Category Sports News

After agreeing a new five-year contract with his hometown team, England defender Myles Lewis-Skelly says he wants to “create a legacy” at Arsenal.

Lewis-Skelly made 39 appearances in all competitions before joining the first team last year, making his name as a regular under Mikel Arteta.

The 18-year-old’s previous agreement was set to expire in 2026.

In Senegal’s 3-1 defeat this month, he won a third cap for England.

“I want to win trophies on the biggest stages while also being a person who is always learning and maintains a sense of purpose, which is extremely important.”

Since making his Premier League debut against Manchester City in September, Lewis-Skelly has excelled at left-back with a license to step into midfield. Previously, Lewis-Skelly was a central midfielder in Arsenal’s academy.

The Premier League’s best record for any player with at least 15 starts saw him dribble past once was against him.

He also placed third in terms of fouls won (3. 1) and won the most duels (16) per 90 minutes.

Lewis-Skelly’s pass accuracy is fifth among players who played at least 1, 000 games last year, and it is his fifth-highest in the league.

Liverpool have taken their summer spending to about £170m with the signing of left-back Milos Kerkez from Bournemouth in a deal worth £40m.

The 21-year-old Hungary international has signed a five-year contract with the Reds.

Kerkez is Liverpool’s third major signing of the transfer window, following the arrival of attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz and right-back Jeremie Frimpong, both from Bayer Leverkusen.

Liverpool paid a club record £116m, made up of an initial £100m and a further £16m in potential add-ons, for German interntaional Wirtz and £29.5m for Dutchman Frimpong. Hungary Under-21 keeper Armin Pecsi has also arrived at Anfield for a fee of up to £1.5m.

“It’s a real honour for me, a privilege to come to play for one of the biggest clubs in the world, [the] biggest club in England. I’m just really, really happy and excited,” said Kerkez.

“After this, I’ll go home and in my hometown enjoy a few days, and then I can’t really wait to come back and put the training kit on and start to train and prepare for the season.”

Liverpool will also sign Georgia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili this summer, having agreed a deal to sign him from Valencia for a fee of £25m plus £4m in add-ons last summer.

It is a major step in the career of the left-back, but Kerkez has played for a European ‘super club’ before.

In early 2021 he received a phone call from AC Milan legend Paolo Maldini, who convinced him to join the Serie A side.

As the 17-year-old Kerkez said at the time, you don’t turn down Maldini.

With hindsight, he possibly wishes he had.

The Hungarian never started a competitive match for Milan and a year later was shipped off to AZ Alkmaar in the Dutch Eredivisie.

Bournemouth saw potential in the market and took a chance on Kerkez by signing him for an undisclosed fee in July 2023. The gamble paid off.

Kerkez started all 38 of the Cherries’ Premier League games in the 2024-25 season, helping them to a club-record total of 56 points in the top flight.

Kerkez is now at a giant European club once more.

In short, he was a top performer for the Cherries.

Bournemouth breezed past their top-flight record points total in April and managed to finish in the top half of the Premier League for the second time in their history.

Their fine form was largely thanks to manager Andoni Iraola’s high-intensity, high-energy and high-pressing philosophy.

Adventuring up the left side, Kerkez played a major part in the team’s success.

The left-back ranked third for the most distanced covered among all Premier League full-backs in 2024-25 and third for most sprints.

He made the third-most crosses from open play in the Premier League and had seven goal involvements (two goals and five assists).

Defensively, Kerkez may not be the game’s most prolific tackler, but he is still firmly in the Premier League’s top 20 full-backs for interceptions (1.21) and ball recoveries (4.55) per 90 minutes.

Arguably his best game of the season came in Bournemouth’s 2-1 home win over champions Manchester City in November when he set up both goals after lung-busting runs and pinpoint crosses.

“Kerkez was brilliant, not only offensively but defensively as well,” former Manchester City defender Micah Richards told BBC Match of the Day that evening.

Former Bournemouth defender Joe Partington told BBC Radio Solent a few months later: “He’s a standout player. He’s involved in moments that define the outcomes of games.”

Liverpool currently have an established left-back in Andy Robertson, who played in 33 of 38 league games in the 2024-25 campaign.

Robertson, 31, joined Liverpool from Hull City for £10m in 2017 and has won a raft of major trophies with the club, including a Champions League and two Premier League titles.

But Robertson trailed Kerkez in key areas like assists, distance covered and possession won in the season just ended and is a target for Atletico Madrid.

“If they want that style of full-back, then Kerkez has already shown he can do it in the Premier League,” said BBC Radio Solent’s Bournemouth commentator Jordan Clarke.

“He’s very self-confident. That’s what comes across and what you hear from those in the club. He’ll back himself going to a big club.”

That view is shared by Liverpool fan and podcaster Lukleiva who told BBC Radio Merseyside this month: “Kerkez wouldn’t come in and only play half the games.

“He’s one of the breakout stars of the Premier League season. You definitely want Kerkez [to start].

“Whether that is something Robertson is willing to side with or whether he’d then want to move on, that’s something they need to talk about.”

Kerkez’s arrival will probably signal the end of the road at Anfield for either Robertson or second-choice left-back Konstantinos Tsimikas.

Kerkez was convinced by five-time Champions League winner Maldini to choose AC Milan when he left Hungarian side Gyor.

He was given some minutes in pre-season in summer 2021 but always ranked behind Milan’s more senior left-backs Theo Hernandez and Fode Ballo-Toure.

Kerkez departed for AZ Alkmaar in January 2022 having never played a competitive match for the Serie A club.

The Hungarian told journalist Gianluca di Marzio that asking Milan to leave on a permanent basis was “the best decision of my career”.

The following season Kerkez played in all but one Eredivisie match as AZ finished third, and he helped his side reach the Europa Conference League semi-finals where they lost 3-1 on aggregate to West Ham.

From there he moved to Bournemouth for an undisclosed fee in summer 2023.

“When Kerkez first arrived, Bournemouth had been looking for a very specific type of attacking full-back, someone who ticked all the boxes,” said BBC Radio Solent’s Clarke.

“There was a lot of hype around him joining, the fans were excited. He was a very raw talent and he had a few problems early on playing to Bournemouth’s intensity and struggling to get through the full 90 minutes. But you could always see the talent was there.

“Credit to Bournemouth’s coaches, they’ve developed him into a brilliant attacking left-back who this season has added goals and assists to his game.

One word: haircuts.

Kerkez has had a lot of them in the past year, changing his style, and his barber.

Back in November, Justin Kluivert said he had been given the task of cutting his team-mate’s hair.

In the next game, away to Wolves, Kerkez scored one and Kluivert struck a hat-trick.

“That tells you a little bit about the kind of person he is in the dressing room. The confidence and the positivity he brings,” added Clarke.

Wrexham will play their first game since 43 years’ worth of second-tier English football at Southampton.

A 12:30 BST kick-off will take place on Saturday, August 9th, when they travel to St Mary’s Stadium to face a team that was dropped from the Premier League last season.

Wrexham, a North Wales club, joins Swansea City in the championship with a 15:00 BST Middlesbrough kick-off on the same day. Alan Sheehan’s side kicks off their eighth consecutive season at this level with Swansea City.

On Saturday, August 2 at home against Peterborough United (12:30 BST), Cardiff City begin their first third-tier campaign in 22 years.

Phil Parkinson’s side travel to Sheffield United on December 26 and Preston North End on December 3rd, followed by a New Year’s Day trip to Blackburn Rovers, according to their festive fixture lists.

A Welsh derby will also be rekindled on Saturday, December 20 with a trip to Swansea, before a return to the Stok Cae Ras on March 14.

Swansea host Nathan Jones’ promoted Charlton Athletic on Saturday, May 2, to wrap up Wrexham’s season at Middlesbrough.

Sheffield United will play their first home game of the new campaign on Saturday, August 16 at 5:00 BST, followed by Christmas away trips to Oxford United and Coventry City on December 26 and West Brom on the opening day of 2026.

For the first time in seven years, Cardiff will travel to Port Vale for their first League One home game on Saturday, August 9th. They will have no league Welsh derby to look forward to.

Before wrapping up the festive season with a trip to Wycombe Wanderers on January 26, Brian Barry-Murphy’s side will host Exeter City on December 26 and travel to Stevenage three days later.

On Saturday, May 2, Mansfield Town will bring their 2025-26 regular season to a close.

Crawley Town is Newport’s first away game of the season.

The Exiles will play at Barnet on Friday, December 26; a home match will be played at Crewe Alexandra on Monday, followed by a welcome visit to Bromley.

A lengthy trip north to Barrow on Saturday, May 2 marks the end of their League Two campaign.

Changes to kick-off dates and times are possible.

Wrexham will play their first game since 43 years’ worth of second-tier English football at Southampton.

A 12:30 BST kick-off will take place on Saturday, August 9th, when they travel to St Mary’s Stadium to face a team that was dropped from the Premier League last season.

Wrexham, a North Wales club, joins Swansea City in the championship with a 15:00 BST Middlesbrough kick-off on the same day. Alan Sheehan’s side kicks off their eighth consecutive season at this level with Swansea City.

On Saturday, August 2 at home against Peterborough United (12:30 BST), Cardiff City begin their first third-tier campaign in 22 years.

Phil Parkinson’s side travel to Sheffield United on December 26 and Preston North End on December 3rd, followed by a New Year’s Day trip to Blackburn Rovers, according to their festive fixture lists.

A Welsh derby will also be rekindled on Saturday, December 20 with a trip to Swansea, before a return to the Stok Cae Ras on March 14.

Swansea host Nathan Jones’ promoted Charlton Athletic on Saturday, May 2, to wrap up Wrexham’s season at Middlesbrough.

Sheffield United will play their first home game of the new campaign on Saturday, August 16 at 5:00 BST, followed by Christmas away trips to Oxford United and Coventry City on December 26 and West Brom on the opening day of 2026.

For the first time in seven years, Cardiff will travel to Port Vale for their first League One home game on Saturday, August 9th. They will have no league Welsh derby to look forward to.

Before wrapping up the festive season with a trip to Wycombe Wanderers on January 26, Brian Barry-Murphy’s side will host Exeter City on December 26 and travel to Stevenage three days later.

On Saturday, May 2, Mansfield Town will bring their 2025-26 regular season to a close.

Crawley Town is Newport’s first away game of the season.

The Exiles will play at Barnet on Friday, December 26; a home match will be played at Crewe Alexandra on Monday, followed by a welcome visit to Bromley.

A lengthy trip north to Barrow on Saturday, May 2 marks the end of their League Two campaign.

Changes to kick-off dates and times are possible.

Wrexham will kick-off their first game in the second tier of English football for 43 years at Southampton.

Their trip to St Mary’s Stadium, to face a side relegated from the Premier League last season, will be a 12:30 BST kick-off on Saturday, 9 August.

North Wales club Wrexham join Swansea City in the Championship, with Alan Sheehan’s side starting their eighth consecutive season at this level with a 15:00 BST kick-off at Middlesbrough on the same day.

Cardiff City get their first campaign in the third tier for 22 years under way a week earlier on Saturday, 2 August at home to Peterborough United (12:30 BST).

West Bromwich Albion will be the first Championship side to visit the Stok Cae Ras on Saturday, 16 August with Wrexham travelling to relegated Leicester City on Tuesday, 30 September and Ipswich Town on Saturday, 22 November.

Their festive fixture lists sees Phil Parkinson’s side host Sheffield United on 26 December and Preston North End three days later, before a New Year’s Day trip to Blackburn Rovers.

They will also rekindle a Welsh derby with an away trip to Swansea on Saturday, 20 December before a return at the Stok Cae Ras on Saturday, 14 March.

Wrexham will finish their season at Middlesbrough on Saturday, 2 May when Swansea host Nathan Jones’ promoted Charlton Athletic.

The Swans’ first home game of the new campaign will be a visit from Sheffield United on Saturday, 16 August (15:00 BST) – with Christmas away trips to Coventry City (26 December) and Oxford United (29 December), before a visit from West Brom on the opening day of 2026.

Cardiff – who will have no league Welsh derby to look forward to for the first time in seven years – will travel to Port Vale for their first League One away match on Saturday, 9 August.

Brian Barry-Murphy’s side will host Exeter City on 26 December and travel to Stevenage three days later, before ending their festive period with a New Year’s Day trip to Wycombe Wanderers.

They will conclude their 2025-26 regular season at Mansfield Town on Saturday, 2 May.

Newport’s first away trip of the season is to Crawley Town.

The Exiles will host Barnet on Friday, 26 December before a home match against Crewe Alexandra the following Monday, and then a visit to Bromley to bring in the new year.

They finish their League Two campaign with a long trip north to Barrow on Saturday, 2 May.

Dates and kick-off times are subject to alteration.

Wrexham’s first second-tier match for 43 years will be at Southampton on Saturday, 9 August – a day after Birmingham City open the Championship season by hosting Ipswich Town.

Leicester City’s return to the second tier begins at home against Sheffield Wednesday on Sunday, 10 August.

League One play-off final winners Charlton Athletic mark their return to the Championship after a five-year absence with a home game against a Watford side now managed by Uruguayan Paulo Pezzolano.

Sheffield United, who were beaten by Sunderland in the Championship play-off final, start the campaign against the Bristol City side they beat in the semi-finals.

It was only 14 months ago that Leicester claimed the Championship title and promotion back to the Premier League at their first attempt.

But relegation after just one season back in the top flight means they will mark the 10-year anniversary of their Premier League title triumph with a final-day trip to Blackburn on 2 May, 2026.

Southampton, who have gone up and down the two divisions alongside Leicester in the past three seasons, will welcome Hollywood-owned Wrexham to St Mary’s in one of 10 fixtures on Saturday, 9 August.

Friday, 8 August

Birmingham City v Ipswich Town (20:00)

Saturday, 9 August

Charlton Athletic v Watford (12:30)

Coventry City v Hull City (12:30)

Southampton v Wrexham (12:30)

Middlesbrough v Swansea City (15:00)

Norwich City v Millwall (15:00)

Oxford United v Portsmouth (15:00)

Queens Park Rangers v Preston North End (15:00)

Stoke City v Derby County (15:00)

West Bromwich Albion v Blackburn Rovers (15:00)

Sheffield United v Bristol City 17:30 BST

Sunday, 10 August

Leicester City v Sheffield Wednesday (16:30)

Leicester City will be welcoming players back for pre-season in the coming days, but who will be in charge of the Foxes for their opening fixture against the Owls remains uncertain.

Dutchman Ruud van Nistelrooy has managed to hold on to his job for more than nine weeks since Leicester’s relegation from the Premier League was confirmed.

There was intense speculation about his future in the final weeks of the campaign, and that has not gone away since the season ended.

Uncertainty about the decorated former Manchester United, Real Madrid and Netherlands striker’s position has dragged on alongside off-field concerns about a potential points penalty for the club.

Leicester were charged in May for allegedly breaching the EFL’s financial rules when they won the Championship title and promotion just over a year ago.

If Van Nistelrooy is replaced, it means the club will have a third different permanent manager in the dugout since Enzo Maresca took them up in that 2023-24 season.

Ipswich’s Kieran McKenna is the only promotion-winning boss from that season to have survived the Premier League campaign.

A record-breaking campaign by Birmingham City saw them make an immediate return to the Championship by amassing an EFL record 111 points as League One title winners.

Blues chairman Tom Wagner has previously said that going on to reach the Premier League next season “is certainly the goal” of a club that has been transformed by an ownership group that includes seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady.

The profile boost the NFL legend has given them also means their rivalry with Wrexham, owned by Hollywood pair Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, will draw huge attention once again.

The Welsh club finished runners-up to Blues in League One last season, but set a record of their own as they became the first team in the top five divisions of English football to earn three consecutive promotions.

Getting Wrexham to the Premier League has been the aim from the outset for Reynolds and McElhenney, who have made the club’s meteoric rise of recent years into a global docuseries hit.

The first league meeting between Southampton and Portsmouth for more than 13 years will take place at St Mary’s over the weekend of 13/14 September.

Both South Coast derbies ended in draws when the two sides last played during the 2011-12 Championship campaign and the most recent meeting between them saw Saints thump Pompey 4-0 at Fratton Park in the EFL Cup in 2019.

Meanwhile, Ipswich’s return to the Championship means the East Anglian derby – also known as the Old Farm derby – against Norwich City is back on the schedule at Portman Road in early October and mid-April at Carrow Road.

And with Derby County avoiding relegation on the final day last term, they face East Midlands rivals Leicester City in the league for the first time in 11 years when they meet in early December at Pride Park before they face one another again three weeks later at the King Power Stadium.