Palermo filled with World Cup nostalgia

Argentina legend Martin Palermo says the best football memory he has is being involved in the 2010 World Cup squad.

The 38-year-old hung up his boots in 2011 after more than 500 league appearances with Estudiantes, Villarreal, Real Betis and most notably Boca Juniors, where he won six league titles as well as two Copa Libertadores crowns.

The one-time South American Player of the Year revealed that despite being selected for the Argentina squad for the World Cup in South Africa, there were also some unsavoury moments, including his well-documented rivalry with Juan Roman Riquelme.

The most important memory in my career is the World Cup in South Africa, Palermo told Cadena Cope.

Diego Maradona gave me the opportunity to be there and be involved. I ll ta…

Spurs keen on Douglas Costa; Draxler dismisses exit rumours

Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Douglas Costa is very happy at the Donbass Arena, and is not looking to leave the Ukrainian Premier League giants when the transfer window re-opens in January despite the player s agent, Cesar Bottega, welcoming reported interest from English Premier League outfit Tottenham Hotspur, .

In January 2010, Douglas Costa, 22, agreed to terms on a five-year deal worth approximately €6 million with Shakhtar Donetsk after spending two seasons with Porto Alegre side Grêmio in Brazil.

The former Brazil Under-20 international is also attracting interest from Napoli, but the 22-year-old s agent has played down a potential move for the attacking midfielder.

The interest of Napoli and Tottenham is very pleasing, Bottega told Tutto…

Arteta confirms Arsenal transfer plans as injuries have ´an impact´

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has admitted the club will be looking for a late recruit in the transfer window after suffering injury setbacks.

The Gunners maintained their perfect start to the Premier League season with a 2-1 victory over Aston Villa on Wednesday, with Gabriel Martinelli scoring the winner just 151 seconds after Douglas Luiz s equaliser.

Arteta was forced to change his starting ranks in midfield for the second game in a row though, with Mohamed Elneny having suffered an injury in Saturday s 2-1 win against Fulham.

Elneny s setback came after Thomas Partey was ruled out of action through injury, with Arteta having to turn to Albert Sambi Lokonga for the midweek test against Villa.

With Premier League tests a plenty and the Europa League gro…

Van der Vaart “almost certainly” Real´s only recruit: president

Dutch international midfielder Rafael van der Vaart will almost certainly be Real Madrid s only new signing of the season, the president of the Spanish champions, Ramon Calderon, said Tuesday.

Rafael van der Vaart is the first recruit of this year and he will almost certainly be the only one, Calderon said during the 25-year-old s official unveiling at Real Madrid s Santiago-Bernabeu stadium.

His comments come amidst growing signs that Real Madrid s bid to recruit Manchester United s Portuguese international winger Cristiano Ronaldo have stalled due to the English side s refusal to sell the 23-year-old player.

Van der Vaart, whose mother is Spanish, signed with Real for five seasons in a deal reportedly worth 13 million euros (20 million dollars).

Th…

Jardim: Monaco worked on defending lead

Monaco prioritised defence early in their UEFA Champions League third-round qualifying second leg against Young Boys, coach Leonardo Jardim said.

Jardim s men eventually posted a 4-0 victory at Stade Louis II to earn a 7-1 aggregate triumph, earning them a spot in the play-off phase and putting them on the brink of the group stages.

Having earned a 3-1 win in Switzerland in leg one, Jardim said he wanted to first silence the visitors before putting the tie beyond doubt.

According to me, the first half was very good, tactical, Jardim said post-match. 

We had less the control of the game [than in the second half] but the opponent had not been in control either. 

The aim was not to concede a goal by half-time. 

Because we knew that wit…

Wague wins place in Barcelona first team

Barcelona have promoted Senegalese defender Moussa Wague to their first-team squad ahead of the new season.

The right-back joins Ernesto Valverde s group on a permanent basis after breaking through for his LaLiga debut in April.

Wague joined the club from Belgian side Eupen last year and made 20 appearances for Barca s reserves in Segunda Division B, the third tier of Spanish football.

He has been given the number 16 shirt formerly worn by Xavi and Sergio Busquets and will rival Nelson Semedo and Sergi Roberto for a starting berth.

The 20-year-old represented Senegal at the 2018 World Cup, scoring in a 2-2 draw against Japan, and was part of the team that reached the Africa Cup of Nations final in July.

Barca face Arsenal in the Joan Gamper Trophy…

Chelsea have look of champions as Wolves crushed

Chelsea tightened their grip at the top of the Premier League with a 4-0 thrashing of beleaguered Wolves on Saturday.

The west Londoners produced a display of consummate authority at a soggy Stamford Bridge, capped by goals from Florent Malouda, two from Michael Essien and a welcome fourth from Joe Cole, his first since October 2008.

Statistics can never be the sole measure of a side s calibre, but Chelsea s numbers make for impressive reading.

This victory was their 12th in succession on home soil, a club record, and also ensured it is now a calendar year since they tasted defeat at Stamford Bridge in any competition.

It is reaching the point when Carlo Ancelotti can almost take maximum points for granted in this corner of the English capital, a rare lu…

Donovan issues ultimatum to Galaxy over Beckham

Landon Donovan has issued the Los Angeles Galaxy an ultimatum have English superstar David Beckham clean up his act or risk the departure of Donovan, the club s all-time top active scorer.

Let s say he does stay here for three more years. I m not going to spend the next three years of my life doing it this way. This is (expletive) miserable, Donovan said in passages from a forthcoming book put on Sports Illustrated s website.

US national team captain Donovan blasted Beckham in the book, entitled The Beckham Experiment , questioning the former England captain s work ethic, leadership and ability to be a good teammate on the Major League Soccer squad.

Maybe he s not a leader. Maybe he s not a captain, author Grant Wahl quotes Donovan as saying in the book, sched…

Monaco confirm Golovin approach

Monaco have made an offer for CSKA Moscow s Russia international Aleksandr Golovin, according to the Ligue 1 club s vice-president Vadim Vasilyev.

Golovin was one of the stars of Russia s surprise run to the quarter-finals at their home World Cup and Chelsea have been linked with making the attacking midfielder one of the first signings of the Maurizio Sarri era – following Jorginho s big-money arrival from Napoli over the weekend.

But Monaco have already made their move, with Vasilyev telling the 22-year-old Leonardo Jardim s first-team squad acts as a more reliable proving ground for young talents.

We made CSKA a proposal for Golovin, Vasilyev told Sport-Express. I cannot say the amount of the transfer, but it is very worthy.

The duration of the con…

Boloni calls time on Standard Liege tenure

Laszlo Boloni has resigned as coach of under-performing Belgian champions Standard Liege, the club announced on their website on Wednesday.

Taking into account the team s current position, Laszlo Boloni on Wednesday tendered his resignation as head coach of Standard Liege, read a club statement. His contract was subsequently terminated by mutual consent from both parties.

Boloni, 56, was replaced by Standard s sporting director Dominique D Onofrio, whose brother Lucien is the vice-president of Standard Liege and seen as the strong man of the club.

Immediately after his appointment, Dominique D Onofrio flew to Austria to watch the Austrian Cup match between Graz and Salzburg, who Standard will play in the Europa League, the club said in a statement.

Bo…