Speaker 1: Hi, I'm Jamie Rudd. Jose Mourinho is back at Real Madrid,
and on his first public night in charge, the youngest
star in the team made sure the headlines were not
all about the manager. Real Madrid drew two to two
with Fiorentina in preseason, but the result is not really
the story. Mourinho returning to the Bernabeux is the story.
Endrik opened the scoring in the twelfth minute with a
powerful left footed finish. Madrid then went two goals ahead
when youngster Syria added another. Fiorentina came back through the
Moys Keen and Roberto Picoli, turning the match into a draw.
There was also a debut for Denzel Dumfries, but let's
be clear, this was a preseason friendly. It does not
tell us who will win LaLiga, how Madrid will defend
in big matches, or whether Mourinho can take the club
back to the top of Europe. What it does tell
us is that the second Mourinho era has begun and
Madrid already have a young forward demanding attention. Endrick has
spent much of the last year being discussed as a
future star. Now he needs to become a present one.
A goal in Mourinho's first public match is a very
good way to begin. The challenge for Mourinho is managing
the expectations around him. Real Madrid do not hire Jsse
Mourinho for a quiet rebuild. They hire him to make
the club feel dangerous again. That is the question hanging
over this new era. Can Mourinho combine the intensity and
defensive discipline that made him successful with a group of
young players who need room to grow. Endrick Start suggests
this Madrid team may have more than just a famous
manager and a famous shirt. It may have the next
generation ready to take over. Now. While Madrid are beginning
a new chapter, Chelsea are spending like they are trying
to write an entire book. Chelsea's reported summer deal under
Shahbi ar Lonso include Morgan Rogers for one hundred thirty
eight million euros, Plestra for fifty seven million, and Lacrois
for sixty million. That is approximately two hundred fifty five
million euros across three reported moves, and that is before
we even start counting the rest of the activity around
Stamford Bridge. Chelsea have become one of football's most reliable
transfer stories because the question is never whether they will spend.
The question is whether all that spending is producing a
team with an identity. Ar Lonso is a major appointment.
He has a clear reputation as a coach who wants
his teams to control games, move the ball intelligently, and
press with purpose. But a manager cannot build that identity
if the squad keeps changing faster than the tactics can settle.
The best version of this spending spree is a deliberate
rebuild the rights, the right ages and enough quality to
challenge at the top of the Premier League. The worst
version is another enormous collection of expensive players all competing
for the same places, with the manager eventually asked to
make sense of it. Chelsea supporters have seen both versions
of this story before the early matches will tell us
whether Ahlon Sou has been given a squad or simply
a shopping receipt. One club that has made a much
cleaner statement is AC Milan. Milan have signed Gonsala Ramos
from Paris Saint Germain for a reported club record fee
of seventy million euros. Ramos was excellent for Portugal at
the World Cup, and Milan are paying for a striker
who arrives with a higher profile, more confidence and a
major tournament behind him. For Milan, this is not just
a signing for depth. It is a statement that the
club wants a proper number nine, capable of leading the
attack and carrying pressure in important matches. Ramos also gets
a chance to reset his story. At PSG, the competition
and expectations made it difficult for him to become the
unquestioned center of the attack. At Milan, the role should
be much clearer if he settles quickly. This could be
one of the most important transfers of the summer in Italy.
And then there is Newcastle, where the transfer window looks
less like a rebuild and more like a fire sale.
Arsenal are reportedly close to signing Bruno Gimmeres for twenty
nine point two million euros. Newcastle have also reportedly agreed
to send Anthony Gordon to Barcelona. Losing one important player
can be explained. Losing two major players in the same
window raises a much bigger question. What is happening at Newcastle?
This is a club that was supposed to be building
toward the top of English football. Bruno has been one
of the team's most important midfielders, Gordon became one of
its most dangerous attackers. If both departures happen, Newcastle will
have to replace not just talent but personality. They will
be losing players who set the tempo and carried responsibility.
Maybe this is a financial reset, maybe it is a
tactical change. Maybe Newcastle have decided the squad needs to
be rebuilt around a different group. But from the outside
it looks like a club moving backward at exactly the
moment it was supposed to be moving forward. Elsewhere in England,
Manchester City have reportedly signed Elliot Anderson for one hundred
thirty five million euros, while Manchester United are building under
Michael Carrick, with Andre Santos and Yuri Teelaman's also coming in.
That tells you what kind of summer this is becoming.
New managers, new sporting plans and enormous sums being committed
before the season has even properly begun. Chelsea are spending
the loudest. City are spending with a clear expectation of
competing immediately. United are trying to build a new foundation.
Newcastle may be trying to stop theirs from collapsing, and
in Australia, Chelsea and Tottenham are meeting in the Sydney
Super Cup as the preseason schedule rolls on. It is
not the biggest story of the day, but it is
a reminder that the clubs are already on the road,
already testing new players and already trying to turn transfer
window theories into something that works on a pitch. So
that is Sunday's picture. Mourinho is back at Real Madrid
and Endrick has already given him something to celebrate. Chelsea
are spending at a breathtaking pace under Shabi r Lonso
Milan have made Gonsolo Ramos their record signing. Newcastle may
be losing the core of their attack and midfield, and
across England new managers are being handed very expensive tools.
The transfer window still has a month to run. That
may be the most unsettling part for the messy effect.
I'm Jamie Rudd.