… The Black Stars felt they may have had a penalty claim during the chaotic sequence after contact from Ezri Konsa, but play was allowed to continue. …
… my greatest achievements is to keep coming back from those setbacks, no matter how big they are and being on top form and going back into games and playing at such a high level.” Tuchel ‘saw the kid inside’ when he summoned Stones Stones started alongside Aston Villa’s Ezri Konsa …
… Indeed, if that is the case, it appears that John Stones and Ezri Konsa will start the World Cup as England’s first-choice central defensive pairing. …
… England’s World Cup squad numbers Jordan Pickford Ezri Konsa Nico O’Reilly Declan Rice John Stones Marc Guehi Bukayo Saka Elliot Anderson Harry Kane Jude Bellingham Marcus Rashford Tino Livramento Dean Henderson Jordan Henderson Dan Burn Kobbie Mainoo Morgan Rogers Anthony Gordon …
Arsenal have agreed a deal worth more than £50m to sign Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa, an England international who will have a medical before completing his move to Emirates Stadium. The 28-year-old, who joined Villa in July 2019, has made 286 appearances over the past seven seasons.
Arsenal have agreed a deal worth more than £50m to sign Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa, an England international who will have a medical before completing his move to Emirates Stadium. The 28-year-old, who joined Villa in July 2019, has made 286 appearances over the past seven seasons.
Arsenal have agreed a £51m deal to sign Ezri Konsa from Aston Villa, providing defensive cover while William Saliba recovers from a back injury and Jurriën Timber returns from a groin injury. The 28-year-old, who can play both centre-back and right-back, joins the Premier League champions as manager Mikel Arteta looks to maintain title success.
Arsenal have agreed a deal worth more than £50m to sign Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa, who is set to have a medical before completing his move to Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal have held fresh talks with Aston Villa over signing central defender Ezri Konsa, increasing their initial offer to closer to their preferred valuation of around £30m, though Villa continue to demand £60m for the 28-year-old England international.
Arsenal are set to make a £70m offer for Newcastle captain Bruno Guimaraes, with talks ongoing, though Newcastle sources insist they have no intention of selling and have received no direct approach from the Gunners.
England secured third place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after beating France 6-4 in a bronze-medal playoff in Miami, with Bukayo Saka scoring a hat-trick and Jude Bellingham setting a new England World Cup scoring record.
England led 1-0 against Argentina in the World Cup semi-final but manager Thomas Tuchel switched to a defensive approach; Argentina scored twice in the final minutes through Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez to eliminate England. England had only 12% possession after taking the lead and introduced defenders rather than forwards.
England led 1-0 against Argentina in the World Cup semi-final but conceded two goals in the 85th and 92nd minutes after manager Thomas Tuchel switched to a defensive approach, with the team holding only 12% possession after taking the lead. Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez noted the momentum shift as England brought on defensive players rather than pushing forward.
Former Hearts of Oak boss Mas-Ud Didi Dramani provides a tactical breakdown of England and Argentina's strategies ahead of their 2026 World Cup semi-final clash on Wednesday, with the winner to face Spain in the final.
Jordan Henderson is unavailable while recovering from arm surgery sustained celebrating Mexico's defeat, and defender Jarell Quansah is suspended after a red card in the same match. Head coach Thomas Tuchel is considering retaining the same back four from the quarter-final win over Norway.
England boss Thomas Tuchel said midfielder Declan Rice spent most of three days in bed with sickness before England's 2-1 World Cup quarter-final victory over Norway, with Jude Bellingham scoring twice to set up a semi-final against Argentina.
The Football Association is considering whether to appeal England defender Jarell Quansah's red card from Sunday's 3-2 World Cup win over Mexico after the United States successfully had striker Folarin Balogun's suspension overturned through Fifa's article 27 clause, which allows the governing body to make decisions without meeting other criteria.
England midfielder Declan Rice is expected to return to the starting lineup for the last-32 match against DR Congo on Wednesday after being rested against Panama due to a calf injury sustained in the draw with Ghana. England manager Thomas Tuchel faces significant uncertainty at right-back, with Reece James unlikely to return this tournament and Jarell Quansah doubtful for the DR Congo game due to an ankle injury.
Ghana forward Antoine Semenyo said the team needs to be more aggressive in drawing referees' attention to fouls, after officials missed what he believed was a clear penalty incident involving Prince Adu Kwabena in the draw against England.
Ghana head coach Carlos Queiroz expressed frustration with the Video Assistant Referee system after the Black Stars' goalless draw against England in their Group L match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, particularly over a second-half incident in the penalty area involving England defender Ezri Konsa and Ghana substitute Prince Adu Kwabena that he believed should have resulted in a penalty and red card.
Ghana earned a 0-0 draw against England at Boston Stadium in a Group L World Cup encounter, with disciplined defensive play limiting the tournament favourites to few clear-cut chances. The result strengthens Ghana's hopes of reaching the knockout stage, though a late penalty appeal for the Black Stars was dismissed.
Ghana drew 0-0 with England in their second Group L match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico, leaving the Black Stars second in the group with four points. Coach Carlos Queiroz told fans the team's target remains reaching the knockout stage, with matches against Croatia and Panama still to play.
Former Premier League official Darren Cann says England were fortunate that VAR did not intervene when Ezri Konsa challenged Prince Kwabena Adu in the penalty area during a goalless draw, arguing the incident should have been referred to the match official for review.
During a goalless draw between England and Ghana, Prince Adu went down after Ezri Konsa appeared to bring him down in the box, but no penalty was awarded. BBC pundits including Wayne Rooney and Micah Richards suggested the incident could have been given as a penalty on another day, though the VAR did not intervene.
Ghana's defensive display earned a 0–0 draw with England at the FIFA World Cup 2026. Both teams remain in the top two of Group L and can secure a Round of 32 spot with a point from their final matches against Panama and Croatia respectively.
Ghana's Black Stars held England to a 0-0 draw in their second Group L match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, leaving both teams on four points with Ghana second in the group. The result brings Ghana closer to the Round of 32, with a Panama-Croatia draw on Tuesday guaranteeing their qualification.
Ghana and England, each with three points from their opening matches, meet in the second group game of the 2026 FIFA World Cup at Gillette Stadium; a win for either side could secure automatic progression to the knockout phase.
England defender John Stones, 32, has been selected for the World Cup squad after considering retirement last October due to injuries. Stones credits his mental strength for overcoming the difficult period and says he is proud of his ability to recover from setbacks and return to top form.
England manager Thomas Tuchel appears likely to field Jude Bellingham in the No 10 role for the World Cup opener against Croatia, based on the team's starting lineup in a 3-0 warm-up win over Costa Rica. Morgan Rogers is expected to be benched in favour of Bellingham for the tournament's start.
England has announced its squad numbers for the World Cup, with Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham receiving the No 10 shirt, potentially signalling his role in the central attacking role ahead of Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers.