Author: bigbanng

Manchester United will lock horns with Manchester City at Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon, hoping to pick up all three points on their home turf. The Red Devils will be coming into the match on the back of a 3-0 victory over Charlton Athletic in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup competition, whereas Pep Guardiola’s men recorded an unfortunate 2-0 loss to Southampton. Pep Guardiola will probably opt for the 4-3-3 formation with a couple of tweaks from the last game. Kevin De Bruyne might get the nod over Ilkay Gundogan in midfield, whereas Erling Haaland is likely to make his…

“Stay here and they will end up building a statue in your honor,” Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp told Philippe Coutinho in the 2017/18 season as he pushed for his dream move. “Go somewhere else, to Barcelona, to Bayern Munich, and you will just be another player,” he warned (via The Mirror). “Here you can be something more.” As it turned out, Coutinho, who had his heart set on turning out for the Blaugrana, ignored Klopp’s advice and went ahead and forced through his $173m (£142m/€160m) move in January 2018. READ MORE: Jürgen Klopp ‘wants’ transfer of ‘best player in Spain’ amid $14m Liverpool ‘target’s decision’…

Burnley boss Vincent Kompany says his involvement in the loan of Wout Weghorst to Manchester United has been ‘simple’. Weghorst was due to fly in to Manchester on Thursday to complete his medical and finalise a half-season loan in time for Saturday’s Manchester Derby. United will pay around £2.5million to Besiktas in order for the Turkish club to terminate their loan deal with the Dutchman, covering all wages for the remainder of the campaign also. The terms of Weghorst’s initial loan complicated matters, with no recall clause and instead an option for Besiktas to make the move permanent in the summer. Negotiations involved all…

Al-Hilal are set to offer Lionel Messi a mouth-watering contract worth up to £288million-a-year. The 35-year-old has just under six months left on his current deal at Paris Saint-Germain and could be set to leave the Ligue 1 side this summer. Messi has scored an impressive 13 goals and chipped in with 14 assists in 20 appearances for PSG this season, having also scored seven times at the World Cup in Qatar. It is understood Inter Miami are strongly interested in the former Barcelona man, with David Beckham eyeing up a move to take him across to the MLS. The ex-Manchester United midfielder has long touted the…

That’s according to Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke, who revealed in a recent interview with Sky Deutschland that, with just six months remaining on the 18-year-old’s current contract at Signal Iduna Park, and with the centre-forward being yet to accept a new deal proposed by the Bundesliga side, there is a real chance that Moukoko leaves the club this summer. The 63-year-old’s comments came shortly after a report by German media outlet Sport1, who claimed that Newcastle are attempting to lure the teenager away from BVB with a basic salary offer of €9m (£8m) – roughly £154k a week – in addition to a €30m (£26.5m) signing…

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Real Madrid will get another chance to celebrate a Spanish Super Cup title in Saudi Arabia. Madrid defeated Valencia 4-3 in a penalty shootout in Wednesday’s semifinal and will try to win its third Super Cup title in the Middle East nation on Sunday. The defending champions will face either Barcelona or Real Betis, which play in the other semifinal on Thursday. The final will be at the King Fahd Stadium in Riyadh. Valencia defender Eray Cömert sent his spot kick over the crossbar and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois saved the penalty taken by José Luis…

Wout Weghorst misses Besiktas training ahead of anticipated Manchester United move. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images)Wout Weghorst misses Besiktas training ahead of anticipated Manchester United move According to @gokmenozcan (h/t Fabrizio Romano), Dutch striker Wout Weghorst missed Besiktas training yesterday ahead of an anticipated move to Manchester United. Romano revealed yesterday that Man United had reached a full verbal agreement to sign Weghorst on loan from Burnley for the rest of the season but he did add a caveat that Besiktas would agree only if they found a suitable replacement. In line with that development, it looks like the striker has decided to skip training…

While the room around him was ablaze and questions – “how will you cope without him?” “aren’t you short on options?” – were fired in his direction, Erik ten Hag remained a calm, unnerved figure. Not like the blissful, behatted dog, deluded to the impact the licking flames would soon deal to his house, but rather with the cool assuredness of knowing he had an extinguisher close to hand. When Manchester United’s manager discussed the sudden departure of Cristiano Ronaldo last month, one could be forgiven for thinking he was taking the ‘this is fine’ approach to the problem it had caused. By the…

Everton were powerless to prevent Erling Haaland from scoring but almost succeeded in starting his New Year’s Eve celebrations early. Haaland goaded Idrissa Gueye in celebration and was visibly riled by Ben Godfrey’s rumbustious approach, celebrating a free-kick sarcastically. Seconds later, Haaland lunged in on Vitalii Mykolenko, drawing the ire of almost every Everton player. Jordan Pickford suggested it was a studs-up assault. Haaland was booked for a tackle that was vicious. Also read: What Pellistri did before his assist won United fans over The Haalands have form for going face-to-face with their nemesis. Unlike Alf-Inge, Erling did not accuse Mykolenko…

Real Madrid scraped through to the final of the Spanish Supercup with a penalty shootout win over Valencia last night. Nothing separated the two sides at the end of 120 minutes, but two missed penalties by Los Che coupled with perfect conversion by the Real Madrid players helped them through. Nacho Fernandez started the game at left back on the night and played the full 120 minutes. He made a whopping 16 defensive contributions in that duration in addition to a key pass and a 94% pass accuracy. The Spaniard spoke to the press after his team’s win over Valencia and talked about…

Southampton will face Newcastle in the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup while Manchester United take on Nottingham Forest. The struggling Saints stunned Manchester City a 2-0 to set up a clash with the high-flying Magpies, who comfortably beat Leicester 2-0 on Tuesday. Forest edged to the semi-finals with a penalty shoot-out win against Wolves and they will host Erik ten Hag’s side, who beat Charlton to progress to the next round. The semi-final ties will take place the weeks commencing 23 and 30 January. ‘It’s massive’ – Ireland keeper Bazunu hails Saints win Ireland goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu had a night to remember…

In football there’s life on the pitch and life away from it. For Cristiano Ronaldo, his mega-money move to league-leading Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia represents more than just the round ball. Ronaldo’s switch to the Middle East will offer a unique challenge to one of the greatest players of all-time. There is no doubt about his equality, even at the age of 37. But culture, conditions, society – How will Ronaldo adapt to life in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia? Former A-Leagues defender and ex-Australia international Jonathan McKain knows Al-Nassr and Saudi Arabian football better than most through his own…

Southampton legend Rickie Lambert has taken to social media to respond to a chant from Saints fans towards Manchester City striker Erling Haaland. The Norwegian striker came off the bench for City in the Carabao Cup quarter-final clash with Southampton at St Mary’s, which Saints won 2-0 to set up a two-legged semi-final against Newcastle United. Haaland was unable to add to his 27 goals already this season in a City shirt as the visitors failed to muster a single shot on target against Saints, with the hosts keeping just their third clean sheet of the season in all competitions. Understandably, Southampton…

Valencia head coach Genarro Gattuso spoke to the media after his side lost to Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup semi-finals. Gattuso, who was proud of his team’s performance despite losing in the penalty shootout, had praise for Courtois, and also discussed his own side’s tactics. “I don’t know if my team was better than the rival,” Gattuso said. “Tactically we have prepared with a totally different line-up than we have played in the last four months with two midfielders. We have had chances to score, and we have had a good game.” Gattuso also commended both goalkeepers. “Courtois is a…

Fabrizio Romano has revealed that United have reached a ‘full verbal agreement’ to sign Weghorst on a deal that will keep him at the club for the remainder of the campaign. The Red Devils will have to pay Besiktas around €3 million (£2.6m) to prize him away from the Vodafone Park as Burnley did not include a recall option in his original loan deal. Romano states that the final obstacle holding up the potential move is the fact the Turkish giants need to find a replacement before they are willing to sanction Weghorst’s departure, and they have been linked with Vincent…

Jorge Mendes approached several clubs over a deal for Cristiano Ronaldo before the Portugal striker joined Al-Nassr, according to new reports. The super-agent, who worked on Ronaldo’s return to Manchester United in 2021, was not involved in the veteran’s move to Saudi Arabia. Ronaldo has reportedly hired Ricardo Regufe as his new manager, with his compatriot taking centre-stage amid the £173m Al-Nassr deal. Ronaldo revealed he had offers from Europe before the move to the Saudi Pro League was confirmed, as well as interest from Australia, Brazil and the United States. Former club Real Madrid were not among the interested parties, though, and indeed Los Blancos are said to have…

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp could have his attacking ranks improved by the signing of a highly rated goalscorer after the Reds ‘presented’ their project to him, according to reports. Liverpool already have strong attacking options, with the club recently splashing out an initial £37million – plus £13m in add-ons – to sign Cody Gakpo from PSV. The Dutchman, who signed a long-term contract at Anfield, made his debut in the 2-2 Carabao Cup draw with Wolves on Saturday. Gakpo is not the only new forward to arrive at Liverpool this season. They spent a club-record £85m to capture Darwin Nunez from Benfica.…

The left-back department has become a pressing issue for Real Madrid, of late. While Ferland Mendy has proven to be a reliable option, the Frenchman has his own limitations and does not necessarily offer the world-class qualities the club are looking for. There are concerns over the future of Mendy, who may even depart Santiago Bernabeu in the summer. Meanwhile, the club also lack reliable alternatives in the left-back department. David Alaba has largely fulfilled that role, but the Austrian, no doubt, enjoys playing at centre-back. This has accentuated the need for a new left-back in the summer, with recent…

Marcus Rashford scored twice late on against Charlton Athletic. (Image: Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images.) Marcus Rashford smashed Wayne Rooney’s record by scoring for the eighth home game in succession after stepping off the bench to score twice in Manchester United’s 3-0 Carabao Cup quarter-final victory over Charlton Athletic at Old Trafford on Tuesday night. The academy graduate, who came off the bench on the hour mark, scored twice late on to help United secure their place in the semi-finals of the competition for the third time in the last four seasons. The Reds were on course for a narrow 1-0 win,…

Cristiano Ronaldo is not being paid to promote Saudi Arabia’s World Cup bid (Image: Getty) Al-Nassr have strongly denied that Cristiano Ronaldo is being paid to help promote Saudi Arabia’s 2030 World Cup and join Lionel Messi as an ambassador for the country. Reports in France had claimed that part of Ronaldo’s agreement to join Al-Nassr to make him football’s highest-paid player was for the 37-year-old to have his wages doubled for backing Saudi Arabia’s bid to host the World Cup in seven years. The supposed deal would essentially see Ronaldo earn an eye-watering sum of around £1million a day at £300m per year.…

Argentina fans celebrate Lionel Messi goal in World Cup final 0 seconds of 23 secondsVolume 0%Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcutsKeyboard ShortcutsPlay/PauseSPACEIncrease Volume↑Decrease Volume↓Seek Forward→Seek Backward←Captions On/OffcFullscreen/Exit FullscreenfMute/UnmutemSeek %0-9Next UpSharon Osbourne reacts to Harry and Meghan’s documentary00:54Live00:0000:2300:23 Lionel Messi has been urged to turn down a new contract with Paris Saint-Germain and move to Manchester City in the summer to link up with Erling Haaland and Pep Guardiola. The World Cup winner has cemented his place above Cristiano Ronaldo in many fans’ eyes having lifted the trophy in Qatar with Argentina last month, but success in England could further establish the 35-year-old as the greatest footballer of…

Dani Carvajal and Eduardo Camavinga will start, but Aurelien Tchouameni will miss out when Real Madrid and Valencia face off on Wednesday. Real Madrid will aim to reach the 2022 Supercopa de Espana final when they clash with Valencia at the King Fahd International Stadium on Wednesday evening. And Carlo Ancelotti has a few pivotal figures unavailable for his side’s latest fixture. David Alaba and Aurelien Tchouameni are not in Saudi Arabia with the rest of the unit after picking up leg injuries against Valencia. Apart from the duo, Ancelotti has picked a strong travelling squad for Supercopa de Espana. But widespread reports suggest that…

Butland signed for Manchester United last week on loan from Crystal Palace, becoming the club’s first signing of the 2023 January transfer window. The goalkeeper is set to feature in a Manchester United matchday squad for the first time tonight against Charlton Athletic. There is even a chance Butland could be called into the starting line-up against the League One side. Erik ten Hag indicated in his press conference that he would be choosing between Jack Butland and Tom Heaton, with David de Gea likely to get a rest. The manager told the club website that Butland’s training performances would influence his decision. He said: “Tom…

Al-Nassr have taken to Twitter to confirm that Cristiano Ronaldo’s contract with the club does not contain any kind of clauses relating to Saudi Arabia’s 2030 World Cup bid. The Saudi outfit posted an update at 1:36am local time that read: “Al Nassr FC would like to clarify that contrary to news reports, Cristiano Ronaldo’s contract with Al Nassr does not entail commitments to any World Cup bids. His main focus is on Al Nassr and to work with his teammates to help the club achieve success.” This statement is contrary to reports that had emerged allegedly from a source close to the club that claimed Ronaldo…