Football rumours: Manchester City join clubs tracking Jarrad Branthwaite

Wales face United States in their first World Cup match in 64 years on Monday, yet manager Rob Page insists his side are not in Qatar to merely make up the numbers.

Not since 1958, when eliminated in the quarter-finals by a 17-year-old Pele, have Wales made it to the showpiece tournament – the longest ever gap between participations.

The Dragons have reached the past two European Championships, however, making it all the way to the semi-finals in 2016 and to the first knockout stage last year.

Page wrote his name in Welsh folklore by guiding his nation to a second ever World Cup, after taking over from Ryan Giggs, and he is targeting another famous tournament run.

Managers are greedy, he said. We are grateful that we have got to this stage. But you lo…

Arsenal are interested in signing Jordan Amavi from Marseille in the January transfer window, according to . It has been reported by the French publication that the Gunners have made an enquiry, but the North London club have not made any bid.

Crystal Palace are also interested in securing the services of the former Aston Villa left-back in the January transfer window, and so are Napoli, according to the report. The 26-year-old is out of contract at Marseille at the end of the season and will become a free agent then.

Amavi has been on the books of Marseille since 2017 when he joined from Villa. The 26-year-old was on the books of the Villans from 2015 until 2017, but he failed to make a huge impact at Villa Park. According to , the left-back made 26 starts and eight su…

Jose Mourinho insisted he and his coaching staff remain the best in the business after his Tottenham tenure took another wrong turn in the 2-1 loss at West Ham.

Mistakes early in each half allowed Michail Antonio and Jesse Lingard to score for David Moyes side, who are riding high in fourth position.

Lucas Moura pulled one back from a Gareth Bale corner, with Wales star Bale also hitting the crossbar as Spurs failed to claim a share of the spoils.

Tottenham have now lost five of their past six Premier League games, with a 2-0 win against relegation-threatened West Brom the only moment of encouragement during this slump.

Mourinho has never endured such a poor six-game sequence during his decorated career, but he balked at the post-match news conference whe…

Newcastle United are set to open talks with a move for Kalvin Phillips from Manchester City in the January transfer window, according to Rudy Galetti. The Italian journalist has reported on X that Italian giants Juventus are also keen on the England international midfielder.

Premier League club Newcastle are keen on signing a midfielder to strengthen their midfield. Sandro Tonali is suspended, and the Magpies want to sign a player in his position as a replacement. Juventus are also keen on the former Leeds United midfielder, but they are unable to do a deal as per the current terms.

https://twitter.com/RudyGaletti/status/1740294079286833401

Phillips has been on the books of City since the summer of 2022 when he joined from Leeds United. The 28-year-old England i…

With the Premier League making its return on Boxing Day, we are treated to what is a stacked day of festive action. So, for those of you looking to stick on a Christmas acca, we have found a handful of helpful tips that are worth keeping an eye out for.

Monday December 26th
BST 12:30 Brentford vs Tottenham

While Tottenham might mark their return on Boxing Day battling it out in the top-four chase, it is fair to say that Antonio Conte s side had struggled to find much stability prior to the festive break. Last seen on November 12th when eventually claiming a thrilling 4-3 victory at home against Leeds, the one-time Chelsea boss will be desperate for his side to claim back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time since the middle of October. With some question ma…

Serge Gnabry was the hero as Bayern Munich defeated a game Lyon 3-0 to book their place in the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain.

Five days on from the 8-2 obliteration of Barcelona, Bayern avoided an upset against a Lyon side who had shocked Manchester City to reach Wednesday s semi-final at the Estadio Jose Alvalade.

Germany winger Gnabry, a scorer in the Barca rout, was influential, smashing in a stunning 18th-minute opener following a lively Lyon start before adding a much easier second.

The prolific Robert Lewandowski added his 55th goal of an incredible season in the closing stages for the Bundesliga champions.

Lyon found some encouragement in the second half but there is little doubt Bayern deserve their spot in the showpiece on Su…

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Italy, the reigning European champions, find themselves in an unusual position in Euro 2024 qualifying Group C as they aim to secure a spot in the next continental tournament. With just three points from two games, they are currently behind England (12 from four) and Ukraine (six from three) in the standings due to having played fewer matches than other teams in the group. North Macedonia are directly below with the same tally, having played one game more.

In their most recent international fixtures, Italy faced disappointment in the Nations League. Now, they must focus on their upcoming Euro 2024 qualifying match against North Macedonia. The match will take place in Skopje, and Italy will be eager to secure a victory and improve thei…

Jurgen Klopp is adamant he can offer no insight into how much money Liverpool need to spend following claims the Reds boss will have told the club £250million of investment is required.

Former Liverpool defender Carragher made those comments while working as part of Sky Sports punditry team for their EFL Cup last-16 defeat to Manchester City.

His words came after Liverpool s owners Fenway Sports Group (FSG) put the club up for sale last month, with FSG saying it is also open to bringing in a strategic partner.

Liverpool resume the Premier League season against Aston Villa on December 26 following the World Cup break sitting 15 points behind leaders Arsenal and seven behind fourth-placed Tottenham.

The Gunners renaissance and Newcastle United s emergence …

Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has hit out unacceptable fake news after reports claimed he has quit international football over comments made by France president Emmanuel Macron.

Macron described the beheading of teacher Samuel Paty in a north-western suburb of Paris this month as an Islamic terrorist attack .

Paty, 47, is said to have shown controversial cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad to his pupils. The knife-wielding attacker was shot dead by police in the aftermath of the attack.

Reports suggested Pogba, a practising Muslim, took offence over Macron s comments and has decided to call time on representing the world champions.

However, Pogba posted a picture on Instagram of an article stating he had ‘quit playing for France’ and wrote una…

Millwall defender Danny McNamara has paid tribute to “classy and honest” John Berylson following the death of the club’s owner and chairman.

American businessman Berylson, who was appointed Millwall chairman in 2007, died in a car crash in the United States on Tuesday morning at the age of 70.

McNamara is among those who have been paying their respects, the home-grown full-back thanking Berylson for his successful stewardship during his long tenure at The Den which has seen Millwall become established in Sky Bet Championship.

The players pay tribute.

— Millwall FC (@MillwallFC)

McNamara’s message in a book of condolences for Berylson on Millwall’s website read: “Suited and booted with a cigar in his hand. A classy and honest down to…