Abou Diaby is keen to adapt his game and help solve Arsenal s defensive midfield problems.
Diaby has been plagued by injuries in recent years, the 28-year-old being restricted to just 16 Premier League appearances since the beginning of the 2011-12 season.
But injuries picked up by Mikel Arteta (calf) and Aaron Ramsey (hamstring) in last weekend s north London derby draw with Tottenham have stretched Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger s options in central midfield.
And, after starting Arsenal s League Cup defeat to Southampton last week, Diaby feels he could provide Wenger with an option in the middle of the park.
[The boss and I] have spoken about it and it could be an option, he told Arsenal s official website. The boss told me he could see me playing in th…
United States goalkeeper Tim Howard expects a physical test from FIFA World Cup Group G opponents Ghana in Monday s clash.
The sides meet in Natal for what will be the second game of the group after Portugal and Germany meet earlier in the day in Salvador.
It is a repeat of a last-16 clash in South Africa four years ago when Ghana edged the States 2-1 after extra time.
Having been part of the USA side beaten by Ghana in Rustenburg, the Everton goalkeeper believes Kwesi Appiah s men will pose a physical challenge.
I think they are very similar (to 2010). They are strong individually, he said.
Obviously, we know how physical they are so we are going to try to match that. I ve said it before, very rarely do we get outmatched physically but this is a team th…
Barcelona have terminated the contract of defender Jeremy Mathieu with immediate effect despite having a year left on his current deal.
The 33-year-old arrived at Camp Nou in 2014 from Valencia and made 91 appearances for the Blaugrana across all competitions, winning two LaLiga titles, three Copas del Rey and the 2014-15 Champions League.
Mathieu had been expected to leave the Catalan giants following the end of the 2016-17 season after starting just 12 league matches, and had been training with Sporting CP with Barca s blessing.
He now looks free to complete a switch to the Primeira Liga side after a mutual agreement to bring his Barca career to an end.
BREAKING: Jérémy Mathieu and FC Barcelona part ways:
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona)
Santos have reached an agreement with Gabriel Barbosa to extend his contract until 2021.
Gabriel scored his first senior international goal for Brazil in the 2-0 friendly win over Panama in May, following it up with another strike in a 7-1 thumping of Haiti at the Copa America Centenario.
Even before appearing at the continental competition, the 19-year-old had been linked with the likes of Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund.
Reports this week suggested Santos turned down a €30million bid for the striker from Chelsea.
However, the club have reached an agreement with Gabriel to extend his contract – initially due to expire in 2019 – at the Vila Belmiro for a further two years, though formal paperwork is yet to be signed.
Santos announ…
Josef Martinez tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee during Atlanta United s opening game of the MLS season on Saturday.
The Venezuela international was taken off on a stretcher 69 minutes into Atlanta s 2-1 win over expansion franchise Nashville after colliding with David Romney.
Martinez s head coach Frank de Boer admitted after the game the injury doesn t look really well and on Sunday the club confirmed the 26-year-old would need surgery on a torn ACL, likely ruling him out for most, if not all, of the 2020 MLS season.
The striker has scored 77 goals in 84 games for Atlanta, including a then-MLS record 35 in 2018, when he was named the league s Most Valuable Player in a campaign that ended with United winning the MLS Cup.
Josef …
Massimiliano Allegri conceded his dismissal in Juventus Coppa Italia quarter-final defeat to Atalanta was the correct decision as he stated his belief the result had been in the air .
The Bianconeri suffered their first domestic loss of another excellent campaign on Wednesday, sensationally losing 3-0 as Allegri s men saw their hopes of a fifth successive Serie A and Coppa double undone by an Atalanta side playing some of the most exciting football in Europe under Gian Piero Gasperini.
Timothy Castagne opened the scoring for Atalanta and Duvan Zapata made it 2-0 six minutes before half-time, a goal that was followed by Allegri being sent to the stands after a heated exchange with the fourth official.
Zapata rounded things off with his second of the night and 20…
Best Odds: 1/1
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Looking to secure back-to-back Premier League victories on Tuesday night, Newcastle will welcome Everton to St. James’ Park.
Newcastle
Starting with the hosts, mounting what was a stunning comeback at home against West Ham over the weekend, Newcastle will be desperate to make another statement here. Eventually clinching a remarkable 4-3 victory at St. James’ Park, Eddie Howe’s men know the importance of using that late flurry as a platform to build on over the final couple of months. Still with their sights firmly set on securing another European finish in 2024, the Magpies will certainly be smelling a golden opportunity here. Despite slumping to a shock 3-0 drumming when they travelled to Goodison Park for their reverse Premier …
Joao Felix came off the bench to rescue a point for Atletico Madrid against 10-man Espanyol as they drew 1-1 at the Metropolitano on Sunday.
The game had started with some jeers from the crowd after Atletico finished bottom of their Champions League group in midweek, and the mood did not improve as the Rojiblancos struggled to break down their visitors.
It looked to be set up nicely for the hosts when Leandro Cabrera was sent off in the first half, but despite having an extra man, Atletico contrived to fall behind after Sergi Darder s volley just after the hour mark.
Joao Felix arrived to bring the scores level with just over 10 minutes remaining, but a draw will still be a disappointing result for home coach Diego Simeone in the circumstances.
We share t…
Juan Roman Riquelme has criticised the style of play and approach to football of his Boca Juniors coach Julio Cesar Falcioni.
Differences between the pair have been widely reported in the past, but they agreed prior to the 2011 Apertura season to put their problems aside to ensure stability at the Bombonera.
The compromise appeared to be working on the field, as Boca romped to the title in December to register their first championship success since 2008.
However, Riquelme on Wednesday accused Falcioni of valuing results over attractive football, and accusing the coach of forcing him compromise his natural playing style.
Eight months ago, Falcioni made me run all over the place alone like an idiot and I said nothing, Riquelme said.
Our team has…
Notts County won at Meadow Lane for the first time in 2024 as they comfortably beat Harrogate 3-0.
Macaulay Langstaff put County ahead from the spot and, after George Thomson saw a penalty saved by Luca Ashby-Hammond, Jodi Jones and Jim O’Brien struck.
The hosts started brightly as Aaron Nemane danced his way into the area, linking up with Dan Crowley and poking the ball home, only to see his effort ruled out for offside.
County took the lead just before the break as Nemane was tripped inside the area, with Langstaff stepping up and sending James Belshaw the wrong way for his 26th goal of the season.
Thomson had the chance to level the game as Aden Baldwin’s high boot on Abraham Odoh was penalised, however his spot-kick was brilliantly saved by Ashby-…