Chelsea have confirmed Guus Hiddink as their new manager until the end of the season following the departure of Jose Mourinho. Mourinho parted company with the Premier League champions on Thursday after they suffered their ninth top-flight defeat of the season at Leicester. Former Tottenham Hotspur boss Juande Ramos had been linked with the vacant post, but Hiddink arrived in London on Friday to open discussions with Chelsea. Hiddink was previously appointed at Stamford Bridge in February of 2009 following the departure of Luiz Felipe Scolari, when he led them to FA Cup glory. He will be in attendance for…
Author: David Folami
PSG will hold talks with Zlatan Ibrahimovic in February to discuss the star striker’s future at the club, president Nasser Al Khelaifi has revealed. Ibrahimovic, 34, is out of contract at the end of the current campaign, and he has already been linked with a host of clubs. The Swedish international has not ruled out staying in Paris, however, and Al Khelaifi said last month that the club were open to discussing the possibility of offering their record scorer a new deal. In an interview with France’s Le Figaro, Al Khelaifi revealed those talks will begin once the upcoming winter…
PSG have yet to hold talks with Real Madrid about geting Cristiano Ronaldo to play for PSG, club president Nasser Al Khelaifi has told a French newspaper. Ronaldo, 30, has been linked with a move away from the Bernabeu in the upcoming summer transfer window, with former club Manchester United and three-time defending French champions PSG reportedly interested in the Portuguese star. Reports in Spain have persisted that Ronaldo is unhappy with current Madrid manager Rafa Benitez, while the forward told ESPN last week that he would love to reunite with former coach Carlo Ancelotti. Ronaldo again addressed the topic…
Carlo Ancelotti has agreed a move to coach Bayern Munich “in principle” next season, according to new reports. Ancelotti, 56, was linked with the job at the Allianz Arena in October, with Marca reporting on Thursday that the Italian is set to sign a three-year contract at Bayern. Kicker has also reported that the deal is highly likely, while Bild claimed on Friday an verbal agreement has been struck. Curren Bayern coach Pep Guardiola is expected to make a decision over his future in the next few days — after the club’s game with Hannover this weekend — with multiple…
Rio Ferdinand says Manchester United must go all out for Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola before Mancheter City steal him.. Guardiola has not confirmed whether he will leave Bayern Munich when his contract runs out at the end of the 2015-16 season. However widespread reports have suggested he will announce his decision to leave the Bundesliga side following Bayern’s game against Hannover on Saturday, with Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea — who parted company with Jose Mourinho on Thursday — all linked with the coach. While there have been no solid indications United plan to sack current boss…
Manchester United striker Anthony Martial has won the prize for Europe’s best young player: the 2015 Golden Boy award. United are winless in five games in all competitions, have been beaten in their last two, are out of the Champions League and are six points off the top of the Premier League, while their playing style has been widely derided as dull. But one shining light has been the performance of the young Frenchman who joined in the summer for £36 million and has bagged six goals in his 19 games to date. Martial, 20, scooped the prize — which…
Jose Mourinho wants Manchester United to be his next job, sources close to the Portuguese manager have told Theinfostride, and representatives have already taken first steps to try and make it happen. The 52-year-old has reportedly long wanted the Old Trafford role, and his sack by Chelsea on Thursday could finally open the way, especially with the problems current United boss Louis van Gaal is suffering. Sources have said it is no longer so certain Van Gaal will see out the final year of his contract in 2016-17, and though much depends on performance in the remainder of this season,…
Jose Mourinho has released a statement through his Los Angeles based agents CAA insisting that he will not be taking any time off from the game after leaving Chelsea by mutual consent on Thursday. Seven months after he lifted the Premier League title, Mourinho led Chelsea to just 15 points from their first 16 league games and 16th place in the table. Losing 1-0 to newly promoted Bournemouth two weeks ago and 2-1 to table-topping Leicester on Monday night led the club toward intense discussions over Mourinho’s position and he left his job last week. However, the Portuguese has now…
The Montreal Impact yesterday denied that striker Didier Drogba had been contacted about a return to English Premier League club Chelsea, in turmoil since sacking manager Jose Mourinho. “The rumour about Didier Drogba is unfounded,” Major League Soccer’s Impact posted on their official Twitter account. “No contact has been made with the club or him.” The magazine Jeune Afrique reported Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich called 37-year-old Drogba hours after Mourinho parted ways the with the club on Thursday regarding a possible return to his old club. Drogba won four Premiership titles with Chelsea and a Champions League crown in 2012.…
Liverpool defender Nathaniel Clyne says Jurgen Klopp’s vibrant personality has given his side with the belief they can win the Premier League this season. Klopp’s side are 11 points behind leaders Leicester City in ninth place as they prepare to face Watford at Vicarage Road on Sunday. But England right-back Clyne believes Klopp has already made such a positive impression since replacing Brendan Rodgers as Reds boss in October that a title challenge is still a distinct possibility. Liverpool are without a win in their last three matches in all competitions, yet morale remains high after they recovered to rescue…
Chelsea continued to keep counsel over Mourinho’s successor on Friday morning, but Australia national team bosses had already seemingly let the cat out of the bag. Former Socceroos coach Hiddink was praised by previous employers Football Federation Australia in a statement that effectively confirmed Hiddink’s temporary role at Chelsea ahead of any official word from the west London club. “Thank you doesn’t seem enough. Sad sad day,” posted Terry on Instagram as the fallout over Mourinho’s exit continued. “Gonna miss you Boss. The very best I have EVER worked with, unbelievable memories together.” Chelsea’s technical director Michael Emenalo cited “palpable…
Making them seem a lot worse is Javier Hernandez. Sold to Bayer Leverkusen in the summer, the Mexican striker has scored 15 times in his last 12 games. Now, he’s rubbing salt into the wound of United boss Louis van Gaal. Hernandez has opened up on the reasons behind his transfer to Leverkusen, claiming van Gaal had told him there would only be a “one per cent chance of playing” at Old Trafford. The Dutch manager has since been forced to rely heavily on a host of youngsters up front, including 20-year-old Anthony Martial. Start of sidebar. Skip to end…
Chelsea’s players had no hand in manager Jose Mourinho’s sacking, says technical director Michael Emenalo. The defending champions are one point above the relegation zone after losing nine of their first 16 Premier League matches this season. Emenalo said there was a “palpable discord between manager and players”. Asked about the role of the squad in Mourinho’s exit, he told Chelsea TV: “It’s very easy to make that inference but it is not one the club accepts.” Emenalo said the squad consisted of the same group of players who won the league and League Cup “in style” last season while…
Everton striker Romelu Lukaku says a top four finish place is a “very realistic” target this season. The Toffees are 10th in the Premier League and six points adrift of fourth-placed Manchester United, who hold the final Champions League qualifying spot. Everton host surprise leaders Leicester on Saturday (15:00 GMT). “We want to do well in the League Cup and FA Cup but the Champions League spot is the main goal,” Lukaku, 22, told BBC Radio 5 live. “It is very realistic when you see the results in the league.” While Leicester top the table, Crystal Palace, West Ham and…
Former Chelsea doctor Eva Carneiro is to continue her legal case against Chelsea and ex-manager Jose Mourinho. Carneiro is suing Chelsea for constructive dismissal and breach of contract, and there is a separate but connected legal claim against Mourinho for alleged discrimination. Ahead of a first hearing on 6 January, Chelsea filed their defence before the midnight deadline on Thursday. Mourinho was sacked by the Premier League champions on Thursday. A date for the full tribunal will be set in the new year, and Mourinho and the Chelsea hierarchy will be compelled to give evidence in person. Carniero’s claim includes…
Manchester City are constantly tortured by the idea that they should be better. This is despite the fact that they haven’t finished below second place since the 2010-11 season and they’ve won two titles in the past four years. And yet, whether it’s lack of accomplishment in the Champions League, or the sheer amount of money at work behind the scenes, or the collection of stars that money has brought, somehow City just seem like they’re underwhelming, even when they keep putting up results. This year they sit third in the Premier League, just three points off Leicester City and…
Paris Saint-Germain manager Laurent Blanc has called on his players to end the year with a bang by breaking the record for the most points collected in the first half of a Ligue 1 campaign. PSG travel to face Caen on Saturday knowing that a sixteenth win in 19 league matches would take them to 51 points — one more than Lyon managed at the same stage of the 2006-2007 campaign. The defending French champions sit 17 points clear at the summit and they will be out to put further distance between them and one of the surprise teams in…
Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Angel Di Maria thinks his club can bring his pal Lionel Messi to the team in the nearest future. The Barcelona talisman’s future is somewhat unclear as his club seek to retain the services of Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez amid interest from some of Europe’s top clubs. Di Maria thinks where Messi ultimately ends up is down to money and said that PSG can compete with any club in the world on that front. “I hope that PSG can bring Messi to Paris one day,” Di Maria said to RMC. “Everything is possible. It is all…
Wayne Rooney might make his 500th Manchester United appearance against Norwich on Saturday as Louis van Gaal’s injury problems is reducing. United captain Rooney has missed United’s last two games with the ankle injury he sustained in the 1-1 draw against Leicester. He is in contention to return with Van Gaal telling MUTV: “It is possible that he shall play [against Norwich] but we have to wait and see.” The Dutchman could welcome three players back with both Chris Smalling and Ander Herrera set to be in Saturday’s squad. Defender Smalling suffered a groin problem in the 3-2 defeat to…
Bayern Munich have extended the contracts of Thomas Mueller, Jerome Boateng and Javi Martinez to 2021 and veteran Xabi Alonso has added a year to his deal, the German champions said on Friday. With speculation swirling around coach Pep Guardiola and his potential move to the Premier League at the end of the season, the contract extensions were a signal of strength for Bayern. Versatile forward Mueller, whose previous contract ran out in 2019, was a top target for almost every major European club for the past seasons. Spain international Martinez, who joined in 2012, signed an extension of his…