All eyes will be on Andoni Iraola’s Liverpool this season after the highly-rated Spaniard replaced Arne Slot at the helm.

Following their 2024/25 Premier League title-winning campaign, the Reds endured a nightmare season last term and finished the year in fifth position, 25 points behind newly-crowned champions Arsenal.

Liverpool’s struggles resulted in Slot’s departure, with Iraola taking on the hotseat after an incredible season where he guided Bournemouth to European qualification for the first time after finishing three points behind the Merseyside club in sixth.

Liverpool splashed the cash in the transfer market 12 months ago and the focus will very much be on them once again as Iraola looks to make an immediate mark at Anfield.

Liverpool watching Fulham star

Liverpool are keeping close tabs on Fulham winger Kevin, according to Anfield Watch.

The Reds have already seen some movement in that area of the pitch this summer following Mohamed Salah’s departure from the club.

Federico Chiesa could potentially join the Egyptian in heading for pastures new, with the club signing Spanish ace Victor Munoz from Osasuna in a £34.5m deal and having a keen interest in RB Leipzig star Yan Diomande.

Given the need to add to their wide options, Kevin has emerged as a potential addition for Liverpool as they plan for the years ahead.

The Brazilian joined Fulham in a club-record £34.6m deal last September on a long-term contract until the summer of 2030, with the Cottagers having an option to extend it by a further year.

The left-winger finished his first season in west London with three goals and four assists to his name in 31 appearances, notably scoring in a 3-2 defeat against Manchester United in February.

More will be expected of the 23-year-old this season following his first year in England, with Anfield Watch reporting that Liverpool have been watching the player since his move to Fulham to see how he would adapt to the Premier League.

Exciting Kevin prediction could come true

Action Images via Reuters/Ed Sykes

Dario Srna’s big Kevin prediction could very well come true if Liverpool make a move for the Fulham star,

Speaking to BBC Sport last September following the Brazilian’s move from Shakhtar Donetsk to the Cottagers, Srna, the club’s sporting director, stated that the youngster “will move to one of the biggest clubs within the next two years”.

“Fulham have an amazing winger, he has amazing skills, is so fast, good one-versus-one, he even defends well,” outlined Srna.

“With Marco Silva, for me one of the best coaches in the Premier League, he will continue to develop for sure. I believe Kevin will move to one of the biggest clubs within the next two years.”

Serena Williams’ controversial decision to avoid press duties after her return at Wimbledon earlier this week has caused quite the stir, and a reason for her skipping the press has now been revealed.

The 23-time Grand Slam winner was back in singles action for the first time since calling time on her illustrious career at the 2022 US Open. Still, her much-anticipated homecoming didn’t stick to the script, as she was seen off in round one by Australian youngster Maya Joint.

The 20-year-old handled the occasion well to dispatch her legendary opponent, despite some nervy moments, particularly in set two. Williams was able to rediscover some of the class that made her such a dominant opponent in years gone by and force a deciding third set with a 7-6 response after Joint threatened to run away with the tie after winning the first 6-3.

Those inroads didn’t lead to the turnaround the now 44-year-old had hoped for, who was evidently frustrated at SW19. That disappointment was shared by onlookers, who had expected one of Wimbledon’s serial winners to make light work of an opponent who had been struggling for form in previous months after suffering a lower-back injury that has so far derailed her 2026 campaign.

Serena Williams’ Post-Match Actions Raise Questions

After losing that final set 6-3, Williams made a quick exit, uninterested in sticking around to talk to the press both on court and in mandatory press conferences—a brief statement released after the match confirmed that to be the case.

“Unfortunately, Serena Williams will not be able to undertake media this evening.”

Skipping media duties is expensive business, with the Grand Slam Rulebook stating that a hefty fine can be issued without “reasonable grounds,” i.e., injury or illness.

“If a player is unable to appear, the appropriate level of direct communication is requested. Violation of this Section shall subject a player to a fine up to $50,000.”

Serena Williams Avoids Fine As Reason For Absence Emerges

Andrew Couldridge via Reuters

The five-figure fine will not be handed down to the seven-time Wimbledon winner, however, on the grounds of injury, with an apparent tweak to her knee sustained in the first set, freeing her from her media obligations.

“Serena tweaked her knee at the end of the first set and was therefore excused from her media obligations by the Wimbledon and WTA medical teams,” said Jill Smoller, the tennis icon’s long-standing agent in a statement provided to The Times.

That knee issue has thrown her continued participation at the tournament into doubt, with Serena due to compete in the doubles alongside her sister Venus. The pair have been handed a wildcard and are set to face the unseeded duo of Camila Osorio and Solana Sierra on Friday, provided she can overcome her injury problems.

Max Verstappen is comfortably one of the best drivers on the Formula 1 grid and is admired by fans, team principals, and his fellow drivers alike.

To be successful, there is a strong argument that you have to believe you are the best, and it is not unreasonable to suggest that Verstappen holds this opinion of himself.

He’s a four-time world champion with Red Bull with one of the most ruthless wheel-to-wheel driving styles on the grid, and he has gone toe-to-toe with some truly incredible drivers, including the seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.

That electric and daring 2021 season will never be forgotten, the seesawing of points between the two and the hard racing which culminated in shocking collisions, including Verstappen’s infamous 50G crash at Silverstone and their clash at Monza, when the Dutchman’s wheel ended up on the Brit’s head.

Hamilton has challenged the Dutchman, and while their fortunes have changed since 2021, the two have still been battling each other into 2026 with some fantastic overtakes in the Austrian Grand Prix reminiscent of their electric championship fight. At 41 years old, the Brit is showing no signs of bowing out of the sport as he searches for his coveted and record-breaking eighth championship, taking victory for the first time as a Ferrari driver in the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix.

With Verstappen’s prowess widely recognised, it does raise an interesting question: which of his contemporaries does he rank highly?

Who Max Verstappen ‘Really Rates’

Philippe Nanchino via Reuters

Speaking on the Race F1 podcast, Viaplay commentator Nelson Valkenburg believes that the 28-year-old only considers two current drivers to be genuine threats. Naturally, one of them is Hamilton, but the other is a little more eyebrow-raising and that person is Kimi Antonelli.

The 19-year-old Italian is the current championship leader with Mercedes, beating his more experienced teammate George Russell by 50 points as of the Austrian Grand Prix, with the Brit sitting in third behind Hamilton at present.

Antonelli has received comparisons to Verstappen’s younger self as the Dutchman became the youngest driver in the sport’s history to start a race and the youngest to ever win a race, aged 17 and 18 respectively. He is seen by many as Mercedes’ new protege following the departure of Hamilton, being hailed as a ‘generational talent’ in only his second season.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has long been an admirer of Verstappen and there have been rumours simmering about a potential switch to the Silver Arrows. Speaking on the prospect of Verstappen and Antonelli leading the line for the German manufacturer, Valkenberg said: “There’s so much respect there. If I look at Verstappen there, I think there are two drivers on this grid that he really, really, really rates alongside himself, and that is Lewis [Hamilton] and Kimi [Antonelli].

Jakub Porzycki via Reuters

“The emergence of Antonelli and the realisation of what Toto Wolff saw earlier might keep Verstappen in F1 for longer than he initially anticipated. I think it tickles him completely. He’s dealt with Hamilton, but Hamilton is a little older.

It remains to be seen whether Verstappen can master the new regulations, which he is an outspoken critic of, and brand the season with his own usual spark of brilliance. If there’s one thing that 2025 taught us, it’s this: Don’t write Verstappen out of the equation too soon.