Liverpool are closing in on the signing of Arthur Melo on loan from Juventus for the rest of the season, according to multiple sources.
The 26-year-old joined the Serie A club from Barcelona in a deal which saw Miralem Pjanic go the other way in 2020. Since then, he s made a total of 63 appearances for the Old Lady, scoring and assisting once apiece from his position as a defensive midfielder.
Liverpool s midfield ranks are looking extremely slim at the moment, with Thiago Alcantara, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all out of action, and it seems captain Jordan Henderson is a big doubt for the Merseyside Derby this Saturday. Luckily for manager Jurgen Klopp, Curtis Jones has recovered from injury and has already featured in the stunning win over Newcastle on Wedn…
Didier Deschamps highlighted Denmark s quality as he warned of the difficulties of France s 2022 World Cup draw.
World champions France were entered into Group D on Friday, alongside Denmark, Tunisia and one of Peru, the United Arab Emirates or Australia.
Les Bleus also faced Denmark, Peru and Australia in the first round en route to the title in Russia four years ago and are now expected to comfortably get out of their group.
However, Deschamps was anything but complacent following the draw, well aware of the threat Denmark in particular pose.
Semi-finalists at Euro 2020, Denmark are ranked 11th in the world, with only Mexico and the Netherlands above them from pot two. Germany, widely considered the toughest opponents, are 12th.
And Kasper Hjulm…
Maurizio Sarri s journey to the top of Italian football has been long and arduous.
Sarri s first foray into coaching came at the age of 31 via U.S.D Stia in 1990 while juggling work commitments – foreign currency trader by day, coach by night. That combination of banking and amateur football continued until he devoted himself to coaching in the early 2000s.
Years in the lower tiers of Italian football saw Sarri gain promotion with the likes of Sansovino, who he led to Coppa Italia Serie D glory in 2002-03, and Sangiovannese. There were also brief and forgettable stints in charge of Pescara, Arezzo, Avellino, Hellas Verona and Perugia.
It was not until 2014 that Sarri had his first taste of Serie A after guiding Empoli to promotion at the age of 55. A surprise m…
Manchester City produced a late turnaround to avoid humiliation at the hands of League Two side Cheltenham Town and claim a 3-1 win in the FA Cup fourth round.
Given the crowded fixture list all Premier League clubs are having to cope with amid the coronavirus pandemic, Pep Guardiola understandably shuffled his pack for the trip to Gloucestershire.
A youthful City side looked set to pay the price for profligacy after Alfie May gave the fourth-tier side a 59th-minute lead.
However, Phil Foden levelled matters nine minutes from time before Gabriel Jesus struck with six minutes remaining.
Ferran Torres then tapped in a last-gasp third as City overcame a tricky hurdle to keep their quadruple hopes alive.
180 There were exactly 180 seconds between Phi…
Alexis Sanchez has struggled at Manchester United because he is not happy, according to former star Robin van Persie.
Sanchez has failed to live up to the hype since swapping Arsenal for Premier League rivals United in January 2018, scoring just five goals in 45 appearances.
Injuries have also hampered Chile international Sanchez, who managed only one league goal for the Red Devils last season.
Van Persie also made the move from Arsenal to United in 2012-13, winning the Premier League in his first season at Old Trafford – the club have not topped the English summit since.
Now retired, Van Persie tried to explain why Sanchez has failed to make an impact under Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in Manchester.
Job done in Cardiff
Now ou…
Roberto Martinez revealed that he was not contacted by the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) ahead of their appointment of Luis Enrique as head coach.
Spaniard Martinez guided Belgium to third place at the World Cup and was linked with the Spain job after Fernando Hierro, stepping in for the sacked Julen Lopetegui, oversaw the 2010 champions second-round defeat to Russia.
Former Barcelona boss Enrique has since been appointed and Martinez insists he heard nothing of interest from the RFEF in his home nation.
Nobody called me from the Spanish Federation, not at all, the Belgium coach told Cadena SER.
Goodbye
Спасибо [spasiba] Thank you
From with love
— Belgian Red Devils (@BelRedDevils)
Martinez signe…
Julian Nagelsmann acknowledged the differing challenges between his current Bayern Munich role and former club Hoffenheim ahead of his return on Saturday.
Nagelsmann became the youngest Bundesliga head coach in history when he took charge of Hoffenheim in February 2016, before guiding them to their first-ever Champions League qualification the next season.
The 34-year-old managed 116 top-flight games at the Hoffenheim helm, more than any other coach in the club s history, before his departure to RB Leipzig in 2019.
He averaged 1.65 points per game in the league during his tenure the best points average of any Hoffenheim boss in Bundesliga history with his successor, and current head coach, Sebastian Hoeness ranking second (1.46).
Hoeness side sit fourt…
Aston Villa have confirmed the signing of midfielder Marvelous Nakamba from Club Brugge for a reported fee of £11million.
The 25-year-old joins on the same day as goalkeeper Tom Heaton, who has moved from Burnley.
Nakamba is Villa s 12th arrival since their return to the Premier League and takes their close-season spending to roughly £134m.
Marvelous fits the criteria of the type of player we were looking for, Villa head coach Dean Smith told the club s website.
He s very mobile, he s very good in possession and he will fit in with our style of play.
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial)
Nakamba spent two years with Club Brugge after a three-season spell with Vitesse in the Eredivisie, having first played in Europe with Nancy in…
Scott McTominay says the whole team have to take responsibility for Manchester United’s bleak Champions League predicament after Andre Onana’s mistakes and a lack of killer instinct cost them at Galatasaray.
Having lost three of their opening four Group A matches, Erik ten Hag’s side managed to throwaway a two-goal second-half lead in Istanbul as a pulsating, helter-skelter clash ended 3-3.
Wednesday’s result leaves United bottom of the pool with only the home clash with already qualified Bayern Munich to come in a fortnight’s time.
insists the lads are focused on the next game and will look to learn from tonight s result
— Manchester United (@ManUtd)
Copenhagen’s draw in Germany later that day keeps the Red Devils’ faint chanc…
Manchester United beat Hull City 2-0 to take a slender advantage into the second leg of their EFL Cup semi-final but Wayne Rooney s wait to become his club s outright all-time top scorer goes on.
United probed without reward in the first half, as they were thwarted by a diligent and well-organised Hull, playing for the second time under Jose Mourinho s compatriot Marco Silva.
Juan Mata went closest during the opening period for the hosts and, as he did in the fourth round against Manchester City, the Spain playmaker brought Old Trafford to its feet with the opening goal after half-time.
Rooney pulled level with Bobby Charlton on 249 United goals during Saturday s 4-0 FA Cup triumph over Reading and fired agonisingly wide five minutes before Mata s 56th-minute bre…