that Everton’s hat-trick hero Arouna Kone has earned a new one-year deal at Goodison Park.
The Ivory Coast international moved from Wigan Athletic in the summer of 2013, shortly after his manager Roberto Martinez made the same switch.
His man-of-the-match performance in Sunday’s 6-2 win over Sunderland was his thirty-fifth in an Everton shirt, and that tally has triggered a clause which extends his contract by twelve months.
Before the weekend the thirty-one year old had scored just three goals, and he has largely played second fiddle to Romelu Lukaku since arriving on Merseyside.
Prior to moving to England, Kone had spells in Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain and Germany, having begun his career in his home country.
He also has been capp…
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer insisted he had no regrets over his team selection after Manchester United lost 3-1 at Leicester City in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.
Former Manchester City striker Kelechi Iheanacho scored twice either side of Youri Tielemans solo strike as Brendan Rodgers men booked a Wembley semi-final against Southampton.
Mason Greenwood equalised shortly before half-time in a rare moment of inspiration for United, as Paul Pogba and Donny van de Beek combined to fine effect.
But the midfield duo were only fit to play for an hour, having recently returned to action, and Bruno Fernandes was unable to have a decisive impact from the bench.
Solskjaer felt such juggling was a necessity after a packed schedule in which his side overcame Milan in …
Chelsea F.C. are reportedly on the verge of signing Tottenham Hotspur target Willian from Anzhi Makhachkala for a fee of £30 million, understands.
Willian, who underwent a medical at Tottenham earlier this week, had been tipped to join Spurs in a deal worth £30 million, but the Brazilian ace is now expected to reject a move to White Hart Lane in order to team-up with compatriots David Luiz, Oscar and Ramires at Stamford Bridge.
The Brazil international, 25, remains a top priority for Spurs, but the bookmakers and manager Jose Mourinho are under the impression that a move to Chelsea is rather imminent.
Thus, Willian is 1/8 to sign for Chelsea before 3 September, with Spurs (5/1) and Liverpool (33/1) set to miss out on the 25-year-old play-maker.
…
Arturo Vidal said Jorge Sampaoli is worthy of working for the biggest teams in Europe as the Bayern Munich midfielder backed the Sevilla coach for the Barcelona job.
Sampaoli, 56, is reportedly among the candidates in the frame to replace Luis Enrique, who will leave LaLiga titleholders Barca at the end of the season.
Vidal knows Sampaoli well, having won the 2015 Copa America under the guidance of the former Chile boss and he feels the time is right for bigger and better things.
Sampaoli is good enough as coach to take on any team, Vidal said.
He showed it in the national team and I hope he can take on a bigger team.
Vidal was speaking after scoring twice in Bayern s 5-1 second-leg rout of Arsenal as they advanced to the Champions League quart…
Dejan Kulusevski has acknowledged Tottenham were “too open” against Wolves and insisted they must work harder to get their top-four charge back on track.
Spurs slipped to a 2-1 loss at home to the Midlands club on Saturday, which allowed Aston Villa to leapfrog them and take back fourth position, while sixth-placed Manchester United are only three points behind.
Tottenham lacked fluency against Wolves and while Kulusevski levelled 34 seconds into the second half, the visitors continued to cause Ange Postecoglou’s team problems on the break and it ultimately resulted in Joao Gomes’ second goal after a superb Pedro Neto run.
“Nothing worse than losing so very tough,” Kulusevski said.
“We had a lot of chances, we can’t score them and then not…
Borussia Dortmund striker Robert Lewandowski has confirmed that he has already decided who he will play for next season.
Lewandowski was expected to leave Dortmund for Bayern Munich in the close-season, but the transfer did not materialise.
The Poland international has been in fine form for Jurgen Klopp s men so far this season, scoring 13 goals in a campaign that appears poised to be his last at Signal Iduna Park.
Bayern, Chelsea, Manchester United and Real Madrid have all been linked with a move for the 25-year-old.
And Lewandowski has revealed that he has come to a decision on his future.
I will reveal my future next year, he told Sport-Bild. No one needs to get in touch with me anymore.
I have decided what I am to do. I simply want to have a new …
Eduardo Li, the former president of the Costa Rican Football Association, has been banned from all football-related activities for life.
An investigation led by FIFA s independent Ethics Committee found the official guilty of violating numerous aspects of the governing body s Code of Ethics.
Having been monitored since May 2015, Li pleaded guilty in October 2016 to one count of racketeering conspiracy, one count of wire fraud and one count of wire fraud conspiracy, relating to bribes received from sports marketing companies.
In a statement on Friday, the Ethics Committee announced that the proceedings have come to a close and Li has been handed a lifetime ban from the game at both national and international level.
He had violated articles 13 (gener…
Rodri made a surprise return to the Manchester City starting line-up for Sunday s blockbuster Premier League clash against Liverpool, with Claudio Bravo replacing injured goalkeeper Ederson as expected for the champions.
Spain midfielder Rodri has not featured since suffering a hamstring injury during City s 5-1 Champions League win over Atalanta last month but makes an ahead-of-schedule return at Anfield, where leaders Liverpool are aiming to extend their six-point advantage over Pep Guardiola s side.
A fitness setback during this week s return versus Atalanta might have the greatest impact upon City s prospects, with Ederson s thigh problem heralding a first top-flight appearance since May 2018 for Chile international Bravo, who was sent off after being introduced as a…
Jude Bellingham was sent off after the final whistle after being denied a late winner in Real Madrid’s 2-2 draw at Valencia.
The England midfielder, making his return from injury, thought he had headed home a cross deep into stoppage time at the Mestalla but the referee had already blown for full time.
Real players surrounded the official in a chaotic aftermath and Bellingham was shown the red card before the players left the field.
It made for a dramatic ending to a compelling LaLiga clash in which the leaders had fought back from 2-0 down with two Vinicius Junior goals.
Valencia had stunned Carlo Ancelotti’s side by pouncing on two mistakes to score twice in quick succession through Hugo Duro and Roman Yaremchuk.
The result meant Real missed…
AFC Wimbledon have been handed a mouth-watering visit to rivals MK Dons in the first round of the League Cup.
Tuesday s draw pitted the two clubs together in what is likely to be a fiercely-contested clash given the controversial circumstances surrounding how MK Dons were formed a decade ago.
MK Dons were established following the fallout of Wimbledon FC s decision to relocate to Milton Keynes in 2003, with AFC Wimbledon subsequently formed by disgruntled supporters who opposed the move.
AFC Wimbledon have enjoyed a fairytale rise up the football pyramid since the fledgling club was launched and secured promotion to League Two in 2011.
The League Cup tie will mark only the second meeting between the sides, with League One MK Dons have triumphed in an FA Cup seco…