Hazard backs ´fantastic´ Loftus-Cheek for Chelsea role

Olivier Giroud s contract extension is all but completed, according to Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger.

The France international striker, who is set to be out of action until the new year with a foot injury, is expected to put pen to paper on a two-year renewal, with his previous agreement having been set to expire in 2016.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of Arsenal s UEFA Champions League clash with Galatasaray on Wednesday, Wenger revealed that the details were close to being finalised.

It is done, he said. We will announce it when it is completely finished.

We want stability and want to keep the core of our team together. Giroud is an important player here.

Giroud has scored 41 goals in 102 Arsenal appearances in all competitions since joini…

Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson, the former owner and chairman of English Premier League side West Ham United, has been declared bankrupt, an Icelandic court ruled on Friday.

Judges in Reykjavik agreed with Gudmundsson s argument that he had no reasonable expectation of any future income and did not have sufficient assets to service his debts.

Reykjavik District court has today accepted Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson?s request that his estate will be entered into insolvency proceedings, his spokesman and former West Ham vice-chairman Asgeir Fridgeirsson said in a statement.

The 68-year-old, estimated last year to be worth 1.1 billion dollars by the 2008 Forbes Rich List, snapped up London side West Ham in 2006 for around 85 million pounds (99 million euros, 141 million dollars)…

Bolton manager Dougie Freedman has confirmed that Martin Petrov is set to join Espanyol.

The Bulgarian winger is reportedly one of the club s highest earners, and has had only a bit-part role to play this season, participating in 14 of a possible 26 matches with eight of those appearances coming off the bench.

We ve got to face the facts. Martin is in the latter years of his career and earns a lot of money at this club, Freedman told BBC Radio Manchester.

I feel the best thing for the club is to bring in some new, young blood.

That s where we are and I hope everybody understands this decision.

Petrov joined the Trotters from Manchester City on a free transfer in the summer of 2010, going on to make 85 appearances and scoring 12 goals in the p…

Frank de Boer s situation at Inter has been compared to Liverpool, with his agent insisting the Dutch coach needed more time like Jurgen Klopp to implement change in Milan.

De Boer s tenure as head coach came to an end after just 85 days last week, with the Serie A club eventually turning to Stefano Pioli.

A replacement for Roberto Mancini on a three-year deal just a fortnight out from the start of the season, De Boer had a clear vision and playing style but reportedly struggled to win over the squad with his tactics, which ultimately led to his demise following a 1-0 loss to Sampdoria last month.

Still disappointed by the decision to sack De Boer, Guido Albers pointed to Klopp s successful overhaul in tactics at Liverpool since replacing Brendan Rodgers in Octob…

Gareth Southgate is set to be without Jordan Pickford for England s final fixtures before the World Cup.

Stats Perform understands that Everton are optimistic the goalkeeper, who has been struggling with a thigh injury, will miss no longer than four weeks.

A club statement published on Wednesday, following reports of Pickford s injury, confirmed he would not return until after the international break, which starts on September 19.

It is a blow for Frank Lampard s team, who are winless in the Premier League this season, despite having shown promise in recent outings, including the 0-0 derby draw with Merseyside rivals Liverpool on Saturday.

Pickford was outstanding in that match, making eight saves, including an excellent fingertip stop to deny Mohamed Sa…

Canillas president Manuel Alvarez has urged Real Madrid chief Florentino Perez to do his utmost to hold onto Jose Mourinho.

Alvarez, who is in charge of the club where Mourinho s son plays, said on Wednesday the Portuguese coach told him he will no longer be with Real Madrid next season.

The Canillas supremo insists Real Madrid should attempt to hold onto their coach as they cannot afford to let him go without a fight.

The thing Florentino should do is force Mourinho to fulfil his contract with the club. He did a good job to put Madrid s fate in Mourinho s hands, Alvarez told Goal.com.

It would be a huge blow for Spanish football if he indeed leaves and I hope Florentino can sort this out.

Alvarez also had his say on the alleged problems betwee…

The Ivory Coast and Ghana will bring an end to the 30th Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday when they contest the final at Estadio de Bata.

After an extended period without winning the Africa Cup of Nations, the Ivory Coast and Ghana have the chance to finally be crowned kings of the continent once again on Sunday.

Despite boasting some of Africa s biggest stars, neither country has won the tournament this millennium after flattering to deceive at recent competitions.

The Black Stars have not lifted the trophy since 1982, while Ivory Coast s sole continental success came in 1992 courtesy of an epic 11-10 victory on penalties against Ghana.

However, with Herve Renard now at the helm, the Elephants have a coach experienced in winning the showpiece afte…

Burnley welcomed Arsenal to Turf Moor on Sunday in the 25th round of the 2019/20 season in the Premier League.

It was important at this point of the campaign for both teams to do their best for the points up for grabs. Burnley were in 14th place ahead of the game, six points above the relegation zone, and with still a lot of games to be played, they re far from being safe. The Gunners were hardly in a better position. Sitting 12th on the same number of points (30), their hopes of a finish securing a Europa League spot seem feeble at the moment. Top four is probably already a mere dream.

Team News

The Clarets boss Sean Dyche was still without striker Ashley Barnes (groin) and winger Johann Berg Gudmundsson (thigh).

Nick Pope was in goal. Matt Lowton on the right…

Former Italian prime minister and Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi has been sentenced to seven years in prison.

Berlusconi who is also the honorary president of the Serie A club was found guilty of paying for sex with an underage prostitute and was banned from holding a position of public office, pending appeal.

Berlusconi denied having sex with then-17-year-old Karima El Mahroug in 2010.

A panel of three judges in Milan decided Berlusconi s fate on Monday, while they also found him guilty of abuse of office after he arranged to have El Mahroug released from custody after she was detained on a separate petty theft charge.

Prosecutors said that Ms El Mahroug who also denied the claims was one of a group of women invited to attend Berlusconi s house for alleged bunga-…

Christian Pulisic is hands down one of the most exciting prospects in world football at the moment.

And as the American wonderteen continues the preparations for the new season with his team Borussia Dortmund now would be a great time to reflect on the fact that the host of Europe’s top clubs are vying for Pulisic s signature.

The 19-year-old has enjoyed a frustrating season with both his club and country with Borussia Dortmund finishing fourth in the Bundesliga standings and the United States national team missing out on the World Cup in Russia this summer.

Glowing Spark in Dortmund’s Disappointing Season

Still, on the personal level, it’s fair to say Christian Pulisic kept the bar high and performed right up to the overall standard and quality he boasts as one…