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Chelsea are once again expecting a busy summer window at Stamford Bridge, which could see several established stars depart to make way for new arrivals in West London.

Chelsea look to make another statement in the summer window

BlueCo have no designs on slowing down in their bid to make Chelsea a force to be reckoned with in the Premier League and their commitment to building a wide portfolio of talent has been on full show over the last few weeks.

Striking early, the Blues have agreed a £62 million double deal for Sporting duo Geovany Quenda and Dario Essugo. The former is set to arrive in 2026 after another year honing his talents away from the pressure of life in the capital.

Essugo is set to be Chelsea’s first summer arrival, and he may be joined by Bournemouth’s Dean Huijsen if Chelsea opt to activate his £50 million release clause that becomes active from this summer onwards, according to David Ornstein.

PSR regulations are bound to throw a spanner in the works somewhere along the line. Still, Todd Boehly and company have a knack of being able to conduct swift negotiations when it comes to incomings or outgoings that will stand them in good stead.

Chelsea star was once ahead of Reece James, then Boehly let him go for £0

Chelsea had another shining right-back in the academy ranks at one stage

ByRobbie Walls Mar 22, 2025

Exits are a necessary evil at every football club to balance the books, and it is fair to say Chelsea don’t have a shortage of tradeable assets ready to move on this summer.

Enzo Maresca has taken a cut-throat approach to moving on spare parts since arriving from Leicester City and could now repeat the trick with a star attracting genuine interest from one of Europe’s elite clubs.

Chelsea outcast Raheem Sterling now wanted by Juventus

According to a report in Spain, Chelsea could let Raheem Sterling depart for Juventus and the elite giants view the former Liverpool man as a significant reinforcement that could strengthen experience within their ranks, particularly for European competitions. Their interest is believed to be genuine, though no approach has been made yet to secure his services.

Earlier this week, £215,000 per week Sterling and Joao Felix were earmarked as two Stamford Bridge departures to raise money for a striking addition to provide competition for Nicolas Jackson, with neither wanted by the Blues and Maresca going forward.

Raheem Sterling’s disappointing season on loan at Arsenal

Appearances

23

Goals

1

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0

Successful dribbles (Premier League)

8

Chances created (Premier League)

5

On loan at Arsenal, the Three Lions international has struggled to make the most of his opportunities under Mikel Arteta. Chelsea are now looking to get his hefty pay packet off the books with little opportunity for a renaissance at his parent side forthcoming.

Sterling has had his moments at the Blues, registering 12 goals and 19 assists in 81 appearances. Nevertheless, he is a shadow of his former self and a change of scenery may be necessary to bring out the best in the Kingston-born man.

Labelled “special” by Pep Guardiola while at the peak of his powers in 2019, there is no doubt he has something to offer elsewhere if initial admiration turns into something more concrete this summer.

Arsenal may still be in the Champions League, awaiting a daunting quarter-final tie with Real Madrid, but any ambitions they harboured on the domestic scene are surely now over.

The Gunners sit 12 points behind league leaders Liverpool and as a result, attentions must turn towards the summer window.

Whatever happens, incoming sporting director Andrea Berta needs to sign a new striker. If he doesn’t, he will already be on thin ice with supporters at the Emirates Stadium.

Alexander Isak is the number one target for a lot of clubs around Europe while Benjamin Sesko remains a long-term option for Arsenal. It’s also reported that Berta is a fan of Wolves forward Matheus Cunha.

Before then, however, Arsenal may need a summer clearout. Here’s who could depart the Emirates…

Arsenal's big summer clearout

With Arteta’s men sat second in the title and in the last eight of Europe, a clearout perhaps seems a bit excessive.

However, the hierarchy need to raise the floor of the squad and they will only do that by getting rid of some of the deadwood.

So, let’s take a look at the wage bill. One of the prime candidates to be moved on this summer would have been Gabriel Jesus.

The Brazilian is the second-highest earner at the club behind Kai Havertz on £265k-per-week but his season-ending ACL injury has ended any hopes Arsenal had of potentially cashing in. Of course, we wish him a speedy recovery.

That aside, midfield duo Thomas Partey and Jorginho are likely to depart north London when their contracts expire in the summer. They won’t make the club any money but Oleksandr Zinchenko may do.

The Ukrainian has become a bit-part member of the first-team squad and having been linked with Borussia Dortmund in January, looks like he could be on his way out.

Another defender in Jakub Kiwior could also leave. He was touted with a return to Italy in the winter and has seen his game time decrease this season.

In the attacking department, Leandro Trossard could also be shelved. The Belgian has only scored six times this term and it’s alleged that there is interest from Saudi Arabia in the former Brighton star.

He’s not the only attacker who should be on the chopping block, however.

Edu's Brazilian acquisition will never play for Arsenal again

While Trossard’s future is very much up in the air, the future of winger Marquinhos looks a lot more clear-cut. Remember him? Just about, right?

The Brazilian talent signed for Arsenal in the summer of 2022 for just £3m, with Edu and Co hoping to repeat the success story of Gabriel Martinelli’s introduction to English football.

Marquinhos initially made quite a big impression, notably scoring on his debut in September 2022, finding the back of the net in a Europa League tie with FC Zurich.

Possessing a dangerous left foot and causing havoc from the right-hand side, it drew comparisons to a certain Bukayo Saka. Speaking after that goal, Martin Keown commented that “it was like Saka in that position, it’s almost a copycat performance.”

Sadly, since that night in Switzerland, the young forward hasn’t really taken his game to a strong level.

First Impressions

What did pundits and fans alike think about their new star signing when they arrived? Football FanCast’s ‘First Impressions’ series has everything you need.

He ended his debut campaign in England by appearing in six games and remarkably hasn’t been seen in Arsenal colours again, last appearing for the senior side in January 2023, an FA Cup tie with Oxford United.

Since his first year in England, Marquinhos has endured loan spells at Norwich City, Nantes, Fluminense and Cruzeiro.

Sao Paulo

42

4

3

Fluminense

29

2

2

Norwich

11

1

1

Cruziero

10

1

0

Nantes

7

0

0

Arsenal

6

1

1

Looking at the numbers, it’s safe to say that the 21-year-old has struggled big time to find form. He’s still young but it looks as though his immediate career is back in his homeland of Brazil.

He’s now playing for Cruzeiro having signed on loan in January and won’t return until December, that’s providing they don’t utilise their option to buy.

Either way, this is a player who is destined never to play for the club again. He’s gone from looking like a Saka regen to a player lacking end product.

Arteta has found a "sensational" Hale Ender who's Arsenal's new Smith Rowe

The incredible talent will be a superstar for Arsenal.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Mar 25, 2025

No new faces for the three-match series, which is part of the Women’s Championship

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jun-2023Sri Lanka have named a spin-heavy squad for the three-match women’s ODI series against New Zealand at home.From the 21-member squad that played three ODIs and three T20Is against Bangladesh in April-May, six players failed to make the cut. Those were Kaushini Nuthyangana, Prasadini Weerakkody, Tharika Sewwandi, Rashmi Silva, Malsha Shehani and Sathya Sandeepani. Vishmi Gunaratne and Imesha Dulani, both of whom played in the recent Emerging Teams Asia Cup in Hong Kong, retained their spots. There were no new additions, though.The experienced trio of Inoka Ranaweera, Oshadi Ranasinghe and Sugandika Kumari will lead the spin attack, with more options in the form of Inoshi Fernando, Kavisha Dilhari and captain Chamari Athapaththu.Related

Leigh Kasperek replaces injured Jess Kerr for SL tour

Gaze and Mair return for NZ's first bilateral series in SL

Udeshika Prabodhani and 20-year-old Kawya Kavindi will share the responsibilty in the seam-bowling department. Kavindi made her ODI debut during the Bangladesh series but her sole appearance was a washed-out game.The New Zealand series is part of the Women’s Championship. It will be Sri Lanka’s fourth series in the current cycle. With six points from nine games so far, they are placed fifth on the points table while New Zealand are third with eight points from six outings.The series starts on June 27, with Galle hosting all three matches. It will be followed by three T20Is in Colombo, for which the squad is yet to be announced.Squad: Chamari Athapaththu (capt), Vishmi Gunaratne, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Nilakshi de Silva, Kavisha Dilhari, Anushka Sanjeewani, Oshadi Ranasinghe, Kawya Kavindi, Sugandika Kumari, Inoka Ranaweera, Udeshika Prabodhani, Hansima Karunaratne, Inoshi Fernando, Imesha Dulani, Hasini Perera

Details of how Pep Guardiola convinced Pep Lijnders to become Manchester City's new assistant coach have emerged after a previous spell at Liverpool.

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Lijnders is Guardiola's new assistantPreviously worked for Klopp at LiverpoolHad failed spell as Salzburg managerFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

A half-hour conversation from City manager Guardiola was enough to convince Lijnders to join his old rivals, according to . Lijnders was Klopp's right-hand man as Liverpool battled the Cityzens for the Premier League title but his past allegiances haven't been an issue for the 42-year-old, even though he only left Anfield a year ago.

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City confirmed Lijnders' move earlier on Tuesday, with the Dutchman arriving alongside new set-piece coach James French. Both will be in Guardiola's back-room staff for the Club World Cup, with their first match coming next week on Wednesday against Wydad Casablanca.

DID YOU KNOW?

Lijnders left Liverpool at the same time as Klopp last year after two separate spells in his coaching staff. He has had two stints as a manager with NEC Nijmegen and Salzburg, but neither have been successful. His arrival at City comes after former assistant coaches Juanma Lillo and Inigo Dominguez left the club at the end of their contracts.

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR MAN CITY?

City face Casablanca in their first Club World Cup game and then take on Al-Ain and Juventus in their remaining Group G matches.

Things are getting real at Anfield. A lot of Liverpool fans are going to be feeling rather glass-half-empty right now, what with Trent Alexander-Arnold all but confirmed as a Los Blancos Galactico.

It’s been a long time coming. The 26-year-old is out of contract at the end of the season and has been coy on his future for a long while, actually neglecting to discuss the matter for the past several months.

It would take something extraordinary and, frankly, unrealistic to see the England star pen new terms at his boyhood club. It is what it is, and now FSG must accelerate plans for a successor.

How Liverpool are going to replace Alexander-Arnold

When asked a question on whether Conor Bradley could succeed Alexander-Arnold in the event of his departure, Arne Slot responded evasively. Read between the lines, however, and you can ascertain that he answered in the affirmative.

Bradley, 21, is going to bear increased responsibility next term, but he’s certainly done enough through his maiden years as a professional thus far to prove he has what it takes. Indeed, even pundit Rio Ferdinand had to admit that the Northern Irishman was “phenomenal” when breaking onto the scene last year.

As you will see below, two very different widemen. This works in Liverpool’s favour, balancing Slot’s system with two dynamic and contrasting parts, but Liverpool’s loss will still cut deep.

Goals

0.00

0.16

Assists

0.09

0.21

Shot-creating actions

2.06

2.90

Touches

77.92

45.43

Pass completion

84%

76%

Progressive passes

3.84

1.96

Progressive carries

4.21

4.51

Successful take-ons

0.84

0.99

Ball recoveries

5.34

3.04

Tackles + interceptions

3.65

1.61

It’s a shame Liverpool have to venture into the transfer market at all this summer. Plans were drawn several years ago to fully bolster Liverpool’s right-back department, but a prodigious young star has sadly fallen by the wayside after once being viewed as Trent’s heir.

Liverpool's forgotten Trent heir

Liverpool were a day late and a dollar short in the Premier League title race last season. That doesn’t look like it will be the case this term, and Alexander-Arnold will bow out as a two-time champion in the top flight.

Bradley can serve in his stead, for sure, but there’s a question regarding the 21-year-old’s fitness levels, routinely sidelined this term. Liverpool actually have a long-forgotten Trent heir, Bradley’s age-mate, who was anticipated to become a mainstay in Jurgen Klopp’s Red side, but that doesn’t look likely anymore.

In June 2022, Liverpool moved to sign teenage right-back Calvin Ramsay from Scottish Premiership side Aberdeen for an initial fee of £4.2m. A further £2.5m in add-ons was agreed, but it doesn’t look like clauses will have been met for such a payment, on an individual basis at least.

Through a mixture of athletic ability, creativity and determination, Ramsay boasts the prototypical skillset of a modern full-back. Similar, in a way, to the talents of Bradley.

Although maybe it would be remiss to exclude the significance that was placed on his playmaking skills. BBC Scotland’s Liam McLeod even remarked following the youngster’s transfer to Merseyside that “the way he plays the game has been modelled” on Alexander-Arnold. The Athletic’s JJ Bull tipped him to be the “next Trent”.

In this way, there’s clearly a long-lost creative force that Liverpool could have used this summer to jostle with Bradley for the top spot, perhaps retaining Alexander-Arnold’s spirit as he ventures off for pastures new in the Spanish capital.

Injuries have unfortunately been the bane of the one-cap Scotland international’s fledgling career, but there truly was such a crackling of excitement regarding his potential.

During those early days at Aberdeen, the teenager posted a goal and nine assists across only 39 senior appearances, highlighting the playmaking quality which Trent has sharpened over the years.

The series of failed loan spells in recent years have, of course, kept Ramsay away from Liverpool’s first team. Injury problems emerged from the offing, limiting him to just two appearances under Klopp’s wing during his debut campaign in England, featuring off the bench against Napoli in the Champions League and playing the full 90 as Liverpool beat Derby County in the Carabao Cup.

Against the Rams, he caught the eye even as Liverpool struggled, forced into a penalty shootout that saw Caoimhin Kelleher produce one of his many clutch performances between the sticks. The Liverpool Echo actually awarded the young Scot a 7/10 match rating, hailing his ‘impressive athleticism and tenacious defending.’

Ramsay was regarded as being tailor-made for Liverpool and specifically Klopp’s system, and his performance in the Carabao Cup only reinforced this notion, completing the most passes on the pitch at 105 and leading those such as Liverpool.com to predict he would be set for a big future.

Ramsay is now back out on loan, playing in Scotland with Kilmarnock. It’s the 21-year-old’s fourth short-term stint away from Anfield since the start of last season, with a catalogue of damaging injuries stunting his progress.

A depreciation in market value marks the defender’s struggles. Transfermarkt record that Ramsay is worth just £2m at present, even less than the sharp fee FSG paid for his services three years ago.

He’s still young and hopes will be high that the Scotsman can forge a successful career for himself after such exciting beginnings in his homeland. Sadly, it just won’t be at Anfield.

Once such an “exceptional” young talent – as was said by Klopp, commenting on his emergence at Aberdeen – Ramsay has endured a nightmare few years on Liverpool’s books. It doesn’t seem likely he will be serving as Alexander-Arnold’s heir any time soon.

Torres 2.0: Europe's "best striker" is dreaming of signing for Liverpool

Arne Slot expects to arm his Liverpool side with new parts this summer.

ByAngus Sinclair Mar 25, 2025

Lamine Yamal has fired a warning out to Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal ahead of their clash against Spain in the Nations League final on Sunday.

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Lamine Yamal sends out warning Spain looking to fight for the Nations League titleYamal fighting to become the youngest Ballon d'Or winnerFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Yamal is currently preparing to take on Portugal in the Nations League final with Spain and seems in bullish mood. The 17-year-old has been in fine form over the last year as he led Spain to the European Championship in the summer of 2024 before helping Barcelona to a domestic treble. Through the last few games for the Spanish national team, Yamal has slowly become their main attacking threat, and he is not backing down on social media either.

AdvertisementWHAT YAMAL POSTED

On his Instagram story, Yamal posted a photo of himself celebrating with the caption: "BORN FOR THIS!!!"

Instagram (@lamineyamal)

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Yamal is considered as one of the favourites to win the 2025 Ballon d'Or following his performances; however, the Spaniard is also facing stiff competition from PSG superstar Ousmane Dembele. Nonetheless, the 17-year-old is continuing to fight for the title with the hope that his showing in the Nations League could turn the tide.

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WHAT NEXT?

The 17-year-old will be back in action later tonight at the Allianz Arena when Spain take on Portugal in the Nations League. Both sides have the opportunity to become the first nation with two Nations League titles to their name.

Australia batter out for 3 as Sussex pile on the runs in rain-affected contest

ECB Reporters Network12-May-2023Sussex made 319 for four and Tom Alsop an unbeaten 118 but the attention was inevitably on Steven Smith, whose Ashes warm-up again failed to ignite as his temporary employer’s LV= Insurance County Championship match against Leicestershire began a day late at the Uptonsteel County Ground.Australia’s chief batting hope to face England this summer, who made a low-key 30 on his Sussex debut at Worcester last week, was back in the pavilion after facing just 14 balls, dismissed leg before wicket by South African seamer Wiaan Mulder for three.Smith, who is halfway through a three-match sojourn with the Division Two side, had spent Thursday ensconced in the dressing room as Leicestershire’s groundstaff tried in vain to make a saturated outfield fit for play.On a cold day in which batting conditions were generally tough, he was held up again as Alsop and Cheteshwar Pujara put on 136 for the third wicket. His chance came when the latter was out for 77 but he never looked at ease, surviving an lbw appeal second ball.Alsop, the 27-year-old left-hander, went on to complete his ninth first-class century in an unbroken stand of 121 with 19-year-old all-rounder James Coles, who is unbeaten on 59. Mulder has figures of three for 52 from 20 overs.Despite Smith’s flop, Sussex should be delighted with their day after being asked to bat first in challenging conditions.How they fare with the ball remains to be seen given that England’s Ollie Robinson is rested and the Australian quick, Nathan McAndrew – their joint leading wicket-taker with Robinson – has had to step aside to accommodate Smith.On a pitch with a good covering of grass, Sussex had been two-down for 91 at lunch after a session played with a chilly wind whipping across the large playing area at Grace Road and the sky uniformly grey.Leicestershire, who dropped the out-of-form Mikey Finan from their seam attack and brought in Will Davis for his first Championship action since June last year, initially struggled to contain the Sussex openers but first change Mulder struck twice in his opening spell.The all-rounder, presented with his county cap during the course of the playless opening day, found the inside edge of Tom Clark’s bat in his second over and followed up by trapping Ali Orr leg before with one that struck him at shin height.But Pujara drew on his deep reserve of experience to frustrate the Leicestershire bowlers, never losing his patience while the going was tough, safe in the knowledge that scoring opportunities would come.The qualities rubbed off on Alsop, who reached his half-century from 126 balls when he drove Chris Wright square of the wicket for his ninth boundary. Alsop made 150 and 60 not out when the sides met at Hove last season, although ultimately eclipsed by double-hundreds from both Mulder and Colin Ackermann in a run-heavy draw.Pujara dealt largely in boundaries, 11 of them in his first 50 (from 113 balls), which he reached by hammering Ackermann’s off-spin through midwicket, the first of three in a row in an over that cost 15 runs. Three more boundaries in Ackermann’s next (and last) over – two of them to Pujara – prompted a reminder that the Indian maestro had passed fifty eight times previously for Sussex and never failed to make 100.It appeared this innings would follow a similar pattern. Seemingly in the blink of an eye, Pujara moved on to 77 and the only moment of obvious good fortune had been an edge off the unlucky Davis that flew between ‘keeper Peter Handscomb and a solitary, wide slip.But then it was over. Tom Scriven, generally tidy albeit cut easily for a 16th four by Pujara the ball prior to his dismissal, bowled the next one straighter and Pujara misjudged it enough to tickle an inside edge on to pad, the ball looping to Handscomb. It was the 24-year-old seamer’s 12th first-class wicket, easily his most satisfying.Pujara’s departure ushered in Smith, but any expectation that Australia’s No. 1 batsman could trump his likely opponent in next month’s World Test Championship final soon evaporated. Smith looked twitchy from the start, surviving a confident appeal for leg before by the eager Scriven from his second ball faced, offering no shot.It appeared only height could have saved him. There was no such doubt three overs later when he shuffled into a ball from Mulder that came back in a little and would certainly have hit. Sussex were well placed on 208 for four at tea, but walked off to a sense of anticlimax.The final session, which would have lasted a marathon 39 overs had bad light not curtailed play 13 overs before the scheduled close, saw Alsop complete a 212-ball century when he cut the occasional spin of Sol Budinger for his 14th four before Leicestershire took the second new ball and Coles go to his fourth first-class fifty from 69 balls, with seven fours and a pulled six off Scriven.

The match was halted by bad light with four overs left in the Oman innings as the Netherlands won on the DLS method

Madushka Balasuriya03-Jul-2023The Netherlands kept their World Cup hopes alive with a 74-run win over Oman, in a rain-shortened game in Harare, though the margin of victory wasn’t quite enough to see them leapfrog Zimbabwe nor Scotland on net run rate.That was the case primarily down to Ayaan Khan who played a chance-laden hand to register a maiden ODI ton on his way to an unbeaten 105 off 92 deliveries. Alongside him, it was only Shoaib Khan that played an innings of any note for Oman, as the pair combined for a 112-run fifth wicket stand – though at no point did they look like they could seriously threaten the mammoth Dutch total.Ayaan was at the crease when bad light brought play to an early close with Oman on 246 for 6, 44 overs into the chase. Having elected to bat and scored 362 for 7 in a 48-over game, the Dutch had needed to restrict Oman to 242 to ensure their NRR went above that of Scotland. This would have been crucial in the event of three-way tie for second place.That can only transpire if Scotland beat Zimbabwe tomorrow, and the Netherlands then beat Scotland themselves. As things stand, even if Scotland secure a win tomorrow, the Dutch need to the beat Scotland by a big enough margin to leapfrog them on NRR. Any result but a Scotland win tomorrow sees the Dutch eliminated.That they couldn’t secure the necessary margin of victory today might be a minor source of disappointment, as their batters had put them in prime position to do so. Vikramjit Singh notched a maiden ODI century, Wesley Barresi nearly got one of his own, and then cameos from Bas de Leede and Saqib Zulfiqar spearheaded a late onslaught that saw 127 runs scored off the final 10 overs.Their bowlers then gave them a dream start reducing Oman to 4 for 102, only for Ayaan and Shoaib to come together for their defiant stand, one which would have been particularly disappointing seeing that Ayaan had been dropped three times – on 12, 20 and 33 – over the course of his innings. While all three were of varying difficulty, the fact that none were taken would have stung.That wasn’t to take away from Ayaan’s knock though, which encompassed 11 fours and two sixes – one a sumptuous lofted straight drive, and the other a powerful pick-up over long-on. His control percentage of 77% however highlights another area in where the Dutch might have felt a touch unfortunate, with several mishits falling safe.Ryan Klein celebrates another Oman wicket•Getty ImagesHe struggled most against the excellent Aryan Dutt, whose changes in pace and subtle variations had several Oman batters in difficulty. The right-arm off spinner would end with figures of 3 for 31 in 10 overs, accounting for the scalps of the only other batters to get in aside from Aayan – Kashyap Prajapati, Mohammed Nadeem and Shoaib.Though where Oman really lost the game was in the field, conceding 36 extras in total, inclusive of 23 wides. In a game shortened by two overs a side, Oman gave away nearly four extra overs. This came alongside a poor ground fielding effort in which the several easy singles and twos were given away – all of which would add up.Credit however must be given to the Dutch, who have set the benchmark across the entire tournament in terms of their running between the wickets. Against Sri Lanka, a much better fielding unit, this aggression was sometimes to their detriment, but against Oman every inch that could be gained was.It was the foundation of an innings that never really slowed down, starting with a 117-run opening stand off 132 deliveries and culminating in that devastating death overs assault. In between there was the Singh-Barresi stand for 80 off 72, and then when Singh fell shortly after reaching his century, Barresi would up the ante in successive stands of 30, 55 and 57 with Scott Edwards, de Leede and Zulfiqar respectively.No bowler had a strike rate of less than a 100 against him, though he took a particular liking to the spin of Aaqib Ilyas – stand-in skipper for the injured Zeeshan Maqsood – and Ayaan, taking the former for two sixes over cow corner and the latter for a flat smote over long-off. His 97 came off just 65 deliveries, inclusive of 10 fours and three sixes.The Dutch played the game state well too, promoting both de Leede and Zulfiqar above Teja Nidamanuru when quick runs were the order of the day. The pair would score a combined 72 between them off just 36 deliveries. While that was enough to keep them in with chance of qualification, now they need to hope Scotland do their part tomorrow.

Vinicius Junior has delivered a "yes sir" trophy pledge to Real Madrid fans after being asked about a treble challenge in 2025-26.

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Testing finish to 2024-25 campaignReady to compete for a global titleBrazilian star eager to land more medalsFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The Blancos enjoyed a memorable 2024, capturing La Liga and Champions League titles – with Vinicius on target in a 2-0 European Cup final victory over Borussia Dortmund. Real went on to land UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Intercontinental Cup honours.

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The 2024-25 campaign would, however, end with domestic and continental crowns being surrendered to Clasico rivals Barcelona and Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain respectively. A change in the dugout at Santiago Bernabeu has seen managerial reins passed from Carlo Ancelotti to Xabi Alonso.

DID YOU KNOW?

His first piece of business will be chasing down FIFA Club World Cup glory, with moves in the transfer market having already been made as Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dean Huijsen join the ‘Galacticos’ in Madrid.

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Getty ImagesWHAT VINICIUS JUNIOR SAID

Vinicius is expecting to get back on the trophy trail as soon as possible, with the plan being to complete a clean sweep of La Liga, Copa del Rey and Champions League honours. The Brazil international forward responded to a "Treble this season" question on social media by saying: "Yes sir."

Mic'd Up: The ESPN FC analyst spoke about all things Club World Cup and the state of soccer in America

Herculez Gomez is bullish on the Club World Cup.

One reason is because he played in the tournament, once upon a time – 15 years ago, he was part of a Pachuca team representing CONCACAF in Abu Dhabi against the best in the world, making Gomez one of the few American stars to ever really experience the competition in its prior format.

Much has changed. In Gomez's era, just seven teams competed. This summer, 32 teams from all over the world arrived in the United States to fight for recognition, prestige and, ultimately, a whole bunch of money. The tournament has evolved – and you can count Gomez among those who are enjoying the early phases of this new-look competition.

"You see fans on beaches in Miami, Boca fans," Gomez tells GOAL. "You see the Palmeiras fans. You see Botafogo taking over. You see all of these crazy things and it's awesome. This is what it's all about. This is what gets you excited for the World Cup in a year, too."

The former U.S. men's national team striker, who has plenty to say about the state of that program, has personal connections to this Club World Cup. Two of his former clubs, Pachuca and the Seattle Sounders, are in the field representing CONCACAF, just as Gomez did in 2010. Both lost to European competition in their opening matches, and now face big tests in the games to come.

The ESPN FC analyst will be among those watching on as the tournament continues as one hell of an appetizer ahead of a big summer of 2026.

Gomez discussed the Club World Cup, his own experience in the tournament, and his expectations for American soccer in the latest edition of Mic'd Up, a recurring feature in which GOAL US taps into the perspective of broadcasters, analysts, and other pundits on the state of soccer in the U.S. and abroad.

Getty Images SportON MLS IN THE CLUB WORLD CUP

GOAL: We have the Club World Cup going on and, while the expectations around the MLS teams were somewhat low, all three put on decent showings in their first games. Looking big picture, what does it mean for MLS, and what are your expectations for what the league can get out of this?

GOMEZ: So Seattle, I watched that game and I thought they were unfortunate in the end! I thought that the Copa Libertadores champions were begging for the final whistle. That's how bad it was at the end for Botafogo. As far as MLS is concerned, I think they've done better than expected. LAFC played the Conference League champions, Chelsea, a team that has spent $1 billion in the last, I don't know, five years. They were respectable.

The Seattle Sounders, they could have tied that game, but it slipped away. Probably should have gotten a better result. Inter Miami, they got fortunate because they were played off the park in the first half, But they could have stolen it! Messi almost single-handedly won them that game. So I've been extremely pleased with what I've seen from the Major League Soccer teams.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportON THE CLUB WORLD CUP AS A WHOLE

GOAL: Thoughts on the tournament as a whole? There's so much to discuss with attendance, results, culture, etc. What are your general thoughts?

GOMEZ: I'm a big believer in this tournament. I played in the Club World Cup in 2010 with Pachuca when it was seven teams, when you had to be one of the elite in your region to get there. But I'm cheering for the Club World Cup. I've been extremely pleased with what I've seen so far – 80,000 (fans) in Pasadena, 60,000 at Hard Rock. These are great numbers. You're seeing the ref cam, which I'm a big believer in, and it seems the players are taking this seriously. The clubs are taking it seriously. The fans are showing up.

Granted, there have been games like the one in Atlanta with Chelsea and LAFC, but I think that's unfair because LAFC are the only MLS team playing outside of their venue. I understand that, but I've enjoyed it. You look at Boca vs Benfica and the players are fighting with each other because they want to win, so I'm on board there.

AFPON HIS CLUB WORLD CUP EXPERIENCE

GOAL: You did play in this tournament, even if it was very different at the time. What are your memories from that experience?

GOMEZ: It was great. It was Abu Dhabi in 2010 and it was big for me in the sense that I was just coming off a World Cup in that same year, and then I'm going to play in the Club World Cup. You're thinking, "Wow, this is great!" It's Inter, Jose Mourinho had just left, but it was his treble-winning Inter. Brazil's Internacional were there.

Pachuca, we felt like we were doing something big, but then you get to the stadium and we're facing an African team in the first game, Mazembe, but there were probably – I don't know the official count – but there were maybe 12,000 people there and it felt like 1,000 because of the size of the stadium. It didn't feel like this grand moment. So now, I'm looking at these games and, I know it's Messi, but they're playing Al-Ahli and there are Egyptian fans in the stadium. I'm thinking to myself, "Wow, this feels like an event."

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Getty ImagesON THE RISE OF SOCCER IN AMERICA

GOAL: This is just the latest big summer for American soccer. We had the Copa America last year, Club World Cup and Gold Cup this year and, of course, the World Cup coming next year. What do you think the impact of all of this is going to be? Is this a period where things really are going to change?

GOMEZ: If the 1994 World Cup, which is still the most successful World Cup yet, is anything to go by, this will change the dynamic. That resulted in the birth of a domestic league and basically everything we have now is because of the '94 World Cup. This can take it even further. It could be the rocket fuel. That said, it would really help if the U.S. men's national team makes a run, just for the growth in this country, to inspire millions of kids to take things to that next level.

I work Monday to Friday on ESPN Deportes, and we talk about all sports – but mainly soccer. And I have a colleague who says, "The U.S. is not a soccer country." He's wrong. The U.S. is a soccer country. Not everyone will follow or support the USMNT, not everyone will follow or support MLS. But you see the massive amounts of numbers that come out to games, whether that's friendlies, ICC, Club World Cup, whatever the case may be. You see the number of people who watch the Champions League or the World Cup in the States. You see who purchases soccer content, soccer merchandise.

We are, by far, a soccer country. We may not yet be a USMNT country or an MLS country, but this is a soccer country. And this is before the explosion of the 2026 World Cup, with that expanded field. This has the potential to go down as the biggest sporting event ever to take place.