Bundesliga update

FC Köln and Hamburg are back in the big time, following their promotion from the second tier. With nine German titles between them, the two sleeping giants frankly had no business being demoted in the

THE PLAN Brighton secured their second-best top-flight finish last season (8th), but missing out on Europe was still a disappointment. The experience should do head coach Fabian Hurzeler and his youth

THE PLAN Last season’s 56 points was a club-record haul for a second successive campaign, with 9th a joint-best top-flight finish, so the task in 2025-26 task is simple: more of the same. Bournemouth’

THE PLAN A big improvement. Manchester United’s surreal 15th-place finish was their worst since relegation in 1973-74; losing the Europa League final to Spurs just added insult to injury. In defeat af

THE PLAN After Brentford’s play-off final loss to Fulham in 2020, boss Thomas Frank tried to rally a dejected club. “You feel the pain,” he said, “but tomorrow the sun will rise again.” The Bees duste

While some of Europe’s best young talents spent the summer in the US for the Club World Cup, there were plenty of other standout stars in action at the European U21 Championship, says Lukas Vrablik …