Karim Benzema has announced his retirement from international football on his 35th birthday, just a day after France suffered a heartbreaking penalty shootout defeat to Argentina in the World Cup final on Sunday. The 2022 Ballon d'Or winner missed the tournament in Qatar with a thigh injury and later declined an invite from French president Emmanuel Macron to attend Sunday's final at Lusail S...Full Story »

Manchester United have been given renewed hope in their long-standing bid to sign Frenkie de Jong, according to reports. The Red Devils spent most of the summer trying to prise the Netherlands international away from Barcelona(opens in new tab), but the midfielder continually insisted that he had no intention of leaving the Camp Nou. But De Jong may now be considering his options, with the D...Full Story »

RIOT cops tear gassed fans in France tonight as clashes erupted across the country after Argentina's sensational World Cup win. Thousands of football fans poured into the streets in Paris, Nice and Lyon after France lost to Argentina 4-2 on penalties in Qatar. French police officers confront a fan on the Champs-Elysees in central Paris Riot cops clashed with fans on the famous Champs-Elysees ...Full Story »

  Premier League giants Liverpool have identified another member of the midfield core at Juventus as a potential addition following the turn of the year, according to reports. The player in question? Weston McKennie. It has of course long been common knowledge that the powers that be at Anfield are on the lookout for reinforcements in the middle of the park. Owing to a combinati...Full Story »

  Kylian Mbappe won the Golden Boot award after scoring a hat trick for France in their World Cup final defeat against Argentina on Sunday. Mbappe scored his sixth, seventh and eighth goals of the 2022 tournament to take his total to 12 in the competition overall. He edged out Argentina forward Lionel Messi, who scored twice in the final himself, and ended the World Cup with seven ...Full Story »

  Madrid keen on offering Marco Asensio a contract extension According to Spanish outlet SPORT, Marco Asensio is on the verge of signing a new deal with reigning La Liga champions Real Madrid. The Spanish forward has been previously linked to multiple European elites but Los Blancos are looking to keep Asensio in Spain despite fewer chances. But with Benzema out injured and Haza...Full Story »

  Premier League giants Liverpool are readying a push for a key member of the midfield setup at Italian champions AC Milan, according to reports. The player in question? Ismael Bennacer. It has of course long been common knowledge that the powers that be at Anfield are on the lookout for reinforcements in the middle of the park. Owing to a combination of injury concerns and simp...Full Story »

  France manager Didier Deschamps said it does not bother him "many people" want Argentina and Lionel Messi to lift the World Cup when they meet on Sunday. Deschamps is aiming to become just the second manager to win successive World Cups after Les Bleus' triumph in 2018. He also said there was no update on a virus in the French camp, but confirmed all players had trained. "We a...Full Story »

  One of the biggest beneficiaries of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar could be Man United's Harry Maguire. That's according to journalist Dean Jones, who believes the English centre-back's performance in Qatar could put him in a better position to 'salvage' his United career. Despite being named the 20-time league winner's captain by former boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Maguire, 29, lost ...Full Story »

  Chelsea remain interested in Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele. Marca says Chelsea are monitoring a potential move for Dembele ahead of the January transfer window. The Frenchman is said to have a release clause in his contract with the Blaugrana, which could be triggered by the Blues. Chelsea were linked with Dembele last January, but missed out on a deal as his contract dwind...Full Story »

  Man Utd want De Jong AND Bellingham (MEN) Man Utd could make another move for Frenkie de Jong and remain interested in signing Jude Bellingham, according to the Manchester Evening News. Manager Erik ten Hag has told close friends that if he could sign any player in the world for his team it would be Bellingham. Meanwhile, De Jong has privately told Ten Hag he'd be happy to mov...Full Story »

Norwich head coach Dean Smith insisted he would not be worrying about his future after hearing fans call for his head both during and after a disappointing 2-0 home defeat at the hands of fellow high-fliers Blackburn.The Canaries remain in the play-off positions after the reverse but large sections of supporters were quick to voice their displeasure at a below-par display, making disparaging rem...Full Story »

Dean Lewington made it clear he does not want to become the permanent MK Dons manager despite masterminding a 2-0 League One victory over Portsmouth.Lewington saw Bradley Johnson and Jack Tucker both score to give the Dons a much-needed three points in their relegation battle.The long-serving defender took interim charge after Liam Manning was sacked last week but will not take to the dugout aga...Full Story »

Russell Martin had some harsh words for his Swansea side despite seeing them come from three goals down to salvage a 3-3 draw against Coventry at the CBS Arena.Jonathan Panzo, Jamie Allen and Viktor Gyokeres had put the Sky Blues in the driving seat before a 16-minute turnaround from Joel Piroe, Jay Fulton and Liam Cullen saw Swansea snatch a point.“I’m battling how to feel about it ...Full Story »

Manager Gareth Ainsworth was delighted as Wycombe continued to defy their critics and battled their way to a narrow 1-0 League One victory over deposed league leaders Ipswich.After coming so close to a second promotion to the Championship in three years last season, there were some who thought the Chairboys’ bubble had burst after an indifferent start to the current campaign.However, their...Full Story »

Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray said midfielder Elliot Embleton was taken to hospital with what looked “a bad injury” after he was sent off in the 1-1 draw at Hull.Embleton was shown a red card by referee Gavin Ward in the 59th minute as he was being taken off the pitch on a stretcher, having hurt himself in a challenge on Ryan Woods.Mowbray said: “He’s gone to hospital, he&...Full Story »

Martin Canning stood in for under-the-weather Stoke boss Alex Neil and spoke of his pride at the visitors’ efforts in their 2-1 come-from-behind victory at Bristol City.Jacob Brown scored a second-half winner after Liam Delap had cancelled out Nahki Wells’ opener.Neil was struggling as he watched from the dugout and missed his post-match press conference, and assistant manager Cannin...Full Story »

Derby head coach Paul Warne was not satisfied with his team’s performance, despite a comprehensive 4-0 victory over Forest Green.A David McGoldrick hat-trick, following Nathaniel Mendez-Laing’s early opener, helped take Derby into the top six in League One, but Warne felt his side could have done even better.Warne said: “I was happy with parts of it. I was happy with our second...Full Story »

Bristol Rovers manager Joey Barton reckons his strikeforce are as good as any in the division after John Marquis scored twice to end their 62-year wait for a win at The Valley.The Gas are undefeated in 11 of their last 12 League One matches and their 2-1 victory in a frosty south London moved them up to ninth in the table – three points outside the play-off places.Substitute Marquis had on...Full Story »

Slaven Bilic praised two-goal hero Joao Pedro after Watford eased to a 2-0 win at bottom side Huddersfield to climb to third in the Championship table.The problems for Mark Fotheringham’s Terriers are of a different kind as the defeat leaves them stuck at the bottom of the table, seven points from safety.Bilic admitted of Pedro, who scored goals at either end of the second half: “He&...Full Story »