Tottenham are said to be leading Manchester United in the bid to land West Ham midfielder Mateus Fernandes this summer. The young midfielder is at the centre of one of the transfer sagas of the summer in the Premier League, having had a superb campaign of last for the Hammers.

West Ham’s relegation only confirmed that Fernandes’ future would be elsewhere, and the Iron are said to be asking for big money to sell their midfield talent. United and Spurs are now doing battle for the Portugal international’s signature, with the former needing to replace Casemiro, while the latter have allowed Yves Bissouma to leave at the end of his contract.

The race to land Fernandes has been hotting up this week, and according to one journalist, it is Spurs who are leading the race thanks to an ‘aggressive approach’.

Spurs leading the Fernandes charge

via Reuters

Speaking on The United Stand, the Daily Mail’s Mike Keegan said: “Obviously there is the situation with Fernandes at West Ham, who they really like. But what I’ve heard recently is Spurs have come in, and Spurs are surprisingly, and not just with United, but across the Premier League, how it was described to me, is that they have been really aggressive with the amount of money they are willing to spend.

“I don’t know if that’s nearly getting relegated frightening the life out of them, they have a manager now who is really forthright, who will look to get his own way. I know that when he got in at the door, it was on his terms. So maybe what we are seeing now is ‘I’ll keep you in the Premier League, but you’ve got to back me in the summer.’

“My information is that Spurs are already at the higher end of what United are happy to pay for him (Fernandes). There is still a belief that he wants to come and play for United, but you know as well as I do, it’s not just players, there are agents involved, and it tends to be that the player goes to whoever is offering the most money.”

Fernandes could be cheaper than Tonali

The defining aspect for Spurs is that they have already tried to sign Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali for £75million, only to see their bid rejected. The Magpies are said to want £80-£90million for the Italian this summer, so for Spurs, it’s logical for them to go and offer £75million for Fernandes if they believe he is a close second in terms of their targets this summer.

West Ham are reportedly demanding at least £70million in any case, and the United interest is always going to drive up the price. As for United, they seem to have a set price in mind, and the Tottenham interest might end up making Fernandes a player they move on from.

Ian Wright and Patrick Vieira weren’t impressed with Jesse Marsch’s comments after Canada’s defeat to Switzerland at the 2026 World Cup on Wednesday afternoon.

After a draw against Bosnia and a 6-0 rout of Qatar, Canada went into their third and final group game against Switzerland knowing a draw or better would see them qualify for the knockout rounds as group winners.

However, they were unable to get the result they needed as Switzerland picked up all three points. Promise David’s 76th minute goal wasn’t enough for Les Rouges as they suffered a 2-1 defeat, condeming them to a second-place finish in Group B.

Jesse Marsch Speaks Out After Switzerland Defeat

REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian

A win for Canada would have seen them contest their last 32 match in front of their own fans in Vancouver. They have missed that opportunity, though, and will now have to travel to Los Angeles.

The 52-year-old expressed his disappointment at not being able to play their last 32 match in Canada. He told ITV: “It’s been awesome [playing in Canada]. And that’s the disappointment. We just want to continue the energy that’s taken place here in Canada.

“You know, I’ve been through these World Cups, and I’ve been through different big moments in my career. And I know when you get one big win, building on that is so important. And so, I’m disappointed we weren’t able to get the win or draw today to keep us here.

“I’m so thankful for the energy and the country, and certainly in the stadium here today, but we’re going to go to LA. It’s probably going to be an away crowd, it’s going to be a little tougher, but we still want to electrify our country and play really well down there and go after it still.”

It was hoped that Canada’s star player, Alphonso Davies, would play his first minutes at the tournament. The Bayern Munich ace has not yet featured for his nation in the tournament as he recovers from a hamstring injury. He was named on the bench once again for the game against Switzerland, but he did not make his way onto the pitch.

Speaking about his decision not to sub Davies on, despite Canada needing a goal, Marsch said: “Alphonso will be ready. We thought about Alphonso, but we’re just trying to manage him and not put him in a situation where we felt like he’ll be in danger. But he should be ready for the next match.”

Peter Cziborra via Reuters

Wright wasn’t impressed with Marsch’s post-match interview, saying he sounded a bit ‘performative’.

Wright said: “It doesn’t make sense that you’ve got the opportunity, to play a game, win a game, and stay in your country, where you’ll have the fan’s support. And then he’s talking about how much he believes in this team and the heart of this team. They should have had that at the start of the game so that they could stay here and have a better chance.

Duncan Ferguson couldn’t understand why Davies did not play any minutes. The Scotsman said: “He’s on the bench, if he’s on the bench so he can put him on can’t he?”

While Vieira also questioned how much Marsch wanted Canada to play their last 32 match in Vancouver. He said: “If you really want to stay in Vancouver, you would have approached the game in a different way. If Davies is fit, he has to play 15 minutes or half-an-hour.

“You need to give him some game-time for him to be ready for the next game. He can’t start. If he didn’t come on today, then it will be very difficult for him to start. Or that will be a massive gamble on his side.

Canada now face a very tough path to the World Cup final. They will play their last 32 match on Sunday, June 28, with South Korea their likely opponents.

UFC Freedom 250 took place at the White House, home of incumbent US President, Donald Trump, on Trump’s 80th birthday on the night of the 14th of June.

It was put on at great expense to the UFC and parent company, TKO. The cost to put the event on reportedly exceeded $60 million. However, it seems that the paychecks for the fighters who took to the Octagon that night were nowhere near that figure, not even combined.

One such fighter’s earnings have stumped one of the most famous boxing promoters in the world in Eddie Hearn, who passionately highlighted the disparity in pay between the two sports in relation to the level of competition.

UFC Freedom 250 Fighter Pay

Amber Searls via Imagn Images

The biggest earner from the show was Alex Pereira, who, in the penultimate fight of the night, was bested by Ciryl Gane, who earned the interim heavyweight title. However, despite tasting defeat, the Brazilian still pocketed a healthy $10 million. The Frenchman, on the other hand, despite winning, only received $1.25 million.

Those in the main event, Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje, with the latter scoring the upset, took home $2.5 million and $2.95 million, respectively.

The eight fighters who competed in the four fights before Sean O’Malley versus Aiemann Zahabi shared a combined figure that was only $500,000 more than what Gane earned, coming in at a bill of $1.73 million.

It is the fight purse of the aforementioned O’Malley that has left Hearn scratching his head, especially given his experience with the money thrown around in his area of expertise.

Eddie Hearn’s Reaction to Sean O’Malley’s Purse

The 47-year-old is no stranger to the big bucks. With his Matchroom Boxing stable and the promotion of Anthony Joshua‘s whole career, Hearn has seen, in some cases, several fighters on the same card earn multiples of what Pereira earned from the White House event, let alone the rest of those who were on the card, including “Suga” Sean.

O’Malley reportedly pocketed just $600,000 for his efforts. Now, the average person would think that amount of money for less than 10 minutes of work shouldn’t be something that is scoffed at. However, his earnings were just 6% of those of Pereira, so some frustration could be understood.

Hearn appeared to feel frustrated both for and at O’Malley and his fellow fighters, citing the purses of boxers as a reason to encourage those in the UFC to fight for higher pay.

“Those guys need to stop being suppressed. I’m just shocked by the mindset of, ‘Oh well, there’s nothing else we can do, really. It is what it is.’

Some may see Hearn as being ignorant in appearing to try to tell MMA fighters what to do. However, he has got a point, because MMA can be more dangerous than boxing. In boxing, the only shots are coming from the fists, whereas, in mixed martial arts, the clue is in the name, damage can be caused by punches, kicks, submissions, and takedowns. As a result, those in it should probably be paid more.