Garry Monk is the man charged with helping Middlesbrough to promotion next season
At the start of last season, I have to admit I thought Middlesbrough would have enough about them to stay in the Premier League. Under Aitor Karanka Boro were a very well drilled team.
Unfortunately, a solid defensive set-up was not enough, as the north east side suffered relegation, having scored the fewest goals in the Premier League.
Karanka’s temporarily replacement Steve Agnew did very little to convince that he was the man to take the club forward. However, the club now have appointed a bright young head coach in Garry Monk.
Monk has shown promise in his short managerial career
Good young British bosses are short on the ground. Clubs prefer to use foreign bo…
Dayot Upamecano has ended speculation about his future by signing a new contract with Bundesliga side RB Leipzig.
The 21-year-old defender had been linked with a move to Premier League outfit Arsenal and his previous deal was due to expire in 2021.
Leipzig had told Upamecano he needed to sign a new contract or would likely be sold in this transfer window rather than being allowed to depart for free a year down the line.
And the France Under-21 international has elected to stay put, agreeing to terms on a deal that runs until 2023.
I feel right at home here in Leipzig the overall package is perfect, said Upamecano, who was also thought to be of interest to Bayern Munich.
We had good conversations with [chief executive] Oliver Mintzlaff, [sport…
Liverpool duo Naby Keita and Sadio Mane are keen for Timo Werner to make the move to Anfield from RB Leipzig.
Werner s deal with the Bundesliga club is due to expire at the end of the 2019-2020 season and he is yet to decide on his long-term future.
That has led to rumours that Leipzig could cash in on their prized asset in the next transfer window to avoid losing the Germany striker in a cut-price deal or on a free transfer.
Keita was a team-mate of Werner, who has also been linked with Bayern Munich, at Leipzig and would relish a reunion.
Speaking to Sport Bild, he said: We played really well together at Leipzig and he was one of my best mates.
It s clear, should he move, then I ask Timo to join us here at Liverpool.
Reds forward Mane…
In the light of Barcelona playing their Champions League game on Wednesday away to Inter Milan, have reported that Inter s Samir Handanović came close to moving to Camp Nou in the summer of 2013.
At the time, Victor Valdes was the one standing regularly between the posts for the Catalan club, but he had announced his departure would come at the end of 2013/14 and they needed to find a suitable replacement. They were willing to pay up to €23million for Handanović who was 29 years old, but Inter president Massimo Moratti stepped in and blocked the move. He spoke very determinedly when he confirmed the goalkeeper would be staying.
Barcelona ended up signing Claudio Bravo and Marc-Andre Ter-Stegen, and as Pep Guardiola took Bravo to Manchester City in 2016, the German …
Eight medical personnel who treated Diego Maradona prior to his death will stand trial for alleged criminal neglect.
On Wednesday, a judge in Argentina ordered a culpable homicide trial for the individuals, including Maradona s family doctor and nurses, with evidence they failed to take action that could have prevented the death in November 2020.
The Argentina and Napoli icon died at the age of 60 while recovering from a blood clot, which came after years of battling with cocaine and alcohol addictions.
Maradona was found dead two weeks after the procedure in a rented house in Buenos Aires where he was brought after being discharged from hospital, having suffered a heart attack.
ON THIS DAY: In Mexico, 22 June 1986, Diego Armando Maradona scored what bec…
Following the appointment of Eddie Howe as the manager, Newcastle are set to make a move for Kieran Trippier of Atletico Madrid, according the . Apparently, the right-back is Howe s first big-money target for the upcoming winter transfer window.
Trippier played a big role in Atletico s charge to the La Liga title last season, starting 28 matches in the Spanish top flight and missing the rest through suspension. He arrived to Madrid from Tottenham Hotspur in 2019, after four years in North London. Since then, he has made a total of 83 appearances in all competitions for the Rojiblancos, providing his teammates with 11 assists. The 31-year-old is contracted to his current club until the summer of 2023.
Trippier was a reported target for Manchester United this summer, with…
Alex Morgan insisted every goal matters for the United States following their merciless 13-0 humiliation of Thailand at the Women s World Cup.
Morgan scored a remarkable five goals as USA opened their title defence with a record-breaking victory in Reims on Tuesday.
USA secured the largest margin of victory at a World Cup, while five-star Morgan tied the women s record for goals scored in a match.
The defending champions, however, were criticised for their relentless pursuit of goals amid the ongoing celebrations.
Morgan defended USA as head coach Jill Ellis and her side bid to defend the trophy they won in 2015.
Historic Win at the
— U.S. Soccer WNT (@USWNT)
I think in the moment, every time we score a goal in the World Cup …
Mino Raiola has suggested Bayern Munich could make a move for Paul Pogba, who has also been offered a contract extension by Manchester United.
Pogba is out of contract with United at the end of the season. He has not featured since October when he was sent off in a 5-0 thrashing at the hands of Liverpool.
The midfielder subsequently suffered a thigh injury while away on international duty with France last month.
United s new interim manager Ralf Rangnick said on Friday that he has spoken to Pogba, who has been rehabbing in Dubai but is due back into the United Kingdom this weekend.
Raiola confirmed in an interview with Sport1 that his client has been offered fresh terms by the Red Devils, though insisted that is just one of several options on the table, …
Bordeaux have denied demanding a fee for missing striker Emiliano Sala following his move to Cardiff City.
Sala completed a club-record transfer to Premier League side Cardiff before the plane he was aboard went missing en ro
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ute to the Welsh capital from Nantes on Monday.
The search for Sala – who had been back in France bidding farewell to his team-mates at Nantes – was ended by Guernsey Police on Thursday, though the 28-year-old s family are determined to resume the operation.
Amid the heartache, reports have emerged that Bordeaux asked for a fee from Sala s transfer, believed to be 50 per cent following his spell at the club from 2012 to 2015, though the Ligue 1 outfit dismissed those claims.
Communiqué du club
— FC Giro…
Andre Schurrle is ready and willing to take on any role in Germany s Euro 2016 opener against Ukraine at the Stade Pierre Mauroy in Lille on Sunday.
Wolfsburg forward Schurrle featured as a substitute in three of Germany s qualifying matches for the European Championship.
The 25-year-old also came on from the bench during the world champions warm-up fixtures against Slovakia – a 3-1 defeat – and Hungary, which they won 2-0.
With just one recognised striker in the squad in Mario Gomez, Joachim Low is expected to fluidly interchange his forward line.
That will not be a problem for Schurrle, who is willing to do whatever he can when called upon by coach Joachim Low.
Regardless of what role I play, I m ready, he said at a media conference on Frid…