Valenciennes have sacked manager Daniel Sanchez following a dismal start to the season.

The Ligue 1 side sit bottom of the table after taking just four points from their opening nine games.

Sanchez took over at Valenciennes in June 2011, successfully establishing them as a top-flight club, however his tenure has now come to an end with the Stade du Hainaut outfit seemingly set for a fight against relegation.

Valenciennes opened the campaign with an emphatic 3-0 win over Toulouse, but a winless run of eight matches has since followed.

A 1-1 draw with Reims on Saturday sealed Sanchez s fate, but club president Jean-Raymond Legrand admitted that the decision had been a hard one.

On a human level Sanchez is someone I appreciate a lot and the decision was partic…

Mourinho want Dani Alves

Daily Mail has learned that Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho is weighing up winter bid for Barcelona full-back Daniel Alves.

With long-serving defender Branislav Ivanovic appearing to be past his prime, it looks as though the Blues will soon be in the market for new right-back.

And the latest reports suggest that Chelsea have made Barcelona s Daniel Alves their primary target.

The Brazilian was on the verge of leaving the Catalans in the summer, but he ultimately changed his mind and remained at the club.

Nevertheless, it is believed he would seriously consider an offer from the Premier League holders as he wants another fresh challenge at the late stage of his career.

Chelsea are slowly getting their season back on …

Mario Balotelli appears to be enjoying football again after a move to Nice. Photo courtesy of Yahoo Sports

Nice in first. Monaco in second. PSG in third.

If one had to do a double take after looking at the current Ligue 1 table, it would be certainly understandable. At this juncture last season, Les Parisiens were already in first place. They had yet to lose a game; in fact, they were in the midst of an eight-match winning streak. And as we all know, they ultimately cruised to a fourth straight title, racking up 96 points in the process and establishing a 31-point lead over runners-up Monaco.

PSG also lost just two games during that amazing run. Two games in 38 matches. To date, no French side has ever completed a campaign sans defeat, but they came pretty close…

Gavi said his Barcelona career is a dream after he signed a four-year extension to keep him at Camp Nou through to the end of June 2026.

The 18-year-old s fresh deal with the Blaugrana was officially confirmed earlier this week.

Gavi made 47 appearances last term for Barca, scoring two goals to help Xavi s side return to the upper echelons of LaLiga, and the teenager is set to feature in Spain s World Cup squad.

Speaking at a press conference to officially announce his new contract, Gavi spoke of the honour of playing for Barca after coming through their famous academy, La Masia.

I m very happy, he stated.  I have always wanted to succeed at Barca. My family, my representative and I have been clear that we wanted to succeed here.

Scoring …

AS Roma striker Andrea Belotti will spend the second half of the season on loan with Fiorentina, according to multiple sources. A full agreement between the two clubs has been reached, and the player is now scheduled to travel to Florence today (Wednesday) to undergo his medical with the Viola.

Fiorentina have completed deal to sign Andrea Belotti on loan from AS Roma, here we go — confirmed.

Belotti will travel to Florence later today for medical tests and contract signing.

It’s imminent, new striker for Fiorentina.

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano)

Though available for selection and a part of the squad for each of the 22 games Roma have played this term, he started only six and made another eight appearances off the bench, s…

New Crystal Palace manager Tony Pulis has challenged his players to create history and remain in the Premier League against the odds.

Pulis, 55, has been out of work since he left Stoke City in May and was officially unveiled at the club s Beckenham training base on Monday.

Palace s 1-0 win at Hull City on Saturday saw them climb off the bottom of the Premier League table, but they are still three points from safety.

The London club have played in four Premier League seasons, but been relegated on every occasion, and Pulis has called on his new charges to reverse the trend.

When asked why he took the job, Pulis who has never been relegated as a manager said: Why not? It s a club in the Premiership. It s a smashing club.

It s got great history. It s going to…

Borussia Dortmund defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos has signed a one-year contract extension at Signal Iduna Park that will keep him at the Bundesliga club until 2019.

Sokratis contract was due to expire in 2018 but the Greece international has followed team-mate Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in extending his deal.

Gabon striker Aubameyang furthered his deal until 2020 in July, despite having three years left to run on his original contract.

We are very pleased that we have managed, in Sokratis, to gain the long-term commitment of another of our top performers,  sporting director Michael Zorc said in a statement.

Former Werder Bremen centre-back Sokratis added: The city of Dortmund, BVB and the people here have become a second home for me and my family…

Prediction: Manchester United win

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The Premier League is back in action once again this week with a host of entertaining fixtures as we continue to steamroll towards the last few months of the season. There are a few clear races in which the favourite is becoming clear but in equal measure, there s also a great deal of uncertainty still in the mix as we head into the heart of March. Today, we re going to take a look at a clash between two teams who have Champions League football on their mind Manchester United and West Ham.

Manchester United

While they may not be on the verge of usurping Manchester City in the title race, there s still a lot to be said for the manner in which Manchester United have gone about their business this…

Market: Fabio Carvalho to score anytime

Odds: 9/5 @

Returning from the international break this weekend away at a struggling Blackpool, a high-flying Fulham should be relishing a trip to Bloomfield Road on Saturday afternoon.

Starting with the hosts, while Blackpool might have managed to enjoy a real romp as they stormed their way to a Championship return last season, the Oranges have largely struggled to keep up that momentum. Enduring what was a sluggish pre-season run over the summer, Head Coach Neil Critchley finds his side tipped as a leading relegation contender this time around. Last seen heading into the international break with a 2-1 defeat away at Millwall, the former Liverpool coach has seen his side muster just a pair of points from their opening fi…

Disaster for Hull

Saturday 12th December

Birmingham v West Ham

Birmingham have become the masters of the one goal win. They have won four of their last six by the odd goal and drawn the other two. That fine run of six unbeaten has seen them climb to ninth place in the table.

West Ham, on the other hand, have won only two of their last fourteen games and have conceded thirty-one goals in that run.

A one goal victory for Birmingham is the sensible bet and I’m going to go with that.

SoccerNews prediction: 1-0

Bolton v Manchester City

A local derby between two vastly different clubs. Bolton are struggling at the wrong end of the table, currently second from bottom. They have lost six of their last eight games and have hit something of …