Arsenal F.C. defender Laurent Koscielny has put pen to paper on a new long-term contract at the Emirates Stadium, according to the club s official website, .
The France international, 28, has proven to be another one of Arsene Wenger s outstanding signings since arriving from French side FC Lorient in the summer of 2010.
Koscielny has formed a tremendous partnership with Per Mertesacker over the past two seasons, helping the Gunners keep 15 clean sheets in 31 of his English Premier League appearances this season. Solid.
The 28-year-old stopper is the eighth first-team player to commit his long-term future to North London this season, behind the likes of Aaron Ramsey, Gedion Zelalem, Per Mertesacker, Santi Cazorla, Serge Gnabry, Tomas Rosicky and Wojciec…
France winger Franck Ribery has revealed that next month s FIFA World Cup in Brazil will be his last.
Ribery, 31, will appear in the finals for the third time, after an agonising penalty-shootout defeat to Italy in the final in 2006, and a dismal first-round exit four years ago in South Africa.
The Bayern Munich man will be 35 by the time the next finals come around in Russia, and he told radio station RTL that this year s tournament in South America will be his final bow on the world stage.
It will be my last World Cup, he said.
We have to go there to achieve something, to try to win the World Cup, quite simply.
France have been drawn in Group E along with Switzerland, Honduras and Ecuador.
Coach Didier Deschamps will be keen to avoid a repeat of th…
Barcelona have appointed Josep Segura to a new position as sporting manager of the football area as the club prepares to announce an overhaul of its structure.
Segura initially worked as a youth team coach for Barca in 1997 and went on to serve as head of high performance and scouting until 2005. Having later rejoined the club, he has been the technical secretary of youth football since 2015.
First team technical secretary Robert Fernandez s role will remain unchanged, but Barca are set to announce their new administrative structure in the near future, headed up by Segura.
Josep Segura has been named sporting manager of the football area of Barcelona, the club said in a statement.
With the creation of this new role, he will be the head of the whole…
Andreas Christensen has confirmed that he will return to Chelsea for pre-season training ahead of discussions with Antonio Conte regarding his future.
The Denmark international has spent the past two seasons on loan at Borussia Monchengladbach, where he impressed and established himself as a first-team regular for the Bundesliga side.
But with that deal at an end, Christensen is heading back to Stamford Bridge to make a decision on his long-term plans.
I will join up with Chelsea on July 7, he told BT. I haven t talked to Conte yet.
I have talked to the sporting director and all those responsible for getting the players set up with a flat and what else belongs to them.
The sports director says the plan is that I meet like all the others and go …
Port Vale s Tom Pope had the FA Cup impact he promised before holders Manchester City ran out 4-1 winners at the Etihad Stadium.
Pope, whose disparaging Twitter post about City defender John Stones came to light following the third-round draw, nodded in a superb 35th-minute equaliser after Oleksandr Zinchenko s deflected opener.
However, Sergio Aguero ensured the hosts went in ahead at half-time before youngsters Taylor Harwood-Bellis – inadvertently scoring his first senior goal after Stones thought he had City s third – and Phil Foden sealed the Premier League champions progress.
Nathan Smith scrambled an eighth-minute effort from Foden out of the goalmouth but fellow Vale centre-back Leon Legge was not so effective with his own last-ditch attempt – tur…
Jamaica gained some revenge for their loss to Mexico in the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup final by claiming a stunning 1-0 win over the defending champions.
The Jamaicans advanced all the way to the final two years ago but were outclassed 3-1 by Mexico in the decider.
However, Jamaica went some way to avenging that defeat thanks to Kemar Lawrence s outstanding 88th-minute free-kick on Sunday.
After Jamaica goalkeeper Andre Blake produced a masterclass to thwart Mexico throughout in Pasadena, California, Lawrence stepped up and curled a set-piece past Jose Corona.
Jamaica will now meet hosts and five-time champions the United States in the tournament final in Santa Clara on Wednesday.
Mexico – with suspended head coach Juan Carlos Osorio watching in the…