SWANSEA striker Tammy Abraham is determined to earn a place in England’s World Cup squad after taking inspiration from Harry Kane’s labours on loan. The 20-year-old, on loan from Chelsea, ended a three-month goal drought with a brace in the 8-1 thrashing of Notts County on Tuesday night. England star Kane only scored 16 times during four spells away from Tottenham before bursting onto the scene to earn a place in the Three Lions’ squad for Euro 2016. And Abraham is determined to
LIONEL MESSI and Cristiano Ronaldo have been compared by Brazil legend Ronaldo. The two footballing superstars have dominated the sport for the last 10 years, winning five Ballon d’Ors apiece in that time. There has often been much discussion about which player is the better as they battle for that number one tag. But before they came along it was Ronaldo of Brazil that dominated the headlines as he led the Real Madrid attack and help his country to two World Cups. And
Former Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler believes Roberto Firmino has fully vindicated Jurgen Klopp's decision to install him as first-choice centre-forward. The Brazilian arrived from Hoffenheim in the summer of 2015 and was more accustomed to playing an attacking midfield role, but having requested the No, 9 shirt at the start of this season he has delivered the best return of his professional career. Firmino has 19 goals so far, 11 in the Premier League, and that easily eclipses his best campaign since coming to Europe
BARCELONA star Philippe Coutinho has apparently found out a top secret about Real Madrid.The Brazilian, through his contacts with former club Liverpool, has uncovered that Tottenham’s Harry Kane has an agreement with Real Madrid to sign in the summer, according to Spanish outlet Diario Gol. Coutinho raced to team-mates Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi to tell them the news as soon as he found out. And Barcelona now know that they will have to strengthen further for next season as Real Madrid are expected to come back
ANTONIO CONTE will not resign as Chelsea manager and the under fire Italian has been granted a stay of execution by owner Roman Abramovich.Conte was expected to be axed after Monday night’s shambolic 4-1 defeat at Watford made it three losses in four games, and left Chelsea’s chance of a top four finish in the Premier League in jeopardy. But Conte, 48, who virtually challenged the Chelsea board to sack him after the game at Vicarage Road, is now expected to be still in charge
Andres Iniesta is a genius who makes his team-mates better, Barcelona attacker Philippe Coutinho said. Barcelona attacker Philippe Coutinho hailed team-mate Andres Iniesta, labelling the club captain a 'genius'. Iniesta, 33, continues to play a key role for the LaLiga leaders, featuring 25 times in all competitions this season. Coutinho, who arrived at Camp Nou in January, said the Spain international made the players around him better. 'Andres is a genius, and anyone who plays with him he will make them better,' Coutinho
Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has reiterated that his 'heart is in Madrid' despite talks set to begin over a contract renewal at Stamford Bridge. Courtois, 25, also hinted at a return to Spain -- where he played with Atletico Madrid on loan for three seasons -- in December and again mentioned his desire to be closer to his two young children who live in the Spanish capital with his ex-girlfriend. 'My personal situation is related to the city of Madrid,' Courtois told Belgian outlet Sport/Foot Magazine.
LONDON -- Mauricio Pochettino says Dele Alli deserved to be booked for diving against Liverpool but the Tottenham manager claims 'tricking' officials and opponents is part of the game he loves. The Spurs boss warned that excessive focus on 'small actions' like Alli's would over-sanitise football and said the game will suffer if referees are not allowed to make mistakes. Alli's booking in the dramatic 2-2 draw at Anfield was his third for simulation since his Tottenham debut in August 2015 -- more
Liverpool's Loris Karius is determined to prove to manager Jurgen Klopp he does not need to buy a goalkeeper in the summer. The German has been installed as number one at Anfield ahead of Simon Mignolet over the last month. Liverpool continue to be linked with the likes of Stoke's Jack Butland, Atletico Madrid's Jan Oblak and Roma's Allison, but with the position now Karius's to lose he is intent on not giving Klopp a decision to make. 'If you read the press
Paris Saint-Germain captain Thiago Silva has hit back at Sochaux captain Florian Tardieu after the Frenchman accused the Ligue 1 leaders of disrespect ahead of their Coupe de France round of 16 clash at Stade Auguste Bonal on Tuesday. An Angel Di Maria hat trick and an Edinson Cavani effort saw Unai Emery's men win 4-1 and Silva took the opportunity when speaking with France 2 postmatch to address his opposite number's prematch comments. 'What the Sochaux captain said irritated us,' admitted the Brazil international
Swansea City boss Carlos Carvalhal saw his side thrash Notts County 8-1 in their FA Cup fourth-round replay to set up a tie at former club Sheffield Wednesday. Carvalhal has made an impact since arriving at the Liberty Stadium just a few days after departing the Owls on Christmas Eve, with Swansea beating both Liverpool and Arsenal to drag themselves out of the Premier League relegation zone. The eight goals was Swansea's most in the FA Cup, and the seven-goal margin of victory was the largest
Ajax forward Justin Kluivert said he has not spoken with Jose Mourinho and believes it is unlikely that he will move to Manchester United this summer. The 18-year-old, who has scored five goals in 18 Eredivisie appearances for Ajax this season, has been frequently linked with a move to Old Trafford. But he said on RTL 7's Voetbal Inside programme that he believes that the chance of such a transfer is not very big. 'There will always be rumours, but not all is true,' Kluivert
THIBAUT COURTOIS has revealed he will sign a new Chelsea contract but admitted his heart is in Madrid. Courtois has established himself as one of the Premier League’s best goalkeepers since he returned from a three-year loan spell at Atletico Madrid in 2014. It was in Madrid that he met the mother of his two children but after they split, she returned to Spain with them. Courtois has been strongly linked with a move to Real Madrid in a move that would allow
REAL MADRID are already planning a summer exodus of their squad.And Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski is hoping to be a beneficiary of the wholesale changes as he dreams of moving to the Bernabeu, according to Spanish newspaper Marca. The future of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale are all up in the air after a disastrous season where Real Madrid sit fourth in the table and are knocked out of the Copa del Rey. President Florentino Perez is thought to be actively seeking
BEIJING REHNE have now cooled their interest in Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos.The Chinese Super League club had a bid in the region of £8million knocked back by the Light Blues last month. Express Sport understands that Beijing have now moved on to other targets and are unlikely to make an improved bid. The transfer deadline for Chinese clubs is at the end of this month so they still have three weeks to do business. There is also interest from one of their Chinese
GERARD PIQUE could be handed a three-match ban following his goal celebration for Barcelona against Espanyol.After scoring the equaliser in the 1-1 draw away to Barcelona’s city rivals, Pique put his finger to his lip as a way to silence the home crowd. The defender has a long-standing feud with Espanyol supporters and was forced to contend with a cacophony of boos that rained down on him during the match. After running over towards the home fans, Pique appeared to incite the supporters with