West Bromwich Albion boss Pepe Mel has confirmed his interest in signing Arsenal winger Joel Campbell during the summer transfer window.
Campbell, 21, played under Mel at Real Betis in 2012/13 and the latter has hinted he could make a summer move for the Costa Rica international, assuming he is still in charge of the Baggies.
The 21-year-old ace, who officially joined Arsenal in August 2011, was finally able to secure a work permit in England last summer but was deemed surplus to requirements by Arsene Wenger and subsequently loaned to Greek giants Olympiacos F.C.
Campbell has been a revelation for the Greek champions this season, tallying eight goals including an absolute screamer against Manchester United in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 in…
Sunderland s move for Liam Bridcutt looks to have stalled after Brighton and Hove Albion revealed they had turned down his transfer request.
Sunderland, who are managed by former Brighton boss Gus Poyet, sit bottom of the Premier League table and are looking to bolster their squad in the January transfer window.
They have been regularly linked with a move for the 24-year-old Bridcutt, who has played at Brighton since joining on a free transfer from Chelsea in July 2010.
And the Championship club confirmed Sunderland s interest in the midfielder on Wednesday, releasing a short statement that said they had turned down the midfielder s plea to leave.
Further to reports in today s media, Brighton and Hove Albion can confirm that a transfer request from Liam Bridcutt …
Zlatan Ibrahimovic was in typically unabashed mood when the self-proclaimed football king met a real former monarch.
The Manchester United striker posted on his official Instagram page after meeting Juan Carlos I, who ruled Spain from 1975 until he stepped down in 2014.
The 79-year-old, who was a guest at Manchester City s Premier League clash with Liverpool on Sunday, was pictured smiling alongside Ibrahimovic, who captioned the photo a King recognizes a King .
Ibrahimovic missed United s 3-1 win over Middlesbrough due to suspension and will not be available to return until the game against Everton at Old Trafford on April 4.
…
Arsenal s Olivier Giroud has averaged a goal in every Premier League start this season.
Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud was criticised for missing a gilt-edged chance in the 1-1 draw against fierce rivals Tottenham Hotspur on the weekend, but was given backing by manager Arsene Wenger and former Arsenal legend Ian Wright, both of whom believe the French international is harshly treated considering how good he’s been in the Premier League.
Why Olivier Giroud deserves adulation
Giroud has been full of goals this season, scoring when coming off the bench in games, and finding the back of net in games he was starting in. He dethroned previous first-choice striker Theo Walcott on merit, and has now taken his chance to shine with both hands. Scoring six Premier Leagu…
Prediction: Ukraine win
Best Odds:
Bookmaker:
The domestic season may be over but the summer has only just begun. Between the Summer Olympics and the Euros we ve got a whole lot to look forward to and as the countdown to kick-off for the latter continues, we thought we d take a look at a friendly game between two teams with very different priorities. Ukraine want to escape a group they should be confident in getting out of, whereas Northern Ireland will be spending the next few months sitting at home.
Ukraine
Ukraine looked really good during the Euro qualifiers but over the last few months, they haven t been able to buy a win from anywhere. They ve still got impact players and they should still look at their group as one they can get out of, but t…
(GSM) Mauro Zárate is not leaving Lazio, according to the Argentine s agent.
Zárate has been influential during the Rome club s rise to the top of Serie A so far this season
Inspired performances has led the 23-year-old being consistently linked with a move to some of Europe s biggest clubs, with Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City and Barcelona all reportedly interested in his services.
Zárate s agent Jose Alberti, however, has dismissed the rumours stating that the Biancocelesti will be keeping Zárate.
Zárate doesn t move from Rome. He is well and the president (Claudio) Lotito doesn t want to sell him, Alberti told tuttomercatoweb.
He is followed by Sevilla but Manchester City and Barcelona are also interested in him.
I think i…
Schalke 04 are hoping their hammering of Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga will help give them a Champions League boost for Wednesday s showdown with Group B leaders Lyon.
Although they are 15th in the Bundesliga, Schalke are second in the group and a win over Lyon would put them in pole-position to reach the Round of 16.
Captain and central defender Cris will miss Lyon s trip to Gelsenkirchen with the 33-year-old nursing damaged knee ligaments.
Lyon won 3-1 at Lens in the French league on Sunday and they are now eighth in the table.
The French side are eager to get back to winning ways in the Champions League after seeing their chances of clinching a place in the last 16 with three matches remaining disappear when they lost at Benfica at the start of the …
Arsene Wenger is looking forward to locking horns with great manager Jurgen Klopp when his Arsenal side visits Liverpool on Wednesday.
Wenger edges the German in previous meetings, having taken on Klopp fives times when he was in-charge at Borussia Dortmund, with three wins compared to Klopp s one.
Despite his superior record, Wenger said Klopp deserved great recognition for his work with Dortmund having lead the club to two Bundesliga titles, a DFB-Pokal triumph and a Champions League final in 2012-13.
Wenger said Klopp had made a good start to life at Liverpool and praised the German s style.
I think he is a great manager but we have different styles, he said.
You have to respect that and you can only be successful by [having] your own style a…
Liverpool must do more to assess the root cause of Daniel Sturridge s injuries as his recurring absence is not a coincidence, says Graeme Souness.
England striker Sturridge has been beset by problems since moving to Anfield in January 2012 with hamstring and thigh complaints the biggest issue.
Shortly after taking over at Liverpool, manager Jurgen Klopp stated that Sturridge must learn what is serious pain and what is only pain .
And Souness believes the medical team at Liverpool should do more to explore why Sturridge spends so much time on the sidelines.
Daniel Sturridge was injured a lot prior to Klopp s arrival. Sturridge should be the first name on the team sheet because he has great qualities, but he isn t, Souness, who played for and managed Live…
Massimiliano Allegri believes the tactics that dominate Italian football are bull**** and that instead the game should be viewed as art .
Allegri has been out of management since he left Juventus at the end of last season following five trophy-laden campaigns in Turin.
The 52-year-old coached Cristiano Ronaldo in his final season at Juve, with the former Real Madrid superstar scoring 28 goals across all competitions in 2018-19.
And Allegri insists the way to get the best out of players such as Ronaldo is to give them free licence to do as they wish on the field and not weigh them down with tactics.
When the ball gets to Ronaldo, [Paulo] Dybala, Ronaldinho, [Clarence] Seedorf or [Andrea] Pirlo, I have to put the other players in a position to get the ba…