John Berylson, an American businessman and owner of English soccer team Millwall who was remembered for his enthusiasm for the game, has died

Javier Báez had a two-run single in the first inning, All-Star Michael Lorenzen combined with three relievers on a four-hitter and the Detroit Tigers routed to the Oakland Athletics 9-0

A cameraman hit in the head by an errant throw Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium has an orbital fracture and is home resting, the YES Network said in a statement Thursday

WNBA stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier are starting a new women’s basketball league to give top players another option to play in the U.S. in the offseason once the league’s prioritization rules go into effect next year

The Indiana Pacers have formally announced All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton agreed to a five-year max contract that could reach a franchise record $260 million

Victor Wembanyama’s debut at NBA Summer League is Friday night

Mitch Marsh has celebrated his test comeback by smashing a century and taking a wicket for Australia to lead England by 195 runs after day one of the third Ashes test at Headingley

Victor Wembanyama’s debut at NBA Summer League is Friday night

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta bid farewell to a “fantastic player and person” as Granit Xhaka left the club for Bayer Leverkusen. The 30-year-old made the move to the Bundesliga side after a seven-year stint in north London that saw him win the FA Cup twice but also be stripped of the club captaincy. Xhaka has signed a five-year deal with Leverkusen and the PA news agency understands the deal is worth €25million to the Gunners. During a topsy-turvy Arsenal career, the Switzerland international was also stripped of the armband by Unai Emery after swearing at supporters as his substitution in a game against Crystal Palace was cheered. He had decided to leave the club before Arteta was appointed but was convinced to stay and played all-but one Premier League game last season, scoring seven goals from midfield, including two on the final day of the campaign. Speaking about Xhaka, Arteta enthused about the midfielder, saying: “We are saying goodbye to a fantastic player and person loved by all of us. “It has been an incredible journey together for him and he has given absolutely everything for this club. The influence Granit has had on his team-mates on the pitch and colleagues at the club, will tell you just how popular he is. “We cannot thank Granit enough for his service and contribution to this club over the years. We wish Granit and his family all the best in the next step of their lives.” We are saying goodbye to a fantastic player and person loved by all of us Mikel Arteta Xhaka himself is now ready for the start of the next leg of his career, returning to the Bundesliga where he represented Borussia Monchengladbach before joining Arsenal in 2016. “I know the league inside out and I watched it when I was in London,” he told Leverkusen’s official website. “Bayer 04 is a club with an impressive history and ambitious targets. Above all, I see it as a club with a great future. Discussions with the management have been incredibly motivating. Everybody here is ambitious and wants to achieve something – I’m very much looking forward to the next few years.” While Xhaka leaves Arsenal after helping them to finish second in the Premier League last season, winger Reiss Nelson has committed his future to the club by signing a new deal. The 23-year-old insisted he did not want to miss Arsenal going to the “next level” as he signed a four-year deal, with a one-year option. Nelson came through ranks with the Gunners but his previous contract had expired having made eight substitute league appearances, scoring a memorable last-gasp goal that saw Arsenal come from two down to beat Bournemouth 3-2. Arteta’s side ultimately fell short in their title bid as Manchester City pipped them to the crown, but Nelson saw enough to believe there is more to come. “I’m kind of lost for words, if I’m honest,” Nelson told the club’s official website upon signing his deal. “I’ve been here since I was eight, I’m 23 now. It’s been a hell of a journey, and I’m just so happy. I’ve been here the good years and bad years, and last year especially. “I’ve seen the rise that Arsenal have taken. Taking them to new heights and I feel like I want to be part of the journey. It was a train I really didn't want to miss and I want to be here for it, so I'm glad that I made the right decision Reiss Nelson “I want to be part of us going to the next level, which I think the boss, Edu, the backroom staff and the new players and the current players are making. “So it was a train I really didn’t want to miss and I want to be here for it, so I’m glad that I made the right decision.” On a busy day for Arsenal, the club also announced Steve Round had left his position on the backroom staff. Round was appointed as an assistant to Arteta when the Spaniard first took the reins in December 2019 having previously filled similar roles at Everton and Manchester United. Technical director Edu informed staff on Thursday, with Round’s exit a mutual agreement with the club. Arteta and Edu are currently plotting for Arsenal to go one better than last season, with movement in the transfer market well under way. Kai Havertz has already joined from Chelsea while a club-record fee has been agreed with West Ham for Declan Rice, who will undergo a medical on Friday. Ajax full-back Jurrien Timber is the next who could come through the door as Arsenal prepare for a club-record transfer window outlay.

Former Germany winger Bastian Schweinsteiger says Pep Guardiola shares blame for the national team’s decline

The courts are finally dry at Wimbledon and the sun is even shining through the clouds at times

The FA Cup will be “forever diminished” if a deal is done with the Premier League over the sale of the competition’s overseas rights, according to a member of the Culture, Media and Sport parliamentary committee. The PA news agency understands the Football Association is considering a long-term arrangement where the Premier League sells the international rights to the FA Cup bundled alongside its own rights, with a view to a collective deal netting more money for both parties. Labour MP Clive Efford, who sits on the CMS committee which took evidence from the FA and the Premier League on football regulation in March, believes such a deal would place undue control over the FA Cup in the Premier League’s hands. “The Premier League has shown its contempt for the FA Cup in the past,” Efford told the PA news agency. “Why would anyone who has any concern about the future of the FA Cup put the Premier League in charge of it? “(The FA Cup) is not a competition that (Premier League clubs) value. They prefer the Premier League, the Champions League, that’s what it boils down to. The FA Cup will be forever diminished. I think this is a big issue - it’s the death knell of the FA Cup and the status of the FA Cup. Clive Efford MP “We (the CMS committee) can ask football to come in and talk to us about it, if we choose to do it. “I think this is a big issue – it’s the death knell of the FA Cup and the status of the FA Cup.” The Premier League, FA and EFL have been in separate dialogue over a ‘New Deal For Football’ over the last 18 months which has included talks on the football calendar. Within that, the possibility of scrapping FA Cup replays amid the expansion of UEFA’s club competitions from the 2024-25 season is understood to be under discussion. The Premier League and the FA have not commented on the tender process. PA understands the process will run until July 17. The Infront Sports and Media agency said in a statement issued earlier this week it had been selected as the preferred bidder for a portion of the overseas FA Cup rights in early May following the original tender process, but was told by the FA negotiations were being paused because of a third-party offer it had to assess. Infront said it was considering its legal options and that the FA’s actions “set a dangerous precedent for future tender processes in the industry”. Efford added: “The FA has to act in the interests of the wider football pyramid and whatever it thinks it might get in the short term in terms of a contract for the coverage of the FA Cup, we’re putting the future status of the competition in the hands of people who’ve shown in the past that they find it a burden on their time. “(The FA) are just completely in the thrall of the Premier League and I don’t think that’s good for the long-term future the game.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Clare Connor recalls ‘fairytale’ creation of Women’s Ashes trophy 25 years ago Chelsea not willing to listen to offers for Levi Colwill amid continued interest British wild card Jan Choinski determined to return to Wimbledon