English Premier League
‘His feelings are not the best’: Mourinho suggests Spurs man won’t play on Thursday
Jose Mourinho confirmed in his pre-match press conference yesterday that he will make changes to his side ahead of Tottenham Hotspur’s Europa League game on Thursday. Spurs face Dinamo Zagreb in the round of 16, and Mourinho has hinted that he will rotate his squad. The Spurs boss has confirmed that he will field a strong side, but there will be changes. One player who will not be playing is Giovani Lo Celso. The Argentine has suffered a minor setback and is not completely fit to play on Thursday. Lo Celso has not featured for Spurs since he was forced off with a hamstring injury in the 2-0 defeat to Leicester City in mid-December. He returned to training last month, and there were suggestions that he could play in the Europa League clash and the north London derby on March 14. H...
Bielsa confirms two Leeds players won’t play vs Chelsea; three players available
Marcelo Bielsa has suggested in his pre-match press conference today that Pablo Hernandez and Pascal Struijk won’t play against Chelsea this weekend. Leeds have lost four out of their last five Premier League games. The Whites are up against the Blues, who are on a superb run of form under Thomas Tuchel. Bielsa has confirmed that Kalvin Phillips and Rodrigo are both fit, with the England midfielder playing the entire game on Monday against West Ham. “Neither will be able to play”, said Bielsa when asked about the latest update about Hernandez and Struijk. Injury news – Struijk and Hernandez will miss the Chelsea game again. Shackleton is back and Phillips and Rodrigo came through the West Ham game without any issues. Koch could play in the 23s on Monday. #lufc — Phil Hay (@PhilHay_) March ...
Injury-ridden United pay the price as Milan hold advantage ahead of Europa League second leg
It was a tale of two headers as Manchester United conceded an injury-time equaliser in the first leg of their Europa League last 16 tie against AC Milan with the sides playing out a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford. Simon Kjaer’s first goal for Milan late in the game cancelled out Amad Diallo’s 50th-minute opening goal for the hosts ahead of next week’s second leg at the San Siro. United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made four changes to his starting line-up from Sunday’s 2-0 win at rivals Manchester City in the Premier League. In came Eric Bailly, Alex Telles, Nemanja Matić and Mason Greenwood, with the latter replacing an injured Marcus Rashford. Solskjaer’s side were also without goalkeeper David De Gea, who remains in Spain following the birth of his first child, so Dean Henderson continue...
Man United, Chelsea interested in £49.5m French star, but his club want to keep him
Kingsley Coman is attracting interest from both Manchester United and Chelsea, but Bayern Munich are determined to extend his contract, Sport1 journalist Florian Plettenberg claims. Coman is currently in his sixth season with the Bundesliga giants, accumulating 39 goals and 48 assists from 188 appearances in all competitions. His career has been plagued by multiple injuries, but he has stayed unscathed for most of the current campaign, which has brought the best out of him. The 24-year-old has registered six goals and 13 assists for the European champions this term, and it is already his best-ever return in a single season. Despite this, there has been speculation regarding his future, and a recent report from The Mail claimed that both United and the Blues are keeping tabs on him. Wh...
Man Utd and PSG turned down chance to sign Cristiano Ronaldo, claims Italian journalist
Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain both rejected the opportunity to sign Cristiano Ronaldo from Juventus last summer, according to La Repubblica journalist Emanuele Gamba. The 36-year-old’s future has been at the centre of a lot of speculation in the last few days following Juventus’ early exit from the Champions League at the hands of Porto. Oliveira scored twice to eliminate Juventus This is the third year in a row that the Italian giants have suffered disappointment in Europe, having previously been knocked out by Ajax and Lyon. Given the current financial climate, Juventus’ failings on the pitch and Ronaldo’s ambition, it would not be surprising to see the Portuguese forward move on in the upcoming transfer window. Two clubs that have apparently already turned down Ronaldo once ...
“I think this is just the start”: Arsenal star eyes brighter future
The signing of Thomas Partey was met with a huge amount of excitement last year, but it has not all been plain sailing for him in England. During five years with Atletico Madrid’s first team, Partey only suffered two injuries. However, since joining the Gunners, the Ghanaian has picked up three in the space of four months. There are many reasons for this – the intensity of the Premier League and the chaotic fixture schedule being two examples. Despite the frustrating setbacks, Partey has said that this is just the start for him at Arsenal, and he has so much more to offer. Speaking ahead of Thursday’s big clash with Olympiacos in the last 16 of the Europa League, the 27-year-old seemed calm about his situation. “It was a difficult moment to get used to how the team plays, and I think the i...
Liverpool midfielder comments on “nightmare” Premier League season
Summer signing Thiago Alcantara has opened up about Liverpool’s struggle to retain the Premier League crown this season. Liverpool strolled to the title last term, finishing 18 points clear of Manchester City to secure their first Premier League trophy. The Reds’ title defence looked to be going as planned, as they sat top of the league at Christmas. However, a horror run of form has taken them all the way down to eighth, 25 points off the top. Virgil van Dijk’s injury was a crucial blow to Liverpool’s title hopes Since defeating Crystal Palace 7-0 at Selhurst Park in December, Jurgen Klopp’s men have picked up just 12 points from their last 14 league outings, losing six home games in a row. Spanish midfielder Thiago Alcantara has spoken out about their struggles, admitting that they did n...
Wolverhampton Wanderers could sign 28-year-old Spanish midfielder for only £4.3m
Wolverhampton Wanderers could sign Schalke 04 captain Omar Mascarell on a cut-price deal when the transfer window reopens, AS reports. The 28-year-old has been contracted to the Bundesliga outfit since 2018, but he appears on his way out with the club destined for relegation. The Gelsenkirchen-based side have languished in the drop zone for the entire campaign, and they are currently 11 points adrift of safety with 10 games left. Mascarell’s current deal with the club expires in June 2022, and it is claimed that they will be forced to sell him this summer as he is unlikely to sign an extension. Wolves are mentioned as one of the admirers of the former Real Madrid graduate, and it is reported that he could be available for around £4.3 million. Sportslens view: Wolves currently have thr...
Predicted Spurs starting XI: Mourinho to make seven changes, 24-year-old starts
Tottenham Hotspur will take on Croatian club Dinamo Zagreb in the Europa League round of 16 on Thursday. Spurs are high on confidence and head into this tie on the back of four consecutive wins in all competitions. Jose Mourinho has already insisted in his pre-match press conference that he will make some changes for this game, before adding that it would still be a strong side. Giovani Lo Celso has been ruled out of this game. The Argentine is suffering from a small back problem after recovering from his hamstring injury, while Joe Rodon is not registered for the Europa League. Gareth Bale could be dropped to the bench after the Welshman started in the last three Premier League games. He could be joined by Heung-min Son on the bench. Mourinho confirmed yesterday that Pierre-Emile Hoj...
Arsenal, Chelsea interested in signing versatile £40m defender from Serie A giants
Arsenal and Chelsea could compete for the signature of Inter Milan defender Achraf Hakimi when the transfer window reopens this summer, The Telegraph reports. The Morocco international made the switch to the Nerazzurri from Real Madrid last year following a successful two-year loan stint with Borussia Dortmund. Hakimi has generally played at right wing-back for the Nerazzurri and has had a superb debut season with six goals and six assists from 33 outings. Despite this, there is speculation that he could be on the move this summer with Inter owner Suning Holdings Group looking for new investors at the club. They recently shut down their operations at Chinese Super League champions Jiangsu and their tight financial situation could see them offload few players at Inter. Hakimi is on the...
Transfer planning underway at Arsenal – club must get it right
With the Premier League season concluding in just over two months, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta recently confirmed that planning for the summer transfer window is already underway. Speaking to the media last week, Arteta admitted that potential business will be more challenging due to the pandemic, but also added that any deals they do might be affected by their finishing position in the league. Ahead of the Europa League tie against Olympiacos on Thursday, Arteta was asked again about the club’s plans this summer. “We don’t know yet because we have so many things to do,” he said (via football.london). “We have people on loan, people finishing contracts. There was a lot going on in the last two transfer windows that had to be done the amount of things we had to do which was probably u...
Jordan Henderson and other Liverpool players react to CL win vs Leipzig
Liverpool progressed to the quarter-finals of the Champions League after beating RB Leipzig 2-0 (4-0 on aggregate) on Wednesday night in Hungary. Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane scored for the Reds as they finally returned to winning ways. Jordan Henderson, the Reds skipper, who is currently out injured, wrote on his Instagram story – ‘Well done lads. On to the quarters we go’. Several other Liverpool players also shared their reactions after the game. From front to back lads worked hard for that win! Big clean sheet too. pic.twitter.com/5EIfjjfMer — Andy Robertson (@andrewrobertso5) March 10, 2021 Bring on Quarters. pic.twitter.com/IXMkn4Oo2B — Trent Alexander-Arnold (@TrentAA) March 10, 2021 Job done! 💪🏻🔴Quarter-finals! pic.twitter.com/oB4NC56xAu — Adr...
