Busquets open to MLS in future

Having been likened to a little horse  by manager Jose Mourinho last season, Chelsea proved to be thoroughbreds in 2014-15 as they cantered to the Premier League title.

Close-season acquisitions Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa were particularly influential in the first half of the campaign and Mourinho s men demonstrated resilience thereafter to remain clear of the chasing pack.

Chelsea also won the League Cup with victory over Tottenham at Wembley, but a UEFA Champions League last-16 exit to Paris Saint-Germain brought disappointment, along with a shock FA Cup exit at the hands of League One Bradford City.

Here we take a look at the key moments of Chelsea s campaign.

PRE-SEASON ACTIVITY

Having frequently bemoaned the quality of the str…

Arsenal marked Jack Wilshere s return to action with a nerve-wracking 1-0 victory over a 10-man QPR, thanks to a late strike from Mikel Arteta.

The Spaniard scrambled the ball over the goal-line in the 84th minute following an afternoon of toil for Arsene Wenger s side in which they once again failed to find their attacking rhythm.

The result, which lifts the Gunners to fourth position in the Premier League, came thanks to a helping hand from QPR defender Stephane Mbia, who was sent-off in the 80th minute after foolishly kicking out at Arsenal captain Thomas Vermaelen.

QPR manager Mark Hughes will now face increasing speculation over his future as the west London club remain rock-bo
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ttom in the Premier League with three points from nine matches.

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Queens Park Rangers are hoping to persuade Scott Parker to join them for the forthcoming Championship season, .

Tottenham Hotspur are likely to part company with the England international, who they have valued at £2million, after they agreed a deal to sign Corinthians midfielder Paulinho.

Hoops manager Harry Redknapp is keen to be reunited with the player for whom he paid West Ham United around £5.5million for back in 2011, as he looks to secure a return to the top flight at the first time of asking.

Parker was named in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year following his first season at White Hart Lane, and was also named England’s Player of the Year for 2011.

He began his career at Charlton Athletic before securing a big money transfer to …

The United States roller coaster Confederations Cup ride may have come to an end here on Sunday with defeat to Brazil but Bob Bradley s men leave South Africa with their stock having risen sharply.

In the week that America lost its King of Pop Michael Jackson the Stars and Stripes have given the country something to cheer about with their first ever appearance in a major final.

The CONCACAF Gold Cup winners got off to a wretched start with lopsided losses compounded by two successive red cards against the Brazilians and world champions Italy and looked destined for an early trip home.

Then they produced miracle number one a crushing 3-0 victory over African champions Egypt which lifted them into the semi-finals on goal difference.

Gone was the hesitancy …

Manchester City have agreed personal terms with Arsenal defender Kolo Toure in a deal worth £15m, while the Eastlands club also expect to sign Chelsea captain John Terry and Everton defender Joleon Lescott by the end of August. Sunday Times

City s deal for Terry is edging closer with a £35m fee likely for the England captain. Daily Mail

However, such a move would actually seem unlikely with Terry ready to commit to a new £150,000-a-week deal which would mean he will end his career with Chelsea. Sunday Express

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is planning a £7m bid for Chelsea forward Salomon Kalou, 23, whose contract at Stamford Bridge runs out at the end of the season. News of the World

And the Arsenal boss is planning …

Jack Grealish will be compared to global superstars like Neymar and Kylian Mbappe following his £100million move to Manchester City, Stiliyan Petrov expects.

England winger Grealish completed his transfer from boyhood club Aston Villa to City this week and could make his debut from the bench in Saturday s Community Shield.

Villa confirmed they had received £100m from City for their captain, triggering a release clause and making Grealish the Premier League s first nine-figure signing.

That is a select group across Europe, including the world s most expensive player Neymar and Paris Saint-Germain team-mate Mbappe.

Jack Grealish has become part of the Neymar 100 million, Mbappe 100 million, [Philippe] Coutinho [group], ex-Villa captain Petrov, one of the…

Roy Keane was dealt a blow earlier this summer when star striker Jones injured his knee in Trinidad Tobago s friendly match against England. The striker had been in impressive form for Sunderland the past season, and Keane wanted him to lead the line for next season, but Jones injury has ruled him out until 2009 at least, according to the Daily Mail.

The same Daily Mail now reports that Keane has lined up a replacement for his crocked striker. The article reckons that Everton s Andy Johnson is in line to join the Black Cats. The former Crystal Palace man has had an impressive debut season for Everton, but failed to confirm in his second year at Goodison Park. Now Moyes has made the striker available as he tries to make room for other players.

According to the report, Jo…

Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said Wednesday he will fight to keep Germany star Bastian Schweinsteiger when contract negotiations resume at the end of the month.

The 24-year-old failed to agree terms with Bayern last May and after an impressive Euro 2008 campaign, where Schweini helped Germany reach the final, Rummenigge wants to extend his current deal which runs until June 2009.

We will try hard to keep him, Rummenigge said ahead of Bayern s opening Champions League match in Romania against Steaua Bucharest on Wednesday.

With Franck Ribery occupying Schweinsteiger s preferred left wing berth at Bayern, the German star may have reason to leave Munich, but Rummenigge says he will be at his most persuasive when talks resume next week.

A…

Gareth Bale is targeting a Cardiff homecoming in this season s Champions League after Real Madrid learned the initial opponents for the defence of their European crown.

Zinedine Zidane s team will take on Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund, Sporting CP and Legia Warsaw in Group F following Thursday s draw in Monaco.

This season s final takes place in the Welsh capital, where Madrid collected the UEFA Super Cup in 2014, following Champions League glory in Bale s first season at the club.

Now, with two European titles under his belt and a run to the Euro 2016 semi-finals with Wales fresh in the memory, the 27-year-old forward is understandably setting his sights high.

It’s obviously a difficult group, it always is in the Champions League. All the teams …

Prediction: Man United win

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As millions around the world continue to deal with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, one slice of normality has remained the same sport. We re now in a new year and that means we re going to be experiencing a whole lost of games coming at us thick and fast between now and May, which is especially true in the English Premier League. Today, we re going to take a look at a fixture that always seems to deliver excitement Manchester United vs Sheffield United.

Manchester United

The fact that Manchester United are top of the Premier League table is enough of a reason to believe that this is an incredibly unpredictable campaign. Very few people would ve expected them to surge to such lofty heights when th…