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Good morning football fans. It’s Tuesday, August 11 - Liverpool’s minority sale expected this week, Jose Mourinho reveals all in his Netflix documentary, and everything else you need to know. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.
TOP TALKING POINTS
Liverpool Sale Expected
Liverpool FC’s owners are expected to announce the sale of a one-third stake in the club to a consortium this week. The consortium, led by Amit Bhatia, will also include Jeff Bezos, who has a net worth estimated to be over $280bn, and Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin, thought to have a fortune of over $32bn.
The deal is expected to value the historic club at around $6bn, with Fenway Sports Group (FSG) having bought the club for just £300m (around $475m at the time) 16 years ago. One insider, speaking to Sky News, said the consortium is expected to acquire more than 30% of the club, a higher figure than previously reported. While FSG will remain the majority shareholder, the arrival of the wealthy consortium has raised speculation that its members may ultimately seek outright control of the club.
The Premier League's new financial rules mean wealthy owners don't necessarily equate to increased transfer spending. From this season, English top-flight clubs are governed by Squad Cost Ratio rules, which cap on-pitch spending at 85% of football-related revenue and net profit from player sales. Liverpool face a tighter constraint still: as a Champions League club, they must also comply with Uefa's equivalent limit of 70%. The cash injection does, though, allow the club to spend more on infrastructure, which could increase its ability to raise revenue and, in turn, its spending capacity.
Read more on how Liverpool FC was founded in 1892 here.
Mourinho’s Utd Admission
Jose Mourinho agreed to replace Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United in 2013, as he revealed in his Netflix documentary that releases on Tuesday (Aug 11). The admission ends years of speculation as to whether Ferguson tried to court the Portuguese manager as his successor. Mourinho ultimately changed his mind and rejoined Chelsea because, in his words, “one thing is love for football, another thing is love for a certain club.”
In the documentary, Ferguson admits that Mourinho “was offered the job” after sitting down with him to explain the situation, but “within hours,” he changed his mind. Mourinho “phoned me and he was crying, and he says 'Alex, I can't take it, I've given my word to Chelsea, and I'm not going to break my word’,“ Ferguson said. David Moyes was eventually announced as Ferguson’s successor, and was subsequently dismissed after 10 months.
Speaking on Inter Milan’s Champions League match against Chelsea in 2009-10, Mourinho said that he was on a “revenge” mission against former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, who had sacked him in 2007. "Honestly, I was playing against Roman in that game," Mourinho said. "I was not playing against Chelsea. I was not playing against the boys. I was playing against him. That game for me was beauty. I was playing against a guy that sacked me. It felt like pleasure." Inter won 3-1 on aggregate, and Mourinho went on to claim his second Champions League title.
New Ball Complaints
The new ball set to be used in the Bundesliga and already in use in Bundesliga 2 is being criticised by goalkeepers for giving them less reaction time.
The ball, Adidas’ Torfabrik (see images), has already been used in Germany’s second tier, with the opening six matches producing 22 goals, an average of 3.66 per game. While this is a small sample size, for comparison, the average number of goals per game in the Bundesliga was 3.24 in 2025-26, already the highest across Europe’s top five leagues.
“The Adidas ball is simply harder on the surface, which gives it a completely different trajectory,” said Nurnberg goalkeeper Jan Reichert. “As a striker, you can hit it much harder, and it picks up a lot more speed. We told the guys: If you have the chance to shoot, go for it. Because it definitely became easier to score from long range." HSV goalkeeper Daniel Heuer Fernandes echoed the same sentiment, stating that the “Adidas ball is faster than the previous one made by Derbystar.”
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POLL
Has the Premier League ever truly been the top destination for the world’s best players?
ON THE BALL
Europe
> The Carabao Cup second round draw has been completed, with five-time winners Chelsea set to play League One’s Luton at home; see the full north and south draw (More)
> UEFA, alongside Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation, have written an open letter accusing Fifa’s leadership of a “fundamental breach of trust” and “deception” (More)
> Harry Kane is expected to extend his contract with Bayern Munich until 2029 (More) | Liverpool have signed Uruguay centre-back Ronald Araujo on a season-long loan from Barcelona (More); see every transfer in Europe’s top five leagues (More)
> Champions League third round qualifying continues on Tuesday (August 11) with 10 second-leg ties; see every fixture (More)
Americas
> US Soccer, Canada Soccer, CFU (Caribbean Football Union) and UNCAF (Central American Football Union) released a joint statement asking for "meaningful change that strengthens Fifa’s governance, transparency and accountability” (More)
> Robert Lewandowski scored to help Chicago Fire’s late comeback against Santos Laguna (3-1) in the 2026 Leagues Cup (More); see all Leagues Cup results (More)
> Mexico retained its Concacaf U-20 Championship title with a 2-0 victory over the United States in the final (More)
Rest of the World
> Cameroon and Malawi have joined Algeria and Morocco in qualifying for the 2027 Women's World Cup in Brazil (More)
> Western United's hopes of getting back into the A-League have ended after their licence was terminated (More)
ROUTERS’ VOICE
Yesterday’s Poll: Seven of the 10 most expensive transfers in Premier League history are midfielders. Has midfield become the most important position on the pitch?
🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 👍 Yes (76%)
🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 🙅♂️ Nope (23%)
🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other (1%)
Your punditry takes:
👍 T.I: “Strikers put the goals in, but they don't get the ball without the midfield. Keepers keep the shots out, but they are overwhelmed without the midfield and defenders shutting down attacks. If you control the midfield, you control the match. Finding people with the ball skills necessary to control possession, the creativity needed to create chances for the offence, and the field vision to find the right places to be and place the ball is crucial. When you have the better midfield, you win more matches.”
👍 J.L: “They are the hub of the team and make the engine run, whether it is a Porsche or a Jeep. They’re the main players in transitions from we to they and they to we, which are the moments where the outcome of the game typically happens.”
🙅♂️ K.R: “I'm sticking with the goalkeeper being the most important and underrated position on the pitch. Did we learn nothing during the World Cup?”
EXTRA TIME
How Liverpool are shaping up under Iraola.
What are the rules on transfer window player swaps?
The data behind Arsenal’s Bruno Guimaraes acquisition.
Why are there so many people in the VAR room?
Salah’s Trabzonspor announcement video is a short film.
… and Turkey detains journalist over Musiala to Galatasaray transfer report.
Juventus unveil black and gold third kit.
GAME FACE ON
Question: Who has scored the most free-kick goals in Premier League history?
Scroll below for the answer.
Daily Wordle: Guess the football-related word, from player names to classic phrases, in six tries or fewer. Play it here.
For me to lose the chance to be the coach to succeed Alex Ferguson was dramatic, but I don’t regret it because it was a decision that I made with my heart.
Answer
David Beckham, with 18. See the full list of top Premier League free-kick scorers here.