Month: September 2019

The England international has been chosen as the man to succeed veteran Juanfran on the right side of defence after completing his move from Spurs

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Tottenham’s England full-back Kieran Trippier has completed a move to Atletico Madrid, the Spanish club confirmed on Wednesday. 

Trippier, 28, put pen to paper on a three-year deal at the Wanda Metropolitana. 

Atletico paid out £20 million ($25m) for the player, a fee that could rise in the future due to add-ons and bonuses negotiated between the two clubs. 

“Atletico Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur have come to an agreement for the transfer of Kieran Trippier,” Atletico confirmed on the club’s official website.

“The English player, 28, has signed for the next three seasons.

“We welcome Trippier to the Atletico family and wish him the best of luck in his new home. Welcome, Kieran!”

The Colchoneros have invested heavily in shoring up their defence so far in the summer transfer window. 

With stalwart centre-back Diego Godin leaving for Inter, Atleti swooped for Porto’s Felipe as a replacement for the Uruguayan. 

Felipe’s fellow Brazilian Renan Lodi also joined from Athletico Paranaense, making Trippier the third defensive signing of the summer; while Atletico have also moved for Joao Felix and Marcos Llorente further up the field in the wake of Antoine Griezmann’s exit to Barcelona.

Trippier had already been left out of Tottenham’s pre-season touring squad as he closed on a switch to the Spanish capital. 

Tuesday saw the right-back travel to Madrid to undergo his medical and bring to a close four years with Spurs. 

He joined the north Londoners in 2015 from Burnley, and went on to make over 100 appearances under the watch of manager Mauricio Pochettino. 

But having represented England at the World Cup just 12 months ago, the 2018-19 season saw his form take a noticeable dip. 

His poor performances led to his exclusion from the Three Lions’ UEFA Nations League squad while also convincing Spurs they could afford to dispense with his services. 

Now he will look to bounce back under Pochettino’s compatriot Diego Simeone and take on the mantle of legendary Atletico right-back Juanfran, who left the club in May 2019.

The England and France internationals have a similar style of play, and their manager plans to make the most of their versatility

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has told Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford to be ready to rotate roles in Manchester United’s frontline next season.

The forward duo were each on target in Wednesday’s 4-0 friendly victory over Leeds United as part of the Red Devils’ pre-season tour.

Manager Solskjaer has deployed both at the focal point of his three-man attack across two matches in Australia, but says he is ready to use them in wider positions too in the forthcoming campaign.

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“With Marcus, he can play along the frontline,” Solskjaer said.

“Sometimes he likes to drift to the left, same with Anthony, both of them can play at nine and 11, also together as a pair as a nine and a 10, also sometimes on the right-hand side.

“For me, it’s great to have forwards who rotate and say, ‘he’s on the right side and I’ll be on the left side, or, ‘he’s through the middle, I’ll be on the side’.

“I don’t think we can nail them down to one position, because they’re good footballers who can see space.”

Rashford insists United want to hit the ground running next month when the Premier League returns following a disappointing 2018-19 campaign, which saw them finish outside of the Premier League’s top four.

The England striker told MUTV: “As a team, everyone is fit and healthy. We want to hit peak form come the start of the season.”

United’s pre-season preparations continue in the International Champions Cup, which sees the side travel to Asia this weekend before returning to England.

They will face Inter on July 20 in Singapore and then take on Tottenham and Milan, with a friendly against Solskjaer’s boyhood club Kristiansund also scheduled between their last two ICC commitments.

The Rojiblancos manager attempted to downplay his team’s demolition of their rivals in New Jersey on Friday.

Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone tried to stay grounded Friday’s stunning pre-season rout over Real Madrid.

Atletico ran riot at the International Champions Cup after humiliating La Liga rivals Madrid 7-3 in New Jersey on Friday.

Diego Costa scored a first-half hat-trick and four goals in total for Atletico, who led 5-0 at half-time, while Joao Felix netted his first goal since arriving from Benfica.

It was a stunning performance at MetLife Stadium but Atletico head coach Simeone played down the result.

“I do not rush to anything,” Simeone told reporters. “I live the reality of the moment. It was a good game. I see them with enthusiasm, optimism, enthusiasm. Now wait for the next game to rotate the players and get to La Liga.”

“I do not consider this match to be the reality of potential between each other,” added Simeone, whose Atletico finished second behind Barcelona in La Liga last season, ahead of Madrid.

Atletico stormed out of the blocks after Costa opened the scoring inside 43 seconds before Joao Felix doubled the lead seven minutes later.

Angel Correa and another Costa goal made it 4-0 by the 28th minute, with the latter completing his hat-trick via the penalty spot on the stroke of half-time.

Costa netted his fourth six minutes into the second half before he was sent off, along with Madrid’s Dani Carvajal, as tempers boiled over.

“We prepared the game well. Having seen Madrid, we looked for where we could harm them,” Simeone said. “We tried to find good places at the exit of the ball … and we were very precise, that in football it is important.

“There is always something that can be improved. Beyond the scoreboard Madrid went to our end with great force. And they had chances. That has to be adjusted and try to add talent and effort. Today all the important teams have three or four talented players in the group.”

Portuguese sensation Joao Felix showed there is life after Antoine Griezmann with a dazzling display, which included a goal and two assists for Atletico.

On his big-money signing, Simeone added: “I see him better playing in front, with people ahead, so that with his vision of the game he can hurt.

“When you have Joao’s talent and enthusiasm for improvement you can play anywhere.”

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Despite constant links with the two Manchester clubs, Leicester’s club captain says the England defender hasn’t had his head turned

Leicester City star Harry Maguire has not been affected by links to Manchester United and Manchester City, insists captain Wes Morgan.

Maguire has emerged as a target for Manchester neighbours United and City, with the Red Devils reportedly the favourites to sign the England centre-back.

Leicester have rejected two bids for Maguire, who is thought to be valued at £80 million ($100m) by the Premier League side, as the 26-year-old’s future continues to dominate headlines.

Amid the transfer rumours, Leicester defender Morgan said in-demand team-mate Maguire has not changed.

“He has been the same Harry that we know and love,” said Morgan.

“You can see in the games he’s putting 100 per cent effort into everything he does and his quality is there for everyone to see.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen in the future but for now he’s still a Leicester player and we enjoy having him here. He’s said nothing.

“There’s going to be speculation because he’s a top-class player who has done well at international level. Big teams are going to take an interest and that goes for many of our top players. People want our best players and he is one of them.

“In training, it’s the same old banter, the same old training. He’s part of Leicester so we just treat him the same.”

While it is thought that Maguire is keen on a move, it is also understood that his club are unwilling to sell him for anything less than what they see as an acceptable price.

In the prime of his career and with four years left on his contract, Leicester are under no pressure to sell and are in a strong position when it comes to negotiating a fee.

Maguire joined Leicester from Hull in 2017 and has gone on to play 69 Premier League games for the club, making his England debut along the way and establishing himself as a popular member of Gareth Southgate’s squad.

He played 32 times in all competitions last season, contributing three goals to the Foxes’ cause.

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Official Fantasy Premier League 2019-20 players can join in the fun by tweeting #UKFFS and joining the Goal league – and get your regular FPL fix!

Goal will be running a weekly fantasy football podcast throughout the 2019-20 Premier League season called the UK Fantasy Football Show (UKFFS).

The weekly fantasy football format sees Goal friends and rivals Miles Chambers, Sam Brown and David Milner trade Premier League game tips, stories and insults.

Every fantasy football podcast episode will feature a different special guest each week that includes Goal correspondents, top journalists and sports celebrities.

The UKFFS trio of Miles, Dave and Sam will compete with each for Goal HQ bragging rights – and test their mettle against the regular guest with a weekend preview and previous week round-up.

New episodes will typically drop on Thursday evenings ahead of each gameweek following an initial flurry of pre-season results, transfers and rumour episodes.

Listeners can get in touch with Goal and the UK Fantasy Football Show by tweeting with #UKFFS in your message, with top comments being read out throughout the season.

Football fans who play the official FPL game can copy/paste the code nhc4wz into the official Premier League website to find the public league to compete directly with Miles, Dave and Sam.

Listeners can follow on Spotify, subscribe on Apple or however you keep up to date with podcasts on your favourite audio platform.

The Premier League 2019-20 campaign is set up to be another fascinating one after 2019’s blockbuster finale. Will Manchester City defend their title once again or will Liverpool go one better in 2020?

Can Manchester United and Arsenal return to the top four or will Chelsea and Tottenham hold on to their lofty positions – or even rise up the standings to challenge for the PL crown?

FPL players will know the age-old dilemma of who to pick between expensive attackers lie Man City’s Raheem Sterling, Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and Spurs’ Harry Kane.

There’s fantasy football value in those lower down the league too, with high-scoring stars like West Ham’s Felipe Anderson, Wolves’ Raul Jimenez and Everton’s Jordan Pickford offering value at

Join Goal’s UK Fantasy Football Show as we battle, laugh and berate each other all 2019-20 Premier League season long.

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The skilful teenager has taken an unusual path to get out of the football cages of London and into a professional club

Chelsea’s transfer ban may have scuppered Darius Johnson’s prospects of a contract at Stamford Bridge, but the teenager is now aiming to grasp his chance in Netherlands after previously being on the brink of giving up on football.

Johnson has recently signed a three-year contract with Eerste Divisie side Volendam after taking a vastly different route into the professional game compared to his peers.

The 19-year-old had been with non-league side Kensington & Ealing Borough FC, but he began to doubt he could make it as a professional footballer until Rising Ballers FC gave his talents exposure on social media.

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His skills and ability earned him a trial with Chelsea and the Europa League winners are continuing to track his development after being unable to sign Johnson.

Instead, Johnson headed to Netherlands for a one-week trial and impressed sufficiently to earn a deal with Volendam, where he will be tutored by former Ajax academy director Wim Jonk.

Having chosen to turn his street footballer skills into ones more befitting of a professional, Johnson explains that player development is at the heart of his bold decision to trade west London for a small coastal town in North Holland.

“I came for a trial with Chelsea, but they got the transfer ban and then they wanted to send me to another club in England,” Johnson told Goal. “I then ended up coming over to FC Volendam for a trial. I did very well that week and they came straight back to me and offered me a three-year professional deal.

“When I found out, I was like wow. Am I really going to go to Holland? Change where I am living. It is a crazy feeling and it still doesn’t feel real. It is 100% a very big career step for me and it could lead to big things. It could lead to greater success in the Netherlands or back in England.

“I will take every day seriously and be as open-minded as possible. I think coming here will mature me. I will learn how to live and cook all on my own. I know this country, though. It is a great place for development.

“As a footballer, I think it is really going to help, and I will have great coaches here. For example, Wim Jonk, he was at Ajax Under-23s. He was their academy head coach. I really think he is going to help develop me and to make me a better player.

“The main focus for me, because I haven’t been in the academy system, was player development.”

Johnson is part of a new breed of footballer who has been able to use social media to warrant selection from a competitive pool of English talent for the chance to earn a professional deal.

His two-footed touch was shown on Sky Sports show Soccer AM, which catapulted him from an unknown to a viral sensation.

Johnson will now move into a different environment and he hopes to keep the skills he learned from playing in cages as he looks to add what professional coaches can give to his game.

Former Blues winger Eden Hazard and his heir apparent Callum Hudson-Odoi rank among the silky dribblers’ role models as he makes his first steps in the game.

He continued: “It is not going to be easy because there is still a lot of the game that I have to learn, and that’s the tactical side. I feel like I have a natural talent, so once I have a better understanding of that side of the game, I think there is nothing that can stop me.

“I feel like if I was within the academy system that I wouldn’t be the same player that I was today. I am a very direct and entertaining player. I like taking on defenders, causing a lot of problems and getting goals and assists.

“I want to play like Eden Hazard. I look up to Callum Hudson-Odoi, even though he is still so young. I like to play like him too. I just need to add to the other side of my game then I can do what I want. I have learned from five-a-side that I can do the skill side and I have the confidence to do the skill.

“When you get to this level, you have to choose wisely what you do. Make good decisions about what you do with the ball. You change your game, but your skill is still there when it is needed.”

A big part of Johnson’s choice to join Volendam was that his new coach, Jonk, helped to develop the likes of Matthijs de Ligt, Frenkie de Jong and Donny van de Beek at Ajax.

Johnson admits that, after being turned down by a host of London clubs at 13, he thought he might never make it. He is thankful that Rising Ballers FC gave him his belief back and he is determined to never lose it again.

“One hundred per cent I needed them,” Johnson says of the academy that helped him earn trials at a host of clubs. “I did have a lot of doubt. I even stopped playing football for a while when I was 16. I thought it was over. But then, when I came back around, I got that kick up the backside to keep going.

“I had nothing to lose by going for it. Wow, Rising Ballers FC really got me so much exposure. They got me out there. They are my family; they have done a lot for me in snow, rain or late at night. In any conditions, we used to get out and work.

“I would polish a few things up and work on making me a better player every day. Now I am here. I need to get my head down and work. I understand that everything before was hard work, but the hard work starts now.

“I am ready for the challenges, the highs and lows. I need to stay level headed and keep my head down. I won’t get distracted.”

It appears there is little danger of Johnson falling out of love with the game again as he awaits his debut in the Eerste Divisie next season.

British retail mogul Philip Day has withdrawn from the race
to acquire UK fashion and accessories brand LK Bennett after it fell into
administration in March.

The British billionaire and owner of the Edinburgh Woollen Mill Group
(EWM) reportedly submitted a last-minute bid for the retailer with
administrators at EY on March 25, just hours before the bidding
deadline.

However, a spokesperson for Day said: “We have now withdrawn our
interest from LK Bennett. Our interest was always limited, and we did not
want to involve ourselves in a bidding war. As a result, we thought it best
to remove ourselves from the process.”

Day has made much of his fortune buying struggling companies and turning
them back to profit, including EWM, Jane Norman, Peacocks and Austin Reed.
Most recently, the British businessman bought British fashion brand Jaeger in 2017.

LK Bennett’s administrator EY is expected to announce the bidding
results in the next few days.

Photo credit: LK Bennett, Facebook

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The ex-Super Eagles star and manager was slapped with a lifetime ban for agreeing to receive bribes and for match fixing

FIFA has banned former Nigeria coach Samson Siasia from all football activity for life after being found guilty of accepting an offer to receive bribes in order to manipulate matches.

Siasia, who led Nigeria U20 and U23 teams to second-place finishes at the 2015 FIFA U20 World Cup and the 2008 Beijing Olympics, was also fined CHF 50,000 ($51K).

The world football governing body confirmed it began an investigation into Siasia on February 11 of this year, which stemmed from an ongoing investigation into attempted match-fixing committed by Wilson Raj Perumal. 

FIFA determined the 52-year-old Siasia breached article 11 of the organisation’s Code of Ethics, having been found “guilty of having accepted that he would receive bribes in relation to the manipulation of matches in violation of the Fifa Code of Ethics.”

As a result of the verdict, Siasia has been handed an immediate lifetime ban from the sport as well as the additional fine. 

Siasia played for the Nigeria national team for 15 years, between 1984 and 1999, accumulating 51 caps and scoring 16 goals in his career for the Super Eagles.

On the club level Siasia played for teams across the globe, with his longest tenure coming with Belgian side Lokeren, where he featured in 151 matches. He also enjoyed a couple of years with French club Nantes, while also playing in Saudi Arabia and Australia. 

Following his playing days, Siasia moved into coaching leading Nigeria’s U20 side and later the nation’s U23 side between 2005 and 2010.

Siasia was appointed the head coach of Nigeria’s senior team in November 2010, though he lasted less than a year on the job after failing to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations in 2011. 

He would return to the national team for a brief spell in 2016, as well as coaching the U23 side during the Rio Olympics. 

It is unclear during which coaching spells Siasia committed the infractions for which he been banned. 

Siasia is the second Nigerian tactician after Salisu Yusuf to have been punished as a result of involvement in bribery. Yusuf was caught on film taking money from men posing as football agents and subsequently banned for a year by the Nigeria Football Federation in 2018. 

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The former striker tried to explain why the Chile international has failed to make an impact at Old Trafford following his arrival from Arsenal

Alexis Sanchez has struggled at Manchester United because he is not happy, according to former star Robin van Persie.

Sanchez has failed to live up to the hype since swapping Arsenal for Premier League rivals United in January 2018, scoring just five goals in 45 appearances.

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Injuries have also hampered Chile international Sanchez, who managed only one league goal for the Red Devils last season.

Van Persie also made the move from Arsenal to United in 2012-13, winning the Premier League in his first season at Old Trafford – the club have not topped the English summit since.

Now retired, Van Persie tried to explain why Sanchez has failed to make an impact under Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in Manchester.

“He doesn’t look very happy to me,” Van Persie said via the Daily Mail. “He looked happy at Arsenal. He doesn’t look happy now. What I’ve seen and felt over the years is that how you feel mentally, how your life is, has a big influence.’

“If you’re happy, you’re 50 per cent fitter, you create more and you enjoy yourself… so he should find a way mentally to change that.”

“It’s a different time,” Van Persie told the Telegraph. “Over the past couple of years a lot has changed. There are a lot of impressions from fans, from social media, he is constantly getting hit about his wages. It’s negative, so he starts negative, and maybe that is difficult.”

Sanchez was lured to United by Mourinho last year and the Portuguese boss was sacked in December amid poor results and criticism over his perceived brand of defensive football.

Van Persie added: “For him it was difficult because he was coming into a defensive playing team. I came into a team with all the mature players there already: Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, Michael Carrick. At Arsenal I was one of the older ones, captain, and here I could just come in and have fun, because the guys sorted all the other stuff beside it.

“Mentally, I was just having fun. I was happy, I was just enjoying it, really. I did not think about the consequences. I was not using social media back then, so I was not really bothered about what people said. When I went outside it was all positive so I was in my own little bubble of being happy.”

Solskjaer was installed as interim manager in December before the United great signed a permanent deal in March as the club eventually finished sixth and 32 points off the pace.

“When you play for a club like Manchester United, the fans are used to attacking football and risks,” Van Persie continued. “I don’t really think the fans were disappointed about not winning the league. You can miss out on winning the league because you have great teams in this league. It’s maybe the way they played that the fans were not really happy with.

“United is like a beast. In a positive way, when you are doing well. It is so huge. It is fantastic, a great place to be. But when it goes wrong, when you’re having a bad period as a player or a coach, it’s tough. It’s a tough place, lots of pressure, everyone demanding not only a win, but they are demanding attacking football. 77,000 people want to be enjoying it.”

A qualifying clash between Honved and Craiova was suspended for over 30 minutes after the referee was struck by an exploding object

A match official was injured after being hit by a smoke grenade thrown from the crowd during a Europa League second qualifying round tie between Universitatea Craiova and Budapest Honved on Thursday night.

A mass brawl erupted among the players and staff a minute before the final whistle was about to be blown to signal the end of extra time, and a smoke bomb was thrown onto the pitch from the stands.

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The violent scenes began after Honved players surrounded Craiova striker Carlos Fortes, following his attempts to challenge visiting goalkeeper Attila Berla.

The foreign object struck referee Arnold Hunter, with a lighter also launched from the stands, with the Northern Irish official needing treatment and an ambulance eventually arriving on the pitch meaning the match was halted for over half-an-hour.

Honved manager Giuseppe Sannino seemed to be urging the match officials to call off the contest but after much deliberation, extra-time was resumed.

The match ended goalless after 120 minutes, with the fourth official taking charge of the final minute of the game before also residing over a penalty shootout.

Craiova advanced to the third qualifying round with a 3-1 victory in the shootout, but Honved declared a protest to UEFA after the match.

The Hungarian club released the following statement: “What was unacceptable to our club was what happened at the end of the meeting to put the referee or our players at risk.”

The second leg was staged in Romania after the reverse fixture in Gyor also ended goalless on July 25.

Widespread reports before the match suggested that tension between the two sets of rival supporters was reaching boiling point, and that a hostile atmosphere was carried into the Stadionul Ion Oblemenco.

According to M4 Sport, a Hungarian television channel, the game wasn’t abandoned entirely at the time of unsavoury incidents because the local police couldn’t guarantee the safety of the away players of the officials. 

Should no further action be taken by UEFA in regards to a potential replaying of the match, or expulsion of Universitatea Craiova, they will go on to face AEK Athens in the third qualifying round, with the first leg on August 8.