Cologne are set to offer forward Lukas Podolski a new contract that would see him earn five million euros a season, a report says.
The 26-year-old is out of contract in June next year, and has been repeatedly linked with a move abroad, with Premier League outfit Arsenal said to be particularly keen on signing the Germany international.
However, according to Bild, Cologne will offer Podolski a pay rise of 1.4m pounds as part of a two-year contract extension which will include the option to renew for a further season in 2015.
The player has thus far given little away regarding his next move, admitting only that his future will be resolved one way or another at season s end.
Podolski, who has been capped 95 times by his country, is in his second stint with …
Jose Fonte spoke with pride over how his journey to the Euro 2016 semi-final is dramatically different to the one enjoyed by Cristiano Ronaldo, as the Portugal team-mates prepare to face Wales on Wednesday.
While Ronaldo s rise to prominence saw him become the world s most expensive player and Real Madrid s all-time top scorer among other notable highlights, Fonte s career has included turning out for Southampton in each of the top three divisions in English football.
But the Saints return to the Premier League in 2012 handed Fonte a platform to make a name for himself and gain international recognition, with the 32-year-old who only made his Portugal debut in November 2014 in line to start against Wales in Lyon.
Reflecting on his backstory and that o…
Seven FIFA officials have been arrested in Zurich ahead of Friday s presidential election. FIFA s current President, Sepp Blatter, was not among the people arrested.
Earlier today seven FIFA officials were arrested on suspicion of corruption by Swiss police working in conjunction with the US government.
The arrests were made as 209 members of FIFA gathered in Zurich for the FIFA congress and the presidential elections on Friday.
Money
Quite simply football is one of the biggest businesses in the world today. Everybody connected with football seems to have their hand in the cookie jar.
The players, clubs and officials earn small fortunes from the industry, as do some of the suits higher up the food chain.
As in the world of national and in…
France head coach Didier Deschamps said he is unwilling to take risks with Kylian Mbappe as the world champions look ahead to their Nations League clash against Croatia.
Mbappe scored the winning goal but hurt his ankle in France s unconvincing 1-0 victory over Sweden in their Nations League Group A3 opener on Saturday.
The Paris Saint-Germain star, who overcame an ankle problem to take part in his club s run to the Champions League final, was substituted with 13 minutes remaining after a blow to his foot in Stockholm.
Deschamps was asked about Mbappe s fitness as France prepare for Tuesday s fixture against Croatia – a rematch of the 2018 World Cup final.
— French Team (@FrenchTeam)
He was better after the game, Deschamps told…
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
An old adage it may be but it is one that can certainly be reasonably used in relation to Saturday s El Derbi as Real Madrid sauntered to a 2-0 triumph over rivals Atletico.
If a week is a long time in politics then it must feel like an eternity in football and certainly the events of the past seven days have markedly changed the outlook for Zinedine Zidane and his Real Madrid Galacticos.
Only 11 days have passed since a lifeless 2-0 defeat at Shakhtar Donetsk left Madrid s chances of qualifying from the Champions League group stages hanging as precariously as the last leaf on an autumnal tree.
That setback had followed the insipid 2-1 home loss to Deportivo Alaves the latest deafening alarm bell in a L…
Danny Rose struck 18 minutes from time to secure a 1-1 Premier League draw for Tottenham against Liverpool at White Hart Lane on Saturday.
The England international fired home to cancel out James Milner s first-half penalty and make it three draws in the last three meetings between the sides.
Jurgen Klopp had criticised his team s decision-making in last Saturday s shock 2-0 loss at Burnley and Philippe Coutinho twice spurned excellent chances to open the scoring in the first half, with Michel Vorm saving well.
Spurs struggled to threaten Simon Mignolet s goal for much of the first hour and Liverpool looked likely to double their lead, with Joel Matip hitting the crossbar and Sadio Mane s tap-in ruled out for offside.
But the visitors began to sit deep…
Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers watched on as his team were hammered 7-0 at Barcelona
Celtic’s Champions League campaign was always going to be a difficult one, as the Scots were handed what looked like a nightmare group draw,
The Scottish champions were drawn alongside Spanish giants Barcelona, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City and German side Borussia Monchengladbach in Europe s elite competition.
Their first game of the campaign a trip the Nou Camp to face Barcelona was a daunting one and it turned into a harsh footballing lesson, as the Catalan giant’s trounced Brendan Rodgers side 7-0.
Very different emotions
At the weekend the Hoops were celebrating a 5-1 derby win over Rangers in the SPL, as striker Moussa Dembele grabbed a hat-trick. On T…
2015-2016 s Premier League champions purchased a few players following their title win, but not many of those additions have really flourished at the Midlands club. Islam Slimani is one such player, and he could be set to end his short Leicester career by making a loan switch to French champions , according to .
Slimani featured 23 times in the Premier League last season, scoring seven goals, and he has made just 12 appearances so far in this campaign. With Jamie Vardy continuing to score goals at a fairly consistent rate for the foxes, it is little surprise that the Algerian forward has struggled to establish any consistent game time.
Monaco meanwhile, his potential destination, seems to be another appealing prospect, though quite how many minutes he will be able to s…
Jan Vertonghen has hinted that he could be the next Tottenham Hotspur player to pen a new contract, .
A number of Spurs’ first team squad have committed their future to the North London club in recent weeks and Vertonghen could be set to follow suit after suggesting that their squad is as strong as any in the Premier League.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side are the only remaining unbeaten side in England’s top flight and currently sit in third place, one point behind rivals Arsenal and league leaders Manchester City.
Vertonghen moved to White Hart Lane from Ajax in the summer of 2012 and has since racked up one hundred and sixty-nine appearances in all competitions, scoring eight goals.
Internationally, he has been capped eighty-one times for Belgium…
Pele s career goals tally may be open to debate but there is no questioning his greatness.
The Brazilian legend starred for Santos and changed the game during his spell with the New York Cosmos. However, he is perhaps best remembered for his achievements in international football, helping the Selecao win the World Cup on three occasions.
The first – in 1958 – saw Pele score twice in the final when aged 17 years and 249 days. Four years later, injury curtailed his involvement, but Brazil still retained the Jules Rimet Trophy.
In 1970, the national hero helped leave an indelible mark on the history of the sport. Pele, having said he would not play another World Cup after 1966, was awarded the Golden Ball, given to the best player at the tourn…