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Bosnia Manager Hits Back at Tim Howard For Comments Ahead of Game v USA

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A war of words has ignited between USA legend Tim Howard and Bosnia and Herzegovina manager Sergej Barbarez ahead of the two nations’ World Cup clash.

The USMNT meet Bosnia in the Round of 32 on Wednesday night at the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium in Santa Clara. Mauricio Pochettino’s side are favourites heading into the tie after winning their group with two wins from three games.

That said, the Americans did suffer a surprising 3-2 defeat to Turkey in their final Group D game after wins over Paraguay 4-1 and Australia 2-0. This raised doubts over the co-hosts’ chances of reaching the latter stages of the tournament ahead of their encounter with Bosnia.

Bosnia finished third in Group B with one win, one draw and one defeat in their three games. Led by Edin Dzeko, the European nation heads into tonight’s game as underdogs.

USA vs Bosnia – Barbarez Hits Back at Howard

Sergej Barbarez managing Bosnia and Herzegovina at the 2026 World Cup REUTERS/Daniel Cole

Howard isn’t concerned about the Bosnians and urged USA fans not to stress after the loss to Turkey. The former Manchester United goalkeeper insisted Pochettino’s team will bounce back while speaking on Unfiltered Soccer:

“Bosnia, they’re better off not even getting on a plane and going to San Francisco, because the U.S. is gonna put work in against them.”

Barbarez clapped back at Howard with a brutal response when the American pundit’s comments were put to him during the pre-match press conference:

“Who is he?, I don’t know who he is!”

Bosnia’s coach then gave a serious assessment of his nation and their ambition to reach the last 16. He told reporters, “We are a small country and sometimes things like that happen, but I have no problem with it.”

He added: “My boys don’t have ​a problem with it … You’re playing for a place in the round of 16. ​If that’s not motivation enough, then I don’t really notice things like that.”

Bosnia started their World Cup campaign with a 1-1 draw against co-hosts Canada before losing 4-1 to Switzerland. They then beat Qatar 3-1 to seal their place in the knockout rounds.

Barbarez acknowledged the USA as favourites but insisted his side have no problem with being the underdog. He is only focused on guiding his side to victory in Santa Clara.

Dzeko Criticizes USA Mindset

Edin Dzeko at the 2026 World Cup Reuters/Steven Bisig

Howard wasn’t the only American to mock Bosnia in the build-up to the game, as ABC7 presenter Abigail Velez also joked about the Europeans. In a viral clip, Velez tried pointing the country out on the map and said:

“In the next round, Team USA will play Bosnia next Wednesday. And, one thing about Bosnia [is that] I could not point out where it is on a map. That’s because Team USA, we’re back, we’re better than ever. Get prepared Bosnia, because you don’t want it. You don’t want it like that. But you’re gonna get it.”

This didn’t go down well with Bosnia captain Dzeko, who questioned the Americans’ mentality before the game. The former Manchester City striker told Ben Jacobs for talkSPORT:

“That shows a lot about them. Not about us. I think the most important thing is what the guys in the American team, in the US team, think. And I think they are not going to underestimate us. They know we have qualities, and we know we have qualities. You are the favorites, but the knockout phase is totally different than the group stage.”

Bosnia are participating in their second World Cup campaign after beating Italy in the playoffs to qualify. Their only previous participation came in 2014 when they crashed out during the group stages.

Dzeko is Zmajevi’s talisman and all-time top goalscorer with 73 goals in 150 games. The 40-year-old Schalke frontman will be eager to add to that tally against the USA and help his country pull off a shock in Santa Clara.

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Arsenal Eye West Ham’s Crysencio Summerville as Morgan Rogers Price Tag Soars

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Arsenal have been heavily linked with a move to sign Morgan Rogers in the summer transfer window, but due to his hefty price tag, they might want to consider exploring alternatives.

Rogers is a player who is attracting plenty of interest in the summer, which is no surprise after his impressive performances with Villa.

The England international has kicked on massively since his move to Villa Park from Middlesbrough, quickly becoming a key figure for the Midlands club and England.

Due to his performance levels and the fact that the market is heavily inflated at the moment, Villa are reportedly demanding in the region of £130m for Rogers to depart.

Whether this is out of reach for Arsenal remains to be seen, but they do appear to have serious interest in the forward.


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Arsenal Eyeing Alternative Target

Morgan Rogers Caean Couto (IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters)

According to reports, an alternative target for Arsenal in the summer transfer window is West Ham winger Crysencio Summerville.

The Dutch international, who has been representing the Netherlands at the World Cup, is believed to be valued in the region of £50m following West Ham’s relegation.

Summerville would, of course, be significantly cheaper than Rogers, so it would certainly make more sense financially.

The West Ham winger, described as ‘elite’, is destined to return to the Premier League during the summer transfer window, and there is no doubt there will be clubs lining up to secure his signature in the coming weeks and months.

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Summerville Better Signing Than Rogers

Crysencio Summerville

Taking everything into account, Summerville would be a better signing than Rogers for Arsenal in the summer transfer window.

The Dutch international is naturally a left-sided attacker, which is the position that Arsenal desperately need to strengthen.

The Gunners currently have Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli for the left-sided position, but neither of them have nailed down a starting role in the side.

Rogers is more of a number 10 who is capable of playing on the left-hand side.

Arsenal will need to bring in a player who specialises in playing off the left, and considering he costs £80m more than Rogers, it would be a smarter move to secure the West Ham winger’s signature this summer.

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Liverpool Eyeing Summer Move for Wolves Midfielder Mateus Mane

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Liverpool could now look to reignite their interest in a young talent as they aim to reinforce Andoni Iraola’s squad in the summer transfer window.

If Liverpool want their new manager to be successful, then there’s no doubt they need to bring in reinforcements over the coming weeks.

It is, however, incredibly important that their recruitment improves after Arne Slot struggled following a busy summer transfer window last year.

Some of their new additions have struggled to hit the ground running, which is forcing the Reds back into the market.

Liverpool also need to replace some of their outgoing stars, with Andy Robertson, Ibrahima Konate and Mohamed Salah all leaving on free transfers.

It could be another busy window for the Merseyside club.


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Liverpool Eyeing Young Talent

Andoni Iraola gives thumbs-up after Bournemouth Premier League game REUTERS/Peter Powell

According to reports, Liverpool are one of the sides once again showing an interest in signing Wolves midfielder Mateus Mane in the summer transfer window.

The Reds are yet to submit an official approach, while Wolves value him in the region of £35m.

Liverpool face strong competition for his signature, including from three Premier League clubs, while Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt are also keen on the young talent.

Wolves are determined to keep hold of Mane, described as ‘special’, heading into the new season, despite them being relegated from the Premier League last term.

Whether the stance changes if a big offer arrives on the table remains to be seen.

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Mane Tipped to Become One of the Best

Mateus Mane

Mane enjoyed a phenomenal breakout season with Wolves despite them being relegated from the Premier League.

Former Wolves manager Vitor Pereira was full of praise for the 18-year-old during his time at the club, tipping him to become “one of the best players not just at our club, but in this league.”

Mane took on a lot of responsibility last season, and it takes a big personality to be able to shine in a side struggling so much in the Premier League.

As it stands, he looks set to be dropping down a league to the Championship. At the age of 18, there’s certainly no shame in plying your trade in the second tier.

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Nottingham Forest Set to Appoint Ex-Crystal Palace Boss Oliver Glasner

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Nottingham Forest have decided to part ways with Vitor Pereira as their manager and will appoint ex-Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner as his replacement, GIVEMESPORT can reveal.

Forest were in a relegation battle in the 2025/26 season but after sacking all of Nuno Espirito Santo, Ange Postecoglou, and Sean Dyche during the season, they avoided the drop and reached the Europa League semi-finals under the Portuguese boss.

Talks over a new contract were underway earlier in the summer, but a decision has now been made to move on from Pereira, with club owner Evangelos Marinakis agreeing a shock move to bring in Glasner to the City Ground.

Nottingham Forest to Appoint Oliver Glasner

Oliver Glasner

GIVEMESPORT sources can exclusively reveal that Forest held an option to terminate Pereira’s contract until June 30th, and they sent him and his representatives an email at 23:58 on June 30th to confirm their decision.

Glasner left Crystal Palace at the end of the season having guided them to the FA Cup, Community Shield and Conference League titles over the previous 12 months, with his contract expiring. He had been in line to take over at AC Milan, before a change of leadership saw them opt for Ruben Amorim instead.

Pereira had already planned a pre-season in Portugal, while he was involved in meetings over summer transfer plans as recently as yesterday (June 30th).

Glasner is now expected to take over at the City Ground, with talks having been held behind the scenes with owner Marinakis, who is ‘extremely ambitious’ and wants to compete for trophies.

The Austrian will be given funds to strengthen the squad, with a £116m deal for Elliot Anderson to join Man City already agreed.

Glasner a Big Appointment for Forest

oliver glasner

When Glasner departed Crystal Palace the expectation was that he would be joining a top-level European club, having been attracting interest from the likes of Milan, Man Utd and Chelsea in recent times.

So Forest will see it as a major coup that they are able to attract a manager of his calibre to the club, especially after what they would consider to be a disappointing season last time around.

Palace fans are likely to be furious with Glasner, however, after tensions between the two clubs following a complaint by Forest which led to the south London side missing out on a place in the Europa League last season. Palace went on to win the Conference League, however, and will be in the Europa League next season, while Forest are not in Europe at all.

Marinakis has seen what Glasner can do, turning Palace into a side that regularly compete for silverware under him, and will be hoping for more of the same.


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