Ba not retiring following horrific broken leg 8:43 PM GMT Ex-Chelsea striker Demba Ba has no intention of retiring early from football despite suffering a horrific leg break. The 31-year-old, who also used to play for West Ham and Newcastle, suffered a fractured left tibia playing for Chinese Super League side Shanghai Shenhua on Sunday. Speaking to Radio Monte Carlo from his hospital bed in … [Read more...]

Leicester ‘warrior’ Morgan signs new deal London (AFP) – Towering Leicester City captain Wes Morgan has signed a new contract with the club to June 2019, the Premier League champions said on Tuesday. The 32-year-old played every minute of Leicester’s title-winning campaign and was a key part of their shock success, forming a rock-solid central defensive partnership with Robert Huth. “To commit … [Read more...]

Italy warning for Pelle, Balotelli Milan (AFP) – New Italy coach Giampiero Ventura hinted Tuesday that striker Graziano Pelle could risk his Azzurri place following a recent move to China, and gave Mario Balotelli little chance of returning to the national team. Pelle, 31, scored 30 goals in 81 appearances for Southampton following his arrival from Feyenoord in 2014 and was an integral part of … [Read more...]

Conte: Costa is 'fundamental' to Chelsea 1:16 PM GMT Liam Twomey Chelsea head coach Antonio Conte has insisted that Diego Costa is of "fundamental importance" to Chelsea and rejected reports that he could rejoin Atletico Madrid. Atletico have publicly and persistently pursued a deal to bring Costa back to the Spanish capital for several months, but Chelsea have never wavered in their … [Read more...]

Steve Bruce holds talks over England job London (AFP) – Hull boss Steve Bruce has held talks with the Football Association over the vacant England manager’s job, several media outlets reported Tuesday. A three-man FA panel made up of former Manchester United chief executive David Gill, FA technical director Dan Ashworth and chief executive Martin Glenn are seeking a successor to Roy Hodgson who … [Read more...]

Bruce, FA held England job talks - reports 11:52 PM GMT Hull City manager Steve Bruce interviewed with the FA for the vacant England manager job, according to multiple reports. He is the second coach to hold talks after Sunderland's Sam Allardyce, the current favourite for the job, sat down with the three-man search panel last week, according to the Daily Mail. The Guardian reported that FA … [Read more...]

Rodgers faces up to task of turning ‘Bhoys’ into men Glasgow (AFP) – If Brendan Rodgers had wondered about the size of the task that lies in front of him at Celtic then last week’s 1-0 defeat to Gibraltar part-timers Lincoln Red Imps would have left him in no doubt. When the former Liverpool boss was paraded at Parkhead back in May as the high-profile replacement to Ronny Deila it was a signal … [Read more...]

Didier Deschamps’ mismanagement led to France’s downfall at Euro 2016 Didier Deschamps could not have mismanaged his France team any worse than he did at the Euros. First, after late winners obscured two otherwise unconvincing performances that brought his team safe passage to the knockout phase of the tournament, Deschamps was presented with a golden opportunity: a quasi-dead-rubber match, … [Read more...]

Liverpool poised to compete at top level in 2016/17 season Liverpool’s 2015-2016 season ended in utter disappointment. Domestically, the Reds finished in as poor a position as 8th in the league table while they were beaten in the Capital One Cup final on penalties. Their Europa League campaign produced some remarkable moments, but they ultimately fell short of a place in next season’s Champions … [Read more...]

Ronaldo, Bale on UEFA best player shortlist Paris (AFP) – Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid team-mate Gareth Bale headlined a 10-man shortlist announced on Monday for the UEFA Best Player in Europe Award. Ronaldo struck the winning spot-kick as Real claimed an 11th Champions League title, beating city rivals Atletico Madrid on penalties in May, before leading his country to Euro 2016 … [Read more...]