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‘He is like a tank’ – Mbappe admits he loves one thing about Man City star
Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe is one of the fastest footballers on the planet, and it is normal for him to admire that quality in other players. The France international has showered praise on Manchester City right-back Kyle Walker, raving about his explosive pace in an interview with Football France. Mbappe experienced the speed of the England international first hand when Man City and PSG met in the first leg of last season’s Champions League semi-finals, and he definitely met his match in Walker. “There are also players less explosive from a standing start like Kyle Walker at Manchester City,” the youngster told the French magazine. “He is like a tank once he hits his speed once he gets into it.” Walker’s pace has been crucial to Man City’s style of play under manager Pep Gu...
Liverpool and Everton stars set for Copa America opener, PSG forward tipped to shine
The 47th Copa America gets underway on Sunday night as nine-time winners and reigning title-holders Brazil take on Venezuela at the Estadio Nacional de Brasilia. Brazil enter the tournament as the leading candidates to lift the crown, with Tite boasting a star-studded roster, including the likes of Alisson Becker, Marquinhos, Casemiro, Richarlison, Gabriel Jesus, Roberto Firmino and Neymar. Meanwhile, Venezuela’s best-ever result at the final tournament was a fourth-place finish in the 2011 edition. Brazil Preview Brazil are looking to translate their impressive form from the 2020 World Cup qualifying campaign into Copa America as they hope to defend the title as they did in 2004 and 2007. The Selecao won each of their opening six games in the World Cup qualifying series by an aggregate sc...
Villa star’s inclusion could help Spurs man shine as England start their Euro 2020 adventure
England’s pursuit of Euro 2020 glory begins at familiar Wembley Stadium as they take on Croatia in the Group D opener on Sunday afternoon. Widely considered as one of the top-three favourites to win the competition, England are looking to exact revenge on Croatia for heartbreaking 2018 World Cup elimination. After reaching the round of 16 at Euro 2016, the Croatians are hoping to qualify for the tournament’s knock-outs twice in a row for the first time in the country’s history. Note: You can watch all Euro 2020 games via live streaming. England vs Croatia Head-To-Head The last meeting between these two teams at a major tournament left a bitter taste in England’s mouths, with Croatia running out 2-1 extra-time winners in the 2018 World Cup semi-finals. However, the Three Lions dismantl...
Ligue 1 agrees new TV deal with Amazon
Ligue 1 has signed off on a new broadcasting rights deal for the next three years. The league had been plunged into an economic crisis following the collapse of the previous deal with Spanish broadcasting company MediaPro. The company had promised to pay €3.25 billion for the broadcasting rights to the French league for four years but pulled out not long after having paid under 10% of what they owed. Previous owners Canal Plus and beIN SPORTS have both been in talks to repurchase the TV rights, while giants Amazon have also been looking to strike a deal with the LFP. Today, the LFP chose between two different broadcasting packages, with all three companies securing the rights to French football. The new deal (Canal Plus, Amazon, BeIN Sports) Amazon pay €250m per year for the rights to show...
Jurgen Klopp keen on 24-yr-old with 16 goal contributions, star will cost more than €40m
Liverpool are interested in signing Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Florian Neuhaus. According to Florian Plettenberg from Sport1, Jurgen Klopp wants the 24-year-old to replace Gini Wijnaldum. The Dutchman recently left the Premier League club to join Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer. Plettenburg claims that the Reds are yet to submit an offer for Neuhaus and things could progress after the European Championships. The highly-rated German midfielder is expected to cost more than €40 million this summer. Liverpool need more depth in central midfield and will have to shell out a considerable fee if they want to sign Neuhaus. He chipped in with eight goals and eight assists last season and would be an excellent acquisition for Liverpool. Wijnaldum was a solid performer for the Reds, ...
West Ham linked with a move for 24-yr-old, La Liga outfit prepared to sell the player
West Ham United have been linked with a move for Barcelona left-back Junior Firpo. According to Calciomercato, AC Milan are also keen on signing the young defender. Firpo has struggled to hold down a regular starting berth at the Spanish club and needs to leave to play regularly. Aaron Cresswell is West Ham’s first-choice left-back, but Firpo could prove to be a quality long-term investment. The Barcelona defender would add a new dimension to West Ham’s attack alongside his defensive abilities. Furthermore, the London club will be playing Europa League football next season, and they need more depth in their squad. Barcelona are prepared to cash in on the 24-year-old as they are under financial pressure. Firpo played just seven games in the Spanish league this past season, and he will be ke...
Leeds star makes grand entrance at Euros’ national team camp after Tuesday blow
Leeds United centre-back Diego Llorente is back with the Spain squad after returning a negative coronavirus test. The Whites defender was sent home on Tuesday after testing positive, and he feared his dreams of playing at the European Championships were over. However, Llorente returned two negative tests yesterday and is now back with the others at the camp. The Leeds star made quite the entrance as he was welcomed by his fellow Spanish international teammates with applause and “guard of honour”. 🚨 OFICIAL | @diego_2llorente se reincorpora a la concentración de la @SeFutbol. El central internacional acaba de regresar a las instalaciones de Las Rozas tras conocer el último resultado negativo en las pruebas PCR. ℹ️ https://t.co/YTM2iBJ93H#SomosEspaña pic.twitter.com/bOd...
West Ham to follow 23-yr-old closely during Euros, could make a move this summer
Leicester City and West Ham United are keen on signing Hungarian defender Attila Szalai. According to NTVspor, the two Premier League clubs will monitor Szalai during the European Championships and may make a move when the tournament ends. Fenerbahce are not keen on selling the 23-year-old this summer unless there is a lucrative offer on the table. The highly-rated defender bagged six goals and three assists this past season and would be a useful acquisition for Leicester or West Ham. The Foxes have some talented defenders in their squad but need to find a long term replacement for Jonny Evans. West Ham are also searching for defensive reinforcements as they prepare to compete in next season’s Europa League. The Hammers narrowly missed out on Champions League qualification last term a...
La Liga giants set €40m price tag for defender after learning Manchester United’s interest – report
Atletico Madrid have set an asking price of €40 million for defender Kieran Trippier amid interest from Manchester United, reputed journalist Fabrizio Romano claims. Trippier was on United’s radar in January, but they cooled their interest after the right-back was handed an eight-week ban by FIFA for breaching betting rules. The Red Devils have now revived their pursuit of the England international, but it appears that they could be put off by the hefty price tag of Atletico. The La Liga champions reportedly rejected a €12m bid from them this week. They have no intention to sell the defender for anything less than €40m. Sportslens view: Aaron Wan-Bissaka has been United’s undisputed right-back in recent years under Ole Gunnar Solksjaer, and he has been superb defensively. Ho...
Chelsea and Juventus men impress, AC Milan playmaker disappoints – Turkey 0-3 Italy Player Ratings
Italy made the perfect start to their Euro 2020 campaign on Friday, seeing off Turkey with three second-half goals. Roberto Mancini’s men dominated the first half but were met by a stern Turkey defence seemingly happy to take a draw. Ciro Immobile had a couple of half-chances that missed the target, and Lorenzo Insigne bent a shot wide following a one-two with Immobile. The closest either side came to opening the scoring came through centre-back Giorgio Chiellini. The Juventus man’s header was goalbound, but he was denied by an excellent save from Ugurkan Cakir. Despite Italy’s control, the first half ended goalless. Turkey went in at the break with just 33% possession and no attempts on goal, as opposed to Gli Azzurri’s 14. The second half began in the same fashion, and Italy eventually g...
‘I’m a big fan’ – Tottenham coach raves about ‘arrogant’ Villa star
England kick-off their European Championship campaign with a clash against Croatia on Saturday and Aston Villa talisman Jack Grealish has been widely tipped to play a starring role for the Three Lions at the tournament. Manager Gareth Southgate has yet to confirm whether he will include the attacking midfielder in his starting XI, but Tottenham Hotspur coach Ledley King would not hesitate to do so if he had his way. The former England international centre-back has revealed that he is a big fan of the Villa star, showering praise on him ahead of the Euros. “I’m a big, big fan of Jack Grealish, Mason Mount and Phil Foden, but how Gareth Southgate gets them all in the team, I’m not sure!” King told Standard Sport. “Grealish reminds me of Gazza — that arrogance, that confidence. He doesn’t rel...
Chelsea interested in signing Arsenal-linked midfielder, Drogba has spoken with player’s family
Chelsea are making an effort to sign Feyenoord midfielder Orkun Kokcu this summer, Turkish journalist Yagiz Sabuncuoglu claims. Kokcu has been on the radar of several Premier League clubs, and he has been linked with Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Everton. It has now emerged that the Blues have entered the pursuit of the midfielder and are utilising the services of Didier Drogba to convince him. The Blues legend recently held talks with the family of the Turkey international regarding the prospect of joining the west London giants. Sportslens view: Kokcu was heavily linked with the Gunners last year before putting pen-to-paper on a new long-term contract with Feyenoord. The 20-year-old had an injury-plagued 2020/21 season but fared decently with three goals and three assists from 22 l...
