Barcelona extend Qatar Airways sponsorship for a further year as club wait for more lucrative deal July 19, 2016 Barcelona have extended their shirt sponsorship deal with Qatar Airways for a further season after failing to find a partner willing to match their €65m (£55m) per season asking price. The La Liga champions have had ties to the gulf state since 2010 when the Qatar Foundation became only the second shirt sponsor in its history [...]
Manchester United may have moved a step closer to signing Juventus’ Paul Pogba after offering midfielder massive annual salary July 19, 2016 Paul Pogba's rumoured move to Manchester United may be a step closer to becoming reality after the Premier League club detailed the large salary they'd be prepared to pay the Frenchman. United have now told the Juventus midfielder's agent, Mino Raiola, they'll offer his client up to £11m a season, according to local reports. Last week Raiola had [...]
N’Golo Kante says opportunity of working with Chelsea manager Antonio Conte “too good to turn down” after completing £30m transfer from Leicester July 16, 2016 N'Golo Kante claimed the opportunity to work with new Chelsea manager "was too good to turn down" after completing his £30m transfer to Stamford Bridge from Leicester. The French midfielder has signed a five-year contract with Chelsea for a bumper contract thought to be worth £150,000 a week. Chelsea targeted the 25-year-old after an impressive debut season in [...]
West Ham tipped to join Chelsea and Manchester United in hunt for James Rodriguez July 16, 2016 West Ham have been named in the Spanish press as one of three Premier League clubs chasing Real Madrid star James Rodriguez. The Colombian moved to Real Madrid from Monaco for around £63m two years ago after starring at the World Cup where he finished top scorer with six goals. Yet the 25-year-old endured an [...]
Lessons from bankrupt footballers: They earn megabucks but are likely to squander it all. What can we learn from their mistakes? July 15, 2016 They earn megabucks but few actually make a decent plan for their post-working lives. While we’re not all multi-millionaires, everyone has something to learn from their mistakes, explains RBC’s Jonathan Gold. Modern football is synonymous with wealth, whether through its astronomical wages or lucrative sponsorship deals. But young players are often making a Faustian bargain [...]
Full Premier League pre-season fixtures list: Kick-off times and TV coverage as Arsenal head to America, Manchester United and Manchester City visit China and West Ham hit Austria July 15, 2016 Arsenal Fixtures: 22nd July: vs RC Lens, Lens 28th July: vs MLS All Stars, San Jose 31st July: vs Chivas de Guadalajara, Los Angeles 5th August: vs Viking FK, Stavanger 7th August: vs Manchester City, Gothenburg Longest journey: Los Angeles to London, 5,437 miles Total distance to cover: 13,968 miles Bournemouth Fixtures: 20th July: vs Minnesota United, Blaine 23rd [...]
Chelsea boss Antonio Conte likens himself to a tailor as he bids to stoke the flames of a blazing Stamford Bridge inferno July 14, 2016 New Chelsea boss Antonio Conte compared himself to a tailor seeking the best dress as he described the challenge of plotting his side’s bid to regain the Premier League and European spotlight. Conte was officially unveiled as the club’s manager today and immediately installed the Blues as title contenders, despite finishing an underwhelming 10th last [...]
Sunderland demand FA speed up decision on whether to hire Sam Allardyce as England boss July 13, 2016 Sunderland chiefs have called on the Football Association to move quickly and appoint a new England manager after Black Cats boss Sam Allardyce was interviewed for the vacancy on Tuesday. The club confirmed that Allardyce had left a pre-season training camp in Austria to hold talks with the FA over succeeding Roy Hodgson, who quit [...]
Premier League pre-season fixtures: Tottenham’s travels down under top Manchester City and Manchester United’s trip to China July 13, 2016 Brexit may have cast doubt on the future of UK trade, but there’s at least one British export showing no signs of shrinking this summer: Premier League football. Just this month alone teams will be jetting on pre-season tours to China, America, Australia and Scandinavia where thousands of eager fans are waiting to lap up [...]
Bolton heyday shows that England candidate Sam Allardyce is more than just a firefighter July 12, 2016 You don’t need to cast your mind back far if you want evidence of the importance a strong team identity: it was the foundation of a Portugal side that won Euro 2016 even though they were without Cristiano Ronaldo for most of Sunday’s final against France. Portugal weren’t the only team to benefit from a [...]