Premier League clubs paid a total of 272.2 million pounds ($375.1 million) to agents in the year to Feb. 2021, with Chelsea heading the list of top-flight spenders, according to data released by the Football Association (FA) on Wednesday.
Despite suffering major losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Premier League clubs spent nearly nine million pounds more on agent fees than in the previous year.
Manchester City announced on Monday that iconic striker Sergio Agüero would be leaving the club at the end of the season. The Argentine joined Man City from Atlético Madrid in 2011 on a $44 million transfer, winning four (and possibly one more this year) Premier League titles in the process.
He is the highest-scoring non-Englishman in Premier League history and will be a highly sought-after transfer target come the summer when his contract expires.
The BBC and Sky Sports said they have agreed a three-year, multi-million pounds deal to broadcast Women's Super League matches from the 2021-22 season.
The BBC will broadcast 22 live games, with a minimum of 18 shown on BBC One or BBC Two. Sky Sports will show up to 44 matches, with a minimum of 35 shown on Sky Sports Football, Premier League and Main Event channels.
The remaining matches not selected for broadcast will be shown live on the FA Player. The agreement with both broadcasters would run until the summer of 2024, BBC said.
There are three Premier League teams still competing in the Champions League at the quarterfinal stage: Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool. Looking at the matchups, at least two of those three clubs are clear favorites to advance to the semifinals. Liverpool has the most difficult tie against the historical kings of the competition, Real Madrid.
The road to Istanbul is set!
Chelsea advanced to the semifinals of the FA Cup with a narrow 2-0 win over Sheffield United at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. An Oliver Norwood own goal opened the scoring for the Blues, but the Blades came close to equalizing on a number of occasions before Hakim Ziyech’s insurance strike in second half stoppage time put Thomas Tuchel’s side through.
Following a corner kick, it was Ben Chilwell’s hopeful hit back into the area that forced Norwood to turn it beyond Aaron Ramsdale.
Holder Bayern Munich will face the team it beat in last year's Champions League final in this season's quarterfinals after being paired with Paris Saint-Germain in Friday's draw.
In the other standout tie of the last eight 13-time champions Real Madrid faces six-time winner Liverpool in a repeat of the 2018 final won by the Spanish club.
Runaway Premier League leader Manchester City, seeking its first Champions League title, will play Borussia Dortmund, with the winner to face Bayern or PSG in the semifinals.
Last year, Atlético Madrid came to England and stunned reigning champion Liverpool. On Wednesday, the same team came to England and limped out of the competition, with American Christian Pulisic setting up the dagger in a 2-0 victory at Stamford Bridge. Thomas Tuchel’s side thoroughly stifled Diego Simeone’s men for a 3-0 aggregate victory in the Champions League Round of 16, and Pulisic provided the assist on the final nail in Atleti’s coffin.
Chelsea winger Christian Pulisic has struggled for playing time under new manager Thomas Tuchel but the German said on Friday the 22-year-old is part of his plans at the Premier League club.
Pulisic has played 134 minutes and is yet to start a league game under Tuchel, who replaced Frank Lampard in late January and has led the London club on an unbeaten run of 11 games.
"He is in my plans, he is an important player," Tuchel said before Saturday's trip to Leeds United.
As the 2020 American NFL season drew to a close with Tom Brady winning his record seventh Super Bowl, it was interesting to note another sporting first: the three women involved in the game — two coaches and one official.
With eight women currently coaching in the NFL, there’s still a long way to go when it comes to parity, but it does seem that women are finally breaking into elite men’s sports coaching in the U.S.