Looking for Soccer News?

Former Barcelona defender Albert Ferrer says that the club is too reliant on Lionel Messi's brilliance and lacks the depth to truly compete at the top level.

Barcelona failed to win La Liga for only the second time in six seasons as Messi and Co. were beaten to the title by Real Madrid.

The domestic failings come on the heels of several years of continental failures, with notable collapses against Roma and Liverpool sending the club crashing out of the Champions League.

Although Barca remain active in this season's competition, it has been a campaign where the club's weaknesses have come to light, even if the magnificent Messi has been able to hide some of those weaknesses.

The forward became the first player in La Liga history to fire at least 20 goals while providing at least 20 assists, with the Barca star finishing on 25 league goals while surpassing Xavi's record with 21 assists this season.

But Ferrer says that the Argentinian star won't be able to do that forever, even if the former defender does believe that Messi, who has been linked to Inter in recent weeks, will remain with the club for the rest of his career.

“I’m not too worried about how Leo has been feeling – we expect that because he is a winner,” Ferrer told FourFourTwo.

“He wants to compete for everything, and win the Champions League. I think he will be at Barcelona until he retires. He loves Barcelona, the team, the club.

“It’s a unique situation. No other team can say they depend so much on someone. Barcelona needs to become independent of Leo Messi, but he is still the best, and the moment you give him the ball, he does something with it. 

“It’s a good sign that Barcelona still have Messi, but other players need to play more, so not everything has to go through him. It may be difficult to mark Leo, but sometimes he is surrounded, so you need other ways. 

“Barcelona need to make other players very important too, and do something different to help him. But they have some good options with the likes of Ansu Fati now.” 

While Fati is on the rise, Ferrer says that there is still a lack of true depth in the Barcelona squad, and that lack of depth is what cost them this season.

Barca have been linked with the likes of Lautaro Martinez and Neymar this summer, although Josep Maria Bartomeu says the club will be unable to sign either in the near future.

But Ferrer says that big changes are needed if the club hopes to return to the top of La Liga.

“I think before the lockdown, Barcelona were OK really,” he said. “But I think the squad is a bit short in terms of numbers and they couldn’t really rotate how they desired, maybe.

“In some of the games, there might have been six or seven players from Barcelona B playing, and while they’re very talented, they still lost games and particularly struggled in defence. So depth on the bench was one reason.

“They also tried to play differently, less predictably. But when there is a game every three days, that is difficult – you are just playing for your lives. It was a strange situation. And you have to also say that the run from Real Madrid [at the end] was fantastic.

“Barcelona can never win everything. They’ve won eight of the last 12 titles. Important players have left the club, so it has taken time to adapt.

“I think what they’re trying to do is the right way. They are trying to make a transition and bring some new players in, and bring in some young players from the academy.

“It’s difficult to find players when you’ve got those at the level of Leo and [Sergio] Busquets, but it is true that new players need to come in and improve the tempos and the levels.

“They also maybe need to experiment with formations. Yes, 4-3-3 is the philosophy of Barcelona but I think they should be more open to trying different things within the philosophy. It’s key.”

Barcelona are set to continue their Champions League campaign against Napoli on Saturday.

Young Africans have continued with their clear-out in the transfer window with the release of 14 players ahead of the new season.

According to the club, former Gor Mahia striker Gnamien Yikpe, who took much criticism last season, has been axed alongside captain Papy Tshishimbi, who refused to renew his contract, and Congolese striker David Molinga.

Others dropped are veteran striker Mrisho Ngassa, Jafary Mohamed, Mohamed Issa Banka, Tariq Seif, Andrew Vincent Dante, Patrick Sibomana, Muharami Issa, Ali Ali, Rafael Daud, Ali Mtoni Sonso and Eric Kabamba.

Surprisingly, the club have retained controversial Ghanaian forward Bernard Morrison, who has missed training since the team suffered a humiliating 4-1 defeat against rivals Simba SC in the FA Cup semi-final clash and was since arrested under suspicion of marijuana possession.

Other played retained include Kenyan keeper Farouk Shikhalo, Metacha Mnata, Ramadhan Kabwili, Haruna Niyonzima, Lamine Moro, Bernard Morrison, Feisal Salum, Juma Mahadhi, Adeyum Saleh, Said Makapu, Balama Mapinduzi, Deus Kaseke, Ditram Nchimbi, Abdulaziz Makame, and Paul Godfrey.

Earlier on Monday, the club denied reports they have been forced into panic transfer activities after missing out on winning silverware in the just-concluded season.

The Jangwani Street-based giants have already signed four players – defender Bakari Mwamnyeto from Coastal Union, striker Waziri Junior from Mbao FC, left-back Yassin Mustapha from Polisi Tanzania and midfielder Peter Mauya from Kagera Sugar.

A section of Yanga fans have questioned the criteria the club is using to sign new players since they have not appointed a new coach after they fired Belgian Luc Eymael at the end of the 2019-20 Mainland Premier League season.

The fans believe the club should have first appointed a new coach, who could reveal the players he wants to be signed for the club ahead of the new season.

Yanga have now come out to defend the signings, insisting the deals they have already accomplished have the blessing from the technical bench, adding their top target is to win the league title next season.

“All the players we have signed already are as per the request from the technical bench, even if Eymael left, we still had a team working under him which still exists and they are the ones involved in this transfer activities,” Hersi Said, Director of GSM Investment, who are Yanga’s main sponsors, told reporters on Monday.

“We are ready to make tangible recruitment of players to create a squad capable to challenge for titles next term. As GSM, we will be fully involved in this exercise.”

Yanga had a disappointing campaign in the last season where they failed to reach the final of the FA Cup after losing to eventual winners and rivals Simba SC, and could only finish a distant second behind their old rivals on the league table.

The Timu ya Wananchi have now been linked a number of foreign-players, including Kenyans Jesse Were and John Makwatta, who play for Zesco United, Sven Yidah of Kariobangi Sharks, Erick Rutanga of Rayon Sports and Mukoko Tonombe of AS Vita Club from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

A number of coaches including Kenya’s Bernard Mwalala, who also played for the team, have been linked with the vacant role at the club.

Football Kenya Federation (FKF) presidential aspirant Twaha Mbarak has hit out at the incumbent Nick Mwendwa for what he says is misleading the public and misuse of former Federation officials.

The Mombasa-based administrator has pointed out cases the outgoing office presented to the court and went on to state stakeholders derailed the election process.

"The former FKF president Nick Mwendwa has consistently misled the public that stakeholders have derailed the FKF elections by taking the matters to court while in essence, he is the one who keeps on taking the matters to the Sports Dispute Tribunal (SDT) in an attempt to gag innocent and sincere public servants such as the registrar Madam Rose Wasike and push her to break the laws of the land and threatening her with Fifa ban which is a total misconception of the reality of things," Twaha said in a signed statement obtained by Goal.

The candidate has also stated the incumbent is also taking advantage of former FKF branch officials who are desperate to be re-elected, and when one shows a different approach; he is threatened to be left out.

"Mwendwa is taking advantage of ignorant and desperate former FKF branch officials who failed to deliver on their mandates and fear defeat in the forthcoming elections; by sponsoring them to take football matters to ordinary courts," Twaha added.

"He threatened to drop them from his line-up of the so-called 'Team Blue' if they fail to obey his illegal orders.

"According to FIFA statutes, such officials are not supposed to be anywhere near football. Our legal team was forced to intervene. The matter has since been dismissed on 9th of July, 2020. 

"He sponsored other desperate officials to launch similar cases in Kericho and Muring’a. However, all the cases were consolidated and are scheduled to be heard in Nairobi."

Mwendwa has also been accused of overstepping his mandate and trying to force everybody to be on his side.

"It is therefore hypocritical for Mwendwa to call FKF officials who were genuinely elected in 2015 and managed to comply with the Sports Act 2013 as non-members. He believes that genuine FKF members must be his sycophants. 

[Mwendwa] needs to wake up to the reality that sports is a devolved function and he can never, therefore, dictate to FKF members on the running of football activities in their counties and that everybody including him are not above the law."  

Former Argentina captain Diego Maradona has saluted his late Cameroon counterpart Stephen Tataw who died last Friday aged 57.

A right-back in his playing days, Tataw captained Cameroon at the 1990 and 1994 Fifa World Cup tournaments.

At Italy 1990, he led a team that stunned then defending champions Argentina 1-0 in their opening Group B match, thanks to a Francois-Omam Biyik second-half goal.

Posting a picture of himself and Tataw on social media just before the famous match at the San Siro, Maradona saluted the ex-Cameroon skipper.

“Thirty years ago, with Stephen Tataw, captain of the "Indomitable Lions" of Cameroon at the 1990 World Cup. My respects to your family, may you rest in peace,” wrote Maradona.

The 1990 finals were Cameroon’s second appearance at the tournament and Tataw guided his teammates in writing history as the first African team to reach the World Cup quarter-finals.

They were stopped by England, narrowly losing 3-2 after extra time, after claiming the scalps of Romania and Colombia enroute to the Last Eight.

However, most memorable for Cameroon at the tournament was pulling off the shock victory against Maradona’s Argentina, and Omam-Biyik remembers how it was their goalkeeper Thomas N’Kono who saved their day with a string of impressive saves.

“If N’Kono did not have the possibility of stopping the ball, we would’ve lost 2…3…to 4-0. Thomas N’kono gave confidence to the team,” Omam-Biyik told New Frame.

While Omam-Biyik credits N’Kono for a heroic outing, the forward’s goal which separated the two sides was also one for the archives.

He rose highest over Argentina defenders to head in past goalkeeper Nery Alberto Pumpido.

“I jumped very high in my playing career, but that day God said it was my day because the jump was impressive, but the keeper did not do a good job to save the ball,” said Omam-Biyik.

Victories over Argentina and Colombia made Cameroon believe “it was Africa’s World Cup” according to Omam-Biyik, but “maybe if we had experience we would have gone to the semi-finals. We had it all – the passing, dribbling and possession.”

It was an impressive tournament for Cameroon, so much so that N’Kono’s understudy Joseph-Antoine Bell has acknowledged that the team even surprised themselves.

“Though we lost to England, the world started believing in us, knowing Africa could challenge big teams,” Bell said. “What happened to us, we did not prepare for it and we did not even know how we reached there.”

After 1990, Cameroon were involved in five more World Cup tournaments but could not better or replicate their heroics in Italy.

Senegal and Ghana are the only other African team to reach the World Cup quarter-finals.

Jamshedpur FC are all set to sign Lithuanian international and former Chennaiyin striker Nerijus Valskis FC on a two-year deal, Goal can confirm.

The 33-year-old striker made a name for himself in his debut season in India and picked up the Golden Boot Award in the 2019-20 Indian Super League (ISL) scoring 15 goals in 20 matches for Chennaiyin FC. He also had six assists to his name. 

The Lithuanian spearheaded Chennaiyin’s attack last season and had played a crucial role in the club’s miraculous turnaround under the tutelage of Owen Coyle who led them to the final of the competition. He is now all set to reunite with the head coach who also recently joined Jamshedpur. The former Bolton Wanderers manager has penned a two-year deal with Jamshedpur FC. 

Jamshedpur, on the other hand, endured a disappointing campaign despite starting the season on a positive note. But injuries to their key players at important junctures in the season meant they missed out on a play-off spot for the third season in a row. With the ISL finalists on board for the upcoming season, Jamshedpur will be hoping to land their first-ever playoff spot. 

Simba SC striker Meddie Kagere has not been shortlisted for the Most Valuable Player award despite emerging as the league's top scorer.

Kagere, who scored 23 goals for the league and the FA Cup winners and retained the Golden Boot, has been left out after he had been included in the provisional list of 30 players.

Zambian international Clatous Chama will battle it out with Ugandan defender Nicholas Wadada of Azam FC as well as Bakari Mwamnyeto of Coastal Union.

Wadada was key for the Ice Makers as he helped them record the second-best defensive record as they conceded 26 goals. The best record went to Simba who conceded just 21 goals but failed to produce a contestant even for the best defender of the season category.

Mwamnyeto, who has already signed a two-year deal with Yanga SC, was a defensive pillar for Coastal Union who conceded 30 goals, the fifth-best defensive record in the concluded season.

Waziri Junior is another notable figure to be dropped from the list of the final contestants for the MVP award despite scoring 13 goals for the relegated Mbao FC.

In the coach of the year category, Simba’s Sven Vandenbroeck will face off with Thierry Hitimana of Namungo FC. Vandenbroeck had to beat Hitimana’s side in the FA Cup final on August 2 to help Wekundu wa Msimbazi bag a treble in his maiden season in Tanzania.

The chance to fight for the award is an opportunity for the Belgian to get yet another personal accolade after winning two Coach of the Month awards.

For the Defender of the Year, Mwamnyeto and Wadada will face off again with David Luhende – a Yanga transfer target – being the third contestant.

The Midfielder of the Year trophy will be a contest between Lucas Kikoti of Namungo, Balama Mapinduzi of Yanga and Chama from the Wekundu wa Msimbazi side.

The Goal of the Season will be between Sadallah Lipangile of KMC, Luis Miquissone of Simba and Patson Shikala of Mbeya City.

Lipangile’s goal against Mtibwa Sugar has been put up against Miquissone’s strike against Alliance FC and Shikala’s effort vs JKT Tanzania.

Balama’s long-range goal on January 4 that helped Yanga draw 2-2 against Simba in the first Kariakoo Derby of the season did not make the cut.

Kelvin Kijiri of KMC, Dickson Job of Mtibwa Sugar and Biashara United’s Novatus Dismas are the candidates for the Young Player of the Year category.

Aishi Manula, the outstanding candidate for the Goalkeeper of the Season, is up against Daniel Mgore of Biashara United and Nourdine Balora of Namungo.

Manula kept 16 clean sheets in a season where he was preferred to Beno Kakolanya by both Patrick Aussems and Vandenbroeck despite criticism from fans.

The Team of the Year award will be contested by Coastal Union, Kagera Sugar and Mwadui FC while Ahmed Arajiga, Ramadhan Kayoko and Abdalla Mwinyimku will face off for the Referee of the Year award.

Frank Komba, Abdulaziz Ally, and Hamdan Said will rival for the Assistant Referee of the Year awards.

The ceremony to pick the season-end winners of the various categories will be held on August 7 in Dar es Salaam.

Victor Moses has been named in Inter Milan squad for the final stages of the 2019-20 Europa League while Kwadwo Asamoah has been excluded.

The Black and Blues will take on Getafe in the Round of 16 in a single-legged tie which will be played behind closed doors due to the coronavirus pandemic.

According to a statement from Inter, the former Super Eagles winger made the 41-man list submitted by the club to Uefa for the competition but the Ghana international was left out.

Moses reunited with his former manager Antonio Conte in January on loan from Premier League club Chelsea after cutting short his 18-month loan with Turkish Super Lig side Fenerbahce.

The versatile player has made 17 appearances across all competitions since joining the side and has featured twice for the Italian outfit in the Europa League.

Moses’ loan deal is expected to run out in August but could be handed an extension to enable him to compete in the European competition.

The wing-back will hope to clinch the Europa League trophy for the second time in his career, having previously won it during his time at Stamford Bridge.

Ghana international Asamoah has struggled for game time since he suffered a knee injury last year, having previously been a key member of Inter since 2018.

The 31-year-old full-back has featured in 40 league games for the Black and Blues since he joined the club from rivals Juventus.

Last month, former Ghana international Laryea Kingston advised the defender to leave the San Siro outfit to reignite his career elsewhere.

“For me, I think he still has years ahead of him. So far, he’s done very well for himself but he still has some years in him if he makes up his mind,” Kingston told Goal.

“My only problem is he’s not playing regular football now. That’s my only worry. But if he finds himself a club where he can play week in week out, trust me he still possesses a lot of qualities.

“He plays wing-back or left full-back but sometimes he goes up and you can see he has the eye for assists and sometimes he can also strike.

“It would be good for him to move to a team where he would be able to play in his comfortable position – No.10 or around the box. He can be great and get to the peak that he wants to be.”

Turkish Super Lig giants Fenerbahce is believed to be interested in the signature of Asamoah, who has 74 caps for Ghana.

Jose Mourinho has hailed Lucas Moura for making important "sacrifices" during a turbulent season for Tottenham, insisting he "did everything" he possibly could to help the team.

Lucas took in 47 appearances across all competitions for Spurs in their latest campaign, scoring seven goals and laying on five assists.

Although those numbers fall some way short of his best tallies in the famous white shirt, his overall contribution has been crucial in the absence of a number of key performers.

Harry Kane, Son Heung-min, Steven Bergwijn, Dele Alli have all take in spells on the sidelines this year with serious injuries, leaving Mourinho short on attacking options.

Lucas has been the only constant presence in his squad, and has played in a variety of different positions to help cover the absence of his team-mates in the final third.

The Brazilian ultimately played a vital role in Tottenham's run to a sixth-placed finish, which ensured that they salvaged a Europa League spot.

Mourinho is grateful to be able to rely upon a player like Lucas when the going gets tough, and says he is a great "example" to the rest of the squad.

The Spurs head coach told the club's official website: “With all the problems we had, Lucas is probably one of the few players that was here the day I arrived and never stopped, apart from some extreme fatigue he had because he was playing every match.

“He did everything for us during the season. He played in every position. He played as a striker when we had no strikers. He had no rest, he had to play every match in every competition.

“It’s really amazing and shows the team player that he is - a team player, a consistent player, a player who sacrifices himself for the needs of the team.

"We have more, and I’m a fortunate coach, but Lucas is a good example.”

Tottenham won four of their last six top-flight games to qualify for Europe, as Mourinho saw his first-choice attacking players return to full fitness to link up with Lucas once again.

Spurs beat Arsenal, Newcastle and Leicester before signing off with a draw away at Crystal Palace, after which the Portuguese boss pointed out that they would have finished fourth if the competition had started when he replaced Mauricio Pochettino in November.

Inter Milan have named Alexis Sanchez in their Europa League squad for the final knockout round games as they continue discussions with Manchester United over signing the Chilean on a permanent deal.

Sanchez has spent the entire campaign on loan at the Serie A team after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made it clear the 31-year-old did not fit into his structure at Old Trafford.

The suspension of football due to the outbreak of Covid-19 saw Sanchez’s current loan deal extended to allow the attacker to complete the league campaign. However, that deal is set to expire later this week.

An option of another short-term loan to allow Sanchez to compete in the Europa League knockout tournament in Germany has been mooted and the two clubs are discussing a permanent deal with the Chile international not part of Solskjaer’s long-term plans.

Inter have named Sanchez in their Europa League squad which means he will be able to play in the fixture against Getafe on Wednesday, a one-legged clash after the initial game was postponed due to the pandemic.

However he will only be able to compete in the subsequent games, should Inter progress, if an agreement is reached between the two sides.

Sanchez signed from Arsenal in January 2018 but has failed to impress at Old Trafford and his huge wages have proved to be a sticking point when negotiating deals to try and get him off their books.

He has impressed for Inter since the restart, scoring three goals and grabbing seven assists in the league, and they will be hoping he can help them progress in the Europa League.

Should Inter and United both progress through to the quarters and then the semis, they would are set to face each other in the final in Cologne on August 21.  

Chris Smalling finds himself in a similar position at Roma, in that unless an agreement is reached between United and the Italian side for either a permanent deal or a long-term loan agreement, he will not be able to feature in the final Europa League games, should they progress, as his current deal is set to expire at the end of the week.

Mesut Ozil’s struggles at Arsenal have Jack Wilshere baffled, with the former Gunners star admitting that something must be going on “that we don’t know” because the World Cup winner has the potential to be “unbelievable” alongside Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

The talismanic Gabonese striker continues to deliver the goods in north London, with his latest outing seeing him net a match-winning brace in a 2-1 FA Cup final victory over Chelsea.

The same cannot be said for Ozil, with the German playmaker playing no part in that contest having been completely frozen out of Mikel Arteta’s plans.

The 31-year-old’s representatives maintain that a contract through to 2021 will be honoured, but transfer talk is building with another window open and a move is starting to make sense for all concerned.

Wilshere, who once played alongside Ozil during his time at Emirates Stadium, is surprised to see a proven performer being overlooked as his creative qualities should be perfect for the fearsome frontmen he would be looking to feed.

“In terms of his footballing ability, I loved playing with him. He’s one of my favourite players to play with. He’d give you the ball at the right time, the right pace,” Wilshere told talkSPORT of Ozil.

“So I’m surprised he’s not playing, but I don’t know what’s going on there with that.

“There must be something that we don’t know because I can’t see why he’s not playing in terms of his footballing ability.

“Especially with Aubameyang, the type of player he is, you can imagine Ozil sat behind him feeding him balls. It would be unbelievable.

“It’s obviously something that we don’t know about. I’m sure Arteta has definitely got a plan and he’s putting that into practice.

“I’m sure we’re going to find out in the next couple of weeks what’s been going on.”

Ozil signed a lucrative contract with Arsenal in January 2018 having edged his way towards the end of his previous deal.

The Gunners are hoping to avoid being put in a similar situation with Aubameyang, with Wilshere among those looking for fresh terms to be thrashed out with a world-class performer.

He added on Aubameyang: “It’s massive for the club that they get him to stay. You can see what he brings.

“I was there when he signed and straight away from the first training session, you knew that he was world class. He scores goals with his left and right foot, he can beat a man.

“I was lucky enough to play with a few players like that, but he was one of the best. If I was in his shoes? Arsenal’s a massive club. He’s the captain, the fans love him, he’s got the respect of the whole club.

“If I was him I’d stay, but it’s easy for me to say that. Listen, as I said, it’s important they keep him because he’s their go-to man, he’s their best player, he’s their leader.

“When the team is down, everyone looks to him to do something and he’s come up with the goods.”

England defender Danny Rose has detailed his experiences of being racially profiled, stating: "I just laugh because I know what's coming".

Rose, who concluded the 2019-20 Premier League season on loan at Newcastle United from Tottenham, has previously spoken out over receiving racist abuse on the football field – most notably when representing England at both Under-21 and senior level during matches against Serbia and Montenegro respectively.

Speaking to The Second Captains  podcast, the 30-year-old said the football authorities' attempts to deal with such incidents have been "laughable".

However, he also pointed out his negative experiences as a black Englishman are often rooted much closer to home, citing frequently being stopped by police while driving and a recent exchange in the first-class carriage of a train.

"My attitude towards it is it's happening again, and I have to get on with it. Someone's going to get a laughable fine and it's business as usual next week," he said. "But it's not just football. I got stopped by the police last week, which is a regular occurrence whenever I go back to Doncaster, where I'm from.

"Each time it's, 'Is this car stolen? Where did you get this car? What are you doing here? Can you prove that you bought this car?'. That's been happening since I was 18, since I was driving. And you know, each time it happens, I just laugh because I know what's coming and it's just how it is.

"One of the last times I got on the train, I got on there with my bags and straight away the attendant says, 'Do you know this is first class?'. I say, 'Yeah, so what?' and they say, 'Oh well, let me see your ticket then'.

"So, I showed the lady my ticket and, this is no word of a lie, two white people walked on the train right after me and she said nothing, and I said, 'Well, are you not going to ask for their tickets?' and she said, 'Oh, well, no, I don't need to'."

Rose continued: "People might think it happens, but to me that's racism. These are the sort of things I have to put up with. This is everyday life for me.

"I feel embarrassed to even complain in a way and bring this up when you see the incident in America where a black man lost his life at the hands of people who are supposed to protect and serve.

"Whenever I do complain about things, you hear people say, 'you're on this money, so get on with it'. I give up with hoping things will change because that's some people's mentality towards racism."

The incident in America, the death of George Floyd while in police custody, sparked protests across the world.

Rose explained how the decision for Premier League players to take a knee in support of the Black Lives Matter movement emerged from suggestions made in a WhatsApp group shared by the captains of each club.

"It was a beautiful thing that had been suggested. I just hope it is as powerful as it looks on TV in years to come," he said.

"I have no idea [how much impact it can make]. You have to wait and see. There's never been such a devastating incident as what had happened in America with George Floyd passing away. That's one of the biggest things that I've seen in the world, but things have happened in the past and after a month or two it's just business as normal.

"I hope this is something now that will catch everyone's eyes, ears and minds. All we can do now is wait and see. Hopefully, nothing like that happens again and there is equality everywhere – in football and the world."

However, in further explaining his latest dealings with police in his hometown, a wearied Rose conceded a lifetime of similar experiences makes it hard for him to envisage genuine change.

"When this happened last week, I'd just left my mum's house. I was pulled up in a car park, the engine was off," he said. "The police pulled in, they brought a riot van, three police cars and they questioned me saying we've had a report that we've had a car that was not driving correctly.

"I'm like, 'Okay, why does that make it my car?'. They got my DL [driving license], they breathalysed me.

"Honestly, it's just one of those things to me now. I don't understand what I can do or who I can complain to anymore. This first happened to me when I was 15 and now, I'm 30. It's 15 years of this on and off the field happening and there's no change whatsoever.

"I don't want to be repeating the same words that I say, and people end up saying, 'Oh, be quiet – he's always moaning' but those are my experiences. I'll be honest: that will not be the last of my experiences."

Stats Perform News approached South Yorkshire Police for their comments on Rose's observations.

Kieran Tierney deserves to be compared with legendary Arsenal left-back Nigel Winterburn, says Lee Dixon, with the Scotland international making a positive impression in north London.

The Gunners moved to buy into the potential of a highly-rated 23-year-old during the summer of 2019.

Unfortunate injuries have been suffered by Tierney during his time at Emirates Stadium, but his debut campaign did deliver 24 appearances and FA Cup glory.

He grew stronger as the season wore on, while also being moved into a left-sided centre-half berth as part of a three-man defence, and is being tipped for a bright future at Arsenal.

Dixon believes that will be the case, with it easy to see why Tierney has already being likened to an iconic figure from the Gunners’ past.

A man who once thrived in a right-back berth for Arsenal told talkSPORT of Tierney: "He's been likened to Nigel Winterburn already and the fact that's on your CV, that someone's actually gone: ‘Oh, he's very similar to Nigel when he got in the side’.

"(He's got) that hunger, that desire, that willingness to run all day.

"That should be a given, but sometimes it isn't. We look at young players today and we're sometimes critical about their effort.

"We look at them and go: ‘He should be doing this, he should be doing that’.

"But the fact that he seems to have adapted to the way [Mikel] Arteta wants him to play, he can play in a few positions - I was really impressed with him when he first came."

Dixon added: "Obviously, he got the injuries.

"I'd seen him play, but not an awful lot, and I think you get a real essence of a player when you watch him week in, week out because you see him have bad games and how he gets through them.

"Nigel very rarely had a bad game but when he dipped below his normal standards he'd get 7/10.

"And you'd think: ‘Wow, if that's your bottom level...’"

Arsenal spent £25 million ($30m) luring Tierney away from Celtic and handed him a contract through to the summer of 2024.

Manchester United-linked Jack Grealish "belongs" in the Champions League, according to his ex-Aston Villa team-mate Rudy Gestede.

Grealish capped a superb first season back in the Premier League by scoring in a 1-1 final day draw with West Ham, which ensured that Dean Smith's side avoided an immediate return to the Championship.

That effort took his tally to eight top-flight goals in 2019-20, and earned him plenty of plaudits from fans and experts across England, many of who believe he is now ready for the next step in his fledgling career.

United legend Ryan Giggs has been among those to back Grealish to complete a move to Old Trafford, insisting he has the "mentality" to succeed at one of the world's biggest clubs.

Tottenham have also been credited with an interest in the 24-year-old, but another former Red Devil, Michael Owen, says he has it on good authority that the playmaker has "his heart set" on a switch to Manchester.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men secured a top-three spot and Champions League qualification by beating Leicester in their last outing of the campaign, while Spurs had to settle for sixth and a place in the Europa League.

Gestede, who played with Grealish at Villa Park between 2015 and 2017, says the opportunity to play on Europe's biggest stage is a huge draw for his old colleague, who he believes will soon win a place in Gareth Southgate's England squad.

“He was talented when I was there. He was a young player with a lot of potential, and in the last few seasons, he’s shown he’s got the shoulders to carry it," the former Villa striker told Talksport.

“Now he’s the captain of the team, so he’s got a bit more responsibility and he’s dealt with it very well. He deserves to be in the spotlight. He deserves a call from England probably very soon.

“I think there’s two choices: the first choice, to build Aston Villa with Jack Grealish as the main guy and to make sure they spend money on good players to get Villa back to where they should be.

“Or, Jack Grealish could choose to leave to a bigger team because he doesn’t want to wait too long to build something, and he wants to play in the Champions League straight away. I think he’s got the quality for this.

“It’s not an easy to decision. The club have got a contract with him and they’ve got to decide if they sell or not. I’ve just read that they’ve put a very high price for him and it could be difficult to move for him. He’s got the ability and the talent to play in the Champions League, so that’s where he belongs.”

Uli Hoeness has confirmed that Bayern Munich have pulled out of the race to sign Bayer Leverkusen star Kai Havertz.

Havertz has emerged as one of the brightest talents in European football since breaking into the Leverkusen first team in 2016, scoring 45 goals in 148 appearances for the club in all competitions.

Seventeen of those efforts have come during the 2019-20 campaign, and he has also contributed nine assists to help Peter Bosz's side finish fifth in the Bundesliga while making it through to the latter stages of the Europa League.

Despite the fact that the 21-year-old still has two years left to run on his current contract at Bay Arena, he is being tipped to leave the club this summer amid interest from a number of top European clubs.

The likes of Real Madrid, Juventus and Manchester United have all been linked with Havertz in recent months, but Chelsea are now believed to be leading the race for his signature after entering into talks with Leverkusen.

Bayern had also been mooted as a possible next destination for the Germany international earlier this year, with club legend Lothar Matthaus among those to endorse the potential move for a "mega-talent".

However, the Bundesliga champions have already forked out an initial fee of €49 million (£44m/$57m) to bring Leroy Sane to Allianz Arena from Manchester City, and Hoeness does not envisage any more big-money deals being completed in the current financial climate.

"I am sure that after Leroy Sane there will be no major transfers this year," Bayern's honorary president told German newspaper FAZ.

"That has nothing to do with the quality of Havertz. We all think he is a very, very good player.

"But in the Corona period after a transfer of almost 50 million, one of 70, 80 million or more I can't imagine making unless we secure counter-financing through player sales."

When asked when a final decision on Havertz's future will be made, Leverkusen head coach Bosz told Deutschen Presse-Agentur over the weekend: "I couldn't say. Perhaps the crucial call will come today, maybe next week, maybe not at all."

As it stands, Havertz will see out the remainder of the campaign with the German outfit, who have a Europa League round of 16 second-leg tie with Rangers to look forward to on Thursday.

Young Africans (Yanga SC) have convened an urgent meeting with their players on Monday as they close in on two AS Vita players.

The club is expected to make their transfer window plans known to the players as well as the fate of those who are deemed surplus to requirements

Goal also understands the meeting was urgently organised and messages were sent to the players, asking them to attend the meeting without fail.

The Jangwani street-based outfit has already signed midfielder Peter Zawadi Mauya, left-back Yassin Mustapha, striker Waziri Junior and centre-back Bakari Mwamnyeto.

Players whose future remain uncertain at Yanga include Gnamien Yikpe and defender Andrew 'Dante' Vincent, as Junior and Mwamnyeto's arrival cast more doubt on whether they will be retained.

Meanwhile, AS Vita striker Makusu Mundele has revealed coach Florent Ibenge has asked him whether he is ready to sign for Yanga.

Mundele said Ibenge has made it clear to him that the Tanzanian side are keen to sign a prolific goal scorer ahead of the 2020/21 season and he is one of their primary options.

“The coach [Florent Ibenge] called me and asked whether I am ready to play in Tanzania. I told him that I had received an offer from Simba SC but had never received any tangible interest from Yanga,” Mundele told Mwanaspoti.

“He told me to make my mind up quickly if I want to play for Yanga so that he can link me with a top official of the club for purposes of negotiations.”

Should the star join Timu Ya Wananchi, he would add to the number of the Democratic Republic of Congo's players in the current squad.

Striker David Molinga and captain Papy Tshishimbi are already there.

Meanwhile, Mundele also revealed his AS Vita teammates Mukoko Tonombe and Tuisila Kisinda have already agreed to join Yanga.

“Ibenge told me [Mukoko] Tonombe and [Tuisila] Kisinda have already agreed to be part of Yanga and will soon land in Tanzania to sign their contracts,” the striker added.

“These are two good players for AS Vita and will surely make Yanga even stronger.

“Regarding my decision to join them, I can only reveal it when I have answered coach Ibenge on what I have decided.”

He also spoke about a leg fracture that kept him out for a considerable long period.

“Until now, my injury still appear like it was a miracle, but I am happy I have recovered and ready for the next actions,” he concluded.

“The doctors have allowed me to take part in exercises and I am ready for the pre-season engagements.”

Asante Kotoko goalkeeper Ibrahim Danlad reveals he will not rule out a future move to Hearts of Oak despite the age-old rivalry between the two teams.

Ghana's two biggest clubs, Kotoko and Hearts, are the most successful sides in the history of the Premier League (GPL), boasting of 23 and 19 titles, respectively, between them.

Precocious Danlad, 17, is highly rated among the most promising shot-stoppers in the top-flight.

"I want to use this platform to clear [the air on] something on this big platform: I haven’t said anywhere that I won’t ever play for Hearts of Oak [because] I am professional player," Danlad told Joy FM.

"What I said was that I have a contract with Asante Kotoko.

"I don’t have any intention of never playing for Hearts of Oak. As I said I’m a professional player now enjoying a good life at Kotoko because they have helped me a lot in my career and I can’t disappoint them."

Danlad is currently on loan at Berekum Chelsea where he commands the No.1 position. He registered an impressive eight clean sheets in 14 league appearances last season.

In July, he was reported to have closed the door on any possible stint with Hearts.

"I have not said anywhere that I want to play for Hearts and I have not even thought about it. It would be very difficult for Hearts to even chase my signature considering their rivalry with Kotoko," Danlad told GNA Sports.

"The only thing that would trigger a move to Hearts is when Kotoko doesn't need my services anymore then I can choose to play for the club I desire.

"Kotoko is my parent club and am very young with many years ahead of me with some experienced goalkeepers to learn from at the club.

"If the chance comes for me to prove my worth, I would give it a good shot and see what happens.

"Since the league came to end, I'm currently waiting on the management of Kotoko to decide whether I should return to the club or continue my stay at Chelsea but I know both parties are in talks with regards to my future."

As a 14-year-old, Danlad played for Ghana at the 2017 Africa U17 Cup of Nations in Gabon and the 2017 Fifa U17 World Cup in India.