Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca spoke about what is needed from the club in the transfer window

Enzo Maresca said that the sooner Manchester City can make signings the better for them after a 3-0 defeat to Arsenal in the Community Shield. The Blues were brushed aside by the Premier League champions in Maresca’s first outing on British soil as City boss after conceding in the first minute.

With Savinho, Tijjani Reijnders and Rodri all absent from the squad amid expected departures, City have work to do to replace the players they are set to lose on top of more additions they are looking to make. Lille’s Ayyoub Bouaddi is one player that City are in negotiations to sign but Sunday’s defeat to Arsenal highlighted more that is missing from Maresca’s squad.

City’s coach insisted after the game that the club’s transfer plans are ‘clear’ and unchanged by the Arsenal result. However, there is also much work to do in the final two weeks of the window for the Blues to give Maresca the backing that they want to do as he follows Pep Guardiola.

“Any new signing, the sooner they arrive the better because we are starting the Premier League in one week and if they start to work with us as soon as possible it’s better that they can also understand the way we want to play,” said Maresca.

“We knew already before the game of the things that we need to do. It’s not because we lost the game or even if we had won the game to think differently. We are quite clear in what we need to do and for sure we are going to do something before the window closes.”

Juventus pull out of move for Emiliano Martinez, Manchester City face competition for Pedro Neto and Real Madrid want Martin Zubimendi.

Aston Villa‘s Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, 33, will not be joining Juventus this summer following talks between the clubs. (Athletic – subscription required), external

Manchester City are keen to sign Portugal winger Pedro Neto, 26, from Chelsea but face competition from Al-Hilal. (Talksport), external

New Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has approved a move for Arsenal‘s Spain midfielder Martin Zubimendi, 27. (Teamtalk), external

Nottingham Forest have joined the race to sign Liam Delap from Chelsea, with the 23-year-old English striker keen to stay in the Premier League. (Talksport), external

Everton lead the chase for Delap, with Chelsea having already told him that he can leave the club this summer. (Teamtalk), external

Newcastle are preparing a bid of 55m euros (£47m) for Villarreal’s Georgia forward Georges Mikautadze, 25, who is also interesting Barcelona. (Fichajes – in Spanish), external

Nigeria forward Victor Osimhen, 27, has refused to rule out a summer move from Galatasaray, with Arsenal interested. (Caught Offside), external

Coventry City are closing in on the signing of Sidiki Cherif from Fenerbahce after agreeing a deal for the Guinea forward, 19. (Give Me Sport), external

Everton are keen to sign English midfielder Marcus Tavernier, 27, from Bournemouth before the transfer window shuts. (Football Insider), external

A deal for Leeds United‘s Suriname forward Joel Piroe, 27, to join West Ham United is in its final stages. (Voetbal International – in Dutch), external

Hull City are in advanced talks over a £21m deal for Panathinaikos forward Andreas Tetteh, with Roma also interested in the Greece international. (Ekrem Konur), external

Manchester United are stepping up their efforts to cash in on their academy, with English left-back Harry Amass, 19, potentially a player that could move on for about £7m plus add-ons. (Mail – subscription required), external

AC Milan manager Ruben Amorim has excluded Youssouf Fofana from his plans for the season, with Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace now interested in the France midfielder, 27. (Football Insider), external

Atletico Madrid want to beat Barcelona to the signing of Morocco midfielder Azzedine Ounahi, 26, who Girona value at about 25m euros (£21.3m). (Fichajes – in Spanish), external

The benefit of age is clearly evident in Shadhavar, who added another Stakes victory to her impressive record with a hard-fought win in the Listed Regal Roller Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield this past Saturday.

Following a campaign last preparation that saw Shadhavar achieve Listed race success across two starts, the mare has continued her development with yet another black-type triumph.

It was precisely one year ago that Shadhavar finished unplaced in a Benchmark 74 race at the corresponding meeting. However, the Pride Of Dubai filly has now recorded six wins from 15 career starts, accumulating in excess of $400,000 in prize money.

Sent off as the $5 favourite with Craig Williams in the jockey silks, Shadhavar managed to secure a short-neck victory over Persian Spirit ($10). Recommendation ($6) claimed the third position, a length behind the runner-up.

Senior part-owner Joe O’Neill stated that there would be no immediate plans to extend Shadhavar to the 1400m trip for the Group 1 Memsie Stakes, which is scheduled to take place at Caulfield on August 29.

He suggested that the Group 3 Courtza Stakes (1200m), also scheduled for the same race day, would likely be a more suitable objective.

“She’s a very good mare and she’s improving all the time,” O’Neill commented. “Who knows where she may finish, as it is just the start of her preparation.”

“The Courtza Stakes is in two weeks’ time, and I would like to win that. I think we will keep her sprinting as you can go up in distance too quickly and have a gut-buster and it is a long way to Flemington.”

O’Neill praised trainer Tom Dabernig for his outstanding management of Shadhavar, outlining a campaign strategy that he hopes will culminate at Flemington during the prestigious Melbourne Cup Carnival.

“The Champions Sprint,” O’Neill proclaimed. “I think she’s a sprinter, and that’s the thing, people tend to push horses sometime and push them out in distance. Keep her fresh, keep her happy, so it’s very good.”.

Given the mare’s current form, placing a wager on her victory in the Regal Roller Stakes via online bookmakers presents an appealing option.

Chris Evert threw her support behind Caitlyn Jenner, who lambasted the WNBA for its handling of transgender eligibility policies. After Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham expressed her stance against the inclusion of transgender athletes, the WNBA has found itself surrounded by the hot-button issue.

The debate intensified after former NBA players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White declared themselves as the 2027 WNBA draft prospects.

During her latest appearance on Fox News, Jenner addressed the manner in which the WNBA handled the controversy over whether transgender athletes should compete in the league. She backed the two former NBA players, who declared their intentions to feature in the WNBA.

“They’re showing the hypocrisy of what’s going on out there in the WNBA. The WNBA had their meetings on this issue and Cathy (Engelbert), the head, says, ‘We talked about the trans issue but we just haven’t come up with a conclusion at this point. We will continue the conversation.’ Cathy, XX, you’re in. XY you’re out. It’s that simple,” Jenner told Fox News.

Chris Evert, the 18-time Grand Slam champion, backed Jenner’s views on the existing situation in the WNBA and wrote on X:

“The two people’s opinions I respect regarding this issue are Caitlyn Jenner and Renee Richards, who both have firsthand experience. They both have some strong opinions and have gone on the record.”

According to the existing laws in the WNBA, a lack of clarity prevails regarding whether transgender athletes can compete in the league or not. According to the WNBA’s collective bargaining agreement’s Article XIII, Section 1(a): “Only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA.”

Chris Evert defends Martina Navratilova from critics amid WTA’s gender testing policy debate

The transgender inclusion debate has also been the talk of the town in the world of tennis. Tennis icon Martina Navratilova has been the loudest in support of the policy.

Several top players including Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff and others have rooted for the WTA’s initiative. Chris Evert weighed in on the entire situation and wrote on X:

“Martina Navratilova and Nancy Hogshead WERE the first athletes to back it and received a lot of criticism. It’s good to hear current athletes weigh in. My opinion? Ask Renee Richards or Caitlyn Jenner their opinion… They lived it, and I would certainly respect their opinion.”

As of now, no known transgender athletes are competing on the tour. The last known transgender athlete to feature in the WTA was Renee Richards, who competed from 1977 to 1981.