Sam Cunningham

After eight years as The i Paper's Chief Football Correspondent, my role has been made redundant. I'm currently freelancing. I source news and write in-depth features, interviews and analysis. Open to any opportunities so please get in touch. Email s.cunningham@live.co.uk.

Arne Slot defends Liverpool's spending record, claiming everyone mentions the £450m spent in the summer but forgets how many players they sold. "This club has a different model and no one wants to see that." For @guardian_sport theguardian.com/football/2026/…

Danny Welbeck double helps Brighton deal blow to Liverpool’s top-five hopes For @guardian_sport theguardian.com/football/2026/…

Igor Tudor pleased Spurs are ‘sleeping less’ as mental focus sharpens for run-in. For @guardian_sport theguardian.com/football/2026/…

Liam Rosenior reveals Chelsea have ‘dealt’ with mole behind team leaks. Rosenior also revealsdetails of his conversation with Fernandez after the midfielder said he was uncertain about his future, and how long Chalobah is out for. For @guardian theguardian.com/football/2026/…

🌻 'Spring Eze' blooms 🤯 From 2-2 in Paris to 0-2 in London, Chelsea concede five goals from five shots over two legs 🥱 Man City playing 70 minutes with 10 men not ideal preparation for the EFL Cup final Champions League review for @premierleague premierleague.com/en/news/461685…

The Briefing @premierleague: 🤒 Spurs injury crisis eases 🙏 Isak "closer" to return 🇧🇷 Brilliant Brazilians called up 😮 But Joao Pedro almost misses out 🚫 No new Casemiro contract 💭 Walker's Sheffield Utd dreams premierleague.com/en/news/461685…

EXCLUSIVE: Chelsea also set to escape sporting sanction when FA concludes investigation into its 74 charges. Follows Premier League issuing £10.75m fine, suspended transfer ban and nine month ban on academy transfers for illicit payments totally £47.5m. thetimes.com/article/466e60…

What happened the last time Spurs were relegated, in 1977? Glenn Hoddle: "It was a dreadful feeling, scarring me inside." Peter Taylor: “This is one of the biggest differences now. The players that stayed wanted to play for Spurs. They wanted to get the club back."

@samcunningham My first season with a season ticket was the year in division 2. On the morning of the Bristol Rovers game I found an old bike and decided to spend the day repairing it rather than going to the game I was gutted when the scores came through on the radio

Read all about the tears, rows and the reset in the @guardian here: theguardian.com/football/2026/…

Very grateful to @Liambroady for allowing me to be part of his team for a few days to give an insight into his 'bizarre existence' on the Futures circuit, and all the blood, sweat, and tears it takes just to survive as a pro thetimes.com/sport/tennis/a…

Imagine playing a European final… while half your face is paralysed. That’s exactly why Michael Duberry says it was the biggest accomplishment of his career when he played with Bell’s palsy in the CWC final. Full episode out tonight — watch it here: @sackedtheshow?si=b6aAew0DXYIkKjKb" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">youtube.com/@sackedtheshow…

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink interview for @guardian on the endless cycle of racism in football. ‘Mourinho has black players at Benfica. How the hell must they feel?’ theguardian.com/football/2026/…

In a letter to the independent commission, Rodri cited recent matches where he felt the decisions were wrong. He wrote: "For eg, the bad foul by Diogo Dalot on Doku in our match at Manchester United which should have been a red card, and Semenyo's disallowed goal at Newcastle."

🚨 Rodri fined £80,000 and given a written warning after admitting the FA charge that he implied bias and/or questioned the integrity of referee Rob Jones after Man City's draw with Spurs

Read the full interview with Hasselbaink via the link, on Vinícius Júnior, Gianluca Prestianni, Jose Mourinho, Bukayo Saka, the England national team, social media, and why it feels like nobody is listening. For @guardian theguardian.com/football/2026/…

Hasselbaink recalls being spat on by fans after leaving a stadium and nobody helping him. “It makes you feel worthless. It makes you feel like you’re a piece of shit." Decades later, the cycle of racism continues. “We keep on getting dragged back into it... It never ends.”

Thank you Bezaleel 👍