Newcastle and Arsenal are set to go toe to toe for the services of Borussia Dortmund star Julian Brandt, according to the . No move is likely to happen in January, so the two Premier League rivals are preparing to try and make it happen at the end of the season as they seek to strengthen their wide attacking positions.
Brandt has been targeted by Premier League clubs for a long time now. He confirmed that Liverpool wanted him in 2017, when he was still at Bayer Leverkusen. He refused to leave the BayArena at the time and the Merseysiders signed Mohamed Salah instead, and it s fair to say they haven t looked back.
Two years later, Brandt left Leverkusen for Dortmund in a deal worth €25 million, and since then, he s made a total of 185 appearances for the black-and-yell…
Picking up a 6-0 win away in Bulgaria amidst a string of off-field issues last month, England have bounced back from their shock defeat against the Czech Republic and Gareth Southgate s side have all but confirmed their spot as Group A winners. Still boosted by their bronze medal finish in the inaugural Nations League, Thursday s hosts have continued to gain a reputation for their free-scoring antics and one man to watch out for at Wembley will be the red-hot Marcus Rashford. Once again finding the net against Brighton on Premier League duties over the weekend, the 22-year-old has now recorded seven goals in his last eight matches for club and country, including finding the net out in Bulgaria last month. Given Montenegro s continued issues during qualifying, the Manchester United ace s…
Gareth Southgate insists England will head into Euro 2024 ready to handle the expectation that comes with being ranked one of the tournament favourites.
The England boss and his players were pitted against Denmark, Serbia and Slovenia in Group C for next summer’s finals in Germany in Saturday night’s draw in Hamburg.
Southgate has overseen a transformation of England’s fortunes since he took over in 2016, steering them to a first World Cup semi-final since 1990 at the 2018 tournament in Russia and a first-ever Euro final appearance in 2021.
There were further signs of progress in December’s run to the World Cup quarter-finals and the side are firm favourites to take the final step and claim silverware, thanks in no small part to Real Madrid star Jude Bell…
Vicente del Bosque insisted nothing has changed for Spain after the two-time defending European champions crashed to a surprise 1-0 friendly defeat to Georgia.
After comfortable wins over Bosnia-Herzegovina and South Korea, Spain s Euro 2016 preparations were dealt a blow following Tuesday s warm-up defeat at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez.
Tornike Okriashvili s goal five minutes before half-time was enough to sink Spain, who had their 11-game unbeaten run ended.
But Del Bosque was not too downbeat post-match, as Spain prepare for Group D fixtures against Czech Republic, Turkey and Croatia in France.
It was a disappointment. We have not played badly, but we have been unable to overcome an orderly defence, Del Bosque told reporters. We appreciate what they…
West Ham have confirmed the signing of Jean-Clair Todibo on an initial season-long loan from Nice.
The defender will be with the Hammers for the 2024-25 season, and the club has the option to buy at the end of the campaign for a reported £34.2million fee.
Todibo joined Nice in 2021, initially on loan, and went on to make 136 appearances for them in all competitions, netting two goals.
He also helped them reach the 2021-22 Coupe de France final, though they missed out on the trophy to Nantes.
I am really excited to be signing for West Ham, Todibo told West Ham s website. It is a dream come true to play in the Premier League, the best league in the world.
The south of France to east London
Jean-Clair Todibo is a Hammer
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The upcoming match between Ukraine and Italy in the Euro 2024 qualification on Sunday stands as a crucial showdown, with both teams vying for the second spot in Group C and a ticket to the European Championship next summer.
As it stands, Italy holds the second position in the group, and they can secure qualification to the finals by preventing a defeat against Ukraine. On the other hand, Ukraine, the nominal hosts with the match set to take place at the BayArena in Germany, have the opportunity to secure their spot in the finals by clinching a victory against the reigning European champions.
Ukraine
Ukraine face a critical fixture in their Euro 2024 qualification journey after a mixed set of results in recent matches. While t…
Outgoing FIFA executive committee member Franz Beckenbauer believes the 2022 Qatar World Cup should be played in January.
The international football tournament is traditionally held in June and early July the close season for most domestic club competitions.
An immediate concern arising from the decision to award the 2022 tournament to Qatar is the temperature, which can rise to as high as 50 degrees Celsius in June and July in the Persian Gulf.
Beckenbauer, a former World Cup winner as a player and manager with West Germany, who also organised the 2006 tournament in his home country, recommends a departure from the norm when FIFA s showcase heads to the Middle East.
One should think about a different solution, Beckenbauer said.
In January …
Jordan reached the Asian Cup final for the first time in their history thanks to a richly deserved 2-0 win over South Korea in Qatar.
Second-half strikes from Yazan Al Naimat and Mousa Al-Taamari ended the hopes of Son Heung-min and his team-mates at Ahmed bin Ali Stadium on Tuesday.
Jordan had dominated from the off, with near misses from Hwang In-beom and Lee Jae-sung – and a penalty that was rightly overturned after a VAR check – all that pre-tournament favourites South Korea mustered. Son did not even have a shot.
Al Naimat and Al-Taamari s quality shone through, and Jordan, who were backed by a vociferous support, will now face Iran or the holders and hosts Qatar in Saturday s final.
Jordan are set to play for the title f…
Teenage winger Bobby Clark has left Liverpool to join Salzburg on a permanent deal.
Clark joined Liverpool in 2021 after coming through Newcastle United s youth system and was handed his senior debut by Jurgen Klopp in a 9-0 victory over Bournemouth in August 2022.
He went on to make a further five Premier League appearances in 2023-24, also featuring in the Reds extra-time victory over Chelsea in the EFL Cup final and scoring his first goal for the club in a 6-1 Europa League win over Sparta Praha.
That strike made the 19-year-old the youngest Liverpool goalscorer in European competitions since Trent Alexander-Arnold netted against Maribor in the Champions League in 2017.
However, with fierce competition for places hampering his chances of regular first-…
Borussia Dortmund reached their third Champions League final after Mats Hummels second-half goal earned a 1-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain.
Leading 1-0 from the first leg, BVB came up with the goods at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday to seal a 2-0 aggregate victory.
Hummels headed home from a corner five minutes into the second half to send the German team, who won the title in 1997, into their first final in Europe s top club competition since 2013.
PSG hit the woodwork four times but failed to find the net as Kylian Mbappe, who is widely expected to leave the club at the end of the season, was a shadow of his usual brilliant self.
Dortmund will meet either 14-time champions Real Madrid or their Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich, who clash at the Berna…