England midfielder Jack Wilshere has opened up about his despair at seeing the Three Lions crash out of the World Cup prematurely and claims he is “haunted” by their demise. Roy Hodgson’s men exited the tournament with a game to spare courtesy of successive 2-1 defeats at the hands of Italy and Uruguay respectively. They went into Tuesday’s swansong against Costa Rica playing only for pride and failed to find the back of the net, limping out of the competition on the back of a 0-0 draw after Hodgson named an experimental and younger line-up. It was the first time…
Author: Staff Writer
Athletic Bilbao have confirmed that they have rejected a bid from Manchester United for Ander Herrera, despite the midfielder agreeing terms at Old Trafford. Herrera, who has spent three seasons with Athletic Bilbao since joining them from Real Zaragoza in 2011, will see his release clause rise to £33.5m on July 1 but Spanish daily Marca had reported that Premier League side Man United have already agreed a deal. United have been keen on Herrera since they met the Basque side in the Champions League two seasons ago and with new boss Louis van Gaal also a fan, it is now understood…
Football Express News understands that Barcelona winger Alexis Sanchez has held positive talks through his agent with Liverpool. Sanchez has been one of the stand out players at the 2014 World Cup this summer, following his impressive statistics for Barcelona last season, which saw him finish second in terms of goalscoring to only Lionel Messi. The Chilean winger is still wanted by Barcelona fans but his future remains a doubt as new boss Luis Enrique has given no clear indication over who he wants to forge an attacking partnership with Messi next season. Arsenal have been attracted to the former…
Manchester City should consider replacing unsettled midfielder Yaya Toure with Juventus star Paul Pogba, according to one of their former players. Ex-Blues captain Richard Edghill, who spent nine years at the club between 1993 and 2002, has been monitoring the Toure situation with interest. The Ivory Coast international, who fired Manuel Pellegrini’s men to Premier League and League Cup glory last season with 24 goals, has hinted on more than one occasion this summer that he could leave the Etihad Stadium. Before the World Cup started he revealed on Twitter that he was not satisfied with the amount of attention…
Manchester City are ready to announce the signing of Porto midfielder Fernando after being given the green light by the Portuguese club. FC Porto announced the deal on the Lisbon Stock Exchange yesterday even though all of the final details regarding the deal are yet to be agreed between the Portuguese club and Manchester City. City have been keen on the midfielder for some time and were highly impressed by his performances last season, prompting a bid in the region of £15m. A deal is said to now have been agreed with the 26-year-old Brazilian due to arrive in Manchester…
Lionel Messi scored a superb brace to help Argentina maintain their 100% record with a 3-2 win over Nigeria, who also qualified for the next round. Argentina approached their final Group F game with Nigeria on Wednesday night knowing that they had already booked their place in the next round but the 40,000 fans watching on wanted a performance from their beloved country and Lionel Messi certainly gave them one. Angel di Maria was instrumental in helping Messi score his first of the game, when after just two minutes – the Real Madrid winger broke free before hitting the post…
France remained unbeaten with a 0-0 draw against Ecuador, which saw the South Americans eliminated with Switzerland progressing, writes Declan Olley (@declanolley). Les Bleus will now face Nigeria in Brasilia on Monday while Ecuador will exit the tournament at the group stage after Switzerland bettered their result with a 3-0 win over Honduras.Ecuador captain Antonio Valencia was sent off early in the second-half at the Maracana but France could not take advantage, wasting numerous opportunities – Paul Pogba having the best of them with a 73rd minute header.France boss Didier Deschamps made six changes to the team that beat Switzerland…
Amongst the shame and disgust at Luis Suarez’s actions in Natal, Colombia gave the football world reason to smile and rejoice yesterday, writes Declan Olley (@declanolley).The 84th minute substitute appearance of goalkeeper Faryd Mondragon meant the 43-year-old became the oldest player in World Cup history. It was a moment that put the beauty back into the game.The story is a simple yet romantic one. After being knocked out in the group stages by England in the 1998 World Cup, Mondragon, Colombia’s number one ‘keeper at the time was desperate for another taste of World Cup action. But the opportunity looked to…
The father of Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema has acclaimed team mate Cristiano Ronaldo for his efforts in befriending his son and acting as a mentor, which he said helped him find his feet at the club. Benzema signed to Real Madrid from French Ligue 1 side Lyon in the summer of 2009, just weeks after Ronaldo stunned the world with his sensational mammoth-money move from Manchester United. The pair instantly clicked and spent much time in training together, becoming close pals in the process. In an interview with Spanish press, Benzema’s father Hadif publicly praised Ronaldo for being a…
Titan Bet’s World Cup reporter Ollie Silverton finds a small pub to watch England take on Costa Rica with some of the England fans. Including great footage of the Luis Suarez ‘bite.’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KszaM_e4W8&feature=youtu.be