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Zlatan Ibrahimovic has branded Pep Guardiola ‘immature’ in a renewed attack on the Manchester City coach. The Manchester United striker first criticised the Catalan coach in his book I Am Zlatan after the pair fell out during their time together at Barcelona. The Swede endured a turbulent year under Guardiola at the Nou Camp, leaving for Inter Milan after questioning Barca’s perceived reliance on Lionel Messi. He later called the coach a ‘spineless coward’ and admitted he is still driven by proving a point to the now Blues boss after joining United last year. Now Ibrahimovic – a second-half substitute in United’s derby defeat to City on Sunday – has reasserted his view of his former boss in an interview with Sky Italia . “And I told Guardiola that he’d sacrificed the other players for Messi,” he said. “He told me he understood me. “After that, he put me on the bench for the next game, the one after that and the one after that. “And I thought, ‘he’s solved the problem ve...

Arsenal are making one last attempt to keep Mesut Ozil at the club. The Germany midfielder is in the final year of his current contract, but the Gunners are trying to persuade him to sign a new onw. Ozil has impressed in recent weeks and Arsenal have already offered him a deal north of £235,000-per-week. The new offer will be closer to the £300,000-per-week Ozil is looking for, but it remains to be seen whether the 29-year-old will put pen to paper. If he does sign, it would make the former Real Madrid man the highest earner in the club’s history. Manchester United and Barcelona are both monitoring the player’s situation at the Emirates. watching developments closely with a view to taking Ozil on a free transfer when his current deal expires.

Egyptian and Liverpool's record signing Mohamed Salah won the African player of the year beating the likes of team mate Sadio Mane,Chelsea star Victor Moses,Red bull liepzeg midfielder Naby Keita, Dortmund forward Pierre emrick aubameyang to win the prestigious award. Salah, the Premier League’s top scorer with 13 goals, also scored 10 times in all competitions for Serie A club Roma in 2017 before making the move to Merseyside. “I am very happy to win this award,” Salah told BBC Sport. “It’s always a special feeling when you win something. I feel like I had a great year, so I’m very happy.” Salah beat a star-studded cast of rivals to become the third Egyptian to win the award and first since Mohamed Aboutrika picked up the gong in 2008. Mohamed Salah for @LFC: 🔴 Games: 23 ⚽️ Goals: 19 🎯 Assists: 4 😎 Merseyside Derby Goals: 1 🏆 LFC Player Of The Month: 3 🔥 Goal Of The Month: 2 ⭐️ UCL Player Of Week: 2 🥇 PL Player of Month: 1 ✅ PL Top Scorer 🇪🇬 BBC African POT...

The Portuguese sparked a row by telling Pep Guardiola’s players to keep their celebrations down, with Blues goalkeeper Ederson taking exception Manchester United and Manchester City players and staff were involved in a heated altercation in the Old Trafford tunnel which left Jose Mourinho covered in water and Mikel Arteta nursing a cut eyebrow, Goal understands. Brazilian goalkeeper Ederson is said to have confronted Mourinho, which led to a number of players and members of staff from both teams spilling out of their respective dressing rooms and into the tunnel, where they pushed and shoved each other. United first-team coach Silvino Louro is believed to have been in the thick of the action, along with a handful of players from both sides, coaches and masseurs. Goal has learned that City coach Arteta received a cut eyebrow in the ruckus, while United striker Romelu Lukaku is believed to have been heavily involved. Witnesses claim a number of bottles were thrown, with Mou...

Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, has said he will never criticize the playing style of his Manchester United counterpart, Jose Mourinho, because “there are different ways to enjoy football”. Guardiola faces his arch rival in a keenly awaited Derby at Old Trafford and claims he and Mourinho are “twins”, because they love to win trophies. “Definitely,” he said. “In that, we are twins. “He wants to win trophies, I want to win trophies. I think Antonio Conte is the same as well, and Jurgen and Mauricio. In all the leagues around the world, the managers are the same.” The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach also spoke on why he never condemns pragmatic tactics. “I never criticise my colleagues for the way they play. I never did in the past, I will never do it. “Football is magnificent for that, because every manager plays in the way they play. There are different ways to enjoy football. “Our relationship is correct, it’s friendly. We haven’t bumped into each oth...

Leicester City manager, Claude Puel, has hinted at the possibility of selling Nigeria star Kelechi Iheanacho four weeks before the winter transfer market opens for business. The Foxes have six strikers in the first team consisting of Iheanacho, Vardy, Ahmed Musa, Slimani, Okazaki and Ulloa, and the former Man City starlet has found game time hard to come by after making only two starts in the Premier League from a possible fifteen. Speaking to Leicester Mercury, Puel said: “Kelechi had an injury and for the moment, we have competition. “I am happy with Jamie for example. Kelechi or other players cannot play on the side. “It’s difficult for them, but for me also to manage all these players because we have six strikers so there is no place for all the players.” Iheanacho penned a five-year contract with Leicester City in the summer for a fee in the region of 25 million pounds.

Premier League leaders Manchester City again left it late as they beat West Ham 2-1 to make it 13 straight league wins. Elsewhere, Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea produced heroics as the second-placed team defeated Arsenal 3-1 and kept in touch with their city rivals. Chelsea overwhelmed Newcastle 3-1 to stay third and Liverpool thrashed Brighton 5-1 to move into that fourth Champions League spot. At the other end, Swansea sunk to the bottom of the table with a 2-1 loss to Stoke. You can see the thinking behind my team below but, first, have a go at picking your own team of the week. Choose your XI from the shortlist selected by BBC Sport journalists and share it with your friends. Goalkeeper - David de Gea (Manchester United) David de Gea made 14 saves at Arsenal - the joint-most in a Premier League game since 2003-04. Vito Mannone (for Sunderland v Chelsea in April 2014) and Tim Krul (for Newcastle v Tottenham in November 2013) also managed the feat If Ma...

Manchester City boss, Pep Guardiola said he would like Paul Pogba to play in next week’s Manchester derby at Old Trafford. Guardiola also said he does not believe the France midfielder wants Manchester City players to be struck down by injury. Pogba got a three-match ban for treading on Hector Bellerin during Saturday’s pulsating 3-1 win at Arsenal. He becomes a significant blow for Jose Mourinho with City next on the agenda in the Premier League. City restored their eight-point lead over Mourinho’s men at the summit on Sunday when David Silva’s 83rd-minute volley sealed a 2-1 win over West Ham. Pogba had earlier told the BBC’s Football Focus he hoped Manchester City would “get some very important players injured.” Speaking after the West Ham win, Guardiola said, “Did he say that? Hopefully we don’t have injuries. “I would like it if Paul could play against us because I like to face the teams with the best players possible to see if we are able to beat them. “In the ...

Chelsea manager, Antonio Conte, wants Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois to sign new contracts with the club, before the World Cup kicks off next year in Russia. Courtois will be into the final year of his deal after this season and is reluctant to sign an extension, while Hazard will have less than two years remaining. Real Madrid are long-term admirers of both Belgians and Conte has told the board to resolve their situations soon. “The club knows very well the importance of these two players. “I think these two players are very happy to play for this club. “It is normal during the season to have the contact between the player – or the agent of the player – and the club. I hope that at the end, Thibaut will sign his contract. “If you ask me about these two players, I will be very happy when they can have this deal but this is the responsibility of the club to try to do this. “I can give my opinion and for me these two players are two great players especially because the...

Jose Mourinho has said that Saturday’s English Premier League clash between Manchester United and Arsenal is not a must-win game. The Portuguese also gave update on his injured players. The Old Trafford outfit sit in second position, eight points adrift leaders Manchester City. A win will see them put pressure on Pep Guardiola’s men who will host West Ham United at the Etihad Stadium 24 hours later. Addressing his pre-match conference, Mourinho said, “I play a game at a time. I play a game at a time and is the way to do it, is the way to do it. “Yesterday I was watching an interesting movie, Borg vs McEnroe, and Borg’s coach was telling him that all the time – ‘one point at a time, think about just one point’. “I tell my players to just think about the game. It’s just the game, it’s Arsenal, we don’t think about how many points we are behind, it’s just Arsenal. “It’s difficult enough for us to be focused on other things, so just focus on this.” On his...

Liverpool continued their good run Against the potters today.After sharing points at anfield with Chelsea last Sunday. Liverpool were relentless  until the 90minutes was up Sadio mane open the scoring chat followed Mohammed sallah's brace all coming from the bench

Liverpool forward, Sadio Mane has revealed what really transpired between him and manager, Jürgen Klopp when they appeared to have argued after a 1-1 draw against Chelsea at Anfield on Saturday. Mane came on in the closing stages of the draw before having a discussion with Klopp after the final whistle. The Senegalese played down the incident, saying it was a “friendly” conversation with his manager. Everyone thought klopp needed a goal when Chelsea got the equaliser through willian in the closing minutes of the the,that's when he decided to bring on the Senegalese star,but sadio mane has revealed that really transpired between him and his manager Mane told Sky Sports, “He asked me to play on the right side and one time I tried to ask for the ball in the number nine position. “Mo [Salah] was on my side and the coach was shouting, ‘Sadio come onto the right side’. “After the game I told the coach it was easier if you told Mo to come in because he was close to you. “...

Manchester United are being tipped to make a surprise January raid on Everton for striker Henry Onyekuru. The Nigeria striker joined the Toffees over the summer from KAS Eupen, but was sent back to Belgium on loan with Anderlecht after Everton failed to land a work permit for the striker. Since returning to the Belgian leagues, however, Onyekuru has been in brilliant form and has been watched a number of times by both United and Barcelona, according to claims in the Belgium media. Now both ESPN and Het Laatste Nieuws claim the striker will be the subject of a January enquiry from Manchester United, who want to cash in on the uncertainty surrounding his future by making a firm move. Everton are understandably wanting to bring the striker back to Goodison, but United’s interest could yet spark a surprise January move for Onyekuru, who has already struck eight times this season.

Michael Emenalo has been appointed as Monaco's new sports director having left a similar position at Chelsea earlier this month. The Nigerian spent 10 years at Stamford Bridge, working as technical director since 2011, playing a key role in the development of Chelsea's first team and academy. During his time at Chelsea, the club won three Premier League titles, three FA Cups, the EFL Cup, Europa League and Champions League, with Emenalo helping to shape those successful squads. And Emenalo is happy with his new venture with the Ligue 1 champions.     "This is a wonderful opportunity for me in a high-quality project," he told Monaco's official website.  AS Monaco has shown great progress for several seasons and I am convinced that the future will be just as       ambitious." [Executive vice-president] Vadim Vasilyev's willingness to see me join AS Monaco was decisive and, for me, the choice was natural after my decision to leave Chelsea. Eme...

Chelsea forward, Willian, has insisted his equaliser against Liverpool in the Premier League game on Saturday was a shot and not a cross. Willian salvaged a point for his team at Anfield on Saturday. Former Blues winger, Mohamed Salah had put the home side ahead in the 65th minute, but the Brazilian ensured Antonio Conte’s men left with a 1-1 draw. The Brazilian international appeared to be aiming a cross to the back post, only for the ball to loop over Simon Mignolet and into the net. When asked about the goal by Chelsea TV, Willian said, “For sure, it was a shot, no doubt. “Some people ask, ‘You want to cross or you want to shoot?’ I said, ‘Shoot, of course. Too much quality’.” The goal helped Chelsea to maintain third position in the Premier League, but they are eight points behind leaders Manchester City, who visit Huddersfield Town on Sunday. The 29-year-old was delighted to find the back of the net for Chelsea. He added, “I’m happy to score this beautiful goal. In...

Jurgen Klopp has played down his heated exchange with Sadio Mane at full time of their 1-1 draw with Chelsea Sadio Mane was a surprise omission from the starting XI and was only introduced as an 89th-minute substitution, leaving him little time to restore Liverpool’s lead Mane was seen exchanging angry words with Klopp after the final whistle, but the German insisted that it was only a minor disagreement about positioning. “I was shouting at him because he was in the centre, but no player is happy about that. You come on the pitch in three minutes and you feel like you already have 150 minutes in your legs. I wanted to sort it immediately,” he told the club’s official website. “He was not happy and he said to me Mo wanted to come into the position, but Mo had already 90 minutes in his legs so it would have made more sense that Sadio is closer to the right wing and can start the game from this position. “It’s not a big thing; we could have done it in the dressing room and i...

Brazilian footballer, Robinho, has reportedly been sentenced to nine years in prison after being found guilty of s*xual assault. Reports in Italy claim that the former Manchester City and Real Madrid star, along with five others, was implicated in an attack on an Albanian girl in a Milan nightclub in January 2013. The incident, which the player has repeatedly denied his involvement in, occurred when the 33-year-old was at AC Milan following his departure from the Etihad in 2010, Sportsmail reported. Robinho’s agent and lawyer, Marisa Alija Ramos, told Sportsmail: ‘With regards to the allegations surrounding Robinho, the alleged incident took place several years ago. ‘I clarify that my client has already defended himself against the charges and maintains he played no part in the incident. ‘All legal steps are already being taken in response to this decision.’ According to Marisa, the skillful striker who currently plays for Atlético Mineiro in Brazil, pleaded not guilty a...

A British businesswoman has made a formal offer of around £300 million ($397 million, 338 million euros) for Premier League club Newcastle United, according to British media reports on Monday. Several media outlets, including the BBC, said Amanda Staveley’s financial firm PCP Capital Partners had made a bid to Newcastle owner Mike Ashley. Newcastle are yet to comment on the reports. PCP Capital Partners is believed to have been in talks with Newcastle about a potential takeover for several weeks. Sportswear magnate Ashley announced he wanted to sell the club in October after 10 years in charge, having paid £134.4 million to buy Newcastle in 2007. The 53-year-old Londoner has proved a divisive figure during his tenure, which has seen Newcastle twice relegated from the Premier League and then immediately promoted back. Staveley, 44, helped broker Sheikh Mansour’s purchase of Manchester City in 2008. She was spotted watching Newcastle’s 1-1 draw with Liverpool at St Ja...

Manchester United midfielder, Paul Pogba, has named his team-mate Romelu Lukaku, as the “best striker in the Premier League”. Lukaku ended his goal drought which lasted seven club games last weekend, as United beat Newcastle 4-1 at Old Trafford. The Belgium international scored in the same game Pogba made his comeback from injury. It was his eighth goal in 12 Premier League games. However, he is only second to Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah in the scoring charts who leads with nine. Alvaro Morata, Sergio Aguero, Gabriel Jesus, Harry Kane and Lukaku all sit joint second with the same tally. “It feels good when you come back and Romelu scores again? I like that, I like that,” Pogba told BBC Sport. “No. We’ve got a lot of good players, a lot of talented players. We have to trust each other. “Romelu is the best striker in the Premier League. We know his quality. We know everything. We don’t worry about him. And at the end, we see the result.”

Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, has vowed to kill his players if they fail to finish the English Premier League (EPL) season without the title. Guardiola said there was no chance of his team becoming complacent despite their superb form to the start of the season. Manchester City continued their EPL dominance with a 2-0 win at Leicester City on Saturday. City have made a flying start to the season, dropping just two points from the first 12 games and are 8-point lead at the top of the table, scoring 40 goals and conceding just seven. “That is not going to happen because I am their manager,” Guardiola said. “The team, that is not going to happen. I’ll kill them. Complacency doesn’t happen in my teams. “They can play bad, teams are going to beat us, that happens. “But if you see the team, they have the desire to have the ball and play. We are not a team that speculates about absolutely anything. That’s not going to happen.”