Lyon have warned clubs interested in signing Moussa Dembele that the striker is not for sale.

Dembele has scored 10 goals in the league for Lyon this season

Dembele, who previously played for Celtic and Fulham, has been linked with a move to Chelsea and Manchester United during the January transfer window.

The 23-year-old has scored 30 goals in 71 appearances in all competitions for Lyon since joining from Celtic in 2018.

In a statement, the club said they “wish to keep” the France Under-21 international.

“Olympique Lyonnais have become aware of some media reports suggesting that Moussa Dembele may be of interest to other clubs during the January transfer window,” it said.

“We would like to reaffirm our wish, as we did in the summer of 2019, to keep Moussa Dembele.

“The club has full confidence in Moussa and is counting on him in particular as we aim to build a successful team for the coming seasons.”

Source – BBC News

The Reds lost Naby Keita in the warm-up but restored their 13-point lead at the top of the Premier League with a 2-0 win over Sheffield United.

Photo by Getty

Not even injuries can halt this Liverpool team, it seems.

The Reds’ list of absentees continues to grow, but so does the belief that this, finally, will be the year their long wait for a league title comes to an end.

Jurgen Klopp’s side began 2020 as they had spent most of 2019; winning. Sheffield United were the latest victims, beaten 2-0 at Anfield as the Premier League leaders restored their 13-point advantage at the top of the table.

Despite losing the in-form Naby Keita to a groin injury in the warm-up, there was to be no hiccup from the champions-elect. “We only have 13 outfield players,” Klopp had said on Wednesday, but when they are as good as these players are, you do not need much more.

Keita joins Dejan Lovren, Joel Matip, Fabinho, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Nathaniel Clyne and Xherdan Shaqiri on a lengthy-looking injury list. But if in previous seasons that would have been enough to derail Liverpool’s season, it is unlikely to be the case this time. This team, these players, are made of far stronger stuff.

They had too much for Sheffield United here. The day had started with the Blades’ ‘activation session’, held in Stanley Park, being gatecrashed by an intrepid local dog, but it would be a couple of more familiar faces that would disrupt their plans in the evening.

Mo Salah needed just four minutes to mark his territory, the Egyptian shaking off a couple of lacklustre performances in front of goal by sweeping Liverpool ahead from Andy Robertson’s cross. Fourteen for the season now for the Egyptian, who remains the worst ‘one-season wonder’ of all time surely?

Salah turned provider for the second goal, his incisive pass finished off, eventually, by Sadio Mane after the break. Anything you can do, I can do. Mane remains one goal clear of his friendly rival in the race to be the Reds’ top scorer.

Mane’s goal all-but killed the game as a contest, Liverpool fairly cruising to their fifth straight league clean sheet. Since Joe Gomez joined the imperious Virgil van Dijk at the heart of Klopp’s defence, they have barely looked like conceding. Both Gomez and Van Dijk, friends off the field as well as partners on it, were exceptional here.

So too, were Jordan Henderson and Gini Wijnaldum. If there is a silver lining to the cloud of the injuries, it is that most of Klopp’s go-to men, in defence, midfield or attack, are still standing. They will all, for sure, get a good rest on Sunday, when Liverpool will make wholesale changes for the visit of Everton in the FA Cup third round.

That may jar with the traditionalists, but this is 2020. Liverpool’s eyes are on the Premier League and the Champions League. They will, you suspect, back themselves to win this weekend, whatever team they field. They were able to give Harvey Elliott, who will surely start, his Premier League debut for the club as a late substitute here.

What an experience for the 16-year-old, who replaced Salah in stoppage time. He has joined the best team in the country, the best team in Europe, the best team in the world.

And right now that is the case, no matter who is fit and available. The faces may change, but the story remains the same.

Liverpool are top, and they do not look like they will be stopped.

Source – Goal.com

David Beckham’s new Major League Soccer team Inter Miami have appointed Diego Alonso as their first manager.

Diego Alonso spent most of his playing career in Spain as a striker, for clubs including Valencia and Atletico Madrid

The Uruguayan, 44, was fired by Mexican side Monterrey in September, despite leading them to victory in the 2019 Concacaf Champions League.

Alonso also spent four years at Monterrey’s rivals Pachuca, leading them to Champions League success in 2017.

“It’s an ambitious and winning project – that’s what I’m all about,” he said.

Inter sporting director Paul McDonough added: “In Diego we found a manager that fits our culture and has a strong desire to build a winning club for our fans.”

Former England captain Beckham, who played for MLS side LA Galaxy from 2007-2012, is owner and president of the new franchise, and announced the club name, colours and new stadium plans in September 2018. Their first MLS match is at Los Angeles FC on 1 March.

Source – Goal.com

Most Champions League hat-tricks and the international goal record are just two of the marks that could be set by the Juventus star.

Cristiano Ronaldo has been rewriting the football history books for over a decade and has the opportunity to rack up a stack of new milestones in 2020.

The 34-year-old attacker will be hoping to propel Juventus to their third Champions League title, and first since 1995-96, while the Old Lady could also win a ninth consecutive Serie A championship.

Not only can Ronaldo break records at domestic level but he will also be close to reaching new marks at international level for Portugal.

Which records can the former Real Madrid and Man Utd star break in the next 12 months?

Most European Cup wins

Ronaldo won his fifth Champions League when Real Madrid beat Liverpool in the 2018 final and if he can inspire Juventus to glory in 2020 he will have won Europe’s top competition as many times as current record holder Francisco Gento, who won six between 1956 and 1966 for Real Madrid.

All-time top European Championship goal-scorer

Ronaldo has scored nine goals for Portugal at the four European Championships where he has represented his country, putting him level with Michel Platini as the competition’s leading scorer. If he can find the net in 2020’s tournament, he will become the leading Euros marksman of all time.

Most Champions League hat-tricks

Ronaldo, along with Messi, has scored eight hat-tricks each in the Champions League – more than any other player to have graced the competition – and if he can beat his Barcelona rival to a treble in 2020, he could claim bragging rights for some time to come.

First player to be top scorer in English, Spanish and Italian top flights

Ronaldo is currently joint-fourth in the Serie A scoring charts with 10 goals, behind Joao Pedro (11), Romelu Lukaku (12) and Ciro Immobile (17), but if he can storm his way to the top in 2020 he will become the first player in history to have been top goal-scorer in the English, Spanish and Italian top flights.

All-time international top-scorer

Ronaldo will be going all guns blazing for Portugal this year as he attempts to add to his 99 international goals and succeed Ali Daei, who scored 109 for Iran, as the top international marksman of all time.

Source – Goal.com 

Former Premier League referee Bobby Madley has admitted he was sacked because a tasteless video he described as a “dark-humoured joke” between friends was sent to his employers.

Bobby Madley has not officiated in the Premier League since 2018. Photo by James Williamson – AMA/Getty Images

Madley has not officiated in the Premier League since August 2018, with the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) originally stating that he was relocating to Norway.

However, he has now revealed that the video, where he mocked a parent with a walking impairment, was forwarded to the PGMOL which resulted in a formal disciplinary hearing and his subsequent dismissal.

Madley said the video was made in response to being “fat shamed” in a newspaper article titled ‘Blobby Bobby’ written by former referee Mark Halsey, who claimed he made mistakes because he was overweight.

“As I sat in my car with my phone in hand, a person walked past my car in front of me who had a walking impairment. The next part I am ashamed of,” Madley explained in a blog post.

“I took a six-second film, I said nothing. I did this in Snapchat, which is where I take all of my films that I intend to save to my phone.

“On the video I wrote: ‘I have a chance of winning the parents’ race this year.’ Out of context I accept this reads shamefully… However, my intention was that the joke was aimed at myself.”

Madley said the video, sent as a private text to somebody he trusted, was meant to be nothing more than a joke and was not intended to be seen by anyone else, claiming his “world fell apart” after the video came to light.

“I regret taking the video, I regret sending that video and, whilst it was a dark-humoured joke, it was just that. A joke. It was not intended to shame anyone,” he added.

“Whilst I absolutely understand the importance of an employer taking discrimination seriously, as they did, the decision to this day still stuns me.

“I will never be able to accept that the decision taken was either necessary nor was it proportionate to the act… The last 18 months have been mental torture for me.”

Source – ESPN

New Year’s Day saw the Arteta era produce its most significant result as Arsenal bounced back from a sequence of only one win in 15 matches.

Photo by Getty Images

Cometh the hour, cometh the man.

Arsenal have waited a long time for their club-record £72 million signing to deliver on the big occasion but, on New Year’s Day, Nicolas Pepe did exactly that.

The Ivory Coast international played a starring role as the Gunners produced a sparkling display to sink Manchester United 2-0 and earn Mikel Arteta his first win since taking over as head coach.

Pepe scored the first and then played a big part in the second, swinging in the corner which led to Sokratis thumping a volley into the roof of David De Gea’s net.

This was the night Arsenal had been waiting for. After one win in 15 games, after four successive home defeats, they needed something to halt the slide and this victory should do exactly that.

Just as they did against Chelsea on Sunday, Arsenal flew out of the blocks. The energy and desire that Arteta has been demanding was there for all to see – as was the quality.

Luke Shaw had no answer for Pepe’s pace and trickery down the right, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and fit-again Sead Kolasinac combined time and time again to overrun Aaron Wan-Bissaka down the left and the magnificent Lucas Torreira didn’t give the United midfield an inch.

Pepe’s goal came after just eight minutes when he swept home Kolasinac’s cross after the Bosnian had been played in behind the visitors’ backline by Aubameyang.

It was no more than Arsenal deserved and crucially they went on to double their lead before the interval through Sokratis, who reacted quickest to the loose ball after De Gea had palmed out an Alexandre Lacazette header.

That goal gave the hosts the breathing space they needed after the interval when, just as they did against Chelsea, they tired and surrendered possession to their visitors.

But this time there was no late capitulation. With Arteta furiously gesturing for more on the sidelines, his players stood up and saw the game out. Torreira was exceptional, David Luiz and Sokratis were excellent at the back, as was Ainsley Maitland-Niles, while Leno’s handling was pure when it needed to be.

This was a huge win for Arsenal and the fact Pepe was at the heart of it will make it all the more sweet.

Emery couldn’t find a way of getting a tune out of the winger and, despite the former Lille star scoring in the win at West Ham, he soon found himself back amongst the substitutes under Freddie Ljungberg.

Arteta then waited to throw him in, leaving him on the bench against Bournemouth and Chelsea, but on the first night of 2020 he gave Pepe his opportunity and the big-money signing delivered.

When he was replaced by Reiss Nelson after 62 minutes, Pepe had a 100 per cent pass accuracy rate, had created four chances, completed four take-ons and had taken part in 16 duels. It was no wonder the Emirates stood in unison to serenade him as he made his way towards the bench.

A player that so often had been on the periphery of things since arriving in north London was instead at the heart of a win that has lifted the mood around the whole club.

As the clock ticked towards the 90-minute mark there was no usual mass exodus. Instead, the Arsenal fans stayed, stood and sung for their team.

Luiz even played the role of conductor deep into stoppage time, gesturing for more as the chants rang around a stadium that had not seen a home win since Vitoria were beaten 3-2 in the Europa League at the back end of October.

At full time the roar that swept across the Emirates was not just one of celebration, but of relief. It’s been a dark few months at Arsenal but there is now a genuine feeling of hope at the club once again.

Arteta has inspired a massive turnaround in a short space of time. The belief is coming back, the joy is coming back and now that all-important winning feeling is back.

Source – Goal.com

The Brazil midfielder believes his opposite number is at least as important as his side’s star attacking player.

Photo by Getty Images

Sergio Busquets is Barcelona’s most important player alongside Lionel Messi, according to his Real Madrid counterpart Casemiro.

The Brazilian was responding to comments Busquets recently made, saying he had been studying Casemiro’s style of play – something the Madrid man described as “an honour”.

Busquets has been a near ever-present since his La Liga debut in 2008, with 555 competitive Barcelona appearances to his name.

“Along with Messi, Busquets has been the most important player at Barcelona in recent years,” Casemiro told Mundo Deportivo.

“We talk about Messi, [Luis] Suarez or before about Neymar, but Busquets for me is the most important

“We talked about [Andres] Iniesta and Xavi, but he was always there doing the dirty work.

“He is one of the best defensive midfielders. Compared to me, he is different.

“He may not have the physical attributes like mine but he is always positioned very well – he is always well placed and that is very important.”

Busquets has missed five games for Barca this season through rotation and suspension, as well as their drab 0-0 draw with Madrid earlier in December due to illness.

However, his consistency over the last decade for Barca is inarguable.

Having been brought up from the B team by Pep Guardiola, he has played at least 45 times in all competitions in the last 10 seasons and his interpretation of the deep-lying midfield role has been instrumental in Barca’s style of play.

There was talk ahead of the current season that his place in the team could be under threat from summer signing Frenkie de Jong, but the two have generally been deployed together as part of Barca’s midfield three under Ernesto Valverde this year.

Busquets has spoken in the past of his desire to play his entire career at Camp Nou, though the 31-year-old isn’t expected to have retirement on his mind for a little while yet.

For now, he has another league title to chase. With eight under his belt already, he and Barca hold a two-point lead over Madrid going into the midway point of the season.

Barcelona will also be aiming for European glory, drawn against Gennaro Gattuso’s Napoli in the last 16 of the Champions League.

Source – Goal.com

Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba revealed his own anti-racism wristbands at Old Trafford on Boxing Day in light of the continuing problems around football stadiums in Europe.

Photo by Getty Images

Pogba has been subjected to racial abuse on Twitter this past year, while a number of footballers – including team-mate Fred and Everton’s Moise Kean – have been the target of abuse in stadiums.

On Boxing Day, Pogba came off the bench in United’s 4-1 win over Newcastle, and the could be seen wearing black and white wristbands during the warm-up, reading ‘No to racism’ and ‘We are one’.

“It was my idea to do that,” Pogba said of the wristbands. “I mean, I’ve been thinking about doing this but I don’t want to go through the UEFA or the FIFA. I (have) done it myself.

“I think we have the chance to have this power to show things in football, on TV.

“People see it so I think that will make people understand some things.

” I think it’s ignorance. Ignorance and stuff like that, and just to show people that you are all one. We are all one. I mean, by hearing things every week. We keep seeing it again and again in a lot of stadiums.”

“It’s just to show that, to give support to all the players – I mean, black or white or Chinese or whatever who you are. But there is only one race.

Manchester United’s French midfielder Paul Pogba runs with the ball during the English Premier League football match between Watford and Manchester United at Vicarage Road Stadium in Watford, north of London on December 22, 2019.Eurosport

“And just to show respect to everyone. Like I said, we are all one. We all came here to enjoy football, to enjoy ourselves and to do what we love.”

Pogba also referenced the ‘Stand Up, Speak Up’ anti-racism campaign started by Nike in 2005.

“Basically I was thinking about doing this for a long time,” Pogba added.

“I remember when I was younger about ‘Stand Up, Speak Up’, something like this. It just reminded me of that.

“I mean, a lot of players in a lot of leagues – not only in Premier League, in Italy, Spain, everywhere – and we keep hearing this (racism).

“I don’t want to be president, I don’t want to be a politics guy.

“We are just football players, we want to enjoy that. The fans needs to enjoy coming and seeing some nice football and that’s it.

“So, this is to show that we’re against that [racism]. I don’t want to go and make interviews but just I know that it will make people talk.

“The team-mates, we done it. Fred, Andreas (Pereira), I mean everyone, we are against that. We are just for football, enjoying football. We do what we love.

“We give joy to the fans, to everyone, to all the spectators and that’s all we want to see in the stadium.”

Source – Eurosport

Manchester United have suffered a blow with Red Bull Salzburg and Norway striker Erling Braut Haaland, 19, agreeing to join Italian side Juventus. (Tuttosport, via Express)

Arsenal, Newcastle United and Paris St-Germain have failed with an initial approach to sign Brazil forward Everton Soares, 23, from Gremio. (Newcastle Chronicle) 

Wolves are closing in on the signing of Red Bull Salzburg forward Hwang Hee-chan, with a £23m fee having been agreed for the 23-year-old South Korea international. (Hamburger Morgenpost, via Birmingham Mail)

West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini’s position is under threat and ex-Hammers boss David Moyes is a leading contender to replace him. (Telegraph)

Moyes will only consider returning to West Ham is he is offered the manager’s job on a permanent basis. (Times – subscription required)

Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti is weighing up whether to return to former club Napoli to try to sign Italy playmaker Lorenzo Insigne, 28. (Le10 Sport, via Star)

Chelsea’s 32-year-old Spanish winger Pedro, who has struggled for first-team football at Stamford Bridge this season, wants to return to former club Barcelona.(L’Esportiu, via Mail) 

Manchester United and Paris St-Germain are interested in signing Leicester City right-back Ricardo Pereira but will have to wait until the summer to do any deal for the 26-year-old Portugal international. (Le10 Sport, via Star)

Watford have rejected an approach by French club Lyon for 31-year-old French midfielder Etienne Capoue. (HITC)

Arsenal have been linked with RB Leipzig central defender Dayot Upamecano and the 21-year-old could be allowed to leave the German club if they can sign fellow Frenchman Tanguy Kouassi, 17, from Paris St-Germain. (Le Parisien, via Mirror)

Burnley and Brighton are considering making a move for Hamilton Academical’s defender Jamie Hamilton, with the Scottish club wanting £1.5m for the 17-year-old Scotland Under-19 international. (Mail) 

Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder wants to extend the contracts of Republic of Ireland defenders John Egan, 27, and Enda Stevens, 29, as well as English midfielder John Lundstram, 25. (Sheffield Star)

Leeds United are trying to convince Arsenal not to recall England Under-21 striker Eddie Nketiah, 20, from his loan spell at Elland Road. (Mirror)

Source – BBC News

The 38-year-old Swedish striker will head back to San Siro after finally agreeing to terms following the end of his time at LA Galaxy.

Photo by Getty Images

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has returned to AC Milan on a contract until the end of the current Serie A season with the option to extend the deal for a further season.

The 38-year-old former Sweden international had been without a club since the end of his previous contract at MLS club LA Galaxy.

He previously spent two years at Milan, scoring 56 goals in 85 appearances and winning the Serie A title in 2011.

Now, he joins a Milan side fighting for a top-half finish. With 17 games played, Stefano Pioli’s side are in 11th place, with half the points of league leaders and arch-rivals Inter.

He has continued to score prolifically since leaving Italy in 2012, enjoying productive spells with Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United prior to his move to Los Angeles.

“I’m coming back to a club I hugely respect and to the city of Milan which I love,” Ibrahimovic said. “I’ll fight together with my teammates to change the course of this season. I will do everything to make it happen”.

He will travel to Milan on January 2 to undergo a medical, before joining his new team-mates for training. A press conference is expected to be held once the final details of the move are signed off.

Ibrahimovic had been linked with a number of clubs around Europe and beyond, and it had been suggested in recent days that he could follow former manager Carlo Ancelotti to Everton.

The mercurial forward will be expecting to make an impact straight away. Milan’s current top scorers are forward Krzysztof Piatek and left-back Theo Hernandez, with four goals apiece to their names.

However, it is more than two months since Ibrahimovic’s last competitive match – a 5-3 MLS Cup playoff defeat to Los Angeles FC at the end of October.

He could make his first appearance at home to Sampdoria on January 6, with further fixtures against Cagliari, SPAL, Udinese and Brescia to come in January.

Having also represented Inter and Juventus earlier in his career, Ibrahimovic already has years of pedigree in Italian football.

He has twice been top scorer in Serie A, as well as being named Player of the Year three times and Foreign Player of the Year on five occasions.

Source – Goal.com