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HEARTBREAKING LOSS: HOW WILL WOLVES HONOR ACADEMY GRADUATE ETHAN MCLEOD ON SATURDAY

From Wolves Academy to Macclesfield hero, we ask: how will Ethan McLeod’s infectious personality be remembered by his teammates?

Heartbreaking Loss: How Will Wolves Honor Academy Graduate Ethan McLeod on Saturday
Can Macclesfield FC Recover from Ethan McLeod’s Tragic Death

After the death of Ethan McLeod, a former academy player, Wolves have shared their thoughts online.

Macclesfield Town shared the sad news on Wednesday. Ethan, 21, played in the Wolves youth system for ten years before moving to Macclesfield this year. He was driving home from a game at Bedford Town when he died in a car crash.

The club posted: It is with great sadness that Macclesfield FC confirms the death of Ethan McLeod, a 21-year-old forward. Ethan was involved in a car accident on the M1 last night while returning from Bedford Town, which tragically took his life.

Ethan was a very talented and respected member of our First Team Squad, with a bright future ahead. More than that, everyone loved Ethan because of his infectious personality. He always gave his all, pushing us to be our best, both on and off the field.

Ethan's professionalism and hard work inspired everyone. His love for life made us all smile, even on bad days. The news of Ethan's death has deeply saddened our club, and we are at a loss for words about how sad we feel.

The emotional pain from Ethan's death will never go away. But one thing is certain: Ethan's memory will live on, no matter how much time passes. Ethan will always be in our hearts, and we will never forget his unique smile that captivated us all.

We send our deepest sympathy to Ethan's family and friends during this difficult time. We will do everything we can to support those who need it. May you rest in peace, Ethan. You will always be a Silkman.

Wolves also shared a touching message about Ethan, saying, "We are heartbroken to hear about the death of Ethan McLeod at 21." Ethan joined @WolvesAcademy at seven and signed professional terms before leaving in September 2024.

We are sending our love to Ethan's family, friends, and everyone at Macclesfield. Ethan's younger brother, Conor, is currently in our under-21 squad. The club will be supporting him and his family. We will have a minute of silence at Saturday's game against Brentford to remember Ethan.

While at Wolves, Ethan played on loan for Alvechurch and Rushall Olympic before joining Macclesfield this year. Since July, he has played three times and scored once.

The football world came together on Wednesday after the tragic news of his death. Many clubs, including Crystal Palace, Leeds United, Brighton & Hove Albion, and Charlton Athletic, sent their condolences in response to Macclesfield's statement.

Rushall Olympic wrote about their former player: We are very sad to learn about the tragic death of Ethan McLeod. Ethan made history for us, scoring the winning penalty against Peterborough Sports to send us to the First Round of the FA Cup last season.

His name will forever be in our club's history. We will remember Ethan at our home game against Leek Town on Saturday. Our thoughts are with Ethan's friends, family, and Macclesfield FC during this sad time. RIP Ethan.

Many players also shared messages on Instagram to honour Ethan after his death. Harry Birtwhistle of Wacker Burghausen, who was in the Wolves youth system with Ethan, wrote, "The best person I ever met in football." An ex-Chelsea and West Ham striker shared a teary-eyed emoji.

Dane Scarlett, Kaide Gordon, Lino Sousa, Cody Johnson, and Nico O'Reilly also shared their condolences. Coaches from Baller League, including Tobjizzle and Sharky, also posted messages after Ethan joined the six-a-side competition with VZN FC this year.

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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