Yaya Toure has accused Pep Guardiola of jealousy and claims the Manchester City coach treated him like a rival during the midfielder s final season with the club.
Toure helped City to a third Premier League title at the end of his eight-year stay, albeit he was a bit-part player in 2017-18, starting only one top-flight fixture during the campaign.
Guardiola did select the Ivorian for their final home fixture against Brighton and Hove Albion last month, with the 35-year-old captaining the side in a 3-1 win at the Etihad Stadium.
However, Toure believes his previous history with the coach, who sold the player in 2010 during his time in charge of Barcelona, led to an uneasy relationship during their last year together in England.
I think I was dealing with …
Sevilla striker Fernando Llorente will continue his quest for European glory after two near misses when he faces boyhood club Athletic Bilbao on Thursday.
The all-Spanish first-leg tie at San Mames is Sevilla s latest stop in their bid to win an unprecedented third consecutive Europa League title.
But Llorente s experiences in showpiece finals are somewhat different to those of his team-mates, having played in the Athletic side that fell short against Atletico Madrid in the 2012 Europa League final before becoming a Champions League runner-up for Juventus against Barcelona last season.
I really want [to win the Europa League], the 31-year-old told UEFA.com. Both the Europa League and the Champions League finals were good experiences but had a bad outcome.
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With a Serie A return still hanging firmly in the balance, Bari will welcome Cagliari to the Stadio San Nicola for their second-leg showdown on Sunday night.
Starting with the hosts, snatching what was a stunning last-gasp equaliser away in Sardinia earlier in the week, Bari will travel back to the Stadio San Nicola looking to complete what would be a famous Serie A return. Eventually snatching a 1-1 draw in their first-leg showdown a few days ago, Michele Mignani’s men will certainly be glad to make a return to home soil here. Although the Cockerels might have recorded just a pair of wins from any of their previous seven meetings against second-tier opposition a run that stems back to April 23rd Bari have continued to shine in fron…
Ronald Koeman says Southampton must back him in the transfer market to prove they can match his ambitions for the club.
Saints rounded off their season with a 4-1 win over FA Cup finalists Crystal Palace at St Mary s Stadium on Sunday, guaranteeing a top-six finish and Europa League football in the process.
Southampton have improved on their previous season each year since 2009-10, but Koeman has been tipped to take over at Everton following Roberto Martinez s sacking.
Though the Dutchman remains satisfied on the south coast, he shot a warning to Southampton s hierarchy that they will have to invest heavily if that trend is to continue.
Still I have a one-year contract, Koeman told Sky Sports.
I spoke to the board, we have the meeting after this…
Bayern Munich CEO Oliver Kahn labelled Jude Bellingham an excellent player as he addressed speculation over a potential move for the Borussia Dortmund midfielder.
The England international has been tipped as the next of the Black and Yellow s young superstar breed to depart, following Erling Haaland s exit to Manchester City ahead of the current campaign.
A return to his native country and the Premier League has been heavily mooted, though Dortmund – who handed Bellingham the captaincy for their 3-2 loss to Koln over the weekend –hope he will yet remain.
But despite their admiration for the player, the 19-year-old will not be moving to the Bundesliga champions, with Kahn insisting they are already well-stocked for his position.
Of course, I think Bel…
Harry Kane s first-half penalty was the difference as Tottenham did just enough to beat Burnley 1-0 in the Premier League and increase the heat on Arsenal in the race for fourth.
Spurs 3-0 north London derby victory over the Gunners on Thursday left just a one-point gap between the two rivals in the table and, while Antonio Conte s men disappointed during the visit of Burnley, Kane secured the desired result.
The relegation-battling Clarets initially did a fine job of keeping Spurs at bay until conceding what they felt was a harsh penalty, with Kane converting his 23rd successive spot-kick for Tottenham.
Burnley then enjoyed encouraging spells after the interval, with Ashley Barnes hitting the post, but Spurs – who saw Son Heung-min denied twice by Nick Pope �…
Carlo Ancelotti insisted nothing changes for Jude Bellingham despite Kylian Mbappe s arrival at Real Madrid.
Mbappe officially completed his long-awaited move to Madrid in July, after leaving Paris Saint-Germain as a free agent.
However, the 25-year-old s signing has raised some question marks over how Ancelotti fits his star attackers into the side.
One of those doubts is over Bellingham, who thrived in an attacking role at the tip of a midfield diamond last season, scoring 23 goals.
But while Madrid s system may change, Bellingham s importance to the team will not, says Ancelotti.
Nothing changes for him. Nothing changes, he told reporters.
The first season, he surprised a lot, because he showed fantastic quality, a really mature guy.<…
Willian visited the Nottingham Forest training ground ahead of a possible transfer this summer.
The Brazilian is out of contract at Fulham and has been in talks with Forest about a switch to the City Ground.
He visited the club’s facility on Thursday but has not yet agreed a deal, the PA news agency understands.
The Cottagers have also offered the 34-year-old a new contract after an impressive 2022/23 campaign.
The former Chelsea and Arsenal winger scored five times in 25 appearances as Marco Silva’s side enjoyed a top-half finish.
Forest made 30 signings last year in their first season back in the top tier but they are not expected to be as active this year.
They are targeting up to eight new arrivals as they aim to build on last year…
Bayern Munich have the perfect blend of young and experienced players to win the Champions League, according to striker Robert Lewandowski.
The German champions have been unable to transfer their domestic dominance onto the continental stage in recent years, lifting the famous trophy just once in the past 18 years.
They last made the final in 2013 and were knocked out by Liverpool in the last 16 last season, but Lewandowski believes the five-time European champions can go all the way in 2019-20.
This is a big goal for us. I think we can do it, the Poland international told Bild.
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague)
Of course it always takes some luck it can decide a single game but we have a great squad now.
Bayern…
Vinicius Junior says there are no words to describe Karim Benzema s form as he backed his Real Madrid team-mate to win this year s Ballon d Or.
Benzema, on his 600th appearance for Madrid, scored twice in Tuesday s 4-3 loss to Manchester City in their Champions League semi-final first leg at the Etihad Stadium.
The France international s first was a difficult twisting finish to drag Madrid back in the game at 2-0 down and the second a calm Panenka penalty late on to leave the tie well poised.
He now has 41 goals in as many games for Los Blancos this season, a tally bettered only by Bayern Munich s Robert Lewandowski (48 in 43) across Europe s top five leagues.
The 34-year-old is the fifth Madrid player to score over 40 goals in a single season, after Cr…