Month: November 2024

Rafinha has joined Celta Vigo on a season-long loan after signing a new deal at Barcelona.

The 26-year-old attacking midfielder is now contracted to his parent club until the end of the 2020-21 campaign but will spend another spell away from Camp Nou.

In January 2018, Rafinha joined Inter for the second half of that season before re-joining Ernesto Valverde s squad for 2018-19.

A painful theme of his career recurred when he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury against Atletico Madrid last November – the third serious knee setback to befall Rafinha since 2015.

The Brazil international has featured in all three of Barca s LaLiga games so far this season, with Valverde short of wide attacking options as the likes of Lionel Messi and Ousmane Dembe…

Eden Hazard announced his intention to leave Chelsea after Wednesday s Europa League final win over Arsenal, meaning the Premier League is preparing to say farewell to a great.

The Belgium international joined Chelsea from French side Lille in 2012 and swiftly adapted, before becoming undoubtedly one of the division s best players.

Not only that, should he depart Chelsea, as is expected, he will be remembered as one of the club s true icons alongside the likes of John Terry, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba, such is the impact he has had in his seven years.

Real Madrid is likely to be Hazard s next destination, with Chelsea reportedly hoping to get £100million for their prized asset.

If Madrid get their man, they will be getting a truly immense footballer…

Jurgen Klopp has demanded an improved showing from his Liverpool players as they look to overcome a 1-0 Europa League semi-final deficit against Villarreal at Anfield.

The Reds suffered injury-time heartache in the first leg at El Madrigal last week, as Adrian pounced to give Marcelino s men a slender advantage at the end of a tightly contested match.

Klopp made eight changes to his XI for Sunday s Premier League trip to Swansea City and the likes of Daniel Sturridge and Martin Skrtel did little to advance their claims on a starting place for Thursday s pivotal showdown as Liverpool slumped to a 3-1 defeat.

We have to accept it [the result] because our performance wasn t good enough, Klopp told Liverpoolfc.com.

I m especially a little bit disappointed b…

Eduardo Berizzo has been appointed the new coach of Athletic Bilbao, signing a one-year deal to take charge of the Basque club.

Berizzo replaces Jose Angel Ziganda and is joined on the coaching staff by Ernesto Marcucci, Pablo Fernandez, Carlos Kisluk, Roberto Bonano and Mariano Uglessich.

Ziganda s departure was announced earlier in the month, the coach lasting a single season after succeeding Ernesto Valverde at San Mames.

The appointment of Berizzo, who required prostate surgery last season, sees the 48-year-old return to management after he was sacked by Sevilla last December.

Urrutia y Berizzo  

— Athletic Club (@AthleticClub)

For me it s an honour to be here, to defend those common values ​​that we have, Berizzo told a n…

Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand believes the arrival of Paul Pogba from Juventus could signal the start of a new era of success at Old Trafford.

Pogba featured for United between 2009 and 2012, but opted to leave when his contract expired due to his lack of playing time.

The 23-year-old has since developed into one of the most sought-after midfielders in world football and recent reports suggest United are willing to pay a world-record €120 million to lure him back to Manchester.

And Ferdinand believes Pogba could prove worth the hefty outlay.

I think €120 million is a lot of money, for any player. You d expect 40-plus goals per season for that figure, Ferdinand told Copa90.

But Pogba is going to be the best midfielder in the…

Erik ten Hag has said that Manchester United s new leadership team are eager to complete more transfer business ahead of the new Premier League season.

Ten Hag s side concluded their pre-season tour of the United States on Saturday, losing 3-0 to Liverpool in South Carolina, making it three losses from their last five fixtures.

Both Jonny Evans and Victor Lindelof were replaced at half-time due to injury, with Harry Maguire also missing the encounuter as a precaution.

New £52million arrival Leny Yoro is expected to miss the first three months of the season after picking up an injury against Arsenal.

Rasmus Hojlund is also set to be sidelined until September, with United expected to dip back into the transfer market to bolster their squad.

Ten…

Want to impress your mates with must-have trivia ahead of the return of the Premier League this weekend?

Well, fear not, we have it covered.

See how many of these posers they can answer correctly safe in the knowledge you have all the answers (at the bottom of the page)!

1. Tottenham visit Newcastle on Saturday. When was the last time Spurs opened a Premier League season at home? For bonus points, can you name the opposition and the score?

On Saturday we return to action.

Here s what happened the last time we visited St. James Park

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial)

2. Crystal Palace have the second lowest win rate in London derbies in the Premier League at 22 per cent. Which team has the lowest with 21 per cent?<…

Brazil defender Dani Alves is relishing reaching 100 caps with his country.

The 33-year-old is set to complete his century after a 10-year international career in Tuesday s World Cup qualifier away to Peru.

Former Brazil midfielder Edu – now part of the national team s technical staff – presented Alves with a commemorative shirt ahead of the occasion and the right-back is honoured to reach the milestone, comparing himself to the legendary artist Pablo Picasso.

As a person, I m like Picasso. Those who understand me, like me. Those that don t, won t pay millions for me, Alves told Globo Esporte.

It is a great joy and a satisfaction to reach this milestone. Sometimes I don t know how many good things I ve experienced and am experiencing with the natio…

Barcelona showed they knew how to suffer in order to beat Real Valladolid, much to the satisfaction of boss Ronald Koeman.

Ousmane Dembele s 90th-minute strike gave the Blaugrana a 1-0 victory over their relegation-threatened opponents at Camp Nou, cutting the gap to leaders Atletico Madrid to a solitary point.

Real Madrid are up next in El Clasico this weekend, with a thrilling three-way title battle looking set to go to the wire.

If any team looks capable of pulling clear it is Barca, who have won 13 and drawn one in LaLiga in 2021, although they were far from their fluent best for long periods on Monday – something Koeman acknowledged.

You have to know how to suffer in all the games, we knew how to do it. So yes, we deserved to win, he told reporter…

Eddie Nketiah is relishing the prospect of starting the new season as Arsenal’s main striker and insists manager Mikel Arteta knows he can deliver the goods.

England’s record goalscorer at under-21 level is likely to lead the line for the Gunners when the campaign gets under way after fellow forward Gabriel Jesus was ruled out.

Jesus recently underwent a minor operation on a knee issue he has had since picking up an injury while with Brazil at the 2022 World Cup.

The initial surgery sidelined him for three months but Nketiah stepped up in his absence and hit six goals in six games when domestic football returned.

His goals helped keep Arsenal at the top of the Premier League until Jesus’ return and he is ready to repeat the feat.

“I don’…