Author: Conal

Following his World Cup triumph with Argentina at the end of last year, Lionel Messi has won everything in football. Now at the age of 35, he could be forgiven for deciding that there was nothing left for him in football. However, he seems to be hungrier than ever for success, and looks set to remain in the game for at least one more year. According to TyC Sports journalist Gaston Edul, Messi has agreed a new one-year deal in principle to remain at Paris Saint-Germain. The news is a blow to Barcelona, who had hoped that Messi would return to the Camp…

Wrapped in the Ukrainian flag, Mykhailo Mudryk — the generally accepted English spelling of his first name has been updated to y-and-i rather than y-and-y — strode out at half-time on Sunday to lap up the applause of Stamford Bridge, for the first of hopefully many, many, many times in the next eight and a half (8.5!) years. The length of that contract (also reported as 7.5 years with a club-option but called 8.5 straight up by the Chelsea official website) was almost as eye-catching as the size of the transfer fee, €70m base with €30m in potential add-ons, and…

Viewers were left in hysterics as they watched Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta chase after Granit Xhaka to stop him clashing with Tottenham’s players after Sunday’s huge victory. Arsenal got the better of their local rivals with a 2-0 victory at the Tottenham Hotspurs Stadium, an own goal from Hugo Lloris and a fine strike from Martin Odegaard the difference. Things turned sour after the game as goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale got into it with Richarlison before being hit by a Spurs fan. Mikel Arteta had to chase after Granit Xhaka to stop him clashing with Tottenham’s players Arteta dragged his hot-headed midfielder away from the situation after the…

That victory back in March 2014 thanks to an early Thomas Rosicky strike was the last time we triumphed at the home of our neighbours, as we look to get our first win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium at the fourth attempt. As usual, we’ll have to be wary of Harry Kane who has scored in all but one of his eight Premier League home games against us as he looks for the one goal he needs to equal Jimmy Greaves’ club-record tally of 266. Mixed bag since World Cup Spurs started the season in fine fashion, winning five and…

I have been in and around this game for 55 years. So, I will tell you what Chelsea’s board letting it be known that Graham Potter retains their support means – absolutely nothing! I wish I had a tenner for every time I’ve heard a club say they are fully behind a manager, and then he gets sacked. What it really means is that, when the flak turns on the board instead of the manager, it will be him sent packing. End of. They’re all the same. It is all about self-preservation. Graham Potter is under massive pressure at Chelsea and the board’s…

When Casemiro signed for Manchester United in August, I called him a ‘Steady Eddie’. Maybe this gave the impression that I did not think he was up to much. I tell you, I would have been more than happy to be called a ‘Steady Eddie’. It would mean I was consistent, doing something well every week that would get me a 7 or 7.5 out of 10 – that is what I see in Casemiro. For me, he’s the single biggest reason why the team have settled down and go into today’s Manchester derby having won their last eight in all competitions. If you…

It’s not looking good for Chelsea. Today’s selection of Chelsea transfer news does not make good viewing for the club. After an absolute nightmare season so far, the Stamford Bridge club are at risk of falling further down the table unless they strengthen in January. Let’s jump straight into today’s section of news… Chelsea transfer news: Hakim Ziyech wants to leave Stamford Bridge According to a report from GiveMeSport, Hakim Ziyech is the latest Chelsea player who wants to leave the club. The report also claims that the Blues are happy to let the 29-year-old go this January since he is…

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard and manager Mikel Arteta have scooped Premier League awards for November and December. Odegaard has won the Player of the Month – or months as it is stretched across the World Cup break – while Arteta has won the Manager of the Month prize for that period. The Gunners played four Premier League matches over the two months and won all four of them, with Odegaard producing three goals and three assists. The Norwegian became only the second man from his country, after Erling Haaland, to win the Premier League award and was delighted with it. ‘It feels great,’ he said.…

Hat-tricks from Erling Haaland and Phil Foden extended City’s lead over Erik ten Hag’s side to eight points in the Premier League table. 7Erik ten Hag comes up against Pep Guardiola on SaturdayMarcus Rashford leads the goalscoring for Man Utd Erling Haaland has been sensational for Man City this season The Red Devils stayed sixth, way off their once-noisy, now extremely loud neighbours, while Pep Guardiola’s men moved within a point of Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal. It was a humiliating defeat for United and was only the third time they had conceded six goals in a Premier League game, leading to intense criticism for new manager ten Hag and…

Paris Saint-Germain are desperate to keep Lionel Messi in the team. PSG is once again complete, since Kylian Mbappé and Achraf Hakimi returned to the Parisian discipline, after the holidays in the United States. There was expectation for the reunion of Lionel Messi and ‘Donatello’, who starred in the best final in the history of the World Cups. The Frenchman’s reaction to seeing the world champion drew attention. The weather in Paris Saint-Germain is very awkward at the moment, as the best player in the world has not decided if he’s going to stay at the team or if he’ll…

The heritage of Lionel Messi’s partner is due to his work as an influencer, in addition to the businesses he owns. Antonela Roccuzzo, wife of Lionel Messi, is one of the most influential women in all of Argentina. The businesswoman and model has an interesting heritage, the product of managing her networks plus the businesses she owns. For her part, the singer Shakira has an incredible fortune that will increase after the release of her new song. According to the newspaper ‘Marca’, Roccuzzo, who has three children with the best player in history (Thiago, Mateo and Ciro), has a fortune…

Janusz Michallik says he could see Mikel Arteta ‘liking the project’ of signing ex-Chelsea star and current Real Madrid forward, Eden Hazard, during the January transfer window for Arsenal. Whilst the former USA international thinks it’s ‘highly unlikely’ a deal will happen, he still backed the idea and pointed towards when Hazard was ‘unplayable’ in the Premier League. Those days are long gone for the 32-year-old, who since his big-money transfer to Real Madrid in 2019, has been plagued by injuries. It has resulted in the forward’s career stagnating, going backwards and now he is at a point in his career where he is no longer…

Lionel Messi heads a 14-man shortlist for the Best FIFA Men’s player award after leading Argentina to World Cup glory last month. However, Messi’s ‘eternal’ rival, Cristiano Ronaldo did not make the long list of nominees owing to poor show at the last World Cup in Qatar and the on-going season which has seen him cross over from Manchester United to Saudi Arabia for a mega pay day. The list was announced yesterday, with voting opening straight away and running through until February 3 before the winner is announced at The Best FIFA Football Awards ceremony. Messi is the standout name,…

JUST how bad can it possibly get for Graham Potter? A debut red card for his shiny new signing Joao Felix, Chelsea’s first defeat by Fulham in 17 years and now just one win in nine Premier League games – their worst run in 12 years. 8Joao Felix was sent off for a reckless lunge on Kenny TeteCredit: Reuters8Graham Potter has overseen Chelsea’s worst run for 12 yearsCredit: Getty8Carlos Vinicius headed home the winner for FulhamCredit: Reuters8Willian refused to celebrate scoring against his former clubCredit: Jamie McPhilimey It is starting to feel as though his Stamford Bridge reign is cursed. Chelsea’s…

Graham Potter has insisted it isn’t his job to win over the Chelsea boo-boys who have already written off his tenure at Stamford Bridge. The English coach is already under pressure just four months into the job after Chelsea lost six of their last nine matches. Disgruntled fans chanted the name of Potter’s predecessor Thomas Tuchel during Sunday’s 4-0 defeat to Manchester City in the FA Cup third round. Graham Potter is already feeling the pressure as Chelsea manager after a poor run of results Chelsea were thrashed 4-0 by Manchester City in the FA Cup in their latest setback But Chelsea’s American owner Todd Boehly has moved…

Arsenal have unveiled eight new bold and ‘unique’ pieces of artwork that will stretch around the Emirates Stadium, celebrating the club’s heritage, success and connection with the red half of north London. The club have worked with legends, their families, esteemed artists – including Turner Prize-winning Jeremy Deller – and a cross-section of more than 100 supporters over the past nine months to design and bring to life the art that they hope will ‘transform the north London skyline and redefine the club’s home as a cultural landmark.’ Arsene Wenger, Jack Wilshere, Sportsmail’s Martin Keown, Ian Wright, Alex Scott, Tony Adams, Faye White,…

Manchester United look set to add some much-needed firepower to their attack in January following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo as Wout Weghorst is close to joining the Red Devils on loan. He has all but officially signed on loan from Burnley, having been at Besiktas during the first half of the season, and there is no option for United to make the move permanent in the summer. As far as transfers go, though, this has not been a normal one in regards to how it has come about and been executed. Here is how the situation of Weghorst to Manchester…

Hugo Lloris’ international exit and PSG superstar’s clash with Noel Le Graet opens leadership window. This week could witness a seismic shift in the French soccer world with Noel Le Graet’s French Football Federation presidency over after an astonishing show of disrespect towards the legendary Zinedine Zidane over the weekend has led to him being placed into retirement. Didier Deschamps may well now be under contract until after the FIFA 2026 World Cup with Les Bleus, but he will be working under a new interim leader in Philippe Diallo with Le Graet ousted due to the incendiary reaction that his treatment of Zidane provoked. The entire French…

All the fans at Parc des Princes stadium were holding their breath when the video assistant referee (VAR) checked the offside call. Lionel Messi, who received a warm welcome from the home crowd as he made his long awaited return to PSG after leading Argentina to World Cup triumph, had just found the back of the net with a calm finish from close range against Angers. But it was initially ruled out for offside before he and fans could properly celebrate. Fortunately, VAR intervened and after an anxious two-minute wait, the ruling was overturned and Messi’s goal was eventually allowed.…

FA investigators will look at Ciaron Brown’s phone and scrutinise the Oxford United defender’s recent calls, texts and social media traffic as part of their probe into potential spot-fixing in their FA Cup defeat to Arsenal on Monday. Sportsmail revealed last night that the FA had begun investigating after receiving evidence of an alleged betting scam, including WhatsApp messages from before kick-off which claimed that Brown would definitely be booked during the third-round tie on Monday. The FA have the power to interview all related parties and demand they hand in their phones and laptops, with Brown’s devices understood to be the…

Graham Potter has outlined the difficulties he has faced as Chelsea head coach since replacing Thomas Tuchel in September amid a meeting with senior players. Graham Potter believes the role of Chelsea head coach is “probably the hardest job in football” due to the dramatic and significant change that has taken place across the club over since the Todd Boehly/Clearlake Capital takeover. Things were very different at Stamford Bridge 12 months ago: Roman Abramovich was owner, Bruce Buck the chairman; director Marina Granovskaia handled the day-to-day running of Chelsea and was supported by technical and performance advisor Petr Cech. Thomas Tuchel was also the…

Manchester City have ‘no chance’ vs Manchester United in Saturday’s Premier League derby if they repeat their performance against Southampton. City were poor from start to finish in the Carabao Cup quarter-final loss at Southampton, giving the ball away poorly in the first half and conceding two goals after sloppy turnovers. The Blues failed to register a shot on target for the first time since 2018, and never looked like reaching another semi-final in a competition they have dominated in recent years. Next up is a Premier League trip across town to Manchester United in the Premier League, with Erik ten Hag’s side…

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta may be interested in a recent Barcelona transfer update. Arsenal could target three other Barcelona players after interest in Eric Garcia emerged. Mikel Arteta is reportedly keen on a reunion with Garca but he may not be the only Nou Camp star on his radar. Arteta coached the Spanish defender during his time as Pep Guardiola’s assistant at Manchester City. It has been claimed a January deal could be on the cards, either on loan or a permanent transfer. Spanish outlet Sport reports the Gunners’ interest in Garcia, who has fallen down the pecking order under Xavi. Garcia spent 18 months working under…

According to Le Parisien Kylian Mbappé and Achraf Hakimi will return to Paris Saint-Germain training on Thursday, and will not be involved in the Parisians’ match against Angers on Wednesday evening (21:00). They will, however, be expected to be involved in PSG’s trip to Rennes on Sunday. The pair, who represented France and Morocco respectively during the 2022 World Cup in December are currently resting following the competition, after immediately returning to action with PSG only a week after the conclusion of the final. Hakimi is also suspended for the match after accumulating too many yellow cards. Mbappé and Hakimi are well…