Looking for Soccer News?

Stephane Mbia has given an account of the last time Olympique Marseille claimed a Ligue 1 win in the backyard of Paris Saint-Germain, which was a 3-0 win on February 28, 2010.

Dubbed Le Classique in what is the biggest fixture in French football, Marseille gave their hosts no breathing space on that occasion with Hatem Ben Arfa, Benoit Cheyrou and Lucho Gonzalez getting on the scoresheet.

Mbia was on display that day and he narrated how his teammates gave their all to claim the three points.

“The feeling is not easy to describe, but we were proud for our supporters, for the club and for all the people of Marseille,” the Cameroonian told FootMercato.

“Nothing could happen to us in this game. This is what we felt a bit throughout the season. It was just huge, that year, we were really strong ... This group gave off incredible strength, we were all ready to go to war.

“We felt we were gaining momentum throughout the season, we had a lot of self-confidence. This group exuded a lot of serenity. This match against PSG was in February, the time to be ready to attack the final phase of the season. We were ready!”

Marseille have not been able to claim another league win against PSG since then, losing 13 of 16 meetings which is their worst run against any opponent in the French top-flight.

Mbia is not pleased with such poor form, but believes the team is pumped up for Sunday’s highly-anticipated clash in the French capital.

“This is the last victory against PSG at the Parc des Princes, it goes back 10 years, it's incredible! We must put an end to this! Quite honestly no, I didn't expect it to last that long! It's far too long,” he continued.

“Of course, it's a game apart. No need for big speeches, everyone is pumped up! For a Classic, the motivation is naturally there, you just have to know how to control it.

“The Marseille version of Andre Villas-Boas is devilishly effective. The game he offers is not always flamboyant, but, on his arrival, Marseille qualified for the Champions League, that's the main thing!

“Most important are the results. I think, this Sunday, it's a huge opportunity to put an end to this interminable bad series.”

Mbia spent three years at the Stade Velodrome, making 102 appearances, scoring five goals and providing five assists.

He is presently on the books of Shanghai Shenhua in the Chinese Super League.

A former Cameroon captain, Mbia made 68 appearances for the Indomitable Lions.

Mathare United coach Salim Ali has revealed he is waiting for the government to give a green light on the resumption of games before signing new players.

The 2008 champions have lost some key players to Kenyan Premier League (KPL) rivals who are busy strengthening.

Among those who have left the 'slum' are Roy Okal who has joined 2009 champions Sofapaka, veteran midfielder Kevin Kimani who has joined Wazito, and Andrew Juma who switched to Gor Mahia, among others.

"They were key players for us, but they made their decisions and we could not stop them," Ali told Goal on Sunday.

"As a team, we just wish them the best and also appreciate them for the time they were with us.

"As a team, we will sit down and find worthy replacements who can help us move forward. However, we will have to wait until there is a go-ahead for games resumption before signing them."

The youthful tactician has also revealed why he cannot set a specific target for the 2020/21 Kenyan Premier League season.

"We have to wait and see the players who come on board first," Salim explained.

"It is from there we can sit down together and set a realistic target. Currently, I cannot say for instance that I want to win the league without having the players to help me do so.

"After completing our signings, I will be able to gauge the team and know what we can achieve."

In the annulled 2019/20 season, the Slum Boys managed to collect 33 points from the 22 matches played. They had won eight games, drawn nine, and lost five.

The Football Kenya Federation (FKF) crowned Gor Mahia as champions after they accrued 54 points from the 23 matches they had played. K'Ogalo won 17 0f those games, drew three, and lost as many.

Western-based side Kakamega Homeboys were second with 47 points that came from 14 wins, five draws and three losses in the 22 matches played while Tusker managed to get 46 points, from the same number of matches.

The 11-time champions had won 13 games, drawn seven, and lost two.

The president of Trabzonspor has admitted that there is nothing he can do to keep Alexander Sorloth at the club amid interest from Tottenham and RB Leipzig. 

Sorloth, 24, joined the Super Lig club from Crystal Palace on a two-year loan in 2019 after failing to break through at Selhurst Park. 

The forward made an instant impact in Turkey, smashing 24 goals in 34 league games to take the top-scorer crown and finishing the 2019-20 season with a total haul of 33 strikes in all competitions. 

That form has not gone unnoticed with RB Leipzig admirers of the Norway international's talents. Trabzonspor president Ahmet Agaoglu has now confirmed that Tottenham have also joined the race.

And as negotiations continue with both Palace and Trabzonspor, who will need to accept a separate offer to cancel the second year of Sorloth's loan, Agaoglu recognises the forward will most likely not remain at the club for the 2020-21 campaign.

"Sorloth wants to go," the Trabzonspor president explained in an interview with Fanatik. 

"But there is no way that we will agree immediately for every player who wants to leave. We are meeting with Leipzig and Tottenham, ourselves and Crystal Palace. 

"We are both entitled to this transfer, we will act in Trabzonspor's best interests. This team has something people still don't understand: It grows, sells, develops and sells. It does not sink money into the players it buys."

Agaoglu's words come after Sorloth failed to report back for club duty following the most recent international window, an act which earned the striker a fine - and prompted Trabzonspor to reveal the existence of offers for his services. 

"We have received an offer from RB Leipzig for our player Alexander Sorloth and our board is considering this offer with the best interests of our club in mind,” a statement made on Saturday read.

"While we were in the process of negotiations for all parties to get together, which requires the early termination of the loan contract, Alexander Sorloth had gone to Norway to join his national team.

“Our player, who was initially supposed to be in Trabzon on September 8, Tuesday, has informed us that he had a Covid-19 test of which results were due to arrive on September 10, Thursday and assured us that he was going to be in the city on September 11, Friday.

“As of today, the player is still not in Trabzon, thus, we have opened the disciplinary proceedings in accordance with our guidelines."

Manchester United must prioritise winning silverware this season instead of settling for a place in the Premier League’s top four, says full-back Luke Shaw.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men finished third in the English top-flight last season and made it as far as the semi-finals in the Europa League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup.

The Red Devils have failed to win the Premier League since 2013 and have not lifted any silverware since their Europa League and League Cup successes three years ago.

United’s 2020-21 campaign will begin next Sunday when they face Crystal Palace in the league and Shaw says they are ready to challenge despite their unusually short pre-season campaign.

“It's a very weird feeling, especially for me. I don't feel I've had much time off. I haven't, to be honest!” the England full-back told the club’s website.

“But this is life sometimes. You need to be ready, whatever happens, and it's one of those scenarios where we have a lot of world-class players we're looking forward to getting back [in training] on Monday.

“We're ready for the season. We need to be strong and focused on winning trophies, not getting into the top four. A club like us should be winning trophies.”

United lost 1-0 in a friendly against Aston Villa on Saturday, with Shaw playing all 90 minutes.

The 25-year-old was disappointed to lose, but was happy to get some match practice under his belt ahead of the clash against Palace.

“Obviously it's a friendly but I'm disappointed we didn't win,“ he said. ”And we lost. I'm really disappointed, to be honest.

“We create opportunities but struggle at times to find the back of the net. As someone with the [playing] experience he has, in that sort of position, the manager is really on to the players about that in training, trying to improve that.

“But the main focus today was obviously getting minutes in the tank. It has been a very disjointed pre-season really. At the start of pre-season, there were only four of us training, with what's going on at the moment, the quarantines and the internationals, so it was very difficult for us.”

Gor Mahia assistant coach Patrick Odhiambo has stated there is no conflict of interest in the team which might create division.

Goal reported the former Sony Sugar tactician fronted Gad Mathews to be signed as opposed to veteran custodian Boniface Oluoch who wants a youth goalkeeper he has been working with to be promoted.

The Green Army have already signed Levis Opiyo from Nairobi City Stars and Samuel Njau from Western Stima and their efforts to bring another goalkeeper onboard has threatened the unity of the club.  

"I am not in the goalkeeping department and on most occasions, I am not even involved when it comes to matters of who should be signed," Odhiambo told Goal on Sunday.

"The reported division between me and Oluoch does not exist; it is a fabricated thing by someone who may have a hidden agenda. As a matter of fact, Oluoch is a very good friend of mine and he is the one who called me about the reported division.

"As Gor Mahia, we are united and ready to rebuild for the new season, but once negative energy is focused on us, it will end up causing confusion which will influence the team in a bad way."

K’Ogalo lost David Mapigano to Azam FC after just a season and the goalkeeping department was left even shallower following the departure of Fredrick Odhiambo to Wazito FC.  

The said strife comes a day after Gor Mahia confirmed a reshuffle in the youth team where their legend Jerim Onyango was moved from being a team manager to a goalkeeper’s coach overseeing both the senior and the junior team.   

"In his [Onyango’s] place, Collins Kalee who was previously attached to the junior team’s technical bench will now steer the wheels as youth team manager, Kennedy Ochola takes up the kit manager position with Celestinus Otieno as his assistant," Samuel Ocholla, who is the club's Secretary-General said in an earlier statement.

"The changes have been necessitated by the need to have a seamless team working together.

"There will be combined training sessions where the juniors can learn from the senior team and the coaching staff too can work and learn from each other for the betterment of the club." 

OGC Nice manager Patrick Vieira has given the reason why Amine Gouiri did not start in their Ligue 1 clash with Montpellier on Saturday which ended in a 3-1 loss.

Les Aiglons were 2-0 victors at Strasbourg last time out before the international break with Gouiri – a €7 million signing from Olympique Lyon playing the entire game.

He, however, started from the bench and came on for Myziane Maolida in the 63rd minute. Six minutes later, the Franco-Algerian sent in a cross which met the head of Brazilian defender Dante for a goal.  It was a little too late by that time as Montpellier had already netted three goals through Gaetan Larbrode and Daniel Congre, with Algerian striker Andy Delort providing a brace of assists.

Gouiri has now been involved in three goals (two goals, one assist) for Nice in three games.

Vieira confirmed that Gouiri’s failure to start was because of an injury he suffered while on duty with the France Under-21s during the international break and admits it was a risk playing him.

“No, he wasn't in a position to start. He came back from international duty injured,” the former New York City FC manager said on the club website.

“Since he came back to us, he's not trained. He took some anti-inflammatories, but it was a risk to play him. It's a risk I couldn't take and I don't regret it.”

Vieira went on to analyse his team’s overall performance.

“We came up against a very compact side. It was difficult for us to create overloads. When you don't put any rhythm into your build-up play, it's difficult to knock a team like Montpellier off-balance,” Vieira said.

“We also suffered physically. It was difficult for us to create chances. We have the players to do a lot better. Why weren't we able to play better? Why didn't we manage to cause them more problems? Why did we suffer so much when we were defending? We'll have to analyse that.

“That's when we'll find answers. I've always said that despite winning our first two games, there was still a lot of work to be done. We came up against a clinical and dangerous side that played very well on both sides of the ball. We suffered an enormous amount.”

Gouiri will hope to be fully fit when Nice tackle Paris Saint-Germain in their next Ligue 1 encounter on September 20.

Paris Saint-Germain have received a major boost with the news that Neymar has sufficiently overcome his bout of Covid-19 to feature in their squad for Sunday’s Classique against rivals Marseille.

News broke that the Brazil international had tested positive for the virus at the beginning of the month along with several other team-mates. Of those players who were among the initial cluster at the club, Angel Di Maria, Keylor Navas and Leandro Paredes are ready to take part in the Parc des Princes clash.

Speaking on Saturday, head coach Thomas Tuchel suggested that he would recall the four stars. 

“They want to play, it's clear. I will decide tomorrow. We must not wait too long if there are no risks,” the former Borussia Dortmund boss explained.

Neymar, meanwhile, had announced his return to collective training earlier in the day via social media.

He posted: “I went back to training, super happy #CORONAOUT”.

On the other hand, Kylian Mbappe, who turned in a positive test while on international duty with France, continues to miss out. Also absent are Marquinhos and Mauro Icardi, though they hope to return for the midweek encounter against Metz.

Marseille boss Andre Villas-Boas is eager to take advantage of PSG’s situation in the match, having watched Lens beat them 1-0 on Thursday.

“They are in a moment of weakness,” he said. “We have the ambition to play and to win.

“It's an important game. We want to take advantage of the absences and lack of training of those who will return. It might be a chance. We saw that against Lens. It's a good time to give this joy to the supporters.”

The former Chelsea boss did, however, admit that PSG’s selection situation also posed him problems.

“What is annoying is the lack of information and the timing. There is uncertainty over how many players Tuchel can pick back up,” he added.

“But it is clear that they cannot be 100 per cent.

"We had players in this situation and it's tough, but I think after Thursday's loss they will come back strong. They want to get players back. I am preparing the team to play against PSG with all their strength."

Marseille have not beaten PSG in their last 20 meetings. 

Kenya international Michael Olunga was on target again as Kashiwa Reysol fell to a 2-1 defeat by Sagan Tosu on Sunday.

Olunga –  the J1 League top scorer with 16 goals from 15 games – opened the scoring for Kashiwa Reysol in the 24th minute. Sagan Tosu fought back and won the match courtesy of goals from Daichi Hayashi and Riki Harakawa.

Hayashi equalised in the 45th minute from the spot before Harakawa scored the winning goal in the 48th minute to deny Olunga’s side a third consecutive league win.

Olunga has had a dream start in Japan’s top-tier since he helped Kashiwa Reysol earn promotion last year.

In the last 3-0 win against Gamba Osaka, Olunga was on target as he scored in the second minute for his 15th goal. The Kenyan star was not part of the team that faced and defeated Shimizu S-Pulse 2-1 on September 5.

Olunga was named the J1 League Most Valuable Player of the month of August after stellar performances that have seen him lead his rivals for the Golden Boot award for the better part of the ongoing season.

The former Girona FC star had a good month of August where he scored against Nagoya Grampus to help Kashiwa Reysol win 1-0. On August 5, he was not part of the team that played and won against Shonan Bellmare with a 1-0 scoreline.

He was named by coach Nelson 'Nelsinho' Baptista Junior in the team that featured against Yokohama F. Marinos and scored even though the game ended in a 1-1 draw.

When Cerezo Osaka defeated Kashiwa Reysol 3-1 in mid-August, Olunga did score - in the 88th minute - to open the gap even further away from his Golden boot rivals 

The Harambee Star found the back of the net once when Kashiwa Reysol defeated Vissel Kobe in a 3-2 encounter on August 19.

He played against Oita Trinita on August 23 but he did not help his team register any win when the sides drew 0-0. He crowned a spectacular month of August with a brace against Kashima Antlers but Kashiwa Reysol were defeated 3-2 despite Olunga's personal brilliance.

“Hopefully, this is the beginning of many more, I am always working hard for the team's victory,” Olunga said when he was given the MVP award.

Apart from praises from Football Kenya Federation (FKF) President Nick Mwendwa - who hopes Olunga’s goalscoring form will be key for Harambee Stars in the future Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) and World Cup qualifiers - Senator James Orengo urged the former Thika United player to work even harder.

“Just keep it up and make us all proud,” Orengo tweeted then after the striker was named the MVP.

Kashiwa Reysol will play Sanfrecce Hiroshima on September 19.

West Bromwich Albion defender Semi Ajayi will make his Premier League debut after being selected to start Sunday’s match against Leicester City.

He missed the chance to achieve that feat during his time at Arsenal during the 2014-15 campaign as he was an unused substitute for Arsene Wenger's men versus Newcastle United, Stoke City and Hull City.

Ajayi, 26, played a crucial role in the Baggies’ return to the English elite division, featuring with increasing frequency in Slaven Bilic’s first team.

He made 43 appearances in the Championship, scoring five times – a haul achieved against Luton Town, Leeds United, Swansea City, Fulham and Huddersfield Town.

The Nigeria international will line up in the centre of West Brom's backline that parades Dara O'Shea, Kieran Gibbs, Kyle Bartley and Darnell Furlong.

Meanwhile, Egypt international Ahmed Hegazi will start against Brendan Rodgers’ men as a substitute.

For Leicester, Wilfred Ndidi will play in a centre-back role for the injury-hit Foxes. The Super Eagles star who began his career in that role played in that position in their final pre-season friendly against Blackburn Rovers.

With Jonny Evans' suspension and Wes Morgan’s hamstring problem, the former Genk man will provide cover for goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel alongside Caglar Soyuncu, Timothy Castagne and James Justin.

His compatriot Kelechi Iheanacho will start from the bench, while Mali's Fousseni Diabate, Ghana's Daniel Amartey and Algeria's duo of Rachid Ghezzal plus Islam Slimani will play no part in the 2020-21 opener.

Former Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness believes that the Bundesliga champions would have David Alaba tied down to a long-term contract by now had it not been for the influence of his “greedy piranha” of an agent.

The Austria international defender has been at the club since joining the academy in 2008 but was quickly promoted into the first team, making his debut while still a teenager only two years later.

Now 28 and a two-time Champions League winner, he has accumulated 386 appearances for Bayern and stands just one short of a milestone 250th game in the Bundesliga.

With a contract that expires in June 2021, however, there is uncertainty over just how long the Allianz Arena side will be able to enjoy the talents of the versatile star.

Hoeness is pinning this solely on his representative, Pini Zahavi, who has courted controversy in the past, having been involved in controversial deals involving Ashley Cole and Rio Ferdinand.

“He has a greedy piranha for an agent,” the former president told Sport1. “He lets himself be influenced by him very much. This is really all about the money. He is already at the best club in the world. Where else would he go? We had a coffee several times over the past weeks, but because of Zahavi there has not been a result yet."

Hoeness has also been outspoken on the subject of Thiago Alcantara’s prospective move to Liverpool or Manchester United, accusing the two Premier League sides of holding FCB to ransom over the deal. 

Meanwhile, Bayern Munich, who lifted the Champions League in August thanks to a 1-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain in Lisbon, are bracing themselves for the beginning of the new Bundesliga season.

They open the defence of their title with a home encounter against Schalke on September 18, which is the first Bundesliga match of the 2020-21 campaign. Six days later, they will face Sevilla in the UEFA Super Cup, which is to be held at the Puskas Arena in Budapest.

Bayern have recruited Leroy Sane, Alexander Nubel and Tanguy Kouassi over the summer, as they aim to follow up their remarkable successes in the 2019-20 season.

Bayer Leverkusen director Rudi Voller says the Covid-19 pandemic made it easier for Chelsea to sign Kai Havertz.

The Blues purchased the 21-year-old from the Bundesliga side in a deal worth £70 million (€75m/$90m) including add-ons.

Havertz, who had been with Leverkusen since the age of 11, made 150 first-team appearances in all competitions and had been linked with several top European teams before making the move to Stamford Bridge this month.

Leverkusen had not wanted to lose their star player and Voller says they would have held out for more had it not been for the financial hit they have taken as a result of the pandemic.

"[Chelsea] simply made good use of the coronavirus period," Voller told Bild. "Next year it would have been much harder for Chelsea to get Kai. [Other interested teams] preferred to hold back because of the high transfer fee in this special and uncertain time."

As well as Havertz, Leverkusen saw 28-year-old striker Kevin Volland leave for Monaco in a deal worth a reported €15m (£14m/$18m).

Although they have signed Patrik Schick from Roma and Lennart Grill from Kaiserslautern, Voller says they cannot afford to reinvest all of the money from player sales in the first team.

"We also have significant revenue losses in times of the coronavirus. We will of course take that into account and certainly not completely reinvest the transfer fee we got for Kai Havertz," he added. "Although we still have to do something to maintain the level or to improve.

"In 2019 we signed Kerem Demirbay and Nadiem Amiri, among others - both technically strong players who still have room for improvement and will prove that.

"Florian Wirtz [17-year-old attacking midfielder], too, has special abilities despite his young age. The way he takes the ball with him by pulling it straight forward is impressive. He doesn't have to turn around his own axis three times, as you often see in Bundesliga games.

“Patrik Schick's penetration and finishing skills will do our attacking game good and he will have team-mates who can showcase him and his strengths well.

“Bayern Munich are the ultimate team, then comes Borussia Dortmund. Behind that we see ourselves with three or four other teams. We want to get back in to the Champions League.”

Disgraced Celtic full-back Boli Bolingoli has left the Parkhead club to join Istanbul Basaksehir on loan for the duration of the season, the Scottish club have announced. 

The 25-year-old hit the headlines in August after he featured for Neil Lennon’s side days after returning from a secret trip to Spain. By the guidelines laid down by the Scottish Government as well as the SPFL, he should have self-isolated for two weeks.

When details of his trip were made public via the press, it prompted the anger of First Minister Nicolas Sturgeon, who warned football was on a “yellow card” as a result of the Belgian’s behaviour. It also received a scathing response from Celtic boss Neil Lennon.

“I think it is one of the worst behaviours from an individual I have come across,” Lennon said. “Everything has been tight and everything has been strict and he had been warned previously about travelling and he blatantly disregarded my instructions and the club’s instructions. It is a complete act of selfishness.

“It’s just appalling behaviour and one the club will deal with in the strongest possible way internally.

"He put everyone associated with the club, the playing staff, the backroom staff, the players at Kilmarnock and their staff in jeopardy. By the grace of God, he’s had two negative tests, but it’s not the point. It’s the lack of responsible behaviour which is paramount.

“You cannot be any clearer than saying, ‘Don’t leave Glasgow. Stay around if you are going to the shops or whatever’. Now we have to log in everything we have done in terms of where we’ve been.

"There are no restaurants, no socialising, no cafes, but this particular individual has decided to jump on a plane and go to Spain for a day, which is baffling. Then he comes back and doesn’t tell anybody where he has been.

"We can’t legislate for the behaviour of an individual. We can’t legislate for tracking them 24 hours a day. Sometimes you have to take accountability for this. I’m not saying the club are not taking accountability – we are holding our hands up. But it’s reprehensible behaviour from one individual.”

Bolingoli had featured just once for Celtic this season but played 28 times during the 2019-20 campaign, which was his first after arriving from Rapid Vienna.

Gor Mahia captain Kenneth Muguna hopes the team will get a chance of winning the Kenyan Premier League (KPL) title on the pitch next season.

The 2019/20 was annulled, owing to the Covid-19 outbreak, with K'ogalo being crowned by the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) and as a result, got a chance to play in the Caf Champions League in the 2020/21 season.

"Any player or team would love to win and be crowned on the pitch," Muguna told NTV.

"However, in this case, we had no option but to accept the outcome because of the pandemic.

"Next season, I hope we can have a chance of winning the league the right way, on the pitch."

The 24-year-old has also advised on how K'ogalo should prepare for the Caf Champions League after failing to get into the group stage on a number of occasions in the past few seasons.

"We have to prepare well because we have been in the competition more than three times and experience the same outcome," Muguna continued.

"At least now, we have experience and know what is required at that level. We must have good preparations; the players have to give their all, knowing this is a different competition and not the league.

"The management also should try and work together with the players and the technical bench."

The soft-speaking Muguna has also spoken about the character of coach Steven Polack and went on to reveal he hopes to win the KPL Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award after doing so in 2016 at Western Stima.

"Polack is a good coach who loves football, and spends most of his time on the pitch," Muguna added.

"One thing about him is that he loves what is doing and demands discipline from his players.

"Winning the MVP was special, a special feeling for me and I would love to do it again. However, my main aim is to help the team perform well because I do not want to win and the team does not."

Gor Mahia lost assistant captain Joash Onyango to Tanzania Mainland League champions Simba SC, and the midfielder has opined on the transfer.

"When a day comes, there is no option, it was Onyango's turn to leave because one cannot work in the same place forever. We wish him all the best," Muguna concluded.

James Rodriguez hopes other "big names" will join him at Everton as they target a strong 2020-21 season.

James joined the Premier League club from Real Madrid for £22 million (€24m/$29m) earlier this month in a huge coup for Everton.

The playmaker is reunited with Carlo Ancelotti, who coached him at Madrid and Bayern Munich, as Everton look to improve on last season's 12th-place finish.

James, 29, hopes there is further growth to come at Goodison Park.

"We can't afford to be up and down in our performances. It helps obviously when you've got a great and hugely knowledgeable manager that we have," he said. "The club has proved its intent with the three signings it's made in this window and let's hope that, in the next few months, we can show that optimism.

"Let's hope over the period of seasons and the next few years, other big names will come in to join us."

James is one of four arrivals at Everton, with Allan, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Niels Nkounkou also signed. The Colombia international hopes Ancelotti's side can push for a top-four finish, something they last managed in 2004-05.

"There are some serious-minded people at this club who mean business about getting this club into those Champions League places and that's very important, I think," James said. "Obviously you have to fight hard to get in those places and what you have to do is show consistency.

"In a Premier League season you're talking about a game every three or four days a lot of the season, so you have to show a high standard and display a high standard of football not just every other game, but every game.

"We need to be consistent and perform at our highest level if we want to be up there fighting for those top places."

James moves to Goodison Park having made just eight appearances in La Liga for Real last season as Zinedine Zidane's men lifted the title, and had less than a year left on his contract with the Santiago Bernabeu side.  

Everton begin their Premier League season against Tottenham on Sunday.

Kenyan heavyweights AFC Leopards are reportedly eyeing Ugandan star Muzamir Mutyaba, who recently left Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA FC).

Ingwe are understood to be in dire need of an attacker since the departure of John Makwatta in January to Zesco United left a big hole in the striking department.

Coach Anthony Kimani is said to have listed the need to strengthen the area by bringing one who can help Elvis Rupia in the upcoming season.

The 13-time league winners are yet to confirm any new players up to this point.

Three Kenyan Premier League (KPL) clubs are reportedly interested in Onduparaka FC striker Julius Malingumu.

According to reports, former KPL champions Tusker are in advanced talks with the Ugandan attacker even though Sofapaka and another unnamed KPL side have approached him.

Tusker will need to find a replacement for their previous top scorer Timothy Otieno, who has joined Zambian Super League side Napsa Stars.

Sofapaka have also been looking for a proper replacement for Umaru Kasumba who left in 2019 after scoring 17 goals for them. Ronald Okoth’s retirement is also thought to have jolted the 2009 KPL champions into quick action to find another attacker.

With reports linking the Brewers to Malingumu, rumours have it that coach Robert Matano has identified Western Stima right-back Kevin Monyi as his primary transfer target.

Matano has already signed defender Christopher Oruchum from AFC Leopards as he aims to strengthen the defensive area.

Newly-promoted KPL side Bidco United have reportedly released seven players. Among the released are goalkeepers Franklin Mwendwa, Elix Otieno and former Thika United’s Eliud Emase.

Defender John Oginga, midfielder Collins Marita, winger Peter Mwangi and forward Anthony Kamei are the players who are said to have left the Thika-based club.

Nzoia Sugar are in advanced talks to sign Moses Mudavadi. The Kenya U23 star is said to have been listed by the Sugar Millers as the main transfer target after he was released by coastal side Bandari.

Finally, National Super League (NSL) side Ushuru are reportedly in advanced talks with Levin Ochieng, Joseph Shikokoti and Shela Mandela of Nairobi Stima.

Nairobi Stima – just like their KPL counterparts Western Stima – are in a battle to keep their key playing assets after they lost the parent sponsor Kenya Power and Lighting Company.

Saint-Etienne head coach Claude Puel has warned there is a great deal of “fake news” surrounding centre-back Wesley Fofana's proposed move to Leicester.

Speaking on Thursday, Fofana told L'Equipe he would be "crazy" to turn down the opportunity of a switch to the Premier League club and said he had accepted a contract offer from them.

Saint-Etienne, though, have not accepted any offer, despite reports of a £27m million (€29m/$34m) deal.

Former Foxes and Southampton boss Puel deployed the 19-year-old at the heart of his defence on Saturday as Saint-Etienne continued their positive start to the Ligue 1 campaign with a 2-0 win over Strasbourg.

After the encounter, he was questioned on the future of his young charge and was positive about the future of a player who will not turn 20 until December.

“There’s been no meeting in relation to his situation,” Puel told Canal+. “The subject has not been discussed at board level. It’s been made into a soap opera with a lot of fake news, and I’d prefer not to make a comment.”

Meanwhile, the coach was full of praise for the manner in which the defender has conducted himself on the field after a difficult period.

“Wesley has been going through some difficult things like any kid of his age,” he said. “He gave his answer tonight, though, and it was a very good answer.”

Saint-Etienne picked up the victory thanks to goals from Denis Bouanga and Mahdi Camara, but impressed defensively in the face of pressure.

The Loire side recently produced another top centre-back prospect in the form of William Saliba, who moved to Arsenal in 2018 for £27m before switching back to the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard side last season on loan.

Leicester, whose decision to leave the No 3 shirt vacant when they released their squad numbers for the new campaign sparked more talk that they might sign Fofana, begin their Premier League campaign on Sunday away to WBA.

Brendan Rodgers side have made only one major addition over the course of the summer to date, snapping up Belgium international right-back Timothy Castagne from Atalanta. 

Rodgers, meanwhile, has previously intimated that he would like several new additions to strengthen the depth of his squad as they chase Champions League football.

N'Golo Kante can bounce back for Chelsea this season, with former team-mate Mark Schwarzer believing the midfielder has been in desperate need of a break from football. 

The 29-year-old was restricted to 28 appearances for the Blues last season with minor injuries keeping him sidelined after playing 53 matches the campaign before. 

Kante was criticised in some quarters for his performances over the past year, with Inter currently exploring the possibility of a transfer and the Blues reportedly open to cashing in on the Frenchman. 

Manager Frank Lampard however has declared Kante 'fundamental' to his squad, with Schwarzer, who crossed paths with Kante at Leicester City, adamant he can step up again for the Blues having previously pushed his body too far. 

"I’m a massive fan of Kante, I think he’s a phenomenal player," Schwarzer told Goal. "His rise to stardom has been well documented and having been with him for that one season at Leicester, it was a joy to be there, watching and playing with him.

"I think it’s all just caught up with him physically because he’s a player that’s very mobile, does a lot of work all over the pitch, it's taken its toll.

"He’s played a lot of the time with little niggling injuries and he’s played through the pain barrier and I think last season it caught up with him a lot. He struggled to get any real consistency in terms of game time because of his injuries.

"I hope this season after the coronavirus break he has hopefully given his body time to recover and hopefully get things right physically. If he can do that he’ll be a massive asset for Chelsea. I hope they keep hold of him."

Along with Kante, Schwarzer also played briefly with Lampard at Chelsea and he isn't surprised by Blues coach's smooth transition to coaching, noting that the club legend will be given time to deliver silverware. 

"I always felt whatever he did he’d be a success. Post-football he was a pundit and I thought he was exceptional," Schwarzer said.

"So often we’ve seen in the past world-class players don’t make top-class managers and so far Frank’s the one anomaly. He’s showing that he’s got the potential. His first season at Chelsea I felt he did a tremendous job all things considered and now it’s a different challenge. They’ve got to start well.

"Frank is a legend there, the fans adore him and he will get that extra bit of leeway to deliver. He’s shown all the right attributes to be a success."

It has been a busy summer for Chelsea with the club securing deals for Timo Werner, Kai Havertz and Ben Chilwell among others. Werner has hit the ground running with a goal in pre-season and Schwarzer believes he won't struggle adapting to life at Stamford Bridge.

"You’ve already seen with Werner it’s been a pretty easy transition for him so far. Add to the mix the no crowds and I think it will be a bit easier to make that transition," he said. "The way he plays is very much suited to the game Chelsea want to play. He’s slotted in very well." 

Every match of the Premier League is exclusively live to Optus Sport in Australia. If you’re not with Optus Sport, you can celebrate the return of Premier League with a new annual pass for just $99* for 12 months. 

Kaizer Chiefs is expected to announce the appointment of Gavin Hunt as their head coach in the near future with Doctor Khumalo and Kwanele Kopo set to join him on the technical team. 

According to Sunday Times, Hunt's move to Amakhosi is as good as done with both parties in the final stages of concluding the deal. 

The publication reports that the only thing that's delaying the deal is for Hunt to agree to the length of the contract and his salary package. 

Contact for comment, Hunt, however, gave nothing away as he unsurprisingly denied to the story. 

"Is it? Geez, you've got very good sources. What? Geez, your sources are unbelievable," Hunt told Sunday Times. 

"I'm in Cape Town right now and I haven't spoken to anybody. So, I don't know where you are getting your stories.

"Unbelievable, unbelievable! I've got nothing to say. All I can say is that I'm in Cape Town with my family."

Furthermore, Sunday Times reports that Hunt will be assisted by Chiefs legend Khumalo and former SuperSport United assistant coach Kwanele Kopo. 

Khumalo was the assistant to Stuart Baxter when Amakhosi dominated the domestic league between 2012 and 2015. 

He also worked closely with Steve Komphela for a year before deciding to leave the Naturena-based side for Baroka FC. 

The South African football legend hasn't been attached to any team since leaving Baroka in 2018. 

On the other hand, Kopo is an assistant to David Notoane at the South African U23 national team.

His relationship with Hunt stretches back to over a decade when the pair worked together at SuperSport United alongside the late Thomas Madigage. 

Amakhosi are currently without a coach after parting ways with both Ernst Middendorp and Shaun Bartlett in midweek. 

The duo failed to secure the league title for the club on the final day of the season despite guiding Chiefs to the summit of the PSL for 13 months. 

And the club saw the need to sack them and start a new project with a new coach and a new technical team for the upcoming season.  

Young Africans (Yanga SC) striker Michael Sarpong has explained why he celebrates his goals by placing one hand on the eye and another on the chest.

Sarpong has scored two goals for Yanga now after signing from Rayon Sports of Rwanda, where he had scored 30 goals across two seasons.

His two goals for Timu ya Wananchi came against Aigle Noir of Burundi - in a pre-season encounter - before getting the second against Tanzania Prisons in the season opener where they drew 1-1.

The Ghanaian is expected to fill the void left by David Molinga as Yanga are fighting to win the league title once more since surrendering it to their Kariakoo rivals Simba SC in the last three seasons.

“I am happy I have got chances to score but what is important to note is that the goals are coming courtesy of the unity I have experienced with my teammates,” Sarpong told Soka Letu.

“I always celebrate my goals in the fashion that I do because I believe the goals are coming not because of my personal ability but it is because of God's blessings.”

Meanwhile, Mbeya City head coach Amri Said has explained how he has planned to face and beat Yanga in the second match of the 2020/21 season at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium.

Mbeya City were defeated in their opening match by KMC FC by a 4-0 margin and have a rather tough task of facing the record champions in Dar es Salaam as they look for their maiden points of the campaign.

“This is a game that is going to be won by how teams deploy themselves tactically and how they implement those tactics,” Said told Soka Letu.

“You know both sides are coming to fight for wins given what they registered in the previous matches and for that reason, it is going to be a very tough match.

“I believe my players will be in the right frame of mind to fight and win because that is what we really need.

“Our opener [vs KMC] was a game that acted like a class for us where we picked areas we committed mistakes. I know Yanga are a big side and we will face them on the pitch with the utmost respect.

“What we will also need is support from our fans.”

The match will start at 17:00 EAT.

Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs has heaped praise upon Mason Greenwood, who is a player so good he looks like “he’s going to score two every game”.

The 18-year-old has already made more than 50 senior appearances for the Old Trafford side, scoring 17 goals and creating five more assists in the process.

He has inherited the No 11 shirt that Giggs wore for the club during his time as a player, which ran from 1990 to 2014, and the Wales boss does not believe that he will buckle under the pressure of wearing such a storied number.

“He’s nearly already scored more goals than I did, so there’s no pressure in that respect. I don’t think he’ll feel the pressure of the number,” he told The Sun.

“He’s a brilliant player, who I don’t think he even looks like scoring every game - I think he’s going to score two every game, he’s  that much of a threat.

“He’s been playing off the right - eventually, I think he will go as a centre-forward - but he needs to go again. Opposition will be aware of him and they’ll be trying to stop him.

“He’s got to find a way to keep improving, which I’m sure he will do because he’s very hard to stop - left or right foot, his movement’s good - and he’s in an attacking team with the likes of Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes, who can find him.”

Meanwhile, Giggs is looking forward to an international clash with England next month in a friendly encounter.

“Wales against England in football, rugby, or whatever, is huge. And every player will want to be part of that” he said. “So it’s up to me to get the team selection right because then after that we’ve got two tough away Nations League games and we’re top of the group and  want to stay there.

“The lads all want to be involved in the England game. It’s a huge test for us because England are a top team. The players they can draw upon, they’re playing Champions League regularly and are top players, and they prove that.

"So it’s a real big test for us and it’s one we have to have to rise to at Wembley, but we’re a good team as well and we’ve got everyone available, so we’ll give England a good test.

“It means so much to the players and the fans and the country as a whole when we do play the likes of England, so it’ll be an emotional game, but one that obviously we need to use our emotions in the right way.”