Ward signs Palace contract to 2021

Veteran striker Ross McCormack has returned to former club Motherwell on loan until the end of the Scottish Premiership season.

The 32-year-old, still under contract at Aston Villa, originally played for Well between 2006 and 2008 before earning a move to Cardiff City and kickstarting his career in the Championship in England.

McCormack is back at Fir Park after he was recalled from previous loan club Central Coast Mariners earlier on Saturday, citing family reasons.

I feel like this was the club that helped launch my career and I will be forever grateful for that, he said. I ve had a frustrating few years and I am desperate to just get back on the pitch again and do what I do.

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Ross McCormack is back

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Aston Villa want to sign Crysencio Summerville from Leeds United in the January transfer window, according to Fabrizio Romano. The Italian journalist has reported on Twitter that Villa are among a number of clubs who are keeping tabs on Summerville.

Romano has added that Leeds have “no intention” of selling Summerville in the January transfer window. The reporter has added that the West Yorkshire club turned down a bid of £20 million from Burnley for Summerville in the summer of 2023.

https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1739209378543141368

Summerville is one of the best young players in the Championship and is a key player for Leeds. The 22-year-old winger has made 18 starts and two substitute appearances in the Championship for the Whites so far this…

Nottingham Forest have sacked boss Steve Cooper and are in talks to appoint former Wolves and Tottenham boss Nuno Espirito Santo as his replacement, the PA news agency understands.

The 44-year-old has paid the price for a run of just one win in 13 Premier League games, which has seen Forest plummet to just five points above the drop zone.

The Portuguese is the preferred candidate to take over at the City Ground and has met with club officials ahead of a possible appointment.

Nuno has been out of work since leaving Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad in November. He appears set for a return to the Premier League two years after his sacking from an ill-fated four-month stay at Spurs.

Cooper has had the support of the Forest fans after taking them from the bott…

Having already been crowned league champions, Red Star Belgrade completed the Serbian double by beating arch-rivals Partizan in the final of the Serbian Cup on Tuesday at the Rajko Mitic Stadium. The match was settled through a penalty shootout after 120 minutes of play without any goals.

Open contest

In recent years, matches between Red Star and Partizan have always yielded little in terms of goals, and this time it was no different, but it should be said that it wasn t for lack of trying. They usually play cautiously and with a lot of grit and passion.

Well, the grit and the passion were certainly there, but both teams played to win, that much was clear from the start. Following an early period of Red Star domination, Partizan grew into the contest which bec…

Real Madrid are to take legal action against a Portuguese newspaper that suggested the club pressurised Cristiano Ronaldo into seeking a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) with Kathryn Mayorga.

Ms Mayorga has accused Ronaldo, who left Madrid for Juventus in July, of raping her in a hotel in Las Vegas in 2009, allegations the player and his lawyers have repeatedly denied.

The story originated in German publication Der Spiegel, whose initial claims an NDA worth $375,000 had been reached was confirmed by Ronaldo s lawyer Peter Christiansen on Wednesday.

Ms Mayorga filed a lawsuit last month in an attempt to quash that agreement while Las Vegas police have re-opened an investigation.

Correio da Manha claimed on Wednesday that the NDA was put in place at Madrid s …

Prediction: Spezia to win 1-0

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Spezia and Hellas Verona will face each other in the Serie A Relegation tie-breaker this coming weekend. The match between Leonardo Semplici’s side and Marco Zaffaroni’s team will be held at the Mapei Stadium in Città del Tricolore, Reggio Emilia and is scheduled to kick off at 7:45pm UK time on Sunday. This is first Serie A relegation play-off since 2005. The loses of the tie will join Sampdoria and Cremonese in Serie B next season.

Spezia

Spezia are a small club in Italy whose stadium, Stadio Alberto Picco, does not even hold 12,000 fans. Leonardo Semplici’s side finished as low as 16th in the Serie A table last season, and they have ended up 17th in the standings this time around.

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Patrice Evra has revealed Liverpool chief executive Peter Moore wrote to him to apologise for the Reds backing of Luis Suarez following a controversial incident in 2011.

Evra accused Suarez of using a racial slur against him during a match between bitter rivals Manchester United and Liverpool nine years ago.

Suarez was subsequently charged by the Football Association (FA) and banned for eight matches.

Liverpool supported the striker throughout the process, with their players even wearing t-shirts with his name and number on while warming up for a home game.

Jamie Carragher a key member of Liverpool s team at the time – apologised to Evra while working alongside him as a pundit last October.

The former France full-back has confirmed Liverpool s …

Lilian Thuram has questioned whether football chiefs will ever back up outraged words with firm actions after Inter striker Romelu Lukaku became the latest player to suffer racist abuse.

World Cup winner Thuram says a culture of white supremacy is the underlying cause of the spate of racist incidents blighting football.

As well as incidents in stadiums, a rising tide of social media abuse of black players has tarnished the glossy image of the modern game.

Thuram, a black Frenchman born in Guadeloupe, played for 10 years in Italy with Parma and then Juventus.

He has been politically active since his playing days, speaking out often against racism in sport and issues of inequality in society.

Former Manchester United striker Lukaku faced abuse wh…

Sheffield Wednesday have appointed former Watford boss Xisco Munoz as their new manager.

The 42-year-old Spaniard replaces Darren Moore, who surprisingly departed the Owls having guided the club to promotion via the League One play-offs.

Munoz steered Watford back into the Premier League having taken charge midway through the 2020-21 campaign, but was sacked during November 2021 after just 36 games in charge.

Former winger Munoz won both the LaLiga title and the UEFA Cup while at Valencia, before moving into management with Georgian club Dinamo Tbilisi and moved to Watford in December 2020.

A short statement on the Owls’ club website read: “Sheffield Wednesday are delighted to announce the appointment of Xisco Munoz as our first team manager.

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Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang came off the bench to rescue Arsenal on Thursday as they got their Europa League campaign off to a winning start with a 2-1 victory over Rapid Vienna.

The club captain scored just four minutes after David Luiz had equalised as the Gunners fought back to win the Group B clash after a Bernd Leno mistake saw them fall behind early in the second half.

Thomas Partey made his first start for the club in a match from which Rapid will feel they should have taken something, with goalscorer Taxiarchis Fountas unable to capitalise on further Leno errors.

Rapid had 12 shots to Arsenal s 11 but could not avenge a 6-2 aggregate defeat in their only previous meeting back in the 1991-92 European Cup.

1-1 David Luiz (33y 183d) is the oldest pl…