Kylian Mbappe has been urged to consider leaving Paris Saint-Germain by Nicolas Anelka if he wants to have the same global impact as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
The 22-year-old has spent the past four seasons in the French capital but is out of contract in 2022 and has been strongly linked with Real Madrid, while Liverpool are also rumoured to be interested.
Former Monaco forward Mbappe raised further questions over his future when revealing last month he is unsure whether the Parc des Princes is the best place for him.
Those comments were made on the back of a disappointing 2020-21 campaign for PSG in which they failed to defend their Ligue 1 title and exited the Champions League in the semi-finals, though they did win the Coupe de France and Trophee de…
Steven Naismith was delighted to banish Hearts’ “incredible” wait of almost two years to record three consecutive league wins.
The Jambos eked out a 1-0 victory at home to St Johnstone, following up the triumphs over Motherwell and Livingston prior to the international break.
It is the first time that they have managed to collected nine points from a possible nine since they defeated Dundee and Ross County in December 2021 and then St Johnstone the following month, and now Naismith wants his team to maintain the consistency.
“A stat which I worked out earlier in the week which is incredible is that we hadn’t won three league games in a row since January 2022,” he said. “It’s an incredible stat for a club like Hearts.
“We have done that t…
As we head into the decisive matchdays in the Premier League season, match-winners will become worth their weight in gold to all 20 sides in the division.
With that in mind, our latest suggestions for fantasy football enthusiasts include a good number of forwards who will be expected to chip in with goals.
There are also two of the league s most in-form defenders and a goalkeeper who might just have won himself the number one spot.
Our tips for this week – powered by Opta, as always – are below
DEAN HENDERSON
Since taking over Premier League duties while David de Gea was in Spain for the birth of his daughter, Dean Henderson has made it clear he does not intend to relinquish the Manchester United starting spot.
The former Sheffi…
Former English Football League chief executive Shaun Harvey has been appointed as a director at Wrexham, the League Two club have announced.
Harvey, who has also held senior roles at Leeds and Bradford, had been an advisor at the Welsh club since their takeover by actors Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds in February 2021.
Executive director Humphrey Ker said: “Shaun has been at the heart of everything the club has achieved since the takeover, and his elevation to the board is both a recognition of his contributions and a formalisation of the role he has fulfilled for the last few years.”
…
Mikel Arteta insists he will continue to speak freely on refereeing decisions despite being handed a Football Association charge for comments he made after Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat at Newcastle.
The Gunners boss labelled VAR’s decision to not overturn Anthony Gordon’s 64th minute winner “an absolute disgrace”.
Arteta, who said that he has submitted observations he made during the match to the FA, highlighted the importance of freedom of speech and believes communication is key if the standards of refereeing are to improve.
He said: “I am going to speak (in the future). I think you have to be yourself and as a leader you have to be authentic. You can not be someone you are not and this is who I am.
London Colney
— Arsenal (@Arsenal)
Manchester City appear to be cruising towards the Premier League title and will look to extend a 17-match winning run away to Mikel Arteta s Arsenal.
While top spot is firmly in their hands, the chasing back have plenty to play for, with Manchester United in need of a win at home to Newcastle United and Tottenham heading to West Ham for a tough London derby.
Chelsea s winning streak under Thomas Tuchel has put them firmly back into top-four contention, and Timo Werner s welcome return to goalscoring could have come at a critical time.
That said, fantasy football managers would also be wise to consider Danny Ings, whose impressive scoring record will be of concern to Tuchel s men.
EMILIANO MARTINEZ
Aston Villa s reported £20million spe…
Mikel Arteta says Arsenal must reset following their disappointing start to the Premier League season.
The Gunners sit bottom of the table and are yet to register a point ahead of welcoming Norwich City to the Emirates on Saturday.
Arteta s side have lost each of their opening three games against Brentford, Chelsea and reigning champions Manchester City, while shipping nine goals without reply.
Though he will be without the suspended Granit Xhaka and Mohamed Elneny, who has a thigh injury, the manager has Gabriel, Thomas Partey and Eddie Nketiah available for selection again after injury.
Meanwhile, Ben White will also return after previously testing positive for coronavirus.
And Arteta is hopeful his squad can start afresh against the Canaries.<…
Northern Ireland manager Michael O Neill acknowledged he is not completely sure how his side managed to qualify for the European Championship, but paid tribute to his squad for their achievement.
O Neill s men ran out 3-1 winners against Greece at Windsor Park on Thursday as Steven Davis scored twice either side of Josh Magennis first international goal.
Christos Aravidis late finish proved scant consolation for the visitors, with Northern Ireland able to focus on their first appearance at a European Championship and their first major tournament outing since 1986.
The players were outstanding. Right through the team, magnificent, O Neill told Sky Sports.
It s a privilege to be here, I m proud to stand here as their manager.
How have we d…
Competition: Euro 2016 Qualifier
Market: England to win against Switzerland
Odds:
England welcome Switzerland to Wembley tonight for their Euro 2016 Qualifier. The Three Lions have already booked their place in next year’s finals, and are enjoying a 100% record in their group. Switzerland are second in Group E, and will all but book their place in the 2016 European Championships with a win. They could well struggle given tonight’s opposition beat them in their own backyard earlier in the qualifying campaign.
Roy Hodgson’s men won 2-0 away to Switzerland in their opening group game, and have gone on to win another six, conceding just three goals in total. Tonight’s visitors are no slouches, however, with the Red and Whites coming off the back of five …
Ahead of the final matchday of Euro 2016 qualification, we take a look at what each of the contenders need from the coming round of fixtures to take them a step closer to next year s tournament in France.
Group A
Iceland and Czech Republic have already booked their places in next year s tournament. Turkey occupy the coveted play-off position due to a two-point advantage over Netherlands and will secure third place with a point in their clash with current leaders Iceland thanks to a superior head-to-head record with the Dutch – who host Czech Republic needing a win.
Group B
Belgium s 4-1 victory over Andorra ensured qualification, while Wales also progressed on Saturday despite defeat to Bosnia-Herzegovina as Israel were beaten by Cyprus, a result that a…