Manchester United set to sign Joshua Zirkzee and up Jarrad Branthwaite bid
08/07/2024 - Netherlands striker ready to join from BolognaNew offer of £45m plus £5m add-ons for Everton Expand
08/07/2024 - Netherlands striker ready to join from BolognaNew offer of £45m plus £5m add-ons for Everton defenderManchester United are closing in on signing Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna after terms with the striker and his agent’s commission were agreed. The club are deliberating over whether to trigger the Netherlands international’s €40m (£34m) release clause or negotiate a higher fee that would allow payments by instalments.Erik ten Hag is also targeting the centre-backs Jarrad Branthwaite and Matthijs de Ligt, and cashflow is an issue for United. So having the funds to operate in the market is a balancing act reliant in part on outgoings that would draw finance from fees and the removal of salaries. Continue reading... Collapse
Conte promises ‘total commitment’ after being appointed by Napoli
05/06/2024 - Italian returns to game after a year’s break from coachingConte signs contract with the Serie A Expand
05/06/2024 - Italian returns to game after a year’s break from coachingConte signs contract with the Serie A side until 2027Napoli have appointed Antonio Conte as manager, the Serie A club announced on Wednesday, with the Italian signing a contract until 2027.Conte will be coming back from a one-year break following his departure from the position of head coach at Tottenham. He will take charge of a Napoli team that endured a lacklustre season, finishing in 10th place as they sought to defend their title as champions of the 2022-23 season. Continue reading... Collapse
European football: Barcelona beat Sevilla in bittersweet farewell for Xavi
26/05/2024 - Frosinone relegated from Serie A after late Empoli goalGalatasary and Club Brugge win titles in Expand
26/05/2024 - Frosinone relegated from Serie A after late Empoli goalGalatasary and Club Brugge win titles in Turkey and BelgiumBarcelona ended the season with a 2-1 victory at Sevilla in La Liga on Sunday, making Xavi Hernández’s farewell bittersweet after a trophyless season in which they finished 10 points behind Real Madrid.The final game for Xavi, who was sacked on Friday, leaves Barça second after a disappointing campaign in which they lost the Spanish Super Cup final to Real Madrid and were knocked out of the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain in the last eight. Continue reading... Collapse
US investment firm seizes control of Inter after missed payment from Chinese owners
22/05/2024 - Suning’s loan was guaranteed by stake in Italian clubInter become seventh Serie A club with US Expand
22/05/2024 - Suning’s loan was guaranteed by stake in Italian clubInter become seventh Serie A club with US ownersThe United States-based investment fund Oaktree Capital Management said on Wednesday it has become the new owner of Serie A champions Inter after a missed $428m (£336m) payment from the club’s Chinese holding company, Suning.Granted in 2021 to the Luxembourg-based vehicle through which the Chinese conglomerate Suning controlled Inter, the loan was guaranteed by the firm’s stake in the club. Under the scheme, Oaktree had the right to take control of the club in the event of a default. Continue reading... Collapse
European football: Sørloth scores four goals in 17 minutes against Real Madrid
19/05/2024 - Striker snatches Villarreal 4-4 draw and goes top of goal chartsSlot says goodbye at Feyenoord | Expand
19/05/2024 - Striker snatches Villarreal 4-4 draw and goes top of goal chartsSlot says goodbye at Feyenoord | Montero takes charge at JuveAlexander Sørloth struck four times in 17 minutes to help Villarreal fight back and snatch a 4-4 home draw against champions Real Madrid and take himself top of La Liga’s scoring charts.Carlo Ancelotti’s side, crowned champions a fortnight ago, could have reached 99 points for the season, one shy of their 2011-12 record but will now fall short, as they sit on 94 before their final league game against Real Betis. Continue reading... Collapse
Roberto Baggio retired 20 years ago. Sundays have not been the same since
16/05/2024 - There are no fairytale endings in football but the Divine Ponytail came close when he said goodbye Expand
16/05/2024 - There are no fairytale endings in football but the Divine Ponytail came close when he said goodbye at San Siro in 2004By Emmet Gates for The Gentleman UltraIt’s become one of the iconic images of Italian football in the 21st century. Roberto Baggio is taking a corner for Brescia at a sold-out San Siro on a beautiful afternoon on 16 May 2004. Baggio is looking to his left, the game’s most famous ponytail – greying and more bountiful than in the 1990s – resting on his slender shoulders as he scans the penalty box to see which teammate to pick out. The sheer scale and concrete beauty of the Giuseppe Meazza is on full show in the background.Surprisingly, there is scarcely anyone else in the frame except for referee Antonio Giannoccaro and two Brescia players so far away it’s impossible to make them out. The picture gives the impression Baggio is in the San Siro alone, with a paying audience of 80,000 fans there solely to see him. In many ways, they were. Continue reading... Collapse
European football: Real Madrid thrash Granada as Dortmund slump at Mainz
11/05/2024 - Granada 0-4 Real Madrid, Mainz 3-0 Borussia DortmundNapoli 0-2 Bologna, Milan 5-1 CagliariReal Expand
11/05/2024 - Granada 0-4 Real Madrid, Mainz 3-0 Borussia DortmundNapoli 0-2 Bologna, Milan 5-1 CagliariReal Madrid earned an emphatic 4-0 win over relegated Granada, extending their unbeaten league run to 28 games – while their upcoming Champions League final opponents, Borussia Dortmund, slipped to a 3-0 defeat at Mainz.Carlo Ancelotti made a number of changes from the Champions League semi-final win over Bayern Munich, but the La Liga winners continued their relentless form. Fran García broke the deadlock after a passing move in the 38th minute, then set up Arda Guler to double Real’s advantage just before half-time. Continue reading... Collapse
Gasperini turns flecks of gold to treasure as Atalanta close on trophy | Nicky Bandini
29/04/2024 - Club are in the Coppa Italia final, the Europa League semis and battling for Champions League Expand
29/04/2024 - Club are in the Coppa Italia final, the Europa League semis and battling for Champions League football in a remarkable seasonWhat was the precise moment that Gian Piero Gasperini allowed himself to start believing? Was it at Anfield, watching Mario Pasalic casually side-foot home the goal that put Atalanta 3-0 ahead against Liverpool? Or during the second leg in Bergamo, seeing his team glide through the final 45 minutes of the tie without any truly nervy moments despite Mo Salah’s first-half penalty?Perhaps it was only after the referee’s whistle had confirmed Atalanta’s place in the semi-final. Not until Sunday did we hear him acknowledge it publicly. “At this moment, the Europa League is the objective we are holding too most tightly,” said Gasperini at the end of a 2-0 Serie A win over Empoli. “We need to stay focused though. Marseille are a strong team.” Continue reading... Collapse
European football: Harry Kane reaches new best, Leverkusen stay unbeaten
27/04/2024 - Harry Kane scores twice to take total to career-best 42 goalsBayer Leverkusen grab dramatic 2-2 Expand
27/04/2024 - Harry Kane scores twice to take total to career-best 42 goalsBayer Leverkusen grab dramatic 2-2 draw with StuttgartHarry Kane scored once in either half to guide Bayern Munich to a 2-1 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday and a welcome boost before Tuesday’s Champions League semi-final first leg against Real Madrid.The Bavarians, who saw Bayer Leverkusen end their 11-year-Bundesliga reign by securing the league crown two weeks ago, have only the Champions League left to fight for with departing coach Thomas Tuchel eager to leave on a high note. Continue reading... Collapse
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Arsenal look to finalise £42m signing of Italy defender Riccardo Calafiori
08/07/2024 - Arteta keen to complete deal this week before US tourBologna and Basel to receive windfalls from Expand
08/07/2024 - Arteta keen to complete deal this week before US tourBologna and Basel to receive windfalls from transferArsenal are hoping to complete the signing of Riccardo Calafiori this week after holding further talks with Bologna over the Italy defender. The 22-year-old is understood to have agreed terms after his impressive displays at Euro 2024 and Mikel Arteta is keen to push through the transfer before Arsenal depart for their pre-season tour of the United States next week.Negotiations over the fee and the structure of payments are believed to have progressed over the past few days, with Bologna likely to receive about £42m for the player they signed from Basel last summer for £3.4m. The Swiss club are understood to be due 50% of any profit Bologna make. Continue reading... Collapse
Themes from this season’s Champions League: Germany’s rise to Man City’s stumble
02/06/2024 - Real Madrid lifted the trophy and may dominate for some time to come, while PSG are about to enter Expand
02/06/2024 - Real Madrid lifted the trophy and may dominate for some time to come, while PSG are about to enter an uncertain eraFrancisco Gento’s record of six European Cup wins was one of those records that looked unassailable, belonging to the era of football scrapbooks. And yet Dani Carvajal, scorer of Real Madrid’s first goal in the final, and Luka Modrić matched the legendary winger’s total with Madrid’s 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund on Saturday. Toni Kroos, in his final club game, having won five with Real to add to his Champions League title in 2013 with Bayern Munich, joined them. Continue reading... Collapse
Thiago Motta heads for Juventus after calling time on historic Bologna run
23/05/2024 - Bologna have qualified for the Champions League for first time‘The club wishes him the best of Expand
23/05/2024 - Bologna have qualified for the Champions League for first time‘The club wishes him the best of luck for the rest of his career’Thiago Motta has opted not to renew his contract at Bologna, the Serie A club said on Thursday, with the former Italy international set to move to Juventus, according to Italian media reports.Motta, 41, led Bologna to Champions League qualification for the first time in their history in his second season at the club, and those exploits have put him on the radar of many of Europe’s top teams. Continue reading... Collapse
Claudio Ranieri leaves Cagliari amid reports of retirement from football
21/05/2024 - ‘It was a hard and painful decision, but I think it is right’The 72-year-old has kept Cagliari in Expand
21/05/2024 - ‘It was a hard and painful decision, but I think it is right’The 72-year-old has kept Cagliari in Serie A this seasonClaudio Ranieri will leave his job as the Cagliari coach by mutual agreement, the Serie A club said on Tuesday, as local media reported that the 72-year-old was set to retire from football. The announcement came after Cagliari guaranteed themselves another season in the Italian top flight with a win at Sassuolo on Sunday.Sky Sports Italia reported that Cagliari will be Ranieri’s final team, as he has decided to retire from football. The Italian coach, who had previously managed Cagliari from 1988-91, had one year remaining on his contract after joining the club last season and leading them to promotion from Serie B. Continue reading... Collapse
European football: Bayer Leverkusen complete unbeaten Bundesliga season
18/05/2024 - Leverkusen beat Augsburg 2-1 on final dayAtalanta secure Champions League spot by beating Expand
18/05/2024 - Leverkusen beat Augsburg 2-1 on final dayAtalanta secure Champions League spot by beating LecceBayer Leverkusen edged past Augsburg 2-1 to become the first team in the history of the Bundesliga to complete a full season without a loss.Xabi Alonso’s treble-chasing side also stretched their European record unbeaten run across all competitions this season to 51 matches in a perfect dress rehearsal for Wednesday’s Europa League final against Atalanta. Continue reading... Collapse
Bologna back in dreamland as Motta’s giddy journey jumbles up old order | Nicky Bandini
13/05/2024 - City erupts in ecstasy as Atalanta’s victory over Roma returned Bologna to Europe’s top table for Expand
13/05/2024 - City erupts in ecstasy as Atalanta’s victory over Roma returned Bologna to Europe’s top table for the first time in 60 yearsAlessio De Giuseppe hopped into the passenger seat of Riccardo Orsolini’s car without stopping to check where it was headed. The Dazn reporter had been waiting outside Bologna’s training ground, hoping to speak with players after their qualification to next season’s Champions League was confirmed by Atalanta’s 2-1 win over Roma on Sunday night. Orsolini pulled out of the gates and gestured for him to get in. Like a hitchhiker with no fixed destination, De Giuseppe climbed in first and asked questions later.This scene unfolded live on TV, rendered more surreal by the camera cutting back not only to Dazn’s panel of analysts in the studio but also to images of a laughing Cesc Fàbregas in a white jacket. The former Arsenal, Barcelona and Chelsea midfielder was joining the show via a separate video call to speak about his work helping Como to get promoted to Serie A. Collapse
How did I avoid paying Venice’s new ‘entrance fee’? By joining the local Venezia FC fans
08/05/2024 - Fans heading to the waterside stadium don’t have to pay the €5 tourist fee. And with the team Expand
08/05/2024 - Fans heading to the waterside stadium don’t have to pay the €5 tourist fee. And with the team fighting for promotion to Serie A, the atmosphere at the last home game of the season is electricSunday day-trippers to Venice flashing their €5 entry ticket QR code to get through the turnstiles at the city’s main access points look bemused when football supporters simply show their match tickets instead. Attending a sporting event just happens to be one of the exemptions in the opaque regulations behind what locals see as an attempt to turn their town into a living museum.Anyone who joins the crowds of football fans making their way through the streets to the Sant’Elena neighbourhood, in the east of the city just beyond the Biennale Gardens, will discover that this city is a long way from being a museum, and that buying a ticket to watch Venezia FC affords the opportunity to enjoy a slice of local life. Where else in the world can you arrive at a football stadium by vaporetto (waterbus)? Collapse
Most beautiful Scudetto': Inter fans line Milan streets for victory parade – video
29/04/2024 - Thousands of jubilant Internazionale fans took to the streets around San Siro Stadium to celebrate Expand
29/04/2024 - Thousands of jubilant Internazionale fans took to the streets around San Siro Stadium to celebrate the club's historic 20th Serie A title with the players. The newly-crowned champions paraded through hoards of fans after a straightforward 2-0 win over 10-man Torino Continue reading... Collapse
Julen Lopetegui closes on Milan appointment to dash West Ham hopes
27/04/2024 - Lopetegui was one of frontrunners to replace David MoyesFormer Wolves manager more attracted by Expand
27/04/2024 - Lopetegui was one of frontrunners to replace David MoyesFormer Wolves manager more attracted by chance to join MilanMilan are close to appointing Julen Lopetegui, which puts him out of the running to replace David Moyes as West Ham’s manager.Lopetegui was one of the frontrunners for the West Ham job, which is expected to become vacant when Moyes’s deal expires at the end of the season. But Milan are also looking to make a managerial change and they are poised to name the Spaniard as Stefano Pioli’s replacement. Lopetegui is more attracted by the chance to join the Italian giants. Continue reading... Collapse
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Imperious Inter show Mourinho and Allegri the door: Serie A season review | Nicky Bandini
06/06/2024 - Simone Inzaghi’s side won the league in the most satisfying way while their rivals imploded and Expand
06/06/2024 - Simone Inzaghi’s side won the league in the most satisfying way while their rivals imploded and managers explodedThe Serie A season ended on Sunday with a showdown between two European finalists. Atalanta’s game against Fiorentina had originally been scheduled for 17 March but was postponed after the Viola’s chief executive, Joe Barone, suffered a cardiac arrest at the team hotel. He was taken to hospital and placed on life support but died two days later.His passing was felt deeply by a club who lost a captain, Davide Astori, under similar circumstances six years before. Yet the football calendar pressed on. Fiorentina reached the final of the Europa Conference League and the semi-final of the Coppa Italia. Atalanta won the Europa League, after losing to Juventus in the domestic cup final. Continue reading... Collapse
Davide Nicola, Serie A’s Houdini, pulls off another escape act with Empoli | Nicky Bandini
27/05/2024 - After avoiding relegation with four other clubs, the magic manager performed his favourite trick Expand
27/05/2024 - After avoiding relegation with four other clubs, the magic manager performed his favourite trick on the final dayIt takes a confident magician to hold their nerve until the last moment of an escape act, allowing the audience’s anticipation to give way to concern and then panic. Could a hidden key have slipped free from anxious fingers? Will the water in that sealed tank keep rising? Might it be too late by the time anybody realises they needed saving?Davide Nicola has earned his reputation as Serie A’s Harry Houdini. In 2016, he took charge of a Crotone side who had just been promoted to Serie A for the first time in club history. After 29 games, they had 14 points. Continue reading... Collapse
An A for Villa to an F for Man Utd: how US owners have fared in European football
23/05/2024 - American billionaires and investment firms now control teams across Europe. Their stewardship Expand
23/05/2024 - American billionaires and investment firms now control teams across Europe. Their stewardship varies wildly in qualityIt might have taken the USA generations to take soccer seriously as a sport, but the country’s reach across the English and European game continues to grow, particularly when it comes to club ownership. Indeed, American entrepreneurs, moguls and general wealth-hoarders are now commonplace in boardrooms across world soccer.No fewer than nine Premier League clubs are majority owned by Americans – and that’s without even mentioning clubs lower down the pyramid such as Birmingham City and Wrexham (although Canada could claim that one too). Across continental Europe, too, there is a current of American ownership gathering pace – Serie A has proved particularly attractive recently. Continue reading... Collapse
Claudio Ranieri’s latest rescue act cements status as true Cagliari hero | Nicky Bandini
20/05/2024 - Veteran coach gave Serie A a much-needed good news story on a weekend overshadowed by off-field Expand
20/05/2024 - Veteran coach gave Serie A a much-needed good news story on a weekend overshadowed by off-field eventsThe penultimate weekend of the Serie A season was overshadowed by events off the pitch. On Friday, Juventus announced they had fired their manager, Massimiliano Allegri, citing his behaviour at the end of their Coppa Italia final triumph over Atalanta. Two days later, as Inter prepared to mark their league title with a trophy lift at San Siro, fans were wondering who their club would belong to next week.Monday marked the official deadline for their owners, Suning Capital, to repay debts of close to €395m (approx £337m) to Oaktree Capital, stemming from a loan taken out in 2021. A bank holiday in Luxembourg effectively extended the term until Tuesday, but an official statement from the Inter president, Steven Zhang, on Saturday accused the lender of “a lack of meaningful engagement” toward finding an “amicable resolution”. Continue reading... Collapse
Juventus fire Massimiliano Allegri over his behaviour in Coppa Italia final
17/05/2024 - Conduct ‘incompatible with values of Juventus’, say clubManager was sent off late in 1-0 victory Expand
17/05/2024 - Conduct ‘incompatible with values of Juventus’, say clubManager was sent off late in 1-0 victory over AtalantaJuventus have confirmed that Massimiliano Allegri has been dismissed as head coach. The 56-year-old was appointed in 2021 for his second spell in charge of the club having previously guided them to five Serie A titles.However, Juve confirmed on Friday that Allegri had been dismissed after three years at the helm due to “certain behaviours” at the Coppa Italia final that were deemed “incompatible with the values of Juventus”. Continue reading... Collapse
European football: Leverkusen smash Bochum to reach 50 games unbeaten
12/05/2024 - Bundesliga champions win 5-0 at BochumParis Saint-Germain stunned at home by ToulouseThe Expand
12/05/2024 - Bundesliga champions win 5-0 at BochumParis Saint-Germain stunned at home by ToulouseThe Bundesliga champions, Bayer Leverkusen, crushed hosts Bochum 5-0 on Sunday to stretch their unbeaten run across all competitions to 50 matches.Last Thursday Xabi Alonso’s team, aiming for a treble of titles, surpassed Benfica’s longstanding European unbeaten record set from 1963 to 1965 with a 2-2 draw against Roma that sent them through to the Europa League final. Continue reading... Collapse
Sassuolo shock Inter again but Serie A relegation still beckons | Nicky Bandini
06/05/2024 - Neroverdi have a reputation for running a tight ship but face a struggle to stay up despite Expand
06/05/2024 - Neroverdi have a reputation for running a tight ship but face a struggle to stay up despite doubling up against InternazionaleThis was one of those results that felt like an instant piece of sports trivia, future material for the writers of football-themed pub quizzes. “In 2023-24, Inter won their 20th league title with a dominant league campaign in which they only lost two games. Which opponents beat them?” A trick question, as both defeats were to the same team. And an unlikely answer: Sassuolo, who are on course for relegation.We might be getting ahead of ourselves. There are still three games left in this Serie A campaign, time enough for Internazionale to lose again, or Sassuolo to steer themselves to safety. Still, it will always be a peculiar truth that Simone Inzaghi’s formidable team had a 28-game unbeaten run sandwiched by slip-ups against one of the worst sides in the division. Continue reading... Collapse
European football: Paris Saint-Germain claim 12th Ligue 1 title after Monaco lose
28/04/2024 - PSG extend their record after Monaco lose 3-2 at LyonFirst all-female refereeing team in Serie A Expand
28/04/2024 - PSG extend their record after Monaco lose 3-2 at LyonFirst all-female refereeing team in Serie A for Inter matchParis Sant-Germain were confirmed as Ligue 1 champions for a record-extending 12th time on Sunday after second-placed Monaco lost 3-2 at Lyon.PSG, who missed the chance to secure the title on Saturday with a 3-3 draw against Le Havre, have 70 points, 12 ahead of Monaco with three games remaining.Monaco, despite taking an early lead, fell to their first defeat in nine games, as PSG’s domination of French football continues. The visitors scored with a little over 20 seconds on the clock, with Wissam Ben Yedder tapping home Takumi Minamino’s cross at the back post, but Monaco were 2-1 down within 25 minutes through goals from Alexandre Lacazette and Said Benrahma. Continue reading... Collapse
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