Jurgen Klopp believes signing any player for £100million is a huge transfer risk and says Liverpool will never operate like that with him in charge. The Reds have spent over £60m this summer – more than any other Premier League side – but their biggest single outlay has been the £34m paid to Southampton for Sadio Mane. Premier League clubs have spent a combined £500m on players in this transfer window as the added money from new television deals filters through to the clubs, and fees have risen as a result. Jordon Ibe, with one goal in 41 Premier League appearances, has joined Bournemouth for £15m. Manchester United have signed Eric Bailly, who has 61 career league games to his name, for £30m. Watford have spent £12.5m on Isaac Success, who has scored 16 … [Read more...]
Bastian Schweinsteiger quits international football
Germany captain Bastian Schweinsteiger has announced his retirement from international football. Manchester United midfielder Schweinsteiger, who was part of the 2014 World Cup-winning side, said after Euro 2016 that he would make a decision on his future with the national side. The 31-year-old former Bayern Munich star confirmed on social media on Friday that he has told coach Joachim Low that he has decided to call time on an international career in which he won 120 caps. Vielen Dank an alle für die tolle Zeit! #DieMannschaft pic.twitter.com/kNrLa7eDvE - Basti Schweinsteiger (@BSchweinsteiger) July 29, 2016 In a message to Germany fans, he wrote: "I just asked the national team coach to not consider me for future call-ups for the German national … [Read more...]
Chelsea midfielder denies giving money to country’s Olympic team
Nigeria captain John Obi Mikel has denied media reports that he donated $30,000 to assist his cash-strapped teammates in the country's Olympics team. The Nigeria under-23 squad, together with select overage players like Mikel, are training in Atlanta ahead of next month's Olympics in Brazil. Reports on Thursday claimed that Mikel had pitched in with the money to assist the team, but the Chelsea midfielder said there was no truth to them. "I was first told of this story by a friend who called me from Nigeria," Mikel said from camp at Hyatt Place. "I thought he was joking until he sent me the link. "I don't know the source of this story, which to me is all out to divide us as a team. I would have thought that stories that should be coming out in the … [Read more...]
massive clear-out as Mourinho set to axe nine players from United Squad
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is believed to be set for a clear-out, with up to nine players reportedly on their way out of Old Trafford. Several national newspapers have suggested Germany midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger will be the highest profile victim, a little more than a year after he joined the Premier League club from Bayern Munich. The 31-year-old moved from Bayern to United last summer for a fee of arounnd £6.5million, signing a three-year deal, but he made only 13 Premier League starts. His last appearance for United came in the derby win at Manchester City in March. Schweinsteiger then suffered a partial medial collateral ligament tear during training with Germany ahead of the friendly with England, but he recovered sufficiently … [Read more...]
Arsenal defeat MLS All-stars with late goal in San Jose
The MLS All-Stars went down to Chuba Akpom's 87th-minute goal, after Didier Drogba cancelled out Joel Campbell's opener. Substitute Chuba Akpom netted a late match-winner as Arsenal saw off the MLS All-Stars 2-1 in San Jose on Thursday. Akpom came off the bench past the hour-mark and he proved to be the difference, scoring from close range with three minutes remaining after big-money recruit Granit Xhaka made his debut for the Premier League giants at Avaya Stadium. Scores were level at half-time following Didier Drogba's equaliser at the third time of asking for Kaka and Co., cancelling out Joel Campbell's 11th-minute penalty. The result ended the All-Stars' run of consecutive wins against European opposition, having upstaged Tottenham last year and … [Read more...]
Sturridge feeling fresh as striker admits intense preseason ever
Daniel Sturridge has never experienced a pre-season as intense as Liverpool's first under Jurgen Klopp - but he has relished the work. Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge says pre-season under Jurgen Klopp has been the most intense he has ever experienced. Klopp has been conducting repeated, high-intensity training drills during his side's stay in the United States, in between International Champions Cup matches with Chelsea and AC Milan. Sturridge struggled to stay fit for large spells of last season, but enjoyed a strong run of form in the Premier League in March and April before earning a place in England's Euro 2016 squad. And the 26-year-old, who sat out the 1-0 defeat to Chelsea at the Rose Bowl, hopes to hit the ground running in 2016-17 after … [Read more...]
Cech: Arsenal shouldn’t buy for the sake of spending
Petr Cech has defended Arsenal’s transfer policy, claiming that there is little point the Gunners buying players they do not need. The Gunners have once again brought in just one senior player, with midfielder Granit Xhaka joining earlier in the summer for £30m. Arsenal fans have once again derided their club’s lack of transfer activity but goalkeeper Cech agrees with the ‘philosophy’ of the club. Cech said “I think you need to be buy players you need, you need to buy players that will improve the team and not to buy players just for buying. “That’s the philosophy of the club. I’ve been here since last season and you can see that every time we bring in a player, it’s a player we need, and the manager believes he improves the team. “There is a core … [Read more...]