Premier League

Liverpool chairman Tom Werner is pushing for English Premier League matches to be held in New York City and other major cities across the world.

In an interview with the Financial Times (h/t Will Unwin of The Guardian), Werner laid out his vision for taking EPL action outside of England:

"I'm determined one day to have a Premier League game be played in New York City. I even have the sort of crazy idea that there would be a day where we play one game in Tokyo, one game a few hours later in Los Angeles, one game a few hours later in Rio, one game a few hours later in Riyadh and make it sort of a day where football, where the Premier League, is celebrated."

As of now, all EPL games are required to be played in England, but changes to those rules can be made after FIFA reached a settlement with Relevent Sports, which opened the door for "consideration of changes to existing FIFA policies with respect to playing official season games outside of a league's home territory."

Although Werner has grandiose ideas of taking the EPL abroad, Liverpool, Boston Red Sox and Pittsburgh Penguins owner John Henry is not aligned with that thinking, saying it is "not something that I advocate or am particularly interested in."

While official EPL matches cannot be played in the United States or other countries, many EPL clubs have done exhibition tours of the U.S.

Per Unwin, an exhibition between Manchester United and Arsenal at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, even drew 82,262 fans.

Several EPL clubs are hugely popular across the world with Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea being among them, and there is little doubt they could draw large crowds outside of England if given the opportunity.

Should FIFA ultimately allow for it to happen, it could mark the start of soccer following in the footsteps of what the NFL has done.

The NFL has been playing regular-season games in London for several years, and it has since expanded to other countries as well, including Germany, Brazil and Mexico.

The NFL has long been the most popular sports league in the United States, but allowing games to be played outside the U.S. and increased the global influence of the league and the sport as a whole.

Soccer's place as the most popular sport in Europe has long been secured, however, a foray into a market as significant as the United States could take the EPL and soccer to the next level internationally.

Use of the video assistant referee will continue in the English Premier League next season following a vote by all 20 clubs.

According to Martyn Ziegler of The Times, 19 clubs voted in favor of keeping VAR review in place for the 2024-25 campaign.

Per ESPN's Dale Johnson, Wolverhampton brought the potential removal of VAR up for vote, saying in a statement that "the price we are paying for a small increase in accuracy is at odds with the spirit of our game, and as a result we should remove it from the 2024-25 season onwards."

Johnson noted that while Key Match Incidents determined VAR made 31 errors during the 2023-24 EPL season, it also corrected 107 officiating mistakes.

Given the overall success of VAR last season in terms of overturning incorrect calls, there was a feeling within the EPL that going back to a world without VAR would "not be acceptable," according to Johnson.

It was also noted that VAR had 21 percent fewer mistakes in 2023-24 than it did the previous season, dropping from 38 to 31.

VAR has been standard in major soccer competitions since 2018 when it was written into the laws of the game by the International Football Association Board.

The 2018 FIFA World Cup marked the first time VAR was used in the biggest global event in sports, and both the EPL and UEFA Champions League followed suit by implementing it starting in the 2019-20 season.

While VAR has been a huge asset in many cases in terms of making sure the right call is made, it has also been criticized for its inaccuracy at times, as well as the fact that it tends to disrupt the flow of the game when it takes a long time for a ruling to be made.

Even so, Johnson reported that most EPL clubs felt removing VAR from the game would be "counter-productive" since it acts as a "safety net against poor on-field decisions."

Rather than getting rid of VAR, clubs want the VAR process to continue to improve, and steps are seemingly already being made in that direction.

Per Johnson, EPL clubs are expected to approve a measure that will require referees to explain VAR decisions to the live crowd.

Manchester City have taken legal action against the English Premier League, setting the stage for an arbitration hearing scheduled to start Monday.

According to Matt Lawton of The Times, the legal action is in response to the EPL alleging that Manchester City breached the league's regulations and financial rules 115 times from 2009 to 2023.

Manchester City are reportedly attempting to eliminate the EPL's Associated Party Transaction rules, which are responsible for "preventing clubs from inflating commercial deals with companies linked to their owners."

Under the APT rules, commercial deals made by the owners of EPL teams must be "independently assessed to be of fair market value." However, Manchester City believe the rules are discriminatory, saying their rivals' acceptance of the rules are "tyranny of the majority."

Should an arbiter rule in Manchester City's favor, other EPL clubs are reportedly fearful that it will allow them to spend more freely and that it will give the club a much better chance of avoiding punishment for the 115 breaches it allegedly committed.

Per Lawton, between 10 and 12 of the other 19 EPL clubs are believed to have provided witness statements or a letter in support of the EPL against Manchester City's claims.

A hearing regarding the allegations against Manchester City is set for November, and the outcome could have a significant impact on the EPL as a whole.

It is alleged that Manchester City disguised payments made by owner Sheikh Mansour to third parties under the guise that they were sponsorship revenue.

If Manchester City are found guilty of some or all of the allegations against them, they could incur large fines or possibly even face relegation.

The Sky Blues are in the midst of one of the most successful runs in EPL history, having won four consecutive league titles, and six of the past seven.

City have also won the FA Cup, EFL Cup, FA Community Shield and UEFA Champions League during that timeframe.

This past season, the Citizens finished with 28 wins, seven draws and three losses for 91 points, placing them two points ahead of second-place Arsenal.

Chelsea received permission from Leicester City to formally interview manager Enzo Maresca, according to The Athletic's David Ornstein.

Ornstein reported the Blues and Maresca are expected to strike a bargain on a contract that would run for at least five years.

Mark Ogden of ESPN reported Leicester could collect around £9 million ($11.5 million) as compensation for allowing the 44-year-old Italian to break his contract and leave.

Maresca's first foray into club management came with Manchester City's youth team in 2020, guiding the side to a Premier League 2 table. From there, he had a brief spell at Parma, which earned just 17 points in his 13 Serie B matches.

After working as the assistant manager under Manchester City's Pep Guardiola for the 2022-23 season, Maresca was hired by Leicester.

The Foxes gained promotion back to the top flight after winning the EFL Championship, and their on-pitch identity helped burnish their manager's reputation. According to FBref, Leicester led the league in expected goals (84.9) and had the second-highest possession rate (61.6 percent) behind Southampton.

While Maresca's stock is clearly on the rise, his likely hire will be met with plenty of skepticism.

Targeting a coach with a progressive playing style and experience in developing talent makes sense for Chelsea when it has spent so much on signing young players with a lot of room to grow.

But Maresca is totally unproven with a club of this size and ambition.

Taking the Leicester job meant accepting a level of pressure because immediate promotion was the goal. Moving to Stamford Bridge and taking Chelsea back to the pinnacle of English football is a much bigger challenge.

Then there's the reputation Chelsea's ownership has already built since assuming control in May 2022.

Thomas Tuchel got the boot months after the group's arrival, the Champions League title he delivered in 2021 along with UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup titles buying him little internal equity.

Graham Potter succeeded him and was ostensibly tasked with executing the same long-term vision that will be laid before Maresca. Instead, he didn't even make it seven full months before he was out of a job.

Like Tuchel, Mauricio Pochettino was a more proven solution and one who consistently helped nurture younger stars at his previous stops. He left by mutual consent after one year of what sounds like an ill-fated partnership.

Whether Maresca is actually good enough for Chelsea and whether he'll be afforded the time he needs are two questions that will loom large over the ensuing months.

Pep Guardiola's time with Manchester City may be coming to a close in the near future.

Guardiola has been Manchester City's manager since since 2016 and has led the club to four titles consecutive Premier League titles. Despite this, he said that he is not sure about his long term future with the club.

"The reality is I am closer to leaving than staying," Guardiola said, per Rob Dawson of ESPN. "We have talked with the club and my feeling is that I want to stay now. I will stay next season and during the season we will talk. But after eight or nine years, we will see."

He elaborated by saying that his clubs immense success may be contributing to a lack of motivation going forward.

"I have a contract, I'm still here," he said, per Dawson. "Some of the moments I'm a bit tired but some of the moments I love and we are here winning games, looking good with new players.

"I start to think about, 'No one has done four in a row, why don't we try?' And now I feel it's done, so what next?

He has won six total Premier League titles, two FA Cups, four League Cups, two community shields and one Champions League title, one UEFA Super Cup and one FIFA Club World Cup. This all shows that he has accomplished pretty much every achievement possible within the English football scene, and a new challenge or a step back from the spotlight could be appealing.

Prior to his time with Manchester City, Guardiola spent time as manager of Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

While his long-term future with the club may be cloudy, Manchester City fans will still have him as the team's manager in 2024-25. He and his club also have another big challenge ahead in a FA Cup final matchup against Manchester United next week.

The Premier League is Manchester City's world, and Arsenal and everyone else is just living in it.

Manchester City defeated West Ham United 3-1 on Sunday to clinch their fourth consecutive Premier League title. That championship was anything but a foregone conclusion going into the final match day of the season, but City earned the result they needed thanks in large part to a first-half brace from Phil Foden.

Arsenal entered Sunday just two points back of the eventual champions and needed a win over Everton plus West Ham to either draw or defeat Man City to take home the crown.

Yet it was Pep Guardiola's club that did what they needed to do, which drew plenty of reaction on social media:

It didn't take Man City long to remove any doubt how Sunday would end.

Foden buried a goal in the second minute of the contest, which sent a message heard all the way in Arsenal's Emirates Stadium. He was far from done, though, and scored again in the 18th minute to open up a 2-0 lead.

Even though West Ham's Mohammed Kudus put his team on the scoreboard just before halftime, it was only delaying the inevitable.

Rodri gave the winning side some breathing room with a goal in the 59th minute, and City's defense locked things down the rest of the way.

There was far more drama on Arsenal's side, as Everton struck first in the opening half with a Idrissa Gueye goal before Takehiro Tomiyasu buried the equalizer. Arsenal didn't take the lead until the 89th minute when Kai Havertz connected on the winner.

Unfortunately for Arsenal, West Ham didn't provide the help they needed to win the league.

Heading into their final game of the Premier League season with a chance to capture a fourth straight title, Manchester City has unveiled the new kits that will be worn for the 2024-25 season.

The club showed off their updated look with a special music video, along with images that allow the blue to pop off the screen.

According to the Blues' official website, the new kit was specifically designed with "Manchester in its fabric" thanks to the 0161 telephone graphic sewn into the fabric on the sleeves and neckline.

Serena Gosling, Director of Integrated Fan Experience and Retail & Licensing for Manchester City, spoke about the new kit design and its connection to the club's fans:

"Every year our kits provide us with an opportunity to connect with our fans in Manchester, the UK and globally, as shirts and wider kit collections, are an increasingly popular token of fandom. By incorporating '0161' in this year's Home kit - something that resonates so strongly with the City of Manchester—we're able to connect fans around the world with the club and our city in a different way."

The kit is made using Puma's RE:FIBRE technology that transforms textile waste and used materials into new textiles by breaking them down to a chemical level.

Use of the 0161 zip code on the jersey is sure to add more fuel to the already-intense rivalry between City and Manchester United. The Blues have controlled the Manchester Derby in recent years with a 7-2 record against United between the Premier League and FA Cup since the start of 2021.

United will have a chance to send a message when the rivalry is renewed in the FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium on May 25. Man City defeated the Red Devils in last year's final 2-1 for its first FA Cup championship since the 2018-19 season.

Before the next chapter in the Manchester Derby, City will look to put the finishing touches on a brilliant Premier League season with a title.

The Blues enter the final weekend of competition with a two point lead over Arsenal for the top spot. They will clinch the title with a win over West Ham at Etihad Stadium on Sunday or a loss/draw by Arsenal against Everton.

A new era is here at Arsenal.

Adidas revealed Arsenal's kits for the 2024-25 season Thursday, with the most noteworthy change being the club crest being replaced by the iconic cannon logo.

It is the first time since the 1989-90 season that Arsenal's home kit has featured the cannon logo rather than the team crest. Arsenal also debuted a short film along with the new jerseys.

"Starring our first-team stars, the launch film features our players in significant landmarks across Emirates Stadium – from the electric North Bank to the home changing room – and explores what the famous symbol means to both our players and supporters alike," Arsenal said in a statement.

The are available for purchase Thursday and will make their debut over the weekend when the Arsenal women's club takes on Brighton. According to a statement by Adidas, the cannon will be featured on the home, away and third kits for just the 2024-25 season.

"Since joining Arsenal, it has been clear to me how important the cannon is, to this great club and our supporters. It epitomizes our spirit and we're excited to wear it on the pitch with pride next season," forward Gabriel Martinelli said in a statement.

Arsenal closes its 2023-24 Premier League season Sunday against Everton. The club will have a chance to win the Premiership with a win over Everton and a Manchester City loss to West Ham.