Mario Balotelli has signed for hometown club Brescia after agreeing a multi-year contract with the Serie A outfit.
The Italy international was a free agent after his short-term deal with Marseille expired and when negotiations with Brazilian club Flamengo broke down he looked set to start the new season without a club.
But Brescia president Massimo Cellino told Gazzetta dello Sport Balotelli made it clear he wanted a move to Stadio Mario Rigamonti on August 12 his 29th birthday.
That day he expressed his desire to return to his city, said Cellino of Balotelli, who spent much of his childhood in the region of Brescia.
Hence all those rumours have only caused confusion, because there was no written agreement and Flamengo rushed to Monte Carlo to trip us u…
It s been almost two weeks without Premier League action but now, with an international break looming, seven games are set to round out the first part of the season.
The passing of Queen Elizabeth II last week saw a blanket postponement over matchday seven, with no side in action as the United Kingdom moved into a period of national mourning.
With resources stretched thin ahead of the late monarch s funeral on Monday, almost half of matchday eight s fixtures being scratched for now, including Chelsea against Liverpool and Manchester United versus Leeds United.
But a host of sides, including top two Arsenal and Manchester City, will get back onto the pitch for a last club run-out before the final international break of the year whets the World Cup appetite.
…
Arsenal are negotiating a new contract with defender Per Mertesacker, manager Arsene Wenger has confirmed.
The Germany international has featured in 16 of the club s games this season, helping them to top both the Premier League and Group F in the UEFA Champions League.
Speaking on Friday, Wenger said talks were ongoing to secure an agreement with the 29-year-old.
He has one and a half years to go, so that s a long time, he stated.
We are in the process, yes, of talking.
Mertesacker, who scored in Germany s 1-0 win over England on Tuesday, moved to the Emirates Stadium from Werder Bremen in 2011.
…
Yeovil Town have completed the loan signing of Ishmael Miller from Championship rivals Nottingham Forest, .
The striker scored six times in thirty appearances whilst on loan with Middlesbrough last season, but has largely struggled at Forest since switching from West Bromwich Albion in August 2011 – finding the net just four times in thirty outings.
He will be joined at Huish Park by Liverpool striker Adam Morgan and Everton midfielder John Lundstram, who have also secured temporary moves to the Glovers.
Gary Johnson’s men currently sit bottom of the division, two points adrift behind Barnsley and Sheffield Wednesday and a further four behind 21st place Birmingham City.
They travel to Watford on Saturday afternoon looking to halt a run of three s…
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 …