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WORLD CUP SHOCK TACTIC: THOMAS TUCHEL'S PLAN TO BEAT EXTREME SUMMER HEAT

England coach Thomas Tuchel reveals his extreme heat plan for the World Cup and speaks briefly on Jude Bellingham's substitution reaction.

World Cup Shock Tactic: Thomas Tuchel's Plan to Beat Extreme Summer Heat
Why England Coach Believes World Cup Win Is Possible

Thomas Tuchel is thinking about having England's substitute players stay in the locker room until they're needed at next summer’s World Cup.

With temperatures expected to go above 40°C in some locations in the USA, Mexico, and Canada, the coach is thinking about how to protect his players from the heat.

Speaking in Washington, DC, before Friday’s World Cup draw, Tuchel said he might keep his reserves in a cooler place, watching the game on TV from inside the stadium.

If it helps us later in the game, when they sub in, we'll think about it, he said. No one wants this, as I like the players to be out here to feel and give energy from the bench, but I know it could help.

I saw teams and players do this at the Club World Cup. I hope we don't have to. It’s always better if they can be with us.”

Tuchel also said he looked at Jude Bellingham’s reaction to being taken out of the game during last month’s win in Albania, but told ITV it wasn't the appropriate time to talk about it.

Thomas Tuchel will find out who England will face in the World Cup group stage on Friday.

Tuchel has checked Jude Bellingham's reaction to being subbed against Albania.

“It’s obvious what happened, and I didn’t see it during the game,” he said. As you know, I’m in Washington now for the World Cup draw, so I'm not going to discuss it now.

Instead, Tuchel says he wants to come back from the States next summer as world champions.

If the players want it enough, anything can happen, he said. We'll be brave enough to hope for it and try to make it happen.

Everyone knows we can't promise a win, but they want to see a team that has team spirit, that goes all out, and that fights for each other. We're getting there. I think we're getting better, and that's what matters.

The focus will be on the team and team spirit, and hopefully, we will create positive momentum and energy around the team so strong that no one wants to play us.

CRISTIANO RONALDO PROTESTS AL-HILAL'S BENZEMA DEAL BY SKIPPING AL-NASSR LEAGUE MATCH

Cristiano Ronaldo is fuming. Discover why the Al-Nassr star skipped his last match and is now threatening to leave Saudi Arabia.

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Ronaldo "considering leaving Saudi Arabia" despite signing 2027 contract extension

Cristiano Ronaldo has been the main attraction in the Saudi Pro League ever since he landed in the Middle East three years ago. Now, for the first time, it looks like he’s actually thinking about leaving. He’s frustrated. He feels the playing field isn’t level, and it’s starting to get to him.

Here’s the deal: Four clubs in the league—Al-Ittihad, Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal, and Al-Ahli—get their backing straight from the state. But Ronaldo sat out Al-Nassr’s match against Al-Riyadh on Monday night. Why? He was protesting. He found out Al-Hilal was about to sign Karim Benzema from Al-Ittihad, and that was the last straw. From Ronaldo’s perspective, Al-Hilal keeps getting more freedom to splash cash than everyone else. They’re the current champions, and Ronaldo still hasn’t managed to win his first Saudi title.

Saudi officials tried to calm him down. According to Diario AS, they reached out and argued that most of Al-Hilal’s extra spending comes from Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal, not the Public Investment Fund (PIF). Al-Hilal just brought in Kader Meite for €30 million, Saimon Bouabre for €23 million, and now Benzema. Al-Nassr, on the other hand, only managed two free transfers this winter. Sure, they spent a lot more in the summer, but that didn’t seem to matter to Ronaldo.

Reports from Portugal, cited by AS, say Ronaldo’s not ruling anything out—not even leaving Saudi Arabia this summer. That’s despite just signing an extension with Al-Nassr until 2027.

And honestly, he has a point. Since he arrived, Al-Hilal have spent €647 million, while Al-Nassr have shelled out €410 million and Al-Ittihad €365 million. These numbers probably don’t include salaries—and let’s face it, nobody’s making more than Ronaldo. He’s supposed to return on Friday when Al-Nassr face Al-Ittihad, but right now, no one really knows if he’ll play or if he’s planning his next move.

N’GOLO KANTE SKIPS TRAINING AS AL-ITTIHAD BLOCK HIS MOVE TO FENERBAHCE OFFICIALLY

N’Golo Kante has gone on strike at Al-Ittihad after a paperwork error blocked his move to Fenerbahce. Can he still sign by Friday?

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Paperwork error halts N’Golo Kante’s transfer to Turkey at final hour

N’Golo Kanté didn’t show up for Al-Ittihad training on Tuesday, and it’s not hard to see why. He was all set to head to Fenerbahçe, but the deal fell apart at the last minute—apparently because Al-Ittihad messed up some paperwork. Kante was supposed to fly to Istanbul and sign, but thanks to this administrative slip, he’s stuck in limbo. There’s still a shot at reviving the transfer sinceKanté Turkey’s transfer window stays open until Friday, February 6.

Kante was one of the first big European names to jump to the Saudi Pro League, joining Al-Ittihad in 2023 after seven years with Chelsea. He’s been a key player in Jeddah, helping Al-Ittihad win the 2024-25 league title and the King’s Cup.

Then, in the middle of the January window, word got out that Fenerbahce wanted him. The Turkish club were eager to add a World Cup winner to their squad. The plan was to swap Kante for Youssef En-Nesyri, who’d head to Saudi Arabia. Everything seemed set until deadline day, when news broke that an error by Al-Ittihad in the Transfer Matching System stopped the transfer cold.

Fenerbahce didn’t hold back. They blamed Al-Ittihad directly, saying they’d done everything right: agreements with the players, medicals, paperwork, all wrapped up on time. But Al-Ittihad entered something wrong in the system, and that was that. Fenerbahçe even asked for an extension and reached out to FIFA, but nothing moved. In the end, the deal died, and Fenerbahçe put out a statement saying they understood the frustration and would keep working to strengthen the squad.

Meanwhile, Kante’s making his feelings clear. According to Ben Jacobs, he skipped training on Tuesday, still hoping the move to Fenerbahce can happen. Santi Aouna says talks between the clubs aren’t dead yet. L’Equipe is reporting that Kanté doesn’t want to play for Al-Ittihad while he waits for FIFA’s decision. With the Turkish window open until Friday, there’s still a glimmer of hope for Kante, though En-Nesyri’s move is off the table for now.

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