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Joao Felix’s situation will be one to watch this summer. Atletico Madrid have no intention of having him in their squad for next season, but Barcelona – his most likely destination for 2024-25 – do not want to sign him permanently because they feel his asking price is way over the top.
Another loan deal looks the most likely outcome, and that could include an option to make the deal permanent. However, there is also a chance of Felix becoming an official Barcelona player this summer too, as they could get him for nothing, or at least on a significantly reduced fee.
According to Ruben Uria (via Sport), Atleti could lower their demands for Felix if Barcelona agree to give them Robert Lewandowski for free, similar to the situation involving Luis Suarez back in 2020. If the Catalan side adhere, Los Rojiblancos would drastically reduce their asking price for Felix, or give him away for no additional cost.
Atletico Madrid’s interest in Lewandowski appears to be very real, and some members of the Barcelona hierarchy are very keen to part ways with the Polish veteran this summer because of his excessive wages. This situation could be one to keep an eye on.
The post Atletico Madrid prepared to include Joao Felix in shock swap deal with Barcelona appeared first on Football España.
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MLS coaching changes: What's next for these three franchises?
The 2025 Major League Soccer regular season has come to a close. While 16 of the league's top teams compete for the MLS Cup, the remaining 14 have some serious reshuffling to do. Three teams — Atlanta United, the Colorado Rapids and the New York Red Bulls — closed out their dismal regular seasons by firing their head coaches. But why? What happened? And who is in line to turn things around for each club? Atlanta United What happened? Atlanta entered 2025 desperate to recapture its pre-pandemic, MLS Cup-winning magic. Under the watchful eye of proven MLS coach Ronny Deila, midfielder Aleksei Miranchuk, winger Miguel Almiron and striker Emmanuel Latte Lath were expected to bring Atlanta back to the top of the Eastern Conference. It didn't happen. Atlanta's expensive leaders failed to gel, and the team finished the 2025 season third from bottom while shouldering the league's third-highest wage bill. No one in MLS spent more to achieve less. Was it a coaching issue? Sort of. Atlanta's 2025 roster construction turned out to be a big swing and a miss. Knowing what we know now, it's hard to see any coach delivering results with that lineup. Deila did, however, struggle mightily to adapt his style to Atlanta's needs. Who's in line to take over? There's really only one name on Atlanta's wish list, and it's a familiar one: Tata Martino. The Argentinian coach was the architect of Atlanta's 2018 success and the man who led Inter Miami to its first club trophy in 2023. (He did, to be fair, get a heavy assist from Lionel Messi on that last one.) Tata's return is an exciting prospect for Atlanta fans ... but after a failed year of partying like it was 2018, it does feel slightly alarming to see the front office leveraging that approach yet again. Colorado Rapids What happened? The beloved Pids fielded a team of unheralded prospects and failed to challenge their moneyed, experienced peers. Things came to a head this season when coach Chris Armas sold the team's best player, USMNT fringe candidate Djordje Mihailovic, to Toronto FC in the summer window. Seeing Mihailovic go was bad enough; seeing him go to a rival franchise was infuriating. Was it a coaching issue? Not until the very end. It's not Armas' fault that Colorado prefers to run lean; it was also, by most accounts, not Armas' fault that Mihailovic was sold to Toronto. But Armas is a big, sensitive character, and he publicly crumbled under the pressure when Colorado failed to make the playoffs this season. (He later apologized.) Who's in line to take over? No one yet — Colorado is considering its options. If it wants an ex-USMNT player in the Armas mold, it could do worse than consider former Austin coach Josh Wolff. If it wants energy, drama and a hit of flair, it might want to look at former Portland coach Gio Savarese. The Venezuelan has been on the market all season and deserves another shot. New York Red Bulls What happened? The unthinkable. After 15 consecutive playoff appearances — the longest active streak in American sports, period — the Red Bulls missed out on the postseason. Was it a coaching issue? Not really, no. This failure came down to the front office, not the coaching staff. The team needed a DP striker and was unable to secure one despite months of effort. Other high-profile signings, like German defender Alexander Hack, flopped spectacularly, and the whole season left the Red Bulls' front office looking rather foolish. Who's in line to take over? It's Jim Curtin, it has to be. The MLS and Philadelphia legend took himself out of the running for every managerial vacancy in the league except for this one — it keeps him close enough to his Mid-Atlantic family to make long-term sense.
Raiders’ Mark Davis Sends Message Every Fan Needed to Hear
The Las Vegas Raiders have the best defensive player in the National Football League, in Maxx Crosby. Crosby has been a force to deal with over the last few years. He has been all over the quarterbacks he has faced during that time. He loves to play the game and do it for the Silver and Black. That has been his team since day one, and the team that believed in him, when no one else gave him his opportunity. Crosby is the face of the Raiders franchise, and he wants to win as badly as anyone for this organization. He is having another good season in 2025 and is looking to get better and create more chaos in the backfield for the offense. He is one of a kind, and the Raiders need to do a better job of putting a good team around him to capitalize on what type of player Crosby is. Raiders Owner Mark Davis on Maxx Crosby "Asked about interest in Crosby and the team's decision not to trade him, Raiders owner Mark Davis told NFL.com he doesn't understand why people keep asking," said NFL Insider Ian Rapoport. "I don't know how many times I've got to say it," Davis said this past week following the Fall League Meeting in New York. "It's really hard to keep getting asked the same question every month or week or whatever when the answer's going to stay the same. I don't know why anybody would think I'd change my mind or the organization would." This past offseason, the Raiders signed Crosby to a three-year, $106.5 million extension through the 2029 campaign. Davis knows it's natural for teams to take a look around the league and covet what isn't theirs. However, he said "everything about Maxx is awesome" and he doesn't see him leaving. "Everybody wants to have your great players," Davis said. "It starts there, it doesn't start with us." Crosby has also made it very clear that he wants to stay with the Silver and Black and win in Las Vegas. But it is a question that is always asked because of the bad product the Raiders are putting on the field. The Raiders will get to soon if they made the right adjustments during their bye week, in Week 9 agiant the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Latest Matt Rhule news should end Penn State rumors
The Penn State Nittany Lions can likely scratch another candidate off their coaching wish list. On Thursday, ESPN "College GameDay" insider Pete Thamel reported Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule has signed a two-year contract extension with the program, which will run through the 2032 season. It includes a $15M buyout this season, which should prevent another school from poaching him. Why Matt Rhule was considered a strong candidate to replace recently fired Penn State HC James Franklin After Penn State fired Franklin on Oct. 12, Rhule was immediately linked to the job. As a teenager, the New York native moved to State College, where he became a walk-on linebacker for the Nittany Lions from 1994-97. He clearly still loves his alma mater. "I love Penn State, met my wife there, my alma mater," Rhule told the media shortly after Franklin was fired. "Fan since I was born, I think probably had a Penn State shirt when I was born. I really love [athletic director] Pat Kraft, and I'm sad to see coach Franklin go." While the AD for the Temple Owls, Kraft gave Rhule his first head-coaching job in 2013. Now that he has signed the extension, he can't turn to his old friend again and must explore other options. Where does Penn State go from here? The list of candidates in Penn State's head-coaching search is shrinking. The Indiana Hoosiers signed HC Curt Cignetti, another potential target, to an eight-year, $11.6M contract on Oct. 16. The Nittany Lions could attempt to court Ole Miss Rebels HC Lane Kiffin, who has his team in the thick of the national championship hunt after a 7-1 start. However, if he does leave Oxford, expect him to stay in the SEC rather than flocking to the Big Ten. Some believe Kiffin may be the next HC of the LSU Tigers and Florida Gators. And for any optimistic Penn State fans thinking they can lure ESPN analyst Nick Saban out of retirement, dream on. The former Alabama Crimson Tide HC has said there's "no way" he's returning to coaching. Don't bank on Penn State (3-4) promoting interim HC Terry Smith, especially after losing to the Iowa Hawkeyes, 25-24, in his first game. Instead, it may target HCs Mike Elko (Texas A M Aggies), Clark Lea (Vanderbilt Commodores) and Jeff Brohm (Louisville Cardinals). Penn State alumni may have welcomed a homecoming for Rhule. Now, it no longer looks like a possibility.
Three wild quotes from Louisiana governor Jeff Landry that could wreck LSU head-coaching search
'TNF' takeaways: Lamar Jackson dazzles in return as Ravens humiliate Dolphins
The Baltimore Ravens dominated the Miami Dolphins in a 28-6 rout on "Thursday Night Football" as quarterback Lamar Jackson shined in his return from injury. Here are four takeaways from the first NFL game of Week 9: Lamar Jackson returns in style You would never know that Jackson had not played since Week 4 judging by his incredible performance on Thursday night. He wasted no time getting started with this fourth-down strike to tight end Mark Andrews in the opening quarter and capped his four-TD night with a nine-yard connection to wide receiver Rashod Bateman late in the third quarter. His 18 total TD passes against the Dolphins are the second-most all-time in five games vs. one opponent, only behind George Blanda's 21 against the New York Titans. After going 18-of-23 for 204 yards and four TDs, Jackson now has 14 passing TDs and only one interception in five games. If he stays healthy, this Ravens team will be difficult to slow down in the second half of the season. Mike McDaniel's seat keeps getting hotter It keeps getting worse for the Dolphins head coach after Thursday's latest dud. Miami had 332 yards of offense, but went 0-for-3 in the red zone and committed three turnovers, including a brutal one in their own territory in the first quarter. During a pregame segment on Prime Video, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport was asked what McDaniel's future looks like in Miami and said his job status is "firmly up in the air." While he said he did not "see anything imminent" from owner Stephen Ross, it will come down to how the players respond going forward. Although he signed an extension prior to last season and is under contract through 2028, a 2-7 record and another blowout loss is doing nothing to help McDaniel's case at the moment. Kyle Hamilton spearheads strong defensive performance from Ravens The Ravens entered the night allowing the third-most points per game (30 PPG), but Thursday night was a much different story. The All-Pro safety Hamilton may have not had the most tackles on the team, but his impact was certainly felt with six total tackles and one tackle for loss. He was more impressive than the stats show, especially at creating pressure on Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa and keeping Miami from having any success between the tackles. In the first quarter alone, Hamilton did not even line up as a safety in his first 15 snaps and still only gave up one yard rushing on four carries, opposed to 31 yards on three carries away from him, per Next Gen Stats. For a team that has struggled defensively, they need more of what they got on Thursday night if they are going to claw their way back into the AFC North conversation. Don't count the Ravens out yet It was not that long ago that Baltimore was 1-5 and staring at a wasted season. After back-to-back wins, an improving 3-5 record and a sloppy AFC North in which the Pittsburgh Steelers (4-3) are the only team above .500, the Ravens are firmly in the hunt. In fact, FanDuel currently lists them as the favorites (-145) to win the division as of Thursday night. The defense still needs to prove itself against stiffer competition, but if Jackson continues to ball out, the Ravens could complete a remarkable turnaround and mix up the AFC playoff picture.
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