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Hungarian football sensation Dominik Szoboszlai has joined the 2022 Premier League champions Liverpool. The former RB Leipzig player has decided to part ways with the German club after the English club triggered his release clause worth £60 million ($76 million). The midfielder has signed a five-year contract.

“The last three or four days went really long; it was not that easy. But at the end I’m here, I’m happy and I can’t wait to get started,” Szoboszlai told Liverpool’s website.  He further added, “A really historic club, really good players, good coach, everything is good. For me it was perfect to make the next step in a club like this.”

Football & Studs

Szoboszlai will follow in the footsteps of his idol Steven Gerrard by wearing the number eight shirt. Upon announcing the news, the midfielder stated, “Of course it’s a great number, a lot of great players had this number and also I have a tattoo from Steven Gerrard, what he said (the quote is ‘Talent is a divine blessing, but without incredible will and humility, it is worth nothing’) so it was also a reason why.

Szoboszlai further added, “When I was a child, to be honest I didn’t watch that much football but of course when it was Champions League or a big game, I was watching Liverpool, the big teams and also the big players – and he was one of the biggest.”

Szoboszlai is Liverpool’s second summer signing to reinforce their midfield, following the £35m arrival of Argentine Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton. Last season, the Premier League club witnessed a downfall as many of their superstars were either injured or left for other clubs.

Manchester United’s long-time target Mason Mount has finally joined the Red Devils. The Chelsea midfielder has joined the Old Trafford-based club for a fee worth £55 million ($69 million). The deal valid until the summer of 2028 will see an additional £5m dependent on appearances and success of the midfielder.

Mason Mount, a Chelsea academy product scoring 27 goals and providing 22 assists in 129 Premier League appearances. The 24-year-old – a Champions League winner with the Blues in 2021 – has won 36 England caps and started the Euro 2020 final defeat to Italy.

Football & Studs

However, Mount witnessed a dip in form last season that resulted in him not getting enough game time. The ex-Chelsea playmaker scored just three goals in the Premier League last season as he struggled with injury.

Manchester United, who were third on the Premier League table last season will be looking to compete for the trophy. After securing Mount’s services, the Red Devils are reported to secure the services of Inter Milan’s Andre Onana or Ajax’s Edson Álvarez.

Erik Ten Hag’s team is also reported to bring in many other players namely Tottenham Hotspurs‘ Harry Kane, Benfica’s Goncalo Ramos and Napoli’s Victor Osimhen.

While their rivals Chelsea, who are looking to trim their squad have sold many high-profile players including Edouard Mendy and defender Kalidou Koulibaly to the Saudi Pro League while midfielder Mateo Kovacic has left to join Premier League champions Manchester City.

After having a mediocre season, Tottenham Hotspur has announced the signing of Leicester City midfielder James Maddison on a permanent basis. The North London-based club has agreed to a contract that will run up to the summer of 2028, worth £45m (with add-ons) for the player.

Maddison started his senior career at his hometown club Coventry, making his debut aged 17. He later made his name higher up the league ladder with Norwich, scoring 14 times in the Championship during the 2017/18 season and earning a £20m switch to Leicester City.

Football & Studs

The attacking midfielder had been a key Leicester City player throughout his time at the club, seeming to improve year after year. He reached double figures in front of goal in the Premier League in both 2021/22 and 2022/23 and has played Europa League and Europa Conference League football.

Tottenham have begun a new chapter in their football history. Under new coach Ange Postecoglou, the club is trying to rebuild after losing prominent players namely Richarlison and Hugo Lloris.

Maddison will be a perfect player for Tottenham as the club is in dire search of a playmaker who can create loads of goal-scoring opportunities. With Maddison and other new players signed like Dejan Kulusevski and Guglielmo Vicario, Tottenham will begin their pursuit of European football.

Premier League club Chelsea‘s American owners have agreed to buy a stake in Ligue 1 club Strasbourg. The consortium, which purchased the Premier League club in May last year, has become the new shareholders “subject to a consultation process with the relevant employee representative bodies”.

The club released a statement stating, “It is an honour for us to be part of this historic club. We are committed to preserving the heritage of Racing and are focused on working closely with Marc and his management team to continue the excellent work they have been doing. This strategic investment would further our presence in European football, alongside our ownership of Chelsea. We believe it would create huge opportunities to share knowledge and expertise.”

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The statement stated, “The agreement would mark a new chapter in Racing’s history as the ownership consortium commits to accelerate sustainable investment in the club’s growth, including in the first teams and in the Academy, in continuity with the project implemented by Marc Keller, who would remain president of the club, supported by his current management team.”

“Through its involvement and recognised expertise in sport, BlueCo plans to make an active contribution to the development of the model implemented by Marc Keller, first, financially, by providing capital that will enable investment in the men’s and women’s first teams, the Academy and across the club,” the statement further read.

“In accordance with Professional Football League regulations, the project was presented today to the Direction Nationale du Contrôle de Gestion (DNCG), whose assessment is expected in the coming weeks.” BlueCo believes the “strategic investment” would enhance its presence in European football.

Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace was placed 15th in the 2022-23 Ligue 1. The club managed to garner 40 points in a total of 38 completed matches.

Team India’s Mission 2047 is on the right track. After lifting the Hero Intercontinental Cup, the Men in Blue have started their SAFF Championship campaign with a banger. The hosts have defeated Pakistan 4-0 in their opening game of the tournament.

The hero of the night was Indian Football’s poster boy Sunil Chhetri who hit a hat-trick of goals to take his team to the top position in the Group A of the SAFF Championship. With this achievement, Chhetri has become the fourth-highest goal scorer in international football. Chhetri has 90 goals in 138 games; trailing behind Argentina’s talismanic skipper Lionel Messi with 103 goals.

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Since the match started, India displayed their dominance. Although Pakistan offered pockets of resistance, they were no match to the Men in Blue’s determination and aggression. Chhetri, who was exuding exuberance since the start of the match opened the scoring with a fine field goal in the 10th minute.

Perfect start to #SAFFChampionship2023 for the #BlueTigers 🐯

An absolutely dominant performance 💙🇮🇳💪🏽 #INDPAK #IndianFootball ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/tUEFWGUffN

— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) June 21, 2023

Just six minutes later, Chhetri converted a penalty to extend their lead over the arch-rivals. The team attacked relentlessly but couldn’t quite land any additional goals.

As soon as the second half began, the Men in Blue decided to double their lead by attacking continuously at the opposition’s defence. The breakthrough came in the 74th minute when Pakistan’s defence fouled Chhetri inside the penalty box. Sunil Chhetri, who had already scored a brace ensured he successfully converts the spot-kick to make it a hat-trick.

In the 81st minute, Udanta Singh who came as a substitute in place of Lallianzuala Chhangte scored a magnificent goal further widening India’s lead and sealing their comprehensive victory.

The win helped India reach the top of the table in the SAFF Championship. India will now face Nepal in their upcoming Group A match on Saturday.