Zack Steffen will deliver on what Pep Guardiola expects from a goalkeeper when he joins Manchester City, according to United States coach Gregg Berhalter.
Columbus Crew goalkeeper Steffen was signed by City for a reported £7million and will link up with his new team-mates in Manchester on July 9, when the MLS transfer window opens.
Guardiola deemed Joe Hart s ability with his feet insufficient upon his arrival from Bayern Munich in 2016 and moved him on, settling on Ederson as his number one after Claudio Bravo endured a shaky debut season at the Etihad Stadium.
Berhalter coached Steffen at the Crew and thinks the experience he earned playing out from the back in Columbus will prove key for the 23-year-old, who was named US Soccer s Male Player of the Year on…
Ledley King has stuck up for Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino, in the wake of criticism from fans who want to see more activity in the summer transfer window. King has commented on the fact that quality reigns supreme over quantity, stating that Pochettino will only be looking to bring in impact players who can make a real difference to the starting line-up.
Tottenham have been on the verge of a title challenge for years now, with many pundits believing that their current crop of stars are more than capable of mounting a serious run at becoming champions just so long as they can remain consistent, which is often incredibly hard to do in the Premier League.
King, 37, spent his entire career with Spurs, during which time he suffered from a series of chronic k…
Chelsea have begun the search for a replacement for a replacement for right-back Branislav Ivanovic, .
The Serbian has been virtually unrivalled for his position since breaking into the Blues’ first team in the 2008/09 campaign, racking up three hundred and twenty-three appearances in all competitions, scoring thirty-one times.
He has won a host of major honours in that time including two league titles, three FA Cups, the League Cup, Europa League and the Champions League.
However, he has been criticised for his below-par performances so far this season and is yet to be offered an extension to his contract, which expires at the end of the campaign.
Ivanovic was left out of Chelsea’s Champions League opening day victory over Maccabi Tel Aviv, and …
Real Madrid and Barcelona are fancied to win the Champions League but the Spanish giants need to be wary of the threat posed by English sides, according to Brazil legend Ronaldo.
The LaLiga teams have dominated the competition in recent seasons with Madrid winning four and Barca one of the last five.
Liverpool came close to breaking their stranglehold on the competition last season but stumbled at the final hurdle as a Gareth Bale-inspired Los Blancos wrapped up a third consecutive title with a 3-1 win in Kiev.
While Ronaldo – who played for Barca in the 1996-97 season and for Madrid between 2002 and 2007 – expects one of his former clubs to lift the trophy again, he concedes that an English side are more than capable of claiming a first title since Chel…
Real Madrid forward Lucas Vazquez has been called up to the Spain squad to replace Vitolo, who has a knee injury.
Vitolo, who is on loan at Las Palmas ahead of finalising a move to Atletico Madrid in January, suffered minor medial ligament damage during training on Sunday.
Yesterday morning in training, the player suffered a strain in the medial collateral ligament of his knee, the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) said in a statement on Monday.
After consultation with the medical services of his club and those of the RFEF, the player will leave the squad this evening.
Vitolo has established himself as a key figure in Julen Lopetegui s squad, scoring four goals in five appearances in World Cup qualifying.
The 2010 world champions face I…
Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti could be set to leave the Spanish capital after his sides Champions League exit
Real Madrid exited the Champions League at the semi-finals stage on Wednesday night.
Los Blancos drew 1-1 with Italian giants Juventus at the Bernabeu, but lost the tie 3-2 on aggregate after being beaten 2-1 in the first leg in Turin last Tuesday.
Empty-handed
Real Madrid now look set to end the season with no major trophies after their European exit. Carlo Ancelotti’s team are currently four points behind bitter-rivals Real Madrid at the top La Liga with just two games to play.
With a potential players strike looming in Spain, there could even be the possibility that the league campaign is cut-short, with unknown consequences. One …
Porto lead the way in the race for the signature of Liverpool s Marko Grujic this summer, according to James Pearce of .
The Serbia international has made only 16 appearances for the Merseysiders since his arrival from Red Star Belgrade in 2016, spending most of his time on loan spells. He played two years (2018-20) for Hertha Berlin, where coach Pal Dardai described him as the best midfielder he had seen at the club. At the end of his second season in Germany, Hertha simply couldn t afford a permanent deal and he returned to Anfield, only to move on to Porto for 2020-21.
Porto recently resolved the issues around boss Sergio Conceicao, who signed a three-year contract and immediately informed the club of his desire to keep Grujic in his ranks. Porto wanted another loan,…
Antoine Griezmann admitted Juventus were superior on all levels as the Atletico Madrid star bemoaned his team s Champions League last-16 elimination at the hands of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Atletico surrendered a 2-0 first-leg lead after Ronaldo s hat-trick saw Juventus win 3-0 in Turin on Tuesday to complete a stunning comeback.
Ronaldo s record-equalling eighth three-goal haul in the competition moved him level with Lionel Messi for Champions League hat-tricks as Juve overcame Atletico 3-2 on aggregate.
Atletico – losing finalists in 2014 and 2016 – struggled throughout and Griezmann lamented the side s performance away from home.
95 | 3-0 | The match ends at the Allianz Stadium.
— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish)
We di…
David Silva wants a new contract at Manchester City and an answer to his Champions League prayers.
Silva joined City from Valencia in 2010 and has won every major honour in English football during his time at the Etihad Stadium, including Premier League titles in 2011-12 and 2013-14.
The Spain playmaker has been typically influential in Pep Guardiola s side winning nine of their opening 10 top-flight matches this term to set the early pace in the Premier League.
City face Napoli on Wednesday with three victories from as many Champions League matches – their best ever start to a campaign in Europe s top competition, where Silva and his colleagues have not always found the going so agreeable.
The 31-year-old a world and two-time European champion at int…
Sergio Aguero feels better and could be fit for Manchester City s Champions League quarter-final first leg with Tottenham, Pep Guardiola says.
City s top scorer has not featured since the 2-0 Premier League win at Fulham nine days ago, where he was on target during the first half but substituted with a muscular complaint before the hour.
Aguero s understudy Gabriel Jesus converted an early diving header to give Pep Guardiola s side a 1-0 win over Brighton and Hove Albion in their FA Cup semi-final at Wembley on Saturday.
The Brazil international could be required from kick-off once more at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, although Aguero did take part in training with his team-mates at the Valley on Sunday as City remained in London to undertake their preparations.…