After yet another sparkling performance for Manchester City in the Champions League quarter-finals last night, springing the visitors back into life after they let an early lead dwindle, it’s become more apparent than ever that Phil Foden has to start for England at Euro 2024.
To be more precise, after the likes of Harry Kane, Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham, we can’t think of another name we’d more readily put on the teamsheet than his.
It’s no secret that Phil Foden is having the best season of his footballing career this year, with last night’s fine finish to make it 2-2 and get Man City back on Real Madrid’s necks making it 22 goals and 10 assists across all competitions for the campaign so far.
You only have to see Pep Guardiola‘s reaction to understand just how great and big a goal it was in the tie – you won’t catch many other players getting congratulations like this from him mid-match:
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 9, 2024
No other Premier League player has scored more goals from outside of the box (six) this season than Foden either.
But we’ve seen countless impressive strikes from him of late and indeed throughout his seven years in the City – he scored his second hattrick of the season and third ever at the weekend, let’s not forget – so why do we now believe more than ever that he has to be one of the first names of the teamsheet?
Well, for starters, it’s how varied his finishing ability has now become. Be it a screamer from range, a tried and tested tap-in at the back stick or even a header here and there, it looks as though the 23-year-old is starting to really open up the full locker when it comes to shots on target.
He’s always been a creator for the Blues too, but the ‘Stockport Iniesta’ is now just one assist away from matching his highest tally ever in a single campaign, with plenty of games left to play before we find out how many trophies his team will retain.
Revered ex-pros turned pundits Thierry Henry and Jamie Carragher spent a good chunk of Tuesday night’s post-match analysis discussing how Foden can make sure he carries this form over to representing the Three Lions.
Can Phil Foden translate his scintillating City form to the international stage with England?
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) April 9, 2024
He had the hair at the Euros last time but we still believe Foden’s ‘Gazza’ moment for England is yet to come.
But beyond the admittedly impressive stats like being the only English player to make 30+ goal contributions without a single penalty involved, it’s the unrelenting energy on the pitch that is giving us hope that he might do something special for us this summer — both figuratively and literally, in fact.
Not only is the attacking midfielder one of those terrier types that will just run and run, often leading the pressing for Pep’s side, exhausting the channels and not hesitating when moving into space, but he’s also becoming the spark that ignites City into playing at their vintage best more and more regularly
It obviously helps a lot when you have players like Bernardo Silva, Erling Haaland and the best midfielder in the Premier League, Kevin De Bruyne around you; nevertheless, there’s it says a lot that he’s arguably been their player of the season and this is the kind of talent he’s competing with.
It’s not necessarily always the the case that he’s creating things out of absolutely necessarily of nothing (it’s rare Pep’s team are ever just not playing or working towards something) but whenever the treble-winners have been accused of looking complacent or not quite up to their very high standards, he’s got them across the line on more than one occasion.
He might still be a young man on paper but in relative footballing terms, he’s clearly reached a new level of maturity whenever matchday rolls around and, at the risk of sounding like we’re getting carried away, he’s been in the first team for long enough now that he’s emerging as somewhat of a leader.
You only have to hear how he spoke after the game to see the progress he’s made as a professional, telling the club: “This team’s come a long way now. When we go down we don’t put our heads down and believe in our ability. We know we can always come back from behind. It’s a great team to be a part of.”
To be honest, Phil, we think it’s you that’s come a long way. Having already proved he can perform on the biggest stage in the Champions League last year, we’re starting to imagine golden moments for England at the Euros and we wouldn’t be surprised if you see Foden among the headlines.
We’re, of course, not the only ones who now firmly believe Phil Foden has to be not just part of but central to Gareth Southgate’s attacking lineup at Euro 2024, with Man United legend Roy Keane echoing a similar sentiment, but either way this England squad as a whole is giving us a lot to be excited about.
Featured Images — Man City (via Instagram)/England
Sport
The latest on Salford Red Devils financial situation as ‘winding-up’ petition is adjourned
Danny Jones
The current situation at Salford Red Devils is far from ideal, with the rugby league team currently owing hundreds of thousands of pounds in debt, not to mention facing further stress over finances with players owed wages, key personnel leaving and remaining uncertainty over future ownership.
So, why is the board expressing reassurance among supporters following the recent adjournment of a ‘winding-up’ petition, and what exactly does this mean?
It is no doubt a complex issue, but with the season concluding in October and the Greater Manchester club essentially being given a stay of execution, for lack of a better phrase, it’s possible that a corner could hopefully be turned soon.
Here’s everything we know so far about the situation in Salford and where the Red Devils’ finances are currently at.
Salford Red Devils’ finances and more – explained
For a start, they’re late on payroll again this month.
Salford Red Devils players have been told they will not receive their salaries today.https://t.co/ofHTR0uZyN
According to recent reports, Salford Red Devils owe more than half a million pounds to His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) at present, with current estimates said to be in the region of £600,000.
The Super League side has fallen into debt due to a number of factors: their own performance as a business, cuts to local funding and a period of spending in terms of recruitment and pre-season preparation under the assumption of a subsidy from Salford City Council (SCC).
However, this would-be uplift – despite it being promised late last year – never came as the Council (having already provided £315k in ‘immediate’ financial aid back in March 2024) U-turned on the decision after it was revealed further backing was not in the budget.
SCC ended up owing around £2 million itself after stepping in to save both SRD and fellow rugby league outfit Swinton Lions, handing out loans to both clubs even prior to purchasing Salford Community Stadium and the surrounding area.
The Council ultimately shelled out north of £7.7m to buy the ground and sever commercial ties with previous owners, Peel. They had hoped to further alleviate pressure on the club, but Salford Red Devils (SRD) had already spent the money they were expecting to receive on new players, training and more.
SRD were then told to sell off a number of players by the league.
With all this in mind, something called a ‘winding-up’ petition – basically a document sent by creditors that demands the immediate liquidation of a company/organisation that owes them money – was filed by HMRC back in May, with the tax authorities demanding payment of the outstanding sum.
However, special dispensation appears to have been made not only due to the complicated and unforeseen circumstances Salford have faced along the way, but also for the sake of the Rugby Football League (RFL) itself, with the Red Devils still seen as a valuable sporting and community asset.
One of those unexpected twists was the takeover by a new consortium led by Dario Berta, whose investment failed to clear in time and resulted in the club being hit with the financial sustainability problem that saw them cutbacks.
In a small bit of good fortune, it has now been decided that the petition to liquidate the SRD has been postponed, though not indefinitely.
As expected, there is good news that the winding-up petition filed by HMRC against Salford Red Devils has been successfully adjourned by the club's representatives in London until after the season has finished in September.
It's important to focus on supporting Salford as they…
— The Game Caller 🗣🎙📻 (@TheGameCaller) June 25, 2025
What could happen next?
The date for coughing up what debt they owe to the tax authorities has now been pushed back to September, meaning they have until then to find the finances, or else they could very well be made insolvent in a matter of months.
However, as per BBC Radio Manchester, those involved in the ongoing process are “confident” that bridging loans will be put in place over the coming days to keep HMRC at bay.
And, nevertheless, head coach Paul Rowley has insisted that he can see “green shoots” starting to emerge around the club, despite still sitting bottom of the table with just one win to their name.
What’s for sure is that the local area isn’t giving up on them, with numerous fundraisers and charity events being set up to help support the club via the official Salford Red Devils Foundation.
Fingers firmly crossed that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Wigan Athletic sign third forward of the summer window so far
Danny Jones
Greater Manchester side Wigan Athletic have announced yet another summer signing with the arrival of 22-year-old Dara Costelloe.
Not only is he the fourth acquisition of the transfer window so far, but the now ex-Burnley prospect is the third new forward picked up by Wigan ahead of the 2025/26 season.
The Irish striker, who started out in the youth academy at Galway United before breaking into the senior team and being bought by the Clarets, has spent the last couple of years on loan, representing five different clubs since 2023.
Having most recently been at Northampton Town, scoring six times in 15 games, he finished the previous campaign with a total of a dozen goal involvements from 36 appearances – a direct contribution in nearly every other game. Now he’ll be tasked with finding similar success with another League One outfit.
𝘿𝙖𝙧𝙖 𝘾𝙤𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙏𝙞𝙘! 💙
The exciting striker arrives from Burnley on a three-year deal, with the option of a further year! 🤝#wafc 🔵⚪️ pic.twitter.com/9VzrqDR5uL
Commenting on the move, the youngster said in an official club statement: “I’m delighted to get the move over the line. It’s been a great day for me and my family – I brought my Dad over with me, and having seen the stadium, we definitely made the right choice.
“It is a great Club, and I cannot wait to get started. I’ve spoken to the Gaffer [Ryan Lowe] for quite a bit, and the plan that was outlined is to get this Club back to the Championship. That’s my ambition as well, so we’ll try to achieve that.
“I’ve seen the strikers the Gaffer has worked with, and how he’s helped progress their careers. Hopefully, he can do the same with me.”
As a retired forward himself, the strikers Costelloe is referring to include Southampton’s Cameron Archer, fellow Irishman and ex-Spurs graduate Troy Parrott, as well as former Man City, Ipswich and now Chelsea marksman, Liam Delap, who was on the radar of several teams this summer.
Speaking of Lowe, the Latics head coach confessed, “Dara is a forward who I have admired for some time, and I’m delighted he’s decided to come to us. [He] has all the attributes we are seeking in a new signing – and is hungry, ambitious, and wanting to improve.
“He is a real threat in the final third, and already has experience at this level following his successful spell at Northampton last season.
“Dara adds to the attacking options we have at [Wigan], and we’re looking forward to working with him and helping him to develop his game further. It enables us to have some really healthy competition in the striking department, which will spur each of the lads on throughout the season.
Not only is it usually reassuring to hear when a manager secures a talent they’ve been keen on for a while (the assumption being that they’ve done their due diligence and the player has been well scouted), but it says a lot about the 46-year-old’s ambition for this season by picking up three new attackers.
Snatching his permanent signature from a division rival is a nice bonus, too.
Wigan didn’t score enough goals in 24/25, simple as – finishing in 15th on minus two goal difference after registering just 40; that being said, the signing of Dara Costelloe, Christian Saydee, and most notably, prolific English forward, Paul Mullin, should help bolster those numbers to kick off this new era.
There’s certainly plenty of excitement surrounding the Wrexham hero on loan for the season.
Danny Jones -
10th April 2024 
