Beckham crucial to England 2018 W.Cup bid: Blatter

Christopher Nkunku s first-half penalty was enought to send Chelsea through to Friday s Europa Conference League draw despite a 2-1 second-leg defeat against Servette, going through 3-2 on aggregate.

Nkunku s 14th minute opener was cancelled out with goals either side of half-time from Jeremy Guillemenot and Enzo Crivelli, but the Blues were able to hold on to progress.

After a nervy start in Switzerland, Chelsea were awarded a spot-kick when Keigo Tsunemoto fouled Mykhailo Mudryk inside the box, with Nkunku stepping up to score from 12 yards as he did in the first leg.

But the hosts would draw level in the 32nd minute when Guillemenot was picked out by Dereck Kutesa before firing past Filip Jorgensen to level the game on the night.

Servette, though, won…

Brighton and Hove Albion manager Roberto De Zerbi has been linked with a number of top clubs across Europe, even with the post of long-term successor to Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid. But speaking to the press ahead of his team s Premier League clash with Brentford on Wednesday, the Italian tactician has revealed that there are ongoing talks ongoing about a new contract to keep him at the Amex.

I feel very well in Brighton , De Zerbi said.

I have a great relationship with the players, with the club, with Tony [Bloom], with Paul Barber, David Weir and everybody who works in Brighton.

Yes, we are speaking about the new contract, but at the moment we are speaking, it s not done yet.

In September 2022, Brighton appointed De Zerbi to replace Graham Potte…

Watford have appointed Valerien Ismael as their new head coach.

Ex-Barnsley and West Brom boss Ismael replaces Chris Wilder, who has left Vicarage Road at the end of his short-term deal.

Ismael’s contract length has not been disclosed by Watford but he is the 19th full-time appointment made by the Pozzo family during the past 11 years.

Watford technical director Ben Manga told the club’s official website: “Being able to appoint a new coach so soon in May means we can prepare very well together for next season.

“To be able to welcome someone of Valerien’s experience to Watford is good news for our club. We are all looking forward to working with him.”

It continues the extraordinary churn of managers at Watford under the ownership of the…

Jose Mourinho was on Wednesday named Mauricio Pochettino s successor at Tottenham.

It s a remarkable return to English football for one of the game s most successful, and controversial, managers.

A quick look at the fixture list shows the Portuguese will have to hit the ground running if he is to turn Spurs season around the north London side are 14th heading into the weekend clash at West Ham, 11 points adrift of a Champions League spot.

After the cross-capital clash on Saturday, Mourinho will have to plot a route through a congested fixture list that also sees clashes with some old friends and foes.

Jose s back.

After Porto, Chelsea, Inter, Real Madrid and Manchester United, the Portuguese has now rocked up at Tottenham.

His spell at Old…

Emil Forsberg is confident RB Leipzig will progress to a higher level when Julian Nagelsmann takes over as head coach next season.

Leipzig confirmed in June that Nagelsmann would take over at the Red Bull Arena at the end of his contract with Hoffenheim, who he steered clear of relegation after taking over from Huub Stevens in February 2016 before leading them to successive top-four Bundesliga finishes.

The 31-year-old suffered a 2-1 defeat against his future employers last Saturday, but Forsberg has no doubt the club have made the right choice in naming him their coach from the 2019-20 campaign.

I don t know him personally. From what I see, he is a great manager. He is very popular here in Germany. He did a great job at Hoffenheim, Forsberg told Omnisport.

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Negotiations are continuing as Manchester United seek to secure out-of-favour Atletico Madrid forward Joao Felix on a loan deal this month.

Joao Felix became Atletico s club-record signing back in 2019 when they purchased him from Benfica for €126million, but he has failed to live up to his potential under Diego Simeone.

The Portuguese international with 28 senior caps has only started seven of the 15 LaLiga fixtures he has been available for this campaign, but has recently hit some form, scoring four goals in his past three appearances prior to Sunday s 1-0 loss to Barcelona.

Joao Felix s performances at the World Cup, coupled with his rediscovered nose for goal, have begun to rehabilitate a depressed transfer value – and he is said to be United s for the ta…

Pep Guardiola believes Manchester City, Liverpool and the other Premier League heavyweights are pushing one another on to higher levels in the manner of tennis greats Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

City beat West Ham 4-0 on Saturday and are unbeaten after 13 games of their title defence, with 35 points on the board.

Normally, such a return would see them established as runaway leaders but Liverpool s hard-fought 3-0 win at Watford means Jurgen Klopp s side are only two points off the summit.

Chelsea were also undefeated heading into the weekend before being taken apart 3-1 by Tottenham at Wembley, who themselves have 30 points.

Guardiola overcame West Ham counterpart and City predecessor Manuel Pellegrini at London Stadium, a coach with w…

Newcastle manager Eddie Howe and sporting director Paul Mitchell had reportedly fallen out over the perceived failures of the summer transfer window. The club tried to sign Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi and Nottingham Forest winger Anthony Elanga and failed on both fronts.

However, according to , Howe and Mitchell have resolved their differences after Howe publicly called for the club to stand united ahead of the international break. They ve apparently moved on, and are now working together towards identifying potential transfer targets for January.

The Magpies are believed to have made four attempts at bringing Guehi in from Selhurst Park in the summer, and they hope Crystal Palace will lower their price which, in August, exceeded £70 million. Come January, the E…

Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali and on-loan Aston Villa forward Nicolo Zaniolo are returning to their clubs from Italy’s training camp after it emerged they were being investigated by the Turin Public Prosecutor’s Office.

The Italian Football Federation said the decision was taken because the players “are not in the necessary condition” to be involved in the upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and England, as well as “for their protection”.

The statement from the FIGC did not specify the nature of the investigations which Tonali and Zaniolo, who is on loan at Villa from Galatasaray, were facing.

Reports in Italy claim it is relation to an investigation into illegal betting. On Wednesday, it was reported that Juventus midfielder Nicolo Fagio…

Anthony Knockaert s stunning goal secured a 2-1 Premier League win for Brighton and Hove Albion against rivals Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Saturday.

The game appeared to be petering out for a draw before Knockaert picked up the ball on the right in the 74th minute, waltzed inside and whipped a delightful finish in off Vicente Guaita s right-hand post.

Glenn Murray s 100th league goal for the Seagulls had put Chris Hughton s side ahead in the 19th minute before Luka Milivojevic s eighth penalty of the season pulled the hosts level five minutes after the restart.

Palace looked more likely to find a winner after that but Knockaert had other ideas, curling in his second league goal of the season to move Brighton level on points with Roy Hodgson s men.

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