General Football News
Chelsea want to hand new contract to £144,000-a-week star, but in ‘no rush’
Chelsea are prepared to reward midfielder N’Golo Kante with a new contract, reputed journalist Fabrizio Romano reports. The Frenchman produced several standout performances during the final months of last season as the Blues finished in the top four and won the Champions League. The 30-year-old has another two years remaining on his contract, but the west London club are keen to finalise a new long-term deal with him. However, there is ‘no rush’ to reach an agreement as they have a great relationship with Kante, who rejected offers from two clubs last summer. Sportslens view: Kante had a disappointing 2019/2020 season with the Blues where he missed part of the campaign with four different injuries. There were suggestions that midfielder could be shown the exit door amid regular injury...
Report shares why Moshiri didn’t stop £250k-a-wk man from leaving Everton
Carlo Ancelotti left Everton on the first day of this month to return to Real Madrid, and the Toffees have yet to find a replacement. The Italian was earning £1 million per month at Goodison Park, and his decision to leave stunned Everton owner Farhadi Moshiri. Ancelotti and the club were already discussing transfer plans for the summer before he walked away, and The Sun has shared why Moshiri did not put up a fight to stop him. With three years still to run on his contract before his departure, the exit enabled the Everton owner to cut salary costs, saving £36m as a result. The Toffees lost £240m in the past two years and are lurching towards a cash crisis if they do not slash more off the wage bill. Ancelotti was well aware of the financial situation at Goodison Park, and one reason why ...
‘What a player’: Some Chelsea fans rave about £63m star’s performance at Euro 2020
A selection of Chelsea fans on Twitter heaped praise on Kai Havertz following his impressive display for Germany against Portugal last night. Portugal took an early lead in the Euro 2020 clash with a superb counter-attacking goal through Cristiano Ronaldo in the 15th minute. However, they went into the break trailing 2-1 after two own goals scored from Ruben Dias and Rafael Guerreiro respectively. Havertz played a part in both of them. His clever run at the near post forced Dias to put the ball into the back of his own net. He kept the ball in play for Germany’s second. Moments later, Guerreiro was forced to turn into his own net with Serge Gnabry lurking behind. Shortly after the interval, Havertz got onto the scoresheet with a tap-in after a lovely low cross from Robin Gosens into the si...
Spurs chief reportedly believes he can convince club to appoint Cup-winning boss
Tottenham Hotspur pulled out of talks to appoint former Napoli manager Gennaro Gattuso during the week and have since been linked with ex-Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde. After opening meeting with Jorge Mendes, Tottenham told Gattuso they’re not interested in appointing him. ⚪️❌ It’s never been a done deal, just an interview with the current frontrunner… as many others made by Spurs this summer. Fans reaction, key for the decision. #THFC — Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 18, 2021 According to Sunday Times’ Duncan Castles, Spurs managing director Fabio Paratici admires Gattuso and was looking to bring him to Juventus as Andrea Pirlo’s replacement. He was behind Tottenham’s attempt to appoint the Italian, and while the club have since withdrawn from the process, ...
Journo claims Spurs plan talks with boss who won back-to-back domestic treble
Tottenham Hotspur are looking to convince Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers about moving to North London, according to Sport Italia journalist Rudi Galetti. Chairman Daniel Levy is a huge fan of the Northern Irishman and remains keen on having him in the Spurs dugout. Galetti claims Tottenham’s ‘decisive assault’ for Rodgers will take place over the coming week. ⚠️ #Tottenham wants to convince Brendan #Rodgers: the #Leicester coach, who came close to qualifying for the #ChampionsLeague last season, is considered the right man to relaunch the #Spurs. The decisive assault will take place over the next week. #Transfers #Calciomercato #THFC https://t.co/Gze131BOlj pic.twitter.com/N9Ippakuuk — Rudy Galetti (@RudyGaletti) June 19, 2021 Talks with Paulo Fonseca and Gennaro Gatt...
Copa America: Blackburn man scores for Chile, Argentina defeat Uruguay
More Copa America action occurred last night, with Uruguay getting underway with their first game of the tournament against Argentina. Meanwhile, Chile were also out on the field, facing Bolivia. Here is what they served up. Chile 1-0 Bolivia Brereton got his first international goal It was amusing to a number of Championship followers that Blackburn Rovers’ Ben Brereton was called up to the Chile national team. He was born in England, has played his entire career in England, and played for England youth teams. However, his mother is Chilean, qualifying him for the South American nation. And the 22-year-old was the hero on Friday evening, scoring the only goal as Chile defeated Bolivia in their second game of the tournament. Former Queens Park Rangers loanee Eduardo Vargas flicked the ball...
Richard Keys shares what Benitez’s staff at Liverpool just told him amid Everton link
Everton have been linked with former Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez, but the fans do not want him. The Toffees are hoping to land a quality replacement for Carlo Ancelotti, and it seems the Spaniard has impressed majority owner Farhad Moshiri. Whether Everton would go ahead to make their most controversial managerial appointment ever remains to be seen, but beIN SPORTS presenter Richard Keys does not want Benitez at Goodison Park. He posted this on Twitter earlier today: If you discount every other good reason why Everton shouldn’t appoint Benitez consider this – told to me this morning by one of his coaching staff at Anfield – ‘attack with 3 – always keep 7 behind the ball’. Evertonians wouldn’t tolerate that — Richard Keys (@richardajkeys) June 18, 2021 Sportslens View Benitez is a pragm...
Spurs chief reportedly likes manager that was close to becoming Everton boss
Tottenham Hotspur are still looking for a new manager after pulling out of attempts to appoint Paulo Fonseca and Gennaro Gattuso within the last two days. Spurs managing director Fabio Paratici will be looking to get his first assignment at N17 right, and it has been suggested a new name could come in the frame for the vacancy. According to football.london, Paratici is an admirer of Wolverhampton Wanderers boss Nuno Espirito Santo. The Portuguese is not short of suitors and was in talks with Crystal Palace about replacing Roy Hodgson, but the move fell through. The Daily Mail’s Dominic King recently reported that he was close to being appointed as Everton’s new manager, but Rafa Benitez is in pole position to be appointed. Nuno Espirito Santo is close to being appointed Everton’s new manag...
‘He’d be a fantastic appointment’ – Gary Lineker sends manager message to Spurs
BBC Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker has suggested that Jurgen Klinsmann would be a fantastic managerial appointment for his Tottenham Hotspur. He made the comments ahead of England’s Euro 2020 clash with Scotland, and while it was suggested he was throwing the German under the bus, he took to Twitter to explain. Not at all, I think it was clear that @J_Klinsmann would be keen to be @SpursOfficial manager, and what’s more he’d be a fantastic appointment. https://t.co/6RXKUu41AW — Gary Lineker 💙 (@GaryLineker) June 18, 2021 Klinsmann has twice admitted that he would love to become Tottenham manager after they parted company with Jose Mourinho. “Definitely you’d entertain it, no doubt,” the former Germany manager told Sky Sports when asked if it would interest him to help out ...
Manchester City agree contract terms with £150,000-a-week star, announcement due soon – report
Brazilian midfielder Fernandinho is set to put pen-to-paper on a new one-year contract with Manchester City, according to The Mail. The 36-year-old was recently included in the list of Premier League players to be released, but it was anticipated that he would extend his stay. It is now reported that Fernandinho has agreed terms over a 12-month extension, and a formal announcement will be made shortly. The midfielder is regarded as an invaluable figure in the club’s dressing room despite approaching the final phase of his career. Sportslens view: Fernandinho’s game time was limited during the first half of last season, with Rodrigo regularly preferred for the holding midfield role. The Brazilian became a more influential figure under Guardiola from February and got an equal share of playin...
‘Different player’, ‘Sign him’: Some West Ham fans react to attacker’s display at Euros
A selection of West Ham United fans reacted to Andriy Yarmolenko’s performance during Ukraine’s 2-1 win over North Macedonia at Euro 2020 on Thursday. The 31-year-old had a difficult 2020/21 campaign with the Hammers, ending up with just 362 minutes of Premier League action across 15 appearances. However, he has looked a completely different player with his return to international duty, registering two goals and one assist in his last two matches. Yarmolenko came up with a stunner against the Netherlands last week, but the game ended in disappointment as the Dutch secured a 3-2 triumph. He carried over the form to the North Macedonia game, registering a goal and an assist in a rampant first-half display for Andriy Shevchenko’s side. Yarmolenko has had an excellent record with his national ...
Emiliano Martinez’s instant three-word reaction as Villa complete signing
English left-back Ashley Young is back at Aston Villa 10 years after he first left for Manchester United. The 35-year-old spent nine seasons at Old Trafford before joining Inter Milan in January 2020. Young has signed a one-year deal with Villa after leaving Inter as a Serie A winner last season. He will be looking to hit the ground running at Villa Park when the 2021-22 Premier League campaign kicks off. Welcome back, @youngy18! 🤩 — Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) June 17, 2021 The former England international has 369 top-flight appearances under his belt, and his huge experience will come in handy for Dean Smith’s side. I’M BACK 💙💜 pic.twitter.com/hBJJUnFXGp — Ashley Young (@youngy18) June 17, 2021 Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez is delighted with Young’s ret...
