Barcelona star Putellas ´getting better every day´ after Ballon d´Or winner ruled out for 10-12 mont

Sunderland have signed England striker Jermain Defoe on a three-and-a-half year deal from MLS side Toronto FC,.

The move sees Jozy Altidore move in the opposite direction, with the US international having scored just one goal in forty-two league appearances for the Black Cats.

Defoe, who spent just under twelve months in America, is eligible to make his debut against former employers Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday afternoon.

In two spells with Spurs, the forward made over three hundred and fifty appearances in all competitions, scoring one hundred and thirty-three goals while he has also played for West Ham United where he began his career, and Portsmouth.

Internationally, he has been capped fifty-five times for his country, scoring nineteen goals tho…

Ben Brereton scored his first international goal as Chile edged to a 1-0 win over Bolivia in Copa America Group A on Friday. 

Martin Lasarte s side opened their campaign with a 1-1 draw against Argentina on Monday and, despite the slender scoreline, they never looked like failing to follow that up with maximum points against a limited Bolivia outfit at the Arena Pantanal in Cuiaba. 

Blackburn Rovers striker Brereton, who made his debut from the substitutes bench against Argentina, scored the only goal of the game early on, firing past Carlos Lampe after an incisive breakaway. 

Chile carved out numerous chances to extend their lead – most of which came in an utterly dominant first half – but they were unable to find a way past their opponents, who have no…

Joaquin Caparros says he feels ready to succeed Vicente del Bosque as the head coach of Spain, despite spending 18 months without a job.

The 60-year-old has emerged as a surprise favourite to take over after Del Bosque stepped down following the Euro 2016 exit to Italy last month.

Caparros has enjoyed a nomadic coaching career, working his way through the lower tiers before enjoying a five-year spell with Sevilla and a four-year stint in charge of Athletic Bilbao.

He has not found a new role since being sacked by Granada in January 2015, but insists his longevity in Spain s top flight shows he is a prime candidate to take the reins of the national team.

I m capable. I have almost 500 matches in the Primera [Division] and I can boast of having coached in …

Ivan Rakitic s agent has seemingly cast doubt on the Croatia star s future at Barcelona with a cryptic tweet that appeared to question the LaLiga champions transfer policy.

On Thursday, Barcelona announced they had reached a deal to bring in Portugal international Andre Gomes from Valencia.

The transfer will swell their midfield ranks, with Gomes joining fellow new arrival Denis Suarez alongside Rakitic, Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets, Arda Turan, Rafinha, Sergi Samper and Sergi Roberto.

Rakitic has been an influential member of Luis Enrique s side on the way to back-to-back domestic doubles over the previous two seasons and he opened the scoring in the 2015 Champions League final win over Juventus.

As such, the 28-year-old would not appear to be under t…

Alan Pardew admits he is conscious of the toll Newcastle s arduous season has taken on key man Yohan Cabaye.

Newcastle were recently knocked out of the Europa League at the quarter-final stage, having started their campaign back in August, and the manager believes their progress may be catching up with them as the season draws to a close.

The players have looked increasingly weary in recent weeks, especially Cabaye, who has made 30 appearances domestically and in Europe despite several injury setbacks.

Pardew admits the French international may be suffering from burnout.

Cabaye is probably my biggest worry, the Newcastle manager told reporters.

The rest of them are really sound physically and mentally.

But Cabaye is our best player in …

Eden Hazard has set his sights on a successful campaign with Chelsea following a season when the club won the Champions League and FA Cup.

Belgium international Hazard joined Chelsea from Lille in June, and he is keen to become a key figure at the west London club.

Chelsea s goals for the new season? We have not discussed it with the coach yet, but I guess that we want to do as well as last season, Hazard said.

I do not really have any personal objectives. I just hope to play as many games as possible. I am not the type of person to set certain goals. The most important thing for me is to get regular first-team action and do well.

Moving in the opposite direction was Salomon Kalou, and Hazard hopes the Ivory Coast international can help Lille make an …

Over the course of the last year, it feels like France have lost some of their momentum after winning the 2018 FIFA World Cup. With that being said the expectation has always been that they would walk through the rest of their European Championship qualifying group, but it doesn t seem as if that s going to be the case. Earlier tonight, Turkey defeated Les Bleus in what could prove to be a vitally important result in the qualifiers.

An odd evening

In the early stages of the game Antoine Griezmann headed wide in a decent opportunity, but apart from that, the French really weren t themselves. They had a strong side out with eight of the starting XI starting the World Cup final against Croatia, and yet, they just didn t seem to get going. At the very least you d expect them to st…

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge warned Leroy Sane must show more desire and says Bayern Munich will be prepared to kick his butt if needed to get the best out of their big-money signing.

Sane has endured a difficult start to his time at Bayern and hit a new low when he was hauled off after being introduced as a substitute to replace the injured Kingsley Coman in the first half of a dramatic 2-1 win at Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday.

The winger, signed on a five-year deal for an initial fee of €49million (£44.5m)  rising to €60m (£54.5m) from Manchester City in July, spent just 36 minutes on the field at BayArena.

Sane had been criticised by the great Lothar Matthaus ahead of the game and Bayern coach Hansi Flick also said the 24-year-old must offer more in ord…

Torino captain Kamil Glik believes beating Juventus in Sunday s Turin derby would prompt a  national celebration , as the champions close in on a fourth successive Serie A title.

A win at Estadio Olimpico could see them claim the Scudetto for the 31st time, though such an outcome relies on Roma losing at Inter on Saturday and Chievo beating in-form Lazio a day later in Rome.

With Juve boasting a superior head-to-head record against their nearest rivals, it would not be possible for either to usurp them.

But Torino and Glik are looking to ensure that results elsewhere are rendered irrelevant by claiming a first derby win since April 1995. 

And Glik, who has been captain since July 2013, believes that a Torino triumph would be celebrated throughout th…

Jerome Boateng claims he is not concerned about the calf injury he is carrying and will not alter his game despite the risk of suspension as Germany prepare to face Italy at Euro 2016.

The Bayern Munich centre-back was substituted late in the victories over Northern Ireland and Slovakia at the European Championship as the world champions attempt to manage the defender s muscle problem.

The 27-year-old, though, is confident of being fully fit to take on the Azzurri in the quarter-finals in Bordeaux on Saturday.

My calf is fine, he said.

It won t be an issue.

Should Germany win, Boateng could find himself suspended for the semi-final against hosts France or Iceland if he receives a second yellow card of the tournament.

I will go into t…