Ahead of tomorrow night's Supercup clash with Borussia Dortmund, Vincent Kompany has confirmed that Jamal Musiala won't feature. 

“Every decision was made based on the best possible information. We know how to handle it. He'll be training individually this week. 

"I spoke to Jamal and he said I can speak about that. He made a slight change to his treatment, which caused some side effects.

“It's perfectly normal to make changes to a treatment plan. Now we want to get things back to how it was before,” he said at his press conference.

After adding that Serge Gnabry and Lennart Karl will also be unavailable, Kompany discussed the challenge of facing Dortmund.

“It would be great if we could win a title in Dortmund. Maybe it could have been with 50-50 fans; that would have added a final atmosphere.

“But winning a title away in Dortmund would also be very nice. The quality and power of the Dortmund team is high. There's no tougher challenge in the Bundesliga,” he explained.

With regards to new Germany national team coach Jürgen Klopp, Kompany kept tight-lipped about their interactions to date. 

“I don't want to reveal that. I've known Jürgen Klopp for a long time from England and I am looking forward to working together.

“We have worked against each other in fierce competition for many years. We will have an open exchange at some point,” he concluded. 

The Philadelphia Eagles don't necessarily need Saquon Barkley to rush for 2,000 yards again. What they may need is a more versatile version of the star running back.

During Thursday's joint practice with the New England Patriots, Barkley continued to show signs that Philadelphia's offense intends to feature him in multiple ways. According to NBC Sports Philadelphia's Reuben Frank, after the Eagles spent significant portions of the summer incorporating running backs into the passing game, joint practice followed that same blueprint.

"The Eagles have never had a running back with 300 receiving yards in a season under Nick Sirianni. Their last 300-yard receiving back was Miles Sanders, with 509 yards back in 2019, and, along with the Rams, they’re one of just two NFL teams without a 300-yard receiving back since 2021... On Day 1 of joint practices with the Patriots outside Gillette Stadium, the Eagles spent a good chunk of the day working on the running game with Saquon Barkley and getting Barkley and the other backs involved in the passing game."

Barkley has historically shown he can be one of the NFL's most dangerous weapons in the passing game. His 91 receptions as a rookie in 2018 remain an NFL record for a first-year running back. Lane Johnson spoke with the media during joint practices vs. the Patriots, and he seems fully confident in his teammate returning to his 2024 form.

"I think all in all, the more productive we are in the run game and stuff feeds off that, that we'll see the Saquon of two years ago. We'll see the big plays. We'll see him flex wide at wide receiver [and] we'll see him in the screen game, so [we saw] just a little bit of it today. Yeah, with the way the offense is flowing, the first three periods were really good. I wish we would have finished better in the last period, but [it was] a really good day."

Johnson's comments suggest Philadelphia's vision for Barkley extends beyond traditional handoffs. Long before he became a 2,000-yard rusher, Barkley demonstrated he can be one of the most productive receiving backs the league had ever seen.

That history makes recent observations from training camp noteworthy. They reinforce the idea that the Eagles star may be an outstanding weapon if more opportunities are created for him to operate in space. Stats will be a discussion, but perhaps we all should also acknowledge that part of the challenge Barkley faces is that the standards that are now placed on him may be, at times, be impossible to satisfy.

After rushing for 2,005 yards and earning Offensive Player of the Year honors in 2024, virtually any follow-up season was bound to feel less spectacular. Yet his 2025 campaign was productive by almost any objective measure. Barkley rushed for 1,140 yards in 16 games, added 273 receiving yards, and scored nine total touchdowns.

Most running backs would gladly accept those numbers. In many instances, that earns guys Pro Bowl votes. In Barkley's case, this type of season is now considered 'an off year.'

Barkley is judged against a different benchmark, and that's understandable. When a player joins a club occupied by only nine 2,000-yard rushers in NFL history, expectations naturally change, but there's a reason why only nine players in 106 years have accomplished that feat. It's pretty tough to do.

That is why Johnson's comments were so interesting. He wasn't simply predicting another historic rushing season. Instead, he described an offense that could put Barkley in more situations to create explosive plays, whether as a runner, receiver, or mismatch weapon lined up away from the backfield.

If that vision becomes reality, Barkley's success may not be measured solely by rushing totals. The Eagles appear interested in maximizing everything he can do, and that could make him one of the offense's most important chess pieces regardless of whether he ever approaches 2,000 yards again.

This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: Lane Johnson predicts expanded role for Saquon Barkley

Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

Arsenal have confirmed the permanent departure of Vivienne Lia, with the highly rated winger completing a move to Eintracht Frankfurt after progressing through the club’s academy.

The 19-year-old leaves north London having gained valuable experience on loan in both England with Nottingham Forest and Sweden with Hammarby before securing a permanent move to the Frauen Bundesliga.

The winger spent the first half of the 2025/26 campaign on loan with Forest, making 12 appearances in Barclays Women’s Super League 2 before joining Hammarby for the remainder of the season after she was recalled.

Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images

During her spell in Sweden, Lia also featured 12 times and scored once, adding further senior experience before returning to Arsenal this summer.

Lia joined Arsenal’s academy in 2021 at the age of 14 before making her senior debut in February 2024 during a League Cup quarter-final victory over London City Lionesses.

She signed her first professional contract with Arsenal in January 2025.

She leaves the club having made two senior first-team appearances, with Arsenal confirming her permanent transfer to Eintracht Frankfurt as she takes the next step in her career in Germany.

Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

Real Madrid are in action on Saturday for their first match of the 2026-27 season, with Jose Mourinho’s side facing Espanyol at the RCDE Stadium. It has been a productive summer for Los Blancos, who are ready to right the wrongs of the precious two campaigns, as they aim to overthrow Barcelona in La Liga.

It will be a new-look Real Madrid in one sense, with Ibrahima Konate, Denzel Dumfries, Marc Cucurella, Bernardo Silva, Carlos Espi and Yan Diomande having all been signed over the course of the summer transfer window. However, the club did miss out on Rodri, who ended up joining Barcelona earlier this week.

Mourinho, who previous revealed that Rodri’s doubts over a move ended Real Madrid’s chances of signing him from Manchester City, was once again asked about the club’s failed pursuit of the 2026 World Cup Golden Ball winner during his pre-match press conference on Friday. As per MD, he admitted that a successful deal would have been “the icing on the cake”, although he is not losing sleep over it.

“I don’t think we have a deficit in midfield. Then you can come with the question of ‘If he doesn’t have a deficit, why did you want to sign Rodri?’. Rodri would have been like the icing on the cake. He is a great player, with great experience and great status. If you can have him, then we will have him and we will improve. But we have Tchouaméni, Camavinga, Valverde, Bernardo, Arda; because I think that Arda in the end can also play in these positions. It’s not that we have a problem or that we have to go for another player.”

There is little doubt that Rodri would have been the ideal player to tie together Real Madrid’s squad for the upcoming season. He would have filled the void that Toni Kroos left two years ago, but alas, there is nothing that can be done now – they will just hope that they do not regret missing out on him, especially to their arch rivals.