That closes the blog for the day. Thanks for reading. Scott Murray has the controls now.

Tony Barr gets in touch: “By complete coincidence, if you’d told that a former top flight Brazilian international would be investing in a club in Northamptonshire, I’d have said ‘cobblers’.

”No shade on Kettering Town FC or Rushden and Irthlingborough Diamonds, both famous in their own right…Enjoy Liverpool vs Ipswich. Currently holidaying near San Gimignano, which sounds amazing in a scouse accent.”

Enjoy your holiday, Tony.

Done deal: Morgan Whittaker has joined Colorado Rapids from Middlesbrough.

“Morgan is a player that is going to bolster ⁠our attack immensely this season and for years to come,” Rapids head coach Matt Wells said. “His playing style is exactly what I look for in an ⁠attacker, and he has that individual magic that will help elevate us to the next level. “... ​This is a player who is ‌going to be a foundational ‌piece for this club, and the supporters will be able to see that as soon ‌as he steps onto the pitch in a Rapids shirt.“

The Portman Road covers band is now attempting Smells Like Teen Spirit. I preferred their Pearl Jam, to be honest.

Ben gets in touch: “Stating the obvious, is it not odd that Liverpool haven’t brought in one midfielder this transfer window and yet decided to ship off Curtis Jones? Baffling. Barcola seems a great signing but what good is the potential for goals if your midfield is the A1 to Alisson’s net?”

Outside, on the Portman Road forecourt, a local covers band is playing a spirited cover of Pearl Jam’s Even Flow.

At Portman Road, in a packed press room, the buildup begins to Ipswich’s game with Liverpool.

Florian Wirtz is easing himself into his second season at Liverpool after a forgettable first. There were signs of promise against Nottingham Forest, where he set up the second equaliser and would have had a goal of his own if not for an offside in the buildup. It is clear the German needs to become more influential as a No 10 given the quality of players he has around him, especially after the expensive arrival of Bradley Barcola this week. Bruno Fernandes showed there is plenty of fun for an attacking midfielder to have against Ipswich and Wirtz can follow suit as a protagonist. Liverpool have drawn both their opening fixtures 2-2 and need something to kickstart their campaign, with a Friday night visit to promoted opposition a fine place to do so. Wirtz should cause problems but, if he does not, the internal competition will be after his spot. Will Unwin

A consortium involving Alexandre Pato is to buy Northampton Town, it has been confirmed.

Northampton Town Football Club are pleased to confirm that the necessary approval process with the Independent Football Regulator (IFR) and the clearance process with the English Football League (EFL) have both been successfully completed in relation to the investors backing a proposed shareholding acquisition by investment group Sports Alpha Capital.

The former Chelsea, Milan and Brazil striker Pato is an investor at Sports Alpha Capital.

Interesting story from earlier, from Matt Hughes.

The chief executives of the Football Association, Rugby Football Union and England and Wales Cricket Board have joined forces with leading broadcasters and YouTube in writing to the chancellor requesting tax credits for production companies to help deliver more television coverage of women’s sport.

In a letter signed by 25 representatives of the country’s biggest sports and broadcasters, including Sky Sports and ITV, the government is urged to extend to women’s sport production the audio-visual expenditure credit scheme that provides tax relief to independent films and children’s television.

Championship news: Sheffield United co-owner Steve Rosen has dismissed claims the club could be docked Championship points. COH Sports, headed by Steven Rosen and Helmy Eltoukhy, took over the Blades in December 2024 but are in legal dispute with the club’s previous owner Prince Abdullah bin Musaed Al Saud. United World, owned by Prince Abdullah, has reportedly claimed it is owed more than £35 million from the sale, and filed a winding up petition in the High Court last month.

Rosen, speaking to a Blades in America podcast shown on the club website, said: “There’s noise around points deductions, sporting sanctions, and what Prince Abdullah put out. At no point was the football club insolvent. We pay our creditors on time, we pay our bills on time.

“COH is not a group company. It’s not the holder of Sheffield, it’s not the holding company (now). So I can’t see in any scenario where the club gets a points deduction because of that insolvency rule.

“It wasn’t like Sheffield Wednesday where they had an administrator and it went into insolvency, couldn’t pay their bills and all that. I look to a much brighter future. We moved on from COH into this new world.”

On Dean, another former referee, Graham Scott, wrote in The Athletic: “I am supremely confident that neither story is true and that he has embellished both out of all recognition.”

Dean is still expected to appear on Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday programme this weekend.

Here’s a bit of Football Daily, written by, well, me actually.

Brighton’s new signing, Chema Andres, has been dubbed a “new Rodri”. What say his manager, Fabian Hurzeler? “When you look at the scenes and his movement and everything, you definitely can understand it. But I think that Rodri is one of the best players in the world, so it is a long journey but we will help him to get there and he will help himself.

“He has this motivation of wanting to improve every day. He comes on the first day and wants to go outside on the pitch, he wants to have ball touches and you can really feel that he is very ambitious, he wants to achieve something.

“Therefore, I can understand this comparison [with Rodri] but he has a long way to go and hopefully he can get there one day. It would be a big one for us but also for the whole football world.”

More Moyes, and this is a typically wry quote from the grand old man of Premier League management, on the Everton ownership by the Friedkin family. “If you want success, then you all need to be aligned. I think we’ve got new owners in who are still finding their way at the club. I think as we get to know each other a bit more, it will be better.”

One to watch, that relationship between manager and ownership.

Transfer news from Middlesbrough: “We can confirm the departure of forward Morgan Whittaker, who has joined MLS side Colorado Rapids. Everyone at MFC thanks Morgan for his efforts in a Boro shirt and wishes him well for the future.”

Who’s the next player off the Everton production line? Braiden Graham, an 18-year-old forward. David Moyes has been typically downbeat. Everton have one striker, Thierno Barry.

“I don’t think he’s a striker, first of all. He’s probably someone who would play off the sides for us. I like Braiden, he’s trained with us quite a lot and he was in pre-season with us. He’s certainly moving in the right direction. It would be a difficult ask for any young player to come in and be a source for goals.”

Mikel Arteta will face his old friend Xabi Alonso when Arsenal host Chelsea on Sunday; they have known each since their Basque Country childhood.

“I am really happy for him. It’s incredible because obviously we have the ⁠history we have together. To be facing each other at such a level and with the ​responsibility we have managing some of the top ‌clubs in the country is a ‌really beautiful thing to experience.”

West Ham United have confirmed the signing of the Japan legend Saki Kumagai from London City Lionesses on a one-year deal, a move first revealed by the Guardian on Thursday.

The 35-year-old, who scored the winning penalty for Japan in the 2011 Women’s World Cup final, is West Ham’s 10th summer signing. The deal was completed before Thursday’s 11pm WSL deadline. Kumagai told the club’s media channels: “The WSL is a very competitive league and I’m looking forward continuing my journey in England with West Ham United.”

Further meat on the bones of the stories we have been covering today.

More Enzo Maresca on Enzo Fernandez: “He’s a winner and when you belong to a squad and another winner arrives they are always happy. I can promise you that in the last four or five days, four or five players in the squad were asking if he was coming or not because they wanted him to be with us. It’s very important that he is with us and we are 100 percent happy with that.”

Manchester City splashed out a record amount for a transfer window, close to £460 million in total, with Elliot Anderson, Ayyoub Bouaddi and Iliman Ndiaye among their other big buys.

Further to that Hammers news, there’s a statement from Vanessa Gold: “I am pleased that the West Ham shareholders have reached an agreement, with Daniel Kretinsky becoming the largest shareholder and taking a more active role in the decision-making at the club, as well as giving certainty to our fans and clarity over the future.

“My ambition through this process has been to ensure the club had the right leadership and to enable West Ham to achieve its potential and return to its rightful place in the Premier League.

“This agreement, which was first outlined back in June, provides that stability, allowing the club and its management to continue to focus on the football season. I want to thank Amanda Staveley and her partners for their engagement in this process and the passion they’ve shown for West Ham throughout.

“It has been an honour to serve the club as joint chair and director and to continue the legacy of my father David Gold. I will remain a small shareholder, but more importantly, I will forever be a passionate Hammers fan. I wish Daniel and the new leadership every success and thank our fans for their ongoing support and kindness.”

Next question: does Staveley move for the Sullivan shares? Would he sell?

Some news from West Ham, where Daniel Kretinsky has become the largest shareholder, now owning 48% of the club, after he and David Sullivan bought the equity that previously belonged to the Gold family.

A consortium featuring former Newcastle director Amanda Staveley had struck a deal to purchase the Gold family’s 25% stake in the club, but that sparked a process allowing existing shareholders the opportunity to buy the Gold family shares.

Kretinsky said in a rare public statement: “I am deeply honoured to have the opportunity to become the largest shareholder of this great club. I appreciate the responsibility this brings and do not take it lightly. I would like to thank all continuing shareholders for their constructive efforts to enable this outcome and provide the club with the certainty it needs at this critical time. I look forward to communicating further with our supporters once the transactions are complete.”

Good afternoon, all. It’s quite grey in Suffolk, where autumn is well on its way. Behind me is Portman Road, where Liverpool will play Ipswich this evening. I did the match report when last they met here, and it shows an awful lot can change in two years.

This is exciting, I’m handing over to John Brewin who is on location in the car park outside Portman Road. How are the vibes on the tarmac, John?

In fitba news, Derek McInnes says he now has the type of squad he desires at Rangers. The Scottish Premiership transfer window closed on Thursday as two deadline day signings made it 14 new recruits at Ibrox sincr McInnes joined from Hearts.

Portland Timbers’ 22-year-old Venezuelan striker Kevin Kelsy and Algeria winger Badredine Bouanani were the latest arrivals, as the Light Blues look to secure three wins in a row after a calamitous start to the season which saw the Ibrox club knocked out of two European competitions.

McInnes told reporters:

We all took a huge sigh of relief when the window closed yesterday and we get on with the job in hand. It feels like I’ve been to war this window, to be honest. It feels like the longest window I’ve ever known. There’s always so much to consider.

At Rangers, I don’t want to work with players who just see what’s next and what’s next after this, always maybe eagerly eyeing up other opportunities.

I want people who want to be here, who want to hang about the club for a period of time and want to be successful here.

Arteta also said that Bruno Guimarães and Cristhian Mosquera, who both picked up injuries in Monday’s 1-0 victory at Aston Villa, will be given Saturday’s training session to prove their fitness. Jurrien Timber is close to making his comeback from a groin problem and Arteta revealed he could be involved for the first time since the Champions League final.

London Colney calling. Mikel Arteta has been giving his thoughts to the press before Arsenal’s play Chelsea on Sunday. His thoughts are mostly how delighted he is with Arsenal’s squad.

The Gunners were linked with Morgan Rogers, Vinícius Júnior and Julián Alvarez over the summer, but none of them arrived. Greek winger Christos Tzolis came in from Club Brugge, but Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli all left.

Arteta told reporters:

I love the players that we have, that is for sure. It is what it is, this is what we have and we already have some very, very good players. Let’s trust them and let’s make sure we are right behind them, and I will do everything we can to help the incredible talent that we have.

I don’t know [if failing to secure any of Arsenal’s targets was a missed opportunity]. These are just opinions.

The window is closed and I prefer to look at all the incredible things that we have in the squad and not spend any more time on things that are not a part of us right now. That’s it and that’s my main responsibility.

WSL transfer talking points: three things we learned from the data

The Women’s Super League’s summer transfer window has closed before the start of the 2026-27 season. The finances involved are microscopic compared with the £3.4bn that Premier League clubs spent on new players but the data provides three key points of interest: which club has made the biggest improvement to their squad, who is banking on stability, and how the women’s game has outsmarted its male equivalent.

Read Andrew Beasley’s full analysis:

Hello, me again. Another point of intrigue from Maresca’s press conference, he confirmed that Erling Haaland is among four players named as City captains this season, the striker is joined by Rúben Dias, Marc Guéhi and Gianluigi Donnarumma in the armband squad. That decision sees Maresca go back on his previous statement about having the striker as a captain, back on 11 August: “At Leicester and Chelsea, I had a rule that when we scored, the captain had to come to the bench not to celebrate for instructions but if he scores, then he can celebrate. So if Erling is the captain, we have a problem.”

Time to hand you back to Tom Bassam for the next flurry of managerial chat …

Back to De Zerbi, who is still refusing to pepper his pre-game quotes with 80s musical references. Instead, he tells the assembled journos that everyone is available to play against Nottingham Forest, aside from James Maddison, who is back in training.

Even Mykhailo Mudryk could get a run out, having not played competitively since November 2024. “He’s ready to play 15, 20, 30 minutes,” De Zerbi adds. “I think he’s ready to play part of the game.”

I can guarantee none of these Premier League lot gave as good a presser as Southend manager Kieron Dyer delivered yesterday.

A few football questions and plenty more besides, in our sports quiz of the week (guest-written by yours truly).

Unai Emery has admitted leaving striker Brian Madjo and new signing Taylor Harwood-Bellis out of Aston Villa’s Champions League squad was a “hard decision”.

Teenage striker Madjo suffered an injury setback after impressing in the Uefa Super Cup final, while defender Harwood-Bellis was a deadline-day signing from Southampton – but both will miss out on Villa’s league phase campaign.

Another summer signing, Johan Mazambi, is still injured and won’t travel to Hull for their next game; Emery was tight-lipped on whether Leon Goretzka, Ibrahim Mbaye or Harwood-Bellis might feature on Saturday.

Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi has revealed that Richarlison told him he wanted to leave the club earlier this summer. The striker has been left out of Spurs’ Premier League squad.

“He spoke with me at the start of pre-season and his idea was to leave … I only want the players that want to stay here with pride, passion to stay. Then every other problem is not my business, it’s the responsibility of the club. I can’t say anything because I didn’t decide anything.

“The message from Richarlison from the beginning of the season was clear and I accepted that,” De Zerbi added. “I don’t know if there is an offer from Turkey. I don’t know if the club has accepted it. I know there was an offer before the end of the transfer market, but [Richarlison] didn’t accept it.”

Moyes accepts that Everton have a “real small squad” but is backing fringe and youth players to make the step up.

“Ultimately, we didn’t want to lose a lot of the players, but for different reasons that had to happen. They’re all going to have to be able to muck in as we’ve got a real small squad now.

“It gives opportunities to some people who have not had them … sometimes you need to be given that chance [to] show what you can do. Let’s see if some of them can do that. I have no concerns. I am sure they will be fully at it.”

Moyes is magnanimous about the failure of Folarin Balogun’s deadline-day move, saying: “It wasn’t anyone’s fault. The player had a problem in his medical, and that was simply it.”

The Everton manager also accepts that business may have been limited by the decision not to sell Harrison Armstrong to Forest. “I don’t do the financials, but I think that’s right. We were looking to get some money in. We didn’t want to lose Iliman Ndiaye, but it’s difficult when City come looking for your players.”

Here’s David Moyes on Everton’s frustrating end to the transfer window. “Disappointed we didn’t do more business and things didn’t go our way in the end. Sometimes in football you have to live with disappointment and we will move on.”

More from Xabi Alonso, who says he’ll make a decision “tomorrow” on whether Moisés Caicedo can be involved against Arsenal on Sunday.

Chelsea stole a march on the Gunners to sign Morgan Rogers, a signing that delighted their new manager. “For sure, Morgan was a big, big one to get a player of his stature in the present and future. He will be a key player for the next six, seven years. He’s had a great impact.”

This was posted BTL in our Premier League 10 things feature – what a hit from Newport’s Harrison Biggins …

Next to Chelsea, where Xabi Alonso gives his view on Enzo Fernández’s departure. “We take all the decisions together. We work together with big ones, small ones. We knew ultimately the goal is to have the best for the team. We want to build a good spirit, a good team.”

“In football many things happen. With Enzo, we have had conversations and always with respect. What he has done for the club has been great, but now it’s time to move forward. We have players with quality in every position and now we are ready to go.”

Now we cross Manchester to hear from Michael Carrick on Manchester United’s transfer business.

“We went into the window wanting to come out stronger [than] last season and we have definitely added to that. Certainly the players we have brought in [I’m] absolutely delighted with, think we have done some really good business.

“You can always look at it and think there are other things we could have done or might have don … Largely, I think we are in a good place with the squad, we have players that are flexible throughout the team.”

Enzo Maresca says his namesake, new City recruit Enzo Fernández, should be part of the squad for their home game against Coventry. Fernández will also be part of the “captaincy group” at the Etihad, along with Erling Haaland and Ruben Días, who has worn the armband in City’s opening two Premier League games.

“I think you just have to accept that sometimes things go bad, things happen … it might be a good thing.” Ben Fisher sat down with Liam Delap to talk about his struggles at Chelsea, and a new start at Nottingham Forest.

What about Palace? They’ve lost their opening two games and Pierre Sage was left frustrated by their late transfer-window shenanigans.

We’ll hear from Alvaro Arbeloa shortly, before eight news conferences at the same time (1.30pm BST), so many big hitters. Arteta, Alonso, Maresca, Emery, Carrick, Moyes, De Zerbi … Andrews.

Some more from Frank Lampard. “Do I have affection for Manchester City? Yes. I had a fantastic year there and it is a fantastic football club. I am very happy to go back to a place where I have a good feeling. It will be a big challenge for us, but also a good challenge to see what we can do.”

Catch up on key transfer trends after a relentless summer window …

Thanks, Tom. Suzanne Wrack is answering your questions on women’s football live from 1pm, over here – so get your queries in pronto, BTL.

My time is up on the blog for now, up next is Niall McVeigh.

Frank Lampard says his Coventry side will have to get used to that losing feeling this season.

The Sky Blues have endured a tough return to the Premier League with back-to-back losses against Arsenal and Hull and things do not get any easier this weekend as they travel to Manchester City.

Speaking ahead of Coventry’s trip to his former club, Lampard has warned his players they need to pick themselves up after defeats:

I think we all know that it will not look like last season, and the quicker we realise that the better, because last season was an incredible season for us because we won a lot and everything becomes easier in that moment.

So it’s important that we understand the rigours of the Premier League, how it may feel different and that mindset has to be clear on that to be able to get up after a difficult result like Hull in whatever way or shape it may come.

We train well through the week, prepare for the next one.

Crystal Palace are still searching for their first point under Pierre Sage, but the new man in charge does at least still have Adam Wharton to call on after another deadlne day passed without the midfielder leaving.

Sage described Wharton as “really smart” for prolonging his career at Selhurst Park after Palace rejected offers from clubs in England and around Europe for the 22-year-old.

Ahead of Saturday’s derby against Fulham at Craven Cottage, Sage said:

The club was strong with his situation and the player is completely in line with that. He never spoke with me about a possible departure, that’s why I think he is in a project to manage his career and he is really smart to do it like this.

He did the job every day without a bad mindset and that’s why I understood quickly he wanted to stay and prepare his future with us.

He is really smart to stay one more year and maybe more, because he has 10 years (playing) after that.

There are a few interesting tidbits from the English club squads submitted to Uefa for the Champions League.

Federico Chiesa and Wataru Endo have been left off Liverpool’s list, while Unai Emery’s 23-man Aston Villa squad does not feature new signings Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Modou Kéba Cissé. Teenage striker Brian Madjo, who scored against Paris Saint-Germain in the Super Cup but is currently injured, also misses out.

William Saliba has been included in Arsenal’s squad, despite being sidelined.

While Enzo Maresca has put Nico O’Reilly on Manchester City’s ‘B list’ to retain senior slots. The England international is joined in special list for homegrown players by Ryan McAidoo.

The vibesman cometh…

Former Wolves captain Conor Coady is part of a refreshed support team for England Under-21 boss Lee Carsley.

Coady has not officially retired after he leaving Wrexham earlier this month, but is still without a club. He will join Carsley’s coaching set-up for the European Championship qualifiers with Kazakhstan, Slovakia and the Republic of Ireland over the next month.

Paul Williams will also be part of the England Under-21 backroom staff after holding a number of roles within the FA. The duo will help fill the void of Ashley Cole, who left Carsley’s team earlier in 2026 after a successful five-year spell.

It’s been a tough week for Folarin Balogun.

Someow a solid but not exceptional striker has become a main character in 2026. The USA striker has been left out of Monaco’s squad for the Conference League amid uncertainty over his future after the collapse of his proposed transfer to Everton this week.

Balogun will also miss Monaco’s match at Paris Saint-Germain in the French league on Friday after being omitted from the group traveling to the capital. Monaco say Balogun is back in group training. He hasn’t featured in any of the team’s four games so far this season. The American striker was close to joining Everton on Tuesday but opted to pull out of a deal because he felt uncomfortable that the English club raised doubts about his health in a medical examination, according to Monaco’s sporting director. Additional reporting courtesy of the Associated Press.

Hull boss Sergej Jakirovic is mindful that Aston Villa are something of an unknown quantity after a summer of change.

The Tigers host Villa on Saturday, Unai Emery’s side having brought in a raft of new faces. Former Chelsea forwards Nicolas Jackson and Alejandro Garnacho, Swiss World Cup star Johan Manzambi, new goalkeeper Zion Suzuki and former Manchester United full-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka could all feature.

Here’s what Jakirovic had to say:

It’s a difficult game for us, Aston Villa might not have had a great start because there’s been a lot of change and they’ve lost several excellent players. Maybe they need more time but we have our own goals and we will do everything we can to take something from the match.

This is a very demanding league, so no matter if they have zero points or six points, they will be a difficult opponent.

I’m aware that they will need time because they have signed 10 new players and they lost seven players that to me were excellent players.

They need time but they are still dangerous, especially with players like (John) McGinn, who has very high levels of individual qualities. Our performance must be excellent.

The first of the day’s Premier League press conferences are wrapping up…

Broadcasters and governing bodies make tax plea for TV coverage of women’s sport

The chief executives of the Football Association, Rugby Football Union and England and Wales Cricket Board have joined forces with leading broadcasters and YouTube in writing to the chancellor requesting tax credits for production companies to help deliver more television coverage of women’s sport.

In a letter signed by 25 representatives of the country’s biggest sports and broadcasters, including Sky Sports and ITV, the government is urged to extend to women’s sport production the audio-visual expenditure credit scheme that provides tax relief to independent films and children’s television.

The joint letter, was sent to John Healey on Friday to coincide with this weekend’s return of the Women’s Super League, whose chief executive, Nikki Doucet, is among the signatories, along with the bosses of British Cycling, golf and Formula One.

The WSL is the second-richest league in women’s sport after National Women’s Soccer League in the US, but faces challenges attracting broadcasters in a congested market.

Full story:

West Ham are the subjects of the final WSL preview ahead of the new season, that’s out now:

On the eve of the new WSL season, London City Lionesses have done their biggest deal to date…

London City claim record sponsorship deal is bigger than some in Premier League

The Women’s Super League club London City Lionesses’ new front-of-shirt sponsorship deal with Nike is the largest in the women’s game, according to their American owner, Michele Kang.

It has been reported that the largest current front-of-shirt sponsorship deal for a women’s football team is an approximately $4m per year agreement reached by the new NWSL franchise in Atlanta – who will begin competing in 2028, but Kang told BBC Sport: “I can absolutely confirm that this is the largest women-only front-of-shirt deal. It is higher than the Atlanta number.

“I can absolutely also share that it is higher than some of the men’s Premier League front-of-shirt deals. It’s huge. That’s why it is landmark. There are so many other people who believe in the future of women’s football. They [Nike] didn’t make this decision lightly. They did not write a charity cheque. They believe in the future and they believe together we will invest and build this future together.”

More details:

That’s the nonsense out of the way, here’s a transfer…

More on Dean’s loose lips from Barry Glendenning in yesterday’s Football Daily:

Dean appears to blow the whistle on himself over in-match game claims

While Football Daily likes to think we have our finger on the cultural pulse, before this week we were oblivious to the fact that Jamie Vardy has his own podcast. Called Jamie Vardy’s Having a Party, it is a far more sedate affair than the name suggests, given the only episode we have seen features our t1tular hero and his sidekick the comedian Josh James listening to Mike Dean reminisce about his time as a referee. While Football Daily can’t think of any social gathering that wouldn’t be enhanced by the presence of a 61-year-old former match official from the Wirral on its guest list, this isn’t so much a party as an occasionally awkward conversation. Its claim to be “a hilarious look back at Mike’s career at the heart of English football” is as bold as it is false, but what the episode lacks in laughs it has more than made up for in controversy.

During the course of the chat, Dean revealed to his hosts that in the pre-VAR era he and his assistants used to keep themselves amused by playing little games within games of top-flight football. “We used to say: ‘Right, we’ll kick off now, right? See how long we can go without blowing a whistle’. Done that a few times in the Premier, before VAR obviously. Went 20-25 minutes without blowing a whistle a few times. Let it go, let it go, let it go.” Dean went on to tell his inquisitors that he also used to see how long he could go without leaving the centre-circle while games were being played around him, claiming that he once set up camp in one for almost 15 minutes. “That was just me joking about,” he honked, promptly eliciting not entirely convincing laughs from a clearly surprised Josh and Jamie.

Read the Football Daily in full:

I thought nonsense and transfers were over for a while, alas.

Dean claims he played secret games for a laugh while refereeing matches

The former Premier League referee Mike Dean claims he used to take part in secret challenges while officiating, including trying to stay in the centre circle for as long as possible, as he confessed to “just joking about” during matches. The remarks, made by one of the most well-known officials in the English game, have been met with bemusement by refereeing officials who say there is no evidence of any such behaviour having ever taken place.

Dean was a member of the select group of referees for more than two decades before he retired in 2022 and a brief spell as a video assistant referee followed. In an interview on Jamie Vardy’s podcast this week, Dean shared anecdotes from his time as a top-flight official in the pre-VAR era. “We used to say, ‘We’ll kick off now. Right, see how long we can go without blowing a whistle,’” he said. “I’ve done that a few times in the Premier League, before VAR obviously – [I] went 20, 25 minutes without blowing a whistle.

“I used to do another thing. I used to stand in the centre circle – see how long I could stay in the centre circle before I had to leave. That was just me joking about. I got about 15 minutes once.”

Officials within the refereeing organisation, Pro Ref, are understood to be puzzled by the claims, with the suggestion that a referee could stay in the centre circle for 15 minutes without someone noticing, for example, seen as highly improbable.

Full story here: