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Wrexham could be punished after away fans threw "vapes and mini bottles of alcohol" onto the pitch during Saturday's 2-0 loss at Accrington Stanley.

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• Wrexham lose 2-0 at Accrington
• Away fans throw objects onto pitch
• Welsh side could face punishment

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Red Dragons fell to a disappointing defeat at Wham Stadium on Saturday, ending the League Two side's 11-match unbeaten run in all competitions. But during the contest, some objects were thrown onto the pitch by Wrexham's away fans in the second half.

  After Accrington goalkeeper Jon McCracken went down after a coming together with Paul Mullin, he received treatment and some of the travelling supporters behind his goal – who felt aggrieved about some of the decisions that did not go their way, including Jordan Davies conceding a penalty – reacted angrily.

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• WHAT MILLS SAID

  According to Sky Sports, via former England defender and Soccer Saturday pundit Danny Mills, the fans threw "vapes and mini bottles of alcohol" onto the pitch, which led referee Neil Hair to remove the debris from the field. This delay led to more than 10 minutes of second-half stoppage time as Wrexham fell to a rare loss.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Off the back of these actions at Accrington, Wrexham could be punished. According to the 1991 Football Offences Act, the throwing of missiles onto the playing area or into the crowd can lead to a fine.

  After receiving so much good coverage for how Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney's side have progressed over the past year or so, this would not be such a good look for the Welsh outfit.

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• WHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM?

  If Wrexham do not receive any punishment for these actions, they will prepare as normal for next Saturday's game at home to Morecambe in League Two.

Antonio Conte aimed a jibe at his former club Tottenham as he found it "really strange" while "celebrating" a fourth-place finish.

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• Conte took charge of Spurs in 2021
• Guided them to a fourth-place finish
• Described UCL qualification as a "miracle"

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  When Conte took over as head coach of Tottenham from Nuno Espirito Santo in November 2021, the team was languishing in ninth place in the league table. It was a bumpy ride for the Italian tactician yet he managed to guide them to a remarkable ascent to fourth place. However, despite securing Champions League qualification, Conte found it "really strange" to celebrate such an achievement, considering his high standards of success.

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• WHAT CONTE SAID

  Speaking to Conte said: "For me, to celebrate fourth place and a place in the Champions League was really strange. At the end of the final game against Norwich, I called my staff and said ‘pay attention, don’t be used to celebrating a Champions League place’. I was very clear. I said we did the maximum. From ninth to fourth place, with all the problems we faced, was a miracle. But we didn’t celebrate like it was a miracle because I am used to winning.”

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Conte's departure from Tottenham came after a series of critical remarks about the team's mentality and performance which included a dig at chairman Daniel Levy. However, the manager acknowledged the support lent to him by the club and especially Levy after he made a premature decision to return to coaching following an emergency surgery to remove his gallbladder.

  “It was an important period with the Champions League, the FA Cup and with the league,” said Conte. “I preferred to come back quickly, but then I understood it was really soon. It was Daniel Levy who pushed me to go home and recover again. After the AC Milan game, when we lost 1-0 in the San Siro, he told me to stay in Italy to recover well because he didn’t like the way I looked and Tottenham’s doctors didn’t want me to take the risk. The club supported me really well.”

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Tottenham are undergoing a slow rebuild under Ange Postecoglou. The North London outfit have achieved some semblance of consistency under the guidance of the Australian and remain unbeaten in the Premier League in 2024. They are currently in fourth place in the Premier League standings and will look to continue their surge when they host Wolves on Saturday.

Aston Villa pipped Tottenham to the signing of centre-forward Caleb Chukwuemeka from Northampton Town on Monday, which, as to be expected, had a number of Villa fans talking on social media.

The 19-year-old joins the club for an undisclosed fee and will link up with Villa’s academy.

Chukwuemeka, older brother of Villa midfielder Carney, has made 28 senior appearances for Northampton during his career to date.

Tottenham reportedly offered Northampton £1m plus teenage striker Kion Etete for Chukwuemeka before Villa hijacked a move to north London gathering further pace.

It is Villa who have now officially won the race for the teenager, with Chukwuemeka becoming the latest Under-23 addition at Bodymoor Heath this summer.

Villa fans react

Northampton confirmed the deal on their official Twitter page, whereas Villa only shared the news on their website.

This is what these Villa fans had to say in reply to Northampton’s social media post, with one describing it as ‘quality’.

“Another”

Credit: @ajbyrne_avfc

“nah what a signing tho”

Credit: @avfcskewwilly

“Hopefully a good sell on clause in there, seems like a quality young player and were lucky to have him”

Credit: @WillBroadbent

“What we love to see”

Credit: @AVFCalliance

“Hell of a player apparently…”

Credit: @AdamDrewry5

“Lovely lovely stuff”

Credit: @RajSMattu

In other news: West Ham keen on signing ‘different class’ Aston Villa ace.

Thiago Almada – a World Cup winning team-mate of Lionel Messi – has revealed that he is ready to leave MLS and go chasing his “dream” in Europe.

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• Savoured global glory at Qatar 2022
• Has starred at club level in America
• Named MLS Young Player of the Year

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The 22-year-old midfielder formed part of Argentina’s triumphant squad at Qatar 2022, before going on to enjoy a productive 2023 campaign at club level. Almada has registered 11 goals and 16 assists for Atlanta United this season, helping them into the play-offs.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Almada has also been named MLS Young Player of the Year, with his stock continuing to soar a long way outside of the United States. Opportunities to expand his horizons will be put to the exciting playmaker at the end of the year, when the domestic season in America comes to a close, and a new challenge may be sought in the January transfer window of 2024.

• WHAT THEY SAID

  Almada has told of his plans for the immediate future: “I want to finish the season first and then think about the future. In January I will look at what my options are. It is my dream to play in Europe and I hope it comes true.”

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  WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

  Dutch giants Ajax were heavily linked with Almada over the summer, before eventually signing Georges Mikautadze from Metz, and more heavyweight outfits from across Europe are expected to shoot admiring glances in the South American’s direction as he continues to unlock his full potential.

Barcelona’s financial issues are well documented, with the club hoping to raise important funds from the sale of old seats from Camp Nou.

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• Renovation work underway in Catalunya
• Funds required on and off the field
• Supporters can purchase a piece of history

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Liga giants are in the process of giving their famous home a serious facelift, with the Espai Barca project set to bring an iconic venue in Catalunya screaming into the 21st century. That construction work will not come cheap, though, with €1.5 billion (£1.3bn/$1.6bn) reportedly bring invested in bricks and mortar.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Barca have acquired the loans required to complete that work, but they need to find other sources of income in order to bolster collective coffers. They were forced to part with Lionel Messi back in 2021 as the money was not there to tie the iconic Argentine to a new contract.

• FC Barcelona
  

  DID YOU KNOW?

  The Blaugrana are looking to make the most of tearing Camp Nou down and starting again. Supporters can now claim their own piece of history by acquiring one of the seats – with a piece of rubble potentially thrown into the mix – through Barca’s . The most expensive offerings come in at €299.99 – which include a wooden frame – while the cheapest – which are stuck on a black base – can be acquired for $99.99.

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• WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

  Barcelona have already taken to selling pieces of turf that were ripped up when construction on the new Spotify Camp Nou began. The reigning Spanish champions have released a video showing what their expensively-assembled stadium will look like once development work is completed.

Southampton have been linked with a move for Bayer Leverkusen winger Leon Bailey recently, and it would be a real statement of intent by Martin Semmens if he could bring him to St Mary’s.

What’s the word?

According to 90min journalist Graeme Bailey, Southampton have joined the race to sign the 23-year-old winger this summer, with the likes of Aston Villa, Leicester City, Wolves and Everton also linked with the Jamaica international.

The report claims that the Bundesliga side would demand more than £25m for Bailey after his impressive performances in recent seasons and that Villa have not baulked at that fee, although it would be a huge signing by Southampton if they were to pay that amount to bring him in.

Would Bailey be a good signing for Southampton?

Ralph Hasenhuttl suggested ahead of the transfer window that Southampton’s budget meant that they would target players for £10m or less this summer, which suggests that they are unlikely to pay more than double that in order to prise Bailey away from the BayArena.

Southampton’s big-money signings in recent seasons have been less than successful, with the likes of Guido Carillo, Sofiane Boufal, Mario Lemina and Wesley Hoedt all sold for significant losses in recent years, which may well put them off the idea of breaking their transfer record for a player with no experience in the Premier League.

However, after a brief flirtation with relegation last season, Southampton have done little to strengthen their squad ahead of the new campaign, with the relatively unproven Romain Perraud arriving as Ryan Bertrand’s replacement at left-back. Theo Walcott has also joined on a permanent deal after spending last season on loan at St Mary’s, so you could argue that the Saints are no stronger than they were in the 2020/21 campaign.

Therefore, it would be a real statement of intent by Semmens and the Southampton board to go all-out for Bailey this summer, and his performances in the Bundesliga in recent seasons certainly suggest that he would be an excellent addition at St Mary’s.

Last season saw the pacey winger contribute nine goals and eight assists in 30 league appearances, averaging an impressive 7.26 rating from WhoScored for his performances, which was better than any Southampton player.

[freshpress-quiz id=“594431”]

Bailey is slowly moving on from his reputation as a wonderkid, following former Leverkusen coach Heiko Herrlich’s proclamation in 2017 that the Jamaican “can do anything”. He could prove to be a superb addition to Hasenhuttl’s squad, so Semmens should definitely consider bringing him to Southampton this summer, as it would be a huge statement of intent ahead of the new season.

In other news… Southampton look set to miss out on their next Sadio Mane as agent drops transfer update

USMNT goalkeeper Matt Turner claims to have “squeaky-bummed” his way out of an initiation song following his transfer to Nottingham Forest.

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• Keeper left Gunners for the City Ground
• Taken on starting duties
• Yet to sing in front of his team-mates

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The United States international completed a £10 million ($12m) move to the City Ground from Arsenal during the summer window. He was immediately handed starting duties on Trentside – something denied him on a regular basis in north London – and is loving life in the East Midlands.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Turner was thrown in at the deep end when making his Forest debut, as they faced Arsenal at Emirates Stadium on the opening weekend of the 2023-24 campaign, and he believes that quick turnaround has prevented him from having to dust off his vocal chords and perform in front of the rest of his team-mates.

• WHAT THEY SAID

  Turner has told when asked if he has had to belt out a tune since arriving in Nottingham: “I don’t really want to talk about it because… There has been a lot of change and so I think I’ve actually squeaky-bummed through not doing it. I came in and I think there were two days before we played Arsenal away and I’m not sure anyone wanted to ruffle my feathers any more than coming from Arsenal and going back immediately to play against them. And then more new signings came and I think it all just spiralled out of control. Maybe next pre-season it will catch up to me and I’ll have to go for it again.”

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  WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

  Quizzed on what he sang after linking up with Arsenal in 2022, Turner said: “When I did my last one, my last initiation I did Uncle Kracker, Follow Me. It was pretty well received – couple of questions. I’m well read, I’m good on stage, so I was pleased with my performance.” Turner will be hoping to put in another good performance on Saturday when Forest travel to the Etihad Stadium to face reigning Premier League champions Manchester City.

The Reds survived a late scare to secure a 1-1 draw at Craven Cotage and set up a final date against Chelsea

Liverpool booked their place in the Carabao Cup final despite drawing 1-1 with Fulham on Wednesday, finishing the semi-final tie with a 3-2 aggregate lead.

It took just 11 minutes for Luis Diaz to power his side into the lead. He won an aerial battle after a long pass from Jarell Quansah and drove towards the Fulham goal, unleashing a shot at the perfect time as the Fulham defenders came lunging in and managed to direct it beyond Bernd Leno.

While Liverpool were on top throughout, Fulham refused to give up and kept knocking at the door. Their persistence paid off thanks to some great work from Harry Wilson, who cut in past Conor Bradley and found Issa Diop diverted it in after 77 minutes.

That goal gave the home team a significant boost, and Caoimhin Kelleher was alert to keep out a dangerous shot from Wilson as the Reds were able to see the game out.

GOAL rates Liverpool's players from Craven Cottage…

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  Goalkeeper & Defence

  Caoimhin Kelleher (6/10):

  Made a few comfortable saves but put his goal at risk when he failed to win an aerial battle in the second half.

  Conor Bradley (6/10):

  Looked at home on the right side of the defence once again, but was beaten by Wilson for the equaliser.

  Virgil van Dijk (7/10):

  Cleaned up well at the back and looked great in the air.

  Jarell Quansah (7/10):

  Sent a great long pass to Diaz for the opener and was strong defensively.

  Joe Gomez (6/10):

  Had a comfortable game at left-back while attempting two wild shots from distance.

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  Midfield

  Alexis Mac Allister (7/10):

  Fought hard to win the ball and took a few blows for his trouble.

  Ryan Gravenerch (7/10):

  A solid presence in midfield as he chipped in with tackles and tried to move the ball forward.

  Harvey Elliott (5/10):

  Not one of his better performances despite covering a lot of ground. Struggled to create anything and wasn't good off the ball.

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  Attack

  Cody Gakpo (6/10):

  Combined well with team-mates but was not enough of a threat.

  Darwin Nunez (7/10):

  Some good movement to get into space and receive the ball. Saw a good shot go just wide after the hour mark and went off shortly afterwards.

  Luis Diaz (8/10):

  Did a great job to win the ball, drive forward and beat Leno for the opening goal. Was a great threat throughout the game.

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• Subs & Manager

  Curtis Jones (6/10):

  Took Mac Allister's place in the midfield and did a decent job.

  Diogo Jota (5/10):

  Replaced Nunez with just over 20 minutes but could not influence his team's attack.

  Ibrahima Konate (6/10):

  On to shore up the defence for the closing stages.

  Bobby Clark (5/10):

  Came on for Gravenberch late on but didn't have time to make an impact.

  Jurgen Klopp (7/10):

  Set his team up well to get the job done in the second leg. They kept Fulham at bay for the most part until the equaliser and looked capable of adding to their lead after Diaz's goal. Made some late changes to help stabilise his team.

Trent Alexander-Arnold remains out of action at Liverpool, with Jurgen Klopp revealing that a hamstring injury is keeping the full-back sidelined.

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• Defender picked up knock against Villa
• Ruled out of latest England squad
• Will not return to action away at Wolves

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The England international defender picked up an untimely knock during the latter stages of a 3-0 win over Aston Villa. He was prevented from heading away with the Three Lions as a result and is yet to return to training at club level.

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  WHAT THEY SAID

  Reds boss Klopp told reporters when asked for an update on Alexander-Arnold’s fitness: “[There is] no concern. He is not available, we knew that before. He didn’t train with the team once yet and will take a little bit. It is not the worst hamstring injury you can have but it’s a hamstring injury and they barely heal in two weeks -and this one didn’t, either. As he is running already, we hope he can start ball work early next week and then we will see and go from there.”

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Liverpool are set to face Wolves at Molineux on Saturday, with Klopp delivering more positive news on the respective recoveries of Darwin Nunez, Thiago Alcantara and Ibrahima Konate. He added: “Thiago is running, but that’s it. Ibou trained for two days with the team. [Nunez] I didn’t see him yet, but obviously we had contact and he said it was fine, but we will see that now and make a couple of decisions there. Darwin should be fine. [Jarell Quansah] trained the full week with us, so it was obviously then enough time to rest. Stefan [Bajcetic] had a good camp with the [Spain] U21s, played only a few minutes but [it] helped him anyway. I think that’s it.”

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  WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

  Liverpool have enjoyed an unbeaten start to the 2023-24 campaign, with 10 points collected from four games so far. After taking in a trip to Wolves, the Reds are due to open their quest for Europa League glory when heading to Austria to face LASK next Thursday.

According to The Daily Record (Transfer Blog, 10/07, 10.41), Sunderland are interested in signing Harris O’Connor, who is currently a free agent.

The Lowdown: Sunderland’s transfer business underway

The Black Cats are finally off the mark after a slow start to their transfer window, having confirmed the arrival of Alex Pritchard on Friday (safc.com).

It seems that they now have their eye on another player as they continue to prepare for the new season.

The Latest: Black Cats eye O’Connor

It is being reported that Sunderland are interested in O’Connor (The Daily Record Transfer Blog, 10/07, 10.41).

Stoke City and Watford are also interested, with the 19-year-old currently training with the Potters.

The Verdict: No risk

O’Connor has limited experience in senior football so far. He has made just 12 appearances (Transfermarkt), all for Brechin City while on loan from Glasgow Rangers. The centre-back left the Gers this summer as his contract ended at Ibrox, and therefore he is now a free agent.

To be picked up by one of Scotland’s two biggest clubs and now be targetted by a Premier League side suggests that O’Connor has a big future ahead of him. He would perhaps struggle for game-time at top-flight Watford, but he would surely have far more chance of playing regularly were he to make the move to League One. It remains to be seen whether Lee Johnson and co can convince him to come to the Stadium of Light.

In other news, many Sunderland fans were delighted by news on this ace.