Manchester City are interested in signing Alex Baena from Villarreal, according to . The report has claimed that City manager Pep Guardiola personally wants to sign Baena, adding that Atletico Madrid are also keen on the Spain international.
Baena is 23 years of age and can operate as an attacking midfielder or as a winger. The youngster has been on the books of Villarreal since 2011 and has established himself in the first team since coming through the Yellow Submarine’s youth academy.
The Spain international has made seven starts and one substitute appearance in La Liga for Villarreal so far this season. He has scored one goal and given five assists in those games. Baena scored two goals and provided 14 assists in 33 La Liga starts and scored two goals and gave thre…
Bukayo Saka struck against Aston Villa on Saturday to bring up Arsenal s 2,000th goal in the Premier League.
The England international rifled in a low 20-yard strike to give the Gunners a 1-0 lead in the 30th minute.
Arsenal become only the third team to hit the milestone in the competition after Manchester United and Liverpool. Jurgen Klopp s side managed the feat in last week s win against Brighton and Hove Albion.
2,000 Bukayo Saka’s opener was Arsenal’s 2,000th goal in the Premier League with the Gunners becoming the third side to reach this milestone after Man Utd (currently 2176 goals) and Liverpool (currently 2002 goals). Landmark.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe)
Mikel Arteta s Arsenal, who are aiming to secure Champions League qualificatio…
A superb Rodrygo strike was enough for a much-changed Real Madrid side to see off fourth-tier Cacereno on Tuesday and secure their place in the Copa del Rey round of 16.
Plying their trade in the Segunda Federacion, Cacereno more than held their own as the the European and LaLiga champions were unconvincing with Carlo Ancelotti having made nine alterations following the victory over Real Valladolid on Friday.
But in the 69th minute, Rodrygo jinked onto his right foot before arrowing into the top-right corner and that proved be enough to see Madrid through.
Madrid s hopes of winning a 20th Copa del Rey, and their first since the 2013-14 campaign, remain alive but they made hard work of the victory.
It took until the 16th minute for the first shot on target…
Luis de la Fuente says he is not worried by Spain s 0-0 draw with Serbia in their opening Nations League match, comparing it to a pre-season game.
In their first match as European champions, Spain struggled to break down a resolute Serbia side, with Lamine Yamal coming the closest for them as he missed two great chances in the second half.
La Roja had 21 shots throughout the game, creating 1.39 expected goals (xG), but only tested Predrag Rajkovic five times as the goalkeeper resolutely defended his clean sheet.
Despite an underwhelming start to their Nations League defence, having won the tournament in 2022-23, De la Fuente insisted there was no need to be concerned about the result.
We lacked mostly everything in the first half, Spain coach Luis de la …
League Managers Association (LMA) chief executive Richard Bevan feels enough support is given to Premier League managers in regards to their mental health.
Prior to his sacking at Chelsea, Graham Potter revealed his mental health and family life had suffered as a result of the pressures of Premier League management.
West Ham s David Moyes also discussed the impact of being an under-fire Premier League boss, citing the harmful effects media scrutiny can have.
But Bevan, who has been in his role since 2008, believes the LMA is doing its bit to help top-flight managers cope with the strain.
I think since COVID, the world of sport, not just football, has put health and wellbeing at the forefront of all decisions, Bevan said when speaking to Stats Perform at …
Despite some recent reports about a possibility of Sergio Busquets signing a new contract with Barcelona and continuing his illustrious Camp Nou career, the 34-year-old has decided to leave the club at the end of this season as a free agent, according to Fabrizio Romano. He has been approached by several clubs in the American MLS, but at this point, Saudi Arabia looks like his likeliest destination.
The veteran defensive midfielder, a long-time possession-regaining specialist that has proven so vital for Barcelona s success over the last 18 years, has made a total of 719 appearances for the Catalan club, helping them win eight La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey and trophies and as many Spanish Super Cups, three Champions League trophies, three UEFA Super Cups and as many FIFA C…
Scotland have been drawn against Israel in the Euro 2020 play-off semi-finals.
Aiming to reach their first major finals in 22 years, Steve Clarke s side will face Israel in a one-legged tie at Hampden Park on March 26.
The winner of that match will go on to face either Norway or Serbia in the Path C final five days later.
Scotland beat Israel 3-2 at Hampden Park last November en route to topping their Nations League group and Clarke is after a repeat result in four months time.
play-off draw
Path C
— UEFA EURO 2020 (@UEFAEURO)
The draw is what it is, he told Sky Sports News. I never get too carried away about who you are going to play.
It would been nice to repeat the home win, but the match will come with its own le…
Cristiano Ronaldo will still believe he will score the winning goal in the World Cup final, according to former Real Madrid full-back Michel Salgado.
Portugal head coach Fernando Santos started Ronaldo on the bench for their last-16 clash with Switzerland on Tuesday, which worked out well as his replacement, Goncalo Ramos, scored a hat-trick in a 6-1 win.
It came just two weeks after Ronaldo and Manchester United agreed to terminate his contract, with coach Erik ten Hag shaping his team largely without the 37-year-old, despite him being the Premier League side s top scorer last season.
Speaking to Stats Perform, Salgado explained how it can feel to go through a decline in importance near the end of a playing career, but added his belief that Ronaldo will still wa…
Hull extended their unbeaten run to seven league games with a comfortable 3-1 victory at Stoke.
The Tigers leapt back into the play-off places thanks mainly to a quickfire double after the half-hour mark.
Aaron Connolly opened the scoring with his fifth goal of the season after good work from former Potters loanee Jaden Philogene.
And the shell-shocked hosts fell further behind a matter of seconds after the restart when Adama Traore notched his first goal since April.
Regan Slater’s shot led to a Lynden Gooch own goal in the second half as Hull coasted towards a third successive Championship away victory for the first time since April 2013.
Stoke notched a late consolation through the returning Andre Vidigal, but he could not prevent their winle…
Tuesday will bring two finely poised contests in the Champions League last 16 as the second legs continue.
A late goal from Romelu Lukaku gave Inter a narrow 1-0 advantage against Porto at San Siro heading into the return fixture in Portugal.
The Serie A giants did not exactly prepare well, though, losing 2-1 at lowly Spezia on Friday, while Sergio Conceicao s side earned a hard-fought 3-2 win against Estoril Praia the same day.
Manchester City host RB Leipzig fresh off a 1-0 win at Crystal Palace thanks to an Erling Haaland penalty, while the Bundesliga club moved up to third in the table following a comfortable 3-0 victory over Borussia Monchengladbach.
After their 1-1 draw in the first leg in Germany, Pep Guardiola will be hoping that home advantage ca…