Smith lives up to £1m price tag in dream Arsenal debut

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Olivia Smith was the world’s first £1 million women’s football player when she made her Women’s Super League debut for Arsenal.

In their WSL opener, the European champions lost to newly promoted London City Lionesses 1-0 thanks to Smith’s stunning strike that beat goalkeeper Elene Lete into the top corner.

The 21-year-old Canada international’s well-known switch from Liverpool in the summer was the catalyst for their comeback at the Emirates Stadium, which silenced any talk of pressure.

After signing Lizbeth Ovalle for £1.1 million from Orlando Pride, Smith only spent 35 days as the most expensive female football player in the world, but the question was whether Smith could justify the payment made for her after just one season in Liverpool’s top division.

Smith, however, said that her “the price tag is a price tag” in the pre-season, and her 29th-minute equaliser suggested she could handle the pressure.

After the 4-1 victory, Smith said, “That’s the kind of goals I want to score.”

I want to go for a goal whenever I see an inch of space. For me, it was a very special moment.

Smith recorded four shots, nine touches inside the opposition box, and four attempted dribbles in less than an hour on the field, which was higher than anyone else on the field.

Fara Williams, a former England and Arsenal midfielder, said on BBC One that Smith had to “create half a yard, fire a shot on goal, and force the goalkeeper to save.”

“She succeeded in doing that with the objective. She lived up to the £1 million price tag and achieved it in every way.

Rachel Brown-Finnis, a former England and Arsenal goalkeeper, continued: “Eyes, microscope, everything on her. But what an introduction.

When Smith is on the ball, “Magic happens.”

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Smith, who made her senior international debut for Canada in 2019, was reportedly tipped for stardom at the age of 15 and 94.

She won the golden boot in her debut season with 18 goals in 11 games and made League 1 Ontario her home team in 2022.

However, she only started working for Sporting in 2023, where she fought off opposition from Chelsea and Paris St.Germain.

Smith moved to Liverpool for a club record fee of just over £200,000, clocking in at the end of her first season in Europe, where Sporting finished second in Portugal, with 13 goals and nine assists.

Before making the big-money move to North London, she scored seven goals in 20 games for the Reds during her debut WSL season.

She showed such confidence last season when Matt Beard led Liverpool. “Brown-Finnis said. They won player of the year last year.

With that price tag and an Arsenal call, it’s too difficult to get her, Liverpool would have loved to keep her.

And Smith had a difficult start in her first game for Arsenal, where she scored a penalty penalty from captain Kosovare Asllani.

However, Smith’s superb equalizer, which captivated more than 38 000 fans, gave the game a new lease of life.

Renee Slegers, the manager of Arsenal, expressed his satisfaction.

Slegers referred to Smith’s strike as “very special.”

Although many players had good actions, it was a fantastic individual action, and people still attend the stands to watch good goals.

“We’re very happy to have Olivia with us,” she said. It achieved a fantastic goal.

Missing element of Arsenal’s bid for the WSL title?

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They defeated Barcelona 1-0 in the final of the Champions League last season, but Arsenal hasn’t won the WSL title since 2019.

Chelsea, who had six straight wins in a row, finished the season with a 12 point lead over their closest rivals, the Gunners.

Slegers was questioned about her team’s desire to win the league title this year.

The Dutch coach told BBC Sport, “If you’re Arsenal, you want to compete for every trophy.”

“I’m thinking about the game against London City right now,” I say. However, if you want to win more awards, you also want to play and work for Arsenal.

Slegers hopes Smith’s arrival will help her meet her goals for the upcoming season.

The manager of Arsenal remarked, “We have such a good squad.

“We have a lot of talented players who each have their own set of qualities, and they consistently put together a really strong Arsenal on the pitch every game.

Olivia adds a new dimension to our game because she “adds something new to what we did last year.”

Smith stated after her move to the Gunners that she was “hungry, driven, interested in learning, wanting to grow, and ultimately, I want to win things.”

The Women’s Football Weekly podcast returns for another season featuring Ben Haines, Ellen White, and Jen Beattie. On the Women’s Football Weekly feed, you can find interviews and additional content from the Women’s Super League and beyond as well as new episodes that are available every Tuesday on BBC Sounds.

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Pete Wicks jokes with ‘work wife’ Olivia Attwood about ‘cheating’ on a famous ex

Just weeks after ex-girlfriend Maura Higgins made fun of the Towie star, Pete Wicks and his “work wife” Olivia Attwood made fun of “cheating.”

Pete Wicks and Olivia Attwood joked about cheating(Image: Instagram/olivia_attwood)

Pete Wicks and Olivia Attwood appeared to joke about “cheating” shortly after his ex, Maura Higgins, implied infidelity was the reason they broke up.

At the BRIT Awards in March, Pete, 36, and Olivia, 34, couldn’t contain their laughter as they posed together on the red carpet. In an interview before heading into the event, they made a cheeky comment about “cheating” just after Pete gushed about his “work wife”, Olivia.

Pete told an interviewer that he was worried about his friend Sam Thompson, who would be sitting far away from him at the event, while he was off with Olivia. “It’s hard for Sam tonight because I’ve got a new work wife,” he started.

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Olivia Attwood and Pete Wicks
Pete and “work wife” Olivia went to the Brits together(Image: Getty Images)

He continued: “It is a little bit weird because it feels like I am…”

“Cheating”? Both sprang into fits of laughter as Olivia interrupted. She continued, “Not for the first time, I might add.”

Pete’s friends have assured the press that he never cheated on ex Maura but she has implied otherwise. Just weeks before the BRIT Awards joke, Maura, 34, was spotted leaving a restaurant alone on Valentine’s Day. When asked by a fan where Pete was, she was filmed saying: “I don’t know, probably cheating.”

Maura Higgins
Pete’s ex Maura implied he cheated on her(Image: Getty Images)

After being caught snuggling up to each other in Ibiza, Olivia and Pete have attracted attention this month. Pete’s arm slung around her waist as the Sunday Roast cohosts were pictured on a yacht. At a fan event for her show Bad Boyfriends, Olivia called herself a “bad girlfriend” and removed her wedding rings.

Bradley Dack, Olivia’s husband, was reportedly “fuming” about the Ibiza photo despite still showing up to support her at the start of series two of her show. Bradley tried to laugh it off, according to a source, but now he’s inside fuming.

Olivia has stated that she and Pete are just friends and that she understands why he was upset over the photos. The former Lover Islander acknowledged the controversy and claimed that her marriage had never been “perfect.”

“Me and Brad never pretend to have a perfect relationship, we have been up, down, left, backwards, and the last six months have been really challenging for us,” she told MailOnline.

We must constantly navigate our relationship because “my work and his work take precedence over everything.” We constantly have to work at it, which is the boring part of being an adult in a long-term relationship, and that’s exactly the way it is.

No one else really wants to say that in public, she continued, “but it’s challenging at times.” Although it’s wonderful to post a photo on Instagram, we’re transparent people, and that’s not always the case. There are ups and downs, his side hasn’t been great, and there’s a mix of things.

Brad has done the same thing, as I have done. No-one can be perfect if you just a little bit deeper than that, which is really easy to pretend to be.

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King Charles’ biggest fear revealed as he prepares to meet Prince Harry

A potential meeting with Prince Harry’s estranged father King Charles is on the cards as he prepares to make his UK return, but the King’s concern about Harry’s publicity could turn into a failure.

King Charles is said to be worried that Harry will make details of a reunion public(Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Prince Harry is just days away from touching down in the UK for the first time in several months, as he is set to attend the annual WellChild Awards in London.

While on his rare trip to UK shores, many have speculated on whether the Duke of Sussex will meet with his estranged father King Charles for the first time in almost two years.

While many royal fans and commentators are hoping for a father-son reconciliation, royal expert Katie Nicholl believes King Charles has a significant concern about potential reconciliation with his youngest son.

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A meeting between King Charles and Prince Harry's secret aides have sparked rumours of an end to their feud
Prince Harry is poised to see his father King Charles while on a rare trip to the UK (Image: Getty Images)

Since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle left the Firm in 2020, the Sussexes have delivered a series of public jabs towards the royal family, in their tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, their documentary series on Netflix in 2022, and Prince Harry’s autobiography Spare in 2023.

The Sussexes and the royal family grew increasingly divided, with rumors that Prince Harry and King Charles were having disagreements over their relationship growing.

With a potential reconciliation between the two just days away, Katie Nicholl revealed that Harry would undoubtedly be concerned about Harry giving the news about their reunion.

“The reason his father is not speaking to him is because he fears that anything he might say will be made public in some shape or form,” the royal expert tells OK! magazine . “Let’s not forget that details of private conversations between Harry, Charles and William at an event as intimate as the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral were chronicled in Spare.

The King is understandably cautious of speaking to his son because so much has been broadcast in public and has been so disastrous for the monarchy. Charles has burned his fingers. So Harry must demonstrate that he can win back his father’s and his family’s trust.

Of course, it’s not just Harry and Meghan who have grown increasingly distant from the royal family. So too have their children – Archie, six, and Lilibet, four – who are now sadly cut off from their grandfather, King Charles, their aunt and uncle, The Prince and Princess of Wales, and their three young cousins, George, Charlotte and Louis.

King Charles, Prince Harry
Charles and Harry have not seen each other since February 2024(Image: PA)

This would be the most difficult pill to swallow for the late Queen, who had never been happier than when surrounded by close family. The King [Archie and Lilibet] would have caused her to be absolutely devastated, in my opinion.

They are sixth and seventh in the line of succession at the moment, so she would be very upset,” says Phil. “And I don’t think she would have liked the fact that Harry’s never met [Meghan’s father] Thomas Markle, or that the kids have never met him.” As for Harry himself, Phil says he’ll be feeling somewhat adrift without his grandmother, the late Queen’s, guiding hand.“I like to think he would be missing her,” he says. “I think he should be missing his father as well, I think he should be missing his brother – he should be missing everyone.“But he’s got himself into this situation and even if he’d won that case, I don’t think Meghan would particularly want to come back and spend much time in this country. I think she knows how unpopular she is, so I don’t think she’s going to come back, she’s not going to bring the kids. I don’t see any immediate resolution to it.

Harry and Meghan with the late Queen
Harry and Meghan with the late Queen(Image: Getty Images)

“In fact, I don’t actually think that William and Harry will ever repair their relationship. It is permanently damaged, unfortunately.” While the cracks in the royal family may appear deeper than ever, Katie is hopeful that the Prince and his father might one day patch up their differences.“I think there is still a chance that there can be a reconciliation,” she says. “The King is a magnanimous man and not a malicious man, and he’s also a man who wants a relationship with his youngest son, with his daughter-in-law and with the grandchildren.“I think there is a far greater hope for a reconciliation with Charles and Harry, than with Harry and William. And I think it’s goingto take time.

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“It’s really down to Harry to prove that he can be trusted and that he’s prepared to listen to his father and drop this campaign, this mission he seems to be on, to trash his family and to hurt those who were once closest to him.”Harry’s approach to family relations is a far cry from that of the late Queen, who was very much in favour of forgiveness and building bridges. Despite once reportedly branding her “that wicked woman”, she grew fond of her daughter-in-law, Queen Camilla, over the years and also forged an amicable relationship with Prince Andrew’s ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, whose two daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie, she loved dearly.Phil says that, unlike Harry, “The late Queen wasn’t somebody who would hold grudges – she was somebody who would always try to resolve problems.”

Duchess of Kent’s goddaughter shares tear-jerking tribute after royal’s death

India Hicks, the goddaughter of the Duchess of Kent, paid a heartbreaking tribute to the royal, who passed away earlier this week at the age of 92, and shared a touching tale.

India said the Duchess was an ‘involved Godmum’(Image: @indiahicksstyle/instagram)

The Duchess of Kent’s goddaughter has shared a heartbreaking tribute to the royal who died aged 92. Buckingham Palace announced on Friday that Her Royal Highness had died surrounded by her family on Thursday evening at her home, Wren House, Kensington Palace.

Katharine, the wife of the late Queen Elizabeth’s cousin, Prince Edward, was last seen in public in October alongside her husband in a wheelchair. Following Her Majesty’s death in September 2022, Katharine had been the oldest living member of the Royal Family and has now been succeeded by her husband, the Duke of Kent.

However, in recent years, she has stepped back from public appearances and didn’t attend Queen Elizabeth’s funeral or King Charles’ Coronation in May 2023. Now, her goddaughter, model and philanthropist India Hicks, who works with the Harbour Island Foodbank, has taken to social media to reveal an insight into her bond with the Duchess.

India Hicks shared a moving tribute to her late godmother, Katharine, Duchess of Kent
India Hicks shared a moving tribute to her late godmother, Katharine, Duchess of Kent(Image: @indiahicksstyle/instagram)

My grandfather’s funeral was held on my 11th birthday, according to a quote shared by her godmother, India, the granddaughter of Lord Mountbatten. Following his assassination by the IRA, it occurred on September 5, 1979.

Princess Grace approached my mother before the service by walking down Westminster Abbey’s stairs. She noticed a gold cross I was wearing when she saw it and bent down to admire how lovely it was. I appreciate it. My godmother gave it to me today, and it is brand-new. I retorted “childishly.”

She continued, “My Godmother, the Duchess of Kent, had remembered that my birthday would be my. She had scheduled the engraving of this tiny cross with the date in a . She served as a dedicated wife. She attended my confirmation, my daughter’s baptism, and she was standing next to another outstanding godparent.

The Duchess of Kent died aged 92 this week
The Duchess of Kent died aged 92 this week(Image: UK Press via Getty Images)
On Tuesday, many senior members of the firm are expected to attend the funeral service for Her Royal Highness at Westminster Cathedral.
On Tuesday, many senior members of the firm are expected to attend the funeral service for Her Royal Highness at Westminster Cathedral.

“She never forget a birthday or Christmas. She would send me letters to boarding school written in her beautiful spidery handwriting. A thoughtful and graceful godmother whose deeply personal faith journey left a lasting impression on me as a teenager. I woke to the news that my godmother had slipped away last night. There is a kind of blessing in departing peacefully after a long life threaded with such compassion, and devotion.”

A baby India was depicted in the photo along with her parents, Lady Pamela and David Hicks, her paternity, Lord Mountbatten, the Duchess of Kent, and the then-Prince Charles. In a second image, the Duchess and the model exchanging happy looks as they cooled off in the winter.

India’s grandfather, Lord Mountbatten, was murdered by the Irish Republican Army during a fishing trip in August 1979. Today, Buckingham Palace announced that the Duchess of Kent’s funeral will take place at Westminster Cathedral on Tuesday. King Charles, Queen Camilla and other senior members of the House of Windsor, as well as the Duchess’s close friends and family, are expected to attend the ceremony at Westminster Cathedral.

Continue reading the article.

Prince Andrew, who is a non-working member of the firm, and Prince Harry, who is in the UK for a week, may also be in attendance. It will be the first royal Catholic funeral in modern history and the first royal funeral held at Westminster Cathedral since its construction in 1903. The duchess’s special military relationships will be reflected in aspects of the ceremony, which will start at 2pm.

Her coffin will be placed in the Kensington Palace private chapel ahead of the funeral, which will be officiated by the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster. On Monday, hearse will travel to Westminster Cathedral, where the Rite of Reception and Vespers will take place before the Lady Chapel will be where she will lay her head. The hearse will transport the coffin to the Royal Burial Ground in Frogmore, Windsor, after the funeral.

Man Utd keeper Onana considers Trabzonspor loan

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Andre Onana, a goalkeeper for Manchester United, is thinking about joining Turkish side Trabzonspor on a season-long loan.

Galatasaray, a Turkish club, had a relationship with Onana, but they decided against signing Ugurcan Cakir.

Cakir, who started Turkey’s qualifying match against Georgia on Thursday, signed for Trabzonspor on September 2 in a deal that could eventually be worth 36 million euros (£31.22 million).

Since the completion of that deal, Trabzonspor have been looking at other options, and club sources think Onana might have a significant impact.

The Turkish transfer window is open until September 12 and Onana is serving on international duty with Cameroon.

Since the club signed Senne Lammens from Royal Antwerp on deadline day, it has been considered a possibility to let Onana or Altay Bayindir leave United.

Although Old Trafford officials emphasized the club’s desire for a senior squad with four goalkeepers, it contradicted head coach Ruben Amorim’s stated desire to have a smaller squad in the absence of European football.

Given that he had started the Europa League final defeat by Tottenham, Onana had in theory come to an end last year as United’s top goalkeeper.

He missed all of United’s warm-up games and was dropped for their first three Premier League games when Bayindir was chosen because he injured his hamstring at the start of pre-season training.

Onana did start the Mariners’ shock second-round EFL Cup defeat last month when he was blamed for their second goal.

The 29-year-old joined Inter Milan for £47.2 million in 2023, with then-Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag looking forward to reuniting with the Ajax goalkeeper he first worked with.

However, Onana has rarely appeared comfortable, and the choice to replace David de Gea, who was four-time club player of the year, has been questioned on numerous occasions.

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Coldplay set to smash Taylor Swift’s tour record as they’re on course for music history

When Coldplay wrap up their epic Music of the Spheres World Tour, the numbers are truly staggering. Next week, they will make music history.

With their tour, Coldplay are going through history.

Coldplay are on course to make music history next week – as Chris Martin and co wrap up their epic Music of the Spheres World Tour. In an astonishing feat, the Devon lads are set to become the first band ever to sell more than 13 million tickets for a single tour.

When the band’s final ten-night hometown marathon performance takes place on Friday at Wembley Stadium, the record-breaking run will be sealed. According to music number-crunchers Pollstar, that performance will officially give them the largest concert tour audience of all time.

The Yellow hitmakers have smashed Taylor Swift ’s incredible Eras Tour tally by nearly three million tickets. Swift still keeps the crown for highest-grossing tour ever, pulling in a jaw-dropping £1.54 billion – but Coldplay aren’t far behind.

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Coldplay
Taylor Swift’s incredible Eras Tour tally has been nearly tripled by Coldplay.

Martin’s men are set to pocket around £1.04 billion when the dust settles – and that’s before merch sales, which could add hundreds of millions more. That haul makes them the UK’s biggest-ever live earners, storming past Sir Elton John, whose Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour banked £718m.

It also means Coldplay are raking in a mind-blowing £5 MILLION every single night they hit the stage.The only Brit even close is Ed Sheeran, with £4.35m per gig. Veteran Rod Stewart’s Vegas residency brings in £783k a night, while comedy king Peter Kay nets £527k per show.

Although final figures won’t be announced until after Wembley, Pollstar boss Andy Gensler predicted that overall ticket sales will surpass 13 million. London should surpass $ 1.39 billion in cumulative gross revenues, which is already at $ 1.39 billion.

This year alone, the tour has pulled in £188 million from 2 million tickets. Since launching in Costa Rica back in March 2022, the globe-trotting spectacle has seen the band play 211 headline shows – plus festival spots at Rock in Rio and Glastonbury 2024. By next weekend, they’ll have notched up an incredible 16 Wembley Stadium sell-outs – more than any other venue on the tour.

Coldplay
By the weekend, Coldplay would have recorded 16 incredible Wembley Stadium sell-outs.

This comes after the band were forced to halt their show twice as Chris Martin called in medical and security support. The band stopped their Wembley show on Saturday night during hit Sparks before halting it once again.

Frontman Chris caught the attention of security as he pointed into the crowd while pausing the rest of the band during their encore. Medics and security were seen entering the standing section of Wembley Stadium as a concerned Chris looked on.

It comes after Coldplay were forced to halt their show twice as Chris Martin called in medical and security support. The band stopped their Wembley show on Saturday night during hit Sparks before halting it once again.

Frontman Chris caught the attention of security as he pointed into the crowd while pausing the rest of the band during their encore. Medics and security were seen entering the standing section of Wembley Stadium as a concerned Chris looked on.

As they rushed over to the person in need, the crowd erupted in joy. After things seemed in order, Chris asked: “Does anyone else have any medical issues?” before returning to the set. Diabetes ? Anything we should be aware of”?

Before a second emergency struck the crowd right away, he managed to survive Sparks. Chris joked as the lights soared, “Oh god, we are making people faint.” Guy [Berryman] is at fault for being so attractive, that’s what it is. Looking at our bass player, everyone is fainting.

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Chris, however, took it further when he pleaded, “Are you guys okay, come on. You are safe, and we have you. The singer said, “I hope you feel better, my brother. I hope you feel better. He’ll take care of you fairly well. Okay, that’s fine. You’ll be safe; all we do is hang out backstage.

Chris thanked the rest of the sold-out crowd for showing him gratitude. That is incredible.