Sports

Roberto Martinez says Everton defender John Stones has grown as a person as a result of interest from Premier League champions Chelsea.

The 21-year-old England international was the subject of a number of rejected bids from Chelsea during the close-season transfer window as Everton held onto one of their most prized assets.

Stones continues to be linked with a move away from Goodison Park fresh rumours in recent days suggesting interest from Barcelona but Martinez feels the centre-back is now better equipped to deal with speculation over his future.

One hundred per cent, everything that went on in the summer helped John grow as a person and a player, the Everton boss told reporters.

You need to understand the human side of a footballer gets heavily t…

Miralem Pjanic acknowledged this season would go down as a disappointment for Juventus after they again failed to follow their Serie A title with Champions League success.

The Bianconeri won a ninth straight Scudetto in 2019-20 yet once more fell short in European competition.

Juve crashed out to Lyon at the last-16 stage after Cristiano Ronaldo s two goals in a 2-1 win in Turin on Friday could not rescue the tie, with the Ligue 1 side going through on away goals.

Captain Leonardo Bonucci was first in front of the Sky Italia cameras following full-time and he suggested the team could still reflect fondly on their domestic campaign.

The main thing was always to win the Scudetto, he said. We knew anything could happen in the Champions League with this form…

Australian club Perth Glory confirmed they have made an approach for LA Galaxy superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Ibrahimovic s contract is set to expire following the Galaxy s elimination from the MLS play-offs and the 38-year-old striker is attracting interest.

Former Manchester United, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus star Ibrahimovic has been linked with a move to LaLiga, as well as Napoli, Bologna and Inter amid talk of a return to Europe.

Now, A-League premiers Perth have thrown their hat into the ring to bring the ex-Sweden international to Australia on a reported guest-player deal for up to six games this year.

An approach has been made to his agent [Mino Raiola], Glory CEO Tony Pignata told Fairfax.

We ve asked the question first…

Mauricio Pochettino is confident he retains the backing of Chelsea’s owners but conceded his future was out of his hands after defeat in the Carabao Cup final increased scrutiny of his position.

The under-fire Argentinian said he had supportive conversations with the club’s co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali following Sunday’s 1-0 extra-time loss to Liverpool.

Defeat at Wembley sparked further criticism of Pochettino and his expensively-assembled squad – including scathing comments from Gary Neville – as they failed to overcome inexperienced rivals who were missing a host of star names.

Chelsea, who are languishing in 11th place in the Premier League and sit closer to the relegation zone than the top four, return to action on Wednesday evening at …

Sergio Ramos will follow Lionel Messi out of Paris St Germain with the French champions confirming the veteran Spanish defender’s exit at the end of his contract.

Ramos has spent the past two seasons at the Parc des Princes after joining from Real Madrid on a free transfer, but he stands to make his final appearance in Saturday’s match against Clermont Foot.

The 37-year-old has won back-to-back Ligue 1 titles with PSG, scoring five goals in 57 appearances, although his form was often questioned and his departure is not seen as a surprise.

“Wearing the Red and Blue shirt for the last two years has been a wonderful experience,” Ramos said in a statement.

Thank you for two special years in which I was able play in every tournament and give my all. I …

Marseille have reached an agreement in principle to sign Evian defender Brice Dja Djedje.

Ivory Coast international Dja Djedje is poised to move to the Stade Velodrome on a four and a half-year deal.

The transfer will see 26-year-old Marseille defender Kassim Abdallah join struggling Evian, who sit 17th in Ligue 1 with 21 points from 22 games.

A statement on Marseille s website read: Olympique de Marseille and Evian Thonon Galliard have reached an agreement in principle for the transfer of Brice Dja Djedje.

The arrival of the 23-year-old Ivorian defender will be formalised on Wednesday after the player s medical examination.

Brice Dja Djedje joins OM for a period of four and a half years.

Dja Djedje moved to Evian in 2010 after progressing through th…

Barcelona star midfielder Andres Iniesta says he has watched his World Cup-winning goal a thousand times on television, but it never feels as good as it did on the pitch.

I watch all my matches many times, the 26-year-old Barcelona playmaker told the Spanish daily El Pais.

It helps me to improve. Also, they repeat it a lot. So whether I like it or not, I have seen the goal a thousand times, said Iniesta, favourite for the 2010 Golden Ball.

But the sensation on the pitch is unrepeatable, he added. Watching it is not the same as scoring it.

Iniesta swept Spain to a thrilling 1-0 World Cup victory over the Netherlands on July 11 with an unstoppable strike past the goalkeeper from inside the box four minutes from the end of extra-time.

There is …

Atletico Madrid supporters would rather go out in the Champions League semi-finals than suffer the prospect of a potential third final defeat to rivals Real Madrid, according to Bernd Schuster. 

Former Real head coach Schuster, who also represented Atletico in his playing days, has a feeling the two Madrid sides will be drawn to face each other in the semis.

But if they are kept apart when the last-four draw takes place in Nyon on Friday, he thinks supporters of Diego Simeone s side would be dreading the prospect of progressing to face Real, who beat them in both the 2014 final and last season s showpiece.

Some of my Atletico-supporting friends have told me they would rather lose in the semi-finals than play Real Madrid in another final, Schuster told Marca.