Newcastle boss Alan Pardew says that his role at the club has not changed, despite the appointment of Joe Kinnear as director of football.
Kinnear controversially returned to St James Park in June as part of an overhaul by club owner Mike Ashley, and he will have the final say on transfer spending.
Pardew will report in to the 66-year-old former Wimbledon boss, who also had a spell as Newcastle manager during the 2008-09 campaign.
However, the former Charlton manager has stressed that he will retain control over first-team affairs.
I m my own man, and I will manage this football club to the best of my ability, Pardew told BBC Radio Newcastle.
I spoke to one or two players and my staff here and made them very aware of where the position lies.
If Joe ca…
Sunderland have confirmed the signing of defender Lamine Kone from Lorient on a four-and-a-half-year deal.
The Ivorian defender, 26, has been the subject of interest from Sunderland for a number of weeks with talks reported to have twice stalled before being resurrected and finalised on Wednesday.
Kone joins Jan Kirchhoff, Dame N Doye and Steven Harper in arriving at the Stadium of Light this month as manager Sam Allardyce seeks to guide 19th-placed Sunderland away from danger.
Strengthening our defensive options was a priority for us and Lamine is a player that has impressed me when I ve seen him play, Allardyce told Sunderland s official website.
He is big and strong, attributes you need to play in central defence in the Premier League, and his arriva…
While it would be sad to see Cristiano Ronaldo leave Real Madrid, Masters champion Sergio Garcia feels the Spanish and European champions would be fine without their all-time leading goalscorer.
Allegations of tax fraud – denied by Ronaldo – have thrown the four-time Ballon d Or winner s future up in the air, with former club Manchester United linked.
Madrid president Florentino Perez has already dismissed talk of Ronaldo leaving but PGA and European Tour star Garcia – an avid fan of the LaLiga and Champions League titleholders – said the Spanish capital club are in a position to recoup a substantial transfer fee, should the 32-year-old Portuguese wish to leave.
As a Real Madrid fan it s sad to see the possibility of one of the best we ve ever had to lea…
Inter have begun discussions about the possibility of signing Chelsea s Davide Zappacosta, according to .
The Italian right back started his career in his homeland with Lega Pro Seconda Divisione club Isola Liri, before moving a league up to Avellino. He spent three years there, eventually helping with their promotion to Serie B. In 2014, he moved to Atalanta in Serie A and to Torino just one year later. signed him on deadline day last summer for a reported fee of €28million, not including bonuses.
In Antonio Conte s preferred 3-4-3 system Zappacosta played in a more advanced wing-back role, competing for the spot with Victor Moses, but the Nigerian has largely been favored. Nevertheless, he managed to gather 35 appearances in all competitions in 2017/18 and score tw…
Real Madrid dropped points for the first time in LaLiga under Julen Lopetegui, Isco s header salvaging a 1-1 draw at Athletic Bilbao.
Iker Muniain bundled home from close range to give Athletic a first-half lead in a bad-tempered clash at San Mames on Saturday, while Unai Simon impressed in goal for the hosts.
But Toni Kroos sent Gareth Bale clear with an excellent chipped pass and substitute Isco flicked in the Wales winger s cross to level shortly after his second-half introduction.
Madrid pressed for a winner but could not beat Simon a second time, leaving Lopetegui s men two points behind league leaders Barcelona, who maintained their perfect record.
Inaki Williams dragged a 14th-minute shot wide and Markel Susaeta came close with a 20-yard drive bef…
Newcastle United are confident of signing Rob Holding from Premier League rivals Arsenal in the summer transfer window, according to . Leeds United are also in the running for the 24-year-old central defender, but the Magpies believe that they will beat the West Yorkshire club to the signature of the Englishman.
Steve Bruce’s Newcastle want to sign Holding on a season-long loan deal from Arsenal this summer. The Magpies are short on centre-backs, and with new Premier League season to start next weekend, they need to reinforce their squad at the back.
Holding joined Arsenal from Bolton Wanderers in 2016. While the Englishman is very talented, injuries have affected his progress at the Emirates Stadium, and there have also been competition for places in defence. Accordi…
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has become the first Arsenal player in more than three years to win the Premier League Player of the Month award.
The Gabon forward registered five goals and one assist in October to help him beat off competition from fellow nominees Ross Barkley, Fernandinho, Anthony Martial, Mat Ryan and Callum Wilson.
He is the first Gunners player to win one of the monthly prizes in England s top flight since Olivier Giroud in March 2015.
I m just trying to improve every day, trying to work a lot but I m happy to be here in the Premier League and I try to do my best, the 29-year-old told the Premier League s official website.
We have to continue on the way we are doing things. I hope we will finish in the first four. It would be good to qua…
Market: Port Vale win
Odds: 3/4 @
Two sides who will turn their attention back to EFL Cup duties on Tuesday night, Port Vale will welcome Sutton to Burslem in midweek.
Starting with the hosts, putting in a gritty performance on their travels over the weekend as they claimed a 1-1 draw away at play-off hopefuls Cambridge, Port Vale should find the mood in their camp at a continued high. While Andy Crosby’s side might have spent large spells of last season looking over their shoulder at a looming relegation scrap, the Valiants have made a string of improvements since opening up the 2023/24 campaign. Extending on their EFL Cup adventure last month as they edged past Crewe, the Burslem-based outfit find themselves battling it out at the top of the League One stand…
Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing Franck Kessie from AC Milan in the summer transfer window, according to . It has been reported that Tottenham have already started to explore the possibility of signing the 24-year-old midfielder.
Spurs have a very strong interest in Kessie, who is rated as one of the better midfielders in Italy and is a key figure in the current Milan team. The Ivory Coast international midfielder played a big role in the Rossoneri finishing second in Serie A last season.
Kessie made 36 starts and one substitute appearance in Serie A for Milan , scoring 13 goals and providing four assists in the process. The 24-year-old also scored one goal in eight Europa League games. The midfielder scored four goals and gave one assist in 35 league appeara…
Former Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos put through his own net to hand Barcelona a 1-0 win against Sevilla.
Xavi’s side looked set for a second LaLiga draw in succession following their midweek 2-2 clash at Mallorca before Ramos’ own goal with 14 minutes remaining.
The win takes Barcelona top of the table, one point ahead of Girona and two clear of Real Madrid, who travel to Girona on Saturday.
FULL TIME!
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona)
Following the draw at Mallorca on Tuesday, Xavi made four changes with Robert Lewandowski returning to the starting line-up. Jules Kounde partnered Andreas Christensen in defence, while 16-year-old Lamine Yamal was also handed a start.
For Sevilla, Ramos, 37, who returned to his boyhood club last m…