Wednesday cannon fodder: unplayable tuberculosis odds

Premier League/England

Chelsea ban fan for life after finding he racially abused Raheem Sterling | Football | The Guardian
Chelsea have banned one fan for life, and excluded five others for between one and two years.

Pochettino says Spurs should change his job title due to lack of transfer input | Football | The Guardian
Mauricio Pochettino said Tottenham should change his job title to coach.

Patrick Cutrone joins Wolves from AC Milan for £16m - BBC Sport
Italy striker Patrick Cutrone joins Wolves on a four-year deal from AC Milan for £16m.

Stoke City academy player, 15, hurt in disorder outside Ketley pub - BBC Sport
A 15-year-old boy, who sustained “life-changing” injuries in disorder outside a pub, plays for Stoke City’s academy.

Man Utd to bid ‘in coming hours’ for £64.9m midfielder - Football365
Man Utd are ready to make a concrete offer for a midfielder, according to reports.

Europe

Gareth Bale at odds with Pérez, sees no way out of Real Madrid | Football | The Guardian
Gareth Bale has concluded Florentino Pérez could not care less that Zinedine Zidane does not want him at Real Madrid.

When Gareth Bale was unplayable: remembering his golden 2012/13 at Tottenham | FourFourTwo
The Welshman’s stock couldn’t be lower during a bitter impasse at Real Madrid.

How Thiago Silva overcame tuberculosis and a year out to become one of the world’s best defenders
It’s staggering that a man who overcame a year away from football due to something as serious as tuberculosis still has his mental strength questioned.

Source: Real Madrid tell James he can stay | ESPN
Real Madrid have told James Rodriguez that he can stay at the Bernabeu next season.

PSG ‘egos’ not easy for team - Julian Draxler - BBC Sport
The “egos” of some Paris St-Germain stars mean that “it is not easy for the whole team”, says Julian Draxler.

MLS/Americas

Jill Ellis: US head coach to step down after back-to-back World Cup titles - BBC Sport
Jill Ellis guided the US team to back-to-back World Cup titles.

Real Salt Lake coach Mike Petke sent to anger management, suspended multiple games and fined $25,000 | Pro Soccer USA
Real Salt Lake coach Mike Petke was handed a multi-game suspension, across two competitions, and fined $25,000.

The sponsorship landscape for U.S. women’s soccer is more important than ever – The Athletic ($)
Attracting big-name brands is the logical next step for NWSL to sustain a surge of interest.

Why social turmoil isn’t stopping Venezuela from becoming a footballing force
Venezuela had struggled to make a meaningful impression on the continent’s biggest sport, but that’s now changing.