There has been plenty of discussion in the last few years about the density of football matches through the season, and it s never been a point more important than this term with the World Cup in Qatar squeezed in the middle of it all.
West Ham midfielder Declan Rice, reportedly a target for a number of top clubs, is afraid of picking up an injury due to the hectic schedule.
“From June to June I played 68 games. That’s an obscene amount of games. Every game I go into and I walk off, I’m knackered. I don’t want to get injured.”
Declan Rice has slammed the hectic schedule for football clubs.
— Football Daily (@footballdaily)
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England midfielder James Milner completed his transfer worth a reported 26million pounds from Aston Villa to English Premier League rivals Manchester City on Wednesday.
Former Republic of Ireland midfielder Stephen Ireland moved in the other direction as part of the deal which saw Villa manager Martin O Neill resign over a week ago as he was dissatisfied with the club selling their best players.
City had bought another of their midfield stars, English international Gareth Barry, in the close season last year.
City manager Roberto Mancini was delighted to have secured his sixth big money signing since the end of last season.
I am very happy to have James with us, everybody knows we have admired him for some time, said Mancini, who replaced Mark Hughes la…
Italian international striker Giuseppe Rossi showed his commitment to Villarreal with a double as his his side notched their first win of the season with a 4-0 victory over Espanyol on Sunday.
The 23-year-old Rossi recently denied that he wanted a return to his native Italy and responded to the reports with a goal in each half for his first goals of the season as Villarreal moved up to fifth.
Former Manchester United man Rossi opened the scoring in the 23rd minute before midfielder Borja Valero, on loan from West Bromwich Albion, netted his first goal for the club shortly afterwards.
Rossi grabbed his second on 55 minutes firing a spot-kick past Cameroon goalkeeper Carlos Kameni and Brazilian international Nilmar struck on 77 minutes to clinch a comfortable win.…
Dele Alli wants Tottenham to put their FA Cup exit behind them quickly as they prepare to host Fiorentina in the Europa League on Thursday.
Mauricio Pochettino s side suffered a surprise 1-0 fifth-round defeat to Crystal Palace at White Hart Lane on Sunday to end a run of seven straight victories in domestic competitions.
Spurs hold a slight advantage heading into the second leg of the last-32 tie with Fiorentina following last week s 1-1 draw at the Artemio Franchi, but Paulo Sousa s side boast an impressive record in away games against English sides, having only lost twice in 11 matches.
And Alli underlined the importance of a swift return to form as his side look to avenge the 3-1 aggregate defeat to Fiorentina at the same stage last season.
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Nicolas Otamendi is keen to continue the rich history of Argentinians at Valencia after agreeing a move from Porto at the end of the season.
Valencia confirmed on Wednesday that they had agreed a deal with the Portuguese side to take Otamendi to Mestalla for a reported fee of €12million plus add-ons.
The Argentina international has signed a five-year contract with Juan Antonio Pizzi s men, and will link up with compatriots Pablo Piatti and Federico Cartabia.
Otamendi, 25, was quick to express his delight at the switch, which will see him in the footsteps of legendary Argentina striker Mario Kempes, as well as fellow countrymen Roberto Ayala and Pablo Aimar, by gracing the Mestalla.
He told the club s official website: After playing for a club like Porto, very p…
Joao Moutinho has signed a new Wolves contract that commits the Portugal international to the club through to 2022.
Moutinho joined Wolves from Monaco in July 2018 for a reported £5million and the 33-year-old has become a key player for Nuno Espirito Santo s side.
He was voted Wolves fans player of the season in May and has maintained his form by recording seven assists in all competitions this term.
Midfielder Moutinho scored a superb free-kick in a win at Bournemouth on Saturday that lifted Nuno s men to fifth in the Premier League.
Joao Moutinho has signed a new deal with Wolves that will keep him at Molineux until 2022!
— Wolves (@Wolves)
It was a very easy decision because I feel very good here, Moutinho told Wolves official …
Atletico Madrid and France star Antoine Griezmann admitted he dreams of winning the Ballon d Or.
Griezmann, 27, is again a contender for the individual honour this year, having won the World Cup with France after guiding Atletico to Europa League glory.
The forward, who finished third behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in 2016, had no hesitation in saying the Ballon d Or was something he wanted.
I m not afraid of saying it. I dream of the Ballon d Or, of the Champions League, of winning the World Cup, Griezmann told ESPN FC.
I dream of a lot of things. I dream of having three children. Those dreams motivate you when you wake up each morning and you have goals to achieve.
Le plus important dans un but c’est sa célébration
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New York Red Bulls blew a lead to be bundled out of the MLS playoffs by first-time participants Cincinnati 2-1 with Brandon Vasquez netting an 86th-minute winner on Saturday.
Lewis Morgan, who scored 14 goals in the regular season, had put the Red Bulls ahead with a rifled strike from outside the box in the 48th minute at Red Bull Arena.
But Cincinnati replied with two goals in the final 15 minutes to secure their spot in the Conference Semifinals where they will face top seed Philadelphia Union. Fourth-year franchise Cincy had finished last in the Eastern Conference during its previous three campaigns.
Cincy thought they had an equalizer in the 60th minute when the Red Bulls failed to clear a long throw and Junior Moreno s strike was deflected in, but that was b…
Kylian Mbappe has described reports he wants to leave Paris Saint-Germain in January as completely wrong .
Mbappe, who played in PSG s 1-0 Ligue 1 win over Marseille on Sunday, was said to have felt betrayed by the club hierarchy.
The World Cup-winning 23-year-old signed a new contract in May, after months of uncertainty, but he was reported to have become unsettled once more after a failure to meet his demands both tactically and in recruitment.
PSG football advisor Luis Campos emphatically denied those reports by claiming Mbappe had not informed the club of such intentions, while head coach Galtier also expressed confusion over the speculation.
This trio
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English)
The France international has now had his sa…
Udinese s Roberto Pereyra is having a medical at Juventus ahead of a proposed switch to the Serie A champions.
Argentine winger Pereyra has impressed since joining Udinese from River Plate in 2011, prompting apparent interest from Italy s leading clubs.
And Juve now appear to be in pole position to sign the 23-year-old.
On Wednesday, the Turin club posted photos on their official Twitter account of Pereyra arriving for medical examinations at Clinica Fornaca di Sessant.
Juventus subsequently released a short statement, which read: Roberto Pereyra is this morning undergoing a routine medical prior to a proposed move to the Bianconeri from Udinese.
The young Argentine will take his first tests at the city’s Clinica Fornaca di Sessant, before comp…