Mikel Arteta has denied he came close to joining Mauricio Pochettino s staff at Tottenham, even though the Arsenal boss considers the Argentinian a football father .
The Spaniard is preparing to face Spurs on Thursday evening in a north London derby which could confirm a return to the Champions League next season for the Gunners.
It would cement an impressive turnaround under Arteta following a tough 2020-21 campaign that saw the club miss out on European football entirely.
Arteta is looking to burnish the reputation he has at Emirates Stadium, where he spent the end of his playing days before joining Pep Guardiola on the Manchester City coaching staff.
He was asked about having once been tipped to cross the divide and join rivals Spurs, when they were …
Australia coach Graham Arnold backed the new generation of Socceroos to impress at the 2019 Asian Cup despite the absence of greats Tim Cahill and Mile Jedinak for the first time in a decade.
Former boss Ange Postecoglou had the country s all-time highest-scoring player Cahill and midfield stalwart Jedinak in his ranks when he guided them to glory in 2015, and the pair helped Australia to runners-up medals in 2011.
But it will be a new-look side that takes on Jordan at Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium in the United Arab Emirates on Sunday.
This time the focus is on the likes of Urawa Red Diamonds midfielder Andrew Nabbout and Perth Glory playmaker Chris Ikonomidis as Australia aim to defend their title, and Arnold was in optimistic mood ahead of their opener.
Th…
D.C. United have confirmed the appointment of Wayne Rooney as the club s new head coach.
It is a swift return to management for Rooney, who left his post at Championship side Derby County last month.
England and Manchester United s record goalscorer is back with the MLS franchise, for whom he played in 2018 and 2019; netting 23 times in 48 games across all competitions.
Although unable to keep Derby in the Championship largely due to a 21-point deduction at the start of the season after breaching financial regulations Rooney received widespread praise for his efforts during a difficult campaign at Pride Park.
Now set for his second managerial spell in quick succession, the 36-year-old will replace interim head coach Chad Ashton upon receiving his wor…
Trent Alexander-Arnold suggested Darwin Nunez had enjoyed one of the strongest Liverpool debuts he has seen after the new Reds striker starred in a Community Shield success over Manchester City.
Nunez, the flagship purchase this close-season at Anfield, was forced to wait for his bow after he was named on the bench for Saturday s match at the King Power Stadium.
But after Alexander-Arnold had handed the Reds the lead with a deflected first-half effort, the forward appeared for an eventful final half-hour that saw him both win a penalty and net a goal in a lively performance.
Asked how good his new team-mate s performance was, the England right-back hailed Nunez s bow as one of the best at the club in recent memory.
It s got to be up there, Al…
According to a recent report from Kicker, Bayer Leverkusen are more than willing to prepare an offer of around £8.5 million during the January transfer window in order to try and complete the signing of Jean-Clair Todibo. At the age of just 19 the youngster was widely considered to be the future of Barcelona’s defensive structure, but with just one start so far this season, it certainly doesn’t appear as if that’s going to be the case any longer.
Todibo was viewed as the next big thing, although even with that being the case, he shouldn’t be too upset about the idea of him potentially leaving the club.
Leverkusen aren’t going to hold back just because of any potential second thoughts, though, and they may even consider raising the price they were goin…
Nottingham Forest have continued their busy transfer window by bolstering their midfield with the capture of Remo Freuler from Atalanta.
The Switzerland international arguably represents one of the biggest coups managed by Steve Cooper s side to date, making his switch to the Premier League from a regular contender for Champions League qualification.
Freuler follows hot on the heels of Emmanuel Dennis and Cheikhou Kouyate, both of whom were confirmed as Forest players ahead of their first home game back in the top flight against West Ham on Sunday.
A Taiwo Awoniyi goal was enough to hand the hosts a 1-0 win at the City Ground in that match, downing David Moyes Hammers and getting Cooper s men off the mark for the season.
Freuler, a member of his nation …
Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay has saluted Erik ten Hag s personal touch and revealed how the new management team have lifted flagging morale.
United posted four successive Premier League wins before last week s trip to rivals Manchester City, where hat-tricks from Erling Haaland and Phil Foden condemned them to a comprehensive 6-3 defeat.
However, Ten Hag s side bounced back with a 3-2 victory over Omonia Nicosia in the Europa League on Thursday, boosting their hopes of progressing from Group E.
McTominay came off the bench during United s trip to Cyprus but has started six of seven league games under Ten Hag despite the arrivals of Casemiro and Christian Eriksen.
Speaking to United s website, the Scotland international made a favourable co…
Neymar appears to be happy to stay at Paris Saint-Germain, just months after attempting to force through a move away from the Ligue 1 champions.
The Brazil international was heavily linked with a return to Spain in the previous transfer window but a deal to go back to Barcelona or join Real Madrid failed to materialise.
Despite admitting he had wanted to leave and being jeered by PSG fans upon his return from injury against Strasbourg in September, Neymar has performed well for Thomas Tuchel s side in 2019-20, registering nine goals and five assists in 11 appearances in all competitions.
The 27-year-old has now suggested he has no reason to try to engineer an exit from Parc des Princes, where he moved for a world-record €222million fee two years ago.
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Mauricio Pochettino says Reece James’ “leadership” is why he handed him the Chelsea captaincy and defended the full-back after he picked up a suspension during his side’s 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa last month.
James, who did not play the match through injury, was suspended for Chelsea’s win over Burnley for aiming “abusive words” at a match official in the tunnel during the clash at Stamford Bridge and was ordered to pay a £90,000 fine.
But Pochettino has seen James’ leadership attributes and believes his actions were a mistake fuelled by frustration after he sustained a hamstring injury in August.
Good energy!
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC)
“Why did I choose him as captain? Because of his personality, his leadership, the respect …
Massimiliano Allegri has warned his Juventus side about the strength of Sporting CP ahead of the two teams clashing in the Europa League quarter-final.
Juventus host the Primeira Liga side in the first leg on Thursday night, after the Bianconeri eliminated Freiburg in the last 16, while Sporting beat Arsenal.
Allegri s side sit seventh in Serie A after a 15-point deduction for alleged transfer irregularities, while Sporting are fourth in Portugal s top-flight and are unbeaten in their last 11 games in all competitions.
Tomorrow is a difficult match, Allegri said at a press conference on Wednesday. It is an important quarter-final against a team that has been on a positive run for 11 games now.
Sporting s coach [Ruben Amorim] is young and very good. He…