Kevin De Bruyne insists individual accolades will mean little to him unless Manchester City are able to claim major honours this season.

Pep Guardiola s Premier League leaders continued their superb start to the season on Tuesday with a 2-1 victory over Napoli, making it three wins out of three in the Champions League.

De Bruyne, who was named Bundesliga Player of the Year for 2014-15 when he was at Wolfsburg, has been City s standout performer thanks to a succession of dazzling midfield performances and eye-catching assists.

But since becoming the club s record signing in August 2015, the solitary winners medal the 26-year-old Belgium international has collected was for the 2015-16 EFL Cup.

He was injured for that penalty shoot-out triumph against Liverp…

Chelsea have reunited Graham Potter with his former Brighton and Hove Albion head of recruitment in a move designed to guide the club s future transfer dealings.

Paul Winstanley worked closely with head coach Potter at Brighton and becomes Chelsea s director of global talent and transfers.

He spent eight years at Brighton, having joined from Derby County, and played a prominent role in assembling the talent that has propelled the Seagulls into the Premier League and kept them among the elite.

Potter left for Chelsea in September, and Winstanley arrives at a point where results have taken a nosedive, with Chelsea losing their last three Premier League matches.

There could be scope for transfer movement in January, but this appointment has been made with a …

The French Football Federation (FFF) has condemned racist messages directed towards Eduardo Camavinga on social media after Christopher Nkunku was injured ahead of the World Cup.

Nkunku was ruled out of the tournament in Qatar after suffering a knee sprain in training on Tuesday and is reportedly facing up to eight weeks on the sidelines.

Video footage circulated on social media purporting to show Nkunku sustaining the injury in a challenge with Camavinga, which led to the Real Madrid midfielder receiving discriminatory messages.

A statement released by the FFF on Thursday read: Following Christopher Nkunku s injury, Eduardo Camavinga was the victim of racist messages on social media.

The FFF condemns these attacks in the strongest possible terms and is …

Croatia striker Eduardo da Silva has highlighted Spain s defence as a possible weakness ahead of his country s final Euro 2012 group game.

Slaven Bilic s men head into the game with the reigning world and European champions level on points and knowing that a win would secure qualification, while a 2-2 draw would send both teams through.

The Spanish national side have been untouchable in major tournaments in the last four years and remain hot favourites to lift the Euro 2012 trophy.

However, Eduardo said Spain s back-line can sometimes be a weak link, suggesting that quick counterattacks may be his side s best chance of scoring.

I think that is their defence, he told reporters.

They enjoy to play up front and in the middle, but sometimes fail…

Arthur Masuaku has signed a new contract with West Ham that will keep him at the Premier League club until 2024.

The deal with the Democratic Republic of Congo international includes an option to extend for a further two years.

Masuaku joined from Olympiacos in 2016 and has gone on to make 75 appearances across all competitions, scoring once.

I am very happy and very proud, the 25-year-old told the club s official website. For me it was an easy decision.

The club wanted me to stay and so I didn’t even need to think about it – it was just a matter of time.

West Ham have signed Pablo Fornals ahead of the new season, while they broke the club s transfer record for striker Sebastien Haller.

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Mikel Arteta described Granit Xhaka s conduct as unacceptable only two weeks ago, but it was a different story after the midfielder s goal helped Arsenal to a 3-1 win over Premier League rivals Chelsea on Saturday.

Returning from suspension, there was a moment of swift redemption from former Arsenal captain Xhaka when he struck home a thumping free-kick in the first half of the London derby at Emirates Stadium.

The Swiss star had been sent off for grabbing Ashley Westwood by the throat in a 1-0 home defeat to Burnley on December 13, and it triggered a three-game ban.

Xhaka had previously salvaged his Arsenal career when it looked on the rocks in October 2019, after he took off his shirt and responded to heckles from supporters when substituted during a game again…

Robert Lewandowski believes Philippe Coutinho will make a seamless transition to Bayern Munich after the Bundesliga champions agreed to a deal to sign the Barcelona playmaker.

Coutinho is set to join Bayern on loan for the 2019-20 season – the deal including an option to buy the Brazil international – after the German giants and Barca confirmed on Friday that an agreement is in place.

Bayern have been desperate to reinforce their squad following the departures of Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben, and the conclusion of James Rodriguez s loan deal from Real Madrid.

Ivan Perisic arrived after a serious knee injury scuppered Bayern s attempts to sign Manchester City star Leroy Sane, and Coutinho is poised to follow in Munich.

I don t think he ll need that …

Japan s winning goal in Wednesday s surprise victory over Germany was one of the easiest ever scored at a World Cup, according to Ilkay Gundogan.

Gundogan appeared to have put Germany on course for victory when he converted a first-half penalty, but Japan hit back in sensational fashion after half-time through two Bundesliga attackers.

Freiburg s Ritsu Doan levelled after Manuel Neuer pushed Takumi Minamino s cross into his path, before Bochum winger Takuma Asano sent Japan s fans into raptures with a powerful near-post finish late on.

Asano s winner was the result of some dismal defending from Niklas Sule, who inexplicably played the 28-year-old onside from Ko Itakura s long ball, and Gundogan cannot recall a more straightforward goal being scored on the bigges…

Duvan Zapata insists that he and his Atalanta team-mates gave everything in their 3-2 Champions League defeat against Villarreal on Thursday.

Atalanta required a win in order to leapfrog their opponents into second place in their final group-stage game, which had been rescheduled after heavy snowfall on Wednesday.

However, Arnaut Danjuma scored either side of Etienne Capoue to give Villarreal a 3-0 lead by the 51st minute, and Atalanta were unable to come back despite goals from Ruslan Malinovskyi and Zapata.

The Atalanta striker revealed that, despite the team s regret at failing to qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League, they remain calm .

We are disappointed, Zapata said to Prime Video.  However, we are calm in the sense that we ga…

Arsenal host Queens Park Rangers in the English Premier League on Saturday looking to recover from their Champions League loss to Schalke.

The 2-0 defeat to Bundesliga side Schalke on Wednesday was the first time Arsenal have been beaten at the Emirates Stadium in European competition since their 2008/09 semi-final loss to Manchester United.

It was also the first time Arsenal have lost at home in Europe to a foreign team since 2003, a run stretching back before their move from Highbury to the Emirates.

Arsene Wenger s squad confront bottom-of-the-table QPR, who are yet to record a win in the Premier League this season but who will take confidence from their close 1-1 draw to a ten-man Everton side at Loftus Road last Monday.

An own-goal from Julio Cesar …