Mesut Ozil has revealed that he joined Arsenal because Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti did not have confidence in him.
The Germany international moved to the Emirates Stadium for a club record fee on Monday, partly assuaging the concerns of the club s fans, who were growing restless at the lack of investment in the playing staff.
However, Ozil, whose price tag was reported to be £42million, had expected to remain at the Santiago Bernabeu before opting for a switch to the Premier League.
I was certain that I would stay at Real Madrid, Ozil said in an interview with the German Football Federation.
Then I realised that I didn t have the confidence of the coach and the officials after all.
I am a player who needs that confidence and I saw that I would h…
Fernando Torres fired Liverpool into the Europa League semi-finals as Thursday s 4-1 win against Benfica clinched a 5-3 aggregate triumph over the Portuguese club.
Rafael Benitez s side trailed 2-1 from the quarter-final first leg in Lisbon last week, but two goals in seven minutes from Dirk Kuyt and Lucas erased that deficit before half-time at Anfield.
Torres added a third goal in the second half before Oscar Cardozo s free-kick put Benfica within one goal of going through on away goals.
Just as Liverpool were getting nervous, Torres struck again in the closing stages to set up a semi-final with Atletico Madrid as the Reds continue their bid for a first major European trophy since the 2005 Champions League.
Benitez said: It was a good game and because …
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang faces late fitness tests on an adductor injury ahead of Borussia Dortmund s Bundesliga game against Ingolstadt on Friday.
Coach Thomas Tuchel confirmed the Gabon international has yet to fully recover from the injury that kept him out of Tuesday s 3-0 DFB-Pokal quarter-final win at Sportfreunde Lotte.
With Ousmane Dembele suspended, Mario Gotze ruled out indefinitely, Marco Reus injured for a month and Shinji Kagawa and Julian Weigl both nursing knocks, Tuchel has a number of attacking players missing for Friday s match.
Aubameyang is doubtful for Ingolstadt. We ll have to decide tomorrow [Friday] if he can play, Tuchel told reporters. We have not just 11 good players.
Weigl might try things later today, he was in rehab bas…
According to Sky Sports, Aston Villa have sacked Steve Bruce as manager of the Midlands club. The 57 year old has been at Villa Park since back in 2016, when he arrived to much controversy given his previous ties to Villa s rivals Birmingham City. Bruce, who is considered to be a promotion expert by many, helped to guide the club to the play-off final at Wembley earlier this year where they were defeated by Fulham.
Their form this season hasn t exactly been fantastic, with their 3-3 draw against Preston North End seemingly being the final nail in the coffin.
Villa will now be going in search of a new manager, as they continue to harbour realistic ambitions of gaining promotion to the Premier League this season. They have by far one of the best squads in the Championship…
Market: Stoke City win
Odds: 4/6 @
Looking to build off of their impressive EFL Cup victory in midweek, Stoke will host a struggling Hull on Saturday afternoon at the Bet365 Stadium.
Starting with the hosts, while Stoke would have been left hugely disappointed by their 2-1 defeat away at Derby last weekend, the Potters did make an immediate response when turning their attention to EFL Cup duties. Making the trip to recent Premier League returners Watford on Tuesday night, Michael O Neill s side picked up an eye-catching 3-1 win on their travels. Collecting a top-flight scalp in midweek, the former Northern Ireland boss still finds his side sat in the play-off spots. Looking to drag over their midweek success, Stoke should also be boosted by what has been a large…
Gareth Bale never had a chance to prove himself under former boss Jose Mourinho in his return to Tottenham, according to his agent Jonathan Barnett.
Bale has scored four times in the two games since Mourinho s sacking as Tottenham head coach, including a hat-trick against relegated Sheffield United last week.
The Wales international is on loan from LaLiga giants Real Madrid, with his future beyond 2020-21 uncertain.
Barnett believes his client may have been in fine form all along but was denied a chance to show it before interim coach Ryan Mason took the reins.
Given the opportunity, given the right way to play him, you may have found that he was always at his best, Barnett told Sky Sports News.
He just didn t have the opportunity to prove it…
Liverpool are hopeful that the groin injury suffered by Spanish striker Fernando Torres in Sunday s World Cup final is not as serious as was first feared.
The 26-year-old, who missed the end of the 2009-10 season with a knee injury, suffered the injury just before the end of the 1-0 win over the Netherlands.
But Liverpool doctor Peter Brukner told the club s website: We ve been in touch with the Spanish medical team and they don t think it s too serious.
We can t say too much more at the moment until it is properly assessed (on Tuesday.
He added: Some of the Liverpool medical staff will go to Madrid later in the week to fully assess the injury and organise his rehab. At this stage we don t think it s too serious.
Torres has endured an injury-pl…
Brazil have targeted Muricy Ramalho to succeed Dunga as national team coach, but the plan has not been given the green light by his club Fluminense who lead the regional championship.
Now it s up to him to resolve things, taking into consideration that he is under contract to Fluminense, Ricardo Teixeira, the head of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) told TV Globo, after meeting Ramalho.
Fluminense have Ramalho under contract until December.
He led Sao Paulo to the Brazilian championship in 2006, 2007 and 2008 as well as to the runners-up spot at the Copa Libertadores.
The new Brazil coach, who will be handed a deal up to the 2014 World Cup which is being staged in Brazil, is expected to be named on Monday with local media predicting Corinthian…
Barcelona are set to enter the race to sign Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba, .
The France international has been heavily linked with a move away from the Serie A champions over the past few transfer windows, with Chelsea closely monitoring his situation.
However La Liga giants Barcelona, whose transfer ban ends in January, are set to step up their interest as they look to freshen up their midfield.
Pogba began his career with Manchester United, but played for them just seven times in all competitions.
He moved to Turin in the summer of 2012, and has racked one hundred and thirty-nine appearances in all competitions, scoring twenty-five goals.
He was part of the squads that have won three consecutive Serie A titles, while last season he also …
Laurent Blanc wants Paris Saint-Germain to be even better next season despite a Ligue 1 and Coupe de la Ligue double this campaign.
The Frenchman has guided his team to an impressive domestic campaign, with PSG holding a seven-point lead over Monaco heading into their final league fixture at home to Montpellier on Saturday.
Last month also saw them lift the Coupe de la Ligue trophy with a 2-1 win over Lyon, while Blanc also steered the club to a UEFA Champions League quarter-final.
Despite that success, the coach wants even more from his charges next term.
We are satisfied with the work done by the players and the staff, he said.
In terms of points, the game, the outcome is positive, but also as regards the operation.
Next season we will try to be mor…