London (AFP) – Wales captain Ashley Williams joined Everton from Premier League rivals Swansea on Wednesday to fill the gap left at Goodison Park by the departure of fellow central defender John Stones. Tuesday saw England international Stones move to Manchester City for a a reported £47.5 million ($61 million, 55 million euros). Williams, 31, […]

Even when it seems all is sunshine and roses with Tottenham Hotspur, there is always a fly in the ointment. Paul Mitchell, who was recruited to join Spurs from Southampton along with his former and now current colleague Mauricio Pochettino, is leaving the club at some point in the near future, as is the player […]

Paris (AFP) – The world record fee paid out by Manchester United for Paul Pogba could pay dividends for the Premier League club as long as the French star lives up to his billing, experts say. An increase in kit sales, an increase in the image rights of the player, and potentially an added value […]

With Arsenal’s summer preseason officially in the books, let’s take a look at how they fared heading into the 2016/17 season. Preseason matches grade: A. 1-1 draw against Lens 2-1 win against MLS All-Stars 3-1 win against Guadalajara 8-0 win against Viking 3-2 win against Manchester City Although wins and losses don’t matter too much […]

Berlin (AFP) – Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke has said they will not be tempted by Chinese investment in the future, whilst Bundesliga rivals Hamburg announced on Wednesday a partnership with Shanghai SIPG. "You can get a Chinese investor, as Atletico Madrid has done. But we will never go down this route," Watzke told weekly […]

NBC's lead producer for its coverage of the Premier League on US television believes the Rio Olympics can have a big impact in attracting new viewers to the world's most exciting soccer league. "One thing that I've found, especially from the Sochi Olympics, is that the Olympic coverage really helps Premier League coverage because there […]

London (AFP) – The chief executive of English football's lucrative Premier League believes the biggest danger to maintaining the sport's long-term popularity comes not from rival sports but social media and digital gaming. The growth of eSports, or competitive video gaming, has seen Premier League clubs such as West Ham United and Manchester City 'sign' […]

London (AFP) – Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has expressed "regret and guilt" at his side's failure to beat shock champions Leicester City to last season's Premier League title. Wenger's side finished runners-up, 10 points adrift of Leicester, who were 5,000/1 outsiders for the title at one stage. For many fans of Arsenal, it was yet […]

Berlin (AFP) – Germany defender Jerome Boateng took part in Bayern Munich training on Wednesday for the first time since tearing his right thigh against France in the semi-final defeat of Euro 2016. The centre-back managed some light running at Bayern's Saebener Strasse training ground. There is no date as to when he can return […]

Moscow (AFP) – The Russian authorities and FIFA are concerned over a dispute that has halted construction of a key World Cup 2018 stadium, Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said Wednesday. Work on the futuristic 68,000-seater arena in Saint Petersburg, Russia's second city, was frozen last month because of a contractual disagreement between local authorities and […]

London (AFP) – Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri has signed a new four-year deal that is set to keep him at the Premier League champions until June 2020, the club announced Wednesday. The 64-year-old Italian joined the Thai-owned Midlands side just prior to the start of last season after former manager Nigel Pearson was sacked. […]

London (AFP) – After writing the Premier League's greatest fairytale with their astonishing title triumph last season, Claudio Ranieri's side find themselves under siege from big-spending rivals determined to end their reign. Ranieri's men made a mockery of their status as 5,000-1 outsiders as Jamie Vardy, N'Golo Kante and Riyad Mahrez emerged as genuine stars […]

Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – The USA women's football team's Olympic winning streak was ended by a horror show from controversial goalkeeper Hope Solo in a 2-2 draw with Colombia on Tuesday. Brazil's darling Marta only appeared as a second-half substitute as the hosts were also held 0-0 against South Africa to secure top spot for […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – With Pep Guardiola at Manchester City and Jose Mourinho at Manchester United, Manchester threatens to become the centre of the footballing universe during the new Premier League season. The cultured Catalan and provocative Portuguese contested a bitter rivalry during their time in Spain and with 44 top-level trophies between them, […]

Trondheim (Norway) (AFP) – Real Madrid beat Sevilla 3-2 in the European Supercup final in rainy Trondheim on Tuesday thanks to a brilliant individual last minute of extra-time clincher from Dani Carvajal. Sevilla had been on the verge of victory leading 2-1 deep into added time, before Sergio Ramos equalised in the 93rd minute with […]