Everton duo Seamus Coleman and Victor Anichebe will both remain at the club until 2015 after signing new contracts on Thursday.
The pair both penned new four-and-a-half-year deals that will keep them at Goodison Park for the foreseeable future.
The news will come as a relief for manager David Moyes, who will pleased that two of his most talented youngsters are staying with the club after South African Steven Pienaar left to join Tottenham earlier this week.
The form of Coleman, 22, has been nothing short of outstanding this season with the former Sligo Rovers product announcing himself to English football with five goals from 22 appearances.
Signed in 2009 for just 60,000 pounds, Coleman was immediately shipped out on loan to Blackpool, before returning …
Alex Sandro has urged Juventus not to let their level drop against Fiorentina ahead of a round of fixtures that could see them clinch a fifth consecutive Serie A title.
Juve hold a nine-point lead at the top of the table and will seal the Scudetto should Napoli fail to match their result when Maurizio Sarri s men visit Roma on Monday.
But first Juve, whose 3-0 win over Lazio on Wednesday marked their eighth consecutive league victory, must overcome a tricky away trip to the Stadio Artemio Franchi.
Alex Sandro told Juve s official website: We ve approached every game in our run-in as if it were a final and it will be no different against Fiorentina this weekend.
Every point is precious at this stage of the season. In the final rush to the finish line, …
Leicester City head to Manchester United on Sunday on the brink of securing a historic Premier League title and Claudio Ranieri hopes his players get an American movie ending.
Having narrowly escaped relegation from the top flight last season by winning seven of their final nine outings, the dramatic turnaround continued into 2015-16 and has seen Leicester set the pace at the top of the table.
Tottenham s failure to beat West Brom on Monday means Leicester, who are seven points clear and nine matches unbeaten, require just three points from their three remaining games in order to be crowned champions.
The first opportunity to secure a maiden top-flight title comes when Ranieri s side travel to Old Trafford, home of the Premier League s most-successful club.…
Cristiano Ronaldo is now the all-time leading goalscorer in European Championship history after netting twice in Portugal s Euro 2020 opener against Hungary.
Ronaldo went into the tournament level with France great Michel Platini but his penalty late on in Budapest put him out in front and he added to his tally in added time.
The Juventus star was making his 22nd European Championship appearance. Platini needed just five games to reach his nine-goal haul, all of which came at Euro 84.
Ronaldo has other records in his sights at this tournament as well.
His double against Hungary has taken him to within one of Miroslav Klose s record (19) for the most goals scored by a European player at the World Cup and Euros.
Though arguably even greater than…
Borussia Dortmund emerged victorious in the Erling Haaland transfer saga as they confirmed his capture from Salzburg on Sunday, seemingly beating Manchester United, Juventus and other major clubs to the Norwegian.
The 19-year-old had emerged as a supreme talent this season with the Austrian champions, starring in their domestic Bundesliga and in the Champions League.
In all competitions, Norway international Haaland scored 28 goals in 22 matches this season prior to confirmation of his impending transfer.
He is the latest in an impressive line of young players developed and sold on by Salzburg, following on from Sadio Mane, Naby Keita, Amadou Haidara, Dayot Upamecano and Takumi Minamino, whose January move to Liverpool was also confirmed this month.
But …
Simone Inzaghi is optimistic Inter can keep hold of Milan Skriniar as they look to clinch a Champions League last-16 spot and eliminate Barcelona.
Slovakian defender Skriniar was wanted by Paris Saint-Germain during the last transfer window, and they could return to sign him on a free transfer next year.
That is because Skriniar s contract with Inter expires after this season, but head coach Inzaghi is backing club officials to negotiate an extension before then.
It has been suggested that in order to do a deal, Inter might need the financial boost a run in the Champions League can provide.
Should Inter beat Viktoria Plzen on Wednesday at San Siro, that would assure the Serie A giants of a last-16 place while ending Barcelona s hopes of reaching the knock…
UEFA Euro 2020 has been as intriguing as it has been predictable up to this point with there being very few legitimate shocks, in terms of results, to happen in the tournament thus far. As such, the weekend served as a welcome surprise when Hungary were able to hold world champions France to a thrilling 1-1 draw that left Group F as wide open as its ever been.
The noise of Budapest
The people of Budapest packed out the stadium in Hungary on Saturday with over 60,000 being in attendance to watch their side compete. It was the definition of a hostile atmosphere for a France side who, in many ways, wasn t expected to be quite as fearful as they turned out. The noise that radiated around the stadium was deafening, to the point where it felt like one of the loudest crowds we ve eve…
Valencia midfielder Juan Mata s chances of moving to Arsenal have hit a snag, after reports his 18 million-pound buyout clause expired.
Spain international Mata, 23, had been linked with a move to the English Premier League outfit, with Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger said to be keen on signing him as a replacement for Cesc Fabregas if he departs to Barcelona.
A release clause was in place stating that La Liga outfit Valencia must accept offers of 18 million pounds before Monday, which saw Arsenal s North London rivals, Tottenham, table a last-minute bid on Saturday.
Mata was not keen on a switch to Tottenham due to club not featuring in the Champions League, but was said to be interested in moving to the Gunners.
The clause has now reportedly gone up to a wh…
Aston Villa s unbeaten start to the English Premier League season will be put to the test when they travel to Queens Park Rangers on Sunday.
Villa have not lost in the league under Alex McLeish this season, with one win and four draws from their opening five matches.
However, despite their unbeaten status, Villa s start could have been much better had they not let leads slip in their past two matches a 2-2 draw at Everton and a 1-1 result at home against Newcastle.
They also failed to produce in their Carling Cup clash against Bolton on Tuesday, going down 2-0 at Villa Park, a result which midfielder Barry Bannan said they need to respond to quickly.
We have to take that and try and bounce back and show them we are good enough and we want that to start …
The disappointment of the 2010 FIFA World Cup will likely be on Switzerland s minds when they bid to reach the last 16 by beating Honduras.
Ottmar Hitzfeld s men were hammered 5-2 by Group E leaders France in their previous encounter last Friday, a result that leaves them behind Ecuador 2-1 winners over Honduras in the fight for second place on goal difference.
But, with Ecuador facing a France side that has looked imperious so far in the competition, the odds of progression should be firmly in Switzerland s favour.
Switzerland will go through if they better Ecuador s result on Wednesday, but a last-16 spot is still a possibility even with a defeat, providing Reinaldo Rueda s side suffer a sufficiently heavy loss to France.
The equation is much more compl…