As Cesc Fabregas prepares to make his first return to Arsenal, Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho is not concerned about his midfielder ahead of Sunday s clash at the Emirates Stadium.
Fabregas left Arsenal in 2011 for Barcelona, before returning to the Premier League ahead of this season with Mourinho s side.
Many are expecting the Spain international to be given a hostile welcome, but Mourinho says Fabregas will cope with any potential vitriol.
I m not worried about that, he said. Frank Lampard played at Stamford Bridge without any kind of problems and with a good reception.
I don t see a reason for Fabregas to not have the same at the Emirates, but if he has some bad reactions I think he s more than ready.
Fabregas opted to join Chelsea over Arse…
West Ham United are weighing up a move that could see Demba Ba make a return to Upton Park,.
The Senegal international spent the second half of the 2010/11 campaign on loan with the Hammers, impressing with seven goals in twelve league appearances – form that earned him a move to Newcastle United.
He remained consisted form one and a half seasons with Newcastle before moving on to Chelsea, with whom he won the Europa League in May 2013.
The 29 year old moved to Besiktas in the summer, though while his form for the Turkish side has also been impressive, talks have already begun over a return to the Premier League.
Sam Allardyce has already added firepower to his squad in the shape of Enner Valencia and Diafra Sakho and their goals have helped the Ea…
Burnley jumped above Tottenham to sixth in the Premier League as Chris Wood and Robbie Brady helped the Clarets to a deserved 2-1 win at Bournemouth.
Sean Dyche s men only amassed seven away points in the entirety of last season, but have already doubled that tally this term thanks to a second successive win on the road.
It was no more than Burnley – denied a point against Arsenal on Sunday thanks to a last-gasp Alexis Sanchez penalty – deserved for a textbook away display, with the visitors industrious when in possession and typically solid at the back.
Wood s first-half goal was just reward for a hard-working performance that had already seen him hit the crossbar before opening the scoring, albeit thanks to a lucky bounce off Steve Cook.
PIC: wheel…
West Brom manager Alan Pardew fears losing club captain Jonny Evans in the January transfer window, saying your best players are always vulnerable .
Evans has been the subject of speculation linking him with a move away from The Hawthorns after the club reportedly rejected offers in the region of £25 million from Arsenal and Leicester City before the start of the season.
His current contract expires at the end of 2018-19 and Pardew said the rumours in the media suggesting he could move to Arsenal or Manchester City in January did not come as a surprise.
There s interest in him because there was interest in the summer and it makes sense to stir it up, Pardew told BBC Sport. It makes good headlines for the media.
Jonny s dealt with it in his way. He wa…
Jadon Sancho would be buzzing to take on Lionel Messi and Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League but knows he must step up” his game to reach that same level.
Sancho has joined Manchester United from Borussia Dortmund in one of the biggest deals of the year, although it was dwarfed by Messi s transfer.
After 778 appearances, 672 goals and 265 assists for Barcelona, Messi became a free agent when his only senior club could no longer fit his contract within strict salary restrictions.
The six-time Ballon d Or winner subsequently signed for PSG to form a frightening forward line alongside Kylian Mbappe and Neymar.
The trio scored 66 goals in LaLiga and Ligue 1 between them last season, even with Neymar only featuring 18 times, and the French side appe…
Gianluigi Donnarumma saved the decisive penalty from Paulo Dybala as AC Milan won the Supercoppa Italiana 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw with Juventus in Doha.
Mario Pasalic sealed victory for Milan after Donnarumma had spurned Dybala, who also missed a gilt-edged extra-time chance.
Juve s Mario Mandzukic also missed from 12 yards, with Gianluca Lapadula reprieved having failed to convert for Milan.
In the match itself, captain Giorgio Chiellini put Juve ahead 18 minutes, but Giacomo Bonaventura levelled with a header prior to half-time.
Alessio Romagnoli hit the bar for Milan as Vincenzo Montella s men shaded the second half, before having to withstand heavy Juve pressure as 30 minutes of extra time failed to produce a winner.
The win on penal…
Diego Forlan s decision to retire from international duty with Uruguay has left the striker in a state of mourning .
Forlan has called time on a glittering international career becoming Uruguay s most-capped player with 112 appearances to his name and scoring 36 goals a tally bettered only by Barcelona star Luis Suarez.
The crowning moment of Forlan s time in a Uruguay shirt came when he won the 2011 Copa America, while the Cerezo Osaka striker also represented his nation at three World Cups, including the 2010 edition when he was named player of the tournament.
The 35-year-old stated that it was a tough decision to take, with Uruguay to defend their Copa crown later this year, but a recent changing of the guard helped make up his mind.
The national tea…
Celtic have announced the signing of defender Marvin Compper from RB Leipzig.
The 32-year-old has signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with the Scottish champions and will officially join up with the squad when the transfer window opens in January.
The last half-a-year, I wasn t playing so much at Leipzig, he told CelticTV after finalising the deal.
The recruiting staff were looking for an experienced defender. They made contact with my agent and I m very glad to be here.
The centre-back, who started his senior career with Borussia Monchengladbach, joined Leipzig in 2014 after spending a season with Fiorentina.
He played 25 times in the Bundesliga last season but has found his role limited in 2017-18, managing just two appearances in the leagu…
Belgium Pro League side Genk have signed Australia goalkeeper Mathew Ryan on loan from Valencia until the end of the season.
Ryan has been restricted to two LaLiga starts for Valencia this season, with Los Che languishing in 15th position.
The 24-year-old previously starred in Belgium s top flight for Club Brugge, where he won the goalkeeper of the year award in 2013-14 and 2015-16.
…
Nasser Al-Khelaifi s lawyer has denied an allegation of corruption against his client relating to the hosting rights for the World Athletics Championships.
According to reports in France, the Paris Saint-Germain president is accused of validating an illicit payment of €3.1million to help Doha s bid to stage the finals in 2017.
However, his lawyer, Francis Szpiner, has described the allegations as totally inaccurate .
Nasser Al-Khelaifi s name does not appear on any of the documents in the file, Szpiner told Le Parisien in reference to a case compiled by investigating judge Renaud Van Ruymbeke in Paris.
It should be noted that Nasser Al-Khelaifi s initial hearing was only the result of a regrettable confusion by the investigating magistrate, Szpine…