Jose Mourinho largely refrained from hitting back at Antonio Conte over an unflattering remark about the Manchester United manager s most recent departure from Stamford Bridge, the boss of the Red Devils sufficing himself instead with what may have been a sly reference to the Italian s elaborately restored hairline.
As Chelsea prepare to try and retain the crown they earned last term, Conte warned his players they will need to avoid a Mourinho season , referring to the infamous 2015-16 campaign.
The Blues finished 10th under caretaker Guus Hiddink that term, Mourinho having been sacked before Christmas amid a succession of nightmare performances.
Speaking after United s 3-0 friendly win over Valerenga on Sunday, the Portuguese was reluctant to return fire dir…
Arsenal made the biggest move of the transfer window on Wednesday by spending a reported club-record £52million fee on striker Alexandre Lacazette.
The France international had been linked with Atletico Madrid, but their FIFA-imposed transfer ban ultimately proved too big an obstacle, allowing Gunners boss Arsene Wenger to pounce.
Lacazette has been a consistent menace in Ligue 1 with Lyon and was named the division s player of the year for 2014-15 after finishing as top goalscorer on 27.
But how does the 26-year-old measure up to Arsenal s other attacking options? Can he provide more than just goals? With the help of Opta, we assess his efforts in the league last year compared to the rest of his new club s forward line.
OUT-GUNNING THE GUNNER…
Borussia Dortmund have completed the signing of Emre Can from Juventus on loan until the end of the season with a view to a permanent move.
Germany international Can joined Juve in 2018 after his contract with Liverpool expired, but has been short of match action this season.
The 26-year-old has made just eight Serie A appearances under Maurizio Sarri and was left out of the Turin giants Champions League squad.
Can on Friday completed a return to the Bundesliga with Dortmund, initially on loan – for a fee of €1,000,000 – and the transfer will become permanent if agreed parameters are met.
Dortmund could pay Juve €25million, over the course of three financial years, to keep the former Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich man.
In Ca…
Fabio Borini and Suso stepped up in the absence of dropped striker Gonzalo Higuain, earning AC Milan a 2-0 win over Genoa at Stadio Luigi Ferraris.
Higuain was left out of Milan s matchday squad for their first Serie A outing of 2019 due to concerns from head coach Gennaro Gattuso – who watched from the stands due to a suspension – over his mindset amid links with a move to Chelsea.
Gattuso, punished for angrily confronting the referee after his side s Supercoppa Italiana loss to Juventus last week, saw the Rossoneri toil for much of the game.
Milan had previously fired blanks in successive away league matches, but Borini broke the deadlock in the 72nd minute and Suso guaranteed a return to fourth place in the closing stages.
Well done boys, the R…
Market: Darmstadt win
Odds: 4/5 @
Two sides who find themselves battling it out at the top of the Bundesliga II table, Darmstadt will welcome Hannover to Hesse on Friday evening.
Starting with the hosts, while Darmstadt might have been disappointed after settling for back-to-back 1-1 draws against St. Pauli and Kiel, Torsten Lieberknecht s side have impressed many across Germany since opening the 2022/23 campaign. Opening this weekend s fixtures holding a one-point buffer over the chasing pack and with their sights set on clinching a Bundesliga return, the Hesse-based outfit have lost just one of their first 14 second-tier matchups. Looking to lay down another marker on Friday evening, Die Lilien have also gained a reputation for their success on home soil. Incl…
Mikel Arteta says Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang s Arsenal departure was a decision that we had to take as the ex-Gunners man prepares to face them with Chelsea.
The Gabon international departed the Emirates Stadium midway through last season by mutual consent, after he was previously stripped of the captaincy.
A move to Barcelona failed to yield a long-term stay, leaving Aubameyang to return to the Premier League with the Blues, where has scored three goals in 11 games to date.
Ahead of a reunion when the two sides meet on Sunday, Arteta did not dwell on the reasons for the forward s exit, but says it was a necessary move for both club and player.
It s a decision that we had to take and there are different parties involved, he stated.
At the end of …
New signing Bojan Krkic scored his second goal in as many pre-season games as Stoke City were held to a 1-1 draw at Blackburn Rovers.
The forward, signed from Barcelona for an undisclosed fee last month, was on target in a 2-1 defeat against Schalke on Tuesday and struck again at Ewood Park on Sunday with a well taken left-foot finish to thwart the Championship side.
Jordan Rhodes had put Blackburn in front with a first-half header and they looked set to claim a Premier League scalp until Bojan, on as a half-time substitute, denied them.
Stoke boss Mark Hughes picked a strong side to face his former club, with new signing Phil Bardsley making an appearance alongside Ryan Shawcross, Robert Huth and Marc Muniesa in the back four and first-choice goalkeeper Asmir Be…
Ajax are reportedly interested in signing former youth team player Luciano Narsingh from Heerenveen in the January transfer window.
Narsingh, 21, has been in fine form during the 2011-12 campaign, scoring five Eredivisie goals and setting up 12 more.
Such good performances have not gone unnoticed at the Amsterdam ArenA, where Narsingh spent time as a youth player before making his full debut for Heerenveen in 2008.
We are interested in signing him. Do we want him this winter? That s certainly an option, Ajax head coach Frank de Boer told De Telegraaf.
We are currently looking into the possibilities of a transfer. We want to sign him, and it s now up to (sporting director) Danny Blind to make a move.
Mino Raiola, Narsingh s agent, claims the Er…
Bas Dost said Bayer Leverkusen were remarkably resilient, as he scored four goals to power Wolfsburg to a 5-4 Bundesliga win.
Four-goal hero Bas Dost said he could not believe Bayer Leverkusen s resistance in Wolfsburg s 5-4 Bundesliga win on Saturday.
Wolfsburg led 3-0 in the first half, and 4-2 with less than half an hour to play at the BayArena, but required a late Dost winner to clinch the three points.
Dost took his season haul to nine but the Dutchman said he was not as taken by his own performance as he was their hosts in Leverkusen.
Every time I scored I thought the game was over but they fought back every time. It s unbelievable, Dost told Bundesliga.com.
If that game finishes 4-4 we d have been incredibly frustrated but now we can laug…
Paris Saint-Germain defender David Luiz has apologised to his old club for celebrating after playing a key role in dumping Chelsea out of the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday.
The Brazil centre-back netted the 86th-minute equaliser that sent the match to extra time, before Thiago Silva cancelled out Eden Hazard s 96th-minute penalty to take the score to 3-3 on aggregate and send PSG who saw Zlatan Ibrahimovic sent off controversially in the first half through on away goals.
Luiz, who played for Chelsea from 2011 until 2014, did not hold back in celebrating the crucial header, but was quick to explain his reasons after full-time.
My cycle finished in Chelsea, PSG gave me a great opportunity to continue my career, Luiz told Sky Sports. I was very happy…