Новости за 06.08.2018

Aston Villa capitalised on a host of errors to win their opening Championship game of the season 3-1 at Hull City, with Ahmed El Mohamady on the scoresheet against his old club. Steve Bruce had an uneasy close-season with strong rumours he was set to be replaced by Thierry Henry by Villa's new owners, who saved the club from financial ruin. The takeover has allowed Villa to keep Jack Grealish - although he continues to be linked with Tottenham ahead of Thursday's transfer deadline - and the playmaker... Читать дальше...

Eden Hazard and N'Golo Kante returned to Chelsea training on Monday but there was no sign of wantaway goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. Reports suggest Real Madrid target Courtois did not report to the team's Cobham base and he was conspicuously absent from an image gallery posted to the club website. Maurizio Sarri had hoped to hold face-to-face talks with the Belgium star in an attempt to gauge his level of commitment. Instead, the apparent no-show only serves to cast further doubt over the 26-year-old's... Читать дальше...

Mauricio Pochettino feels it is a "massive challenge" to manage the workload of Tottenham's World Cup stars in the early weeks of the new Premier League season. England internationals Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Eric Dier are among the players to have been given time off after the tournament, with no participation in pre-season games as a result. World Cup winner Hugo Lloris and Belgium internationals Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld were also playing at Russia 2018 only a month ago. Pochettino's... Читать дальше...

Newcastle United have announced the signing of Salomon Rondon on a season-long loan, with Dwight Gayle joining West Brom as part of the deal. Rondon was initially expected to join Newcastle on a permanent deal but will instead spend the 2018-19 campaign on loan at the club, with Gayle's switch under the same terms. The Venezuela international, who hit seven goals last term as West Brom were relegated to the Championship, has been handed the number nine shirt previously worn by club legend Alan Shearer. Читать дальше...

Nabil Fekir refused to rule out leaving Lyon this month as president Jean-Michel Aulas claimed the club are still firmly in contention for Yerry Mina. France international Fekir was on the verge of joining Liverpool in July before Lyon backed out of negotiations. The 25-year-old's future remains a source of speculation with Chelsea now rumoured to have emerged as a potential destination in the week the Premier League's transfer window closes. Fekir, who scored 23 goals in all competitions last term... Читать дальше...

Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling have returned to Manchester City training ahead of the Premier League season starting. City get their title defence up and running against Arsenal on Sunday, Pep Guardiola's side having reached 100 points and 100 goals last term. Belgium's De Bruyne and England forward Sterling were both given extended time off after helping their respective nations to reach the World Cup semi-finals. But after the duo missed Sunday's 2-0 defeat of Chelsea in the Community Shield... Читать дальше...

Jurgen Klopp claims Jordan Henderson will remain a key part of Liverpool's midfield despite the arrivals of Fabinho and Naby Keita. Liverpool captain Henderson has returned to pre-season training after helping England reach the World Cup semi-finals. But with the 28-year-old given an extended break following Russia 2018, Liverpool have thrived in his absence, crushing Napoli 5-0 in Dublin on Saturday, while they beat Premier League rivals Manchester United 4-1 in the International Champions Cup. Читать дальше...

Aleix Vidal says he is ready to face Barcelona in the Supercopa de Espana after leaving the Catalan giants to return to Sevilla. The wing-back signed a four-year deal on Monday to complete his move to Sevilla, who he left for Barca in 2015. Sevilla have paid an initial fee of €8.5million, potentially rising to €10.5m, for the 28-year-old, who started four LaLiga games as Barca won the title last term. Ernesto Valverde's double winners face Sevilla in the Supercopa de Espana in a repeat of the... Читать дальше...

David Luiz is desperate for Chelsea to make Maurizio Sarri's playing style an instant success in the Premier League. The Blues have shown positive signs in pre-season but failed to convince in their first competitive outing under the Italian as Manchester City eased to a 2-0 win in the Community Shield. The result gave Pep Guardiola his third trophy in charge of City, although even the ex-Barcelona boss endured a tough introduction to English football in a barren 2016-17 campaign. Luiz, though... Читать дальше...

Clarence Seedorf has been appointed the new coach of Cameroon's national team, with fellow former Netherlands international Patrick Kluivert named his assistant. The duo will take over the Africa Cup of Nations champions, who missed out on qualification for the World Cup, with their first game against Comoros next month. Seedorf, a four-time winner of the Champions League during a distinguished playing career, has thus far struggled to make an impact as a manager. The 42-year-old lasted just four... Читать дальше...

We’ve reached the Back to the Future Part III equivalent of this mini-series: it’s forwards who are now under consideration for your squad in the official Fantasy Premier League game. You can also go back in time to our previous articles featuring potential bargain defenders and midfielders.There’s a huge temptationto load up on big-name forwards such as Harry Kane (£12.5m), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (£11.0m) and Sergio Aguero (£11.0m) when you first log in. Yet that would eat up £34.5m of your £100m... Читать дальше...

Manchester United defender Axel Tuanzebe has returned to Aston Villa on a season-long loan amid increased speculation that Jose Mourinho is chasing a senior centre-back. Tuanzebe, 20, joined Villa on a temporary basis in January and played five times in the Championship as Steve Bruce's side reached the play-off final, where they lost 1-0 to Fulham. The England Under-21 international, who can play in the centre or at full-back, featured in each of United's six pre-season fixtures, but has now signed... Читать дальше...

17. Wolves, awayIn our humble opinion, Wolves should always have a black away kit, preferably with splashes of gold dotted around the design. This white number is bland and dull, exacerbated by the jarring shades of grey used in the sponsor’s logo.16. Brighton, awayThere’s a reason green is an underrepresented colour in football kits. Brighton have disappointingly chosen to ditch last season’s yellow uniform in favour of this pitch-friendly camouflage top, which should at least allow Lewis Dunk to... Читать дальше...

Burnley's bid for a maiden Europa League group-stage berth will hinge on a clash with either Olympiacos or Luzern if they reach the play-off round. The Premier League side, who beat Aberdeen on the way to the third qualifying round, can move within one step of the main draw if they overcome Turkish side Istanbul Basaksehir over two legs. Greek heavyweights Olympiacos then loom as the likelier of two possible obstacles in the final stage of qualifying. Rangers, meanwhile, could get the chance to exact revenge on Progres Niederkorn... Читать дальше...

Eric Abidal refused to entertain speculation regarding further Barcelona signings as he encouraged new man Arturo Vidal to target the treble. With Andres Iniesta and Paulinho departing, LaLiga champions Barca brought in Arthur and had been credited with an interest in various other midfield options before sealing a reported €20million deal for Vidal from Bayern Munich. The names of Paul Pogba, Adrien Rabiot and Frenkie de Jong were all put to Abidal as Vidal was presented to the media but, although not ruling out further business... Читать дальше...

Arturo Vidal believes he is making a step up by leaving Bayern Munich for Barcelona, revealing his delight to join "the best team in the world". The Chilean midfielder has signed a three-year contract at Camp Nou, his reported €20million switch bringing an end to a three-year stay in Germany. It had been suggested former Juventus man Vidal was on the verge of returning to Serie A with Inter, but he is happy with his move and confident he can hit the ground running in LaLiga. "I am very happy. This is the best team in the world... Читать дальше...

Axel Witsel is set for his first crack at one of Europe's top five leagues after agreeing a move from Tianjin Quanjian to Borussia Dortmund. Belgium international Witsel, who will sign a four-year deal with the Bundesliga side after they agreed to pay his release clause, has long been linked with some of Europe's biggest clubs, but his career has generally taken routes less travelled. Having started at Standard Liege, Witsel made the jump to Benfica for a season, before spending four years in Russia with Zenit. Читать дальше...

Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham to Manchester United)Alderweireld’s departure from north London seemed inevitable midway through last season, when talks over a new contract broke down and he was increasingly left out of Mauricio Pochettino’s starting XI. The Belgium centre-back’s current deal runs until 2019 but contains both a one-year extension option and a clause which would make him available for transfer at a cut-price £25m next summer.Manchester United have long led the race for his signature... Читать дальше...

Steve Bruce admits it will be tough for Aston Villa to fend off Tottenham's interest in Jack Grealish, despite insisting the midfielder is not for sale. Grealish, 22, is believed to be keen on joining Mauricio Pochettino's men after a season in the Championship. Spurs, though, are yet to meet Villa's valuation, with the Midlands club's financial strains eased by the arrival of fresh investment in July. Bruce is confident of keeping Grealish beyond the end of the transfer window but expects to face a fight for his services. Читать дальше...

Nantes have signed United States international Matt Miazga on a season-long loan from Chelsea. Miazga spent the previous two campaigns with Vitesse, starring in 2017-18 and establishing himself as a USA regular. The 23-year-old will now test himself in Ligue 1 with Nantes, who finished ninth last season after a tough start to 2018. Miazga has two years remaining on his Chelsea contract, having appeared for the first team just twice since a 2016 move from New York Red Bulls. Un parfum d'Amérique... Читать дальше...

Chelsea have the strength to match their Premier League rivals even if Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois inflict a transfer double blow, according to David Luiz. Uncertainty continues to cloud the Belgium stars less than a week out from the season-opening trip to Huddersfield Town. Real Madrid have been heavily linked with both players and neither has quashed speculation surrounding their futures. Maurizio Sarri is due to hold face-to-face talks with goalkeeper Courtois on Monday and, after speaking recently with the pair... Читать дальше...

Lautaro Martinez believes he can play alongside Mauro Icardi at Inter, rather than serving as the captain's back-up. Argentina forward Martinez signed from Racing Club in the off-season, agreeing a five-year contract as Inter reinforce their squad ahead of a return to the Champions League. And while the 20-year-old has previously played in a similar position to Icardi, he is determined not to step on his high-profile compatriot's toes and revealed his ability to take up a deeper role. "I was playing as a playmaker at Racing. Читать дальше...

First up, let’s note that each of these transfer fees is an approximation based on each player being available. We all know in today’s modern market thatif you phoned and asked to buy one of these players, the club chairman would cackle and tell you to stick an extra £100m on the fee (£200m if it’s Daniel Levy).But while you can dispute the fees, the list is pretty accurate. It’s the most highly touted youngsters in football, from La Liga to the Bundesliga, via Ligue 1 and even Serie A (which we... Читать дальше...

Celtic could once again face Malmo in the Champions League play-offs if the two sides come through their third-round qualifying matches. The Scottish champions were dumped out of the tournament at the final qualifying stage by Malmo in the 2015-16 season, losing 2-0 away after a 3-2 win in Glasgow. But Celtic will have the opportunity to avenge that defeat if they overcome AEK Athens and Malmo see off Videoton. Four-time European champions Ajax must beat Standard Liege and then either Slavia Prague... Читать дальше...

Manchester City cruised to a 2-0 win in the Community Shield on Sunday, in a game Pep Guardiola described as “no less or more significant than any other aspect of our sport”.Guardiola defended the reputation of the pre-season tradition, insisting that it deserved to be considered alongside the FA Cup, League Cup and Premier League as ultimately futile nonsense.“It’s good for our fans that we win the Community Shield, because they have ascribed these rituals of competition with meaning,” he said.... Читать дальше...