West Ham: Chicharito out, Gomez in?

Javier Chicharito Hernandez has revealed he will be allowed to leave West Ham United this summer, as relayed by Sky Sports.

It had been reported back in May this year that the Hammers would be willing to listen to offers for the Mexico international, who said recently that his agent was looking for potential buyers for his services. If one isn t found, the former Manchester United striker would be happy to remain at the London Stadium and see the final 12 months of his contract out.

West Ham are hoping the sale of Chicharito will generate some funds for new signings this summer, as they explore the possibility of bringing in Maxi Gomez of Celta Vigo. The are reporting that manager Manuel Pellegrini is keen on pairing up Marko Arnautovic with Gomez next season, leaving …

Real Madrid haunt Spain again as Ronaldo steals the show

Real Madrid derailed Spain s World Cup preparations when they poached Julen Lopetegui just two days before the tournament, leading to the coach s sacking, so it was with a certain inevitability that their biggest star put the buffers on what would have been a morale-boosting win against Portugal.

Spain s World Cup hopes had threatened to unravel even before Cristiano Ronaldo scored the first goal of a sensational hat-trick in the fourth minute in Sochi, with Madrid behind the Royal Spanish Football Federation s (RFEF) decision to ruthlessly dismiss Bernabeu-bound head coach Lopetegui.

There were reports of a dressing-room revolt as Spain s stars pleaded with RFEF boss Luis Rubiales to allow Lopetegui a stay of execution.

Determined not to be a doormat for the Eur…

´Devastated´ Newcastle apologise to fans following relegation

Newcastle United managing director Lee Charnley insisted the process of scrutinising has already begun after the club were relegated from the Premier League.

Not even the late appointment of former Real Madrid coach Rafael Benitez could save Newcastle, who will drop to the second tier of English football after arch-rivals Sunderland defeated Everton 3-0 on Wednesday.

Sunderland s victory ensured they cannot be overhauled in 17th position heading into the final game of the season, with Newcastle and Norwich City now preparing for life in the Championship. 

 

You can t pretend it hadn t been coming. not learned lessons from 2009. Hard as it is for me to say, well done Sam and

— Alan Shearer (@alanshearer)

Benitez s future is now the…

What have stats told us about the World Cup so far?

The FIFA World Cup kicked off in Russia early this month with the hosts hammering a poor Saudi Arabia side 5-0 in the opening match. It has been a tournament of firsts, from the implementation of VAR to the World Cup debuts of Panama, Iceland and Achilles the psychic cat…

At time of writing, there hasn’t been a single goalless draw in the tournament in 30 matches, and for the first time in their World Cup history. There is no doubt that this World Cup has been a joy to watch and the . In this article we take a look at some of the stand-out stats from the tournament so far and see what it can tell us.

Goals galore

This World Cup has been called ‘boring’ by some spectators recently, but the statistics beg to differ. As well as there not been a single goal…

Lazio played perfect match – Inzaghi

Simone Inzaghi hailed his Lazio side as extraordinary after their 2-0 victory over Roma in the Coppa Italia semi-final first leg.

The Biancocelesti had not prevailed in a Rome derby since the Coppa Italia final in 2013, but goals from Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Ciro Immobile capped a performance in which Lazio rose to the occasion against their in-form neighbours.

As the designated home side in the first leg, Lazio kept Serie A s joint leading goalscorer Edin Dzeko at bay and go into the return fixture in prime position to progress to the final.

Coach Inzaghi told Rai Sport: We played a perfect match. We took nothing for granted: a parade of shots were saved by [Lazio goalkeeper, Thomas] Strakosha.

My boys were extraordinary. They gave everything they h…

Many Premier League managers have been in contact after FA charge – Mikel Arteta

Mikel Arteta revealed that many Premier League managers had been in contact with him after the Arsenal boss was charged by the Football Association for comments after the Gunners’ 1-0 defeat at Newcastle earlier this month.

Arteta branded the officials’ decision not to overturn Anthony Gordon’s goal “an absolute disgrace” and waits to see the extent of his punishment.

And Arteta highlighted that he and his manager colleagues were “all in this together” when it came to making improvements regarding officiating in the Premier League.

Final touches for tomorrow

Best pictures from training ahead of Brentford

— Arsenal (@Arsenal)

“I have been in contact with many of them, I know most of them for many years and we are all in…

Robben must settle for bench role, says Ancelotti

Bayern Munich boss Carlo Ancelotti says Arjen Robben must settle for a role as a substitute for the time being as he continues his recovery from injury.

The Netherlands international scored a brilliant third goal in Wednesday s 3-0 Bundesliga win over Hertha Berlin, a full 200 days on from his last competitive appearance.

Robben stated after the match that he was keen to be sensible with his involvement in the first team, in order to avoid a recurrence of the groin injury that had kept him sidelined since March.

And although Ancelotti plans to rotate his side for Saturday s trip to Hamburg, he does not plan to include Robben in the starting line-up.

I spoke to Robben, he ll be on the bench for the time being, he said.  He ll play in the second half. [Ma…

Low brings up 100th win as Germany down Cameroon

Joachim Low brought up his 100th win as Germany head coach in his 150th match at the helm as the world champions claimed a 3-1 victory over Cameroon at the Confederations Cup.

The result means Low s men progress as Group B winners and return to Sochi s Fisht Stadium on Thursday to face Mexico in the semi-finals.

After a goalless first-half, Hoffenheim midfielder Kerem Demirbay scored his maiden international goal in sumptuous style, picking out the top corner on the end of Julian Draxler s backheel before Timo Werner also claimed his first Germany goals with a brace, either side of Vincent Aboubakar pulling one back for Cameroon.

The long-serving Low collected his maiden victory at the first time of asking back in 2006, when Sweden were swept aside 3-0.

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Lazio 1-2 Milan: Tonali´s stoppage-time strike sends Rossoneri top again

Milan moved back to the top of Serie A as Sandro Tonali s stoppage-time goal sealed a deserved 2-1 victory over Lazio on Sunday.

Stefano Pioli s side had been usurped at the summit by local rivals Inter after their 3-1 win over Roma on Saturday, but victory at the Stadio Olimpico means the Rossoneri regained their two-point lead at the top.

Ciro Immobile had given Lazio an early lead with his 25th league goal of the season, but Olivier Giroud pulled the visitors level shortly after the interval.

Tonali then poked home two minutes into stoppage time to seal a dramatic three points and spark jubilant scenes among the travelling supporters. 

Lazio started superbly and went ahead in the fourth minute when Immobile steered home Sergej Milinkovic-Savic s ri…

Mbappe edges his friend Hakimi to follow up on World Cup promise

On a visit to Qatar in January, Kylian Mbappe predicted France would play Achraf Hakimi s Morocco at the World Cup.

The Paris Saint-Germain star was examining the surroundings in Qatar with club team-mate Hakimi when Mbappe jokingly put forward to possibility they would face one another, adding I have to destroy my friend, to which Hakimi replied, quick as a flash, I am going to kick him.

Fast-forward 11 months and that semi-serious guess came true, with the very serious prize of a World Cup final place on the line.

Separated in age by just six weeks, Mbappe and Hakimi have built a strong bond in Paris since the latter moved to PSG in July 2021, with a clear respect on the pitch as well as off it.

Mbappe called Hakimi the best right-back in the world aft…