ECA chief Bloomfield: ´This is undoubtedly the biggest Women´s World Cup ever´

The 2023 Women s World Cup will be the biggest ever , according to the European Club Association (ECA) head of women s football Claire Bloomfield.

Australia and New Zealand will host the tournament across July and August, with 32 teams competing in the competition for the first time in its history.

With women s football in a stronger position than ever before, Bloomfield is confident this year s World Cup will prove to be the best yet.

This is undoubtedly going to be the biggest Women s World Cup ever, Bloomfield told Stats Perform at the inaugural ECA Women s Football Summit in London.

You heard the FIFA chief of women s football, Sarai Bareman, talking about what a landmark occasion this was going to be. We have an extremely close alliance with FIFA, …

Guardiola declares ‘De Bruyne is back’ and provides Haaland update

Pep Guardiola insists Kevin De Bruyne is back after his stunning free-kick beat Leicester City, while the Manchester City head coach confirmed Erling Haaland missed out through ligament damage.

City moved to the Premier League summit on Saturday as De Bruyne s wonderful 25-yard effort sealed a narrow 1-0 victory at the King Power Stadium, where the visitors were without top scorer Haaland.

Guardiola admitted he had expected more from the Belgium international in recent weeks, while the City boss is hopeful his number nine will be fit again for next weekend s clash with Fulham.

Kevin De Bruyne is back, Guardiola told BT Sport.

He was not playing good the last few games, but today he was amazing. He knows it.

There was no space and we had to be p…

Transfer wrap: Spurs keep Modric safe, Kyrgiakos departs

Tottenham remain confident Luka Modric will be staying at the club, while Liverpool defender Sotiris Kyrgiakos has moved to Wolfsburg.

Chelsea have made two bids for diminutive playmaker Modric 22 million pounds and 27 million pounds respectively however, the stance from Spurs has always been that their prize asset is not for sale.

Redknapp reiterated on Monday that the North London club do not want to sell the former Dinamo Zagreb star.

I kept hearing they (Chelsea) were coming in with another bid but they signed (Juan) Mata so I thought that would be the end of it. But I ve heard they still want to look at bringing Luka in, Redknapp told Sky Sports.

We don t want to take their money. It s not like they are making derisory offers, they are making goo…

Seattle´s Schmid a reluctant star

Seattle coach Sigi Schmid remained as humble as ever after the Sounders third consecutive US Open Cup title on Tuesday.

The Sounders beat the Chicago Fire 2-0 in the final on Tuesday, and although Schmid has played a massive role in Seattle resurgence, he was more than happy to take a back seat.

We have a lot of stars on this team, but the star of the team is the team, Schmid said.

One could understand why Schmid was being modest, but a look at the evidence suggests that Seattle s biggest star may not be on the field at all, but on the sideline, wearing that ever-present green scarf.

The US Open Cup trophy is just another addition to the German-born coach s increasingly crowded trophy case, which includes three College Cups, one CONCACAF Champions Cup,…

Leicester to bid for Hazard

Premier League champions Leicester City have made Borussia M’gladbach midfielder Thorgan Hazard their number one target, according to Het Laatste Nieuws.

The Foxes are expected to reinforce the squad this summer and the former Chelsea starlet is reportedly the first name on their hit-list.

Following a successful loan spell, Hazard joined die Fohlen in an €8 million deal last summer, and he has continued with impressive performances in German Bundesliga.

The 23-year-old has managed 3 goals and 5 assists in 27 league outings this season and he is on the verge of nailing down a regular starting berth.

Usually deployed as an attacking midfielder, but also capable of playing on either flank, Hazard is seen as a useful addition to the Leicester City squad,…

Torres set for Atleti return

that Atletico Madrid have agreed a deal to re-sign Fernando Torres.

The Spain international has struggled to repeat the form he showed at both Atleti and Liverpool since leaving Anfield in January 2011, when he moved to Chelsea for £50m – still a British transfer record.

He moved to AC Milan on loan in the summer, but the Rosseneri are ready to cancel the agreement paving the way for Diego Simeone’s men to take him on an eighteen month deal.

The 30 year old has made ten appearances under Filippio Inzaghi and scored his one and only goal in a draw with Empoli in September.

In two hundred and forty-one appearances, Torres scored ninety-one goals, while he was even more prolific under Rafa Benitez at Liverpool though his ratio dropped dramatically…

Atletico Madrid v Real Madrid: Benzema and Morata ready to toil again in glamour jobs

When fixtures like the Madrid derby come around, it is easy to imagine most players in world football dreaming of being a centre-forward with the match on the line.

A chance to be the hero, a shot at immortality in the eyes of your supporters when passions are at their highest.

But the men likely to lead the lines at the Wanda Metropolitano on Saturday know the toil behind such cinematic moments better than most – the loneliness of a goal drought and stinging torrents of criticism.

I m sorry for those who have discovered Karim Benzema last week, said Real Madrid head coach Santiago Solari, with heavy sarcasm, during his French striker s recent hot streak in front of goal. But, hey, they still have time to enjoy him. He is in a great moment, it s true.

Costa accuses Chelsea of pricing him out of Atletico Madrid move

Diego Costa has accused Chelsea of pricing him out of a possible move back to Atletico Madrid.

The 28-year-old wants to leave the Premier League champions and return to the Spanish capital after being informed by Blues boss Antonio Conte that he was not wanted for the 2017-18 season.

Costa has threatened to stay in Brazil and risk incurring repeated fines for missing Chelsea training in order to force through a move away from Stamford Bridge before the transfer window closes on August 31.

The Spain international s future remains unclear, though, with no deal having yet been reached between Chelsea and any interested party, and Costa has now claimed that the club are demanding an extraordinary amount that Atletico are unable to pay.

I ve demonstrated I ca…

The Carrow Road horror show – Norwich relegated after a woeful campaign

Watching fellow scrappers pick up a thumping 4-0 win at Carrow Road on Saturday lunchtime amidst a downbeat atmosphere, Norwich ended their Premier League journey not with a bang, but with a whimper.

Becoming the first team this season to lose their top-flight status, the Canaries have endured what has been a torrid return from football s enforced break and they now look a shell of the side that marched to the Championship title in empathic fashion last year.

With their stunning 3-2 victory against then defending champions Manchester City back in September feeling like a lifetime ago, many around East Anglia will be looking at where it all went wrong for Norwich this season.

Lack of spending = Lack of ambition?

Completely blown away against a West Ham side who…

Arteta urges Aubameyang to join Arsenal greats by staying at Gunners

Mikel Arteta has challenged Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to stay at Arsenal and become a club great.

Aubameyang scored both goals – as he did in the semi-final win over Manchester City – as Arsenal completed a stirring 2-1 FA Cup final triumph over Chelsea on Saturday.

The former Borussia Dortmund forward has 70 goals in all competitions since joining the Gunners in January 2018, but his future is the subject of mounting speculation.

Aubameyang is out of contract next year, although Arteta has repeatedly expressed confidence the Gabon international is ready to remain at Emirates Stadium.

After his superb winning goal downed London rivals Chelsea, he was challenged by his head coach to place himself alongside the likes of Ian Wright and Thierry Henry in A…