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Manchester City sign Gvardiol from Leipzig for reported €90M fee

Manchester City completed their long-awaited swoop for top transfer target Josko Gvardiol, the Premier League club announced on Saturday.

The 21-year-old defender joins from RB Leipzig after signing a five-year contract. The treble winners agreed a transfer fee worth €90 million (£77 million) to seal the deal, according to Simon Stone of BBC Sport.

“I have always dreamed of one day playing in England and to be doing so now with Manchester City – after the season they have just had – is a real honor for me,” Gvardiol said after joining the reigning Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League winners. “Anyone who saw Manchester City play last season knows they are the best team in the world. To win the treble says everything you need to know about the quality this team has.”

“To have the chance to work with Pep Guardiola, too, will be amazing for me,” Gvardiol added. “I know I am not yet the finished article and I am sure my game will progress under the best coach in football.”

Gvardiol’s arrival was billed as potentially representing a world-record fee for a defender. But, since the agreement with Leipzig doesn’t include add-ons, Manchester United’s £80-million deal to sign Harry Maguire from Leicester City in 2019 remains the benchmark.

Gvardiol’s move to the Etihad Stadium appeared to be in limbo in July when Leipzig sporting director Max Eberl dismissed reports of an agreement. He also stated Gvardiol wouldn’t be sold for less than €100 million. The two sides eventually came to a compromise.

His addition will strengthen the left side of Guardiola’s central defense while potentially creating uncertainty over the future of Aymeric Laporte.

Along with playing a pivotal role in Croatia’s third-place finish at the 2022 World Cup, Gvardiol appeared in 30 Bundesliga matches to help Leipzig finish third.

Gvardiol is Manchester City’s second marquee signing of the summer following the arrival of fellow Croatian international Mateo Kovacic from Chelsea in June.

“To be linking up with Mateo Kovacic will also be special,” Gvardiol said. “He’s a top footballer and I hope we can both help City achieve another successful season in 2023-24 and then beyond.”

NFL

Panthers' Young 'frustrated' during practice drill

  • David Newton, ESPN Staff WriterAug 5, 2023, 03:34 PM ET

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      David Newton is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the Carolina Panthers. Newton began covering Carolina in 1995 and came to ESPN in 2006 as a NASCAR reporter before joining NFL Nation in 2013. You can follow Newton on Twitter at @DNewtonespn.

SPARTANBURG, S.C. — Rookie quarterback Bryce Young finally showed visible frustration in training camp, but not so much that Carolina Panthers coach Frank Reich was concerned.

The frustration came near the end of Saturday’s practice when Young couldn’t get a play off before the whistle after moving the offense into scoring position in a two-minute drill.

The top pick of the 2023 NFL draft put his hands on the sides of his helmet and shook his head as the defense celebrated the stop. It was a rare moment for a player Reich and Carolina players consistently have said never gets rattled.

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“He’s really harder on himself more than anybody,” Reich said after one of the longest and hottest practices of camp. “A quarterback, you’ve just got to be unflappable. And I think we all know Bryce has that gene. Nothing really changes his pulse.

“But yet, he’s the ultimate competitor, he’s got that drive to be great. So that’s what you want.”

That Young waited that long to show frustration actually was impressive. On a day when he completed 7 of 15 passes, there were three drops — two in the end zone — and multiple pre-snap penalties that led to the defense winning the day.

There also were a few times when it appeared a receiver ran the wrong route, and more than the normal amount of balls thrown high and out of bounds.

“As a competitor … we all get frustrated,” Young said. “But we have to do a better job of bringing stuff back and really stepping back and making sure that even if it’s not our day, for one period or one play, we’re able to flip the script.

“We didn’t do a good enough job of that today. But that’s what training camp is for.”

On the two-minute drive, everything was going as planned, but the offense still needed a touchdown, according to the script. So Reich called one of his “specialty plays” that turned out anything but special.

“I haven’t talked to him yet, but I think he was expecting somebody to do something different than what they did,” Reich said of Young. “Then I ended up blowing the whistle a little early because it didn’t quite develop and I didn’t want to see a big collision in the end zone.”

Then came the frustration, slightly more animated than the day before when Young threw a football into the ground on a day in which he was under more duress than normal.

Young said the key when moments like this happen is to “embrace it and funnel it.”

“There are only two options at a certain point,” Young said. “Are you going to let it dwell? Or are you going to let it affect you the next play? Or are you going to move on and get better? And the only thing you can do is focus on the next rep.

“So you’re constantly turning the page.”

In the end, Young said, “There’s a lot of things I’ve got to do better.”

Soccer

Manchester United confirm Hojlund's arrival in reported €85M deal

Erling Haaland, meet Rasmus Hojlund.

Manchester United have a Scandinavian star to rival Manchester City’s top-scoring Haaland after completing the signing of 20-year-old Danish forward Hojlund from Atalanta on Saturday.

United reportedly agreed to pay the Italian club €75 million up front and another €10 million in potential bonuses.

Hojlund rubber-stamped a five-year deal at Old Trafford with the option of a further season.

“It is no secret that I have been a fan of this great club since I was a small boy, and I dreamed of walking out at Old Trafford as a Manchester United player,” Hojlund said upon being unveiled by the Red Devils. “I am incredibly excited by this opportunity to turn that dream into a reality, and I am determined to repay the faith that the club has shown in me.”

“It is still early in my career, but I know that I am ready to make this step up and play with this group of world-class players,” the young striker added.

Hojlund is United’s third big-money summer signing following the arrivals of goalkeeper Andre Onana and midfielder Mason Mount. The club also welcomed back veteran defender Jonny Evans on a short-term deal.

Atalanta turned a huge profit on Hojlund, whom they signed for a reported €17 million only a year ago from Austrian outfit Sturm Graz. The forward scored nine goals in 33 Serie A appearances and wowed audiences with his speed and dribbling ability.

Hojlund will likely spearhead Erik ten Hag’s new-look attack, with captain Bruno Fernandes offering support through the middle, Marcus Rashford cutting in from the left, and Antony taking on defenders on the right.

Fans will expect Hojlund to boost United’s numbers. The Red Devils ranked an underwhelming seventh in Premier League scoring last season, finishing with 36 fewer goals than prolific rivals Manchester City. Rashford was the only to United player break the 10-goal mark during the 2022-23 campaign.

“Rasmus is a truly exceptional talent. He possesses technical and physical attributes which rank him amongst the best players in the world for his age group,” United football director John Murtough said. “Working under Erik ten Hag and his coaches will provide Rasmus with the perfect development platform. Everyone across the club will ensure that he is given the time and all the support required to reach his immense potential.”

NFL

Jets' Hackett: Payton broke code with comments

  • Rich Cimini, ESPN Staff WriterAug 1, 2023, 03:56 PM ET

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      Rich Cimini is a staff writer who covers the New York Jets and the NFL at ESPN. Rich has covered the Jets for over 30 years, joining ESPN in 2010. Rich also hosts the Flight Deck podcast. He previously was a beat writer for the New York Daily News and is a graduate of Syracuse University. You can follow him via Twitter @RichCimini.

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Without mentioning Sean Payton by name, New York Jets offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett responded Tuesday to Payton’s scathing criticism, saying the comments about his coaching performance last season violated an unwritten “code.”

Hackett said he wasn’t surprised by Payton’s remarks, claiming his Denver Broncos successor has been blasting him publicly for a year.

“Obviously, [the] last week has been a very unique week for this organization,” Hackett said. “I’ve been involved in this business my whole life — 43 years. As a coach, as a coach’s kid, we live in a glass house. We know that. We all live in different rooms, we all have a key for it. It’s one of those things, there’s a code, there’s a way things are done in that house.

“This past week, it’s frustrating and it sucks, but we’re all susceptible to it — the things you do, the mistakes you make. It costs you time on the field, it costs you your job … all those things. And I own all that stuff. That’s a fact. I’ve got no excuses.”

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Payton created national headlines last week, telling USA Today that Hackett’s 15-game run with the Broncos last season was “one of the worst coaching jobs in the history of the NFL” and that there were “20 dirty hands” around quarterback

Hackett said he hasn’t received an apology from Payton, adding that he doesn’t expect Payton to follow through on his promise.

Asked if he believes Payton broke the code of the coaching fraternity, Hackett said, “I do. I do.” He said the criticism was “very expected. You knew it was going to happen. You knew he was going to handle it that way at some point. That’s how it was going all last year.”

Payton, who worked as a Fox Sports studio analyst last season after 15 years as coach of the New Orleans Saints, was critical of the Broncos. He ripped them for allowing Wilson to have a private coach and his own office at the team facility. Payton also jabbed them for disciplinary issues and clock-management problems. Hackett was fired with a 4-11 record, as Wilson suffered the worst statistical season of his career. New ownership hired Payton to resurrect the franchise.

The Jets face the Broncos Oct. 8 in Denver.

“It’s unfortunate that it had to happen, the comments that were made, but, hey, they did,” Hackett said. “I’ll tell you, I was probably more surprised that it happened now. [I] was definitely expecting them in Week 5 [when the two teams play each other]. So, I’m almost thankful that we got that out of the way. We all understand the way certain people feel and think.”

Asked about the Week 5 matchup, Hackett smiled and said, “It’s just another game.”

Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers continued to defend Hackett, saying “a lot of people were surprised” by Payton’s criticism.

“I didn’t like it at all,” said Rodgers, who called Payton “insecure” in a previous interview.

Hackett, whose father, Paul, was a longtime NFL and college coach, said the controversy has galvanized the team. He appeared genuinely touched by the support from the organization, saying players he doesn’t know — on the defensive side of the ball — have offered encouraging words. Former players, too, have reached out.

“Everybody has been unbelievable,” Hackett said. “I think that’s something that’s just awesome. It has brought our team together.”

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Soccer