Arsenal’s injury crisis is getting worse after Laurent Koscielny was sent back to London from international duty with France. The French defender has suffered an achilles injury which has seen him sent home by the French Football Federation to undergo treatment with club side Arsenal. A statement read: “Since joining [France in] Clairefontaine on Monday, October 6, Laurent Koscielny has been suffering with chronic tendinitis of both achilles tendons for several months. “Without noting any favourable changes for three days, and after discussion with the player and Franck Le Gall, doctor of the France team, Didier Deschamps decided to release Laurent…
Author: Staff Writer
Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo has refused to be awarded his Golden Boot in the same ceremony as Barcelona’s Luis Suarez, according to Mundo Deportivo. The Portuguese and the Uruguayan both ended the 2013/2014 season on 31 goals for Real Madrid and Liverpool respectively and are due to be awarded the trophy Wednesday night in Barcelona by the ESM. However, it is understood that Ronaldo will not travel to the Catalan capital and instead have a private ceremony in the Spanish capital. The news comes as a prelude to the upcoming El Clasico which will be Luis Suarez’s first game…
Former Barcelona star Johan Cruyff has given his verdict on the inclusion of Luis Suarez alongside Leo Messi and Neymar. The Uruguayan striker is just two weeks away from making his official debut in a Barcelona shirt, which is likely to come against bitter rivals Real Madrid. And, Cruyff has discussed how excited he is to see the former Liverpool man play alongside Leo Messi and Neymar, something he believes will bring the best out of the strikers. “Perhaps the presence of Suarez will improve the connection between Messi and Neymar,” the 67-year-old told reporters. “With Messi, sometimes you cannot…
Liverpool forward Fabio Borini believes he and Italian compatriot Mario Balotelli can form a striker partnership at Anfield. Whilst Brendan Rodgers’ preferred strike force at present seems to be former AC Milan striker Balotelli and England international Daniel Sturridge, when fit, Borini has given the Northern Irish boss something to think about of late in training. And, the former Sunderland loanee believes that he can forge a partnership with his fellow Italian this season. “I have played with him before and found it really well on the pitch,” he said. “Not just because of the language but we were born…
Angel di Maria and Radamel Falcao could have been playing alongside each other this season for Ligue 1 side Monaco, had transfer deals gone through different. Colombian striker Falcao returned to full fitness after injury over the summer and prepared himself for a second season with the French side, but was hoping the club would sign a number of high profile players. Those deals never materialised with Angel di Maria choosing to join Manchester United rather than Real Madrid, despite agreeing personal terms. That led Falcao to leave Monaco towards the end of the transfer window and follow Di Maria…
Robert Pires has claimed that Arsenal will win the Premier League title if they sign Sami Khedira from Real Madrid in January. The former French winger is preparing himself for a return to football in India’s new lucrative Super League set-up and he has spoken about his former club, informing former boss Arsene Wenger that singing Sami Khedira is a must. “He [Wenger] needs a big player in the middle, like Vieira, strong, tall, because this position is very important for the balance between attack and defence,” he told Daily Telegraph. “The quality is there but you need more, maybe [someone]…
Stoke City captain Ryan Shawcross is eager to add to his single cap, but is not allowing the recent snub by England manager Roy Hodgson to affect him. The centre-back made his solitary appearance for the three lions, coming on as a substitute in the 4-2 defeat to Sweden. A game remembered by Zlatan Ibrahimović’s terrific individual performance in which he tormented the English defence by scoring all four goals including an outrageous overhead kick. Shawcross has not been called up since that night in Stockholm and has been overlooked for England’s most recent squad despite a number of fellow…
DeAndre Yedlin has revealed that he could join Tottenham Hotspur as soon as January. After signing for the North London side this summer, Yedlin agreed to remain with the Seattle Sounders and gain more playing time in the MLS. However, it is understood that the youngster, who impressed for his country in the World Cup this summer, could now move to White Hart Lane in the coming transfer window. “A big deciding factor is my passport – I’m working on getting a Latvian passport,” Yedlin told ESPN. “If that goes through, then January is definitely very possible. It’s either June…
Spain defender Juanfran has defended Chelsea striker Diego Costa following criticism from Spanish press over his performances for the national side. The former Atletico Madrid striker has been in superb form in the Premier League for new club Chelsea this season but has failed to live up to those performances for Spain, failing to score in his five international games. The 26-year-old decided to play for Spain, despite having made two friendly appearances for Brazil, the country of his birth, but he failed to perform as Spain lost 2-1 to Slovakia on Thursday evening. “He’s not getting the scoring chances…
Glen Johnson is keen to push for a regular starting role at Liverpool after returning to fitness. The English defender is likely to leave Anfield next summer as his contract comes to an end, but is determined to win his place in the starting eleven back after losing it to the likes of Alberto Moreno and Javier Manquillo. The Spanish duo were signed this summer by Reds boss Brendan Rodgers and have since gone on to provide adequate and good cover in the full-back postitions. England international Johnson spoke to the club’s official website earlier this week and said that…