Browsing: Paul

There are not many former players better qualified to judge a good midfielder than Paul Scholes.

The former Manchester United and England star spent the best part of two decades at the heart of the Red Devils’ midfield, making more than 700 appearances and winning 11 Premier League titles.

It earned Scholes the No.4 spot in FourFourTwo’s list of the best Premier League midfielders of all time, while Barcelona legend Xavi called him ‘the best central midfielder I’ve seen’.

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Paul Scholes: ‘I’d probably choose him as the Premier League’s best midfielder’

Scholes is a big fan of Declan Rice – but wouldn’t pick him as the Premier League’s best midfielder (Image credit: Alamy)

Although the standard of Man United’s midfielders has dipped since Scholes’ heyday under Sir Alex Ferguson, there are plenty of outstanding candidates across the rest of the Premier League.

The Old Trafford legend name-checked Chelsea’s Moises Caicedo, Alexis Mac Allister of Liverpool and Newcastle captain Bruno Guimaraes in the latest episode of The Overlap Fan Debate, brought to you by Sky Bet, but it was another Magpies star who pips England and Arsenal star Declan Rice, according to Scholes.

Chelsea’s Moises Caicedo scored against Liverpool on Saturday (Image credit: Getty Images)

Scholes said: “I still don’t class Moises Caicedo as an all-round midfield player. He scored a great goal, and he was brilliant against Liverpool, and he got a little bit of stick for his performances last year – but in the Club World Cup he was brilliant.

“I just prefer those controlling type midfielders, who play with a bit more style and can score goals a little bit more often than Caicedo does. It was a brilliant goal, but you wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t do it for another 18 months. He’s one of the very best at what he does which is breaking the play up – he’s brilliant at that.

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“Alexis Mac Allister was brilliant last year – he controlled a lot of what Liverpool did and they’re missing that this year.

“Bruno Guimaraes is brilliant, and I love Sandro Tonali at Newcastle as well – Tonali especially, he can run – he’s been brilliant. I’d probably choose Tonali as the Premier League’s best midfielder over Declan Rice. Tonali is better than Rice.

‘Brilliant’ Sandro Tonali is the best midfielder in the Premier League, according to Scholes (Image credit: Getty Images)

“I really like Rice, don’t get me wrong, he’s got everything but there’s too many times where he takes too many touches of the ball. He tries to look a little bit more stylish than he needs to do. He’s got physical attributes, great at being box-to-box, and score goals – but he just doesn’t do it enough.”

Italian midfielder Tonali, ranked at no.7 in FourFourTwo’s list of the best defensive midfielders in the world right now, joined Newcastle from AC Milan for £55m in the summer of 2023 and helped the Magpies end their 70-year wait for domestic silverware with last season’s Carabao Cup triumph.

Paul Scholes was speaking on The Overlap Fan Debate, brought to you bySky Bet.

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Paul Walter Hauser is speaking his mind about WWE ticket prices going up.

WWE ticket prices have risen significantly since the worldâ€s biggest wrestling promotion merged with UFC to form TKO Group Holdings. Mark Shapiro recently noted that the company still has work to do to maximize ticket revenue.

WWEâ€s ticket pricing strategy, along with Shapiroâ€s comments, has drawn criticism from both fans and wrestlers. Former WWE superstar MVP remarked that the company was pricing out longtime fans with its current business approach.

Acclaimed actor Paul Walter Hauser seems to share that sentiment. During a recent appearance on TMZâ€s Inside The Ring podcast, the actor and MLW star referenced the villainous banker Henry F. Potter from the classic film Itâ€s a Wonderful Life to draw a comparison between WWEâ€s rising ticket prices and corporate greed.

“Times are tougher than they used to be, but the prices are going up. Thereâ€s no real humanity from a corporate perspective,†he said. “To me, thatâ€s like Mr. Potter in Itâ€s a Wonderful Life. Youâ€re getting greedy. Ugly. Youâ€re being ugly by doing that.â€

Paul Walter Hauser proposes wrestling mega show against WWE WrestleMania 43

Elsewhere in the interview, Hauser proposed a joint effort — a wrestling mega show featuring promotions such as AEW, New Japan, CMLL, MLW, and GCW — to counterprogram WWE WrestleMania 43, which is set to take place in Riyadh in 2027.

“I would love to see WrestleMania weekend in freaking Riyadh or wherever it is,†he said. “I would love to see MLW, CMLL, New Japan, AEW, Progress Wrestling, DEFY, GCW, whoever, come together and do a mega show, and sell out a 20,000-30,000-seat place. If all egos can go away… thereâ€s a lot of big business to be done somewhere.†[H/T WrestlingNewsCo]

Read More: TMZ Host Reacts To Claims That Matt Riddle Incident Was A Work

What do you make of Paul Walter Hauserâ€s comments? Do you think WWEâ€s pricing strategy will cost them in the long run? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!

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Manchester United host Sunderland tomorrow, sitting 14th in the Premier League table after a continuation of their bad form under Ruben Amorim.

The Red Devils slid to 15th last season after Amorim’s appointment – the club’s lowest finish since their return to the top flight 50 years earlier.

Last weekend they lost 3-1 at Brentford, to leave them on only seven points from their first six games of this season, once again increasing the scrutiny on Amorim.

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Paul Toboni is up for the task.

Named the Nationals President of Baseball Operations at 35 years old, Toboni is bringing the combination of a fresh perspective, a decade of experience with a historic organization and an appreciation of successful sports leadership to Washington, D.C.

“More than anything, we have a lot of work to do — don’t get me wrong — and I think we can be honest with the current assessment of the organization,†Toboni said. “At the same time, we’re going to achieve what we want to achieve. Itâ€s going to take a little bit of time, but we’re hell-bent on doing it, and we’re going to embrace the challenge.â€

The Nationals officially announced the hiring of Toboni, who most recently had served as the Red Sox senior vice president and assistant general manager, on Wednesday. The team parted ways with former GM and president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo in July, following a 17-year tenure.

The youth-heavy Nats finished the season 66-96. They have not posted a winning record since capturing the 2019 World Series.

“I think it starts with creating a scouting and player development monster,†said Toboni. “We talk about James Wood, Daylen Lyle, Dylan Crews, MacKenzie Gore and CJ Abrams, all these players at the Major League level that are young and talented; the more of those type players that we have matriculating to the big leagues, the better off we’re going to be.

“If we can just do a really, really good job identifying, acquiring, developing that talent, and then we create really a great culture around development and accountability and hard work and all the things that we hold sacred, Bill Walsh, the famous NFL Coach, says the score will take care of itself.â€

What drew Toboni to the Nationals role?
Toboni was largely expected to be a candidate for the Red Sox GM position this winter. Before accepting the job with the Nationals, he and his wife, Danielle, considered what it would mean for his career and family; they have four young sons, ages 6, 5, 3 and 1.

“To be honest, at the start I wasn’t totally sure I was going to be interested,†Toboni said. “My wife and I are pretty unique in that we had told ourselves we were going to keep a pretty high bar for the opportunity that might come our way as it relates to this position.

“The one thing that I knew from the outset that was important to both my wife and I — and obviously our kids — was that the city was something that we love. A world-class city — food, culture, diversity, all those things, we were just drawn to it.

“Then, the culture of sports within the city, too. Not just all the professional sports teams, but I’m a basketball fan, so Georgetown hoops and Howard hoops. I think about all the high school sports, WCA [Washington Christian Academy] and Gonzaga [College High School] and all those schools. Thereâ€s such a deep culture of sports in the area, so the whole city was a big draw from the start.

“But even with that, I wasn’t totally sure it was going to be the right opportunity for us. Then I got around the ownership group, and we were just very much aligned on how we saw things. I found them an incredibly warm, humble, grounded group of people that love baseball and are super competitive. More than anything, [they] had values that align with mine. So the more I was around them, my wife and I both thought that this was an opportunity that was too good to pass up.â€

How will Toboni approach the managerial search?
One of Toboniâ€s top to-dos will be selecting a manager for next season. The Nationals fired Dave Martinez in July, and Miguel Cairo held the interim role for the remainder of the season. Toboni described previous Major League managerial experience as “one variable to consider, but it’s definitely not everything.â€

“I think, honestly, it starts with joy,†Toboni said. “You want to be around people that are optimistic and stay positive through the ups and the downs. The Major League season is a long season, and there are inevitably going to be downs. You want someone that’s still going to be walking into the building every day and adding energy to the room. I think it starts there.

“I talked about humility; I think you have to be open-minded and curious about learning new things. [Hall of Fame basketball coach] Gregg Popovich talks about ‘getting over yourself.†We want people that have gotten over themselves and don’t take themselves too seriously.

“Integrity is huge to me. … Are you dependable? Do you hold yourself accountable? Do you follow through on things when you say you will do things? That’s really important to me.

“Lastly, certainly not least, you want someone that’s competitive. I like to say, weâ€re going to make the scoreboard visible. … Itâ€s been a huge part of my life and my sports career. We’re going to be competitive, we’re going to keep score, and we’re going to thrive in that environment. I think the manager has to be setting the tone in that respect.â€

What lessons will Toboni incorporate from his tenure with the Red Sox?
On his journey to his final roles with the Red Sox, Toboni ascended from area scout to VP of amateur scouting and player development. Notable Boston Draft picks in recent years included Marcelo Mayer (2021), Roman Anthony (‘22) and Kristian Campbell (‘24). Rookies Connelly Early (‘23) and Payton Tolle (‘24) earned a spot on the Wild Card series roster.

“They weren’t identical positions, but the Red Sox were in a pretty similar position in 2019,†Toboni said. “We had been successful [winning the 2018 World Series], but then we were kind of getting ready to fall off a cliff, so to speak, and the farm system wasn’t great. I think there was this huge need to identify, acquire and develop players, young players, so we set out on this mission to do so. I think the Red Sox have made a lot of strides over the years in that respect. … Iâ€m pretty confident that I can help make the Nationals better in that respect. Ultimately, I think it’ll ideally lead to bringing in a good amount of talent into the organization.â€

How does Toboni view analytics?
When looking at analytics, Toboni considers his work experiences in Major League Baseball, along with his personal experiences as a collegiate baseball player at Cal, where he competed in the Menâ€s College World Series in 2011.

“I am a strong believer in the value of analytics,†Toboni said. “Having said that, I’m also a strong believer in the value of area scouting and a strong believer in the value of coaching. I’ve been on the receiving end of it as a player. I know how magical it can be when you have a coach that you really connect with, that you feel their care for you, you feel yourself getting better, and how addicting that can be. There’s huge power in that.

“I think at the same time, it’s a little bit of a false choice: Are you analytics or are you a more traditional background? I think just finding out how to integrate the two is kind of where the magic lies, so to speak, because there’s huge power in both those areas. I think it all circles back to getting people that are humble enough and open-minded enough to see the value in those spaces.â€

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Chris Paul has worn No. 3 his entire NBA career and even goes by the nickname CP3, so it would follow that he would be willing to pay quite the price to keep the number in what might be the final season of his career.

The Los Angeles Clippers guard essentially confirmed as much Monday.

“If only y’all knew how much money I’ve paid to wear No. 3,” he told reporters.

It is something of a noteworthy comment considering what Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said in July when discussing Bradley Beal’s willingness to give up the number, which he has also worn his entire NBA career.Â

“Once Brad heard it’s a possibility Chris was coming he said, ‘I want to give him my number,’ and I don’t even think Chris knows this yet,” Frank told reporters. “It’s awesome that Brad made such a great gesture like that.”

It seems like Beal received a nice payday for that “gesture,” although Paul was making light of the entire situation and noted his new teammate did not ask for the money:

Los Angeles added both Paul and Beal to its veteran-laden roster this offseason. They are two of the eight players who are older than 30 years old with Brook Lopez, Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, Nicolas Batum, Bogdan Bogdanović and Kris Dunn also set to suit up for the team in win-now mode.

It is a homecoming of sorts for Paul, who played for the Clippers from 2011-12 through 2016-17 during some of the best individual seasons of his Hall of Fame-worthy career.

He made five straight All-Star Games, finished in the top 10 in MVP voting and was a member of either the First- or Second-Team All-NBA in his first five seasons with Los Angeles and was, of course, wearing No. 3 the entire time.

Paul won’t be in quite as integral of a role as a 40-year-old during his second go-around with the Clippers, but he will still be wearing the familiar number.

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WWE SmackDown started off with a bang this week.

The September 26 episode of WWE SmackDown went down at the Kia Center in Orlando, Florida. The American Nightmare was on hand, and that was quite an attraction as always.

Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins will battle at Crown Jewel for the Crown Jewel Menâ€s Title. The event will go down on Saturday, October 11, 2025, at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. That being said, Cody Rhodes may want a piece of Brock Lesnar as well.

Paul Heyman opened up WWE SmackDown this week with a bit of a promo. Then he mentioned the rumors concerning Brock Lesnar before Cody Rhodes†music hit and he came out.

Cody Rhodes started in on Paul Heyman, and he asked him whether heâ€s taking to the Advocate, the Wise Man or the Oracle. Then Heyman said heâ€s talking to The GOAT. He also said that when Brock Lesnar is in WWE, then everyone is in danger. Suddenly, Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker surrounded the ring as Heyman said that Lesnar isnâ€t there tonight, but Rhodes is still in danger.

Cody Rhodes shot on Breakker as he said that at his age, he would have killed to be a Paul Heyman guy. Then Cody Rhodes said that Breakker isnâ€t the future guy, and that upset the second generation Steiner. He ripped off his shirt, and then Cody took off his jacket. They prepared to fight, and then Rhodes started teeing off on both of them. This did not end well as the Vision fought him in double team fashion. As Cody lost to the numbers game, Randy Ortonâ€s music hit and the Apex Predator came out for the save.

We will keep a close eye on Cody Rhodes, as always, Anything he does is generally newsworthy, and as Undisputed WWE World Champion, The American Nightmare is still telling quite a story.

Whatâ€s your take on Cody Rhodes versus Seth Rollins at Crown Jewel? Do you believe that he will win the big title in Australia? Let us know what you think in the comments section!

September 26, 2025 8:24 pm

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With the 2025-26 NBA season just around the corner, the league’s media days began this week with the Philadelphia 76ers holding sessions on Friday.

Among those from the Sixers’ organization who spoke Friday were Paul George and Joel Embiid. George provided a status update on the injury he suffered during an offseason workout in July, confirming he will not be able to practice initially during 76ers training camp, being held Saturday and Sunday in Camden, New Jersey.

“Iâ€m getting better and better,†George said. “Iâ€m feeling stronger and stronger. I feel a lot better now than I did at this point last year.â€

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George had a down year in his first with Philadelphia. In 41 games, George averaged just 16.2 points per game, which is one the lowest marks of his career. George’s season was cut short due to knee and groin injuries. The team shut him down in early March. George is a nine-time All-Star, six-time All-NBA and four-time All-Defensive team selection.

Embiid did not provide much in terms of when he may return to the court, according to Jeff Borzello of ESPN.

“There’s not necessarily an expectation. … The goal is to play consistently and not be in a position that we were last year,” Embiid told the media Friday.

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Embiid appeared in just 19 games for Philly last season, missing most of the year with a knee injury that required arthroscopic surgery in April. There is no current timetable set for the 31-year-old’s return. When Embiid did play last season, he averaged 23.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, his lowest numbers since his second active year in the NBA. Embiid missed his first two seasons after being drafted in 2014 due to a fracture in his foot. He didn’t debut for the 76ers until the 2016-17 season.

[Get more Sixers news: Philadelphia team feed]

The third member of Philadelphia’s big three, Tyrese Maxey, also spent some time talking to the media on Friday. Maxey was asked about the team’s struggles last season and also talked about culture and the franchise moving in the right direction.

“I’ve never lost in my career,” Maxey explained. “It was good for me to go through that and become a better leader … this year we definitely plan on being better, and we’ve been working our tails off to be better.

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“I think the biggest thing that this team and this organization need to work on is ourselves … right now we’re just trying to find ways to get better every day, make sure the culture is right and make sure that we’re all stepping in the right direction.”

Maxey stepped into a bigger leadership role last season with Embiid and George sidelined. He set a new career high in points, averaging 26.3 a year after winning the league’s Most Improved Player award. However, despite Maxey’s overall improvement, he was only on the court for 52 games due to multiple injuries.

Philadelphia kicks off its NBA preseason schedule Oct. 2 with an international game against the New York Knicks in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The Sixers begin the regular season Oct. 22 against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden in Boston.

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Logan Paul isnâ€t playing games when it comes to his collectibles—especially when over half a million dollars is involved. The YouTuber-turned-WWE-star has filed a lawsuit in Texas over concerns that he may have been sold a fake piece of Michael Jordan history.

According to ESPN, Paul recently filed an injunction against Heritage Auctions after winning a $562,555.42 auction for an 8-by-8-foot section of the Chicago Bulls†United Center court, allegedly signed and used by Jordan during the 1994–98 seasons. The piece includes multiple inscriptions from MJ himself, including “Air Jordan,†“5X MVP,†“6X Finals MVP,†and “HOF 2009.â€

Heritage claims the floor was game-used from the arenaâ€s debut through 2005–06 and backs the sale with certificates of authenticity from Upper Deck Authentication, PSA/DNA, and Beckett. But Logan Paul isnâ€t convinced and wants answers—legally.

His legal team says Paul wasnâ€t given a fair chance to verify the piece before being pressured to pay by the September 25 deadline. His lawyer, Josh Bernstein of Akerman LLP, made their position clear:

“It goes without saying that authenticity is everything in the collectibles community. Collectors like Logan deserve, and are entitled to, proof of authenticity that holds up under scrutiny and addresses glaring holes and inconsistencies.â€

In court documents, Paul points out that the wood design doesnâ€t appear to match the 1995–98 court. The filing also questions whether the floor was resurfaced, repainted, or replaced—and raises doubts about whether the timeline Heritage gave holds up.

Emails included in the court filing show Heritage admitting they donâ€t have documentation linking the piece to the 1998–2001 seasons. Their photo-matching team could only verify the Bulls logo, not the unique wood grain—raising red flags.

A judge has already granted a temporary restraining order, freezing the sale while the case plays out in court. Heritage isnâ€t backing down and insists the item is the real deal.

“We stand behind every item that we sell… This lot would not have been included for sale at auction unless we were fully confident in its authenticity.â€

For Paul, this fight isnâ€t just about one item—itâ€s about setting a precedent for how high-value sports memorabilia should be verified. As the court prepares to hear the case on October 9, the outcome could shape future standards in the collectibles world.

Was Logan Paul right to press pause on the payment and take this to court? Do you think auction houses need stricter rules for authenticity? Let us know in the comments—we want your take.

September 26, 2025 6:09 am

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How Jersey goes about getting that bigger squad is a tough challenge.

Unlike many of their rival nations, they cannot call on a diaspora of talented players with Jersey heritage playing overseas – something Italy did with great effect this summer as they beat Jersey to T20 World Cup qualification.

Also, Jersey – with a population of just 100,000 – does not have the levels of immigration of other nations, meaning they are less likely to have talent from places such as South Asia moving to the island.

“The landscape of cricket is changing,” Hutchison added.

“The migration of people means that cricket teams can change pretty quickly from being pretty ordinary to being fairly excellent within a couple of years.

“The migration in and out of Jersey is pretty tight, so that side of it is not really going to change too much, I don’t think.

“So it’s just going to be focusing on the pathway and making sure these younger players are developing and coming through.

“One of the things we looked at doing during my time was increasing the fast bowling resources we had.

“We’ve now got four or five 6ft 4in fast bowlers who are only 15 years old, but if they keep tracking as they are doing, they should be ready to be picked up and put in the first team by whoever is coaching them in hopefully three or four years’ time.”

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WWE superstar and social media creator Logan Paul was reportedly granted a temporary restraining order against Heritage Auctions regarding concerns surrounding the authenticity of a piece of the United Center court signed by Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan.

According to ESPN’s Dan Hajducky, Paul said he was not permitted to investigate the floor’s authenticity before Heritage solicited payment after he won the piece at an auction for just over $562,555.

Josh Bernstein, Paul’s counsel, discussed the situation.

“It goes without saying that authenticity is everything in the collectibles community,” Bernstein told Hajducky. “Collectors like Logan deserve, and are entitled to, proof of authenticity that holds up under scrutiny and addresses glaring holes and inconsistencies.”

Under the court’s listing on Heritage’s auction website, it was used from 1994-98 during Chicago’s three championship victories and remained at the United Center until it was “removed and replaced per NBA protocol” at the end of the 2005-06 season (via Hajducky).

According to the injunction, Paul alleged that the floor’s condition “does not match the court from 1995-1998, as a result of the court either being replaced or, as Heritage claims, repainted and resurfaced.”

A spokesperson for Heritage told Hajducky that it does not believe the injunction has any merit.

“We stand behind every item that we sell,” the spokesperson said. “This lot would not have been included for sale at auction unless we were fully confident in its authenticity.”

A court date for the temporary injunction is set for Oct. 9.

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