Manchester’s hugely popular food hall and waterside taproom Society is showing every Wimbledon match possible this year.
Already a favourite city centre hang-out spot, especially in the summer, we can’t think of many better places to watch all the action beyond being literally sat courtside.
Wimbledon 2023 kicked off on Monday, 3 July with the opening round of the men’s and women’s singles tournaments and a whole host of other games are now underway.
So, if you’re a massive tennis fan or even just a casual who likes to watch the big games whenever strawberries and cream time comes around, Society has you sorted.
With free entry and tables available for big group bookings online, there isn’t much you need to do beyond rocking up, sitting back and watching the action.
Now home to six different independent and local traders, not to mention being an official taproom for Vocation Brewery, you won’t have to move an inch to get some of the best food and booze in town.
Just like the festival season, we love it when it feels like the full summer of sport gets going and now Wimbledon is here, we’re saying that time is now.
Featured Image — Society/Wimbledon (via Instagram)
Sport
Brighton’s Carlos Baleba is now said to be ‘keen’ on a move to Manchester United
Danny Jones
Manchester United may not yet be done with their transfer business, as another potential summer target, Carlos Baleba, is now reportedly “keen” on a move to the Theatre of Dreams.
The Brighton midfielder popped up on the radar of numerous clubs around Europe following a breakout season in 2024/25.
At just 21 years old, the promising young player has recently emerged as one of the most exciting prospects in the Premier League over the past 12 months or so, and it appears Man United are leading the race to sign him.
Many around the club think the Cameroonian CDM could be the perfect fit for Ruben Amorim’s somewhat makeshift midfield at the moment; perfectly positioned to take the starting spot from an ageing Casemiro or an as-yet unproven Manuel Ugarte. Moreover, it’s now said United appeals to him.
📹🚨🗣️| Laurie Whitwell on Carlos Baleba and Manchester United:
“Now you come to Carlos Baleba, and as you say, Brighton are going to ask for a lot of money for him.
I don’t know an exact figure – I don’t think that’s been communicated yet. Clearly United feel as if they have… pic.twitter.com/MNYQzgeU5a
Whitwell had already explained that the Seagulls would be setting a hefty and perhaps intentionally excessive asking price in a previous episode, as it is understood they would prefer not to sell him at all, with a figure of at least £100 million being floated around as the current rough estimate.
Given that Man United have already forked out over £200m on a selection of new signings – the most recent being striker Benjamin Šeško – the chances of him making the jump in this current window look slim, though it is thought there is still an eventual switch that could be done.
“Talks are continuing”, according to Whitwell. “There are obviously intermediaries working on behalf of United and the player [Baleba] as well, to see if Brighton would be open to this [a deal].
“Brighton are saying he’s not for sale, and there is quite a bit of scepticism at Manchester United as to whether this can be achieved, but still, it’s been totally shut down.
“That is leading me to believe that you never know, but I’m probably in the camp of it being unlikely. There are ways this can be sorted; a crucial point is the player – he’s keen on the move to Old Trafford.”
Whitwell goes on to detail that current players have been in touch to explain the “landscape” around the club amid this rebuild, reiterating that the environment is positive. However, Brighton boss Fabian Hürzeler seems pretty confident that the south coast club will hang on to him, at least for now.
Fabian Hürzeler is adamant Carlos Baleba will still be a Brighton player at the end of the transfer window, despite interest from Manchester United… 👀 pic.twitter.com/4AagOtKJbl
Addressing the rumours with reporters, the German manager insisted, “I didn’t see any change. He seems to be in a very good place, enjoying it [the pre-season and training] with his team-mates.”
With that in mind, it’s more probable that Baleba could join the Red Devils next year, when he’s had yet another season to develop and prove himself in the English top flight, though his value will probably increase even further.
On the other hand, if Baleba does indeed want to swap his white and blue striped shirt for a red one, he could push for the negotiations progress, like new arrival and fellow compatriot Bryan Mbuemo did.
This is an outcome that could, in theory, benefit both teams, as not only are Brighton still considered a selling club, but with another EPL campaign under his belt, they could demand and even larger fee come summer 2026/January if Amorim is still desperately in need of a central solution.
You can watch the episode – one that also touches on the new so-called ‘Man United mantra’, which has even been printed on water bottles around Carrington – in full down below.
Featured Images — MyAlbionTV (screenshot via YouTube)
Sport
Manc MMA fighter Lerone Murphy wants a shot at the title as he predicts ‘statement’ victory at UFC 319
Danny Jones
Manchester MMA fighter Lerone Murphy has made a promising prediction ahead of his fight at UFC 319 and says he wants a shot at the title.
The Old Trafford-born combatant is on the undercard for the highly anticipated bout between Dricus du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev, but just before the main event, the orthodox striker is set to take on American opponent, Aaron Pico, in an equally eye-catching clash on Sunday, 16 August.
Although this is expected to be the toughest fight of his career yet – having currently won 16 and drawn just one of his first 17 fights – ‘The Miracle’ Murphy believes he can notch a decisive victory, telling Card Player: “I want to go out there and make a big statement, and I want to finish him.”
Even more excitingly, the 34-year-old also believes this match-up should set him up nicely for the title fight he believes he deserves, stating that he’s aiming to take on the current reigning champion, Alexander Volkanovski.
Speaking in a fairly confident interview, now just days away from the event, the experienced Mancunian athlete went on to claim that not only does he believe it’ll be a spectacle in terms of the contrast in their styles, but he reiterated, “I think I can find holes and I believe I’m going to come out victorious.”
He arrived in the competition already boasting eight wins – five of them being knockouts – but this is still sure to be his biggest test yet, though he insists he doesn’t enjoy being considered the ‘underdog’ but even thrives the more people underestimate him.
Wasting no time in calling out the Australian top dog of the featherweight division, reclaiming his title with a unanimous decision victory over Brazilian fighter Diego Lopes back in April, Murphy says he’ll do anything and “fight anyone” to become Britain’s next UFC champion.
“I’m looking at anything to get to the title – I’ll fight anybody to get to Volk”, says the local lad. “Obviously, there are other options and probably better fights to take to get me there. I did think I would’ve been fighting Arnold Allen now, to be honest.
“When I was looking at the division and everybody’s injured or matched up, Arnold Allen was the only one. So I did think I would’ve been fighting him, but if the UFC wants it and he wants to, we can do it in the UK. I don’t think it’s going to happen for now.”
In fact, he plans to get it done by the end of the year and possibly even retain it in a hometown defence come early 2026.
Murphy told the outlet this week, “I win this fight, I challenge Volk in maybe October or November. I win, obviously, and then I defend it in Manchester in March. That would be the perfect scenario for me.”
You can see what he had to say in the most recent UFC media day in Chicago down below:
Lerone Murphy’s full press conference ahead of UFC 319.
In case you’re looking for a summary, besides what we’ve already covered above and citing Mike Tyson as his fighting role model, the nephew of late boxing trainer and Manc native Oliver Harrison, did admit that he feels he’s lost a fair amount of his punching power due to weight cutting.
He also expects Chimaev to come out the other side against du Plessis.
Put simply, thinks fight fans and commentators alike need to “put more respect on Khamzat”, putting his money on the Russian “maybe getting a third or second round submission.”
Do you fancy him to make it past Pico and, more importantly, do you think he’s ready for (dare we say it…) Volk?
After his first UFC fight ended in a draw, Lerone Murphy has gone on an absolute tear 🔥
Danny Jones -
3rd July 2023 
