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Leicester legend Jamie Vardy expressed his frustration in a social media rant after the Foxes' relegation from the Premier League was confirmed.

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Vardy slammed Leicester City on social mediaFoxes suffered second relegation in three seasonsLost 1-0 to LiverpoolFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Nine years on from their Premier League title victory, Leicester's relegation from the top-flight was confirmed after they went down 1-0 against Liverpool at home on Sunday. The drop to the second tier marks their second relegation in just three seasons as they have managed to register just four wins in the 2024-25 campaign thus far.

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As Leicester's relegation was confirmed, club legend Vardy apologised to the fans while slamming the team's performance as a "total embarrassment". The 38-year-old forward, who is in the final months of his existing contract, appeared in 31 league matches thus far where he scored seven goals and provided three assists.

WHAT JAMIE VARDY SAID

On the social media, Vardy wrote: "At this point, I don't even know what to say. No words I have can ever express my feelings of anger and sadness with the way this season has gone. There are no excuses. Collectively, as players and as a club, we failed. There is simply no hiding, and I refuse to entertain any suggestion of doing so.

"Having been at this club for so long, we've experienced so many highs and successes – and this season has been nothing but miserable and for me personally, a total embarrassment. It hurts, and I know you're feeling it too."

The veteran forward concluded: "To the fans: I'm sorry. Sorry we haven't performed and sorry we end the 2025 season with such a sh*t show."

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR LEICESTER CITY?

Ruud van Nistelrooy's side will face Wolves in a difficult away fixture on Saturday in the Premier League.

Bowler glad to have repaid Warwickshire’s faith after injury-wrecked season

Vithushan Ehantharajah29-Sep-2022It says a lot about Liam Norwell’s drive that he hopes his 9 for 62, which dragged Warwickshire to safety with a five-run victory over Hampshire, will allow his team-mates and fans to forgive him for his absences this season.Norwell’s figures – the 12th best in first-class cricket for Warwickshire – saw a fourth-innings target of 133 defended on a remarkable final day of the 2022 County Championship season. It brought just a second win of the season for Warwickshire but one that lifted them above Yorkshire, who will play Division Two cricket next season after defeat to Gloucestershire on Wednesday opened the door for their relegation rivals.Warwickshire were spared the ignominy of going down as defending champions, a success Norwell was very much a part of, with 49 dismissals at an average of 18.26 in 2021. This season, however, back issues, a concussion sustained in the second match of the season against Essex and a right elbow injury restricted him to three Championships appearances coming into this last round. Such ailments are an occupational hazard for bowlers but Norwell seems to have taken them to heart.Related

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Liam Norwell's career-best nine-for saves Warwickshire's season in five-run thriller

That he was even available to play here was a surprise to many. Following consultation with doctors, his prospects of playing again this summer were rated at “10%”. After getting through all eight games in the Royal London Cup, the club felt the best course of action was to sit out the remainder of the season to avoid pushing it too far.However, with the bowling stocks low, especially after Jayant Yadav and Mohammed Siraj returned to India, Norwell put himself forward to head coach Mark Robinson as a possible solution. And how. Even with little preparation and lacking full match fitness, he dug deep to bowl all but three of the 23.5 overs sent down from Edgbaston’s Pavilion End, and was relentless throughout.”I feel like I’ve let the lads and the management down quite a bit this year,” an exhausted Norwell said afterwards.”Personally, I’m as frustrated as anyone about how the season has gone. Back issues, concussion, tearing my elbow – I’m as frustrated as anyone. I believe, without trying to sound arrogant, if I played more this season, we wouldn’t be in this position… I just have that confidence in myself. And I hope I proved that today.”Of that, there can be no question. His performance, which began with 4 for 36 in the first innings, will go down as one of the most remarkable in the club’s history. Indeed England have closely monitored Norwell, as someone with both the frame and skills to challenge batters of the highest quality. This display simply confirmed what they saw in the former Gloucestershire man.Back in March, he was the first bowling reserve for the tour of West Indies, and was close to a full call-up as Mark Wood struggled with an elbow injury of his own in the first of the three Tests. Norwell, however, revealed he would not have taken the call, let alone the opportunity. A couple of weeks after he was told to wait on standby, his newborn contracted meningitis and nearly lost his life.Thankfully, his son – their second child – is healthy now. And after such a finish, the attention of selectors will be piqued once more. Test captain Ben Stokes was clearly impressed, championing the spell on social media. Norwell, however, feels his time has passed.”I’ll be honest, now I’m 30 and there are younger lads come in like [Matthew] Potts, I don’t think I have got a chance. But I will keep putting in performances and you never know.”After not wishing to be arrogant by rightly claiming greater availability would have prevented Warwickshire being involved in a dog fight at the end, dismissing his own England prospects is perhaps a dip too far into modesty. Understandably, his focus is on resting up, getting fitter over the winter and playing all of next season. But the skills on show, whether unerring accuracy or clever use of the knuckleball, were sure signs of a bowler with a strong command of his craft.The mindset, evidently, is already there. Not just coming back from injuries, or the character showcased in the two match-deciding spells but even at the tea break when he took himself to one side to maintain his focus. “I sat by myself, to be honest with you,” he said.”I felt quite emotional at tea and I wanted to make sure I was the man to drive us over the line. I got our physio to get me some food and I just sat in the table in front of the viewing area and just looked out onto the pitch. It’s what I did last year when we won the Championship, just to try and keep myself focused. I thought if it worked last year it might work this year. Luckily it did.”He did admit to one moment of weakness. Upon taking the wicket of Keith Barker, bowling the left-hander to make it 91 for 7, his left hamstring began cramping, causing more discomfort than the right elbow which was sore but manageable. At the end of the over – Norwell’s 14th – he asked his captain Will Rhodes if he could come off. The reply could not be misinterpreted.”I have to give Will credit. I tried to take myself off after the Keith Barker wicket. I was cramping. I won’t use the language he used but he basically said ‘you’re bowling until the end of the game’. Him and Dom Sibley just kept getting around me and they kept pumping me up and getting me going.”Along with encouragement from his team-mates, he had Warwickshire’s physio for company down at fine leg. At the start of his last over, defending just five, he produced a beauty to uproot James Fuller’s middle stump when the bowling allrounder looked set to win Hampshire the game. Four balls on, a full, inswinging delivery wrapped Mohammad Abbas on the pads to confirm the win and survival.”I just went a bit mad,” Norwell said of the final celebration. “All the emotions came out, I was nearly in tears. It means a lot to me – I feel like I’ve let everyone down this year by not playing.”Helping us stay up and put in that performance I hope is repaid the lads and supporters for not playing.” It is safe to say it has.

The January transfer window was a quiet period for Leeds United, but despite it being well claimed they didn’t complete any business, a reliable reporter has now stated that a signing was made, but there was no announcement.

Leeds United’s January transfer window

At the start of the transfer window, Daniel Farke made it clear that he wasn’t a fan of January moves and therefore wasn’t looking to do much business. The Leeds boss wasn’t lying, as it was very quiet at Elland Road, but towards the end of the transfer window, Leeds did start to look at some potential new arrivals.

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Farke admitted that business for Leeds was there to be done if the right player was available and found: “I trust this group, and if we go with this group, I am confident we can finish in a top position.

“I think it is also our responsibility, as key people in the club, to explore if there is something to improve the group a bit and make it a higher probability, we are successful. If we find something and think it’s a good addition and affordable, we will go for it. And if not, then no.”

Coventry City

A

Millwall

H

Watford

A

Sunderland

H

Sheffield United

A

One player Leeds were looking to sign late on in the window was Southampton’s Cameron Archer. The Whites had a loan offer turned down by the Saints, and with the forward keen on joining the Championship side, Leeds were expected to make a new offer. The 49ers also had their eyes on Adam Armstrong of Southampton, but they missed out on his signature too as he reunited with Tony Mowbray at West Brom.

Leeds signed a young goalkeeper in January

According to Alan Nixon, relayed by Leeds United News, Leeds signed teenage goalkeeper Robbie Cook during the January transfer window but never announced it.

The Yorkshire side were heavily linked with signing the Australian from Perth Glory before the transfer window opened, as were other teams from England. A week into the transfer window, it was claimed that Leeds had won the race to sign the 17-year-old, but there have also been conflicting claims that Cook remains on trial at Thorp Arch. However, Nixon reported on Tuesday that, in fact, Leeds had signed Cook but “never bothered advertising it”.

In December, it was reported that Cook had been on trial with the Whites, and they were ready to offer the young shot stopper a contract after impressing. Furthermore, Manchester United were also interested in signing Cook, but it was claimed that Leeds had fended off their rivals to secure the signing.

Cook’s potential arrival at Leeds would probably see him join the club’s academy side first, with the view to him working his way up to the first team. Leeds will see Cook, though, as a player who can work his way into the first team and be a candidate to replace Illan Meslier in the future and become their long-term number one goalkeeper. If he does join or has joined Leeds, he has the opportunity to learn from Meslier, Karl Darlow and Alex Cairns, three experienced goalkeepers in English football.

Former England striker Eni Aluko says her "career has taken a hit" in the midst of her ongoing civil legal case against Joey Barton.

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Aluko in legal battle with BartonCurrently winning High Court libel claimSays this has hurt her punditry careerFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Former Newcastle United player Barton was charged with alleged malicious communications towards ex-Chelsea forward Aluko last year, who has has been in a legal battle with the 42-year-old since then. As a result, Aluko says the amount of work she has been hired for over the past 18 months is the "least TV" she's ever done.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportWHAT ALUKO SAID

She told BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour: "This happens in lots of industries – when women stand up for themselves, their career takes a hit. I've been doing broadcasting for 11 years. I'm not new to it. And in the last 18 months I've done the least TV I've ever done. That's just a fact. That's not a feeling, that's an opinion. That's a fact. So I think people can draw their own conclusions from that. There is a double standard where there is still a limited amount of opportunities for women, female broadcasters, both in the men's and the women's game. We're still competing for two or three seats maximum, which includes the presenters. What the Joey Bartons, and some male football fans, want is for women to get off the TV."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Aluko claimed she faced threats of violence and abuse on social media off the back of Barton's tweets – something a judge ruled was defamatory. The ex-Juventus attacker has also accused Arsenal legend Ian Wright of blocking opportunities for female pundits in women's football.

She said on Women's Hour: "I’ve worked with Ian a long time and, you know, I think he’s a brilliant broadcaster, but I think he’s aware of just how much he’s doing in the women’s game. I think he should be aware of that. The fact of the matter is, there is a limited amount of spaces available. If we had a situation where there was an equal opportunity in the men’s game for broadcasters and coaches that there is in the women’s game, it’s a free for all. But that’s not the case. I can’t dominate the men’s game in the way that, you know, you used Ian as an example."

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT?

Aluko and Barton will wait to see what comes of this ongoing legal battle. The latter is yet to respond and could appeal the initial verdict.

Juventus have made their transfer stance over selling a “fantastic” forward in their squad crystal clear, following a failed bid from West Ham United to sign the player.

West Ham sign Ferguson after multiple January bids for attackers

Hammers boss Graham Potter eventually got his desired new striker on winter transfer deadline day, with the club sealing a straight loan deal for Brighton starlet Evan Ferguson.

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The Irishman could make his debut against Brentford this weekend, depending on whether Potter elects to start the new arrival or opts to use Jarrod Bowen as a makeshift centre-forward once again.

Brentford (home)

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Arsenal (away)

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Leicester City (home)

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Newcastle United (home)

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Everton (away)

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West Ham supporters will be hoping he can replicate his 2022/2023 form at the London Stadium, following two campaigns blighted by injury and falling down the Amex Stadium pecking order.

Ferguson’s arrival comes as a boost for Potter given Michail Antonio and Niclas Fullkrug’s long-term injury problems, but the 20-year-old was by no means their only striker target in January.

West Ham also made a failed attempt to sign Brian Brobbey from Ajax, despite going as far as to agree personal terms (talkSPORT), with the Irons having an offer rejected for PSV Eindhoven star Ricardo Pepi as well.

Now, it has emerged that West Ham also tried their luck with a mid-season swoop for highly-rated young Juve forward Samuel Mbangula.

The 21-year-old has been a very useful asset for the Old Lady across 2024/2025 – scoring four goals and bagging four assists in 25 total appearances so far – and this is apparently attracted interest from east London.

Juventus stance after failed bid from West Ham for Samuel Mbangula

According to Italian newspaper Tuttosport, West Ham had an £8 million bid rejected for Mbangula in January, with Juve firm on their demands if Potter’s side wish to come back in with another attempt this summer.

The Serie A heavyweights want nearly triple that amount at a minimum, around £21 million, and his price tag could even go as high as £25 million if the Belgian carries on his impressive performances.

That being said, if West Ham or any other interested side offer an amount around the latter fee, then Juve sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli will certainly be tempted to sell.

“We are a young team that has to inject a lot of pace into the game in order to cause problems for teams,” Juventus boss Thiago Motta told a press conference, later praising Mbangula.

“Once again today, the players who came off the bench raised the level of the team. I am very happy with Mbangula. He presses, he dribbles, he scores goals. He always has a fantastic attitude, he always gives everything.”

Pakistan seamer will continue to turn out at Ageas Bowl for next two summers

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Nov-2022Mohammad Abbas, the Pakistan seamer, has signed a contract to appear for Hampshire as one of their overseas players for the next two seasons.Abbas has taken 91 Championship wickets at 16.83 for Hampshire since joining in 2021. He was part of a potent seam-bowling trio, alongside Kyle Abbott and Keith Barker, last summer as Hampshire pushed for their first title since 1973 – eventually finishing third in Division One, behind Surrey and Lancashire.”Mo has been a big influence on the team,” Giles White, Hampshire’s director of cricket, said. “Since his arrival he has been both an incredible performer and a fantastic role model. To have him around for the next two years is a major boost to the squad.”

A message from Pakistan @RealMAbbas226 pic.twitter.com/7560NrUeQb

— Hampshire Cricket (@hantscricket) November 15, 2022