In a letter to Holyrood’s Criminal Justice Committee, Brown said: “The Scottish government has concluded that whilst we support the fundamental principle of criminalising the purchase of sex, we still retain significant concerns with the provisions as drafted in the bill, and are very aware that there are women in prostitution who have said that this bill as drafted will lead to them being at a higher risk of violence.
Rojina Shams Nateri, Pharmacist at Roseway Labs, has issued an alert to anyone who drinks coffee before 9am. There’s something vital they need to know about their morning routine
Many people wake up in great need of a morning coffee, but little you may know there are times you’re better off not drinking it. You could actually be causing more harm than good to your body, as the time you drink it could be having a big impact on your health.
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Rojina Shams Nateri, Pharmacist at Roseway Labs, explained that having a coffee first, without water, worsens your dehydration from the night and works against your biology. Cortisol is the body’s wake-up hormone and peaks around 30 to 60 minutes after waking up and Rojina said that, by flooding your system with caffeine before this hormone has been able to do its job, you disrupt your body’s natural regulation.
Sharing expert advice, Rojina said: “It’s much better tolerated 60 to 90 minutes after waking, as it allows adrenal function to balance out, meaning the caffeine in your coffee is used more strategically and effectively.”
However, she also warned it’s not just coffee that’s the problem. She additionally noted several so-called “healthy” trends should also be avoided.
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For example, a high-sugar, low-protein breakfast can play havoc with your blood sugar and sustained energy, according to the expert. Cold showers also trigger adrenaline that can be draining in the long term, especially in winter when the body is already working hard to stay warm.
Fasted workouts can reduce glucose and glycogen levels, adding to the body’s stress and making you feel more tired rather than alert. Checking emails first thing triggers an early dopamine spike, leading to mental fatigue.
The best way to wake up
For better and more consistent energy, Rojina recommends a slow-paced morning. She said: “Start with water before caffeine to restore hydration. Limit screen exposure in the first hour and try to get natural morning light in with a walk, for example, to support your circadian rhythm.”
She also advises getting proper tests before taking supplements. She added: “B12, iron and magnesium are great but they should always be guided by blood test results to ensure a true clinical benefit.
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“Magnesium is often better suited to evening use rather than for immediate energy.”
Drinking coffee before 9am could be why you’re exhausted by 3pm. Many people are causing blood sugar spikes and draining their nervous system without realising.
By waiting before you have your caffeine hit, this time will allow your body’s natural cortisol (stress hormone) levels to peak and taper off, avoiding excessive jitters and letting caffeine provide a more effective, natural energy boost.
Not to mention, drinking coffee on an empty stomach immediately upon waking can increase stomach acidity, which may cause acid reflux. There are a few reasons why it’s better to wait.
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So, in short, hydrate first, eat protein and wait 60 to 90 minutes for that morning cuppa. You’ll feel the difference by the afternoon.
Some of the most impressive performances at UFC London came on the undercard.
Nathaniel Wood overcame the odds yet again to beat Losene Keita, while Mason Jones overwhelmed Axel Sola in a bruising back and forth fight of the year encounter.
Jones and Sola were covered in blood and breathing heavily by the end of their contest, with both fighters swinging until the final bell, using every last drop of energy.
Fighters on the prelims like Wood and Jones don’t get as much media attention or promotion from the UFC – and strikingly less money than their headlining peers.
But in a sport that demands so much from the flesh and mind, there are arguments the athletes should be better looked after amid a changing landscape in combat sports.
Zuffa Boxing is owned by UFC president Dana White, so critics have asked why the 56-year-old isn’t paying similar amounts to his MMA fighters under contract.
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The UFC gives about 20% of revenue to fighter pay, compared with boxers who get about 60% of revenue from their events.
London’s Wood, who has won 11 of 14 fights in the UFC, says he hopes the Benn deal will spark a change because he was “heartbroken” when he saw how much he would be earning.
“When you think I’ve been in the UFC for eight years, but I’m not on that, I”m not even on 1% of that,” Wood told BBC Sport before UFC London.
“Especially when I believe MMA is the tougher sport as well, but again I just try and control what’s in my hands and it’s got nothing to do with me.
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“It was definitely heartbreaking to see someone is getting paid that much.”
The 500ml insulated bottle is available in a range of colours and is perfect for keeping drinks cool in the summer and warm in the winter
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Fitness enthusiasts are being alerted to an incredible deal that allows them to snap up a trendy water bottle for mere pennies. Gymshark’s 500ml insulated bottle normally retails at £28, but there’s a straightforward method to secure one for just 68p.
The bottle is currently reduced to £16.80 on the Gymshark website, with an additional saving available through money-saving platform TopCashback. New members who register here can claim a £15 cashback bonus when spending £15 or more at selected retailers.
This means new TopCashback members and first-time Gymshark shoppers can get the bottle for just 68p after cashback. For those already registered with Gymshark, the cost works out slightly higher at £1.10 after cashback.
Read more:
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The Instagram-worthy bottle is available in several eye-catching shades, including reset pink, mushroom grey, light pink and cool brown. With a 500ml capacity, the bottle boasts metal insulation designed to maintain cold beverages chilled and hot drinks warm.
New TopCashback users can get £15 cashback when they spend more than £15.
This model comes with the added benefit of insulation, capable of keeping drinks cold for up to 24 hours or hot for up to 12 hours. The bottle is available in numerous colours and designs for those seeking something more eye-catching, although this does come at a slightly higher cost.
YETI is another highly sought-after name in the reusable bottle sector, with its 1L water bottle offered in an array of vibrant shades, including tropical pink, key lime, ultramarine violet and charcoal. It retails for £28 on both the YETI website and Amazon.
The sole review posted so far for the Gymshark bottle noted: “Purchased in the sale. Lovely mushroom colour and great for gym or general use. Holds 500ml which is about right for my rucksack too.”
No significant issues have been reported by purchasers thus far, although it’s important to note that the bottle isn’t dishwasher safe and requires handwashing only.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is in the middle of a suspension from the touchline after cumulative yellow cards
Pep Guardiola will keep his place in the Manchester City dugout for the Carabao Cup final against Arsenal despite being in the middle of a two-game ban. The Blues boss was given a suspension earlier this month after picking up his sixth yellow card of the campaign.
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City’s manager has already served a one-match ban after picking up his first three, sitting out the FA Cup win over Exeter in January. And further losses of discipline have forced him to miss a second and third game of the campaign.
The first of those came at West Ham in the Premier League last Saturday, with Guardiola communicating from the stands as No.2 Pep Lijnders took charge on the touchline as he had done at Exeter. However, the City boss was back to his normal spot for the Champions League game with Real Madrid in midweek and will also be able to operate as usual for the League Cup final at Wembley.
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That is because the disciplinary rules only apply to Premier League and FA Cup games, with separate regulations applying in the Carabao Cup and Champions League. Guardiola will therefore serve the second match of his latest suspension in the FA Cup quarter-final against Liverpool at the beginning of April.
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City and Arsenal go head to head to decide the first trophy of the season with both teams also gunning for another two domestically. Mikel Arteta’s team hold a nine-point lead at the top of the Premier League having played a game more, and travel to Championship side Southampton in the FA Cup.
Arsenal are also through to the Champions League quarter-finals as their dream of a Quadruple lives on, having defeated Leverkusen in the last-16. City’s own hopes were ended this week at home to Real Madrid after they were unable to overturn a 3-0 deficit from the first leg, losing 2-1 at the Etihad and bowing out 5-1 on aggregate.
Police closed the A19 between the northern end of the Thirsk bypass and the A684 Northallerton – Osmotherley junction towards the northern end of the North York Moors.
Both carriageways, northbound and southbound, were shut.
The crash happened shortly after 2am this morning. Police have yet to release any further details.
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The road remained closed for the rest of the morning and reopened early this afternoon.
The A19 is the main route to Teesside and is also much used by traffic heading to the North York Moors.
The A170 junction to Sutton Bank and the southern North York Moors is south of the closure and remains open.
CAIRO (AP) — President Donald Trump warned that the United States will “obliterate” power plants in Iran if the Islamic Republic doesn’t fully open the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours. Iranian missiles struck two communities not far from Israel’s main nuclear research center late Saturday, leaving buildings shattered and dozens injured in the attacks.
The developments signaled the war was moving in a dangerous new direction at the start of its fourth week.
Trump, who issued the ultimatum in a social media post while he spent the weekend at his Florida home, said he’s giving Iran 48 hours to open the vital waterway or face a new round of attacks. He said the U.S. would destroy “various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!”
Iran warned early Sunday that any strike on its energy facilities would prompt attacks on U.S. and Israeli energy and infrastructure assets — specifically information technology and desalination facilities — in the region, according to a statement citing an Iranian military spokesperson carried by state media and semiofficial outlets.
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The Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Persian Gulf to the rest of the globe’s oceans, is a critical pathway for the world’s flow of oil. Attacks on commercial ships and threats of further strikes have stopped nearly all tankers from carrying oil, gas and other goods through the passage, leading to cuts in output from some of the world’s largest oil producers, because their crude has nowhere to go.
Iran strikes area near Israeli nuclear site
Israel’s military said it was not able to intercept missiles that hit the southern cities of Dimona and Arad, the largest near the center in Israel’s sparsely populated Negev desert. It was the first time Iranian missiles penetrated Israel’s air defense systems in the area around the nuclear site.
“If the Israeli regime is unable to intercept missiles in the heavily protected Dimona area, it is, operationally, a sign of entering a new phase of the battle,” Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on X before word of the Arad strike spread.
Rescue workers said the direct hit in Arad caused widespread damage across at least 10 apartment buildings, three of them badly damaged and in danger of collapsing. At least 64 people were taken to hospitals.
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Dimona is about 20 kilometers (12 miles) west of the nuclear research center and Arad around 35 kilometers (22 miles) north.
Israel is believed to be the only Middle East nation with nuclear weapons, though its leaders refuse to confirm or deny their existence. The U.N. nuclear watchdog said on X it had not received reports of damage to the Israeli center or abnormal radiation levels.
Israel earlier Saturday denied responsibility for the strike on Natanz, nearly 220 kilometers (135 miles) southeast of Tehran. The Iranian judiciary’s official news agency, Mizan, said there was no leakage.
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The International Atomic Energy Agency has said the bulk of Iran’s estimated 970 pounds (440 kilograms) of enriched uranium is elsewhere, beneath the rubble at its Isfahan facility. It said on X it was looking into the strike.
The Pentagon declined to comment on the strike on Natanz, which was also hit in the first week of the war and in the 12-day war last June. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said such strikes posed a “real risk of catastrophic disaster throughout the Middle East.”
So far in Iran, the death toll in the war has surpassed 1,500, the state broadcaster reported Saturday, citing the health ministry. In Israel, 15 people have been killed by Iranian missiles and four others have died in the occupied West Bank. At least 13 U.S. military members have been killed, along with well over a dozen civilians in Gulf nations.
And in Lebanon, Israeli strikes targeting the militant Hezbollah group, an Iranian ally, have killed more than 1,000 people and displaced more than 1 million, according to the Lebanese government.
___
Lawless reported from London and Lidman from Jerusalem. Associated Press writer Sam Mednick in Tel Aviv, Israel, contributed to this report.
Arsenal bid to end their six-year wait for a trophy this afternoon as they face Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final.
Despite building what is widely regarded as one of Europe’s best teams in his seven-year tenure with the Gunners, Mikel Arteta has only lifted one trophy as the club’s manager.
It has been six years since the last, when the Spaniard pipped Frank Lampard’s Chelsea in the 2020 FA Cup final, and he must now face his greatest managerial rival as he looks to break the duck.
Pep Guardiola is the most decorated coach in the history of the League Cup, having been in the dugout for four of City’s eight triumphs.
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To win today would take City within one of Liverpool’s record ten League Cup titles.
Here is how to follow the action from Wembley Stadium as Arsenal chase a historic title…
How to watch Arsenal vs Man City for FREE
TV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live on Sky Sports. Coverage starts at 3.30pm GMT on Sky Sports Football and then at 4.15pm on Sky Sports Main Event.
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The Carabao Cup final will also be shown live and free to air on ITV1, with coverage beginning at 3.30pm GMT.
Live stream: Sky Sports subscribers will be able to catch the contest live online via the Sky Go app.
Furthermore, the final will be broadcast live and free to air on the ITVX website and app.
Live blog: You can follow all the action on matchday via Standard Sport’s live blog, with expert analysis from Matt Verri at Wembley Stadium.
SPECIAL REPORT: Looking out on rolling fields, huge mansions on one of Greater Manchester’s priciest streets are worth as much as £10m. But there is one ‘secretive’ building owned by Iran that has remained an ‘eyesore’
06:30, 22 Mar 2026Updated 06:39, 22 Mar 2026
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Beside grand, multi-million pound houses protected behind towering gated driveways sits a crumbling building with a ‘secretive’ history that has fallen into disarray. An exclusive destination, it is the location of some of Greater Manchester’s most expensive homes.
Looking out onto scenic fields, the stunning houses are worth as much as £10m. But sandwiched between them is a now-derelict building once playing host to diplomatic meetings, lavish parties and banquets for Iran.
Decades later, behind high rusting barbed wire and broken fences, sits an abandoned crumbling building. It’s in desperate need of an overhaul and – but nobody can do anything about it.
Daubed in graffiti and hit repeatedly by trespassing and anti-social behaviour, it is a blot on the landscape, described by locals as an ‘eyesore’, and an unsightly contrast to the multi-million pound gated mansions that sit right beside it.
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Brackendene, situated on Charcoal Road in Trafford, was bought by the Iranian Government in the 1970s. It was the home to the Consul-General, and was a key venue for diplomatic, trade, and social functions. Following the Islamic revolution in 1979, it then began to slowly fall into disuse. The property has been completely empty since 2010.
Three arson attacks in the space of just 11 months caused its former roof to collapse, while the garden and surrounding land around the red-bricked mansion is now hugely overgrown.
More than 15 years on, and despite repeated attempts, the local community is no closer to getting a resolution. The land and property is still owned by the Iranian Government, leaving Trafford Council with ‘very limited ability to intervene’.
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It’s understood that some work has been done over the years to repair the roof ravaged by flames, and without appropriate permissions, but has stalled again following the pandemic.
The council’s remit has involved securing the site. Although, their efforts have been unsuccessful over the years, with trespassing incidents seeing the building repeatedly attacked, set alight and daubed in spray paint.
The council may have ambitious suggestions for it, but there is no way to get them off the ground. Standard powers, such as compulsory purchase orders, cannot be used here.
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The authority is understood to have been in contact with the Iranian Government over the years to try to find a solution, but that none have, as yet, been suitably reached. The Manchester Evening News has learned this included numerous discussions with the Iranian Government to ‘stress concerns’ about the building’s safety and security, and to find a long-term use for the stately home, which sits in the Devisdale Conservation Area.
More than a decade ago, talks between Iran and Trafford Council over the future of the consulate building crumbled when the Middle-Eastern country’s officials were told to leave the UK after the British embassy in Tehran was stormed.
But for those living nearby, the building has always been cloaked in mystery. One woman, who regularly walks with her friends through the golf course said it has been ‘hidden away’ and has been in a state of disrepair ‘going back years’. She said there was some work ongoing at the property prior to the Covid-19 lockdown, which included repairing part of the roof, but that has since ceased.
She told the M.E.N “It was a beautiful building, but it’s been in a state of disrepair going back years now. Then suddenly there were people on the land and we thought it had been bought. They were repairing the roof and there was a caravan on the site but nobody really knew what was going on.
“Before that it had been a functional consulate, and everyone knew it was there, but it was hidden away and all a bit hush hush. Nobody ever really knew much about it. It’s an enigma. It’s been very under the radar and has just been getting worse and worse.”
Andy Birtles, who has lived in Bowdon for 32 years, said that although he doesn’t remember the building in its former glory, he and others living nearby would like to see something done with it.
“About five or six years ago it looked like they were fixing it up and doing the roof. The fire had completely ripped through it,” he said. “It was the first time anyone had been there in years. Then all of a sudden it all just stopped and it looked like they had done a load of work to it.
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“I’ve been here for 32 years and I don’t remember it before it was abandoned. I remember knowing it was there, but never saw anybody coming or going and it was all a bit secretive. I had driven and walked past it on the way to Dunham and knew it was an Iranian Government building but that was it. After it was abandoned it just became a target for kids.
“I’d love to see it done up, as I am sure other people would. It has so much potential. It would look great with all the work that it needs, because it is an eyesore.”
Homes nearby are worth up to £10m. One four-bed property just a few hundred yards away is currently on the market at £1.5m. This is an exclusive street where only the most wealthy can afford to reside.
Analysis of data shows that the average sale price for houses on Charcoal Road over the last decade is £1.7m, based on six sales. Since 1995, the average price of a property sits at £873k, and a higher price point of £1.2 million for houses.
As it stands in its current state, with withered wood panels and a crumbling roof, the Brackendene property could still be worth an eye-watering amount, according to estimations made by local estate agents.
Josiah Carter, director of Carter Groves estate agents told the Manchester Evening News that the property and its surrounding land, as it stands and with no planning, would be valued in the region of £1.5m. However, it is surrounded by what was described as ‘super prime’ properties worth in the region of £10m. With the right planning and spec built, he predicted an overhaul could put it at a similar price point.
But any hopes of privately selling the property and seeing it be given a new lease of life are no sooner going to become a reality. Efforts to communicate with the building owners, including suggestions of renovation and cleaning up the site have for years fallen flat.
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In previous years, the council deemed the building to be in a dangerous state, but demolishing it has proved impossible.
It was reported in 2011 that Iranian embassy representatives had travelled to Trafford to discuss the site’s future, but that communications then ceased when outcry over Iran’s nuclear programme led to hundreds of protesters attacking the British embassy in Tehran.
Some 15 years later, and any plan for its future is no closer to becoming a reality. Although, the council maintains that it still holds hope that it could at some point be given a new lease of life.
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Dave Jolley, the Chair of Dunham Massey Parish Council told the M.E.N they too had previously addressed resident concerns regarding the repair and safety of the property directly to Trafford Council.
The local authority previously said that the site had ‘suffered heavily from vandalism’ and that leaders had ‘raised concerns about the condition of the building’, including advising on measures to secure the access points and the need for a long-term use for the building.
A spokesperson told the Manchester Evening News: “The former Consul-General’s House and the surrounding land is owned by the Iranian Government and is governed by diplomatic procedures limiting the ability of the Council to intervene.
“We are, however, concerned about the condition of the building, which has been empty since 2010, and are doing all we can to ensure that it is repaired and re-opened in the future. The Council has had various discussions with Iranian Government representatives since the building’s closure regarding the state of the site and the long-term use of the building.
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“We met with the owners on a number of occasions and stressed our concerns, advising on additional measures to secure the site.
“In 2024, we wrote to a representative with regards to the repair of security fencing and on-site brick wall. We also discussed the need to urgently find a long term use for Brackendene which is an important building and site in the Devisdale Conservation Area.
“We noted that a number of rebuilding works appeared to have taken place on the site including re-roofing and new floors and we reminded the owners that building regulation approval was required from the Council.
“We have recommended to Iranian representatives that they should seek advice from a planning consultant and submit a pre-application enquiry to the Council so we can advise on any proposed developments they wish to make. We will continue to press the owners of the site to carry out works to make it safe and secure and to commit to a plan regarding the long-term use of the building.”
The Arsenal co-owner has proven that is not afraid to front up to fans when the going gets tough
Arsenal will meet Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday, with Josh Kroenke anticipated to be present.Josh, 45, is the son of Stan Kroenke, whose Kroenke Sports and Entertainment group (KSE) became the sole proprietor of Arsenal in August 2018.
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Having been joint owners since 2007, Stan subsequently purchased Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov’s 30 per cent stake for more than £600m, concluding a protracted battle for ultimate ownership of Arsenal. That elevated the Kroenke’s combined holding to 97 per cent.
The Denver Nuggets governor came under scrutiny in September 2023 when the Centennial 38 supporters group of the Rapids challenged the Kroenkes in an open letter amid a turbulent spell for the MLS club both on and off the field. Fans were forthright as they highlighted numerous issues, criticising KSE throughout.
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They pinpointed insufficient investment in the squad and infrastructure as a principal concern. Additionally, they also alleged inadequate communication with supporters and voiced their frustration at the condition of the Rapids’ DICK’S Sporting Goods Park stadium. Josh responded forcefully.
He said: “Off the field, we have already engaged Legends, Civitas, Perkins and Will, and Turner Construction on a number of feasibility studies and analyses around potential infrastructure projects as we assess a future vision for DICK’S Sporting Goods Park and the Club’s training environment.
“We are also actively evaluating additional ways to enhance the gameday experience inside and outside the stadium. Over the next few months, we will be finalising the master plan for our exciting Victory Crossing Project.
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“Our supporters will always be the lifeblood of our club. We hear you and we look forward to having an ongoing dialogue with Centennial 38 over their concerns and our plans for the future.”
Josh’s direct communication with Rapids supporters will evoke parallels for Arsenal fans. Following 16 Gunners supporter groups signing a letter and launching a petition calling on the ownership to show greater commitment and leadership in 2019, it was Kroenke Jr who broke his silence.
Josh addressed supporters head-on once more, transforming Arsenal’s trajectory over the following five years. “Is it hard to take? Absolutely,” Josh said of the letter.
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“But I’m not in this business to make friends, I’m in it to win. If anyone is ever going to question anything about our ownership, which I view as a custodianship, the supporters trust us to be a custodian of the values – that’s what we’re trying to do. We’re trying to win whilst also respecting the values and traditions of the club.
“I’ve sat down with supporters’ groups. I’ve not been afraid to sit down to have tough conversations with people because I’m transparent, we’re transparent, we don’t have anything to hide. We all want the same thing and we’re all trying aggressively to make it happen.”
The Kroenkes delivered on that promise. The club embarked upon a transfer spending spree in the summer of 2025 that may have positioned Mikel Arteta’s squad for a remarkable campaign.
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Arsenal sit top of the Premier League and have progressed to the Champions League and FA Cup quarter-finals. Should they prevail against Pep Guardiola’s side in the League Cup final on Sunday, it could well prove the opening silverware of an extraordinary quadruple this season.
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Sky Sports discounted Premier League and EFL package
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Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle for the 2025/26 season, saving £336 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky shows at least 215 live Premier League games each season, an increase of up to 100, plus Formula 1, darts, golf and more.
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