Premier League
Inter not willing to spend more than €13 million on Alexis Sanchez
Inter chief executive Giuseppe ‘Beppe’ Marotta will try, as much as possible, to satisfy the demands that Manchester United have laid out for Alexis Sanchez according to a report from Italian news outlet FCInter1908.it. Talks with the Premier League club are from simple as the Red Devils have changed their mind regarding price and formula on man occasions already. Inter were initially only open to loaning him again but the report explains that the Nerazzurri club are now thinking about a permanent move for the Chilean international but do not wish to spend any more than €12-13 million on him. Marotta intends to offer such a figure well aware that he will be doing Manchester United a real favour by taking Sanchez’s huge wages of their wage bill. Inter will also need to find an agreement wit...
Philippe Coutinho set to join Arsenal on loan
Philippe Coutinho is reportedly set to join Arsenal on loan. Kia Joorabchian, the player’s agent, is negotiating his move with the London club. Since his arrival from Liverpool, Coutinho has failed to prove himself at Barcelona and had to spend his last season at Bayern Münich on loan. The Catalan club has been looking to off-load the 28-year-old for a long time now, and it is known that the Brazilian favors a move to the Premier League. Currently, all signs are pointing Coutinho’s next destination to be the Gunners. Coutinho’s loan period at Bayern had expired on June 30, but the parties went for an extension of 2 months after the player insisted to stay with the German club. According to reports from SunSet, the player could join Arsenal or Newcastle as early as next week. Get more stori...
Arsenal beat Liverpool 2-1 to end hopes of record points haul
Arsenal capitalised on shocking errors from Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk and Alisson to beat the champions 2-1 at The Emirates on Wednesday and end their hopes of a record points tally for the Premier League season. The loss means Liverpool, on 93 points, can now only stretch that tally to 99, one short of Manchester City’s record. Arsenal’s first win against Liverpool since April 2015 lifts them one place to ninth in the table on 53 points. The visitors created all the early pressure and opened the scoring in the 20th minute when Sadio Mane lashed in his 17th goal of the season from close range. Yet the home side, playing without their leading scorer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, were handed a free pass back into the game 12 minutes later when Van Dijk made a back pass straight into the path ...
Leeds owner beg fans to celebrate promotion to Premier League at home
Leeds United are on the verge of ending a 16-year absence from the Premier League and club owner Andrea Radrizzani wants fans to be weary of the novel Covid-19 while celebrating. Radrizzani is fearful that the fight against coronavirus could be compromised if supporters gather in their droves over the final games of the season. Victory over Barnsley on Thursday afternoon will see Leeds move within one point from securing a place in next season’s Premier League. There are concerns that there could be a repeat of similar scenes from when Liverpool ended a 30 years wait for the Premier League title. Radrizzani penned an open letter to fans in the Yorkshire Evening Post, writing: ‘The love you have shown the club, the players, my family and I and all the staff who work at Thorp Arch and Elland...
Pep Guardiola: Manchester City deserve an apology
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said his team deserved an apology, after their two-year UEFA ban from European football was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) — a verdict he called “a good day for football”. Guardiola said the club’s reputation had been damaged by the furore around allegations that they broke Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules and fired back at comments from rival managers Jose Mourinho and Juergen Klopp. Mourinho had described the CAS decision to fine City 10 million euros ($11.39 million) for non-cooperation with the investigation as “disgraceful”. “Maybe. The thing about the money, maybe. But Jose and all the managers should know that we were damaged. We should be apologised (to). Because, like I said many times, if we did something wrong, we will...
‘Announcement is close’: Reliable journalist delivers latest Newcastle takeover update
For the past three months, there have been several instances where it felt like the Newcastle United takeover was close to completion. However, that hasn’t happened, and the saga has dragged on for months. The Premier League chief Richard Masters said last month that they will come to a decision shortly, but it hasn’t happened yet. However, according to the Daily Mail journalist, Craig Hope, the takeover will be signed off soon. He has claimed on Twitter that the ‘announcement is close’ and that the verdict will go in favour of the potential Newcastle owners. Also within here (before it’s relayed elsewhere) there is fresh belief takeover will be signed off soon (yes, I’ve seen Richard Keys post). But sources say info out of PL is that announcement is close. Expectation is it wi...
‘Big Six’ set for busy summer as transfer window looms large
The summer transfer window is on the horizon and clubs across the Premier League are being linked with a host of potential new signings. It has been suggested that many top flight clubs will be reluctant to spend big money during the window, but things will probably start to snowball once the first few deals have been completed. The window will be a particularly crucial period for the ‘Big Six’ clubs, with each of them needing to make differing levels of improvements to their respective squads. Sportslens takes a closer look at the latest state-of-play regarding the key signings the sextet need to make this summer. Manchester United – Milan Skriniar United are very much on an upward curve right now and look a good bet to qualify for next season’s Champions League. A top-class centre-half t...
Sadio Mane: I’d be very happy if Liverpool signed Kalidou Koulibaly
Sadio Mane would love to see Senegal teamamte Kalidou Koulibaly join him at Liverpool. Mane believes the 29-year-old Napoli defender would be a huge hit for the newly-crowned Premier League champions. The duo were clubmates at Metz in 2011-12, and have played together many times for Senegal’s Teranga Lions. Mane, 28, said: “Kalidou Koulibaly is an excellent defender, and one of the world’s best in his position. “I would be very happy to play alongside him at club level, as I have known him for years.” The winger continued: “We first got to know one another at Metz before meeting up once more in the Senegal national team. “No club could refuse the chance to have Koulibaly in their squad. “In any event, it would be a pleasure for me to play for Liverpool together with him. “He would be more ...
Victor Osimhen re-evaluates Napoli offer, to decide over the next 48 hours
Victor Osimhen will make a decision over the next 48 hours, but a new intermediary has helped smooth things over with Napoli. The Lille forward has repeatedly asked for more time, as he feels undue pressure from his agent and entourage to accept the Partenopei proposal. Sources stated last week that he was ready to reject the move, not so much because of Napoli, but as an act of defiance against those close to him who were trying to orchestrate the transfer. Now Radio Punto Nuovo – and sources – suggest the situation is changing, as Osimhen is being given the time and space to make his choice autonomously. “Napoli is still a possibility,” sources said. This is largely thanks to the introduction of a new intermediary in the negotiations, who is making Osimhen feel more at ease with the deci...
Philippe Coutinho will decide on his future after the Champions League
Barcelona midfielder Philippe Coutinho who is currently on loan at Bayern Münich could play against Barcelona in the quarter-finals of the Champions League if Barcelona manages to knockout Napoli, and if Bayern defeats Chelsea. Currently, Coutinho wants to just focus on the Champions League. If the forecasts come true, Barça and Bayern will face each other on the 14th. Until the Champions League finishes, the 28-year-old will not decide on his future. The only thing that is certain as it stands is that the Brazilian prioritizes a Premier League return. However, all the clubs that have shown interest in Coutinho (Chelsea, United, Newcastle, Tottenham, and Arsenal) are aware of Barça’s financial needs, so they will not rush a move until the last moment to sign him for a low fee. Barcelona ex...
‘Not expecting this to happen’: Many NUFC fans react to The Times journalist’s tweet
Newcastle United will face Watford in the Premier League on Saturday. The Magpies find themselves 13th in the league and have done really well under Steve Bruce this season. Indeed, they’ve punched above their weight and Bruce deserves a lot of respect for the brilliant work he has done this season. However, George Caulkin argued in a recent article for The Athletic that this is not ‘outstanding’ as some of the pundits have mentioned. Even a section of the press has suggested that Bruce should come under nomination for Premier League’s manager of the year. The Times journalist Martin Hardy has posted an interesting stat on Twitter that has generated a lot of attention among the Newcastle fans. He claims that if Newcastle manage to get past 50 points this season, it will be only the se...
Chelsea fans love what Southampton’s Michael Obafemi did to Manchester United
Chelsea fans have taken to social media and thanked Southampton striker, Michael Obafemi. The Saints forward – who netted at Stamford Bridge earlier in the season – made his mark against Manchester United on Monday night as he scored an injury-time equalizer at Old Trafford. As a result, the Red Devils missed a great chance to leapfrog the Blues as well as Leicester City in the Premier League table. Furthermore, the race for the final two Champions League spots has taken yet another twist. On Saturday, Frank Lampard’s side slumped to a very disappointing 3-0 loss away at Sheffield United, thus handing the Foxes the initiative ahead of their clash with relegation-threatened Bournemouth the following day. However, Brendan Rodgers’ side capitulated in the second half at the Vitality Stadium a...