Category: Serie A

Modric breaks Ronaldo-Messi dominance to win top FIFA award

Jason Bourne

Luka Modric ended Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi’s decade-long domination of football’s individual awards by being crowned FIFA’s best player of the year on Monday. The Real Madrid and Croatia midfielder starred for both club and country as Madrid won a third straight Champions League, and he inspired Croatia to reach the World Cup final for the first time. He beat Ronaldo and Liverpool’s Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah to the prize. Modric’s success means Ronaldo remains tied with Messi having won FIFA’s award in different guises five times each. At 33, Croatia’s run to the final was…

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Champions League: Pochettino accuses media of ‘disrespect’ after Inter loss

Jason Bourne

Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino angrily accused journalists of disrespecting his players on Tuesday after his team opened their Champions League campaign with a 2-1 loss at Inter Milan. Tottenham were winning 1-0 through Christian Eriksen after a performance Pochettino described as probably their best of the season, only for Mauro Icardi to equalise with an unstoppable 25-metre volley with five minutes left before Matías Vecino headed in a stoppage-time winner following a corner. Pochettino then lost his temper when asked about his decision to rest defenders Kieran Trippier and Toby Alderweireld. “You disrespect the players…

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Ivan Gazidis resigns as Arsenal Chief Executive to join AC Milan

Jason Bourne

Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis has resigned from his post and is now set to take up a position with AC Milan. Arsenal confirmed the news on Tuesday morning via social media after months of speculation over the South African’s future. Raul Sanllehi and Vinai Venkatesham appointed head of football and managing director respectively, as Ivan Gazidis leaves for A.C. Milan — Arsenal (@Arsenal) September 18, 2018 Raul Sanllehi, the club’s head of football relations, has been appointed as head of football, and Vinai Venkatesham currently chief commercial officer, becomes managing director.…

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Antoine Griezman: I am at the top with Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappe

Jason Bourne
Antoine Griezmann

Antoine Griezmann has said that although he is a different player to Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, he is “at the top” in football. Atletico Madrid forward Griezmann, a World Cup winner with France, is targeting the Ballon d’Or after the disappointment of not being nominated for FIFA’s The Best award. “There are different ways to look at football,” he told Diario AS. “It’s obvious that I’m a different player to Cristiano, Messi, Neymar or [Kylian] Mbappe. “I’m at the top but I can get better. I want to be the most complete…

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Douglas Costa faces lengthy ban and Juventus fine after red card for spitting

Jason Bourne

The Juventus coach, Massimiliano Allegri, said the winger Douglas Costa will be fined by the club after he was sent off for spitting at a Sassuolo opponent on Sunday, marring a 2-1 Serie A win in which Cristiano Ronaldo scored his first goals for the club. Costa, who faces a lengthy ban, was dismissed for spitting at Federico Di Francesco after a running feud in which the Brazilian also elbowed and head-butted the Sassuolo player. “Even if he was fouled, these episodes must not happen,” Allegri said. “We mustn’t fall for provocation.…

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Cristiano Ronaldo opens account as Juventus edge past Sassuolo

Jason Bourne

Cristiano Ronaldo opened his long-awaited account for new club Juventus with two goals in Sunday’s 2-1 win over Sassuolo at the Allianz Stadium. The reigning Player of the Year, who had gone 320 minutes in the black and white colours of the Old Lady without a goal, found himself in the right place at the right time to prod home on the 50th minute mark after the visitors made a mess of clearing their lines from a corner, with the ball rebounding kindly to Ronaldo off the post for the 33-year-old to…

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Marcelo dismisses exit speculation and commits future to Real Madrid

Jason Bourne

Real Madrid defender Marcelo has insisted his future lies with Real Madrid despite continued reports linking him with a move to Juventus. With Cristiano Ronaldo, formerly of Real and good mates with Marcelo, joining the Serie A club, the Brazilian left-back was expected to follow the same path but he has now poured cold water on such speculation. “It’s an element which is hardly worth discussing. I’m very happy at Real Madrid, it’s my home and I’ve got many years left on my contract,” Marcelo told Real Madrid TV . “I’m very happy…

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Ronaldo, Modric and Salah nominated for FIFA The Best Men’s Player of the Year award

Jason Bourne

Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modric and Mohamed Salah have emerged as the final three nominees for FIFA’s The Best Men’s Player of the Year award. Ronaldo and Modric both led Real Madrid to a third consecutive Champions League title in May while Salah scored 44 goals in a record breaking debut season for Liverpool. The final three means there’s no place for Lionel Messi whose Barcelona side won LaLiga last term but crashed out in the quarterfinals of the Champions League to Roma who overturned a 4-1 first leg defeat. Croatia…

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Alvaro Morata says he never considered Chelsea exit

Jason Bourne

Alvaro Morata is determined to prove his worth to Chelsea after admitting he never considered leaving the club after a difficult first season in England. Morata only scored one league goal after the turn of the year as speculation over his Chelsea future intensified amid links with Serie A and LaLiga. The 25-year-old Spain international, who was left out of the country’s World Cup squad, was on target in Chelsea’s 3-2 win over London rivals Arsenal in Premier League action on Saturday. “There was never a thought for me to leave. For me,…

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Ronaldo, Modric and Salah up for UEFA Player of the Year award

Jason Bourne

Luka Modrić, Cristiano Ronaldo and Mohamed Salah have been nominated for the 2017/18 UEFA Men’s Player of the Year award. Ronaldo, who won the award last season, helped Real Madrid to a third consecutive Champions League title and finished as the competition’s top scorer with 15 goals. The Portuguese, who has since moved on to Juventus has three wins in total and is the only player to have made the shortlist every year since UEFA created the award in 2011. Modric, also part of Madrid’s Champions League winning team, finished…

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David Ospina joins Napoli on loan deal from Arsenal

Jason Bourne

David Ospina has joined Napoli on loan with the Italian club having the option to buy the goalkeeper from Arsenal on a permanent basis. Ospina had fallen down the pecking order at the Premier League club following the arrival of Bernd Leno from Bayer Leverkusen for £19.2m this summer. With Leno and Petr Cech expected to battle it out to be new manager Unai Emery’s first choice goalkeeper, opportunities would have been few and far between for Ospina. The Colombian international joined Arsenal from Nice in July 2014 for £3m after impressing for…

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Roma sign World Cup winner Steven Nzonzi from Sevilla

Jason Bourne

AS Roma have completed the signing of Steven Nzonzi from Sevilla on a four-year contract in a deal that could be worth up to £27.3m. The midfielder, who won the World Cup with France this summer, played for Sevilla for three years having joined from Stoke City. Nzonzi, 29, had been linked with a move to Arsenal in July for a reunion with Unai Emery with whom he won the Europa League in 2016 and was most recently linked with a switch to the Camp Nou with Barcelona. Roma however…

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Tiemoue Bakayoko moves to AC Milan from Chelsea on season-long loan

Jason Bourne

Chelsea midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko has joined AC Milan on a season-long loan move in a deal that could become permanent next summer for a fee in the region of £35m. The 23-year-old joined moved to England last summer from Monaco for £39.7m, and despite making 43 appearances and scoring three goals, he struggled to make an impact at Stamford Bridge. The arrivals of midfielders Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic this summer from Napoli and Real Madrid respectively and Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s return from a successful loan spell at Crystal Palace meant opportunities would have…

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Barcelona target Nzonzi demands Sevilla exit as speculation grows

Jason Bourne

Steven N’Zonzi has made it clear to Sevilla that he wants to be sold, club director of football Joaquin Caparros has confirmed, as he continues to be linked with a move to Barcelona and Serie A outfit AS Roma. N’Zonzi joined Sevilla from Stoke City in 2015 and has gone on to establish himself as a mainstay in the heart of the club’s midfield, and was a member of France’s World Cup winning squad this summer in Russia. N’Zonzi was strongly linked with a return to the Premier League last…

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Mignolet agent says Liverpool ‘keeper is ‘waiting’ on Napoli approach

Jason Bourne

Napoli are yet to make an offer for Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, according to his agent Nico Vaesen, while adding that the 30-year-old is waiting on a concrete approach from the Serie A side before the end of the transfer window. Mignolet has been relegated from first to third-choice keeper at Anfield over the last 12 months, and is thought to be keen on a move away from Merseyside following the arrival of Alisson Becker from Roma. Napoli have been linked with Mignolet and are thought to be looking to add an experienced…

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Bonucci rejoins Juventus from AC Milan as Higuain moves the other way

Jason Bourne

Leonardo Bonucci has rejoined Juventus from AC Milan just a year after his dramatic exit from the Italian champions, with the striker Gonzalo Higuaín moving in the opposite direction. AC Milan will pay 18m euros (£16m) for the loan of Higuain and have the option to make the deal permanent in a year by paying a fee of 36m euros (£32.04m). Italy defender Mattia Caldara has left Juve to join AC Milan. Bonucci, 31, and Caldara, 24, is a swap deal with both transfers worth 35m euros (£31.2m). Higuain, 30,…

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Antonio Conte sacked by Chelsea with Maurizio Sarri waiting in the wings

Jason Bourne

Antonio Conte has been sacked by Chelsea after two seasons in charge of the club with outgoing Napoli manager Maurizio Sarri expected to take over in the coming days. Conte, who won the Premier League and the FA Cup in his two seasons at the club, was expected to get the axe after relations increasingly turned sour but with negotiations becoming complicated with Napoli over Sarri, with people taking full advantage of a bet365 bonus code to bet on his exit. However, he returned to the club this week to take…

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Sarri, Jorginho heading to Chelsea in €65m double deal

Jason Bourne

Maurizio Sarri is set to be named the new manager at Chelsea with Napoli Napoli selling Jorginho as part of the €65m deal, according to reports in Italy. That would mean Jorginho snubbing Manchester City despite Napoli reaching an initial £43m agreement with the Premier League champions last month. Chelsea started pre-season with incumbent manager Antonio Conte taking charge at the club’s Cobham training ground but is now expected to make way for Sarri who is still under contract at Napoli but has been replaced by Carlo Ancelotti since May. Napoli…

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Cristiano Ronaldo joining Juventus in €100m deal from Real Madrid

Jason Bourne

Cristiano Ronaldo is joining Juventus after the Italian club agreed a €100m (£88.3m) fee for the Portuguese forward with Real Madrid. The 33-year-old is set to sign a four-year deal in Turin reportedly worth a staggering £500,000/week. “Real Madrid CF communicates that, in response to the will and request expressed by the player Cristiano Ronaldo, he has agreed to transfer to Juventus FC,” read a statement on the club’s website. The player and his agent, Jorge Mendes, met the Juventus chairman, Andrea Agnelli, in Greece where he is on holiday, on…

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Arsenal sign Lucas Torreira from Sampdoria

Jason Bourne

Arsenal have completed the signing of Lucas Torreira from Sampdoria for an undisclosed fee, the club announced Tuesday. The 22-year-old midfielder completed his medical at Arsenal’s London Colney training ground and will wear the number 11 shirt at Arsenal. The Uruguay international had been linked with Unai Emery’s team for some time and the deal inched towards completion when Sampdoria president Massimo Ferrero revealed he had accepted a €30 million offer from the Gunners last month. Torreira’s participation at the World Cup, where he played all five of Uruguay’s games, meant the deal…

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Antonio Conte in charge of Chelsea training amid uncertain future at club

Jason Bourne

Antonio Conte took charge of Chelsea’s first full day of pre-season training at the club’s facilities in Cobham despite uncertainty over his immediate future at the club. Conte and his entire backroom staff were in place as the first team players began their preparations for next season with reports of Maurizio Sarri replacing his fellow Italian still making the rounds. Reports in Italy say negotiations between between Napoli and Chelsea over Sarri’s appointment as Conte’s potential replacement are deadlocked. Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis is waiting for an improved offer from…

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Paris St-Germain complete signing of Buffon from Juventus

Jason Bourne

Paris St-Germain have signed former Juventus and Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon on a free transfer. Buffon, 40, left Juventus at the end of last season, ending a 17-year stay at a club where he played 656 times. The nine-time Serie A winner has signed a one-year deal with the French champions with the option for a further 12 months. “I know what dreams PSG and its fans have in their hearts,” he said. “I am going to bring all my energy, all my experience and all of my thirst to…

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Cristiano Ronaldo set for sensational Juventus switch

Jason Bourne

Cristiano Ronaldo is on the cusp of sealing a sensational move to Juventus from Real Madrid, according to multiple media reports in Portugal, Italy and Spain. The five-time Ballon D’or winner cast doubt on his future at Real in the immediate aftermath of winning the Champions League for the third successive year, and it appears a move to the Italian champions is inching ever closer. According to Portuguese newspaper Record, Ronaldo is set to sign a four-year contract in Turin and a €100m deal is set to be confirmed in…

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UEFA announce decision to review PSG FFP ruling

Jason Bourne

PSG are once again under scrutiny from football authorities after UEFA announced a decision to review the ruling that cleared the club of breaching Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations. The Ligue 1 champions had only last month been deemed to be in line with FFP rules after an investigation into transfer contracts and management related accounts at the club by UEFA’s club financial control body (CFCB). Although transfer activity at the Parisian club would still be under monitoring, PSG were largely in the clear. But on Tuesday UEFA said the chairman…

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Petr Cech turns down Napoli to fight for Arsenal spot

Jason Bourne

Petr Cech has turned down the chance to join Napoli as the veteran goalkeeper insists his ‘future is at Arsenal.’ The 36-year-old moved to the north London club three years ago from Chelsea and still has a year to run on his current contract. But with new manager Unai Emery having invested £19m in Bernd Leno from Bayer Leverkusen, Cech’s time as Arsenal number one could be over. Serie A runners-up Napoli are in the market for a new goalkeeper following Pepe Reina’s move to AC Milan and were reportedly…

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