Archive June 10, 2025

£400m spent but who made early moves in mini transfer window?

By in News, Sports News
PA Media

After a busy 10 days and £400m spent the transfer window has officially closed for Premier League clubs – a week before it opens once again.

This summer has seen an unusual, two-part transfer window to allow clubs to sign players for the Fifa Club World Cup which begins on Sunday, 15 June (01:00 BST).

A second will open on Monday, 16 June, before closing on Monday, 1 September at 19:00 BST for Premier League, EFL and Scottish Premiership clubs.

Fifa rules state a transfer window cannot last more than 16 weeks in a calendar year, hence the split this summer.

Manchester City and Chelsea are the two Premier League clubs competing at the Club World Cup in the United States, but any team from a league with sides at the tournament could participate in the window.

Chelsea & Man City strengthen for Club World Cup

The biggest signings of the summer so farBBC Sport

Premier League clubs have already spent £400m in initial transfer fees before the new season. That dwarfs the tallies of top-flight clubs in Germany, Spain, Italy, France and Saudi Arabia.

There’s still a long way to go to match last summer’s final tally of £1.98bn spent by Premier League clubs on player transfers, while the record outlay of £2.36bn was set in summer 2023.

Chelsea begin their Club World Cup campaign against Los Angeles FC on 16 June, while City play Moroccan side Wydad AC on 18 June.

Both sides have new faces in their touring party, with City landing Wolves left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri for £31m and bringing in goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli from Chelsea as cover.

They also announced the signing of attacking midfielder Rayan Cherki from Lyon before the deadline for an initial fee of £30.45m.

Chelsea have spent more than any other club so far, splashing out initial fees of £89.5m on Liam Delap (£30m), Dario Essugo (£18.5m) and Mamadou Sarr (£12m), while Estevao Willian (£29m) will join after agreeing a move a year ago.

Manchester United are not in the Club World Cup but have made the most expensive move yet, spending £62.5m on Wolves forward Matheus Cunha.

Real make case for their defence

Trent Alexander-Arnold of Liverpool holds up the Premier League trophyEPA

Bournemouth to the Bernabeu is not a well-trodden path in football history but Real Madrid have spent £50m on Cherries centre-half Dean Huijsen.

The Spanish giants activated his release clause, with the Spain international having as many as seven offers on the table, including Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal and Newcastle.

Real, of course, also chose to spend £10m to bring forward the long-awaited signing of Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold so he could feature in the United States.

The 26-year-old would have been able to leave Liverpool on a free transfer when his contract expired on 30 June.

But Real moved early thanks to the financial incentive of the winner of the 32-team tournament potentially earning up to £97m in prize money.

Any other big moves?

Liverpool replaced Alexander-Arnold with Dutch full-back Jeremie Frimpong from Bayer Leverkusen, while the Bundesliga side took goalkeeper Mark Flekken from Brentford.

The Bees in turn signed Liverpool keeper Caoimhin Kelleher, while across the city Everton turned forward Carlos Alcaraz’s loan move from Flamengo into a permanent one.

Related topics

  • Spanish La Liga
  • Premier League
  • German Bundesliga
  • Football

Top CFPB enforcement official to resign amid policy shifts under Trump

By in News, World News

The top remaining enforcement official at the United States Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has tendered her resignation, saying the White House’s overhaul of the agency has made her position untenable.

Acting Enforcement Director Cara Petersen, who has served at the agency since its creation nearly 15 years ago, said that current leadership under US President Donald Trump “has no intention to enforce the law in any meaningful way”, according to an email first obtained by the Reuters news agency.

“I have served under every director and acting director in the bureau’s history and never before have I seen the ability to perform our core mission so under attack,” Petersen wrote in an email.

“It has been devastating to see the bureau’s enforcement function being dismantled through thoughtless reductions in staff, inexplicable dismissals of cases, and terminations of negotiated settlements that let wrongdoers off the hook.”

Petersen’s departure comes four months after the agency’s enforcement and supervision chiefs also resigned amid efforts by President Donald Trump to dismantle the CFPB.

An agency spokesperson and Petersen did not immediately respond to requests for comment. In addition to seeking to cut the CFPB’s workforce by about 90 percent, acting Director Russell Vought and chief legal officer Mark Paoletta have said they will slash agency enforcement and supervision and have dropped major CFPB enforcement cases en masse, including against Capital One and Walmart. The agency has even revised some cases already settled under the prior administration.

The dramatic changes come as Republicans have complained for years that the CFPB, created in the aftermath of the 2007-2009 global financial crisis, is too powerful and lacks oversight. Democrats and agency backers contend it plays a critical role in policing financial markets on behalf of consumers.

Wimbledon Champion Krejcikova Suffers Shock Queen’s Exit

By in News, sport-news

Barbora Krejcikova’s preparations for her Wimbledon title defence suffered a major setback as the Czech crashed to a shock defeat against Rebecca Sramkova at Queen’s Club on Tuesday.

Krejcikova beat Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in three sets in last year’s Wimbledon final to win her second Grand Slam crown.

But the 29-year-old’s hopes of repeating that memorable triumph were rocked by her 6-4, 6-3 loss to Slovakia’s Sramkova in the opening round of the Wimbledon warm-up event in London.

The defeat extended a disappointing run for Krejcikova since her victory at the All England Club.

She lost in the second round of the recent French Open and missed January’s Australian Open with a back injury that kept her sidelined until May.

Krejcikova, the world number 17, was also beaten in the US Open second round in the last Grand Slam of 2024.

Czech Republic’s Barbora Krejcikova serves to Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova during their women’s singles match on day 5 of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland-Garros Complex in Paris on May 29, 2025. (Photo by Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP)

World number 41 Sramkova will face former US Open champion Emma Raducanu in the second round at Queen’s.

READ ALSO: FIFA’s Club World Cup Finally Faces Ultimate Test

Raducanu, who famously won in New York as an 18-year-old qualifier in 2021, made a vibrant start to her grass-court singles season, routing Spain’s Cristina Bucsa 6-1, 6-2 on Tuesday.

The British star revealed before Queen’s that she is still troubled by back spasms that have plagued her for much of a frustrating 2025 campaign.

But Raducanu looked in fine fettle as she brushed aside Bucsa to the delight of the British fans in the Andy Murray Arena.

“I must say I was quite locked in today,” the world number 37 said. “I’m very pleased with my performance.

“I was a little bit nervous at the beginning. It’s my first time playing on this court at Queen’s and the support is incredible.

“I just want to stay here playing as many matches as I possibly can.”

In the first women’s action at Queen’s since 1973 — the tournament has been solely an ATP men’s event for 52 years — Raducanu was joined in the second round by two of her compatriots.

Katie Boulter won 7-6 (7/4), 1-6, 6-4 against Australian qualifier Ajla Tomljanovic.

Heather Watson beat world number 27 Yulia Putintseva 6-4, 6-3 to book a clash with former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina.

FIFA Club World Cup 2025: What is the MLS players’ pay dispute about?

By in News, World News

With the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 about to get under way on Saturday, the football league in the host nation United States (US) finds itself at odds with players from its three participating clubs over monetary compensation from the tournament.

Three Major League Soccer (MLS) clubs – Inter Miami, Seattle Sounders and Los Angeles FC – are among the 32 teams that have qualified for the tournament running from June 14 to July 13 across 11 venues in the US.

Players from the three clubs, represented by the MLS Players Association (MLSA), have protested over the amount of compensation they are promised from the tournament by the MLS.

Here’s a breakdown of the ongoing tussle between the MLS and its players:

What’s the Club World Cup pay dispute between the MLS and its players?

The players are demanding an increased share of the tournament prize money in addition to the participation fee they are set to receive.

The players’ association has accused the MLS of refusing to engage in a negotiation so far, while the league has said it has offered the clubs an “enhanced structure” for the players.

How have the players registered their protest?

On June 1, players of Seattle Sounders FC brought attention to the issue by wearing shirts that read “Club World Cup Ca$h Grab” during their warm-up session before their match against Minnesota United FC.

A number of players from the three clubs also posted on social media with the hashtag #FairShareNow, causing fans to take notice and engage in social media conversations.

How much money will MLS clubs receive at the Club World Cup?

Every MLS team will earn a participation fee of $9.55m, but can win additional prize money based on its performance.

Each win or draw during the tournament will also bring in additional prize money, which can increase further should the club advance to the next stages. Since LAFC beat Club America to qualify for the tournament in a playoff game, they won an additional $250,000 in prize money.

What part of the prize money will go to the players?

According to the existing collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between the MLS and MLSPA, the players are eligible to receive 50 percent of the prize money in undefined tournaments such as the Club World Cup.

The MLS, on Sunday, said it has proposed an enhanced structure for the Club World Cup “to reward both participation and competitive achievement in the tournament.”

According to the MLS, this is what’s on offer in the revised proposal: “In addition to the guaranteed $1m per team for qualifying, 20 percent of all prize money earned from the group stage onward would be allocated to players. If an MLS club wins the Club World Cup, its players could collectively receive more than $24m in performance bonuses.”

What do the MLS players want?

They seek a better deal than the one put forward by the MLS in its latest proposal, and for the league to engage with its players in a negotiation.

The players’ association says the latest proposal offered by MLS does not include any additional participation bonuses for the players and offered “below-standard” back-end compensation.

The MLSPA has also accused the league of asking for unrelated concessions to the CBA.

As things stand, the CBA includes a provision that caps the amount of prize money that can go to players at $1m. The MLSPA believes the players are entitled to a bigger share of the funds.

“The timing, substance and retaliatory nature of the proposal sends a clear message: MLS does not respect or value players’ efforts with regard to this tournament,” the MLSPA said in a statement on Sunday.

It further added that the proposed 20 percent share of the compensation amount is “below international standard”.

“Although not surprised, the players and the MLSPA are deeply disappointed by this message,” the MLSPA said.

How has the MLS responded to the players’ demands?

Neither side has issued any further statements, but players have continued posting on social media with the #FairShareNow hashtag.

Reports in US media said the talks between the two sides were ongoing.

The league’s last statement said that MLS owners believe that performance-based incentives are appropriate given the expanded format and increased prize pool for the tournament.

“The League values the continued dedication and commitment of its players and looks forward to supporting them as they represent their clubs – and Major League Soccer – on the global stage this summer,” it added.

What happens if the players and MLS don’t reach an agreement?

Should both sides remain at loggerheads, it is unlikely that the players will refuse to take the field for their games in a tournament hosted in their clubs’ home country.

If they do, the players risk being fined and reprimanded by the league in accordance with its rules.

How does the MLS pay dispute impact the FIFA Club World Cup?

It is unlikely to impact the tournament directly unless the players refuse to take the field for their clubs.

However, the controversy has added what would be considered unwelcome attention to the MLS’s pay structure and the Club World Cup, a tournament that has already faced plenty of criticism from football players and officials.

Why aren’t players from other leagues protesting?

It remains unclear how other leagues and teams are compensating their players for their participation in the Club World Cup.

The breakdown and distribution of the prize money and participation fee vary across leagues.

Fiona Harvey ‘going blind’ after mounting stress over Baby Reindeer lawsuit

By in Entertainment News, News

Fiona Harvey, who is the inspiration behind Martha from Netflix’s Baby Reindeer, has claimed she’s going blind due to the mounting stress from the series

Daniel Bird Assistant Celebrity and Entertainment Editor and John Dingwall

Fiona Harvey, who inspired the character Martha from Baby Reindeer, has said she is going blind(Image: TIM ANDERSON)

Fiona Harvey, the inspiration behind Martha from Baby Reindeer, has said she’s going blind. The Scot who inspired the character in Richard Gadd’s series is currently embroiled in a multi-million-dollar defamation lawsuit with streaming giant Netflix.

But the 59-year-old law graduate has said the stress surrounding the Netflix series has caused her so much stress, which she has linked to her diagnosis of background retinopathy. “I’m going blind, and it’s not surprising with the stress I have been under as a result of Baby Reindeer,” she said.

In a new interview, Fiona said: “I am diabetic and had always been able to keep my blood sugars under control, but my blood sugars have been wild ever since Richard Gadd’s show aired.” She says that since the series, which has racked up countless awards, aired, she has not been able to sleep or eat properly.

“I’m not able to get proper exercise because I’m virtually a prisoner in my own home,” she said. Fiona received a confirmation letter from a hospital on Thursday after undergoing eye tests at a London hospital. The condition is a complication which affects people with diabetes.

Ms Harvey received her diagnosis from a hospital in London
Ms Harvey received her diagnosis from a hospital in London(Image: TIM ANDERSON)

It happens when high blood sugar levels damage light-sensitive tissues at the back of the eye. Although stage one of the condition doesn’t always affect vision, there is a likelihood that it could lead to significant vision loss. Speaking to the Daily Record, Fiona said: “It is something that diabetics can get if your sugars are out of control. My sugars were fine until Baby Reindeer, that led to all my physical health problems.

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“I don’t have money for proper food. I feel it could lead to blindness very quickly in both eyes.” A letter from a doctor, seen by the publication, reads: “Dear Dr Fiona Harvey, Your test results show that you do have ­background retinopathy.” The letter also states that Fiona needs to manage her health in order to prevent any further damage.

The series, which aired over a year ago, has seen Fiona identify herself as the woman who allegedly stalked Gadd while he was working in London. The series was billed as a “true story,” which showed the character, Martha, following him to his home, his workplace at The Hawley Arms in Camden and various other locations.

The series depicted Martha stalking comic Richard Gadd
The series depicted Martha stalking comic Richard Gadd(Image: Netflix)

But since its release, it has become quite controversial. Harvey has filed a £132 million defamation lawsuit against the streaming giant that released the series, claiming she was easily identifiable as Martha. Netflix have defended the lawsuit and Mr Gadd’s “right to tell his story.”

The hearing is said to be delayed until next year due to a series of appeals, as well as requests for adjournments. In the series, Martha was sent to jail twice, but Ms Harvey has no criminal convictions. She told the Record: “I have no ­criminal record. I am not Myra Hindley. I am not Rose West.

“I’m not Dennis Nilsen. I have not received an indefinite life sentence. My life was normal before this started. Mr Gadd has made my life intolerable. I’ve had to send people out to do the food shopping. I can’t have workmen in my house, lest they go off to Netflix.” Now living in a “cramped” flat in London, she says: “At this rate, it’s only a matter of time before I will lose my sight.

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“I have cataracts as well, so I have difficulty typing on a little screen, but due to NHS resources, they won’t operate until you are practically blind. I will be stuck on a waiting list, and I will go blind. So congratulations, Richard Gadd. He can strut around while the rest of us involved in this saga have to suffer.”

While Ms Harvey states she has been defamed in the series, Netflix have said the alleged defamatory statements are non-actionable as they are “substantially true.” Harvey fumed: “The court case gives Netflix loads and loads of publicity, and they hope I’ll withdraw the motion or just die off.”