La Liga
Fabio Capello: Real Madrid’s Eden Hazard has sunk under weight of expectations
Eden Hazard has struggled to deal with the weight of the Real Madrid shirt following his high-profile move from Chelsea, former Real manager Fabio Capello has said. Hazard joined the Spanish club from Chelsea on a five-year contract for a reported 100 million euros ($116.54 million) ahead of the 2019-20 season. The Belgium international inspired Chelsea to two Premier League trophies during his time at Stamford Bridge but has failed to hit similar heights in Spain, with injuries limiting him to 21 appearances in all competitions this season. “He hasn’t been the player he was at Chelsea and he was injured for a long time, he hasn’t adapted,” Capello told Marca. “I’ve always thought of him as a great player but the Real shirt weighs heavily and Hazard has sunk this year. It’s clear that he’l...
Report: Mikel Arteta’s former boss wants to sign Arsenal player who’s ‘evolving’
According to The Express, Manchester City are interested in signing Daniel Ceballos, who is on loan at Arsenal from Real Madrid. Ceballos joined Premier League club Arsenal on a season-long loan deal from Spanish and European giants Madrid in the summer of 2019. It has been reported that City manager Pep Guardiola will make a move for the 23-year-old Spain international if the Gunners do not keep him at the Emirates Stadium beyond this summer. The Express has quoted Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta – who was an assistant to Guardiola at City – as saying that Ceballos is “evolving in the right way”, and that he wants him to stay in North London next season as well. However, according to the report, Arsenal want the Spain international on another loan deal, while City are willing to sign him ...
Report shares exactly why Messi wants Bielsa at Barcelona
According to The Sun, Lionel Messi wants Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa to become the new Barcelona boss with Quique Setien struggling to impress at the Camp Nou club. The Argentine manager recently helped the Elland Road outfit return to the English Premier League at the second time of asking, ending their 16-year absence in the top-flight. Bielsa is credited with having a huge influence on the managerial career of the likes of Pep Guardiola and Mauricio Pochettino, and Messi believes bringing him to sort things out would be the ideal solution. Barcelona haven’t quite been the same since the Manchester City boss left in 2012, winning just one Champions League trophy since. Bielsa is yet agree a new contract with Leeds having signed a one-year deal after last summer’s heartbreak....
Manchester United eye €25 million Ligue 1 star to bolster defence
According to the Daily Record, Manchester United have entered the race to sign Lille defender Gabriel Magalhaes. The Red Devils invested heavily in shoring up the defence by bringing in Harry Maguire and Aaron Wan-Bissaka last season. Despite the improvement shown, there are still issues to be ironed out. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is now considering adding the Lille star to his United roster. The Brazilian is valued at a modest €25m. Competition for the 22-year-old will be high with the likes of Everton, Napoli, and Inter Milan all keen. According to the report, Napoli see the young Samba star as a replacement for defensive lynchpin Kalidou Koulibaly – another player United are interested in. The fact that they view him capable of replacing the Senegalese is a testament to the promise he has sh...
Super Eagles goalie Francis Uzoho joins Apoel FC
Super Eagles goalkeeper, Francis Uzoho, has been transferred to Apoel FC. No details on the amount of the operation, but the goaltender signed a three-year deal with the Cypriot club. Uzoho was on loan from Deportivo de La Coruña, as a goalkeeper. OFFICIAL: Francis Uzoho joins Cypriot giants APOEL Nicosia on a permanent deal until 2023. Congratulations 🎊 pic.twitter.com/gQ4F4xM6tK — Soar Super Eagles (@SSE_NGA) July 17, 2020 He started his career from Africa when he joined the Senegal branch of Aspire Academy in 2013, at aged 14; initially a forward, he was converted into a goalkeeper after being deemed “too slow” at the age of 12. In 2016, after impressing on a tournament in Barcelona, he joined Deportivo de La Coruña’s Juvenil squad. Age rules meant that Uzoho could only become a...
Zinedine Zidane reveals Real Madrid’s plan against Granada
Los Blancos manager Zinedine Zidane has revealed his team’s plan against Granada in their next La Liga match on Monday night at the Los Carmenes. Zidane’s men will be up against a Granada side that is chasing a slot to play in the Europa League next season and the manager insisted that the fixture is the only thing on his mind. “Here we are in the final week, with three matches,” he said. “Surely it’s the most difficult week because it’s the end of the season. Almost everyone is playing for something. But, we aren’t thinking about the three matches right now. We’re putting all of our energy into tomorrow’s game. We’re not thinking about the maths of when we could win the league, as we’re just thinking about tomorrow’s match.” Marcelo is expected to miss the rest of the season and the Brazi...
Report: Mourinho has personally blocked European giants’ approach for Spurs defender
According to Standard Sport, Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho has personally blocked Barcelona’s approach for left-back Ryan Sessegnon. The 20-year-old has failed to make Spurs’ last two matchday squads despite being fully fit and has featured in just six league games since arriving from Fulham for £25 million last summer. Sessegnon’s situation is being monitored by a host of other English and European clubs, and he will consider his future at the end of the season if he fears that he could spend another campaign on the fringes. The youngster was wanted by Mourinho while he was Manchester United manager, and how things have panned out since the Portuguese’s arrival at Tottenham has left him frustrated and puzzled. Sessegnon is hoping to make Gareth Southgate’s Euros 2021 s...
Antoine Griezmann ‘a caricature of himself’ in toxic Barcelona environment – former coach
Antoine Griezmann has become “a caricature of himself” at Barcelona, where his former Real Sociedad boss, Martin Lasarte, feels a toxic environment is taking its toll. Quique Setien has named Griezmann on the bench for three of Barca’s past four games, including important meetings with top-four hopefuls Sevilla and Atletico Madrid. The World Cup winner was not sent on until the 90th minute against Atletico on Tuesday, with Ansu Fati introduced ahead of him in the 2-2 draw at Camp Nou. Barca will fall four points behind Real Madrid with five games remaining if La Liga’s leaders beat Getafe on Thursday, with reports suggesting Setien has lost the backing of his players. Martin Lasarte, who handed Griezmann his professional debut as an 18-year-old in the Segunda Division with La Real, believe...
Diego Simeone hails Yannick Carrasco’s impact in Barcelona draw
Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone has singled out midfielder Yannick Carrasco for praise, following their 2-2 La Liga draw at Barcelona. The Belgian international caused problems for Quique Setien’s side right from kick off at the Camp Nou, with the home defence struggling to contain him. He won a 14th minute penalty following a foul by Arturo Vidal, with Saul Niguez converting, after a retake was ordered following Diego Costa’s miss. The former AS Monaco star continued to pose a threat after the break, winning a second spot kick just after the hour mark, and Simeone was impressed at full time. “Carrasco did a good job tonight. He has found it difficult since coming back, and he put in a huge effort here,” he told a post match interview with Marca. “He played a decisive role tonight. Agai...
Zinedine Zidane unconcerned by Real Madrid’s fixture list complaints
Zinedine Zidane has claimed Real Madrid will accept the congested fixture list for what it is, despite the club complaining to La Liga. Los Blancos issued a complaint to top-flight officials on Monday after the schedule for matchdays 33 and 34 of the season left them with less than 72 hours between fixtures against Getafe and Athletic Bilbao. Madrid felt this left them at a disadvantage compared to title rivals Barcelona, who were given five days of rest between games against Atletico Madrid and Villarreal. However, it has since emerged that Madrid will have accumulated more rest – approximately 26 hours in total – than Barca until matchday 35, and asked if he felt the club’s complaints to La Liga were fair, Zidane insisted he is fully focused on preparing his side for the fixture list as ...
La Liga: Barcelona boss questions use of VAR
Barcelona boss Quique Setien believes that officials in La Liga are not using the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system correctly. It follows on directly from Real Madrid’s victory at Real Sociedad being marred by controversial officiating decisions surrounding key incidents in the clash. Los Blancos opened the scoring in Anoeta from a penalty decision before an equaliser for La Real was controversially ruled out by handball and Karim Benzema’s strike – Madrid’s second of the game – appearing to have been controlled initially by a handball. It was a result which took Madrid to the top of La Liga for the first time since the resumption of Spanish football as they leapfrogged Setien’s Blaugrana – who were to a scoreless draw at Sevilla on Friday – on goal difference. “There are things that we...
Nantes complete signing of Liverpool’s central midfielder
French club Nantes have completed the signing of Premier League giants Liverpool’s central midfielder Pedro Chirivella. The former Spain U17 international is now set to leave the Anfield club on a free transfer once his contract with the current European champions comes to an end on June 30. Liverpool announced the decision on their official website in a lengthy statement where the club wished Chirivella the best for the future. “Liverpool FC can confirm Pedro Chirivella is set to join French side Nantes upon the expiration of his contract at the end of this month,” read the statement. “Everybody at Liverpool FC thanks Pedro for his contribution to the club and wishes him the best of luck in his future career.” Nantes had a difficult time in the Ligue 1’s 2019-20 campaign where they finish...
