Gladbach snap up defender Bensebaini from Rennes

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 …

Giggs backs Ramsey to emulate Bale

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 and Uruguay qualify for Qatar World Cup

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…

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola welcomes “outstanding manager” Antonio Conte back to the Premier League (Video)

Having won the title with Chelsea in 2016-17, Antonio Conte has returned to the Premier League, this time to take charge at Tottenham Hotspur.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola believes the Italian s record speaks for itself.

Welcome back to the Premier League, his career speaks perfectly for himself.

Pep Guardiola welcomes Antonio Conte back to the Premier League and calls him an outstanding manager

— Football Daily (@footballdaily)

No Barca return for Deulofeu

Barcelona s Gerard Deulofeu, currently on loan at Watford, has revealed he has no intention of going back to Camp Nou this summer.

Sky Sports report the winger told Spanish radio station  that Barcelona gave him up , and that he is considering his future at the moment.

Having grown up as a product of the Catalan club s youth academy, Deulofeu made his first-team debut in 2011/12, but he appeared only twice on the pitch that season in all competitions. Between 2013 and 2015 he spent a year on loan at Everton and Sevilla each, before signing for Everton on a permanent basis. After a year and a half at Goodison, he was loaned out to AC Milan for the second part of 2016/17, and then Barcelona activated their buy-back clause.

However, he still failed to nail down a…

Hegerberg, Bronze and Henry see Lyon close out UEFA shortlist

Lyon trio Ada Hegerberg, Lucy Bronze and Amandine Henry have been nominated for the UEFA Women s Player of the Year award.

Hegerberg won the inaugural Ballon d Or Feminin last year and will look to add the UEFA prize to her collection, having finished as runner-up in 2017-18 to Denmark and Wolfsburg striker Pernille Harder.

The 24-year-old dazzled as Lyon won their 13th consecutive French title last season, scoring 20 goals in as many top-flight appearances along with seven in nine Champions League outings – crowning a magnificent campaign with a hat-trick in the 4-1 final victory over Barcelona in Budapest.

However, Hegerberg did not participate in the World Cup, having not represented Norway since the 2017 European Championship due to frustrations over the s…

Klopp: Liverpool have to start winning trophies

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp knows he is under pressure to deliver silverware after the club s lavish spending in the transfer market.

Klopp s Liverpool reached the Champions League final and finished fourth in the Premier League last season, and the Reds have invested heavily ahead of the 2018-19 campaign.

Alisson became the most expensive goalkeeper in history after joining from Roma, while Liverpool also spent significant sums to lure Naby Keita, Fabinho and Xherdan Shaqiri to Anfield.

Liverpool s last title came via the 2011-12 EFL Cup, with league honours proving elusive since 1990.

Asked if Liverpool – in the United States for the International Champions Cup – need to win a trophy this season, Klopp said:  You are right and people will say th…

Patience the Key for Hal Robson-Kanu

Summer of big decisions for Wales hero / Image via walesonline.co.uk

Welsh international Hal Robson-Kanu has never been a heavyweight name in European football.

Not until Euro 2016 at least when he used his empowering performances to grab headlines and divert plenty of attention to his football qualities and abilities.

At 27 years of age, the Wales forward is standing at the crossroad of his career with his contract with Reading expired and plenty of clubs lined up to acquire his services.

Robson-Kanu is displaying great composure and patience once again off the football pitch as he is bidding time before making the final decision on his future.

Humble Beginnings

Hal Robson-Kanu started his football career at Arsenal where he was released at the…

Giggs calls for patience with Solskjaer at Manchester United

Ryan Giggs says Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is unfortunate to be managing in the same era as Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola, but he wants Manchester United to give his former team-mate time to turn the club s fortunes around.

United will go in search of their first away win in eight Premier League matches when they travel to Newcastle United on Sunday, and Solskjaer is under pressure to deliver an improvement following a string of drab performances.

The game comes at the end of a week in which Solskjaer s side looked flat as they drew 1-1 at home with Arsenal and 0-0 away at AZ Alkmaar, failing to muster a shot on target in the second match.

Speaking at the Cardiff Breakfast Club, Giggs came out in support of the man with whom he shared 11 glorious years as a player at …

Jedinak retires from international football

Aston Villa s Mile Jedinak has retired from international football with Australia, after making 79 appearances for his country. The 34 year old first burst onto the scene in English football back in 2011 when he signed for Crystal Palace, before making the switch to Villa Park in 2016. Jedinak s decision is based on the fact that he wants to continue playing club football for as long as possible, and one of the major things that ll help with that is the rest and recovery he ll receive courtesy of not playing during the international breaks.

Jedinak has always been viewed as something of a fan favourite wherever he s gone, and while he may be winding down his days as a professional footballer, that doesn t mean he can t still pop up with a few good performances here and there be…