Arsenal drawn against Besiktas in a Champions League qualifier worth £8.5m August 8, 2014 Arsenal have been handed a tricky tie against Turkish side Besiktas in a Champions League play-off worth £8.5m. The first leg of the Champions League group stage qualifier will be played in Istanbul on August 19-20, with a return leg at the Emirates taking place a week later on August 26-27. The Gunners will face a [...]
New Puma ad campaign puts Usain Bolt and Mario Balotelli in a hot tub August 8, 2014 Usain Bolt and Mario Balotelli in a hot tub. That's pretty much the basic premise of Puma's new TV advertisement, "Calling All Troublemakers", which accompanies the launch of the company’s new brand platform – “Forever Faster”. Alongside the charismatic sprinter and the mischievous AC Milan striker, Sergio Aguero, Marta Viera da Silver, the [...]
West Ham star threatened girl with acid attack, court is told August 8, 2014 WEST Ham star Ravel Morrison threatened to throw acid in his ex-girlfriend’s face, blow up her house and have her killed during a four-year campaign of terror, a court heard yesterday. The harassment allegations emerged as England Under-21 midfielder Morrison appeared before Manchester magistrates charged with assaulting his former partner and her mother last month. [...]
Arsene Wenger cools Sami Khedira rumours as Thomas Vermaelen nears Arsenal transfer exit August 8, 2014 Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has distanced himself from a move for Real Madrid midfielder Sami Khedira but admits there is every chance he will make further signings before the transfer window shuts next month. Wenger last week acknowledged his interest in Khedira, a signing which would add to the club’s nucleus of German players. Fellow [...]
Football Comment: Costa fortunes are key to Chelsea August 8, 2014 Champions Manchester City may have had a quiet summer but their Premier League rivals have all spent big on stars who they hope will turn them from also-rans into prize-winners. Chelsea’s key buy is Diego Costa. They have also splashed out on Cesc Fabregas, but the Brazil-born Spain striker is the signing with most riding [...]
Who will Arsenal face in the Champions League play-off? One for Gunners to avoid as Bilbao lurk August 7, 2014 Arsenal’s hopes of reaching the Champions League proper suffered a potential setback last night as Athletic Bilbao slipped into the pot of teams which the Gunners could draw in the group stage play-off. Arsene Wenger’s side, who finished fourth in the Premier League last season, will enter the draw as one of the seeded teams [...]
Lampard move suits everyone, says Pellegrini August 6, 2014 MANCHESTER City manager Manuel Pellegrini believes England midfielder Frank Lampard’s controversial temporary move to the Premier League champions is an ideal arrangement for all parties. Lampard, 36, has joined City on loan until January from their sister club New York City FC, having signed for the Major League Soccer newcomers on a free transfer just [...]
English sides are Euro champions at selling shirts August 6, 2014 ENGLAND’S football team may have lagged behind their Continental rivals at the World Cup, but in the lucrative replica shirt market they are Europe’s undisputed superpower. Premier League clubs sold 5.1m shirts last season – more than those from the top divisions in Germany (2.3m), Italy (1.2m) and France (1.2m) combined, according to a report [...]
QPR set to seal double swoop August 5, 2014 Premier League new boys QPR are closing in on a double transfer swoop after agreeing a season-long loan deal with Italian side Juventus for Chilean defender Mauricio Isla. The 26-year-old, who has won two Italian Scudettos, is joined in the Loftus Road arrivals lounge by highly-rated midfielder Jordan Mutch after QPR agreed a £6m fee [...]
Top-flight concussion rules tightened up August 5, 2014 PLAYERS knocked out or suspected of losing consciousness will have to be substituted under new rules governing the Premier League. In addition, any form of head injury must be assessed with the club doctor, not team management, deciding whether that player is fit to continue. Tottenham Hotspur received criticism last season for allowing their French [...]