Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers says losing Dorus de Vries from Swansea City was as painful as seeing Luis Suarez join Barcelona from Liverpool.
The 35-year-old goalkeeper signed a two-year deal with Celtic this week to rejoin Rodgers, with whom he won promotion to the Premier League in 2011 before signing for Wolves on a free transfer.
Rodgers is delighted to have reunited with the Dutchman, admitting that his Swansea departure was as difficult to accept as Suarez s £75million move to Barcelona two years ago.
I ve been really, really disappointed twice in my career when I ve lost players, said Rodgers, who was sacked by Liverpool last October. One was Luis Suarez at Liverpool and the first was Dorus on a free when he left Swansea, because he was such a key part o…
Everton F.C. are on the verge of completing the loan signing of AS Monaco striker Lacina Traore, understands.
The Cote d Ivoire international, 23, was close to joining Premier League strugglers West Ham United last week but the deal ultimately fell through despite the player being granted a work permit.
It is now believed the Toffees are in pole position to land Traore on loan for the rest of the season.
When asked if the 2.03 metre-tall Ivorian would sign for West Ham, manager Sam Allardyce conceded: It s unlikely by the sounds of it.
We re finding it extremely difficult [to sign players].
We had a terrible day yesterday [Friday] when I thought a player was signing for us and then I found out he wasn t, but there you go.
[…
Former Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira insists Unai Emery deserves to be given time to turn around the Gunners recent fortunes.
Pressure is mounting on Emery following last Saturday s 2-0 Premier League defeat away to high-flying Leicester City.
Arsenal are already eight points adrift of the top four after 12 matches and have won only once in their past seven games in all competitions.
While it is believed the club hierarchy remain behind Emery, who was appointed as Arsene Wenger s successor after the 2017-18 season, there is a growing discontent among Arsenal supporters who think a change is essential to save their season.
Vieira, a three-time Premier League champion in a glittering Arsenal career, says now is the time to unite behind the under-fire forme…
Andre Schurrle s late strike secured Borussia Dortmund a dramatic 3-2 win at Cologne on Friday, with the Germany international bailing out two Roman Burki errors to cap off a two-goal debut from Michy Batshuayi.
Cologne had seemingly rescued a point after twice battling back from a goal down, but Schurrle struck six minutes from time to finally end their resistance after Batshuayi proved something of a point to parent club Chelsea with a brace on an impressive first Bundesliga start.
Batshuayi had been billed as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang s replacement following his move to Arsenal and wasted no time in endearing himself to Dortmund fans, showing good awareness to wait for a cut-back before firing a strong left-footed effort into the net with 35 minutes played.
He…
Alexis Sanchez says Barcelona star Lionel Messi cried after they lost a Champions League semi-final to Chelsea in 2012.
Messi missed a penalty as the Catalans surrendered a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 with the Premier League side who were playing with 10 men after John Terry s sending off which saw them lose the tie 3-2 on aggregate.
Sanchez, who started that game for Barca, has revealed how hurt his former team-mate was in the wake of the defeat and feels it shows the demands players place on themselves at the highest level of the game.
The Manchester United forward, who earns a reported £350,000-a-week at Old Trafford, also believes players can be unfairly criticised based on the money they earn.
I think football saves many people, Sanchez told Sky Sports.…
With another stacked schedule from across the MLS in midweek, we certainly have a host of noteworthy meetings that are worth keeping an eye out for. On that note, for those of you looking to stick on a Thursday flutter, we have found a handful of helpful tips.
Thursday 22nd July
BST 00:30 Columbus Crew vs Nashville SC
Starting with Thursday s hosts, while they once again might not have been at their best over the weekend, Columbus did pick up what was a much-welcomed victory on home soil. Eventually claiming a 2-1 win against New York City last time out, The Loons brought an end to their four-match MLS winless run. Picking up their first victory over the past month and still sat in pole position to clinch another Final Series spot this season, Caleb Porter s m…
Verdict: Tottenham win
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Mauricio Pochettino and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer go head to head as Tottenham host Manchester United in a super Sunday showdown at Wembley.
Tottenham
Starting with Mauricio Pochettino s Spurs side, coming off the back of a 1-0 win over Chelsea in their EFL Cup semi-final first-leg, the mood in Tottenham s camp appears to be at a season-high. Now winning their last three matches across all competitions and with the chance to briefly leapfrog Manchester City to second spot in the Premier League table, it will be the hosts recent defensive record most impressing their Argentinian boss. Along with Harry Kane now finding the net in his last six matches on the bounce, the Lilywhites have now gone over 280 m…
Barcelona cannot afford to think about how Real Madrid s performance in El Clasico will change without Cristiano Ronaldo, says Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
Madrid s all-time leading goalscorer Ronaldo left the Santiago Bernabeu for Juventus in the off-season and was not adequately replaced, with Mariano Diaz the only addition up front for Julen Lopetegui.
Los Blancos ended a five-game winless streak, which included a run of four matches without scoring a single goal, by beating Viktoria Plzen 2-1 in the Champions League on Tuesday and now face the challenge of taking on LaLiga s leaders at Camp Nou.
Barca have a four-point advantage over their arch rivals and Ter Stegen warned his team-mates to pay attention to the talent in Madrid s line-up on Sunday, rather than who…
Richarlison has hinted he is ready to leave Everton, saying the club and manager Frank Lampard know what I want .
The Brazil forward played a vital role in Everton avoiding relegation from the Premier League this season.
Richarlison scored 10 goals in 30 league appearances, including six from April onwards as the Toffees survived by four points.
However, the 25-year-old has long been linked with a move away from Goodison Park and would appear to be one of the club s most saleable assets.
Everton are reportedly likely to have to cash in on one of their prized players, given financial restrictions that saw them spend only £1.7million in the transfer window prior to the 2021-22 season.
Strike partner Dominic Calvert-Lewin has also attracted interest…
Emerson Palmieri has completed a season-long loan switch from Chelsea to Lyon.
The Italian full-back moved to Stamford Bridge from Roma in January 2018 and has made 71 appearances for the Blues in total.
However, opportunities have proven scarce and Emerson, a part of the side that achieved Europa League glory in 2018-19, has played just 33 Premier League games for Chelsea.
Having helped Italy win Euro 2020 last month, Emerson has now opted for a fresh challenge in Ligue 1 for this campaign.
Lyon confirmed on their official website that an initial fee of €500,000 has been paid with a potential further €500,000 in bonuses, while a purchase option is included.
It has been a difficult start to the 2021-22 campaign for Lyon, who have taken one poi…