Новости за 31.01.2020

Nine years ago, Fernando Torres moved from Liverpool to Chelseafor £50 million –in a deadline day transfer that was, for once, genuinely surprising. So shocking was itthat one FFT staffer formed a lifelong friendship after consoling a grieving Reds fan.On January 31 every year, the two now celebrate Fernando Torres Day. It's enough to bring a tear to theeye.So to join in with today's celebration of our links with our European neighbours (Bit on the nose, that – Ed.), we're testing you by seeing if... Читать дальше...

Danny Welbeck returns from injury for Watford in their Premier League clash against Everton at Vicarage Road.The former Manchester United and Arsenal forward has been sidelined since October with a hamstring injury.Will Hughes is also back in the squad following a knee problem, but Ismaila Sarr (hamstring) and Kiko Femenia (knee) remain sidelined. Tom Cleverley (foot) has returned to training, but the game against Everton will come too soon for the midfielder.Everton midfielder Jean-Philippe Gbamin... Читать дальше...

Rangers boss Steven Gerrard has urged the clubs faithful not to expect new signing Ianis Hagi to hit the heights of his father.The Romania international is son of former Real Madrid and Barcelona icon Gheorghe.The man dubbed The Maradona of the Carpathians lit up two World Cups and is regarded as one of the best players of his generation.But Gerrard does not want to heap unnecessary pressure on his offspring as the 21-year-old prepares to make his debut against Aberdeen on Saturday following his loan arrival from Genk.Gerrard said... Читать дальше...

Leicester striker Jamie Vardy is set to return to the starting line-up for Saturdays Premier League clash with Chelsea at the King Power Stadium.After sustaining a glute injury in last weeks 4-1 home win over West Ham, Vardy started on the bench for Tuesdays Carabao Cup semi-final second leg defeat at Aston Villa, in which he came on as a 56th-minute sub. He has since trained with no ill effects.Brendan Rodgers goes into the game without Nampalys Mendy (knee) and Wes Morgan (illness).Tammy Abraham... Читать дальше...

Rangers are looking to bring in a striker after completing the signing of Romania midfielder Ianis Hagi on loan from Belgian champions Genk.The Ibrox club say they have an exclusive option to buy the 21-year-oldat the end of the season.With Jermain Defoe out for up to five weeks with a calf injury, Rangers are reportedly trying to seal a loan bid for Burnley forward Matej Vydra, having earlier been linked with Hibernians Florian Kamberi and Livingston striker Lyndon Dykes.Manager Steven Gerrard said... Читать дальше...

Sheffield United have signed Dutch striker Richairo Zivkovic on loan until the end of the season.Zivkovic, 23, a former Holland Under-21 international, arrives from Chinese club Changchun Yatai, with the Blades having the option of making the deal permanent in the summer.People will recognise we do sometimes go left field with our signings, but weve worked very hard on this one, because we have had to, manager Chris Wilder told the official Sheffield United website.We know enough about him, weve... Читать дальше...

This article first appeared in the February 2020 issue of FourFourTwo magazine. Listen to the full interview on the FourFourTwo podcast:Subscribe to the podcast onSpotify here,on Acast hereoron iTunes hereThey have been in the same room for less than five minutes, and already Barry Davies is threatening to punch John Motson. Clenching his fist and sending it very close to Motty's jaw, Davies bursts into laughter when he realises that he's not only taken his commentary colleague by surprise, but also FourFourTwo's photographer."Too late... Читать дальше...

Liverpools seemingly inexorable march to a first league title in 30 years pitches them into battle with a resurgent Southampton this weekend as things hot up at the other end of the table.A gap is starting to open up between the bottom six and the rest, and there is little margin for error with games running out fast.Here, the PA news agency takes a look at the latest round of Premier League fixtures.Big boots to fillThis is his stage.@B_Fernandes8 #MUFC pic.twitter.com/RguCXvPhLh Manchester United (@ManUtd) January 31... Читать дальше...

Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe accepts there is little he can do but wait and see if striker Josh King is lured back to Manchester United ahead of the transfer deadline.The Norway forward, currently sidelined by a hamstring problem, was at Old Trafford as a youngster, having signed from Valerenga when he turned 16.During his time with United, King worked alongside Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the reserves before eventually joining Blackburn in 2013.Solskjaer is said to be keen on a reunion with the 28-year-old... Читать дальше...

ALSO READJosh King interview: I dreamed of making it at Manchester United – and believe Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will take them back to the topEddie Howe appears to have contradicted Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's inistence that Manchester United will not be making any more signings before Friday's tranfer deadline day.United completed the purchase of Bruno Fernandes on Thursday, with Solskjaer stating that the addition of the Portugal international concludes their business for this month.However, Bournemouth... Читать дальше...

This article was originally published in November 2019Josh King’s route to Premier League success hasn’t exactly been conventional.The half-Gambian Norwegian came over to England at 16, but failed to break into the first team at Manchester United.An underwhelming loan spell at Preston North End was twice cut short, first by injury and then after the sacking of Alex Ferguson’s son Darren.Then a season-long move to Borussia Monchengladbach the following year was curtailed prematurely after a series of groin injuries.By 2015... Читать дальше...

Ralph Hasenhuttl believes Southampton face the biggest challenge you can imagine in football when they travel to Liverpool but intends to tackle the Premier League leaders head on.The Reds won 2-0 at West Ham on Wednesday night to extend their advantage at the top of the table to 19 points.Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, though, remains determined to keep his squad grounded even if everyone else is talking up a seemingly inevitable march to the title.Southampton go to Anfield on the back of four... Читать дальше...

Happy deadline day everyone!It's that time of year again - break out the gold tie, whack on Sky Sports News and bask in the flurry of wheeling and dealing from Europe's finest. Or as Arsenal fans call it, "Friday".The question is, if your club happened to find hundreds of millions of pounds down the back of the sofa, who could they realistically purchase from the Premier League?The answer is everyone, but we want you to tell us who the most valuable players are according to the gurus at Transfermarkt.Remember... Читать дальше...

The football manager was only ever hired so he could be sacked.In late 19th-century England, the emerging sport of football was a scary business, with its unruly mass-gatherings of excitable, volatile, drunken young men. When they didn’t like what they saw from their team, football crowds would often invade the pitch, brawl with each other and set fire to local taverns, all in unnerving proximity to the upper-class club directors, who were meant to be the ones in charge here. Alarmed at what they had unleashed... Читать дальше...

Not much needs to change at Sheffield United. Already, they’re virtually assured of a second successive Premier League season and Chris Wilder’s squad has proven itself more than equipped for the top-flight.As a result, altering the side’s chemistry halfway through a season seems like a strange thing to do and yet United have been one of the busier sides over the last 24 hours, as the transfer window draws to a close.Midfielder Sander Berge hasarrived from KRC Genk for £22m, while Richairo Zivkovic... Читать дальше...

Premier League clubs have tried their best to complete deals early, with several announced on the penultimate day of the January transfer window and now fewer than 24 hours left for teams to tie up last-minute signings.Manchester United finally secured the services of Bruno Fernandes on Thursday for an initial fee of 46.4million from Sporting Lisbon to end a lengthy saga and boost their bid for Champions League qualification.Sheffield United continue to surprise and may rival Ole Gunnar Solskjaers... Читать дальше...

Leigh Griffiths has apologised to the Kilmarnock fan he targeted with some scrunched-up tape.Griffiths admits he was stupid to throw the tape he had just removed from his socks, after being targeted with abuse after coming off during Celtics win at Rugby Park last week.The incident sparked a row involving a supporter and some of Griffiths colleagues on the bench, with stewards getting involved.Griffiths said: I think it got blown out of proportion. I was getting a bit of abuse and I shouldnt have thrown the tape. Читать дальше...

Leigh Griffiths is refusing to look ahead to Scotlands Euro 2020 play-off campaign but the Celtic striker hopes his rejuvenated form has been noticed by Steve Clarke.Griffiths has already scored as many goals this year as he did in 2019 after netting his third in four matches in Wednesdays 3-0 win over St Johnstone in Perth.The 29-year-old last featured for Scotland in a 2-0 win over Albania in September 2018 before dropping out of international and then club action while he battled mental health... Читать дальше...

Burnley have signed midfielder Josh Brownhill from Bristol City for an undisclosed fee.The Premier League club have announced the 24-year-old has agreed a four-and-a-half year contract at Turf Moor with the option to extend for a further 12 months.Brownhill is manager Sean Dyches first signing of the January transfer window.Brownhill said: Its a really good feeling to be at Burnley. Its a big football club with a great fanbase.Every time Ive played here its been nice to play at Turf Moor and Im really... Читать дальше...

Aston Villa manager Dean Smith has not ruled out John McGinn from making a quicker than expected recovery from an ankle injury and playing in the Carabao Cup final.McGinn sustained a fractured left ankle in Villas dismal 3-1 home defeat to Southampton on December 21, with Smith claiming then the Scotland midfielder would likely be on the sidelines for three months.With the 27-year-old not due to return until mid-March at the earliest, it means he would miss the Wembley showdown with Manchester City on March 1... Читать дальше...

Burnley have signed midfielder Josh Brownhill from Bristol City for an undisclosed fee.The Premier League club have announced the 24-year-old has agreed a four-and-a-half-year contract at Turf Moor with the option to extend for a further 12 months.Brownhill is manager Sean Dyches first signing of the January transfer window.Brownhill said: Its a really good feeling to be at Burnley. Its a big football club with a great fanbase.Every time Ive played here its been nice to play at Turf Moor and Im really... Читать дальше...

Barcelona head coach Quique Setien has called for more from his players despite a 5-0 win over Leganes in the Copa del Rey last 16.Lionel Messi struck a second-half brace after Frenchmen Antoine Griezmann and Clement Lenglet put the hosts two up at half-time.Substitute Arthur was also on target to help Barca cruise into the quarter-finals and bounce back from the weekends LaLiga defeat to Valencia.5 Goals = Plenty of High 5s pic.twitter.com/t1kNc0Shsf FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) January 30, 2020But new boss Setien told a press conference... Читать дальше...