What the papers say
Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse is likely to leave the club this summer after their relegation to the Sky Bet Championship, with four clubs vying for his signature.
Newcastle, Wolves, West Ham and Aston Villa are all keen to sign the England international who is valued at around £40million, The Sun says.
Declan Rice has reportedly declared he wants to stay in the Premier League, ruling out a move to Bayern Munich, with Arsenal and Manchester United best placed to land the West Ham captain, according to the Daily Mail.
The Sun says former Australia and current Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou could be announced as Tottenham’s new manager as early as next week.
Brighton’s £30million bid for defender Levi Colwill, who was on l…
England midfielder Keira Walsh outlined her ambitions to stay at serial winners Barcelona for the long haul after they sealed a stunning 3-2 comeback against Wolfsburg to lift the Champions League trophy for the second time in three years.
Saturday’s sold-out Eindhoven showpiece was the first time Walsh was part of a title-winning side in the European competition, while club and country team-mate Lucy Bronze is now a four-time champion following a trio of victories with Lyon.
Walsh, 26, joined Liga F champions Barcelona on a three-season deal last September, less than two months after winning the Euros with England, and admitted she is loving the look of her trophy cabinet.
She told DAZN: “It’s been a pretty good year. The Euros, the Champions League, I thi…
Branislav Ivanovic struck the decisive goal as Chelsea ended Manchester City s 20-game unbeaten run with a 1-0 win on Monday.
Ivanovic scored with a crisp left-footed drive in the 32nd minute at the Etihad Stadium to move Jose Mourinho s side level with City in second place in the Premier League, just two points adrift of leaders Arsenal.
Prior to Monday s game, City had won 19 of their last 20 matches in all competitions and had scored in 61 successive top-flight fixtures at home, going back to a 0-0 stalemate with Birmingham City in November 2010.
However, it was Chelsea who looked most likely to score again, as they struck the woodwork three times going in search of a second, while City struggled to find a way through their well-organised defence.
The victory …
Market: Both teams to score
Odds: 10/11 @
Two sides who mark their return from the international break riding a recent wave, Nottingham Forest will host Blackpool on Saturday afternoon.
Starting with the hosts, while Nottingham Forest might have opened the 2021/22 campaign in the midst of a real nightmare, the Reds are enjoying a new lease of life. Making the decision to bring in Steve Cooper last month, the one-time European champions have managed to find an immediate bounce. Playing their way out of the drop zone and now looking up the table, they were last seen earlier in the month picking up a thumping 3-0 win away at Birmingham. In fact, Forest have collected 10 points from their last four Championship outings. However, now riding a real wave, Saturday s ho…
Chelsea s Eden Hazard and Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic are the leading candidates on a six-man shortlist for the 2016-17 PFA Players Player of the Year award.
After a disappointing campaign last time out, the resurgent Hazard – the winner of the accolade in 2014-15 – has been integral to Chelsea s return to the top of the Premier League table, contributing 14 goals and five assists in 29 appearances.
Since joining on a free transfer in July, Ibrahimovic has established himself as the spearhead of United s attack under Jose Mourinho – the 35-year-old Swede scoring 28 goals in 43 outings in all competitions.
The Premier League s leading goalscorer Romelu Lukaku of Everton, Tottenham striker Harry Kane, Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez and Chelse…
Mats Hummels would welcome Mario Gotze with open arms if the Bayern Munich attacker decided to return to Borussia Dortmund.
The 23-year-old left BVB for Bayern in July 2013 for a transfer fee of €37 million, but he has been unable to live up to the high expectations at the Allianz Arena.
Gotze has only started in five Bundesliga matches this season and was recently linked with a return to Dortmund, with defender Hummels feeling his former team-mate would be a shrewd addition for Thomas Tuchel s side.
I don t know how realistic a return to Dortmund is for Mario, Hummels told ZDF.
But he is a player with the potential to become a world-class player. We had some great times together, both at Dortmund and with the national team.
We are all suffer…
Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho anticipates a warm reception from Manchester United supporters on Wednesday but says his time at the club is a closed chapter .
Mourinho was sacked by United in December 2018 after a two-and-a-half-year spell in which he guided the club to EFL Cup and Europa League triumphs.
The Portuguese returned to management on November 20, taking over at Tottenham just a day after Mauricio Pochettino was dismissed by the north London outfit.
He has masterminded three consecutive wins across all competitions since his appointment and takes his resurgent side to United in the Premier League on Wednesday.
Mourinho – who has returned to Old Trafford as a television pundit this season – looks back fondly on his time at the club but says …
Miralem Pjanic believes the current Roma squad is the strongest he has played in and has targeted winning the Serie A title this season.
Rudi Garcia s men secured a return to the UEFA Champions League by finishing runners-up in Italy s top flight last season.
The coach has since been busy bolstering his squad ahead of a campaign in Europe s premier competition, with the likes of Ashley Cole, Juan Iturbe and Urby Emanuelson having moved to Stadio Olimpico.
Pjanic who joined Roma in August 2011 from Ligue 1 side Lyon takes confidence from the improving strength in depth at the capital club, but claimed reigning champions Juventus remain favourites, while also noting the threat of Napoli.
We want to win this Scudetto, Pjanic told Corriere dello Sport.
…
Alan Pardew has emerged as the bookmakers favourite to succeed Chris Hughton as manager of Newcastle after Martin Jol reportedly turned down the job due to conditions imposed by owner Mike Ashley.
And it is now possible former Reading, West Ham, Charlton and Southampton boss Pardew, quoted as the 1/12 favourite by leading British boomaker William Hill, could be appointed by Newcastle before their match at home to Liverpool on Saturday, when reserve coach Peter Beardsley will be in caretaker charge.
Newcastle, despite being in a respectable 11th place in the Premier League after winning promotion last season, sacked Hughton the man who took them back into the top flight on Monday.
Nothing in Pardew s record suggests he will be a significantly better manager but h…
Jurgen Klopp feels Jamie Vardy will once again pose Liverpool a massive threat in Wednesday s Premier League game.
Leicester City visit Anfield with Vardy having scored seven times in the Premier League against the Reds in his career.
The former England international is more prolific against Liverpool than any other club and he broke the deadlock in the same fixture on Merseyside last season, although Mohamed Salah s brace earned Liverpool a 2-1 win.
Vardy also memorably profited on a Lucas Leiva error to score against Liverpool in September 2016 and Klopp knows his defence will have to be on form to stop the striker finding the net again.
He s quality, the speed he has and the finishing skills he has, Klopp told reporters on Tuesday. A few times w…