Archive September 1, 2025

Jamie Vardy, a former Leicester City and England striker, has signed for Cremonese in Italy on a free transfer.

Should the newly promoted club avoid relegation, the 38-year-old has agreed to a one-year contract with a further year on offer.

Vardy, who signed for Leicester in 2012, hasn’t played for a club since his June contract expired.

He is regarded as one of Leicester’s greatest players ever after winning the 2015-16 Premier League.

Vardy won the FA Cup in 2021 and scored 200 goals for the club in 500 games, while he also made 26 England appearances and made seven.

After returning to the top flight of Italy this summer, Cremonese have won both of their opening Serie A matches against Sassuolo and AC Milan.

Reiss Nelson’s signing from Arsenal on a season-long loan has been confirmed by Brentford.

Fulham was one of the options for the 25-year-old, but the Bees have now won the race for the Arsenal academy graduate.

Before a hamstring injury cut his campaign short, Nelson made 12 appearances on loan at Fulham last season.

In addition to his 61 Premier League appearances with Arsenal and Fulham, he also registered three assists and scored five goals while playing as a substitute for 46 teams.

Soon after the club announced the club’s $55 million transfer of Yoane Wissa to Newcastle, Nelson made his first appearance at Brentford.

I wanted to attend a club where I can be confident that I’ll play regularly. I’m aware that places are being sought after, but I’m going to work hard and demonstrate to myself that I can get the necessary minutes.

Nelson was Brentford’s sixth and final senior signing during the summer, according to Keith Andrews.

He followed England midfielder Jordan Henderson, attacking midfielder Antoni Milambo, right-back Michael Kayode, goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher, and attacking midfielder Dango Ouattara.

The striking strikers have been out of the window.

Both Alexander Isak and Yoane Wissa chose not to train this summer and issued demands for relocation.

Chris Sutton, a former Blackburn and Aston Villa striker, described the pair’s behavior as “disgraceful,” “disgraceful,” and “disrespectful.”

However, Joe Hart claimed that clubs have “stomped all over players” in the past during a heated debate on BBC Radio 5 Live.

Whatever your opinion was ultimately, it succeeded. Isak signed Wissa from Brentford for £55 million on deadline day, making a record-breaking £125 million move to Liverpool from Newcastle.

In stark contrast, England defender Marc Guehi, who had continued to play and train with Crystal Palace, saw his long-awaited move to Liverpool fail despite receiving a lot of praise for his professionalism.

Isak stated in a statement this month that their “relationship couldn’t continue” and that Newcastle had broken all of their promises.

On social media, Wissa also issued a statement urging Brentford to “keep their word” and let him leave two days before the transfer window was closing.

Sutton says there is no such thing as a pattern and that Arsenal this summer should be one example of players who “down the tools and get a move,” but Sutton says: “I can also point to Eberechi Eze who didn’t and still got his move.”

All of this, according to Troy Deeney, is new because players have “always done what they needed to do,” have been making public statements and refusing to train “since the beginning of time,” he said to BBC Sport.

Does it set a precedent for Isak to act badly and get a move, Wissa to act badly and get a move, but Guehi is really nice and doesn’t get his move, according to The Observer’s football correspondent Rory Smith on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Monday Night Club?

Is it not great, or what?

Joe Hart, a former England goalkeeper, said: “I know how Alexander Isak has handled himself, but I can assure you that if things went another way, they would have stomped on him.”

“I’ve seen it in football so many times.”

Former Blackburn and Aston Villa striker Sutton described Isak as “fast becoming a legend at Newcastle” before this summer.

The Sweden striker, who had three more years on his contract, helped Newcastle win the Carabao Cup in March, the club’s first trophy in 56 years. He had 27 goals in total since joining the club in 2022.

However, his reputation in the North East is now deteriorating following his successful transfer to Liverpool.

Newcastle, on the other hand, came to benefit from Brentford’s “downing tools” from Wissa. Before Newcastle’s bid was accepted on deadline day, the DR Congo striker missed all four of his team’s games in August.

Sutton believes that the two players’ behavior was improper despite the fact that both players made their moves.

He told BBC 5 Live’s Monday Night Club, “Players sign contracts, people sign contracts in their daily lives, and you abide by those contracts.”

What Alexander Isak and Yoane Wissa did is absolutely abhorrent. They may be content to watch them go out tonight, but it’s a disrespectful, disgraceful behavior.

There is no loyalty, clubs look after themselves and players look after themselves, according to Alan Shearer, who previously addressed BBC 5 Live in August. “I get clubs and football players look after ourselves,” he said.

This debate has two sides.

Would Guehi have left Selhurst Park if he had pushed more for a move to Liverpool?

Wayne Rooney, a former Manchester United striker, said on Saturday on BBC Match of the Day that “he deserves a lot of credit because we have seen some players decline to play.” He merits a lot of praise for acting morally.

Guehi will eventually return to Palace’s training facility after the international break, model professional or not.

Former Premier League striker Troy Deeney claimed that clubs should not be critical of Isak and Wissa’s behavior.

No one complains when a team removes a player, even though some claim there is no loyalty in football, as some claim? The former Watford captain said.

No one asserts that a manager’s removal from a club results in lack of loyalty. However, because the fans are fans, they anticipate the players to be devoted to the team.