Madrid (AFP) – Gareth Bale is back but returns not so much to a hero's welcome but a Real Madrid team doing rather well without him. When Cristiano Ronaldo left last summer, 45 days after Bale's brilliant double in the Champions League final, the belief was they had their ready-made successor. The club's president Florentino […]

London (AFP) – Premier League spending in the January transfer window fell for the first time since 2012, with clubs paying a total of £180 million ($235 million) for new players, according to football finance experts at Deloitte. Nearly a third of the total expenditure was accounted for by Chelsea's outlay of around £55 million […]

Milan (AFP) – Italian champions Juventus turn their focus back to their quest for an eighth consecutive Serie A title on Saturday against Parma just days after the holders' bruising Coppa Italia exit. The big guns all suffered upsets with Juventus crashing 3-0 to Atalanta, Napoli falling 2-0 to AC Milan and Roma suffering a […]

London (AFP) – Cesar Azpilicueta hopes Maurizio Sarri's decision to hold a lengthy inquest after Chelsea's humiliating defeat at Bournemouth can reignite their stuttering season as they prepare to host bottom club Huddersfield. Sarri's side were crushed 4-0 on Wednesday in a shocking setback that was Chelsea's heaviest Premier League loss since 1996. Not for […]

London (AFP) – After decades in the wilderness, Leeds United are chasing a long-awaited return to the Premier League thanks to the eccentric genius of Marcelo Bielsa. Bielsa's side sit three points clear at the top of the Championship heading into Saturday's crucial clash with second-placed Norwich. With 17 games remaining, Leeds are on course […]

London (AFP) – Manchester City have another chance to ratchet up the pressure on Premier League leaders Liverpool this weekend as both teams seek to recover from disappointing midweek results. Pep Guardiola's defending champions, who host Arsenal on Sunday, had the opportunity to cut Liverpool's lead to a single point on Tuesday, at least temporarily, […]

Berlin (AFP) – Bayern Munich coach Niko Kovac is hoping his former club Eintracht Frankfurt can force leaders Borussia Dortmund into stumbling this weekend in the Bundesliga title race. Dortmund, who are six points clear of second-placed Bayern, face a tough away task on Saturday at fifth-placed Frankfurt, who boast one of the league's deadliest […]

Milan (AFP) – Mauro Icardi's last-gasp penalty in extra-time forced a shoot-out, but Radja Nainggolan missed as Lazio eliminated Inter Milan to reach the Coppa Italia semi-finals on Thursday. Lucas Leiva converted the decisive penalty for a 5-4 win at the San Siro after the match had finished 1-1 following extra time. Ciro Immobile had […]

Paris (AFP) – The January transfer window shut in Europe's leading leagues at 2300 GMT on Thursday, with Newcastle United's signing of Miguel Almiron the biggest deal to go through on a deadline day almost devoid of activity at the Premier League's biggest clubs. Paraguay midfielder Miguel Almiron joined Newcastle from MLS Cup winners Atlanta […]

Girona (Spain) (AFP) – Karim Benzema fired Real Madrid into the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey on Thursday by scoring twice in a 3-1 win over Girona. Benzema was on target in the first leg too, a 4-2 victory at the Santiago Bernabeu last week, and he continued his brilliant burst of form with […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Barcelona have brought forward their summer move for Jean-Clair Todibo and will sign the defender from Toulouse immediately, the Spanish club announced on Thursday. Todibo had been due to join Barca on a free transfer in July, when his contract with Toulouse was set to expire. The 19-year-old, however, has since been […]

Paris (AFP) – Headline grabbing transfers have been hard to find in the January transfer window, which closes on Thursday night with late moves from the Premier League's biggest clubs unlikely after a month in which the major movers have been on the continent. In England, the biggest deal on deadline day has been Newcastle […]

Madrid (AFP) – La Liga president Javier Tebas has urged UEFA to block the election of Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi to its executive committee. Al-Khelaifi has been put forward by the European Club Association to be one of its two members on UEFA's primary decision-making body. His election must still be formally ratified at […]

London (AFP) – Belgium midfielder Youri Tielemans joined Leicester on loan from Monaco until the end of the season on Thursday. Tielemans has linked up with the Premier League club after scoring five goals in 20 league appearances for French side Monaco this season. As a teenager, Tielemans was regarded as one of the brightest […]

Istanbul (AFP) – Borussia Dortmund's Japanese international midfielder Shinji Kagawa on Thursday joined Besiktas on loan for the rest of the season, the Turkish club said. The 29-year-old former Manchester United player had reportedly been a target of struggling French club Monaco. Besiktas in a statement said Kagawa would be "a part of its team […]