President Xi loves football, but China’s spending spree won’t last long says ex-Manchester City man Sun Jihai January 9, 2017 Premier League clubs need not worry about losing their best players to the China, says former Manchester City defender Sun Jihai who predicts a slowdown in spending from the emerging football power. Chinese teams’ spending has exploded as some of the country’s richest men acquired football clubs in the wake of President Xi Jinping revealing [...]
How the Africa Cup of Nations affects Premier League clubs January 9, 2017 While January offers the opportunity for squads to be bolstered before the campaign’s business end, some Premier League managers are already counting the cost of international call-ups for the Africa Cup of Nations. A quick browse of the list of top-flight absentees for the tournament in Gabon, which begins on Saturday, shows those sides who [...]
Tottenham Hotspur 2, Aston Villa 0: Mauricio Pochettino tips rookie midfielder Harry Winks for stardom January 8, 2017 TOTTENHAM boss Mauricio Pochettino tipped rookie midfielder Harry Winks to scale lofty heights after his side began their FA Cup campaign with a regulation victory over Championship side Aston Villa. Eight-time tournament winners Spurs cruised into round four after brushing aside an initially stubborn Villa, currently 12th in the second tier, courtesy of second-half goals [...]
Chelsea 4, Peterborough United 1: Fringe stars shine for Blues in FA Cup but Antonio Conte still eyeing January transfer business January 8, 2017 Chelsea 4, Peterborough United 1 Chelsea manager Antonio Conte insists he still hopes to add to his squad this month despite fringe players forcing their way back into his thinking in an FA Cup romp against Peterborough on Sunday. Unsettled striker Michy Batshuayi scored his first goal since August, midfielders Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Nathaniel Cahlobah [...]
Liverpool 0, Plymouth Argyle 0: Jurgen Klopp defends team selection after draw adds to fixture pile-up worries January 8, 2017 Liverpool 0, Plymouth Argyle 0 Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp insists he has no regrets about his selection gamble after an FA Cup stalemate with fourth-tier Plymouth exacerbated the Reds’ fixture congestion. Klopp selected the youngest starting XI in Liverpool’s history for Sunday’s third round tie and they failed to break down an Argyle side determined [...]
Football Association clears Premier League clubs to field weakened teams in the FA Cup and confirms plans to increase prize money January 8, 2017 Premier League clubs have been given the green light to field weakened teams in the FA Cup after Football Association chiefs said they would not take action against sides who made wholesale changes. Top-flight teams’ attitude towards the competition is in the spotlight again after six crashed out at the earliest opportunity over the first two [...]
Everton sell training ground naming rights to company co-owned by Arsenal investor Alisher Usmanov and majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri January 6, 2017 Everton's training ground will be renamed USM Finch Farm after the Premier League club agreed a naming rights deal with the holding company for the businesses owned by Arsenal shareholder Alisher Usmanov. USM Holdings, which is also part-owned by Everton majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri, counts Russia's largest mining company Metalloinvest, Russian social network VKontakte and stakes [...]
Pep Guardiola dismisses retirement talk as West Ham’s Slaven Bilic talks up qualities of two transfer targets January 5, 2017 Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has doused suggestions he is contemplating retirement as he prepares to embark upon his maiden FA Cup clash against West Ham at the London Stadium on Friday. Guardiola moved to clarify comments made last week in which he indicated he was pondering the end of his coaching career, which led [...]
Betting: Pep Guardiola to kick-off cup journey with win over West Ham January 5, 2017 Undoubtedly one of the most anticipated weekends in the English footballing calendar is the FA Cup third round – a time where the fans of even the smallest clubs can dream of a trip to Wembley in May. West Ham, with their brand new stadium, and Manchester City, with their billion-dollar owners, don’t quite fit into [...]
Betting: More cup magic expected as Sutton host AFC Wimbledon January 5, 2017 AFC WIMBLEDON return to the ground where their incredible story began as they face Sutton United in the third round of the FA Cup on Saturday. Forming after the original Wimbledon FC were moved to Milton Keynes, Gander Green Lane hosted the Dons’ first ever match, back in July 2002. Fifteen years, and six promotions [...]