The arrival of Jorginho from Napoli has equipped Chelsea with one of the best midfields around, according to Alvaro Morata.
The Brazilian-born Italy international moved to Stamford Bridge last month, having been heavily linked with Premier League champions Manchester City.
He has been joined in west London by his former Napoli boss Maurizio Sarri, who replaced Antonio Conte.
And former Real Madrid and Juventus striker Morata feels Jorginho will prove to be a key acquisition as the Blues, champions in 2016-17, seek to improve on a disappointing fifth-place finish in the league last season.
We are lucky, he told the Mirror.
We ve made a very good signing, because he s a fantastic player, a fantastic guy and because Manchester City wanted h…
The international break is upon us, and the UEFA region switches its focus entirely. Now every single European nation will concentrate on the 2020 UEFA European Championship Qualifiers . With that in mind, France will host Albania in the worldwide known Stade de France, easily one of the most recognizable venues all over the world, in Group H action. Kick-off for this match is slated at 19:45 BST. Jesus Gil Manzano will be the referee.
France
The reigning World Cup title holders have responded to that label during the European Championship Qualifiers thus far. Through the first four games, Les Bleus lead a surprisingly tight Group H since they sit at the top of the standings with nine points and a +9 goal differential. Turkey and Iceland also have nine points, and Albania have …
(GSM) Celtic have parted ways with manager Tony Mowbray after the Glasgow giants suffered a crushing 4-0 defeat at St Mirren.
The 46-year-old, who had arrived at Celtic Park from West Bromwich Albion last June, won 17 of the 30 league games played while struggling in Europe.
Having played two more matches, Celtic trail Scottish Premier League leaders and Old Firm rivals Rangers by 10 points.
With assistant manager Mark Venus and first team coach Peter Grant departing along with Mowbray, coach Neil Lennon will oversee first-team matters on an interim basis, with Kilmarnock visiting on Saturday.
Lennon, who has already played for Celtic between 2000 and 2007, returned as a coach in April 2008 and had been in charge of the Under-19 team during Mowbray s tim…
(GSM) Germany coach Joachim Loew will discuss the future of Kevin Kuranyi with his coaching staff this week.
Kuranyi has not featured in the national team setup after the striker walked out on his team-mates during the interval of a World Cup qualifier against Russia in October 2008.
The Schalke 04 player felt aggrieved to be left out of the 18-man squad for the game, and his walkout prompted Loew to say he would never player for Germany again as long as I remain coach .
That could all change after growing support for the 28-year-old to be reinstated for the World Cup finals in South Africa meant Loew would discuss the prospect in a meeting with his backroom staff on Monday.
The 50-year-old chief told German newspaper Bild am Sonntag: We three coaches (L…
Paris Saint-Germain had to settle for a scoreless draw against Angers in Ligue 1 on Tuesday as Edinson Cavani failed to make an impact.
The former Napoli star led the line for PSG as Zlatan Ibrahimovic was rested, but Cavani was unable to make the most of the opportunity.
The Uruguay international hit the upright early on, but was largely ineffective otherwise, as PSG s nine-match winning streak in the league came to an end.
Serge Aurier and Angel Di Maria also came close to opening the scoring before the break, but the former was denied by Angers goalkeeper Ludovic Butelle, while the latter hit the post.
Cheikh N Doye had a big chance to find the net for Angers, but Kevin Trapp denied him as it remained scoreless at the Stade Jean-Bouin.
Cavani a…
Alessio Cerci is set to make his first Atletico Madrid appearance for two years in the Copa del Rey tie against Guijuelo.
Head coach Diego Simeone has confirmed he plans to use the winger when Atletico host Guijuelo in the Copa del Rey on Tuesday, with a place in the last 16 effectively already secured after winning the first leg 6-0 last month.
Fernando Torres is back in training and has joined Cerci, as well as seven academy players, in the squad of 17 for the game at Vicente Calderon, in what is Atleti s last competitive match of 2016.
Cerci, 29, has not played for Atletico since December 2014 in an away game against Villarreal. Since then he has been on loan with AC Milan and Genoa, before missing the first half of this season with a knee injury.
It …
Celtic suffered a 4-3 Europa League defeat at Real Betis after an impressive opening half an hour had Ange Postecoglu s men two up in Seville.
A tricky first Group G fixture for the Bhoys initially went entirely to plan as Albian Ajeti broke the deadlock and Josip Juranovic s penalty doubled their lead.
But Betis class told as Juan Miranda and Juanmi netted in quick succession before half-time, a feat the hosts repeated after the break.
Borja Iglesias and a second for Juanmi did the damage for Betis, with Anthony Ralston s late header not enough to ignite an unlikely Celtic fightback as a trip that promised so much ended in disappointment, although their sublime start suggested they could yet have a major part to play in a tough group.
Ajeti, signed b…
Liverpool are interested in signing Aaron Ramsey from Juventus in the summer of 2021, according to . It has been reported by the Spanish news outlet that Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp wants to bring the former Arsenal midfielder to Anfield, and that he could be open to letting Thiago leave for Barcelona.
Thiago joined Liverpool from Bayern Munich in the summer of 2020. Much was expected of the Spain international central midfielder when he arrived at Anfield, but the former Barcelona star has had injury problems and has not been able to make a huge impact, at least on a regular basis.
Ramsey has had injury problems of his own at Juventus and has failed to become a key figure at the Italian club. Although the former Arsenal star has a lot of experience in the Premier Le…
AZ Alkmaar have announced the dismissal of head coach Gertjan Verbeek despite Saturday s win over Eredivisie leaders PSV Eindhoven.
The 51-year-old had been in charge at the AFAS Stadion since 2010, overseeing two fourth-placed finishes in the Eredivisie and a disappointing final standing of 10th last term.
But, despite AZ moving within two points of top spot in the Dutch top flight as they defeated PSV 2-1 at the weekend, the club have elected to part ways with their manager.
On the basis of a lack of chemistry between the squad and the coach and a lack of confidence, the club s directors do not see any possibility for further co-operation, read a statement on the club s official website.
Verbeek began his managerial career with Heracles in 2001, with his succes…
Germany, Belgium and Switzerland sealed their places at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Friday s European qualifying action.
Joachim Low s Germany – who finished third at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa – booked their place in Brazil with a classy 3-0 triumph over the Republic of Ireland in Cologne.
Sami Khedira s deflected strike put Germany in front after just 12 minutes before second-half goals from Andre Schurrle and Mesut Ozil capped off the victory to see them progress as the winners of Group C, giving them their eighth win in nine qualifiers.
Meanwhile, Romelu Lukaku scored twice as Belgium defeated Croatia 2-1 in Zagreb to confirm their position at the top of Group A.
The Everton forward struck in the 15th and 38th minutes and despite Niko Kranjcar comi…