Premier League

BOURNEMOUTH are ready to battle Crystal Palace to sign Peterborough centre-back Ronnie Edwards.The Eagles had a £7.5m bid for the England Under-20 international turned down last summer and are set to go back for him again in the coming months.
Bournemouth are keen on signing Peterborough United centre-back Ronnie EdwardsCredit: GETTY
Crystal Palace are also interested in signing the England Under-20 internationalCredit: GETTY
But Bournemouth are keen on Edwards, too, while Newcastle and Tottenham have also kept an eye on developments.
Edwards, 20, was a key player in Peterborough’s run to the League One play-off semi-finals and then played every minute of England’s Under-20 World Cup campaign in Argentina.
Posh wanted more than £10m for the former Barnet trainee last year.
Failure to gain promotion back to the Championship may put them under more financial pressure.
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But director of football Barry Fry is renowned for driving a hard bargain and Palace will have to offer more than before to beat off competition.
The Eagles could be in need of at least one new centre-back, with Newcastle interested in Joachim Andersen and Tottenham among the clubs considering a move for Marc Guehi.
Posh turned down multiple bids for Edwards, who chairman Fry reckons has what it takes to play in the top flight.
He told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire: “Every club in the country, and worldwide really, will be watching these England games.
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“It puts values on the players’ heads. We’ve had several bids for Ronnie Edwards that we’ve turned down, but he will go eventually because he’s class.
“Benjamin Arthur is the same. He’s three years younger but he’s going to be just as good, if not better.
“Arthur is a bit taller, he’s very elegant, very cool, calm and collected.
“They’re both going to be great players and they’re both going to go into a Premier League side when the time is ready, no doubt about that whatsoever.” More

JAMES FAHMY has revealed how he swapped a chance of becoming a professional football for a spot at Harvard University.The former QPR prospect was team-mates with Harvey Elliott before the now-Liverpool star left for Fulham.
James Fahmy swapped football for a spot at Harvard UniversityCredit: YouTube / Threesixtytv
James Fahmy, back row third from the right, played alongside Harvey Elliott, bottom left, in the QPR youth teamCredit: YouTube / Threesixtytv
Elliott is now at LiverpoolCredit: Getty
Fahmy also played against the likes of Chelsea forward Armando BrojaCredit: Getty
Fahmy, 20, also played against the likes of Chelsea star Armando Broja, Liverpool midfielder Fabio Carvalho and Southampton youngster Caleb Watts.
However, after turning 19, he opted to leave Loftus Road in order to pursue a different line of work.
Fahmy had been at the club for 13 years but preferred to keep an eye on his studies while at QPR, which allowed him to continue going to school and take his A-Levels.
He said on the ThreeSixty TV series Released: “At the time when everybody was signing their scholarships, I decided to take a slightly different route.
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“I decided to take a schoolboy scholarship instead, which meant that I could still attend school and take my A-levels.
“That was a difficult decision in itself but I decided to take that step in order to have a Plan B just in case football didn’t work out for me in the long term.”
The former defender wanted to know he had more security than what would be provided in football.
He added: “I had a broad mindset of not just a two-year plan, but a five-year plan, a ten-year plan, and I started to look into American universities as a Plan B in case I didn’t get my professional contract with QPR.”
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And it paid off as he achieved As and A*s in his A Levels and was offered a scholarship to Harvard by a scout from the American University who had been visiting the QPR training ground.
The option does not rule out a future in football for the 20-year-old as he can always be drafted by MLS clubs in a similar nature to former New York City FC and current Leeds star Jack Harrison.
Fahmy said: “The level over in America has such high quality, which really surprised me.
“And the level over there has still allowed me to improve as a football player, every day training with good quality players.
Jack Harrison started his career at New York CityCredit: Getty
“It proved to me that I made the right decision because I can carry on as a football player, I can explore the potential to be drafted.
“I suppose the best example of that is Jack Harrison at Leeds, who took the American college route and then went to New York City FC.
“However, if football doesn’t work out for me, I’m at such a great place here at Harvard with the support network and all of the social connections that I’ve made. That will help me out in other career opportunities.”
Fahmy has insisted that current young players must evaluate their futures to make sure they know what other options they can explore rather than putting all their hopes in making it as a Premier League or Championship footballer.
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He added: “The message that I would want to give to anybody in the academy system would be to think to yourself what defines success for you?
“If your only way is to play Premier League or Championship level and it’s either that or nothing, then I would advise that you take a step back and look at a broader picture and see what other options there are out there.” More

AARON RAMSEY has urged the Football Association of Wales to show their strength and stick with under-fire boss Robert Page.The Dragons have won just one of their last 12 internationals afterthis month’s shambolic Euro 2024 qualifying defeats to Armenia and Turkey.
Aaron Ramsey was speaking at the opening of Cruyff Court Aaron Ramsey at the Trinity Fields School near his hometown of CaerphillyCredit: Getty
Wales captain Ramsey has backed under-fire boss Robert Page to turn around their fortunesCredit: Reuters
That disappointment has left Wales fourth in Group D, putting their automatic qualification hopes for Germany in tatters but a play-off next March is still a possibility.
Ramsey has seen all this doom and gloom before, with previous managers Chris Coleman and Ryan Giggs also facing calls from fans to be sacked following tough periods of poor results.
Wales regrouped on both occasions and went on to qualify twice for the Euros in 2016 and 2021 as well as last year’s World Cup.
Now Ramsey, 32, wants chief executive Noel Mooney and the FAW board to put his foot on the ball and pledge their support to Page, who signed a four-year deal last September.
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Ramsey said: “It’s not unfamiliar territory that we find ourselves in.
“We have had previous managers like Chris and Ryan where they had difficult periods. We have to hold our nerve. 100 per cent.
“We’re calm. We know what good work Rob has done with the staff and the people he has brought in. 
“The camp as a whole was brilliant. It was just the performances in the games that let us down.
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“Sometimes these things happen. But it’s how we bounce back from this now. The next camp is going to be really important for us.”
Wales face Latvia away next up in September while Page’s side also host South Korea in a Cardiff friendly as they aim to build confidence and momentum in the autumn.
Nice midfielder Ramsey now has 82 caps after the June double-header.
Ramsey’s foundation has been heavily involved in setting up of the new multi-sport court near his hometown of Caerphilly in a joint initiative with the Johan Cruyff Foundation.Credit: Getty
But, despite the Euros setback, he says he has no plans to quit international football like Gareth Bale and Joe Allen.
Asked if he has had any thoughts of hanging up his boots, Ramsey, speaking at the opening of Cruyff Court Aaron Ramsey at the Trinity Fields School near his hometown of Caerphilly, added: “No, I’ll be there.
“I love football. It’s as simple as that. I love representing my country and I will do so for as long as I can and my body feels good. I think I can still produce decent performances. 
“It’s an honour and a privilege every time I put that Welsh shirt on.” More