The Weekly Take, Issue 379: A New Era in Full Swing

Close to the end of the 2024-25 season, Juventus fired then-head coach Thiago Motta in a final push for the last Champions League qualification spot. He was replaced by Igor Tudor, the Croatian who had spent just over seven seasons as a Juve player. At the time, Juve had just lost back-to-back Serie A matches by a combined 7-0 scoreline and had slipped out of the top four.

Tudor was able to turn things around; with him in the Juventus Stadium dugout, the Bianconeri lost just one of their final nine league matches and clinched a spot in this season's Champions League. Subsequently, Tudor signed a contract extension which would keep him in the position until the end of the 2027-28 season.

Though it's still very early in the 2025-26 season, the signs are clear that Tudor has had an obviously positive impact on this team as evidenced by Juve's hot start to the new season - including their recent victory over Inter Milan in a pulsating Derby d'Italia. Lloyd Kelly scored his first goal as a Juventus player after having been set up by fellow centre-back Gleison Bremer. This early lead would, however, only last until the 30th minute when Hakan Çalhanoğlu equalized for the Nerazzurri. Juve would nonetheless enter the half-time interval a goal ahead as not too long after, Kenan Yıldız drilled a shot from well outside the box into the bottom corner of the net.

Çalhanoğlu scored his and Inter's second goal about halfway through the second half - a spectacular volley from just outside the penalty area. Marcus Thuram then netted his third league goal of the season to put Inter 3-2 ahead in the 76th minute only for, of all people, his own brother Khéphren to level the match six minutes later. Finally, in the first minute of stoppage time, substitute Vasilije Adžić scored Juve's winning goal; the Montenegrin midfielder emulated Kelly in scoring his first goal for the club following Jonathan David's assist - and it could hardly have come in more climactic circumstances.

Since taking over at Juve, Tudor has taken Juve to eight wins in 12 league matches and with three in a row to start the new season, they seem to be well-positioned for a real run at a first Scudetto since the 2019-20 season. The club's five full seasons since then have been marked by inconsistency, instability, and even off-field scandals - but the signs that Tudor might be the guy who turns it around are starting to become more evident.

The phrase "club DNA" is something of a cliché by now - but even so, it's perhaps the biggest factor as to why Tudor is succeeding where Motta didn't. As mentioned, Tudor spent a big chunk of his playing career at Juve. Motta, on the other hand, never did and even played for Juve's direct rivals Inter. As such, Tudor has been able to connect with his players in a way that Motta never could - and having earned the trust of the locker room as soon as he has, the team is now in a far more conducive position to push for the league title.

From a tactical standpoint, Tudor has switched Juve's main formation to three at the back, utilizing either a 3-4-2-1 or 3-5-1-1 setup. This has in turn enhanced Juve's ability to create chances and cover space. He's also transitioned Juve away from a possession-heavy, low-tempo playstyle in favour of a more direct approach which emphasizes playing through the centre of the field. This has enabled Juve to force opponent's errors and create additional openings - and these tactical shifts were major reasons why Juve took the W against Inter.

It might actually have helped Tudor that up to now he'd never had any major achievements in any of his prior roles, thus reducing the pressure on him. However, as his and his team's stock continues to rise, that's likely to change. That will likely be the biggest test as to whether he is, in fact, the real deal - can he put it all together for an entire league campaign and not only win it all, but also perhaps even make a deep Champions League run? It's difficult to say, but their chances look better than they have in quite some time.

The Weekly Take, Issue 378: 2026 World Title - Now Loading?

Due to the asymmetrical nature of each group in Europe's World Cup qualifying stage, not all 12 groups commenced play at the same time. Some of them started way back in March while others, including Group D, just began their path towards next year's global showpiece tournament in North America. One of those groups was Group D - a group highlighted by France, in pursuit of a second world title in three World Cups.

As might have been expected, France kicked off their World Cup qualifying campaign with a 2-0 victory over Ukraine in a match that wasn't as close as the scoreline might imply. Bayern Munich striker Michael Olise opened the scoring in the 10th minute after having been set up by Bradley Barcola. Somewhat surprisingly, despite being in total control of proceedings, Les Bleus weren't able to extend their lead before the half-time break.

Midway through the second half, Ukraine had two major chances in quick succession and almost made France pay for their inability to score any further goals. Both were headers; the first was from Artem Dovbyk whose header was cleared off the line by Ibrahima Konaté. Shortly after, Illia Zabarnyi's header came back off the post.

The score remained at 1-0 until the 82nd minute. Midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni sent a long ball forwards in the direction of Real Madrid teammate Kylian Mbappé who beat Zabarnyi in a one-on-one scenario before finding the bottom corner of the net - his 51st for France, tying him for second all-time with legendary striker Thierry Henry. However, it wasn't all good news for France as prior to that goal, both Désiré Doué and his replacement Ousmane Dembélé left the match injured.

For almost a decade now, France have been the most consistent threat to win major international football tournaments; this match revealed nothing new in that regard. France didn't even need to come close to their peak level in order to easily dispatch Ukraine. Everything about this performance indicates that they will once again be among the favorites, if not the outright favorite, to win the 2026 World Cup.

To say that this team is outrageously stacked would somehow be an understatement. Against Ukraine, players like Dembélé and Hugo Ekitike (the latter of whom was actually playing his first-ever match for his national team) came off the bench while even Marcus Thuram and Theo Hernández, among others, stayed on the bench for the entire match. It's this remarkable depth which has been the backbone of their consistent tournament success dating back to Euro 2016 when they reached the final.

In addition, the fact that France almost always go deep at major tournaments has a "rich get richer" effect on their squad in terms of big-match experience. Many of France's best players aged 25 or younger have a great deal more experience under the highest pressure on the biggest stages than do their peers from different countries. It's entirely possible that this will end up making a major impact at next year's World Cup.

There's also the manner of how France lost in the final of the 2022 World Cup. Having come so agonizingly close to becoming the first team to win back-to-back World Cups in 60 years, France will be especially fired up to win it all in 2026. The memory of their loss in the final in Qatar might just have been the additional fuel they needed to end up being the final team left standing at the end of next year's tournament.

Topping things off, it's often the case that teams which either win or go deep at the World Cup have a core primarily comprised of players from the same club. This is understandable as such cores would have the advantage of pre-existing chemistry. In France's case, they're fortunate enough to have two such cores: one from Real Madrid, another from Paris Saint-Germain. This additional team chemistry was on full display in France's second goal against Ukraine with Real duo Tchouaméni and Mbappé looking as though they had never left the Santiago Bernabéu for the international break at all.

While of course, it's true that it's way too early to make a sweeping statement that France will win the World Cup, there's no question that they're in a really strong position right now. Their decade of dominance is all set to enter a second one with no signs of a end anywhere in sight.

The Weekly Take, Issue 377: Already Behind in the Chase for the Top Four

Following a strong finish to the 2024-25 La Liga season which saw them climb from outside the top 10 into sixth place and thus obtain qualification for this season's Europa League, Real Betis were undoubtedly regarded as a club headed in the right direction at the beginning of this season. Adding to the raised expectations at Estadio de La Cartuja was the fact that Betis brought in several notable signings over the off-season - including, more than likely, turning loan signing Antony into a full-time player after the Brazilian winger had emerged as arguably the club's best player over the second half of last season.

However, so far things haven't gone the way Betis would've hoped for as after losing 2-1 to Athletic Bilbao, the Andalusian club are now eighth in the league with just five points to their name. Following a goalless first half, Betis centre-back Marc Bartra's own goal in the 60th minute put Bilbao a goal ahead. With just over five minutes left in regulation time, Aitor Paredes' header all but sealed Bilbao's victory.

Deep into stoppage time, Betis substitute Cédric Bakambu gave Betis at least a slight chance of avoiding defeat after heading in Junior Firpo's cross. To make things even more interesting, shortly after that Bilbao's substitute goalkeeper Álex Padilla controversially received a red card despite not even entering play after Isidro Díaz de Mera Escuderos took exception to the Mexican's act of tossing the ball back onto the field in a supposedly unsportsmanlike manner. However, no further goals would be scored as the final whistle was blown soon after that.

Of course, it has to be mentioned that two of Betis' best players have been absent from the squad up until now. Midfielder Isco suffered a fibula fracture in a pre-season match against Málaga and is expected to be out of action until November. As for Antony, Betis are reportedly working on his official signing from Manchester United - the club from which he spent an extremely successful half-season on loan as he served as Betis' primary driving force behind their climb up the league table.

That being said, the question has to be asked: is this team one which will genuinely be able to challenge for a top-four spot and thus Champions League qualification? The two clubs that finished ahead of Betis last season were Bilbao and Villarreal. It's possible that Bilbao's victory over Betis could end up being an outlier; this is because the club barely made any moves at all during the transfer window. The Basque club spent just €12.3 million on a total of three players; not only that, €12 million of that was on just one signing: Osasuna defender Jesús Areso.

More than likely, it's Villarreal that Betis will have to be more concerned about. Having sold several players for significant transfer fees, the club have been putting this transfer revenue to work, landing several notable signings including Santiago Mouriño, Renato Veiga, and Tajon Buchanan. Of course, once Isco returns and Antony officially returns to the club, things should start to turn for the better - but even then, Betis will probably need a strong mid-season transfer window to seriously push for a top-four spot.

Betis have been recently linked with players such as Dani Ceballos, Guido Rodríguez, and Facundo Bernal. Unfortunately, none of those players would really do all that much to move the needle. It's more than likely that if Betis are to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in 21 years, they'll need to make at least one major signing once January comes around.

Considering the fact that right now, Betis most struggle with one-on-one defending as well as keeping possession for extended periods, it would likely be advisable for them to invest in a defensive or a central midfielder in the coming transfer window. In addition, Isco will be coming off a fairly severe injury and at his age, there's no certainty that he'll be back the same as he was before. For that reason, Betis should probably bring in an attacking midfielder as well.

There's still a realistic path to Champions League qualification for Real Betis after having been in contention but never actually getting there for several years now. However, unless things change in mid-season, the chances of this aren't all too likely.

The Weekly Take, Issue 376: The Implosion Hits a New Depth

Last season, RB Leipzig finished seventh in the Bundesliga. It was Die Bullen's worst-ever league finish ever since earning promotion to Germany's top flight in 2017. This also meant that the 2025-26 season would be the first time since their Bundesliga debut season in 2017-18 that Leipzig would not be featuring in any continental-level tournament. On top of that, Leipzig finished a lowly 32nd of the 36 teams in last season's Champions League and lost all but one of their league phase matches.

Any thoughts that the Saxony-based club might turn things around this season were rapidly put on hold as the curtain-raiser of this Bundesliga season between Bayern Munich and Leipzig played out. To say that Bayern took Leipzig to the woodshed would be a severe understatement. This wasn't even remotely close as Bayern destroyed Leipzig 6-0 at the Allianz Arena - a result that not only sent out a clear statement to the rest of the Bundesliga that it would be a near-impossible task to unseat the reigning league champions, but also that Leipzig continue to be in freefall and have just hit a new low point.

Bayern had the match in the bag before the half-time break. Michael Olise's two first-half goals were split by another from new signing Luis Díaz who signed for Bayern from Liverpool in the off-season for €70 million. Díaz was set up by Serge Gnabry who also assisted Olise's second goal.

Early in the second half, Leipzig winger Antonio Nusa who had entered the match as a replacement for Yan Diomande during the interval took advantage of an error by Bayern centre-back Dayot Upamecano; however, Nusa's ensuing shot attempt went just wide. Later on, Nusa would have a goal waved off via VAR; these instances would be as close as Leipzig would get.

Then, about midway through the second half, reigning Bundesliga Player of the Season Harry Kane backed up that title with a hat-trick in a frenetic 14-minute span. Leipzig had absolutely no answer whatsoever for the Englishman who could very well be on his way to submitting another season worthy of a Ballon d'Or candidate - especially if England make a deep run at the upcoming 2026 World Cup.

As for Leipzig, it's difficult to say anything other than this result is likely a sign of things to come. During this past off-season, Leipzig spent €92 million on new signings; however, none of them are likely to make any significant impact. Additionally, Leipzig lost striker Benjamin Šeško to Manchester United.

This past off-season should've been one during which Leipzig overhauled their squad. Much of their decline last season was the result of the inadequate replacement of key players' departures as well as several current players now being past their prime. As a result, this current squad is now likely to finish nowhere near the Champions League qualification spots unless a stunning turnaround takes place.

On the surface, it does appear that Leipzig have taken note of the fact that players such as Péter Gulácsi, Willi Orbán, and Kevin Kampl, among others, are now clearly past their prime; all six players signed by Leipzig are aged 23 or younger. While this seems to be a step in the right direction, the reality is that it was "quantity over quality". Not one of the youngsters who just joined Leipzig are elite prospects expected to become a genuinely top-tier player.

Not long ago, Leipzig were viewed by many as the club with the best chance, remote as it may have been, of toppling Bayern. However, when the headliner of a so-called top club's arrivals is Rômulo from Göztepe - a mid-table Turkish Süper Lig club - it's obvious that the club has fallen a long way from where it was.

Leipzig hired Ole Werner as the club's new head coach during the off-season - their sixth in just five years. This instability in the dugout is certainly not helping the situation. Ever since the departure of Julian Nagelsmann in 2021 and the death of former owner Dietrich Mateschitz in 2022, Leipzig have been increasingly directionless - and now it all seems to be coming to a head.

RB Leipzig are now a shell of the team they were even just two years ago, let alone five. Unless something seriously changes soon, their chances of even finishing in the top 10 of the Bundesliga are highly unlikely.

The Weekly Take, Issue 375: A Debut That Didn't Fulfill the Hype

The obvious standout of the opening matchday of the 2025-26 Premier League season saw Manchester United host Arsenal. The match was billed as a clash between both clubs’ respective centre-forwards who had just been signed for major money. United signed Slovenian Benjamin Šeško from RB Leipzig for €76.5 million while Arsenal brought Swede Viktor Gyökeres to the Emirates Stadium from Sporting Lisbon for a fee of €65.8 million.

This highly-anticipated showdown got off to an anticlimactic start after it was revealed that unlike Gyökeres who was in the Gunners’ starting line-up, Šeško started the match on the bench. However, it was actually Arsenal’s Italian full-back Riccardo Calafiori who scored the opening goal of the match following - in what has become a common occurrence for Manchester United - an error by United goalkeeper Altay Bayındır who mishandled Declan Rice’s corner kick, allowing Calafiori to put it in from close range.

Despite having the bulk of the goalscoring chances and possession, United were never able to make full use of these advantages and remained a goal behind heading into halftime. After the break, Šeško replaced Mason Mount and thus made his Premier League debut shortly after Gyökeres was substituted; Gyökeres was replaced by Kai Havertz.

However, Šeško’s first Premier League match certainly didn’t go according to plan. Apart from attempting a header which ended up not even being close to the target, Šeško barely did anything of note in his half-hour or so of play as United, despite largely being in control of the match, couldn’t find a way to the back of the net and finally succumbed to a 1-0 loss.

On an individual level, however, Šeško’s opposite number fared even worse. Between the two of them, Gyökeres was by far the more hyped despite having been signed for the lower transfer fee of the two. Adding to the narrative of this match was the fact that at one point of the transfer window, the man from Stockholm arguably seemed to be more likely to sign for United. As such, this match could easily have been an opportunity for Gyökeres to send a clear statement to United: “this is what you’ve missed out on”.

However, Gyökeres barely contributed anything at all - he didn’t even attempt a single shot - before being substituted. United’s Dutch centre-back Matthijs de Ligt got the better of Gyökeres again and again. Gyökeres looked absolutely nothing like the centre-forward who utterly shredded defenses across Portugal for the past two years.

There’s no question that there’s a significant skill gap between the Portuguese and English top-flight leagues. Many players over the years who have dominated a weaker league have found themselves struggling after making a move to a club in one of Europe’s major football leagues. While one would assume that Gyökeres is too good a player for that to happen to him and of course, it’s only been one match, we’ve seen players come into one of the top leagues from a weaker one with plenty of hype before - only to never live up to said hype.

It should go without saying that if Arsenal are to make a serious push for a first Premier League title since 2004, the North Londoners will need Gyökeres to rediscover his peak form and sustain it. Last season, Arsenal scored 22 fewer league goals than they had the season before - and this relative lack of goalscoring output caused Arsenal to finish the 2024-25 Premier League with 74 points as opposed to 89 in 2023-24. A tally of 89 points would, in fact, have won them the league last season.

On the surface, Gyökeres appears to check every box as far as what Arsenal need in a centre-forward. In addition to goalscoring, Gyökeres has a blend of technical skill and athleticism that not many strikers can boast of; he’s even above average compared to other centre-forwards at creating goalscoring chances. However, the gap between the Premier League and the Primeira Liga coupled with the fact that there’s more pressure on him than there has been on any Arsenal signing in a long time might just cause him to be unable to fulfill the hype.

All of that being said, most would say that Viktor Gyökeres does have what it takes to become Arsenal’s next great striker. However, if he’s to do so, performances like the one he just had against Manchester United won’t cut it at all.

The Weekly Take, Issue 374: One Decent Signing - But That's It

Basically nobody genuinely believes that any club other than Bayern Munich has any chance whatsoever of winning the Bundesliga title in the 2025-26 season - and understandably so. The Bavarian club won the league title by a whopping 13 points over Bayer Leverkusen last season and not only that - during this current off-season, Leverkusen have been picked apart to such an extent that just two years after their astonishing league title victory in which they finished the 2023-24 season unbeaten in the league, Leverkusen are unlikely to finish second in the league again.

This therefore means that while the prospects of any club besides Bayern winning the league are essentially zero, the race for second place in the league is well and truly on with clubs such as Eintracht Frankfurt, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, and Mainz all having genuine chances of finishing the 2025-26 Bundesliga season as runners-up behind Bayern.

Earlier this week, Frankfurt made a signing which may have gone under the radar for many but might have just given themselves a leg up over their rivals - especially since the player who just signed for Die Adler came from a club which finished relatively close to them in the league last season. For a transfer fee of €21 million, Frankfurt have just signed Japanese winger Ritsu Dōan from SC Freiburg.

In this transfer window, by far the biggest story surrounding Frankfurt was the departure of French striker Hugo Ekitike to Liverpool for the eye-popping fee of €95 million. As a result, Frankfurt have plenty of money to work with - especially after combining this with what they received for the mid-season sale of Omar Marmoush to Manchester City.

The arrival of Dōan at Deutsche Bank Park will certainly go some way towards mitigating the effects of Marmoush's and Ekitike's departures. The winger from Hyogo has clearly emerged as Freiburg's best player; bringing him in for just €21 million was a huge win on Frankfurt's part. More than likely, the fact that Frankfurt were able to add Dōan to their roster for a surprisingly low transfer fee had to do with the fact that they will be in the Champions League this season while Freiburg will not.

This does, however, beg the question: what's next for Frankfurt? They're sitting on a huge amount of money generated via two massive player sales but have barely gotten through any of it - even after the signing of Dōan. Especially considering Leverkusen's likely decline, the fact that Frankfurt haven't gone on to capitalize on this and make a few more notable signings says alot. Although Frankfurt are a Champions League club and now one able to make big transfer bids on one or two more players, it has never been more obvious that Frankfurt have never been and likely will never be a "destination" club.

Earlier in this off-season, Frankfurt missed out on Danish midfielder Victor Froholdt after Porto beat them to his signing. The Primeira Liga club beat Frankfurt to Froholdt after they signed him for €20 million, and it should go without saying that this is a really bad look as far as Frankfurt are concerned. A club which should be in contention for second place in the Bundesliga have been beaten to the signing of a 19-year-old Danish midfielder who's not even regarded as an elite young prospect.

If Frankfurt somehow fail to finish the upcoming Bundesliga season in the top four and thus miss out on a Champions League spot, there's no question at all that they will look back on this transfer window and rue the fact that they didn't do more with the newfound wealth at their disposal. Even if Frankfurt couldn't land a bona fide star, they should have brought in at least two or three more starter-level players besides Dōan with the money from the Marmoush and Ekitike sales.

It must, of course, be kept in mind that even after losing Marmoush to City last season, Eintracht Frankfurt were nonetheless able to finish third in the league, and there's a case to be made that Dōan is a better player than Ekitike is. However, one can't help but have the feeling that in this transfer window, Frankfurt have passed up multiple opportunities to strengthen their squad.

The Weekly Take, Issue 373: The Continent's GOAT Wraps Up an Epic Decade

With 454 matches, 173 goals, the 2020 Puskás Award, the 2022 Premier League Golden Boot, and most importantly of all, the 2025 Europa League title under his belt, Tottenham Hotspur legend Son Heung-min wrapped up an incredible decade at the North London club in an off-season friendly which finished in a 1-1 draw.

The match itself, however, was barely even relevant - it was merely the backdrop of the main story: Son’s final match as a Tottenham player. The deafening applause that the South Korean winger received when was substituted in the 65th minute as he stepped off the turf in a Tottenham jersey for the very last time said it all. While it hasn’t yet been outright confirmed, it’s all but certain that Son will end up signing for MLS club Los Angeles FC.

There are so many angles from which we could look back at Son’s career - but the most important has to be the fact that by a large margin, Son is the greatest player to ever come out of Asia. This was a title which prior to Son’s emergence had multiple viable candidates: Shunsuke Nakamura, Park Ji-sung, and Yūto Nagatomo are some of the legends whose names might have once been brought up.

However, there’s no question that at this point, Son has left them all in the dust. It’s not even close anymore. None of the others had ever been arguably the best player of a team contending for a Champions League spot. None of them had even been considered as perhaps one of the 10 best players in the world even at their absolute apex. And most importantly, none of them have even been close to being able to elevate the profile of Asian football in general to the extent that Son has.

It’s very possible - in fact, probable even - that Son chose this off-season to leave Tottenham because he did something that legendary names like Gareth Bale, Luka Modrić, and Harry Kane never could; that, of course, would be being the best player on a title-winning Tottenham team. True, it was “only” the Europa League - not one of the three major titles - and it was over a Manchester United side which were coming to the end of an abject season - but one has to keep in mind that Tottenham’s trophy drought stretched all the way back to 2008.

In addition, Tottenham themselves had endured a dismal Premier League campaign which saw them finish 17th, just one spot ahead of the relegation zone. Despite firing Ange Postecoglou after his eventful two-year stint coaching Tottenham, there’s no guarantee that things will change for the better at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the coming season. With their best player now gone as well, relegation is absolutely on the table. It could be many, many years before Tottenham again add to their trophy cabinet - and that, combined with the end of the “lads, it’s Tottenham” jokes - made the Europa League victory especially sweet. That one Europa League title was not only the most fitting of swansongs - it will also forever serve as the symbol of Son’s legacy at the club.

On that note, this brings up the question: where does Son Heung-min rank among all of Tottenham’s all-time greats? Well, given everything he did in his 10 years at the club, it’s safe to say that Son is easily the fourth head on Tottenham’s Mount Rushmore alongside those of Kane, Jimmy Greaves, and Glenn Hoddle.

He’s in the club’s top 10 in appearances and goals, was thrice selected as the club’s Player of the Season, and ever since Kane’s departure for Bayern Munich in the 2023 off-season has been just about the only thing that Tottenham have had going for them. For all but his first year at Tottenham, he was no worse than the third-best player on the team.

With Son Heung-min’s departure for California, Tottenham Hotspur will enter the 2025-26 season not only as fringe relegation candidates, but also without even one truly elite player on their roster for the first time in many years. It’s safe to say that whatever happens to Tottenham going forward, the man from Chuncheon in the #7 jersey will be all but impossible to replace.

The Weekly Take, Issue 372: The Final Piece of The Next Superteam

The biggest transfer of the ongoing off-season transfer window recently wrapped up when Arsenal landed Viktor Gyökeres for just under €66 million. The Swedish striker, who has signed a five-year contract with the Gunners, is Arsenal’s biggest signing since bringing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to the Emirates Stadium in January 2018.

However, by the time the transfer window wraps up, Arsenal’s pursuit and signing of Gyökeres might not even end up being the standout transfer involving a Swedish striker signing for a Premier League club. Newcastle United centre-forward Alexander Isak has indicated that he has intentions to leave St James’ Park; as of right now it appears most likely that Isak will eventually sign for Liverpool.

Two seasons ago, Isak had his breakout campaign at Newcastle, scoring 21 goals and establishing himself as a genuine superstar around whom an elite attack could be built, thus fulfilling the immense potential he showed in his younger days which led Borussia Dortmund to sign him at just the age of 17. However, the reality is that the Magpies simply don’t have the kind of pull which would attract other top players despite their immense wealth bankrolled by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund. As such, if Isak is to be on a team which will seriously contend for titles on a perennial basis, he’ll almost certainly have to leave Tyneside.

If Isak does indeed join the reigning Premier League champions, he might just be the final piece to what would be undeniably the most formidable attacking line in world football. Having already added Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike to play alongside club legend Mohamed Salah, Liverpool’s potential addition of Isak would not only make the Reds the overwhelming favourites to win back-to-back league titles for the first time since the 1982-83 and 1983-84 seasons; it would also place them as arguably the favorites to win the Champions League for the seventh time in club history.

Over the past few years, Liverpool haven’t spent all that much on new signings; however, the Merseysiders’ heavy spending in this transfer window has shown that all along they were waiting for just the right opportunity to step in and pour out the big money to bring their dream signings to Anfield. In this transfer window, Liverpool have already spent over €300 million on five players (as well as one free transfer) including Wirtz, Ekitike, and Jeremie Frimpong. As such, even though Newcastle are currently insisting on £150 million - a fee which would be the third-most expensive ever and frankly a significant overpay - Liverpool might nonetheless make the move if for no other reason that players of Isak’s calibre don’t often emerge as prime transfer candidates like this.

At the end of the 2023-24 season, Jürgen Klopp left the Anfield dugout having unquestionably solidified his position as one of the greatest coaches of all time after a legendary nine-year stint at Liverpool. Following Klopp’s departure and the arrival of his replacement Arne Slot, most Liverpool fans anticipated what seemed to be an inevitable step backwards in the upcoming season.

Instead, Liverpool’s first season of the Slot era turned out to be far more successful than anything which the vast majority of their fans could have imagined, at least as far as the league was concerned. Liverpool won the league without much serious competition, finishing ahead of second-placed Arsenal by a 10-point margin. On top of that, Salah finished the season as the league’s leading goalscorer for the fourth time in his career.

The major blemish on their season, however, came in the Champions League. Liverpool were knocked out in the round of 16, losing to eventual champions Paris Saint-Germain in a penalty shootout. Based on everything they’ve been doing in this transfer window, it’s obvious that this is something which Liverpool are taking very seriously. Liverpool have only advanced beyond the Champions League quarterfinals once over the past six seasons; however, with what they’ve already done transfer-wise, this statistic is more likely to change this upcoming season than not.

The signing of Alexander Isak by Liverpool, if it does happen, would not only be the highlight of this off-season; it might just be the final piece to complete what would, at least on paper, be a team for the ages.

The Weekly Take, Issue 371: Another Botched Transfer Window?

Not long after returning from the United States with the Club World Cup in possession after destroying Paris Saint-Germain in the final, Chelsea soon picked up another W - this time off the field; specifically, after flat-out scamming Arsenal in their sale of winger Noni Madueke to their London rivals for a transfer fee of £48.5 million.

In the two seasons and a half that Madueke spent at Chelsea, he showed absolutely nothing even remotely resembling the level of play that would’ve merited his hefty transfer fee. While Madueke is no scrub by any means, based on what we’ve seen from him so far, his ceiling isn’t anywhere near as high as his transfer fee - almost one and a half times his projected transfer value - might indicate.

As for Arsenal, they appear to be once again fumbling the transfer window - the main reason why the Gunners haven’t won a title of any sort since their FA Cup victory in the 2019-20 season. This can clearly be seen not only by the fact that they significantly overpaid for Madueke, but also in how they’re struggling to close out a huge transfer deal that seemed to be a lock not too long ago: the signing of Swedish striker Viktor Gyökeres.

After looking so close to landing by far their biggest signing since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Borussia Dortmund in January 2018, progress on Gyökeres’ move to Arsenal has stalled and even more gallingly, might be beaten to the punch by Manchester United - a team which finished just 15th in the Premier League last season in what was their worst league campaign in 51 years and realistically should have no business landing a player on Gyökeres’ level.

If Arsenal are to seriously challenge Liverpool and Manchester City on the domestic front next season, they absolutely have to get things right in the transfer window. Instead, what they’ve been doing so far has been the exact opposite. Going back to the signing of Madueke, it was an obvious panic move which showed absolutely no forethought whatsoever; on top of the excessive transfer fee, it remains to be seen just how he will slot into Arsenal’s starting 11 - if he even can. There’s a possibility that Arsenal just spent all that money to bring in an expensive benchwarmer.

The argument that Arsenal don’t have the financial might that City do isn’t a viable one either; Liverpool just won the league by a landslide last season and they too aren’t working with that kind of budget. For years now Arsenal have been playing catch-up in the transfer window; if not for that, it’s very possible that Arsenal’s trophy drought wouldn’t have stretched to five years by now.

To put into perspective how pessimistic Arsenal fans are about the Madueke signing, after it was confirmed that it was likely that Madueke would be signing for Arsenal, many Arsenal fans took the the internet with the hashtag #NoToMadueke. While it’s of course not out of the question that Madueke defies the critics and has a career-best year in his first season at the Emirates Stadium, everything around the move is really not looking good as of right now.

There’s no good reason why a club of Arsenal’s level should have failed to bring in a total of one bona fide superstar over the last decade. Although there’s still more than a month left of the transfer window remaining, Arsenal’s track record in this area over preceding years speaks for itself - it would be almost unprecedented if Arsenal were to somehow make things work. At this point it wouldn’t even be surprising if Arsenal were to lose Gyökeres to United.

Every off-season it appears as though Arsenal enter the transfer window without a coherent plan and as a result start the new season several steps behind their direct league rivals. As of right now, it seems as though this will once again be the case in the 2025-26 season. Once again, Arsenal don’t seem likely to have the personnel to be taken seriously as a genuine league title contender as the new season approaches.

If Arsenal are to win the Premier League title for the first time since 2004, it’s all but necessary that they must sign not only Gyökeres, but also several other key additions - and not questionable signings like Noni Madueke. 

The Weekly Take, Issue 370: Mr. Clutch Does It Again

The final of the Club World Cup had been expected to be one-sided. With the exception of an unexpected group stage loss against Botafogo, Paris Saint-Germain had been taking apart every team that stood in their path. It looked almost certain that PSG, fresh off a historic first-ever Champions League victory, could not be stopped on their imperious charge to the Club World Cup title.

PSG would be playing against Chelsea in the final. The Blues didn’t even top their group after having lost to Flamengo and prior to the final, the only opponent that they faced who had been expected to give the London club any trouble was Benfica, who took Chelsea to extra time before eventually succumbing. Even against these lesser opponents, Chelsea were unimpressive but nonetheless managed to get over the line.

With all this in mind, almost no one gave the London club any chance whatsoever to even slightly trouble the reigning European champions. As things turned out, however, it was indeed a one-sided result - but in a way opposite of what most were expecting. Chelsea beat PSG 3-0 to clinch the title in the first iteration of the revamped Club World Cup.

Chelsea scored all three goals in the first half. Cole Palmer opened the scoring in the 22nd minute, placing his shot from the edge of the penalty area into the bottom corner of the net after having been set up by Malo Gusto. Eight minutes later, Palmer made it 2-0 with a goal that appeared to be remarkably similar to his first - only this time around, he was assisted by Levi Colwill.

Two minutes before the half-time break, Chelsea scored their third with Palmer setting up Brazilian striker João Pedro, Chelsea’s new signing from Brighton & Hove Albion. Capping off PSG’s crushing loss was a red card issued to midfielder João Neves with just five minutes of regulation time remaining following a VAR check.

In any case, the main point following the match was obvious: Cole Palmer has done it again. With two goals and an assist, Palmer has now racked up six goal contributions over his last three finals for both club and country. The Manchester-born winger isn’t just unfazed by the pressure of the big occasion - he thrives under it.

Slightly less than two months ago, Palmer had two assists in another outstanding display in the UEFA Conference League final against Real Betis; he was at the heart of just about everything meaningful that Chelsea did and was then, as he was in the Club World Cup final, named man of the match.

Ever since arriving at Stamford Bridge two years ago after signing from Manchester City, Palmer has time and again put Chelsea on his back and dragged what has often been a very mediocre team to results far beyond what one would ordinarily expect of them. Now, it finally seems as though after years of underwhelming rosters, Chelsea have finally put together a reasonably competitive roster that might just be enough to give Palmer the support he needs.

Of course, Chelsea aren’t going to be the favourites to win the Premier League - those would, as usual, be City and reigning champions Liverpool - but based on what we saw in the final, for the first time since the 2018-19 season, Chelsea will have at least a puncher’s chance of winning the league for the first time since the 2016-17 season.

Adding another layer to this is the World Cup which will take place at the conclusion of the upcoming season. There’s a case to be made that Palmer is already England’s best player right now. At just the age of 23 (24 by the time the World Cup begins), Palmer might already be the player around whom England’s first World Cup-winning team in 60 years could be built. It’s often the case that the Three Lions have wilted under the highest pressure - but Palmer has done the opposite time and again.

Chelsea will enter the 2025-26 season having fired the first salvo - they’ve now shown what they’re truly capable of. And, with Cole Palmer in this form, still several years from his apex, and now surrounded by the team he always should’ve been, for the first time in ages Chelsea are a bona fide force again.

The Weekly Take, Issue 369: Rallying to Honor a Legacy

Earlier this week, the global football community was brought to a standstill following the tragic news that Liverpool striker Diogo Jota had, alongside his brother, Penafiel midfielder André Silva, died in a car crash in Spain. Jota was just 28.

Of course, this could not go unmentioned at the ongoing Club World Cup. Before all four quarterfinals, a minute’s silence was observed; in addition, before the match between Palmeiras and Chelsea, Pedro Neto, the Chelsea winger who had played alongside Jota as part of Portugal’s Euro 2024 team, entered the field holding a customized jersey with Jota and Silva’s first names on it.

There were also two further tributes by way of goal celebrations. Real Madrid’s match against Borussia Dortmund culminated in a frantic stoppage-time period featuring three goals including a spectacular bicycle kick scored by Kylian Mbappé. Following the goal, Mbappé flashed the number 20—Jota’s jersey number—with his hands in front of the pitchside camera. Real would go on to win 3-2.

In the earlier quarterfinal, Paris Saint-Germain beat Bayern Munich 2-0 to advance to the semifinals despite having both Willian Pacho and Lucas Hernández sent off late in the match. Ballon d’Or candidate Ousmane Dembélé scored PSG’s second goal in the sixth minute of stoppage time before mimicking Jota’s signature goal celebration - a reference to Jota’s love of the FIFA video games.

Now certainly, before we get into the discussion of the PSG vs Bayern match itself, it should go without saying that given this shocking turn of events, the actual on-field result as well as much of what I’ll be going into isn’t even close to the most important thing right now. RIP Diogo Jota and André Silva.

As for the actual match, the quarterfinal held at Mercedes-Benz Stadium was relatively balanced; no team was able to gain a clear advantage and the match remained goalless at half-time. There was, however, an ugly moment when Bayern midfielder Jamal Musiala suffered a major injury after a collision with PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. It would later be found that Musiala had fractured his fibula and will be out for approximately four to five months.

It wouldn’t be until the 78th minute when PSG would break the deadlock. Désiré Doué sent his shot from just outside the penalty area into the bottom corner of the net to put PSG a goal ahead. However, things would soon turn for the worse for PSG; just four minutes later, Ecuadorian centre-back Pacho would receive a red card following a reckless challenge on Leon Goretzka.

PSG were able to hang on to their lead heading into stoppage time; however, early into the additional minutes, the Parisian club would lose yet another player. Left-back Hernández would be PSG’s second player to receive his marching orders after elbowing Bayern substitute Raphaël Guerreiro, forcing PSG to finish the match two players down.

In one final twist, though, PSG were undeterred by this and went on to score a second goal to seal the victory - the aforementioned goal which Dembélé scored. It was a first-time shot after the Frenchman was set up by Achraf Hakimi. This would mean that PSG would go on to play against Real in the semifinal to be played at MetLife Stadium.

Going back to the earlier points made, it has to be noted that PSG have four Portuguese players on their team including three who are regular starters: Nuno Mendes, João Neves, and Vitinha. It could absolutely have been the case - in fact, it was more than likely - that the three of them were spurred on by the thought of “winning it for Diogo”.

With Liverpool not in the Club World Cup, PSG now find themselves in the unfamiliar position of being the sentimental favorites because of the new narrative that has so tragically arisen. There couldn’t be a more apt way to cap off this tournament than, being led by their Portuguese trio, PSG following up their historic Champions League title with a Club World Cup triumph in memory of Diogo Jota.

As cliché as it may sound, sometimes “playing for a cause bigger than oneself” unlocks a level of play that might previously not have seemed attainable - and for all we know, that might soon be what Paris Saint-Germain will experience

The Weekly Take, Issue 368: There Are (Still) Levels to This

Heading into the Club World Cup round of 16 match between Benfica and Chelsea, some had claimed that this match was a genuine opportunity for Benfica to pick up an upset win over their English opponents and advance to the tournament quarterfinals.

Considering the fact that Benfica were in good form heading into the knockout stage and coming off an impressive win over Bayern Munich while Chelsea looked rather pedestrian throughout the group stage, it really did seem as though the Portuguese club did, in fact, have a puncher’s chance to score their second straight underdog victory en route to the last eight.

Although Chelsea had the bulk of the possession and the clear majority of the goalscoring chances, they weren’t able to turn these advantages into actual results on the scoreboard in the first half. It wasn’t until the 64th minute when Reece James buried a free kick in the bottom corner of the net. However, the biggest twist of all was yet to come.

Shortly after stoppage time began, the match was paused due to the risk of lightning at the Bank of America Stadium. Play would not resume until two hours later - and shortly after the action resumed, Benfica earned a penalty. Chelsea full-back Malo Gusto was found to have committed a handball off Benfica centre-back Nicolás Otamendi’s header. Benfica’s veteran winger Ángel Di María, who had previously confirmed that he would be leaving the club after the tournament to return to his hometown club Rosario Central, converted from the spot to send the match to extra time.

However, that would be as far as Benfica would get; Chelsea would take over in extra time. Goals scored by Christopher Nkunku, Pedro Neto, and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall ensured that the Blues would make it to the quarterfinals with a 4-1 victory - though to be fair to Benfica, it was a scoreline that gave the impression that the match was more lop-sided than it really was.

That being said, the clear take-away from the match was this: the gap between the elite European leagues and the rest has never been more obvious. Excluding Paris Saint-Germain’s victory this season - an outlier due to the club’s enormous financial resources - no club from outside Spain, Italy, England, or Germany has won the Champions League since Porto in 2004; there almost certainly never will again with the possible exception of PSG.

Due to current league revenue trends, this disparity is certain to grow as time passes. The share of total revenue with the European professional football system that these top leagues take up has been increasing and with the compounding effect that this increased revenue allows to happen by facilitating broadcasting rights and branding as well as drawing in the best players who seek the big money at an elite club, among other things, the leading leagues’ portion will further increase.

The reality is this: at this point there’s almost nothing that the rest of the clubs outside the biggest leagues can really do anymore. It’s almost a guarantee that as soon as a superstar emerges in one of those lesser leagues, the player in question will soon be signed by a club from one of the top leagues.

So what’s the solution at this point? Frankly, there isn’t really a simple answer. That said, tournaments like this revamped Club World Cup would be a good start - these competitions award much money to even teams who don’t get all that far into the tournament, giving these clubs from lesser leagues a much-welcomed financial boost.

It might also be time for UEFA to look into restructuring how the Champions League’s revenue distributions are set up. By doing so, the disparity between clubs from the leading leagues and the rest could potentially be reduced to some extent.

Finally - and this is admittedly a radical proposal which I’m honestly on the fence over - would barring teams from the strongest leagues from entry into the Europa League and Conference League be an effective step? This way, teams from the weaker leagues would not only accumulate more tournament revenue, but also have more of a platform to showcase what they’re truly capable of - and perhaps eventually paving the way for these clubs to land lucrative sponsorship or other financial deals.

The Weekly Take, Issue 367: The Early Signs Aren't Promising

Chelsea entered the Club World Cup eager to follow up on a strong finish to the season which saw the London club clinch qualification for next season’s Champions League before beating Real Betis in the final of the Conference League. However, their match against Flamengo during the group stage’s second matchday showed that despite being the clear favourites to advance from Group D, it was never going to be “as simple as that”.

Chelsea succumbed to a 3-1 loss against Flamengo at Lincoln Financial Field. Although Pedro Neto opened the scoring for the Blues in the 13th minute, that would end up being as good as things would get for Chelsea. From that point forth, Flamengo took control of the match and were rather unlucky not to enter the half-time interval on level terms.

This would change after the break. Just seven minutes after replacing midfielder Giorgian De Arrascaeta, Bruno Henrique scored Flamengo’s equalizer to start what would be a frenetic next six minutes. Three minutes later, Henrique would set up Flamengo’s second goal scored by centre-back Danilo. To make matters worse for Chelsea, just three minutes after Flamengo’s second goal, Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson received a red card after a severe foul on Flamengo full-back Ayrton Lucas. The Senegalese striker had barely spent any time on the field at the time as he had replaced Liam Delap slightly over four minutes before the incident.

In the 85th minute, Flamengo closed the door on Chelsea for good. Substitute Wallace Yan scored the Brazilian club’s winning goal to ensure a spot in the round of 16 and leave Chelsea needing to avoid defeat against Tunisian side Espérance Tunis to make it to the last 16. While theoretically that shouldn’t be too difficult, the fact that things have played out in this way spotlight several key issues for Chelsea.

In both matches so far, new signing Delap hasn’t looked impressive at all. Though it’s of course way too early to come to a conclusion, Chelsea’s new acquisition from Ipswich Town certainly has not appeared to live up to the £30 million price tag that he was signed for. What makes matters worse is the fact that Delap wears perhaps the most “cursed” jersey in world football - the Chelsea 9.

Over the past two decades or so, striker after striker (and even some non-strikers) have put on the Chelsea 9; every single one has ended up failing to fulfill the expectations. Considering the fact that this is a monumental step up for Delap - though he has played for Manchester City before, he hardly ever received any playing time while there - it’s certainly possible that he’ll end up adding his name to the infamous list.

It’s also notable that Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca chose to switch things up tactically, going with a 4-3-3 formation instead of the usual 4-2-3-1 and starting superstar attacking midfielder Cole Palmer at right wing instead of his usual preferred spot. This change didn’t help at all - Chelsea’s attacking unit, including Palmer, looked disjointed and out of sync throughout the whole match with the exception of Portuguese winger Neto. It’s clear that this was an example of “trying to fix something that didn’t need to be fixed”. Maresca needs to switch back to the usual 4-2-3-1 if Chelsea are to make a serious run at the Club World Cup title.

Of course, many will make the point about how Chelsea, like other European clubs, aren’t as acclimatized to the conditions as their South American counterparts as well as the fact that they’ve accumulated more fatigue as they are playing after a long season rather than in the mid-season like the South American clubs. While true, the gap between Chelsea and Flamengo should have been large enough that neither should have been a serious factor in what ought to have been a routine victory for Chelsea. In addition, with regard to acclimatization, by this point they ought to have become accustomed to the conditions - after all, this match was from the second matchday.

For what it’s worth, Chelsea, as mentioned, are very likely to advance to the last 16 as their final group stage opponent isn’t a particularly difficult one. However, based on what Chelsea showed against Flamengo, in this form even what should be an easy win isn’t as guaranteed as it perhaps should be.

The Weekly Take, Issue 366: End-of-Season Special: Top 10 Moments of the Season

The 2024-25 European club football season has now wrapped up, so let's now take a look back at some of the standout highlights during it.

Kylian Mbappé signs for Real Madrid (June 3, 2024)

After years of speculation surrounding a possible move from Paris Saint-Germain to Real, Kylian Mbappé confirmed that he would be signing for Real near the end of the 2023-24 season. Not long after Real closed out the season by winning the Champions League for a record-extending 15th time, Mbappé made his move to the Santiago Bernabéu official.

Despite a slow start to the season, Mbappé soon found the level of form that justified the hype behind his arrival at Real. The French striker would go on to win the European Golden Shoe with 31 league goals; however, in spite of his success on the individual front, Real would finish the season without any titles after losing La Liga and the Copa del Rey to arch-rivals Barcelona; they were also knocked out of the Champions League in the quarterfinals against Arsenal.

Antonio Conte takes over at Napoli (June 5, 2024)

After a feeble attempt at a Serie A title defense in the 2023-24 season which saw Napoli finish just 10th. It was a turbulent season which saw three different head coaches spend time in the dugout at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. In response, yet another change was made heading into the 2024-25 season with Antonio Conte taking over.

Conte proved that his difficult stint at Tottenham Hotspur - his most recent position prior to Napoli - was an outlier in what has been a highly decorated career. With Conte at the helm, Napoli reclaimed the Scudetto, beating Inter to the title by two points. It was Conte’s fifth Serie A title as a coach and sixth overall across major European leagues.

Manchester City 2-2 Arsenal (September 22, 2024)

This ended up being more than just an early-season clash between two Premier League title contenders. By far the biggest story of the match wasn’t the result itself; it was the fact that City’s superstar defensive midfielder Rodri - about to be the newly-minted Ballon d’Or winner - tore his ACL and would go on to miss almost the entirety of the rest of the season, only returning during the very last matchday.

Rodri’s absence completely derailed City’s season. Following this match, the Citizens were nowhere near the level they were capable of playing at for the remainder of the campaign. City finished the season without a trophy for the first time in eight years.

Real Madrid 0-4 Barcelona (October 27, 2024)

Despite being relatively early in the season, this particular iteration of El Clásico ended up setting the tone for how things would eventually play out. In an absolutely dominant showing, Barça took Real apart at the Santiago Bernabéu. Not even for a moment did Real even appear to pose anything resembling a threat to Barça.

This victory as well as Barça’s subsequent win in the reverse fixture later in the season proved to be crucial to the league title race; Barça would go on to win La Liga ahead of Real by four points. Barça would also beat Real in the Copa del Rey final to clinch a domestic double while Real would finish the season empty-handed.

Khvicha Kvaratshkelia signs for Paris Saint-Germain (January 17, 2025)

Throughout the first half of the season, “Kvara” had not only unquestionably been Napoli’s best player; the Georgian was also arguably the best player in Serie A. As such, his mid-season switch to PSG for €70 million was the clear highlight of the January transfer window.

Kvaratshkelia’s impact in the French capital was almost immediate; in addition to helping them clinch a domestic league title against, to be quite frank, vastly inferior opposition, Kvaratshkelia played a vital role in bringing PSG the club’s first-ever Champions League title and by doing so, made himself one of the leading candidates to win the Ballon d’Or.

Kevin De Bruyne announces departure from Manchester City (April 4, 2025)

The greatest player to ever put on a City jersey called time on a spectacular decade-long stint at the Etihad Stadium. Over 10 years, De Bruyne played over 400 matches for City and established himself as one of the greatest midfielders of all time. He was twice named Premier League Player of the Season and was a perennial Ballon d’Or candidate in his prime.

De Bruyne, who has now left City for reigning Serie A champions Napoli, will be honoured with a statue in front of the Etihad; he will become the seventh City player to be immortalized with one. There’s a strong case to be made that De Bruyne isn’t just City’s and Belgium’s GOAT - he’s arguably the greatest player of the modern era of English club football which started in 1992-93.

Inter Milan 4-3 Barcelona (May 7, 2025)

This Champions League semifinal’s second leg was match of the season without any question whatsoever. Following a 3-3 first leg in Catalonia, a spot in the final hung in the balance. Although Barça had the bulk of the goalscoring chances and the vast majority of the possession, Inter went into half-time with a 2-0 lead on the night and thus a 5-3 aggregate lead.

Astonishingly, Barça turned it around and after the 87th minute, the Blaugrana led 3-2 and were in position to make the Champions League final for the first time in a decade. Despite this, the most stunning twist was to come - Francesco Acerbi scored Inter’s equalizer in stoppage time before Davide Frattesi’s extra-time winner put Inter in the final for the second time in three seasons.

Luka Modrić announces departure from Real Madrid (May 22, 2025)

Not long after De Bruyne’s announcement, Modrić would do likewise, bringing down the curtain on a 13-year stint at Real. During his time at Real, the legendary Croatian midfielder not only broke the Ballon d’Or duopoly of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in 2018; he also won a joint-record six Champions League titles alongside teammates Nacho and Dani Carvajal.

Modrić will make his decision on his next club after the Club World Cup - assuming he doesn’t choose to retire at the age of 40. So impressive was Modrić’s career at Real that when he was substituted in his final match for the club, he received a guard of honour not only from his own teammates, but also those of opponents Real Sociedad; a fittingly remarkable tribute for an even more remarkable player.

Napoli 2-0 Cagliari (May 24, 2025)

By far the most compelling of the league title races among the major European leagues this season was Serie A’s. Napoli and Inter headed into the final matchday with a chance at the Scudetto; Napoli led by one point which meant that all they needed to do to win the league for the second time in three seasons was to beat Cagliari at home.

Napoli duly did so, beating their Sardinian opponents 2-0 to win the league for the fourth time in club history - especially impressive considering Kvaratshkelia’s aforementioned mid-season departure to PSG. Even after his departure, Napoli didn’t miss a beat with the rest of the squad stepping up to fill the void; midfielder Scott McTominay was also named Serie A’s Player of the Season.

Paris Saint-Germain 5-0 Inter Milan (June 1, 2025)

PSG could not have secured their first-ever Champions League title and smashed their seemingly perpetual “Champions League curse” in a more stunning fashion. It was the largest margin of victory in the final in the entire history of the tournament dating back almost seven decades.

Inter never stood a chance as PSG dominated the match right from opening kick-off and never looked back. In one glorious evening, the Parisian club banished every demon that had ever afflicted them over their years of struggles on European football’s biggest stage and completed a remarkable turnaround even in the same season, going from almost being eliminated in the league phase to winning it all.

The Weekly Take, Issue 365: A Statement Performance - But Not the One Most Were Expecting

Regardless of the result of the 2024-25 UEFA Nations League final, one thing would be certain: whichever team would come out on top would become the first-ever team to win multiple editions of the tournament. The final was an Iberian derby pitting 2019 champions Portugal against reigning European champions Spain who were also targeting back-to-back Nations League titles.

Right from the start, Spain had the majority of the possession and thus goalscoring chances—and they took advantage of this by scoring first. Real Sociedad midfielder Martín Zubimendi opened the scoring for La Furia Roja in the 21st minute. However, this lead didn’t last long as just five minutes later, Paris Saint-Germain left-back Nuno Mendes scored Portugal’s equalizer after having been set up by Pedro Neto. Spain continued to push and regained the lead shortly before half-time with Mikel Oyarzabal getting on the scoresheet.

Then, in the 61st minute, in what almost felt like a scripted moment, Cristiano Ronaldo turned back the clock to score his record-extending 138th career international goal. Neither side could find the net after that; as such, the match went to extra time which also failed to yield a winner.

Thus, for the second Nations League final in a row, the title would be decided via penalty shootout. After Portugal’s first four and Spain’s first three penalty takers connected with their attempts, Spain’s veteran striker Álvaro Morata stepped forward for his team’s fourth penalty. However, Morata would be denied by Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa, giving Rúben Neves the chance to clinch the title for Portugal. Neves converted his penalty to clinch Portugal’s second Nations League championship.

This match marked the last chance for certain players to make a final push for Ballon d’Or votes for this season - in particular Lamine Yamal. Having already put together an outstanding individual season with just the Champions League title eluding him, the Barcelona winger had a second chance to impress voters with another dominant showing in the final.

Instead, Yamal was outplayed by a player who put in a statement performance of his own. Mendes did so much more than just score Portugal’s first goal - he kept Yamal quiet throughout the vast majority of the match and thus neutralized Spain’s primary attacking threat and clear best player. Mendes wasn’t done at the end of extra time, either; he went on to net a penalty for Portugal during the shootout.

Even Mendes’ yellow card can be regarded as a point in his favor because he got it after a scuffle with Spain’s Álex Baena. This is because through the incident, Mendes showed his teammates that he would not be intimidated by the opposition - and that likely gave them a morale boost.

Before the final, Mendes was already regarded as the world’s best left-back at just 22. However, after having dominated the match in the way he did - most notably, the way he outplayed Yamal - Mendes surely has to be considered at least a fringe Ballon d’Or candidate.

Against Spain, Mendes showed off the whole package - not just defensively but offensively as well. There’s a case to be made that no other full-back today blends athleticism and skill in quite the way Mendes does. This combination was on full display in the Nations League final as he took Spain apart on both ends of the field.

Like many elite defenders, Mendes’ contributions have been somewhat underrated throughout this season. However, it must be remembered that he was the one who put the clamps on players like Mohamed Salah and Bukayo Saka on PSG’s path to their first-ever Champions League title. Couple that elite defensive ability with top-tier link-up play, off-ball runs, and playmaking and it should be obvious that Mendes deserves to be at least considered for world football’s highest individual honour.

Of course, this will be a tall order; in addition to the fact that Mendes is a defender, he will have to contend with his own PSG teammates to even get a vote. Additionally, Mendes did miss a decent chunk of the season via injury - a factor which could scupper any chance he might have had to receive any votes at all. This is truly unfortunate because, as has just been proven, Nuno Mendes is a bona fide superstar who deserves to be regarded on a level at least close to the current Ballon d’Or favourites.

The Weekly Take, Issue 364: Hell Has Frozen Over

Paris Saint-Germain have just won the UEFA Champions League.

Read that sentence again. This is neither AI nor a simulation. Yes, PSG really did win it all.

For years I have been firmly on the “PSG will never win the Champions League” bandwagon—and understandably so. Year after year after year, the Parisian club would somehow find new ways to bungle their Champions League campaign despite often having a stacked squad—and this was reflected in the fact that at one point, PSG were eliminated from the tournament in the round of 16 five times in seven seasons—and though they made it to the final in one of the other two, that was the Covid-impacted 2019-20 season and must therefore be regarded as an outlier since its conditions were a one-off.

Even earlier this season, PSG struggled to even make it through the league phase, eventually avoiding complete elimination but only finishing in 15th place. This meant that PSG would have to go through a play-in for a spot in the last 16. After beating French compatriots Brest in the play-in, PSG advanced to the round of 16 where they would face would-be English champions Liverpool. PSG were widely tipped to be soundly beaten by the Merseysiders - but that’s when the switch suddenly flipped.

PSG would go on to knock Liverpool and subsequently Arsenal out of the tournament before winning the Champions League for the first time in club history with a spectacular 5-0 demolition of Inter Milan at the Allianz Arena - the most one-sided Champions League final of all time. The PSG that showed up to the final could not have looked more different to the one which barely scraped through the league phase as they exorcised their Champions League demons in the most remarkable fashion imaginable.

The outcome of the final was never in doubt from the opening whistle; in fact, it could even have been said of Inter that they were rather fortunate to have lost by just five goals as the margin of victory could easily have been larger.

While there are multiple reasons as to why PSG were able to turn things around in the way they did, one of the most significant has to be the mid-season acquisition of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia from Napoli. PSG’s signing of the Georgian for €70 million is already looking like an absolute bargain. “Kvara”, who was clearly Napoli’s best player at the time of his departure and even having played just half a season, was one of the key factors behind Napoli’s Serie A victory this season, picked up right where he left off when he arrived in the French capital.

Kvaratskhelia ended up being “the missing piece” that PSG had needed all along; the club’s Champions League form did an almost complete reversal following his arrival at the Parc des Princes. Arguably more than any other player, Kvaratskhelia embodies the new-look PSG - able to make game-changing spectacular plays out of nowhere, yet always willing to put in a real shift and do the dirty work such as making important tackles or tracking back. There aren’t too many wingers about whom this can be said; it’s one of the many reasons why Kvaratskhelia has now emerged as a bona fide Ballon d’Or contender.

In fact, if I had a Ballon d’Or vote, I would actually have Kvaratskhelia as my first-place vote ahead of two other wingers - I’d have Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal in second and Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah in third. The impact that Kvratskhelia has had this season on not one, but two different clubs can’t be understated. Had he not left Napoli, he would’ve been Serie A’s Player of the Year by a large margin and had he never arrived at PSG, they would certainly not have won the Champions League.

Paris Saint-Germain have widely been praised for their transformation from a team overly dependent on a handful of superstars to a true team where everyone has become a contributor. Arguably no player has exemplified this idea this season than Khvicha Kvaratshkelia - so in that sense, it’s fitting that his acquisition was the turning point of PSG’s season. While what the team as a whole has accomplished is certainly not to be downplayed, there’s no question that signing Kvaratshkelia gave their victorious Champions League campaign the kickstart it needed.

The Weekly Take, Issue 363: Three Legends Sign Off

The end of the Premier League and La Liga seasons also meant the end of the stints of three of the all-time greats—two players and a manager—at their respective clubs. Luka Modrić and Kevin De Bruyne wrapped up their tenures of 13 and 10 years at Real Madrid and Manchester City respectively while in Real’s dugout, Carlo Ancelotti concluded his second spell at the helm of Los Merengues; his return to the Santiago Bernabéu took his total time spent in the role to six years.

All three were able to finish on a high note: Real Madrid beat Real Sociedad while Manchester City beat Fulham; both wins were by 2-0 scorelines. In Real’s match, a Kylian Mbappé brace was enough to secure Real’s victory; as for City, İlkay Gündoğan’s spectacular bicycle kick put them a goal ahead before half-time; after the break, Erling Haaland’s penalty made all three points safe.

However, given the events of the day as well as the fact that both teams had already clinched Champions League qualification for next season, the actual results of both matches seemed almost inconsequential - and understandably so. Modrić, Ancelotti, and De Bruyne leave as unquestioned legends of their clubs with impacts that will forever resonate at the Bernabéu and the Etihad Stadium.

Just a few months after Modrić signed for Real back in 2012, no one would ever have believed that more than a decade later, the Croatian would be leaving the club to a standing ovation from the entire Bernabéu and a guard of honour not only from his teammates, but even Real’s opponents on the day. His time in the Spanish capital certainly didn’t start as he’d hoped - such were his early struggles that Modrić was commonly cited as the worst signing of the 2012-13 seasons.

As the years passed, though, things would change. Modrić would cement himself as an indispensable part of the Real team which would win three consecutive Champions League titles from the 2015-16 to 2017-18 seasons and become not only one of the best midfielders in the world, but of all time. Modrić’s crowning achievement was, of course, winning the Ballon d’Or in 2018. He leaves Real having represented the club in almost 600 matches and having won four La Liga titles and a joint-record six Champions Leagues.

Having coached Real to the Champions League title in 2013-14 before being somewhat surprisingly fired after a trophyless season a year later, Ancelotti returned in the 2021 off-season with unfinished business - and it didn’t take him long at all to right that wrong. In his first season back at the Bernabéu and third overall, Ancelotti helmed yet another Champions League title run to go with a La Liga title - the fourth Champions League of his career including the two he won with AC Milan in the 2000s.

Two years later, Ancelotti would once again take Real to a league and Champions League Double. With five Champions League titles under his belt, Ancelotti leaves to take over as the Brazil national team’s new head coach as clearly the greatest of all time - at this point there isn’t really a reasonable case to be made for anyone else anymore.

Over in England, De Bruyne’s final match for City came as a substitute to a rousing reception, entering to a standing ovation of his own. A decade ago, De Bruyne arrived at the Etihad as one of the most promising young midfielders in the world, fresh off winning the Bundesliga’s Player of the Year award with VfL Wolfsburg in the 2014-15 season. De Bruyne soon emerged as one of the best midfielders on the planet; he was an integral part of six Premier League titles as well as City’s Champions League title run in the 2022-23 season - part of only the second Treble to be won by an English club.

Twice selected as the Premier League Player of the Season, De Bruyne played over 400 matches at City over his remarkable career. A statue of the Belgian which will stand outside the Etihad has now been confirmed to be in the works; it’s a well-deserved honour for a player who leaves as perhaps the greatest player in Manchester City’s history.

Although it remains to be seen just how Real Madrid and Manchester City will bounce back from their club icons’ departures, whoever replaces them will certainly have some of the biggest shoes to fill.

The Weekly Take, Issue 362: Limping Towards the Finish Line

The race for the Premier League’s three remaining UEFA Champions League spots will go down to the final matchday. In contention for these three berths in next season’s tournament are Newcastle United, Chelsea, Aston Villa, Manchester City, and Nottingham Forest.

Prior to the most recent matchday, there’d been an extra qualification spot up for grabs; however, Arsenal claimed it with a 1-0 home win over Newcastle. Declan Rice scored the only goal of the match early in the second half to ensure that the Gunners would qualify for the Champions League for the third season in a row.

Despite the loss, the fate of Newcastle’s Champions League qualification remains in their own hands with just one league match remaining. All the Magpies have to do to clinch Champions League qualification and potentially a top-three league finish for the first time since 2003 is beat Everton at home. Should they do so, Newcastle would not be able to finish any lower than fifth regardless of what the other teams in contention would be able to do.

That being said, based on their recent form, there’s no guarantee that Newcastle will be able to close the deal. Having won just two of their last five league matches, the reigning Carabao Cup champions have fallen into a spotty run of form at the absolute worst time possible.

What really doesn’t help matters - and perhaps the main reason why Newcastle lost to Arsenal - is the groin injury suffered by star striker Alexander Isak. The Swede has beyond any doubt established himself as a truly elite striker and is far and away Newcastle’s best player; however, following this injury, he’s now a doubt to return for the match against Everton. Without Isak leading the line, Newcastle lacked that extra bit of punch up front; it was that “X-factor” that Newcastle were missing which likely prevented them from getting the better of Arsenal’s defense.

It should be noted that in Newcastle’s reverse fixture against Everton earlier this season, Newcastle only managed a goalless draw - and this was without Isak. Should Isak be absent for the season finale, Newcastle’s path to next season’s Champions League becomes that much more difficult.

Another factor which is more than likely playing a role in Newcastle’s late-season decline in form is fatigue. While fatigue certainly impacts every team at this stage of the season, Newcastle are one of the teams which will feel its effects more than most. This is because for all that he has achieved over almost four full seasons at St James’ Park, head coach Eddie Howe still has one glaring issue which he has not corrected. By and large, Howe has less willing to rotate his starting 11 than have many of his opposite numbers - and while this has provided stability, it has also increased the physical toll on Newcastle’s key players.

What makes this point stand out even more is the fact that Newcastle weren’t involved in any continental tournaments this season. As such, with Newcastle guaranteed a spot in at least the UEFA Conference League in 2025-26, Howe will have to get used to rotating his squad more often - not doing so will be to the obvious detriment of the team.

All things considered, regardless of how the final matchday goes, Newcastle’s season has to be deemed a resounding success simply because of their historic Carabao Cup triumph - the club’s first title of any sort since 1969. However, in order for Newcastle to sustain this success instead of dropping off right away as they did last season following a Champions League qualification the season before, they’ll likely have to make important off-season acquisitions.

Among the most notable names linked with a move to Tyneside include English defenders Marc Guéhi and Fikayo Tomori as well as Portuguese striker Gonçalo Ramos who is rumored to be targeted by Newcastle should Isak leave in the off-season. While none of these players would likely push Newcastle into title contention next season, they’d nonetheless give a further push to Newcastle’s bid for back-to-back Champions League qualifications for the first time in 23 years.

In a nutshell, although Newcastle United don’t seem to be finishing the season in quite the way they’d hoped, there are significantly more positives than negatives that they can build on - potentially for another Champions League campaign?