Paris (AFP) – A French ruling party member of parliament was forced into an embarrassing climbdown Friday after suggesting that construction for the football World Cup was no more dangerous to workers' lives than that of Paris landmark the Eiffel Tower 135 years ago. The French government has come under fire for signing a deal […]

London (AFP) – Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has said the Blues are in the closing stages of finalising Marc Cucurella's reported £60 million ($73 million) transfer from Brighton. The Spain wing-back is now on the verge of becoming Chelsea's latest pre-season signing with Kalidou Koulibaly, Raheem Sterling and Carney Chukwuemeka all having arrived at Stamford […]

Berlin (AFP) – Two of the biggest and most successful sides in German football history return to the Bundesliga this weekend with fallen giants Werder Bremen and Schalke back in the top flight after a season in the second tier. Bremen have won four Bundesliga titles, most recently in 2004, and six German Cups, the […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Erik ten Hag's first competitive game as manager on Sunday should herald a fresh start for Manchester Untied, but familiar failings behind the scenes have made the Dutchman's difficult job an almost impossible one. Ten Hag's predecessor Ralf Rangnick signed off from his miserable caretaker spell last season by stating […]

Paris (AFP) – Paris Saint-Germain's new coach Christophe Galtier on Thursday signed Portugal midfielder Renato Sanches and said he hoped to make three further signings before the end of the transfer window. Galtier, appointed last month to replace Mauricio Pochettino, has seen the Ligue 1 champions already bring in another Portuguese international Vitinha, French defender […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester United left-back Alex Telles joined Sevilla on a season-long loan on Thursday. The 29-year-old joined the English giants from Porto in October 2020, but struggled to hold down a regular place in the first team despite United's struggles last season. Telles has mostly played back-up to Luke Shaw and […]

Fans wanting to watch the new season of Eredivisie will be disappointed to hear that ESPN+ is no longer the US broadcaster. World Soccer Talk has confirmed that the Dutch Eredivisie was unable to renew its deal with ESPN+. As a result, broadcasts of the games are now in limbo. Subsequently, there is no way […]

London (AFP) – Antonio Conte has set high expectations for his first full season as Tottenham manager by declaring his ambition to win both the Premier League and Champions League. The Italian previously described his achievement in getting Spurs into the top four last season as a "miracle." But after a summer of heavy investment […]

London (AFP) – Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta hopes that Gabriel Jesus' experience of regularly winning trophies at Manchester City will rub off on his new teammates. Jesus makes his competitive debut for the Gunners at Crystal Palace on Friday night after a summer move from City, where he won four Premier League titles among eight […]

Liverpool (AFP) – Everton have been dealt a major blow ahead of the new Premier League season after manager Frank Lampard revealed Dominic Calvert-Lewin will be sidelined for six weeks. The 25-year-old England striker sustained what Lampard called a "freak" knee injury in training ahead of Everton's clash with Chelsea at Goodison Park on Saturday. […]

London (AFP) – Chelsea have pounced on a contract stand off between Aston Villa and Carney Chukwuemeka to sign the England under-19 star for a reported fee of £20 million ($24 million). Villa boss Steven Gerrard left the midfielder out of the club's pre-season tour of Australia after Chukwuemeka refused to sign an extension to […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Erling Haaland has warned the contenders to Manchester City's title that he will only improve in the competitive environment of English football as the Norwegian prepares for his Premier League debut away to West Ham on Sunday. Haaland is the marquee arrival to the Premier League from over £1 billion […]

Los Angeles (AFP) – Honors were even between the United States and Mexico on Wednesday with Los Angeles Galaxy and Club America coming away with victories in the Leagues Cup Showcase friendly double-header at SoFi Stadium. The glitzy $5 billion home of the NFL's Los Angeles Rams, named in June as one of the venues […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Arsenal's trip to Crystal Palace lifts the curtain on the new Premier League season on Friday, with Erling Haaland's debut in the English top flight the highlight of the weekend as champions Manchester City travel to West Ham. Haaland has been the marquee arrival to the Premier League from over […]

Paris (AFP) – Kylian Mbappe's decision to stay at Paris Saint-Germain was hailed as a boon for French football but it surely rules out any slim chance of a title race as the new Ligue 1 season kicks off this weekend. France coach Didier Deschamps said Mbappe was "shining a positive light on the championship […]