Wednesday cannon fodder: record takeover payday

Premier League/England

Noughty Boys: Rio Ferdinand changed the game for English defenders - BBC Three
For a very long time, English centre-backs were supposed to behave in one way and one way only. But then we had Rio.

Why Tottenham Hotspur fans have always hated Wembley | FourFourTwo
Tottenham will soon return to White Hart Lane after a prolonged period at the national stadium. Why have fans hated their stay there so much?

We need to talk about the ludicrous relegation battle going on in League One | FourFourTwo
There’s a bonkers, 13-team scrap down in the third tier – and we love it.

Manchester United legend Giggs hits back at Ibrahimovic criticism
Zlatan Ibrahimovic had accused the former Manchester United players of ‘always complaining and criticising” the club.

Bolton Wanderers: Club confirm end of takeover talks with one party - BBC Sport
Bolton Wanderers confirm takeover talks with an interested party have been mutually terminated.

Nations League victory would eclipse World Cup semi-final, says England’s Harry Kane - BBC Sport
That’s a very Spursy attitude.

How Frank Lampard became the latest manager to suffer Derby’s poisoned promotion chalice – and what comes now | FourFourTwo
Lamps knew the expectations when he took on the Rams’ job last summer – but after recent poor form, Derby have dropped out.

FA Cup: BBC signs new four-year broadcast deal to show competition live - BBC Sport
FA Cup matches will be shown live on the BBC until 2025 as part of a new four-year broadcast deal with the Football Association.

Europe

Paris St-Germain: Uefa cannot reopen closed investigation, says Cas - BBC Sport
Paris St-Germain win a legal challenge that means Uefa cannot re-open an investigation into the French champions’ finances up to June 2017.

PSG considering legal action against Manchester United legend Evra - sources
Patric Evra followed up his wild celebrations after Manchester United’s win over PSG with another attack, filmed in the back seat of a car.

Mourinho names ‘the most valuable player in the world’ - Football365
”In a hypothetical transfer, he’s the most expensive player in football now,” says Jose Mourinho.

Adrien Rabiot: the golden boy who became PSG’s French football outcast | Ed Aarons | Football | The Guardian
Midfielder should be a force at his club but a contract stand-off and off-pitch behaviour have led to him being frozen out.

Wanda Metropolitano’s record crowd shows English football the way | Suzanne Wrack | Football | The Guardian
The 60,739 gate for Atlético Madrid’s match with Barcelona showed that, if you build it, fans of women’s football will come.

MLS/Americas

Over 100 clubs write to US Soccer calling for promotion and relegation | SportBusiness
There are a whole bunch of reasons promotion and relegation won’t work in the US, but Europe does it, so it’s gotta be good, right?

Other

Mike Trout just got paid, signing a contract whose total value is greater than the combined total that every single MLS player got paid in 2018: