Antonio Conte is ready to take the risk of winning the Premier League with Chelsea, despite seeing Claudio Ranieri become the latest manager to lose his job the season after lifting the trophy.
Ranieri was sacked by Leicester City on Thursday with the club only one point above the relegation zone, just nine months after guiding the club to the most improbable title win in the history of the Premier League.
With Ranieri s departure, none of the last five title winners are in a job with the team they won the league with, the Italian suffering the same fate as former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, who was sacked in December 2015.
But that is of no concern to Conte, who came under pressure following successive league defeats to Liverpool and Arsenal in September but now…
Thomas Frank said the uncertainty that hung over Ivan Toney and Brentford due to the striker’s FA charge of breaking gambling rules was allowed to run on for too long.
Toney was charged with 262 betting offences in November and December last year, with the 27-year-old admitting to 232 of them in February, but it took until Wednesday for an eight-month ban from football to be handed down.
The England cap has scored 20 of his team’s 54 Premier League goals this season as Brentford have consolidated in the top half during their second top-flight campaign, but will now not be available to play for the Bees until January 2024.
Club Statement
— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC)
Frank, whose side begin life without their top scorer away to Tottenham on …
French football authorities will demand answers from Lens after home fans invaded the pitch and confronted rival supporters at half-time in their Ligue 1 derby against Lille.
Lens general manager Arnaud Pouille is certain the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) will begin disciplinary proceedings against his club, following the ugly scenes at their Stade Bollaert-Delelis home.
Lille may also be summoned as league chiefs unpick the unsavoury scenes that saw fans from each club contribute to a volatile atmosphere.
Tension spilled over at the interval as scores of Lens supporters raced across the pitch towards those who had travelled to support Lille.
Pouille said the north-east derby trouble was bad news for the clubs because it would b…
Valencia have once again announced their desire to re-sign Juan Mata from Chelsea,.
The Spain international, who moved to Stamford Bridge in 2011, has barely featured under manager Jose Mourinho, with last night’s start against Swindon only the two time Blues’ Player of the Season’s third of the campaign.
Premier League rivals Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, and Real Madrid are all also monitoring the 25 year old’s situation though it is Miroslav Dukic’s side who have emerged as the front runners.
Mata made 174 appearances in four seasons with Valencia after joining from Real Madrid on a free transfer, and scored an impressive 46 goals in all competitions.
He was second behind compatriot Fernando Torres in Chelsea’s goa…
Torino full-back Danilo D Ambrosio is being linked with a number of top European clubs, .
The highly rated defender has just received his first Italy call-up as a reward for some impressive displays this season.
And with his contract at Stadio Olimpico di Torino due to expire at the end of the current campaign, quite a few top clubs have taken notice.
Tuttosport has suggested that Roma and Juventus lead the chase at the moment, but chances are there will be even more suitors as January transfer window grows closer.
After coming through the youth ranks at Salernitana and Fiorentina, D Ambrosio started his professional career at Potenza, but landed at Torino in January 2010 via Juve Stabia.
The 25-year-old has since featured in 112 league matches f…
FIFA has announced that it has concluded an internal investigation after allegations of corruption and criminal wrongdoing.
World football s governing body launched the probe through United States law firm Quinn Emanuel in the wake of the corruption scandal that engulfed it in 2015.
FIFA has compiled documentation detailing more than 20,000 pieces of evidence after a 22-month inquest, which involved a number of witnesses being questioned and the analysis of more than two and a half million documents.
The evidence has been submitted to Swiss authorities as part of the ongoing US-led criminal investigation into allegations of bribery and money laundering involving several former FIFA officials.
FIFA announced today that it has completed the internal invest…
Stoke City manager Mark Hughes has denied reports that Marko Arnautovic is demanding a new £100,000-a-week contract.
Arnautovic, signed from Werder Bremen for under £2million in 2013, has been in the form of his career this season for Stoke..
The 26-year-old has seven goals in 19 Premier League appearances in 2015-16, compared to five in 59 appearances across his first two seasons with the club.
Despite becoming an integral figure in Hughes line-up, the manager rubbished claims he has asked for a substantial pay rise.
I think figures get banded about and people are taking a stab in the dark, he said.
They haven t got the details of the contract and why would they? We hope it will get done quickly because it will be beneficial to Marko…
Manchester United wanted Jadon Sancho ahead of the 2020-21 season.
But, United were unable to prise Sancho from Borussia Dortmund.
United, though, are reportedly still pursuing the England international.
TOP STORY – UNITED WANT SANCHO
Manchester United are lining up a bid for Borussia Dortmund star Jadon Sancho, according to the Daily Star.
United were heavily linked with Sancho at the start of the season but a move did not materialise, while the Red Devils have since been mentioned as suitors for fellow Dortmund sensation Erling Haaland.
But United have reportedly cooled their interest in Manchester City, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich target Haaland as they make Sancho their top transfer priority.
EXCLUSI…
Robert Lewandowski was unbelievably proud to follow in the footsteps of Bayern Munich legend Gerd Muller by scoring 40 goals in a Bundesliga season.
Muller s long-standing record from the 1971-72 campaign was finally matched by Lewandowski on Saturday.
The Bayern striker s landmark goal came from the penalty spot in a 2-2 draw with Freiburg, just his 28th league appearance of the season.
Lewandowski has netted with 31.75 per cent of his 126 shots in the Bundesliga in 2020-21, although he passed up a pair of late chances to move clear of Muller.
The forward s final opportunity to reach 41 will come next week against Augsburg, but Lewandowski is for now delighted simply to draw level at the top.
I achieved a goal that once seemed impossible to imag…
(GSM) Blackburn Rovers goalkeeper Paul Robinson has retired from international football ahead of England s friendly tie with Hungary at Wembley on Wednesday.
The keeper withdrew from the England squad that will play Hungary after the 30-year-old was overlooked for this summer s World Cup in South Africa.
But the former Leeds and Tottenham shot-stopper has now chosen to concentrate on club football, although he will not be replaced in the squad for Wednesday s friendly.
He was the first-choice keeper for the 2006 World Cup, but he lost his place after making costly errors between the sticks as England missed out for Euro 2008.
Robinson has won 41 caps for England, having made his debut against Australia in 2003.
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