Valencia coach Nuno hailed the departed Nicolas Otamendi, and said he was still chasing a replacement for the new Manchester City centre-back.
Otamendi s City move was secured on Thursday, and while central defender Eliaquim Mangala was ruled out of a loan move from City to Valencia by Manuel Pellegrini, Nuno was still hopeful of bringing in cover.
Valencia are preparing for their La Liga opener away at Rayo Vallecano, just days after winning the first leg of a UEFA Champions League play-off against Monaco 3-1.
We have the feeling that we need one more centre-back, said Nuno, who played Shkodran Mustafi and Ruben Vezo as his central pairing against Monaco.
But we still have a few days, and the important thing is that for tomorrow and next Tuesday we h…
Chris Greenacre has made the full transition from player to coach after signing a two-year deal to be Ricki Herbert s assistant at the Wellington Phoenix.
The move has long been signalled after the 34-year-old former Stoke City and Tranmere Rovers striker combined his playing role with coaching duties at the Phoenix last season.
You never want to hang up your boots; you think you can play for ever. But it comes to a point where you have to be realistic and look at where your next options are, said the Englishman, who scored 19 goals since joining the A-League club in 2009.
Retiring from playing has probably come a bit earlier than I hoped but this opportunity might not have been on the table in a year s time.
Maybe I could have played another couple o…
Brazilian defender Thiago Silva has moved to confirm that he is negotiating a contract extension at Parc des Princes.
The highly rated footballer was heavily linked with a summer exit as his current deal is due to expire at the end of the season.
Thiago Silva was even tipped to return to AC Milan, but after L’Equipe suggested that the Brazilian was likely to be staying, the player has now confirmed the talks are in progress.
“My extension? Not yet. We are discussing,” the Brazil international told Canal + after the 4-0 triumph over Rennes.
The 32-year-old was one of the first world-class footballers to join Paris Saint-Germain when he arrived from AC Milan together with Zlatan Ibrahimovic in July 2012.
Thiago Silva has since made 113 Ligue …
Santos president Modesto Roma Junior has called on FIFA to investigate the details of Neymar s transfer to Barcelona.
The financial arrangements surrounding the Brazil captain s move from Santos to Barcelona in 2013 came under investigation and led to the resignation of Sandro Rosell from his position as president of the Catalan side in January 2014.
The Camp Nou outfit have faced a lengthy legal battle after a club member asked for full details of the striker s signing to be published – which revealed an apparent misappropriation of funds in the deal.
Neymar led Santos to three consecutive Campeonato Paulista titles a feat not achieved since the era of Pele and the Copa Libertadores trophy in 2011.
However, Roma Jr has revealed that the Brazilian club …
Barcelona defender Thomas Vermaelen believes the club s former coach Luis Enrique could be a big success in the Premier League.
Luis Enrique, on sabbatical after leaving Barca at the end of last season, has been linked with replacing the under-pressure Antonio Conte at Chelsea.
The 47-year-old won three Copa del Rey titles and LaLiga twice during his time in charge at Camp Nou, as well as leading Barcelona to the Champions League crown in 2014-15.
Vermaelen was a bit-part player at Barca under Luis Enrique but remains full of praise for his old boss.
I think it s similar to what you re seeing with Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, the centre-back told the Guardian.
You bring a bit of the Spanish influence into English football and it might take …
Inter extended their Serie A winning streak to six games with a 1-0 victory over Palermo courtesy of Joao Mario s second-half goal.
Stefano Pioli s side arrived in Sicily on the back of a draining midweek extra-time victory over Bologna in the Coppa Italia, and it took the Nerazzurri over an hour to break down their struggling hosts.
After heavy pressure on the Palermo goal failed to pay off, Pioli sent on Joao Mario for Ever Banega and it took the Portuguese midfielder just 10 minutes to make his mark when he volleyed home Antonio Candreva s cross to put Inter ahead.
Palermo who reduced to 10 men in stoppage time with Alessandro Gazzi s red card continued to battle in the hope of salvaging a point, but in the end coach Eugenio Corini was left with a third consec…
Raheem Sterling says Pep Guardiola killed him after Manchester City drew with Crystal Palace in December, although he insists the manager is bringing the very best out of him.
City dropped points away from home in the Premier League for the first time this season at Selhurst Park and would have lost the match were it not for a late penalty save by Ederson.
Guardiola was unhappy with aspects of his team s performance and Sterling says he was subjected to some stern words in the dressing room after failing to make an impact off the bench.
He lets you know when he s not happy with you, Sterling told a news conference. I remember coming on against Crystal Palace. I lost the ball three times and I didn t think I was going to play until the end of the season after he …
Manchester City full-back Oleksandr Zinchenko has sustained a knee injury, the Premier League champions have confirmed.
A timeframe has not been placed on when the Ukraine international might return to action, with City announcing ahead of Tuesday s Champions League match against Atalanta that he will be assessed over the coming days to determine the extent of the problem .
Everyone at City wishes Oleks a speedy recovery, the statement added.
There will be fears Zinchenko is the latest City player to fall victim to a serious knee problem, with Leroy Sane and Aymeric Laporte currently recuperating following surgery during the opening weeks of this season.
Zinchenko s own opportunity to establish himself as a reliable option at left-back for Pep Guardiola …
Antonio Conte was impressed with Dele Alli s performance against Liverpool as the Tottenham head coach continues to develop an understanding of which players he can count on.
Spurs had not played since December 5 against Norwich City, missing three games due to a COVID-19 outbreak at the club but recorded a valiant 2-2 draw with Jurgen Klopp s side on Sunday.
Harry Kane opened the scoring with just his second Premier League goal of the campaign and his first at home in the competition since May, though strikes from Diogo Jota and Andy Robertson – who was later sent-off – put Liverpool into the ascendancy.
Son Heung-min then salvaged a deserved point for Spurs after an Alisson blunder, but Conte s side could have scored four or five, with the Liverpool goalkee…
Everton appear very persistent in their intention to sign Nathan Patterson from Rangers. Having seen two bids for the services of the 20-year-old turned down, the Merseysiders are about to make a third, according to , with manager Rafa Benizez keen on strengthening both defensive flanks.
The first offer reportedly stood at £5 million and was labelled by Steven Gerrard, Rangers boss at the time, as a joke , before a £9m one suffered the same fate.
Patterson prefers playing on the right defensive flank, where Everton completely depend on captain Seamus Coleman. The 20-year-old has made a total of 11 appearances in all competitions for the Scottish champions, though only two of those have been Premiership starts.
As for the left, Vitaliy Mykolenko is expected to …