Derby County have confirmed they will contest the breach of spending rules they have been charged with by the English Football League (EFL).
The Championship club are accused of recording excess losses over a three-year period ending June 30, 2018.
However, Derby insist the charges – which relate to the £80million sale of their stadium Pride Park to the team s owner Mel Morris and the club s amortisation policy on player contracts – are unfounded.
According to a statement on Derby s official website, the EFL agreed to the sale of Pride Park and have not previously raised an issue over player amortisation.
As a matter of law, the EFL is not entitled to bring either of the charges, having previously agreed to all of the arrangements surrounding the s…
Ernesto Valverde insisted he had not received a phone call urging him to re-sign Neymar following reports the club had been contacted by the player s father.
El Mundo claimed this week that Neymar Sr had made repeated pleas to the Barca board to bring his son who joined Paris Saint-Germain for €222million in 2017 back to Camp Nou.
Neymar Sr subsequently denied the reports and Valverde stressed that, if any calls had taken place, he certainly was not party to them.
People tend to say big things about players at other clubs, he told a news conference.
He is a great player, had a great World Cup, but now he s at a different club, so there s nothing more to say about that.
It s not a question of Neymar phoning nobody has phoned me.
…
Luciano Spalletti says Napoli will not be fooled by Liverpool s recent struggles, nor by Jurgen Klopp suggesting the Reds cannot record an emphatic victory to top their Champions League group.
Klopp s side must defeat Napoli by four goals at Anfield on Tuesday to win Group A, having been thrashed 4-1 by Napoli on matchday one in the reverse fixture before recovering with four successive wins.
While Liverpool progressed to the knockout stages with a game to spare, the Reds have struggled in the Premier League this season, sitting ninth in the table – some 15 points behind leaders Arsenal.
Klopp heralded the potential of Napoli on Monday, suggesting a four-goal victory would be near-impossible as he backed the Serie A side to reach the final, though Spalletti too…
Arsenal have reached a total agreement with Ajax over the proposed transfer of Jurrien Timber, multiple sources have reported. Arsenal will pay the initial fee for the services of the 22-year-old defender of €40 million, with easily achievable add-ons worth up to €5m to follow.
Following the arrival of Kai Havertz from Chelsea and the agreement with West Ham over Declan Rice, the Gunners are set to strengthen their back line as well with the quality of Timber.
The 15-cap Netherlands international is apparently impressed with the project currently unfolding at the Emirates under Mikel Arteta, and though there were other options for him to consider as he pondered the next step in his career, he is believed to leave Ajax only for Arsenal.
Timber is a product of…
Inter boss Claudio Ranieri is only interested in three points when he goes up against former club Juventus in Serie A on Saturday.
The Italian Ranieri will confront his past in the fixture, as he coached Juventus between 2007 and 2009 before being sacked, despite finishing second during the 2008-09 campaign.
However, Ranieri insisted that he will treat the match at the San Siro like a regular encounter.
For me it will be the usual match. It s worth three important points, nothing more, Ranieri said at a press conference.
Just because they (Juventus) were my former club does not change anything on an emotional level.
For me it s just an important game but Juventus will be feeling it stronger. They want to become great again and they train hard…
Diego Simeone said Atletico Madrid s La Liga triumph last season was predictable after the club won five trophies over the previous four years.
Atleti broke through for their first league title in 18 years in the 2013-14 campaign, stunning perennial challengers Barcelona and Real Madrid, while Simeone s men also went within seconds of winning the UEFA Champions League.
While Atletico s La Liga success was considered one of the fairytale stories of last season across Europe, Simeone, who has been in charge at the Vicente Calderon since December 2011, claimed it had been coming.
The Spanish capital club won the UEFA Europa League in 2010, while Simeone led them to another title in the second-tier continental competition in his first season in charge.
Atleti…
Barcelona have hinted at a return to old club traditions after revealing their kit for the 2016-17 season.
Lionel Messi and his team-mates played in red and blue hooped shirts last season as they secured a La Liga and Copa del Rey double, but the club s usual striped pattern will be adopted once more next term.
Barcelona revealed the new design on Monday, with the lack of a sponsor on the front of the shirt also notable.
A jersey inspired by the 25th anniversary of the first European Cup. Explore it on
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona)
The Catalan club shunned sponsorship until striking a deal with the Qatar Foundation in 2012.
Qatar Airways have adorned Barca s shirts since 2013, but have not renewed their deal for next season, which is …
Alan Pardew hinted more Newcastle United signings are on the way, but said Cheick Tiote would not be sold accordingly.
The Tyneside club are linked to the likes of Manchester City defender Micah Richards and QPR striker Loic Remy, the latter spent last season on loan at St James Park scoring 14 goals in 26 league appearances.
Pardew was confident defensive midfielder Tiote, who has been at Newcastle since 2010, would remain at the club beyond the transfer deadline on September 1.
I m confident Cheick will still be here next month, Pardew said.
We ve not really entertained any serious thought of him leaving. I ve had no indication from him that he wants to go.
Pardew added: There is a contingency plan in place, you have to be on your toes all th…
Kylian Mbappe will join Neymar in a fearsome Paris Saint-Germain forward line after completing his switch from Monaco.
Initially a loan move, PSG have an option to buy Mbappe that, when exercised, will secure the 18-year-old on a contract until June 2022 for a reported €180million.
Mbappe follows international team-mate Ousmane Dembele in making waves in the transfer market during a money-spinning window, with the 20-year-old winger having joined Barcelona for an initial €105m from Borussia Dortmund.
But beyond two of the hottest properties in European football, France coach Didier Deschamps boasts an enviable array of young talent that could set up Les Bleus for a generation of dominance.
¡Bienvenido Dembélé!
Welcome Dembélé!
Bienvenue Dembél�…
Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho championed Nemanja Matic as one of the best people he has worked with throughout his illustrious career and said the midfielder remained one of his guys even after he was sacked by Chelsea.
Matic returned to Chelsea from Benfica in January 2014 during Mourinho s second spell as manager and instantly became a fixture in the team, helping them to the Premier League title in the 2014-15 campaign.
The Serbia international was also a key part of the Chelsea side that won the title again under Antonio Conte last term, making the club s decision to allow him to depart for Old Trafford all the more surprising.
Matic s Stamford Bridge exit allowed him to again link up with Mourinho at United and he has quickly established himself in th…