Joel Campbell claims he requested to leave Arsenal on loan after completing a temporary move to Sporting CP last month.
The forward has been a perennial fringe player at Emirates Stadium since joining in 2011 and he was eager to prove himself somewhere at a first-team level.
I am at an important step in my career and saw that I would not have many chances to play at Arsenal, so I asked to go on loan, the 24-year-old told A Bola.
I could have chosen to stay, have a good salary, but I d rather go after my dreams.
I want to continue to develop and maintain this passion for the game.
Sporting is a good opportunity in my career, a great team. I am happy with the decision I made.
The Costa Rica international was last on loan at Villarre…
Hoffenheim s Fabian Johnson will join fellow Bundesliga outfit Borussia Monchengladbach on a free transfer at the end of the season.
The 26-year-old has agreed a deal until June 2018 at Borussia Park, and will join up with Lucien Favre s side at the end of his current deal with Hoffenheim.
Johnson is equally adept playing at full-back or in midfield, and sporting director Max Eberl was thrilled to capture the versatile United States international.
Fabian Johnson is a very interesting free transfer, he can play defensively and offensively on both wings, he told the club s official website.
We are pleased he has chosen us.
Johnson came through the ranks at German second-tier outfit 1860 Munich, before joining Wolfsburg in July 2009.
He subsequently mov…
Jordi Alba believes Luis Enrique has been a breath of fresh air at Barcelona and stated his appointment was a necessary change.
Former Barca player Enrique returned to Camp Nou in May to replace Gerardo Martino as head coach.
The 44-year-old, who formerly managed Barca s B team between 2008 and 2011, has started his reign with back-to-back league wins over Elche and Villarreal.
And Alba is delighted with the impact Luis Enrique has had on the squad.
I am having one of my best times at the club. The arrival of Luis Enrique has been a very good change. The team needed that change, Alba told reporters.
He has a lot of character, which he showed as a player, and now it is instilled in him as a coach.
Since he joined I looked forward to trai…
Eden Hazard offered a weary response to fresh speculation linking him with a departure from Chelsea, affirming his commitment to a Stamford Bridge stay.
The Belgium star is the key man in Antonio Conte s squad and is the Blues top-scorer this season with 15 strikes to his name in all competitions.
His routine star turns since joining from Lille in 2012 has reportedly drawn interest from Real Madrid, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain.
However, Hazard has grown accustomed to seeing his name linked elsewhere and is able to focus fully on affairs at his current club.
Yes, but they are interested in me for several years, Hazard told Telefoot. We talk about it for a long time. When it is not Paris, it is Real. And when it is not Real, it is Paris.
…
West Ham co-owner David Sullivan has dismissed claims that the club could be sold to Red Bull as false.
A report in The Sun on Monday said that the energy drinks giant which owns RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga, Red Bull Salzburg in Austria and clubs in New York and Brazil are interested in a takeover of the London club in a £200million deal.
Sullivan has confirmed that there was an initial approach from prospective buyers in August, but says that there are no plans to sell the club that he and David Gold assumed joint-control of in 2010.
He did, however, suggest that an enquiry from somebody like the king of Saudi Arabia could convince them to sell in future.
The story that appeared in The Sun on Boxing Day morning regarding the possible sale of the club …
Former Brazil international striker Adriano has revealed he would like to return to competitive football in the Italian Serie A.
Adriano, 32, has been out of football since leaving Brazilian giants Corinthians in 2012 but is ready to resume his career in Europe.
The infamously inconsistent centre-forward started his career at Flamengo before moving to Inter Milan in 2001 and returning to the San Siro in a deal worth €23.4 million in 2004.
“Coming back to Italy? I would like that, Adriano told .
“When I left I told myself that maybe it wouldn’t happen again.
“I’d like to play for a club that allows me to get my head together.
“It depends on the environment, the group. I hope to find a club.
“I will acc…
Paris Saint-Germain cruised into the semi-finals of the Coupe de la Ligue after Mauro Icardi scored a hat-trick in a 6-1 victory over 10-man Saint-Etienne.
The 2017-18 champions were in control of a one-sided contest before Wesley Fofana received his marching orders, leaving his team-mates to face an onslaught from PSG s four-pronged attack.
Icardi opened the scoring early in the first half and, after Neymar dinked in the second and goalkeeper Jessy Moulin bundled a third into his own net, the former Inter striker fired a second-half brace.
Not to be left out of the goal glut, Kylian Mbappe scored a sixth before Yohan Cabaye s late strike proved little consolation for Claude Puel s men, who bowed out with their tails between their legs.
Thomas Tuchel can …
Jordan Pickford was in fine form as Chelsea were held to a frustrating goalless draw at home to Everton on Sunday.
The England goalkeeper was the Toffees star performer with a string of excellent stops as Chelsea missed the chance to go top of the Premier League above Liverpool, with Manchester City able to reclaim top spot with at least a point against Manchester United.
It was a frustrating afternoon for Maurizio Sarri, who has now set a new managerial record for the best unbeaten run from the start of a Premier League career with 12, with Marcos Alonso hitting the post before Alvaro Morata had a goal disallowed for offside as Everton held firm to halt Chelsea s five-match winning run in all competitions.
Everton s winless run in the top flight at Chelsea str…
Matteo Politano s free-kick and Domenico Berardi s wonder strike left Inter s Champions League aspirations hanging by a thread after they fell to a 2-1 home defeat against Sassuolo.
Luciano Spalletti s men were left to rue their profligacy in front of goal as Giuseppe Iachini s side secured a domestic double over the Nerazzurri, whose top-four hopes in Serie A may have taken a potentially fatal blow.
Politano s 25th-minute free-kick left the hosts stunned and Berardi s brilliant top-corner finish looked to have put the game to bed in the second half.
Rafinha s well-taken strike 11 minutes from time set up a frantic finish from the hosts as they desperately tried to salvage an equaliser at San Siro, but Sassuolo held out for the win.
Inter now rely on riva…
Olivier Giroud was dropped by France boss Didier Deschamps on Thursday in a move that casts early doubt on the striker s World Cup prospects.
The decision to omit France s second highest goalscorer of all time was taken by Deschamps ahead of the three World Cup qualifiers that await Les Bleus in early September.
Giroud, who turns 35 at the end of next month, has scored seven times for his country in the past 12 months but did not find the net at Euro 2020.
Pre-tournament comments, which were interpreted as Giroud criticising Kylian Mbappe, saw the veteran forward complain of a lack of service.
Mbappe was disappointed with those remarks, particularly with Giroud making them in public rather than in the dressing room, and it remains to be seen whether …