Tottenham may have endured a rocky last season under former boss Tim Sherwood but are looking to the future with optimism under newly-appointed coach Mauricio Pochettino. In an exclusive interview with Football Express News, ex-Spurs defender Graham Roberts offers his views on their push for the top four and urgency for a domestic cup win. Former Tottenham hardman Roberts was a big noise at White Hart Lane in the early 1980s. Still involved with his former club but now in a media-capacity, he knows their ins and outs and says Spurs are determined to push for a top four finish…
Author: Staff Writer
Napoli are preparing a lucrative contract extension for head coach Rafael Benitez, according to fresh reports in the Italian media. Il Mattino claims the Serie A outfit will open a dialogue in the coming weeks with a view to securing the Spaniard’s services until the summer of 2017. The former Liverpool and Chelsea boss has little more than 12 months remaining on his current deal and finds himself in a strong bargaining position, having guided them to Italian Cup glory last term. He also ensured safe passage to the Champions League following an impressive third-place finish in the table. The…
Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has cooled talk of a bid for AC Milan striker Mario Balotelli by claiming he “must resolve problems with his ego”. The enigmatic Italy international was once again in the spotlight during an unsuccessful World Cup campaign, which saw him score the winner against England before performing poorly in successive defeats to Costa Rica and Uruguay. A booking for dissent once again demonstrated the 23-year-old’s petulant streak and he is frequently linked with a move away from the San Siro, 18 months after joining Milan from Manchester City. A source close to Arsenal told Football…
Fenerbahce star Emmanuel Emenike could be Chelsea’s next summer acquisition following reports that the Turkish club have offered the Nigerian World Cup striker to the west Londoners for £15M. The 27-year-old forward is said to have sparked the interest of Chelsea with his solid displays of form over the early group stage of Nigeria’s international campaign in Brazil last month. It was reported last week that the Blues had expressed their interest in Emenike, and that he could be the second player to sign for Chelsea this summer following the arrival of Spanish playmaker Cesc Fabregas a fortnight ago. Cameroonian…
Inter Milan are reportedly on the verge of ramping up their pursuit of Manchester United target Alessio Cerci by bidding £16million for the Torino attacker. According to TuttoSport, AC Milan and Roma are also interested in the Italy international but Inter’s plans to test the water with an offer are at an advanced stage. The proposal could include a player exchange, which would see the value of the deal remain the same but the actual transfer fee knocked down to around £11m. A source close to Old Trafford told Football Express News they continue to monitor the situation with interest,…
Napoli have reportedly set their sights on Tottenham Hotspur duo Sandro and Moussa Dembele. According to Italian source TuttoSport, the Italian Cup holders have made Brazil international Sandro one of their top targets for the summer transfer window and are weighing up a £12.8million bid. The report claims the Serie A outfit are battling Inter Milan for Rubin Kazan midfielder Yann M’Vila as they look to bolster their engine room, and the 25-year-old Spurs man could be next. Sandro, who has two years left on his contract in north London, endured a frustrating 2013-14 campaign with Spurs which saw him…
Former Germany midfielder Dietmar Hamann has accused the national side’s captain Philipp Lahm of having “very poor” positional sense. The ex-Liverpool and Newcastle United star wants to see the 30-year-old removed from the midfield engine room and returned to full-back, where he often operates at club level. Germany stalwart Lahm has spent most of his international career in defence but is now deployed further forward in an attempt to provide the flair players with more protection – a tactic Hamann insists is costing the team dearly. They edged past underdogs Algeria in last night’s World Cup second round clash but…
Germany defender Per Mertesacker admitted he was suffering from exhaustion after the energy-sapping 2-1 victory over Algeria which edged his side into the World Cup quarter-finals. Despite going into the second round tie as strong favourites last night the Germans lacked creativity and guile in the final third of the pitch and were taken to extra-time by the underdogs. Towering Arsenal centre-half Mertesacker admitted it took its toll, and now he and his colleagues must hope they recover in time for Friday’s last-eight showdown with fellow heavyweights France in Rio. He said on Twitter: “Quarter-finals. Exhausted, tired and yes ……
Germany needed extra time to beat a brave Algeria side on Monday evening, booking their place in the last eight where they will now face France. More to follow…
Peter Swallow (@ccfooty) takes a closer look at a Netherlands side that looks capable of sealing World Cup glory this summer in Brazil. 1974 was the year, the World Cup was the event, and those who can recall witnessing the tournament insist that a new variant of Football was born. The team who pioneered this new approach were The Netherlands and their now famous Orange kit remains a symbol of free form, flowing football, or as it became known ‘Total Football’. Led by their charismatic and stylish star Johan Cruyff the Dutch revolutionised the sport, and gave real credence to…