Monday, February 3, 2014

Mourinho readies Chelsea bus ahead of Man City showdown

Jose Mourinho leads his title-chasing Chelsea team to the Etihad Stadium on Monday night looking to cause a shock and stop Manuel Pellegrini's free-scoring side from retaking the lead at the summit of the Premier League.

Mourinho has a number of famous career highlights in away games and although he has blamed visiting teams at Stamford Bridge for 'parking the bus', he may be wise to adopt such tactics at City.
Monday, February 3, 2014 07:23

Sunday, February 2, 2014

Fortress Barcelona comes crashing down

Barcelona’s long unbeaten home record came to an abrupt halt on Saturday night as Valencia triumphed 3-2 in an enthralling game at Camp Nou.

A miserable night for the hosts also saw Jordi Alba sent off as Gerardo Martino's men suffered their first home league defeat since April 2012.

The result throws yet another twist into the title race and hands the initiative over to Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid, who both have the opportunity to move ahead of the Catalans on Sunday.
Sunday, February 2, 2014 11:50

Galliani Banknote

Time's up! Who sealed their deadline-day deals?


It was a frantic close to transfer deadline day, even if some of the big deals did not go through.

There was still plenty of action, with Dimitar Berbatov swapping Fulham for Monaco and Kostas Mitroglou replacing him from Olympiakos.

Dani Osvaldo clinched his move from Southampton to Juventus, and Adel Taarabt also left for Serie A, namely AC Milan.

Arsenal had been hopeful of signing Julian Draxler throughout January but would not match Schalke's valuation. They also wanted Blaise Matuidi and considered Mogran Schneiderlin, but ended up with Kim Kallstrom on loan from Spartak Moscow.

There was bad news for Liverpool, too, as they missed out on a late deal for Yevhen Konoplyanka.

If you want to find out how deadline day panned out in more detail, check out Goal's in-depth guide.
Saturday, February 1, 2014 10:00

Friday, January 31, 2014

Last chance! Deadline day targets exit through transfer window

The clock is ticking and the January transfer deadline is fast approaching - could there be some late moves before the window closes?

Arsene Wenger has ruled out the signing of Julian Draxler, but Arsenal are in talks to sign both Lazio striker Miroslav Klose and Spartak Moscow midfielder Kim Kallstrom.

Southampton look set to say goodbye to Dani Osvaldo, who is in Turin for a medical with Juventus ahead of a loan move.

Dimitar Berbatov is also on the move. Tottenham looked favourites to re-sign the striker after Lewis Holtby moved to Fulham, but Monaco have stolen ahead in a move for the Bulgarian.

Plenty of moves have been confirmed and there are a lot more expected before the deadline - stay with Goal for all the latest updates!
Friday, 31 January 2014 13:30

19th century West Ham keep out Chelsea

Jose Mourinho let his frustrations be known on Wednesday night after West Ham somehow managed to hold Chelsea to a goalless draw at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea bombarded Sam Allardyce's side, who stood firm against chance after chance with a well-manned defensive line that simply would not budge.

But Mourinho took exception to West Ham's strategy and voiced his disapproval after the game.

"This is not the best league in the world, this is football from the 19th century," said Mourinho.

"The only thing I could bring was a Black and Decker to destroy the wall."

Allardyce though, was quick to brush off the criticism.

"He can't take it, can he?" he replied. "He can't take it because we've outwitted him - he just can't cope."
Thursday, January 30, 2014 15:30

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Wheels beginning to fall off Arsenal bandwagon

Arsenal’s season took a turn for the worse on Tuesday as the Premier League leaders were held to a 2-2 draw at Southampton.

The result means Arsene Wenger’s men could be knocked off top spot should Manchester City beat Tottenham on Wednesday.

However, there was worse to follow with news that midfielder Aaron Ramsey, so often the star of the show for the Gunners this season, would be out for another four to six weeks through injury.
Wednesday, January 29, 2014 13:14

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Wenger hoping to ride Puma to success

Riding the crest of a... Puma?!

It may be not be a phrase that rolls off the tongue but that is exactly what Arsenal could be doing afteragreeing a commercial partnership with the German sportswear company.

The agreement, announced on Monday, will be the club's "biggest commercial deal ever", with Puma replacing Nike as the club's official kit supplier ready for the 2014-15 Premier League campaign.

Speaking about the deal, chief executive Ivan Gazidis told the club's official website: "We are excited to be partnering with PUMA, a company whose football heritage and record of innovation have a strong affinity with our own.

"This represents another important step forward in Arsenal's progression on and off the pitch."
Tuesday, January 28, 2014 11:00


Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Mourinho snatches Salah from Liverpool as Mata moves on

With just days to go, the January transfer window is beginning to hot up with the big clubs starting to splash the cash.

Manchester United have sealed the biggest transfer of the window so far, signing Juan Mata from Chelsea for a club-record £37.1 million.

However, the Blues have also been active, snapping up Mohamed Salah from FC Basel from under the noses of Liverpool.

Monday, January 27, 2014 12:00

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Rosell's special delivery for Neymar's parents

The controversy surrounding the resignation of Barcelona president Sandro Rosell rumbles on in Spain.

Rosell stepped down on Thursday, following the announcement of an investigation into the transfer of Neymar to Camp Nou.

At a press conference on Friday, Rosell's replacement, Josep Maria Bartomeu, was adamant the deal to sign the Brazil international cost €57.1 million.

Of that €57.1m transfer fee, €40m went to Neymar's parents, with the deal - including a signing-on fee, commission, marketing and other add-ons - totalling €86.2m.

"I guarantee we have not lied," Bartomeu said, denying any wrongdoing. "Football games are won on the field of play and we have always been highly responsible in the way we have dealt with our contracts. My colleagues have a high level of expertise."
Saturday, January 25, 2014 12:00