General Football News
Chelsea receive boost as £110,000-a-week star is ready to sign a new contract
Chelsea defender Thiago Silva is prepared to sign a new one-year deal with the club, a report from The Express claims. The 36-year-old joined the Blues on a free transfer last summer, shortly after his contract expired with Paris Saint-Germain. There were doubts whether he could adapt to English football at his age, but he has done so with flying colours and is now a firm fan favourite. Silva has not played since early February because of a hamstring injury, but that is unlikely to scupper his prospects of prolonging his stay with the Blues. His current contract expires at the end of June, but there is a 12-month extension clause that can be activated if both he and the club agree to it. The Blues are open to the extension, and it is now reported that Silva is prepared to put pen-to-paper ...
Virgil van Dijk could return in eight weeks, claims Netherlands boss
Netherlands national team manager Frank de Boer has claimed that Virgil van Dijk has eight weeks left in his recovery from a long-term injury. Van Dijk was on the end of a heavy challenge from Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford in last October’s Merseyside derby at Goodison Park. The tackle caused damage to his anterior cruciate ligament, keeping him out of action for a minimum of six months. Van Dijk has not featured since his injury in October The Dutchman has not made an appearance since the incident, and the Reds have suffered as a result. Their title defence has been a disaster, as they currently sit 25 points off runaway leaders Manchester City. However, Netherlands boss Frank de Boer has not ruled out the possibility of the defender returning in time for this summer’s European Champ...
Spurs have reportedly identified 25y/o as replacement for Man Utd-linked star
According to L’Equipe, Tottenham Hotspur are keen on snapping up Lille goalkeeper Mike Maignan this summer. Spurs assistant head coach Joao Sacramento and goalkeeping coach Nuno Santos know the 25-year-old from their time together at the French club, and he has been touted as a long-term replacement for Hugo Lloris. The 34-year-old could leave Spurs at the end of the campaign, and while he has been linked with a return to OGC Nice, he could choose to remain in the Premier League, with Manchester United reportedly a possible destination. Sportslens View Maignan is a major reason why Lille are level on points with Paris Saint-Germain at the top of the Ligue 1 table with just eight games left given his huge quality, and he is not short of suitors at the moment. Serie A giants AC Milan are als...
‘Don’t play him again’, ‘wow’ – Some Spurs fans fuming after what star has just said
Wales international Gareth Bale has revealed that he plans to return to Real Madrid after his season-long loan at Tottenham Hotspur. The winger returned to Spurs last summer, seven years after he left for the Spanish capital, and has since scored 10 goals and weighed in with three assists in 25 games across all competitions. It remains to be seen whether Tottenham want to keep Bale for another season, but it appears that the player’s wish is to return to Madrid for the last year on his contract. “I think the main reason I came to Spurs this year was to play football first and foremost,” the 31-year-old said. “Going into the Euros I wanted to be match-fit. The original plan was to do a season at Spurs and after the Euros still have a year left at Real Madrid. “My plan is to go back – that’s...
‘Stability and development’: Martin Odegaard reacts to being quizzed over his Arsenal future
Real Madrid playmaker Martin Odegaard has said that he has yet to decide whether he will extend his stay with Arsenal. The Norwegian joined the Gunners on loan in January, and he has since managed 12 appearances in all competitions. He has only scored twice, but has been influential in the build-up of several goals for the Gunners with the quality of his distribution. This has led to suggestions that the north London side may seek to keep him next season on either a temporary or permanent deal. In an interview with Norwegian outlet VG, Odegaard has now said that he hasn’t thought about his plans beyond the summer. He added that he wants ‘stability and development’ in his career, which may indicate his desire to stay with the Gunners. He told VG, as translated by Goal.com: “To be completely...
David Ornstein shares what Spurs insiders have recently told him about Kane’s future
Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane continues to be routinely linked with an exit, and the rumours will intensify this summer should the club end the campaign without a trophy and fail to qualify for Europe next season. Spurs were dumped out of the Europa League last week after losing 3-0 in the second-leg of their round-of-16 clash against Dinamo Zagreb despite winning 2-0 in the first-leg. They are currently sixth in the Premier League table, with just two places and three points separating them from the top-four. The likes of Liverpool and Everton are breathing down their neck, and they could end up finishing outside the top-seven and miss out entirely on Europe next season should they fail to impress during the final nine fixtures of the campaign. Tottenham face Manchester City in the...
Bukayo Saka’s astonishing market value released
It has been an underwhelming season for Arsenal, who sit ninth in the table, six points adrift of Tottenham Hotspur in sixth and nine points off fourth-placed Chelsea. The Gunners faithful have had little to cheer about this season, but one of the few things has been the recently released market value of Bukayo Saka. The 19-year-old cemented his place with the north London outfit just before the first lockdown in March last year. Since then, the Englishman has not looked back. He has been the lynchpin to the few good moments that Arsenal have shown their fans. Despite being just a teenager, the youngster is one of Arsenal’s biggest threats. And nothing proves that quite like the recent release of his transfer value. Emile Smith Rowe: “We’re definitely going in the right direction. With the...
Reguilon reportedly wants to leave Spurs this summer for European giants
According to El Gol Digitial (via teamtalk), Tottenham Hotspur left-back Sergio Reguilon wants to leave the North London club this summer, with a return to Sevilla on his mind. The Spain international spent last season on loan at the La Liga giants, helping them win the Europa League and they will look to bring him back should they fail to land Chelsea’s Marcos Alonso. Sportslens View Real Madrid decided to cash in on him when Spurs came calling last summer, and while he has been impressive for Jose Mourinho’s side since joining, the doubts surrounding the future of the Portuguese could see the full-back decide to leave after just a season. Missing out on European football could deal a blow on Tottenham’s chances of retaining the services of some of their best players, and that could also ...
Abidal reveals why Barca decided against signing man despite his Spurs exploits
Tottenham Hotspur parted ways with Argentine manager Mauricio Pochettino in November 2019 following a woeful start to the season that left the club in 14th in the Premier League table before his departure. The 49-year-old has since become the boss of French giants Paris Saint-Germain, succeeding Thomas Tuchel at the Parc des Princes in January 2021. However, he was linked with becoming Barcelona boss just after he left Spurs, but his links with Espanyol and a joke he had made while he was at Tottenham about preferring to work on a farm in Argentina than manage the Catalans did not do him any favours with the Josep Bartomeu-led board. Erstwhile Barcelona director of football Eric Abidal has revealed that Pochettino was his most preferred candidate to replace Ernesto Valverde who was sacked ...
Arsenal star fully deserves plaudits from Mikel Arteta after stunning display
Martin Odegaard has only been at the club for just over 50 days, but he is certainly making his mark in Arsenal colours. Before the January transfer window, the Gunners were struggling to create chances and score goals from midfield. Their attack looked threatening, but they required some support from behind, especially from the No.10 position. Despite youngster Emile Smith Rowe being handed the opportunity to solve these issues, it soon became clear that more experience and depth was needed. A couple of months later, it is a completely different story and that is thanks to one man – Odegaard. He may only have two goals and zero assists in 12 appearances, but Odegaard’s displays have left many supporters urging the club to sign him permanently this summer. The Norwegian...
Luis Suarez’s best moments as he hits 500 goals
Luis Suarez has been one of football’s very best players over the past decade. As brilliant as he is controversial, the Uruguayan hit an astonishing milestone of 500 goals this weekend. Among active players, only Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and Robert Lewandowski have reached this figure. And what better way to celebrate the occasion than by looking back at the key points of his phenomenal career? Here are Luis Suarez’s best moments (so far). Making his name on the big stage Suarez celebrates against South Korea Suarez came into the tournament off the back of an an astonishing season at Ajax, scoring 49 goals in 48 appearances. So it came as no surprise that he shone at the 2010 World Cup. Playing in his first ever international tournament, he opened his account in...
Arsenal confirm star duo will play just one game each during the international break
15 Arsenal players will be in action over the international break this month, and manager Mikel Arteta will be hoping to have them all return without any fitness issues for the campaign run-in. Premier League action resumes on April 3, with the Gunners hosting Liverpool before welcoming Slavia Prague five days later in the first-leg of the Europa League quarter-finals. Advancing to the semi-finals will further boost Arsenal’s chances of winning the competition and playing Champions League football next term, and Arteta needs his key players to be fully fit in the coming weeks. The Gunners boss will be very wary of the international break curse, but he has been handed a boost with two of his star players only playing once during the break. Gabon has called up their skipper Pierre-Emerick Au...
