Thomas Lemar arrived to Atletico Madrid with huge expectations in 2018. He was a key player for the AS Monaco team which won the Ligue 1 title in 2016/17 and a part of the France squad which won the 2018 World Cup, and the Spanish club reportedly had to part with a sum of €72 million to acquire his services. However, just over two years later, Lemar has so far scored only three goals and laid on six assists in a total of 76 appearances for the Rojiblancos in all competitions.
Head coach Diego Simeone himself said the winger had failed to meet the expectations back in January, but now he seems to have changed his views. As quoted by , Simeone made it clear he is still counting on the 24-year-old, vowing to stick by his players to the death . Apparently, Lemar, who has been lin…
Real Madrid maintained their 100 per cent record this season despite Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale sitting out the 2-0 LaLiga win at Espanyol.
Coach Zinedine Zidane ruled Ronaldo and Bale out of the trip to the Estadi Cornella-El Prat due to illness and a hip injury respectively, while he handed a first start of the season to James Rodriguez.
That call was rewarded in first-half stoppage time as the Colombia playmaker fashioned space to open the scoring with an unerring 25-yard strike.
James goal brought an end to an otherwise forgettable opening 45 minutes but Madrid operated with an easy control after the break and, having gone close on a few occasions, Karim Benzema – the remaining member of Zidane s feted BBC forward line – opened his account for the…
Arsene Wenger has told Jack Wilshere to ignore his doubters and focus on proving his worth on the field for Arsenal.
Wilshere made his Premier League debut for Arsenal in 2008 as a 16-year-old, and was widely tipped to become a driving force in the club s midfield.
A series of injuries has subsequently stunted his progress, and Wilshere has come in for criticism recently over a perceived lack of development.
Both Paul Scholes and Jamie Carragher now working as TV pundits have questioned whether the 22-year-old has lived up to his real potential, leading boss Wenger to come out in support of his player.
I believe at the moment he should not respond to the criticism, just focus on his game, said the Frenchman.
If Wilshere can maintain his fitness,…
Real Madrid are interested in signing Jamal Musiala from Bayern Munich in the summer of 2024, according to . The report has claimed that former La Liga and UEFA Champions League winners Madrid have been hugely impressed by Musiala and are keen on securing the services of the 20-year-old at the end of the season.
Musiala is a very good and promising young player who can operate as an attacking midfielder or as a winger. The Germany international has established himself as a regular for Bayern as well as for his national team. The 20-year-old has made one start and one substitute appearance in the Bundesliga and has given one assist in one UEFA Champions League appearance so far this season.
Madrid are second in the La Liga table at the moment with 18 points from seven ma…
Mauricio Pochettino believes Tottenham must add more quality to their squad if they are to challenge in both the Champions League and Premier League.
A third-placed finish under the Argentinian last season after a title bid ran out of steam secured a return to European football s top table for the first time since 2010-11, but Tuesday s 2-1 defeat to Monaco saw Spurs crash out with one group match still remaining.
Goals from Djibril Sidibe and Thomas Lemar either side of Harry Kane s penalty condemned Pochettino s side to a third loss in five Group E matches, with only a place in the Europa League left to play for.
And Pochettino felt his squad has lacked the strength in depth to be able to compete on both European and domestic fronts.
Maybe after five g…
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has rejected rumours linking him with a potential return to Milan.
Reports in the Italian media had indicated that Ancelotti could move back to San Siro should Real fail to win the UEFA Champions League final against city rivals Atletico Madrid a week on Saturday.
The 54-year-old won one Serie A title and two Champions League crowns in his first coaching stint with Milan from 2001 to 2009.
But, ahead of Real s final La Liga game of the campaign versus Espanyol on Saturday, Ancelotti insisted he will not be linking up the beleaguered 18-time Italian champions, who are in danger of missing out on European qualification for next season.
I ve read some stuff that s not true, Ancelotti said.
I have a very good relationship with …
Andre Onana atoned for an earlier mistake by making two superb late saves to help Ajax edge closer to the Champions League last 16 with a 1-1 draw at Benfica.
A victory would have been enough for the Eredivisie side to guarantee progression from Group E, but Erik ten Hag s men fell behind in the 29th minute when Jonas capitalised on Onana s calamitous error.
But with Jonas spurning a great opportunity to make it two, Benfica were punished midway through the second half when Dusan Tadic forced home from a tight angle.
The hosts rallied, but Onana went from villain to hero when he pulled off a pair of outstanding stoppage-time saves to deny Rafa Silva and Gabriel Pires and secure a point which puts Ajax on the verge of the knockout stages.
Benfica were…
Queens Park Rangers have announced the departure of Ian Holloway after 18 months in charge.
Holloway, whose side finished 16th in the Championship, was previously QPR s manager from 2001 to 2006, while he also played 170 times for the club.
Director of football Les Ferdinand said in a statement released on Thursday: We would like to place on record our sincere thanks to Ian for all his efforts.
His enthusiasm and passion for the club can never be questioned and we are immensely grateful to him for helping us during his time here. He will always be welcomed back to Loftus Road with open arms.
Thank you, Ollie!
— QPR FC (@QPRFC)
Reports have indicated former England manager Steve McClaren may be in line for the newly created vacancy a…
Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich are thought to be looking for a new substitute goalkeeper and a replacement for Sven Ulreich, who will leave the Allianz Arena at the end of the current season.
And according to reports from Kicker, the Bavarians have set their sights on the Italian shot stopper Salvatore Sirigu.
The 30-year-old Paris Saint-Germain ‘keeper is currently loaned out to Osasuna, which is his second club this season following an unsuccessful loan spell at Sevilla at the beginning of the campaign.
The Italian international is not expected to return to Paris where he would be made the third choice behind Kevin Trapp and Alphonse Areola, which is why a move is on the cards.
Salvatore Sirigu is valued at €7 million, which is the amount Bayer…
The Football Association (FA) has apologised to survivors of historic child sexual abuse after an independent review found it did not do enough to keep children safe .
The Sheldon review examined the abuse of children within English football between 1970 and 2005 and criticised the FA for being too slow to implement protection measures between 1995 and May 2000.
Prior to the middle of 1995, the report said there was no evidence of the FA being aware of an abuse problem, but the period immediately afterwards came in for strong criticism.
“This was an institutional failing by the FA, for which there is no excuse,” the Sheldon review read.
It was also concluded that the FA did not act appropriately when serial sex offender Barry Bennell was released from…