“Welcome to the 13th edition of The Athletic’s Transfer DealSheet for the summer 2025 transfer window. Our team of dedicated writers, including David Ornstein, will take you inside the market to explain the deals being worked on. The transfer window is open and will run until September 1. The information found within this article has been gathered according to The Athletic’s sourcing guidelines. Unless stated, our reporters have spoken to more than one person briefed on each deal before offering the clubs involved the opportunity to comment. Their responses, when they were given, have been included. We aim to bring you analysis you can trust about what is happening at Europe’s leading clubs and the latest information we’re hearing from across the market. This year, The Athletic’s football finance writer, Chris Weatherspoon, will be adding to our analysis of the transfer market. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Daily Archives: August 26, 2025
Why Liverpool’s ‘Italian’ method of defending free kicks seems to be more effective
“In an era when football is criticised for its tactical homogeneity, an interesting debate has arisen around the idea of defending a crossed free kick. It had become the accepted approach to use a high defensive line, keeping opponents away from the box and leaving space in front of the goalkeeper. But in recent years, particularly in Italy, an alternative has emerged. In Serie A, it’s common for teams to sit deep, often in two separate lines, and then come forward and attack the ball. Historically, the Dutch approach to football is very different from the Italian one, particularly in terms of defensive lines. Whereas Italian football is renowned for deep defending, Dutch coaches want their sides to push up. …”
NY Times/The Athletic – Michael Cox
Why is London so appealing to new arrivals to the Premier League?
“There is no doubting the sizeable and growing divide between London and much of the rest of England. A recent report found London wages were 33 per cent higher than the national average and as high as 68 per cent more than in Burnley, a town in the north-west of the country. Higher living standards, higher productivity levels and more business start-ups were also cited in the report as examples of the divide. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
Bundesliga briefing: Leverkusen and Ten Hag concerns, a VAR oddity and a fabulous tifo
“The Bundesliga is back and this season it will have its own weekly column, which will focus on major stories on the pitch, but also from German football as a whole — the terraces, the culture and, because it’s Germany, the governance too. On Matchday 1, Bayern Munich thumped RB Leipzig 6-0, Borussia Dortmund let a late lead slip against St. Pauli, drawing 3-3 at the Millerntor, and Koln celebrated their return to the top flight with a 90th-minute winner in Mainz. Not such good news for Bayer Leverkusen, though. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
