St Louis wins 28th MLS franchise with female-led ownership group
August 21 – St. Louis was officially announced as the newest MLS expansion franchise on Tuesday, in what is the league’s first female majority-owned team.
Finance
Bolton takeover delay forces match postponement over player welfare issues
August 20 – The demise of one of the most iconic clubs in English football who were in the Premier League only seven years ago has taken another damaging turn with Bolton Wanderers forced to postpone tonight’s match against Doncaster Rovers in the third-tier League One.
Manchester clubs top list of payouts to injured players in record season of injuries
August 16 – Shorter summer breaks and increased international workloads are resulting in an increasing number of injuries. The evidence is in the numbers and the costs of those injuries.
Bury cling on but EFL postpones fourth fixture
August 14 – The on-going survival saga of English League One club Bury has seen the English Football League (EFL) suspend another of their fixtures – this weekend’s home league match against Gillingham.
Bolton fight for survival as kids secure surprise first league point
August 12 – The financial soap opera that has become the story of Bolton Wanderers’ battle for survival took another twist at the end of last week. It was then followed by perhaps the most noteworthy result of England’s football weekend as the club managed a 0-0 draw with Coventry sending out a team that had an average age 19.
Xia axed from Aston Villa board after failure to pay Lerner £30m bonus fee
August 12 – Aston Villa have parted ways with businessman and former owner Tony Xia (pictured). The Chinese was removed as director and member of the board after he failed to pay his predecessor Randy Lerner a £30 million bonus. Instead Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris – who bought control from Xia – have stepped up to increase their share and fulfil the debt.
Premier League clubs’ £1.41bn spending spree just misses transfer record
By David Owen
9 August – The Premier League’s summer transfer window closed on Thursday evening (August 8) with clubs narrowly failing to break the £1.43 billion spending record set in summer 2017.
Dead and Bury-ied? EFL give Dale two weeks to show them the money
August 9 – As England’s top clubs spent a combined £1.41 billion on transfers, lower down the money foodchain EFL League One club Bury inched closer to extinction after the club was given a two-week deadline to meet financial regulations.
Tebas maintains theme of ‘state club’ threat to European football’s market balance
August 7 – His persistence is tiring but the message is enduring. Outspoken La Liga president Javier Tebas is back on the offensive against Manchester City and Paris St Germain once again accusing them of being “state clubs” and a danger to football.
Man Utd plug defensive gap with record breaking £80m Maguire
August 6 – Harry Maguire has become the world’s most expensive defender after signing for Manchester United from Premier League rivals Leicester City for £80 million.
Arsenal pay record £72m fee for Lille’s Pepe
August 2 – Arsenal have completed a club-record £72 million deal to sign Nicolas Pepe from French club Lille OSC in a bid to bolster their squad ahead of the new Premier League season.
After 125 years, Bury’s English league status hangs on a bank balance
August 1 – Bury’s 125-year membership of the English Football League could come to an end if club owner Steve Dale fails to provide the EFL with sufficient evidence he can sustain the club.
OGC Nice debuts Ineos sponsorship as Ratcliffe closes in on €100m buy
July 31 – Supporters of Cardiff City and Welsh cyclist Geraint Thomas on the closing stages of the Tour de France last weekend, would have seen further inroads into the sports business by Ineos who debuted their shirt sponsorship of OGC Nice last weekend in a friendly in the Welsh capital.
AS Roma to restructure debt with €275m bond offer
July 30 – AS Roma will issue €275 million in bonds to help restructure debt repayments, the Italian club has announced.
Chinese whispers: Real Madrid call off mooted Bale transfer to Jiangsu Suning
July 29 – The high-profile move of Gareth Bale from Spain to China is off after Real Madrid cancelled the deal, with the Welsh international now set to stay at the Spanish club instead of switching to Chinese Super League club Jiangsu Suning for a reported £1 million a week.