Month: December 2022

7:16 AM ET Alex Kirkland Julien Laurens Karim Benzema‘s agent has claimed the forward would have been available to play for France from the World Cup round-of-16 stage, but was sent home prematurely by coach Didier Deschamps and the team’s medical staff. Benzema, 35, suffered a thigh injury in training on Nov. 19, three days

5:42 AM ET Nottingham Forest midfielder Jesse Lingard said he was given “false promises” about playing time during his final year at Manchester United and is still in the dark over why he was used so sparingly. Lingard, who joined United at the age of seven, had returned to Old Trafford last year after a

6:04 AM ET How do you solve a problem like Darwin Nunez? Liverpool‘s response to that dilemma has now been made clear by their move to sign Cody Gakpo in a £37 million transfer from PSV Eindhoven — a deal that has been done so quietly and efficiently that the Netherlands forward could be signed

5:00 AM ET Robert Lewandowski has been superb since arriving at Barcelona, but it’s also fair to say he changes the way they play. Seeing what they do while he’s suspended will be fascinating. Eric Alonso/Getty Images Given that he has scored 18 times in 19 matches throughout his debut season, it would be nonsensical to

Arsenal recovered from a goal down to beat West Ham United 3-1 at Emirates Stadium and move seven points clear at the top of the Premier League. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, more (U.S.)– Premier League table | Upcoming fixtures Said Benrahma put the Hammers in front with a 26th-minute penalty after William

4:13 PM ET Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte said he had no doubts that Harry Kane would rise above the disappointment of his World Cup heartache as the Premier League season resumed on Monday. Kane matched Wayne Rooney’s England goalscoring record by converting a penalty in the World Cup quarterfinal against France but later missed

8:06 PM ET Tim Ream celebrates after scoring a goal for Fulham against Crystal Palace. Getty Images United States defender Tim Ream signed a contract extension with Fulham on Monday, the Premier League side announced, which ties the 35-year-old Ream to the club through the 2023-24 season. The announcement comes on the same day that Ream

6:58 PM ET Mikel Arteta believes Arsene Wenger chose the “right moment” to return to Arsenal and that his players put on a show worthy of the occasion in Monday’s 3-1 win over West Ham United. The Gunners recovered from a goal down as Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Eddie Nketiah all struck in the

5:13 PM ET Cody Gakpo scored three goals with Netherlands at the World Cup in Qatar. Rico Brouwer/Soccrates/Getty Images Liverpool have beaten Manchester United in the race to sign winger Cody Gakpo after agreeing a deal with PSV, the Dutch side announced on Monday. Sources have told ESPN that the fee of the deal is around

3:18 PM ET Mykhaylo Mudryk has enjoyed a superb season with Shakhtar. Mikolaj Barbanell/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images Arsenal have submitted an opening bid of around €65 million for Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhailo Mudryk, sources have told ESPN. The 21-year-old is Arsenal’s top transfer target in January, and the club have made an early formal move,

4:56 PM ET Arsenal padded their lead in the Premier League with a barnstorming, come-from-behind 3-1 win over West Ham United at the Emirates on Monday night. Arsene Wenger looked on from the stands in north London for the first time since leaving the club in 2018 following his 22 years as Gunners manager, as

3:09 PM ET Adam Brown In their Premier League return from the World Cup break, Liverpool closed the gap for Champions League qualification to five points after they secured a 3-1 victory against Aston Villa on Monday. The Reds got off to the perfect start after five minutes as defender Trent Alexander-Arnold‘s exquisite pass with

11:58 AM ET Newcastle United‘s Joelinton won a penalty and netted a first-half header in a 3-0 thrashing of Leicester City that took his side up to second in the Premier League table on Monday. Leicester defender Daniel Amartey got the match off to a terrible start for the hosts, gifting Newcastle a penalty when

9:31 AM ET Harry Kane shook off his World Cup disappointment to spark a Tottenham Hotspur revival in an entertaining 2-2 draw at Brentford on Monday as the Premier League roared back to life. An early goal by Vitaly Janelt and Ivan Toney‘s close-range strike shortly after the interval put Brentford 2-0 up as Spurs

6:51 AM ET Brazil legend Pele’s family members gathered at the Albert Einstein hospital in Sao Paulo on Saturday, where the 82-year-old, widely considered one of the greatest footballers of all time, has been since late November. Doctors said this week that Pele’s cancer had advanced and that he requires care related to renal and

4:29 AM ET Wolverhampton Wanderers have signed Brazil forward Matheus Cunha on loan from LaLiga side Atletico Madrid, both clubs said on Sunday. Cunha will join Wolves from Jan. 1 on a deal which could become a permanent move until 2027 if certain clauses are triggered, Wolves said. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more

7:56 PM ET Nick JuddTransfer writer West Ham star Declan Rice could finally make a long-linked move to Chelsea. Julian Finney/Getty Images With the opening of the January transfer window coming closer, there’s plenty of gossip swirling about who’s moving where. Transfer Talk brings you all the latest buzz on rumours, comings, goings and, of course,

Dec 23, 2022 The 2022 World Cup is over, but just two weeks later the transfer window opens for the majority of Europe’s top clubs on Jan. 1. 2 Related This year, more than most, the focus on the star performers from Qatar will be evident as clubs look to strengthen their energy-sapped, injury-laden squads