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Could Bouaddi succeed where Grealish fell short?

If Ayyoub Bouaddi is to join Manchester City, he will hope his career at the Etihad proves more successful than that of Jack Grealish.

England international Grealish joined City from Aston Villa for a then British-record transfer fee of £100m in 2021.

It took the attacker time to settle at the Etihad. However, he was an integral part of the team that won the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League in 2023.

Since then, though, Grealish's career has been on a downward trajectory and he spent last season on loan at Everton.

Although he will always be remembered by the City faithful for his contributions during the 2022/23 campaign, it is fair to say Grealish never consistently hit the heights expected of him after signing in 2021.

Bouaddi will hope he can become a more consistent performer for City.

What next for Jack Grealish?

Emlyn Begley

BBC Sport reporter

Jack Grealish could be given the chance of a fresh start under a new manager at Manchester City in Enzo Maresca.

Following his substitute appearance in Sunday's Community Shield defeat to Arsenal, the Italian did say that Grealish will get games if he stays and impresses.

But it still feels more than likely he will end up leaving.

Grealish could yet return to Everton, where he spent last season on loan. The Toffees opted not to make the deal permanent for City's rumoured valuation of £50m this summer.

But with one year left on his supposed £300,000-a-week deal, and with Grealish likely to be a substitute at best, City are surely going to be open to lower offers, or even another loan move.

Could he even go back to his boyhood club Aston Villa, who are in the Champions League this season?

BBC Radio WM presenter Daz Hale said: "There is a real romance of the return of the prodigal son. You always felt it was written at some point he would come back.

"It is a Champions League season again for Villa, they need to have strength in depth with a deeper talent pool."

Or could an overseas move for Grealish hold some appeal? Several media outlets claim that Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid are looking at him.

Man City 'need someone in that midfield that's dominant'

Ellen White

Former England striker on 5 Live

I think it's a transition, with a new manager.

Rodri was huge in the way they played, [he controlled the] build-up and I think that's a huge loss for them.

It's obviously understanding what Maresca wants, and it's tough to understand that philosophy [so quickly].

A lot of the players have been in the World Cup as well, so they're coming late into the pre-season.

I think Ruben Dias actually said it's a bit of a transition for him after the game [3-0 defeat to Arsenal in the Community Shield]. So, if the players feel it as well, that's going to transition into the pitch.

I think they need time and then they need someone in that midfield that's dominant, knows how Man City play, builds the rhythm and connects the team.

Rodri was that for them and that's a huge loss for City [as a whole] and a huge impact on their midfield as well.

Bouaddi no stranger to making headlines

Ayyoub Bouaddi is no stranger to making headlines.

In 2023, at just 16 years and three days old, he made his senior debut for Lille in a Europa Conference League match.

Since then, Bouaddi has gone from strength to strength, establishing himself as a key part of an exciting Lille side that has finished second and third in Ligue 1 over the past two seasons.

In total, the central midfielder has made 96 senior appearances at club level. That figure is expected to surpass 100 before he turns 19 in October.

As if his success in Ligue 1 were not enough, he was also one of the breakout stars of this summer's World Cup, featuring in all five of Morocco's matches as they progressed to the last-16 stage.

It is little wonder he is being linked with a big-money move to Manchester City?

Midfield 'most interesting area' of Man City transition under Maresca

Izzy Christiansen believes the evolution of Manchester City's midfield under new manager Enzo Maresca will be "interesting" to monitor following their 3-0 defeat to Arsenal in Sunday's Community Shield.

"In Maresca's post-match interview he sounded calm and collected, which is the managerial style he has displayed at Chelsea and Leicester City," said Christiansen on BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast.

"He knows the job that he has and if they can transition whilst still qualifying for Europe or being title contenders then that's huge success.

"Regardless of what is happening with Rodri, the midfield is the most interesting area of the team. He finished with Nico Gonzalez, Rayan Cherki and Rico Lewis which didn't look right.

"He was probably protecting Elliot Anderson in terms of minutes, and Phil Foden didn't see the game through, but I question how he is going to evolve that midfield without Rodri.

"There will be eyes on them until the transfer window shuts to see who they replace Rodri with, should he depart, and that will be key."

Bouaddi plays as a 'deep-lying conductor'

Sami Mokbel

BBC Sport Senior football correspondent

Ayyoub Bouaddi impressed at this summer's World Cup - starting all of Morocco's five matches in their run to the quarter-finals - after a starring role in Lille's Champions League victory over Real Madrid in 2024 announced him on the big stage.

He functions as a deep-lying conductor and would complement summer signing Elliot Anderson, who is comfortable as a box-to-box midfielder as well as the number six role he plays for England.

Bouaddi has played 88 times for Lille since making his debut in October 2023, three days after his 16th birthday, and helped them finish third in Ligue 1 last season.

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Vicario joined Spurs as Lloris replacement

Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham signed Guglielmo Vicario in 2023 from Serie A side Empoli for a fee of around £17.2m.

He was the second signing for then manager Ange Postecoglou, brought in to replace Hugo Lloris, who left the club in 2024.

The Italy international's contract with Spurs is set to end in 2028.

He won the Europa League in 2025 with Tottenham and made 117 appearances for the club.

Vicario started his career at Udinese and had spells at Cagliari, Perugia and Venezia before joining Empoli in July 2021 following their promotion to Serie A.

Villa close in on Suzuki with Martinez future in doubt

Despite Aston Villa's breakdown in talks with Juventus over Emiliano Martinez's potential move, Unai Emery's side are still closing in on the signing of Parma goalkeeper Zion Suzuki.

Japan international Suzuki has been one of Villa's top targets and the deal, reportedly for around £30m, is progressing.

Suzuki was born in America but qualifies for Japan through his mother and played all four of their matches at the World Cup this summer.

The 23-year-old has made 59 appearances for Parma since joining from J-League side Urawa Red Diamonds in 2024.

Martinez will not be joining Juve - gossip

The news of Juve's swoop for Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario follows a story that developed slowly overnight about a breakdown in talks between the Serie A side and Aston Villa over a deal for their Argentina stopper Emiliano Martinez.

The Athletic, external reported that the 33-year-old would not be joining Juventus this summer.

Reporter David Ornstein said that talks had reduced the price gap between the two clubs, but Villa were holding out for a flat fee of 10m euros (£8.6m) while Juventus were only prepared to pay 7m euros (£6m) up front, even though they were willing to meet the overall fee with add-ons.

Click here for a full round-up of today's transfer gossip.

Tottenham have accepted a loan offer from Juventus for goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, which includes an option to buy.

The Italy international, 29, is set to travel to Turin to complete a move back to Serie A, with a non-mandatory £8.6m purchase option included in the deal.

It follows Juventus' attempts to sign Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, which has collapsed as Villa close in on signing Parma's Zion Suzuki.

Martinez was known to have an injured finger and is currently unavailable for selection.

Vicario, meanwhile, lost his place in the Spurs side under manager Roberto de Zerbi, who promoted understudy Antonin Kinsky to the role last season.

De Zerbi has since confirmed Kinsky will remain his first-choice goalkeeper for the new season, with Martin Dubravka signed on a free transfer from Burnley in July to provide competition and cover.

It is part of a club record spending spree by the north London club, who have signed six players while targeting two further attacking additions.

They have also sold, loaned out or released several former first-team players, including captain Cristian Romero, England international Djed Spence and Yves Bissouma.

Vicario made 117 appearances for Spurs after joining from Empoli for £17.2m in 2023.

Inter Milan have completed the signing of England full-back Djed Spence from Tottenham.

Spence has signed a five-year deal with the Serie A champions, who are reportedly paying a fee of around 30m euros, external (£25.6m) for the 26-year-old.

He is the second England player to join Inter this summer with John Stones moving to the San Siro after his Manchester City contract expired.

Spence had all but confirmed the transfer earlier on Saturday, when he posted a farewell message to Spurs supporters across his social media accounts.

In them he wrote: "A special chapter comes to an end, It's been some journey, with plenty of memories, moments and experiences that I'll carry with me for forever, especially that night in Bilbao.

"Thanks to all the staff members who've helped me along the way, the players who've become family and most importantly thank you to the fans. Time for a new chapter now, but Spurs will always have a place in my heart."

Spence featured in all eight of England's games at the World Cup as Thomas Tuchel's side finished third.

He made 44 appearances for Spurs in all competitions during the 2025-26 campaign, however, first-choice right-back Pedro Porro signed a new deal in June and left-back Andy Robertson has been brought in from Liverpool.

Tottenham manager Roberto de Zerbi had said in July he wanted to convince Spence to stay at the club.

Spence joined Spurs for an initial £12.5m from Middlesbrough in 2022 and made 85 appearances for the north London side, helping them to win the 2024-25 Europa League title.

This will be Spence's second spell in Italy after a six-month loan at Genoa in 2024.

Please note: All times are UK. Some content is provided by third parties, is subject to change, and is unverified.

Middlesbrough have made Tottenham Hotspur defender Ashley Phillips their eighth signing of the summer on a five-year deal.

The Manchester-born England Under-21 international, who began his career with Blackburn Rovers, stays in the Championship after separate loan spells with Stoke City, with whom he has made 83 of his 119 career appearances.

Phillips, 21, has also played in the second tier for Blackburn and Plymouth Argyle - the first club he joined on loan in January 2024.

He came through the ranks at Ewood Park before signing for Spurs in August 2023 for a reported £2m.

"I got some great experience at a young age with Blackburn. I then experienced what it's like to be a Premier League player at Tottenham," Phillips, who never made the first-team breakthrough for Spurs, told the club website., external

"I think I've developed myself into a good player during my loans, but there's more to come from me.

"I'm very excited to be here. Hopefully we can achieve great things together this season."

After missing out in the Championship play-off final to late-season bolters Hull City in May, Kim Hellberg's Boro squad has been bolstered this summer by the arrival of goalkeeper Radek Vitek, strikers Kyle Joseph and Will Lankshear, winger Jeremy Sarmiento and midfielders Sebastian Berhalter, Max Arfsten and Myles Peart-Harris.

Cristian Romero has said he "wasn't perfect" during his five years with Tottenham Hotspur.

The Argentina centre-back is set to complete a move to Atletico Madrid after they agreed to pay Spurs £34.2m for the 28-year-old.

Romero's last game for Tottenham was against Sunderland in April, when he left the field in tears with a knee injury that would rule him out of Spurs' last six Premier League games.

The team were in a relegation battle and Romero upset fans by planning to be in Argentina for their final game, to watch his first club Belgrano play in the Primera Division Apertura final.

He ultimately returned to England to attend Spurs' 1-0 win over Everton, which meant they stayed up and finished 17th for a second consecutive season.

"I know I wasn't perfect," Romero posted on X., external "But one thing gives me peace: I always gave everything. I defended this shirt with pride and with all my heart."

Romero joined Tottenham from Atalanta in 2021 and became a mainstay in their defence, making 156 appearances.

His best moment with Spurs was helping the club win their first trophy in 17 years as they beat Manchester United in the 2025 Europa League final.

"When I arrived, I had a clear dream: to leave my name in this club's history," Romero added.

"I knew the only way was through hard work, sacrifice and achieving something that had seemed so difficult for so long: lifting a trophy again. And we did it.

"I'm leaving the club, but a part of my heart will always remain here. Once I was one of you. Today, I leave as one of you forever.

"With all my love and respect. Thank you for everything."

Please note: All times are UK. Some content is provided by third parties, is subject to change, and is unverified.

Tottenham defender Djed Spence has landed in Italy before his expected move to Inter Milan for a minimum of £25.6m (30m euros).

He told onlookers "Forza Inter" after he was filmed by Sky Sport Italy, external landing in Milan in the early hours of Friday.

Spence enjoyed an excellent World Cup with England and played 32 times for Spurs in 2025-26, but first-choice right-back Pedro Porro signed a new deal in June and left-back Andy Robertson has been brought in from Liverpool.

Tottenham manager Roberto de Zerbi said in July he wanted to convince Spence to stay at the club.

The 26-year-old joined Spurs for an initial £12.5m from Middlesbrough in 2022 and has made 85 appearances for the north London side, winning the 2025 Europa League.

This will be Spence's second spell in Italy after a six-month loan at Genoa in 2024.

Wales captain Ben Davies has joined the Football Association of Wales (FAW) council.

The 32-year-old Tottenham Hotspur defender is one of eight new appointments that include former Bristol City head coach Lauren Smith, currently an assistant at Manchester City.

Davies, who has a degree in business and economics, passed a century of caps for Wales in October 2025 and has played more than 350 games for Spurs since joining from hometown club Swansea City in 2014.

The FAW say the new appointments mark "another significant milestone" in the delivery of its 'Together Stronger for the Future' reform.

"One of the ambitions of our governance reforms was to ensure the people helping shape the future of Welsh football better reflect the game we serve today," said FAW chief executive Noel Mooney.

"These appointments achieve exactly that. We have welcomed individuals with outstanding experience from elite football, grassroots football, supporter engagement, governance and community development, alongside young people who will represent the next generation of Welsh football."

Joining Davies as a player representative on the council is Charl Galloway, co-founder of the Her Game Too Training Centre.

Smith, who has previously been on the Wales women's coaching team, is joined as a coaching representative by Cardiff Draconians manager Nana Baah.

Dr Penny Miles and Gareth Watts have been appointed to reflect supporters views, while Eleeza Khan and Begw Elain have been named as youth council representatives.

"Football in Wales is stronger when the people around the council table reflect the people who make our game so special," said FAW president Mike Jones.

"These appointments bring together an outstanding mix of experience, knowledge and fresh perspectives, while ensuring the voices of players, coaches, supporters and young people are represented as we shape the future of Welsh football."

'We must 100% hang on to him' - fans' views

Tottenham Hotspur

Tim: It's unbelievable if Spence leaves. Andy Robertson will not give us the longevity, although he is a great player with experience. Just look at the way he tackles and the pace he has. Spence will be superb soon, if he isn't already.

Mark: If there's one player I want to remain at Spurs, it's Spence. He's got everything you need in a modern full-back - pace, power and excellent technique. He absolutely loves defending and is great going forward. His pace gets us up the pitch. He was an absolute warrior for England at the World Cup and proved any doubters wrong. We must 100% hang on to him.

Jerome: Spurs should definitely keep Spence. He is a quality player with a strut and arrogance that singles him out from the rest. If we let him go, we will regret it.

Josephine: After last season, I see a better one ahead and good signings set the ball rolling. I would really like Spence to stay. He more than showed how good he is while playing for England. A must for Spurs.

Sean: I'd keep Spence, play him on the wing and as additional full-back cover. He's pretty decent going forward.

De Zerbi wanted to convince Spence to stay

Sami Mokbel

BBC Sport Senior football correspondent

Tottenham manager Roberto de Zerbi said in July that he wanted to convince Djed Spence to stay at the club.

De Zerbi added he sees Spence, who signed a long-term deal with the club last year, as an important part of his plans.

Spain's World Cup winner Pedro Porro, who De Zerbi said is the "best in the world" in his role, currently occupies Spence's preferred right-back position at Spurs.

The England defender played six times at left-back at the World Cup and featured 32 times on the left for Tottenham last season.

Spurs signed Scotland left-back Andy Robertson, 32, from Liverpool at the start of the summer.

Inter in advanced talks for Spurs full-back Spence

Sami Mokbel

BBC Sport Senior football correspondent

Inter Milan are in advanced talks to sign Tottenham and England full-back Djed Spence, in a deal worth a minimum of £25.6m (30m euros).

The 26-year-old has emerged as a key target for the Serie A champions, having enhanced his reputation at the World Cup, at which he made eight appearances.

Despite coming under criticism early in the tournament, Spence ended up starting and impressing in England's World Cup semi-final defeat by Argentina.

Spence was named in Tottenham's Premier League starting XI 23 times last season as they narrowly avoided relegation.

He has made 85 appearances for the north London club after a £20m move from Middlesbrough in July 2022 and Spurs have begun the process of identifying potential replacements.

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Simon Stone

BBC Sport Chief Football News Reporter

Do United need another left back with how well Amass has played in preseason? Scott, Huddersfield

I just get the impression United do not think Amass is the right man to challenge Luke Shaw for his place and potentially replace him.

I guess ultimately, it is not about standing in for Shaw occasionally, which I think Amass could do, or come on as a substitute, it is if Shaw was injured for a length of time, would Michael Carrick be happy with Amass, at 19, being the first choice left-back and, potentially playing against Manchester City or Real Madrid? I think it would be a stretch and unfair on Amass.

Recap of Fernandes 'hurt' after Al-Hilal offer

At the end of the 24/25 season, club officials told the Bruno Fernandes they would not stand in his way if he wanted to accept a huge offer from Saudi Pro-League club Al Hilal.

Fernandes has spoken previously about the "hurt" he felt.

After speaking to his family, he opted to stay, just as Wayne Rooney did after saying he wanted to leave in 2010, when all of Europe's leading clubs coveted him.

"I stayed because I thought I still had something that I can give back to the club," said Fernandes.

"Obviously the Saudi situation, with the money... there was a lot. The good thing I have in my family is that my wife is pretty down to earth like me.

"We're very aware that we don't want to be the richest person in the world. We just want to be the ones that have achieved the dreams they had and live a good life with their kids and trying to be as successful as possible.

"The words of my wife were like, 'have you achieved your dreams? Have you achieved everything you wanted?'.

"And that small thing she said made me understand that she's on the same page as me. Let's keep trying and see where this takes me."