Dismissals for dissent on the cards as England’s refs are told to crack down on bad behaviour from players and coaches July 20, 2016 Players who confront and verbally abuse referees or their assistants face instant dismissal next season after English football’s key stakeholders announced a crackdown on dissent. Any aggressive or confrontational physical contact with an official will also attract a red card, while referees have been ordered to issue more bookings for similar but less serious offences. [...]
Manchester United will win the transfer window if they sign Paul Pogba – but it’ll be a big blow if they don’t July 19, 2016 Arsenal I wouldn’t be thrilled if I was an Arsenal fan. Granit Xhaka is the Gunners’ only major addition this summer, which suggests Arsene Wenger must be pretty happy with his starting XI. With the way they finished the season, I’m surprised he hasn’t been bolder, while seemingly not having an alternative option when a [...]
Antonio Conte insists Diego Costa is staying at Chelsea, Stoke confirm Saido Berahino bids and Arsenal close on Bolton defender July 19, 2016 Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has warned Atletico Madrid to forget about re-signing Diego Costa and vowed to make the Spain centre-forward an integral part of his Stamford Bridge reign. Atletico have been linked with a deal to take their former player back to the Vicente Calderon, with club president Enrique Cerezo quizzed on Tuesday about [...]
Hull urge Football Association to make quick decision after holding informal talks with Steve Bruce over England job July 19, 2016 Newly-promoted Hull City have confirmed that manager Steve Bruce has held informal talks with the Football Association (FA) over succeeding Roy Hodgson as England boss. While no official approach for the former Manchester United captain has been made, the Tigers have followed Sunderland’s lead in calling on the FA to resolve the matter promptly given the [...]
Barcelona extend Qatar Airways sponsorship for a further year as club wait for more lucrative deal July 19, 2016 Barcelona have extended their shirt sponsorship deal with Qatar Airways for a further season after failing to find a partner willing to match their €65m (£55m) per season asking price. The La Liga champions have had ties to the gulf state since 2010 when the Qatar Foundation became only the second shirt sponsor in its history [...]
Manchester United may have moved a step closer to signing Juventus’ Paul Pogba after offering midfielder massive annual salary July 19, 2016 Paul Pogba's rumoured move to Manchester United may be a step closer to becoming reality after the Premier League club detailed the large salary they'd be prepared to pay the Frenchman. United have now told the Juventus midfielder's agent, Mino Raiola, they'll offer his client up to £11m a season, according to local reports. Last week Raiola had [...]
N’Golo Kante says opportunity of working with Chelsea manager Antonio Conte “too good to turn down” after completing £30m transfer from Leicester July 16, 2016 N'Golo Kante claimed the opportunity to work with new Chelsea manager "was too good to turn down" after completing his £30m transfer to Stamford Bridge from Leicester. The French midfielder has signed a five-year contract with Chelsea for a bumper contract thought to be worth £150,000 a week. Chelsea targeted the 25-year-old after an impressive debut season in [...]
West Ham tipped to join Chelsea and Manchester United in hunt for James Rodriguez July 16, 2016 West Ham have been named in the Spanish press as one of three Premier League clubs chasing Real Madrid star James Rodriguez. The Colombian moved to Real Madrid from Monaco for around £63m two years ago after starring at the World Cup where he finished top scorer with six goals. Yet the 25-year-old endured an [...]
Lessons from bankrupt footballers: They earn megabucks but are likely to squander it all. What can we learn from their mistakes? July 15, 2016 They earn megabucks but few actually make a decent plan for their post-working lives. While we’re not all multi-millionaires, everyone has something to learn from their mistakes, explains RBC’s Jonathan Gold. Modern football is synonymous with wealth, whether through its astronomical wages or lucrative sponsorship deals. But young players are often making a Faustian bargain [...]
Full Premier League pre-season fixtures list: Kick-off times and TV coverage as Arsenal head to America, Manchester United and Manchester City visit China and West Ham hit Austria July 15, 2016 Arsenal Fixtures: 22nd July: vs RC Lens, Lens 28th July: vs MLS All Stars, San Jose 31st July: vs Chivas de Guadalajara, Los Angeles 5th August: vs Viking FK, Stavanger 7th August: vs Manchester City, Gothenburg Longest journey: Los Angeles to London, 5,437 miles Total distance to cover: 13,968 miles Bournemouth Fixtures: 20th July: vs Minnesota United, Blaine 23rd [...]