The Women's Super League kicks off tonight, and the Guardian's women's football writer Suzanne Wrack is fielding questions at 1pm BST/8am ET. Ask her anything, from her career as a sports reporter to her hopes for the new season and the future of the women's game - because what else would you do on a Friday afternoon?
Frank Lampard, meanwhile, is preparing his Coventry side for a season of getting used to that losing feeling. The Sky Blues have had a rough return to the Premier League with back-to-back losses against Arsenal and Hull, and things don't get easier as they travel to Manchester City. Speaking ahead of the trip to his former club, Lampard warned his players they need to pick themselves up after defeats: "I think we all know that it will not look like last season, and the quicker we realise that the better, because last season was an incredible season for us because we won a lot and everything becomes easier in that moment. So it's important that we understand the rigours of the Premier League, how it may feel different and that mindset has to be clear on that to be able to get up after a difficult result like Hull in whatever way or shape it may come. We train well through the week, prepare for the next one."
Crystal Palace are still searching for their first point under Pierre Sage, but the new boss at least still has Adam Wharton to call on after another deadline day passed without the midfielder leaving. Sage described Wharton as "really smart" for prolonging his career at Selhurst Park after Palace rejected offers from clubs in England and around Europe for the 22-year-old. Ahead of Saturday's derby against Fulham at Craven Cottage, Sage said: "The club was strong with his situation and the player is completely in line with that. He never spoke with me about a possible departure, that's why I think he is in a project to manage his career and he is really smart to do it like this. He did the job every day without a bad mindset and that's why I understood quickly he wanted to stay and prepare his future with us. He is really smart to stay one more year and maybe more, because he has 10 years (playing) after that."
In Champions League news, the draw for the Women's Champions League group stage took place in Switzerland this morning, and the English clubs have their work cut out. Arsenal drew Lyon (h), Barcelona (a), Benfica (h), Paris FC (a), HB Koge (h), and Inter Milan (a). Chelsea face Paris Saint-Germain (h), Lyon (a), Roma (h), Hacken (a), Austria Wien (h), and OH Leuven (a). And Manchester City got Paris Saint-Germain (h), Bayern Munich (a), Real Madrid (h), Hacken (a), Austria Wien (h), and Inter Milan (a). No pressure, ladies.
There are also a few interesting tidbits from the English club squads submitted to Uefa for the Champions League. Federico Chiesa and Wataru Endo have been left off Liverpool's list, while Unai Emery's 23-man Aston Villa squad does not feature new signings Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Modou Kéba Cissé. Teenage striker Brian Madjo, who scored against Paris Saint-Germain in the Super Cup but is currently injured, also misses out. William Saliba has been included in Arsenal's squad, despite being sidelined. And Enzo Maresca has put Nico O'Reilly on Manchester City's 'B list' to retain senior slots, with the England international joined by Ryan McAidoo in the special list for homegrown players.
Former Wolves captain Conor Coady is part of a refreshed support team for England Under-21 boss Lee Carsley. Coady hasn't officially retired after leaving Wrexham earlier this month, but is still without a club. He'll join Carsley's coaching set-up for the European Championship qualifiers with Kazakhstan, Slovakia, and the Republic of Ireland over the next month. Paul Williams will also be part of the England Under-21 backroom staff after holding a number of roles within the FA. The duo will help fill the void of Ashley Cole, who left Carsley's team earlier in 2026 after a successful five-year spell.
It's been a tough week for Folarin Balogun. Somehow, a solid but not exceptional striker has become a main character in 2026. The USA striker has been left out of Monaco's squad for the Conference League amid uncertainty over his future after the collapse of his proposed transfer to Everton this week. Balogun will also miss Monaco's match at Paris Saint-Germain in the French league on Friday after being omitted from the group traveling to the capital. Monaco say Balogun is back in group training, but he hasn't featured in any of the team's four games so far this season. The American striker was close to joining Everton on Tuesday but opted to pull out of a deal because he felt uncomfortable that the English club raised doubts about his health in a medical examination, according to Monaco's sporting director. Additional reporting courtesy of the Associated Press.
In refereeing news, Mike Dean's former boss insists the referee would not have been able to play the "games" he claims to have done while officiating. Dean, who refereed in the Premier League until 2022, generated controversy after claiming on the 'Jamie Vardy's Having a Party' podcast he would "joke about" during matches, seeing how long he could go without blowing his whistle or leaving the centre circle. Keith Hackett, Dean's former boss at Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) between 2004 and 2010, insisted he could not have got away with doing so. Hackett wrote on X: "Mike Dean is in fantasy land!! The examination of performances assessors is forensic. When I was boss referee's performances were forensically examined. Dean on my watch could not have done what he said with the monitoring systems in operation." Hackett added he was "satisfied [Dean] is talking nonsense" and said: "He clearly has damaged his reputation. The fallout does not help current refs." Dean has been approached for comment. Press Association
In transfer deadline day drama, Atlético Madrid rejected a bid of more than £500,000 from Manchester City for the Spain midfielder Fiamma Benítez on the Women's Super League's transfer deadline day, the Guardian can reveal. The WSL champions are understood to have tried hard to add attacking-midfielder reinforcements before the English summer window closed on Thursday at 11pm BST, largely in light of news that their No 10 Vivianne Miedema could be out for at least the rest of 2026 with a knee injury. City then made an even later move for Everton's Spain international Ornella Vignola, who can play in midfield or on the wing. A bid of about £400,000 is understood to have been turned down by Everton, largely because they felt they would not have time to source a suitable replacement but also because of Vignola's importance to Scott Phelan's side.
Hull boss Sergej Jakirovic is mindful that Aston Villa are something of an unknown quantity after a summer of change. The Tigers host Villa on Saturday, Unai Emery's side having brought in a raft of new faces. Former Chelsea forwards Nicolas Jackson and Alejandro Garnacho, Swiss World Cup star Johan Manzambi, new goalkeeper Zion Suzuki and former Manchester United full-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka could all feature. "It's a difficult game for us, Aston Villa might not have had a great start because there's been a lot of change and they've lost several excellent players. Maybe they need more time but we have our own goals and we will do everything we can to take something from the match. This is a very demanding league, so no matter if they have zero points or six points, they will be a difficult opponent. I'm aware that they will need time because they have signed 10 new players and they lost seven players that to me were excellent players. They need time but they are still dangerous, especially with players like (John) McGinn, who has very high levels of individual qualities. Our performance must be excellent."
In other news, the chief executives of the Football Association, Rugby Football Union and England and Wales Cricket Board have joined forces with leading broadcasters and YouTube in writing to the chancellor requesting tax credits for production companies to help deliver more television coverage of women's sport. In a letter signed by 25 representatives of the country's biggest sports and broadcasters, including Sky Sports and ITV, the government is urged to extend to women's sport production the audio-visual expenditure credit scheme that provides tax relief to independent films and children's television. The joint letter was sent to John Healey on Friday to coincide with this weekend's return of the Women's Super League, whose chief executive, Nikki Doucet, is among the signatories, along with the bosses of British Cycling, golf and Formula One. The WSL is the second-richest league in women's sport after National Women's Soccer League in the US, but faces challenges attracting broadcasters in a congested market.
Richarlison may have played his last match for Tottenham after he was left out of the club's 25-man Premier League squad list on Thursday. Spurs manager Roberto De Zerbi, speaking following a 2-0 home defeat by Newcastle on Saturday, insisted Richarlison had "said too many times he wants to leave" and could bid farewell to the London club before the summer transfer window closed. The Brazil forward released an incendiary social media post on Monday where he claimed "never again will anyone decide my future for me". Talks over a potential return to Premier League rivals Everton, where he played from 2018 to 2022, stalled before Tuesday's deadline in England. Other transfer windows around the world remain open, however, and Trabzonspor have been linked with Richarlison ahead of today's deadline in Turkey. Richarlison, who currently remains a Spurs player, made his feelings clear on Monday, with a remarkable outburst on Instagram. Agence France-Presse
And finally, Liverpool have signed St Etienne winger Djylian N'Guessan as part of their drive to add highly-rated young talent to their ranks. T