Report claims Pochettino ‘aims to leave’ Chelsea with La Liga ‘return’ eyed before next season

Antonio Conte s appointment as Luciano Spalletti s replacement at Inter may not be a hugely popular one among fans given his Juventus background, but it looks a smart hire.

Spalletti was dismissed on Thursday despite guiding Inter to successive fourth-place finishes in Serie A and the club announced Conte s arrival on a three-year deal the next day.

It marks Conte s return to football following his sacking by Chelsea at the end of the 2017-18 season, as the Blues missed out on Champions League qualification.

Conte s last job in Italy was with Inter s bitter rivals Juve, whom he coached for three seasons having represented them for 13 years as a player.

Some Inter fans might not be enthusiastic about Conte s hiring as a result of those Juve ties, but Opta …

It is July 1, meaning players who had run down their contracts at former clubs are now officially free to move.

Some, such as Aaron Ramsey, Diego Godin and Adrien Rabiot have already signed with new clubs, while the likes of Ander Herrera seem to have transfers all but finalised.

However, there are plenty of players yet to have secured their next destination.

Aaron Ramsey

Wales international Ramsey called time on his 11-year stay in February, signing a pre-contract agreement with Serie A champions Juventus.

While Massimiliano Allegri was in charge when Ramsey agreed to join, it is Maurizio Sarri who will have the midfielder at his disposal for the upcoming season and, after an injury-hit end to 2018-19, the 28-year-old will be eager …

Jurgen Klopp would not criticise Jordan Henderson for a red card that rules him out of the Merseyside derby, but said the Liverpool captain s dismissal was not so nice .

Henderson was given his marching orders late on in Liverpool s 3-0 win at Watford on Saturday, a result that kept the Reds within two points of Premier League leaders Manchester City.

Goals from Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Roberto Firmino in the last 23 minutes secured victory, but Henderson s dismissal at 2-0 ensured it came at a cost.

Referee Jon Moss had already issued Henderson with a final warning before the England midfielder making his first league start for a month barged Etienne Capoue over and was given a second yellow.

Klopp appeared to be ready to replace Hender…

Misfiring Inter and Shakhtar Donetsk missed out on the Champions League round of 16 following a goalless draw on a miserable Wednesday night at San Siro.

All four sides in Group B started the final round of matches with a chance of progressing and it was Real Madrid who advanced along with Borussia Monchengladbach after a 2-0 victory for the LaLiga giants.

Lautaro Martinez struck the crossbar early on and missed several other chances of a frustrating evening for Antonio Conte s side, who could not fashion a winner to put them through and ended up bottom of the group.

Injury-hit Shakhtar posed more of a threat in the second half but were similarly unable to make it count, though they do have the consolation of a place in the Europa League.

 | FULL-TIM…

Well, the Zlatan Ibrahimovic drama is set to commence. The legendary Swedish footballer is getting closer to finishing his time at Los Angeles Galaxy, after scoring 31 goals in regular season during 2019. His team reached the Major League Soccer play-offs, but lost to city rivals Los Angeles FC. Ever since, Ibrahimovic has been the main talk of rumour mills.

Now he is being linked with AC Milan, his former club, as Marca are suggesting Rosonerri are interested in bringing him back to San Siro in January. He would come as a free agent, as he is expected to leave the United States once his contract with LA Galaxy expires on the last day of 2019.

Ibrahimovic helped Milan win Serie A in the 2010-11 season, but last week he was linked with a move to Bologna. It was even rep…

Mohamed Salah insists he is not demanding a crazy contract as he again stressed his Liverpool future is in the hands of the club.

The Egypt star s deal expires at the end of the 2022-23 season and there has not yet been a breakthrough in negotiations over an extension.

The 29-year-old has previously made it clear he wants to stay at Anfield but that it is up to Reds owners Fenway Sports Group to come to an acceptable agreement.

Speaking to GQ, Salah called on the club to show their appreciation for what he has achieved since signing from Roma in 2017.

I want to stay, but it s not in my hands. It s in their hands, he said. They know what I want. I m not asking for crazy stuff.

The thing is when you ask for something and they show you they can giv…

John Stones deserves an England national team recall, according to Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola.

The 26-year-old defender scored City s opening goal in Saturday s 3-0 win away to Fulham in the Premier League.

Stones has been in excellent form for the league leaders in recent months, prompting talk of an England call-up for the first time since November 2019.

He had lost his place in the City line-up but fought back to become a key member this season, making 25 appearances in all competitions, including 18 starts in the league.

England manager Gareth Southgate will announce a squad next week for upcoming World Cup qualifiers against San Marino, Albania and Poland.

He deserves it, Guardiola said.

Of course Gareth Southgate knows b…

Tired of your mates recycling the same old football trivia questions from years gone by?

Bring them bang up-to-date and get them guessing with our Opta-powered Premier League quiz.

All the answers are at the bottom of the page, so you can claim the high ground when it comes to statistical knowledge!

1. Unai Emery and Jurgen Klopp will go head-to-head for the second time in their careers when Arsenal host Liverpool in a blockbuster at Emirates Stadium on Saturday. What was the year, competition and final scoreline of their only other meeting?

A table to make you excited for the months ahead  

— Premier League (@premierleague)

2. Burnley have lost their last two Premier League games 4-0 and 5-0. Only two clubs have ever l…

Sheffield United are in talks with Slavisa Jokanovic over the club s current managerial vacancy, according to the .

The Blades had a great first season back in the Premier League in 2019-20 under Chris Wilder, but this term they ve been glued to the bottom of the table practically from the start. Tensions rose inside the club, and Wilder was relieved of duty in mid-March to be replaced by Paul Heckingbottom on an interim basis. 

Meanwhile, Jokanovic, who led Watford and Fulham to Premier League promotion in 2015 and  2018, respectively, is currently at Qatar Stars League side Al-Gharafa SC. However, his contract there expires at the end of the season, and Sheffield United are determined not to stay in the Championship longer than one season. They ve already held discu…

Liverpool could not have known the incredible journey that awaited them when the club hired Jurgen Klopp on this day five years ago.

Brendan Rodgers had recently been sacked with the Reds 10th in the Premier League, a far cry from their title challenge a year and a half earlier.

That bid for Premier League success in 2013-14 was something of an outlier, though. Despite their illustrious history, prior to 2014 Liverpool had only finished in the top two three times since winning their previous league championship in 1990.

Klopp came in with the goal of waking a proverbial sleeping giant, something he had managed to do at Borussia Dortmund, whom he guided to back-to-back Bundesliga titles after seven years outside of Germany s top four.

Liverpool fans yearn…