De Bruyne named Premier League Player of the Season

Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne has been crowned the Premier League Player of the Season for 2019-20.

The Belgium international was awarded the prize following a vote by fans, club captains from England s top flight and a panel of experts.

De Bruyne beat competition from three Liverpool players – Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jordan Henderson and Sadio Mane – as well as Danny Ings, Nick Pope and Jamie Vardy.

The 29-year-old was City s standout player as they finished second to Liverpool in the title race, scoring 13 goals and registering 20 assists, which equalled Thierry Henry s record for a single season set back in 2002-03.

His victory denies Liverpool a clean sweep of the top Premier League prizes, with Alexander-Arnold having won the Young Play…

West Ham United linked with Tiago Santos

West Ham United are interested in signing Tiago Santos from Lille in the summer transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that West Ham are looking at young players in France and have been impressed by Santos’s skill set and potential to push himself higher.

Santos has been on the books of Lille since the summer of 2023 when he joined from G.D. Estoril Praia. The 21-year-old Portugal Under-21 international is one of the best young right-backs in the French domestic league. The 21-year-old has made 15 starts and three substitute appearances in Ligue 1 so far this season, scoring one goal and providing one assist in the process.

West Ham are ninth in the Premier League table with 36 points from 25 matches, 13 points behind Aston Villa in fourth. Meanwhile, …

´Beyond satire´ – UK PM Johnson dismisses Russia bid for Euro 2028

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has dismissed the notion of Russia hosting Euro 2028 as  beyond satire , instead suggesting the tournament be awarded to Ukraine.

Russia launched a bid for either Euro 2028 or Euro 2032 on Wednesday, despite the country s ongoing invasion of their Eastern European neighbour.

That puts the 2018 World Cup hosts against a joint United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland bid for the former, an Italy bid for the latter and a Turkey bid for either event.

The idea of Russia holding any idea of football tournament or any kind of cultural event right now is beyond satire,  Johnson said in Brussels, where a Nato summit addressing Vladimir Putin s invasion is taking place.

I can’t believe that anybody would seriously consider th…

Burnley eye Nottingham Forest centre-back Joe Worrall

Burnley are interested in signing Joe Worrall from Nottingham Forest in the January transfer window, according to . It has been reported that the Premier League club’s manager Sean Dyche is putting plans into place to bring the 23-year-old central defender from the Championship club to Turf Moor.

Worrall has been on the books of Forest since 2011 and has established himself as an important player in the first team. According to , the 23-year-old scored one goal and provided four assists in 46 Championship matches for the Reds last season, while so far this campaign, the young centre-back has made four appearances in the league.

Burnley are third from bottom in the Premier League table at the moment with six points from 10 matches and are in danger of going down to the…

City shocked by Canaries, Liverpool march on – the Premier League Data Diary

Norwich City caused the biggest shock of the Premier League season on Saturday when they registered a famous 3-2 win over reigning champions Manchester City at Carrow Road.

That stunning result means Liverpool are now five points clear at the summit after Jurgen Klopp s side ran out 3-1 winners over Newcastle United to maintain their perfect start to the campaign.

Arsenal threw away a two-goal lead over Watford at Vicarage Road to draw 2-2, while Tammy Abraham netted a hat-trick as Chelsea thumped Wolves 5-2.

With the help of Opta stats, we take a deep dive into the weekend s biggest stories.

 

UNSTOPPABLE PUKKI STUNS CITY

Norwich were outstanding in their dramatic win over Pep Guardiola s side, inflicting a first defeat for the champion…

Prediction: Udinese vs Napoli

Best odds: 1/1

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Having conceded their Serie A title to Inter Milan, Napoli remain in contention for European football next season as they prepare to face relegation-threatened Udinese on Monday evening.

Udinese, on the other hand, find themselves in a precarious position as they battle to avoid dropping from the Italian top flight. With just four games remaining, they are fighting tooth and nail to survive.

Udinese

Udinese find themselves stranded in Serie A s bottom three, facing the looming threat of relegation as they struggle to maintain their top-tier status. The team s recent form reflects their dire situation, having earned just two points from their last six matches.

Currently positioned 18th in the table, Udinese suffered a bi…

Griezmann hopes to see out career with Atletico Madrid after underwhelming Barcelona spell

Antoine Griezmann is hoping to see out the remainder of his career with Atletico Madrid after conceding that his spell with Barcelona did not pan out as he had hoped.

The France international re-joined Atletico in August on an initial loan with an obligation to buy after spending just two years at Camp Nou.

Barcelona spent €120million to sign Griezmann from LaLiga rivals Atleti in 2019, but the 30-year-old never managed to recapture his best form in Catalonia. 

He made 102 appearances for Barca in all competitions – six more than any other player during his time at the club – and was directly involved in 51 goals.

Only Lionel Messi (106), who himself departed for Paris Saint-Germain in the last transfer window, scored and assisted more goals for B…

We´ll take the plane or bus – Guardiola relaxed as Istanbul Champions League final is placed in flux

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is unconcerned over where the Champions League final will take place amid fresh doubts over whether the showpiece will take place in Istanbul.

City beat Paris Saint-Germain 2-0 in midweek to close out a 4-1 aggregate triumph and book their place in a maiden Champions League final.

Chelsea ensured it would be an all-English affair as they overcame Real Madrid by the same scoreline on Wednesday at Stamford Bridge to prevail 3-1 on aggregate.

The make-up of the final already led to speculation over whether the match might be moved, given Turkey is currently under lockdown due to spiking COVID-19 rates as the UK loosens restrictions thanks in part to a successful vaccine roll out.

UEFA insisted it was committed to the gam…

Kirby hopes ´job done´ after leaving Chelsea in ´better place´

Chelsea and Lionesses star Fran Kirby will say goodbye to Chelsea at the end of the season.

The forward has enjoyed a nine-year spell at the club, scoring 115 goals in 209 appearances.

Kirby will leave Chelsea as their all-time leading goalscorer over a period where she contributed to 15 trophies, including six Women’s Super League titles, five FA Cups and two League Cups.

Chelsea will now be looking at a period of transition as manager Emma Hayes will also leave for the United States and the Blues will welcome Sonia Bompastor, who will embark on a new era at Stamford Bridge.

Kirby told the club website: To leave with the trophies that I have won, with the team-mates I ve played with – some of the world s best players – it has been one of the bigg…

Everton interested in Wolves centre-back Conor Coady

Everton are interested in signing Conor Coady from Premier League rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers in the summer transfer window, according to . The Toffees want to strengthen their central defence for next season and beyond, and have identified England international Coady as a potential target.

Coady came through the Liverpool youth system, but failed to establish himself in the first team of Everton’s bitter Merseyside rivals. The 29-year-old has been on the books of Wolves since 2015 and has been superb for the Wanderers over the years. The defender has also become a regular in the England squad.

Everton are 17th in the Premier League table at the moment with 25 points from 28 matches, three points above third-from-bottom Watford, who have played 30 games. Meanwhile,…