Leonardo has much to prove on his return to Paris Saint-Germain as the club s new sporting director, according to Willy Sagnol.
The Ligue 1 club confirmed the Brazilian s appointment on Friday, just hours after announcing they had parted company with Antero Henrique, who had been in the role since June 2017.
PSG retained their domestic title in the 2018-19 but once again failed in their quest to win the Champions League, losing at the last-16 stage to Manchester United in dramatic circumstances.
During Leonardo s previous spell as sporting director, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Thiago Silva and Marco Verratti were all brought in, the latter signed from Pescara when still a teenager.
However, Sagnol has questioned the impact Leonardo had in his one season wi…
Newcastle United captain Kevin Nolan has been banned from driving for 60 days due to a speeding offence.
Nolan, 28, was hit with the ban after being caught speeding in May 2009 in his Range Rover in Longbenton, North Tyneside.
The former Bolton player was clocked at 65mph in a 30mph zone, the North Tyneside Magistrates Court heard.
The midfielder, who has scored 10 Premier League goals this season, also received a 1,000 pound fine for his indiscretion, and must pay 2,746 pounds in court costs and surcharges.
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What the papers say
Manchester United are the latest club to chase Spain midfielder Dani Olmo, 25, according to the Daily Mail. Real Madrid, Manchester City, Chelsea and Tottenham are also tracking the RB Leipzig player, who has a £52million release clause.
Newcastle took the chance to watch Brazil players against England last week. The Newcastle Chronicle reports Barcelona winger Raphinha and Juventus defender Gleison Bremer, also 27, are potential targets.
Crystal Palace face competition to sign Valencia defender Cristhian Mosquera, 19. The Evening Standard reports Atletico Madrid are also keen on the Spain Under-21 international.
Chelsea are planning the club’s long-term future off the pitch. The Daily Mail says Todd Boehly will be replaced as chairman in …
Ousmane Dembele
Signed from Borussia Dortmund as part of the initial splurge after Neymar s departure, Dembele s time at Barca has been curious. While few doubt his ability and potential, the French winger has missed a frustrating amount of games through injury at Camp Nou, while various stories in the media have suggested the 22-year-old isn t as professional as he should be. The latest transfer rumours claim Barca have offered €170m plus Dembele for Neymar – and they might not get a better bid, as the winger would be a like-for-like replacement. Similarly, if Neymar signs and Dembele stays, he could be the main victim of the Brazilian s arrival.
FC Barcelona player has been diagnosed with a strain to his left hamstring, and is set to miss the next five weeks with …
Pep Guardiola insists there is no pressure on Yaya Toure to reclaim his role as Manchester City s talisman following the midfielder s sensational return to first-team action last weekend.
Toure had been frozen out after outspoken agent Dimitri Seluk criticised Guardiola for leaving his client out of City s squad for the group stage of the Champions League.
The 33-year-old belatedly offered an apology earlier this month and was a surprise inclusion in the starting line-up at Crystal Palace.
A lean and sharp Toure responded by netting both goals in a 2-1 win. It was a familiar sight for City fans, with the player having struck decisively on the way to multiple major honours since joining from Barcelona in 2010.
But Guardiola is not ready to saddle Toure wit…
Mohamed Salah set a new record for the most goals in a 38-game Premier League season with Liverpool s opener against Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday.
The Egypt forward swivelled inside the penalty area to fire home with his left foot in the 26th minute, taking his impressive tally in the league this season to 32.
Salah s strike at Anfield sees him break free of a tie with three of the competition s legendary names.
Alan Shearer set the bar with 31 goals in the 1995-96 season, the first when the competition was reduced to 20 teams, with Cristiano Ronaldo matching the England striker s feat 12 years later during his time at Manchester United.
Luis Suarez also reached the same number in the 2013-14 campaign with Liverpool with his last goal for the Mersey…
Ten-man Atletico Madrid were handed a humbling first defeat of the new LaLiga season in a dismal display at Celta Vigo, going down 2-0 at the Balaidos.
Maxi Gomez netted the opener in the 46th minute and then created the second for Iago Aspas in the 52nd as Atleti failed to recover from a poor first half in which they lacked cutting edge up front.
Antoine Griezmann sought to inspire his side, but a fightback never looked likely for Diego Simeone s men, who were tipped to put up a decent fight for the title.
Indeed, things went from bad to worse for Atleti as Stefan Savic saw red with 20 minutes remaining, although Gustavo Cabral was harshly denied a third by a marginal offside call after a VAR consultation.
90+’ | 2-0 | Full time in Balaídos
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Manchester United and England great Bobby Charlton has been diagnosed with dementia.
Charlton s wife Norma confirmed the diagnosis to the Telegraph and gave consent for the 83-year-old s condition to be reported to raise awareness of the condition.
United said in a statement: “Everyone at Manchester United is saddened that this terrible disease has afflicted Sir Bobby Charlton.
We continue to offer our love and support to Sir Bobby and his family.
Charlton, a survivor of the 1958 Munich air disaster, won the World Cup with England in 1966 and was his country s record goalscorer until Wayne Rooney overtook him in 2015.
The former midfielder also won three league titles at United and scored two goals in the final of their first European Cup win …
Dominik Szoboszlai and Andre Silva struck in either half as Manchester City fell to a 2-1 defeat at RB Leipzig in the Champions League.
Premier League leaders City headed to the Red Bull Arena on a 14-game unbeaten run against German opposition in the competition, including a 6-3 home win in the reverse fixture, but Szoboszlai broke the deadlock after 24 minutes this time.
Phil Foden responded by rattling the woodwork before the break, yet Leipzig scored the second goal when Silva converted on the counter, before Riyad Mahrez pulled one back for the visitors.
Pep Guardiola s hopes of a recovery were hit by Kyle Walker s red card, although his side had already secured top spot in Group A, with this result – combined with Club Brugge s defeat at Paris Saint-G…
Edin Dzeko and Denzel Dumfries guided Inter to a much-needed 2-0 win over 10-man Viktoria Plzen, kick-starting the Nerazzurri s Champions League campaign.
Defeat to Bayern Munich last Wednesday meant Inter needed to respond in the Czech Republic, and they never looked likely to drop points after Dzeko swept home in the first half.
Pavel Bucha s straight red card cemented Inter s superiority, with Dumfries making the points safe when Dzeko turned provider with 20 minutes remaining.
With Simone Inzaghi s men facing criticism after an inconsistent start to the season, the win provides a welcome boost ahead of the daunting prospect of back-to-back meetings with Group C rivals Barcelona.
Inter needed just 20 minutes to turn their dominance of possession int…