Author: Conal

Ahead of Matchday 17 of Ligue 1, Paris Saint-Germain’s attacking trio continue to dominate the top spots in the league’s individual standings. Having just played their final game of 2022, Paris Saint-Germain once again pulled out all the stops to give the Parc des Princes one last dose of emotion at home to Strasbourg, as they snatched a late win to savour and thereby kept up their unbeaten streak. Whilst Paris still sit top of the league, their players are also occupying the top spots in the individual standings. Following Matchday 16, Christophe Galtier’s inevitable attacking trio remain at the…

Lionel Messi is the undisputed GOAT of football in the eyes of many fans after long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr was confirmed. Footy fans think Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Saudi Arabia has settled the GOAT debate for Lionel Messi (Image: Getty Images) Lionel Messi has been told he is the “clear GOAT” after Cristiano Ronaldo officially joined Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr. Ronaldo, 37, has signed a two-and-a-half year deal to move to the Middle East, where he will earn roughly £175million-a-year – the largest salary in football history. But some fans think the move has tarnished his legacy compared to…

Arsenal will begin 2023 top of the Premier League table, regardless of what happens against Brighton and Hove Albion later on today. Gunners boss Mikel Arteta will be hoping to carry on the momentum gained from the 3-1 Boxing Day victory over West Ham United into the new year as the club looks ahead to what could be the most important five months in their recent history. Do you think Arsenal can win the league this season? With the January transfer window just around the corner, the Spaniard is keen to add a couple of fresh faces ahead of a busy few months. The north London side have been linked with…

Ahead of Chelsea’s clash against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground, our reporters Adam Newson and Bobby Vincent pick their starting XIs. Graham Potter didn’t downplay the difficulty Chelsea will face against Forest. “They’ll be ready and the atmosphere will be hostile,” he said. “It’s their first year back in the Premier League for a long, long time and every game – especially Chelsea coming to town – is a big game for them. So they’ll be motivated, have quality, and be fighting for the points. So we have to be ready.” For that reason – even with Manchester City to come on…

Manchester United travel to the Molineux Stadium for tonight’s Premier League clash against Wolverhampton Wanderers. The Red Devils are on a four-match winning run in all competitions and they will be aiming to end the year on a high with another victory. United can temporarily go to fourth in the league standings as Tottenham Hotspur won’t be in action until New Year’s Day against Aston Villa. Formation: 4-2-3-1 Predicted Line-up: David de Gea has played every minute of the club’s Premier League campaign and he is an assured starter in goal ahead of Martin Dubravka. The Spaniard will be eyeing back-to-back…

The Argentine goalkeeper has already joined Aston Villa and met his manager, who did not have very friendly words with him. The World Cup is already behind us. Obviously, it will be remembered forever by the Argentines and those who achieved that feat, but strictly for sports, the European leagues continue their course. It is that unlike in past World Cups, it is the first time that the maximum appointment concludes in full competition, being that the usual thing was for this to happen in July, the historic month of summer recess. Little by little, the different players from the…

It’s official, it’s no longer a rumor. Cristiano Ronaldo will play for Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia, in exchange for 200 million euros per season. While the Portuguese will become the highest paid player in history, what PSG would give to Lionel Messi is revealed so that he continues for another season in Ligue 1. The journalist Fabrizio Romano, an expert on the subject of transfers, revealed that everything is agreed between the “Bug” and the Middle East club. It only remains to “verify the entire contract and order the documents”, as explained by the European communicator on his Twitter…

The January transfer window officially opens on Sunday and Graham Potter is looking to add some new faces to his Chelsea squad before the second half of the season. Chelsea are in talks to sign both Enzo Fernandez and Benoit Badiashile (Image: Getty Images) The January transfer window is almost upon us and Chelsea are looking to make at least four signings to help boost Graham Potter’s squad for the second half of the season. The Blues spent almost £300million in total over the 2022 summer transfer window with seven first-team signings arriving at Stamford Bridge. However, numerous injury problems as well as…

Arsenal who sit on top of the Premier League will face one of their toughest matches yet as they get ready to visit Brighton and Hove Albion, so let’s take a look at the latest team news. There were some doubts as to whether the Gunners would be able to find their rhythm after the World Cup. That was laid to rest as they pulled off an impressive win over West Ham United on Monday. This result would have given the manager and the players a lot of belief. As for the team news, Gabriel Jesus is the only long-term…

The club announced the signing with zest on its social media pages. Ronaldo has reportedly signed a 2-and-a-half-year contract with the club which will make him the highest-paid player in the history of football with media claiming that his contract is worth around 200 million euros. Al Nassr and Ronaldo’s camp did not disclose any financial details but it is understood his deal includes a 75 million euros salary per year. “I am fortunate that I have won everything I set out to win in European football and feel now that this is the right moment to share my experience in…

A few hours after returning from vacation, the worst news received by Lionel Messi and Argentina. The Argentine team made history at the World Cup in Qatar and won the long-awaited title, beating France in a penalty shootout. Now, in their goal of dominating in all categories, the albiceleste team received a low blow in the face of what will be the South American Sub 20, to be held in Colombia. The World Cup fever is latent, since those directed by Lionel Scaloni left an unforgettable memory. However, the AFA aims to be the number one power in South America…

Former Chelsea favourite Eden Hazard has been handed a new verdict over his future at Real Madrid, with the Belgian playmaker not having the impact he would have hoped for in La Liga. Former Chelsea winger Eden Hazard has been told he is part of the picture for the foreseeable future at Real Madrid under Carlo Ancelotti. The Belgium international has struggled to gain consistent playing time with Los Blancos since making his big-money move from Stamford Bridge. In 352 appearances for the Blues, Hazard managed over 200 goal involvements and was a consistent threat from the wide areas. The side haven’t…

Arsenal is looking to improve its offense. Even before Gabriel Jesus’ injury, it was clear that two positions needed to be strengthened this winter. After failing to do so last summer, an attacker and a capable midfielder were needed to be brought in. Jesus’ injury has only highlighted Arteta’s need for “new blood” in his attack. All indications point to Mudryk as Arsenal’s man, and some Gunners would gladly pick him up from Shakhtar Donetsk if it were up to them. However, Arsenal must find a way to meet the Ukrainian club’s high asking price for their attacking sensation. While…

The Parc des Princes was once again back to lavishing praise on its king, Kylian Mbappe. With the other PSG stars out because Neymar had been sent off, and Lionel Messi is back in Argentina on vacation after the World Cup, the French striker once again saved his team. In stoppage time with the scoreboard showing 1-1, Mbappe took responsibility yet again and took the penalty. He wasn’t nervous, because if he wasn’t in the World Cup final, he wasn’t going to be in a Ligue 1 match either despite the fact that it was the last minute of the game. Mbappe scored to make it 2-1 and everyone…

Did Lionel Messi’s legendary World Cup triumph secure his place as the planet’s best male player of 2022? It is, after all, easy to forget that the much-lauded Ballon d’Or changed its rules in 2022 to reward the best player of the season just gone as opposed to the calendar year as had been done for the past 65 years. So although Karim Benzema rather uncontroversially got his hands on the coveted golden football, that didn’t necessarily crown him as the best player of the year per se. Who was the best player of 2022? And with the first ever winter World Cup taking…

Chelsea have a very successful youth academy at Cobham, one that has produced stars such as Mason Mount and Reece James. Before that there was John Terry. But really, since him, there wasn’t many success stories until the likes of Mount etc. And apparently, this is what the new Chelsea owners want to change and they are looking to bring through the next James or Mount, according to a report today from The Evening Standard. Chelsea had a few Cobham gems on the bench this week when they faced Bournemouth, and there were some names there who Chelsea have in mind…

Erik ten Hag will be desperate to overcome the disappointment of missing out on Cody Gakpo to Liverpool by acting quickly to secure a number of signings over the next month. Manchester United have returned from the World Cup break in perfect fashion on the pitch but have endured a nightmare start off it after missing out on Cody Gakpo. However, the Red Devils are determined to not let it affect other proceedings and the latest reports have claimed that they have already opened talks with two other strikers as they aim to fill the hole left by Cristiano Ronaldo. Elsewhere, Erik ten…

Erik ten Hag could save millions in the January transfer window with a number of Manchester United youngsters knocking on the door for more first-team call-ups. Alejandro Garnacho became the latest Manchester United academy graduate to start a Premier League game for the Red Devils when he started the 3-1 defeat against Aston Villa in November. Erik ten Hag has been renowned for bringing through young talent, having had so much success at Ajax with youth including Frenkie de Jong, Antony and Donny van de Beek. The trio have gone on to be sold for huge transfer fees to Barcelona and United respectively as Ten Hag…

Arsenal could be tempted to cash in on Cedric Soares when the January transfer window opens with London rivals Fulham leading the race to sign the 32-year-old defender. For a change, the main focus of a January transfer window for Arsenal is likely to be incomings rather than outgoings. Since returning to the club, initially as head coach, just over three years ago, Mikel Arteta has tended to trim his first-team squad during the winter with the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Mesut Ozil, Calum Chambers, Shkodran Mustafi and Sead Kolasinac all finding themselves in the Emirates Stadium departures lounge at…

Kylian Mbappe re-signed at PSG this summer, but former Real Madrid player Jese claimed the star winger felt pressured into the decision. WHAT HAPPENED? Mbappe has long been linked with a move to Madrid, but seemed to shut the door on a future at the Santiago Bernabeu last summer when he shut down transfer advances from the reigning Champions League winners. Former Madrid prospect Jese has now claimed Mbappe never actually wanted to re-sign, however, and in an interview with AS insisted that Mbappe felt personally pressured to play for the French giants. WHAT THEY SAID: “Come on, I was clear about it because…

The GOAT. The king. TBE. It is a debate that has long raged among football fans, and don’t expect it to end, ever. Just who really is the greatest footballer to have played the game? Although it is impossible to provide the definitive answer to that burning question, for half a century one man stood head and shoulders above all the other candidates: Pele. +36View gallery Pele has long been considered by many to be the greatest football that ever lived +36View gallery Pele, pictured here with Marcia Aokoi, died aged 82 after a battle with colon cancer +36View gallery The…

Chelsea news: The Blues midfielder’s current contract at Stamford Bridge is set to expire at the end of June 2023 and there had been severe uncertainty regarding his future at the club. N’Golo Kante’s Chelsea contract expires in June (Image: (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)) Chelsea have reportedly made ‘positive progress’ in securing the future of midfielder N’Golo Kante. The midfielder’s existing deal at Stamford Bridge is set to expire in June but there is now increasing confidence that the 31-year-old will commit his future at the club. Kante hasn’t played for the club since August when he was substituted off against…

LONDON: Christian Eriksen said he was “sad” that Cristiano Ronaldo is no longer with Manchester United but insisted that the club can push on without one of the biggest name’s in their history. “We are sad that Ronaldo is not part of it,” said Eriksen following United’s 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest on Tuesday, their first match since the controversial departure of the Portuguese star. “His legacy and his name at any club is special. For me to be fortunate to play with him in my career was very nice.” Ronaldo’s rollercoaster second spell at Old Trafford came to an…

Arsenal will clash heads with Brighton and Hove Albion at the American Express Community Stadium on Saturday as they try to grab maximum points away from home in the Premier League. The Gunners managed to earn an impressive 3-1 win over West Ham United in the London derby recently which will give them a lot of momentum heading into this game. Mikel Arteta will opt for a 4-3-3 formation and could keep changes to a minimum for this clash. Hence, we can once again expect to see Eddie Nketiah lead the charge for the Gunners up top in the injury…