Antonio Conte conceded Chelsea let the complete player slip from their grasp after watching Kevin De Bruyne inspire Manchester City to an excellent win over the Premier League champions.
De Bruyne was named man of the match after his sublime 67th-minute strike gave City a 1-0 triumph at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
Pep Guardiola s league leaders are six points better off than Chelsea, who were undone by a player who made a mere three top-flight appearances for them before being jettisoned to Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga during Jose Mourinho s second spell as manager.
I don t know, honestly, what happened in the past, a rueful Conte told reporters.
But for sure we are talking about a top player. He s a really good player, a complete player. He s good tech…
Lille president Oliver Letang has denied there have been discussions with Paris Saint-Germain regarding Renato Sanches.
The 24-year-old Portugal international has been heavily linked with a move to the French capital as he is poised to enter the final 12 months of his contract.
Reports have suggested Sanches is closing in on a move to Paris, who are expected to appoint former Lille boss Christophe Galtier as Mauricio Pochettino s successor, with it suggested the midfielder had arrived in the city on Thursday to finalise a transfer.
However, those claims have been rebuffed by Letang as he offered an olive branch to other interested clubs – confirming one offer from an unnamed side.
Milan appeared favourites for Sanches signature for a long time. They we…
Watford are considering a move for former Arsenal and Barcelona centre-back Thomas Vermaelen, according to the Mail Online.
The Belgium international is currently plying his trade with Roma, though he has made just a handful of starts for them since moving there on loan from Barcelona last summer.
He had also found game time hard to come by with the Spanish giants, with the Belgium international playing for them just twenty-one times in two seasons.
Prior to his move to La Liga, Vermaelen spent five seasons with Arsenal where racked up one hundred and fifty appearances in all competitions, scoring fifteen goals while he had a similar amount of outings for Ajax, the club where he began his career.
The thirty-one year old defender has been capped fift…
Son Heung-min has brandished Tottenham’s five-match winless run as “unacceptable” but eased fears over his own fitness.
Spurs suffered a 2-1 defeat at home to West Ham on Thursday night despite taking the lead through Cristian Romero’s 11th-minute header in the London derby.
It was the fifth match in a row Ange Postecoglou’s team had taken the lead, but failed to hold on for victory, which has set an unwanted Premier League record.
“At 1-0 up you have to be ruthless with your chances but we didn’t do that and we’re very disappointed.”
Sonny’s take on tonight’s defeat
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial)
“You are winning five times in a row and then you lose that game like that, it is just unacceptable,” capta…
Massimiliano Allegri has no regrets after choosing Juventus over Real Madrid despite the Bianconeri s 15-point penalty in Serie A.
Juve were penalised on Friday after an investigation into past transfer dealings, which the club are expected to appeal, before sharing the spoils in a 3-3 thriller with Atalanta two days later.
The stalemate saw the Bianconeri – who were third before the points deduction – move up to ninth, though they trail fourth-placed Roma by 14 points as they bid for an unlikely Champions League qualification.
Allegri vowed to stay at Juve after the punishment and reiterated his commitment on Sunday as he suggested he made the right choice in rejecting Madrid, who he had agreed a contract with in July 2021 before an approach from the Biancon…
Eddie Nketiah feels Arsenal should head into the knockout stage of the Champions League with nothing to fear.
A much-changed Gunners’ side drew 1-1 at PSV Eindhoven on Tuesday night in their final game in Group B.
Both sides were already assured of their place in the last 16 before kick-off at the Philips Stadion, where Nketiah’s first Champions League goal put Arsenal ahead just before half-time. Yorbe Vertessen equalised with a smart finish soon after the restart.
Round of 16 awaits
Enjoy the best photos from our match against PSV last night
— Arsenal (@Arsenal)
Having won the group, Mikel Arteta’s side will be seeded in the draw for the last 16 on Monday.
And Nketiah sees no reason why Arsenal should not be confident…
Pep Guardiola wants Manchester City to emulate the great Tiger Woods by never giving up in their title tussle with Arsenal.
City beat the Gunners 3-1 in a thrilling encounter at Emirates Stadium on Wednesday to move top of the Premier League.
The defending champions have played a game more than Arsenal and are only top on goal difference, however, with Guardiola convinced his team have had some good fortune.
Yet he pointed to golf legend and 15-time major champion Woods – who returned to the PGA Tour this week for the first time since suffering serious leg injuries in a car crash in 2021 – as a source of inspiration.
Right now, we could be 10 or 12 points behind. We are a bit lucky, he told reporters ahead of Saturday s trip to Nottingham Forest.
Hannover have confirmed the reappointment of Mirko Slomka as their new head coach following their relegation from the Bundesliga.
After successive campaigns in the German top flight, Hannover s demotion was confirmed on May 11 in the penultimate round of fixtures.
Thomas Doll was put in charge for the second half of the campaign, but he could not keep the club up and they have now moved to bring in Slomka ahead of their return to 2. Bundesliga.
Slomka twice guided Hannover into the Europa League during his previous spell in the dugout between January 2010 and December 2013, having also served as assistant coach and youth coach.
Jan Schlaudraff has also been promoted to serve as sporting director as part of the shake-up.
They gave it their all b…
Tottenham striker Harry Kane broke the record for goals scored in the Premier League in a calendar year with his effort against Southampton.
The 24-year-old took his tally for 2017 to 36 with his hat-trick in the 3-0 win over Burnley on Saturday, drawing level with the record set by Alan Shearer for Blackburn Rovers in 1995.
And Kane s close-range header after 22 minutes against the Saints on Boxing Day saw him surpass the tally set by the Rovers, Newcastle United and England great to claim a personal slice of Premier League history.
RECORD BREAKER!!!
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial)
Kane then added a second effort inside the first half that saw him move past Lionel Messi as Europe s top scorer since January, with 55 goals for club…
Real Madrid have sacked Julen Lopetegui, his brief reign ended by a 5-1 Clasico humiliation at Barcelona on Sunday.
Having agreed to take the job before the World Cup he was sacked by Spain as a result Lopetegui lasted only four months in one of football s most challenging jobs.
Although last week s Champions League win at home to Viktoria Plzen eased some of the growing pressure on Lopetegui, losing at Camp Nou was a third consecutive LaLiga defeat and the final straw for Madrid s notoriously impatient board.
Here, we assess Lopetegui s short time in charge of Los Blancos by using Opta numbers to see how it all went so wrong, so fast, for the 52-year-old.
1947 2018-19 is the first time Real Madrid haven t had a positive goal difference after 10 La Liga …