Watkins

FEARNE Cotton has admitted she’s not sleeping well and her brain “feels a bit wobbly” – after it was revealed her paedo ex Ian Watkins was killed in prison. 

Two prisoners serving time at HMP Wakefield were arrested this week for the alleged murder of the shamed Lostprophets singer after he was stabbed to death. 

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Fearne, 44, was rumoured to be dating Ian – who was 48 at the time of his death – in 2005, before he was jailed for 29 years in 2013 for offences including abusing babies.

Now the presenter has opened up about the struggles she’s been facing recently. 

Writing on Instagram, Fearne said: “Four life lessons from this week. 

“I’m not sleeping well. My brain is a bit wobbly at the moment but I’m grasping the lessons life is chucking my way.”

Fearne was flooded with support from followers and friends, including fellow presenter Holly Willoughby. 

Holly, 44, commented: “Love you Cotton Chops.” 

The two stars, who have been friends for 17 years after starting their careers hosting kids’ TV, are said to have reconnected last year after drifting apart. 

They worked together on Celebrity Juice but reportedly grew apart when Fearne quit the show in 2018. 

Meanwhile Ian is understood to have been ambushed and stabbed as inmates were allowed out of their cells.

West Yorkshire Police confirmed Watkins had died after being “seriously assaulted”.

The force said: “Detectives have charged two men with murder after the death of a prisoner at HMP Wakefield on Saturday.

“Ian Watkins, 48, was pronounced dead after being seriously assaulted at HMP Wakefield on Saturday morning(11 October).

“Rashid Gedel, 25, and Samuel Dodsworth, 43, both of HMP Wakefield have both been charged with murder.

“They are due to appear at Leeds Magistrates Court this morning.”

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THOMAS TUCHEL has ruled Ollie Watkins out of England’s upcoming World Cup qualifier against Latvia.

The 29-year-old suffered a knock during a friendly against Wales on Thursday.

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He collided with a goalpost while sliding in to connect with a cross just six minutes before half-time.

The Aston Villa man was initially able to continue, but made way for Marcus Rashford at half-time.

Now, the striker has been ruled out of Tuesday’s clash with Latvia.

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USC women’s basketball star JuJu Watkins will miss the upcoming college basketball season as she recovers from the serious knee injury she sustained during the NCAA tournament in March.

Watkins said in an announcement on social media that she planned to take the 2025-26 season to “fully focus on continuing to recover so I can come back to the game I love.”

“The last few months have been filled with a lot of healing, rest and reflection,” Watkins said in a statement. “Recovering from this injury hasn’t been easy, and I want to say thank you — your love, support and kind words have truly lifted me up during one of the most challenging times in my life.”

Watkins was in the midst of a stellar sophomore season when her knee buckled on a breakaway during the second round of the NCAA tournament. The injury proved to be a devastating blow to USC’s title hopes, as the Trojans eventually lost in the Elite Eight to Connecticut.

There was a glimmer of hope that Watkins might be able to return for a potential postseason run in March 2026, a full year after her injury. Two orthopedic surgeons told The Times at the time that she’d require upwards of 12 months to recover.

“There’s going to be a lot of differences from person to person in that recovery process,” said Dr. Gabriella Ode, an orthopedic surgeon who serves as the team physician for the New York Liberty. “There’s nothing wrong even with a 12-month recovery. I want to be very explicit about that. There are many people who it takes 12 months.”

Any speculation that Watkins might return sooner than that ended Sunday, more than a month before the start of the women’s college basketball season.

USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said in a statement that the program would “fully support her decision to focus on recovery this season.”

“While we will certainly miss her impact on the court, she continues to play a vital role in our program as a leader and teammate. The strength and maturity she has shown through this process is a reflection of who she is.”

Her impact won’t be easily replaced. But the arrival of another top prospect, Jazzy Davidson, should help fill some of the void.

“No one is filling JuJu’s shoes,” Gottlieb said earlier this month. “Those are unique shoes. But the fact that Jazzy can step into our program and already just make a really unique and incredible impression on everybody is pretty wild. She’s really, really good.”

In two seasons at USC, Watkins has been nothing short of a phenomenon, both on and off the court.

A Compton native, Watkins arrived at USC in 2023 intent on helping build the program back up, and within one season had helped turn the Trojans into national title contenders. As a sophomore, she won the Wooden Award, the Naismith Trophy, Big Ten Player of the Year and became the first USC player ever named the Associated Press player of the year. She also powered USC to a Big Ten title in its first season in the conference, all while becoming the fastest Trojan ever to 1,000 career points, a mark that she surpassed early in her sophomore year.

Upon her return as a senior, Watkins technically would still have two years of eligibility remaining. But the Trojan superstar is almost certain to declare for the WNBA draft when she’s first eligible in 2027.

When Morgan Rogers handed Ollie Watkins the ball, the Holte End chanted the striker’s name.

Seconds after his weak penalty was saved by Bologna’s Lukasz Skorupski, Watkins’ name was again chanted in support.

The England striker is enduring a 10-game goal drought for club and country at a time when Villa need him at his sharpest, despite Thursday’s Europa League win.

His nine games without scoring in the club shirt is the joint longest he has gone without a goal in his Villa career, having previously had nine-game dry spells in 2020-21 and 2022-23.

His second-half spot kick was the ideal chance to end that but the scuffed strike lacked confidence and allowed Skorupski to save with his legs.

Watkins has now failed to score three of his last five penalties for Villa, including missing in the Champions League against Celtic last season.

Ultimately – thanks to Marco Bizot’s late save from Martin Vitik – it mattered little as Villa earned their first win of the season thanks to John McGinn’s early strike.

It allowed boss Unai Emery to relax after victory and assert with confidence that Watkins will end his drought.

“He didn’t score, okay, it doesn’t matter, the goal is coming through the work he did today,” Emery said.

“I am happy because he played doing his task. He worked, this is the most important.

“He pressed, he was getting in duels, he got chances, he got a penalty, he missed but the most important [thing] is how he played in 30 minutes doing his task and he did a fantastic job.

“He has to feel after each match like I am feeling now, be happy because he did his work. He has to feel the same and if he is scoring he is going to feel better.

“The most important thing is how he is working in his tasks for the team. Today he played a good match, not enough because he didn’t score but he played good. This is the first step.”

Watkins’ struggles can be charted back to the second half of last season when he scored just four times in Villa’s final 19 games.

The 29-year-old started 13 of those but was left out of the starting line ups for their Champions League quarter-final defeat by Paris St-Germain, playing just 25 minutes across both legs.

This season he has missed all five of his big chances, has managed just 40 touches in the opposition’s box across his nine appearances and is averaging less than one shot on target per game.

Manchester United are willing to accept a reduced fee in the region of £17m for Jadon Sancho, 25, with Borussia Dortmund and Juventus interested in the England winger. (Mail), external

United have ended their interest in Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson, 24, with the Senegal forward demanding too much in wages. (Mirror), external

Napoli want Manchester City midfielder Jack Grealish, 29, but would struggle to meet his wage demands, and also have Chelsea and England winger Raheem Sterling, 30, and Manchester United’s Argentina forward Alejandro Garnacho, 21, on their list of targets. (Gazzetta dello Sport – in Italian), external

United are keen to offload Garnacho and have spoken to Aston Villa and Chelsea about the possibility of striking a deal. (Independent) , external

Everton are prioritising a move for Juventus and Brazil midfielder Douglas Luiz, 27, before acting on their interest in Grealish. (GiveMeSport), external

Manchester United have placed Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins, 29, at the top of a two-man striker shortlist with RB Leipzig and Slovenia frontman Benjamin Sekso, 22, the second option. (Sun), external

Manchester City have informed German goalkeeper Stefan Ortega, 32, that he can leave the club following the arrival of James Trafford from Burnley. (Fabrizio Romano), external

West Ham are eyeing Portuguese midfielder Fabio Vieira, 25, who joined Arsenal in 2022 but spent last season on loan at Porto. (Ben Jacobs), external

Manchester City and England midfielder Kalvin Phillips, 29, wants to reunite with boyhood club Leeds. (Football Insider), external

Liverpool have reached an agreement to sign 17-year-old striker Will Wright from Salford City. (Athletic – subscription required), external

Portuguese side Famalicao are interested in Tottenham’s English midfielder Tyrese Hall, 19, who attracted interest from Championship clubs in January. (Sky Sports), external

Liverpool are ready to break the British transfer record again for Alexander Isak, but Al-Hilal are also preparing a huge bid for the Sweden striker, while Newcastle are lining up Benjamin Sesko as a potential replacement, plus more.

Liverpool are poised to make a British record bid for Newcastle and Sweden striker Alexander Isak, 25. (Mail+ – subscription required), external

But Saudi side Al-Hilal are also currently preparing a bid, understood to be more than £130m, for Isak after he was omitted from Newcastle’s squad for their pre-season tour of Singapore. (Talksport), external

Chelsea and Manchester United have ruled out a move for Isak, with the latter having already spent big on Brazil forward Matheus Cunha, 26, and Cameroon international Bryan Mbeumo, 25. (Mail), external

Newcastle have turned their attention to Slovenian international Benjamin Sesko with the 22-year-old RB Leipzig striker the main target should Isak leave. (ipaper), external

Aston Villa have told Manchester United striker Ollie Watkins is not for sale, despite interest in the 29-year-old Englishman from the Old Trafford club. (Telegraph – subscription required), external

Newly promoted Leeds United have agreed a deal with Lyon for goalkeeper Lucas Perri worth £15.6m, with the 27-year-old Brazilian expected to undergo a medical at the Whites’ pre-season training camp in Germany. (Mail), external

Bayern Munich are set to bid again for Liverpool and Colombia winger Luis Diaz. The Merseyside club are aware of the 28-year-old’s desire to leave and talks will continue. (Fabrizio Romano), external

Liverpool have offered French defender Ibrahima Konate, 26, a new contract to fend off interest from Real Madrid, who are keen to sign him this summer or next. (Footmercato – in French), external

Brazil international Douglas Luiz, 27, failed to report for the first day of pre-season training at Juventus on Thursday as West Ham, Everton and Liverpool all have interest in the midfielder. (Gazetta dello Sport – in Italian), external

Chelsea’s English winger Raheem Sterling, 30, has emerged as one of a number of forward targets for Italian champions Napoli. (Calciomercarto – in Italian), external

Liverpool attacker Harvey Elliott is open to leaving the Anfield club, with interest in the 22-year-old England youth international from West Ham. (Metro), external

Spurs are considering a £15m offer from LAFC for captain Son Heung-min as the 33-year-old South Korean mulls over his future. (Sun), external

Real Madrid are open to loaning 19-year-old forward Endrick to another team to avoid hindering his progress, but the Brazilian would prefer to fight for his place at the Bernabeu. (ESPN), external

Liverpool expected to rival Newcastle for Hugo Ekitike, Reds also interested in Ollie Watkins and Victor Osimhen, and Eintracht Frankfurt reject Magpies’ written offer for Ekitike.

Liverpool are expected to rival Newcastle United for Eintracht Frankfurt’s French striker Hugo Ekitike, 23, after being told Sweden striker Alexander Isak, 25, is not for sale in this window. (Sky Sports) , external

The Magpies feel the leaking of Liverpool’s £120m interest into the public domain is designed to unsettle Isak. (Telegraph – subscription required), external

As well as Ekitike, Liverpool have also made enquiries about four other attackers in case they are unable to secure a deal for Isak – Aston Villa‘s Ollie Watkins, 29, Napoli‘s Victor Osimhen, 26, Yoane Wissa of Brentford, 28, and Real Madrid‘s Rodrygo, 24. (Mail+ – subscription required), external

Meanwhile, Frankfurt are understood to have rejected an offer from Newcastle worth £69m for Ekitike. (Sky Sports Germany) , external

Napoli have informed Liverpool a deal for Uruguay striker Darwin Nunez, 26, can be considered off. (Fabrizio Romano) , external

Colombia winger Luis Diaz, 28, has made it clear he wants to leave the Reds after the club rejected a £58.6m bid from Bayern Munich. (Athletic – subscription required), external

Leeds United have reached an agreement in principle for Newcastle’s 27-year-old English midfielder Sean Longstaff. (Athletic – subscription required) , external

Tottenham are rivalling Inter Milan to sign 23-year-old Belgium defender Koni de Winter. (i paper) , external

Bournemouth are holding out for £59m for Ukraine centre-back Illia Zabaryni, 22, who is wanted by Paris St-Germain. (Independent), external

Chelsea are ready to begin a summer clearout with Portugal forward Joao Felix, 25, in talks over a return to Benfica and France’s Christopher Nkunku, 27, also set to leave. (Standard), external

Manchester United have registered their interest in signing Juventus and Brazil midfielder Douglas Luiz this summer, with Everton also keen on the 27-year-old. (Football Insider) , external

Liverpool and France centre-back Ibrahima Konate, 26, has rejected a lucrative approach from the Saudi Pro League. (Mirror) , external

The Reds have put a £43.5m price tag on Konate for any clubs interested this summer. (AS – in Spanish) , external

Sassuolo and Italy striker Andrea Pinamonti is attracting interest from West Ham, with London rivals Brentford also enquiring about the 26-year-old. (Standard), external

There is interest from Leeds United in signing Spain striker Gonzalo Garcia, 21, on loan from Real Madrid. (TBR Football), external

Nottingham Forest have made Aston Villa and England Under-21s midfielder Jacob Ramsey, 24, their number one target this window. (Telegraph – subscription required), external

Newcastle are aiming to tie up a deal for Burnley‘s English goalkeeper James Trafford, 22, as early as next week and remain in talks with Nottingham Forest for Sweden winger Anthony Elanga, 23. (i paper), external

Japan winger Kaoru Mitoma, 28, has told Brighton he wants to stay at the club and sign a new deal despite being linked with Bayern Munich (Sky Sports), external

Nice goalkeeper Marcin Bulka, 25, is set to join Saudi Arabian side Neom, despite Sunderland having a £12.8m bid accepted for the Poland international. (Meczyki – in Polish), external

Sunderland have turned their attention to signing Chelsea’s Serbian goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic, 25, but face competition from Aston Villa and Bournemouth. (Times), external

The Black Cats are also nearing the capture of Union Saint-Gilloise’s DR Congo player Noah Sadiki, 20, who can play in defence or midfield. (Sunderland Echo), external

Italy striker Ciro Immobile, 35, is to terminate his contract with Turkish club Besiktas and join Bologna on a free transfer. (Corriere dello Sport – in Italian), external

Valencia’s Spanish defender Cristhian Mosquera, 21, has turned down a lucrative new contract with the La Liga club because he wants to join Arsenal. (Las Provincias – in Spanish), external

Wolves defender Nasser Djiga, 22, might join Rangers on loan for the season having made just five Premier League appearances after joining in February. (Express and Star), external

Lyon have set a price of at least £51.5m for 20-year-old Malick Fofana with Premier League clubs Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Fulham and Nottingham Forest joining continental sides Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig and Napoli in the race for the Belgium winger. (Independent, external)

Chelsea have held talks with Borussia Dortmund over a potential deal for 21-year-old Soumaila Coulibaly, with the French centre-back likely to be sent on loan to Strasbourg next season by the Blues. (Sky Sports, external)

Werder Bremen have a strong interest in Leeds United centre-back Max Wober, 27, with permanent and loan options under discussion for the Austria international. (Sky Sports, external)