Stoke splash out record £18.3m on Porto’s Imbula on sedate transfer deadline day February 2, 2016 Stoke City last night smashed their transfer record for the second time in five months to sign midfielder Giannelli Imbula from Porto for a fee of £18.3m on what otherwise proved to be a sedate deadline day. The 23-year-old former France Under-21 international has penned a five-and-a-half-year contract at the Britannia Stadium, while Stoke’s outlay [...]
Pep Guardiola to Manchester City: former Barcelona coach to be best paid manager in world football on £15m a year when he leaves Bayern Munich in the summer February 1, 2016 Manchester City are set to make Pep Guardiola the best-paid football manager in the world after confirming today that the Bayern Munich and former Barcelona coach will take charge next season. Guardiola has signed a three-year contract believed to be worth £15m a year – an increase on his existing €17m (£13m) deal at Bayern [...]
Newcastle bid £21m for Berahino as transfer deadline nears January 31, 2016 Premier League strugglers Newcastle United appear intent on assuming the status of the highest spenders in the January transfer window after bidding £21m for West Brom’s wantaway striker Saido Berahino yesterday. The north east side already leads the way in terms of outlay this month having splashed out a combined £29m on midfielder Jonjo Shelvey and [...]
MK Dons 1, Chelsea 5: Terry to leave Blues after contract snub January 31, 2016 Iconic Chelsea captain John Terry has revealed that his illustrious 18-year Stamford Bridge career will come to an end this summer after the club decided against offering the former England skipper a new one-year deal. The 35-year-old centre-half made the announcement after Chelsea eased into the FA Cup fifth round with a crushing 5-1 victory [...]
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 [...]