Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester City failed in a move to sign centre-back Jonny Evans because they were simply unable to meet West Bromwich Albion's asking price, says manager Pep Guardiola. City were accused of "financial doping" by La Liga chief Javier Tebas after spending around £215 million ($284 million, 236 million euros) on […]

London (AFP) – Jose Mourinho says recent history proves it takes a defensive mindset to win the Premier League, although he insists his Manchester United side can buck that trend. In one of his by-now frequent and thinly veiled critiques of his former club Chelsea, Mourinho pointed out that his successor Antonio Conte employed a […]

Paris (AFP) – Kylian Mbappe scored on his debut as Paris Saint-Germain eased to a 5-1 away thumping of 10-man Metz in Ligue 1 on Friday. Neymar's pin-point through ball created the opening goal for Edinson Cavani in the 31st minute, only for Emmanuel Riviere to head in an equaliser before half-time. But the game […]

Berlin (AFP) – Naby Keita and Timo Werner netted second-half goals to seal RB Leipzig's 2-0 win at Hamburg on Friday to give their Bundesliga club a confidence-booster before their Champions League debut. It was an important win for Leipzig who play in the Champions League for the first time at home to Monaco on […]

Madrid (AFP) – The European football transfer window may now be closed but there was talk of little else this week as the likes of top coaches Zinedine Zidane, Carlo Ancelotti and even German Chancellor Angela Merkel made calls for sweeping changes. The subject is at the centre of attention not only because of the […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Young French forward Ousmane Dembele is "looking better every day", Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde said ahead of his debut on Saturday. Dembele, 20, joined Barcelona for a Spanish record transfer fee of 105 million euros ($125 million) from Borussia Dortmund that could rise to 145m euros with add-ons. The Catalan giants splashed out […]

London (AFP) – Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp are proponents of crowd-pleasing attacking football which should make Saturday's Premier League clash between Manchester City and Liverpool an eye-catching affair. However, both City's Guardiola and Klopp at Liverpool are under pressure this season to turn the attractive styles into silverware. With both clubs on seven points […]

Berlin (AFP) – Top striker Robert Lewandowski has said Bayern Munich must spend more on star players or risk being left trailing their rivals. "Bayern have to think something up and be more creative if the club wants to attract a world-class player to Munich," Lewandowski told magazine Der Spiegel in a critical interview. "If […]

Mogadishu (AFP) – Football fans in Mogadishu were preparing Friday to cheer on their teams in the first night-time match since chaos descended on the Somali capital nearly three decades ago. The tournament for 16- and 18-year-olds at the Konis Stadium, renovated by FIFA, will be played under tight security because of the constant threat […]

Berlin (AFP) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel Friday urged football governing bodies UEFA and FIFA to tighten rules governing transfers and stamp out spiralling record spending on players. "I view the financial developments in professional football as critically as many people," she told Mittelbayerische Zeitung daily. "Such sums are comprehensible to no one. UEFA and […]

Paris (AFP) – Brazilian legend Pele hailed Neymar's move from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain as an opportunity for his his compatriot to "be the big star", in an interview with goal.com on Friday. Pele, who won the World Cup three times as a player and scored over 1,000 goals during his career, said that it […]

London (AFP) – England's Dele Alli could face a suspension after FIFA on Friday confirmed it had opened disciplinary proceedings over the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder's obscene gesture during a World Cup qualifier. Alli stuck his middle finger up during the national side's match against Slovakia on Monday but said after the game the hand signal […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola personally made sure Raheem Sterling would not be allowed to join Arsenal in a swap deal for Alexis Sanchez, he revealed on Friday. The two clubs spent transfer deadline day locked in talks over City's desire to sign Sanchez, only for the deal to collapse […]

London (AFP) – Crystal Palace boss Frank de Boer said on Friday he remained "very positive for the future" despite swirling rumours his job is on the line after a miserable start to the Premier League season. The former Ajax and Inter Milan head coach was only appointed by the south London club during the […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Jose Mourinho has questioned young midfielder Andreas Pereira's decision to leave Old Trafford on loan to Valencia rather than stay and fight for a place in Manchester United’s first-team squad. The 21-year-old Brazilian defied Mourinho's express advice when he sought, and accepted, a temporary move to the La Liga side, […]