Rugby Union May 30, 2026

Women's Six Nations 2026: England vs Wales updates, scores, commentary from Ashton Gate

👤
By Admin
Sports Journalist
Women's Six Nations 2026: England vs Wales updates, scores, commentary from Ashton Gate

Livingston name Whelan as new boss

Scottish Championship side Livingston have named Glen Whelan as their new head coach.

The former Republic of Ireland and Stoke midfielder, who had a brief playing spell in Scotland with Hearts in 2019/2020, takes over following the club's relegation from the Scottish Premiership.

Whelan said: "I'm delighted to have been given this opportunity as head coach of Livingston, something I'm incredibly proud of, and I will give my all for the club moving forward.

"I'm eager to grasp this opportunity and help build a successful team that the fans can be truly proud of and get right behind. I'm grateful to the board for their belief in me, and the hard work has already begun.

"I can't wait to get started and look forward to the journey ahead."

Kroenke hints at big summer in transfer market

Gunners to go big? In an in-depth interview, Josh Kroenke spoke about Arsenal's plans to strengthen this summer as they aim to build on their Premier League success.

Papers: Man Utd have 250m to spend - but Leao to turn down summer PL move

ICYMI: Wolves agree deal to sign Trippier

Konate's Liverpool exit an unwanted complication ahead of crucial window

Why Rogers should pick Arsenal over Man Utd | Transfer Talk Podcast

Why Chelsea shouldn't even consider selling Cole Palmer | Transfer Talk Podcast

Gordon shows off Spanish skills at unveiling! | 'As a kid I believed I would play for Barca'

How could Barca afford Gordon signing?

Analysis by Your Site News' Lyall Thomas: 

The 69.3m signing of Anthony Gordon and the big-money pursuit of Julian Alvarez have raised questions about how Barcelona can afford such expenditure.

The Spanish giants were unable to register new signings until the last minute a year ago,  but now they seem to have an abundance of cash for three key positions: striker, winger, and centre-back.

The financial rules around how much clubs can spend in Spain works slightly differently to the UK; yes, it is based on revenue and a squad-cost ratio, but they are set by LaLiga on a bespoke basis.

The key to Barcelonas ability to spend now is a return to what is called the 1:1 rule; every Euro Barcelona save can be reinvested directly back into the squad on either transfer fees or wages. It was not the case before, when just a fraction of anything saved could be re-spent.

Another crucial change is that Robert Lewandowski has left the club and so they are now saving around 40m a year in wages, while they are also currently not having to factor in covering any of Marcus Rashfords wages next season.

That might change, but Barcelona are also looking to sell some players, too, which will free up more finances. They offered Ferran Torres, for example, informally to Atletico as they seek a solution to signing Alvarez.

But it is not just the vacation of previously allotted funds that has changed things it is also increased revenue due from the growth of the Spotify Nou Camp. The stadium has been renovated and will soon reach a new capacity of 80,000 while the final capacity is expected to be more than 100,000.

That projected future revenue, as well as the sponsorship from Spotify, as well as winning LaLiga again, is all factored in when the budget for Barcelonas spending is set by the league and means they have money to throw at some exciting players this summer.

Gordon explains why he speaks Spanish

Anthony Gordon speaking at his Barcelona unveiling:

"I wanted to speak Spanish because, as I kid, I believed I would play for Barca, believe it or not.

"I have a physio in Newcastle and we spoke every day and I told him that one day I would play for Barca, so I wanted to learn Spanish."

Tags:

rugby-union live-blog

Share this article

Related Posts

Steve Borthwick: England head coach given no guarantees over his job as RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney denies Andy Farrell contact

Steve Borthwick: England head coach given no guarantees over his job as RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney denies Andy Farrell contact

Rugby Football Union chief executive Bill Sweeney has suggested Steve Borthwick will have the summer to inspire a response to England's worst ever Six...

Women's Six Nations: Red Roses return to Allianz Stadium for first time since World Cup to open Six Nations campaign

Women's Six Nations: Red Roses return to Allianz Stadium for first time since World Cup to open Six Nations campaign

It has been 196 days since the Red Roses won the Women's Rugby World Cup for the third time, putting on a show in front of a record-breaking sold-out ...

Eddie Jones: England would be foolhardy to sack head coach Steve Borthwick after poor Six Nations run

Eddie Jones: England would be foolhardy to sack head coach Steve Borthwick after poor Six Nations run

Former England head coach Eddie Jones believes sacking Steve Borthwick would be "foolhardy" despite a poor Guinness Six Nations campaign.England finis...

Six Nations 2027: Ireland vs England starts men's tournament with England vs Scotland on final weekend

Six Nations 2027: Ireland vs England starts men's tournament with England vs Scotland on final weekend

The 2027 Men's Six Nations will begin with a clash between Ireland and England in Dublin.That heavyweight contest will take place on Friday February 5...

Champions Cup: Bordeaux thrash Leicester Tigers and Leinster edge Edinburgh in thriller to complete quarter-finals

Champions Cup: Bordeaux thrash Leicester Tigers and Leinster edge Edinburgh in thriller to complete quarter-finals

Salesi Rayasi scored a hat-trick as Bordeaux ran in nine tries and thumped Leicester 64-14 in the Investec Champions Cup at Stade Chaban Delmas.The ro...

Ireland hand contract extensions to Bundee Aki, Dan Sheehan, Jamison Gibson-Park and Josh van der Flier with World Cup 2027 in mind

Ireland hand contract extensions to Bundee Aki, Dan Sheehan, Jamison Gibson-Park and Josh van der Flier with World Cup 2027 in mind

The Irish Rugby Football Union has announced contract extensions for Bundee Aki, Dan Sheehan, Jamison Gibson-Park and Josh van der Flier as they look...