Among all the nostalgic emotions that swirled on Friday when Arsene Wenger called time on one of the most definitive eras experienced by any modern European football club, the strongest feeling in terms of the here and now was relief.
Relief the fan protests against a man who revolutionised football in England around the turn of the century would be no more; relief the sad spectacle of him presiding over a sparsely populated Emirates Stadium would cease; relief Wenger had made his Arsenal exit – just – on his own terms.
The idea anyone other than the 68-year-old Frenchman the mastermind of three Premier League triumphs, leader of the Invincibles and winner of a record seven FA Cups would have the decisive say on when his 22-year tenure in north London came to a clo…
Werder Bremen s Clemens Fritz and Alexander Meier of Eintracht Frankfurt produced memorable individual displays in victories over Schalke and Wolfsburg respectively on Sunday.
The Bremen captain marked his 300th Bundesliga appearance by scoring and providing two assists in a 3-1 win, while Meier completed a hat-trick in injury time as Frankfurt triumphed 3-2.
Joel Matip gave Schalke the lead inside four minutes at the Veltins-Arena with a looping header, but Andre Breitenreiter s side were unable to build upon the advantage and Fritz equalised two minutes before the interval with a brilliant strike from 25 yards – his first top-flight goal since August 2011.
The Bremen midfielder teed up Claudio Pizarro for an easy finish eight minutes after the interval, the P…
Manchester City are interested in signing Joao Felix from Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2021, according to . It has been reported that City wanted to sign Felix before he left Benfica for Atletico and asked about him through third-party agents a year ago.
Felix has been on the books of Atletico since 2019 when he joined from Benfica. The 21-year-old is a very highly rated forward who could develop into a world-class footballer in the coming years. According to , the Portugal international has made 13 starts and 11 substitute appearances in La Liga for Atletico so far this season, scoring seven goals and providing four assists in the process. The youngster has also scored three goals in seven Champions League games for the Madrid outfit this campaign, according to .
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Prediction: Aston Villa win
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Christmas is right around the corner and while that may be cause for excitement in the eyes of many, we re choosing to instead look ahead to what should prove to be a fascinating series of Premier League showdowns between now and 2020. The game we re going to be looking at today will be contested between Aston Villa and Southampton two clubs with an awful lot of history, but two clubs that are also searching for direction.
Aston Villa
There s a lot more quality in Villa s ranks than people give them credit for, and that s going to get them out of quite a few sticky situations this season. They haven t quite struggled as much as the likes of Fulham last season, who many compared them to as a result of t…
England and Tottenham star Harry Kane believes he coped well with the transfer speculation linking him to Premier League champions Manchester City.
Kane was heavily tipped to join City, but a move did not materialise during the previous transfer window and the Tottenham forward has struggled for form this season.
The 28-year-old had initially not returned for pre-season training and while he has committed to Spurs for the time being, Kane has looked a shadow of his usual self in London, where Antonio Conte has since replaced Nuno Espirito Santo in the dugout.
Kane has scored only one goal in the Premier League – last month s 3-2 win over Newcastle United, while he has netted seven across all competitions this term, including five in the Europa Conference League…
Steven Gerrard insists he does not see the Aston Villa job as a stepping stone towards becoming Liverpool manager.
The Reds legend took the top job at Villa Park last week, agreeing terms on a deal that runs until 2025 after calling time on his Rangers stint.
Gerrard had guided the Gers to their first Scottish Premiership title success in 10 years last season and left with the Ibrox club four points clear of rivals Celtic.
The 41-year-old takes over a Villans team who lost their last five in a row under Dean Smith, with Gerrard seeking to lead a revival that would enhance his own reputation as a manager.
But he does not see his new club as a stopping-off point en route to a potential return to Liverpool.
I m all in, and I will give this job eve…
Union Berlin scored a stoppage-time winner against Freiburg to secure their Bundesliga safety, despite missing two penalties on a dramatic final day.
Marco Grote s side, who participated in the Champions League during the first half of this season under former coach Urs Fischer, occupied the relegation play-off spot heading into the final day of the campaign.
Just three points clear of 17th-place Koln, who travelled to Heidenheim, they welcomed Freiburg to Stadion An der Alten Forsterei, knowing a defeat could spell the end of their five-year stay in the German top flight.
Mainz, two points clear of Union in 15th, moved themselves out of the relegation picture with a commanding 3-1 win at Wolfsburg.
JAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA…
What the papers say
With the Saudi transfer window closed, Al-Ettifaq did not manage to secure Jadon Sancho in time, with the Daily Mail reporting the deal failed as Manchester United wanted to put a £50m obligation to buy the player in the agreement between the clubs.
Turkey is emerging as a likely destination for Ivory Coast winger Nicolas Pepe. According to the Evening Standard, Besiktas and Trabzonspor are keen on taking the 28-year-old from Arsenal.
Former England striker Wayne Rooney, now DC United manager, may be the man to take over at Birmingham City if current boss John Eustace leaves the club, the Daily Telegraph reports.
Social media round-up
Chelsea will keep monitoring Antonio Nusa as 2005 born winger considered top talent
Chelsea scouts…
Everton defender Sylvain Distin has revealed his European ambitions after the club s run in the International Champions Cup.
The pre-season tournament in America has seen the Goodison Park side face both Serie A champions Juventus and Spanish giants Real Madrid, with Roberto Martinez s men beating the former on penalties and then losing out 2-1 to Real.
Despite failing to make it to the final, Di
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stin feels that the tournament has given his side a valuable taste of playing against top European opposition, as they aim to push for the UEFA Champions League places in 2013-14.
We don’t need to be reminded how good European football is. Every player wants to play in Europe, he told the Liverpool Echo.
It’s amazing and when you see the last two games t…
Barcelona have announced they will not be building a new stadium to replace Camp Nou, but intend to remodel their existing home.
The building work is set to take place between May 2017 and February 2021 at an estimated cost of €600million.
A new stadium will have a roof over all sections, with the surrounding areas also set to be renovated as part of the plans.
Any proposed changes still have to be approved by a referendum of club representatives, which will be held in early April.
It was a difficult decision, president Sandro Rosell said.
The two projects were very attractive but we were committed to put to a referendum a project that was viable from a technical, urban-planning and economic perspective.
The Nou Camp is part of our collective memory…