Chelsea have signed Argentina international Valentin Barco from sister club Strasbourg on a seven-year deal.
The 22-year-old, who played seven times for Brighton including six Premier League appearances during the 2023-24 season, becomes the seventh arrival of new manager Xabi Alonso’s reign.
A versatile player who can be used in central midfield as well as his regular position of left-back, Barco was in the Argentina squad that finished as runners-up at the World Cup, winning his fifth cap in the 3-1 group-stage win over Jordan.
He moved to Strasbourg initially on loan from Brighton in 2024 but signed permanently a year later having helped the club to qualify for the Conference League.
In all he made 53 appearances for the Ligue 1 side.
Valentin Barco (right) was involved in a viral heated exchange with Jude Bellingham after the World Cup semi-final (AP)
He is expected to join up shortly with his new team-mates on their tour of Australia and Hong Kong.
It continues a busy summer in the transfer market for Chelsea as they look to remodel under Alonso.
On Saturday they confirmed the signing of veteran striker Danny Welbeck from Brighton, following the signings of Crystal Palace’s Maxence Lacroix and Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa.
Marco Palestra, Emmanuel Emegha and Geovany Quenda have also been signed.
After Victoria withdrew in 2023, Glasgow answered the SOS call – and organisers say the past 11 days in the Scottish city have “exceeded all expectations”.
Yes, there have been grumbles – including from those who have seen parking spaces outside their houses taken – and taxi drivers and shop owners the Games have passed by.
On the ground, though, this felt like a meaningful event.
Ticket sales of 434,000 were well down from 1.5 million for Birmingham 2022, but they were always going to be given the smaller venues for this scaled-back edition. It has been rare to enter a venue and not find a joyful, engaged crowd.
Organisers said their social media views passed those of Birmingham within the opening few days and highlighted record-breaking television figures in Australia and New Zealand, where the Games were free-to-air.
Still, without that same coverage in the UK, these Games have – at times – drifted by.
Glasgow 2026 was also hurt by the absence or late withdrawal of big-name competitors, particularly in athletics, which missed Keely Hodgkinson, Katarina Johnson-Thompson and Dina Asher-Smith.
The Games’ differing relevance between sports was again clear – for netball, this remains the pinnacle and is treated as such; for others, it is a stepping stone. Many narratives focused on the “next generation”.
Advertisement
Eighteen-year-old Jersey swimmer Filip Nowacki was perhaps the most exciting name to emerge, but gymnasts Ruby Evans (Wales) and Reuben Ward (Scotland) and England track cyclist Henry Hobbs, who won two golds and a bronze, were others.
Swimmer Faye Rogers impressively brought her success at the Paralympics back to Glasgow with gold in the pool – and then competed in the non-para event as well.
It was a fifth successive mid-table finish for the Welsh club, who have not mounted a serious promotion push since Steve Cooper’s team were beaten in the 2021 play-off final by Brentford.
Having been among the Championship’s biggest spenders in the 2025 close season, Swansea’s hierarchy have once again shown ambition this summer.
The club are believe to have spent in the region of £15m on Elijah Just, Joseph Opoku and Moussa Yeo, while Stephen Welsh has signed on a free transfer.
“The focus is improving the team, improving the players, put the team in a level that we can compete against everyone,” Matos added.
“There are strong teams [in the Championship] with a lot in terms of budget and a lot of expectations.
“So it doesn’t mean that we need to be the best team, but it means that we need to be able to compete against everyone and be able to win against everyone.
“That’s the good thing about sports. You don’t need to be the best one, but you need to be able to beat the best one. That’s what we want to be.”
The final medals of the 2026 Commonwealth Games have been won after athletes from 74 nations and territories vied for gold in Glasgow.
Glasgow stepped in after the Australian state of Victoria backed out three years ago due to the cost of hosting the Games, meaning the Scottish city staged the event for the second time in 12 years.
A slimmed-down 10-sport programme, as well as six Para sports, included athletics, gymnastics, cycling, and swimming, spread across four Glaswegian venues.
Team England had the honour of taking home the first gold of the Games as Mark Swan secured a dramatic victory in the men’s lightweight category of the men’s para powerlifting, hauling up 222kg – more than three times his body weight – but Australia went on to surge clear of the rest of the field.
Here are the final medal standings from the 2026 Commonwealth Games
Team Nigeria finished the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow as Africa’s highest-ranked nation after winning 24 medals.
Nigeria ended the Games in seventh place on the final medal table with 10 gold, seven silver and seven bronze medals.
The performance saw Nigeria finish ahead of several traditional sporting nations, including Jamaica, Wales, Malaysia and South Africa.
Advertisement
However, Nigeria’s overall medal haul was lower than its performance at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, where the country won 35 medals.
The 24 medals in Glasgow represent a drop of 11 medals, while the 10 gold medals were also two fewer than the 12 gold medals won in Birmingham.
Australia topped the final medal table with an impressive 70 gold medals, followed by England and Canada.
Advertisement
South Africa was the second-best African nation, finishing 11th with seven gold, 11 silver and 10 bronze medals.
Kenya finished 13th with three gold, four silver and five bronze medals, while Mauritius placed 15th with one gold, two silver and one bronze.
Cameroon finished 16th with one gold, one silver and three bronze medals. Uganda won two silver and one bronze medal to finish 27th, while Namibia placed 29th with one silver and two bronze medals.
Ghana finished 30th with one silver and one bronze.
Advertisement
Other African countries that won medals were Lesotho, Zambia, Gabon, Rwanda and The Gambia.
A total of 13 African nations won at least one medal at the Games.
Although Nigeria’s medal tally was lower than in Birmingham, finishing as Africa’s number one nation once again highlights the country’s strength across different sports and its place among the Commonwealth’s leading sporting nations.
Moses Itauma has weighed in on the hardest hitting heavyweight of all time debate, naming a formidable puncher who ended his career with a 92% knockout-to-win ratio.
When it comes to discussing the most powerful heavyweights in boxing history, fans will often mention Mike Tyson, George Foreman, Earnie Shavers and Deontay Wilder.
Foreman, too, was capable of delivering highlight-reel knockouts at the top level, as evidenced by his stoppages of Joe Frazier and Ken Norton in 1973 and 1974, respectively.
As for Wilder, it could be argued that, while boasting a 95% knockout-to-win ratio, he, unlike ‘Iron’ Mike and ‘Big George’, does not have the resume of an all-time great.
In terms of raw power, though, prodigious talent Itauma has told DAZN that he believes Shavers is the greatest heavyweight puncher of all time.
While never winning a world title, the ‘Black Destroyer’ fought in an era that was brimming with world-class operators, including Hall of Famers Muhammad Ali and Larry Holmes.
And while he did, of course, lose to both of those champions, Shavers nonetheless gave a tremendous account of himself on each occasion.
Two of his most notable stoppages came against Norton and Joe Bugner, with this generation’s Itauma clearly an admirer of the American’s career.
Advertisement
And with the 21-year-old swiftly becoming a prolific knockout artist in his own right, perhaps he will eventually be mentioned in the same breath as Shavers, Tyson, Foreman and Wilder.
Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly considering a move for Victor Osimhen as they look to strengthen their attack ahead of the new season.
Spurs are searching for a new striker, with manager Roberto De Zerbi keen to improve his forward line. Richarlison’s future at the club is also uncertain.
Advertisement
Reports on Sunday claimed that Osimhen has emerged as a new name on Tottenham’s transfer wishlist.
The Nigerian striker has been linked with a move to the Premier League for several years. Chelsea were strongly interested in him two years ago, but talks broke down in the final days of the summer transfer window.
Osimhen is now at Galatasaray and is reportedly keen to move to the Premier League. According to CaughtOffside, personal terms are not expected to be a problem, with the 27-year-old said to be open to joining Tottenham.
Victor Osimhen
Turkish journalist Ekrem Konur claims Tottenham have made an opening offer of between £50 million and £55m for the Super Eagles striker.
However, Galatasaray are reportedly looking for around £65m before agreeing to sell Osimhen.
Advertisement
It remains unclear whether Tottenham will make a serious move for the Nigerian, but De Zerbi is expected to push for a new striker before the transfer window closes.
The Spurs boss also admitted on Saturday that Richarlison’s future remains uncertain.
“I like him as a player, as a guy,” De Zerbi said after Richarlison scored a late winner against Chelsea in Sydney.
“He has an unbelievable attitude and behaviour, but in the end we have to respect what he wants to do. We all know what he wants to do.
Advertisement
“But for me, he’s still an important player because it’s not so easy to find another striker like Richarlison. He scores goals. He scored 12 goals last season, not through luck, because he knows how to score.”
With Richarlison’s future still unclear, Osimhen could become an attractive option for Tottenham as they look for a proven goalscorer.
Crawford was in attendance to witness Zepeda’s victory, and speaking on the TNT broadcast following the bout, he praised the performance of the new champion.
“Zepeda caught me off guard. I wasn’t ready for that. I was looking for a straight come forward type fighter, but from round one I said ‘damn look at his movement.’
“Look at his footwork. His distance, his range, his angles, his faints, his jabbing, his counter ability, his punch placement. How he was controlling the fight. Roach would hit him with a good shot, but he would eat it and come right back.”
The TNT panel then discussed a potential clash between Zepeda and current unified super-featherweight world champion Emanuel Navarrete, and Crawford made it perfectly clear what a war he thinks that could be.
“That’s CTE at its finest. You talk about a bloodbath, it’s a bloodbath waiting.”
Three-weight world champion Navarrete added the IBF super-featherweight title to his WBO crown when he defeated Eduardo Nunez back in February, and may be interested in the chance to claim gold in a fourth division by moving up to take on Zepeda.
Chelsea Green’s biggest career victory at WWE SummerSlam 2026 received an immediate reaction from someone who knows her journey better than anyone else. Shortly after Green captured the Interim Women’s Championship, her husband, Matt Cardona, took to social media to celebrate the historic moment.
The Interim WWE Women’s Championship was introduced after reigning champion Rhea Ripley suffered a torn meniscus while successfully defending her title against Jade Cargill in their rematch at Clash in Italy. Ripley had originally won the championship by defeating Cargill at WrestleMania 42, but her injury forced the sports entertainment juggernaut to crown a temporary champion until she is medically cleared to return.
Thanks for the submission!
Advertisement
Following Adam Pearce’s announcement that Ripley would miss SummerSlam, WWE held a series of qualifying matches on SmackDown. Tiffany Stratton, Jade Cargill, Charlotte Flair, Chelsea Green, and Lash Legend all earned spots in the high-stakes Five-Way Ladder Match.
Advertisement
The championship bout lived up to expectations. Late in the match, Tiffany Stratton appeared close to victory before Green shoved the ladder, sending her crashing onto the other competitors outside the ring. Moments later, B-Fab and Michin tried to stop Green and assist Cargill, only for The Queen to intervene as the action descended into complete chaos.
After Flair and Cargill neutralized one another at the top of the ladder, Green recovered while the rest of the field was down. She climbed the ladder uninterrupted and unhooked the championship to become the Interim WWE Women’s Champion.
While Matt Cardona did not compete at The Biggest Party of the Summer, he shared a congratulatory message on X after watching The Hot Mess climb the ladder and secure the championship on Night Two of SummerSlam.
“Here is your winner and NNNEEEWWW @WWE Women’s Champion…my hot wife…@ImChelseaGreen!”
Chelsea Green can now call herself Interim Women’s Champion, but her reign comes with a major challenge waiting in the future. Once Rhea Ripley returns from injury, the two stars will eventually collide in a Championship Unification Match to determine the undisputed titleholder.
Advertisement
Why did you not like this content?
Advertisement
Was this article helpful?
Thank You for feedback
Get all the hottest wrestling news FIRST by clicking here
On the flight home from Chicago, as he reflects on the 4-2 loss to Leeds that ended Liverpool‘s United States tour, manager Andoni Iraola will have plenty to think about.
The first-half display was arguably the best since he took charge of Liverpool, but the second was categorically their worst as they conceded four times without reply inside 25 minutes.
Iraola did make a raft of changes at the break and in the second half but that is no excuse for the way they capitulated against Daniel Farke’s side.
Their lack of squad depth and physicality was alarmingly exposed and Iraola will be concerned with the ease with which Leeds scored, albeit against an inexperienced backline that finished with Calvin Ramsay, Ifeanyi Ndukwe, Mor Talla Ndiaye and Kostas Tsimikas.
Advertisement
With Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz making their return, Liverpool were excellent in the first half and it is important not to be too critical but perhaps Iraola will be glad in the long-run that he saw this second-half display, where Liverpool‘s set-piece deficiencies were highlighted too.
The intensity Iraola demands on the training pitch was evident in the first half but seemed non-existent after the break. Senior figures like Curtis Jones and Federico Chiesa did not cover themselves in glory.
“I particularly hate this month of August because you start the competitions and you still don’t know if some of the players are going to leave and who’s going to come – there is a lot of uncertainty,” said Iraola, earlier in the week.
Iraola will meet Virgil van Dijk, Cody Gakpo, Alisson Becker and new signing Victor Munoz over the coming days at the AXA Training Centre.
Advertisement
By then, the only first-team player he will have yet to meet will be Alexis Mac Allister, who has been granted extra time off following Argentina’s run to the World Cup final. Munoz, who did not play a minute in Spain’s successful World Cup campaign, will return earlier to aid his integration into the squad.
However, over the course of a fortnight in America, Liverpool have had no incomings. That was in part because Iraola wanted to see the squad at his disposal before making decisions. What he saw in this defeat will play into those decisions.
“I think we learn a lot of things. Obviously it’s not the result you want but I think (it was) probably the most useful friendly we played – in a positive way in the first half and in a negative way in the second half,” said Iraola. “I think we’ve learned a lot and I think we can take good conclusions and solve some things.”
Check in every week for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors as they break down the hottest topics in the sport, and join the conversation by tweeting us at @golf_com. This week, we discuss the PGA Tour’s Championship Series, the Tour’s playoffs, the Women’s Open and more.
1. The 2028 schedule dominoes are starting to fall, and in the past week we learned the first batch of Championship Series events will be the Travelers Championship, the newly minted Sompo Championship — which takes over the current Napa stop with a 2028 location TBD — the Sentry and the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Any learnings from this?
Nick Piastowski, senior editor (@nickpia): We expected the Travelers, the Sentry and the Arnold Palmer to be among the top tier. It’s the newly announced Sompo Championship that’s intriguing here, though. Securing a new sponsor following a format shakeup should be considered a big win for the PGA Tour. Where the event will be played in two years will also be of interest. Stay tuned.
Josh Schrock, associate news editor (@Schrock_and_awe): The Tour’s ability to get a new sponsor to buy in for a Championship Series event with a $20 million purse is noteworthy. We’ve heard the demand from sponsors is higher than initially thought and this might prove that case. The rumored move of the Sompo to Seattle in 2028 would be a big win if it comes to pass.
Advertisement
Josh Sens, senior writer (@joshsens): We’ve heard that the demand from sponsors is higher than expected, but who’s been telling us that? The Tour. Time will tell if that’s really the case. Meantime, it is an interesting change in status for what used to be the Procore, an event with such a low-wattage field that it had morphed into a kind of wine country version of the Waste Management, with live bands and food and other non-golf attractions aimed at ramping up interest. The rumored move to Seattle makes sense. A major market that doesn’t see a lot of pro golf. I’ve heard Sahalee tossed around as a potential site, but why not Chambers Bay? More interesting course. And public access, too.
2. Does a surprise Championship Series event (the Sompo) mean there could be more unpredictability than we anticipated?
Piastowski: Maybe. Let’s try to figure this out. We’re gonna get 23 to 24 events in the Championship Series, the Tour says — and that includes the Players, the four majors, the Tour Championship, an international team event (Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup) and, once every four years, the Olympics. So that’s seven or eight events. Let’s add two playoff events. That’s nine to 10 events. We know of the four above. That’s 13 to 14. The final 10? Likely candidates are the WM Phoenix Open, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the Genesis Invitational, the RBC Heritage, the Cadillac Championship, the Truist Championship and the Memorial. So … the final three could be interesting.
Schrock: I don’t know how unpredictable it could get. With the Heritage, Pebble, Cadillac, Memorial, Genesis, WMPO and Truist presumably filling Championship slots, we don’t have a lot of room for shock. I feel like the winds are blowing toward the 3M getting a spot, which would be a surprise of sorts.
Advertisement
Sens: There’s not a lot of room left for wild surprises. What’s less obvious is which sponsors will step up. In that sense, it seems likely to be a tail-wagging-the-dog type scenario. Which event becomes part of the Championship Series will depend more on the interests of the sponsor than on the merits of the tournament itself.
3. The FedEx Cup Playoffs are just around the corner, and this week’s Wyndham Championship is the last chance for pros to play their way into the top 70. Rocket Classic winner Michael Thorbjornsen made a massive jump Sunday (69th to 38th) and others will look to do the same in North Carolina. Which bubble-boy player is most intriguing to you?
Piastowski: I’m going right to Mr. 70 at the moment — Jackson Koivun. Don’t you get the feeling he’ll make a run in the playoffs? Then get a call to the Presidents Cup team? Then get one to next year’s Ryder Cup team? Just having some fun here.
Schrock: It’s Brooks Koepka. Withdrew from the Rocket with an injury so his playoffs are in doubt. Needs a big week, if he plays, to not see his season end next week. Honorable mention to Tony Finau, who has been fighting it this year and needs something special to keep his playoff streak alive.
Advertisement
Sens: I’d add Keegan Bradley to that list. Currently at 72, just outside the bubble. He may never get over the Ryder Cup, but nabbing a spot in the playoffs wouldn’t hurt his mood.
4. The PGA Tour debuted a new announcer-free stream for all four rounds of the Rocket Classic in which the focus was on player-caddie interaction, crowd reactions and natural course audio. What did you think? And what do you think could be done differently or better next time?
Piastowski: Hand raised, I didn’t tune in to this, but I think it’s extremely dependent on the PGA Tour’s “talkers.” Otherwise, it’s a bit stale. But what I very much want to see is pro golf’s version of the Manningcast. Two former pros as hosts. Fun guests. Some analysis. Action in the background.
Schrock: It seems like an interesting idea that needs more work. I could do with a lot of caddie-player convo with a walking on-course reporter and no play-by-play and desk commentator. This was fun and interesting at times but needs work.
Advertisement
Sens: I think it works well in small doses, but, as Nick suggests, it depends on the players and the caddies, and which announcer voices are being silenced. Not all network commentators are created equal. Some add so little to the broadcast that I’d almost rather hear chatbots discussing the action, which, come to think of it, is probably where we’re headed anyway.
5. Shiho Kuwaki beat Esther Henseleit on the second playoff hole to win the AIG Women’s Open on Sunday in England, officially putting a bow on the women’s major season. What was your 2026 major-season takeaway for the LPGA? And which pro is most upset wondering what could have been with the major season now in the rearview?
Piastowski: Nelly Korda is great, Haeran Ryu is great, playing majors at great venues is great. I really thought Jeeno Thitikul would win a major this year, though. She did post three top 10s. A one-under on Sunday would have gotten her in the playoff. She’ll break through eventually.
Schrock: The LPGA got the major start that it wanted with Nelly ripping off the first two. They did their best to parlay that into more interest but needed more from Charley Hull, Lydia Ko, Jeeno Thitikul and other star names. Haeran Ryu went on an epic heater and looked like she was poised to win three in a row before Lytham punched her on Saturday. Hull should be kicking herself after another major season without a win. She did her best to push Korda at the USWO but came up short. I thought she had a chance on Sunday at Lytham (as did 10 others) but couldn’t hit the shots down the stretch. She’s now 0-for-65 in majors, and while she still has a lot of runway in front of her, sometimes you’re just always a bridesmaid.
Advertisement
Sens: Hull is a great personality and a compelling player. But I sense a bit of a Rickie Fowler phenomenon to her stardom, where her popularity outstrips her actual performance. She has three career wins on the LPGA Tour. That’s a fine accomplishment. But the sky-high expectations around her in the majors are a tad unrealistic. As for what might have been … Haeran Ryu can’t possibly be disappointed with her major campaign. But I’d understand her feeling wistful after this past weekend, when a chance for what would have been a historic three straight eluded her.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login