GM football fans. It’s Monday, Sept. 1 - the summer transfer window is coming to an end, Uefa’s president has criticised plans to play European matches abroad, and everything else you need to know. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.
KEY RESULTS
Premier League MD3: Liverpool 1-0 Arsenal. Liverpool earned a potentially crucial three points during the early stages of the title race with Dominik Szoboszlai's incredible free kick. Watch the goal here (link for US readers). The goal means that Liverpool have now scored in 37 consecutive Premier League matches, their longest ever run of consecutive games scored in top-flight history. Meanwhile, Arsenal have suffered their first away Premier League defeat since losing 1-0 to Newcastle United in November 2024, ending a run of 15 away games unbeaten. Read the full match report here.
Nottm Forest 0-3 West Ham | Brighton 2-1 Man City | Aston Villa 0-3 Crystal Palace | View all Premier League results (More)
Results…
TOP TALKING POINTS
Transfer Deadline Day
The Premier League’s transfer window closes on Monday (Sept 1) at 19:00 BST (14:00 ET), with the EFL, Bundesliga, Serie A, and Ligue 1 also closing on the same date. See when every league in Europe closes their transfer window here.
Last week, the Premier League clubs set a new record for spending in a single transfer window this summer at over £2.6bn. This figure has risen over the weekend with the signings of Xavi Simons (Tottenham, £51.8m), Nick Woltemade (Newcastle, £69m), and Alejandro Garnacho (Chelsea, £40m). At the time of writing, Liverpool (£290m), Chelsea (£281m), and Arsenal (£255m) are the biggest spenders, with Arsenal by far the largest net spenders (£248m).
The total could reach £3bn by the end of the window if Liverpool renew their pursuit of Alexander Isak, with some reports (original source paywalled) suggesting the Reds are preparing a £130m bid for the striker. Other notable potential deadline day signings include Gianluigi Donnarumma to Manchester City, Marc Guehi to Liverpool, and Emi Martinez to Manchester United. Dive deeper into these potential deals here.
See all the transfers in Europe’s top five leagues here.
UEFA Object Matches Abroad
UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin has opposed competitive European football matches being played outside Europe, following concerns raised by the European Commission over the impact on domestic supporters. La Liga has approved plans to host Villarreal vs. Barcelona in Miami, Florida, in December, while Italy’s Serie A is finalising plans for AC Milan vs. Como in Perth, Australia.
Despite Uefa’s stance, Ceferin admitted that the governing body has limited legal options to stop the matches if the countries’ federations approve them.
Uefa’s next executive committee meeting is scheduled for September 11, where it is expected to devise a unified stance on matches abroad. The meeting comes in the same week the European Parliament debates a report on the European Sport Model, which calls on governing bodies “to prevent domestic competition games from being played abroad.”
VAR Mistake Admitted
The PGMOL has acknowledged that VAR made an error in intervening to disallow Fulham’s goal at Chelsea on Saturday. Fulham took the lead in the 21st minute when Rodrigo Muniz set up Josh King to score on the break, but referee Rob Jones was instructed by VAR Michael Salisbury to review Muniz’s contact with Trevoh Chalobah in the build-up. Chelsea won the match 2-0.
The controversy lies in the fact that the incident did not meet the threshold to intervene in the on-field referee’s decision, as outlined in the ‘referee’s call’ principle (see official rule). Referees’ chief Howard Webb has since spoken to Fulham and declared the decision was an error, as the decision by the on-field referee was not clear and obvious.
Salisbury was subsequently dropped as VAR from Sunday’s Premier League game between Liverpool and Arsenal.
Dive deeper into every VAR decision this weekend here.
POLL
Has VAR had a negative impact on your viewing experience since the start of the new season?
ON THE BALL
Europe
> Chelsea revoked permission for Nicolas Jackson to conduct a medical with Bayern Munich as he landed for his loan move (More) | Brentford striker Yoane Wissa has released a statement saying that the club is “unduly standing in [his] way” of a transfer (More)
> The Old Firm derby between Rangers and Celtic ended in a goalless draw as Russell Martin continues his winless Scottish Premiership start to the season (Match Report)
> Joao Neves scored from two overhead kicks within seven minutes as PSG beat Toulouse 6-3 in Ligue 1 (More)
> Jamie Vardy is set to join Serie A side Cremonese until 2026, plus an option for a year extension if they stay in the Italian top-flight (More)
> Wrexham secured their first win in the Championship in 43 years after beating Millwall 2-0 (More)
Americas
> The Leagues Cup final between Inter Miami and Seattle Sounders will conclude shortly after publication; see live result (More)
> Charlotte FC’s 2-1 win at the New England Revolution takes their win-streak to eight matches, the second-longest single-season streak in MLS history, behind only the 2018 Seattle Sounders’ nine (More); See all MLS results (More)
> The Kansas City Current became the first team to clinch a play-off spot in the NWSL standings with a 2-0 victory over the North Carolina Courage (More); see all NWSL results (More)
> USL Championship Eastern Conference leaders Louisville City clinched its place in the play-offs for the 11th straight season (More) | Western Conference leaders FC Tulsa lost 2-0 to Colorado Springs (More) | see all USL Championship results (More)
Rest of the World
> Al Nassr won their opening Saudi Pro League match 5-0 as Cristiano Ronaldo scored from the penalty spot and Joao Felix bagged a hat-trick (More)
> Owners of A-League’s Western United, WMG Football Club Limited, were placed into liquidation by order of the Federal Court of Australia (More)
ROUTERS’ VOICE
Friday’s Poll: Do you think moving the Champions League final to an earlier kick-off time is a good idea?
🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 👍 Yes (67%)
🟨 🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 🙅♂️ Nope (30%)
🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other (3%)
Your punditry takes:
👍 C.M: “Regardless of how heavily the motivations weigh on either side of altruism and selfishness, an earlier kick-off is good for an incredible amount of fans both near and far to Europe, but especially those able and willing to travel to the match. It’s less late for audiences farther east, and still not as early as the earliest PL matches for those farther west.”
👍 J.R: “The UCL finals are usually on Saturdays, so the earlier 5 pm kick-off time here in London means we don’t have to choose between watching the final and a big Saturday night out in town: pre-match meal and drinks from 3 pm, final at 5 pm, night out from 8/9 pm—PERFECT.”
🙅♂️ G.R: “Some people don't get home from work until late in the day, so are likely to miss the beginning of the match. I think it should be considered before changing the kick-off.”
EXTRA TIME
Opta releases Champions League fixture difficulty ratings.
Sergio Ramos unveils his first music single.
The best goal line clearance of the season so far.
Why Union Berlin Women are attracting thousands of fans.
How did Trent perform in his third league game for Real?
Bodo/Glimt use new third kit as a global warming statement.
Why managing Rangers might the sport’s toughest job.
Half of players breach PL’s spending limits in Financial Times’ game.
GAME FACE ON
Question: Four Englishmen played in the Champions League in each of the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s. Who are they?
Scroll below for the answer.
ON TODAY
English National League
See every fixture here (kick-offs at 19:45)
*All times in UK. ET -5. CDT -6. PDT -8. MDT -7. CET +1.
Answer
Gary Neville, Paul Scholes, David Beckham and Wes Brown. Credit: The Athletic.
Daily Wordle: Guess the football-related word, from player names to classic phrases, in six tries or fewer. Play it here.
Football is going to become the most sterile game there is. We're probably months or a year away from not celebrating goals.
