Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now!

Bigger Cup is up and running, baby, as we officially wave goodbye to “last season” and welcome “this season”. The question of when we enter a new campaign is eternally asked; it’s like the quandary of where the north of England starts (anything above Bristol Stoke, if you were wondering), and Football Daily is happy to provide the definitive answer of … roundabout now. Tuesday’s first qualifying round second legs brought the drama Uefa desperately needs to make the competition entertaining before the drudge of matches from September to January. Unfortunately for the suits in Switzerland, almost certainly none of the teams currently playing in the qualifying rounds will reach the league stage but we should let Hamrun Spartans, Lincoln Red Imps and Drita dream … for a bit. At the same time, the prospect of facing Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool and FC Basel is over for another year for the likes of The New Saints, Differdange 03 and Virtus, who will have to wipe away the tears, pull their socks up and go again in Tin Pot.

Apropos the article on Puma’s deal with Manchester City (yesterday’s Football Daily), a shout out please for their retro-inspired 2025-26 strips produced for Port Vale’s 150th anniversary. Pleasingly sponsor-free and designed by supporters (OK, the boss’s son) rather than some PR wonk, they are the absolute business” – Rob Ford.

Re: yesterday’s Football Daily letters. For the last 30 years I’ve lived roughly a Rory Delap throw-in away from the Auld Triangle/Plimsoll in Finsbury Park. On a visit to the Irish Emigration Musuem in Dublin a few years ago, my daughter was surprised to see a faithful reproduction of the pre-gastro incarnation set up as an example of the type of pub that the Irish diaspora has created around the world. I’ve no idea if it is still an exhibit there, but possibly worth a trip for anyone who misses the old days. I don’t think they have a replica Robbie doing the quiz, mind” – Brendan Mackinney.

This is an extract from our daily football email … Football Daily. To get the full version, just visit this page and follow the instructions.

• All the latest Euros news and quarter-final buildup

• Schedule | Top scorers | Player guide | Mail Emillia

Some transfer/contract news for you now as Ethan Nwaneri is poised to sign a new deal with Arsenal despite receiving interest from other clubs.

Meanwhile, Brentford are pushing to sign Omari Hutchinson.

Today’s rumours are drying off

Liverpool are interested in signing Newcastle’s Alexander Isak for a whopping £120m, but it’s always good to have a backup because the world of transfers is never a straightforward place. Plan B comes in the form of Ollie Watkins and a call has been made from Anfield to Aston Villa to check on the England forward’s availability and price tag. Plans C, D and E are also known; Napoli’s Victor Osimhen, Brentford’s Yoane Wissa and Real Madrid’s Rodrygo are of some degree of interest to Arne Slot.

Amid all the shenanigans relating to Morgan Gibbs-White and Tottenham, Nottingham Forest are in the market for a replacement. Aston Villa’s Jacob Ramsey is a candidate to replace him and his current employer would consider selling him to help satisfy those pesky profitability and sustainability rules because any fee would be pure moolah in the account as he is an academy graduate.