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Liverpool star Mohamed Salah has picked a third Premier League Golden Boot over the English top-flight’s record points total.

Since joining the Reds for £36.7 million ($45m) in the summer of 2017 from Serie A outfit AS Roma, the Egyptian has been an instant hit for Jurgen Klopp’s men helping them win the Champions League, Premier League, Super Cup and Club World Cup.

His brilliance in front of goal saw him win the Premier League topscorer prize twice, and in the process joining the likes of Alan Shearer, Michael Owen, Thierry Henry, Robin van Persie and Harry Kane as players who have won the accolade for two consecutive seasons.

This season, however, he has found the net 17 times and is next to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy and Southampton’s Danny Ings in the race for the 2019-20 Golden Boot prize.

For Liverpool, they are on course to demolish Manchester City’s total of 100 points in the English top-flight. The Anfield giants could end the season on an incredible 107 points should they win all of their remaining games.

Nevertheless, the former AS Roma and Chelsea forward prefers a third Golden Boot hat-trick to the points record chased by Klopp’s men.

"I think in the back of my head, I want to really break the record for the team points, then I will try my best to win the Golden Boot again,” Salah told Sky Sport.

"It’s tough but if I have to choose then it's the Golden Boot.

Liverpool face the Citizens on Thursday night and he stated that his team will be hoping to show Pep Guardiola’s team how good they are.

"I think it'll be really tough because they've been champions of England for the last two years and they're an unbelievable team," he continued.

"They have great players, a great manager and I'm sure they will do their best to win the game against us so we will do our best also to win the game.

"I'm sure every fan around the world will be excited to watch the game and I'm sure they will enjoy it."

In 145 Premier League appearances, Salah has found the net on 92 occasions to better the returns of legendary figures Fernando Torres and Luis Suarez.

SuperSport United chief executive officer Stanley Matthews says they are in no rush to re-sign Jeremy Brockie.

The New Zealand international is currently a free agent after leaving Mamelodi Sundowns following a loan spell at Maritzburg United.

Matthews has previously confirmed that they are interested in re-signing Brockie, who was on the books of Matsatsantsa between 2015 and 2018.

However, the Tshwane giants are only likely to make a move for the 32-year-old player at the end of the current season.

"As for Brockie, we are not in a position to commit to him or any other player at this stage," Matthews told Daily Sun.

"We will re-assess our position towards the middle of August when the season has been concluded."

The current season has been suspended indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic since mid-March 2020.

The government recently gave the PSL the go-ahead to resume the suspended campaign, but PSL clubs should follow all the required safety measures.

Meanwhile, Matthews also confirmed that they have extended their loan agreement of three players, Kamohelo Mahlatsi, Athenkosi Dlala and Kagiso Malinga at their respective National First Division (NFD) clubs.

Midfield duo Mahlatsi and Dlala are currently with the University of Pretoria, while forward Malinga is on the books of Moroka Swallows.

“We decided to extend the players’ stay at the two clubs until the end of the season," Matthews said.

The club official also revealed that Matsatsantsa head coach Kaitano Tembo will sign a contract extension at the end of the current season.

“Tembo’s contract is ready for him to sign and he will do that after we have played our remaining six matches,” he added.

Matthews recently stated that Gavin Hunt, who is set to leave Bidvest Wits at the end of the current season, will be considered if Tembo leaves Matsatsantsa.

Hunt was in charge of SuperSport between 2007 and 2013 and he led the team to three successive PSL titles and the Nedbank Cup.

Matsatsantsa are placed third on the league standings - four ponts behind second-placed Sundowns, who have three games in hand.

He played alongside the likes of Samuel Eto’o, Ronaldinho, Wayne Rooney and Zlatan Ibrahimovic during his career, but for Henrik Larsson the best strike partner he ever had was Chris Sutton.

Sutton joined Celtic from Chelsea in the summer of 2000 and went on to form an effective strike partnership with Larsson for four trophy-laden seasons.

During that time, under the management of Martin O'Neill, they helped the club win three Scottish Premiership titles, two Scottish Cups and two Scottish League Cups. They also reached the 2003 UEFA Cup final, where they were beaten by Portuguese giants Porto, managed by Jose Mourinho.

Larsson went on to join Barcelona in the summer of 2004 and was part of the side that beat Arsenal to win the Champions League two years later. He also enjoyed a short spell at Manchester United later in his career as well as earning 106 caps for Sweden, featuring at two European Championships and two World Cups.

He played alongside a host of illustrious forward players in that time, but it is Sutton who stands out.

“The players he [O'Neill] signed were real quality," he told the Lockdown Tactics Podcast. “Chris Sutton, Alan Thompson, Neil Lennon, just to mention a few.

“Chris Sutton was the best partner I ever had. A big guy with vision who knew how to play the game. He was totally unselfish. He worked very hard, never stopped running and he could score goals. It was easy to play with him. When he went up for a header, I just had to judge where to run.”

Larsson also admits he was surprised when Barcelona came in for him at the age of 32, with the Champions League final victory the obvious highlight of his time in Spain.

“I said I would like to go play somewhere warm. I was thinking of Spain but never thought Barcelona would come in for me,” he added. “I had grown up watching Romario, [Michael] Laudrup, [Ronald] Koeman. Being able to sign for them was a dream come true.

“Xavi was good but became even better. [Andres] Iniesta was a young kid. [Lionel] Messi was just a young kid.

“The team we had was just fantastic. Training was unbelievable. Ronaldinho, at the time I hadn't seen any other player being able to do the things he did with the ball.

“It [the Champions League final] was so special. Obviously being in one big final in Seville with Celtic, losing that, that wasn't a nice experience. I still don't really enjoy talking about that.

“But being able to win the final in Paris was great because it's the biggest club competition you can win. I was so happy I didn't even have a drink that night, because I wanted to remember it all. I can still remember almost everything.”

Uganda head coach Johnathan McKinstry has stated players will be ready to play both the 2020 African Nations Championship (Chan) and the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon).

The two competitions were affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. So, Confederation of African Football (Caf) pushed Chan to January 2021 with the Afcon set for the same year as well.

"The confirmation by Caf of the Chan tournament for January 2021 is a relief to the players," McKinstry told the Federation of Uganda Football Associations (Fufa) website.

"The players were more concerned and worried that this tournament could be called off because if you look at the schedule, it was a challenge to see where it could be fixed. Now the tournament is only six months away. This is really close.  

"Everyone is refocused, re-energized and hungry to go. The... Uganda Premier League kicks off in October 2020 and the players are really ready. We, as the technical team, are also looking forward and putting together some plans. Hopefully, Cecafa 2020 will be happening and this will help in the preparations. The players and staff are now motivated with more energy."

Currently, there is no football in Uganda which houses the entire Chan squad. The 34-year-old is however not worried with the situation and he has revealed why.

"The players have been given a special pre-season training schedule. The programs have been sent to them, quite different from the ones in the Covid-19 period because anytime we expected football to return soon.  

"We hope to have six weeks of competitive football before the training camp will be summoned for the Chan finals."

The youthful tactician has also stated how challenging it has been for everyone involved and why he was jealous of his colleagues abroad.

"It has been really challenging but as a coach, there has been hope and planning never stops. Everyone was frustrated with no football but it is two-sided; the supporter, player, or coach. 

"Everyone was frustrated that football was not happening. I am a little bit jealous that my colleagues in Europe are involved in what they love to do best but hopefully, this frustration will be converted to energy when football returns."

Tottenham were on the wrong end of a controversial VAR decision as Jose Mourinho's side slumped to a 3-1 Premier League defeat at Sheffield United.

Harry Kane seemed to have pulled Spurs level immediately after Sander Berge's 31st-minute opener, yet the visitors were to be denied by the technology.

Despite there being a clear foul on Lucas Moura in the build-up, VAR official Michael Oliver deemed the Tottenham attacker to have handled the ball as he fell.

Tottenham's frustration was compounded midway through the second half as substitute Lys Mousset tucked into a gaping net.

Oli McBurnie made sure of victory six minutes from time, Kane's late effort the only blemish on a triumph that ended the Blades' four-match winless run.

Spurs could have been ahead inside six minutes – Moussa Sissoko just unable to get on the end of Eric Dier's flick-on from a corner.

Kane sliced a presentable chance wide soon after, and Tottenham were made to pay for his rare show of profligacy when Berge slammed home a low finish from inside the area.

Tottenham thought they were level a minute later as Kane calmly slotted in, only for the goal to be harshly disallowed for a handball by Moura, who only tripped onto the ball after he was fouled.

After a bright start to the second half, United could have been 2-0 up just after the hour, only for David McGoldrick to slice an effort into the side netting.

Yet McGoldrick's replacement Mousset made no such mistake with his first opportunity, the ex-Bournemouth striker provided with a simple finish after latching onto Enda Stevens' cross.

Kane had another goal rightly disallowed for offside soon after, though it was United who had their third next when Berge teed up McBurnie.

A defensive lapse from Berge allowed Son Heung-min to set up Kane in the 90th minute, though it was a mere consolation as Spurs suffered their first defeat since the restart.

What does it mean? Blades get back on track in style

A run of poor results since the restart had seen United drop to 10th prior to kick-off, yet they are now up into seventh place, which should be enough to secure at least a spot in the Europa League qualifiers.

Chris Wilder's side are two points above Tottenham, who will need a result against 11th-placed Everton next time out to propel themselves back to the top of the pack chasing the top six.

Berge off the mark for the Blades

It has been a staggered start to life in the Premier League for Berge, who has struggled to show his best form either side of lockdown, but the Norway international displayed great poise and composure with his finish, netting his maiden United goal with his first shot on target in England's top flight, and to complete an impressive display, he provided the assist for McBurnie late on.

Defensive woes shake Spurs

Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld were on the bench on Thursday, yet the players preferred by Mourinho – Eric Dier and Davinson Sanchez – both failed to cover themselves in glory, and would both be lucky to be in the side next time out.

What's next?

United are back in action on Sunday, facing Burnley at Turf Moor, while Spurs host Everton on Monday.

Ex-Tottenham star Jamie Redknapp has expressed his belief that "VAR is ruining football" after seeing a Harry Kane goal against Sheffield United disallowed due to Lucas Moura's alleged handball in the build-up.

Spurs travelled to Bramall Lane on Thursday to take on the Blades in a must-win encounter, buoyed after a 2-0 victory against West Ham last time out.

However, they found themselves 1-0 down after a tight opening 30 minutes, with Sander Berge making the breakthrough with a neat finish past Hugo Lloris in the Tottenham net.

Jose Mourinho's men responded quickly, and thought they had levelled the scores when Kane found the net following a mazy run from Moura in midfield.

Unfortunately for the visitors, the England international's effort was chalked off after a VAR review, with Moura adjudged to have handled the ball as he went down under a challenge just outside the box.

Replays showed that the Brazilian wasn't even looking at the ball, which seemed to deflect off his back rather than his arm, but referee Michael Oliver called for play to resume from a goal kick rather than the centre circle.

Redknapp was fuming with the decision at half-time, and insisted that changes must be made to reduce the number of frustrating technology-related incidents in the Premier League.

The former Tottenham midfielder said: “This is one of the worst decisions I’ve ever seen, I can honestly say, since VAR was introduced,” he said, speaking as a pundit on Sky Sports. “I get the letter of the law but we have to show common sense.

"A player’s [Moura] been fouled. When you fall over you have to put your arms out to protect yourself. He’s been fouled by three players there, you can see it’s an obvious foul. The ball then ricochets on to his arm, it falls to harry Kane who obviously finishes pretty well.

“Why can’t we show common sense at times like this? I get it’s difficult for Michael Oliver. He’s the best referee in the Premier League and he’s probably thinking ‘what do I do? It’s the letter of the law’. It’s ruining football.”

Pape Gueye has expressed his delight after completing his move to French side Marseille on a four-year deal.

The Olympians recently confirmed the signing of the Senegalese on a free transfer following the expiration of his contract with Le Havre last month.

The highly-rated defensive midfielder has been with the men in Sky-and-Navy since 2012 after joining the youth setup from Blanc-Mesnil SF.

He signed his first professional contract with the side in 2017 after he was promoted to the senior team and made his debut against Chamois Niortais.

The Franco-Senegalese played 39 league games for Le Havre, including 25 in Ligue 2 in the 2019-20 season before his departure from the French side.   

In April, Premier League club Watford announced the signing of the midfielder on a five-year deal only for him to make a u-turn, claiming he was ill-advised.

The 21-year-old midfielder has spoken of his excitement to complete his switch to the Stade Velodrome outfit.   

“Very happy and proud to announce my signature to Marseille for the next four years,” Gueye posted on Instagram.

Before completing his move to the Stade Velodrome outfit, he was linked with a number of French clubs, including Angers, Rennes, Metz and Nantes.  

Gueye has since teamed up with the rest of Andre Villas-Boas side in their first pre-season camp in Portugal in preparation for the 2020-21 campaign.

The midfielder will link up with Comoros defender Abdallah Ali Mohamed, Cameroon goalkeeper Simon Ngapandouetnbu and his compatriot Boubacar Kamara.

He has played for France U18 and U19 but he is still eligible to feature for the Senegal national team, provided he agrees to switch allegiance to the West Africans.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is "hurting a lot of people at the moment", according to Paul Parker, who thinks the Manchester United boss has successfully silenced his critics in 2020.

Solskjaer's appointment as United's permanent boss in March 2019 was initially a popular choice among supporters, who had been taken in by the club legend's impressive interim spell in the hot seat following the sacking of Jose Mourinho.

However, results quickly took a turn for the worse after the 47-year-old was handed a three-year contract, and the Red Devils ended up finishing down in sixth in last season's final Premier League standings.

Calls for Mauricio Pochettino, who was in charge of Tottenham at the time, to replace Solskjaer became widespread, but the Norwegian stuck to a rebuilding task admirably amid intense speculation over his future.

United's struggles for inconsistency continued in the first half of the 2019-20 campaign, before the January arrival of Bruno Fernandes sparked a turnaround in fortunes.

The Red Devils are now in the hunt for a third-place finish as well as FA Cup and Europa League honours, and Parker thinks Solskjaer deserves more credit from those who were previously too quick to question his credentials.

The ex-United defender wrote in his latest column for Eurosport: "People are still struggling to come forward and say ‘Well done Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’, no one wants to do it because a lot of people wanted him to get the sack so they could follow up and say ‘we told you so’.

"He’s hurting a lot of people at the moment, I don’t want to begrudge anybody that opportunity because it’s still viable it could happen, but he has made people’s life a little bit more difficult because of how good a job he has been doing.

"If you throw out any top manager’s name, somebody in the press or a keyboard warrior would know all the reasons why Mauricio Pochettino would be doing better than Solskjaer. In fact, they don’t really know, to be honest, they haven’t got a clue why he would be better, all they know is that he’s a bigger name.

"Ole’s record prior to United wasn’t very good, but a lot of managers were getting jobs and we all questioned why, and they’ve been quite successful. People questioned Arsene Wenger coming to Arsenal, look what a difference he made there. He made them an institution and changed other clubs’ habits as well.

"Mourinho didn’t achieve enough, or the right things, at United on and off the pitch, so who says Pochettino could go and do that. He will want to bring in his own people, change the playing style, why are United going to go backwards and do that again?

"No one wanted to give Ole any time at all. Yes, it has taken him a while, but he had to get rid of a lot of bad eggs and lift a club in the doldrums because of the previous manager.

"He has put smiles back on people’s faces, done a lot of homework and worked to know what United needed off the pitch. There are still issues to be sorted out above, but he has put himself in the best position to change the culture and get people at the club thinking more about winning games and trophies, rather than coming close and worrying about a profit line in the market."

Renowned Ghanaian coach JE Sarpong has advised Ghana Premier League clubs to demand compensation from the Football Association (GFA) for the cancellation of the 2019-20 season.

After two months of the standstill of the top-flight due to the coronavirus, the football's governing body's Executive Council took a firm decision on Tuesday to end the term for good, amid uncertainty about a return date.

The league was at the Matchweek 15 stage, with Aduana Stars on top of the table.

"The inaction of the Ghana Football Association caused the cancellation of the league," Sarpong, who has had stints with Asante Kotoko, Aduana Stars, Liberty Professionals, Ebusua Dwarfs and Great Olympics, told Akoma FM.

"They [Ghana FA] didn't put in enough effort to get the league restarted. They didn't do enough to ensure that the league bounced back.

"Clubs must make a case for compensation for all the wasted efforts and resources caused by the cancellation of the league."

The cancellation came two weeks after the GFA revealed it was engaging the Government of Ghana over the possible resumption of football under strict and safe protocols such as playing matches behind closed doors.

“I think it is welcome and long overdue. We expected it because when the game went for a break we all saw that the virus was not making it possible for us to resume," Inter Allies assistant coach Tony Lokko told Bryt FM.

“Looking at the situation at hand, even if we are to resume the preparation towards the game, it will take a longer time, so I think it is a good idea from the Ghana FA to cancel the league for now and prepare for a better calendar.

“In fact, we are all happy it has come that way though the FA may be losing certain things but technically it is welcoming news for the coaches I believe."

Following the recent return of some national leagues in England, Spain, Germany and Italy, there have been calls for Ghana to follow suit.

Medeama, who sit sixth on the men's league table, nonetheless, wanted football back as soon as possible.

Personalities from Berekum Chelsea, Eleven Wonders and King Faisal, however, called for the total cancellation of the 2019-20 season.

Ghana's ban on all contact sports, including football, remains in effect until at least July 31.

As he is facing an uncertain future after his club was sold to Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila (TTM), Bidvest Wits coach Gavin Hunt says he has not received offers on the table as yet.

The Clever Boys manager explains this will become his first pre-season without a club since 1981, saying what TTM said about him that he is expensive is embarrassing.

Although he has been linked with a possible return to his former club SuperSport United, he says he doesn’t like to see his name linked with Premier Soccer League (PSL) clubs that have coaches.

“I know the nature of the beast. The suitcase is always at the front door, I’ve done every pre-season since 1981,” Hunt told SAFM as quoted by FARPost.

“This might be the first time I miss it…already I’m going mad. Obviously, I’m from Cape Town but I have lived in Gauteng for 22 years. I’m now more of a Joburger [Johannesburg resident].

“I have nothing on the table at the moment. It’s also embarrassing what TTM said about me because they didn’t even talk to me.

“I don’t like it when my name gets thrown around and gets linked with clubs that have coaches. Obviously, I would still like to be coaching next season.”

Speaking about his players, the former Moroka Swallows manager added he has wished his players the best of luck in their next moves as they have to protect their livelihoods.

“I don’t want to put it in public about the moves some of my players have made. But players have to think about their livelihoods,” he added.

“There are not too many big opportunities in SA when it comes to money and playing. To get the balance right is not easy.

“But I spoke to every player and wished them well. When you have a guy that’s 28 or 29, obviously he needs to look after his future and those types of things. But he needs to play football as well.”

Meanwhile, key players such as Thulani Hlatshwayo, Buhle Mkhwanazi, Thabang Monare and Sifiso Hlanti have been linked with Orlando Pirates whilst Deon Hotto has been heavily linked with a switch to Mamelodi Sundowns.

Mikel Arteta's professional career began at Barcelona and his journey took him to France, Scotland, back to Spain and finally to England, where he wound things down before moving into coaching.

The Basque native lined up for Paris Saint-Germain, Rangers, Real Sociedad, Everton and Arsenal, but despite maturing into one of the best midfielders in the Premier League, international honours eluded him.

A relatively understated character, Arteta quietly went about his business as a footballer before serving a coaching apprenticeship as Pep Guardiola's assistant at Manchester City.

Goal brings you everything you need to know about Arteta's net worth, how much he earns, the charity work he is involved in and more.

Contents

What is Mikel Arteta's net worth?

Arteta's net worth is estimated at around £15 million ($19m), but it is difficult to put a precise figure on it considering how private the Spaniard is about his business.

Figures online vary, with reports suggesting that Arteta's net worth could be anywhere from $5 million to $20 million (£4m to £16m).

He will have earned a significant amount of money over the course of a 17-year playing career, 12 of which were spent in the lucrative environment of the Premier League with Everton and Arsenal.

Indeed, he was the top earner at Goodison Park on a £75,000-a-week deal and, while he reportedly took a wage cut in order to join the Gunners in 2011, he eventually became captain of the club in 2014.

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How much does Mikel Arteta earn?

Arteta is understood to be earning £5 million ($6.2m) a year as Arsenal head coach, meaning he is set to pocket £20 million ($25m) over the course of the four-year deal, which runs until 2023.

While the Spaniard's salary is certainly impressive, it is some way behind that of other coaches at the Premier League's top clubs.

Arteta's mentor Pep Guardiola earns £15 million ($18.5m) a year at Man City, a fee also commanded by Jose Mourinho at Tottenham, while Jurgen Klopp gets a reported £10 million ($12.5m) a year at Liverpool.

His salary is more comparable to that of Chelsea boss Frank Lampard, who, like Arteta is relatively inexperienced as a manager.

Taking the £5 million as Arteta's annual salary at Arsenal, you can see a breakdown of what he earns per month, week, day, year and minute below.

*Approximates

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What sponsorship deals does Mikel Arteta have?

Arteta had endorsement deals with adidas and Puma during his playing days, sporting adidas in the early part of his career before switching to Puma towards the end.

Since moving into coaching, it looks like the former midfielder is not necessarily tied to a permanent sponsor, having worn Nike boots at Man City and adidas at Arsenal.

While many modern-day stars have a long list of endorsement deals and regularly promote partners on social media, Arteta was never inclined to put his face to much more than the football boots he wore.

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What charity work does Mikel Arteta do?

Arteta has contributed his time to a number of different charities over the years and recently helped to promote the Prince William-backed Heads Up mental health awareness campaign.

Along with his wife Lorena Bernal, Arteta has also been involved with the Global Gift Foundation, a charity which aims to create a positive impact in the lives of women, children and familes.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in 2017, the Spaniard was vocal in his support of the charity Save the Children and served as an ambassador for Trans World Soccer.

Arteta has also backed campaigns such as Black Lives Matter and the Rainbow Laces movement.

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How many social media followers does Mikel Arteta have?

Arteta has approximately two million followers across his social media pages on Twitter and Instagram.

His Twitter page has the biggest share of those followers, with 1.4 million people following his channel, and he is certainly more active on that platform. Arteta's Instagram page has over 650,000 followers.

He uses the pages to promote the charity causes he holds dear and occasionally comments on games, either those coming up or those that have just been played.

Unlike most other footballers, Arteta does not share much in terms of behind-the-scenes photos or videos, preferring to keep such images private.

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Matthijs de Ligt says he is "feeling much better physically and mentally" after recovering from a slow start to his Juventus career.

The Netherlands international rejected interest from elsewhere to join Juventus in a €75 million (£67.5m/$85m) transfer from Ajax last July and has made 32 appearances for the Serie A giants.

He has come in for heavy criticism at times in his debut campaign in Turin but has started all five of Juve's matches since last month's restart, helping to keep four clean sheets.

"I feel much better physically now and mentally I am in a much, much better place," he told Sky Sport Italia ahead of Saturday's Derby della Mole with Torino.

"In Serie A there are many different strikers. There's [Romelu] Lukaku, for example, who's very strong and quick but also [Ciro] Immobile, who's very good with his back to goal.

"Every team have great forwards, different from one another, and every match is very difficult. The bar is very high. I try to study them thoroughly before each game in order to be prepared for any outcome."

De Ligt scored the only goal of the game when Juve last met rivals Torino eight months ago and believes that match-winning strike was a turning point in his Bianconeri career.

"It's a special game - both teams want to win for the city and their fans," he said. "We must do our best, above all in defence, and not give away any chances.

"Obviously the first derby is a beautiful memory for me because I scored my first goal for the Bianconeri. It also gave us a very important victory.

"It wasn't an easy time for me, I received a lot of criticism and I was under pressure. That goal raised my spirits and made me and my team-mates happy. Thanks to that goal, I became the footballer I am today."

Juve hold a four-point lead over Lazio with nine games of the resumed campaign to play, while Inter are a further four points behind. However, De Ligt is refusing to take anything for granted and insists his side cannot afford to take their eye off the ball in pursuit of a ninth successive Scudetto.

"Lazio and Inter are both still in the running," he said. "Inter are a great team and are not far behind.

"We have to be very careful with these teams, there are still nine games to play and each one will be a final from here until week 38. We must not slow down now."

Olympique Lyon have announced the departure of Amine Gouiri who has opted to sign for Nice in a €7 million deal.

The 20-year old began his youth career with Les Gones and signed his first professional contract in 2017.

He made his first-team debut in a 0–0 home Ligue 1 draw against Montpellier on November 19, 2017, coming on after 73 minutes to replace Tanguy Ndombele who is now at Tottenham Hotspur.

Gouiri made a total of 15 senior appearances for Lyon, including five during the 2019-20 season.

He played once in Ligue 1, coming on in the final minute of a 2-0 win at Metz, two matchdays before the league was suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic and ultimately cancelled.

The 20-year old had more minutes in cup competitions, playing 23 minutes in French Cup first-round and second-round wins over Bourg-en-Bresse and Nantes. His biggest involvement came in the French League Cup, getting action for 79 minutes in a 4-1 win against Toulouse in the round of 16.

Gouriri was clearly not keen to continue with Lyon as competition for places in the forward line are intense with the likes of Memphis Depay, Moussa Dembele, Karl Toko Ekambi and Bertrand Traore on the list.

“Olympique Lyonnais informs of the transfer of Amine Gouiri to OGC Nice for an amount of €7 million to which may be added a profit of 15% on the capital gain of a possible future transfer,” Lyon said in a statement.

“The club thanks Amine for his state of mind, his investment and his professionalism since he joined the Academy at the age of 13 then the professional group in 2017, even if he would have liked him to accept a loan from a year, which he unfortunately refused. Olympique Lyonnais wishes him great success for the rest of his career at OGC Nice.”

Lyon finished in seventh place and were nine points short of European qualification. They are however still involved in the Champions League, with a 1-0 first-leg lead over Juventus in the round of 16.

Nice in their own statement were pleased to have Gouriri whom they described as “promising”.

"OGC Nice is pleased to welcome a promising young striker [Gouiri], very enthusiastic about joining the Nice project,” read the statement.

Nice finished two places above Lyon in fifth, and just a place above Lille for the Europa League qualification berth.

Chelsea need to sign a defensive leader in the mould of John Terry after being picked apart by West Ham, says Glenn Hoddle.

The Blues suffered their tenth Premier League defeat of the season against the Hammers at the London Stadium on Wednesday.

Willian opened the scoring for Chelsea via the penalty spot, but Tomas Soucek headed a deserved equaliser for the home side just before the interval.

Michail Antonio put West Ham into the lead shortly after the restart, but the game looked to be heading for a draw after Willian fired in an expert free-kick with just under 20 minutes later to play.

However, David Moyes' side were not to be denied, as Andriy Yarmolenko's late strike secured a 3-2 victory for the Hammers, who are now three points clear of the relegation zone.

Chelsea, meanwhile, are now only two points clear of Manchester United and Wolves in the race for the final Champions League spot, and Hoddle thinks Lampard will need to organise his squad in order to turn their fortunes around quickly.

The former Blues boss believes his old club need someone to pick up the mantle of legendary ex-captain Terry, with a lack of leadership costing them all too often in crucial fixtures.

Hoddle told Premier League Daily: "They’ve got a lot of work to do in qualifying for the Champions League and they’ve got the FA Cup to deal with as well. Frank will want to go all the way and win that.

"So he’s got the squad to deal with it but, for me, it’s quite a simple one: if you can’t score and you can’t create you’re worried as a manager - but he’s got loads of them at the moment. I bet he doesn’t know what his best team is and next season he’s going to have even more!

"He’s got to look at, “How do we get a John Terry? – which isn’t easy – or an experienced player in there who needs to defend properly but also organise people.

"They need to be organised when they’re on the attack with the ball. ‘Someone needs to be pulling people around and they’ll cut half the goals their conceding with a player like that but they’re not easy to come by either."

Hoddle went on to single out Antonio Rudiger for criticism after his disastrous display against West Ham, while insisting Chelsea are ill-equipped to beat teams that sit back in numbers.

"I’d be asking Rudiger if he knows that player. Because he knows Yarmolenko is left-footed; have you looked at the videos before the game?" the 62-year-old added. "As he’s going over there it’s got to be running through his head, surely. But it didn’t look like it!

"Chelsea look better when the team are going to come onto them and they know they’re going to be out-possessioned – be it Liverpool, Manchester City and they look nice and tight and compact and everyone knows their job.

"When they try and open teams out they end up losing. Ten games is too many and it’s not against the top teams all the time. They do lack concentration with their defending."

Zlatan Ibrahimovic's ability only has a positive impact on team-mates, according to former Paris Saint-Germain attacker Jeremy Menez.

Ex-France international Menez spent three years at the Parc des Princes, two of those alongside Ibrahimovic, before joining Milan in 2014.

The 33-year-old built up a good connection with Ibrahimovic on the field in his early days at PSG but a change in system saw him lose his place in the side.

Menez, now plying his trade in Serie C after joining Reggina last week, is grateful for the advice given to him by the striker during their time in the French capital

"I always got along well with him and his words motivate you to give your all, train at your best," he told Stats Perform News. "I never had any problem with him. Such a player pushes you to improve all the time. He always wants to win. He goes out every day to train well and win it all. 

"I thank him because playing with players like him makes you grow as a professional and as a man."

Ibrahimovic scored 156 goals in 180 appearances for PSG and referred to himself as "God" in the dressing room. Menez says the Milan striker has more than justified the hype on the field by scoring goals wherever he has played.

"It is a joke because he is like that. I smile at that because this is Ibra. It represents his career," Menez said. 

"He is like that. Despite all the words he can say, he then proves it on the pitch. What can you say against him? He always made his clubs win, wherever he went. What can you say against him? I leave him be and say all he wants."

Menez has spent time in France, Turkey and Mexico since leaving Milan, but insists he is fully motivated after joining Reggina.

"I am the same Jeremy as six years ago, though this Jeremy has slept for two or three years and felt a bit out of phase. But now I am super motivated and the quality is still here," Menez said. "But I know I am not an easy guy to deal with myself, it's not easy to be with me every day, but we grow up, mature and get better day by day."

Cape Town City became the first Premier Soccer League (PSL) team to resume training on Thursday.

Last month, the government announced that PSL teams can return to training pitches amidst the coronavirus pandemic which has led to the suspension of the current season since March 2020.

However, clubs were ordered to fumigate their facilities, while all players and officials are tested for Covid-19 ahead of the resumption of the South African top-flight league.

The Citizens released the following statement.

A club statement read: "The club has received clearance to commence full training, in accordance with [the] return to training directive."

"Congratulations to the management who have worked around the clock to ensure we are one of the first PSL clubs to be fully Covid compliant."

The Citizens were forced to abandon their plans to return to training early last month having began furmigating their facilities and testing players and officials for coronavirus.

This was after the Minister of Sports Nathi Mthethwa announced that both non-contact and contact sport will be allowed to return to training during lockdown level 3.

City then halted their preparations after they were informed that they should wait for official go-ahead from the South African Football Association (Safa) and PSL.

They have since been given permssion to start training after the club met the health and safety requirements.

Last week, City announce that all their players and technical staff tested negative for Covid-19.

The Citizens head coach Jan Olde Riekerink will be looking to ensure that his side is ready when the suspended season resumes in a national camp.

City are placed 10th on the league standings - four points above the 15th spot which is the relegation play-off spot currently occupied by AmaZulu FC.