News Update

Zlatan Ibrahimovic says he almost joined Napoli before returning to AC Milan in 2019, as he wanted to emulate the feat of Argentina great Diego Maradona by winning Serie A with the Naples club. The 40-year-old Swedish striker joined Milan for a second time in December 2019 after leaving LA Galaxy. However, the Swede was initially tempted by the prospect of guiding Napoli to their first Scudetto since the Maradona-inspired wins of 1987 and 1990. "Watching a documentary about him, I decided to join Napoli…

Michael Carrick has enjoyed the challenge of adapting quickly to being Manchester United's interim manager and is willing to learn from Ralf Rangnick when he joins the club, he said on Wednesday. Former United midfielder Carrick, 40, was named caretaker manager after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked, taking charge of the team for their Champions League victory at Villarreal last week and Sunday's 1-1 league draw at Chelsea. United appointed Rangnick this week as interim manager until the end of the season, but…

Manchester United have reportedly joined the race for in-demand RB Leipzig attacker Christopher Nkunku. The 24-year-old has been in impressive form for his Bundesliga club during the 2021-22 campaign, scoring 13 times and registering nine assists in 20 appearances in all competitions. A number of clubs, including Manchester City and Arsenal, continue to be credited with an interest in the Frenchman ahead of the January transfer window. According to German journalist Christian Falk, Man United are also in…

Arsenal defender Gabriel fought off a baseball bat-wielding thief who attempted to steal his car in video footage released by the Metropolitan Police. The Brazilian had just returned to his home in Barnet, north London, when he was approached by three men as he got out of his car on 20 August. One of the men, Abdi Muse, 26, was armed with a baseball bat. The men ordered Gabriel to give them his car keys, but the 23-year-old refused to do so. Footage of the incident shows the ensuing struggle between…

Tottenham Hotspur centre back Cristian Romero has suffered a "very serious" thigh injury and will not return until January or February next year, manager Antonio Conte said on Wednesday. Romero picked up the injury while playing for Argentina in last month's World Cup qualifier against Brazil and missed Tottenham's last two matches. Spurs are set to play nine matches in all competitions this month. "The news is not positive, not good. Because the injury is serious and I think it will take time before we see…

Borussia Dortmund have cancelled the sale of tickets for Saturday's marquee match against Bayern Munich due to the prevailing Covid-19 situation in Germany, the Bundesliga club said on Wednesday. Germany, struggling to contain the fourth wave of the coronavirus pandemic, reported the highest number of Covid-19 related deaths since mid-February on Wednesday (446), with the overall death toll rising to 101 790. "Because of the current Covid-19 situation in Germany, Borussia Dortmund are cancelling the advance ticket…

Portugal's soccer league said on Wednesday that all professional players must get tested for Covid-19 ahead of every match after a game had to be abandoned last week due to an outbreak. The league said in a statement that it had informed clubs that all players must take an antigen test 48 hours before a match and said masks must be used on the bench. Lisbon club Belenenses SAD started with only nine players in their Primeira Liga match against Benfica on Saturday, with the rest of the squad isolating at home after…

Inter Milan moved to within one point of Serie A pacesetters Napoli on Wednesday after comfortably seeing off Spezia 2-0, while Roma crashed to a miserable 1-0 defeat at Bologna. Roberto Gagliardini and Lautaro Martinez struck in each half for Inter at a freezing San Siro as Simone Inzaghi’s side jumped above AC Milan in second place ahead of their city rivals’ match at struggling Genoa in one of two late fixtures. It extends Inter’s unbeaten run in all competitions to 10 games and was their fourth win on the bounce with…

Chelsea’s game with Watford was paused during the first half due to a medical emergency in the crowd. Both sets of players were told to leave the pitch after around 13 minutes with the score still goalless. Medical staff raced to attend to the situation in the upper tier of the Graham Taylor Stand, with referee David Coote opting call a halt to play while the crowd member was being treated. Members of Chelsea’s medical team also assisted. Read Also: Chelsea discover path to Club World Cup glory after tournament…

Callum Wilson has ordered Newcastle not to feel sorry for themselves as they re-group for a must-win Premier League clash with Burnley. The Magpies will head into Saturday’s game at St James’ Park anchored to the foot of the table and without a win in 14 games to date this season after Tuesday night’s 1-1 draw with Norwich. Their woes would have eased to an extent had they managed to cling on to the lead handed to them by Wilson’s second-half penalty despite having defender Ciaran Clark dismissed after just…