Sports
Man Utd Transfer Target Rejected Them After World Cup Winner’s Message
During Sir Alex Ferguson’s 27-year reign at Manchester United, the club rarely ever missed out on their top transfer targets, but times have changed as Tottenham stole a march on the Red Devils this summer.
Following West Ham United’s relegation from the Premier League, Portuguese midfielder Mateus Fernandes became one of the hottest properties in the transfer market. Just 22 years old, Fernandes was one of the only bright sparks at the London Stadium in the 2025-26 season.
But where would he end up? Would the midfielder join last season’s 17th-place side or the 20-time champions of England? Well, to many people’s surprise, Fernandes opted for the former.
Why Mateus Fernandes Snubbed Man Utd For Spurs
After missing out on a place in Roberto Martinez’s Portugal squad for the 2026 World Cup, the 22-year-old had time to pick his next destination. He decided to stay in the capital, moving to north London.
Now, Fernandes has told The Athletic why he chose to join Tottenham, despite Man Utd’s interest. One of the key factors came in the shape of a phone call from a World Cup winner.
Pedro Porro played a key role in Spain’s triumph over the summer, and also helped out his club in the process. The full-back was at Sporting CP with Fernandes, and got in touch to convince him to become his teammate again.
Fernandes actually missed the call but was left a message by Porro, who claimed to have been the one pushing his signing. The midfielder explained:
“He called me one day — I didn’t answer because I was sleeping — he said, in Portuguese, ‘Come on Mateus, you need to play with us, we want you. It was me that told the manager to bring you.'”
He added that they did eventually have a conversation: “Then when everything was done, I spoke with him a bit about the club, the mentality in the team, the teammates as well. He’s an important player. He’s one of the best right-backs in the world. He’s a top guy.”
Roberto De Zerbi Also Played Key Role
Roberto De Zerbi has been trusted with a lot of money to spend after steering the club to safety in the final weeks of last season. The Italian has snapped up Sandro Tonali, Jan Paul van Hecke, Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi alongside Fernandes.
The Portugal international explained the lengths De Zerbi went to when discussing a summer transfer with him “The desire of playing for a big club, winning games, to fight for the Premier League, for the title,” he said when asked why he chose Spurs.
“The way he [De Zerbi] spoke with me and my family was very important for me. He was calling me every day, so I’m very happy to work with him, and hopefully we can do great things.
“It was more about (forming a) connection, because my dad and my mum don’t speak English very well. It was more about feelings. He said he would take care of me, that he would be my second dad in England. I’m very happy to work with him.”
Roc Nation Sports International has announced that they have signed a deal to represent German youngster Karim Coulibaly.
The young defender enjoyed a fantastic breakout campaign in the Bundesliga in the 2025/26 season, making 27 appearances for Werder Bremen, and he has now developed a reputation as one of the best young defenders in Europe, and one of the most exciting talents in world football.
The talented teenager’s commanding performances earned him a place in the prestigious Golden Boy Top 50 list, highlighting his status as one of the elite young prospects globally, and he has now been added to the star-studded roster of Roc Nation Sports International talent.
Roc Nation Sign Coulibaly
Coulibaly established himself as one of the top prospects around in March 2026, when despite being aged 18, he made his debut for the Germany Under 21 international team.
Now he has joined the Roc Nation roster alongside the likes of Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Jr, Crystal Palace defender Chris Richards, and RB Leipzig sensation Yan Diomande, and revealed that he felt it was the perfect time to make that move.
“Joining Roc Nation Sports International is a massive milestone in my journey,” he said.
“I want to make an impact on the pitch, but I also want to build something meaningful off it, pursue my passions, and establish a legacy.
“With the global reach and influence of Roc Nation Sports International, I know I have the perfect partner to help me achieve my dreams, protect my interests, and build my brand on a global stage.”
Nathan Campbell, Head of Global Football Recruitment at RNSI, said Karim’s character perfectly aligns with the DNA of Roc Nation Sports International.
“Karim represents the pinnacle of the next generation of modern defenders,” he said.
“A left-sided centre-back with his raw physical attributes, composure under pressure, and elite tactical intelligence is incredibly rare. There is a reason he is a Golden Boy nominee and already a key part of the German age-group setup.
“But more than his extraordinary talent, Karim’s character perfectly aligns with what we look for. We are not a transactional agency. We are fully committed to elevating Karim’s global profile, maximising his career potential, and supporting his growth in every area of his life and career.”
Some of the best rivalries in WWE have some real-life beef behind them. Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart, Edge and Matt Hardy, CM Punk and Seth Rollins, just to name a few.
It gives the rivalry a bit of something behind it and can be the difference maker between a mediocre build to a match and an intense clash that the fans can get behind and invest in.
An upcoming rivalry is no different as last night’s WWE Championship number one contenders clash has steered two former rivals up against each other for the first time in decades.
Kevin Owens & CM Punk’s Rivalry Explained
Kevin Owens returned to the WWE last night after 18 months on the sidelines with a career-threatening neck injury. To the shock of fans, he was added alongside Gunther to the number one contender match between Sami Zayn and Finn Balor.
After an intense, quick-fire Fatal 4-Way match, Owens came out on top to book his spot against CM Punk, who retained his title against Cody Rhodes the previous night.
Fans were quick to remember the real life issues these two had with each other over two decades ago.
In April 2005, Kevin Owens (then known as Kevin Steen), wrestled in a T-shirt during a match with Vordell Walker in Ring of Honor because he felt uncomfortable wrestling without one. CM Punk, being a locker room leader in Ring of Honor at the time, felt it was disrespectful to the industry and shouted at him following Owens’ match backstage.
Kevin Owens spoke about the confrontation on the Kevin Steen Show: “I thought about shoving him as hard as I could. But at that point, I wanted to be [in Ring of Honor] so bad.”
From then on, the two hardly crossed paths, with CM Punk leaving WWE in early 2014, while Owens debuted on the main roster months later.
When CM Punk returned in late 2023, a potential match-up with Owens was speculated amongst fans as an option for the returning star following the revelation of their real life issues.
In 2024, Owens was asked by the Daily Mail whether there had been any resolution between the pair and Owens claimed there has not been.
“We have no relationship. We’re not each other’s type of people, I don’t think. There’s like a 10-foot vicinity that if we enter in, we have to kind of, ‘Hey,’ ‘Hey.’ Otherwise, we just don’t, and that’s fine. It’s perfectly fine the way it is.”
With no date set in stone for the WWE Championship match between CM Punk and Kevin Owens, we could see a lengthy build to the match. It would not be a surprise if the two used elements of their real life issues to strengthen the draw of the match and build it into a real contender for feud of the year.
Donald Trump has caused a major stir with his post on social media after winning a golf tournament at his own course.
Trump, a huge golf fan, competed at the Senior and Super Senior Men’s Club Championship at his Bedminster golf course in New Jersey this weekend.
The 80-year-old carded a two-under 70 to win the championship in both categories. It was his 43rd club championship title across his collection of golf courses.
As per Sky Sports, the US President won both titles previously in 2023, and recorded a sole Senior Championship victory in 2024.
Footage on social media emerged of Trump being given his trophy.
Donald Trump Taunts Opponents After Victory
Taking to social media after his victory, Trump taunted his opponents and bragged about his ‘talent’. He wrote on Truth Social: “The Winning Shot in the Bedminster Club Championship! Thank you very much to all of those who participated.
“I won with a score of 70, and am so honored in that, unlike the rest of the field, I’m given very little time to practice, because I’m focused on many other things. It’s called TALENT, and I have it, and they don’t!”
Alongside the caption, Trump included a video of his ‘winning shot’; an impressive chip onto the green which landed a few feet away from the cup.
Donald Trump Blasted For Post
Trump’s post has not gone down well on social media. One said: “The world’s biggest cheater, poor loser, & narcissist, is literally followed around by a film crew. Imagine worshipping a liar like this,” while another commented: “It appears that the US is run by a spoilt eight year old child.”
A third commented: “There’s no way in hell he shot 70, no way in hell… unless he cheated. Of course he cheated, it’s what he does, it’s all he f******’ does…”
Former Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture James Moore said: “In every way, he is the model of what I am teaching my son not to be: vile, small, cruel, ignorant, petty, corrupt. And he models it daily.”
While Mehdi Hasan, a British-American journalist with 2.2 million followers on X, wrote: “No previous president in history has ever spoken like this. If someone in your social circle spoke like this, you would distance yourself from them. Over 70 million people voted for this guy. I will never ever get over that.”
Trump has long been accused of cheating on the golf course. American sports writer Rick Reilly wrote in his book, titled Commander in Cheat:
“At Winged Foot, where Trump is a member, the caddies got so used to seeing him kick his ball back onto the fairway they came up with a nickname for him: Pele.”
Earlier this year, it was claimed that Trump had racked up a cost of $138,600,000 for US taxpayers from playing golf since returning to office.
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