London (AFP) – Newcastle manager Eddie Howe signed a new "long-term" contract on Friday, just nine months after arriving at St James' Park. Howe, who joined the club shortly after a takeover by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, led the Magpies to Premier League safety last season. "It's a great feeling to commit my future […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Polish striker Robert Lewandowski said he was aware of the "huge challenge" which awaits him at Barcelona as he was presented at the Camp Nou on Friday a week before La Liga kicks off. The 33-year-old, who signed last month from Bayern Munich for around 50 million euros, was unveiled as a […]

Paris (AFP) – Kylian Mbappe will miss Paris Saint-Germain's first Ligue 1 outing of the new season this weekend against Clermont with an adductor injury, his club said on Friday. PSG announced that Mbappe had been left out of the squad that would travel to Clermont for Saturday's game "due to pain in his adductor […]

London (AFP) – Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said Friday he was reluctant to dip into the transfer market in order to solve "four-week" injury problems. Reds centre-back Ibrahima Konate suffered a knee injury in the friendly against Strasbourg on Sunday which Klopp said will see the defender out "for a while". Konate has joined a […]

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 […]

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. […]

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 […]

London (AFP) – New Chelsea signing Kalidou Koulibaly has insisted he will never let anyone stop him playing football for Senegal. The Senegal captain said African nations deserved more respect after the president of his former club, Napoli, said he would only sign African or South American players willing to miss competitions with their national […]