Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger backed fighter Joel Campbell to win a regular first-team place at the club.
The Costa Rica international has been on loan in four straight seasons since joining Arsenal from Deportivo Saprissa in 2011.
With injuries hitting Wenger s squad, Campbell has been given his chances, making three Premier League appearances and four in Europe.
Wenger said he was impressed by the 23-year-old s qualities and feels Campbell is ready to be a regular, even when the likes of Aaron Ramsey and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain return.
This season I didn t want to give him out because he has a genuine team attitude and he s a fighter, the Frenchman said.
What you want from him is to bring more offensively when he played and recently he has sho…
Jurgen Klopp blamed Liverpool s failure to hold on to a win against West Brom on the performance of the officials and the dry pitch at The Hawthorns.
The visitors looked to be heading for a comfortable win thanks to goals from Danny Ings and Mohamed Salah, only for Jake Livermore and Salomon Rondon to score in the final 11 minutes and snatch a 2-2 draw.
Klopp was angry at the award of a free-kick against Joe Gomez that led to Rondon s equaliser, while he also criticised referee Stuart Atwell for failing to award a penalty for a Craig Dawson challenge on Ings and a blatant punch by Ahmed Hegazi on the striker.
He also accused West Brom of deliberately not watering the pitch in order to hamper Liverpool s passing game and suggested it is a tactic they are preparing…
Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech has been left out of Morocco s squad for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations.
The 28-year-old has not played for his country since a friendly against Burkina Faso in July due to a reported falling out with head coach Vahid Halilhodzic.
Ziyech was not included in Morocco s 25-man group announced on Thursday ahead of the delayed tournament, which is due to run from January 9 until February 6.
That will be considered a boost for Chelsea, who faced being without the former Ajax attacker during a busy period in the season.
The Blues play at least six fixtures in January, including games with Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham.
Ziyech has played 18 times in all competitions this season – the 10th most appearances of an…
Motherwell have signed Faroe Islands international goalkeeper Gunnar Nielsen.
Nielsen, who will return to the club where he spent six months on loan from Blackburn in 2008, has also enjoyed stints at Manchester City, Wrexham and Tranmere.
He spent last season at Silkeborg, making just eight appearances for the Danish Superliga side, and has now moved to Fir Park on a two-year deal.
I’m delighted to be back and having been at some big clubs where it was hard to get a game, I can’t wait to get playing again, he told the club s official website.
I know Motherwell well from my six months here before and I know it’s a great club to be at.
I’m really pleased to get this sorted and am looking to establish myself as number one and do really well. We finish…
Barcelona defender Javier Mascherano has released a statement in which he says he has reached an agreement with Spanish authorities concerning charges of tax fraud.
The Argentina international appeared in court in an effort to avoid a custodial sentence being handed down as a result of two counts of tax evasion.
Mascherano had failed to declare earnings in 2011 and 2012 which amounted to €1.5million.
Reports emerged in Spain earlier on Thursday to suggest that Mascherano had been handed a year in prison and a significant fine but the former Liverpool man says an agreement has been reached with the Treasury which gives him peace of mind .
He has also suggested he could pursue legal action himself against the firm which he claims gave him poor advice and …
Sampdoria is reported to be keen on two players that Napoli have overlooked in striker and defender Lorenzo Tonelli, according to Marca.
Currently not getting enough playing time with the Naples-based team, is reportedly looking to bring both players to Genoa to give them consistent minutes.
Napoli currently set the fee for the 26-year-old Zapata at €20 million, and have not yet stated if they are willing to part ways with .
Zapata, a Colombian international player, joined the in 2013, but was promptly sent out on a two-year loan to Udinese. There he appeared in 65 matches and tallied 19 goals for the
Udine club.
Italian-born Tonelli hasn t fared better since joining Napoli last year, making only three total appearances in his debut …
Even in the immediate aftermath of a stirring World Cup victory over Colombia, Japan fans took the time to do a good deed in Saransk on Tuesday.
The Blue Samurai got their Group H campaign off to an impressive start with a 2-1 win over the 2014 quarter-finalists, who played almost the entire game a man light after Carlos Sanchez s third-minute red card.
Akira Nishino s side sealed the points thanks to Yuya Osako s second-half header, sparking scenes of jubilation both in Saransk and back home.
But before leaving the Mordovia Arena, a number of Japanese supporters did the stadium workers a favour by stopping to collect any rubbish left in the stands, earning high praise from one onlooker, who recorded their act of kindness on Twitter.
This is my favourite …
According to a recent report from the Mirror, Chelsea manager Frank Lampard is hoping to try and secure the signing of Manchester City defender John Stones this summer potentially for a bargain fee.
The belief is that he wants to try and get a deal done that would be worth around £20 million, which is less than half of what City paid for him back in 2016.
Pep Guardiola has always been a big fan of Stones, and he clearly appreciates everything he’s done for the club up to this point, but it doesn’t seem as if his future with them is all too promising.
The Blues were always going to make some big changes at the back during the summer, but after their shoddy performance against Bayern Munich last night, it s never been more clear to see that they have some hug…
Where will Fabian Ruiz be playing by the end of January?
Napoli will be hoping Fabian remains at Stadio San Paolo.
However, LaLiga giants Real Madrid and Barcelona are determined to bring the former Real Betis midfielder back to Spain.
TOP STORY – MADRID SURPASS BARCA IN BATTLE FOR FABIAN
Madrid have moved ahead of Barca in the race for Napoli star Fabian and want to sign the midfielder in January, according to Marca.
Fabian has attracted plenty of interest since swapping Betis for Serie A side Napoli, where the Spaniard has starred since his €30milion arrival in 2018.
Fabián, en el radar
— MARCA (@marca)
Barca have been keeping tabs on the 23-year-old, but rivals Madrid have reportedly jumped to th…
Paris Saint-Germain have appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to stop UEFA re-examining their decision to clear the club of breaching Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations.
European football s governing body opted to review the investigation in July, having cleared the Ligue 1 champions of contravening FFP a month earlier.
PSG, who in 2017 signed Neymar for a world-record €222million and Kylian Mbappe on an initial loan before making the deal permanent for €180m, raised funds of around €50m through transfers at the request of UEFA to avoid sanctions for the 2015, 2016 and 2017 financial years.
A statement from CAS read: The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has registered an appeal filed by the French club Paris Saint-Germain Football SAS…