Month: September 2019

The prolific frontman is said to have turned down offers, but reports claim there is still interest elsewhere in Europe

Sporting coach Marcel Keizer is keen to keep hold of Dutch danger-man Bas Dost but understands that retaining the striker on the books may be difficult.

The centre-forward has scored 93 goals in 127 appearances for the Portuguese outfit and has generated interest from a host of clubs during the summer transfer window.

A Record report earlier this week claimed that Championship side West Brom made a late move for the 30-year-old, adding that the offer was turned down as the player had no interest in joining the West Midlands club. 

The report also stated that further bids from teams based in Mexico, China, Turkey and the Middle East have not been entertained, while Russian side Zenit St Petersburg are said to be preparing to make a move.

Speaking to the press ahead of Sporting’s weekend fixture against Braga, head coach Keizer addressed the situation.

“[Dost] trained all week, he’s here,” he said. “We have to see what happens. We don’t want to lose our players, but the [transfer] window is still open and we have to wait.

“I would prefer if the transfer window was already closed. I need all the players we have, but sometimes that cannot happen. We have to wait and see.”

With the English transfer window now closed, Manchester United-linked Bruno Fernandes looks set to stay at the Jose Alvalade Stadium and the club may have to let Dost depart to help balance the books, much to the dismay of Keizer.

Freeing up Dost’s wages would allow the coach to cut spending, reinvest in the current squad and solve immediate cash problems at the club.

Earlier this week, Corriere dello Sport reported that Lazio have shown a keen interest in the frontman, who is reportedly keen to compete in one of Europe’s top leagues again before the end of his career.

Still contracted to Sporting until 2021, the Portuguese side are said to value the player, who has 218 goals in 407 appearances at club level, at around the €20 million (£18m/$22m) mark. 

Sporting will hope to bounce back from a disappointing 1-1 draw against Maritimo in their first Liga NOS clash of the season when they welcome Braga on Sunday.

The Red Devils will look to back up their impressive opening weekend win when they travel to Molineux to take on their Midlands rivals

Having kicked off the new season with a blistering rout against one of their top-four rivals, Manchester United will look to prove they can be the real deal once again this weekend against Wolves in the Premier League.

A double for Marcus Rashford, plus goals from Anthony Martial and Daniel James, gave Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side the perfect start to the new campaign against Chelsea, though the scoreline arguably flattered their performance in parts.

They travel to Molineux looking to prove their sterling result was no fluke – but the Norwegian boss will know his Red Devils side face a tough challenge against one of last year’s surprise packages.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s men qualified for Europe after a seventh-place finish and the Midlands club will fancy their chances of breaking into the upper echelons of the top tier once again this season.

Game	Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Manchester United
Date	Monday, August 19
Time	8:00pm BST / 3:00pm ET
Stream (US)	fubo TV (7-day free trial)

In the United States (US), the game can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial).

New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.

US TV channel	Online stream
NBCSN	fubo TV (7-day free trial)

In the UK, the match will be shown on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Main Event, and available to stream on Sky Go.

UK TV channel	Online stream
Sky Sports Main Event / Sky Sports Premier League	Sky Go

Position	Wolves squad
Goalkeepers	Patricio, Ruddy, Sondergaard
Defenders	Bennett, Coady, Boly, Vallejo, Jonny, Kilman, Miranda
Midfielders	Doherty, Dendoncker, Moutinho, Neves, Vinagre, Saiss, Traore, Jordao, Neto, Gibbs-White, Perry
Forwards	Jota, Jimenez, Cutrone, Bonatini

Wolves starting XI: Patricio; Bennett, Coady, Boly; Doherty, Dendoncker, Moutinho, Neves, Jonny Otto; Jota, Jimenez

Position	Manchester United squad
Goalkeepers	De Gea, Grant, Romero, Pereira
Defenders	Wan-Bissaka, Maguire, Lindelof, Shaw, Jones, Smalling, Rojo, Young, Dalot, Darmian, Tuanzebe
Midfielders	Pogba, McTominay, Pereira, Fred, Mata, Matic, Garner, Gomes, Levitt, James
Forwards	Lingard, Rashford, Martial, Chong, Greenwood

Manchester United starting XI: De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Maguire, Lindelof, Shaw; Pogba, McTominay; James, Lingard, Rashford; Martial.

United are the slight favourites to take the win at 13/10 with bet365. Wolves meanwhile can be backed at 11/5 while a draw is priced at 9/4.

Click here to see all of bet365’s offers for the game, including goalscoring markets, correct score predictions and more.

Though naysayers questioned their credentials to challenge for the top four this year, Manchester United delivered an emphatic response on the opening weekend of the new Premier League season when they hammered rivals Chelsea at Old Trafford.

Despite overseeing a mostly unblemished record in his first pre-season in charge, questions over Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s ability to produce had grown over the summer. But the Norwegian and his team delivered across the board.

While the ultimate scoreline arguably reflected badly on Chelsea, it was a superb offensive performance from the Red Devils, with Marcus Rashford and Paul Pogba shining in attack, while new defenders Harry Maguire and Aaron Wan-Bissaka impressed at the back.

The latter was in an effusive mood when talking up the result over Frank Lampard’s side, stating: “It was a great result to beat Chelsea and I couldn’t have been much happier with how it went.”

Eyes have also been on Wan-Bissaka’s defensive partner, Maguire, since becoming the world’s most expensive defender following his arrival from Leicester, with pundits quick to draw comparisons with Liverpool’s lynchpin Virgil van Dijk.

However, one man who struggles to understand the hefty price tag afforded the England international is Wolvers striker Diogo Jota, who has stoked up the fires of competition ahead of United’s visit to Molineux on Monday.

“It (the £80m fee) is hard to explain,” the Portuguese forward said. “The market is unreal now in my opinion.

“But it’s nothing to do with me, it is to do with the clubs and it is the moment we are living in. We just have to respect that amount.

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“I think Harry Maguire has a lot of quality but I know the players that we have in our team and I trust them.”

Wolves, who are in the Europa League this season, are looking to crack the top six after almost edging out United last year, though the Red Devils will be keen to reassert themselves as genuine contenders at the top end of the table too.

Speculation continues to swirl over whether there will be any more departures from Old Trafford, too, with Romelu Lukaku having joined Inter and Alexis Sanchez tipped to follow him out of the door.

Paul Pogba’s future remains even more unclear as well, with the Frenchman having professed a desire to leave, but otherwise delivering brilliant performances during pre-season and against Chelsea.

The Blues boss claimed his first competitive success since returning to Stamford Bridge as an England international striker bagged a brace at Norwich

Frank Lampard concedes that Chelsea “need to win games”, with his account having been opened on that front in a 3-2 victory away at Norwich.

A Blues legend was aware of the challenge he was taking on when returning to Stamford Bridge over the summer.

He has, however, endured a testing opening to his reign as a Premier League boss.

A humbling 4-0 defeat at Manchester United on the opening day was followed by UEFA Super Cup penalty pain against Liverpool and a 1-1 home draw with Leicester.

Lampard is now up and running when it comes to wins, with Chelsea battling their way past Norwich at Carrow Road.

“It was a tough test and Norwich will get a lot of points here because they are a very good side,” Lampard told BT Sport.

“I thought we played really well. The two goals we gave away I didn’t like but there were lots of good elements to our play and I’m really pleased.

“We need to be more clinical. First win and I’m really pleased.

“We need to win games, we’re Chelsea. Nothing is given in this league. Our performances haven’t given us what we deserved so far – but today it did.”

Tammy Abraham was the star of the show for Chelsea, as the 21-year-old striker bagged a brace – his first senior goals for the club.

Lampard added on a player he is showing considerable faith in, with Mason Mount having netted the Blues’ other effort: “I’m particularly pleased for Tammy, his first goals for us and he scored two good goals and the winning goal, but I want to talk about all the players today as we controlled the game on a hot day.”

While there were plenty of positives for Lampard to take from a trip to Norfolk, he did see Pedro pick up an injury in the warm-ups and Mount take a slight knock.

Asked for an update on their respective ailments, the Blues manager said: “Pedro felt his hamstring in the warm-up so maybe a small strain there but Mason was just a kick to his calf so hopefully he can quickly recover.”

Chelsea will be back in action next weekend when they play host to Sheffield United.

The midfielder has now squandered four spot-kicks since the start of last season and his profligacy cost his side two points at Molineux

Manchester United missed the chance to make an early statement in the Premier League by drawing 1-1 at Wolves on Monday night.

On any other night it may have been considered a reasonable result but after Paul Pogba’s latest penalty failure, there can be no doubting this was a wasted opportunity.

The midfielder has missed four spot-kicks since the start of last season – no other player in the Premier League has squandered as many – and, just eight days on from Marcus Rashford coolly firing home 12 yards out against Chelsea, one might have expected the England man to be given another go after Pogba was fouled by Conor Coady in the 68th minute with the scores level.

But up stepped the Frenchman, and as Rui Patricio reached up to keep out his powerful effort, it was hard not to attribute the decision-making before the effort itself as a key component in United’s failure to collect three points.

Indeed, former United defender Gary Neville was bemused by the whole situation.

“Before he took the penalty I was fuming,” he admitted on Sky Sports. “However, we have looked back at the penalty last week that Rashford took against Chelsea, and Pogba had a long chat before.

“I don’t like it. Why is there a debate on who takes a penalty? Pogba has missed four in the last 12 months – so you would think he’s had his chance now. Rashford scored last week, [he should] take the penalty. But there wasn’t a leader on the pitch.

“Something is not right there. Initially. I was fuming with Pogba. Typical you (Pogba), you’re selfish. Why are you even thinking of taking a penalty off a player?”

Neville’s frustration with his old side’s inability to pick up what would have been a valuable victory was understandable. For long spells of the match, United were in complete control.

With Wolves putting numbers behind the ball, the Reds were slick with their passing and patient in their attacking approach. They didn’t force Rui Patricio into a catalogue of saves, but they always looked likely to do enough to win the game.

Unsurprisingly, it was a counter-attack which led to United opening the scoring. Luke Shaw found Jesse Lingard, who took a couple of touches before playing in Rashford and the No.10 in turn fed the ball into the path of Martial. The Frenchman’s first-time finish was rip-roaring, high and emphatic into the top of the net beyond Rui Patricio.

For the rest of the half, United continued to play their football and force Wolves to retreat, wrapping up one of their better 45-minute showings away from home in quite some time.

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Aaron Wan-Bissaka was particularly impressive, once more leaving many fans in awe of his performance and his speedy transition to life as a Manchester United player.

But when they came out after the interval there was a different edge about the home side and United found themselves on the back foot more often.

Soon after Raul Jimenez’s flicked header had somehow stayed out after striking both the far post and David de Gea’s torso, Ruben Neves stepped up to deliver an unstoppable dipping effort just beyond the reach of the Spaniard and into the top corner.

Not even a VAR check was going to halt the cacophonous celebrations around Molineux, and they were cheering ever louder following their goalkeeper’s save from Pogba’s penalty.

United again returned to the probing that had asked questions of Wolves throughout the opening 45 minutes but their big opportunity had come and gone.

Perhaps the call made on the future penalty-taker should come from inside the manager’s office rather than between a pair of eager players seconds before the shot is taken.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is the man who should be making the decision and while he has become known for giving Pogba a lot of creative leeway, this is one time he has to risk his star player’s wrath.

Rashford, not Pogba, should be United’s man for the spotlight from now on.

The England international’s disappointing start to the season continued against Crystal Palace, but he has received the backing of his manager

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has defended Jesse Lingard’s poor start to the season, insisting his “energy” is important to the way Manchester United play.

Lingard, 26, struggled in the opening two games against Chelsea and Wolves and was hauled off after 56 minutes in Saturday’s dismal 2-1 home defeat to Crystal Palace.

The England international, who finished last season with five goals in all competitions, has not scored in the Premier League since Solskjaer’s first game in temporary charge against Cardiff City in December.

But the United boss is adamant that he will remain an integral part of his side, though 17-year-old Mason Greenwood, who replaced him against Palace, is pushing for more playing time.

When asked if he was concerned by Lingard’s early season form, Solskjaer said: “No. We stick together.

“Jesse’s not scored any goals in the last three games, no, but he’s been a big part of our team and will continue being an important part.

“The energy he gives us is lively, but we felt Mason [Greenwood] had to come on and create something and we’ll see more of Mason.”

Alexis Sanchez was once again overlooked amid the possibility of a switch to Serie A side Inter.

Solskjaer concedes the Chile international might well leave Old Trafford but is prepared to use him if he stays.

“Alexis is a quality player and we don’t have loads of options,” he added. 

“So, if there’s an offer good enough for the club and him, maybe he’ll go. If not, he’s still our player and he’s a quality player, no doubt. He’s been training well.”

Luke Shaw was replaced in the first half by Ashley Young after feeling tightness in his hamstring, although Solskjaer is hopeful he will be fit enough for the trip to Southampton next weekend.

“We will do the scans [Sunday] but he felt something in his hamstring,” the manager said. “Hopefully he won’t be too bad and will be back for Southampton.”

United are in action again next Saturday when they visit Southampton at St Mary’s.

The new Blues boss said his return to his old stamping grounds was a special moment, but that he was focused on the game and not the occasion

Frank Lampard said his return to Stamford Bridge as manager was a special moment, but that he was disappointed with Chelsea’s 1-1 draw with Leicester City.

Lampard, who played for the west London club for 13 years, and is their leading goalscorer, made his return in the dugout on Sunday.

The Blues took an early lead through Mason Mount, but Wilfred Ndidi restored parity for the visitors who held out for a draw, meaning Lampard is winless in his first three matches.

Despite that, the 41-year-old thanked the fans for their support, but said he’s been focused on the match, not the occasion.

“It felt great, he said after the game, “it is a special moment for me to come back to the club and manage them at Stamford Bridge, of course it is the stuff of dreams.”

“For me it is a huge thing, but my focus today was on the match and trying to win.

“Thanks very much to the fans, I appreciate that, but I am here to do a job and here to try and win for the club and we can do better than we did today.”

During Lampard’s short reign Chelsea have had a habit of starting quickly and falling away as the game has progressed, a pattern that repeated itself on Sunday.

Lampard acknowledged his team have had an issue maintaining their fast starts, and credited Leicester for their role in destabilising them in the game.

He also said his club must do more to cement their dominance, by focusing on ball retention.

“The first 25 minutes, we still had chances after Mason scored, that first patch is how we want to play and the rest of the game wasn’t quite how we want to play,” he added

“Credit to Leicester for that, they put us under pressure, we weren’t good enough in possession after the first 25 minutes, which gifted them possession back.

“We gave them the feeling that, because we didn’t score the second that they were in the game. In the second half we left far too many spaces for them, they are a very good team on the counter attack, they have got good individual players who can really hurt you.

“That was the disappointing thing, we couldn’t sustain the period in the early part of the game. I don’t expect the 100mph energy for 90 minutes, but I do expect that when you rest you do keep possession of the ball better.”

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The former Argentina boss is closing in on being appointed by the Superliga strugglers after leaving Ascenso MX side Dorados in June

Diego Maradona is close to taking charge of Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata, according to the Argentina icon’s lawyer.

Maradona has been out of work since leaving Ascenso MX side Dorados in June due to health reasons after undergoing surgery on his knee and shoulder.

Superliga strugglers Gimnasia are bottom of the table after taking a single point from five matches this term.

Earlier this week, manager Dario Ortiz resigned his position after the club’s poor start to the season.

Gimnasia could soon have a high-profile replacement for Ortiz, with Maradona’s lawyer saying that his legendary client is closing in on the position.

“He’s very happy,” Maradona’s lawyer Matias Morla said to ESPN. “It’s been a while since he was taken into consideration to coach in Argentine football.

“His intention is to lead and that of the president is that he be in charge. The fans sent him love through the [social] networks. We are on a positive path. Only formal procedures remain.

“We have to close it quickly because the matches are immediate … [on Thursday] at 11 we will get together. There is an 80 per cent chance.”

Earlier on Wednesday, Maradona posted on Instagram that he had not been in contact with anyone at Gimnasia about the position.

“I want to clarify that I did not receive or reject any proposal from Argentine teams, as they are saying,” Maradona wrote.

“I had no official contact with any club. I am in good health and of course it would be an honour for me to lead in my country.”

Maradona joined Dorados in September 2018 and led the club to the final of both the Apertura and Clausura, but lost on both occasions to Atletico San Luis, therefore missing out on promotion to Liga MX.

The 58-year-old coached Argentina at the 2010 World Cup, where they reached the quarter-finals before being beaten 4-0 by Germany.

Prior to joining Dorados the former forward had spells in charge of Al Wasl and Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates.

As a player Maradona led his country to their most-recent World Cup title, as Argentina defeated West Germany 3-2 in the final of the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. 

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The Toffees attacker will now spend the season in Portugal after sealing a deadline day move away from Goodison

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Yannick Bolasie has joined Sporting Lisbon on a season-long loan from Premier League club Everton. 

The 30-year-old attacker hasn’t featured at all for the Toffees this season having enjoyed loan spells at Aston Villa and Anderlecht over the last year. 

Bolasie joined Everton from Crystal Palace in August 2016 after turning heads at Selhurst Park but was soon sidelined for over a year after picking up an injury just months after moving to Goodison Park. 

Unable to work his way into Marco SIlva’s plans over the past 18 months, the winger did impress in his most recent loan stint with Belgian club Anderlecht. 

Scoring six goals across 17 appearances, Sporting will be hoping Bolasie can fire just as freely for them this season having secured a spot in the Europa League.

It’s been a busy summer for the Portuguese club, who have managed to hold on to star captain Bruno Fernandes, despite strong interest from Tottenham and Real Madrid. 

Deadline day also saw them secure PSG forward Jese on loan to really bolster their attacking stocks after a shaky start to the season. 

Sporting most recently suffered a shock 3-2 defeat to Rio Ave in Primeira Liga to sit fifth in the domestic competition having finished third in their most recent campaign. 

Prior to his move to Portugal, Bolasie had taken to social media to suggest people weren’t working in the best interests of his career. 

“Rah man are out here playing with my career like LEGO,” Bolasie tweeted on Sunday. 

Everton coach SIlva had made it known prior to the transfer window shutting that he hoped players on the fringes of his squad could find game time elsewhere.

“They know my decisions about our squad. All of them, they know about my decisions, what is my squad, what my plans are for this season,” he said.

“It’s important for them to find a solution, we as a club we are trying to help them find a solution.

“It’s important for them to play as much as they can because if they stay here not playing football it’s not the best thing for them.”

The Brazil defender feels his team-mate should stay in the French capital and is a crucial part of the team

Neymar is indispensable to Paris Saint-Germain and can win the fans back over if he stays at the club, says Thiago Silva.

Brazil international Neymar has yet to feature for the Ligue 1 champions this season with coach Thomas Tuchel confirming he will not select the forward until his future has been clarified.

PSG sporting director Leonardo previously announced the 27-year-old has informed the club of his wish to leave and some fans displayed banners criticising the former Barcelona forward during their game against Nimes on August 11.

Despite losing Edinson Cavani and Kylian Mbappe to injury in a 4-0 defeat of Toulouse on Sunday, Tuchel indicated he was unsure whether Neymar would be available to face Metz on Friday.

But Silva has no doubt PSG should be fighting to keep Neymar, a reported target for Real Madrid and Barcelona, with RAC1 claiming the latter will send representatives to Paris for negotiations on Tuesday.

“Neymar is an indispensable player for any team, he was at Barca, he is for us,” Silva said to RMC. 

“It’s a particular problem for a player with the club, we cannot get involved. But in my head, I hope he stays. Yes, I already told him. It’s hard to tell him all the time: ‘You stay, you stay…’

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“I do not know exactly what’s going on between him and the club. I honestly hope that the transfer window is over soon because I cannot stand it anymore.”

Of the apparent breakdown in Neymar’s relationship with PSG fans, Silva added: “It’s hard to talk about this situation, the fans could do it in a different way, but they think a lot with the heart.

“I think if Neymar comes back and starts helping the club and plays like last year, at the end of the season, we will all be happy, especially the fans.

“That’s why I say he must stay, he can still help us a lot, and if he leaves, it will be difficult for us. He would strengthen a team that has the same goal as us [winning the Champions League], for me it’s not good.”

Neymar has been unable to inspire PSG to European glory thus far, with the superstar missing key knockout games due to injury in both of his seasons in the French capital.

After dominating domestically it is clear PSG desire the Champions League above all else, but Silva is unsure whether 2019-20 will be their year in the competition.

“Winning, I do not know, but of course we’re going to work to win and first to go further, we have to think match after match,” Silva said. 

“Even without Neymar, in Manchester [against United], we made an incredible match in the first leg.

“At home, we thought a little bit that we were already in the quarter-finals, we should not think like that in top-level matches, we have to work and celebrate qualification afterwards.”

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Who says print magazines are dead? Uniqlo, the casual apparel brand
under Japanese group Fast Retailing, is the latest in a series of brands
launching magazines to connect with their customers.

The first edition of LifeWear, a biannual publication to be
distributed for free in Uniqlo stores worldwide, debuts today in Japan with
120 pages of in-depth stories about the label’s offerings, as well as a
Tokyo city guide, a celebration of the 25th anniversary of fleece and an
interview with tennis player Roger Federer, . The
content is overseen by Takahiro Kinoshita, former editor-in-chief of
Popeye.

A million copies of LifeWear’s first edition have been printed,
half of them in English and half of them in Japanese. Fast Retailing hasn’t
disclosed when it intends to launch the magazine in other countries, but
the English version is available for download on Uniqlo’s website for
now.