Blog (Page 259)

Greek giants Olympiacos have announced the signing of Real Madrid legend Marcelo on a free transfer. The left-back brought the curtain down on a 16-season stay at the Santiago Bernabeu this summer, opting not to sign a new contract in the Spanish capital. He has been linked with moves all over Europe since departing Real Madrid, and was it had been reported that he was in talks with Premier League side Leicester City on deadline day, but the Foxes denied such a deal was in the works. Olympiacos confirmed the signing of Marcelo on Friday night, with the Brazilian signing an initial one-year deal withRead More →

Michy Batshuayi’s Chelsea career has come to an end after completing a permanent move to Fenerbahce on Friday evening. The Belgium striker joined the Blues in 2016, beating stiff competition from London rivals Tottenham and West Ham for his signature. While he would be used sparingly over the course of his stint at Chelsea and spent most of his time out on loan, he notably scored the goal that sealed their 2016/17 Premier League title and was part of their FA Cup-winning squad the following year. He has now completed a move to Fenerbahce, returning to Turkey after spending last season on loan at IstanbulRead More →

Four goals against Real Sociedad and four against Real Valladolid feels like pretty good preparation for Barcelona as they travel to take on Sevilla on Saturday. The hosts are in miserable form but Barcelona are feeling themselves after two emphatic victories on the bounce, and Xavi will be keen to move on from transfer uncertainty and simply focus on playing football. Here’s how the boss could set up. Lewandowski is off to a hot start / Alex Caparros/GettyImages GK: Marc-Andre ter Stegen – Two clean sheets in three games thus far. Not bad from the German. RB: Jules Kounde – Hector Bellerin only arrived lateRead More →

UEFA have confirmed that eight teams have been sanctioned for breaches of Financial Fair Play over the last five years. Teams competing in UEFA competitions last season were put under the microscope for the 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 financial years, though 2020 and 2021 were assessed as one period due to Covid-19 emergency measures. UEFA announced on Friday that eight teams will be fined for failing to meet their break-even requirements, with Monaco (€0.3m), Marseille (€0.3m), Besiktas (€0.6m), AC Milan (€2m), Juventus (€3.5m), Inter (€4m), Roma (€5m) and PSG (€10m) ordered to either pay up immediately or have these sums deducted from theirRead More →

Manchester City will look to add to the pressure on Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard on Saturday when the two sides face off at Villa Park. After a minor slip-up against Newcastle, City have fired ten goals across their last two games, with Erling Haaland claiming six of those himself. The Norwegian striker has outscored Villa in the Premier League this year. Gerrard’s men have just four strikes to their name and are down in 19th in the table, prompting the boss to admit he is worried about his future at the club. Here’s all you need to know about this one. Aston Villa: 1 WinManRead More →

Dairon Asprilla has named the Portland Timbers’ win over rivals Seattle Sounders in the 2018 Western Conference semifinals as his favorite memory at the club so far. The Colombian forward is in his seventh year with the Timbers, during which time he’s helped his team reach three MLS Cup Playoffs finals, winning in 2015 and finishing runner-up in both 2018 and 2021. Naturally, Asprilla has witnessed some incredible moments at Providence Park. However, it’s the Timbers’ trip to Seattle in the 2018 Playoffs that stands out the most to the 30-year-old, who scored and assisted in a 3-2 loss which ultimately secured a 4-4 drawRead More →

Newcastle host Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Saturday with both sides looking to bounce back from disappointing results. The Magpies conceded in the 97th minute at Liverpool to lose 2-1 in midweek, while the Eagles were also hit by a late strike as Brentford nicked a point at Selhurst Park. Here’s what you need to know about the fixture. Newcastle: 2 WinsCrystal Palace: 2 WinsDraws: 1 Newcastle: LDWDDCrystal Palace: DLWWD New signing Alexander Isak started and scored in the defeat at Liverpool in midweek and will likely keep his place up front. However, he may have to make do without teammate Allan Saint-Maximin, who is touch and goRead More →

There’s no stopping Hany Mukhtar right now. The former Germany youth international is having arguably the best season of his career so far, with a hat-trick in Nashville SC’s 4-1 win over the Colorado Rapids during the week taking his tally to 19 goals in 28 MLS appearances – sitting nicely with his seven primary assists. Mukhtar is now second only to Austin FC’s Sebastian Driussi in the MLS Golden Boot race, trailing the Argentine by a single goal, while he leads the league in metrics such as xG and shots on target per 90 minutes. Without Mukhtar, Nashville simply wouldn’t be fifth in theRead More →

Turkish side Fenerbahce have confirmed they have reached an agreement to sign striker Michy Batshuayi from Chelsea. The Belgian had been expected to join Nottingham Forest on England’s Deadline Day but saw the move collapse late in the day, forcing him to look overseas for a possible escape route from Stamford Bridge. He hasn’t had to wait long as Fenerbahce have now confirmed they are looking to get a deal finalised as soon as possible. “Our club has reached an agreement for the transfer of Michy Batshuayi to our team,” a statement read. “The player is coming to Istanbul for interviews, to pass a medicalRead More →

Manchester United brought in Antony from Ajax this summer and were delighted to find out that he had rejected a £17m move to Manchester City in 2019, when he was still playing in Brazil with Sao Paulo. The agents of PSV Eindhoven forward Cody Gakpo tried to secure a move to Ajax as a replacement for Antony, only for the Amsterdam side to reject the opportunity. Chelsea lodged an €80m bid for AC Milan forward Rafael Leao on Deadline Day but were referred to his release clause of €150m. The Blues are expected to reignite their interest in January. With their focus firmly on otherRead More →