Segunda Division high-flyers Real Betis have announced the return of former coach Pepe Mel.
The 51-year-old spent three-and-a-half years in charge of the Sevilla-based club from July 2010, guiding Betis to promotion in his first season before then securing UEFA Europa League football with a seventh-place finish in 2012-13.
Mel was dismissed as coach in December 2013 as his men failed to replicate their Europa League form in La Liga, and he swiftly ended up with West Brom in the Premier League, while Betis were ultimately relegated.
However, Mel lasted just half a season at The Hawthorns and he now finds himself back at Estadio Benito Villamarin, coming in as Julio Velazquez s successor after the 33-year-old was sacked in November.
Mel will join initially…
Antonio Valencia believes Jose Mourinho has brought a champions mentality back to Manchester United.
Mourinho has overseen three wins from three at the start of the Premier League season, setting up a mouthwatering top-of-the-table derby against Manchester City at Old Trafford next month.
Valencia has impressed as an attacking right-back during the opening weeks of the campaign and the Ecuador international, who was part of United s last title-winning side under Alex Ferguson in 2012-13, is enthusiastic over what this season can bring.
I think he s given a really positive confidence boost to the side and that can be seen out there on the field, the 31-year-old told MUTV.
Everyone is feeling confident, everyone wants the ball and that s a very good sign.…
Premier League strugglers Newcastle United have secured a loan deal for Chelsea starlet Kenedy, Daily mail understands.
The Blues winger is set to join the Magpies once the January transfer window opens after a failed attempt from Rafa Benitez to land the Brazilian forward during the summer market.
Antonio Conte decided he needed Kenedy at Stamford Bridge for the new 2017/18 season but given that the 21-year-old only made three EFL appearances for the Blues, Chelsea manager is now prepared to let the starlet leave on loan in order to help the player gain regular first-team action.
Rafa Benitez is said to be a long-term admirer of the talented Brazilian and is keen to introduce Kenedy as the first-team choice on the left flank, where Newcastle have big problems.<…
Max Kruse has revealed he had an offer from Liverpool prior to joining Fenerbahce last month.
The 31-year-old moved to the Super Lig after deciding against extending his contract with Bundesliga side Werder Bremen.
Kruse had been linked with Liverpool in the past and says he was approached by Jurgen Klopp s side before opting to move to Turkey for the good of his career.
I had a lot of offers. Liverpool were one of them, he told beIN SPORTS.
He added he chose Fenerbahce because I had the best feeling about it, as the next step in my career .
What an important strike this was
Cheers for everything, skipper!
— SV Werder Bremen EN (@werderbremen_en)
Kruse scored 32 goals in 84 Bundesliga appearances in his second spel…
Nottingham Forest have accused VAR Stuart Attwell of being a Luton fan after feeling they were on the wrong end of “three extremely poor decisions” during Sunday’s 2-0 Premier League defeat at Everton.
Forest posted on X, formerly Twitter, soon after full-time that they were considering their options, having “warned the PGMOL that the VAR is a Luton fan before the game but they didn’t change him”, adding that their patience had now been “tested multiple times” this season.
The relegation-threatened midlands club were furious not to be awarded spot-kicks by Anthony Taylor for challenges on Giovanni Reyna and Callum Hudson-Odoi by Ashley Young, who in the meantime had looked fortunate to escape a handball decision, with Attwell backing the referee.
…
Kevin De Bruyne insists he is “way ahead” of schedule on his return from a hamstring injury that cut short his appearance in Manchester City’s Champions League final win.
The 32-year-old scored 10 goals and provided 31 assists as City won the treble last season, adding the FA Cup and Champions League to a fifth Premier League crown in six years.
De Bruyne revealed that he was carrying a hamstring injury for the last two months of the campaign and was forced off just 36 minutes into the 1-0 win over Inter Milan in June.
His first action back was off the bench as a second-half substitute in Sunday’s Community Shield meeting with Arsenal – where he set up Cole Palmer for the opening goal but then missed the first penalty as the Gunners won a shoot-out 4-1.…
Former France international Gregory Coupet has advised Karim Benzema to vent his frustrations on the pitch against Spain.
Benzema has so far failed to make a goalscoring contribution at Euro 2012, and his only input thus far has been assisting both goals for France in the 2-0 victory over Ukraine in Group D.
Coupet, who retired after being released by Paris Saint-Germain in 2011, played with Benzema from 2005 to 2009 at Lyon, securing four consecutive Ligue 1 titles together.
The 39-year-old was France s number one goalkeeper at Euro 2008, a tournament in which France finished bottom of a group containing Netherlands, Italy and Romania.
Nevertheless, the goalkeeper had some encouraging words of advice for his former team-mate ahead of France s quarter-f…
Manuel Locatelli s stunning strike earned AC Milan a 1-0 victory over Serie A leaders Juventus, who controversially had a Miralem Pjanic goal ruled out at San Siro.
Teenage midfielder Locatelli fired a sensational effort beyond Juve goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon in the 65th minute, with Vincenzo Montella s side consequently moving to within two points of their table-topping opponents on his 200th Serie A match as a head coach.
The champions may feel hard done by, though, with Pjanic seeing a goal chalked off in the first half due to a debatable offside decision against Medhi Benatia.
After losing Paulo Dybala to injury, the midfielder s 35-yard free-kick flew beyond the outstretched leg of Leonardo Bonucci, who raced in from a legal position, to nestle in the back …
FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke has distanced himself from allegations he was involved in a $10million payment to secure the 2010 World Cup for South Africa.
Last week, United States Department of Justice alleged the sum was paid as a bribe, with the New York Times reporting FIFA secretary general Valcke was responsible for transferring the funds to CONCACAF then led by the indicted Jack Warner.
FIFA, rocked after president Sepp Blatter announced on Tuesday that he intends to step down in the wake of the corruption scandal that has engulfed the world governing body, subsequently denied the allegations and Valcke followed suit on Wednesday in an interview with France Info radio.
The 10 million dollar payment does not come from FIFA account, he said…
Nottingham Forest have completed the signing of Henri Lansbury from Arsenal after agreeing to a four-year deal with the England Under 21 international, .
Lansbury , and will reportedly join Forest for a transfer fee of £1 million.
The 21-year-old midfielder made just eight senior appearances during his time at Arsenal. In fact, he spent more time out on loan away from the Emirates Stadium than he did training with his parent club.
Lansbury spent the majority of his time on the Gunners books at Scunthorpe United (2008-09), Watford (2009-10), Norwich City (2010-11) and West Ham United (2011-12).
The Englishman s clubs, Norwich City and West Ham United, have earned promotion to the English Premier League in each of the past two seasons, wi…