Latest news with #Posh
The National
4 days ago
- Sport
- The National
What Rangers fans would love about EPL-destined Kwame Poku
Gers are one of several, believed to be up to 30, clubs interested in doing a deal for Posh winger Poku with his contract expiring. He would be able to move to Scotland on the cheap, around £300,000, due to cross-border rules while English clubs interested would have to stump up significantly more. The 23-year-old had an outstanding season in League One with 23 goal contributions and that attracted the attention of the likes of Birmingham, who are Championship-bound and have cash to spend. Rangers hope to land the player to replace Vaclav Cerny though and if they do supporters will be in for a treat, says Fry. Read more: The Peterborough chief told the Daily Record: 'Kwame's top drawer. The Rangers fans would absolutely love him if he went up to Scotland. 'He's a very, very skilful player. A very exciting player. He gets the ball and you get on the end of your seat. You expect things to happen when he is in possession. 'I think wherever he goes, he'll be a fan's favourite because he's such an exciting player. But he scores goals too and creates them. He's a lovely lad and I've really enjoyed him being at the club. 'In truth I could have sold him on January 1. There was a dozen top clubs in the Championship, wanted him then to push forward, but he was injured. He never played until the end of March. 'He still got in the League One Team of the Year - and he missed almost half the games through injury. So it just shows you what an outstanding player he is at our level.' Fry reckons Poku is definitely destined to play in the Premier League one day but his next move should be all about finding somewhere he can be a starter to continue his development. 'One million percent," he said when asked about the English top flight beckoning. "He's only 23 so I've no doubt he'll get there. 'He's a lovely boy, and he's got tremendous potential to go to the top. But wherever he goes next, he's got to play.'
Daily Record
4 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Record
Kwame Poku tipped for Rangers stardom as Peterborough chief reveals destiny and truth behind Celtic rumours
Peterborough legend and current director of football Barry Fry is tipping his star man to go right to the top Kwame Poku's numbers speak for themselves after a season where he tore League One apart down south. In fact the only figures that won't stack up relating to the departing Peterborough winger will be the ones relating to a compensation fee, according to Posh director of football Barry Fry. The 80-year-old London Road legend insists Poku is destined for the Premier League one day such is his ability on the wing. Fry just fears losing the 23-year-old for next to nothing should he chose to leave England in the course of the next few weeks with Rangers keen - along with clubs from Portugal, Belgium and Germany. Anything other than a move to another English club would see Peterborough resigned to accepting a compensation fee under the lower rate FIFA guidelines. But Fry knows he's worth so much more than that. In 27 league games for Darren Ferguson's side last season Poku produced 12 goals and eight assists. He was a key man as they beat Birmingham City at Wembley to lift the Vertu Football League Trophy for the second time in as many years - with the Blues now among the clubs keen on taking the player and taking him with them into the Championship. In the four seasons since his move to the Weston Homes Stadium the former Colchester United winger has scored 30 times in 147 appearances. But the last campaign was the standout, despite missing over three months from December to March after surgery on his hamstring. Fry reckons he's one of the best he's seen at Posh. And he's been there long enough. Speaking to Mail Sport, he said: 'Kwame's top drawer. The Rangers fans would absolutely love him if he went up to Scotland. 'He's a very, very skilful player. A very exciting player. He gets the ball and you get on the end of your seat. You expect things to happen when he is in possession. 'I think wherever he goes, he'll be a fan's favourite because he's such an exciting player. But he scores goals too and creates them. He's a lovely lad and I've really enjoyed him being at the club. 'In truth I could have sold him on January 1. There was a dozen top clubs in the Championship, wanted him then to push forward, but he was injured. He never played until the end of March. 'He still got in the League One Team of the Year - and he missed almost half the games through injury. So it just shows you what an outstanding player he is at our level.' Destined for the English Premier League one day? Fry said: 'One million percent. He's only 23 so I've no doubt he'll get there. 'He's a lovely boy, and he's got tremendous potential to go to the top. But wherever he goes next, he's got to play.' Birmingham appeared to be leading the chase for Poku as Chris Davies looked to tool up for the Blues' return to the second tier next season. But the League One champions are reported to have grown frustrated with the length of time the player is taking considering his options and are now assessing other targets. That, and the prospect of European football, could yet play into Rangers' hands for Poku, whose one cap for Ghana came in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations. Just like Vaclav Cerny, the Croyden-born winger plays on the right but is stronger with his left foot and a real threat cutting in off the wing. Cerny, who spent last season on loan at Ibrox from Wolfsburg, has a £9m price tag on his head and a list of suitors across the continent. That's led new Ibrox boss Russell Martin - himself a former Peterborough player - to look elsewhere. Poku, should he choose Ibrox, would likely cost closer to the £300,000 Rangers paid Charlton for Joe Aribo six years ago under the same FIFA tribunal system. Should he choose to stay in England then, if no fee was agreed, the Professional Football Compensation Committee would decide on a price. And that panel are known to take a far broader range of factors into account when setting the fee, such as the player's stats, interest from other clubs, the contracts on offer, previous fee, age and time with the academy. That's why Posh are desperate for Poku to choose another English club as his next destination. But Fry admitted: 'Well, I would, but then again, it's not up to me. It's up to his agent and what Kwame wants to do. 'I know Russell Martin very well, because we bought him from Wycombe, and we sold him to Norwich, before he helped Norwich get up to the Premier League. 'I haven't seen much of Rangers, but I know Russell likes football players. And Kwame is a very good football player. 'I've not heard from Russell. But he's got no need to ring me, in all honesty. I'd heard before that Celtic were in for him too. 'But I know Brendan very well, and I know Gavin Strachan, who used to be Darren's assistant down here. None of them phoned me about him.'
Daily Record
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Victoria Beckham breaks silence on David's knighthood as they become Sir and Lady
Posh gushed over her husband in her latest Instagram post. The new Lady Victoria Beckham has shared a sweet tribute to her husband, Sir David Beckham, after it was announced that he has received a Knighthood. Last night, David's Knighthood was finally confirmed last night as the King's Birthday Honours list was released. However, the news was actually leaked a week before the official announcement was made, which could have jeopardised the 50 year old's much longed for title, writes The Mirror. Luckily, the premature news hasn't prevented him from getting the title he has wished for for a number of years as the news was confirmed in the King's Birthday Honours List, which was released on Friday night. Sir Beckham has been awarded the knighthood for his services to sport and charity. And after the news was finally revealed, his loving wife took to social media to gush over her hubby. Victoria took to Instagram to share a lovely message about David, alongside a sweet photo of her kissing his cheek, in the caption she penned: "You've always been my knight in shining armour, but now it's official. Sir @davidbeckham!!! "What an honour, I couldn't be prouder of you. Your dedication to the things that matter most — your country, your work, your passion, and most of all, your family — has never wavered. "The way you've touched so many lives over the years with kindness and humility speaks volumes about the man you are and continues to inspire us everyday. But above all else, I'm so, so proud to call you mine.I love you so much xxxx". David said he is "immensely proud" to have received a knighthood in the King's Birthday Honours. In a statement to the PA news agency, he said: 'Growing up in East London with parents and grandparents who were so patriotic and proud to be British I never could have imagined I would receive such a truly humbling honour. To have played for and captained my country was the greatest privilege of my career and literally a boyhood dream come true. 'Off the pitch I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to represent Britain around the world and work with incredible organisations that are supporting communities in need and inspiring the next generation. I'm so lucky to be able to do the work that I do and I'm grateful to be recognised for work that gives me so much fulfilment. "It will take a little while for the news to sink in but I'm immensely proud and it's such an emotional moment for me to share with my family.' The knighthood has been a long time coming for the former sports star who is known to be good friends with the Royal Family, having previously described himself as a huge Royalist'. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community!
The Irish Sun
6 days ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
‘It stings and makes me bitter' – League One chairman gutted after losing star man to Bundesliga on free transfer
PETERBOROUGH chairman Darragh MacAnthony admitted he is feeling "bitter" after one of his star players left the club. Ricky Jade-Jones has departed Posh with his contract expiring at the end of the month. 2 Ricky Jade-Jones has left Peterborough to sign for St. Pauli 2 Posh chairman Darragh MacAnthony shared his disappointment over the move Credit: PA He has signed for Bundesliga side St. Pauli in what is a big blow for the League One side. Jade-Jones has been at Peterborough since the age of nine and played 190 games after graduating the academy. As a result, Posh would have been guaranteed a hefty fee by way of compensation if the striker had signed for another English club. His move to Germany means Peterborough will only be granted a small training compensation fee. READ MORE IN FOOTBALL MacAnthony shared his thoughts about Jade-Jones' move on X. He wrote: 'He turned down four brilliant Championship clubs to do this move which has cost his home town club a lot of money . "Not going to lie, it stings and makes me bitter for the moment as the kid has been with us so many years and I couldn't have been more supportive of him but we move on and don't look back. "This is football and it can kick you in the nuts at times.' Most read in Football BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS Jade-Jones scored 18 goals in all competitions last season including 11 in League One. He is now set to play in the top tier for the first time after St. Pauli finished 14th in the Bundesliga following promotion in 2024. Tom Lockyer opens up on the hurt of leaving Luton after five years at the club
Business Insider
13-06-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
Why consumer tech founders are choosing SoHo over Silicon Valley
In March, Teddy Solomon said goodbye to Silicon Valley and moved across the country to New York City. The 23-year-old founder of the Gen-Z social app Fizz had spent most of his life in the Bay Area, but was eager to move to what he saw as a buzzy hub for consumer tech. "We realized over the years that New York was becoming hotter than the Bay Area," Solomon told Business Insider. He took the company with him. Fizz moved its 20-plus staffers from Palo Alto to Manhattan's bustling SoHo neighborhood. Around the corner, on one of SoHo's famous cobblestone streets, is the 22,000-square-foot office for events platform Posh. Steps away is La Cabra, a café across the street from OpenAI's New York office that has become a hot spot for tech workers. Meanwhile, across the bridge in Brooklyn, startups like digital goods marketplace Whop — which was valued at $800 million in 2024 — and Gen Z's go-to party invite service Partiful have set up shop. New York's consumer tech scene — startups building tech for everyday people rather than businesses — is having a moment. But it's not the first time. The city has long played host to breakout consumer darlings like Glossier, ScentBird, and AptDeco, brands that helped define the VC-backed direct-to-consumer boom of the 2010s before the model began to show cracks. And with the rise of a crop of prominent new consumer startups, New York is experiencing a "consumer renaissance,' as Derek Chu, a principal investor at FirstMark Capital (which backed Posh), put it. "There's a community of founders that builds together in person here in New York," he said. "People want to be here, together, in person, where it's one of the best places in the world — if not the best — to do that. The surge has even reignited one of tech's favorite fights: New York vs. San Francisco. This month, the discourse pulsed through the air at New York Tech Week. "People want to be in New York right now," said Julie Samuels, CEO of Tech:NYC, a nonprofit that works with tech leaders in the city. "One of the most important things I love about working in tech in New York is that people are New Yorkers first. To build in the tech industry here, you really have to love New York." That said, the San Francisco Bay Area still holds the crown in venture funding. According to a report by PitchBook and the National Venture Capital Associate, the Bay Area continued to far outperform New York in the first quarter of 2025, with 658 VC deals totalling $58.7 billion compared to 441 deals totalling $7.1 billion, respectively. The same report also found New York to be the city most friendly to female founders, with 372 deals in the first quarter. Consumer tech's comeback Remember Warby Parker, Glossier, and Casper? These consumer brands were the face of a new wave of startups in the 2010s. They were design forward, digitally native, and ready to spar with dusty incumbents — and they were also New York born and bred. Thanks to the success of these companies and others, the city became a magnet for direct-to-consumer startups across fashion, beauty, lifestyle, and other categories. The momentum didn't last, however. Customer acquisition costs soared, supply chains got complicated, and many of these companies struggled to turn buzz into profits. The pandemic heightened the troubles facing many brands as it exposed the fragility of global logistics and hammered consumer spending. At the same time, investors started chasing other shiny objects. The stalwart enterprise software industry promised steady returns. Crypto and Web3 were capturing investor imagination. In comparison, a lot of VCs retreated from consumer tech. It was a tough sell: capital-intensive, with thin margins and operational headaches. At first, the rise of artificial intelligence seemed like another death knell for consumer investing. According to Crunchbase data, investments in consumer-focused social companies slumped to $900 million across just 128 deals in 2024, down from a $3.1 billion peak across 487 deals in 2021. Only 6% of top VC firms' bets went to consumer startups in 2024, according to an analysis of PitchBook data by Silicon Valley Bank. But what was once viewed as a setback for consumer startups is now shaping up to be their biggest opportunity, investors and analysts say. AI, which initially pulled investor attention away from the space, is now powering a fresh wave of innovation. A new class of savvy startups is seizing on the technology to rethink how consumer businesses are built, from product development to operations and customer experience. They're positioning themselves to lead in this next chapter. If consumer tech was previously defined by direct-to-consumer plays and mobile apps, this next generation will be shaped by AI. "AI remains the top investment theme for the consumer and is the largest opportunity since the internet," Bank of America's Justin Post wrote in a recent analyst note. "Business models around AI are progressing faster than historical norms, and are high quality as consumers are more willing to pay for services." New York, New Consumer If they're not at a coffee meeting at either La Cabra in SoHo or Devocion in Flatiron, you may spot some of New York's consumer tech founders at social hot spots like coworking space Verci, working out at the SoHo Equinox location, or sweating it out at the Othership sauna that's right around the corner from many of the city's VC offices. "If we leave the office at 10 p.m., you still have hours to be able to go do whatever you want, from a comedy show to a bar to anything else going on here," Solomon said. Run clubs, poker nights, and rooftop happy hours on any given weekday night overlap with the vibrant arts, music, and social scenes that give life to the city. "It's human," said Alexandra Debow, CEO of photo-sharing app Swsh. "New York is culture. New York is TV. New York is Gossip Girl." Consumer tech founders also have access to adjacent industries that provide a symbiotic relationship, like marketing and advertising firms, content creators, and several of the largest banks. And just like any other 20-something starting out adulthood in New York, the city offers its own challenges that build grit for those running startups. Posh CEO Avante Price said keeping up with the pace of New York was like keeping up with the pace of a startup. Peter Boyce II, the Brooklyn-based founder of Stellation Capital and a former partner at General Catalyst, described New York's current generation of consumer founders — many of whom are Gen Z — as "building new ways to connect with each other" through novel and niche social networks in a post-pandemic world. (Boyce is an investor in Swsh.) For instance, Sitch, a dating app with an AI-powered matchmaking experience, has ads plastered all over the city. New York is also home to IRL ('in real life') social startups like 222 (which moved from LA to NYC in 2024) and Kndrd. "Founders in New York that are really successful in consumer social are successful because they have this ability to be tapped into the world," said Anant Vasudevan, a cofounder of Verci. Michelle Yin, the cofounder of social app Housewarming, said she felt everyone doing consumer social in New York knows each other. Meet some of NYC's new consumer startups Startup Category Year Founded Doji AI 2024 Sitch Dating 2024 Swsh Social 2022 Pickle E-commerce 2022 Whop E-commerce 2021 Dub Fintech 2021 Partiful Social 2020 Posh Social 2019 Kalshi Fintech 2018 There will always be San Francisco Now, we come to the thorniest question: Will New York supersede San Francisco and Silicon Valley as a tech hub? Probably not. The West Coast is still a go-to for engineering talent, deep tech, and AI. "If you're doing B2B SaaS, SF is the place to be. If you're doing deep AI tech, SF is the place to be," said Michael Giardino, CEO of AI consumer app startup Oleve, who is based in New York. SF has also produced many, many consumer success stories. DoorDash, Airbnb, Instacart, and Uber were all built in the Bay Area, as were direct-to-consumer darlings Everlane and Allbirds and consumer telehealth juggernaut Hims and Hers. But even some of tech's most venerated venture capital firms, like Menlo Park-headquartered Andreessen Horowitz, are singing New York's praises. "NYC has become the best tech hub if you're not on the West Coast," A16z's Andrew Chen recently wrote on LinkedIn ahead of New York Tech Week. Katia Ameri, another A16z partner, echoed this as Tech Week wrapped. "Since the pandemic, NYC has become the top tech hub outside the Bay Area, and that momentum was clear at NY Tech Week," Ameri wrote on X (formerly Twitter) in June. "The city is now a global leader in key industries like SaaS, digital health, e-commerce, fintech, and proptech, and is a fast-rising hub for AI," she said. At the end of the day, however, successful founders will continue their bicoastal ways, jetting off between NY and SF. "That's kind of always been the case," Boyce said, especially as New York's venture scene leans pre-seed and seed. "When these teams need $30 and $50 million checks, it's very productive to make sure to go see Sequoia and Lightspeed and NEA in SF." On the flip side, Boyce added, as SF-based consumer companies mature, they'll find themselves back on the East Coast to meet their "customer community." "It's honestly mutually beneficial," he said about the back-and-forth between the two hubs. "And something I practice myself."
