Guardiola welcomes ´exceptional´ Tuchel to Premier League

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola welcomed Thomas Tuchel to the Premier League, labelling the newly appointed Chelsea head coach an exceptional manager .

Tuchel s appointment at Stamford Bridge was confirmed on Tuesday, a day after Chelsea sacked Frank Lampard.

Guardiola and Tuchel previously went head-to-head domestically in the Bundesliga, where the German was in charge of Mainz and Borussia Dortmund while the Spaniard was at the helm of Bayern Munich.

After City moved top of the Premier League with a 5-0 thrashing of West Brom on Tuesday, Guardiola welcomed Tuchel to England.

Welcome. He s an exceptional manager. I m pretty sure he will have success. Happy to see him here in this country, he told a news conference.

When I was at Bayern Mu…

Kagawa plotting Dortmund exit as Spain move looms

Shinji Kagawa is eager to leave Borussia Dortmund due to a lack of playing time and hopes to secure a move to LaLiga.

Dortmund are enjoying a fine season and sit comfortably at the top of the Bundesliga with 30 points from 12 matches and are yet to lose in the top flight.

Coach Lucien Favre has received significant praise for putting trust in young players, with the likes of Jadon Sancho, Achraf Hakimi and Christian Pulisic flourishing.

Some of the team s more experienced individuals have found playing time difficult to come by as a result, with Mario Gotze featuring just five times in the league and Kagawa playing only twice.

Since returning from a somewhat underwhelming two-year spell with Manchester United in 2014, Kagawa has struggled for consistency,…

Darwin Nunez a hybrid of Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani, says former coach

Darwin Nunez can be a hybrid of fellow Uruguayan strikers Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani, according to a former coach of the 22-year-old.

Nunez has been heavily linked with a big-money move from Benfica to Liverpool or Manchester United ahead of next season, with a reported fee of up to €100million (£85m) being touted.

The young forward produced electric form for Benfica in 2021-22, scoring 34 goals in 41 games in all competitions, including six Champions League goals against Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Ajax and Liverpool.

Leonardo Ramos coached Nunez during his time at Penarol in Uruguay and told Stats Perform of his belief that, while the player still has a lot to learn, he is showing similar traits to legendary La Celeste strikers Suarez and Cavani.

Milan 0-1 Manchester United (1-2 agg): Pogba returns with San Siro winner for Red Devils

Substitute Paul Pogba marked his return from injury with the only goal as Manchester United defeated Milan 1-0 at San Siro to reach the Europa League quarter-finals.

Pogba had missed United s previous 10 games due to a thigh issue suffered in the 3-3 home draw with Everton in early February, yet he did not take long to make an impact on proceedings in the second leg.

Having replaced Marcus Rashford at the break, the France international cleverly fired in a loose ball in the 48th minute to secure his side a 2-1 aggregate triumph.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic  back from injury himself in time to feature off the bench – was unable to help Milan manage a response following his introduction, meaning the Serie A side have now failed to win five in a row at home.…

Mawson having Fulham medical

According to Sky Sports, Swansea City defender Alfie Mawson is having a medical ahead of a proposed move to Fulham. The Premier League newcomers have been steadily improving their squad ahead for the new season, with Mawson being pinpointed as a potential star for them at the back.

Burnley and West Ham United were both said to be interested in acquiring his services, showcasing that the Cottagers could be big players in the transfer market if they re able to solidify their Premier League position this season and beyond.

Fulham are said to be paying £15 million with £5 million in add-ons coming later down the line, as Mawson attempts to prove to the world that he is a Premier League quality player.

Mawson, who is 24 years of age, has bounced around a series of …

Barca president confident of Messi signing a new deal

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu is confident that the club s main star, six-time Ballon d Or winner Lionel Messi, will sign a new contract with the club, according to .

Messi s current deal reportedly allowed him to leave the Camp Nou at the end of each season as a free agent, but now the last chance to cut the contract short has expired. Nonetheless, he is still free to leave next summer as the contract expires. And even though it feels like we ve been here before only for the world s best player to reconfirm his commitment to Barcelona, numerous reports suggest it might actually happen this time.

Apparently, the Argentinian is extremely unhappy with the way the club is run and the direction it has taken. A lot of money has been spent on incoming transfers sin…

Liverpool beat Manchester City on penalties in FA Youth Cup final

Liverpool won the FA Youth Cup for the first time in 12 years with a penalty shoot-out victory over Manchester City following a 1-1 draw in Thursday s final.

With the senior City team on course to deny Liverpool a first Premier League title with three games of the season to go, the Reds at least ensured silverware for their Under-18 side with the triumph at the Etihad Campus.

It is City s fourth final defeat in five seasons, having been denied by Chelsea in 2015, 2016 and 2017, while it is Liverpool s first success since they overcame Manchester United on spot-kicks in 2007.

With Pep Guardiola watching on, the hosts were largely the superior side from the outset and deservedly went ahead when Nabil Touaizi converted Adrian Bernabe s low cross from the left.

Morata accepts fan hostility: Not even Jesus could please everyone!

Alvaro Morata does not think it a major problem that some Atletico Madrid fans were against his return to the club, insisting that  not even Jesus Christ pleased everybody .

The striker joined Diego Simeone s side in January on an 18-month loan deal from Chelsea, where he had struggled following a reported £57million switch from Real Madrid.

It was his allegiances with the European champions that upset a number of Atleti supporters, while others were frustrated that a deal for Morata was pursued instead of giving youngsters such as Borja Garces the chance to impress in the first team.

There were chants to that effect heard in the home LaLiga match against Getafe just prior to Morata s arrival, but the player says he has been made to feel welcome by the club.

Tottenham boss Conte: ´Underrated´ Son can play in any team

Antonio Conte insisted Son Heung-min is underrated and can play in every team in the world, as Tottenham commenced their pre-season.

Spurs have travelled to Son s home country of South Korea, where they will face a select XI from the K-League on Wednesday, before coming up against Sevilla on Saturday.

The 30-year-old notched up 24 goals and 10 assists in 45 games across all competitions last season, and he particularly blossomed after Antonio Conte took over in November 2021, contributing to 26 of those goals in the Premier League alone.

Speaking ahead of Wednesday s pre-season opener against the K-League XI, Conte believes Son is a world-class player who does not receive due praise.

I can say only positive things, because we are talking about a world-cl…

West Ham United want West Bromwich Albion goalkeeper Sam Johnstone

West Ham United are interested in signing West Bromwich Albion goalkeeper Sam Johnstone in the summer of 2022, according to . Johnstone is out of contract at Championship club West Brom at the end of the season, and Premier League outfit West Ham want to sign the goalkeeper on a free transfer then.

The Hammers wanted to sign Johnstone in the summer of 2021. West Ham make a bid of £6 million for the England international goalkeeper, but the Baggies turned it down. David Moyes’s side then signed Alphonse Areola from Paris Saint-Germain, but only on a loan deal.

Johnstone has been on the books of West Brom since 2018 and is one of the best goalkeepers in England. The 28-year-old goalkeeper has earned three caps for the Three Lions. West Brom are third in the Championshi…