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After three seasons of Spanish flavour, Odisha FC have roped in British manager and former South African national team coach Stuart Baxter to lead the club in the upcoming Indian Super League (ISL) season.

Baxter, who has vast managerial experience in eight different countries, will head to India for the first time in his career. The former Bafana Bafana head coach spoke about the upcoming project with the ISL side and what he wants to achieve.

He believes the factors behind winning a game are the same everywhere and it is the same in India as well.

“In principle, you can take every country in the world, you can take every team in the world. Especially, the successful ones and you can say the same things that you see here in India are in the Premier League. The same six things to win a game of football and those are principles. Let’s call those the supporting walls of this building. If you want to put a window there or a door there and paint the wall red or blue that is about style. But, whichever style, you have to achieve those six things.

“So, I will be using these six things because that is what everybody uses and then, it will depend on the players we have, will depend on what suits them best and will depend on my ability to communicate. Hope, the players will learn quickly, I will learn quickly and we go on the same page and then we will be able to do those six things whichever style we decide goes with the best.”

Baxter also suggested that he is not a great believer of completely moulding the existing style of the team and imposing his own philosophy on the players.

“The Spanish coaches before me must have given the players a certain flavour and I don’t believe in breaking everything down and rebuilding it because there’s obviously some good work done. I remember after I won a league a new coach came in and said, ‘No, just because you won the league, doesn’t mean everything is ok.’ So, he broke everything down and the team finished eighth.

“I think there’s some good work done and I will retain that good work and hopefully, I will build upon it and hopefully, I will find a way of playing which we all will enjoy and it will give us some result. I don’t have expectations. The people I have spoken to say that the Indian players are ambitious.

He took an interesting analogy to assert that he will try and help Indian footballers play to their strengths.

"I had an interesting conversation with Faf du Plessis (the South African cricketer). He said that the Indian cricketers (sportsman) are fantastic when on the front foot when they go on the back foot, they have too much to do. If they don’t do that they will be totally unplayable.

“So, my job, I believe, is to make sure that my Odisha players feel like mentally on the front foot in any case and I think all of those things will go together into a style. We will bring in together the works that have been done until now and new stuff that we wanna do and describe it in a way that the players feel “Yeah! Let’s go on the front foot.

He also insisted that he was looking to adapt to the squad rather than imposing his philosophy on them.

“The onus is on the coaches because I know a lot of coaches (good friends or colleagues of mine) - they go to a new setup, not even a new culture may be in the same country they are working. They take their way of playing football and they impose it on the squad. Many times, the squad doesn’t want that.

"I need to be the coach that the squad needs and not the coach that I always wanted to be no matter what the culture, no matter what the personality, no matter what the style, I impose myself; I don’t think that’s right. I need to be the coach that this squad of players need.”

Dean Henderson is destined to inherit Manchester United’s No.1 spot from David de Gea, says Oliver Norwood, with the Sheffield United loanee considered to be “confident” enough to handle the added pressure that will soon come his way.

Many are tipping a custodian who has enjoyed two productive stints at Bramall Lane to become a long-term option between the sticks for those at Old Trafford.

Henderson is, however, just 23 years of age and continues to see his route to the first team blocked at the Theatre of Dreams.

Questions are being asked of Dea Gea, though, with the Spain international no longer considered to be the model of consistency that once landed him three Player of the Year awards at United.

That could see a door swing open for Henderson, while there has also been talk of the highly-rated youngster inheriting starting duties with England from Everton shot-stopper Jordan Pickford.

Norwood, who has been working alongside Henderson in Sheffield for the last two seasons, believes it is only a matter of time before prominent roles are filled, with there every reason to believe that he will relish the added responsibility coming his way.

“Definitely, he's proven himself this season, he's up there with most clean sheets in the league so he's obviously doing something right,” Blades midfielder Norwood told Sky Sports when asked if he can see Henderson becoming a go-to option in Manchester.

“I've read a few things from different people and I do agree that there would be a lot more pressure on him going and playing as Manchester United's No.1 rather than Sheffield United's - the scrutiny he would be under being England's No.1 as well.

“I'm sure Hendo can handle that. He's sure of himself, he's very confident.

“I'm delighted he's staying until the end of the season to help us, I have no doubt over the next [eight] games he will pick up some points for us.

“Next season is next season, we are not looking that far ahead.”

Norwood and Henderson will be lining up against Manchester United in the Premier League on Wednesday.

Both are products of a famed academy system in the North West, with Norwood having come through the Red Devils’ youth ranks at the same time as Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard.

He has kept a close eye on the development of those he once chased the same dream alongside and considers France international Pogba to be a “misunderstood” character – with the 27-year-old continuing to divide opinion when it comes to his ability and attitude.

“Paul I've known for a long time, a World Cup winner, a Serie A winner - he's done everything in the game. The amount of stick he gets is incredible at times,” said Norwood.

Asked directly if Pogba is misunderstood, the Northern Ireland international added: “I think so, yeah. He's actually a really nice down-to-earth lad, he was when I knew him.

“When we were in the youth team he was always singing and dancing then, so it's nothing to do with the hype [surrounding] him now.”

Jose Mourinho has vowed to be patient with Harry Kane as the Tottenham striker bids to return to his "normal level".

Kane made his first appearance for Spurs in six months against Manchester United on Friday, taking in a full 90 minutes as the two sides played out a 1-1 draw in north London.

The England international was sidelined with a hamstring injury at the start of January, and was a major doubt for the rest of the season before the coronavirus outbreak stopped play in March.

The 26-year-old used the three-month hiatus to get himself back into peak physical condition, with a view to helping Tottenham fight for a place in the Premier League's top four.

Kane was criticised for his subdued performance in the stalemate with United, but Mourinho has defended his talismanic forward while promising he will be given all the time he needs to rediscover his best form.

"Harry did amazing," the Portuguese told Sky Sports . "I don't think any player being six months without playing football and after an important surgery and after a very difficult period to recover because of the lockdown rules affected a lot the recovering of players, I think nobody could do better than what he did for the team.

"Seven goals in 10 matches [under Mourinho, prior to his injury] would give an average of 14 in 20. An average of 28 in 40. So we are there. But of course, now we have to wait.

"And just because of one game, in a fixture where the majority of the strikers in the Premier League struggle to show that sharpness, to show that quality that they all have, people only turn to Harry. Because Harry is special, because with Harry anything less than scoring a hat-trick is not good enough.

"But I'm not that way. I don't analyse things that way. I'm very, very patient. He will have all the time he needs to recover to his normal level."

Spurs were decimated by injuries prior to the break in the season, with Son Heung-min, Moussa Sissoko and winter signing Steven Bergwijn all joining Kane on the crocked list.

However, Mourinho will have all four players available when his side play host to West Ham on Tuesday, along with Lucas Moura, Eric Lamela and Dele Alli.

The Tottenham manager insists he won't need to dip into the summer transfer window for reinforcements in the final third if everyone can stay fit, as he added: "It's fantastic.

"Tottenham always had a fantastic group of attacking players and in the January market Steven Bergwijn coming even improved that. Not just to be one more, but to be one more fantastic player with great ability.

"So now we have the six players available which is a very, very good attacking force that allows us to start the game and have players on the bench to make changes in case we have a need.

"All I can say is with six attacking players available in this moment, I don't need [to sign] attacking players."

Tanzania Mainland League side Azam FC have lodged an official complaint to the Tanzanian Premier League Board (TPLB) against the three officials who were in charge of their game away to Yanga SC.

In the match that ended in a goalless draw, Heri Sasii was the centre referee with Mbaraka Haule and Soud Lila assisting him. According to Azam, the trio made some grave mistakes - a denied penalty for either side and two legit goals flagged for offside.

"We have written to the board regarding the officiating witnessed on Sunday in a league game away to Yanga SC," read the letter to the TPLB and obtained by Goal.

"Azam were denied a legit goal scored by Abdallah Kheri who converted an Iddi Selemani cross with the officials arguing the former was in an offside position which is not true.

"The same happened in the 47th minute, this time around Never Tigere converting a Richard Djodi pass, but again the assistant referee flagged the goal scorer for offside which again was not the case. 

"With 15 minutes to go, our defender Nicholas Wadada was fouled in the danger zone and we expected the referee to award [Azam] a penalty. To our dismay, the referee waved play-on and the opportunity was lost."

The FA Cup champions have now urged the Board to consider their complaint and take the necessary action.

"We are writing this letter asking for an investigation in the aforementioned matter and action to be taken to those responsible," the letter continued.

"This is not the first time such incidents are happening against Azam; we believe the Board will find a lasting solution."

Wadada was again the centre of attention in the 70th minute when he appeared to foul David Molinga in the danger zone but the referee chose to ignore the incident.

Azam custodian Benedict Haule, who was deputising for Ghanaian Razak Abalora, was the hero for the visitors after making several saves including in two one-on-one situations to deny David Molinga and Patrick Sibomana.

He was commanding and bailed out his defenders on numerous occasions to ensure his side got at least a point.

"Even when we had taken a break owing to Covid-19, I continued practising harder to remain fit because I knew the league was still on," the custodian told reporters after the match.

"My main aim was to remain as fit as possible in that I could help my team when the chance comes my way. 

"Goalkeeping department is a critical department; when your competitor gets a chance and proves his worth, then you will have to wait longer. So when my chance came, I had to prove my worth and show I am capable of stepping in.

"I believe I did enough to convince the technical bench my services can be depended on."

Matteo Guendouzi is “not good enough to go around giving people stick”, says Perry Groves, with the Arsenal midfielder urged to learn some “humility” on the back of his spat with Brighton striker Neal Maupay.

The Gunners saw their French youngster spark an angry on-field exchange following the full-time whistle in their 2-1 defeat at the Amex Stadium on Saturday.

Maupay had netted a dramatic winner for the Seagulls in that contest, but had previously played a part in the unfortunate injury suffered by Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno – as he nudged the Germany international while he was in the air and forced him to land awkwardly.

Guendouzi did not take too kindly to that and was in the ear of his fellow countryman for much of another disappointing outing for Arsenal.

Groves believes the 21-year-old needs to focus more on his football than running battles with opponents, with there still much for him to learn on and off the pitch.

The former Arsenal star told talkSPORT of a player whose attitude has been questioned on a regular basis of late: “Guendouzi is playing in centre midfield, he hasn’t got the awareness to play that role – getting on the ball, getting on the half turn, bringing people into games.

“He’s about energy, he’s a dog chasing a tyre. His enthusiasm, that’s what he’s about.

“But I’ve heard a few things that haven’t been great about Guendouzi’s attitude, about having a bit of humility.

“You want your players to be confident and a little bit arrogant on the pitch, but he’s not good enough to go around giving people stick and giving people verbals. The team isn’t good enough.

“If Maupay has been getting it in his ear all game from Guendouzi and then scores the winner, he’s absolutely within his rights to go ‘really, what have you got to say now?’

“For Guendouzi to then grab him around the throat, someone needs – whether it’s Arteta or a member of the coaching staff or senior players – to tell Guendouzi to wind his neck in and concentrate on playing.”

Guendouzi has escaped punishment for his confrontation with Maupay, but Groves is not the first to suggest that a player with obvious potential needs to change his ways and start maturing.

Ex-Arsenal forward Jeremie Aliadiere told Goal in May: “He’s like my little brother and I always told him that Arsenal would be a very good team for his development as a player and as a human being.

“He took my advice and came to the club, but I just feel Matteo hasn’t grown up as a human being yet. He’s grown up as a player, he’s matured massively as a player and every year he gets better.

"But unfortunately as a man, he hasn’t grown and matured as much as I thought he would by joining Arsenal.

“I think that’s what he’s missing and that’s why he’s not playing as much under Mikel [Arteta] because Mikel is not really up for that.”

Mason Greenwood is the "real deal", according to Quinton Fortune, who says the Manchester United starlet 'couldn't ask for a better manager' to develop under than Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Greenwood has proven himself as a key member of United's squad in 2019-20, while competing with Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial for a regular spot in Solskjaer's line-up.

Despite the fact that most of the 18-year-old's 39 appearances have come from the bench, he has still managed to notch 14 goals, and his ability to score with both feet has seen him compared to former United striker Robin van Persie.

He made an impressive return to action following the three-month coronavirus-enforced hiatus against Tottenham on Friday, coming on as a second-half substitute during a 1-1 draw in north London.

Greenwood made a strong case for a starting berth in United's next outing at home to Sheffield United in midweek, which is a must-win game in their ongoing pursuit of a top-four finish.

Fortune is in awe of the teenager's ability, but says what really sets him apart from the rest is his drive to improve behind the scenes.

“This is how amazing Mason is and why he’s a little bit different,” the ex-United midfielder told the club's official website.

“I’m walking through the building at the Aon Training Complex and there’s a computer room where the analyst team work.

“Mason was in there, looking at games and how he can do better. He’s on it. He’s just a natural. He’s an unbelievable finisher. He’s the real deal.”

Fortune added on Solskjaer being the ideal man to help Greenwood reach his full potential: “Mason is fortunate he’s got Ole as a manager.

"Obviously there’s all the coaches he’s had through his youth-team career but he couldn’t ask for a better manager because Ole’s done it at the highest level."

Greenwood has been tipped to earn a call up to Gareth Southgate's England squad if he continues on his current trajectory, with the European Championship now a realistic goal due to the fact the tournament has been pushed back to 2021 amid the continued threat of Covid-19.

Fortune went on to highlight the qualities that make the United forward such a dangerous player in the final third, while insisting he already has "everything" to be a top player.

“There’s not many players in world football that are able to go both ways like Mason does. Equally, left and right foot, he’s ridiculous," said Fortune.

“I thought he was left-footed and then he takes penalties with his right! And I’ve seen him take a free kick with his right foot, his left foot.

“I’m like ‘what’s wrong with you!? Just pick one! Are you okay?’

“I’m waiting for him to have a burst of speed but he’s so good around the box. Stepover, boom! He’s just created that one little yard for him and boom!

“As a defender, which way do you show Mason? He can go right, he can go left. I don’t even know, the guy’s got everything.”

Malaysia U-19 goalkeeper Sikh Izhan Nazrel Sikh Azman could see the funny side of the recent 2020 AFC U-19 Championship draw. Alongside Qatar and Yemen, the Young Tigers have also been drawn together with Tajikistan in Group D in the finals, which will be held in Uzbekistan from October 14 to 31.

The young custodian has gone through a memorable experience against the Tajiks, the last time they met back in 2018.

Then playing for Malaysia U-16 in the 2018 AFC U-16 Championship, he helped the hosts record an exciting 6-2 win over the Tajiks in the tournament-opening encounter. Unfortunately for Izhan, he found himself sent off for a dangerous in-the-air challenge with seconds remaining on the clock, a lunge that he maintains was not a malicious one to this day.

When contacted by Goal for comments on the draw on Tuesday, the teenager could afford to joke about the fact that the two teams will be meeting again, at a higher age level.

"I'm reliving my trauma once again! (Laughs) But on a serious note, that incident was a very good lesson for me, and Lim Teong Kim (Malaysia U-16 head coach at the time) told me that as a youth footballer I could not avoid making mistakes like that.

"For now I just want to build on my place in the Selangor 2 first eleven in order to earn a Malaysia call-up spot. But my targets are admittedly lofty; I want to play in the AFC finals and help the team reach the [2020 U-20] World Cup (by reaching the AFC semi-finals). This is my second chance to get to the World Cup,"

But before that could happen, his attention is now on training with Selangor 2, where many of his Malaysia U-19 teammates also are. The Premier League side were the second Malaysian league team to be allowed to return to training last week, post-Covid 19 quarantine.

He revealed to Goal what training amidst coronavirus concerns entails, with the Malaysian government permitting only non-contact sporting activities and training to be conducted for the time being.

"For us at the reserve team, we've been divided into three training groups of ten players each. Today for example, the first group will train at 4.30 pm, the second at 5.30 pm, and the last group will undergo training at 6.30 pm.

"As a goalkeeper, I would begin with warm-up, then a 10-minute jog, before proceeding with goalkeeping sets. For the outfield players, they would continue with ball-control drills. 

"There's not much that's different to be honest, but what is different for me is that while previously goalkeepers would train together, we now train separately because each group will include only one goalie. It's a little lonely that way, and also tiring. While previously the goalkeeping duty during practice, for example in outfield players' shooting drills, was shared among all the squad goalkeepers, now each goalkeeper has to do everything because he would be the only custodian on the pitch at the time," explained the former Mokhtar Dahari Academy graduate.

Kenyan Premier League (KPL) giants AFC Leopards are set to open their official club merchandise shop by the end of June.

The 13-time league champions have been trying to set up structures to enable them to get a sustainable financial income.

After revealing their intentions of setting up a sports facility a couple of weeks ago, the KPL side has already made another step.

"We have done most of the things regarding the merchandise shop, and by the end of this month, we believe it will be up and running," excited Leopards chairman Dan Shikanda told Goal on Tuesday.

"It will be located at the Nairobi Central Business District (CBD) where it will be easier for our fans to locate. We will have club replica jerseys, caps, t-shirts, bands, watches... everything with Ingwe brand.

"The fans will have a way of directly contributing to the club's growth by purchasing the Ingwe merchandise from the shop.

"We will also have our match-day tickets sold at the shop at any given time."

The former striker did not hesitate to comment on the quality of the goods to be stocked.

"We will have quality jerseys for our fans which will be durable as compared to the counterfeit ones which do not last," Shikanda added.

"Cheap is expensive, so for those who want to go for low-quality merchandise by other vendors, we cannot stop them. But buying in our shop will help us grow.

"Our plan is to expand and have branches all over the country."

Wazito are the only club in the top tier with an official merchandise shop.

Recently, AFC Leopards and Gor Mahia entered into a sponsorship deal with a new betting firm Betsafe.

The two local giants and Betsafe, yet to launch their services in the Kenyan market, signed a partnership deal that will last for the next three years.

According to the details of the deal, AFC Leopards will get KSh45 million per year while Gor Mahia will get KSh55 million per year from the sponsor.

Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards have been struggling since SportPesa, their previous sponsor left, leaving the clubs to depend on fans, members, and other well-wishers to honour matches and settle players' allowances at times.

Salary delays saw AFC Leopards lose key foreign players like Vincent Habamahoro, Ismail Diarra, captain Soter Kayumba, Tresor Ndikumana and Rwandan coach Casa Mbungo.

Whyvonne Isuza, Brian Marita, John Makwatta left for Wazito FC, Tusker, and Zesco United, respectively, when life without pay at AFC Leopards became difficult.

Gor Mahia were hit hard given that they had to look for finances to help the team honour both local and continental matches without a financial partner.

K'Ogalo players, at times, had to boycott training sessions in protest of a lack of payment.

It is the second time the two Mashemeji Derby rivals are signing a joint sponsorship deal with a betting firm after enjoying a similar relationship with SportPesa.

VP Suhair's romance with football started during his school days. He was a district level player by the time he attended high school and was a top scorer at the all-India level in his third year with the University team. 

His brothers played football and that meant he was always involved football-related conversations right from a very young age. One of his brothers is the head coach of the junior team at Gokulam Kerala, one of several clubs that Suhair has had the chance to play for. 

Suhair has been able to show glimpses of his talent several times during his career but it was last season, at Mohun Bagan under Kibu Vicuna, that the striker really came to his own. He scored two goals and started every single I-League match in Bagan's title-winning campaign. 

"Last season with Mohun Bagan was very good. I played almost all the games and many tournaments. I used to play No 10 or No 9. Kibu (Vicuna) helped me play in the role of a winger as well. He is very supportive. If there are mistakes, he will let you know how to correct them," Suhair told Goal .  

He added, "I got a lot of experience from playing a lot of games last season. It also filled me with confidence. I learnt that in football, you don't have to play in a single role in a team."

Suhair started his career with the SBT (State Bank of Travancore) team and then joined Gokulam Kerala after playing in the Santosh Trophy team for Kerala. Satheevan Balan, who was part of the coaching staff of the Kerala state team when Suhair played for them, and Bino George were instrumental in helping the striker launch his professional career. The former helped him get a job in the University education department at Perinthalmanna through the sports quota, a job he undertook in March earlier this year. 

Suhair's football career has alternated between Kerala and Kolkata so far. After representing Kerala in the Santosh Trophy, he joined United SC in the second division. While at the West Bengal club, he scored against East Bengal in the Calcutta Football League (CF) and the next thing he knew, he had offers from both the Kolkata giants. He went on to play for both East Bengal and Mohun Bagan. 

Suhair said, "Both Kerala and Kolkata support football a lot. But in Kolkata, when you play for East Bengal and Mohun Bagan, it is their mother club. You will feel that in wins and losses. I get comments after every game.

"If you win, the respect you get is massive, like a celebrity. In Kerala, they enjoy football but don't irritate you (when you lose). You only have to watch a Kolkata derby to know about their passion," the striker said when asked about how both sets of supporters are. 

With Indian players, especially strikers, struggling for first-team minutes at their respective clubs, Suhair played over 30 matches for the Mariners in all competitions and made a mark under the tutelage of Kibu Vicuna, who has joined Kerala Blasters. 

Suhair lauded the effort of Vicuna, his teammates and the coaching staff in clinching the title last season. "Players did well but the staff deserves a lot of credit for reading the opposition well last season. The coach was able to keep the players together. Coach used to say that defeat is part of the job but it is about moving on and focusing on the next game. He was ready to take up responsibility if something went wrong. 

"When I couldn't score that many goals, he told me that I was not only in the team for scoring and that he wanted me to work for the group. He used to tell me to not read too much into the comments by fans and focus on the job and not get distracted."

After an impressive, title-winning campaign, it wouldn't be surprising to see Suhair take the next step in his career and play in the Indian Super League (ISL) soon. It will be nothing less than what he deserves. 

Former India international goalkeeper Subrata Paul jumped ship this season to join Hyderabad FC, his fourth Indian Super League (ISL) club in six seasons.

Hyderabad FC, which was formed just a year back, have managed to rope in the seasoned campaigner who has vast experience at the top tier of Indian football. He was also part of Jamshedpur FC when they started off in the ISL in the 2017-18 season.

Speaking to Goal, Paul revealed what convinced him to take a new challenge and join another newbie in the ISL.

“The name Hyderabad will always remain synonymous with Indian football’s history. Over the years, it has produced so many International stars, and the club’s quest to revive glory days has personally appealed to me a lot.

“Unfortunately, all these years we didn’t have a club from the ‘City of Pearls,’ and now that we have one, it didn’t take me long to decide on moving to Hyderabad FC. Hyderabad’s love and passion for football is folklore and I look forward to all the fans to back their team and stand by them.”

Hyderabad has a very rich history of football but for long the city has craved for a top tier club. Teams like Hyderabad City Police had dominated the Indian football scenario in the 1950s and 60s. Legends like Syed Abdul Rahim, Tulsidas Balram, Peter Thangaraj and more have come from the state, an indicator of the rich footballing history in Hyderabad.

Paul hopes that Hyderabad FC can become one of the best clubs in the country in the near future.

Speaking about his personal targets and expectations from his new club, Paul said, “The management have been proactive and even as the Covid-19 pandemic have kept all of us indoors, they have been making the right choices laying the foundation stone for a better season ahead.

“The support from the management is there and the players need to be reciprocal. The players need to repay their faith by winning on the field, as much they have been working and planning so meticulously for glory.

“As players, we will make every team sweat that extra bit when they play us. We won’t be pushovers at any cost. The ultimate aim is to turn the club into one of the best in the country. Obviously it cannot happen in a day, but I want to play a significant role in making that start and belief.”

The former Mohun Bagan custodian also suggested that he is looking forward to playing under coach Albert Roca and outlined the respect he has for the Spaniard. He is looking forward to taking Hyderabad to the heights of Indian football.

“Coach Albert Roca is a seasoned campaigner and his inputs and coaching will surely help the club propel forward. Having a coach like him is an asset, but there’s also a flip side for the players. Even as much he will be guiding us, he will always be demanding that extra level from the players. He is someone who hates to lose and we as players need to understand the intellect ourselves with his coaching philosophy.

Paul is yet to win a league title in his career and he is hoping his stint at Hyderabad brings him that elusive title.

“On a personal level, I have always seen and watched him from the rival 18-yard box. Despite being in the rival team, I have had high regards for him when he earlier came into the ISL. But as players, we cannot leave it or expect the coach to win it for us. We need to back him, and not let him down. To me, he is the perfect choice for the club.”

Juventus director Fabio Paratici said Arthur has to be "convinced" about swapping Barcelona for Turin after confirming negotiations with the La Liga champions.

Arthur has been at the centre of a possible swap deal involving Juve midfielder Miralem Pjanic , though the Barca star is reportedly unwilling to leave Camp Nou.

Paratici provided an update on the situation prior to Juve's 2-0 victory over Bologna in Serie A on Monday.

"We have spoken frequently with Barcelona, but at this moment all the teams are playing important games, so we preferred to bypass this period," Paratici told Sky Sport Italia.

"It's not about June 30, before or after, but about finding an agreement between the various parties, and both players have to be convinced. Therefore, it's not an issue about dates."

Arthur joined Spanish giants Barca from boyhood Brazilian club Gremio in 2018.

The 23-year-old, who impressed in his maiden campaign, has made 26 appearances and scored four goals in all competitions this season.

Earlier this month, Barcelona coach Quique Setien admitted there had been discussions about the Brazil international's future .

"It is true that we have talked about something, but not too much," Setien said when asked about Arthur.

"The current circumstances are different from the usual ones and will affect the market.

"As for the players, I am clear that all those who are currently in the squad, I count on them and I need everyone because there are going to be many games.

"On outside speculation, I choose not to speak."

Arthur made clear his desire to remain with Barcelona back in April; he was previously suggested as a transfer target for Inter.

In a statement sent to  Mundo Deportivo  , he said: "There will always be speculation but, sincerely, my idea is very clear. The only option that interests me is to continue at Barcelona.

"I'm very secure and relaxed. I feel really well here and, plus, I'm grateful to the club and technical staff for their confidence. This is yet another reason to be totally clear that my only desire is to continue."

Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo overtook Rui Costa to become the leading Portuguese scorer in Serie A history on Monday.

Ronaldo slotted a first-half penalty down the middle in Juve's 2-0 win over Bologna, a result that saw the Bianconeri move four points clear at the top of the table.

The goal was Ronaldo's 22nd in Serie A this season, one more than the 21 he managed in his debut campaign in Turin following his move from Real Madrid in 2018.

In reaching 43 goals, the 35-year-old also moved beyond Rui Costa as the Portuguese player with the most goals in Italy's top flight.

Rui Costa spent eight years in Serie A, playing for Fiorentina and then Milan between 1994 and 2006.

Former Manchester United star Ronaldo remains the top Portuguese scorer in Premier League history having scored 84 times in 196 appearances.

He is the also the leading Portuguese scorer in La Liga history having registered 311 goals in 292 appearances for Real Madrid, where he is the all-time leading scorer.

Only Ronaldo's great personal rival Barcelona captain Lionel Messi has scored more La Liga goals.

Ronaldo has been criticised recently after missing a penalty against Milan in the Coppa Italia semi-final and struggling to have an impact in the final versus Napoli.

Former Italy international Luca Toni described Ronaldo's performance in the last four of the Coppa Italia as 'average'.

"I saw the a whole Juventus team in difficulty, even Cristiano Ronaldo, who looked like an average player in what was a very slow match,” Toni told Rai Sport after the Milan clash.

"You expect a big performance from him but he looked like he was experiencing physical difficulties – he couldn't even dribble a man."

Ronaldo's sister took to Instagram after the match to stick up for her brother, stating that he can't always be expected to win matches on his own.

She said: “What else can you do? It is what it is and my darling can't work miracles alone. I can't understand how they played like that. Anyway, keep your head up. You can't do more, my king.”

The Coppa Italia final loss marks the only time in Ronaldo's career that he has lost two successive finals, having been defeated by Lazio in the Supercoppa Italiana at the tail end of 2019.

Diego Simeone believes Atletico Madrid's defensive resilience is merely a by-product of the players' commitment to his footballing vision.

Atleti edged a 1-0 win over Real Valladolid on Saturday, the first time they have recorded back-to-back La Liga victories since beating Real Betis and Levante either side of the mid-season break.

A return encounter against the latter opponents is up next for Los Colchoneros, whose previous away fixture ended in a 5-0 shellacking of Osasuna.

The departures of Diego Godin and Lucas Hernandez last year forced Simeone to remodel his backline, with Stefan Savic and Jose Gimenez stepping up to form a fine alliance at centre-back, while Kieran Trippier and Renan Lodi have proved shrewd full-back additions.

Backed up by the exceptional Jan Oblak between the posts, Atletico have only been breached 22 times in 30 La Liga games in 2019-20, although Simeone insists he is reluctant to rely too much on this obduracy.

"There will always be mistakes, all teams make mistakes," he told a pre-match news conference.

"We must try to be focused and, with the best security we can offer the team, we have rotated.

"I am still convinced that the team's strength is the emotional convention of the group. This will be the way to reach the goals we want."

That goal, at least until August's mini-tournament in Lisbon to conclude this season's competition comes around, is securing qualification for the Champions League with a top-four finish.

The weekend result left Atleti in third, level on points with Sevilla immediately behind them and six better off than Valencia down in eighth.

More sparkling form from Joao Felix would certainly strengthen their hand after the Portugal youngster notched a brace as Osasuna were torn apart.

"He is a different player," Simeone said of the €120million recruit, who has endured a mixed debut campaign in La Liga.

"We have always valued him, we have seen him in training and in games. Surely, when he grows up and can spend more time in situations that are decisive for the team, he will continue to evolve.

"He has all the important qualities to break a game. With his growth in the game he will grow even more as a footballer."

Experience is certainly not something Joao Felix's boss lacks.

If Atleti are victorious against Levante, Simone will equal Luis Aragones as the coach with the most La Liga victories for the club.

"I did not know about this and, as I have already said, I do not stop on the path we are going through," he added.

"This is not the time to stop and look in the mirror; it is only time to work, win and continue in the best possible way."

Opportunity has been limited for Mamelodi Sundowns' Sammy Seabi, but the midfielder has vowed to remain patient as he waits to play a key role in his new team's bid for a third straight Premier Soccer League title.

Seabi arrived at Chloorkop at the start of the current season from Polokwane City and has managed just five appearances across all competitions in his debut season at Sundowns.

While he is regarded by coach Pitso Mosimane as a player for the future, Seabi’s progress at Sundowns has been blocked by seasoned campaigners like captain Hlompho Kekana, Andile Jali and Tiyani Mabunda.

However, the midfielder believes that he is on the correct path to establish himself as a regular in the team at the PSL giants.

“One thing about me is that I am a patient person. It hasn’t been so long since I joined the team and I was still fitting in,” Seabi told the club website, "but so far so good.

"I know my time will come very soon. I just need to put more effort," he added. "My target now is to help the team fully to reach our goals and to win the league as well as the other cup competitions.”

Winning his first PSL title in his maiden season with the Brazilians appears a strong possibility, with second-placed Sundowns four points behind leaders log leaders Kaizer Chiefs who have played a game more.

If the season resumes, Mosimane’s men will have nine games to play in their title defence.

Although Seabi has earned limited gametime to far, it has been a season full of experience while travelling with the team around Africa for Caf Champions League matches.

“It was a very good feeling to be part of the team because it was my first time. I had never played [in the] Caf [Champions League] and for me being part of the team was great,” said Seabi. “I appreciate the opportunity [to travel to with the squad] and believe I will help the team to achieve more and more.

"I must also add that the atmosphere there was super, so it was really a great feeling, I must say, and I can’t wait to feature.”

Seabi arrived at Downs with four seasons experience of PSL football with Polokwane City.

Ramon Azeez made the Granada starting XI and was able to claim a point in a 0-0 draw with Kenneth Omeruo’s Leganes on Monday night in La Liga.

The 27-year old Nigerian midfielder has been involved in the Andalusian outfit's last two games against Real Betis and Samuel Chukwueze’s Villarreal, both games ending in a 2-2 draw and 1-0 defeat respectively. He had been an unused substitute in the 2-1 win over Oghenekaro Etebo’s Getafe at the restart of league activities.

For Omeruo, he was completing 90 minutes for the third time since the league restart, failing to get any minutes only in one game which was a 2-0 defeat away to giants Barcelona last week.

This match at the Estadio Butarque did not have much action, but it was a little feisty with eight yellow cards being produced, four for both teams.

Omeruo was strong defensively, making four clearances, six interceptions, and had 100% success with his aerial duels, winning three in three. The 26-year old also had 49 touches, 27 accurate passes at 77% and accurately play four out of eight long balls.

The 2013 Africa Cup of Nations winner has clocked 1,781 minutes of football in the Basque Country this season after arriving on a permanent deal from Chelsea having spent the previous campaign on loan.

Azeez meanwhile only played in the first half and made 23 touches, 15 accurate passes (88%) while being accurate with one long ball, aerial duel and ground duel.

He has played a total of 23 games for Granada this season scoring two goals, one of them which was in a famous 2-0 victory over Barcelona on September 21, 019, and providing another two assists.

Another Nigerian and defence partner of Omeruo in Chidozie Awaziem was an unused substitute in this game having played the opening three games since the restart. The 23-year old made a costly error that led to the first goal in a 2-1 home defeat to Valladolid.

Awaziem has made a total of 21 La Liga apperances for Leganes since joining on loan from FC Porto. The Enugu-born defender was previously on the books of Nantes and Rizepor also on loan.

Leganes remain rooted in 19th position on the table and are four points away from safety. Granada meanwhile are in a comfortable ninth spot with 43 points.

Papiss Cisse netted his 17th Turkish Super Lig goal of the season as Alanyaspor played out a 2-2-2 draw with Trabzonspor, both teams getting a man sent off.

Erol Bulut’s team came into the match on the back of a 4-0 win over Antalyaspor, Cisse bagging a hat-trick.

Trabzonspor took the lead this time through Abdulkadir Omur in the seventh minute of play with the assist coming from Alexander Sorloth.

Cisse went on to equalise for Alanyaspor in added time of the first half, connecting with Fabrice N’Sakala’s cross and firing the ball in.

The visitors restored their lead six minutes after the restart with Omur turning provider for Filip Novak before Tasos Bakasetas made it 2-2 in the 90th minute.

The game was noteworthy for Trabzonspor’s Majid Hosseini seeing a straight red card for a foul in the 79th minute while DR Congo left-back N’Sakala got his own marching orders four minutes later for a second booking.

Cisse played for the entire duration of the match and produced a total of three shots, his goal being the only one target while he won eight of 14 total duels.

The 35-year old Senegalese is the second-highest goalscorer in the Super Lig this season, behind Sorloth who has 19 goals.

The former Newcastle United man has been very agile this term as he has featured 26 times in the top-flight, completing 90 minutes on 21 occasions, coming off the bench twice and being an unused substitute just once.

Cisse’s fine goalscoring form saw him score in four consecutive matches at the start of the season all of them ending in victories against Kayserispor, Kasimpasa, Yeni Malatyaspor and at home to giants Fenerbahce where he scored a brace in a 3-1 win.

He then went on a six-game scoring spree between December 23, 2019 and February 8, 2020 with all the games ending in wins for Alanyaspor bar the return fixture away to Fenerbahce ending in a 1-1 draw.

Alanyaspor are a point ahead and place above Fener on the log and still have a realistic chance of European qualification with six points separating them and Galatasaray after 28 games.

They travel next to the Gursel Aksel Stadium to tackle Goztepe.

Pep Guardiola fears that Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero may miss the rest of the season after he limped out of the 5-0 victory over Burnley with a knee injury.

Aguero was caught just before half-time by Burnley captain Ben Mee but Guardiola revealed that he has been struggling with a knee problem since returning from lockdown.

The 32-year-old striker will go for tests on Tuesday but the City boss confirmed he will be miss the next few games but is worried he could be out for the rest of the campaign, including the end-of-season Champions League tournament in Lisbon.

"It doesn’t look good. We will see tomorrow exactly what he has but it doesn't look good for the season," Guardiola said in his virtual post-match press conference.

"He was struggling the last month with a problem in his knee and now he felt something but it doesn’t look good. 

"The doctor says it will take time. A few games [out] for sure but maybe tomorrow the tests he will get good news. We will see."

Guardiola  said before the beginning of Project Restart that he was worried about the potential of injuries because of clubs' lack of preparation.

City got through the first game against Arsenal, although the visitors suffered setbacks to Granit Xhaka and Pablo Mari.

Foden, who scored twice in the win over Burnley, also had ice strapped to his left thigh after being substituted but said he had taken a kick to his leg. Guardiola praised the 20-year-old's performance but again challenged him to get even better.

"When Phil plays, he’s never played badly," the City boss said. "Especially his behaviour and his attitude. It doesn’t matter if he plays or doesn’t play, he loves to play football.

"You can see on his Instagram, when he is on a day off he is with his friends with the ball. He loves being the first out for a training session with the ball, he loves to play and every time he has played since he was promoted to play with us, he has always been a high level. 

"But we cannot forget he is 19 or 20 and he has to improve. He will be an important player for our next decade at this club. The minutes he has, he deserves it."

Riyad Mahrez has now scored at least ten goals across all competitions in five successive seasons having found the net twice in Manchester City’s 5-0 defeat of Burnley on Monday night.

2014-15 was the last time he failed to reach that mark – accounting for just four league goals in 30 appearances.

The 29-year-old found the net twice at the Etihad Stadium as the Citizens held firm to the second spot in the English topflight log – a feat that ended his wait for a goal in the competition since January 2020.

With that, he has now scored nine Premier League goals so far including one each in the Champions League and the English Football League Cup to bring his tally this season to 11 goals.

Phil Foden handed Pep Guardiola’s men a 22nd minute lead before he Algeria international made it two in the 43rd minute.

He profited from a brilliant pass from Fernandinho before firing home across goalkeeper Nick Pope after disturbing Charlie Taylor.

Two minutes later, Mahrez made it three from the penalty spot after a VAR review showed Ben Mee was slightly late into his challenge on Sergio Aguero.

Aguero limped out of the action as a result of that incident but it did nothing to halt City's momentum, with Foden once again instrumental in the 51st minute – freeing Bernardo Silva with a nice reverse pass. David Silva was the beneficiary among those queueing up to score before the youngster completed his double on an impressive night.

After putting in a brilliant shift, he was replaced by Kevin De Bruyne in the 61st minute by manager Guardiola.

Mahrez joined Leicester from Le Havre in January 2014 and helped them to a first-place finish in the Championship.

Two years later, he was named PFA Player of the Year after scoring 17 goals and setting up a further 10 as they won the Premier League title.

The 2016 African Player of the Year winner joined the Manchester-based outfit for £60 million (€68m/$80m) on a five-year deal on July 10, 2018.

Since joining the Etihad Stadium outfit, he has won one Premier League title, one FA Cup, one Community Shield and two English Football League Cup diadems.

Manchester City are on the road at Chelsea on Thursday, when Burnley host Watford.