Archive January 29, 2026

Arsenal have held advanced discussions with Barcelona full-back Ona Batlle in the hope of reaching a pre-contract agreement to sign her in the summer.

The 26-year-old is free to hold talks with other clubs with her current contract at Barcelona due to expire at the end of the season.

European champions Arsenal already have plans in place for the summer window and are hopeful of bringing in Batlle on a free transfer.

The Gunners are also close to agreeing terms with England midfielder Georgia Stanway to join when she leaves Bayern Munich at the end of the season.

Should they strike a deal with Spain international Batlle, it would be one of the biggest moves in recent years.

The full-back, who spent three seasons at Manchester United between 2020 and 2023, was part of the Spain squad that won the World Cup three years ago.

She also played a key role as Spain reached the Euro 2025 final and Barcelona claimed the Women’s Champions League crown in 2024.

Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor has tracked back on her comments saying the WSL title is “probably over” by insisting her side will “never give up”.

The Blues, who have won six successive WSL titles and went unbeaten domestically in Bompastor’s debut season, trail leaders Manchester City by nine points.

Chelsea travel to City on Sunday (14:30 GMT), knowing anything other than a victory will all but end their title hopes.

Bompastor admitted doubts after their 2-0 loss by Arsenal last Saturday, while City held their nerve to bag a late winner against London City Lionesses.

It is not the first time a Chelsea manager has publicly conceded the title was lost before the end of the season when predecessor Emma Hayes infamously did just that after a 4-3 loss at Liverpool in May 2024.

That result meant with three games to go, Chelsea had a six-point deficit to chase, but they usurped Manchester City on goal difference on the final day.

Asked if this was mind games by Bompastor, she said: “No, our mentality is to fight until the end, no matter what happens. We will never give up.

“There are nine games left in the WSL. The only thing is that we are not in control of it. Manchester City are leading the table and are in control.

Last season, Chelsea dropped just six points in the WSL all season, drawing three but winning the other 19 of their 22 matches.

They won the Women’s FA Cup and Women’s League Cup to complete an historic, unbeaten treble for Bompastor’s side.

It helped them on their way to a 34-game unbeaten league run until a shock 1-0 defeat by struggling Everton in December.

That came after successive league draws with Liverpool and Arsenal, before a second defeat of the season came at Stamford Bridge last weekend.

But Bompastor says the unusual nature of their success last season has helped give them perspective in this “frustrating” period.

“That’s why I think we’re not really down. Of course, we are disappointed and frustrated not to be getting better results but even last season when we were winning a lot of games, we were not really high,” said Bompastor.

“I said it last season when people thought it was easy for us to win games – it wasn’t. We were humble and knew we had to work hard to have that season.

British number one Emma Raducanu has split with coach Francis Roig after her exit from the Australian Open.

The 23-year-old lost to Austria’s Anastasia Potapova in straight sets in the second round at Melbourne Park.

Raducanu and Roig – who helped Rafael Nadal win 16 of his 22 major titles – began working together in August.

“Thank you for our time together,” Raducanu posted on Instagram.

“You have been more than a coach to me and I will cherish the many good times we spent together on and off the court.

“While we have come to the conclusion together that we ought not to move forward, please know I am very grateful for all you have taught me and fond of our time shared.”

After her Australian Open exit, Raducanu said: “I want to be playing a different way. I just want to hit the ball to the corners and hard.

“I feel like I’m doing all this variety, and it’s not doing what I want it to do. I need to work on playing in a way more similar to how I was playing when I was younger.”

Some interpreted the comments as friction between the player and her coach. Those rumours were confirmed by sources who spoke to BBC Sport.

Asked at the time if she was on the same page as Roig, Raducanu said: “I didn’t play how I wanted to play because I wasn’t hitting any shot particularly well. It’s tough to take an assessment when you’re completely off.

“Me and Francis have done some amazing work together in the past few months and I’ve improved so many different aspects of my game. I think it’s difficult to say we don’t agree.”

Roig was the ninth person to coach Raducanu since 2021, with Nick Cavaday – her childhood mentor – holding the job for the longest spell.

He worked with Raducanu from 2024 to 2025, but had to step back because of health issues.

The Briton was coached by Nigel Sears when she made her breakthrough at Wimbledon in 2021.

Andrew Richardson was Raducanu’s coach when she won the US Open in stunning fashion as a teenage qualifier, but he only held the position for two months and they parted ways weeks after her Grand Slam victory.