The British big man is back – and he’s mixing it up on the pitches of Europe!

Keir Starmer’s Britain is looking to improve relations with its continental partners, so surely the more sporting ambassadors the country has within the European Union the better. The bureaucratic appointments are being made already, despite him only being weeks in the job. Sir Oli McBurnie has been sent to the Canary Islands, Che Adams is building relations with car manufacturer Fiat in Turin and Andy Carroll is bringing good vibes and hair to France.

Harry Kane and Eric Dier have already made a difference in Munich, Jude Bellingham in Madrid has made the Spanish government forgive Marks & Spencer for their paella and chorizo croquettes. Contrary to what many holidaymakers believe, however, Europe is a much bigger place and there is only so much networking Lyon’s Ainsley Maitland-Niles can do, while Jordan Henderson has learned his lessons of trying to single-handedly create change in Saudi Arabia and is instead learning diplomacy in the Netherlands.

McBurnie is 6ft 2in of pure Yorkshireman, even though he has 16 caps and zero goals for Scotland. After plundering six goals in 21 games last season to help Sheffield United finish rock bottom of the Premier League, McBurnie must have realised his talents for endless running and winding up defenders were wasted in his homeland. Now, by spreading his wings to Las Palmas, he could show that British football is about a lot more than disjointed performances and throwing cups of beer at people. His rolled-down-socks attitude will change opinions.

Adams has said “arrivederci” to the English game and rocked up at Torino ready to show how football is played in the country that invented it. “Ciao Torino!” he cheered on Instachat, showing he is already fluent in the language. He might be adapting to Italy but can Serie A work out how to stop Adams? Fellow Scot Lewis Ferguson went ahead to open the consulate in Bologna and was named Serie A’s midfielder of the season for 2023-24, so everyone knows he has a lot to live up to. Bellingham has shown the impact a top-class Brit can have in Europe and everyone else is catching up. If you can’t afford a £100m midfielder raised in the Football League, you go for the next best thing: free transfer strikers boasting Newport County and Ilkeston on their CVs. Beware Europe: Britain is back – and it is bringing the big men.

OK, so it’s not a match but some footballers will be on the opening ceremony barges for Big Sports Day. Follow it down the Seine from 6pm BST.

Additional information has come to our attention regarding previous drone use against opponents” – the spygate story keeps rumbling on at Big Sports Day, with the Canadian Olympic Committee removing head coach Bev Priestman from her role for the remainder of the competition as it investigates other alleged tactical espionage. Priestman said: “My reaction was you feel like this programme has let the country down. That’s why I took the proactive step to do what I felt was the right thing. Irrespective of the details, I’m ultimately accountable.” Canada won their opener, against New Zealand, 2-1.

Re: yesterday’s Football Daily. How extremely cultured of you to find a way to mention ‘The Prince of Denmark’ in a footballing context!” – Nigel Sanders.

Mention of Charlie George (yesterday’s Memory Lane, full email edition) reminded me of his unlikely – and often overlooked – role in one of Nottingham Forest’s European triumphs. He scored the only goal in the home leg of the 1979 European Super Cup, against Barcelona, and he also played in the away leg, a 1-1 draw. As a result, he picked up a winner’s medal, despite those matches being half of just four he played in a brief loan spell from Southampton. According to Stan Bowles, during one dressing room face-off, Charlie called Brian Clough a ‘northern [snip – Football Daily Bad Word Ed]’, hence the brevity of the stay” – Mike Slattery.

Regarding Canada’s outrageously disgraceful yet imaginatively amusing attempts at alleged cheating, could Football Daily please stop droning on about it?” – R Dolan.

Send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s prizeless letter o’ the day winner is … Mike Slattery. Terms and conditions for our competitions can be viewed here.

Our occasional colleague and World Cup winner, Philipp Lahm, has only gone and put his lakeside house on Airbnb. And, unlike many places for offer on the website, he’s not asking for a hefty price plus cleaning charge. Nope, if you want to stay at his lakeside house on the 18-19 October it will cost you just €21 a night, his old shirt number at Bayern Munich. Here’s Philipp: “I am delighted to open the doors of our house on Lake Tegernsee and invite guests to experience this special place where we love to spend time with family and friends. We can’t wait to share the cozy atmosphere of this house and offer our guests a unique experience.” Guests will be welcomed by Lahm on arrival and will also receive two signed shirts. Lahm won’t be cooking dinner, though: a professional chef will be on hand instead. After checking out the following day, guests will be taken to watch Bayern Munich v Stuttgart. And yeah, yeah, we know it’s a marketing ploy but it’s not a bad little break.

Reece James has admitted the furore over Enzo Fernandez’s racist singing at the Copa América may cause problems for Chelsea. “There’s always the factor where it doesn’t sit right with people when there could be a problem,” said the full-back.

London mayor Sadiq Khan has waited until safely being re-elected with Labour back in power to reveal his views on playing Premier League matches abroad. “Liverpool, the team I support, are currently in America. I think the point that the Premier League would make and some of the owners would make is, why can’t their fans in those countries benefit from a competitive game,” he cooed.

The broadcaster beIN Sports has asked for every player in Ligue Un next season to wear a Visit Qatar badge in games shown live, according to several club suits that claim the request was made on behalf of Nasser al-Khelaifi … who happens to be chair of both PSG and the broadcaster. A PSG and beIN Sports source scoffed at the allegations, describing them as “an outrageous campaign from those clubs who want to launch an LFP channel direct”.

Fans of branding may care to know that the WSL and Women’s Championship may be renamed in the looming funky NewCo era, when the top two divisions will be run separately from the FA’s umbrella.

Harry Maguire has spoken about his “tough moments” after missing out on Manchester United’s FA Cup final team and England’s Euro 2024 squad, adding that he’s keen to stay at Old Trafford. “Until I get told ‘you’re for sale’ or ‘we want you to leave’, I want to play for this club and make it successful again,” he roared.

Bournemouth have agreed a deal to snap up the 19-year-old Juventus defender Dean Huijsen for an initial £12.6m. There are rival bidders but the Cherries are confident of sealing the deal.

And Everton have gobbled up tricky Denmark midfielder Jesper Lindstrøm on a season’s loan from Napoli.

Emma Hayes brought back the joy for USA USA USA in their Big Sports Day opener, writes Alexander Abnos.

You can’t whack the thrill of stumbling across a match while you’re on holiday, explains Mike Whalley in this lovely read.

And the TV rights meltdown in French football should serve as a warning to the Premier League, writes John Brewin.

2 September 2013: It’s approaching 11 years since Gareth Bale left Tottenham to join Real Madrid for €100m. It was a nervy unveiling, featuring some fumbled keepy-ups from the winger who said he’d have “come here for a penny”. Read Sid Lowe on the unveiling here.