Wenger selects trophyless spell as surprise Arsenal highlight

Arsene Wenger picked out a nine-year period of relatively little success on the pitch when asked for his Arsenal highlight at his final pre-match news conference on Thursday.

Wenger will end his 22-year reign as Arsenal boss following Sunday s season-ending clash with Huddersfield Town, bringing the curtain down on a stint that yielded three Premier League titles and a record seven FA Cups.

After a first nine years flush with silverware, the club endured a difficult period following their move from Highbury to Emirates Stadium in 2006, and had to wait until 2014 for their next trophy.

But it is keeping Arsenal competitive during this period that Wenger considers his greatest achievement.

Maybe my first title here because I came completely unknown and I c…

Nagatomo will reject Premier League offers for new Inter deal – agent

Yuto Nagatomo has no plans to leave Inter, with the full-back eager to sign a new contract despite interest from the Premier League according to his agent.

Nagatomo was the subject of interest from Manchester United during the January transfer window after the Japan international revealed he turned down a move to Old Trafford.

Liverpool have also been credited with an interest but agent Federico Pastorello insisted the 29-year-old intends to prolong his stay in Milan.

We have not yet set meetings, at the moment nothing new, but I believe that soon there will be, Pastorello is quoted as telling FCInter1908.it.

Offers from English clubs? Yes, but Yuto wants to stay in Italy, more precisely at Inter.

Nagatomo, who arrived from FC Tokyo in 2011, h…

Prediction: Southampton vs Crystal Palace

Prediction: Crystal Palace to Win 1-0

Odds:

Bookmaker:

Southampton will be aiming to continue their impressive recovery under Ralph Hasenhuttl as they take on Crystal Palace at St Mary s on Saturday afternoon.

The Saints have been in positive form as of late, assembling a charge away from the relegation zone but now face another tough test as they face an Eagles sitting pretty in the top half of the Premier League table.

Southampton

Following their horrendous run of form before December in which they lost six out of eight Premier League matches, the Saints really have managed to galvanise themselves and now sit three points clear of the drop zone. They have now only fallen to defeat in two out of their last seven games and most recently enjoye…

Mbemba delighted to complete Porto switch

Chancel Mbemba hopes his move to Porto will provide him with more first-team opportunities after struggling to break into Rafael Benitez s plans at Newcastle United.

Mbemba signed a four-year contract with the Primeira Liga champions on Monday after two seasons in the shadows at St James Park.

Having arrived in England from Anderlecht in 2015, the 23-year-old played 33 times in the Premier League as Newcastle were relegated, but made only 21 league appearances in 2016-17 and 2017-18 combined.

He hopes the switch to Portugal will increase his time on the pitch, and is desperate to get started with Sergio Conceicao s men.

Chancel Mbemba has completed a permanent move to . Good luck, !

— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC)

I came her…

Bayern Munich 1-0 Arminia Bielefeld: Sane strike sends record-breaking hosts back to summit

Leroy Sane broke Arminia Bielefeld s resolve as Bayern Munich battled to a 1-0 win at Allianz Arena to reclaim top spot from Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga.

Dortmund s earlier 3-1 win at Wolfsburg saw them climb to the summit, but Bayern responded in Saturday s late kick-off to move a point clear ahead of next week s Klassiker. 

After failing to forge a breakthrough in the first half of a league game for just the second time this term, Sane finally found the net for Bayern with 71 minutes played.

That was Bayern s 102nd league goal this calendar year – a Bundesliga record – and proved enough to help the hosts bounce back from last week s 2-1 loss at Augsburg.

102 – FC Bayern München have scored 102 goals in the German Bundesliga in 2021 –…

Lingard reaps the benefits as loan pays off with England recall

Jesse Lingard admitted it had been a long journey back after earning an England recall following his fine form for West Ham.

Lingard s most recent international appearance came in June 2019, as he was part of Gareth Southgate s squad that featured in the inaugural Nations League Finals, eventually finishing third in the tournament.

The 28-year-old was also a regular as England reached the semi-finals at the 2018 World Cup, yet a lack of playing time at Manchester United saw him slip down the pecking order with the Three Lions.

However, a loan spell away from Old Trafford has helped the United academy product kick-start his career. Now he has the chance to force his way back into Southgate s plans ahead of the delayed Euro 2020, receiving a place in the s…

Fernandes says Morocco deserve semi-final spot as Portugal´s World Cup dream ends

Bruno Fernandes acknowledged Morocco as deserving World Cup semi-finalists after seeing Portugal s campaign cut short by the Atlas Lions in Saturday s quarter-final.

Youssef En-Nesyri headed home the game s only goal as Morocco caused another upset at Al Thumama Stadium, becoming the first African side to reach the final four in tournament history.

The defeat provoked a furious reaction from some Portugal players, with Pepe describing the appointment of Argentinian referee Facundo Tello as unacceptable after he opted against awarding a penalty when Fernandes went down under a challenge from Achraf Hakimi.

The playmaker echoed Pepe s thoughts in the immediate aftermath of the loss, saying the officials had tilted the field against Fernando Santos men.

How…

Inter Milan to release Eriksen?

According to a recent report from Daily Mirror, Inter Milan may terminate the contract of Danish star Christian Eriksen.

The belief is that they would be doing so to let him find a club that will allow him to play. Right now, Eriksen isn’t able to compete for Inter due to his cardiac arrest at Euro 2020 in Denmark’s opening game.

Some believe a move back home to Denmark would be the logical next step, especially given how much fanfare and support he received from their faithful supporters in their run to the semi-finals of the Euros.

Inter likely wouldn t be doing this lightly but purely from a business point of view, it makes sense for both parties. Inter will always have a place for Eriksen within the foundation of the club but if he s desperate to resume …

Hughes happy with attacking improvement

Stoke City manager Mark Hughes is encouraged by the greater attacking threat his side are beginning to offer.

Finding regular goals has proved something of a recurring problem for Stoke ever since the club were promoted to the Premier League in 2008.

Yet Hughes feels improvement is being made, illustrated by a 2-2 draw at Southampton on Saturday that saw Stoke twice come from behind to grab a welcome away point.

Peter Odemwingie registered his first goal since arriving from Cardiff City last month and former Southampton striker Peter Crouch was also on target, with Charlie Adam providing the assist on each occasion.

Scotland midfielder Adam scored two goals last weekend as Stoke defeated Manchester United 2-1 at the Britannia Stadium.

Reflecting on Stoke s …

European Super League dealt major blow as EU advocate general backs UEFA and FIFA

UEFA and FIFA would be entitled to freeze out a European Super League and its competing teams, according to a key opinion published on Thursday by the European Union s Court of Justice.

A calamitous launching of the Super League last year saw 12 teams agree to take part, before most pulled out in a hurry after a furious backlash from fans, politicians and football governing bodies.

The Spanish league has since said it is determined to fend off a new proposition for an elite league, which it has warned would destroy the existing structure of the domestic game.

It was revealed in October 2022 that a move was under way to revive the proposals, with Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus still thought to be keen; however, there remains firm opposition from UEFA, which r…