Category Sports News

West Ham United midfielder Edson Alvarez has joined Turkish club Fenerbahce on loan with an option to make the move permanent next summer.

The Mexico international, 27, joined the Hammers in a £35m deal from Dutch side Ajax in 2023.

He has made 73 appearances for the club, scoring two goals and assisting three.

Alvarez was an unused substitute in West Ham’s opening Premier League defeat at Sunderland but was not part of the squad for Friday’s 5-1 home defeat by Chelsea.

However, he captained his national side and scored the winner for Mexico in the Concacaf Gold Cup final against hosts the USA in the summer.

Women’s Rugby World Cup – Pool C: Ireland v Japan

Venue: Franklin’s Gardens, Northampton Date: Sunday, 24 August Kick-off: 12: 00 BST

Linda Djougang’s journey from leaving her mother to travel from Cameroon to Ireland as a nine-year-old to playing in a Rugby World Cup is an unlikely but inspiring one.

Now aged 29, Djougang has reflected in an interview with BBC Sport how she left her native land for “better opportunities” and went from knowing nothing about rugby to representing her adopted country on the international stage.

“Back home you don’t really have much, but you appreciate what you have”, she said.

“I came over from Cameroon not really knowing much about Ireland.

” My mother put me on a plane and I met my dad at the airport, that’s where the journey really began for me. I left my mother behind, that was a big move.

“It could get lonely, but I’d been given this opportunity and wanted to make the most of it”.

The Ireland forward explains that rugby “was never on her radar” as she grew up in County Dublin, but she began playing when she was 17 and a friend invited her to a game of tag rugby.

Her interest developed when she went to university at Trinity College, Dublin to study nursing.

“I had to google ‘ what is rugby? ‘”, explained Djougang of her initial naivety about the sport in which she would ultimately excel.

“We started playing and I didn’t know the rules. There are so many rules in rugby – I was offside all the time until my friend gave me the ball and said, ‘ when I give you the ball I just want you to run in this direction and score’.

” I just ran as fast as I could and I put the ball down. Well I dropped the ball and I was like, ‘ what just happened? ‘

Djougang played club rugby before making her interprovincial debut for Leinster in 2018, with her Test debut arriving the following year.

“My first cap was against England in Donnybrook in 2019 and you can never really describe the feeling. This opportunity had been given to me and I wanted to take it with two hands.

” I was very proud of myself but I was also a little sad that I wasn’t sharing it with my family.

“Because it wasn’t just the journey of rugby. It was the journey of a nine-year-old. It was the journey of a girl trying to navigate life on her own, to fit into a world that wasn’t hers”.

Djougang explains that she first encountered racism while playing football.

“We were playing football outside and one of the boys turned around and said to me, ‘ you know Linda, black people don’t touch white ball ‘ and everyone just stopped playing.

The 48-times capped prop has been named in the starting line-up for Ireland’s opening Pool C game against Japan at Franklin’s Gardens on Sunday, with games against Spain and New Zealand to follow as they target a place in the quarter-finals.

” It’s been a long journey to get there. In 2021 we didn’t qualify and it did hurt, but a lot of things changed because of it.

“I think we’re in a better place now and we are excited for the opportunity to be part of a World Cup”.

Djougang is always conscious of her roots as she aims to make an impact on the biggest stage in women’s rugby.

“No matter where you go you carry your roots with you. I carry my dream with me because it’s not just my dream, it’s the dream of my ancestors.

” I’ll bring them to the World Cup with me – every game, every jersey, every training session. They may not be there physically but they are there spiritually.

Phones buzzed and wry smiles broadened inside the Scotland camp as the Serie A fixtures dropped in June – Scott McTominay and Billy Gilmour of Italian champions Napoli would open the season at Josh Doig’s newly promoted Sassuolo.

Doig, who would make his international debut later that week, beamed at the thought of facing Gilmour – someone he grew up playing youth football against – as well as McTominay, a man who returns not just as the league’s player of the season, but a Ballon d’Or nominee and Neapolitan hero.

“It’s just mad,” says 23-year-old left back Doig, who helped Sassuolo return to the top flight at the first time of asking under Italian World Cup winner Fabio Grosso.

“Scott did unbelievable last season, he is like a god now and he deserves it because he is one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet in football.

“I watched most of their games last season. Any Scottish guy in Italy I will always take an interest in, because we are all in it together.”

That Scottish contingent is only growing – six of June’s international squad will play in Serie A this season, with Che Adams at Torino, Lewis Ferguson at Bologna and 18-year-old midfielder Lennon Miller joining Udinese from Motherwell.

Trailblazer Liam Henderson, meanwhile, is at second-tier Sampdoria, his sixth Italian club.

The midfielder arrived at Bari in 2018 as the first Scot to play in Italy since Graeme Souness left Sampdoria in 1986. Aaron Hickey, now at Brentford, then became the first to score in Serie A in 35 years when he netted for Bologna in September 2021.

Doig, meanwhile, is about to begin his fourth season in Italy after leaving Hibernian for Verona aged 19, before joining Sassuolo in January last year.

“Italy is one of the most beautiful countries in the world,” explains Doig. “Food-wise, places to go on holiday – it has got everything. The way of life is unbelievable. I enjoy every moment.

“But football-wise as well, it is a tough league, it is a very difficult league, and you really need to work hard – it is expected of you.

While Doig has enjoyed the cultural hubs of Verona and Modena, and Ferguson and Hickey the culinary delights of Bologna, few cities compare to the intensity of a frenzied and chaotic Naples.

Gilmour and McTominay quickly found that out when they joined Antonio Conte’s side from Brighton and Manchester United, respectively, in summer 2024.

“I saw the passionate fans, I saw the coach, I saw the players and I saw an opportunity,” McTominay told BBC Scotland in December. “I love this place, I love the fans, I love my team-mates.”

By the end of the season, his 12 goals having helped fire Napoli to the Scudetto, McTominay’s face was painted on walls in the Quartieri Spagnoli, and his ‘McFratm’ nickname inked on fans’ skins.

He has entered into a pantheon of Partenopei legends topped by Argentina legend Diego Maradona.

Speaking at Wimbledon in July, the 28-year-old added: “The people in Naples are incredible, they’re so passionate and everywhere you go there are people who say ‘Forza Napoli’.

“They want to speak to you and have a conversation and that inspires you every time you go on the pitch because they care.

“Everything was great about Italy, bar the football,” said the late Denis Law, who made a British-record move to Torino in 1961 and spent the season alongside Scotland-raised England international Joe Baker in an era characterised by Italy’s ultra-defensive catenaccio system.

Joe Jordan, dubbed the Shark by Italian media, followed in 1981, joining AC Milan and then Verona, before Souness won the Coppa Italia in 1985 during his first of two seasons at a Sampdoria side emerging as one of Italy’s finest.

But it would be 32 years before another Scotsman made the switch. Henderson, joining Serie B side Bari from Celtic, was also the first to move directly from a Scottish club.

Henderson may have been an anomaly when he signed, but he did give Italian fans a taste of the Scottish game.

“Their mentality, they are hungry players, ​​committed, both inside the pitch and outside the pitch. They are so professional,” explains Francesco Strozzi, who was a scout at Bologna when the club signed Ferguson and Hickey and now works for Torino.

“Of course, on the pitch there is a trend about increasing physical football. So we’re talking about making runs for the team, having two phases, attacking, defending – especially when it comes to midfielders.

“It’s something being recognised also by the fans. The intensity, the physicality, the hunger for results – they’re loved for that.”

Strozzi says the real change came when Covid hit. Bologna were already exploring the Scottish market, but lockdown restrictions meant clubs were forced to rely more on video and data analysis, which inevitably broadened their pool of potential recruits.

They found value in Scotland, where young players were gaining first-team experience and, in some cases, registering minutes in European competitions.

“Scottish football is not just about Celtic and Rangers,” adds Strozzi.

Aged 18 and on the radar of some of Europe’s top clubs, Hickey joined Bologna from Hearts for £1.5m in 2020, making 48 appearances over two seasons before being sold to Brentford for £17m.

Ferguson, 22 at the time, followed from Aberdeen in 2022 for £3m and has since captained the Rossoblu to a first Coppa Italia triumph in more than 50 years, led them into the Champions League for the first time and been named the best midfielder in Italy.

“Ferguson is an incredible player, captain,” says Strozzi. “He was able to give Bologna what was missing back then in their midfield – a player giving 100% for the team, making important runs, scoring important goals but also being able to run back, defend and be a presence on the pitch.

Doig believes the trend can be good for the national team, with Scottish players not just finding a pathway to Italy but all over Europe. At the last international camp, he says there were chats about “completely different experiences all over the world”.

“It is so interesting for Scottish football,” adds Doig. “There are boys everywhere now, it is good for the culture.

“When you are a young boy, the thing is to go down to England, try and get a move down south, but when I heard Verona were interested I thought ‘this is unbelievable’.

“I was terrified, obviously I was so young, but it was the best thing that could happen to me. Now in Sassuolo, I am absolutely loving it.

“It is the same for all the boys I have spoken to – I was with Billy in the summer and he was just saying he can’t get enough of it.”

When Steve Clarke named his last squad, as well as the Italian boys, there was Jack Hendry at Al-Etiffaq in Saudi Arabia, Max Johnston with Sturm Graz in Austria and Scott McKenna at Las Palmas in Spain.

Doig says younger players have also asked him about moving abroad.

Phones buzzed and wry smiles broadened inside the Scotland camp as the Serie A fixtures dropped in June – Scott McTominay and Billy Gilmour of Italian champions Napoli would open the season at Josh Doig’s newly promoted Sassuolo.

Doig, who would make his international debut later that week, beamed at the thought of facing Gilmour – someone he grew up playing youth football against – as well as McTominay, a man who returns not just as the league’s player of the season, but a Ballon d’Or nominee and Neapolitan hero.

“It’s just mad,” says 23-year-old left back Doig, who helped Sassuolo return to the top flight at the first time of asking under Italian World Cup winner Fabio Grosso.

“Scott did unbelievable last season, he is like a god now and he deserves it because he is one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet in football.

“I watched most of their games last season. Any Scottish guy in Italy I will always take an interest in, because we are all in it together.”

That Scottish contingent is only growing – six of June’s international squad will play in Serie A this season, with Che Adams at Torino, Lewis Ferguson at Bologna and 18-year-old midfielder Lennon Miller joining Udinese from Motherwell.

Trailblazer Liam Henderson, meanwhile, is at second-tier Sampdoria, his sixth Italian club.

The midfielder arrived at Bari in 2018 as the first Scot to play in Italy since Graeme Souness left Sampdoria in 1986. Aaron Hickey, now at Brentford, then became the first to score in Serie A in 35 years when he netted for Bologna in September 2021.

Doig, meanwhile, is about to begin his fourth season in Italy after leaving Hibernian for Verona aged 19, before joining Sassuolo in January last year.

“Italy is one of the most beautiful countries in the world,” explains Doig. “Food-wise, places to go on holiday – it has got everything. The way of life is unbelievable. I enjoy every moment.

“But football-wise as well, it is a tough league, it is a very difficult league, and you really need to work hard – it is expected of you.

While Doig has enjoyed the cultural hubs of Verona and Modena, and Ferguson and Hickey the culinary delights of Bologna, few cities compare to the intensity of a frenzied and chaotic Naples.

Gilmour and McTominay quickly found that out when they joined Antonio Conte’s side from Brighton and Manchester United, respectively, in summer 2024.

“I saw the passionate fans, I saw the coach, I saw the players and I saw an opportunity,” McTominay told BBC Scotland in December. “I love this place, I love the fans, I love my team-mates.”

By the end of the season, his 12 goals having helped fire Napoli to the Scudetto, McTominay’s face was painted on walls in the Quartieri Spagnoli, and his ‘McFratm’ nickname inked on fans’ skins.

He has entered into a pantheon of Partenopei legends topped by Argentina legend Diego Maradona.

Speaking at Wimbledon in July, the 28-year-old added: “The people in Naples are incredible, they’re so passionate and everywhere you go there are people who say ‘Forza Napoli’.

“They want to speak to you and have a conversation and that inspires you every time you go on the pitch because they care.

“Everything was great about Italy, bar the football,” said the late Denis Law, who made a British-record move to Torino in 1961 and spent the season alongside Scotland-raised England international Joe Baker in an era characterised by Italy’s ultra-defensive catenaccio system.

Joe Jordan, dubbed the Shark by Italian media, followed in 1981, joining AC Milan and then Verona, before Souness won the Coppa Italia in 1985 during his first of two seasons at a Sampdoria side emerging as one of Italy’s finest.

But it would be 32 years before another Scotsman made the switch. Henderson, joining Serie B side Bari from Celtic, was also the first to move directly from a Scottish club.

Henderson may have been an anomaly when he signed, but he did give Italian fans a taste of the Scottish game.

“Their mentality, they are hungry players, ​​committed, both inside the pitch and outside the pitch. They are so professional,” explains Francesco Strozzi, who was a scout at Bologna when the club signed Ferguson and Hickey and now works for Torino.

“Of course, on the pitch there is a trend about increasing physical football. So we’re talking about making runs for the team, having two phases, attacking, defending – especially when it comes to midfielders.

“It’s something being recognised also by the fans. The intensity, the physicality, the hunger for results – they’re loved for that.”

Strozzi says the real change came when Covid hit. Bologna were already exploring the Scottish market, but lockdown restrictions meant clubs were forced to rely more on video and data analysis, which inevitably broadened their pool of potential recruits.

They found value in Scotland, where young players were gaining first-team experience and, in some cases, registering minutes in European competitions.

“Scottish football is not just about Celtic and Rangers,” adds Strozzi.

Aged 18 and on the radar of some of Europe’s top clubs, Hickey joined Bologna from Hearts for £1.5m in 2020, making 48 appearances over two seasons before being sold to Brentford for £17m.

Ferguson, 22 at the time, followed from Aberdeen in 2022 for £3m and has since captained the Rossoblu to a first Coppa Italia triumph in more than 50 years, led them into the Champions League for the first time and been named the best midfielder in Italy.

“Ferguson is an incredible player, captain,” says Strozzi. “He was able to give Bologna what was missing back then in their midfield – a player giving 100% for the team, making important runs, scoring important goals but also being able to run back, defend and be a presence on the pitch.

Doig believes the trend can be good for the national team, with Scottish players not just finding a pathway to Italy but all over Europe. At the last international camp, he says there were chats about “completely different experiences all over the world”.

“It is so interesting for Scottish football,” adds Doig. “There are boys everywhere now, it is good for the culture.

“When you are a young boy, the thing is to go down to England, try and get a move down south, but when I heard Verona were interested I thought ‘this is unbelievable’.

“I was terrified, obviously I was so young, but it was the best thing that could happen to me. Now in Sassuolo, I am absolutely loving it.

“It is the same for all the boys I have spoken to – I was with Billy in the summer and he was just saying he can’t get enough of it.”

When Steve Clarke named his last squad, as well as the Italian boys, there was Jack Hendry at Al-Etiffaq in Saudi Arabia, Max Johnston with Sturm Graz in Austria and Scott McKenna at Las Palmas in Spain.

Doig says younger players have also asked him about moving abroad.