In an awful run of news, English football icon John Barnes has revealed he also has cancer. It comes in the same week that two other Liverpool legends Sir Kenny Dalglish and Kevin Keegan also shared they had the disease.
The former winger said he was diagnosed after his kids forced him to get checked. Speaking on Times Radio, he explained that the topic can feel taboo as men believe it makes them “less than a man.”
Going into more detail, he explained that he has prostate cancer, noting:
“Men have to then bite the bullet and swallow their pride and admit if they have problems and say it. So it’s a good thing that that has come out.
“I’m fine. I have my PSA and everything is okay. The thing about it is that a lot of men don’t want to admit it or want to have it done because it makes them feel less than a man.
“But you’re not, you’re exactly the same, you’re the same person and you’re around and that’s the main thing.”
The news comes after Liverpool legend Keegan revealed his cancer diagnosis at the start of the year, while Dalglish has also revealed he is receiving treatment for cancer.
Former Chelsea winger Raheem Sterling has been spotted in a new role as he continues to search for a new club after being released by Feyenoord.
The wide man left Stamford Bridge in January after being frozen out of the first-team picture by manager Enzo Maresca. He signed for Robin van Persie’s Feyenoord shortly after, but made just eight appearances across all competitions, failing to score and providing one assist.
He’s since been without a club, with no prospective suitors opting to take a chance on him yet.
This inability to find a new place to ply his trade rounds off what has been a torrid few years for the 31-year-old, a period that was compounded by his arrest back in May.
Raheem Sterling Has Had a Difficult Few Years
Sterling has enjoyed an outstanding career, winning four Premier League titles and making 82 appearances for England. However, things have been difficult for him since Maresca made it clear that he had no future at Stamford Bridge back in 2024.
Despite enjoying a relatively productive 2023/24 campaign, which saw him hit double figures for goals, the Italian head coach ostracised the ex-Liverpool man in an attempt to reduce the size of his inflated squad.
This paid dividends for Maresca, as Sterling ultimately went on loan to Arsenal on deadline day in 2024. An underwhelming season at the Emirates ensued, and six months on the sidelines followed before he was released by Chelsea and ventured to the Netherlands for his latest stint.
Less than two weeks after the Eredivisie season finished, Sterling was arrested after crashing his car in Hampshire. It was revealed in a police statement that the wide man was under the influence of drugs and was also in possession of class C substances.
Three months later, no club has opted to take a punt on the player.
Raheem Sterling Now Coaching the Next Generation
Sterling isn’t spending his time without a club doing nothing. The four-time Premier League winner has been keeping busy by coaching the next generation of footballers at his own RS7 academy.
The academy’s social media pages have been pumping out content of Sterling putting aspiring footballers through their paces, passing on his insight and knowledge to youngsters looking to develop into professional players.
The clips circulating online show Sterling running hands-on coaching sessions, teaching young players various skills such as finishing and dribbling.
Sterling launched the academy in August 2025, seeking to provide players aged 5-12 with high-level training and personal development.
Newcastle United host Liverpool at St James’ Park in a testing start to the 2026/27 Premier League season and fans on Tyneside will be hoping for a sea change from their side.
It was a dismal end to last season under Eddie Howe, which saw the side miss out on European qualification by some margin. The departures of Sandro Tonali, Anthony Gordon, Bruno Guimaraes and then, ultimately, Howe mean a new dawn in the North East.
Matthias Jaissle arrived described as a ‘rockstar’ by CEO David Hopkinson and has already impacted the side. Here’s what we’ve learned from pre-season preparations.
Newcastle United prioritise aggressive press
At one stage, Eddie Howe’s side were known for their energy and aggression, but that had faded over his final season in charge on Tyneside. Jaissle has explicitly outlined that he wants to bring an aggressive press back.
Speaking this month, the Magpies head coach said:
“The phrase how Newcastle should play like is front-footed, intense, aggressive and of course also successful.
“The approach we have as a coaching team and the identity of Newcastle is famed for, it’s so linked together – which is a perfect fit in my eyes and that’s going to be exciting.”
That was perhaps most evident to see in a 2-1 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen. Jaissle’s press created opportunities, but also risks leaving Newcastle United exposed at the back.
A new formation will be seen
Scott Heppell Via Reuters
Eddie Howe became married to his 4-3-3 formation at Newcastle United, sooner playing strikers as midfielders and midfielders as full-backs, before altering his tactics. Jaissle appears to be more of a maverick when it comes to choosing a formation. The new Magpies boss is likely to prefer a 4-2-3-1, which has most commonly been seen in pre-season, but will give his players freedom to adjust that shape depending on the fixture.
He explained: “It is not about formations that much. It is more how you want to play, how you want to attack, how you want to defend. If you understand that and the players understand that, tactically you are much more flexible and the formation is not that important.
“These days the players are more and more involved in tactical things. Every coach and every club works with principles, so every player has to know a lot of things, tactically, in each phase of the game. I think that’s a big change.”
It’s time for Yoane Wissa’s redemption
Towards the end of the 2025/26 campaign, it looked as if William Osula could be the talisman for Newcastle United this season. The striker scored five in the final seven Premier League outings.
Osula stepped in as Yoane Wissa struggled. The former Brentford man, who cost the Magpies £55 million last summer, scored just one top flight goal last season.
Fees correct prior to summer 2026
All 10 found — excellent!
Wissa scored three times at the World Cup for DR Congo and looks to have carried that form into pre-season, becoming the main man under Jaissle. The forward scored both goals in the 2-1 comeback over Valencia and is relishing having more faith placed in him.
After the Valencia win, Wissa said: “After a tough season for me, physically and mentally, the World Cup – especially playing with my national team – has been good.
“So now new manager, new Yoane Wissa. That’s what I hope. I’m going to help the team achieve something great this season.”
The Premier League season commences this Friday, meaning the punditry circuit is in full prediction mode, with Paul Scholes the latest to offer his verdict.
Champions Arsenal host newly promoted Coventry City in the curtain-raiser on Friday night at the Emirates, before the full weekend of fixtures ensues. The Gunners will be looking to make a statement prior to their rivals kicking off their respective campaigns.
Mikel Arteta’s men will look to take advantage of transitional periods for their competitors and win back-to-back league titles for the first time since the 1930s. New eras begin at Stamford Bridge, the Etihad and Anfield with Xabi Alonso, Enzo Maresca and Andoni Iraola all taking charge of the contenders.
Meanwhile, Michael Carrick and Roberto De Zerbi will commence their first full seasons in charge of Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, respectively. Nine months of blood, sweat and tears are upon us, and Scholes has chimed into the pre-campaign discourse.
Paul Scholes Reveals His Top Six Premier League Predictions For 2026/27 Season
Speaking on the Good, the Bad & the Football YouTube channel, Scholes tipped the Gunners to prevail once again. “They look strong. They look too strong. They’ll win it again,” he said.
Despite losing legendary manager Pep Guardiola, the former Manchester United midfielder backed City to finish second. He also claimed that Chelsea could finish second if they were to sign a goalkeeper.
“I think I’d probably still go City second,” Scholes revealed.
“I think they [Chelsea] could possibly [finish second]. If I were them, I’d have a look at the [Aston] Villa goalkeeper [Emi Martinez]. I know Juventus have just pulled out of the deal for him, but I think he’d be a good signing for Chelsea.”
Speaking about his former club, Scholes placed the Red Devils third, expressing concern over their lack of defensive solidity in the middle of the park.
“United third, for me. I still think they’ve got a lot of work to do. I think they need to strengthen. Possibly, they could do better, but I just don’t think the centre-halves are good enough. I don’t know if they’ve got it [the money to spend more].
“I just think every time I’ve seen United over the last year, or two years, they get attacked through the middle of the pitch every single time, because they don’t have the physicality or the legs in the middle of the pitch. I don’t see what’s changed really. I think they bought [Andrey] Santos to try and plug that gap a little bit, but from what I’ve seen, he’s not the most physical or robust.”
Initially placing Liverpool fourth, Scholes then reversed this take in favour of Chelsea. He bravely picked the Reds to finish just outside the top four, before backing Spurs to complete the top six.
“Fourth for me, Liverpool. Actually, I’m going to say Chelsea. Liverpool, fifth. Tottenham sixth, yeah.”
Scholes’ 2026/27 Premier League Top Six Prediction
1
Arsenal
2
Manchester City
3
Manchester United
4
Chelsea
5
Liverpool
6
Tottenham Hotspur
Watch Paul Scholes, Michael Owen and Nicky Butt make their predictions
Paul Scholes’ Relegation Picks For 2026/27
Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff
After years of underwhelming battles at the other end of the table, an enthralling relegation dogfight played out in 2025/26. Tottenham narrowly avoided losing their Premier League status, sending London rivals West Ham United to the Championship instead.
The drop-zone drama isn’t expected to be quite as exciting this time around. The credentials of the promoted sides have been heavily questioned, and while many have tipped all three to go straight back down, Scholes sprung a surprising prediction.
While the former England international does think Hull City and Ipswich Town will return to the second tier immediately, he believes Newcastle United’s disastrous summer will take its toll, and that the Magpies will lose their status as a top-flight club for the first time since the 2015/16 season.
“I think Newcastle are going to struggle, big time,” he said.
“I wouldn’t be surprised [if they went down]. Newcastle have been there before, not too long ago.”
Having lost Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon, the Tynesiders are fancied to struggle. That said, having played in the Champions League as recently as last season, this call from Scholes is certainly being viewed as brave.
Scholes’ 2026/27 Premier League Bottom Three Prediction
