Seb Stafford-Bloor

@LiamTharmeCoach @Jon_Mackenzie Almost certainly

@SebSB @Jon_Mackenzie I reckon he locks himself in there

At The Athletic’s London HQ, they actually lock @Jon_Mackenzie in a cupboard during games.

Brighton have made an improved offer for Luka Vuskovic, as @FabrizioRomano reported first. The offer does not match Tottenham's valuation, though. Story for @TheAthleticFC. nytimes.com/athletic/73542…

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in a move for West Ham United midfielder Mateus Fernandes, while they remain keen on signing Newcastle United’s Sandro Tonali. More from @dtathletic, @SebSB & @David_Ornstein FREE TO READ 🔗 nyti.ms/4uJqEOU

Granit Xhaka has been accused of creating a “toxic” and “negative” team environment by a section of the Swiss media this week, which is what that celebration was in response to.

Imagine being a Bosnian fan watching that. Your best period of the game ended by an artificial stoppage, then your opponents almost immediately scoring after the restart. Brutal.

Bosnia against Switzerland bursts into life, end to end football and… advert break. Just awful.

We're getting the impression @tomwfootball isn't a fan of the hydration breaks 💦

An outrageous banana loaf cake from Mrs SB youtube.com/shorts/YKQ1kXk…

What I would also say is that contrary to his reputation for doing good business, Spurs’ record for selling during the final decade of DL’s tenure was abysmal. They got the bad end of deals time after time after time - in every sense: football, business, etc.

If you look at the biggest, most successful clubs today, that mentality just does not exist. They’re not getting ripped-off, but they also know that it can’t always be about getting one over on another chairman.

One of the issues for Daniel Levy was that the business merits of a transfer deal always seemed to come first. But football doesn’t really respect that - sometimes, if a player is good and a selling club is secure and well-run, you either pay-up or settle for someone inferior.

Some world class English forwards around the Alster in Hamburg.

🚨Xabi Alonso DEEP DIVE w/ the brilliant @SebSB - His impact at Leverkusen - The Aura debate - Player development and 3-4-2-1 - SD relationship - Concerns at Chelsea Really enjoyed this convo, hope you enjoy listening. #CFC youtu.be/iPRl0DJar4A?is…

This was his decision, not Frankfurt’s.

As reported by @Plettigoal, Markus Krösche has chosen to stay with Eintracht Frankfurt over a move to become AC Milan’s new sporting director.

Come and hang out with us on @Reddit 💬 The Totally gang out in LA will be answering your questions throughout the day. @acjimbo, @tomwfootball, @megan_feringa, @oilysailor, @lauriewhitwell & the skunk all on board 🦨🤔 👉 theathletic.lnk.to/tfsreddit

If Luka Vuskovic starts for Croatia, he will be an enormous set-piece threat against England. Many Bundesliga teams last season tried to stop his movement prior to a corner/free-kick, because when he’s actually competing for a header he holds an enormous advantage.

Jürgen Klopp is having a really strange World Cup. Fake quotes, memes, arguments. Free to read, for @TheAthleticFC nytimes.com/athletic/73659…

@LaurensJulien @ESPNFC :)

And a lot of them are Paris born and bred too! @ESPNFC