Premier League
SL View: Former Arsenal manager makes a fool of himself with Liverpool comments
“You always want to be the only one to do something – Liverpool could really have made it.” Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger there, trying to engage in a bit of ‘bantz’ about Liverpool’s failure to retain their unbeaten record in the Premier League this season. The Reds’ 3-0 defeat at Watford in February ended their hopes of going through the campaign without a defeat and sparked much merriment amongst rival fans. Wenger admits he was happy to see Liverpool fail to match his Arsenal team’s achievement in going through the 2003/04 league season without losing a match. “Yes, it was very satisfying when I saw Liverpool lose,” he told beIN SPORTS. “You always want to be the only one to do something. Liverpool could really have made it. “But this just goes to show how difficult it is to rep...
Chelsea star may be on his way out as club ramps up interest
Valencia could be set to offer Kepa Arrizabalaga a route out of his Chelsea nightmare. The Spanish stopper arrived at Stamford Bridge with a big reputation, but he has failed to live up to the hype. Arrizabalaga joined Chelsea from Athletic Bilbao for £71 million in 2018 and was tipped to backstop the Blues to glory. However, his erratic performances led to him being dropped by manager Frank Lampard, sparking talk that he will be sold this summer. Chelsea have been linked with numerous goalkeepers over the past few weeks, with Ajax star Andre Onana believed to be their number one target. With Chelsea seemingly willing to offload Arrizabalaga, Spanish media outlet Sport has claimed that Valencia are interested in securing his services. A return to La Liga may appeal to the 25-year-old, part...
Barcelona playmaker prefers move to Chelsea over other Premier League clubs: report
Barcelona playmaker Philippe Coutinho has the preference to join Chelsea despite the interest from a number of other Premier League sides, a report from Mundo Deportivo claims. The Brazil international is presently on a season-long loan at Bayern Munich, where he has managed to register an impressive tally of nine goals and eight assists from 32 appearances in all competitions. The German champions have the option to sign him permanently for £105m at the end of the season but they are expected to ignore the clause, particularly with the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic. In recent weeks, the likes of Leicester City, Everton and Newcastle United have all been credited with an interest in Coutinho but Mundo Deportivo cites that the 27-year-old has his sights on joining F...
‘Quality player’: Kevin Phillips fancies West Ham United to sign 29-year-old Liverpool star
In an interview with Football Insider, Kevin Phillips has fancied West Ham United to land the signature of Nathaniel Clyne on a free transfer, once his contract with Liverpool expires during the summer. The right-back has been with the Reds since the summer of 2015 but he has barely featured for the first-team in recent years due to long-term injury setbacks and the emergence of Trent Alexander-Arnold. The 29-year-old has played no part for the Reds this term after rupturing an anterior cruciate ligament in pre-season but he could make his injury comeback when the campaign resumes after the coronavirus shutdown. His current deal could be extended for a couple of months beyond June 2020 due to the delayed end to the season but it appears likely that he could become a free-agent thereafter. ...
Didier Drogba: How Juan Mata helped me win Champions League trophy
Chelsea legend Didier Drogba has revealed how his former Blues’ teammate, Juan Mata, helped him win the 2012 UEFA Champions League. Chelsea defeated Bayern Munich 4-3 on penalties in the final to win their first Champions League trophy eight years ago at the Allianz Arena. Thomas Mueller put the host in front with eight minutes left to the end of the match before Didier Drogba equalised for the Premier League giant following an assist from Mata as the encounter ended 1-1 after 120 minutes. “Eight years ago, the manager [Andre Villas-Boas] had been sacked by the club and we, the players, had a team meeting where we recognised being partly responsible for his departure,” Drogba wrote on Twitter on Tuesday night. “The captain @johnterry spoke, @franklampard @petrcech and other leaders in the ...
Arsenal make contact with agent of £27m-rated French attacker: report
Arsenal are understood to have expressed an interest in signing Bayer Leverkusen attacker Moussa Diaby, a report from Le10Sport claims. The Frenchman made the move from Paris Saint-Germain to Leverkusen last summer and he has since contributed five goals and eight assists from 27 outings for the club. As per Le10Sport, both the Gunners and Borussia Dortmund have made contact with the player’s representative ahead of possible bids for the forward this summer. It is added that Mikel Arteta’s side may have the edge over Dortmund in Diaby’s pursuit, given they have a good relationship with the agent of the Paris-born ace. Still, Diaby won’t come on the cheap and it is suggested that Leverkusen will demand at least double of the £13.5m fee paid to Paris Saint-Germain (£27m) to sanction his...
Newcastle takeover ‘close’ as EPL fail to block £300 million Saudi deal
Newcastle’s takeover is on the brink of being completed as the Premier League failed to find any reason to block the prospective takeover. According to a report in Football Insider, which claims the league has now fully investigated allegations linking the Saudi government to illegal streaming services. Amanda Staveley’s consortium – backed by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund – is close to taking control of the club from Mike Ashley. The deal has been in the pipeline for some time now, with Magpies fans desperate for a conclusion ahead of the summer transfer window. Newcastle are set to spend big in the summer transfer window, and have already been linked with a host of big-name players. And the Premier League has apparently found no reason to block the takeover after the investigat...
Chelsea star arrested on suspicion of rape
Chelsea star Callum Hudson-Odoi was arrested on Sunday on suspicion of rape following an alleged incident at his west London apartment. The Metropolitan Police said in a statement that both they and the London Ambulance Service were called in the early hours of Sunday, May 17 to a report of an unwell woman. The statement added: “When emergency services attended, a woman reported that she was raped. She was taken to hospital.“A man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of rape. He was released from custody and bailed to return on a date in mid-June. Enquiries continue.” Sunday’s alleged incident comes just weeks after Hudson-Odoi battled the coronavirus, which he was diagnosed with on March 12 . The teenager was the first Premier League player to be diagnosed with the illness, coming short...
Super Eagles goalie targets Euro move
Super Eagles goalkeeper Daniel Akpeyi hopes to fulfil his ambition of playing for an European club soon. Akpeyi has been linked with clubs in Europe and Asia after impressing in the South Africa Premier League with Kaizer Chiefs. ”Well, the dream of every player, or let me just say the dream of some African players is to actually play in Europe, where football was being invented,” Akpeyi declared in an interview with an online medium . “So if I have the opportunity, yes I will, when the opportunity comes, why not? I would like to finish my career in Europe. “There are possibilities that it can happen and I look forward to it. Akpeyi joined Chippa United from Nigeria Professional Football League outfit Warri Wolves in 2015. The 33-year-old spent four years with Chippa United before switchin...
Wayne Rooney: Park was just as important to Manchester United as Cristiano Ronaldo
Getty Images Wayne Rooney has said that former Manchester United midfielder Park Ji-sung was just as crucial to the club’s success as Cristiano Ronaldo, with the South Korean’s willingness to sacrifice himself for the team as a whole critical to lifting titles. Park and Ronaldo spent four years together at Old Trafford, winning three consecutive Premier League trophies, a League Cup and the Champions League in that time before the latter left the club for Real Madrid in 2009. And while Ronaldo’s goals, skills, speed and trickery will always be at the top of the highlight reel when looking back at that side, Rooney feels that Park’s contributions were just as important as that of the Portuguese icon. “It’s crazy but if you mentioned Cristiano Ronaldo to a 12-year-old, they would immediately...
Blow for Arsenal, unhappy star pushing for summer move
Arsenal midfielder Lucas Torreira wants to leave the club and return to Italy this summer. According to the Uruguayan’s agent, the 24-year-old is ready to head back to Serie A after two years in English football. The combative midfielder has made 83 appearances for the Gunners in all competitions, but he has failed to produce his best form on a consistent basis. With Arsenal being strongly linked with a move for Atletico Madrid star Thomas Partey, it appears that Torreira’s time in the Premier League is coming to an end. “Lucas had been in a bit of a bad mood over some technical differences, then he recovered,” his agent Pablo Bentancur said. “And the injury arrived, fortunately less serious than expected. “Today he is completely recovered, I believe he will be a market man. “I will have t...
Chelsea star ‘can’t close doors to other sides’, but dismisses Tottenham links
Chelsea forward Willian says that rumours of him negotiating a transfer to Tottenham Hotspur are false. The 31-year-old’s current deal runs out this summer and he has been widely tipped to move on. The Brazilian has been strongly linked with Spurs, with manager Jose Mourinho said to be eager to reunite with the player. However, Willian says that reports he has already held talks with the former Chelsea boss are wide of the mark. “When I saw that news, I was surprised – I said ‘where did people get this from?’” he told globesporte.com. “Because I didn’t even talk to him on the phone, and I didn’t meet him either, because I didn’t leave the house. “So, this news is not really true. I didn’t meet him. Of course, I have a good friendship with him, sometimes we chat. “But really, lately I haven...
