In short
The Gab & Jules Show’s World Cup 2026 kickoff coverage, centered on Mexico vs South Africa (2-0), plus broader FIFA controversies and football transfer/managerial news.
Guests
No guests. Hosts are Gab and Jules (presenting as “Gab & Juls Show,” presented by Gusto).
Key claims
- Mexico should have scored more; they became conservative after going down to 10 then 9 men against South Africa, and a red card (César Montes) hurt them.
- South Africa were limited in quality but had late danger; Mexico’s momentum matters for the next match vs South Korea.
- FIFA’s “chill and relax” messaging (Gianni Infantino) is tone-deaf amid visa/referee/ticket controversies.
- Mexico’s World Cup platform includes visible social/political grievances; President Claudia Sheinbaum reportedly gave her VIP ticket to a 21-year-old footballer.
- Anthem staging with all substitutes on the pitch delays kickoff and is unnecessary.
Notable examples
- Quintero/“Julián Quinones” scoring; Raul Jiménez emotional reaction.
- Referee Omar Artan denied entry; UEFA appoints him for Aston Villa vs PSG European Super Cup.
- Haiti kit reference to Battle of Vertières; Iran-based supporters’ tickets/visas cancelled; Argentina vs Iceland: Messi cameo; Real Madrid election/Mourinho return; multiple transfer rumors (e.g., Elliot Anderson bid rejected, Matheus Fernandes linked, Victor Muñoz buyback).
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOWorld Cup 2026 Discussion
0:45 to 7:09
A deep dive into Mexico's performance against South Africa in the World Cup.
“I've got to be wearing shades because Italy won the European men's under-17 championship.”
World Cup 2026 Discussion
12:46 to 13:05
A deep dive into Mexico's performance against South Africa in the World Cup.
“With Red Bull Summer All Day Play, you choose a playlist that fits your summer vibe the best.”
FIFA Controversies
13:29 to 14:01
Gab and Jules discuss FIFA's controversies and Gianni Infantino's comments.
“FIFA president Gianni Infantino even, speaking on the eve of the World Cup, says people should, quote, chill and relax.”
World Cup Visa Controversies
14:01 to 19:41
Discussions around visa issues affecting World Cup participants and fans.
“I have a couple of things to say on this, right?”
Messi's Impact and Club Transfers
20:38 to 28:00
Analysis of Messi's performance and the latest transfer news in football.
“More concerning is that the organizers mistakenly published the players' passport numbers on the team sheets.”
Bernardo Silva and Midfield Leadership
28:00 to 30:00
Discussion on Bernardo Silva's potential impact and the need for experienced players in the squad.
“I think Bernardo Silva would be a tremendous signing for him in terms of that midfield leadership role, calm, being that positive influence.”
Elliot Anderson's Transfer Speculations
30:00 to 32:20
Debate over Nottingham Forest's rejection of a £120 million bid for Elliot Anderson and its implications.
“What makes you think that he's worth 20 more million than Declan Rice when he had that move from West Ham to Arsenal, for example?”
Juventus CEO Departure and Club Management
32:20 to 34:20
Analysis of Damien Comoli's exit from Juventus and implications for the club's future.
“Would we go to bed at a consistent time or take steps to reduce interruptions to our sleep?”
Crystal Palace's Coaching Changes
34:20 to 36:20
Discussion on the appointment of a new coach at Crystal Palace and the challenges ahead.
“I liked when they make an appointment based on what the old coach was doing and keeping the kind of similarities with the new guy that they're getting.”
Everton's Financial Penalties
36:20 to 37:40
Overview of the £40 million compensation ordered for Burnley due to Everton's financial breaches.
“Is he now at Palace, the club that John Texter helped put on the map?”
Show all 14 chapters
Rob Edwards Leaves Wolverhampton
37:40 to 39:40
Insights into Rob Edwards' departure from Wolverhampton and the club's management issues.
“We'll see how this happens, how this works out on appeal.”
Christian Eriksen's Health and Career
39:40 to 42:00
Discussion on Christian Eriksen's health concerns and his decision to continue playing.
“There's clearly something and you're not making a rational decision.”
Discussion on Midfielders and Transfers
42:00 to 44:20
The hosts discuss potential midfield signings for Manchester United, focusing on Matheus Fernandes and his value.
“I clearly like him more than you like him because I made him a high draft pick in the Gabin-Jules draft.”
Victor Munoz and Real Madrid's Strategy
44:20 to 45:58
Exploration of Victor Munoz's potential transfer to Real Madrid and the implications of his position.
“Now, they have a recompra on Victor Munoz as well.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00So good, so good, so good. New markdowns up to 70 % off are at Nordstrom Rack stores now. Stock up and stay big on shoes, tops, dresses, accessories, and more must-haves for summer. Join the Nordiclub to unlock exclusive discounts, shop new arrivals first, and more. Plus, buy online and pick up at your favorite rack store for free. Great brands, great prices. That's why you rack.
0:32I'm Gab, he's Jules. No clue about the weather in London because we don't care because we're right here in New York. That's right, the Big Apple, downtown New York Jules. This is the Gab and Jules Show presented by Gusto. So good to be here, man. It feels a little different. It feels a little hotter. But you know what? Future's bright. I've got to be wearing shades because Italy won the European men's under-17 championship. No, no, no. Just kidding. The World Cup is underway. Mexico starting with a 2-0 win over South Africa. Could have been more. Should have been more.
1:09Julien Laurens:Yeah, I think the only thing, if we want to be a little bit picky here, is that they didn't score more goals. They should have. They played for most of the second half with 11 against 10. Then even after that, 11 against 9. And even when they were two men up, they could not really create. They didn't want to look like they didn't want to attack and score more. And then in the end, they ended up losing a player themselves. And I don't know how you can get a red card when you're 11 against 9. I think, for me, that was crazy. And if you want to be a bit picky, I think they'd be frustrated and quite disappointed by that.
1:39You're talking about Cesar Montes there, of course. Tall and handsome. But, bro, you let your team down in this one. I mean, this is going to have a knock-on effect, I think, in the second game. We still expect Mexico to go through. It was funny, Joe, because to me it looked like, and we know there's pressure on them. They're a host nation. They're playing at home. They thought about execution, not screwing things up. But once you get the light of the land, once you know that South Africa are going to play in this way, you have to go out there and, I think, try to do a little more. And it sounded to me like on television there were some boos as well.
2:15Julien Laurens:I didn't hear the boos, to be fair, but I just thought they did some good stuff at times. They hit the post. They had enough chances to score three or four easily. It's more the fact that Stein wanted to control even more the game. at 11 against 9 when really they should have started attacking. They brought on some players like Vilberto Mora, for example, the young starlet who is really good. But then again, we didn't see enough of him, of his creativity, of his drive forward because he clearly found that from Javier Aguirre's point of view, the manager, the head coach, he was more like, OK, let's keep that two-knee lead.
2:46Julien Laurens:And instead, that's when actually South Africa were the most dangerous. Yeah, Mora, Vega coming on, but late, late, Jules. And I think you're right. Look, I'm not going to blame. Aguirre's been there a long time. He knows this is not a great generation for a three. He's kind of maybe caught between generations a little bit. His attitude is kind of be conservative. Don't screw this up. Get the three points. I can live with that. Nice thing about this format, though, is South Africa, Bafana, Bafana, you're not out. You're not, but you're not very good either. So you need to improve massively without two, one, especially one key player, although he had a shocker today.
3:26Julien Laurens:Citroën lost the ball on the first goal by not scanning, not receiving the ball on the half-turn, for example, which at that level, I still can't believe I'm still seeing. And then, obviously, he got himself sent off because the line defensively was not good enough. And Gutierrez was through. I'm not sure he needs to make that foul. He was a bit clumsy. And in the end, from him, from Mokoena, from Mbokazi, it was overall from those kind of leaders, it was disappointing. So they'd have to step up massively. and I'm not sure they can. I think they're quite limited. Yeah, I think like from the outsiders, from the neutrals looking at this, you know, there's going to be people talking about quality, spectacle, blah, blah, blah.
4:07Neither of these teams on paper are particularly good. This does not mean Mexico can't achieve something great in this World Cup. But if you just look at how many players out there are starters in big five European leagues, I make it one. Johan Vasquez. Am I forgetting somebody? Edson Alvarez obviously would be. Yeah, but he wouldn't start it for Mexico anyway. Raul Jimenez, maybe. Yeah, yeah. But he's not really a starter on and off, and he's older too. And I think that kind of underscores what makes this World Cup different,
4:37Julien Laurens:but it's not necessarily a bad thing. No, I don't think so. I don't think so. Let's see how South Africa pick their server, because it's not humiliating. That's a strong word. But they would feel like they didn't really do anything in this game until the last minute when they went for it, and they benefited from that kind of like known game in the end from Mexico. But they have to respond. They have to do better. And for Mexico, it's how you keep that momentum going now, going into the game against South Korea. Jules, I'm a little bit concerned that maybe I was a little too harsh on Mexico here.
5:11Why? I don't think so. Because afterwards, you pointed out all these other good things off air about Mexico in this and the curse of the fifth game. And there's a lot of pressure on them. We don't expect them to win. And we've seen better Mexico teams. But there are individuals that can make a difference. And we probably should talk about Quintero, who, of course, opened the scoring in this tournament.
5:35Julien Laurens:Yeah, Julian Quinones. I mean, Julian. Again, you know, no relation with me, really. But when Julian or Julian or whatever you want, you know, score the first tournament. You know, it's always special. had a great season in Saudi Arabia with Alcaccia in a more central role with Mexico it's a little bit different because Raul Jimenez plays that focal point sorry I don't watch as much Alcaccia as usual but for those as far as I know isn't that where Matteo Detegui plays? what in Saudi Arabia yeah so I would have thought he's the guy in the central role they play together yeah that's how he front too yeah yeah that's how he played and scored 32 goals I think in 31 games in the league this season It's been really outstanding.
6:19Julien Laurens:And he took his goal quite well, but the high recovery of the ball by Lira was obviously very important. We mentioned already the poor movement from South Africa and Sitole and all of that. There was another incident in the second half again where Williams should never play that pass. He's not even open. And Figaldo should have done better, should have scored really. But from a Mexican point of view, I think the pressure would have been high. You know how much this means. Javier Aguirre himself played the 1986 World Cup for Mexico in the same stadium. Now he's on the bench. I think Raul Jimenez, with the tears in his eyes after the goal, shows how much it means to him, to all Mexicans, to start well, especially in the Azteca, which I don't know why he's not called the Azteca here, which really annoys me.
7:02Julien Laurens:But hey, that's another of the FIFA hacks, if you want. But I thought it was good. But you're right. This is not great. They're not going to win the World Cup, Mexico. But in terms of starting in the right way, this was perfect for them, pretty much. And look, and there's a lot of other things happening on the margins of this. There were big protests outside, not so much geared against a tournament or against Infantino or whatever, but about the fact that I think it's, I mean, there were labor union protests against it disappeared, something like 130 ,000 people murdered or disappeared over the past X many years.
7:40so much has gone on in Mexico in their recent history the World Cup is also a chance for people to bring up grievances that are maybe outside football because let's face it unless you're in Mexico or the US or the neighboring countries you wouldn't necessarily know about these very serious
8:00Julien Laurens:issues. Yeah absolutely I think that's what the World Cup can do as well you're right and I think Mexicans have understood that really really well you saw the passion in the stadium, outside. They had like watch parties everywhere in the big American cities, obviously, in Texas, in here in New York, in LA as well. We've got very strong community of either Mexicans or American from Mexican descent. And that's the passion. And I think you're right. You should highlight the problem that you have in your country, as long as you do it within the rules, obviously. And the World Cup gives you that kind of platform as well.
8:32One of the interesting things too is the Mexican president, Cláudio Scheinbaum. I love politicians are still politicians you can get cynical about it but the fact that something might have been done for slightly cynical reasons I think doesn't remove its power she obviously knows that she's in a situation where politicians are going and they're sitting in the VIP seats with like FIFA royalty and whatever and with the legends we saw a whole bunch of them at this World Cup from Roberto Baggio on down so what did she do? She gave up her ticket in the VIP box she ended up watching it I'm sure in a VIP stand as well but still at the watch party I think it was in the Sokolov one of the main squares and she gave up her ticket to a 21 year old woman footballer this kind of messaging is still important
9:27Julien Laurens:yeah I think it is I think it is I think she did great there I think that we will see a lot of those kind of things through this World Cup I hope so. It's great. Where do you stand on this new kind of anthem where all the subs are there, everybody's in the middle of that pitch? It seemed to take forever today and kickoff was delayed because of it. And I don't like when kickoffs are delayed, by the way, just so you know, and you know this already. Where do you stand on that? I can understand that you want to include everybody. Great, but just keep the timing right. You don't need to be on the pitch.
9:56I feel bad because supposedly, I read in Gazette de los Sparta, I know if it's true that this was Ale del Piero's idea. Okay. we love Ale del Piero. If it wasn't your idea, if it was somebody else's, I apologize, but I'm pretty sure that's what I meant today. So, I don't want to question that, but I don't need to see that. It's like you can participate from the bench. In these World Cups now, you've got the entire squad on the bench and the kit man and whatever. Bro, you're a few steps away. You're still participating. You're still singing the anthem. You don't need to be on the pitch.
10:29Julien Laurens:Yeah, I agree. I thought it was a bit weird. You know, we saw Memo Choa, at least, who was there singing the anthem, sixth World Cup, credit to him and the longevity, special badge on his shirt as well, because you see that legacy, that World Cup legacy badge that FIFA came up with for Ochoa, for Cristiano, for Messi, for Modric, for Nagatomo, your friend, and for Manuel Neuer as well, so those players would wear a slightly different shirt than the others, but we got to see with Memo Ochoa, although he didn't play, but today that was nice. Nice to see you. Speaking of shirts, I know I have a lot of people out there who take a lot of interest in my garb and my attire.
11:04I'm just pointing something out. I had an unfortunate journey from London to Philadelphia, where I'll be based, or most of this woke up. My bags were left behind. Oh, sorry. And so I found myself hand luggage only. This was a bonus. I got out very quickly, because obviously at that point, it's hand luggage only. They said, oh, hopefully your bags will arrive the next day. And I arrive to my apartment in Center City, Philadelphia, and it's like 8 o 'clock. And there's a thunderstorm. And I realize I have no clothes for the following day. No pajamas. Well, I like to sleep. Nature, as they say. But no.
11:44A lot of people want to know that. You know, it's different strokes for different folks. But I know. So the only place that was open that sold anything resembling men's clothes. So I don't want to name them, but I'm very grateful. $15. It's a bargain. You don't have to spend a lot of money to look good. And by the way, if you're the national brand, the shop that sold me this, you want to get in touch? You want more sponsorship opportunities? You know where to find me. As you know, managing maintenance, repair, and operations is never easy. But for the ones who always rise to the challenge, Grainger has your back.
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12:45Julien Laurens:Ready to soundtrack your summer? With Red Bull Summer All Day Play, you choose a playlist that fits your summer vibe the best. Are you a festival fanatic, a deep-end DJ, a road dog, or a trail mixer? Just add a song to your chosen playlist and put your summer on track. Red Bull Summer All Day Play. Red Bull gives you wings. Visit redbull.com slash bright summer ahead to learn more. See you this summer.
13:14All right, enough, Mexico. How about some quick hits instead? Go, God. Quick Hits is brought to you by Gusto. Gusto is your small business partner for payroll, benefits, and so much more. Get started for free. at gusto.com. FIFA president Gianni Infantino even, speaking on the eve of the World Cup, says people should, quote, chill and relax. Jules Manning found this pretty tone deaf given the various controversies, including that one involving Somali referee Omar Artan, who was denied entry into the United States and will be going home.
13:48Julien Laurens:Yeah, I mean, that one on Artan's story is huge. I can't believe they didn't show more sympathy to it just basically said oh if i can't control everything i'm sorry fifa referees who've been designated for the world cup should be allowed to come to the world cup in anywhere and for me fifa lost a lot of credibility a loss of his of his owner and of his soul to be fair to a certain extent and for jani to tell us to to chill and to relax i didn't make sense for me i don't think they were the right words um and i i think he should have he should have said different stuff and reacted differently. I have a couple of things to say on this, right?
14:27So first of all, every country in the world has a right to control their borders and decide who comes in. That is more important. That trumps FIFA, if you pardon the pun. But that said, this guy was vetted. And then later, maybe they found out more information. They decide, oh no, we can't let him in now. I think it seems kind of dubious, but whatever. Maybe they did, right? There's different stories out there. I heard different things. But the thing is, if you're FIFA, the World Cup is not just in the United States. The World Cup is also in Mexico and Canada. This is your referee. He's been through the vetting process.
15:02You can go, hey, Mexico and Canada, do you want to vet this guy? Which I'm sure they already have because we didn't know he was going to be signed. You can still be a part of this World Cup. You can officiate games in Mexico and Canada. This dude was going to be like the fourth referee anyway, holding up the sign. And they didn't even do that. They just took it. The other big takeaway is this idea that Johnny's been selling us on, that he can ring up the President of the United States and the guy will always take his call and always do what he says because they have a great relationship. Maybe they have a great relationship, but it's pretty obvious who has more say and who is more important in this one.
15:42Julien Laurens:Speaking of Alton, UFR have announced that he will officiate the European Super Cup between Aston Villa and PSG in August. Because Gaber assumed this would not have happened if he hadn't been sent home and with his visa revoked from this World Cup. 100%. I'm trolling from UEFA. 100%. This is total trolling. And look, there's somebody else who would have gotten this game. It is an important game for UEFA. But UEFA sees the opportunity. Look, this guy, I think the mayor of Vancouver has invited him over. Come watch games in Vancouver, whatever. This guy is now the toast of the town. We'll find out.
16:18Obviously, but hopefully, maybe we won't find out about why the visa was revoked in the end. But yeah, this is now a major political football. This did not go well, at least in Africa, where Johnny Infantino enjoys a lot of support. And it's not lost in anybody. There's elections in 2027. FIFA are making Haiti change their official kit just a few days before their opening game against Scotland. Now, this is because on the bottom left-hand corner, there's a reference to the Battle of Vertier in 1803. Political messaging is banned. And the Battle of Vertier was where Haiti, by the way, won independence from France.
17:03I think I'm right in saying I think they're the first Francophone overseas colony to gain independence. now as a Frenchman you must be so happy because I'm sure you were so offended by the little reference to the Battle of Etienne
17:17Julien Laurens:absolutely I think it was good for them if they want to put that forward I don't see any problem with it being on the shirt why is this discussed a few days before they start the tournament like they didn't know like they didn't know because those shirts have been again all the national teams have sent their shirt first shirt, second shirt to FIFA before to avoid a clash of colours, for example, for FIFA to agree to them. And then now they realise that there's this political message. Are you sure this wasn't your mate Emmanuel Macron being so upset, sending an official protest now? I don't think so, really.
17:52Julien Laurens:And you feel bad for all the Asian fans who have bought this shirt, which will not be the shirt that the national team are going to wear at the World Cup, which is a huge occasion for them because they don't go, obviously, every four years to the World Cup. So it's huge for them. and that's what we're talking about. This is madness. It's mad, absolutely. More visa and tickets controversy, Gabi. Iran-based supporters have had their tickets cancelled. That's the first thing. And members of the official Cote d 'Ivoire supporters club are being forced to stay at home after buying their tickets because I think the visa was not granted.
18:24Julien Laurens:That's right. Their visas have not been granted. Now, again, this is the official Ivory Coast. I think they're called the Elephants, which obviously is the nickname of the national team as well. I don't get it. These people travel with Ivory Coast around the world with the Federation. Presumably you vetted them. Now these guys can't come after they bought their tickets. Now, the people in Iran, of course, they thought they bought their tickets from the Iranian Federation. As you know, in every game, I think it's 8 % of the tickets, 4 % per team are sold directly by the Federation. These are obviously the cheaper tickets.
19:01So the official reason that this hasn't gone through is, well, Iran can't pay for the tickets because right now there's a war going on, so you can't have any financial transactions between the FIFA 2026 company, which is based in the U.S., and Iran. Again, this is complete nonsense. Honestly, this is so stupid. You can easily do it via third party if you so choose, if you want these people to buy their tickets. Would they then get visas? I don't know. Maybe some of these people have dual nationality. Maybe they would get visas. Maybe they wouldn't. but you can't sell somebody something and then just revoke it.
19:36Just like that. What are we doing here?
19:38Julien Laurens:I know. I completely agree. This is mental. This episode is brought to you by State Farm. You know those friends who support your preference for podcasts over music on road trips? That's the energy State Farm brings to insurance. With over 19 ,000 local agents, they help you find the coverage that fits your needs. So you can spend less time worrying about insurance and more time enjoying the ride. Download the State Farm app or go online at statefarm.com. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. Comcast is delivering extraordinary experiences in live sports through the incredible broadcast and storytelling from NBC, innovative and personalized viewing features on Xfinity and Peacock, and the country's most reliable Wi-Fi.
20:21Viewers can enjoy every game-changing play faster and more seamlessly than ever, All in a network built to deliver unforgettable moments as close to live as possible. The ultimate experience for the American sports fan. Learn more at comcastcorporation.com slash sports. Lionel Messi comes on and scores as Argentina beat Iceland in Auburn. Josie seems fine to me. More concerning is that the organizers mistakenly published the players' passport numbers on the team sheets.
20:51Julien Laurens:I mean, I don't know how is that even possible, that you put those people's, you know, the players' passport numbers on the team sheet that was then published that and put out. That's the first thing. The second thing is obviously everybody was looking for Messi, who didn't start the game after his injury, came on and looked so good, looked so fresh again against, OK, an Icelandic team already, you know, on the beach, sure. But it was good to see him in that kind of form. I think he would have a really good workup. I don't know how far he can take this Argentina team, but he would have a great World Cup.
21:22Julien Laurens:And we saw already at the end of that game one of the images of the last few days because Daniel Gudjonsson, who is the son of Eido Gudjonsson. And the grandson of Arnar Gudjonsson. Exactly. Went to introduce himself to Leo Messi, who I think was a bit surprised at the beginning. Sorry, who are you? But then he played with his dad, now faced the son, which shows again the longevity of somebody who's going to turn 39 next month anyway. Messi might have even played with a granddad. We can't be sure. Exactly. Valentino Perez has been re-elected. as president of Real Madrid, but Gab, the margin of victory means many are seeing this as a bit of a wake-up call.
21:56Yeah, that's right. It was interesting, the Catalan press writing, Florentino wins, but Riquelme also wins. The Madrid press taking more just like, it's a wake-up call to Florentino. Margin of victory was about 2-1. He got around 66 % of the votes. A lot of people expected a blowout. Turnout, if you're wondering why it was relatively low, it often is, which seems weird to me when you dedicate so much of your life to Real Madrid, why wouldn't you go out and vote especially when you have an actual stark choice and the right to do it I think Riquelme will be emboldened in the long term, for Florentino obviously he regrets calling these elections because he's wasted time with this, but in the meantime he's been working away and in fact as we saw, he promised a big signing and presto everyone talks about them bidding he's talking about bidding for Julian Alvarez which by the way is we're Barcelona, we're not that long ago the last time we did the show before the pre-records we talked about Barcelona bidding for Julian Alvarez and Atletico Madrid's snarky responses on social media well hey, now it's Real Madrid and there's snarky responses on social media
Read the full transcript
23:08Julien Laurens:yeah and let's not make any mistake here the player and that big offer of 150 million euros that Florentino teased in the days before was not for Julian Alvarez. It was for Mikel Olisse or for Vitinha. But Florentino knew very well that those two were going to be rejected straight away, that PhD or Bayern Munich, or even the two players would not even look into it because they're never going to move this summer, even not to Real Madrid. So he thought, okay, let's do something a little bit different. They put out this very weird statement from a Real Madrid point of view, you know, thank you Atletico for being so nice and stuff to what then Atletico rebunked completely and rightly so.
23:45Julien Laurens:So I thought it was to be embarrassing from a Real Madrid and Florentino Perez point of view when this was done on, when was it, on Monday or Tuesday? Tuesday, I think it was. Because I think they just made a fool of themselves, really, and him of himself. I think if Julian Alvarez and, of course, Atleti have said that, you know, his clausula is 500 million, you can pay that if you want him. Otherwise, shut up. If he does end up going to Barcelona, because, as I said, we live in the real world, right? If he offers high enough, the man is 27 years old. It makes sense at a certain number that's not 500 billion for him to go.
24:19But if they don't end up bidding more than what Real Madrid's was, 130, 140 billion, then people are going to pay Sorrentino for bidding him up. See?
24:28Julien Laurens:Maybe. I mean, Julio Navarez is not worth nowhere near 150 million euros anywhere from nobody. I don't think he's at his age and with his profile. I don't think he's worth half that personally. But that's just me. At least now, Jose Mourinho's return to the Bernabeu is official gap. That's right. And of course, the hilarious part in all this is that it's going to cost Real Madrid$15 million, which is his release clause from Barcelona, from Benfica, instead of the$4 million because that clause lapsed. Why did the clause lapse? The clause lapsed because somebody around Madrid, whose name might be Florentino Perez, decided to run for re-election.
25:06That's an expensive re-election. Well, he's thinking, oh, I'm going to run unopposed again and we can wrap this up and we'll only pay$4 million. Guys, this$11 million is a lot of money difference. And this is not necessary. Looking at this, I have a piece up on this. I'm okay with Jose Mourinho as Real Madrid coach. I think short term, in terms of addressing, I think, some of the club's biggest problems, Jules, the lack of cohesion the discipline
25:37Julien Laurens:he can fix that yeah I think so I think yeah you're right that for that it would work for the rest for the football even for the trophies for the result I'm not sure I'm really happy to see it and how he pans out because I think he's going to be box office Hollywood popcorn anything you want for sure and I think we could have a very eventful season with him at the helm but you're right I think there's some positives with his appointment and some skepticism as well I think some of the biggest positives are he's going to have, at least initially, Florentino's 100 % backing, which is something that neither Arbeloa nor Xabi Alonso nor Carletto, at least at first and towards the end, had from the club.
26:19by the way speaking of Florentino it's all Florentino all the time wasting no time Ibrahim Konate on a free transfer from Liverpool Denzel Dumfries for his 20 million release clause
26:30Julien Laurens:they sound like bargains to me Jules not sure if they bargains Dumfries is 30 he's not a right back I don't know where you play him in this team where you already have Trent Alexander-Arnold a right back who is not really a right back either for me the Dumfries deal doesn't really make much sense he's a totally different profile than Trent. Yeah, but he's still not a right back. He's an attacking right back. No, he's a... He's a wingback. He's a wingback, exactly. He's a right wingback. That's what I meant. More than anything else, I was even going to say like a right winger, to be fair. So I'm not sure where he fits really in that.
27:08Julien Laurens:It'd be interesting for Conate. They liked him before. They thought he was going to renew at Liverpool in the end. He didn't renew at Liverpool. Could this be why he didn't renew at Liverpool? No, no, no, because he wanted to renew at Liverpool. they were really close to an agreement and then things changed a little bit. Like Real Madrid offering more money changed? No, no, no. Who can we blame here? There's got to be a reason, right? Like what changed? Well, no, I think from the agreement that they were quite close between Liverpool and Konate a couple of months ago, for example, I think some of the demands then changed slightly and Liverpool, I don't think, were ready to offer him what they had kind of tabled on earlier.
27:44Julien Laurens:And that was the thing. Real Madrid just picked him up after that because he was not going to extend at Liverpool. That's the only reason. And I think now they've stepped up their chase of Bernardo Silva as well, who's also wanted by Atlético Madrid and by Barcelona. And I wouldn't be surprised if he ended up at Real Madrid with Mourinho. I think Bernardo Silva would be a tremendous signing for him in terms of that midfield leadership role, calm, being that positive influence. Yeah, I agree. I think it would happen. Conate is coming off the worst season of his career, or certainly of his recent career.
28:16And he is 27 years old. He's not a child anymore. I think that's just something to be mindful of. But they need some older leadership to help Heysen and possibly Asensio, if he sticks around, to help them along.
28:27Julien Laurens:And Benfica Gab have already their replacement as well. That's right. Marco Silva signing a two-year deal. He's obviously coached Sporting before. I'm glad he gets a big Champions League-type club again after all these years at Fulham. It feels like for so long we've been saying, oh, look, isn't he really good? He's ready to jump to a big Premier League club. Big Premier League clubs eventually say, no, you know what? Screw this. I'm going back to Portugal. I agree. Nottingham Forest have reportedly rejected a£120 million bid from Manchester City for Elliot Anderson. Jules, how much higher is this going to go?
29:03Julien Laurens:This sounds like a lot of money. I mean, he can't go higher because he's not even worth the£120 million anyway. I don't know why, how, Forrest have rejected that. If it's true, I still cannot believe this is true, really. If you're Elliot Anderson right now and your current club, if it's true, reject that kind of money, you should be really annoyed. You should be really annoyed because there's no release clause in his contract. Okay, sure, maybe. But even you as a player with your entourage, with your agent, you know that$120 million is far above what you are really worth in that and your valuation.
29:38Julien Laurens:So, Forest should not reject that kind of money if that offer actually really happens. You know who's even more annoyed about this? Newcastle United, frankly, in this whole thing. But it is funny, though, because you look at who's more expensive in terms of midfield. There's obviously a different profile, more of a forward. But in terms of all-around midfielders, this would already be a world record. Or am I forgetting something? No, Rice and Caicedo. Rice and Delingham are in Caicedo. Yeah, that's a competition. What makes you think that he's worth 20 more million than Declan Rice when he had that move from West Ham to Arsenal, for example?
30:13Julien Laurens:Maybe he's better on the ball than Declan Rice. He's not a player that Declan Rice even was when he left West Ham to Arsenal. Fabrizio Romano reports that Damien Comoli is out as the Juventus CEO, Gab. That's right. This has been bubbling under for some time, paying the price for Lois Openda, for Jonathan David. Like, I'm not the world's biggest Kamali fan, but you can't kick him out after one year, I think, in this way, if you know kind of under the hood what happened. I think he did well to bring in Spalletto in some way, save the season. I don't quite know where they're going next. I've heard of Carnevale, who doesn't quite fill me with a lot of hope, if I were a Juve fan.
30:57it's certainly I think a hefty price to pay for Damien. Come on, I said not perfect. Yeah, yeah. But you can't just go from one year to the next. This isn't like firing coaches, frankly. Kieran McKenna is leaving Ipswich Town after leading them back to promotion in the Premier League. Joe, it's kind of a weird thing to do, no?
31:16Julien Laurens:I'm not sure, Gab, because I think he's expecting a bigger job, maybe the Fulham job, for example, although he was not their first choice, but he's on the short list. and he's had that promotion with Ipswich before. They went straight back down. That was a good experience for him, sure. But I think there's a point where maybe he felt like, you know, he could get something a bit bigger, better, where you don't actually fight to stay up, but you fight for something else, like probably a team like Fulham will offer them. So I can see it. If he doesn't get a club, then, OK, that's a bit weird. But I think he will get something.
31:47Julien Laurens:Marco Seneci has joined Tottenham on a free transfer gab and they're also being linked with Brighton centre-back Jean-Paul Van Heek. Yeah, I mean, how many center backs do you need? Now, let's just remind ourselves here, right? We have a Kuti Romero. We have Mickey Van de Veen. We have Radul Dragozin. We have Kevin Danzo. We have Marco Cinesi now. We have Yuta Takay. We have Vuzkovic. And, of course, Ben Davies, who extended for another year. I don't know what it is. I don't know what the plan is. But hey, I guess there's different ways to skin a cat, right? Yeah, exactly. Gabby, exactly. If we knew more about our sleep, what would we do differently?
32:21Would we go to bed at a consistent time or take steps to reduce interruptions to our sleep? With Sleep Score, Apple Watch measures your bedtime consistency, interruptions, and sleep duration. Then, every morning it combines these factors into an easy-to-understand score from 1 to 100. So you'll know how to take the quality of your sleep from okay to very high. Know your sleep score with Apple Watch. iPhone 11 or later required. I am one of Mochanui. On July 10th. Molly, you will board my boat and restore the heart of Te Fiti. And here we go. The journey begins. See her light up the night in the sea.
33:00She calls me. The ocean chose you. Let's go save the world. I got your back chosen one. Disney's Moana. Boat's neck. His name is Heihei. His name is Yum-Yum. When he goes in my tum-tum. In theaters July 10th. Rated PG. Parental guidance suggested. Crystal Palace are reportedly close to choosing the inimitable Stonewise, a.k.a. Piersage, to replace Oliver Glasner, Jules.
33:27Julien Laurens:This feels a little left field. Yeah, we talked about it a little bit before in previous shows. I'm very happy because I think he's earned that chance. I think Palace is a good club with a good squad, a good structure, so that he's chosen the right environment to get that chance and to take it, certainly for now. they have a greater deal with Lance for around 5 million euros for the two years left that he had on his contract he had a great season with Lance winning their first French Cup finishing second in the league pushing PSG really almost all the way in the league as well playing great football with intensity so back three so there's a lot of similarities with what Glasner used to do at Palace so I'm really happy I'm really excited we'll have two French coaches in the Premier League next season with Regis Lebris as well and I think this is great.
34:16Julien Laurens:It's great for him. It'll be a great experience. He's ready for it. And I think from a Palace point of view, I liked when they make an appointment based on what the old coach was doing and keeping the kind of similarities with the new guy that they're getting. We'll have two Italian coaches too. Just saying. That's good. Okay, sorry. I know you can cheer in here, but I'm going to talk for a second about, in some ways it makes me sad and this is not a disrespect to crystal palace but you took loans into the champions league you took loans to the finals this is as far as i can take them what it says to me is your showcase for your coaching skills is greater at a club like crystal palace who let's face it i've sold everybody who's not nailed down may yet sell adam more and may yet sell Munoz, maybe he's my Lassar, sell more talented players like they've done, or you're replacing a guy who achieved maybe the greatest results in the club's history, so it's going to be more difficult, and where even like finishing eighth is a success.
35:26I don't know. Maybe that's the state of football today, right? But wouldn't you have wanted to see Lanz, they'd have shot, they'd advance, knock around, let's see what he can do. Maybe quarter-finalists?
35:36Julien Laurens:Yeah, yeah, maybe. Maybe. Yeah, yeah. No, I would have liked him to be in the Champions League with Lens. I think the attraction from the Premier League is too big. Playing in the Europa League with Palace, OK, it's not the Champions League, but it's still the Europa League. It's still pretty good. And I just think that after his time at Lyon and then his time at Lens, he felt that in terms of Ligue 1, French football top flight, he did it all and that he didn't need to go and stay just for the eight games in the Champions League. And that could have stopped there, really. And maybe they would have qualified.
36:05Julien Laurens:He would have got a couple more. So I think he looked at it and said, okay, what's eight games compared to a contract for a really good Premier League club? I like kind of level for Palace. So I can see why, but I'm with you. I would have loved him to stay a bit longer. I'd still like to thank John Texter, by the way, for making this happen. Not a coincidence. Was he at Lyon working for Mr. Texter? Yes. Is he now at Palace, the club that John Texter helped put on the map? He was also sacked by John Texter. I'm kidding. Yes, the John Texans, of course, not very loved by Palace fans, and rightly so.
36:40Julien Laurens:A Premier League independent disciplinary commission has ruled that Everton must pay Burnley£40 million in compensation. What is this all about? So this is about the 2021-22 season. Burnley were relegated. Everton finished just above them. I think it was actually four points above them, if memory serves, something like that. But Everton were later found guilty for breaking PSR rules. in November 2023. They were docked points. And apparently Burnley said, well, wait a minute. You were found guilty and docked points in a different season. This has got nothing to do with us. If you were effectively cheating by overspending and taking this punishment, this came at our expense and we were relegated.
37:28We deserve compensation. So the Premier League puts together an independent tribunal. And by the way, I give credit to the Premier League because these guys really are independent if they can come up with something like this this seems to me absolutely demented 40 million pounds and they calculate interest and whatever this sets a really really bad precedent i think uh i mean i can see why burnley are agreeing yeah you can 100 percent now i'm the they're gonna have more real-time punishments now whatever but this sets a big precedent because we can think of another big case that's out there involving another club maybe the club where Pep Guardiola used to work, where if they're found guilty, does this then open up the door for what, billions of compensation?
38:08Julien Laurens:Yeah, exactly. It's a big number. We'll see how this happens, how this works out on appeal. Rob Edwards has left Wolverhampton Wanderers' jewels. Now, again, I wouldn't talk about this because they relegated, they're a championship now, baby. But this is really weird because they did such a song and dance about getting him out of Middlesbrough and stuff like that. So acrimonious. Spent money on him. They let him negotiate to bring in Kieran Trippier, to bring in Raul Jimenez, to bring him back to Wolves, in fact. And now all of a sudden, he's gone. What's going on? Yeah, the disagreement between him and the people running the club above him.
38:45Julien Laurens:And we know, you know, Uncle George and his position. And by the way, the replacement for Rob Edwards is one of George Mendes' clients. Peixoto, Cesar Peixoto who did really well with Gilles Vicente last season in the Portuguese top flight taking them to sixth place which is a bit of an achievement in itself but it's really hard to understand you brought him back to the club, Rob Edwards because that's his club he coached there before, he played there before he's from there and you said that even if you go down which was very likely even when he took over after leaving Middlesbrough really aggrieved Middlesbrough by the way and some might say it's karma I don't know.
39:26Julien Laurens:You can be the judge of that. But suddenly now, when they were saying that he was preparing for the life in the championship to go back straight up, well, now he's preparing for watching the World Cup on his sofa because he's got nothing else to do. And the show, the Gabon Jules show. Jules, I think you nailed it. Something must have happened. Ah, sure. There's clearly something and you're not making a rational decision. You're making a decision based on emotion. Now, it doesn't mean decisions based on emotion are wrong. Maybe you feel so disrespected by Rob Edwards that you feel the need to get rid of them.
39:56But surely, from a planning sense, from a business sense, and look, while I love to blame everything on Uncle George, and I think it's unconscionable how you can have an obvious walking, talking conflict of interest that is the ownership structure at Wolverhampton Wanderers, this is nothing to do. Uncle George was involved when they brought Rob Edwards back as well. Yeah, of course. So you can't have it both ways.
40:19Julien Laurens:You can't just say, oh, this is all Uncle George's fault. Yeah, I agree. Horrible sense of déjà vu, Gab, with Christian Eriksen. But this time, it's different, he says. Yeah, look, he played obviously in the friendly between Ukraine and Denmark. 65th minute, he goes down. And you're remembering what happened in the Euros. Apparently, it's not like that. He's already working on his return. He's got plenty of time to work on it. Of course, Denmark not at the World Cup. But, like, I've said this before. and look, you're the medically adjacent one here. The man is playing with effectively a defibrillator in his heart.
41:00It's something which you're not allowed to do in many countries, including Italy, where he used to play. It's your life. You can go and make your own decisions. Everybody has their own tolerance for risk. I personally am not comfortable for it. And I don't know that I'm comfortable about the message it sends to other people as well.
41:20Julien Laurens:Yeah, I agree. And you wonder if it's really worth it from Christian Ereksen's point of view to put your life at risk like that. And he says he's under control. He even talked about it with his Wolfsburg teammates when he joined Wolfsburg at the start of the season to say to them, listen, this could happen. I could collapse again. But this time will be different. It's still scary scenes. I think if you're even a teammate or somebody quite close to him when this happened, that can freak you out massively. So if he wants to continue playing, he will be here at the World Cup. I don't know how much he will take part of or not.
41:52Julien Laurens:Personally, I would not take the risk, I think.
41:57Mateusz Fernandes continues to be linked with Manchester United, Jules. Can you imagine the Fernandes brothers? No, they're not really brothers. But in terms of talent, they might be. The asking price is£85 million. I clearly like him more than you like him because I made him a high draft pick in the Gabin-Jules draft. And you're like, what? No, I like him too. You don't like him as much as I do.
42:21Julien Laurens:Yeah, I thought you went really high on him and certainly he's not worth£85 million. So he was one of the bright... Jason Wilcox, obviously, likes him too. Yeah, he was one of the rare, bright spots of the West Ham season. Obviously, now that they go down, he will not play in the championship. He's too good for that. Sure. I think there's a player in the making there. The potential is huge. Not for that kind of money. But if you're United, you've signed Edison for a really good deal. We mentioned that already in Puvio. If you can get a good deal for Matheus Fernandes, sure, go there. I think other clubs are also looking at the situation, but not for 85 million.
42:57So I find this really interesting just on the United midfield because, you know, we all agreed, what's that? They need to bring in two midfielders. So you're going to have a main rotation of three guys. None of them named Manuel Ugarte, but it's going to be Kavi Manu and it's going to be Ederson in the third profile. Is he the right third profile to complete the three?
43:16Julien Laurens:I would have thought you'd be going for somebody more like Ugarte, but not Ugarte. Exactly. I think for me, there's similarities between Meynou and Matheus Fernandes in the way they play, even in the... Matheus Fernandes is a little more athletic. Yeah, but not that much, really, I think. And I agree with you. I think the other one should be a slightly different profile, but maybe that can work. And again, I think there's a player in Matheus Fernandes that you can really develop into something quite special, and all-arounder that could be really interesting. Again, for me, not at that point. Yeah, and to be clear, Edison can do the defensive side, but that's only part of his game.
43:54And if you get him just to do the... I mean, you know, he wasn't the main defensive guy at Atalanta. If you want to get him just to do that, then, you know, that's kind of like buying a Ferrari to go do your shopping at the corner shop. That makes sense.
44:08Julien Laurens:Newcastle have reportedly put in a bid for Osasuna's Victor Munoz. Gabriel Madrid are also watching because... By the way, when we mentioned Real Madrid signings earlier, we haven't mentioned the most important one of all. That, of course, is the magnificent Nico Pass with his 9 million euro recompra, coming back home. Now, they have a recompra on Victor Munoz as well. It's a little more complicated. It's 40 million euros, reportedly, or they can get 50 % of the sell-on. What they cannot do is sign him for 40 million and then immediately sell him for like 60 million somewhere else. That's actually banned by the rules.
44:46I think he's a phenomenal player. Arguably the best player in La Liga last season outside of, if you want, the big three, four clubs. The man's problem is that he's a left winger. And I don't mean politically. I mean on the pitch. And you've got Vini in that position. And you've got potentially Mbappe in that position. It's an interesting one. Vini's contract. Vini's had a contract in 2027. if I'm Real Madrid I would go to Osasuna go to Victor Munoz and say bro just stay there just accept another year we'll cross that bridge if Vini doesn't extend with us if we move Vini whatever then you're coming here and I would go to Osasuna and say the same thing 30 million is ridiculous wait for us we'll give you 40 million right but you're very like this guy
45:32Julien Laurens:yeah absolutely I love this guy he's at the World Cup here with Spain I think he might have a role to play and if he does well I could add a few millions to the price as well but I like also the fact that Newcastle have looked at this, who to replace Anthony Gordon and when for him, because I think there's something very interesting and very smart in the way they've done that instead of going for, I don't know, let's say like a Barcola that a lot of people are linked with because we know he's kind of the market. I like the thinking from a Newcastle point of view on this one. Yeah, Barcola older would have been maybe what, two, three times more expensive and is already a much higher wages.
46:03So, Jules, this brings us to an end, but we are here at the FIFA World Cup 2026. I'm excited, I'm hyped, I'm amped My heroes are on all these stands, but some of them are not So, shall we come back and do this again? I think we should, guys We will be with you regularly during the World Cup So thanks for joining us Thanks for tuning into the Gab and Jewel Show presented by Gusto Gusto is your small business partner for payroll benefits and so much more Get started for free at Gusto.com Like I said, we're going to be back on Monday we will have been to our first games. Until then, love the game.
46:43Love your neighbor. Love yourself.
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From the publisher
Gab Marcotti and Julien Laurens are in New York as Mexico beat South Africa in the World Cup curtain-raiser. The guys discuss the game and break down some of the biggest stories in world football.
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