Barcelona midfielder Xavi Hernandez said Tuesday he was confident that coach Josep Guardiola will renew his contract with the European champions before it expires at the end of the season.
I can t imagine Barca without Guardiola. He is a fundamental part of the team and I think the extension of his contract is imminent, but it depends on him, said the 29-year-old Spanish international.
We would like him to extend his contract but it is up to him. I think he wants to stay, that he feels at home here. He is possibly the best coach in the history of the club and he has only been here one year.
Guardiola, who turned 39 on Monday, took over from Dutchman Frank Rijkaard in June 2008 after being promoted from his job as coach of Barcelona s B side.
Under his…
Turkish Super Lig side Besiktas have made an approach to secure the services of Brazilian playmaker Ronaldinho.
The 33-year-old has not played in Europe since departing Italian giants Milan in 2010 to return to his homeland with Flamengo.
But Besiktas vice-president Ahmet Nur Cebi says the club have approached Ronaldinho, who now plies his trade with Atletico Mineiro.
We have made an offer for Ronaldinho. We are now awaiting his answer, he said.
Besiktas, who finished third in the league last season, are also in the market for a new manager to replace Samet Aybaba, who recently left the club.
Nur Cebi has revealed an imminent decision is expected from sporting director Onder Ozen on the matter, and revealed some of the names in the running.
Robert Prosinecki, Mar…
Paul Scholes says World Cup winner Paul Pogba needs to use his brain more before the Manchester United midfielder can be considered a top footballer.
Pogba was an integral part of the France side that triumphed in Russia and enjoyed a trophy-laden four seasons at Juventus before returning to Old Trafford in 2016.
His second spell at United has been mixed, though, with the 25-year-old receiving criticism for some of his displays for the Red Devils.
Pogba seemed to answer those critics during the World Cup, but Scholes still believes he needs to deliver week in, week out before he can be considered a football great.
Paul needs to find consistency I think. I think if you look at his game he can be brilliant one week, not so good the next week, Scholes tol…
Denis Suarez is a doubt for Barcelona s LaLiga opener with a hamstring problem, while Andre Gomes expected move away from the club has been thrown into doubt by a similar injury.
The club confirmed Spain international Suarez will miss around three weeks after damaging exactly the same muscle as team-mate Gomes.
The Portugal midfielder has been linked with Premier League sides Arsenal and West Ham, having struggled to settle at Camp Nou since joining from Valencia in 2016.
Reports suggest he could be sidelined for approximately two months, although the club did not provide a timeline for the 25-year-old s recovery.
Both players suffered their injuries in the International Champions Cup clash with Tottenham on Saturday and have since left the tour of the Un…
Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti brushed off suggestions this week could prove decisive in the LaLiga title race as his side prepare to host city rivals Atletico.
Ancelotti’s men head into the contest 10 points clear of their opponents and locked in a tight battle at the top of the table with next week’s opponents Girona.
A win on Sunday would ensure they go into that contest in top spot, regardless of how the Catalan side get on against Real Sociedad.
Ancelotti refused to put any kind of conclusive weight on the next seven days but did acknowledge the significance of the two upcoming home clashes.
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden)
He told a press conference: “(The week is) not decisive, but important. It’s very important t…
Martin Odegaard hit back at critics who claimed Arsenal over celebrated their victory over 10-man Liverpool – insisting they will remain “humble” throughout their Premier League title challenge.
The Gunners moved to within two points of Jurgen Klopp’s leaders following a 3-1 win over 10-man Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium.
Bukayo Saka opened the scoring for Arsenal before Gabriel Magalhaes’ unfortunate own goal levelled for the visitors on the stroke of half-time.
A mix-up between Alisson Becker and Virgil van Dijk allowed Gabriel Martinelli to restore Arsenal’s lead in the second half, with substitute Leandro Trossard making sure of the points in stoppage time after Ibrahima Konate had been sent off.
By all means enjoy it, but enjoy it by b…
Sam Allardyce has praised West Ham s squad for overachieving against the targets he set at the start of the Premier League campaign.
Despite a frustrating second half of the season, West Ham have already exceeded their points totals from 2012-13 and 2013-14 while being on course for a top-half finish.
Allardyce has come in for criticism from sections of the club s support and his own future remains unclear, but the former Bolton Wanderers boss has targeted three points at Aston Villa on Saturday.
If you look at the progress we re making, in the three seasons we ve had in the Premier League we ve struggled in a couple of months of those, Allardyce said.
We ll look at the season as a whole, we ve already got one more point than we ve achieved so far…
Sunderland visit Arsenal on Wednesday needing just a point to confirm their Premier League survival.
Dick Advocaat s men missed the chance to make sure of their top-flight status for next season last Saturday as they were held to a 0-0 home draw by Leicester City.
But the Wearside club still hold a three-point advantage over third-bottom Hull City and only require a draw at the Emirates Stadium to stay up.
However, earning a point against an Arsenal side that can seal third place and a spot in the UEFA Champions League group stage with a win will be no easy feat.
A heavy loss would keep the pressure very much on Sunderland whose goal difference is inferior to Hull s and only five better than that of struggling Newcastle United ahead of a final-day m…
Atletico Madrid are reportedly very close to completing a deal to sign James Rodriguez from Real Madrid.
After several years of heavy speculation, during which the Colombian spent two years on loan at Bayern Munich, it seems he won t be leaving the Spanish capital at all. He could make a short trip across town from the Santiago Bernabeu to the Wanda Metropolitano instead.
There are apparently several Premier League clubs interested in his services, but quote Colombian journalist Javier Hernández Bonnet in saying that Rodriguez can already be considered 80% an Atletico player, that s how advanced the negotiations between the two clubs are. And his information comes from the same source which revealed his move to Bayern well before it happened.
The 28-year-old a…
Market: Wolfsburg win
Odds: 1/2 @
Looking to shore up their Champions League spot on Saturday afternoon, Wolfsburg will welcome away day strugglers Koln to The Volkswagen Arena.
Starting with the hosts, while Wolfsburg might have suffered back-to-back defeats when opening March, they have bounced back in an eye-catching fashion. Heading into the international break with a 2-1 win away at Werder Bremen, The Greens managed to kick on from their thumping 5-0 romp against Schalke. Still sat in pole position to secure themselves a Champions League spot for next season, Oliver Glasner s side have gained plenty of plaudits from across Germany this year. With leading marksman Wout Weghorst now finding the net in his last three contests on the spin, Wolfsburg have also g…