Paul Merson believes Said Benrahma will make West Ham United better

Oldham Athletic have dismissed reports linking them with Ched Evans following his release from prison in October.

The 25-year-old was released by former club Sheffield United in April 2012, having been convicted of rape, before serving half of his five-year sentence.

Evans potential return to the game has been the subject of fierce debate, with a number of high-profile figures condemning United s initial offer for the striker to train with them. 

That offer was eventually withdrawn, with League One Oldham linked with the Welshman over the weekend.

However, the club released a statement on Monday denying such reports, insisting no talks had been held.

Oldham Athletic are aware of various newspaper reports linking the club to Ched Evans yesterd…

Roberto Di Matteo believes Schalke will grow in confidence after winning 1-0 at Maribor to qualify for the UEFA Champions League last 16.

With Chelsea beating Sporting Lisbon 3-1 at Stamford Bridge, the German outfit just needed a victory in Slovenia to progress as runners-up in Group G.

After stuttering through the first half, Schalke upped the tempo after the break and should have edged ahead when Klaas-Jan Huntelaar hit the post from close range.

However, substitute Max Meyer held his nerve when calmly capitalising on a poor parry by Maribor goalkeeper Jasmin Handanovic to snatch a 62nd-minute lead shortly after coming on.

The hosts did their best to push forward in search of an equaliser, but Schalke held firm at the back and could have even added a s…

Gareth Southgate has lauded star striker Harry Kane after his two goals gave England a 2-1 win over Tunisia.

Kane, 24, put in a man-of-the-match display scoring a goal in each half including one in stoppage time to kick start England’s world cup campaign.

The Tottenham forward had not scored before at a major tournament after drawing a blank at Euro 2016, but Southgate was full of praise for the England captain.

“If he hadn t scored, I d be answering questions about his ability to score in tournament football,” he said.

“The only thing he hasn t done now is score in August. He s moved every other barrier, and I m personally delighted for him.

“I know he will feel the pride in leading his country to a win in a World Cup match, which is th…

Ibra opened closed the scoring against West Ham / Image via independent.co.uk

They were unfortunate to record a win over West Ham in the Premier League last weekend despite firing no less than 17 goal attempts against Slaven Bilic’s men.

But Manchester United managed to make amends in the EFL Cup on Wednesday night and record a morale-boosting 2-1 triumph which sees them make it to the semi-finals of the competition.

What we witnessed tonight was a compelling triumph for Jose Mourinho’s men and here are the five things we learned from the game at Old Trafford:

Did Red Devils break a hoodoo?

It was a much-needed win for Manchester United, who claimed to have been cursed.

Much to the difference of other dominating home performances which ended…

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Needing to mount a second leg comeback on Tuesday night, Chelsea will welcome Middlesbrough to Stamford Bridge for their EFL Cup semi-final showdown.

Chelsea

Starting with the hosts, slumping to a shock 1-0 loss when they travelled to the Riverside for their first leg battle on January 13th, Chelsea will certainly have plenty of pressure on their shoulders here. Making an immediate return to winning ways last week as they secured a 1-0 victory at home against west London rivals Fulham, Mauricio Pochettino’s side should still be smelling a golden opportunity here. Opening the New Year with a 4-0 romp against Championship outfit Preston while on FA Cup duties, the former Tottenham boss has seen his squad win six of their previous eight…

Marcelo Brozovic hailed Inter s resolve after he snatched a 89th minute winner in their 1-0 victory over Torino.

The Serie A heavyweights moved back into the top four thanks to some late heroics at San Siro, after a particularly toothless performance from Simone Inzaghi s men.

On the back of a derby defeat to Milan a week prior, followed by a lacklustre loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League, the Nerazzurri had been hunting a crucial three-point haul this weekend.

Speaking afterwards, Brozovic did not understate the crucial nature of coming away on the winning side, and hopes the side can use it as a springboard to a stronger run.

This is a really important victory, because it is a tough match, he told DAZN. Torino are one-on-one all over the fie…

Germany have won the 2009 UEFA Under-21 Championships. England were defeated 4-0 at Malmo s New Stadium in Sweden.

The Germans took the lead after 23 minutes, as preparing work from Mesut Özil enabled Gonzalo Castro to clip over keeper Loach for 1-0.

Three minutes after the break, Özil got one himself with a free kick that was slightly misjudged by Loach.

The English were truly broken when Sandro Wagner netted for 3-0 in minute 79, just to add another five minutes later.

Germany and England had held each other to a 1-1 draw in their group match last week. At that point, the Germans had already drawn with Spain and beaten Finland. In the semi finals, Germany beat Italy 1-0 to advance to the final.

While highly successful at t…

Defending champions Egypt and Nigeria clash in the Africa Cup of Nations Group C curtain raiser under the scorching afternoon sun at the brand-new Ombaka Stadium here on Tuesday.

Both teams are expected to progress to the knockout of stage of the continental showpiece at the expense of Mozambique and Benin in the sleepy town of Benguela, about 600 kilometres (370 miles) from the capital Luanda known for its bananas and great beaches.

The Super Eagles of Nigeria are using Angola 2010 as a dress rehearsal for the World Cup, while six-times African champions Egypt again failed to qualify for the global finals after they were upset by fierce regional rivals Algeria in a play-off.

Egypt have not beaten Nigeria since 1977 and the last time both sides clashed at this c…

Barca keen on Coutinho

Champions League holders Barcelona are considering a winter move for Liverpool hotshot Philippe Coutinho, .

It is no secret the Catalans are in the market for an attacking midfielder and have so far been linked with the likes of Sofiane Feghouli, Nolito and Andriy Yarmolenko, among other players.

However, the latest reports seem to suggest that Liverpool s Philippe Coutinho is high on their wish list.

Barcelona officials enquired about the possibility of recruiting the Brazilian during talks for Adama Traore and they now look set to rekindle their interest.

Philippe Coutinho, 23, has developed into one of leading Premier League footballers and it is believed he would be available for €30 million.

The attacking mi…

When talking about some of the top under-23 attacking players in Europe, pundits and fans alike tend to mention the same names over and over again. We have heard about Ousmane Dembele, Jadon Sancho, Kingsley Coman, Anthony Martial, and so many others. However, there is one name that was one of the hottest commodities in the transfer market roughly 12 months ago, and now appears to have become an afterthought. We are talking about Girondins star forward Malcom.

The 21-year-old Brazilian winger who can play all over the attacking third but is far more effective on the wing was linked with a move to Arsenal during the January transfer window, as The Gunners saw him as the ideal long-term replacement for Alexis Sanchez when the Chile international left to join Manchester United. He…