Mesut Ozil has spoken of his desire to wear the Arsenal No. 10 shirt in the absence of Jack Wilshere, amid talks with the Gunners over a new contract. The 27-year-old has taken over wearing No. 10 for Germany after Lukas Podolski's retirement and has admitted that he would like the same shirt back at the Emirates Stadium. With Wilshere joining Bournemouth on loan for the season, Ozil says that he now has the opportunity to lock down the number he desires. "It has become free and I will definitely have it," Ozil told German newspaper … [Read more...]
Jamie Vardy: Why it was an easy decision to snub Arsenal
Jamie Vardy has revealed the pain felt by England’s stars at their Euro 2016 humiliation and how he made the tough decision to turn down a move to Arsenal before bumping into Gunners boss Arsene Wenger during the tournament. Despite winning the Premier League with Leicester, being named footballer of the year by the Football Writers’ Association and getting married, Vardy was also part of the England squad which crashed out of the European Championships to Iceland. Add to that a high-profile bid from Arsenal, which the … [Read more...]
Luke Shaw withdrawn from England squad
Luke Shaw withdrew from the England squad for Sunday’s World Cup qualifier in Slovakia after missing training on Saturday morning. The 21-year-old left-back has only just returned from double leg-break and has started the season well with Manchester United. He was replaced in training at St George’s Park by Arsenal’s Tafari Moore, who is part of the Under-20s set-up, and did not fly with the team. Shaw now misses out on a potential England return having last been capped almost a year ago in a 2-0 Euro 2016 qualifying victory over … [Read more...]
Kelechi Iheanacho scores to give Nigeria victory over Tanzania
Hopes of Africa Cup of Nations qualification were already dashed before a dominant Nigeria beat Tanzania 1-0. Kelechi Iheanacho's stunning late strike ensured Nigeria ended their failed Africa Cup of Nations qualifying bid with a 1-0 win over Tanzania. The Super Eagles' 1-0 loss to Egypt in March thwarted their hopes of reaching Gabon 2017 in a group reduced to only three teams following Chad's withdrawal for financial reasons. But they at least got their first victory of the campaign at the Akwa Ibom Stadium on Saturday, having shared … [Read more...]
Referee Halsey ‘told to say I did not see incidents on the pitch’
Mark Halsey's claims that he had been told to say he hadn't seen incidents by the referees' body could be a "major issue" for the Football Association and the Premier League, former Manchester United and England star Gary Neville believes. Halsey refereed in the Premier League for 14 years between 1999 and 2013, as well as being a FIFA listed official for six years. In a Twitter discussion about the three-game ban handed down to Sergio Aguero on Friday for an elbow on West Ham's Winston Reid, Halsey told one user that he had been in that … [Read more...]
Mkhitaryan a major doubt for Manchester derby
A statement from the Armenian FA has revealed captain Henrikh Mkhitaryan has suffered a thigh injury and is out for up to 10 days. Manchester United's Henrikh Mkhitaryan is a major doubt for next weekend's derby against Manchester City after being ruled out for between seven and 10 days with a thigh injury sustained on international duty. The Armenia midfielder was hurt in a clash with Marek Suchy during a friendly against Czech Republic on Wednesday, with his side going on to lose the game 3-0. A statement released by the Armenian FA … [Read more...]
I found it hard under Martinez at Everton- John Stones
England defender John Stones describes it as a weight off his shoulders to be enjoying his football at Manchester City after a breakdown of communication with Roberto Martinez marred his final season with Everton. Stones joined City in a £47.5 million deal over the summer, a huge sum that reflects the 22-year-old's youth, potential and nationality but not necessarily his recent experiences. He was part of an underachieving Toffees side who finished 11th last year and were frequently accused on being defensively disorganised. Martinez, … [Read more...]
Olivier Giroud has ‘no problem’ with Wenger over limited game time
Olivier Giroud insists he does not have an issue with his failure to start a match for Arsenal this season, saying he understands Arsene Wenger’s reasons. France striker Giroud has been limited to just 12 minutes of first-team football this season with Wenger giving his quartet of Euro 2016 semi-finalists an extended break. However, with Laurent Koscielny rushed back into the side at Leicester to shore up a struggling backline, Mesut Ozil also found himself recalled to the starting line-up for the win at Watford last weekend. Giroud was … [Read more...]
Bastian Schweinsteiger out of Europa Leauge squad
Bastian Schweinsteiger has been left out of Manchester United's squad for the Europa League group stage. The World Cup-winning Germany star has been completely frozen out at Old Trafford since Jose Mourinho's arrival as manager. He has yet to feature in any of Mourinho's squads this season and the Portuguese has admitted it will be "very difficult" to give the 32-year-old any playing time this season. Schweinsteiger, who joined the club from Bayern Munich in 2015, still has two years left on his contract and is determined to … [Read more...]
Klopp treated Balotelli like **** at Liverpool- Mino Raiola
Jurgen Klopp acted like “a piece of sh*t” with regards to Mario Balotelli at Liverpool, according to Mino Raiola. Balotelli left Liverpool after two tumultuous years at Anfield, having joined under Brendan Rodgers in summer 2014. The Italian striker, who blamed “physical problems ” for his struggles, left on a free for French side Nice ahead of Wednesday’s transfer deadline. He scored just one goal in 16 Premier League appearances for the Reds, but never even featured under Klopp. Balotelli’s agent, Raiola, has hit out at the German … [Read more...]
Sergio Aguero handed three match ban, to miss Manchester derby
Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero will miss the Manchester derby after being given a three-match ban for elbowing West Ham defender Winston Reid. The Football Association found the Argentine guilty of violent conduct after he clashed with Reid in the 3-1 win at the Etihad on Aug. 28. City failed in an appeal to get the decision overturned and he will now miss the game against Manchester United on Sept. 10 as well as the home clash with Bournemouth on Sept. 17 and EFL Cup tie at Swansea City four days later. Aguero caught Reid in the … [Read more...]