This weekend saw England lose on penalties in the final of the European Championship, but that hasn't stopped league clubs from getting on with their business. Here we look at some of the key moments and comments you may have missed since Friday.
REMI MATTHEWS SIGNS FOR PALACE
After being released following just one season on Wearside, Remi Matthews has joined Premier League outfit Crystal Palace on a two year deal, this comes after his year as Lee Burge's understudy after he was signed on a free transfer from Bolton Wanderers. The keeper said on his arrival at Selhurst Park, “I can’t wait to get started. I'm excited to work with Dean Kiely again because he helps me improve, and I’ve got two great goalkeepers to look up to in Vicente Guaita and Jack Butland. It’s great to be a part of it, and I’m really looking forward to it.”
LEWIS MORGAN'S CONTROVERSIAL COMMENTS
Former loanee Lewis Morgan last year made some controversial comments on a podcast which some fans took as a swipe at the club and winger Aiden McGeady. However, the former Celtic winger who now plays for David Beckham's Inter Miami has spoken again about his time on Wearside. "Sunderland is a massive club, I have so much respect for everything at that club. I think the word, I don’t want to use what word I used, because that’s not a correct representation of that club. That club is huge. What I was trying to get across was the situation wasn’t fitting of a club the size of Sunderland. The situation we were in, I think the squad of players - it goes back to momentum - it’s hard to get momentum in football. You see these teams that get on a run of form in the Championship and they end up getting relegated, who would think Sunderland would get relegated from the Championship? The position that they’re in to this day isn’t what Sunderland fans deserve or Sunderland Football Club deserve. I think the loan move there, I’m going to play under Jack Ross a manager I love, a coach I love but football, when you’re inside a football club it’s different to what fans perception can be. It wasn’t that the players weren’t trying or whatever, but sometimes in football there’s just some weird thing that hangs above a clubs head and it’s difficult to lift. The time there wasn’t successful for whatever reason and been in that environment in a team that’s not doing so well, there’s so much pressure on, the team isn’t performing. In the St Mirren team everything was there to help me to play, at Sunderland that just wasn’t the case and it wasn’t for a lack of trying or a lack of what anyone was doing. Sometimes situations are just like that. We just weren’t anywhere near what Sunderland Football Club should’ve been."
"There might’ve been a hangover, but I also think loads of it… Aiden McGeady was by far and away our best player. When I went down I obviously knew Aiden, the career that he had at Celtic, Spartak Moscow and Everton. It’s probably a testament to him - I’m trying to give him a compliment here - but I was shocked at just how good he was, it took me back a bit in training. I was like ‘Ok, he is seriously a good player!’ I think the team was too reliant on playing for Aiden to dig us out a hole and eventually he picked up an injury in his foot. He’s got that broken bone in his foot and now it’s like ‘we’ve been so used to playing this way’. Maybe it would’ve been similar at St. Mirren if I had got injured but then you’d lose a couple of games and then like I said about momentum, good or bad, when you start losing games and then you concede a goal it’s like ‘oh no not again.’ We were too reliant on Aiden, staying in games and then hoping he’d be the difference maker and we didn’t change our style. It’s hard to put your finger on what happened but I do think it was tough to stand out on an individual level the way the club was at that point in time. I sincerely hope the club go back up. What I said was a mistake, sometimes you get a little too comfortable and you’re not really thinking about it. There was no malice on my part, I have no ill feeling towards that club and I want them to get back to where they should be. It was a tough end to the season. I’ve never once in my life, not even in a training session not given 100%, every single day that’s just how I am. So sometimes it’s tough to mentally switch on when you come on 2 to 3 minutes in a game, you’ve not done the same warm up as everyone, you’ve not been on the same set pieces as everyone. When you care about football and you want to win so much, there’s disappointments and there was never a moment where I didn’t try or anything like that. Sometimes you just don’t have the same impact, some days you feel brilliant, some days you don’t. It was unfortunate and I wish I played better but there was loads of guys that day that would’ve said that they could played better. I’m harsh on myself."
BARRY FRY ON WYKE
Peterborough United's outspoken Chairman, Barry Fry has had his say on the departure of Charlie Wyke from the Stadium of Light on a free transfer to League 1 rivals Wigan Athletic. “Well the only thing that I can think of on that one is that they perhaps thought that if they got into the Championship, they would be able to attract a better striker. But, you’ve got to cover your back. Even if they had gone up and felt that he wasn’t good enough for the Championship, they could have sold him and got money for him, you know anyone that scores over 20 goals in any league is worth money. So I cannot understand why they didn’t secure his future and make him sign a new contract.”
SUNDERLAND TARGET SIGNS NEW DEAL
Rumoured transfer target, Jamie Sterry has signed a new deal which will keep him at newly promoted Hartlepool United for another two seasons. The full back, formerly of Newcastle United, was reported to be on Lee Johnson's transfer target list but has decided to remain at Victoria Park, saying he is "over the moon to re-sign for the next two seasons, I have loved every minute at the club and we are all looking to push on next season. We have a big season ahead back in the Football League and I can’t wait to get going. The biggest factor for me was the fans. The support we had inside The Vic at the end of the season and the Promotion Final was surreal. The passion they have for the club is unbelievable and I can’t wait to play in-front of a packed-out Victoria Park next season.”
RETURN TO THE STANDS
“After well over a year without fans at our 72 clubs, the EFL is delighted to note the Prime Minister’s speech today, that the government has removed capacity restriction ahead of the start of the coming season. We have long said that getting fans back into our stadia is an economic necessity for EFL clubs that have lost millions over the past year and now need to be able to plan with clarity on and off the pitch. Having experienced the highs of Euro 2020 following England all the way to the finals this summer, supporters will now be counting down the days until they can return to watch their beloved teams in person and we know that the clubs have been working very hard behind the scenes making plans to welcome fans back safely. As we look forward to what we hope will be a momentous season of EFL football, we shall remain vigilant in our preparations and continue to engage with clubs and the relevant authorise to ensure that we are ready for any bumps in the road that may yet arise. We also note the PM’s latest position on the use of Covid certification and will liaise with the government in the days ahead for further clarity on this matter.”
