Arsenal: Coquelin’s return provides welcome relief from Flamini – but is Cazorla the key to defensive solidity? January 30, 2016 Arsenal midfielder Francis Coquelin is in line for a return from two months on the sidelines this weekend and among the cacophony of relieved sighs at the Emirates Stadium none will be louder than Petr Cech’s. The Arsenal goalkeeper could justifiably expect a welcome drop in his workload once there is a Coquelin-shaped shield sitting [...]
Real Madrid and Adidas set to agree huge £100m sponsorship that trumps Manchester United’s record deal January 29, 2016 Adidas and Real Madrid are close to agreeing a huge kit manufacturing deal that would trump the German sportswear brand's record £75m deal with Manchester United. According to reports from Madrid paper Marca, Real will receive €140m (£107m) a season from Adidas in a 10-year extension of their current partnership. The deal will once again make Real [...]
West Ham chairwoman Karren Brady warns that Brexit would have “devastating” consequences for football January 29, 2016 West Ham vice-chairwoman Karren Brady has warned that the UK leaving the EU would have "devastating consequences for the competitiveness of British football" and has called on clubs to publicly back an "In" vote ahead of the forthcoming referendum. In a letter to the chairs of all professional clubs in the UK, Brady has written that [...]
Chris Powell: Managers shouldn’t ignore the power the FA Cup has to invigorate fans – just look at Arsenal January 28, 2016 I’m always really surprised to hear people suggest there’s not much interest in the FA Cup these days because for me, it will never die. Financial concerns mean the league has taken precedent over the cup and have changed people’s mentality towards the season. Now it’s all about the league and nothing else which is [...]
Bayern Munich beat Manchester United and Barcelona in social media race to win over Chinese football fans January 28, 2016 German giants Bayern Munich are engaging China's football fans through digital media more successfully than any other football club, according to a new report. With millions of potential fans to be found in the increasingly football-focused country, leading football clubs have all built a presence in the country its digital sphere. An annual index from [...]
Manchester United accounts: Incredible growth in club’s financial might revealed in results from 1969 January 28, 2016 No club better symbolises the size and scale of today's football industry than international mega-brand Manchester United – and leaked figures from the club's 1969 accounts reveal just how much they've grown. In Sir Matt Busby's final season as manager, the club paid out £204,028 in "wages and bonuses" to a star-studded squad that included [...]
Liverpool 0, Stoke City 1 (AET, Liverpool win 6-5 on penalties): Klopp vows to seal first Reds trophy January 26, 2016 Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has vowed to win the Capital One Cup and deliver a trophy in his first year in the Anfield hotseat after edging past Stoke in last night's semi-final courtesy of a tense sudden-death penalty shoot-out victory. Oft-maligned Reds goalkeeper Simon Mignolet turned centre-half Marc Muniesa’s spot-kick around the post before midfielder Joe [...]
Jose Mourinho and Manchester United are the perfect marriage and neither can afford to fail with their next appointment January 26, 2016 It's hard to avoid the conclusion that Louis van Gaal is a dead man walking. The Manchester United manager has made himself unpopular among fans with his brand of football, and the best the club can hope for this season is probably scraping into the Champions League. It’s a question of when, not if, he goes [...]
Out-of-favour Tottenham winger Townsend set for £12m move to Newcastle January 26, 2016 ross mclean Tottenham exile Andros Townsend is poised to complete a move to relegation-threatened Newcastle after the two clubs agreed a £12m fee for his services. The 24-year-old, who has won 10 England caps, has made just three Premier League appearances for Spurs this season and has not featured since their Europa League clash with [...]
Former Arsenal director slams Chelsea striker Diego Costa as a “serial cheat” January 26, 2016 Chelsea striker Diego Costa has been branded "a serial cheat" by former Arsenal director Peter Hill-Wood following the Spaniard's match-winning display at the Emirates this weekend. Costa was at the centre of attention, scoring the game's only goal shortly after he was fouled by Gunners centre-back Per Mertesacker – a challenge which earned the German [...]