In a bid to bring some more local knowledge to the club again, Wolves have held talks with former defender Joleon Lescott over taking on a coaching role under expected new manager Rob Edwards. Reports say that move is not likely despite the pair previously being teammates.
The Hatters dropped straight back down after Edwards helped to gain an unlikely promotion into the top tier of English football. He was sacked during their dismal return to the Championship which ended in consecutive relegations to League One.
Like Edwards, who was born in Madeley, on the outskirts of Wolverhampton, Lescott has a strong connection to the club after coming through the academy and playing 229 times for the senior team over six years.
The 43-year-old earned promotion before moving to Everton. Lescott won the Premier League with Manchester City in 2012 and 2014 before leaving to continue his tour of the Midlands at West Brom. He spent one year at Aston Villa before joining AEK Athens and then returning to play ofor Sunderland briefly.
Lescott has mainly spent his time since retirement in punditry but did align with Scott Carsley as part of the England Under-21s coaching group between 2022 and 2024. He followed Carsley up to the senior team on an interim basis after Gareth Southgate’s resignation but has not remained on board with Thomas Tuchel.
Edwards also spent time in the England setup after leaving Wolves in 2016. He came through the club’s academy as a coach having represented them over 111 times during his playing days.
Edwards occupied the Under-19 managers role for a year before becoming assistant under Kenny Jackett, Paul Lambert, and Walyer Zenga. He managed as a caretaker for a single game before stepping into his first full-time senior job at Telford United.
Wolves called again in 2018 as he went from Under-23s boss to England Under-16s before going to Forest Green. Edwards won promotion with Rovers but went to Wolves and lasted less than two-and-a-half months. He landed the Luton gig after that and was appointed by Boro in July.
Fulham have now entered the race to sign Manchester United’s top target in the summer transfer window, according to journalist Jacob Steinberg.
It’s been a difficult few weeks in the transfer market for United as they miss out on a number of their key targets.
Elliot Anderson has now officially completed a move to Manchester City from Nottingham Forest despite heavy interest from United.
Mateus Fernandes was also a target for the Red Devils, but he has now completed a move to Tottenham after they paid £85m to secure his signature.
It’s back to the drawing board in terms of midfield reinforcements for the Red Devils as they look to replace both Casemiro, who has now left the club, and Manuel Ugarte, who could miss a large portion of the season due to injury.
An exit for Summerville in the summer transfer window feels inevitable.
A host of West Ham’s squad will be searching for moves back to the Premier League after they were relegated to the Championship last season.
Summerville was one of the Hammers’ better players last term, while he’s also produced some strong performances at the World Cup.
With the likes of Fulham and Manchester United interested in the Dutch winger, it’s incredibly unlikely that West Ham are going to be able to keep hold of him.
The London club will have to sell players in order to balance the books as they are set to miss out on large sums of money following relegation.
A World Cup nation has been rocked after eight of their players failed doping tests, and the implications could affect England ahead of their Round of 16 tie against Mexico this weekend. The Three Lions already know they will be up against it when they travel to the co-hosts’ capital on Sunday night.
El Tri have won each of their four matches so far without conceding a single goal, becoming the first nation to achieve that incredible feat since Italy in 1990. They also boast a record that has seen them lose just twice across their previous 89 fixtures at the Azteca Stadium, while the altitude, heat and hostile atmosphere – the latter having the potential to keep Thomas Tuchel’s squad up at night – are also expected to play an influential role.
But there is one other factor they must be wary of after one nation was subject to suspected food contamination, resulting in a large portion of their squad failing drugs tests following their premature exit from the tournament.
World Cup Nation Rocked by Suspected Food Contamination in Mexico
Raquel Cunha via Reuters
Tunisia are already out of the World Cup after finishing bottom of Group F following heavy defeats to Sweden, Japan and the Netherlands. The African minnows also sacked head coach, Sabri Lamouchi, following the team’s 5-1 loss to the former in their opening World Cup game and replaced him with Herve Renard for their remaining two matches.
But that wasn’t the end of their troubles stateside this summer. Every player at the World Cup can be subjected to a random drugs test during the tournament and according to The Times, eight members of Tunisia’s squad had traces of the banned drug clenbuterol in their samples.
Clenbuterol, which is on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s banned list, is used to treat asthma but can also help an athlete build lean muscle mass and burn body fat. Despite the adverse findings, the eight Tunisian players have not been named or suspended as officials believe the presence of clenbuterol was due to contaminated meat.
Tunisia were based in Monterrey for the World Cup and in Mexico, farmers have a history of including clenbuterol in animal feed because it helps reduce fat and increase lean muscle mass.
What Happens if England Fail Doping Tests For The Same Reason
REUTERS/Paul Childs
If England players take clenbuterol in Mexico, the consequences depend entirely on how the substance entered their system. But any traces would lead to a FIFA investigation, alongside one from an anti-doping authority.
If a player tests positive for trace amounts of clenbuterol, but it was ingested via tainted local beef or pork, it is classified as an “atypical finding” rather than a deliberate doping violation.
If corroborated by dietary journals and lack of other performance-enhancing drugs, no bans or suspensions are expected. The player avoids formal punishment, as seen in past cases with other international tournaments held in the country, like when 109 out of 208 players in the 2011 Under-17s World Cup also failed drug tests, according to the Metro.
According to reports, the schedule for England’s game against Mexico is set to be changed. The game was supposed to take place at 6pm local time in Mexico City, but will be moved.
There were fears that thunderstorms could cause delays on the day of the last 16 fixture. According to the Met Office forecast, the storms are expected to begin an hour before kick-off and last one hour into the World Cup clash.
As such, the game is now set to be moved to Sunday at 12:00 PM, six hours earlier than the intended kick-off. As such, if the change goes through, viewers in the UK wiill now watch the game at 7pm (GMT).
Even England’s best player understands the task ahead.
England Set To Have New Kick-Off Time vs Mexico
Hannah Mckay via Reuters
A report from Mexican news outlet Claro Sports explained that FIFA will change the kick-off time ‘due to the risk of a thunderstorm. A post on social media noted:
Claro Sports has learned that the round-of-16 match between Mexico and England is changing its schedule due to the risk of a thunderstorm. The match will take place this Sunday at 12:00 PM, in a key adjustment for one of the most anticipated clashes of the World Cup.”
