Burnley's Hartman joins Espanyol on loan
Transfers

Burnley's Hartman joins Espanyol on loan

By Staff Writer — 7 July 2026

Burnley left-back Quilindschy Hartman has joined La Liga side RCD Espanyol on a season-long loan.

The 24-year-old joined the Clarets from Feyenoord in June 2025 and made 21 Premier League appearances for them last season.

He also contributed five assists as the club were relegated to the Championship.

“The club wishes Quilindschy the best of luck for his loan spell,” a Burnley statement said.

Former Chelsea boss Rosenior named Paris FC manager
Premier League

Former Chelsea boss Rosenior named Paris FC manager

By Staff Writer — 7 July 2026

Liam Rosenior has returned to football management with Paris FC after being sacked by Chelsea in April.

The 41-year-old lasted less than four months at Stamford Bridge but has moved back to France on a two-year contract, which is understood to include an option for a further season.

Rosenior, who was with Strasbourg before taking the Chelsea job, replaces Antoine Kombouare after Paris finished 11th in Ligue 1 last season.

The club, which is owned by the Arnault family with Red Bull as a minority shareholder, is ambitious to achieve more.

Paris FC said Rosenior was appointed because of his “wealth of experience at the highest level”, his ability to nurture young talent and his commitment to “attractive and attacking football”.

Rosenior replaced Enzo Maresca at Stamford Bridge in January following the now-Manchester City manager’s disagreement with members of the club hierarchy.

After an encouraging start, form soon tailed off and Rosenior lost each of his final five Premier League matches in charge, with Chelsea failing to score a goal.

However, he remains highly regarded for his work at Chelsea’s sister club Strasbourg, who finished seventh in 2024-25 and qualified for the Uefa Conference League with the youngest squad across Europe’s top five leagues.

Rosenior began his coaching career with Brighton Under-23s before moving to Derby County, first as Wayne Rooney’s assistant before taking over as interim boss.

He was named Hull City head coach in 2022 and led them to 15th in the Championship in his first season and then seventh in his second, but was sacked having missed out on the play-offs.

Chelsea have replaced Rosenior with former Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso, with the ex-Spain midfielder the sixth permanent manager at Stamford Bridge in four years under BlueCo ownership.

Fulham appoint Arbeloa as Silva's successor
Premier League

Fulham appoint Arbeloa as Silva's successor

By Staff Writer — 7 July 2026

Arbeloa played for Liverpool and West Ham in the Premier League

Fulham have appointed Alvaro Arbeloa as their new manager on a three-year contract.

The former Real Madrid boss, 43, succeeds Marco Silva after he agreed to join Benfica.

“It is a real honour for me to be embarking on this new stage at Fulham FC, the oldest club in London,” he said. “I feel a great sense of responsibility and I’m deeply grateful to [chairman] Mr [Shahid] Khan and [vice-chairman] Tony Khan for the trust they have placed in me with Fulham in the Premier League.”

Chairman Shahid Khan said: “Alvaro is, by his own admission, very ambitious. He has spent quality time around the best players, clubs and methods in the game, experiences which will serve him well here at Fulham.

“Alvaro also has great interest in our academy set-up and believes in giving young players a chance. I loved hearing that from Alvaro, as well as his intent on playing attacking football.”

Arbeloa’s candidacy was supported by excellent references from recently re-elected Real Madrid president Florentino Perez and the Spanish club’s new manager Jose Mourinho, who he played for at Santiago Bernabeu.

The former full-back left Real Madrid at the end of last season and was replaced by Mourinho, who left Benfica. Silva then opted to move to the Portuguese side as Mourinho’s replacement despite contract offers from Fulham.

In an interview last month, Fulham’s vice-chairman said Silva had previously “indicated he wanted to stay” but that “Marco changed his mind” and surprised the board by leaving Craven Cottage after five successful years.

Former Tottenham and Brentford boss Thomas Frank was linked to the Fulham job, while ex-Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna was deemed too expensive at £8m before factoring in his salary and staff costs.

Arbeloa was a youth coach in Madrid before taking over as interim manager following the departure of Xabi Alonso in January.

He led Real Madrid for the last 28 games of the season as they finished second in La Liga and were knocked out of the Champions League at the quarter-final stage by Bayern Munich.

Arbeloa is keen to bring players with him, including attacking midfielder Franco Mastantuono, full-back Fran Garcia and forward Gonzalo Garcia.

La Liga chief critical of 'complicit silence' surrounding Fifa
La Liga

La Liga chief critical of 'complicit silence' surrounding Fifa

By Staff Writer — 7 July 2026

La Liga president Javier Tebas has criticised the “complicit silence” which surrounds Fifa after United States striker Folarin Balogun was controversially spared from suspension at the 2026 World Cup.

Balogun was able to play in the 4-1 defeat to Belgium in the last 16 after Fifa’s disciplinary committee opted to suspend his one-game ban for 12 months.

Uefa, which has been at loggerheads with Fifa over a number of issues, strongly criticised the decision on Monday, calling it “unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable”.

But outside of Europe there has been little noise about Fifa’s decision from football officials.

Conmebol, the South American football confederation, issued a statement to back its referee, Raphael Claus, after US president Donald Trump called the Brazilian “a bit suspect”.

But it did not criticise Fifa or Trump, who revealed he asked for the ban to be reviewed.

Claus was the referee who showed Balogun the red card against Bosnia-Herzegovina following a video assistant referee review.

Tebas said that the Balogun decision was the “tip of the iceberg” following a series of events which had been “eroding the credibility of Fifa and football in general for many years”.

The 63-year-old accused Fifa of being a closed shop in which decisions have been made before any vote takes place and without consultation with domestic leagues.

“And the worst of all is that much of the football world is aware of it, but too many prefer to maintain a complicit silence,” Tebas said on X.

“Because staying quiet is more comfortable than defending independence, transparency, and good governance.

“World football deserves institutions that are accountable, respect the rules, and govern with transparency - not through unilateral, discretionary, arbitrary decisions that erode the trust of fans, clubs, leagues, and players.”

Portsmouth sign forward Kenny from Dundalk
Transfers

Portsmouth sign forward Kenny from Dundalk

By Staff Writer — 7 July 2026

Eoin Kenny is Portsmouth’s second summer addition after Odin Bailey

Portsmouth have signed forward Eoin Kenny from League of Ireland Premier Division side Dundalk.

The 20-year-old joins the club for an undisclosed fee and has signed a three-year deal at Fratton Park.

Kenny made 94 appearances during his time at Dundalk, where he scored 22 goals and registered 15 assists.

He came through the Lilywhites’ academy before making his first team debut in 2023. That year he also went on loan to Wexford FC, where he played 12 times, scoring twice.

“I’m excited to see Eoin continue the impressive development he has made over the past few years,” Portsmouth boss John Mousinho told the club website.

“We feel that he can do exactly that in this environment and has all the attributes you need to succeed in the Championship.

“He’s a young attacking player who is capable of getting fans off their seats with the way he likes to take on opposition defenders.”

Kenny is Portsmouth’s second addition in this summer transfer window after they secured the signing of midfielder Odin Bailey last week.

He links up with the Pompey squad who are now back for pre-season and undergoing a training camp in the Republic of Ireland.