BREAKING NEWS: Stoke complete Allen signing

Moussa Sissoko believes he struggles to find a place in the France XI because his international team-mates play for big clubs including former Newcastle United colleague Yohan Cabaye, who now plays for Premier League rivals Crystal Palace.

Sissoko made only his 16th start in 30 France appearances last Friday as Didier Deschamps men claimed a 1-0 win over Portugal.

The former Toulouse man, who has been at St James Park since January 2013, has to compete with the likes of Juventus Paul Pogba and Paris Saint-Germain s Blaise Matuidi in the France engine room.

And he feels that duo, as well as Cabaye who left PSG to link up with former Newcastle boss Alan Pardew at Selhurst Park in the transfer window have an advantage because of where they play.

Look at tho…

David Silva cancelled out Loic Remy s opener but Premier League leaders Chelsea held out for a 1-1 draw against Manchester City.

Champions Manchester City failed to make inroads into Chelsea s five-point lead as the Premier League s top two shared an absorbing 1-1 draw.

Jose Mourinho continued his tempestuous relationship with the media by shunning a pre-match interview with Sky Sports – apparently angered by both a £25,000 fine for comments about referees and Diego Costa s retrospective ban for a stamp on Emre Can during the League Cup semi-final second leg this week.

That indiscretion earned the Spain striker a three-match suspension, but the man to benefit from Costa s absence  recalled striker Loic Remy  took centre stage at Stamford Bridge on Saturd…

Four-match dry spell not what Lewandowski got us used to / Image via pinimg.com

It’s been little over a year since Robert Lewandowski scored unprecedented five goals for Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga 5-1 win over Wolfsburg.

A testament to his predatory instincts the five-goal glut was another confirmation of Poland captain’s seemingly ever-lasting lethal form he has been enjoying for several years now. Few months later the 28-year-old Bayern Munich striker failed to extend the scoring exploits when eyes of the nation laid their hopes upon him to lead Poland to Euro 2016 glory however, raising plenty of questions over his dedication, commitment and motivation at the international level.

And ever since that bitter Portugal goal in Poland’s final summer per…

Des Buckingham and Chris Greenacre have been appointed co-coaches of Wellington Phoenix until the end of the A-League season.

Buckingham, who holds a Pro license, will be head coach under Football Federation Australia (FFA) regulations, while former Phoenix striker Greenacre will be co-coach with his A License following Monday s announcement.

Appointed on an interim basis after Ernie Merrick s resignation four weeks ago, the pair have overseen a four-match unbeaten streak since taking the reins.

The Phoenix played out a scoreless draw with lowly defending champions Adelaide United on Sunday, with Wellington only two points outside of the top six and the finals places after 12 matches.

I still think this team is capable of making the top four which was …

Diogo Jota declared Liverpool are back after his last-gasp strike fired them to a 4-3 victory over fellow European hopefuls Tottenham at Anfield.

Liverpool looked set for a resounding win when goals from Curtis Jones, Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah put them 3-0 up within 15 minutes against a Spurs side bereft of confidence.

However, Tottenham staged a remarkable fightback as Harry Kane and Son Heung-min reduced the arrears before Richarlison dragged them level in the third minute of stoppage time.

But there was one final twist to come as Jota took advantage of Lucas Moura s misplaced pass to score the winner just 99 seconds after Tottenham had levelled things up.

Asked if Liverpool were back to their best after claiming a fourth successive Premier League win…

Alongside goalkeeper Stephane Ruffier and Brazilian sensation Nene, South Korean international Park Chu-young has been one of the revelations of the season for French top flight side Monaco.

An Asian Youth Championship winner at the age of 19 in 2004, where he was the top scorer and player of the tournament, Park endured a slow start to his career at the Stade Louis II.

In the summer of 2008 his signing became a number one priority for then-coach Ricardo and his assistant, Jean Petit.

He was presented to us by intermediaries living in Monaco, recalls Petit, who now works as an advisor to the club board.

We found his profile very interesting. We were in need of two forwards. As far as we were concerned, Park had to be one of them.

Lots of clubs…

Newcastle owner Mike Ashley has shown a complete lack of ambition during his time with the club from the north east

Newcastle suffered a 2-1 home defeat against Arsenal at St James Park on Saturday.

The defeat was the Magpies fourth defeat in their last five Premier League games.

The situation could be a more worrying one if the side from the north east had not already collected 35 points.

John Carver’s team are ten points clear of the relegation zone and it would take a major turnaround for men from Tyneside to get dragged into the bottom three.

Limbo

Newcastle United seems to be a club in perpetual limbo in the last few seasons.

They have not quite managed to hit the heights of 2012 and their fifth-place finish, but they have …

Paris Saint-Germain defender Presnel Kimpembe has signed a new contract tying him to the club until June 2021.

The 21-year-old youth product made his PSG debut in October 2014, but only emerged as a regular this season starting seven of his side s first 12 Ligue 1 matches.

Kimpembe was delighted to extend a deal that was previously due to expire in 2018 with the team that taught him what he knows about the game.

Extending my contract with the club where I learned my trade brings me a lot of joy, he said to the club s official website after signing the deal on Monday.

I have been here since I was really little, so this extension means a lot to me. 

It s a huge step forward for me, but it s only the beginning. I need to keep working hard to achi…

The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) insisted it warned Argentina s Premier League-based quartet about the need to quarantine after Sunday s blockbuster CONMEBOL World Cup qualifier was sensationally abandoned.

The top-of-the-table fixture was halted following an apparent breach of coronavirus regulations, Argentina naming three Premier League players in their starting line-up – Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez and Tottenham pair Cristian Romero and Giovani Lo Celso.

Brazil had called up nine Premier League stars to their side, though none of the group travelled, with top-flight English clubs given backing not to release players.

Travellers from the United Kingdom are also restricted entry to Brazil if they have spent time in the country within …

Arsene Wenger claimed there has been a very positive response to proposals for the World Cup to be staged every two years – as UEFA warned that its members could boycott the tournament.

The former Arsenal manager has become the figurehead for FIFA s mission to change the landscape of the world game, in plans that have been derided by UEFA and Europe s top leagues.

Wenger, 71, is FIFA s chief of global football development, and he has been at the forefront of promoting an idea that Saudi Arabia proposed to FIFA in May.

Frenchman Wenger said it would need to be a democratic decision by FIFA s members if global football s most important tournament is to shift from its current format, whereby it takes place every four years.

UEFA president Aleksander Cefe…