Новости за 18.01.2019

Luciano Spalletti is adamant speculation surrounding the future of key players will not distract Inter during the second half of the season. Inter are ensconced in third ahead of their first Serie A match of 2019 at home to Sassuolo on Saturday. The January transfer market is yet to see any new arrivals at San Siro with new contracts for in-demand pair Mauro Icardi and Milan Skriniar seemingly top of the club's agenda. Spalletti denied the protracted negotiations had a disruptive effect on his squad... Читать дальше...

Leeds United coach Marcelo Bielsa's Derby County analysis dossier was "pretty standard for the industry", according to the head of sports data giant OptaPro. The revered Bielsa found himself in hot water ahead of the Championship leaders' 2-0 win over Derby when he admitted to sending a club official to watch Frank Lampard's team train, with the man involved having been caught by police, in what has become dubbed "spygate". Lampard – and others – criticised Bielsa after his confession, leading... Читать дальше...

Barcelona have been drawn against Sevilla in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals, while Real Madrid will take on Girona. In a rematch of the 2018 final, holders Barca will visit the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium on either January 22, 23 or 24 before the return encounter takes place at Camp Nou the following week. The Blaugrana have lifted the trophy in each of the past four seasons but their place in this year's competition was cast into jeopardy when Levante alleged Ernesto Valverde had fielded an... Читать дальше...

Mauricio Pochettino reiterated his "love" for Marcelo Bielsa but admitted his fellow Argentine is wrong in the ongoing 'Spygate' controversy. Tottenham boss Pochettino has previously described Bielsa as a "second father" after the 63-year-old brought him through at Newell's Old Boys before manging him at Espanyol and with the Argentina national team. Leeds United head coach Bielsa is currently being investigated by the Football Association and English Football League after sending a spy to observe... Читать дальше...

Diego Simeone sees a silver lining in Atletico Madrid's premature Copa del Rey exit despite his disappointment over the last-16 loss to Girona. Atleti succumbed to a dramatic defeat on away goals when Wednesday's see-sawing second leg at Wanda Metropolitano finished 3-3, the teams having drawn 1-1 at Estadi Montilivi seven days earlier. The Rojiblancos have been forced to quickly refocus on LaLiga as they prepare for Saturday's trip to bottom-placed Huesca, a clear opportunity to at least momentarily cut Barcelona's lead back to two points. Читать дальше...

Mauricio Pochettino insists Harry Kane's injury will not force Tottenham into making moves in the January transfer window, while he also ruled out a swoop for free agent Giuseppe Rossi. England captain Kane damaged ankle ligaments late in last Sunday's 1-0 defeat to Manchester United at Wembley and will not play until March, potentially delivering a fatal blow to Spurs' fading Premier League title bid as well as hampering their chances of advancing past Borussia Dortmund in the last 16 of the Champions League. Читать дальше...

Pep Guardiola has his eye on "three of four" possible defensive midfield targets for Manchester City. Fernandinho has long established himself as a vital player for the Premier League champions, with their surprise back-to-back defeats against Crystal Palace and Leicester City last month coming in his injury absence. The 33-year-old former Brazil international underlined his importance as City returned to winning ways with supreme displays against Southampton, Liverpool and Huddersfield Town. Despite having an enviably well-stocked squad... Читать дальше...

It felt like an indictment of management’s finest businessman. The great economist may have got the sums wrong. His successor sounded broke. “We cannot sign permanently,” said Unai Emery last week. “We can only loan players.”Arsene Wenger’s achievements included allowing Arsenal to pay back most of the debt incurred when building the Emirates Stadium. Now they may be forced to become a different type of borrower.Wenger felt like football’s ultimate miser, guarding Arsenal’s money with Scrooge-like... Читать дальше...

Jurgen Klopp says learning Scottish from Liverpool left-back Andrew Robertson is helping him to understand club legend Kenny Dalglish. Scotland captain Robertson signed a new long-term contract on Thursday, which is understood to keep the defender at the club until 2024. After joining from Hull City in 2017 Robertson has developed into one of Liverpool's star men, starting 20 games out of 22 in the Premier League this term. And Klopp is delighted Robertson will be staying at Liverpool for the... Читать дальше...

Levante's appeal against Copa del Rey elimination after alleging Barcelona used an ineligible player has been rejected by the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF).

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola insists opposition teams spying on one another is commonplace in other countries amid the ongoing intrigue around Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa. Before last Friday's 2-0 win over Derby County in the Championship, Bielsa admitted a man questioned by police after he was found carrying binoculars and wire cutters while acting suspiciously near the Rams' training ground was a Leeds employee. Derby boss Frank Lampard condemned the behaviour, while acknowledging Bielsa's honesty... Читать дальше...

Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino is plotting to sign the shattered fragments of Giuseppe Rossi and patch them together in his spare time, FourFourTwo understands.Rossi is available free on collection to a good home, and has attracted interest from hobbyists and aficionados of memorabilia from the early-2000s.But insider reports suggest that Pochettino has already cleared a Sunday afternoon in his diary to drive up to Manchester and shovel the component parts of Rossi into the back of a transit... Читать дальше...

Jurgen Klopp suggested Trent Alexander-Arnold may be fit to face Crystal Palace after describing the defender as unbelievable for playing through the pain barrier against Brighton and Hove Albion. Full-back Alexander-Arnold hurt his knee in the warm-up but was able to complete the full 90 minutes as Liverpool ran out 1-0 winners thanks to a Mohamed Salah penalty. Georginio Wijnaldum also featured against the Seagulls despite carrying an injury and Klopp indicated he is hopeful both players could... Читать дальше...

We’re now into the third week of January, so you can officially stop going to that gym you signed up for two weeks ago with grand intentions.Fantasy Premier League also poses some head-over-heart problems, and injuries to several key players this week have done more damage than usual – especially with Jurgen Klopp's minor revelation that Trent Alexander-Arnold could be fit this weekend after all instead of facing four weeks out. The biggest blow may have been to Harry Kane’s ankle, but that wasn'tthe... Читать дальше...

Maurizio Sarri is confident Chelsea will reinforce their squad in January because he understands director Marina Granovskaia is "working very hard", amid reports linking them with Gonzalo Higuain. While most of the Premier League's biggest clubs look set for a quiet January transfer window, the same cannot be said of Chelsea. With Cesc Fabregas already gone and Callum Hudson-Odoi and Alvaro Morata interesting other clubs, Chelsea are also chasing targets of their own. Higuain's name has been mentioned particularly prominently in the media... Читать дальше...

Thomas Tuchel has confirmed Adrien Rabiot is not available for selection due to his contract stand-off at Paris Saint-Germain. Rabiot has refused to sign a new deal at the Parc des Princes and, as it stands, will leave on a free transfer at the end of the season. PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi is reportedly furious at the stance taken by the France midfielder and ordered he train with the reserves, ruling him out of contention for the first-team squad. Speaking ahead of Saturday's Ligue 1 clash with rock-bottom Guingamp... Читать дальше...

Atletico Madrid will host Real Madrid in the last LaLiga derby between the sides this season on February 9, it has been confirmed. Diego Simeone's side are proving Barcelona's main rivals for the title, although the defending champions are five points clear at the top. Atletico and Madrid, who are fourth in the table, played out a 0-0 draw in the reverse fixture in September, with kick-off in next month's return set for 16.15 local time. Simeone's men triumphed 4-2 after extra time when the Madrid... Читать дальше...

Santiago Solari has confirmed Karim Benzema is fit to face Sevilla in Saturday's crucial LaLiga clash despite suffering from a broken finger. French striker Benzema sustained the injury during Sunday's 2-1 win against Real Betis at the Benito Villamarin, falling heavily on his right hand. After receiving medical attention, he was unable to continue and was replaced by Cristo Gonzalez, who made his LaLiga debut in the process. Solari confirmed after the match that the injury was a fractured finger... Читать дальше...

Bournemouth have not received any offers for England international Callum Wilson, says manager Eddie Howe. Wilson has been linked with a move to Chelsea, with Blues assistant Gianfranco Zola having confirmed the club's interest in the striker, while West Ham and Tottenham have also been suggested as potential suitors. But Wilson, who has hit nine Premier League goals so far this season, is going nowhere according to Howe. "We've had no interest in any of our players," Howe told reporters ahead... Читать дальше...

Everybody loves a bargain– and in our opinion, the 100 transfers below are the shrewdestin Premier League history.But let's clear something up first and foremost: this list is not ordered by playing ability, but perceivedvalue for money. Context is essential – consider, for example, that the British transfer record upon the Premier League's inception was Paul Gascoigne's £5.5m move from Tottenham to Lazio (see also: David Platt to Bari, Trevor Steven to Marseille). Thatfee wasn't beaten until Andy... Читать дальше...

David Beckham relished his meeting with Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe in Paris but felt the need to apologise to his children. Former Manchester United, Real Madrid, LA Galaxy and England midfielder Beckham closed his decorated career with a five-month stay at PSG in 2013, helping them to secure the Ligue 1 title that season. Mbappe's goals helped fired Monaco to title glory in 2016-17 before moving to PSG and sweeping the board domestically last time around. The 20-year-old then... Читать дальше...

Watford head coach Javi Gracia is hopeful another player will step up if Abdoulaye Doucoure leaves for Paris Saint-Germain. Doucoure signed for Watford in January 2016, playing the first few months on loan at Granada in LaLiga before heading to England ahead of the 2016-17 campaign. His first season passed without much fanfare, but in 2017-18 the Frenchman really caught the eye, impressing with his all-action, box-to-box displays in midfield and scoring seven goals from 37 Premier League starts. Читать дальше...

Premier League winner Marc Albrighton has signed a new contract with Leicester City. The winger, who helped the Foxes to their incredible title triumph in 2015-16, will stay with the club until 2022, the Foxes confirmed on Friday. Albrighton, 29, said he had no doubts about renewing his commitment to Leicester, for whom he scored their first Champions League goal. "It was totally straightforward," he told the club's website. "Leicester offered me a deal and I was always going to sign it. I've... Читать дальше...

Jeff Hendrick has been credited with scoring Burnley's first goal in their 2-1 win against Premier League strugglers Fulham last weekend. Burnley triumphed 2-1 at Turf Moor thanks to own goals from defenders Joe Bryan and Denis Odoi after Andre Schurrle's stunning opener. But the Clarets had failed to record a shot on target during the game before an appeal changed Bryan's own goal into a Hendrick strike on Friday. The Republic of Ireland international, playing in an unfamiliar wide midfield role... Читать дальше...

Craig Goodwin's seventh goal of the season condemned struggling Western Sydney Wanderers to a fifth consecutive A-League defeat as Adelaide United left ANZ Stadium with a 2-1 victory. Goodwin was the provider when the visitors took an eighth-minute lead – the left winger's cutback to the edge of the box slammed through Nick Suman's attempted save by Vince Lia. Wanderers were back on terms early in the second period as Roly Bonevacia curled an exquisite free-kick over the wall from 20 yards and into the top-left corner. Читать дальше...