Looking for Soccer News?

John Barnes is "not convinced" that there is any truth to the rumours suggesting that Mohamed Salah is demanding £500,000-a-week in any new contract at Liverpool, with the Reds legend seeing that speculation sparked by Cristiano Ronaldo's lucrative deal at Manchester United.

A Portuguese superstar has returned to English football on big terms, with a bar being raised when it comes to pay packets in the Premier League.

Inevitably, there are now reports of Salah demanding even more money in his extension talks at Anfield, with an Egyptian forward currently tied to terms through to 2023, but Barnes believes a compromise will be reached below the figures being bandied about.

What has been said?

Liverpool icon Barnes has, speaking in association with BestofBets, told Goal: "Firstly, it’s important to say that these numbers are just speculative and so far, no one has confirmed that Salah has actually asked for £500k-a-week. 

"His contract is expiring in 2023 so of course negotiations are underway but with that, as always, comes huge speculations as to what a player is demanding and these figures tend to spiral.  

"Does he expect a pay increase? Yes - most likely, and rightly so, but whether he expects more than double of what he’s earning today is a completely different question. And truth to be told, I’m not convinced. 

"But Salah is approaching 30 so any decisions made can’t be about his value in four or five years and what they can sell him for then; instead, it needs to be about what he brings to the table right now, which is a lot, and what he can do to help Liverpool to finish at the top of the table again. And that value, in my opinion, outstrips his value in the transfer market.  

"Furthermore, different to many other clubs, Liverpool’s players get on really well which shows when they play - it’s a real team sprit and togetherness and that, in some regards, is priceless as it doesn’t happen very often.

"But also, Salah seems to be happy at Liverpool. He’s always full of energy, appetite and desire. And that to me suggests he’s happy where he is and I do think that within the next couple of months, his new Liverpool contract will be signed."

Are Liverpool playing a risky game?

Jurgen Klopp has already seen a number of senior stars commit to new deals this summer, with the likes of Alisson, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andy Robertson, Virgil van Dijk and Jordan Henderson putting pen to paper.

Salah is next in line, with Mane also working on a deal until 2023, and Liverpool are eager to get more agreements in place.

Digging deep to retain the services of key men could lead to others raising their demands, but Barnes believes Liverpool will find a way of keeping everybody happy while ignoring the outside noise being generated by the business of rivals.

He added: "Salah, together with Mane and [Roberto] Firmino, have created an attacking trio that’s feared by most other teams; and to have these three excellent players, who each bring so much to Liverpool as individuals, but also as team members, makes all three of them very hot commodities and players that Liverpool want to hang onto. So if that means paying them more to stay with the club, it’s most likely worth it… as long as it’s within reasons.

"Even at the best of times, contract conversations are always filled with speculations and rumours but even more so at the moment on the back of Ronaldo becoming the Premier League’s highest earner on £480,000-a-week. 

"So immediately, talks turn to Salah wanting more than Ronaldo and whether this is made up or not is yet to be seen but either way, it creates headlines. The highest paid weekly salary tends to become the benchmark for contract renewal speculations and then numbers goes up from there until the actual deal is confirmed."

Further reading

Jurgen Klopp is still unsure if Alisson Becker and Fabinho can play for Liverpool against Leeds on Sunday but has defended the decision not to release the players for international duty with Brazil.

Alisson, Fabinho and Roberto Firmino, who is out with an injury, are among the eight Brazilian players who are unavailable for the upcoming Premier League fixtures.

FIFA ruled the players ineligible after the Brazilian football association (CBF) asked the governing body to impose the five-day rule in response to clubs refusing to let the players report for the recent World Cup qualifying matches.

What has been said?

Klopp is still in the dark over the availability of his stars ahead of the trip to Elland Road but feels the club and players have been unfairly punished. 

"I can say what I know: I don’t know in the moment. We will see, there are meetings going on," he told the club's website.

"The thing I want to say about that is just, let’s look at the full case. So, we all know we are in the middle of a pandemic, which is difficult for all parts of life and for football it was difficult as well.

"We have a few more games to play than we have to play usually internationally. We had a summer break where all of a sudden somebody organised again a Copa America, where they could have played the games, for example, without playing a Copa America, which they had a year before.

"But people decide without us these kind of things. OK, nobody cares, that’s how it is. They play a Copa America, then they still have more games to play. Then a week or 10 days before the international break we get: ‘OK, we play now three games and the last game is on Thursday night.’ So we have nothing to do with that.

"Friday morning, 1.20am, would have been Brazil against Peru. We have nothing to do with that, we cannot decide anything about it, we just read these things.

"Then we have to think: ‘OK, clear, they are invited.’ But when they come back they have to quarantine [for] 10 days. Again, it’s not our decision, we didn’t say they have to quarantine [for] 10 days, we didn’t say you have to go to the national team, we can’t say nothing – we just sit in between and we think: ‘OK, what’s going on?’

"Our players, if they come back then they have to quarantine 10 days in a random hotel, next to the airport probably, which is not good for any people who have to do that but for a professional football player, being 10 days in a hotel – with the food they get from there – you lose everything. You lose muscle, you lose everything. It means 10 days in the hotel, coming back [and] needing pretty much 10 days to get on track again.

"OK, then the decision was made, not by us: if that’s like this then the players cannot go. OK, they go, other players go, some clubs let their Argentina players go. There’s a game in Brazil against Argentina, officials come on to the pitch, nobody wants to see situations like that. Get the game cancelled, stopped in that moment.

"And now, the next thing, we have a football game to play again and they tell us we cannot play our Brazilian players. It’s like: ‘Huh?’ So, we did nothing. We didn’t organise the Copa America, we are not responsible for the games they couldn’t have played. We didn’t invite players, we didn’t say when they come back there’s no exemption. We all didn’t do that.

"But in the end the only [people] who get punished are the players and the clubs – and we have nothing to do with the whole organisation around. It’s like, ‘What is happening?’

"So I don’t know what will happen at the weekend, to be honest. In this moment, we have to see what other people decide and then we will again accept that probably, do what people tell us and try to win a football game.

"But the whole situation is really just like the whole world in the moment in a nutshell – ‘Ah, in football they have these problems as well.’ Yes, we have these problems. And now we will see who finds the solution."

Who else has been suspended?

Liverpool are not the only team deprived of players as a result of the conflict with the CBF. 

Manchester City duo Gabriel Jesus and Ederson have also been ruled out of their clash with Leicester while Manchester United will be without Fred when they host Newcastle on Saturday.

Chelsea, meanwhile, will miss Thiago Silva for their matches against Aston Villa and Zenit.

Why did clubs refuse to release the players?

Premier League clubs decided to stop players from joining up with their national teams if it meant travel to a red-list country last week. 

The players would have to quarantine for 10 days once back in England as FIFA was unable to convince the UK government to grant exceptions to the Covid-19 precaution.

Further reading

Marumo Gallants coach Sebastien Migne has admitted they will need a magician to help them beat Futuro Kings in their preliminary round match of the Caf Confederation Cup on Saturday.

The South African club travelled to Equatorial Guinea for the first leg fixture with only 13 players, and out of the number, they don’t have a goalkeeper as Washington Arubi, who is named in the travelling party to make it 14, is yet to be cleared to travel to Malabo.

The situation has irked coach Migne, who has said the team will need a magician to navigate the fixture in their continental debut at Estadio de Mongomo.

What did Migne say?

“We had a problem with passports with some of the players in our team who didn’t have passports while some were not even registered for Caf, so it is really complicated," Migne said as quoted by KickOff.com from Malabo.

“This is a complicated country to visit with all the visa requirements and without a visa, you need to go back to South Africa after which you travel in from.

“We are hoping that Arubi arrives tonight so that we at least have a keeper in goals. We are keeping our fingers crossed because right now we have 13 players and without a keeper.v

“Some of our best players stayed behind because they are not registered so it is difficult for us here. We don’t need a coach here but rather a magician.”

Gallants have 13 players in Malabo

The French tactician, who at one time handled Kenya’s Harambee Stars, has further revealed he has never faced such a challenge in his entire coaching career.

“This might be the biggest challenge that I have ever had in my career just like it could be for my players. If Arubi arrives we will have 14 players and hope that we don’t have crazy injuries,” Migne continued.

“Travelling needs you to be really organised because to get here we travelled from Polokwane to Johannesburg then Addis Ababa before we got to Malabo.

"As I told you in this situation you need a magician, but we will soldier on since this is all-new for the club. We will use this as a chance to develop team spirit.”

Gallants will host the return leg at Peter Mokaba Stadium on September 17.

Kylian Mbappe has revealed that he has been given a rating of 91 in the upcoming FIFA 22 game.

The Paris Saint-Germain star's rating has gone up by one from last year's edition of the EA Sports game.

Meanwhile, Borussia Dortmund player Jude Bellingham has been given a rating of 79.

More to follow

Mikel Arteta has challenged Thomas Partey to make himself 'the boss' of Arsenal's midfield.

The Ghana international has yet to feature this season due to an ankle injury but is in contention to start against Norwich on Saturday.

And manager Arteta says the 28-year-old - who has struggled with a series of fitness issues since Arsenal signed him from Atletico Madrid for £45 million ($58m) last summer - must now show why the Gunners invested so heavily to bring him in from Spain.

What has been said?

Speaking about Partey’s imminent return to the side, Arteta said: “He has been missed for the last year or so, because he missed almost six months of competition, which is a lot because he came very late as well in the transfer window.

“He is a player that has to be one of the leaders, he has to be the boss in midfield and one of the senior players that has to carry responsibility out of the young players and lead. We have been missing that big time.

“He has that winning culture, because he has won a lot in the game already, and to have these kind of players in the team is extremely important.

“So he has got a huge role to play in the team.”

Will Partey start against Norwich?

Despite not having played any football so far this season, Partey is expected to go straight into the starting line-up against Norwich on Saturday .

Arsenal will be without Granit Xhaka, who is suspended, and the injured Mohamed Elneny, while Albert Lokonga is a doubt after picking up an injury while away with Belgium during the international break.

So Partey should come in for the first time this season and could find himself partnered with Ainsley Maitland-Niles, if Lokonga fails to recover in time.

Further reading

Former Kenya international striker Allan Wanga has confirmed his retirement from football after an active career of 14 years.

The former Kenyan Premier League winner with Tusker has confirmed he has hung up his boots after completing the 2020/21 season with Kakamega Homeboyz.

In his farewell message, the former AFC Leopards star picked out individuals whom he believes played a critical role in his career that spanned over a decade.

"Fourteen years doing something that brings you joy, satisfaction and pride is a blessing. I have lived this blessing since I first kicked a football at a tender age and stepped into the stadium professionally," Wanga said.

"My love for football has taken me places I had never imagined I would go, both for club and national duty. I have witnessed wins and losses, lifted trophies, endured the pain of being so close yet so far too important wins, through it all, I have been lifted by the love and support of an incredible army of supporters.

"Without you, my fans, teammates, technical benches across the clubs that I have played for, my family, I wouldn’t have had the motivation to keep going. Please accept my sincerest thanks for keeping me grounded, lifting me up when I needed that boost, and keeping me in check when I needed to get my game better.

"As I exit the professional football stage, I take this opportunity to give you all my gratitude. I was because you were there for me. Thank you, and God bless. See you outside the field."

In 2007, the now 35-year-old forward joined Tusker as his first professional club and scored 21 goals in 23 games. He was signed by Petro Atletico of Angola and remained with them between 2008 and 2010. He managed to find the back of the net 19 times in 35 games despite the fact the club was his first foreign employer. 

After a two-year spell in the Southern African nation, the Kenyan star signed for FC Baku of Azerbaijan where he featured in 16 matches and scored 10 goals in 2010 before he moved to Hoang Anh Gia Lai of Vietnam and scored 14 goals in 22 games between 2011 and 2013.

After initially serving AFC Leopards on loan, Wanga signed for them and stayed between 2013 and 2014 and in 20 games, he managed to score 17 goals.

Wanga left the local giants after a year to join Sudan's Al Merreikh, where he scored 11 goals in 18 games between 2014 and 2015.

He then moved to Azam Fc of Tanzania and his brief spell saw him score 12 goals in 19 games before he returned to Tusker in 2016 and lifted a double, the Premier League title and the GOTV Shield Cup.

Since 2018, he has been at Kakamega Homeboyz.

Kaizer Chiefs head coach Stuart Baxter has denied that he does not have a good relationship with Mamelodi Sundowns co-head coach Rhulani Mokwena.

In Friday's press conference ahead of Sunday's PSL meeting between the two sides at the Lucas Moripe Stadium, the experienced tactician took the opportunity to shed light on the issue.

He has insisted there is professional respect between him and the Brazilians' coach.

"I don’t know where anybody got the idea that Rhulani and I don’t see eye to eye," Baxter said as quoted by iDiskiTimes.

"I think probably on footballing terms we see the game being played in a way the global game is being played and we don’t hide behind our own opinions as being the gospel as written by the coaches. I don’t see that. 

"Rhulani might chop me down now and say ‘I hate the old son’ but I’ve never felt that. There is professional respect between me and Rhulani as far as I am concerned."

Meanwhile, Baxter has revealed Amakhosi are closely monitoring Keagan Dolly and Khama Billiat ahead of their forthcoming assignment against the defending champions. 

The tactician was worried about Dolly's weight, while the latter has been involved in the international week when he featured for Zimbabwe against South Africa and Ethiopia.

"We got Lebo [Manyama] back into normal training. We’re managing [Dolly] and how much he can play, we’re managing [Billiat]. He has played a few times for the national team, so I’m guessing he is fully integrated into the squad now," Baxter told the same portal.

He further gave updates on several other players ahead of the vital assignment against Sundowns.

"We’ve got Leonardo Castro, who is still in Colombia. He can’t do any sort of rehab yet after his operation. He is totally immobilised at the moment. That one is way down the road," he continued.

"Daniel [Akpeyi] is on his way back from Nigeria, but he didn’t pick up any injuries. Brandon [Petersen] had a little bit of a tweak, but he has trained... He looked very good, we will see how he reacts [on Friday].

"You can always still pick up injuries between today and the game but at this moment this is what we’ve got."

Both Chiefs and Sundowns have collected four points from their opening two league matches.

Juventus director Federico Cherubini admits the club regret not signing Erling Haaland when they had the chance in 2017.

The talented Norwegian striker was on the books at Molde back then, with his stock beginning to rise on the back of prolific exploits.

Juve were keen, but their efforts to do a deal were knocked back as Haaland waited on more suitable options and the 21-year-old is now a global superstar at Borussia Dortmund that is being courted by the biggest sides on the planet.

What has been said?

Asked by Tuttosport on whether Juve regret not doing a deal for Haaland, Cherubini said: "We do, it would be stupid to say something different. However, things must be put into context.

"Young players can be scared about going out on loan, we were at the beginning of our U23 project and perhaps the perspective we offered him wasn’t too exciting.

"Maybe the idea of going out on loan wasn’t ideal for a player like him. Maybe today, things would be different."

Any other regrets?

Haaland is not the only player to have slipped Juve's net, with the last transfer window seeing the Serie A heavyweights pass up the chance to lure Euro 2020 winner Gianluigi Donnarumma away from domestic rivals AC Milan.

The Italy international goalkeeper has ended up at Paris Saint-Germain, with a move to France made as a free agent, but Cherubini claims Juve do not rue a missed opportunity there.

Pressed on why the Bianconeri did not move for Donnarumma, he said: "Because Juventus have a reliable goalkeeper with a long contract [Wojciech Szczesny].

"We believe in him and we think he is the ideal solution. For the policy we have, it would make no sense to do what PSG are doing. It wouldn’t be good to have two important goalkeepers in the same team."

More deals to be done?

Juve will not be dwelling on what could have been, with focus in Turin being locked on those that are on Massimiliano Allegri's books.

Cristiano Ronaldo has departed, with the five-time Ballon d'Or winner returning to Manchester United, and that is leaving the door open for a new talisman to step forward.

Argentine forward Paulo Dybala could fill that void, but he is yet to extend his contract beyond the summer of 2022 and continues to generate plenty of exit talk as a result.

Fresh terms are being discussed, though, and Cherubini said when asked about the chances of retaining the highly-rated South American: "Even if there’s a tendency to leave the club at the end of the contract, I remain calm, as was the case with [Manuel] Locatelli, it doesn’t matter if we need one extra meeting to reach an agreement.

"Both parties want to reach a satisfying agreement, so we are not forced to close the deal after the second meeting."

Further reading

Manchester United landed themselves two club legends during back-to-back summers in 2003 and 2004, with the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo from Sporting followed 12 months later by a record-setting deal for Wayne Rooney.

Few could have predicted at that stage that a pair of talented teenagers would make quite such a lasting impression at Old Trafford, or on the global game as a whole.

Their potential was clear for all to see - with countless entries in the history books now held between them - but which of the exciting prospects would have been backed to become a five-time Ballon d'Or winner if such predictions had been made when they joined forces?

What has been said?

That question was put by Goal to Mikael Silvestre during an interview carried out in association with BettingExpert, with a man who was at Old Trafford when two eye-catching transfers were pushed through saying: "Good question.

"I think, at the time, Wayne was used to the Premier League, so I guess he had an advantage. But it's a tricky one. They were both talented. 

"I don't know about the Ballons d'Or, but what I can tell you is that Wayne was advanced in terms of maturity in the game and understanding what the English Premier League is about. That is really what separated them, because in terms of pure talent, attributes, they were on the same level and how they fitted into the team."

Was Rooney the finished article?

While Ronaldo found a way of taking his game to never before seen heights, Rooney was - even at the age of 18 - a ready-made star from the moment he burst onto the scene, with his game from that point more about maintaining standards than raising them.

Silvestre added when asked if Rooney was closer to being a finished article than Ronaldo, who was considered something of a show pony when linking up with United: "He was - physically, mentally because he went through the academy at Everton, broke into the senior team and for him, the environment he already knew from day one. For Cristiano, it took a bit of adaptation. He had to get rid of all the fancy tricks to develop in the box."

Quizzed on who advised Ronaldo to drop the fancy footwork and focus on end product, Silvestre said: "It came from the players. When you are a striker - there was Ole [Gunnar Solskjaer], there was Ruud [van Nistelrooy] - and you make one move to the near post and the ball doesn't come, it's not like you can make many more runs after that. He was told quickly to get rid of the unnecessary stuff and focus on being efficient. He got the message very loud and clear."

Will Ronaldo star second time around?

Rooney, after netting a Champions League hat-trick on debut, went on to register a club record 253 goals for United, while Ronaldo departed for Real Madrid in 2009 and eventually on to Juventus nine years later that.

He is now back in familiar surroundings, having secured an emotional return to Manchester over the summer, and has re-taken the mythical No.7 shirt that he graced with such distinction during his previous spell.

Ronaldo is 36 years of age, not the sprightly youngster that the Red Devils first acquired, but he has remained a model of consistency down the years and Silvestre expects him to be much more than a marketing tool.

The Frenchman said: "The opportunity to join United was too big to say no to and to embrace a new challenge with that status as a superstar. He still has a lot to give to the team on the pitch, it is not just a name and No.7. 

"He has that aura. He has learned his craft as a number nine now - not a target man, but he will be difficult for defenders to stop. He has a good eye for the ball, great movement and he can jump, which is important in the Premier League. Left foot, right foot, header, he can finish from distance, close range, so he will be a threat to many defenders."

Can Ronaldo deliver for Man Utd?

Silvestre is not convinced that the arrival of one man makes United serious contenders for a domestic title in 2021-22, but he concedes that Ronaldo's presence will aid that cause.

He expects the Portuguese to prolong a remarkable run in front of goal that has seen the target found on at least 20 occasions in every season stretching back to 2005-06 - with 12 of the last 14 campaigns seeing him net 30-plus, with a few 40, 50 and 60-goal returns thrown in for good measure.

The ammunition is certainly there for Ronaldo to thrive in the final third for United, with international colleague Bruno Fernandes forming part of a supporting cast that also includes the creative qualities of Jadon Sancho, Paul Pogba, Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood.

"I'm looking forward to the service," Silvestre said when pressed on whether or not Ronaldo can remain part of the 20-goal club now that he is back in English football after more than a decade away.

"If he is fit and the guys are performing around him, then he will get the 20 goals-plus. I expect that because of the players around him, the guys will look for him in the box and that should be the case."

Ronaldo is in line to make his second debut for the Red Devils when they take in a home date with Newcastle on Saturday, with a return to training at Carrington made this week after seeing suspension grant him early release from Portugal's World Cup qualifiers.

Further reading

Ex-Liverpool forward Steve McManaman insists the team will have to let their star man Mohamed Salah leave if he asks for too much money.

The Egypt captain has been a key player for the Merseysiders since joining from AS Roma, and while negotiations over a new Reds deal is believed to be ongoing, the likes of Real Madrid and PSG are reportedly following the situation closely.

The former winger, who left the Reds for Real Madrid in 1999, is optimistic Salah and the club will agree to a new contract.

"If he wants too much money and Liverpool can't afford it, they'll have to let him go," McManaman said as quoted by Independent.

"If he wants half a million a week, that won't happen at Liverpool, but you would hope he wants something the club can afford and if that's the case, then I'd expect him to stay.

"You can't go ballistic paying wages to try and compete with PSG or Man City because they are in a different world financially.

"Someone else will be up next [for contract talks] and we've seen situations where one player gets a huge pay rise and then the next star player is upset and wants the same. It causes chaos in the team.

"You have to try and keep a lid on it somewhere.

"We have just come out of a pandemic and every big club has lost well over £100million and you can't just go mad like that.

"Yes, pay him what he's worth, I have no problem with that. He is a brilliant player, pay him what he's worth. But if he wants double his wages, you can't do that. You have to be sensible, especially in these difficult financial times."

Former Reds striker John Aldridge believes the club should try and sort out Salah's future in the next few weeks and if it is not going to happen, then a big decision has to be made.

"You can't let it go to a year [left] on his contract, which is what they did with Gini Wijnaldum and he saw it out," Aldridge told the same portal.

"From a football perspective and a fan perspective, Liverpool have to do something. It’s a game of cards and the players hold all the aces. If you let them get into the position with one year left, you are only going to get beaten in the card game.

"Liverpool need to keep all their best players and he is one of them. He is on big money, probably the highest-paid player. Whatever he wants, they have to work it out between them.

"I wonder how much money footballers want at the end of their career? I wonder how much cash people need to be happy and it borders on greed at times, but some players are very, very greedy.

"Liverpool need to sort Salah’s future out in the next few weeks, and if he isn’t going to sign a new deal, then a big decision has to be made on what happens next."

FC Augsburg coach Markus Weinzierl has revealed he is working on ways to tame the attacking prowess of Union Berlin forward Taiwo Awoniyi when the two sides face off in a Bundesliga fixture on Saturday.

The 24-year-old Nigerian striker joined the Berlin-based club at the start of the season from Liverpool in a £6.5million (€7.5m/$9m) deal and has gone ahead to score three goals so far from 250 minutes played.

His first goal came in the season opener against Bayer Leverkusen as they claimed a 1-1 draw and then he scored in a 2-2 draw against Hoffenheim, before snatching his third against Borussia M'gladbach in a 2-1 win.

The player's splendid display alongside that of Max Kruse has left Augsburg coach Weinzierl worried ahead of Saturday's fixture at Alte Forsterei Stadium.

“You play internationally, that speaks for the quality and with Taiwo Awoniyi and Max Kruse you have two very good strikers,” Weinzierl said as quoted by allgemeine.de.

“They often make the difference; they have to be taken out of the game. And in Rani Khedira, they've definitely signed a good player that we all know.”

Weinzierl has further admitted his side will face a tall order to contain the two since he has a depleted defence heading into the fixture.

“We already have problems, especially in central defense. With Jeff [Gouweleeuw] and Felix Uduokhai we have two big question marks where we don't know whether one of them or both can play,” Weinzierl continued.

“Unfortunately, Fredrik Winther returned with a fever on Wednesday (U21 Denmark), which makes things even more difficult. And so a zone becomes a problem zone.

“Tobi Strobl is also still out of training and will probably not be available. So we have to look at how we set up the central defense.

“Unfortunately, in Alfred Finnbogason we have a player who has problems from the game against Heidenheim. He played again relatively early and now has problems with his Achilles tendon. We have to wait and see.”

Awoniyi represented Nigeria at the 2013 Fifa U17 World Cup as they went on to win the tournament, scoring four goals during the competition and he also represented Nigeria at the 2015 Fifa U20 World Cup in New Zealand after winning the 2015 African U20 Championship in Senegal.

He was also selected by Nigeria for their 35-man provisional squad for the 2016 Summer Olympics, but has not featured for the Super Eagles yet.

Ronald Koeman has stressed that he must be the one who decides who gets a place in Barcelona's starting XI and not president Joan Laporta.

Barcelona are prepared to offer the Dutch coach a new contract before his current one expires at the end of the season, but it has been reported the president wants guarantees that Riqui Puig will be given a role in the first team.

Laporta clarified this week that Koeman has "all the power in sporting matters" and that he has the confidence and respect of the board, which the 58-year-old took as a good sign.

What has been said?

"That was good to see. Before that, a couple of things came out that didn't point to support for the manager. That frustrated me," Koeman told Algemeen Dagblad.

"Two and a half weeks ago, we had a discussion about a new contract. There were no leaks in the media of that discussion, until the president talked to journalists about the situation of the club last week, about finances and such.

"At the end, he started talking about the contract discussion. A day later, newspapers reported: 'Koeman can sign a new contract if he follows three demands'.

"I responded and said: 'This can't happen'. I need to be able to control how we play and who I pick. Then the chairman came on Monday with that TV interview. That was a good thing.”

Will Koeman sign a new contract?

The former Netherlands coach's future at Camp Nou depends on his side meeting their objectives for the current campaign, Goal has learned.

Koeman says he is eager to commit to a new deal with the club, as he hopes to stay in charge of the team for "many years".

The Catalan side are currently unbeaten in La Liga, having taken seven points from their first three matches of the season.

Further reading

Juventus director Federico Cherubini has lifted the lid on why Cristiano Ronaldo left the Serie A giants for Manchester United rather than their arch-rivals City, with the Red Devils behaving like a "club with tradition" in transfer talks.

Towards the end of the summer transfer window, it became apparent that the Portuguese superstar had no desire to remain in Turin and would be walking away from the final year of his contract in Italy.

City initially led the race for a much sought-after signature , but Cherubini admits that the Premier League champions did not want to pay a fee for Ronaldo while United were prepared to act more appropriately when it came to discussions in what would become a €23 million (£20m/$27m) deal.

What has been said?

Cherubini told Tuttosport when quizzed on City's push for a free transfer and United's subsequent efforts to take a familiar face back to Old Trafford: "There weren’t the right conditions to do so. Manchester United behaved differently, like a club with tradition. 

"There couldn’t be a different end, given the way Ronaldo had spoken to us. We couldn’t force a player to stay in a context that he didn’t recognise anymore.

"We respect Ronaldo, but I share the same view as our president - Juventus' history is made by great champions, coaches and directors, but the club remains the most important thing."

Can Juventus replace Ronaldo?

As a deal with United was pushed through with the transfer deadline fast approaching, Juve were left with little time in which to get a replacement on board.

They were not expecting to be left in such a situation, with Ronaldo returning to training and starting the 2021-22 campaign on their books, but Moise Kean was eventually snapped up from Everton on a two-year loan as the Bianconeri turned to a forward from their own past.

Cherubini said on Ronaldo's shock departure and an impossible bid to counter the loss of an all-time great: "The week before the game against Udinese, we were sure he would stay.

"I don’t want to be hypocritical and say that it was nice to manage this situation on August 28. Everybody would have been happier to handle something similar a month earlier.

"The only risk is that a player like Kean may not have been available at that point, not all the players are waiting until August 31 to know if Ronaldo will stay or leave."

He added: "It’s impossible to replace Ronaldo

"We anticipated the future by signing Kean, but it’s a signal for future generations. We brought an academy product back home. Here at Juventus, there is space for players coming from the youth sector.

"It’s true that he was sold two years ago, but it was for an important fee for a guy who was only 19 at that time.

"Today he returns to Juventus as a different and more mature player. He has so much room for improvement."

Further reading

Neymar has demanded respect from his fellow Brazilians after breaking a national team record against Peru on Thursday.

The forward became his country's top scorer in World Cup qualifying when he struck in the 2-0 win in Recife, while he also set up the other goal.

Neymar's tally in the preliminary rounds of the tournament now stands at 12, putting him above Brazil greats Romario, Zico and Ronaldo.

What has been said?

Despite his record for Brazil, the Paris Saint-Germain star feels he does not get the respect he deserves and does not know what he needs to do to earn it. 

He told TV Globo : "Obviously, the team is the most important. I'm very happy to be the top scorer in the qualifiers, the most assists for the national team and soon, if all goes well, it will be an honour to pass Pele as the all-time top scorer.

“I don't know anymore what I have to do for people to respect me. This is normal, it's been a long time. Reporters, commentators, others too.

"Sometimes I don't even like to talk in interviews anymore, but at an important moment I come to show up.

“I leave it to the guys to think a little bit."

Why does Neymar feel disrespected?

Neymar's comments come days after he was criticised for looking overweight during his country's recent World Cup qualifying matches.

There were claims he was out of shape as they beat Chile 1-0 last week, but the 29-year-old laughed off the claims, saying the shirt he was wearing was too big.

"The shirt was size [large], I'm at the right weight. Next game I'll order an M," he posted on Instagram .

Neymar closing in on Pele

The former Santos and Barcelona hero is now his country's second top scorer of all time in official matches.

He has 69 goals to his name for Brazil and is edging ever closer to matching icon Pele, who finished his career with 77.

Neymar is suspended for Brazil's next World Cup qualifying match after being shown a yellow card against Peru.

Tite's team take on Venezuela in their next game on October 7, but Neymar can return for the clash against Colombia three days later.

Further reading

Tusker head coach Robert Matano has told his players not to focus on ex-Arsenal midfielder Alex Song when they will face Djibouti's Arta Solar 7 in the Caf Champions League on Saturday.
 
Tusker left for the preliminary round encounter in mid-week and the tactician has explained the danger that might present itself should all their focus be on the former Barcelona midfielder, who signed for the African side last year.

"Our focus is not on Song and I have even instructed my players to stop thinking about him [Song]. If all players focus on marking him, then they will use other players in their squad and beat us," Matano told Nation Sports.

"We should collectively put our effort into winning the game."
 
The Kenyan coach stated that they will first analyze the Djiboutian side in the early stages of the game because they have little knowledge of the side that has only recently started recruiting players from outside the country.
 
"I don’t know them [Arta Solar 7], neither have I witnessed them play. We will just assess the game in the first few minutes, but we also have a tactical plan to approach it," added the Football Kenya Federation Premier League-winning tactician.

Matano also talked about their intense transfer activity which saw them sign 11 players and release 10.

Clyde Senaji, Teddy Osok, Charles Momanyi, Patrick Matasi, Shami Kibwana,  Daniel Sakari, Hillary Wandera, Brian Bwire, Joshua Ibrahim, Kalos Kirenge and John Njuguna are the new stars at the Ruaraka club.

"Nobody has an upper hand and if you don’t perform or adhere to the team’s instruction, you will leave just like others who left before," added Matano

"I have 30 players and we have maintained our first 11 we had last season with the exception of Henry Meja, so they have to work hard to play for the team."

Tusker - who sustained pressure from KCB in the title race and finally emerged winners - returned to the continental podium for the first time since lifting the league trophy in 2016.

Since before the inception of the Premier League, Saturday 3pm kick-offs have been forbidden to be televised in the UK, with broadcasters only able to show the early and late matches on national television.

Though the 3pm kick-off is the slot in which the majority of weekend football matches are played with multiple games happening at the same time, they are never broadcast live on television due to the 'football blackout'.

But what is the football blackout, and why aren't 3pm games allowed to be televised on UK television? Goal brings you everything you need to know as well as its history, reasoning and future. 

What is the football blackout?

The football blackout follows the rule that no Premier League, Football League or FA Cup matches be broadcast on live television on Saturday between 2:45pm and 5:15pm. Games may be played on that day and on that time, but they are forbidden to be televised – with Saturday televised kick-offs mostly occurring at 12:30pm or 5:30pm.

This follows a rule set in place since the 1960s when Burnley chairman Bob Lord successfully convinced fellow Football League chairmen that televised matches on Saturday afternoons would negatively impact the attendance of lower league games.

He was convinced, for instance, that if Manchester United were to play Liverpool on Saturday at 3pm, fans of lower division teams would instead opt to watch the match on television instead of attend the match of the team they actually supported.

As a result, the financial income of lower league football would be reduced.

More than 40 years on, the rule is still in place. Foreign matches are also affected by the blackout – Sky Sports do not show the first 15 minutes of a La Liga match that kicks off at 5pm UK time.

Until recently, the FA Cup final was an exception and had been broadcast at 3pm on a Saturday in May; however, in 2012, the FA Cup Final was moved to 5pm.

To be in accordance with blackout rules, the final day of the Premier League has all ten games kick-off at the same time on Sunday at 3pm with the final round of Football League fixtures scheduled from 3pm onwards on a Saturday in order to broadcast multiple games.

During the blackout period, live radio broadcasts are permitted both nationally and locally.

It is also illegal for public houses such as pubs and bars to broadcast 3pm games via a live stream.

Which countries observe the football blackout?

The UK is the only country to prohibit the broadcast of 3pm Saturday kick-offs.

The country has even made a tradition of the 3pm blackout, with Sky Sports' Soccer Saturday – a show where a panel of pundits narrate in-game action excitedly to viewers with none of the match footage actually being showed – ever popular while the blackout could be one of the reasons as to why ratings for Match of the Day remain ever-popular.

Major European leagues in France, Spain, Germany and Italy do not observe such a blackout, and there has been sufficient evidence to prove that closed periods do not affect the outcome of lower league football match attendance.

It is a major irony that you are able to watch more Premier League games based in North America or Asia rather than England, who have prided themselves as a nation who are the home of football.

Has there been any effort to get rid of the football blackout?

Naturally, UK-based football fans don't always have the resources or financial ability to always attend the game on matchday, only able to follow their game on television – and not being able to watch your team at 3pm can be frustrating.

There has been research about the impact of televised football on matchday attendees, with the consensus being that there is little to no correlation (if you are a local supporter, you would attend your home game regardless of who played at 3pm on television).

In February 2011, Advocate General Kokott of the European Court of Justice launched an investigation into the "closed periods" and concluded that they did not affect match attendance at lower league games.

"It is, in fact, doubtful whether closed periods are capable of encouraging attendance at matches and participation in matches," she said in a statement .

"Both activities have a completely different quality to the following of a live transmission on television. It has not been adequately shown to the Court that the closed periods actually encourage attendance at and participation in matches.

"No closed periods were adopted in France, Germany, Italy and Spain, or in Northern Ireland, that is to say, within the sphere of influence of English football."

In 2016, Ofcom launched an investigation into the rights of televised football and surveyed football fans about whether they wanted to see a change.

Their findings concluded that football fans were keen to see a balance struck between the number of games televised and the number of games that are to kick-off on Saturday at 3pm.

In December of 2017, however, the Premier League announced plans to bring forward a new kick-off time on Saturday at 7:45pm starting from the 2019-20 season, with slots for eight games to be played at that time throughout the campaign.

East Bengal appointed Spanish coach Manuel 'Manolo' Diaz as their new manager after the club parted ways with Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler after just one season.

The former England international had one more year in his contract but the club and manager decided to mutually part ways. However, the clubs was quick to announce the 53-year-old Spaniard as their new coach.

This will be the third time in the history of the Red and Golds that a Spaniard will be at the helm of affairs. Manolo Diaz's predecessor at Real Madrid Castilla, Alejandro Menendez was the first-ever Spanish national to manage the club from September 2018 to January 2020. After Menendez left, his former assistant coach Mario Rivera replaced him at the helm. Rivera was the second Spaniard to manage the club,

As Diaz gears up to sit on the East Bengal bench in the upcoming 2021/22 season fo the Indian Super League, here are five things every East Bengal fan must know about their new head coach.

Managed Real Madrid at various levels

The Spaniard started his coaching career at Real Madrid Juvenil two decades ago in 2002. He was in charge of the youth side for four seasons until 2006. From 2009 to 2013, he managed Real Madrid C in Tercera Division. From 2013 to 2015, he was in charge of Real Madrid Castilla. He had another stint with Castilla during the 2018/19 season in the Segunda Division after Santiago Solari became the first-team coach of Real Madrid.

Other than working with the Los Blancos, Manolo Diaz managed the likes of Navalcarnero, Ponferradina and Hercules. 

Famous proteges

The newly appointed East Bengal coach has managed some top players during stints in Spain. While at Real Madrid Castilla in his first stint, Diaz managed players like Lucas Vazquez, Mariano Diaz and Diego Llorente. While Vazquez and Mariano Diaz went on to establish themselves in Real Madrid's senior side, Llorente currently plays for Leeds United in the Premier League under Marcelo Bielsa.

But by far one of the biggest names, Diaz has managed in his career is Kepa Arrizabalaga who currently plays for Chelsea. In 2018, Kepa became the most expensive goalkeeper of all time when he moved to London from Athletic Bilbao for a world record transfer fee of  £71 million.

Segunda Division Manager of Month - September 2014

After joining Ponferradina in 2014/15, in the second month of his coaching, Manolo Diaz was named the manager of the month in September 2014. In that month, under Diaz's tutelage, Ponferradina had won three out of their four matches and scored eight goals and were on the third position after the month of September. Eventually, the team finished seventh with 60 points from 42 matches.

Almost joined Real Valladolid as manager

In the summer of 2017, he was offered the managerial position at Real Valladolid, but he did not leave Madrid and chose to continue his work in the academy with Ramon Martinez and Merino. However, when he declined to join Valladolid brought in Spaniard Luis Cesar as the head coach. The white and violets finished fifth on the table in the Segunda Division with 67 points from 42 matches. 

What is Manolo Diaz's win percentage as a manager?

As a senior team coach, in the last 13 years, Manolo Diaz managed 328 matches out of which he won 137 games. 83 matches ended in draws and his teams lost in 109. His overall win percentage is 41.77 per cent.

His most successful stint as a manager was when he was in charge of Real Madrid Castilla during the 2018/19 season where he had won 14 out of 30 matches with a win percentage of 46.67 percent.

Brentford manager Thomas Frank has confirmed Frank Onyeka will be available for selection when they take on Brighton and Hove Albion in the Premier League on Saturday.

The 23-year-old Nigeria forward, who joined the Bees on a five-year contract from FC Midtjylland in July, missed the team’s last assignment against Aston Villa after testing positive for coronavirus.

His absence came after he had started in the team’s opening two fixtures against Arsenal and Crystal Palace and he had also featured as a second-half substitute in Brentford’s 3-1 victory over Forest Green Rovers in the League Cup.

The Covid-19 situation also forced him out of Nigeria’s World Cup qualifying matches against Liberia and Cape Verde but according to coach Frank, he will be available for selection when they host the Seagulls at Brentford Community Stadium.

“Team news is good. Everyone is fit and available for selection that means Frank Onyeka can join the squad,” Frank said as quoted by the club’s official website. “Mathias Jensen got a full game, more or less, for the national team and Shandon Baptiste is in a better place.”

On the team’s performance so far this season, Frank said: “We need to keep the foundation we’ve laid in our performances, especially the defensive side of the game. We’ve been pressing forward and high, and very aggressively.

“That is the key thing for us to do. We also want to try to build from the back and be slightly more dominant. We need to understand that we’ve stepped a level up and that can be slightly more difficult.

“There were spells against Aston Villa where we did very well on the ball but we need to add that quality in the final pass or decision making. We are not one of the bigger clubs.

“We are a bus stop in Hounslow with a good squad that I believe massively in but our quality of player is not as good as the other clubs. That is said with the biggest respect to my players; I love all of them.”

In a previous interview, the Danish tactician praised the impact of Onyeka since he signed for the side by stating: “[The new signings] have settled in well, especially Kristoffer Ajer and Frank [Onyeka] who started the first two games and did very well.”