Together with
Good morning football fans. It’s Wednesday, August 5 - The Premier League is set to have the most new managers ever, the MLS has voted in a new commissioner after Garber’s 27 years in charge, and everything else you need to know. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.
TOP TALKING POINTS
EPL’s Changing of the Guard
The Premier League is set to have nine new managers this season, the highest number ever for the top flight’s opening weekend. Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea and Newcastle are among those beginning new eras, alongside Bournemouth, Nottingham Forest, Crystal Palace, Fulham and Ipswich. The Premier League season begins on Friday (August 21); see every fixture here.
The average tenure for a Premier League manager now stands at around 20 months, with Mikel Arteta the longest-serving manager, having been appointed in December 2019. Only Atletico Madrid’s Diego Simeone, who has been in his position since December 2011, has been in charge longer at the same club across Europe’s top five leagues. For the first time since 1986–87, the season will begin without Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger, Jose Mourinho, Jurgen Klopp or Pep Guardiola managing in England. Together, they have won 26 of the past 34 league titles.
In recent years, managerial changes have been no guarantee that a team will perform better, with research cited by the Financial Times (paywalled) arguing that player quality and squad spending are stronger predictors of a club’s success. Moreover, since the Premier League’s inception in 1992, only six managers have won the league title in their first season at a club, most recently Arne Slot with Liverpool in 2024–25.
FIFA’s Pressure Mounts
Arsene Wenger, Fifa’s chief of global football development, says that he was not involved in Fifa’s controversial plans to sell a stake in future World Cup profits to private investors and that the decision “to withdraw the project was absolutely necessary.” Another senior Fifa figure, secretary general Mattias Grafstrom, has also distanced himself from the plans after emailing Fifa staff and describing the episode as a “sad and reproachable series of events.” Only Carlos Cordeiro, one of Infantino’s senior advisers, resigned over the proposal.
Wenger was one of 18 Fifa officials named in Uefa’s letter sent to the governing body warning of potential legal action. "I was not involved in this strategic plan and first became aware of the project through media reports,” Wenger said. "I firmly believe in an independent Fifa that serves our game with commitment, transparency, and integrity." Infantino has since called Fifa’s senior leaders to a meeting in Morocco on Wednesday.
In related news, Fifa is facing a separate dispute. Several US host cities for the 2026 World Cup are seeking updates from Fifa on payments they say were promised, The Athletic reports. Last year, Fifa president Gianni Infantino promised $1m to each of the 11 US cities hosting the 2025 Club World Cup to help build mini football pitches and support social projects. The 2026 World Cup host cities subsequently asked for the same contribution, and four host-city executives said that Fifa management had repeatedly assured them it would be paid.
Commissioner Change
The Major League Soccer board of governors have voted to appoint Los Angeles FC co-managing owner Larry Berg as the league’s next commissioner. He will succeed Don Garber, who has served as commissioner since 1999 and will transition to the role of chairman when Berg’s term begins on 1 January 2027. Berg will sell his ownership stake in LAFC before becoming commissioner.
On Monday, MLS owners voted to appoint Berg at a closed-door meeting in New York following presentations by Berg and former Fox executive David Nathanson, the other leading contender. Berg has spent the majority of his career in private equity, where he became a senior partner at Apollo Global Management and later at 26North. Now, Berg will be tasked with leading the league through a major transition to a new calendar in 2027, following the shortened sprint season that will kick off in February, as MLS changes to a summer-to-spring schedule for 2027–28.
During Garber’s 27 years in charge, he has overseen the league’s expansion from 10 clubs to 30 across the United States and Canada. In Forbes's most recent analysis of the 30 most valuable football teams in the world, MLS had seven clubs on the list, with Inter Miami leading the league in 17th place.
FROM OUR PARTNERS
Tired of a plan that doesn't fit? Tello has reliable 5G, no contracts, no bloated bundles. Just the data you need. Unlimited $25/mo, 10GB $15/mo, 2GB $10/mo. Or build your own.
POLL
With so many managerial changes, do you think we're entering a new era of the Premier League?
ON THE BALL
Europe
> Real Madrid have reportedly offered Vinicius Jr a take-it-or-leave-it deal of €22m a year, with the Brazilian winger demanding €30m (More)
> West Ham’s billionaire Czech club co-chair Daniel Kretinsky is moving to block Amanda Staveley’s £150m purchase of 25.1% of the club (More) | Charlton Athletic are up for sale as their US owners are looking to exit after just three years, describing the club in a deck as “the last remaining football club upside opportunity in London” (More)
> US midfielder Gio Reyna has joined French club Strasbourg on a five-year deal from Borussia Monchengladbach (More) | Goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen has joined Dutch side Ajax on loan from Barcelona (More) | Edin Dzeko has signed a one-year contract extension with Schalke 04 at the age of 40 (More)
> Retired Premier League referee Anthony Taylor has been named as director of elite refereeing for the Turkish Football Federation (More) | Turkish side Trabzonspor has confirmed that talks with Mohamed Salah are underway (More)
> Non-league side Boreham Wood have rejected a £1m bid for forward Abdul Abdulmalik from Swedish side Djurgardens (More)
Americas
> Several Leagues Cup fixtures will conclude shortly after publication; see live results and upcoming fixtures (More) | The US men’s national team will face Peru, Chile, Mexico and Canada over 11 days starting from September 26 (More)
> Concacaf countries, the confederation which represents North America, Central America, and the Caribbean, are considering removing their support for the Fifa president Gianni Infantino (More)
> Neymar, 34, has not ruled out retiring from professional football after his contract with his boyhood club Santos expires at the end of the year (More)
Rest of the World
ROUTERS’ VOICE
Yesterday’s Poll: Do you think Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is a leading contender for the 2026 Ballon d’Or?
🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 👍 Yes (20%)
🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🙅♂️ Nope (75%)
🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other (5%)
Your punditry takes:
👍 D.J: “To be fair, I believe that Kvaratskhelia should be a leading contender, but do not believe that he is. The Ballon d’Or has become a name-brand award. His name is not big enough to win, although his skill is undeniable.”
🙅♂️ S.L: “I do think Kvaratskhelia contributed to beating FC Bayern in the Champions League. He had a hell of a match. But I don’t think that should be the only factor in selection. Take a look at Harry Kane. He’s my vote to receive the distinction.”
🙅♂️ J.G: “Eight goals in league play and 10 in UCL is very impressive, especially for a midfielder. But we're talking Ballon d'Or here. The bar is surely much higher for someone who is supposed to be crowned the greatest footballer in the world.”
✍️ T.T: “This is nothing against Kvaratskhelia, who played really well in the Champions League, but I don’t see any footballer being a clear leading contender for the Ballon d’Or last season. No one stood out consistently in my personal opinion.”
EXTRA TIME
Every transfer in Europe’s top five leagues.
How Mourinho returned to Real Madrid. (video)
A look at the WSL’s new Nike ball.
A youngster to watch at each Premier League club this season.
Erling Haaland surprised his biggest fan.
Jamie Carragher on who will win the Premier League. (podcast)
GAME FACE ON
Question: Who's scored the most opening-weekend 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.
My Champions League debut was against Barcelona’s MSN. Everyone was scared to tackle Messi, so I thought, ‘I’ll do it.’ His first touch sent me flying.
Answer
Mohamed Salah (10 goals). Source.