Xabi Alonso officially arrived at Cobham on Thursday to begin his tenure as Chelsea manager, taking charge of pre-season preparations after replacing Liam Rosenior.

The former Real Madrid boss was appointed in May but has only now stepped into his new role at the club’s training ground.

He was greeted by senior squad members who are not currently participating in the World Cup.

Rebuilding after a disappointing campaign

The Blues face a season without European football after finishing 10th last term during a turbulent campaign managed by Enzo Maresca, Rosenior and interim coach Calum McFarlane.

Despite only just arriving in west London, the Spaniard has already been instrumental in shaping the squad.

Full-back Marco Pelastra has been recruited, while the protracted arrival of Geovany Quenda from Sporting CP was formally completed on Wednesday.

However, attempts to reunite the new head coach with Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka have stalled. Chelsea saw a bid rejected for the Swiss international, who had been eager to return to London after previously playing for Arsenal.

World Cup absentees return for duty

Cole Palmer was among the notable names reporting back for training after controversially missing out on Thomas Tuchel’s England squad.

He was joined by compatriot Levi Colwill, who was also overlooked for the summer tournament despite delivering impressive performances following his recovery from a long-term anterior cruciate ligament injury.

A proven tactical pedigree

The highly-rated tactician built his managerial reputation on a fluid 3-4-2-1 system at Bayer Leverkusen.

He famously led the German outfit to a historic unbeaten domestic campaign and a maiden Bundesliga title during the 2023-24 season.

A subsequent spell at the Santiago Bernabeu yielded a Club World Cup semi-final appearance, though he departed in January following a Super Cup defeat by Barcelona.

Centre Henry Slade has been recalled to the England starting line-up to face Fiji as head coach Steve Borthwick seeks to avoid a sixth successive Test defeat.

The 33-year-old returns to the international stage after failing to play a single minute during his country’s Six Nations campaign earlier this year.

Despite previous frustrations over his midfield exclusion, the Exeter Chiefs star forced his way back into contention following an outstanding domestic season where he led his club to the Premiership final.

Freeman returns to the wing

Slade’s reinstatement at centre allows Northampton back Tommy Freeman to revert to his natural position out wide.

This tactical shift concludes a year-long experiment by the national setup to convert the Saints player into an outside centre.

Elsewhere in the pack, Guy Pepper replaces Tom Curry at openside flanker in the only other change to the starting XV.

Uncapped trio await debuts

Borthwick has named three uncapped players among the replacements for Saturday’s Nations Championship clash.

Benhard Janse van Rensburg, Noah Caluori and George Kloska are all poised to earn their first caps off the bench at Hill Dickinson Stadium.

The national side remain under immense pressure to deliver a positive result in Liverpool after a dismal run of recent form.

England line-up

Wales head coach Steve Tandy has dropped Louis Rees-Zammit to the bench and named Sam Costelow at fly-half for Saturday’s Nations Championship fixture against Argentina in San Juan.

The visiting side have made three changes to their starting lineup following a hard-fought 39-24 victory over Fiji last weekend.

Bristol prospect Ellis Mee replaces the dynamic Rees-Zammit out wide, while James Botham comes into the back-row at the expense of Cardiff team-mate Alex Mann.

Ospreys playmaker Dan Edwards falls completely out of the 23-man matchday squad after struggling during the opening autumn encounter.

Costelow takes control of the backline

Costelow proved to be an assured second-half presence when replacing the misfiring Edwards against the Flying Fijians.

The Scarlets half-back will now marshal a back division heavily influenced by his domestic regional team-mates.

Centre Joe Hawkins moves onto the replacements bench to provide crucial fly-half cover.

It’s a great opportunity for those boys coming in and an exciting challenge.

Steve Tandy

Debutant James and Elias chase milestones

Exeter Chiefs forward Kane James is poised to make his senior international debut from the bench after a breakthrough domestic season.

The 21-year-old previously represented England Under-20s but qualifies for the national side having been born in Pembrokeshire and raised in Cardiff.

He’s so powerful and quick. The way he’s come into the environment and just jumped straight in shows he hasn’t been tentative in anything he does.

Steve Tandy

Meanwhile, seasoned hooker Ryan Elias is in line to win his 50th cap if introduced to relieve captain Dewi Lake.

Cardiff lock Teddy Williams and Gloucester centre Max Llewellyn complete the list of impact options for the highly anticipated weekend showdown.

The 2026 World Cup quarter-finals begin on Thursday as tournament favourites France take on Morocco in Foxborough, United States.

Just eight nations remain from the original 48-team field as the race to lift the prestigious trophy on 19 July intensifies.

Opta’s supercomputer has backed Les Bleus to win the tournament, but they face a stern test against an inspired North African side.

The compelling schedule also sees Spain clash with Belgium on Friday, before Norway meet England and Argentina play Switzerland over the weekend.

Mbappe leads lethal French attack

Kylian Mbappe has put a tumultuous club season with Real Madrid behind him by setting this global showpiece alight.

The electric forward has already registered seven goals in the competition, taking his overall tally to a staggering 19 goals in 19 World Cup appearances.

He is now directly competing with Lionel Messi for the all-time scoring record on football’s biggest stage.

However, the two-time champions possess far more than just one superstar, boasting a terrifying front four that includes Michael Olise and Ousmane Dembele.

Emerging stars and suspension risks

Roma midfielder Manu Kone has been a revelation for the European giants, cementing his place as a modern, press-resistant enforcer.

The 25-year-old was relatively unknown before the tournament but has consistently caught the eye of elite scouts with his dominant midfield displays.

Despite their overall dominance, discipline could become an issue for Didier Deschamps’ squad as they chase further glory.

Both Olise and exciting young prospect Bradley Barcola are just one booking away from a potential semi-final suspension.

Morocco aim for another historic run

Standing in their way are a resilient Moroccan outfit who famously became the first African side to reach the semi-finals in 2022.

They have successfully backed up that historic performance with another deeply promising campaign across North America.

After holding Brazil to an exciting draw in their opening fixture, the Atlas Lions navigated past the Netherlands via a dramatic penalty shootout.

A routine victory over co-hosts Canada subsequently secured their rightful place among the final eight.

Australian sprint prospect Gout Gout has been forced to withdraw from August’s World Under-20 Championships in Eugene after suffering a torn hamstring during a training session in Brisbane.

The 18-year-old confirmed the setback on social media, revealing that severe MRI scan results meant he could no longer compete in Oregon.

“Unfortunately I suffered an injury to my left hamstring last night at training in Brisbane,” the teenager posted on Instagram.
“I received this morning the MRI report, unfortunately the news is not good and I will not be able to compete in Eugene.”

A major blow for the record-breaking teenager

His absence represents a significant loss for the upcoming championships, where he was widely regarded as the overwhelming favourite to secure gold in the 200m event.

The fast-rising star already holds the under-20 world record for the distance and was also scheduled to feature prominently in his nation’s 4x400m relay squad.

Athletics Australia has pledged to support his recovery, emphasising that the young prodigy still has a bright future ahead of him on the track.

“Gout has had a phenomenal couple of years, and has a long and exciting athletics career ahead of him,” the national governing body stated.

Rapid rise to international prominence

The Australian sensation has experienced a meteoric rise through the global ranks, having recently recorded sprint times faster than Usain Bolt achieved at the same age level.

In April, he secured the Australian national title with a blistering run of 19.67 seconds, shaving 0.02 seconds off American Erriyon Knighton’s previous under-20 world mark.

That historic performance represented his first official sub-20-second sprint, building upon a wind-assisted time of 19.84 seconds he produced last season.

“I have no other possibility but to accept this situation,” he concluded, outlining an ambitious target to come back in 2027 “better and stronger and faster.”

The White House has defended its handling of visa restrictions placed on Iran’s national football team during the recent World Cup, stating the squad’s late relocation to Mexico proved mutually beneficial.

The Iranian Football Federation relocated their primary base camp from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana just before the prestigious tournament began.

This eleventh-hour switch was prompted by lingering uncertainty over whether players and support staff would secure the necessary paperwork to enter the United States.

Cross-border logistics and security measures

Andrew Giuliani, Executive Director of the White House Task Force for the World Cup, insisted the international arrangements operated smoothly throughout the group stages.

The official revealed that housing the squad south of the border served a vital security purpose, ensuring no individuals linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps could enter America.

“I think what we tried to do here on the White House Task Force was apply common sense to making sure the athletes could have fair play on the pitch.”

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum had previously confirmed her government agreed to host the Asian nation after American counterparts expressed reluctance to accommodate them.

Squad restrictions and management frustration

While all playing staff ultimately received their travel documents 10 days before their opening fixture, several key administrative figures were strictly denied entry.

Further compounding these logistical headaches, the team was only permitted to travel across the border one day prior to each of their scheduled matches.

These severe travel constraints prompted head coach Amir Ghalenoei to publicly declare his side as the most oppressed group at the finals.

Giuliani staunchly defended the travel arrangements and emphasized that logistical parity was consistently maintained for the Middle Eastern nation.

“It’s important to point out that the Iranians chose to go to Tijuana. We were happy with that choice.”

Coco Gauff has reached the Wimbledon semi-finals for the first time in her career, setting up a Thursday clash with Karolina Muchova after a stunning series of comeback victories.

The American had not won a grass-court match in two years prior to arriving at SW19.

She had also never progressed beyond the fourth round at the All England Club.

Now, the resilient star has become the defining figure of this year’s tournament through her sheer refusal to accept defeat.

Remarkable resilience defines grass-court run

The Grand Slam champion has won four gruelling three-set matches to secure her place in the last four.

Her spectacular journey has been defined by escaping seemingly impossible situations on the London lawns.

Against Solana Sierra, the young prodigy was just two points from elimination before producing a stunning comeback.

She reeled off the final six points of the match tie-break to avoid a monumental upset against the Argentine.

Beating the curfew and domestic rivals

The drama continued against Belinda Bencic, where she served out a colossal final game just two minutes before Wimbledon’s strict 11pm curfew.

That unmatched fighting spirit was required again to overcome compatriot Jessica Pegula in a tense quarter-final.

Despite an erratic start and mounting unforced errors, she found her rhythm when it mattered most.

She increasingly relied on powerful second serves exceeding 100mph to dismantle her fiercely consistent opponent.

I felt like in the first set I was maybe rushing out of some points too early, either trying to either get out of the rally or overhit too much.
Towards the end, I just really honed in on my game and realized I don’t have to play a spectacular point every time to win, even though there were some spectacular points.

A formidable challenge awaits

Her supreme athleticism and immaculate defensive skills have repeatedly forced crucial errors from exasperated opponents.

That defensive brilliance was highlighted late in the deciding set against Pegula, where she desperately retrieved a lob before winning the point with an audacious drop shot.

This hard-fought five-match winning streak puts her in completely uncharted territory on grass.

She will now need to combine spectacular shot-making with solid baseline consistency when she faces Czech star Muchova for a place in the final.

Tottenham Hotspur are preparing an offer for AC Milan forward Rafael Leao after the Portugal international reportedly agreed to join Roberto De Zerbi’s heavily reshaped squad.

The lightning-fast winger has publicly expressed his desire to leave the San Siro following a seven-year stint in Serie A.

According to Italian journalist Daniele Longo, the attacker is willing to wait for a transfer to north London this summer.

He remains eager to test himself in the English top flight despite emerging interest from Saudi Arabian clubs.

Major squad overhaul continues

Spurs are actively looking to bolster their frontline following a disappointing season-long loan spell for Paris Saint-Germain forward Randal Kolo Muani.

De Zerbi has already overseen a massive recruitment drive following successive 17th-place finishes in the Premier League.

Six new arrivals have been confirmed at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, including a stunning £185m double midfield swoop for Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali.

Experienced defensive reinforcements Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi, Jan Paul van Hecke and Martin Dubravka have also joined the ongoing rebuild.

Targeting an elite attacking upgrade

Tottenham’s search for a left-sided forward initially led to links with Manchester City prospect Savinho.

However, the Brazilian wide-man managed just four goals and three assists across 36 appearances last season.

While the 22-year-old has time to develop, the Spurs hierarchy reportedly prefer an immediate, proven impact to elevate their attack.

The AC Milan talisman provides exactly that elite pedigree, boasting extensive experience in the Champions League alongside his trademark pace and trickery.