Crystal

Following a four-season absence from the WSL, Birmingham are back, having won Women’s Super League 2 last season.

The Blues edged a thrilling title fight with Palace and Charlton, clinching the trophy on goal difference by winning at The Valley on final day.

They showed quality going forward and in defence, scoring the second-most goals and conceding the second-fewest.

They also finished with the league’s best goal difference, while striker Lily Crosthwaite picked up her award for WSL 2 player of the year last week.

Among six new signings, head coach Amy Merricks has recruited experienced centre-back Millie Turner, who made 145 WSL appearances in eight seasons at Manchester United, has two England caps and is the new Blues captain.

She will play alongside talented 23-year-old Neve Herron, who was named in the WSL 2 Team of the Year.

“There’s going to be challenges, there’s going to be moments, highs and lows, but come that first game of the season, we’re going to be ready,” Herron told BBC Sport.

Rayan Cherki refuses to hide his emotions, an open book for all to see and hear in times of joy and disappointment.

Moments after Manchester City had put down their first heavyweight marker of the post-Pep Guardiola era by brushing aside Crystal Palace, he was asked live on TV how much he enjoyed the game. Rather than providing the usual textbook answer, he instead gave a colourfully uncomplimentary – and unprintable – description of his own first-half performance.

Erling Haaland, standing alongside Cherki as he waited to hand over the player-of-the-match award, could only laugh at the France attacker’s sweary honesty.

Indeed, the 23-year-old also refuses to hide his talent, making a nonsense of his self-criticism by unveiling a Selhurst Park masterclass with two brilliant second-half goals in the 4-1 victory.

Cherki made his impact under Guardiola last season, although there was always a feeling the mercurial signing from Lyon for a bargain £30m could produce more. He made 33 Premier League appearances – but 14 of those were as a substitute.

And there is a sense that he already has something to prove under new boss Enzo Maresca amid City’s vast attacking resources, coming off the bench to assist the two late goals that gave them victory against Bournemouth on the opening weekend.

Cherki was seen in animated conversation with Maresca after the final whistle, but his reward was a start at Selhurst Park and he delivered the sort of irresistible performance he, as well as City, needed.

Winning tip: a bird’s-eye view of wild Croatia

Giant griffon vultures glided parallel with my bus as it reached the highest point of Cres, the least populated of the four main islands in the Kvarner Gulf at the very north of the Croatian Adriatic. Covered in scrubby heath, olive groves and lavender, with small towns and villages on its coastline, its wildness is its appeal. Some, like Cres town, are unobtrusively set up for holidaymakers; in others local people just quietly get on with the life they’ve lived since the Venetians ruled here. All are lapped by the turquoise, crystal seas Croatia is known for.
Rhiannon

Swimming off the Kerry coast

Earlier this summer, my sister and I took a road trip along the south-west coast of Ireland. Our favourite place was Valentia island, a small land mass slightly off the more touristy Ring of Kerry, accessed via a bridge to the south and a ferry to the north. Head for Glanleam beach, an idyllic secluded cove surrounded by rich vegetation, which looks out on to the mountains of the Dingle peninsula, and take a dip in the Atlantic. Like us, you’ll probably want to return the next day and do it again.
Ellie

Going back in time in Greece

Between Rhodes and Crete, Karpathos slips under the radar: no package crowds, just goats, wildflowers and twisting mountain roads that cling to the cliffs. The remote village of Olympos feels frozen in time, its older women still in traditional dress, drying pasta-like makarounes in the open air. Apella and Achata rank among Europe’s finest beaches, with turquoise water backed by unspoilt pine-covered mountainsides. Hotel Lefkorama provides a spectacular valley-to-sea view and a breakfast feast of fruit, jams, yoghurt and freshly baked bread. End the day at a family-run taverna, sipping local wine as the sun drops into the Aegean.
Stephen and Luca

A car-free outpost off Brittany

After an exciting 60-minute ferry crossing from Audierne, which includes the Pointe du Raz where currents off the Breton coast create weird wave formations that carry bemused seabirds in opposite directions even when they are only feet apart, you arrive on the Île de Sein, an island mostly only 1.5 metres above sea level. There are no cars and you can walk the entire island in a couple of hours. We loved the cowrie shell-rich beaches and plants forming carpets over pebbles. There is plenty of history here, an impressive lighthouse and a handful of stylish cafes (we had crepes in Chez Bruno). We felt very jealous of those people who had bags to stay the night.
Miles

Castles and cocktails in Italy

Jauntily perched off the north-east coast of Sicily, Lipari has an energy to it that perhaps comes from its volcanic origins. It is the largest of the Aeolian islands and great fun to visit. Lipari town hugs the water and is dominated, Game of Thrones-style, by a brooding castle. The cathedral and the archaeological museum, with its ancient statues and artefacts, are worth checking out. My family and I enjoyed taking part in the evening passeggiata, sipping island-themed cocktails – the worryingly named Volcano, for example – or eating delicious gelatos. The Corso Vittorio Emanuele II is lined with restaurants down to the picturesque port of Marina Corta. We swam on the nearby beaches of Papesca and Porticello – the rocky white seabed and clear waters create a magical shimmering sea that enticed us in hour after hour.
April

Lanzarote’s quiet, tiny neighbour

Most visitors to La Graciosa arrive from Lanzarote for the day, but if you stay overnight it becomes wonderfully peaceful. This tiny volcanic island feels different from the rest of the Canaries, with sandy, largely traffic-free streets in Caleta de Sebo. Swim or snorkel in the clear turquoise water, walk or cycle among the volcanic peaks and enjoy fresh fish in the village. You can take a boat around the coast or simply find a quiet stretch of sand. By evening, the island feels a world away from the busy resorts of Lanzarote – exactly what an island escape should be.
Susanna

Puffin-watching in Pembrokeshire

My absolute favourite island trip is seeing the puffins off the coast of Skomer in Pembrokeshire. Arriving at an unassuming pier (and getting on a somewhat unassuming boat), we were slightly unsure about whether the planned family outing would succeed or flop. But, in fact, Dr Samuel Johnson’s quote should be amended: a man who is tired of watching puffins is tired of life. A few hours spent on the Welsh coastline watching potentially the world’s most joyful bird can cure many an ill.
Rosie

Medieval city walls and fossils in the Baltic

Gotland is a magical island in the Baltic. Get there via a three-hour ferry from Nynäshamn, south of Stockholm. The main town, Visby, is a perfectly preserved medieval dream complete with wraparound city walls, cobbled streets and no cars. Take the bus and ferry to the island of Fårö, hire bikes and cycle to the famous rauks – massive limestone columns by the sea. It’s also a fantastic place for fossil hunting as the whole island was once a coral reef.
Gaynor

Walk around meteorite craters in Estonia

On the Estonian island of Saaremaa, you can walk around meteorite craters. The nine Kaali craters were formed when meteorites crashed into the island about 3,500 years ago. The area later became a cult site, with archaeological finds suggesting animal offerings, and has been linked to old Finnic tales of the sun falling from the sky. The tiny Meteoritics Museum costs just €2 (£1.70). Cosmic drama on a very Estonian budget.
Elina

Indeed, sources suggest there is some sympathy with Mateta, even in the light of the contractual dispute, amid a feeling the striker could have been advised differently, though supporters on social media have been far less compassionate towards him.

Employment lawyer Libby Payne said: “It is possible to argue that the terms of the option are inherently unfair and therefore void, although the threshold for this is high and such challenges rarely succeed.”

So with just eight days left of the transfer window left, you cannot help but wonder if this once happy marriage is heading towards divorce.

There is said to be interest from rival clubs heading into the deadline; Aston Villa are among the clubs credited with an admiration for Mateta, with Ollie Watkins’ future in doubt at the midlands club.

Despite his efforts to prove otherwise, Mateta still has 10 months left on his contract.

That is significant for a number of reasons.

It means if Palace are to recoup any money in transfer fees for Mateta before he is eligible to sign a Bosman pre-contract with an overseas club in January, then this window provides their last opportunity to do so.

That fact will not be lost on those at Palace and there is a view from some at the club that they should look to sever ties in the coming days.

But with Mateta less than 12 months away from a free transfer, which would most likely be more financially lucrative for him than leaving for a fee this month, it would be understandable if the striker was not rushing out of the exit door.

Palace have attempted to renew Mateta’s contract over the past the 12 months but to no avail.

And while the option of an extension cannot be completely discounted, it seems inconceivable that Mateta would U-turn now given the lengths he has gone to to prove his current one is invalid.

Palace are likely to, at the very least, listen to offers for Mateta, who – by his actions – has indicated he views his future away from Selhurst Park.