Woodward wants ´world-class´ signings and academy focus as Man United net debt jumps £137m

Cesc Fabregas was delighted that Chelsea s wait for Champions League football was ended with a thumping 6-0 win over Qarabag.

Antonio Conte s men cast the visiting minnows aside at Stamford Bridge in a convincing display that included first Chelsea goals for Davide Zappacosta and Tiemoue Bakayoko on Tuesday.

And after missing out on European action last season, Fabregas was relieved to be back on form in the competition.

We have been waiting for a long time to be back playing in the Champions League, he told BT. Finally it arrived. It was a good performance and a good result.

You never know if these goals can count [for something] at the end of the group stage. We just have to keep going now.

The result equals our best ever win in the Champion…

Grinding Gear Games is preparing to launch Path of Exile 2 into early access today at 11 AM PST, and thus far, it’s surpassed expectations. Game director Jonathan Rogers revealed that the action RPG has already crossed one million key redemptions, and sales are still rising. While the success is good, he confirmed that the team was unprepared for such demand.

The launch weekend will likely see queues for players since GGG initially prepared server capacity for one million players. Though it’s since ordered additional cloud capacity, Rogers says, “We don&#Sports Betting8217;t know what our backend services are going to be able to handle as we go above a million users.

“No…

Spanish daily newspaper that Real Madrid have submitted a fresh proposal for Bayern Munich hotshot David Alaba.

Los Blancos seem determined to lure the Austrian defender to Santiago Bernabeu this summer and they recently had a €50 million proposal rejected for the highly rated footballer.

According to AS, Real Madrid have now submitted a new offer worth €65 million and they are awaiting response from Munich.

The Bavarians are believed to be holding out for €80 million, while the player himself is reportedly tempted by the possibility of joining los Blancos.

Real Madrid officials have held several meetings with the player’s representatives and they hope they will be able to wrap up the deal before the end of the summer transfer window.

Th…

Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin got on the scoresheet for England under-21’s on Thursday in a 1-1 draw against Poland. The result was not what the team would have wanted, but the goal was a reminder of Calvert-Lewin’s development.

The 22-year-old has been in and out of the Everton set-up for the last couple of years. However, the youngster has shown promising signs in recent games.

Come a long way in recent years

Calvert-Lewin cost Everton just £1.5million when he joined the Toffees from hometown club Sheffield United. There were definite signs of a promising player during his time in Yorkshire, but the striker made just 11 league appearances for the Blades, failing to score. He also had loan spells at Stalybridge Celtic and Northampton, where he did get on …

The Mail Online understand that Manchester City are considering a move for Southampton full-back Ryan Bertrand.

The Premier League leaders are on the lookout for a new left-sided defender with summer signing Benjamin Mendy set for a long lay-off, and have identified Bertand as a potential target.

The England international moved to St Mary’s Stadium from Chelsea, initially on loan in the summer of 2014 before making the move permanent six months later.

Prior to his move to the south coast, the twenty-eight year old had no less than six loan spells across three divisions, turning out for Bournemouth, Oldham Athletic, Norwich City, Reading, Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa.

He has been capped seventeen times for his country with his one and only inte…

Republic of Ireland captain Katie McCabe said she was “heartbroken” after her team’s World Cup last-16 hopes were ended by a 2-1 loss to Canada in Perth in their second group game.

Ireland, who had opened their debut campaign at a major tournament with last week’s 1-0 loss to co-hosts Australia, were on course for an historic victory after McCabe gave them an early lead, scoring direct from a corner in the fourth minute.

But Canada hit back as a Megan Connolly own goal restored parity in first-half stoppage time and Adriana Leon then netted the winner eight minutes into the second half.

Passion personified. |

— FIFA Women s World Cup (@FIFAWWC)

With their efforts to respond against the Olympic champions falling short, Vera Pauw’s s…

Market: Girona win

Odds: 1/2 @

In desperate need of an immediate response this weekend, Girona will welcome Cadiz to the Estadio Municipal on Saturday night.

Starting with the hosts, while Girona might still sit firmly in the driving seat to punch a famous Champions League ticket this season, the Spanish high-flyers are seeking some recent stability. Making an immediate return to losing ways last week as they suffered a routine 3-1 loss away at Atletico Madrid, Michel Sanchez’s men have claimed just a trio of wins from any of their previous nine La Liga appearances. Nevertheless, despite showing some worrying issues on the road since opening 2024, the top-four contenders will certainly be relishing a return to home soil here. Last seen at the Estadio Municipal…

The threat of Africa Cup of Nations elimination looms large over Ghana, but Jonathan Mensah is ready to bounce back against Algeria.

Jonathan Mensah insists Ghana do not fear the prospect of an early Africa Cup of Nations exit as they face a make-or-break clash with Algeria on Friday.

Mensah and his team-mates travel to Mongomo knowing that defeat could curtail their hopes of reaching the knockout stages after they lost their Group C opener 2-1 to Senegal on Monday a match that marked Avram Grant s first competitive game as Ghana head coach.

Andre Ayew s 14th-minute penalty put Ghana ahead, but Mama Biram Diouf levelled in the second half before Moussa Sow scored a dramatic injury-time winner.

Centre-back Mensah is adamant that Ghana are not about to pus…

Ivan Klasnic said there are few unattached players available with his ability and is confident he will find a new club after leaving Bolton.

Despite the double disappointment of relegation from the Premier League and missing out on Croatia s Euro 2012 squad, the 32-year-old believes he is in better shape than ever.

I ve become more experienced, but feel more like a 25-year-old. It sounds arrogant, but there are not often many strikers of my quality (available). I feel fit and am healthy, he told Bild.

Four years ago, Klasnic scored two goals during Croatia s 2008 European Championship campaign a deed all the more remarkable as he had endured a kidney transplant in 2007. He was omitted from Slaven Bilic s squad this time around, but has no hard feelings.

…

Liverpool and Barcelona have arguably the best attacks in world football right now, but it might instead be their defences who decide the Champions League semi-final.

Virgil van Dijk has improved Liverpool to the extent that he pipped Raheem Sterling of Manchester City to be named the Professional Footballers Association (PFA) Player of the Year on Sunday, despite defenders rarely winning individual awards.

The Netherlands international has fully justified Liverpool making him the most expensive defender in football history by splashing out £75million to sign him from Southampton.

But Barcelona have a rock of their own at the back, with Gerard Pique enjoying one of his best seasons yet for the Catalan giants, who are hoping to win the treble once more.

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