Europa League Draw: Arsenal Face Sporting

Arsenal will face Portuguese giants Sporting in the group stage of the 2018-19 Europa League, with Premier League rivals Chelsea taking on PAOK.

The Gunners are joined by Qarabag and Vorskla in Group E, with Maurizio Sarri's troops welcoming Belarusian title holders BATE and Hungarian side Vidi to Group L.

Elsewhere, Scottish champions Celtic have been paired with Salzburg, with Red Bull partners Leipzig and Norwegian outfit Rosenborg - a side the Hoops have already beaten in Champions League qualifying this season - joining them in Group B. Steven Gerrard and his Rangers side face Villarreal, Rapid Vienna and Spartak Moscow in Group G and AC Milan tackle Olympiakos, Real Betis and Dudelange in Group F.

Last season's beaten finalists Marseille face tough tests against Lazio, Eintracht Frankfurt and Apollon in Group H. Zenit are a side with plenty of elite experience in Europe and will face Bordeaux as part of their Group C campaign, Anderlecht must try to overcome Fenerbahce and Dinamo Zagreb in Group D, while Sevilla have been place in Group J with Krasnodar and Standard Liege.

Bayer Leverkusen will see Ludogorets as their biggest challengers in Group A, with Besiktas facing some big fixtures against Genk and Malmo in Group I.

Done Deal: Tammy Abraham completes Aston Villa switch

Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham has completed a season-long loan move to Aston Villa.

The English striker has previously impressed in the Championship, scoring 26 goals in 48 appearances for Bristol City in the 2016/17 campaign, before being offered an opportunity in the Premier League with Swansea City last season, where he scored five goals for the Swans.

With Chelsea under new management once again, Abraham hasn’t been able to impress Maurizio Sarri sufficiently to convince him that he can make a significant impact for the Blues this season, and has allowed him to join Aston Villa on loan for the rest of the 2018/19 season:

“I’m excited for this new chapter,” Abraham told the official Aston Villa website.

“Aston Villa are a big club that belongs in the Premier League and I’m here to help them achieve that.

“At this stage of my career, I need games and this is a great place for me to come and showcase my talent. I can’t wait to get started.”

Abraham, who appeared as a substitute in Chelsea’s Community Shield defeat by Manchester City earlier this month, could make his Villa debut in Saturday’s Championship game at Sheffield United.

UEFA release their list of the top ten players of the 2017-2018 season

Luka Modric ended up beating both Cristiano Ronaldo and Mohammed Salah to the UEFA’s Best Player Of the Year, and UEFA has released their list of the top ten players in the world.

The Real Madrid star has been in scintillating form for the Los Blancos and Croatia, for which he was well-rewarded with the Golden Ball and now the UEFA’s Best Player of the Year. However, he wasn’t the only Real Madrid star to walk away with a trophy, and the Santiago Bernabeu side dominated the awards ceremony.

While he has been replaced by Thibaut Courtois, Keylor Navas won the Best Goalkeeper and Sergio Ramos won the Best Defender. UEFA player of the year, Luka Modric won the best midfielder and the great Cristiano Ronaldo walked away with the best forward. However, the biggest surprise was the lack of Lionel Messi’s name amid the processions, let alone other Barcelona stars.

While they did suffer a rather humiliating defeat to AS Roma in the quarter-finals, many believe that Luka Modric wasn’t the one to lift the Best Player of the Year award. While it may be the end of the of an era dominated by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, Modric’s critics have further added going on to say “Football is played on the field and that’s where Cristiano won.

He scored 15 goals, carried Real Madrid on his back and conquered the Champions League again. It’s ridiculous, shameful. The winner is not in doubt as Ronaldo is the best in his position.”

But regardless of what happens, UEFA has finally released a list of everything that has happened, which includes the full list of the top ten players who were in the running.

UEFA Best Player of the Year:

1 Luka Modrić (Real Madrid & Croatia) – 313 points
2 Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus/Real Madrid & Portugal) – 223 points
3 Mohamed Salah (Liverpool & Egypt) – 134 points
4 Antoine Griezmann (Atlético & France) – 72 points
5 Lionel Messi (Barcelona & Argentina) – 55 points
6 Kylian Mbappé (Paris & France) – 43 points
7 Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City & Belgium) – 28 points
8 Raphaël Varane (Real Madrid & France) – 23 points
9 Eden Hazard (Chelsea & Belgium) – 15 points
10 Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid & Spain) – 12 points

UEFA Best Goalkeeper of the Year

1 Keylor Navas (Real Madrid) – 222 points
2 Alisson Becker (Liverpool/Roma) – 197 points
3 Gianluigi Buffon (Paris/Juventus) – 92 points
4 Marc-André ter Stegen (Barcelona) – 47 points
5 Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea, now Real Madrid) – 28 points
6 Ederson (Manchester City) – 26 points
7 Hugo Lloris (Tottenham) – 18 points
8 Jan Oblak (Atlético) – 16 points
9 David de Gea (Manchester United) – 7 points
10 Sven Ulreich (Bayern) – 5 points

UEFA Best Defender of the Year

1 Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid) – 184 points
2 Raphaël Varane (Real Madrid) – 167 points
3 Marcelo (Real Madrid) – 145 points
4 Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus) – 40 points
5 Dejan Lovren (Liverpool) – 37 points
6 Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool) – 24 points
7 Diego Godín (Atlético) – 15 points
8 Joshua Kimmich (Bayern) – 14 points
9 Mats Hummels (Bayern) – 13 points
10 Gerard Piqué (Barcelona) – 10 points

UEFA Best Midfielder of the Year

1 Luka Modrić (Real Madrid) – 347 points
2 Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City) – 114 points
3 Toni Kroos (Real Madrid) – 69 points
4 Casemiro (Real Madrid) – 40 points
5 James Milner (Liverpool) – 18 points
6 Andrés Iniesta (Barcelona, now Vissel Kobe) – 16 points
7 Ivan Rakitić (Barcelona) – 9 points
8= Isco (Real Madrid), Sadio Mané (Liverpool), Miralem Pjanić (Juventus), James Rodríguez (Bayern) – 6 points

UEFA Best Forward of the Year

1 Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus/Real Madrid) – 287 points
2 Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) – 218 points
3 Lionel Messi (Barcelona) – 43 points
4 Kylian Mbappé (Paris) – 17 points
5= Edin Džeko (Roma), Harry Kane (Tottenham) – 15 points
7 Roberto Firmino (Liverpool) – 13 points

8= Gareth Bale (Real Madrid), Antoine Griezmann (Atlético), Sadio Mané (Liverpool) – 12 points

No late move for Hazard as Real Madrid rule out deadline-day signings

The Chelsea midfielder will not be heading to Santiago Bernabeu this summer as the window prepares to slam shut in Spain

Julen Lopetegui has confirmed that Real Madrid will not sign a player on transfer deadline day, despite links with Chelsea forward Eden Hazard.

Real have signed Thibaut Courtois, Alvaro Odriozola, Vinicius Junior and Mariano Diaz to bolster the first-team this summer, with the most recent addition, Mariano, to be the last, despite intense links with the Belgium international.

Reports suggested that the club could break the bank for the forward, after Hazard hinted at a move to the Spanish capital, but Lopetegui does not expect such a deal to be done.

Instead he insists that the only business Madrid are likely to do before the transfer window closes on Friday is loan out striker Borja Mayoral, who is reportedly set to join Levante.

"Now with Mariano, the Real squad is closed," he told reporters.
"Just Mayoral could leave on loan. He needs to leave to fight for minutes. We respect him. Once Mariano is in the squad, he feels he's going to have less minutes."

Real hijacked Sevilla's move for Mariano, the player re-signing for Los Blancos after a season at Lyon, where he scored 21 goals in 48 games in Ligue 1.

Real's recruitment of Courtois has led to questions over who will wear the No.1 shirt at Santiago Bernabeu.

Keylor Navas held the shirt for the entirety of last season, and Courtois has yet to make his La Liga debut for the club.

Lopetegui, though, says he is unwilling to commit to naming his No.1 in public.

"I'm not going to say who's my starter goalkeeper. I have great solutions in that position. I have full confidence in every of my keepers," he added.

Real's Luka Modric beat out former team-mate, and new Juventus signing, Cristiano Ronaldo to win the UEFA Player of the Year award on Thursday at the Champions League group stage draw.

Ronaldo's agent, Jorge Mendes, was fuming with the result, insisting that his client should have won the honour, but Lopetegui maintains that he will not be drawn into such matters.

"I'm not going to talk about the Mendes quotes," he added. "I'm very happy for Modric winning the trophy."


Real will face CSKA Moscow, Roma and Viktoria Plzen in the group stages, and have begun their season with two victories in La Liga, beating Getafe and Girona.

Why Jorginho is everything Chelsea need

Former Premier League striker Stan Collymore says Chelsea have made a great signing in midfielder Jorginho, as he knows Maurizio Sarri’s system inside out.

The Italy international signed for Chelsea this summer in a £57m deal from Serie A giants Napoli. The Blues fought off fierce competition from Manchester City in order to acquire the midfielder’s services, and it’s a decision that has clearly paid off.

Jorginho’s first piece of major action from the Blues resulted in a 2-0 loss to the defending Premier League champions Man City in the Community Shield. The midfielder struggled, and City fans must have been wondering what all the fuss was about.

However, the 26-year-old scored on his Premier League debut in a 3-0 win over Huddersfield Town at John Smith’s Stadium and was arguably the best player on the pitch.

Since then, he has helped his side to two further victories against Arsenal and Newcastle – meaning the Blues sit joint top of the Premier League table with Liverpool.

And former Liverpool striker Collymore has insisted that the signing of Jorginho has made a huge impact to Chelsea and their chances of silverware this season.

“Jorginho is everything Chelsea needed in their first season under Maurizio Sarri,” Collymore told Daily Mirror.

“He knows exactly what the former Napoli boss expects of his players, and he’s influencing the rest of the Blues team with his incredible work rate – he covered more ground than N’Golo Kante this weekend – and class.”


Chelsea were written off for the title before the season had even started, but it’s fair to say people are beginning to take them a lot more seriously after the start Sarri has made at Stamford Bridge.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek ‘angry’ he was not allowed to leave Chelsea this summer

Ruben Loftus-Cheek is angry that he was not allowed to leave Chelsea this summer, according to reports.

The 22-year-old spent last season on-loan with Crystal Palace, where his impressive displays earned him a spot in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for the World Cup.

Palace tried to re-sign him following the tournament, however Chelsea re-buffed the Eagles’ approach, instead choosing to keep him at Stamford Bridge for the new season.

Chelsea also dismissed approaches from both AS Monaco and Schalke for the youngster, which according to The Sun, angered the England international.

Loftus-Cheek cut-short his holiday post-Russia to re-join with the Blues and new manager Maurizio Sarri, however has managed just 22 minutes of first team action so far this season.

The Blues also completed moves for both Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic from Napoli and Real Madrid during the transfer window, leaving Loftus-Cheek even further down the midfield pecking order in South West London.


Loftus-Cheek started 21 Premier League games for Palace last season, scoring twice as Palace avoided relegation from the Premier League.

What PSG have said about Adrien Rabiot's future

Adrien Rabiot has been linked with a move to Manchester City and PSG boss Thomas Tuchel is not convinced the midfielder will stay in Ligue 1.

Paris Saint-Germain's Adrien Rabiot is one of the latest midfielders to be linked with a move to Manchester City.

The Blues were unsuccessful in their summer attempts to recruit a successor to Fernandinho in the anchoring role of Pep Guardiola's side, with summer targets Jorginho and Fred opting to sign for Chelsea and Manchester United respectively.

Rabiot, 23, has been reported as being of interest to Guardiola after delivering an impressive string of performances in Ligue 1 last season.

And the City boss will have been heartened to learn that the six-cap France international - who spent a brief time at City's academy in 2008 - stalled on a new contract at the Parc des Princes earlier this summer. His current deal expires at the end of next season.

PSG boss Thomas Tuchel was not convinced the midfielder would remain at the Parc des Princes when asked about his future earlier this month.

"I'm not certain he will stay. I want him to stay but it's up to him," he said after PSG's 3-0 win against Caen on the opening day of the season.

"He has great potential and can improve even further. He can become a top player but has to stay with us."

A French media report earlier this week claimed Guardiola was scheduled to meet with Rabiot's representatives in Manchester on Wednesday.

RAC1 say Rabiot intends to stay at PSG for another season before leaving the French champions for free next year.


Barcelona are among the clubs interested in Rabiot and it is claimed his representatives will evaluate all of the offers on the table before coming to a decision with the player on his next move.

Man Utd demand newly hired French scout Poirot get straight to work

Manchester United have ordered newly hired French scout Romain Poirot to immediately get to work.

The Manchester Evening News says Poirot has a decade of experience in the field following spells at Udinese, Watford, Man City and others.

And he has already started looking for players with 'United DNA' following his appointment earlier this month.

Poirot previously referred to France as 'the new Brazil' because of the young talent coming through and United are keeping a close eye on the next generation following Les Bleus' World Cup win.
This season, Aliou Traore is flying the flag for Les Bleus at United's academy following his move from PSG.

Mane reveals why he rejected Manchester United

Liverpool forward Sadio Mane has revealed he rejected Manchester United back in 2015 due to it not being the right club.

United showed heavy interest in Mane when he was playing at Southampton, and Louis van Gaal reportedly tried on more than one occasion to sign him.

But the 26-year-old stayed put at the Saints, despite the huge incentive of joining the Old Trafford club. One year later, an offer from Liverpool came in and the rest is history.

The forward has been brilliant since he sided with Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool. He has been one of the Premier League’s top performers and has consistently been amongst the goals and assists.

Mane was heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid this summer, but he has spoken nothing but positively towards the Reds.

“Honestly, I could not believe it,” Mane told the Premier League Today show.

“Some teams wanted me – Manchester [United] – the wrong team wanted me.
“Of course, I spoke with Van Gaal, and they even made an offer.

“But for me it was not the right club, it was not the right moment.
“To feel this – the right moment, the right coach, the right club.”

Mane recently spoke about Liverpool’s chances of reaching a Champions League final for a second successive year. The Senegalese played a huge part in helping the team to the final last season, and scored the Reds’ only goal in their 3-1 victory.

“It was a very big sign for us. It was a bonus for us to learn and get those kinds of experiences,” he told Liverpool’s official website.

“We have played [big games] already and we know how.

“Now we have to do the same work on the pitch and the experience we had in the past will help.

“It’s very early to speak about it but it’s why we’re always here working: to do anything possible.

“We have the quality and everything to go throughout [the tournament], so why not? Why not?”

Leno Breaks Reveals What He Feels About Being Dropped By Unai Emery After Being Told To Wait For His Time

After a disappointing and turbulent late few years at the club, Arsene Wenger parted ways with Arsenal. New manager Unai Emery who was expected to alleviate some of the club’s problems, including resolving the  position for the No.1 at the club. However with the signing of Bernd Leno and the new gaffer’s decision to start Petr Cech in the opening three matches of the premier league has made fans unsure over who’s going to be the main man between the sticks.

The German international became one of the first signings of the Unai Emery era when Arsenal paid Bayer Leverkusen £22.5m for the services of keeper.  26 years old Leno, who has 300 appearances to his name in the German top flight, making him the 6th most expensive goalkeeper of all time. Many Gunners supporters expected Unai Emery to put Leno straight between the sticks but the Spaniard has followed in Arsene Wenger’s footsteps by picking the veteran Petr Cech as his No.1. 

Cech has undoubtedly been one of the most reliable goalkeepers in world football having won every possible club trophy and all time premier league clean sheet record. He brings an element of experience to the table, something that lacks from Leno’s game.

Moreover, Cech has responded to the competition by making more saves than any other Premier League goalkeeper so far this season with 18. It was expected that Emery has faith in the veteran when he was included Cech in his list of 5 possible captains for the club.

No goalkeeper has made more saves in the Premier League so far this season than Petr Cech (18 saves). [PL] #afc pic.twitter.com/C0EsBIeoKd

— afcstuff (@afcstuff) August 29, 2018

Under Unai Emery, Arsenal will be attempting a short-passing approach, splitting the centre-backs and requiring a goalkeeper who is just as capable of dribbling and passing it out of the back as he is with a long throw or big boot downfield. (Similar to Manuel Neuer at Bayern) .

However, Cech, a 14-years experienced veteran of the Premier League has never had an experience playing with this approach. In the 22nd minute against Manchester City, Petr Cech almost scored one of the worst own goals imaginable when Matteo Guendouzi played a pass back, Cech attempted to play the ball wide to the right flank but misplaced his pass.

Petr Cech almost scores one of the worst own goals of all time. #AFC pic.twitter.com/7goWM7v7Ew

— The PL Zone (@TPLZNE) August 12, 2018

However, despite not playing a single minute of premier league football this season yet, Leno is not unduly concerned. However, stating in an interview with Sport Bild that he will bide his time; 

“I am convinced that my change was the right decision,
“I’m not crazy. It may take a few weeks or months, but my time here will come.”
– Bernd Leno

Bernd Leno’s time will come ⏱️ pic.twitter.com/exvcWgcJVp

— B/R Football (@brfootball) August 29, 2018

After the 2-0 defeat against City, Emery said in a post-match news conference,

“We want the competition between the goalkeepers and also every player in the squad. 
Despite the position, it is the same opportunity and the same chances for all the goalkeepers.
We spoke also and Petr Cech, he is doing very well. I think he played well. He has this experience for continuing to defend our goal.
Also, Leno is starting with us. He is working very well, he played well in pre-season too, but he has to wait for his chance to arrive.”
– Unai Emery

Whatever happens, Leno will eventually get his chance to impress. Arsenal’s participation in the Europa League means he’s likely to pick up plenty of game time even as second choice. Leno is a decade younger than Cech, and it’s possible that Emery simply wants to give him time to acclimatize to English football rather than throw him straight in at the deep end.

I personally sympathise with new head coach regarding the selection dilemma. As a fan I of course wanted to see the new highly rated keeper in action but I believe Cech has gone through a lot of unfair criticism despite performing reasonably well and topping the saves chart in the league till now.


However, the fact that Leno has not been involved so far will definitely put pressure on him when he eventually plays. Though Leno’s patience is commendable, only time will tell who’s the better No.1 for The Gunners.

Arsenal star reportedly wants to leave the club

Alexandre Lacazette is reportedly seriously considering his future at Arsenal ahead of this week’s foreign transfer deadline day, and is ready to push for a move away if a suitable offer comes in for the striker.

That’s according to Le 10 Sport, who claim the Frenchman is fed up with his lack of game time under new manager Unai Emery.

Lacazette became the club’s most expensive signing after joining from Lyon last summer in a deal worth around £53m, and scored 18 goals in his first season at the Emirates after an impressive spell.
But he has seen his game time severely limited since the Gunners signed £60m Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in January from Borussia Dortmund, a move that has seen Laca often pushed onto the wings if not to the bench.

He has started every game this season on the Arsenal bench, and he is now said to be considering leaving the club after just a year in order to live out his peak years to his full potential.

The transfer windows around Europe do not close until Friday, and it is possible that the Gunners could be tempted to part ways with their striker if the right offer comes in for him.


Lacazette now has a couple of days to decide whether or not he wants to stay and fight for his place at the Emirates. One thing is for sure, he is a top class player who the club should keep hold of regardless of what offers come in – especially at this stage of the season with no replacement lined up.

Battle on! Man United and Chelsea can sign brilliant Italian for just €30 million

Reports have revealed Chelsea and Manchester United could sign Roma star Lorenzo Pellegrini for just €30 million in the January transfer window.

Despite only signing for Roma last summer, Pellegrini has been heavily tipped to leave the Italian in the next 12 months with a whole host of top European sides reportedly interested in a transfer deal.

United reportedly made contact with Roma during the summer transfer window in a bid to add the Italian to their squad, as Jose Mourinho was desperate to add to the signings of Fred, Lee Grant and Diogo Dalot.

Chelsea also registered their interest in Pellegrini to as Maurizio Sarri was looking for possible replacements for Willian, with reports the Brazilian was ready to pack his bags and head over to Manchester to link-up with former boss Mourinho.

However, Roma were reluctant to let Pellegrini leave and the player admitted he was more than happy to stay put.

But Italian website Calciomercato have claimed that interest in Pellegrini is once again rising with Inter Milan and Juventus joining United and Chelsea in the chase for the 21-year old.

Reports have claimed the young Italian has a €30 million release clause in his contract with Roma, with all four clubs willing to activate it in the January transfer window.

Champions League Draw: Liverpool & Spurs Given Tough Task, Man Utd Face Ronaldo

Liverpool, Tottenham, Manchester United and Manchester City know their fate after the draw for the group stages of the Champions League was conducted this evening.

City were seeded in Pot 1 after storming to the Premier League title last season and Pep Guardiola will be looking to transfer that form to Europe this campaign after being knocked out by Liverpool at the quarter-final stage last season. The Citizens have been drawn to face Shakhtar Donetsk, Lyon and Hoffenheim in Group F.

Liverpool will be looking to go one better this season after losing 3-1 to Real Madrid in last years final but they’ll have to do it the hard way after being drawn in a tough Group C along with Paris Saint-Germain, Napoli and Red Star Belgrade.

Man Utd were in Pot 2 despite their disappointing last-16 exit to Sevilla last season and Jose Mourinho will now pit himself against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Juventus as well as Valencia and Young Boys after being drawn in Group H.

Tottenham were also in Pot 2 after finishing third in the Premier League table last season and Mauricio Pochettino will be keen to make up for last seasons disappointing last-16 exit to Juventus. The north Londoners have been given a tough task after being drawn in Group B alongside Spanish giants Barcelona, PSV Eindhoven and Inter Milan.

Man City and Man Utd should be confident of progressing to the knockout stages of the competition but Liverpool and Tottenham face a tough time after being handed difficult groups in today’s draw.


Here is the full draw:

Manchester United set to rival Manchester City for the signature of 21 years Champions League captain

Manchester City and Manchester United are set to take their rivalry to the transfer market when the transfer window reopens in January.

The Premier League rivals are reportedly interested in signing Wolves’ midfield ace, Ruben Neves, and a £60 million offer from both of them is expected at Molinuex.

Manchester City have been long term admirers of Neves as Guardiola looks to add the former FC Porto captain who became the club’s youngest ever Champions League game captain.
Guardiola was expected to sign a new midfielder in the last transfer window, but he failed to sign Jorginho who joined Chelsea instead and also lost in the race to sign Fred who joined Manchester United instead.

Douglas Luiz was expected to deputize for Fernandinho this season, but he has been denied a work permit, a situation that left Guardiola fuming as the verdict came on the final day of the transfer window.

Guardiola thinks Neves has the perfect qualities he wants from his midfielders, and after watching him score a stunning free kick on the opening day of the season, and impressing against his team when they visited last week, the Catalan is plotting a January swoop.

However, Jose Mourinho has learnt of his rival’s interest and has told the Red Devils to make a move for the midfielder as well.

Barcelona name Paul Pogba in three man list of midfield targets for 2019

Barcelona are looking to inject more fresh blood into their ageing midfield and they have made Paul Pogba one of their three major target for next summer.

Pogba has been considering his future this season since he fell out with Jose Mourinho and he has even had his agent ask the club to sell him to Barcelona before the English transfer window was shut.
Manchester United told the Catalans that Pogba was not for sale at any price, but they have decided not to quit trying.

While Barca have accepted the fact that they cannot land the former Juventus ace this summer, they have added him to their list of target for next season as they look to replace their ageing midfield.
Pogba, Adrien Rabiot, and Ajax’s Frenkie de Jong are the club’s three major targets to lead their team from the centre of the park next season.

Rabiot is out of contract next summer, and he looks most likely to seek a new challenge elsewhere. Barcelona are seriously considering making a move for him, but he doesn’t have the commercial pull that Pogba has.


De Jong is still very young and although he would be a better long term alternative, Ernersto Valverde would prefer an experienced Pogba.

Liverpool flop finally nears Anfield exit

Liverpool flop Lazar Markovic could finally be on his way out of Anfield after four underwhelming years on merseyside.

The Serbia international moved to Merseyside in 2014 from Benfica after an impressive season in Portugal in which he helped the Eagles win an historic domestic treble.

But the winger has failed to live up to his £20 million price tag since moving to merseyside.
Markovic managed just three goals in 34 goals during his debut season at Anfield, and the 24-year-old has since spent the entirety of his Liverpool career since out on-loan with Fenerbahce, Sporting Lisbon, Hull City and most recently Anderlecht.

But he could finally be on his way-out of Anfield permanently, with the Evening Standard reporting Anderlecht and Standard Liege are both keen to land the Liverpool forward before the transfer window closes on August 31st.


Markovic is out-of-contract with the Reds next summer, and it is extremely unlikely he will be offered a new deal, meaning Liverpool are likely to sell-up in the next few days to avoid losing him on a free in a year’s time.

Shaqiri describes Liverpool as the ‘perfect club’ for him

Liverpool forward Xherdan Shaqiri believes he has joined the perfect club for him by signing for the Reds, saying that they will get the best out of him.

The Merseyside club signed Shaqiri for just £13.5m this summer from relegated Stoke City, one of the signings of the summer.

It is not believed that the Swiss international is a direct replacement for Brazilian star Philippe Coutinho following his move to Barcelona in January, but he will almost certainly be a hugely beneficial addition to the team – as he has already shown.

Shaqiri was Stoke’s best performer throughout the duration of his time at the club, and despite netting 8 goals in 38 appearances last season and also chipping in with a further 7 assists, he was often criticised for his lack of effort with the Potters.

But the 26-year-old has admitted he is delighted to be have joined Liverpool, who he has described as the perfect club to get the best out of him.

“The manager has brought a few players in this summer with very good quality who are going to help a lot,” Shaqiri told Liverpool’s official matchday programme.

“This team needed a little competition in various positions because that makes you better and makes you stronger.

“So I am looking forward to the season and we have started very well.

“I believe that I can play every position along the front line and the coach knows that.


“I played every position in the friendlies: I played as a nine, I played as a 10 and I’ve played as a winger.”

Champions League Pots Confirmed: Liverpool Face Tough Task As Spurs, Man Utd & City Await Draw

Liverpool are facing a touch task as they – along with Tottenham, Manchester United and Manchester City – prepare for this evening’s Champions League group stage draw.

The four pots were finalised after the final round of qualifying fixtures were concluded last night and unfortunately for Liverpool they’ve been placed in pot 3 after Benfica thrashed PAOK on Wednesday night.

It means the Portuguese giants take the final place in pot 2 leaving Liverpool in the third tier due to their UEFA coefficient ranking and facing the prospect of drawing two European giants in the group stages of the Champions League.

Jurgen Klopp’s men could now be drawn in a nightmare ‘group of death’ along with Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund and Inter Milan while Real Madrid, Napoli and Galatasaray is also a possibility.
Last year’s finalists will therefore be hoping for some good luck in today’s draw and if things go their way they could end up with a favourable group containing Lokomotiov Moscow, Porto and Young Boys.

Manchester City will obviously be in pot 1 as champions of the Premier League so they will avoid the big boys like Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid but they’ll be hoping to avoid a tricky draw that could see them pitted against Dortmund, Monaco and Inter.

Manchester United are in pot 2 along with Tottenham and will therefore face one of the top tier sides but both teams will be praying to be drawn against Lokomotiv Moscow. A nightmare draw for either United or Spurs would see them up against Barcelona, Monaco and Inter but a favourbale draw could see them face Moscow, PSV and Young Boys.

It’s going to be exciting to see what the draw throws-up when it takes place at 5pm UK time later today. Here are the confirmed pots:

Pot 1: Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain, Lokomotiv Moscow

Pot 2: Borussia Dortmund, Porto, Manchester United, Shakhtar Donetsk, Benfica, Napoli, Tottenham, Roma

Pot 3: Liverpool, Schalke, Lyon, Monaco, CSKA Moscow, Ajax, PSV Eindhoven, Valencia

Pot 4: Viktoria Plzen, Club Brugge, Galatasaray, Young Boys, Inter Milan, Hoffenheim, Crvena zvezda, AEK Athens

Walker reveals why he has had to adapt his position this season

Manchester City full-back Kyle Walker has explained the different role he is now playing in at the club due to the return of Benjamin Mendy.

Walker was one of City’s star players last season during their record breaking Premier League campaign, and transferred that good form into the World Cup with England – where despite playing centre back he was still one of Southgate’s best players.

The £50m acquisition from Spurs last summer has certainly proven his worth during his time at City, but the defender has had to adapt to a different style of play this season under Guardiola – with the return of left-back Benjamin Mendy.

Last season, we saw Walker bomb up and down the wings on a regular basis, but so far this season we have seen a more conserved approach from him.

And the defender has explained exactly why that is…
He told MEN Sport: “My role is a little bit different, where I am tucking in a little bit more and trying to control people.

“I still have the licence to go forward, but now I’m getting older it’s probably more about picking and choosing my runs, rather than up and down the wings as I was at Tottenham!”

Mendy’s return to City after being injured all of last season is a huge boost, and five assists in his first three games show exactly why. But his attacking nature leaves City exposed at the back, and it makes sense for Walker to remain slightly defensive minded in order to compensate.

Walker also admitted that he is yet to find his best form this season, after lacking a bit of match fitness off the back of England’s World Cup heroics in the summer.

“I’m still getting back to fitness,” he said. “The two weeks off is a decent break – you don’t normally get that as a professional footballer, so that was fantastic.

“I’m still dusting off the cobwebs. Playing for England in a centre back role is completely different to playing in a right back role – your energy is a lot more use in a right back role, getting up and down.


“So I’m still getting the engine warm and hopefully will be good in the next couple of weeks.”

Olivier Giroud Keen to Earn Chelsea Starting Berth as Alvaro Morata's Woes Continue

Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud is keen to stay and fight for his place at Stamford Bridge, despite being on the substitutes' bench for the Blues' opening three Premier League games.

The 31-year-old, who lifted the World Cup this summer with France, has struggled for regular game time since arriving from London rivals Arsenal in January, and has been linked with a move away from the club.

He has found himself playing second fiddle to first choice striker Alvaro Morata, despite the Spaniard's continued struggles in front of goal. The Mirror report though that Giroud is keen to stay and fight for his place, rather than take the easy way out.

New manager Maurizio Sarri gave Giroud an extended break following his World Cup exploits, allowing Morata the chance to shine in the ​Blues' opening three fixtures. The 25-year-old has netted once, but has been unable to have the kind of impact on games that both Sarri and Chelsea's supporters would have expected of the £60m striker.

As a result, Giroud is said to be in contention for a start this weekend against ​Bournemouth, as Chelsea look to continue their impressive start under former ​Napoli manager Sarri. They have won their opening three league games, seeing off the challenges of ​Huddersfield, ​Arsenal and ​Newcastle. 

A change up front isn't out of the realms of possibility though, with Giroud unlikely to be happy with consistently missing out on first-team selection. His ​Premier League record would suggest that he has every right to stake a claim for a starting spot, having scored 76 times in the Premier League since arriving in England six years ago. 

His record of three goals in 15 league games for Chelsea is unflattering, though many of those appearances have come from the bench.

Why Abramovich leaving Chelsea would be a disaster

Premier League legend turned footballing pundit Ian Wright has warned fans of Chelsea that there could be horrible consequences if owner Roman Abramovich decides to sell the club.

The Blues face an uncertain future at the moment, with Ambramovich reportedly ready to sell the club after more than 15 years of owning it.

The Russian is said to want £2.5billion for Chelsea, a fee which would make it the most expensive ever takeover of a football club.

And Wright believes that should Abramovich decide to leave, it would serve as a hugely problematic situation that could end in disaster.

“Chelsea fans reckon they struck gold by keeping Eden Hazard at Stamford Bridge after all the early summer talk he would head to Real Madrid,” Wright told The Sun.

“But if Russian owner Roman Abramovich decides to walk away, they could find themselves with a far bigger problem to worry about.

“Should the Blues end up in new hands, I genuinely feel the celebrations at keeping Hazard will be short-lived.

“If Roman did cut and run, I believe it would be a disaster for Chelsea FC — full stop.”

“Not just the club, either. The whole area, because you cannot undervalue or underestimate the impact he has had on the place.

“I’m not about to turn this into a political rant but when his visa was turned down my blood was boiling.

“With Abramovich, it has been the exact opposite.
“Of course, he has pumped hundreds and hundreds of millions into the club, the facilities, the team and the rest.

“Make no mistake, they will suddenly find themselves in a hugely precarious position if he decides he’s had enough.

“And while that may put a smile on the faces of opposition fans, for English football in general it is a shocking thought.

“There have been and will continue to be enough dodgy owners of clubs — we cannot afford to be ushering the good ones out of the door.”


Nobody involved with Chelsea will want to see Abramovich sell up, as it can be a slippery slope going into new unknown territory.

Top 5 Champions League Highest Goal Scorer

Real Madrid recently won the Champions League final in controversial fashion against Liverpool. Ronaldo led his team to the trophy for the third consecutive season, scoring 15 goals in 13 games from the group stage to the final.



With stats like these, having played in six Champions League finals, how does he rank on the Champions League all-time scorers list? Here are the top five who found their shooting boots in Europe’s most elite competition…

Joint 4^th: Karim Benzema

In less-than-spectacular fashion, French striker Benzema’s goal in this year’s final actually took him to joint 4^th place in the all-time Champions League top scorers list.

Having played 104 times in the competition, he has scored 56 times, a goal every 0.54 games. In that time he’s won the cup four times.

He’s only 30 years old, and with just one goal needed to make 4^th place his own, Benzema will be determined to stay at the top with Real Madrid and keep this tally going.

Joint 4^th: Ruud van Nistelrooy

The legendary Netherlands striker also scored 56 goals in his Champions League career, finishing as leading scorer in the competition in 2002,2003 and 2005. He held the record for scoring in the most consecutive Champions League games – nine – until Ronaldo overtook him this year.

Van Nistelrooy holds the unwanted record of being the highest-scoring player never to have won the tournament, too. He joined Manchester United after their 1999 treble-winning year and left the Red Devils two years before they next won the competition. The Dutchman also never managed to go all the way in his four years at Real Madrid. So close but yet so far for Ruud.

3^rd: Raúl González

Record holder for a long time, Spanish legend Raúl. Until 2014, this man was safely top of the goalscoring charts in the Champions League with his 71 goals in the competition. He was also the first ever player to score 50 Champions League goals – that’s something Messi and Ronaldo can never take away from him.

Messi came along and broke the record that Raúl set with 66 goals in his iconic Real Madrid days and 5 in his latter days with Schalke. He was the all-time top scorer for a long time, but his record turned out to be no match for the goalscoring prowess of Messi and Ronaldo.

2^nd: Lionel Messi

It was always going to be Messi and Ronaldo occupying these two spots, and it’s the Argentine who takes second with 100 goals in 124 games. This does give him the best goals to game ratio of the top 5 with 0.81, but that doesn’t help him cover the large gap in goals between himself and Cristiano.

At least second place is safe, as it would be quite the surge in form to see Benzema notch 45 goals, with Messi having to retire immediately and… never mind. The Messi-Ronaldo debate will continue, but there’s one thing no one can question, and that’s who is the top Champions League goalscorer.

1^st: Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano takes top spot with a staggering 120 goals in 153 games, 0.78 goals per game. We all know how good the Portuguese man is, but he’s not just the all-time top scorer. Just have a look at the records he holds.


Ronaldo is showing no signs of slowing up his domination at the top level of European football, again finishing as top scorer in this season’s Champions League. We’ll be seeing his name in the headlines for the foreseeable future.

Arsenal fans react to surprise Yaya Toure links

Arsenal fans have responded to rumours they could be close to signing former Manchester City star Yaya Toure.

Toure’s agent, Dimitry Seluk, confirmed yesterday that the midfielder had undergone a medical with an mystery London club, and was close to agreeing a deal to join them.
Seluk said: “Toure @YayaToure has passed a medical in London. Yaya is close to signing a new contract.”
A number of London clubs have been linked with a move for Toure this summer, including both Arsenal, Chelsea and West Ham.

🔥🔥🔥 Toure @YayaToure has passed a medical in London. Yaya is close to signing a new contract.

— Dimitry Seluk (@dmitriseluk) August 28, 2018

While Seluk has yet to reveal the club Toure will join, he has cut down the the list of his potential destinations.

He added: “It’s not West Ham, 100%. Yaya is a champion. The last place is not for him.”
Seluk also revealed it will not be Crystal Palace, with the Russian agent taking an opportunity to poke fun at the Eagles and manager Roy Hodgson with the news.

“It’s not Crystal Palace, 100%.” he said, “Roy Hodgson said he doesn’t know when his players’ birthdays are. Can Yaya go there?”

Tottenham, Fulham and Watford are all other possible destinations for the 35-year-old, however it is Arsenal who are favourites to land him, with Toure having spent time in with the Gunners as a youngster back in 2003.

Do the Arsenal fans want him though? Some do, some don’t …

Scenes when yaya toure signs for Arsenal ⚽️💰

— Dylan Turner (@dylanturner58) August 28, 2018

Yaya Toure to Arsenal.?

Would be good deal.
Superb squad player. Will be useful in cup and Europa games.
Time to say good bye to Elneny ??
— v!p (@vp_afc) August 29, 2018

Wait, I’m sorry. Peak Yaya Toure was an incredible footballer. But why are Arsenal fans excited about the prospect of him signing at the tender age of 35? I like his experience and leadership qualities. No doubt could be useful off the bench. But not where we need to strengthen!

— brooklyngunner (@brooklyngunner) August 29, 2018

Yaya Toure to Arsenal 🤔wouldn’t mind him. His agent said it’s not West Ham or Crystal Palace. Fulham can’t afford his wages. Chelsea got too many midfielders. It’s either Spurs or Us.

— Aubameyangismystepdad (@messiismydad) August 28, 2018

Arsenal desperately needed legs in midfield to stop them getting overrun so they're signing Yaya Toure on massive wages who can't run anymore. 🤦

— Rowly (@ThisIsRowly) August 29, 2018

The idea that there are Arsenal fans out there that actually think signing Yaya Toure is 1. Happening or 2. A great idea baffle me beyond all belief, Honestly!

It's not 2002 FFS! #AFC pic.twitter.com/WzPcT8HCiR
— Kris Carpenter ⭐⭐ (@AFCfreddie8) August 29, 2018

Yaya Toure is close to join #Arsenal, according to Sky Bet.

Wait, what?🤔😍
— Antonio (@AlHeatAFC) August 29, 2018

If yaya toure ends up at arsenal then i know this club is finished

— Jotaro (@Imperi3l) August 29, 2018

Champions League draw: Best and worst group stage scenarios for the Premier League sides

Liverpool suffered heartbreak in Kiev last season as Real Madrid claimed a stunning third consecutive crown.

The Reds have been joined by Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham as the Premier League’s representatives among Europe’s elite this term.
But who could get who in the group stage draw?

There are still three places left to be decided in the play-off rounds but the pots are shaping up heading of tomorrow afternoon’s ball picking.

Pot 1 includes Real as Champions League title holders, Europa League winners Atletico Madrid and the champions of Europe’s major leagues.

The clubs are then filtered into their respective pots based on their UEFA club coefficients.
Liverpool, Valencia and Viktoria Plzen are yet to have their pots confirmed as tonight’s results could see a lower or higher seeded side enter the tournament.

For example, should Benfica get past PAOK Salonika later, Liverpool will be placed in Pot 3, if not the Reds will go into Pot 2.

Valencia and Viktoria Plzen could be in Pot 3 or 4 depending on tonight’s games with PSV Eindhoven holding the key for both due to their higher coefficient.

Here are the best and worst case scenarios for each of England’s big guns.

Manchester City
As Premier League champions, City are in Pot 1 and know they could be in for a relatively simple group.

Best draw: Shakhtar Donetsk, Viktoria Plzen, AEK Athens.

City would also likely favour facing the winner of tonight’s game between Red Bull Salzburg and Red Star Belgrade. PAOK Salonika or BATE Borisov would also be favourable should either qualify.

Worst draw: Borussia Dortmund, Monaco, Inter Milan.

Benfica and PSV could also prove tricky if they qualify this evening.

Manchester United

Jose Mourinho’s United are in Pot 2 and know they’ll likely take on one of Europe’s very best.

Best draw: Lokomotiv Moscow, Viktoria Plzen, AEK Athens.

Like City, United could face Salzburg, Belgrade, Salonika or Borisov in a favourable draw.

Worst draw: Real Madrid, Monaco, Inter Milan.

The likes of Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Schalke and Ajax could also await.

Tottenham

As Spurs are in the same pot as United, they face a similar destiny to their Premier League rivals.

Best draw: Lokomotiv Moscow, Viktoria Plzen, AEK Athens.

Salzburg, Belgrade, Salonika, Borisov are also waiting in the wings.

Worst draw: Real Madrid, Monaco, Inter Milan.

Liverpool

The Reds are yet to find out which pot they’ll be placed in as tonight’s results will determine this.  Jurgen Klopp’s side could slip into Pot 3 and face a potential group of death.

Best draw (if in Pot 2): Lokomotiv Moscow, Viktoria Plzen, AEK Athens.

Best draw (if in Pot 3): Lokomotiv Moscow, Shakhtar Donetsk, AEK Athens.

Worst draw (if in Pot 2): Real Madrid, Monaco, Inter Milan.

Worst draw (if in Pot 3): Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Inter Milan.

The draw for the Champions League group stage gets underway at 5pm UK time on Thursday August 30.

Real Madrid send heartwarming letter to Claudio Bravo as Manchester City goalkeeper continues to recover from Achilles tendon injury

Real Madrid have sent Manchester City goalkeeper Claudio Bravo a touching letter wishing him well as he continues to recover from a severe injury.

The classy gesture comes as Bravo embarks on a lengthy lay-off, expected to be around six months, after he ruptured an Achilles tendon in training last week. 

Bravo's injury has left Pep Guardiola short of goalkeepers and City were forced to recall 19-year-old Montenegrin Aro Muric from his loan spell at NAC Breda to provide backup for Ederson.

But the Chilean was handed a boost when he received a letter from the Spanish giants, despite playing for bitter rivals Barcelona from 2014 to 2016.

The letter reads: 'Dear Claudio. On behalf of all of us who make up Real Madrid C.F., especially our president, Florentino Perez, I want to send you our best wishes for a very speedy recovery.

'We are very sorry for what happened, as injuries are the worst part of football, but we have no doubt that, with your professionalism and commitment, you will continue to give a lot of joy to football fans.

'Warm regards, Emilio Butragueno, director of institutional relations'. 

Muchas gracias al @realmadrid por tan noble gesto. Actos como este le hacen muy bien al fútbol. Un fuerte abrazo. pic.twitter.com/uUi1Mql3SN

— Claudio Bravo Muñoz (@C1audioBravo) August 28, 2018

Real Madrid also sent Sunderland winger Duncan Watmore a similar letter wishing him the best as he recovered from his knee injury last year.

Bravo replied on Twitter, commenting: 'Thank you to @realmadrid for the noble gesture. Acts like this make football very good. A big hug.'

The stopper — criticised during his debut season in England — did well in the Carabao Cup last year and would have taken up that role again in cup competitions this season.

He had made 44 appearances for the club and was the No 1 in Guardiola's first season before the club brought Ederson in from Benfica last summer. 

Yaya Toure: Star passes medical in London - but WHO is he signing for?

Toure left Manchester City at the end of last season following a trophy-laden spell at the Eithad.
The Ivorian is a City and Premier League legend but remains out of contract.

He's not been snapped up by anyone yet - however his agent has cryptically revealed he could be about to join-up with a club.

Dmitry Selyuk tweeted to say Toure has passed a medical in London, but didn't say which side he'll be of to.

He posted: "Toure @YayaToure has passed a medical in London. Yaya is close to signing a new contract."

Selyuk subsequently ruled out moves to West Ham and Crystal Palace in follow-up tweets.
"It's not West Ham, 100%. Yaya is a champion. The last place is not for him," he wrote along with a post dismissing a link with Palace.

So who is Toure going to sign for?

Tottenham?
Spurs haven't spent a penny in the transfer market - and despite the transfer window closing, they can add players who are out of contract on free transfers.

Mauricio Pochettino's side look a good bet to challenge for the Premier League title following their 3-0 thrashing of Manchester United on Monday.

And could they be about to draft in a three-time winner to help their cause?
Space in the squad for Toure could be made by Moussa Sissoko heading out.
The France international has been linked with Turkish outfit Fenerbahce.

Arsenal?
They turned him down one before, but could the Gunners now decide to move for Toure?
Unai Emery may decide having a proven Premier League midfielder on the books could help his side with their bid to return to the top table of English football.

Matteo Guendouzi and Lucas Torreira look to be the future of the club's midfield, but Toure could prove to be a valued mentor to the duo.

Chelsea?
The Blues would seem unlikely to make a bid for Toure.
They've already got a plethora of options in midfield, with the likes of Matteo Kovacic, Jorginho, N'Golo Kante, Ross Barkley, Cesc Fabregas and Ruben Loftus-Cheek all battling for a starting spot.

Watford?
The Hornets have made a super start to the Premier League season with three wins from three.
They could look to snap up Toure to take them to the next level and push for Europa League football under Javi Gracia.

Fulham?
The Cottagers have made a big impact in the transfer market following their promotion from the Championship.

Jean Michael Seri, who like Toure is Ivorian, was their headline capture, and boss Slavisa Jokanovic could opt to draft in the Manchester City hero to help out the talented youngster.

What if he's not signing for a London club at all?
Some fans think Toure could be about to re-sign for former club Olympiakos.
The Greek side are in Europa League play-off action against Burnley tomorrow and some think Toure's medical is a sign he's joining up with them.

Toure previously played for the club in the 2005-06 season before joining Monaco.

What do the bookies think?
Fulham are favourites to snap-up the talented midfielder.
Fulham – 15/8
Arsenal – 2/1
Celtic – 4/1
Olympiakos – 10/1
Palace – 12/1
West Ham – 14/1
Tottenham – 14/1
Wolves – 16/1
Chelsea – 20/1
Watford  - 20/1

AC Milan offer Ivan Gazidis €4m-a-year contract to leave Arsenal for San Siro

AC Milan have offered Ivan Gazidis a contract as they look to tempt Arsenal’s chief executive to the San Siro.

The Rossoneri have been attempting to hire Gazidis, 53, as their CEO throughout the summer, but they have so far been met with resistance from the Gunners, who do not want to lose their man.

Elliott Management bought out Milan earlier this year with the view of restoring the club to the pinnacle of Italian and European football, and the company have been making moves behind the scenes to start on this path.


Leonardo and Paolo Maldini, both former Milan players, have been hired as sporting director and technical director respectively, and Elliot Management have made Gazidis their number one target for the position of CEO.

£180,000-a-week star “not prepared” to leave Liverpool in immediate future

Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino has dropped another transfer hint he is not ready to leave Reds after become besotted by life on Merseyside.

The Brazilian star signed a new long-term contract extension last April, keeping him with Liverpool until 2023.

Firmino has played an essential role in Liverpool’s emergence as the chief competition to Premier League giants Manchester City’s dominance of English football.

Since signing from the German club Hoffenheim in 2015 Firmino has netted 50 goals in 145 matches in all competitions to cement himself as a vital part of Jurgen Klopp’s first team.

His stunning form led to speculation regarding a possible switch to Barcelona, in spite of having recently committed his future to the club.

But having fallen in love with the Reds during his three years at the club the 26-year-old star seemingly has no plans to depart in the immediate future.

‘Everyone hears ­stories about what it means to be a Liverpool player, but, until you live it ­personally, you cannot ­really ­understand it,’ he told The Mirror.


‘In my whole life, I never thought that I would get treated like I do here. ‘It’s a huge ­responsibility and we can only give ­everything back to the ­supporters that we can.”

Liverpool ace James Milner open to Celtic or Rangers move in future

Liverpool midfielder James Milner has admitted he’d ‘never say never’ if offered the chance to join Celtic or Rangers some time in the future.

Milner, 32, has continued to be one of the best players in the Premier League despite making his debut for Leeds over 15 years ago, with the versatile former England international a vitally important memeber of Jurgen Klopp’s high-flying squad.

He’s made 135 appearances for the Reds since joining on a free transfer from Manchester City in the summer of 2015, helping the Anfield outfit become genuine title contenders and reach last season’s Champions League final.

Milner has proven he remains perfectly suited to football at an elite level, and his brilliant fitness and work rate make it likely he will be able to keep playing until well into his late 30s.

Whether that will be with Liverpool remains to be seen, though Milner has previously admitted he would ‘love’ to play for Leeds again, having started his career at Elland Road.

Chelsea in danger of losing 20-year-old striker to English duo

Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa reportedly keen on Tammy Abraham and want to take the striker on loan from Chelsea this summer transfer window.

The Englishman is a very talented and promising young forward, and there is no surprise that Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa are reportedly interested in the youngster.

According to ESPN, Aston Villa want to sign the 20-year-old on loan from Premier League club as Championship rivals are also in the contention.

Tammy Abraham may have struggled to make an impact at Swansea City last term – he scored just five goals in 1721 minutes of Premier League football, but he has been a success at the Championship level. Back in 2016-17, the young striker netted 23 goals and provided three assists in 41 Championship appearances for Bristol City.

Both Forest and Villa will benefit from having the England international in their team, but there is a chance that both sides could miss out on the striker as Maurizio Sarri has stated that he wants Abraham to stay at the club, and is quoted as saying by Goal.com: “We are very happy with him, so I think that, until January, he will stay with us. I think.”

Loftus-Cheek fumes as Chelsea block loan exit

Chelsea have blocked Ruben Loftus-Cheek from leaving this week.

The Sun says the midfielder is fuming as Chelsea have rejected loan offers from Monaco and Schalke.

And he fears a lack of game time could cost him a place in Gareth Southgate's squad for the upcoming Nations League games with Spain and Switzerland.

Both requests from Europe have been knocked back by the Blues - who have told Loftus-Cheek he is going nowhere.

The 22-year-old then watched on in despair as Bundesliga side Schalke instead bagged Sebastian Rudy from Bayern Munich.

With just 22 minutes of football this season he has lost patience and wants regular action to continue his development this season.

Jose Mourinho releases the handbrake vs Tottenham but has it come too late?

As the dust settles on Jose Mourinho's biggest ever home defeat in his illustrious career, the fact that his team were better going forward has gone under the radar. The attacking play in the first half was full of verve and purpose and should possibly lay the foundation for things to come.

However, for all the high pressing and quick passing, United's defence let them down (again) in the 2nd half.

The usual post-mortem that has followed the defeat claimed that Mourinho still has the backing of his board. However, will Mourinho go back to exercising caution or will we throw caution to the wind?
The three positives from United's performance vs Spurs are:

#1 Fred was excellent in a box-to-box role

Fred's signing was supposed to free Paul Pogba to venture further forward, but the Brazilian midfielder found himself in really advanced areas in an all-action display.
He almost capped his display with a well-taken goal in the first half, his curling effort went wide after he wriggled himself free inside the Spurs box. He offers something different in United's engine room and should nail down a spot in the starting 11 with ease if he continues to perform this way.

#2 Jesse Lingard promises to get better

Jesse Lingard continued from where he had left off last season. His intensity and work rate are critical when United press higher up the pitch. It resulted in Spurs misplacing passes more often than not in a first half which United totally dominated. The English attacker also had a few efforts on goal with one such attempt flying over the bar.

#3 Luke Shaw continues his excellent form:

Luke Shaw is perhaps Manchester United's best player so far this season. The left-back did nothing to undo his excellent start to the campaign. If he steers clear of injuries, United's faith in him will be repaid manifold as he has the potential to make the left-back spot his own for years to come.

Manager Watch

In the two defeats, Manchester United have failed to score when presented with the first clear-cut opening in the game. Romelu Lukaku needs to shoulder the blame for missing two gilt-edged chances - one against Brighton where he dragged his shot wide after Pogba sent him through while he missed the open goal against Spurs.

Had United scored on both occasions, the momentum would have swung their way. And ironically, they were left chasing the game on both occasions thereafter.

Strategically and tactically, Mourinho has proved he can still surprise his opponent. But with a wobbly defence which looks a shadow of itself from last season, it seems United's manager has a real task on his hands.

The release of the handbrake against Tottenham may be temporary until the defensive mess is sorted. But, they say, attack is the best form of defence, so, will Mourinho embrace this philosophy and ensure an attaching masterclass from here on?


For the neutral fan, the next few weeks can be mouthwatering considering the real action could take place both on the pitch and off it at Manchester United. A United fan would dearly want to believe this is a temporary blip and that things will turn around for better soon.

Barcelona top target rejects any potential move to the Camp Nou this season

Barcelona have been given a massive blow in the race to sign Andres Iniesta’s replacement, with their top target refusing a move to the Camp Nou.

The supreme maestro Andres Iniesta will always be remembered for his incredible part in one of international football’s greatest teams and for his role in making Barcelona the modern day giant that it is. He combined with the likes of Xavi Hernandez, Lionel Messi, David Villa and many others have been crucial to the La Liga giant’s dominance over the Spanish league in recent times.

Filling that gap on the other hand, could be a task too much for Barcelona, despite the Catalan giants bringing in Philippe Coutinho and Arthur Melo to ease the loss.  However, that said manager Ernesto Valverde is certainly not happy and has decided to splurge a little further, targeting the likes of Adrien Rabiot, Marco Verratti, Paul Pogba, Frenkie De Jong and many others as potential choices.

However, their move for Ajax star Frenkie De Jong has come to a screeching halt despite reports that the Catalan giants have moved closer in negotiations. But with the Eredivisie giants doing well in the Champions League qualification rounds, any potential move has been denied with the 21-year-old star interested in testing himself at the highest level of football.

And with Ajax qualifying for the Champions League group stages with a 3-1 win over Dynamo Kyiv over two legs, De Jong has confirmed his future after months of speculation. In an interview after Ajax’s win, the 21-year-old went on to say “Maybe someday I’ll join Barcelona, but not this season. I’m staying at Ajax. I think it will be a good year.

I’d love to play with Ajax against Barcelona. Our squad is good and we deserved to reach the group stage.  Now we’re about to find out what we’re capable of in the Champions League. It will be my first time [facing those big opponents], but I hope to draw a group with perspective to march on.”

Frenkie de Jong vs Dynamo Kyiv

65 passes
90% pass accuracy
3 dribbles won
3 tackles won
1 interception
4 clearances
1 blocked shot
7/10 duels won
Composed & responsable. Much better than in the first match. pic.twitter.com/qvq4fW7mFj
— FootballTalentScout (@FTalentScout) August 28, 2018

But with earlier reports that Ajax wasn’t going to sell, Barcelona turned their eyes towards Paul Pogba amid rumours that the World Cup winner was very interested in a move. However, that too hasn’t gone to plan with Manchester United rejecting their only offer so far, which has made Barcelona go after RB Leipzig’s Kevin Kampl and PSG’s Adrien Rabiot.