News Headlines

Premier League clubs spent record £96m on agents fees in last year

• Clubs spent £19m more on agents than in previous year • Chelsea top list after outlay more than doubles to £13.7m England's top clubs paid a record £96m in fees to agents in the last year, with Chelsea's outlay more than doubling to £13.7m. The figures released by…

Liverpool await further Sturridge scan

• Sturridge rolled his ankle in training • Bruising too severe to ascertain the problem Liverpool are anxiously awaiting a prognosis for Daniel Sturridge after the striker sprained an ankle in training. The England international had scans after limping away on Friday, but it is…

It is easy to scoff but Helen Grant is not the minister of pub quizzes | Daniel Taylor

Political football is a difficult game so Grant might struggle to be taken completely seriously when she sets about trying to have an input on how the Football Association is run Question: who won the FA Cup in May? Pretty simple, you might think. Except it was one of the questions put to the newly…

The Agenda: Leo Messi's book, World Cup balls and Darren Barker boxing

The Messi biography, women's football, cross country, Fifa's showcase and a title defence, here's this week's ... MUST READ Is Guillem Balagué's biography of Lionel Messi (Orion, out Thursday) in which the accomplished sports writer tells the story behind the Argentinian superstar, having been…

Are Arsenal fnot only top but the Barcelona of the Premier League? | Tim Lewis

Arsenal offer an attractive choice for the neutral fan but the numbers say another club is truly playing the beautiful game A friend of mine, an Arsenal fan, was explaining to me this week how her club's lofty standing in the Premier League was not only a triumph for Arsène Wenger's men but…

Exclusive: Hull owner threatens to sell club if fans refuse to accept Tigers name

Hull City's owner has described supporters protesting against his plan to change the name to Hull Tigers as "hooligans" and warned he will put the club up for sale if the fans do not accept his authority.

Mauricio Pochettino: The natural heir to the 'special one'?

Mauricio Pochettino may not yet have mastered English to the point that he is comfortable speaking it in public, but Jose Mourinho remains all too willing to wield his own words. If not quite a rallying call, the Chelsea manager did indicate a certain readiness on Friday.

Micah Richards considering his future away from Manchester City

Manchester City fans may be pinching themselves at the flood of goals at the Etihad this season, but it is bittersweet for the club's longest-serving player.

Lewis Holtby urges Spurs fans to keep the faith

Trust is notoriously difficult to win and easy to lose, and as Tottenham's Lewis Holtby prepares to face Manchester United after a week of sleepless nights he knows his team have it all to do to get their fans back onside.