Former England goalkeeper David James has signed a new one-year deal at Championship club Bristol City.
The 40-year-old raised eyebrows when he moved to City after his contract at Portsmouth ended at the conclusion of the 2009/10 English Premier League season.
He played 46 times for the Robins as they finished 15th on the table, having qualified for a new deal after reaching an appearance clause in his initial contract.
The club announced on Wednesday that the shot-stopper had penned a new deal, pleasing manager Keith Millen.
David proved his fitness last year being available for every game and he clearly sees us going in the right direction, pushing for promotion in the forthcoming season, Millen said.
That s why he s decided to sign the contr…
Spain coach Vicente del Bosque believes his side can learn a lot from Italy ahead of Wednesday s international friendly in Bari.
The two European super powers meet for the first time since Euro 2008 when the Italians, then coached by Roberto Donadoni, lost 4-2 on penalties at the quarter-final stage.
Spain went on to win the 2008 tournament and then added to their glory by picking up last year s World Cup in South Africa as Italy were ousted at the group stage.
But despite the visible gap between the two sides, Del Bosque still rates the Italians as a world-class team.
We are only at the start of the season, but our aim is to play a good game and show good football, Del Bosque told El Mundo Deportivo.
We can learn a lot from Italy, a team who h…
Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini has warned the Premier League that Sergio Aguero has yet to get back to his best.
Argentina striker Aguero has been in prolific form so far this season, scoring 11 goals in 11 games in all competitions, including all four in City s 4-1 Premier League win over Tottenham Hotspur last weekend.
The 26-year-old will be out to add to his tally versus West Ham on Saturday, and Pellegrini feels the best is yet to come from the former Atletico Madrid man, who was plagued by muscle injuries last term.
I don t think we have seen the best of Sergio, Pellegrini said.
I ve known him for many years, since when he was in Spain. He was an important player in 2011-12 and last year he was very important in the first part of the…
Powerful striker Nikola Zigic is training with former club Birmingham City, manager Gary Rowett has confirmed.
The ex-Serbia international was released after four years with Birmingham at the end of last season, and won League Cup with the club in 2011.
However, the former Valencia man was also part of the side that got relegated to the second tier during the same season, with Zigic believed to have been among the highest earners at St Andrews.
The club suffered financial problems following their relegation and Zigic left the club during the tenure of Lee Clark.
However, Clark s successor Rowett has expressed a desire to see what the free agent could offer.
Obviously he is a player who is available and I am aware of the contribution to this club…
Robin van Persie has returned to Netherlands full squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against France and Bulgaria.
The Fenerbahce forward last played for his country in October 2015, but with Dick Advocaat s side at risk of missing out on the finals he has been recalled for a key double-header, making the final cut after being included in a preliminary selection.
Netherlands are currently third in Group A, three points behind both Sweden and France, and Advocaat has also brought Karim Rekik back into the squad and handed a first call-up to Donny van de Beek.
A group of eight players including Everton new boy Davy Klaassen were cut from the provisional group.
OFFICIEEL!️
Dit is de definitieve selectie voor de WK-kwalificatiewedstrijden�…
Former Borussia Dortmund head coach Ottmar Hitzfeld believes a fully fit Mario Gotze is one of Germany s greatest ever players.
Gotze burst onto the scene as a 17-year-old at Dortmund, while he fired Germany to World Cup glory in 2014, however, his career has been hampered by fitness woes.
The 25-year-old returned to Dortmund from Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich in 2016-17 but he was restricted to 16 appearances in all competitions after being diagnosed with a metabolic disorder.
Gotze is back to full health heading into the new campaign and Hitzfeld – who guided Dortmund to Bundesliga and Champions League glory in the 1990s – lauded the attacking midfielder s quality.
For me he is one of the best footballers Germany has ever had, when he is in sh…
Tottenham boss Antonio Conte declared himself happy for different reasons after his team drew 0-0 at Everton in his first Premier League game in charge of the North London club.
In a cagey affair on Merseyside, Spurs left with a point and a clean sheet, although they were relieved to see referee Chris Kavanagh overturn his own decision to award a penalty to the Toffees in the second half after a VAR check.
The away side hit the post through Giovani Lo Celso in the 88th minute, while Everton went down to ten men in stoppage time when Mason Holgate was given a straight red card just nine minutes after coming on as a substitute.
Despite being denied a victory, Conte said after the game that he was pleased with some of what he saw from his new team.
Honestl…
Leicester City are prepared to join the race to sign Moussa Dembele from Olympique Lyon, according to Sky Sports.
The striker has long been linked with Manchester United. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer s attacking options have been temporarily boosted by the extension on the loan of Odion Ighalo, but they still need to find a player to fill the role from next season onwards, and they deem Dembele to be a good option with his 22 goals and seven assists from 42 appearances in all competitions for the French club in 2019/20.
However, Leicester are also looking at the 23-year-old attacker, possibly as a potential long-term successor to 10 years older hitman Jamie Vardy. And while United are undoubtedly the greater prospect in terms of club size, the presence of Brendan Rodgers, who c…
What the papers say
Barcelona are reportedly considering making a move for Thiago Alcantara. The Daily Mail, citing Spanish outlet Sport, says the Spanish giants are eager to reunite with the Liverpool midfielder, with club bosses at Anfield believed to be willing to listen to offers for the 32-year-old. Alcantara came up through Barcelona’s youth system and made 68 appearances for the first team.
The Mail also reports that Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad are preparing a bid for Reds midfielder Fabinho. Via The Athletic, the paper says the offer would be worth £40million, with any decision on a potential transfer likely to happen quickly.
Meanwhile, Liverpool may be in the market for Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia. According to the Daily Mirror, manager Jurgen Klop…
Market: Both teams to score
Odds: 8/11 @
In an all League One showdown once again in midweek, Plymouth will welcome Sheffield Wednesday to Home Park for their FA Cup replay on Tuesday night.
Starting with the hosts, while Plymouth might have spent the majority of last season looking over their shoulder at the drop zone, the Greens have continued to shock many across League One this time around. Only laying down another marker over the weekend, Ryan Lowe s men stormed their way to a 4-1 romp away at Accrington Stanley on Saturday afternoon. Skyrocketing their way back to the top of the table and with the mood in their camp at a red-hot high, the Pilgrims are unbeaten in each of their last seven matchups across all formats, a run that stems back to October 12th. W…