has joined Banbury United on a month's loan.
19:33

PEP UNSURE ON DUO

Man City manager Pep Guardiola has suggested that midfielder Douglas Luiz, loaned to Girona last summer, can play a role in the first team if he is awarded a work permit.
There is yet to be any confirmation of his status, nor is there any news on Joe Hart's expected exit to Burnley.
"I don't know [the latest situation]," Guardiola said. "I know they are in touch, but I don't know if it's already done because I didn't speak with the club, I didn't speak with Txiki [Begiristain, City's director of football] about Joe."
19:18

MOURINHO WARNS OF DIFFICULT SEASON

Jose Mourinho fears Manchester United are in for a "difficult season" if he is unable to add to his squad before Thursday's deadline.
"My CEO knows what I want for quite a long time," he told MUTV. "He knows what I want, I know that he tries to do the best for me and I still have a few days to wait what is going to happen.
"The other clubs who compete with us are really strong and have fantastic squads, like Chelsea, Tottenham or Manchester City, or they are investing massively like Liverpool, that are buying everything and everybody.
"And if we don't make our team better it will be a difficult season for us."
19:01

MILINKOVIC-SAVIC COY ON MOVE

Chelsea target Sergej Milinkovic-Savic refused to dismiss rumours that he may leave Lazio before the transfer window ends.
He told the club's official website: “I have returned to Lazio, I have a contract with the club and I am focused on the experience and on my team.
"Despite this, in football you never know how things can evolve."
18:42

RONDON ON TYNESIDE

Salomon Rondon is on Tyneside to complete his move to Newcastle, Sky Sports News understands.
He was due to take his medical today. Newcastle and West Brom have agreed a season-long swap for the Venezuelan and Dwight Gayle, with Newcastle paying a fee of around £2m.
Gayle is in the Midlands finalising his part of the deal.
18:40

LEICESTER SIGN GHEZZAL

Leicester have signed Rachid Ghezzal from Monaco for an undisclosed fee, subject to Premier League approval.
The 26-year-old winger has signed a four-year contract and is the Foxes fifth signing of the summer after the arrivals of Ricardo Pereira, Jonny Evans, James Maddison and Danny Ward.
Ghezzal has been capped 13 times for Algeria and played at the 2017 African Cup of Nations.
18:38

DONE DEAL

https://twitter.com/LCFC/status/1026174019274502144
18:20

PEP TARGETS MIDFIELDER

Pep Guardiola is trying to push through the signing of a holding midfielder before Thursday's transfer deadline.
"We are trying," he said after Sunday's 2-0 win against Chelsea in the Community Shield. "We would like to find maybe one more because we don't have two specific players to substitute Fernandinho. But if he doesn't come, there won't be anyone else."
18:02

INTER ENTER BERNARD CHASE

Inter Milan have joined the race to sign Bernard, according to Gazzetta dello Sport.
The Brazil winger is a free agent after running down his contract at Shakhtar Donetsk and had been thought to be close to joining AC Milan, with Chelsea also interested, but Inter have also made an offer.
17:47

LENNON SURPRISED BY McGINN INTEREST

Hibernian head coach Neil Lennon is surprised more suitors have not emerged for John McGinn.
Only Celtic have bid so far for McGinn, who set up Hibs' second goal in a 3-0 win over Motherwell on Sunday, but the Edinburgh club have rejected three offers. Brighton and Blackburn have also been linked.
"The only concrete bid we have had is from Celtic and that hasn't met our valuation," said Lennon.
"I would be amazed if we didn't get more offers in for him. He is outstanding, he is at the peak of his powers, and he has handled the situation brilliantly. That speaks volumes, not only of the player he is, but the personality as well because it can't be easy for him. He was outstanding again.
"He is one of the best I have worked with in terms of what he brings to the team and his influence. If he does go, he will leave a huge hole. But whether he is here on Thursday or not, it's going to be a fraught couple of days."
17:31

FLYING START FOR BIELSA

https://twitter.com/SkyFootball/status/1026158188155097088
17:21

WHERE IS MARTIAL?

Anthony Martial is not in the Manchester United squad for this final pre-season game against Bayern Munich as his future at the club remains unclear.
Martial left United's pre-season tour of the United to attend the birth of his son but failed to report back for over a week and suggested his partner Melanie da Cruz had been unwell.
Martial's agent clarified in June the forward wants to leave United and Jose Mourinho is open to selling him, according to reports.
Head here to follow the game!
17:09

SARRI NOT INTERESTED IN AGENT

Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri says he is "not interested" in what Thibaut Courtois' agent has to say after he publicly asked the Blues to let the goalkeeper go to Real Madrid for personal reasons.
"I am not interested in the agent. I want to hear Courtois. If Courtois tomorrow will say to me the same, I have to speak with my player of course. I want only players who play with a very high level of motivation," he said.
16:58

OBIANG MOVE OFF

West Ham midfielder Pedro Obiang is unlikely to re-join former club Sampdoria after the two clubs failed to agree a fee, reports TMW.
Sampdoria want to re-sign Obiang, who joined West Ham from the Serie A side in 2015, and offered €10m (£8.9m) for the Spaniard. However, the Hammers are seeking a fee of €12m (£10.6m) for the 26-year-old and it has proven to be a stumbling block.
16:40

LISTEN: SUNDAY SUPP PODCAST

Neil Ashton was joined by Matt Dickinson, Jason Burt and Raphael Honigstein to discuss all the big talking points on the first Sunday Supplement show of the new season.
16:22

FODEN STAYING?

There has been speculation this summer over Man City midfielder Phil Foden, and if he would be loaned out to another club for more playing time and experience in the upcoming season.
However, it looks like Pep Guardiola is planning on keeping him as City look to defend their Premier League title...
Foden set up Sergio Aguero for his opening goal as Man City beat Chelsea 2-0 in the Community Shield at Wembley this afternoon.
https://twitter.com/ManCity/status/1026136265454956544
16:07

JOAO MARIO WANTS PL MOVE

Joao Mario still wants a permanent move to the Premier League this summer, Tuttosport reports.
The Inter Milan midfielder is attracting attention from Everton and Leicester City and wants a deal to be reached before next week's deadline in England.
15:50

MALDINI RETURNS TO MILAN

AC Milan have appointed Paolo Maldini as the club's new Sporting Strategy and Development Director.
Maldini spent 25 years as a player at AC Milan, winning 26 trophies.
15:36

UTD PREPARING MAGUIRE BID

Sky sources understand Manchester United are preparing to make bid for Harry Maguire before Thursday’s deadline.
The Leicester and England defender is Jose Mourinho’s number one target and United are aware it will take a world record bid for a defender for Leicester to sell.
Maguire is returning to training at Leicester tomorrow. He has been given extra time off after England reached the semi-finals of the World Cup in Russia.
Leicester play at United in the first game of the new Premier League season on Friday, live on Sky Sports. Alternatives to Maguire are Toby Alderweireld and Yerry Mina.
15:30

BIELSA DEBUT

New Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa has just kicked off his first game of the Sky Bet Championship season against Stoke, who also have a new manager at the helm in Gary Rowett.
Head here to follow the action or watch live on Sky Sports Football NOW!
15:17

'A HUGE STEP FOR ME'

Defender Ben Gibson says his move to Burnley from Middlesbrough is a 'huge step' and is proud to have arrived at Turf Moor.
“I’m absolutely delighted. It’s a big step for me. I’ve played for Middlesbrough for 15 years since I was a boy so it’s a huge step and one I’m really, really excited about,” Gibson told Clarets Player HD.
“There’s a good feel about the place. Burnley is a club that recently has had some fantastic success and I’ve had some great battles against them myself and I’m looking forward to wearing their colours.
“We are very proud to be here and I just can’t wait to get started.”
15:00

FOXES CLOSE ON GHEZZAL

Sky sources understand Leicester City are close to signing Monaco winger Rachid Ghezzal.
The clubs have agreed a deal that could be worth £10m and the player has been having a medical ahead of the transfer. Personal terms not expected to be a problem.
14:46

GUNDOGAN TOPS INTER LIST

Ilkay Gundogan is now top of Inter Milan's wish list, according to Tuttosport.
The Serie A club have targeted Luka Modric and Arturo Vidal, who joined Barcelona, this summer, but are more likely to sign the Manchester City midfielder who could be available for £36m (€40m).
14:28

WATCH: 'QUESTIONS OVER EMERY'

There are question marks over new Arsenal boss Unai Emery, according to the Sunday Supplement panel.
Hit play to watch or head here to read!
14:13

TRANSFER HEADLINES

Here are the main stories from the transfer world today:

• Ben Gibson has joined Burnley on a four-year deal from Middlesbrough for a joint club record fee.
  
• Sky Sports News understands West Ham are in talks with Benfica over the signing of Joao Felix and Porto for striker Moussa Marega.
  
• Bournemouth have agreed a deal for defender Jack Simpson to go on loan to Rangers.
  
• Sky sources understand Ipswich have accepted a bid from Middlesbrough for their striker Martyn Waghorn.
  

13:57

HOW DID ALISSON, TORREIRA DO?

Two high-profile summer signings, Alisson and Lucas Torreira, made their first pre-season appearances for Liverpool and Arsenal respectively on Saturday.
We analyse how they both fared...
13:40

MAHREZ AND JORGINHO START AT WEMBLEY

Riyad Mahrez has been named in Man City's starting XI for this afternoon's Community Shield clash against Chelsea.
Mahrez completed a £60m move from Leicester over the summer and makes his competitive debut at Wembley.
Meanwhile, Maurizio Sarri takes charge of Chelsea in his first competitive match and named summer signing Jorginho in his side.
Follow the game here
13:35

CHELSEA SET FOR HAZARD TALKS

Chelsea will hold talks with Eden Hazard over his future at Stamford Bridge on Monday, reports the Sunday Times.
The Blues are set to offer the Belgium international a £300,000-a-week contract to stay in west London.
13:17

CILLESSEN IN DARK OVER BARCA FUTURE

Jasper Cillessen admits he is unsure about his future at Barcelona.
It has been reported that the Dutch 'lkeeper, who has played second fiddle to Marc-Andre ter Stegen over the past two seasons, wants to leave the Nou Camp in search of regular first-team football.
When asked about his future after Barca's 1-0 defeat against Milan, the former Ajax man revealed that he is in the dark.
“I don’t know, I don’t know how my future is,” he is quoted as saying in AS.
12:48

BREAKING NEWS

Burnley have completed the signing of defender Ben Gibson from Middlesbrough on a four-year deal.
The centre back had his medical in the North West on Saturday after Boro accepted a £15m bid on Friday.
Gibson signed his contract on Sunday morning before taking in this afternoon’s friendly against Espanyol at Turf Moor.
12:31

'SCATTERGUN UNITED LACK IDENTITY'

Jose Mourinho's Manchester United "lack identity" thanks to a "scattergun" transfer approach, the Sunday Supplement panel said.
12:00

PERISIC OPENS BAYERN DOOR

Ivan Perisic has opened the door to joining Bayern Munich, talking about the influence manager and fellow Croatian Niko Kovac has had on him, reports Bild.
The Inter winger also admitted that he would like to play in “Spain or England in the future,” but that the Champions League is most important to him now.
11:26

EURO PAPER TALK: INTER TARGET GUNDOGAN

Inter Milan reportedly target Man City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan, plus more from the papers across the continent.
11:10

CONTE REJECTED REAL

Meanwhile, Antonio Conte turned down the chance to become the Real Madrid manager this summer, the Daily Telegraph's Chief Football Correspondent Jason Burt told the Sunday Supplement.
The Italian first wanted to sort out his departure from Stamford Bridge before committing to a new club.
10:52

CITY WANTED SARRI

Man City wanted Maurizio Sarri to replace Pep Guardiola at the Etihad had the Catalan left the club this summer, according to the Daily Telegraph's Chief Football Correspondent Jason Burt.
However, Sarri went on to take over from Antonio Conte at Chelsea.
10:32

CHELSEA TO BEAT REDS TO RAMSEY

Chelsea are ready to pip Liverpool to the £35m signing of Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey before Thursday's deadline reports the Sunday Express.
Ramsey has 12 months remaining on his contract at the Emirates and the Wales international, speaking last week, admitted he is unsure over his future.
10:10

WEST HAM'S BRAHIMI DEAL OFF

West Ham will not pursue Porto winger Yacine Brahimi at this stage, according to Sky sources.
A deal was in place between the clubs, but personal terms could not be agreed.
09:53

RANGERS' SIMPSON LOAN DELAYED

Bournemouth have agreed a deal to send centre-back Jack Simpson on loan to Rangers, according to Sky sources.
However, the deal has been delayed after a potential injury to Nathan Ake.
The defender picked up a knock during Bournemouth’s friendly against Marseille on Saturday and will be checked by the club’s medical team.
The injury isn’t thought to be serious, but a deal for Simpson will only be approved once Ake’s fitness is assured.
09:49

WEST HAM STILL IN FELIX, MAREGA TALKS

West Ham remain in talks with Benfica over the signing of attacking midfielder Joao Felix (pictured), according to Sky sources.
A deal is close and there is a willingness from all parties to get it done.
Meanwhile, West Ham continue to negotiate with Porto over striker Moussa Marega.
The clubs remain apart in their valuation for the player.
09:31

KLOPP: PLAYERS MAY LEAVE

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp says some players may leave the club before Thursday's deadline.
Both Divock Origi and Danny Ings could reportedly be set for moves away from Anfield.
"Yes," was Klopp's direct answer when quizzed on whether he expected business in or out of the club to occur, before then going on to elaborate.
"I cannot kill your D-day [Sky Sports Deadline Day] show, people sit there in front of the television all day waiting."
09:06

BORO'S WAGHORN BID ACCEPTED

Middlesbrough have this morning had a bid for striker Martyn Waghorn accepted by Ipswich, Sky Sports News understands.
Talks have now started over personal terms and Boro hope they can complete the deal in time for Waghorn to feature in Tuesday nights’ game at home to sheffield united.
The news will come as a blow to Derby, who also want to sign Waghorn. However, because of Financial Fair Play, they were trying to sell Matej Vydra first, but his move to Leeds fell through a few days ago because the player couldn’t agree personal terms.
08:51

BENITEZ STILL LOOKING TO ADD

Rafael Benitez is still hoping to add to his Newcastle squad before Thursday's transfer deadline.
08:26

UNITED TO MAKE LATE WILLIAN MOVE

Man Utd will launch a last-ditch bid to sign Willian from Chelsea, who is Jose Mourinho's top summer target, reports the Sunday Mirror.
The Brazil international, 29, is contracted to the Blues until the summer of 2020.
08:03

PEP WANTS LONG-TERM STERLING DEAL

Pep Guardiola says there is "no doubt" everyone at Man City wants Raheem Sterling to sign a new contract.
Ahead of Sunday's Community Shield against Chelsea, Guardiola said: "There's no doubt we want him.
"He knows, his agent knows. We want him. Txiki [Begiristain, City's director of football] spoke with him.
"It's clear since the first day I arrived we want him, but the deals are the deals, and the agents are the agents, and the players are the players.
"So, at the end, I don't know what is going to happen, but I assure you 100 per cent that the club, myself like a manager, sport director, even his team-mates - we want him to stay longer here."
07:34

EMERY: WE MAY LET PLAYERS GO

Arsenal boss Unai Emery has suggested that the Gunners may be willing to let players go before the window shuts.
07:19

KLOPP HINTS AT FINAL SIGNING

Jurgen Klopp has hinted Liverpool's transfer window business may not be over as Deadline Day approaches.
The German manager was asked about potential activity in the final few days of the window, which is due to shut at 5pm on Thursday, following a 5-0 victory over Napoli in Dublin.
"We will see what happens," Klopp replied on the subject of any potential last minute deals.
06:57

UNITED CLOSE ON ALDERWEIRELD

Man Utd are set to complete a £60m move for Tottenham defender Toby Alderweireld in the next 48 hours, says the Sunday Mirror.
The Red Devils had previously been unwilling to meet Spurs' £75m valuation of the 29-year-old, but a breakthrough now appears to have been reached between the two clubs.
06:35

CHELSEA NEAR £75M ZAHA MOVE

Chelsea are in pole position to sign £75m-rated Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha, reports the Sunday Mirror.
It had been expected that Tottenham would also make a move for the Ivorian, only for the north London club to drop their interest in the player.
06:20

PAPER TALK

Right, let's kick things off this morning with a quick roundup of some of the biggest stories making today's back pages...

• Man Utd are set to complete a £60m move for Spurs defender Toby Alderweireld in the next 48 hours (Mirror)
  
• Inter have failed in a move to sign Tottenham midfielder Mousa Dembele (Sun)
  
• Jose Mourinho is not giving up hopes of signing Leicester and England centre-back Harry Maguire, who has been priced up at £80m by his club (Express)
  
• Agent Mino Raiola will have talks with Man Utd this week over the future of midfielder Paul Pogba, with Barcelona among the teams hovering with interest (Star)
  
• Chelsea will hold talks with Eden Hazard over his future on Monday, with a £300,000-a-week contract on the table when he returns from a post-World Cup holiday (Times)
  
• Tottenham have been told they will have to pay a premium price to sign Aston Villa midfielder Jack Grealish (Mail)
  

06:09

GOOD MORNING!

Hi everyone and welcome to today's Transfer Centre as we bring you all the news, updates and gossip from around the world, so strap in tight and make sure you do not go anywhere...!
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22:01

GOODNIGHT

That's all for tonight, we will be back in the morning with more transfer talk.
21:42

CELTIC GO AGAIN FOR MCGINN

Sky sources understand Celtic have made a third bid for Hibernian midfielder John McGinn believed to be in the region of £2million.
Celtic failed with bids of £1.5 million and £1.75 million in the past two weeks for the Scotland international.
McGinn, who has just one year left on his deal at Easter Road, is also attracting attention from clubs in England.
21:23

CITY DENY PJANIC LINKS

Manchester City have denied that they are in for Juventus playmaker Miralem Pjanic.
It has been reported that City were preparing an £89m bid for the 28-year-old.
21:02

CLARKE 'WORKING HARD'

Kilmarnock boss Steve Clarke says he is finding the transfer market frustrating.
Clarke has only managed to bring in one player so far - Bournemouth forward Mikael Ndjoli on a six-month loan deal.
He said: "We're speaking all the time to agents, trying to gauge the market, find out who is available on loan and who is available for nothing, as that is the market we're working in.
"We're working the market hard, although nothing is really falling for us at the moment - but we'll keep looking."
20:30

MARTIAL STARTS FOR UTD

Liverpool and Manchester United are both in pre-season action tonight.
Liverpool are playing Borussia Dortmund, with summer signings Fabinho and Naby Keita involved in the squad.
And Manchester United are facing San Jose, with Anthony Martial starting.
20:06

BREAKING NEWS

Sky sources understand Huddersfield forward Tom Ince has had a medical at Stoke after the clubs agreed a £10m fee.
It’s hoped the move will be finalised in the next 24-48 hours.
19:48

GAYLE BID REJECTED

Newcastle have turned down a loan offer from West Brom for Dwight Gayle, according to the Newcastle Chronicle.
Apparently the bid was "swiftly snubbed" by Newcastle manager Rafa Benitez, who is said to be keen to keep hold of the striker.
19:09

WATCH: TRANSFER CENTRE

With plenty of transfer stories developing at the moment, here's a wrap of where we stand from the Transfer Centre on Sky Sports News...
18:48

WHARTON REJOINS LINCOLN

Defender Scott Wharton has re-signed for Lincoln on a season-long loan from Blackburn Rovers.
The 20-year-old, who signed a new three-year contract with Blackburn on Wednesday, spent the second half of 2017/18 with the Imps.
18:29

KANE NOT CONCERNED

Tottenham might be the only Premier League top-six side yet to sign anyone in the summer window, but striker Harry Kane does not seem too concerned.
When asked about Spurs' activity in the transfer window, Kane told Sky Sports: "That's up to the gaffer and the chairman, and I am sure they will get who they want and get rid of who they want.
"From our point of view we've just got to focus - we've got a great squad, we're growing and getting better each year, and it's important for us going into the new stadium just to keep progressing."
17:59

NAPOLI KEEN ON DARMIAN

Napoli's president Aurelio De Laurentiis has confirmed Manchester United's Matteo Darmian is one of a number of full-back options they are considering moving for...
https://twitter.com/SkySportsPL/status/1021082476540846083
17:34

ALISSON TO DEBUT IN DUBLIN

Jurgen Klopp expects Alisson to make his Liverpool debut against Napoli in Dublin on August 4.
Alisson joined Liverpool from Roma in a £67m deal last week but has been given extended leave after the World Cup.
"He is desperate to play. He could have joined us here in America but it made absolutely no sense," Reds boss Klopp is quoted as saying by the Daily Telegraph.
"He had a long year and, as Brazil’s No 1, it was quite an intense year, so I sent him on holiday again. There will still be two games to play and West Ham is only the first game of the season, not the last one.
"I would say he plays in Dublin [against Napoli]."
17:16

NORWICH ON THE LOOKOUT

Norwich manager Daniel Farke has suggested the club might sign a new goalkeeper this summer.
Manchester City loanee Angus Gunn was Norwich's first choice last season, but Remi Matthews and Michael McGovern are currently competing for the No 1 spot.
"It is quite obvious we don’t fall asleep in the market because we have lost a goalkeeper, but it is also a situation that doesn’t concern me," Farke told the Eastern Daily Press.
"There have been some good games but also some mistakes. I am pleased with their attitude, they are both working hard. I trust them both and I would have no problem if one of them would be between the posts when the real stuff starts.
"I trust my keepers but without any pressure we can watch the market. Let’s see how it develops."
16:53

MCCLEAN HAS 'REAL QUALITY'

Stoke boss Gary Rowett has been talking to the club website about the addition of James McClean...
"James is a player I've admired for a long time. He has real quality with his left foot and he's an old fashioned winger in so much that he retains width and gives teams balance.
"I've spoken to lads who have played with him before, the likes of Darren Fletcher, and they have all said that he's a great guy to have around the dressing room and he's really, really popular with his team-mates."
16:28

STOKE SIGN MCCLEAN

Stoke City have completed the signing of James McClean on a four-year deal from West Brom.
The Potters have paid an initial £5million for the 29-year-old, although the fee could rise to £6million with add-ons.
15:59

REINA JOINS AC MILAN

AC Milan have confirmed the signing of goalkeeper Pepe Reina, who was a free agent after leaving Napoli.
https://twitter.com/acmilan/status/1021019005413445632
15:33

JIMENEZ, PATRICIO DEBUTS

Summer signings Raul Jimenez and Rui Patricio both made their debuts for Wolves today in a pre-season friendly against Bochum.
There were no goals for Jimenez, but Patricio did save a couple of penalties in a shoot-out...
https://twitter.com/Wolves/status/1021051105961218048
15:06

NEW IWOBI DEAL?

Alex Iwobi is close to signing a new long-term Arsenal deal, according to the Daily Mirror.
It is reported that Iwobi has agreed terms on an improved contract until 2022.
14:46

BREAKING NEWS

Watford's Richarlison is set to have a medical with Everton in the next 24 hours.
Richarlison returned home early from Watford’s pre-season training camp in Austria and we are told the clubs are finalising a deal and the structure of payments.
The deal could be worth in the region of £50m, which would mean a huge profit for Watford as they signed him for £13m last summer when Marco Silva was manager.
14:38

FARROW JOINS READING

Women's Super League side Reading have signed Millie Farrow from Bristol City.
The 22-year-old started her career at Chelsea and has represented England at both Under-19 and Under-23 level.
https://twitter.com/ReadingFCWomen/status/1020978007635349504
14:14

BREAKING NEWS

We understand Chelsea are one of three clubs interested in signing Anthony Martial from Manchester United this summer.
It is understood Chelsea have yet to make a formal offer but are keen on signing Martial, along with Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich.
Martial, currently with the Manchester United squad in Los Angeles, has a year remaining on his current contract and we understand he has told Jose Mourinho he wants to leave.
However, sources have told us that United are not interested in selling Martial and Mourinho has suggested he will be part of the squad for their opening game of the season against Leicester.
14:08

JACK HAMMER

Jack Wilshere pulled on a West Ham shirt for the first time yesterday after joining from Arsenal...
https://twitter.com/JackWilshere/status/1020991328073781249
13:53

BARCA EYE SENEGAL DEFENDER

Barcelona want to sign Senegal defender Moussa Wague, reports Mundo Deportivo.
Wague’s impressive displays at the World Cup caught the eye of Barca, who are working to bring him to the Camp Nou from Belgian outfit KAS Eupen.
The 19-year-old would link up with the LaLiga champions’ reserve side Barca B if he completes a move to the club this summer.
13:45

MCCORMACK TO SUNDERLAND?

Sunderland want Aston Villa striker Ross McCormack on loan, reports the Mail On Sunday.
The report also suggests the League One side are also interested in Kilmarnock winger Jordan Jones.
13:34

ROONEY: MLS START WAS TOUGH

Wayne Rooney has described his first start for MLS side DC United as a "tough" and "difficult" game.
Rooney's new side, who are bottom of the Eastern Conference, lost 3-1 to Atlanta United on Saturday at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
It was a frustrating afternoon for the former Manchester United and Everton striker. His misplaced pass led to Atlanta's opening goal and he later picked up a yellow card for a clash with Chris McCann before being substituted after 66 minutes.
"Today was a difficult game. Atlanta are top of the league and they're a good team," Rooney told the club's website. "We knew it was going to be a difficult game. We knew it was going to be tough.
"We had to hang in there at times and unfortunately we didn't quite do that well enough today. But there are still a few positives and I'm happy about more minutes on the pitch today which will help me. Overall, I'm disappointed with the result on a personal level."
13:13

DONE DEAL

Striker Korrey Henry has joined Yeovil Town, signing a one-year deal at Huish Park with a club option of extending for a further year.
https://twitter.com/YTFC/status/1021016947276886016
13:06

JUVE CHASE MILINKOVIC-SAVIC

Juventus will pick up their pursuit of Sergey Milinkovic-Savic again after being frustrated in their efforts to sign Paul Pogba and Adrien Rabiot, according to Tuttosport.
The report suggests Manchester United transfer target could leave Lazio for around €100m.
12:52

HERRERA BACKS MARTIAL TO RULE THE WORLD

Anthony Martial can be "one of the best players in the world", according to Manchester United team-mate Ander Herrera.
Martial had a frustrating second season under Jose Mourinho at Old Trafford - scoring nine goals in 18 starts - leading to him being left out of France's World Cup-winning squad and linked with a move away.
Sky Sports News understands Martial is part of United's plans for the forthcoming season, despite his agent telling French media in July that he wants to leave.
Herrera has been impressed by Martial's start to pre-season and has backed him to rediscover his form this term.
"He's very talented," the Spanish midfielder said. "He can be one of the best players in the world and I think he is very focused this season to smash it. When you have players like Anthony, like Marcus Rashford, Jesse Lingard, Juan Mata, Alexis Sanchez, those kind of players that can change the game."
12:39

TOWNSEND INTERESTING WEST BROM

West Brom are interested in highly-rated Scunthorpe left-back Conor Townsend, who could also attract an offer from his former club Hull City, according to the Mail On Sunday.
12:29

KENT REACTION

https://twitter.com/RangersFC/status/1021008305295118336
12:21

WITSEL TO BVB?

Axel Witsel is interesting Borussia Dortmund, according to Funke Sport.
The Bundesliga club would have to pay €40m to sign the Belgian international from Tianjin Quanjian in China, but the Belgium midfielder would likely have to take a pay cut to make the move.
12:04

BREAKING NEWS

Rangers have announced the signing of Ryan Kent on a season-long loan from Liverpool.
https://twitter.com/RangersFC/status/1021002059934560256
12:03

KLOPP: I LIKE PULISIC

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp admits he is a fan of Christian Pulisic, but concedes a deal for the Borussia Dortmund winger is unlikely in this window.
Dortmund, according to reports, rejected a bid from the Merseyside club for Pulisic in 2016, but his father has since branded links with Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham as "hogwash".
Klopp, who is familiar with Pulisic having previously worked with the 19-year-old while at Dortmund, believes he is at the right club to further his career, but refused to rule out linking up with him in the future. When asked about the chances of Liverpool making an approach, Klopp said: "He has a contract at Dortmund, no? That's the first problem. I like Christian, I've known him since he was a kid. He's still not really old, he's a fantastic player, and it's deserved people think highly of him in America.
"In Germany, it's the same. If he wants to play in England or whatever one day then for sure he has the chance to do so but he's at a really good club for his development at this moment. It's really good to be at a club where they know him already. He had not his best season last year but he was still a decisive player but it's important in that age group that there's no rush. He still has 14 or 15 years to play in his career and that's good and he wants to be the best Pulisic he can be. For this, there is still space for development.
"If - at one point - he will join us, I don't know. I like him, it's not that that could be the problem, but we respect contracts still and there's no market I know about at the moment. We did our business and Dortmund are doing theirs. All good."
11:54

WOLVES EYE TRAORE

Wolves are considering triggering Middlesbrough winger Adama Traore's £18m release clause in order to beat Huddersfield to his signing, according to The Independent on Sunday.
11:51

BAYERN CLOSE TO DAVIES DEAL

Bayern Munich are closing in on the signing of Canada international Alphonso Davies, reports The Athletic.
Davies, who is on the books at Vancouver Whitecaps, has previously been linked with Real Madrid, Manchester United and Liverpool
However, it appears as though Bayern have won the race to sign the 17-year-old winger, who is set to join the German giants in a $12m deal.
11:17

WATCH: KLOPP DEFENDS SPENDING

Jurgen Klopp hits back at critics after Liverpool sign goalkeeper Alisson for a world-record £67m.
11:13

BOLASIE TO LEICESTER?

Leicester City have enquired about Everton winger Yannick Bolasie, reports the Sunday Express.
The report suggest the winger is also interesting his former employers Crystal Palace.
11:00

FOOTBALL WHISPERS

Here are the latest transfer rumours from our friends at Football Whispers...
https://storify.com/services/proxy/2/4NU28ZOck6bK3LTsfVZyPw/https/d2kmm3vx031a1h.cloudfront.net/qNw11xV4RCOdkOKciYLi_2018-07-22-11-02-00-sky-top-10-graphic.png
10:49

ROSS RULES OUT DOCHERTY BID

Sunderland manager Jack Ross has ruled out a move for Rangers midfielder Greg Docherty, writes the Daily Record.
10:42

WATCH: ‘ZAHA IS IRREPLACEABLE FOR PALACE’

Jeffrey Schlupp and Joel Ward hope “irreplaceable” team-mate Wilfried Zaha stays at Crystal Palace this summer.
10:34

‘GREALISH WON’T GO ON THE CHEAP’

Steve Bruce says Aston Villa should now be able to "name their price" on midfielder Jack Grealish after investment into the club was revealed.
Egyptian billionaire Nassef Sawiris and American businessman Wes Edens are set to take charge at Villa Park after making what is reported to be a "significant investment" in the Sky Bet Championship club. That deal could have a significant effect on Bruce's own future, as well as that of a number of high-profile players including Grealish.
Sky Sports News understands Villa and Tottenham have held talks over a deal for the 22-year-old, whose position as one of Villa's highest earners had made him most vulnerable in a potential cost-cutting position.
Bruce said: "I know for a fact from the owners - new investors - anybody wanting to buy Jack Grealish will not buy him on the cheap. It's only what somebody else is prepared to pay - what he's worth. Until I have the conversation I can't really answer the question. What is he worth? Who knows? [But] If we have to sell them then at least we get the right price for them and can move forward.
"When you're up against it and hanging your dirty washing out in public then the vultures are circling and ready to nick your assets. At least that's not going to be the case - well I know that's not going to be the case - because I've had that conversation already. So if anybody is going to buy one of our players now they are going to have to pay a premium."
10:24

MINA MAY HAVE TO LEAVE BARCA

Everton target Yerry Mina admits he may have to leave Barcelona this summer.
The Colombia international joined Barca from Palmeiras in January but has been tipped to leave the club less than seven months after arriving at the Camp Nou.
Everton have reportedly contacted the centre-back’s agent and the player has handed the Toffees hope by admitting he will be forced to leave Barca if the LaLiga champions do not want to keep him.
Speaking to Marca Claro Colombia, he said: “I have a contract with Barca and I want to succeed there. For now, proposals for me have come, but at the moment I want to rush through my holiday and then we’ll see. If they don’t want me, I will have to find the best way out, but I remember that my intention is to succeed at Barca because it’s the best team in the world.”
10:10

EURO PAPER TALK

Get a full round-up of the back pages of this morning’s European newspapers HERE!
10:01

EURO PAPERS

• Yerry Mina has admitted his future at Barcelona is uncertain. The Colombian revealed offers have been made for him this summer and confessed that if the Catalan club don’t want him, he will have to look elsewhere for opportunities (Marca Claro).
  
• Ousmane Dembele will not be sold to finance Barcelona’s move for Willian. The Frenchman has struggled to settle at Camp Nou since joining last summer, but the Arsenal and Liverpool transfer target won’t be leaving the club (Mundo Deportivo).
  
• Juventus will pick up their pursuit of Sergey Milinkovic-Savic again after being frustrated in their efforts to sign Paul Pogba and Adrien Rabiot. The Manchester United transfer target could leave Lazio for around €100m (Tuttosport).
  
• Thomas Tuchel remained coy on rumours linking Paris Saint-Germain with a move for Jerome Boateng. The Bayern Munich centre back has also been linked with a move to Manchester City and Manchester United this summer, but PSG are reportedly leading the chase (SportBILD).
  
• Porto face a fight to keep Alex Telles. The left back has been the subject of a €30m bid from Juventus, with Paris Saint-Germain also reported to be interested in the 25-year-old (UOL Esporte).
  

09:49

WATCH: HUGHES COOL OVER CLASIE MOVE

Southampton boss Mark Hughes is happy to play the waiting game over Jordy Clasie as talks continue over a possible return to Feyenoord.
09:40

KOVACIC WANTS REAL EXIT

Mateo Kovacic remains firm in his desire to leave Real Madrid, reports Marca.
Kovacic last month revealed his desire to change clubs this summer, citing a need for regular first-team football. The Croatia midfielder met new Real Madrid coach Julen Lopetegui on Friday and asked him to let him leave. Lopetegui tried to persuade him to stay but Kovacic remains convinced that the best thing is for him to leave the Bernabeu this summer.
Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Juventus, Manchester United and Liverpool are among the interested clubs who have contacted him and offered him the possibility of greater first-team action.
The 24-year-old wants to begin pre-season at a new club after his summer holiday. Madrid are starting to feel that they will have to facilitate the Croatian’s departure and would seek a fee of at least €50m.
09:25

PICKFORD ON CHELSEA RADAR

Everton and England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford will be on Chelsea's radar if they decide to cash in on Thibaut Courtois this summer, writes The Sun On Sunday.
09:14

KLOPP DEFENDS LIVERPOOL SPENDING

Jurgen Klopp has defended Liverpool's transfer spending after signing goalkeeper Alisson for a world-record £67m.
Two years ago, when Manchester United paid around £90m for Paul Pogba, the Liverpool manager insisted he would quit football if huge transfer fees became the norm.
Speaking before Liverpool's opening International Champions Cup match against Borussia Dortmund in North Carolina on Sunday, Klopp said spending at the top end of the transfer market had moved on.
"I'll do whatever it takes to make Liverpool successful," he said. "I couldn't have imagined since then that the world would change like it has. Two years ago £100m was a crazy number. Since then the world has changed completely.
"First and foremost my responsibility is to make this club as successful as possible. It's not about pushing through my thoughts or saying 'No, I don't want to buy players, I don't want to pay big money' and then in the end Liverpool FC is not successful. We have a really good team, a really good squad and to improve it is expensive. To find better players than we already have, they aren't waiting around the corner."
08:50

WATCH: MEYER’S 2017/18 STATS

Arsenal and Liverpool are reportedly both in the running for Max Meyer after he was released by Schalke.
Take a look at his key statistics from last season here...
08:48

MAX MEYER: WONDERKID WITHOUT A CLUB

Max Meyer was hailed as the next wonderkid from Germany, but with the new season fast approaching, he is without a club. With the help of our colleagues at Sky Germany, we look at how he found himself in his current predicament.
READ HERE
08:26

GIRONA WANT CITY YOUNGSTER

Girona are keen on Manchester City youngster Brahim Diaz, reports Sport.
The La Liga minnows want to sign the 18-year-old playmaker on loan.
08:16

HART KEEN FOR PERMANENT MOVE

Joe Hart is keen to secure a permanent move away from Manchester City this summer and avoid going on loan for a third consecutive season.
Hart is back at City after loan spells at Torino and West Ham and finds himself third choice behind Ederson and Claudio Bravo. City boss Pep Guardiola has said he wants to "find a solution" for Hart and the 31-year-old goalkeeper is keen to begin a new chapter in his career.
"I need to go somewhere permanent, I think that's obvious," said Hart, who missed out on selection for England's World Cup squad. "I did what I did in the previous two seasons because I needed to play to be involved in the World Cup - and look where that got me.
"I'm experienced, I've played at the highest level for a long time and done a lot of things in the game. I need to be an important player at that club and I think that can only happen with a permanent move.
“Of course, if I don't find a solution which suits both parties, I'm contracted to Manchester City. I need to do what's right for me and my family and that's the decision I'll be making. It's a tough one, but it's a situation which will be resolved."
08:09

ROCHDALE YOUNGSTER ON BRINK OF UTD MOVE

Manchester United are on the brink of a £1m deal to sign Rochdale teenager Daniel Adshead, according to the Sunday Mirror.
08:04

WATCH: GOLOVIN 2017/18 STATS

Take a look at Chelsea target Aleksandr Golovin's key statistics from the midfielder's 2017/18 season with CSKA Moscow.
07:53

TEAM-MATE DROPS GOLOVIN CHELSEA HINT

Aleksandr Golovin's CSKA Moscow team-mate Sergey Chepchugov has given the biggest hint yet that the midfielder could be heading to Chelsea.
The club have been strongly linked with the Russian international and Chepchugov's Instagram post hinted that Golovin is heading to Stamford Bridge.
Chepchugov's post congratulated the midfielder on sealing a move to a "big club" and wished him well at Chelsea.
Golovin's official Instagram account @alex_golovin17 liked the post.
FULL STORY
07:47

PUEL: NO OFFERS FOR SCHMEICHEL

Claude Puel insists Leicester have not received any offers for goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel.
Sky Sports News understands Chelsea are considering a move for the Denmark international, who helped the Foxes to a ninth-place finish in the Premier League last season.
Puel is determined to hold on to the 31-year-old as he plans for his second season in charge at the King Power Stadium.
"I am not troubled about this," said Puel, speaking after his side's 4-1 win over Notts County in pre-season. "Of course Kasper is a very important player for us. He had a very strong World Cup. We need Kasper, with his character, his performance and his consistency."
When asked if Leicester had received any offers for Schmeichel, Puel said: "No. There is no problem with this. There is a lot of speculation at this moment, it is normal."
07:23

A NEW GK FOR ARSENAL?

Meanwhile, Arsenal are in advanced talks with Borussia Monchengladbach to sign goalkeeper Yann Sommer, according to the Sunday Mirror.
Sommer is also a transfer target for Barcelona, reports Marca.
07:18

MIGNOLET TO REPLACE CILLESSEN?

Simon Mignolet is on Barcelona’s five-man shortlist of candidates to replace Jasper Cillessen, reports Marca.
Cillessen, the Netherlands goalkeeper, has reportedly decided to leave Barcelona this summer and has been linked with a number of clubs.
As a result, Barca are scouring the market for replacements for the Dutchman. Their top targets are Wolfsburg’s Koen Casteels and Borussia Monchengladbach’s Yann Sommer, but other candidates to replace Cillessen include Liverpool's Mignolet, Real Sociedad’s Geronimo Rulli and Eibar’s Marko Dmitrovic.
06:47

WATCH: ROONEY'S FIRST START ENDS IN DEFEAT

D.C. United are beaten as Wayne Rooney made his first start for his new club.
Watch the highlights below...
06:45

PAPER TALK

Get a full round-up of the back pages of the Sunday papers HERE!
06:17

PAPER TALK

• Chelsea and Bayern Munich are working on deals to sign Anthony Martial from Manchester United but neither side are willing to meet the £89.3m valuation. (Sunday Times). Meanwhile, Manchester United will resist any attempt by Tottenham to sign Anthony Martial, despite knowing that the Frenchman is tempted to leave Old Trafford. (Sunday Telegraph)
  
• Jose Mourinho wants Manchester United to make a £65m move for Leicester defender Harry Maguire but he has to sell one of Chris Smalling, Marcos Rojo or Eric Bailly first. (Mail on Sunday)
  
• Arsenal are in advanced talks with Borussia Monchengladbach to sign goalkeeper Yann Sommer, who is also a transfer target for Barcelona. (Sunday Mirror)
  
• Roma are considering making a bid for Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech following the sale of Alisson to Liverpool. (Sun On Sunday)
  
• Daniele Rugani will travel to the United States to complete a £45m move to Chelsea and join up with the Blues' pre-season tour. (Daily Star)
  

06:12

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