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Bayern Munich have agreed to splash the cash to buy a new stadium as part of the club's commitment to their women's team. The Bayern women's side currently play in the stadium at their training ground, which only has 2,000 seats. The women's team have won the German top-flight league for the past three seasons, which has prompted the management to make significant investment on the side.

Bayern's new stadium

According to , the reigning Bundesliga champions have agreed to spend a whopping £6.5 million (€7.3m) on the Sportpark Unterhaching, which is located in the southern outskirts of Munich. The arena, which has a capacity to hold 15,000 people, will be used by the club as the new home for their women's team. It is a significant infrastructure improvement for the women's side, who earlier played their matches at Bayern's training ground stadium, which only has 2,000 seats.

The Sportpark Unterhaching is also the home ground for German fourth-tier club SpVgg Unterhaching, who once played in the Bundesliga between 1999 to 2001. Sportpark Unterhaching had the opportunity to buy the stadium permanently last summer, but they pulled out of the deal due to finances. The venue has hosted several Bundesliga, women’s national team, youth team and German Cup matches in the past. 

AdvertisementGetty Images SportClub chief confirm new stadium

Speaking to the press recently, Bayern's honorary president Uli Hoeness confirmed: "In Spain or England, top games are packed. “Here, you must bang the drum to get 20,000 spectators. And when they do come, we hug each other with joy. (Increasing attendance) is not so simple. (I’m a) friend of women’s football. Today they really can play well."

On passing up on buying the venue earlier this year, SpVGG Unterhaching president Manni Schwabl said: "Floodlights, lighting parameters, safety issues, pitch heating. All of that requires investment. We weren’t sure we could manage it."

How is it going for Bayern's women's team?

The Bayern women's side, who, like the male counterpart, dominate the German top-flight, are off to a flying start in the 2025-26 campaign. They have remained unbeaten in the league thus far, winning 11 out of their first 12 matches and are six points clear at the top of the table. 

In the Women's Champions League, they have won three out of their first four matches and will be back in action on Wednesday against Atletico Madrid in a home fixture.

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Getty Images SportBayern out of Salah race

Meanwhile, following Liverpool star Mohamed Salah's infamous public outburst, the Egyptian winger has been tipped to move away from Anfield next month and several top clubs in Europe, including Bayern Munich, and the Saudi Pro League, have been linked with the winger. 

Amid links to Munich, Bayern chief Max Eberl has ruled out the possibility of the Reds forward joining them, as he told : "We have an outstanding talent in Lennart Karl. Putting someone ahead of him now makes absolutely no sense. We've talked about the squad before – we have players coming back [from injury]. The transfers are coming from within. There are no plans to bring in any new players right now; the squad is homogeneous and balanced. A new player could also cause unrest because roles would shift."

Celtic manager Wilfried Nancy got off to the worst possible start with a 2-1 defeat to Hearts at Parkhead in the Scottish Premiership in his first match in charge.

The Hoops head coach was thrown in at the deep end, after Martin O’Neill’s interim tenure, and failed to oversee a positive result in his debut in the dugout.

A late goal from Kieran Tierney in stoppage time was too little too late for the hosts, who created three ‘big chances’ in the match (Sofascore), as the Jam Tarts held out for all three points.

Nancy will have learned a lot about his squad in his 3-4-2-1 shape, which was immediately implemented, and one thing that he should have learned is that Daizen Maeda should not play as the striker.

Why Daizen Maeda should not play up front

The Japan international was selected to lead the line for the Scottish giants with Hyun-jun Yang and Sebastian Tounekti as the wing-backs, with Reo Hatate and Benjamin Nygren as the two attacking midfielders.

Maeda missed two ‘big chances’ early on in the game, per Sofascore, scuffing both efforts in presentable situations, and then struggled with the physicality of the match.

Per Sofascore, the Japanese attacker lost all five of his ground duels and three of his four duels in the air, which shows that it was too easy for the Hearts defenders to get the better of him more often than not.

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However, to his credit, it was his challenged header at the end of the game that created Kieran Tierney’s goal, so some good did come from his physical output.

His overall struggles physically, though, are why the new Celtic boss should use Kelechi Iheanacho or Johnny Kenny, natural number nines, in that position moving forward, with Maeda in one of the roles behind the striker to take some of the physical burden off him.

Maeda was not the only poor performer on the day for the Scottish giants, though, as Arne Engels is the first player who should be ruthlessly dropped from the starting XI by Nancy.

Why Nancy must drop Engels for Celtic

The new Celtic boss must drop the Belgium international from the starting line-up because he was even worse than Maeda in the defeat to Hearts on Sunday.

Like the Japanese striker in the first half, Engels was guilty of missing a huge opportunity in front of goal in the game, as he could only guide his close-range header straight at Alexander Schwolow.

The £11m signing from Augsburg was also incredibly sloppy with his use of the ball throughout the game. Per Sofascore, the central midfielder lost possession a staggering 23 times, whilst Maeda only gave the ball away seven times in total.

Engels was criticised for his “wayward” passes by Sky Sports pundit Chris Sutton during the live coverage of the first half, after a couple of sloppy balls forward that went straight back to the away side.

Vs Hearts

Engels

Maeda

Minutes

90

90

Touches

86

31

Possession lost

23x

7x

Key passes

2

3

Assists

0

1

Shots

3

2

Big chances missed

1

2

Pass accuracy

76%

85%

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Engels had 55 more touches and gave the ball away 16 more times than Maeda across the 90 minutes, yet created fewer chances for the team than the Japan international.

These statistics illustrate just how sloppy the Belgian flop was in the middle of the park for the Scottish giants, and why he should be the first player who is ruthlessly dropped from the team by the manager.

Their respective performances tie into how Nancy could drop him because Maeda moving back into one of the attacking midfield positions would allow Reo Hatate to drop deeper into midfield, with Iheanacho or Kenny essentially replacing Engels in the line-up.

The former Bundesliga talent should not be completely written off under Nancy already, of course, but this period of matches is about the new manager learning about his squad, which means that he needs to look at other players and see who is best suited to his style of play.

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Engels was not good enough against Hearts on Sunday, unfortunately, but he will get more chances to prove himself to the French tactician in the future.

Leeds United made it three defeats in succession in the Premier League when they were beaten 2-1 by Aston Villa at Elland Road on Sunday afternoon.

The Whites had the lead at half-time thanks to a goal from Lukas Nmecha, who bundled the ball in from close range after Anton Stach competed with Emi Martinez for a high ball.

Unfortunately, though, the away side struck twice in the second half, both goals coming from Morgan Rogers, and walked away from West Yorkshire with all three points.

Daniel Farke only made one change to his starting line-up from the side that lost 3-1 to Nottingham Forest before the break, and it backfired on the Leeds boss.

The Leeds change that backfired on Daniel Farke

The German head coach opted to take Jaka Bijol out of the team, after he won four of his six duels against Forest, and brought Pascal Struijk back into the side, possibly to have a natural left-footer in that position.

Whilst the Dutchman certainly opens up more passing angles as a left-footer on the left side of the defence, his defensive work left far too much to be desired against the Villans, and that is why the change backfired on the manager.

Per Sofascore, Struijk only won three of his eight duels, losing both of his ground duels, and did not complete a single tackle in the game, which shows that he struggled with the physicality of the match.

The one tackle that the former Ajax man did attempt was his late lunge on Ross Barkley, which resulted in the free-kick from which Rogers scored the winning goal.

Struijk was far from the only poor performer on the pitch, though, as Brenden Aaronson is another player who should be ruthlessly ditched from the starting line-up.

Why Leeds must drop Brenden Aaronson

The USA international had delivered a goal and an assist in the three Premier League matches prior to the international break, which made his inclusion in the side an understandable call from Farke.

However, the return to fitness of Dan James has thrown his place in the line-up into doubt, and their respective performances against Aston Villa on Sunday suggest that the Wales international deserves a chance from the start.

Aaronson, who was awarded a 4/10 player rating by LeedsUnitedNews, lower than Struijk’s 6/10 rating, failed to create a single chance for his teammates in 80 minutes on the pitch, per Sofascore, as he came inside and got crowded out all too often.

Minutes

80

19

Shots

3

3

xG on target

0.15

0.15

Crosses attempted

1

5

Key passes

0

1

Big chances created

0

0

Dribbles completed

1/5

1/1

Possession lost

12x

6x

As you can see in the table above, James offered more to the team on the right flank in 19 minutes than the American lightweight did in his 80-minute outing against the Villans.

The fact that the Welshman attempted five times as many crosses as Aaronson, in roughly an hour less on the pitch, speaks to the difference Leeds could make to their attack by bringing him into the starting XI.

Aaronson, for all his hard work, is not a natural winger who is going to hug the byline and test teams consistently with runs in behind and crosses into the box.

James, however, is that player and almost made an instant impact when his brilliant run and ball across the box led to Dominic Calvert-Lewin finding the back of the net, only for the goal to be ruled out for a handball by the striker.

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The Welshman deserved an assist for his play. Now, he deserves a place in the starting line-up because Aaronson was even worse than Struijk in the defeat to Villa, as he offered little to the team in or out of possession, whilst Struijk, at the very least, completed 95% of his passes and made five clearances, per Sofascore.

Chelsea have now launched their first enquiry to sign Como star Nico Paz in 2026, but it is reportedly Real Madrid who hold the key in pursuit of one of the world’s best young talents.

The Blues have built quite the reputation for signing young stars in recent years, with some of those stars beginning to thrive at Stamford Bridge whilst others wonder what’s next. One of those on the more positive side is Estevao Willian. The young Brazilian has hit the ground running in West London and once again came from the bench to contribute on Saturday night.

This time it was Wolverhampton Wanderers who suffered as Estevao found room to hand Joao Pedro the chance to get his name on the scoresheet. From one Brazilian to another, the former Brighton & Hove Albion forward duly obliged.

The 18-year-old’s performance once again resulted in significant praise from the Sky Sports studio, with former Wolves boss Gary O’Neil saying: “The thing holding him back is that he’s got the best winger I’ve ever worked with in Pedro Neto in his position.

“But he’s a top talent. Estevao, I’m sure, will manage to find his way into the team, but I think it’s difficult on that right-hand-side. At his age, you can keep him happy giving him sub appearances. But at some point, he needs to be let off the leash.”

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Whilst Estevao continues to enjoy an impressive rise, Chelsea will no doubt continue their search for the next generation of standout stars. And that, of course, includes Paz. The Como star has been excellent under former Stamford Bridge star Cesc Fabregas this season and the Blues have now made their first move for his signature.

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As reported by Caught Offside, Chelsea have now enquired about signing Paz from Como in 2026, but face competition from Inter Milan, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur. Reports have even claimed that Inter are preparing to submit an offer to sign the attacking midfielder worth €58m (£51m).

Unfortunately for the Italian giants and the rest of the interested parties, however, it is Real Madrid who hold the key to Paz’s future. The Spanish giants reportedly have a buy-back clause worth €9m (£8m) in 2026 and €10m (£9m) in 2027. In one move, they could sign a player who could reach the value of €100m for what would be the bargain of the summer.

Chelsea and others must simply hope that Madrid either opt out of signing the 21-year-old in the next two years or the player, himself, rejects the chance to make a return to the Bernabeu. If either of those scenarios take place, then things will certainly become interesting.

Described as “incredible” by Lionel Messi in the highest praise that an Argentinian can receive, Paz has already been involved in eight goals in 12 games this season and doesn’t look likely to slow down anytime soon.

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Glasgow Rangers will not win a trophy in the year of 2025. That was confirmed when they were beaten 3-1 at Hampden Park in the semi-finals of the League Cup on Sunday.

Danny Rohl had won his first two matches in the Scottish Premiership ahead of this last four clash with their Glasgow rivals, but he was unable to mastermind a third successive victory in all competitions.

The Light Blues did manage to get to extra time, despite being down to ten men, but two goals in extra time meant that they were knocked out of the competition.

Why Jack Butland did not cost Rangers the result

Some supporters or neutrals may want to point the finger at Jack Butland for the defeat, because he should have done better with the Callum McGregor shot that put Celtic 2-1 up.

The shot seemed to go through the former England international and down the middle of the goal, but he was unable to adjust and prevent it from finding the back of the net.

Despite that error, Butland did not cost the Light Blues the game because they were only in the match because of his impressive saves. Premier Sports TV pundit and former Hoops manager Neil Lennon even described his performance as “tremendous”.

The pick of his saves, arguably, was his fingertip stop to deny Callum Osmand’s brilliant header that looked destined for the bottom corner, whilst he also made several close-range stops in the initial 90 minutes.

A Rangers player who was worse than Butland in the game was young left-back Jayden Meghoma, and he may be on borrowed time in the starting line-up.

Why Jayden Meghoma may be on borrowed time

The Brentford loanee was caught out for the opening goal of the game when he allowed his man, Johnny Kenny, to get the jump on him from a corner.

Premier Sports TV pundit Michael Stewart noted on commentary that Meghoma “never recognises the danger”, which seems to be a fair comment when you consider that the full-back had a similar issue against Brann in Rohl’s first match.

The English defender allowed Jacob Lungi Sorensen to get the run and jump on him for a goal in that loss, which led Ally McCoist to describe his defending as “remarkable” and “diabolical”.

Meghoma was even worse than Butland against Celtic because there were several occasions where he did not recognise the danger, as Stewart put it, and put his side, and Butland, under pressure.

The teenage full-back’s performances for Rangers in the Scottish Premiership so far this season also do not suggest that he has what it takes to be the first-choice left-back moving beyond the January transfer window.

Appearances

7

Sofascore rating

6.56

Duel success rate

50%

Aerial duel success rate

25%

Tackles + interceptions per game

3.0

Error leading to shot

2

Possession lost per game

12.7x

Assists

1

As you can see in the table above, Meghoma only has one assist to his name to make up for the two errors leading to shots, and 12.7 times possession lost per game on average.

He has been questionable defensively, particularly from set-pieces, and has been wasteful in possession without creating much to make up for it, which is why Rohl should be looking to add an experienced left-back in January.

Meghoma is currently the only natural left-back in the first-team squad, as a result of the squad building by Kevin Thelwell and Russell Martin in the summer, and his underwhelming performances may convince Rohl to push for the club to bring another one in.

Therefore, the Rangers loanee’s place in the XI may be on borrowed time unless he can significantly improve his performance level over the next two months or so.

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