Wolves sign Jhon Arias from Fluminense in a deal worth up to £19m including add-ons.

Arsenal to pay Valencia initial £13m for defender Fluminense winger Arias impressed at Club World Cup Arsenal are hoping to complete the signing of Cristhian Mosquera from Valencia this week in a deal that could take their summer spending past £200m. Negotiations with Valencia over the 21-year-old defender have been ongoing since an initial offer of £14m including bonuses was rejected this month. It is understood an agreement has been struck for Arsenal to pay an initial £13m plus up to £3.5m in bonuses. Continue reading...

Infantino acts after player welfare fears at Club World Cup ‘Heat is definitely an issue. We have covered stadiums’ Fifa’s president, Gianni Infantino, has said indoor air-conditioned venues will be used as much as possible for day-time kick-offs at the 2026 World Cup to combat expected high temperatures. Concerns have been raised about player welfare during the Club World Cup in the US, which will co-host next year’s tournament with Canada and Mexico. Enzo Fernández described conditions during Chelsea’s semi-final against Fluminense, when the temperature was 35C, as “very dangerous”. Continue reading...

Temperatures made Argentinian lie down in semi-final He brands playing conditions in US as ‘very dangerous’ Enzo Fernández has said that the high temperatures at the Club World Cup are dangerous and revealed that he needed to lie down during Chelsea’s win over Fluminense because the heat left him feeling “really dizzy”. The Argentina midfielder is the latest player to criticise the tournament’s scheduling and call for Fifa to make changes before the World Cup takes place in Canada, Mexico and the US next summer. Continue reading...

Player was in pain after victory over Fluminense Maresca will have selection headache if midfielder out Chelsea have been handed a major boost by Moisés Caicedo returning to training before the Club World Cup final, raising hopes that the midfielder will recover from an ankle injury in time to face Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday. Enzo Maresca was left sweating over the availability of one of his most important players after Caicedo took a blow at the end of his side’s 2-0 victory over Fluminense in their semi-final on Tuesday. The Ecuador international tried to play on but complained of pain as the game drew to a close. Continue reading...

Fluminense 0-2 Chelsea (João Pedro 18, 56) New signing scores twice against boyhood club The talk was mostly about Enzo Maresca wanting to add more guile to his attack when Chelsea signed João Pedro last week. Less was made of the former Brighton forward’s ability to crash through an opposition defence. Then again Fluminense made João Pedro and were probably not surprised to find their former star in scintillating goalscoring form in this one-sided Club World Cup semi-final. Two thunderous finishes from the versatile attacker were enough to ensure that Chelsea will return to the MetLife Stadium to face Paris Saint-Germain or Real Madrid in Sunday’s final. They can make £97m in prize money from this tournament, which is probably just as well given their spending. Continue reading...

The 40-year-old has led Fluminense with experience and passion. Could he do the same for Brazil next summer? And then there was one. Nobody expected a Brazilian club to reach the Club World Cup semi-finals, and if any team was going to make a deep run in the tournament, it was not Fluminense. After winning the Copa Libertadores in 2023, they narrowly avoided relegation last year and have gone through four managers in less than two years. Thankfully for them, they are now coached by the charismatic Renato Gaúcho, who told us earlier in the tournament: “It’s no use having a team of 500 million reais, because football is decided on the field.” Throughout the tournament he has encouraged Brazilians to take pride in what their teams have achieved, despite being written off due to the wealth of the European sides. Continue reading...

New signing made a bright Club World Cup debut and now eyes Fluminense, one of his former sides, on Tuesday Estêvão Willian was not the only Brazilian attacker to offer a tantalising glimpse of the future during Chelsea’s win against Palmeiras in the quarter-finals of the Club World Cup. There was also a bright cameo from João Pedro, who came on for Liam Delap just after Estêvão’s equaliser early in the second half and proceeded to change the game with his brawn and intelligent link-up play. It was an eye-catching performance from the forward given that his £60m move to Chelsea had been announced two days earlier. What had the 23-year-old been doing during his time off? Lifting logs and existing on a diet of raw steak, presumably. The aggression from João Pedro was startling. He was raring to go after a couple of training sessions with his new teammates and, while he was not involved in the winning goal, his bustling forward play was a vital part of Chelsea reasserting their dominance after Palmeiras pulled the score back to 1-1. Continue reading...

Switzerland v Iceland follows in second Group A game Player guide | David Squires’ wallchart | Mail Tom Loth though I am to focus too much on the men’s Club World Cup, a quick recap on yesterday’s events, where Real Madrid held off Dortmund to win 3-2 in a crazy game that featured three injury-time goals, while PSG had two men sent off against Bayern Munich but still managed a 2-0 win over the German champions, who also lost Jamal Musiala to serious injury after a contentious challenge from Gianluigi Donnarumma. PSG meet Real Madrid in the semis, while Chelsea face Fluminense in the other. Interestingly, Sky Sports News is reporting that tickets for the latter are going for a snip at $13 – pricing as it should be but an issue for those who bought tickets earlier at a higher rates. Partial compensation is being discussed. Continue reading...

Chelsea signing scores for Palmeiras at Club World Cup Italian backs 18-year-old to make immediate impact Enzo Maresca called Estêvão a huge talent after the Brazilian teenager marked his final game for Palmeiras by scoring a brilliant goal in his side’s Club World Cup quarter-final defeat to Chelsea. The 18-year-old winger, who will be playing at Stamford Bridge next season, found himself in the unusual position of trying to knock his next employers out at Lincoln Financial Field on Friday night. Chelsea made it through to a semi-final with Fluminense after a late own goal from Weverton but there was huge excitement around Estêvão after his stunning equaliser at the start of the second half. Continue reading...

Pep Guardiola has plenty to think about over the summer after a last-16 defeat to Al-Hilal in the United States A manager rejuvenated is no overblown assessment of Pep Guardiola, whose friendly wave to this correspondent during a morning training session at Manchester City’s Boca Raton camp was emblematic of a man who oozed energy and commitment for the challenge of elevating his side again throughout the Club. World Cup. Immediately after the winding blow of Monday’s 4-3 defeat by Al-Hilal in Orlando, the 54-year-old blended disappointment with a measured optimism, fairly pointing to how if chances had been taken then City would be facing off against Fluminense in Friday’s quarter-final, back at the Camping World Stadium. Continue reading...

Minute-by-minute updates on the action in Miami Any comments or thoughts? You can email Rob The Brazilian teams have breathed life (and soul) into the Club World Cup. Palmeiras are already in the quarter-finals; Flamengo and Fluminense, who meet Inter Milan tomorrow, are hoping to join them. Flamengo (possible 4-2-3-1) Rossi; Wesley, Ortiz, Pereira, Alex Sandro; Pulgar, Jorginho; Gerson, De Arrascaeta, Araujo; Plata. Substitutes: Matheus Cunha, Danilo, Varela, Ayrton Lucas, Vina, Victor, Allan, de la Cruz, Gustavo Fernandes, Everton, Bruno Henrique, Juninho, Pedro, Michael, Wallace. Continue reading...

Friday updates as the summer of football continues Any comments or thoughts? You can email John The Euro Under-21 final takes place on Saturday. England’s Young Lions are in the final again. Today is a rare day off from the Copa Gianni but it resumes on Saturday with the last 16. Palmeiras - Botafogo B (Philadelphia) Benfica - Chelsea (Charlotte) PSG vs. Inter Miami Group A (Atlanta) Flamengo vs. Bayern Munich (Miami) Inter Milan vs. Fluminense (Charlotte) Manchester City vs, Al-Hilal (Orlando) Real Madrid vs. Juventus (Miami) Borussia Dortmund vs. Monterrey (Atlanta) Continue reading...

Bournemouth striker on seeing snow in Slovakia, being helped by Pepe and how he gets his Brazilian food “What is Portuguese for shithousery?” The interpreter laughs as he unpacks the question and then relays it to Evanilson, though judging by the broad grin on the Bournemouth striker’s face he has got the gist. The reason for the line of inquiry is because conversation has stuck on the perception of Kepler Laveran de Lima Ferreira, best known as Pepe. The defender, who retired last August aged 41, perfected the role of pantomime villain during a distinguished playing career but proved a mentor to Evanilson, who became Bournemouth’s £40m record signing last summer. “There is a side to him where he is really kind and helpful, but on the pitch it is a different story,” Evanilson says, smiling, punching his knuckles into his palm and pointing to his ankles as if alluding to battle scars, before explaining how the three-times Champions League winner helped him adapt after joining Porto from Fluminense. “Pepe was the best person in terms of guiding me where I wanted to go. He really embraced me and where I had come from because he was from Brazil as well. It worked out because the following year [in 2021-22] we were the Portuguese champions.” Continue reading...