Montreal Impact head coach Thierry Henry has returned to his former club Barcelona to sign Canada international Ballou Tabla on permanent terms.
Winger Tabla left the Impact as an 18-year-old to join Barcelona in January 2018, becoming a member of the club s B team.
Tabla departs after two years of a three-year deal, however, having been unable to make a first-team breakthrough at Camp Nou.
The 20-year-old had a €25million release clause in his contract, to protect Barcelona in the event he developed at a rapid rate.
Such a rise to stardom did not materialise, and there was no mention of any fee in a statement from Montreal that said Tabla had returned to them on a two-year contract, with two option years.
Impact sporting director Olivier Renar…
Toby Alderweireld is not entertaining the notion that his Tottenham contract extension may have paved the way for a transfer away from the club, saying he remains only focused on things on the pitch .
The Belgium international would have been out of contract at the end of the season but Tottenham took up their option to extend his contract until 2020, allaying fears around the club that he could leave on a free transfer.
Alderweireld endured a frustrating, injury-plagued 2017-18 campaign in which he made just 14 Premier League appearances but has bounced back this term, featuring in all but two of Spurs domestic league games.
The 29-year-old reportedly rejected a long-term contract in 2018, prompting suggestions he could join Manchester United, but he insi…
Stefano Pioli insisted Milan were not distracted by Wednesday s decisive Champions League meeting with Salzburg during their demoralising Serie A loss to Torino.
Koffi Djidji and Aleksey Miranchuk scored in quick succession in the first half as Milan collapsed to a 2-1 defeat in Turin on Sunday.
Junior Messias got the Rossoneri back in the contest following a defensive mix-up after the break, but the Serie A champions never looked likely to complete a comeback on a chastening outing.
Milan will approach the European clash with Salzburg requiring just a point to join Chelsea in qualifying from Group E, but head coach Pioli is certain that was not on their minds.
We could have done better in the flow of the ball, in defence and in attack. It was not the be…
Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing Lautaro Martinez from Inter Milan, according to . It has been reported that Tottenham wanted to sign Martinez in the summer of 2021 and will target the Argentina international striker in the January transfer window or in the summer of 2022.
Martinez remains on the radar of Tottenham and will leave defending Italian champions Inter in 2022. Antonio Conte has been appointed as the new Tottenham manager this week. The Italian tactician worked with Martinez at Inter and won the Scudetto last season.
The 24-year-old has made eight starts and two substitute appearances in Serie A so far this season, scoring five goals and providing one assist in the process. Martinez scored 17 goals and provided six assists in the league last season…
AFC Player of the Year candidate Server Djeparov has defended the integrity of the award in the wake of criticism over its criteria.
Uzbekistan international Djeparov and Iran s Hadi Aghily are the only two nominees able to attend Wednesday s grand ceremony in Kuala Lumpur.
Under the AFC s criteria for the honour, players must attend the ceremony to be eligible to win the award.
Japan s Keisuke Honda (CSKA Moscow) and Shinji Kagawa (Borussia Dortmund) cannot attend the ceremony due to Champions League commitments with their respective clubs, while South Korean pair Koo Ja-Cheol (Wolfsburg) and Yeom Ki-Hun (Suwon) are also unable to attend and have consequently reduced the shortlist for the honour from six to two.
There are reports that the AFC will look …
Rangers have opened negotiations over a new contract with midfielder Maurice Edu.
The United States midfielder joined the club in 2008 and has 18 months remaining on his five-year contract.
Last season Edu copped criticism for his performance for Rangers but he has become an integral part of Ally McCoist s team this season.
McCoist told BBC Sport: I think Maurice s form in the last three or four games has been really, really encouraging.
He s one of these guys who doesn t always catch the eye but if you ask his team-mates about him, they ll say he always gives performances that are helpful to the side.
We ve been very pleased with him. The one thing Maurice does do is work extremely hard he s a real grafter and a workaholic. That s a massive …
Jose Mourinho is ready to make Zlatan Ibrahimovic his first signing at Manchester United, .
The former Chelsea manager is expect to be named as Louis van Gaal’s replacement in the Old Trafford hot-seat in the coming days, and would relish a reunion with the Swedish megastar, with the pair having worked together at Inter Milan.
Ibrahimovic recently helped Paris Saint Germain to a fourth straight Ligue One title, and is the French outfit’s all-time top scorer with one hundred and fifty-six goals in one hundred and eighty appearances since signing from AC Milan in the summer of 2012.
The 34 year old has also played for Barcelona, Juventus, Ajax and Malmo, scoring prolifically for all while he also has an impressive record of sixty-two goals in one hundred a…
Morgan De Sanctis believes Roma have the strength in depth within their squad to compete in three competitions this season.
Roma made a flying start to the 2013-14 campaign, winning 10 consecutive matches and conceding just one goal in the process.
Rudi Garcia s men eventually fell away, however, and finished 17 points behind a dominant Juventus outfit in Serie A.
Defeated in the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia by eventual winners Napoli, Roma could at least console themselves with a second-placed finish, which secured a return to the UEFA Champions League.
With the club back in Europe s premier competition for the first time since the 2010-11 season, De Sanctis is backing the side to challenge on all three fronts.
We will see what will happen be…
Bournemouth went down to a last-minute winner against Manchester City on Saturday afternoon, losing 2-1 at the Vitality Stadium after looking destined for a well-earned draw.
The defeat sees them in the relegation zone going into the international break, leaving the manager with a lot to ponder. So are Bournemouth in trouble this season?
Bournemouth have been notorious slow-starters
Eddie Howe’s Bournemouth side are currently 18th in the Premier League without a point to their name after three games. There may be some worry given the Cherries’ slow start to the new season but it’s actually been a common occurrence since their promotion to the top-flight.
Bournemouth’s start to the season since 2014/15 promotion
2015/16 (Premier League) 3 gam…
Former Inter president Massimo Moratti believes new coach Frank de Boer is attempting to build something at the club, despite a slow start to the campaign.
Now Inter s honorary chairman, Moratti relinquished full ownership of the club in 2013 after overseeing a successful period for the Italian giants, who claimed five Serie A titles, four Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana triumphs, as well as winning the Champions League, Club World Cup and UEFA Cup during his 18 years at the helm.
Roberto Mancini s second spell in charge came to an end in the close season and Moratti has urged the board to fully support De Boer, who won the Eredivisie four times in succession as a coach with Ajax.
De Boer is trying to build something. I think he needs time and it is too soo…