Looking for Soccer News?

Manchester City need to continue backing Pep Guardiola in the transfer market and add another “three exceptional” signings to their ranks, says Xavi.

The Barcelona legend is keeping a close eye on events at the Etihad Stadium.

Having previously worked under Guardiola at Camp Nou, the World Cup winner is eager to see his former boss deliver more domestic and continental success in a distinguished coaching career.

City ended the 2019-20 campaign with just a Carabao Cup success to show for their efforts, with the Premier League title snatched away by Liverpool, the FA Cup going to Arsenal and a disappointing quarter-final exit from the Champions League suffered at the hands of Lyon.

Guardiola has already started the process of bolstering the Blues for challenges on multiple fronts next term.

Deals have been tied up for Ferran Torres and Nathan Ake, with the promise of more to come.

Xavi feels City need to be adding world-class talent to their ranks in order to compete for the biggest prizes on offer, with the English heavyweights having been cleared to spend after seeing a two-year ban for alleged breaches of Financial Fair Play regulations dropped on appeal.

“To not win one of the Premier League or Champions League will be a big disappointment for Pep - those are the two he would have wanted,” Xavi told the Daily Star of goings on at City.

“The Champions League even more so because Manchester City have never won it. They have some very good players, of course they do, but Pep needs to be supported in the transfer market this summer.

“It is not that they need many players - just three exceptional ones. We know that will not come cheap, but I would like to see Pep given the money to rebuild.”

City are hoping that the arrival of Ake will help them to fill the void created by Vincent Kompany’s departure in the summer of 2019.

Guardiola opted against bringing in another centre-half when the iconic Belgian departed, but has been forced to accept that cover is required.

He has also seen David Silva leave the Etihad this summer, after a 10-year spell in Manchester, while Sergio Aguero – City’s all-time leading goalscorer – is now 32 years of age and will need to be replaced at some stage in the near future after entering the final 12 months of his contract.

“They have got to the stage that you see at all big clubs, where some very important players are coming to the end of their careers,” added Xavi.

“Kompany was one of the best central defenders in the world and there are maybe one or two defenders in the world that can replace him at his peak.

“For Silva it is the same. He is a once-in-a-generation player and it is going to cost big money to try and replace him. Aguero has one season left. How many strikers in Europe are there that will guarantee you 30 goals a season like he has for so long?”

Real Madrid wonderkid Reinier is set to complete a season-long loan move to Borussia Dortmund.

Goal has learned that an agreement has been reached between the two clubs which will see the 18-year-old spend the 2020-21 campaign at Westfalenstadion.

Dortmund will have the option to extend the loan by an extra year, but no purchase clause has been included in the final deal.

BVB boss Lucien Favre confirmed that Reinier's arrival was imminent after watching his side beat Austria Wien in a pre-season friendly on Sunday.

“We want to loan him. It’s in the pipeline. From what I’ve seen, he’s very good offensively and a very, very good finisher," said Favre.

Madrid forked out €35 million (£30m/$39m) to bring the midfielder to Santiago Bernabeu from Flamengo in January.

He committed his future to the Spanish champions through to 2026, but La Liga's registration rules prevented him from joining up with Zinedine Zidane's first team.

Reinier has had to make do with a role in Madrid's Castilla set-up due to the fact only three non-EU players are allowed in the senior squad, with Vinicius, Rodrygo and Eder Militao currently filling those spots.

Madrid are hoping that the talented teenager can get plenty of minutes under his belt at Dortmund, who have carved out a sterling reputation for their development of younger players in recent years.

The likes of Jadon Sancho, Erling Haaland, Giovanni Reyna and Jude Bellingham have all been given a platform to further their careers by the Bundesliga giants, and ex-Madrid loanee Achraf Hakimi was one of their top performers last term.

Bellingham became Dortmund's second signing of the summer when he joined the club from Birmingham City in July, with former Paris Saint-Germain full-back Thomas Meunier arriving on a free transfer earlier in the month.

Confirmation of Reinier's loan switch could reignite speculation over Sancho's future with Dortmund, as Manchester United continue to try and lure the England international to Old Trafford.

Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc has publicly stated that the 20-year-old will stay put for at least another season, but the Red Devils are still optimistic of finalising a transfer before the window closes.

Antonio Conte insisted he is "not a political person" and admitted that he is not "particularly diplomatic" as the Inter manager tried to draw a line under his criticism of the Nerazzurri board.

Doubts circulated over the future of Conte at San Siro after he delivered a withering assessment of the "little protection" he felt his Inter side received amid question marks over performances of the Serie A team.

That led to speculation Conte's tenure could come to end after just a solitary season, with Massimiliano Allegri and Mauricio Pochettino emerging as reported targets to take over.

Conte later preached unity, though, and has engineered Inter's route to the Europa League final, which included a 5-0 battering of Shakhtar Donetsk in the last four on Monday.

Inter president Steven Zhang flew into Germany to be with the Serie A runners-up and Conte was asked if the situation has now been resolved.

"I don't feel like going back over certain situations. I felt some things at the time and felt the need to say it," he told Sky Sport Italia. 

"What I say is always aimed at being constructive. The media likes to emphasise some situations more than others, but at the same time, I know we have to go through certain steps to become what Inter want to be in future.

"I am not a political person. I stick to facts and action, not being particularly diplomatic, but I try to be constructive and not to offend anyone."

Inter face Sevilla in Friday's final in Cologne as they aim to win a first trophy since 2011.

Conte expressed his delight after the Nerazzurri's semi-final triumph, while also discussing the challenge the La Liga giants will pose his side in the showpiece event.

"It's satisfying for everyone. The most important thing for me is that many lads are playing this type of game for the first time," said the Italian head coach.

"They are gaining experience at an important level in a tournament that Italy have not been protagonists in for a long time.

"Sevilla have a great deal of experience, I think they won it four times in the last six or seven years. However, we have enthusiasm, hunger and the desire to amaze people.

"Now we need to rest, recuperate and try to give some joy to the Inter fans, who I think will be proud of these lads, because they are giving their heart and soul.

"As I always said, we have to leave the field with no regrets. We must know that we've given our all, done everything we possibly could, so if we do lose, it's because the opponents were better."

When Crystal Palace assess the 2019/20 season, there may be a sense of ‘what might have been?’ owing to how a season that promised so much delivered so little in the end.

Having put themselves in a position to not only beat their best points tally in Premier League history (49 points in 18/19) or their highest finish (10th in 14/15), Roy Hodgson's troops eventually did neither, finishing on 43 points which was only good enough for 14th spot.

For a bit of context, Palace’s 2-0 win at Bournemouth in their first match post-lockdown put them on 42 points, which highlights the glaring collapse of the Eagles after the enforced hiatus. There were mitigating circumstances for the South London club picking up just one point from a possible 24 but none other encapsulates it than Jordan Ayew’s drop in productivity after that win over the Cherries.

The Ghana forward’s nine league goals saw him end top scorer in a Palace team not known for their goalscoring: only Norwich City’s 26-goal return was worse than the capital club’s 31, while Hodgson's men created the fewest big chances in the entire division (40), lower than the relegated Canaries’ 43.

Their strength lay in their defensive structure which collapsed following success at the Vitality Stadium. Palace let in 18 goals in their remaining eight games, an average of 2.25 per game, and a significant rise from 1.06 goals conceded pg after 30 games.

Still, Hodgson's team had the best defence in the bottom 10, statistically at least, and even conceded four fewer than fourth-placed Chelsea.

However, their return in the attacking third, caused, in part, by Ayew falling off following the restart, prevented a historic season at Selhurst Park.

It didn’t stop the former Swansea City forward being named Player of the Season, owing to his impact in for those 30 games where the Glaziers looked primed for a place in Europe. He netted hugely important strikes and set up a couple for teammates, too, but none were as phenomenal or dramatic as that late winner vs West Ham United on Boxing Day.

That strike was all Ayew’s creation, driving into a congested central area to beat three West Ham players before having the coolness to lob Roberto Jimenez in the Hammers goal. It was surprisingly not a Goal of the Season contender, despite being one of 19/20’s best goals, a snub that questioned the line of reasoning of its selectors!

It came to light that, rather than simply pick the most remarkable finishes over the season, the sponsors opted for a goal from every month of the campaign, and Son’s solo effort vs Burnley in early December (the eventual winner of the award) was preferred to the West African’s strike.

Nevertheless, the striker’s lack of recognition shouldn’t water down his impact in Crystal Palace’s season.

Nearly every goal or assist was crucial for the side from Selhurst Park, evidenced by winning strikes against Aston Villa, West Ham (twice), Brighton & Hove Albion and Watford. Also, the 28-year-old netted the equalizer in both games vs Arsenal and his two assists came against the Hammers and their final day draw with Tottenham Hotspur.

While those finishes won the side 10 points, 23.4 percent of their eventual return, Ayew may have been disappointed by not entering double figures. Consequently, the Ghana star failed to join Chris Armstrong (15 goals), Andrew Johnson (21), Christian Benteke (15), Milivojevic (10, 12) and Wilfried Zaha (10) as the only players to have netted double figures for the Glaziers in the Premier League.

This wasn’t helped by their slump after football’s resumption where they scored three times in eight games. Admittedly, observers pointed out that their tough run-in, which included games vs Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United, Leicester City, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Spurs, meant predictions for a top seven finish were hasty, nevertheless, listless showings at home to Burnley and away at Villa were dispiriting.

Their 3-0 defeat by the Foxes was a let down given Brendan Rodgers’ outfit were on a four-game winless run going into that meeting at the King Power Stadium, and it seemed like Ayew and co. didn’t do quite enough to pile more misery on the East Midlands club.

Still, the Eagles fought courageously in their 3-2 defeat by Frank Lampard’s men as well as the 2-0 loss at the hands of the Red Devils, the latter which saw Ayew’s equalizer chalked off for the most marginal of offsides. That would have been the African attacker’s 10th of the 19/20 season. Ultimately, however, he had to make do with nine

Having been two points below Jose Mourinho’s men, four behind Sheffield United and six adrift of Wolves and Man United after beating Bournemouth, the South London outfit ended 16, 11, 16 and 23 points adrift of the quartet after an unprecedentedly long season.

It was a disappointing ending for Palace, as well as Ayew, but the talismanic role played by the Ghana star at least suggests someone else can take up the mantle if Wilfried Zaha eventually departs this summer.

Simba SC official Haji Manara has warned Young Africans (Yanga SC) to get ready for another beating when the two sides clash in the derby for the new season.

The Tanzanian Premier League Board (TPLB) released fixtures for the new 2020-21 campaign on Monday with the first Kariakoo derby pitting Simba against Yanga set for October 18 at Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam.

Manara has now taken to his social media pages to warn Yanga they should mark the date for the derby and get ready to avoid using lame excuses after they suffer a humiliating 10-0 defeat.

“We [Simba] have already started training with our coach Sven [Vandenbroeck], while our colleagues [Yanga] don’t even have a coach,” Manara wrote on his social media pages.

“We have already finished with our registration of new players and there is no first-team player who left, but in Yanga a third of the team was fired, get ready before it is too late, don’t regret later and start saying that TFF is helping Simba when the season starts.

“We are already preparing ourselves but you are still in shambles, don’t forget our derby is on October 18, not far away, don’t start looking for small excuses, Simba are helped to win matches by TFF, ooh…Simba are supported by the speaker, Minister, just know we are preparing ourselves and you better get ready.”

Manara continued: “I remind you to get ready, Simba will beat you 10-0, we don’t have mercy for you, just continue to play around.”

Last season, the two giants met three times, with the first round ending in a 2-2 draw before Yanga turned on the screw to win the second round fixture 1-0, but they again faced off in the semis of the FA Cup where Simba won 4-1.

Simba then went ahead to seal a season double – winning the Community Shield, the league and the domestic cup – after beating Namungo FC 2-1 in the final played in Sumbawanga, Rukwa.

While Simba will have their coach Vandenbroeck for the derby, Yanga will have a new man in charge after they fired Belgian Luc Eymael at the end of the last campaign. In fact, it was Eymael, who helped Yanga to beat Simba in the second round tie.

On the other hand, Ghanaian midfielder Bernard Morrison will parade for Simba against his former side, whom he helped win the second round tie. It was his goal, from a free-kick, that enabled Yanga to run away with maximum points at the then derby played at National Stadium in Dar es Salaam.

But before the derby, the season is set to get underway on September 6 with Simba starting their title defence with a tie against newly-promoted Ihefu FC.

Yanga will start the new season with a match against Tanzania Prisons at the newly-named Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam.

Manchester United need to be getting Scott McTominay back into their side alongside Paul Pogba, says Dimitar Berbatov, with the former Red Devils striker considering it “strange” that a combative Scot is being overlooked.

Nemanja Matic has been the favoured option of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to fill a holding midfield post during a productive run through the second half of the 2019-20 campaign.

The Serbian’s performances have earned him a contract extension, but fresh terms have also been put in place with McTominay.

The 23-year-old Old Trafford academy graduate has endured injury issues at times, but will be disappointed to have seen just two Premier League starts since competitive action resumed in mid-June.

Berbatov believes Solskjaer needs to be getting McTominay’s energy back into his first-choice XI, while also addressing the obvious weaknesses in United’s ranks during the summer transfer window.

The ex-Red Devils frontman told Betfair after seeing a third semi-final defeat of the season suffered at the hands of Sevilla in the Europa League: “The defeat showed that United need to strengthen their squad this summer. They need a centre-back for sure.

“Midfield and up front seems to be ok. Paul Pogba looks likely to stay and I would like to see Scott McTominay get back in the team.

“But United need more depth, Ole made his first substitution very late [against Sevilla] when things weren't going well. It does show he trusts his first 11 a lot, but maybe it shows he doesn't trust his bench so much. There will be lots of games next season, and they need to have the squad to be ready.

“I find McTominay's situation really strange. He is fit and ready, he got his contract extension, but he doesn't play. Is it because Matic and Fred play really well? I am not sure, but I like him a lot, so hopefully he can pick up the pace next season and get back into the team.

“United need to model themselves on Man City and Liverpool and aspire to that level.

“[Sevilla] was a test I thought United would pass, but it is a lesson learned for them. You can't blame inexperience either because they are plenty experienced as players. United have a lot to work on to reach the level of City and Liverpool now.”

New Azam FC signing Prince Dube has revealed his expectations after signing for the club on Monday.

The Zimbabwean international penned a two-year contract with the former league and FA Cup champions in a deal that is understood to have fetched his former side Highlanders FC of Zimbabwe $50,000.

Dube, who made the transfer with four months still remaining on his contract, has now revealed the reason he opted to sign for the Chamazi-based club ahead of the new 2020-21 campaign.

“I am very happy I just signed for Azam, I have come here to help the team to compete for trophies and also use every chance I get to score goals,” Dube told reporters after signing.

On whether he knew anything about the Tanzanian league, Dube said: “I did know a few things because my brother came here some years back and he had some good knowledge about it, he told me how big the league is and I know what to expect.”

On what the fans should expect from him, Dube said: “I just want to do good things for the team, I want to score goals and make sure they do well, we are a big team and we must fight for titles.

“I am ready to take up the new challenge because Azam is a big team and as a team, we have to fight for it and be ready to give the fans what they want, to win the title and come to the end of the season, we should be leading, smiling all the way.”

Dube has linked up with fellow Zimbabwean internationals Bruce Kangwa and Never Tigere. Dube and Kangwa featured for Highlanders before the former made the move to join the ‘Ice-Cream Makers’.

Dube is also the Young Warriors captain and his move to Azam is expected to hand him more experience in a foreign league after their previous struggles in South Africa.

The youngster left Bosso, as Highlanders are nicknamed, in 2017 for SuperSport United in the Premier Soccer League of South Africa but he did not manage to break into the first team.

He was loaned to Black Leopards for a season but still battled for regular game time. Dube became Zimbabwe’s 2019 Soccer Star of the Year second runners-up after he regained form at the 2006 league champions.

The forward made his national team debut on March 26, 2017, when Zimbabwe played to a 0-0 draw against neighbours Zambia. Since then, he has played in nine matches and has scored six goals.

Azam have been busy in the transfer market and have already signed Emmanuel Charles, former Gor Mahia keeper David Kissu Mapigano, Awesu Awesu, Ally Niyonzima, Ismail Aziz and Ayoub Lyanga.

Salum ‘Sure Boy’ Abubakar committed his future to the club for one more year despite intense interest from rivals Young Africans (Yanga SC).

Azam will be keen to strengthen their side after a disappointing 2019/20 season where they failed to retain the FA Cup title which Simba SC eventually won.

Roma have been acquired by The Friedkin Group and the new owner wants to make the Serie A club one of the "greatest names in world football".

The Friedkin Group completed its takeover from president James Pallotta on Monday, acquiring an 86.6 per cent majority stake in the Italian team.

The Houston-based ownership group will launch a mandatory tender offer upon the publicly held ordinary shares, representing approximately 13.4 per cent of Roma's share capital.

Three-time Serie A champions Roma, who last won the Scudetto in 2001, finished fifth in 2019-20 – 13 points adrift of champions Juventus.

Roma also reached the Coppa Italia quarter-finals and Europa League last 16 during Paulo Fonseca's first season as head coach.

"We are delighted to join the AS Roma family," said Dan Friedkin, CEO and chairman of The Friedkin Group. "As one fan wrote recently, 'Take our iconic club and make it one of the greatest names in world football'. We intend to do just that.

"Our commitment to Roma is total. We will be very present in Rome, a city that holds a special place in our hearts, as we embark on this exciting journey. We recognise we are entrusted with a team that is a vital part of the soul of Rome, and this is a responsibility that we find humbling and will always take very seriously.

"As business owners, we look to identify and back strong management teams and leadership. Guido Fienga has proven to be a great CEO of Roma, and together we have developed an ambitious and disciplined business plan.

"We will give him the support, guidance and means to deliver on this plan and, to help maintain focus over these crucial weeks ahead, it will be primarily his voice that will speak for AS Roma. 

"Our shared vision for the club and the team is to favour a sustained, long-term investment approach rather than quick fixes of questionable durability.

"I'd also like to take a moment to thank Jim Pallotta and his partners for all they have done for the club. He and his team have been very helpful in preparing for a smooth transition and we wish him nothing but the best in the future.

"Finally, no comments would be complete without acknowledging the incredible strength, passion and loyalty of the fans and the Curva Sud. We will stand shoulder to shoulder with you as we develop this club and challenge for trophies in the future. We can't wait to get to work and for our new season to start."

Victor Moses labelled Inter Milan’s decimation of Shakhtar Donetsk a "job done" as Antonio Conte’s men book their place in the Europa League final.

Fuelled by a brace from Lautaro Martinez and Romelu Lukaku, the Italian topflight side stunned the Ukrainian giants 5-0 on Monday night in Dusseldorf.

Martinez's first Europa League goal of the season got Conte’s team off the mark in the 19th minute – heading home a pinpoint cross from Nicolo Barella past goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov.

Allowed a free run from Marcelo Brozovic's corner, Danilo D'Ambrosio leapt highest to plant a firm header beyond Pyatov, who conceded his third of the evening as Martinez completed his brace 10 minutes later.

Lukaku completed the rout with a late brace – his 16th Europa League goal in 10 appearances – as Inter now move closer to winning their first trophy since 2011.

Chelsea loanee Moses was brought in for D'Ambrosio with nine minutes left to play, albeit, he had little to do as his team had confirmed their place in the grand finale.

Delighted by his side’s latest achievement, the 29-year-old took to social media and revelled in Inter Milan’s biggest margin of victory ever in a single Uefa Cup/Europa League semi-final game.

“Job done. Into the final!,” Moses tweeted.

Moses and his team face Sevilla on Friday in Cologne in what promises to be a closely fought final.

The former Nigeria international completed a loan move to the San Siro outfit from Premier League side Chelsea with an option to buy on Thursday, after his 18-month loan at Fernabache was cut short.

He made his bow for the Italians in this season’s competition when they took on Ludogorets Razgrad in the Round of 32.

Los Angeles FC have announced the signing of teenage Senegalese defender Mohamed Traore, using the top spot in the Major League Soccer Waiver Order.

The 18-year-old joins the Black and Gold from Soccer Institute of Montverde Academy based in Orlando, Florida.

Born in Senegal’s capital city Dakar, Traore arrived at Montverde at 14-year-old. As a senior member of his team in 2019, he registered got seven assists to help Montverde Academy to an impressive record of 21 wins, four draws and one defeat.

He was part of Senegal’s U17 squad of 2019, albeit, he could did not make Malick Daf’s squad to the 2019 Africa U-17 Cup of Nations staged in Tanzania.

There, the west African nation failed to get out of Group B that paraded Guinea, Morocco and eventual winners Cameroon.

Los Angeles executive VP of Soccer Operations and General Manager John Thorrington lauded the abilities of the teenager and believes he would grow under Bob Bradley at Banc of California Stadium.

“Mohamed is an exciting, young player with a lot of potential,” said Thorrington as reported by LAFC website.

“We believe getting him in our environment will help him continue to grow and develop and prepare him for success at this level.”

Following his addition to the Black and Gold’s fold, he becomes the third African in Bradley’s squad after Ghana's Latif Blessing and Libya's Mohamed El Monir.

Los Angeles crashed out of the 2020 MLS is Back championship after bowing 4-1 to Orlando City in the quarter-final on penalties after a 1-1 draw after full time.

They return to regular season play on Saturday, August 22 against LA Galaxy.

Maxwel Cornet’s strike in Olympique Lyon’s 3-1 Champions League quarter-final win against Manchester City has been awarded as the Goal of the Week.

The Ivorian winger got the ball rolling in Lisbon, with a deftly-executed shot that gave Ederson no chance of catching after Cornet latched on to Karl Toko Ekambi’s cutback.

Though Kevin de Bruyne equalised for the Citizens, a brace off the bench from Franco-Malian forward Moussa Dembele late on delivered the most unexpected of results.

Cornet’s effort beat Luis Suarez’s goal against in the Barcelona vs Bayern Munich tie which ended 8-2, Joshua Kimmich’s strike in the same game also featuring while Cameroon and former Stoke City forward made the cut for his winner in PSG’s 2-1 comeback triumph over debutants Atalanta.

Cornet speaking to uefa.com admitted the oneness of the Lyon squad made it possible for them to upset the Citizens.

“The match could have gone a different way. In [the same] minute, Raheem Sterling missed an open goal and Moussa [Dembele] scored his second, the team’s third,” he said.

“But you also have to make your own luck. We did everything in that match. We played as one. We played until the very end and didn't take our foot off the gas. We were chasing a semi-final.”

Lyon will take on Bayern Munich in Wednesday’s semi-final and Cornet expects the French side to not to take lightly the team that put eight goals past Barcelona.

“We didn’t expect [them to beat Barcelona 8-2]; we didn’t expect it because it's the great Barca we're talking about here. Their performance against Barca proved that Bayern remain an excellent team and one that mustn't be taken lightly,” Cornet continued.

“We've knocked out some really big teams, the likes of Juventus and Manchester City. That shows we're every bit as good as those teams. We mustn't get carried away, we have to keep our feet on the ground and continue to work hard. The most important thing is to focus on ourselves.”

Lyon have a genuine shot at reaching their first-ever Champions League final and Cornet says the crop of young players in the squad are simply living the dream as it comes.

“As a young player, it’s difficult not to think about it because I took up this profession to experience moments like these and, as the saying goes, you've got to make your dreams come true,” he said.

“That’s exactly what we're doing at the moment with an incredible group of young players who are living this dream. It's fantastic. We're making the most of the moment. We're going to give our all out there again and, of course, we’re still hungry.”

Ghana international Jordan Ayew led a quartet of African players who took part in Crystal Palace’s pre-season commencement.

His compatriot Jeffrey Schlupp, Cote d’Ivoire attacking sensation Wilfried Zaha as well as Senegal’s midfield Cheikhou Kouyate, complete a list of Africans who took part in Monday’s training session.

The club’s training ground remains under severe Covid-19 protocols, including the players and staff parking Kent Cricket’s training ground due to the amplified capacity that the venue’s car park offers to aid social distancing.

Also, at Monday’s session were summer signing Nathan Ferguson, Nya Kirby, John-Kymani Gordon, Brandon Pierrick alongside Connor Wickham and Jaroslaw Jach who returned from their respective loan spells.

Roy Hodgson’s men will face Danish elite division outfit Brondby IF at Selhurst Park on September 5, in an encounter that will be played behind closed doors. Niels Frederiksen’s side finished fourth in the Superliga at the end of 2019-20 season.

On their own part, Palace ended last season's campaign with 43 points from 38 games to finish 14th in the English topflight despite looking bright for a place in Europe before the lockdown caused by coronavirus.

Ghana’s Ayew capped off an impressive campaign to be crowned Crystal Palace Player of the Season after seeing off competition from Vicente Guaita and former Chelsea star Gary Cahill.

He was also named the Players' Player of the Season while his 87th-minute winning strike against West Ham United back in October was picked as Goal of the Season.

27-year-old Zaha featured in 38 games for Hodgson's team with four goals to show for his contributions.

Paris Saint-Germain have dominated Ligue 1 for years, having earned the title of champions of the top-flight on nine occasions while claiming three consecutive titles from 2017 to 2020.

They are one of Europe's biggest powerhouses as well and a major force in the transfer market, with the club owned by the wealthy Qatar Sports Investments.

PSG have conducted some of the most high-profile and lucrative deals in the transfer market in recent years, but how much does the whole squad cost?

As of the 2019-20 season, the PSG 2019-20 squad total cost is €779.4 million.

This is the total of all of their combined transfer fees.

The French heavyweights are currently responsible for two of the most expensive transfers of all-time.

Kylian Mbappe's big-budget move from Monaco to PSG in 2017 amounted to €145m, while Neymar's transfer from Barcelona for a whopping €222m shook the world.

The Brazil forward's switch from Camp Nou to Parc des Princes shattered the previous record transfers, such as Paul Pogba's €105m move to Man Utd from Juventus, Gareth Bale's €100.8m from Tottenham to Real Madrid and of course the former world record of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid for €94m from Man Utd.

Other inbound PSG transfers have also been lucrative, such as Angel Di Maria's €63m transfer from Man Utd and Mauro Icardi's €50m price tag from Inter.

Below you can view a breakdown of how much each individual PSG player costs.

*Last updated August 17, 2020

Former Chelsea midfielder Mikel John Obi has stated he can impact the winning mentality of Stoke City after joining the club on Monday.

The 33-year-old Nigerian has been a free agent since his contract with Turkish Super Lig side Trabzonspor was terminated in March which is believed to be due to speaking out against the club for going on with league fixtures in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic

Mikel is looking to get down to immediate business in Staffordshire and wants the Potters to win on a consistent basis. Stoke finished the 2019-20 Championship season in 15th place, eight points clear of the relegation zone.

“I can bring that winning mentality into this team,” he said on the official Stoke City YouTube Channel.

“There is always a way to win, we need to find that way. That mentality needs to come into the team, it’s all about winning week in, week out, and that’s something I’ve done all my life at Chelsea and I can bring that experience and winning mentality here, I’d be very happy.”

Mikel also admits he shares the same ambition as Stoke which is a return to the Premier League which they last played in during the 2017-18 when they went down with Swansea City and West Bromwich Albion.

“I’m excited. I’ve been talking with the club for a week, talking to the manager trying to know exactly what the ambition of the club is and also my ambition what I want to do as a player. My ambition and the club’s ambition seem to be pretty much the same,” he continued.

“I’m excited to see where we can go with this partnership, I’m here to help the club, get promoted, I think this club belongs to Premier League, that’s where it should be.

“I’ve spoken to a few clubs, but after speaking to the manager, he told me what he wants and the ambition is something I want, I still want to win, achieve something and after talking to the manager I decided this is the right place for me to continue my career.”

Stoke makes it the second Championship club Mikel would play for having been with Middlesbrough between January and May 2019 and was dubbed the “African Zidane” by the supporters. He believes his experience at the Riverside and his understanding of the Championship will make him prepared at Stoke

“It was good, it was a lovely time at Middlesbrough. It was a good place for me to go and experience the Championship and that experience it what I’ll bring here. Now I know the game a little bit more, now kind of know what to expect which is something I’m looking forward to,” Mikel said.

“I’ve always known it’s a difficult game [against Championship teams] it’s never an easy game, they are very physical, they never stop running and that’s something I knew before going to Boro and that’s exactly what I experienced and what I’m quite ready for.”

Mikel - who has also previously played for Lyn Oslo and Tianjin TEDA, asserts he can get his fitness up to speed having not played a competitive game in nearly five months.

“I’ve got like three to four weeks before the season starts, you don’t quite know where you will be, but I’ve been doing things right for the past five six months at home trying to train, go to the gym, do bits here and there,” he said.

“It’s going to take a while but with my ambition and my goal of knowing where I want to be before the season starts, I should be there.”

Romelu Lukaku has weighed in on Manchester United's Europa League elimination at the hands of Sevilla, as the former Red Devils star believes his former club look "really good for next season".

Man Utd were knocked out at the semi-final stage on Sunday, as they fell 2-1 to the Spanish side in Cologne.

In doing so, they failed to book a date with Lukaku's Inter, with the former Man Utd striker firing a brace in his side's record-breaking 5-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk in their own semi-final clash on Monday.

Having watched his former club fall out of the competition before leading his current club within one step of a trophy, Lukaku offered his commiserations to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side, while adding that he believes stars like Mason Greenwood, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial have them on the right path to success.

"No, United tried their hardest. They had a really good season. Ole did a good job," Lukaku told BT Sport.

"The players did really well. Greenwood is coming through, Martial and Rashford, I expected that. I'm really happy for them.

"They look really good for next season. I have no doubts."

Lukaku continued his own spectacular form on Monday, scoring in his 10th consecutive Europa League match dating all the way back to his time at Everton.

The five-goal win saw Inter seal the most lopsided Europa League semi-final win ever, with Lukaku full of praise for how his team approached the match from the opening whistle.

"We knew that they were really good in combinations, short combinations," he said. "And as long as we kept the centre of the defence close, I don't think we would have any problems because the physicality of us was a bit too much for them.

"In the second half, we came through and showed our power and our patterns of play really disrupted them a lot."

He added: "The team is doing well. Everybody is trying to do their best. We worked really hard in the little camp that we had. It was tough, but now you see the results of the hard work we put in.

"Physically and tactically, everyone is 100 per cent, so hopefully we can keep going."

Next up for Lukaku and Inter is a date with Sevilla, a club that has won this competition five times over the last 15 years.

As a result, the Belgian says the Spanish outfit go into the game as favourites.

"At the minute, everything is going well, but we're still fighting. There's still a game to go," he said.

"Records are nice to be broken, but, at the end of the day, we just want to win. The team that we play against, I think are the favourites, so we need to prepare ourselves very well. Recover, but then prepare ourselves."

Paris Saint-Germain defender Marquinhos has warned his team-mates not to take Tuesday’s Champions League opponents RB Leipzig lightly, saying “relying on prestige doesn't get you anywhere.”

The French champions go into the game as favourites against a Leipzig side competing in the Champions League for just the second time in their short history.

PSG, in contrast, have been regulars in Europe’s premier knockout competition in recent years.

They played another of the tournament’s surprise packages, Atalanta, in the quarter-final last week and trailed going into the closing stages. But stoppage-time strikes from Marquinhos and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting sent Thomas Tuchel’s side through to the last four of the competition for the first time since 1995.

Leipzig, meanwhile, beat Atletico Madrid to reach this stage having already comfortably dispatched Tottenham in the previous round, demonstrating considerable European pedigree despite their relative lack of experience at this level.

Brazil international Marquinhos says those results should act as a warning for his side when they take to the field in Lisbon on Tuesday.

“They are a young team and fearless, as they've shown already in this Champions League season. They've played great,” he told UEFA.com.

“In the previous match against Atletico Madrid; they totally dominated the game. So, we know we'll have to give our best. Nowadays, relying on prestige doesn't get you anywhere.”

PSG have dominated French football over recent years, winning seven out of the last eight Ligue 1 titles, helped by the considerable investment from President Nasser Al-Khelaifi and Qatar Sports Investments group.

However, they have so far failed to translate that domestic dominance into the European success their owners crave.

Marquinhos, though, feels the club have benefitted from the one-legged knockout format of the tournament this year, giving them a great chance of reaching next week’s final.

“Because these are one-off games only, we're seeing plenty of excitement in all the matches. It's now become like a World Cup of sorts,” he added. “That's why it's been so joyful, so full of excitement.

“We're aiming to win this trophy because we're ambitious. We want it; we have this dream. But we're aware that it's a long and hard road. There'll be struggle, it won't be easy, so it's not enough to just dream about it.

“We've seen that playing as a team, having a strategy and playing with strength make a huge difference on the pitch. So, we simply have to do our best and play at our highest level.

"We have quality, talented players, but we must come together and help each other on the pitch, give all that we have and put all our effort and heart into what we love, which is football, and fight to win this.”

Inter sealed a Europa League semi-final record with the Italian side's drubbing of Shakhtar Donetsk.

With two goals apiece from Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez, Inter sealed a 5-0 victory over the Ukrainian side in Monday's semi-final round, sealing a spot in the finale against Sevilla.

The Argentine opened the scoring 19 minutes in with what was the lone first-half finish, beginning what turned out to be an avalanche of goals for the Serie A side.

Danilo D'Ambrosio started the second half with a 64th-minute goal before Lukaku and Martinez combined to unleash on the Ukrainian side's backline.

Martinez completed his brace in the 74th minute before Lukaku added a pair of goals of his own within a five-minute span to lock up a lopsided five-goal win.

With that five-goal margin, Inter sealed the biggest margin of victory in a single Europa League/UEFA Cup semi-final game.

Additionally, it was Shakhtar Donetsk’s biggest defeat in Europe since a 6-0 loss to Manchester City in the Champions League in November 2018.

Lukaku and Martinez, meanwhile, continued their own dominance in all competitions with the two becoming the first Inter duo to score over 20 goals each in a single season since Adriano and Obafemi Martins did so during the 2004-05 campaign.

The Belgian, in particular, has been prolific in the Europa League, as he has extended his record by scoring in his 10th consecutive game in the competition, stretching all the way back to November 2014 with Everton.

He previously broke the record against Bayer Leverkusen, when his goal saw him seal sole possession of a record that he previously shared with Newcastle’s Alan Shearer, who fired in eight-straight games back in 2005..

Lukaku has been involved in 18 total goals during that 10-game stretch, scoring 14 while assisting on a further four.

With his 50th appearance of the season, Lukaku also became the first player since Samuel Eto'o (53) and Javier Zanetti (52) in 2010-11 to reach that mark.

Following Monday's win, Inter will now take on Sevilla on Friday in the final, with the Spanish side booking their spot in the ultimate game by taking down Manchester United.