Romelu Lukaku must rediscover the form that fired Inter to the Scudetto in 2021 should he return to the Nerazzurri, former Italy striker Christian Vieri has said.
Lukaku scored 24 goals under the stewardship of Antonio Conte as Inter lifted the Serie A title in the 2020-21 campaign, before returning to Chelsea for a club-record £97.5million fee.
The Belgium international struggled on his Stamford Bridge return, scoring just eight times in 26 Premier League appearances.
Lukaku is widely expected to head back to Inter on loan less than a year after leaving, as Simone Inzaghi looks to assemble his side to reclaim the Scudetto from fierce rivals Milan.
The 29-year-old will hope to regain the confidence he had during his two-year spell with Inter, with no N…
Solskjaer sacked: Ole can´t complain about ´inevitable´ exit – Neville and Ferdinand react to Man Ut
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer can have no complaints about his sacking at Manchester United, which became inevitable , according to club greats Gary Neville and Rio Ferdinand.
Solskjaer was dismissed on Sunday after a stunning 4-1 defeat to Watford in United s first Premier League match since the international break.
Big home losses to Liverpool and Manchester City had already increased the pressure on the 48-year-old.
Although only those two title-winning teams earned more points (245 for Liverpool, 244 for City) than United (197) during Solskjaer s tenure, the Red Devils have only once endured a worse start to a Premier League season.
That was also under Solskjaer, as United earned just 16 points from 12 games in 2019-20, compared to 17 points this term. Their 2…
Had Euro 2020 actually started on time last year, it s fair to say Pedri wouldn t have been in the Spain squad.
Although he impressed for his country at the 2019 Under-17 World Cup, Pedri did not make a LaLiga appearance until September 2020.
Even earning a spot in Barca s first-team squad wasn t a given after he linked up with them from Las Palmas. It was initially expected he would either go on loan to a smaller LaLiga club, or feature for the B team.
But Pedri suitably impressed Ronald Koeman in pre-season and was fast-tracked into the senior side and he went on to play in all but one of their 38 LaLiga games.
The teenager then earned his first call-up to the Spain squad in March, and at that point few would have bet against him playing a leading role…
Paris Saint-Germain are willing to allow Georginio Wijnaldum to leave next month on loan for the second half of the season and are open to offers, according to Sky Sports journalist Kaveh Solhekol. The former Liverpool and Newcastle midfielder would be interested in returning to the Premier League, and at at the moment, Arsenal are one of the possible destinations.
PSG willing to listen to offers for Georginio Wijnaldum to go out on loan next month. Player would be open to a move back to Premier League. Arsenal thought to be an option.
— Kaveh Solhekol (@SkyKaveh)
Wijnaldum left Liverpool as a free agent at the end of last season, having played a huge part in their quest to return to the top. He made a total of 237 appearances in all competitions for…
According to a report from Sky Italia, Sampdoria have now agreed on a deal with Southampton that would see them sign Manolo Gabbiadini. The forward has struggled with the Premier League club after an initially positive start to life in the Premier League, and now, he appears to be heading over to Serie A.
The deal would be on a loan basis to start off with, although there would be an obligation attached for them to buy him for £10.75 million once the summer transfer window opens.
Upon reaching a certain tally of goals Sampdoria will then pay £450,000, as well as £225,000 more if they end up qualifying for European football.
Gabbiadini had some good moments in the English game, but it certainly feels like his style is better suited to Italian football.
Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo believes hosts France and world champions Germany are among the favourites to win Euro 2016, as well as holders Spain and Antonio Conte s Italy.
Didier Deschamps Les Bleus will be expected to mount a strong challenge on home soil, while Joachim Low s side are attempting to add the continental crown to the World Cup they won in 2014.
European Championship holders Spain have been tipped to make amends for their group-stage exit in Brazil two years ago with an improved showing, while Real Madrid star Ronaldo also considers Italy among the leading contenders.
As hosts, France has a strong team to go the distance, he told the Times of India.
Then we have the world champions Germany. They are always favoured and this time the…
Best odds: 6/5
Bookmaker:
Brazil and Ivory Coast will face each other in what will be the second match of the men s tournament at the Tokyo Olympics on Sunday, at the International Stadium Yokohama, following wins from both teams in their respective openers.
Brazil
Out of the last nine editions of the football tournament at the Olympics, Brazil took part in seven, winning six medals in the process two silver ones, three times the bronze, and finally the gold in 2016. Their thirst for success in this sport has been extremely well documented throughout its history, and it remains strong to this day. The country is a truly fertile breeding ground for talented footballers, having produced a number of those counted among the greatest ever.
In the opening ma…
Borussia Monchengladbach have completed the signing of Algeria international Ramy Bensebaini on a four-year contract.
The left-back leaves Ligue 1 side Rennes after 98 appearances and three goals in all competitions.
Bensebaini, 24, won the Africa Cup of Nations in July, starting in defence as Algeria edged Senegal 1-0 in the final.
He trialled with Arsenal in 2015 and faced the Premier League club in the Europa League last term.
Welcome to ,
The 24-year-old defender joins Borussia on a four-year deal from Stade Rennes
— Gladbach (@borussia_en)
Gladbach agreed a reported fee of €10million with Rennes to make Bensebaini their fifth signing of the close season.
Marco Rose s men begin the new Bundesliga campaign …
Wales manager Ryan Giggs expects Aaron Ramsey to emulate Gareth Bale and reach a higher level by moving to Juventus at the end of the season.
Ramsey is set to end an 11-year stay at Arsenal and make the switch to the Serie A champions when his contract expires in June.
The 28-year-old has been an influential regular for club and country, yet Giggs hopes Ramsey can go on to discover his untapped potential by testing himself in Italy.
You ve seen what going abroad has done for Gareth. It will be a great experience for Aaron, Giggs said, referring to Bale s big-money move from Tottenham to Real Madrid in 2013.
Look at the facilities Juventus have got, they are a massive club.
He is going to a great club, the biggest in Italy.
He is play…
Ecuador qualified for the 2022 World Cup on Thursday despite a 3-1 defeat to Paraguay, benefiting from a victory for Uruguay that also sent the two-time champions to Qatar.
La Tri, who failed to make Russia 2018, knew they needed only a point to be sure of a top-four finish with a game to spare.
However, already-eliminated Paraguay were clinical in Ciudad del Este, three up before the hour mark through Robert Morales, a Piero Hincapie own goal and Miguel Almiron.
Ecuador threatened a dramatic fightback as Jordy Caicedo scored a late penalty and Blas Riveros was sent off, but ultimately their fate was decided in Montevideo.
Back on the global stage
After missing out in 2018, Ecuador return to the party |
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCu…