Georginio Wijnaldum suffered a broken tibia and has been ruled out for a number of months, and the injury obviously caused the Roma midfielder to be thoroughly unhappy. Among so many other aspects, the 31-year-old will miss the upcoming World Cup in Qatar where he would surely be representing Netherlands had he not been so unlucky.
Nonetheless, the former Liverpool man and current Paris Saint-Germain loanee is working very hard to overcome this obstacle as soon as possible.
There is still a long way to go, which I have to take patiently step by step
— Gini Wijnaldum (@GWijnaldum)
…
West Ham are one game from ending their 43-year trophy drought after they kept their heads to sink AZ Alkmaar 1-0 and reach the final of the Europa Conference League.
Substitute Pablo Fornals scored a stoppage-time winner to prompt ugly scenes at the final whistle, with West Ham players and coaching staff trying to stop AZ ultras from attacking away fans behind the dug-out.
It was a shameful end to a battling performance from the Hammers as they secured a 3-1 victory on aggregate.
WE ARE GOING TO PRAGUE!
— West Ham United (@WestHam)
A year earlier West Ham had lost the plot at the same stage of the Europa League, crashing out at Eintracht Frankfurt after Aaron Cresswell was sent off and David Moyes booted a ball at a ball boy.
But this…
Rene Girard is confident his Lille side are capable of lasting the pace in Ligue 1 and the Coupe de France in his first season at the helm.
The six-time Coupe de France winners face second tier side Caen in the round of 16 on Tuesday and are also in the hunt for UEFA Champions League spot, as they sit third in Ligue 1.
Girard is confident that his squad can remain competitive in both competitions, but urged his players not to take Caen lightly.
Patrice Garande s side have already knocked out one top flight club in Ajaccio, and Girard knows they are capable of causing another upset.
We have the means to carry out these goals (in league and cup), he said ahead of the cup tie.
(But) it is never a foregone conclusion. In this event any team is capable of a winn…
Serie B club Bari have announced plans to seek bankruptcy as their financial struggles continue.
The Stadio San Nicola outfit have finished in mid-table in both seasons since returning to the Italian second tier in 2011, but now face an uncertain future.
And a statement on the club s website on Monday confirmed they were exploring all avenues to safeguard football in the city.
The general meeting of AS Bari Spa was held where the majority shareholder Salvatore Matarrese Spa announced the impossibility to write off losses and to provide new finance, it read.
In social discussion, it emerged the common desire to protect the prestige and history of AS Bari.
The majority shareholder urged, therefore to establish any initiative to ensure the integrity of corpora…
Jose Mourinho is under huge pressure after his Manchester United side were dismantled by Tottenham, worsening an already poor start to the Premier League season.
Mourinho stayed on the Old Trafford pitch applauding the supporters for an extended period following Monday s 3-0 loss in what many onlookers took as a goodbye.
A fractious post-match news conference then saw Mourinho walk out after demanding respect for his three Premier League titles – all won with Chelsea – which he noted is more than the division s 19 other managers combined.
Defeat at Burnley on Sunday – with Sean Dyche s men having started the campaign similarly poorly – could leave Mourinho on the brink of being sacked, although it is not out of the question that he opts to resign.
Porto have signed Riechedly Bazoer on a season-long loan from Wolfsburg.
The Netherlands international joined the German outfit in January 2017 from Ajax, but has struggled for game time at the Volkswagen Arena, making just 27 appearances in all competitions.
The 21-year-old now has the chance to resurrect his career in Portugal and can look forward to Champions League football with his new club.
He told Porto s official website: Porto is a big club with a lot of history, where great players have played. When they called me, I was immediately interested. It all went very fast and I am happy to be here.
I m going to do everything to help the team. I am a box-to-box midfielder who can defend and score. I hope I can show that to the fans soon. In any…
Ryan Mason insists Tottenham are still a “big club” and an attractive proposition for managers despite the ongoing search for a new head coach.
Spurs saw another contender to permanently replace Antonio Conte exit the running this week after Feyenoord boss Arne Slot committed his long-term future to the Eredivisie club before he signed a new deal on Friday.
Tottenham held an interest in Slot but the PA news agency understands no direct discussions with the 44-year-old took place.
Mason is under no illusions the top job at Spurs remains desirable.
“It is Tottenham Hotspur, it is a big club. Not just for managers or coaches, but for staff members, for players,” Spurs’ acting head coach said before Sunday’s trip to Leeds.
“Anyone here s…
Chelsea won their first game in Champions League Group E as goals from Wesley Fofana, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Reece James sealed a resounding 3-0 victory over Milan on Wednesday.
Graham Potter s side had picked up just one point from their opening two games against Salzburg and Dinamo Zagreb, but victory at Stamford Bridge against the Serie A champions has revived their bid to reach the knockout stages.
Fofana scored his first goal for the club since joining from Leicester City in September after 24 minutes, slotting home after a goalmouth scramble.
Aubameyang and James, who set up the former s strike, made sure of the three points in the second half as Chelsea made it back-to-back wins following the weekend triumph over Crystal Palace in the Premier League…
Arsenal legend Thierry Henry has returned to the club, in order to stay fit over the MLS close-season.
The former France captain, who has played in the United States with New York Red Bulls since July 2010, is Arsenal s record goalscorer with 228 efforts coming from 377 appearances for the London club.
Henry fired Arsene Wenger s side to two Premier League titles and three FA Cups in a prolific eight-year spell, having signed from Juventus in 1999.
He returned to the club on loan in January 2012, scoring twice in a seven-game stint.
A third spell as a player is not thought to be on the cards for the 36-year-old, although Wenger is reportedly keen on bolstering his attacking ranks in January.
Olivier Giroud has netted eight times in 18 games for Arsenal this…
A second half goal from Montpellier defender Garry Bocaly handed Jean Tigana his first defeat as new Bordeaux coach as the 2009 champions fell 1-0 in their Ligue 1 opener on Sunday.
Bordeaux, having lost coach Laurent Blanc to the France national job, had high hopes of a strong start under former French star Tigana after finishing sixth last time out.
But they suffered their first loss in a season opener in six years as they failed to find their way past a side which had not beaten them at home for 13 years.
Montpellier, still smarting after their Europa League elimination midweek to Hugarian side Gyor, made most of the early running with striker Olivier Giroud missing a chance after four minutes when his header flew over the bar.
It was then the turn of…