Gareth Bale says he is not bothered by losing the tag of the world's most expensive player to Paul Pogba. Bale's three-year reign as the most expensive player in football history ended when Pogba joined Manchester United from Juventus for £89million last month. That fee eclipsed the £85.3million Real Madrid paid Tottenham to sign Wales forward Bale in the summer of 2013. But Bale said: "I'm not fussed and I couldn't care less. "None of the players have pulled my leg on it." Bale was speaking at a UEFA Champions League gala dinner … [Read more...]
Yaya Toure omitted from Man City’s Champions League squad
Yaya Toure will not be eligible to play in Manchester City's Champions League group games after being left out of Pep Guardiola's squad. The City boss was forced to drop an overseas players from his squad as UEFA rules permit only 17 players who are not "locally-trained" or "association-trained". And Toure is the man to miss out after featuring in just one game of City's first five games this season and not being included in the 18-man matchday squad for the other four. The 33-year-old's only appearance came in the second leg of the … [Read more...]
Islam Slimani will help Leicester compete on all fronts- Andy King
Andy King feels the addition of record signing Islam Slimani shows Leicester's intent to compete on all fronts this season. Slimani joined the Premier League champions on transfer deadline day with his Portuguese club Sporting Lisbon saying Leicester had paid a club record £25.5million, potentially rising by another £4.2million, for the Algeria striker. The 28-year-old scored 27 goals for Sporting last season and is an international team-mate of Foxes star Riyad Mahrez, last season's PFA player of the year. "I don't know how big a role … [Read more...]
United’s Anthony Martial and Arsenal’s Giroud score as France beat Italy
Olivier Giroud, Anthony Martial and Layvin Kurzawa scored as France ran out 3-1 winners over Italy in a friendly at Stadio San Nicola. France extended their strong record on Italian soil with a 3-1 win in Bari in Giampiero Ventura's first match in charge of the Azzurri. First-half goals from Anthony Martial and Olivier Giroud, either side of a fine equaliser by Graziano Pelle put France ahead before Layvin Kurzawa's late strike wrapped up a match that exposed Italy's defensive frailties. Ventura lined Italy up with Fiorentina's Davide … [Read more...]
David Luiz ‘hungry’ for more Chelsea titles after £34m return
David Luiz has said he is not content with his past achievements at Chelsea and is "hungry" to be successful in English football again as he embarks on a second spell at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea announced on deadline day that they had agreed to a deal with Paris Saint-Germain to bring back Luiz, who became the world's most expensive defender when he left London for the French capital in the summer of 2014. His first spell lasted three years and brought Champions League and Europa League triumphs, as well as an FA Cup win. But the … [Read more...]
David Silva scores as Spain beat Belgium
David Silva struck a brace as Spain beat Belgium 2-0 in Brussels on Thursday to give Julen Lopetegui a winning start as their new coach. Julen Lopetegui's leadership of Spain got off to a winning start with a comfortable 2-0 friendly win against Belgium in Brussels on Thursday, with David Silva scoring a brace. Belgium were also playing under a new coach - Roberto Martinez having replaced Marc Wilmots after Euro 2016 - but they struggled to create clear openings at the King Baudouin Stadium. Silva gave Spain the lead in the first half, … [Read more...]
Adrien Silva speaks out after proposed Leicester move collapses
Sporting CP and Portugal midfielder Adrien Silva has affirmed his commitment to the club after a proposed move to Leicester City failed. Adrien Silva has asserted he remains committed to Sporting CP after a move to Leicester City appeared to be blocked by the club. Silva's father revealed the Premier League champions had bid €30 million for his son, but Sporting CP insisted they had received no such offer for the midfielder. After the transfer window closed on Wednesday without a move materialising, Portugal international Silva … [Read more...]
Sergio Aguero to contest violent conduct charge
Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero is to contest a charge of alleged violent conduct and possible three-match ban, PA Sport reports. Aguero was charged with violent conduct by the FA after his elbow on West Ham defender Winston Reid in Sunday's win. The incident, after which Reid was seen holding his neck, which was missed by referee Andre Marriner and his fellow officials during the match. Aguero had been given until 6 p.m. local time on Thursday to respond to the charge, which was issued after a review panel felt he should have … [Read more...]
Premier League spending smashes £1BILLION mark for first time
Deals on transfer deadline day took Premier League spending to a record £1.165 billion ($1.53bn), according to a BBC report using figures from Deloitte. Wednesday saw a number of moves made before the close of the transfer window, with Chelsea among the big spenders as they re-signed defender David Luiz from Paris Saint-Germain for a reported £35 million ($46.02m). Chelsea also signed left-back Marcos Alonso from Fiorentina in a deal reportedly worth £23m ($30.24m), while Tottenham Hotspur completed a late move for Moussa Sissoko from … [Read more...]
Bastian Schweinsteiger in tears as he plays final game for Germany
Bastian Schweinsteiger received an emotional Germany farewell on Wednesday night, with the Manchester United midfielder brought to tears in his final match for his nation. Schweinsteiger, 32, was cheered by 30,121 fans at the Borussia Park whenever he picked up possession, before being withdrawn in the 68th minute and replaced by Julian Weigl, as Germany beat Finland 2-0 thanks to goals from Maximilian Meyer and Paulus Arajuuri. The former Bayern Munich player won his 121st and final cap for Germany, bringing to an end his 12-year … [Read more...]
Excited David Luiz hungry to win again
David Luiz is back with the Blues and after a whoping £34m transfer fee last night, he spoke about his return and what he wants to achieve this season. The Brazilian who spent three-and-a-half years at Chelsea before moving to PSG for few years, his back with the blues. ‘I’m very happy to be here again,’ the 29-year-old said. ‘It’s fantastic to have this second opportunity to play for this club. I love this club so that’s why I am here. Let’s try to continue the nice history with a lot of joy and try to get success. ‘It will be an amazing … [Read more...]