Crouch: Liverpool title just out of reach

Tottenham s acting head coach Cristian Stellini has accused former players of having no respect for the club after Harry Kane received criticism for his part in Abdoulaye Doucoure s red card in the 1-1 draw at Everton.

The England captain was targeted by some for his reaction to Doucoure putting his hand into Kane s face during the Premier League clash at Goodison Park on Monday.

Kane fell to the floor holding his face as Doucoure was given his marching orders.

At a press conference on Thursday, Stellini said: I think it s strange that some ex-players said something wrong about Harry. They are ex-players and they know the difference between seeing something in slow motion and living it in real motion.

Also the Everton manager [Sean Dyche] said it was a c…

Real Madrid are considering the possibility of recalling Dani Ceballos to their ranks from his loan spell at Arsenal, according to reports in Italy.

The Spaniard was a very important player in Arsenal s late surge of form last season, which ended with the FA Cup and the Community Shield being put on their shelf when not many would have expected them to win a trophy just a few months before. However, manager Mikel Arteta shook his midfield section up after that, bringing back Mohamed Elneny from the cold on top of signing Thomas Partey from Atletico Madrid at the end of the summer. Granit Xhaka is also going through a spell of good form at the moment, and all of that combined has caused Ceballos game-time to be significantly reduced this term.

The 24-year-old has started…

Gareth Southgate would be disappointed if he was not linked to Premier League vacancies but the England boss still has objectives he wants to achieve with the Three Lions.

England reached a first World Cup semi-final since Italia 90 at last year s tournament in Russia, while they also made the last four of the inaugural Nations League.

Southgate then oversaw England s qualification for Euro 2020 and his side are among the favourites for European Championship glory.

In a question and answer session with Sky Sports, Southgate – who was in the past linked with the Manchester United job was asked if a return to Premier League management is of interest.

For now, though, Southgate s immediate focus remains on the Three Lions.

I am completely fulfille…

Stoke City manager Mark Hughes has turned the club s recent form around after a poor start.

Stoke City travel to the KCOM Stadium to face newly-promoted Hull City in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon, and are favourites to pick up all three points to continue their recent resurgence.

Hull look a beaten side already this season, and off-field distractions as well as a broken spirit between the players could well lead to their demise come May. So can Stoke take advantage this weekend?

Tigers giving up the goat already

Hull City recently suffered a 6-1 thrashing by Bournemouth in the league, and have been well-beaten in a number of games in recent weeks. The Tigers have conceded four or more goals in three of their last four Premier League games alon…

Ibrahima Konate was left lost for words after making his first Anfield appearance for Liverpool in Monday s pre-season win over Osasuna.

The centre-back, signed for a fee in the region of £36million (€42.5m) from RB Leipzig, started the 3-1 friendly victory and played 80 minutes in front of a crowd of around 40,000.

The 22-year-old now cannot wait to experience a competitive game on Merseyside, with the Reds first home game of the 2021-22 season coming against Burnley on August 21.

To be honest, I don t have the words to explain my feelings when I put my first foot on the pitch, he told Liverpool s website.  It s amazing and I m very happy to have my first game at Anfield with fans.

Today was amazing. I cannot imagine the stadium in the Premier Leag…

Kai Havertz came off the bench to seal a much-needed victory for Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, as the Blues came from behind to beat London rivals West Ham 2-1.

Thomas Tuchel s team were booed off after failing to manage a single shot on target in a dismal first half, and fell behind shortly after the hour when Antonio converted following a goalmouth scramble.

But Ben Chilwell poked past Lukasz Fabianski to level the scores with 15 minutes remaining, and Havertz was on hand to turn the full-back s cross home to put the Blues ahead late on.

There was still time for Maxwel Cornet to see a fine strike disallowed for West Ham, but Chelsea ultimately held on to bounce back from Tuesday s loss to Southampton after an enthralling match.

WHAT. A. TURNAROUND! |

FC Porto have become the sole proprietor of forward James Rodriguez, having bought the final 35% of the player’s rights.

The Portuguese giants said in a statement to Portugal’s stock exchange that they had acquired 35 percent of the economic rights of James Rodriguez for €8.75 million.

This has taken club’s total investment in the player to €13.55 million, which looks a very good deal considering the player is now worth at least twice that amount.

James Rodriguez, 21, is widely regarded as one of world’s most talented forwards, with top European clubs already lining up for his signature.

The Colombia international joined FC Porto in the summer of 2010 from Banfield and quickly become a key member of the side at Estadio do Dragao.

Rodr…

Athletic Bilbao have rejected a €30 million bid from Manchester United for former Spain Under-21 international midfielder Ander Herrera,  understands.

Herrera, who has previously been linked with big-money moves to FC Barcelona and Manchester City, is believed to be on United s transfer shortlist, which has seemingly gotten longer (and longer) by the week.

The former Spain youth international, 24, has a €36 million buy-out clause in his current contract, which expires in the summer of 2016.

Bilbao president Josu Urrutia has made it clear the club are unwilling to allow Herrera to leave for any figure less than his release clause, meaning United will have to increase their bid by €6 million or move on and pursue other targets.

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Geoffrey Kondogbia remains committed to Inter despite comments from his agent hinting the Nerazzurri are merely a stepping stone in the France
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international s career.

Since his move from Monaco in June 2015, Kondogbia has failed to live up to a hefty €30million fee, and has struggled this season to break into the first team.

He made his first Serie A start since September in the Milan derby on Sunday, the 23-year-old playing the full 90 minutes as Inter rescued a point late on in a 2-2 draw.

His future at the club came under fresh scrutiny, though, as comments from his representative Jonathan Maarek hinted the player s future lies away from San Siro.

Speaking to France Football, he said: His arrival at Inter was another step towards getting t…

Fit-again Southampton forward Jay Rodriguez is dreaming of a return to the England fold.

Rodriguez is back playing again after a 16-month lay-off due to a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament.

The 26-year-old marked his competitive return with a goal in Southampton s 1-1 draw at home to Midtjylland in their UEFA Europa League play-off last week.

Southampton manager Ronald Koeman believes it is too soon for Rodriguez to be included in England s team for next month s Euro 2016 qualifiers against San Marino and Switzerland, warning Roy Hodgson ahead of Sunday s squad announcement.

But Rodriguez, who last played for England in 2013, is hoping an international return comes sooner rather than later.

At the moment I m just concentrating week by week to g…