Villarreal appoint Molina as new coach

Frank Lampard wants Chelsea to banish the lethargic moments that are costing them after seeing Wolves grit their teeth for a 1-0 win over the Blues at Molineux.

It took a stunning 31st-minute goal from Matheus Nunes to get the better of Chelsea in what was caretaker boss Lampard s first game of his second spell at the helm.

Lampard featured in the most successful team in Chelsea s history, with the Englishman ending his career as the club s record scorer, which was no mean feat for a midfielder.

He was a tireless presence in the Chelsea team, and he wants to see the same energy and concentration from the current breed of players, believing it has been lacking at times.

We know we re not in the position we want to be and there is always a reason for it, L…

Cristiano Ronaldo will do everything in his power to ensure next season is one to remember for Juventus after a mixed first campaign in Turin following his move from Real Madrid.

The Portuguese forward won the Serie A title in 2018-19 and was named the division s Most Valuable Player after scoring 21 times and setting up a further eight goals for his team-mates.

But he could not inspire his side to glory in the Champions League as Juve exited the competition at the hands of Ajax in the quarter-finals – although his hat-trick knocked out Atletico Madrid a round earlier while Juve also crashed out of the Coppa Italia to Atalanta at the same stage.

Ronaldo, enjoying an extended break at home in Madeira before heading back to Juventus for pre-season training, has n…

Wolverhampton Wanderers have that they ve recalled Patrick Cutrone from his loan spell with Fiorentina.

The 23-year-old was sent to Florence on an 18-month deal last January, which means he was supposed to stay at the Artemio Franchi Stadium for the whole of 2020-21. However, two factors obviously influenced the matter, causing the loan to be cut short.

Firstly, Cutrone s loan at Fiorentina wasn t going as well as it was expected to. He was the third-choice striker under Cesare Prandelli this term, behind Dusan Vlahovic and Christian Kouame in the pecking order, and all of his 11 appearances in the Serie A were introductions off the bench.

Secondly, Wolves are still expected to be without Raul Jimenez for a long while, even though the Mexico international has r…

Liverpool have been fined £37,500 by the Football Association (FA) for an incident that saw their players surround the referee in their recent 4-1 Premier League defeat at Manchester City.

The incident occurred in the 34th minute of the game at the Etihad Stadium with the score at 1-1 when City midfielder Rodri committed a cynical foul on Cody Gakpo.

The Spaniard had already been booked for a similar infringement just minutes earlier, but referee Simon Hooper refrained from showing a second yellow, which would have meant a red card.

Diogo Jota, Fabinho, Virgil van Dijk and captain Jordan Henderson approached the official to appeal the decision, which has led to the FA fining the club.

According to a statement from The FA, Liverpool admitted it had failed…

Ghana coach James Kwesi Appiah says his players raised their game to record an important 3-0 win over Niger at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Goals from Asamoah Gyan, Christian Atsu Twasam and John Boye sealed victory for the Black Stars at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Monday.

Having opened their campaign with a 2-2 draw against Congo DR, followed by a narrow 1-0 win over Mali, beating Niger enabled Ghana to top Group B by three points, and Appiah was pleased with the emphatic nature of the victory.

Personally I think Niger has a very good team, he said.

I would say that they defended very well but any time you meet a team it depends on the tactics that you also adopt to penetrate their team and I think today my players stepped up their performance levels…

Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas says it is his dream to stay at the club and that he was never interested in joining Manchester United.

The Premier League champions have been chasing the 26-year-old Spain international for much of the transfer window and are believed to have had several bids turned down in their attempts to prize him away from the Camp Nou.

The former Arsenal man – who only joined the Catalan giants in 2011 – was rumoured to be unhappy over a lack of guaranteed first-team football.

However, he has started both of Barcelona s La Liga matches so far this season under new coach Gerardo Martino and has now revealed that he dreams of playing with the club for the rest of his career.

I have never said that I could go, nor have I talked to the pr…

Alex Iwobi has established himself in the first team at Arsenal this season, but he thought a loan spell away from the club was going to be more likely.

Nigeria international Iwobi, who only made his Arsenal debut in October 2015, has started eight of Arsenal s 11 Premier League matches this season and featured in all four of their Champions League outings.

The 20-year-old is eager to make the most of the opportunities coming his way from Arsene Wenger, admitting he expected to be sent elsewhere in order to gain first-team experience.

Honestly I didn t expect to be where I am today, Iwobi told Arsenal Player.

I thought a long time ago that I d be on loan and probably get experience there before having experience in the first team, but the fact that the …

Everton and Belgium forward Romelu Lukaku has revealed that he could have joined Serie A giants Juventus during the summer transfer window, but he opted to stay at Everton instead.

In an interview with Belgian media outlet , the 23-year-old Lukaku felt that it was too early to move to Italy despite the lack of European football with his current club, although he admitted that this could be his last season at Goodison Park.

It stings a little [not being in European competition], but I m someone who believes that everything happens for a reason. Otherwise I would have gone to Juventus instead of staying at Everton. But I opted for Everton because it was too early for Italy and I have not done badly here”, Lukaku was quoted.

Belgium international scored 25 goals…

The transfer window is not even closed but attention is already turning to next season.

Kylian Mbappe is into the final year of his Paris Saint-Germain contract, while Erling Haaland s Borussia Dortmund deal has clubs queuing up.

Manchester United are reportedly set to pursue both.

TOP STORY – MBAPPE, HAALAND FUTURE RED DEVILS?

Manchester United have made Paris Saint-Germain s Kylian Mbappe a target for next season, according to ESPN.

Mbappe has long been tipped to join Real Madrid and Saturday s Marca and Diario AS claim the LaLiga giants are still trying to sign the PSG star before the end of the transfer window.

Liverpool have also previously been linked with Mbappe, but United are keeping tabs on his situation, with the …

Opening up the 2021/22 Premier League campaign with a thumping 3-0 win against Crystal Palace, once again picked up London bragging rights on Sunday afternoon when they made the trip to the Emirates.

Building off of their eye-catching start and putting in a largely dominant display away at a struggling Arsenal, Thomas Tuchel’s high-flying squad managed to make it back-to-back victories as they underlined their title credentials.

Watching the returning Romelu Lukaku open his account and Reece James almost see off Sunday’s derby in the opening 45 minutes, we have taken a look at the major talking points as Chelsea only put more pressure on Mikel Arteta’s shoulders.

Lukaku marks his return in style

Stealing most of the headlines last week as it was announce…