Brentford only Premier League club to make top 10 of sustainability report

Brentford are the only Premier League team to have made the top 10 in a report assessing the country’s most sustainably-run clubs in the top four professional divisions.

The Bees are the sole top-flight representatives among the best performers in the Fair Game Index published on Monday.

This Index looks at all 92 clubs who were in the Premier League and the EFL last season, rating the performance of each on a weighted scoring system based on financial sustainability, governance, fan engagement and equality standards.

Fair Game, a group of clubs and industry experts which campaigns for football reform, believes clubs’ performance against sustainability criteria should be used to determine how the bulk of the centrally-distributed broadcast revenue is allocate…

Newcastle United linked with Leicester City defender Caglar Soyuncu

Newcastle United are interested in signing Leicester City central defender Caglar Soyuncu in the summer transfer window, according to . The report has claimed the Magpies are keen on bringing the Turkey international to St. James’ Park on a free transfer.

Soyuncu has been on the books of Leicester since 2018 and has been very good for the Foxes over the years. The defender has failed to reach a new agreement with Leicester and is now set to leave on a free transfer at the end of the season. Liverpool have expressed an interest in the 26-year-old, but the Merseyside club have been unable to make the right offer.

Newcastle are fifth in the Premier League table at the moment with 41 points from 23 matches, four points behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur, who have play…

Kompany tempers Champions League expectations after ´unusual´ Zagreb win

Vincent Kompany tempered Bayern Munich s Champions League expectations, crediting their 9-2 thrashing of Dinamo Zagreb as just a good start.

Bayern ran riot at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday, becoming the first side in the competition s history to score nine times in one match.

The victory also marked the 21st consecutive time the Bundesliga side have started their Champions League campaign with a win, with their last such defeat coming against Deportivo de La Coruna back in 2002-03.

While Kompany marked his debut as a head coach in the competition with an emphatic triumph, the Belgian was not getting carried away by the occasion.

It is about three points, Kompany said. Nine goals is a bit unusual but it was a lot of fun. The energy was good, the team …

Newcastle defender Sven Botman sidelined ‘six to nine months’ with knee injury

Newcastle defender Sven Botman is facing up to nine months on the sidelines as he prepares to undergo knee surgery.

The Magpies have confirmed the 24-year-old Dutchman will undergo a procedure to repair his anterior cruciate ligament next week after limping out of Saturday’s 2-0 FA Cup quarter-final defeat at Manchester City.

Botman, a £32million signing from French club Lille during the summer of 2022, had recently returned from a knee injury sustained in September.

Sven Botman will undergo surgery next week after suffering a knee injury against Manchester City.

A scan has confirmed that he sustained an injury to his ACL and he is expected to return within 6-9 months.

We wish you a full and speedy recovery, Sven

— Newcastle United F…

Pochettino insists Ligue 1 is PSG´s priority and backs Rico as Navas is ruled out again

Mauricio Pochettino is prioritising Ligue 1 over other competitions in his first season at Paris Saint-Germain and is backing Sergio Rico after a difficult showing in the defeat to Lorient.

PSG were beaten 3-2 at Stade du Moustoir on Sunday, as the Parisians suffered their first loss under new head coach Pochettino.

Spanish goalkeeper Rico deputised for Keylor Navas between the posts, with PSG s first choice missing due to a stomach injury.

But Rico received widespread criticism for his performance, raising further doubts regarding his suitability as Navas understudy and highlighting the Costa Rican s importance.

Navas looks set to miss Wednesday s visit of Nimes as well due to a groin complaint, meaning Rico is likely to keep his place in the team.

Guardiola and the big 5-0: When birthday boy Pep´s teams touched perfection

Pep Guardiola is 50 and who would begrudge Manchester City s remarkable manager a quiet celebration?

The likelihood is that Guardiola will instead be picking the pieces out of Sunday s clash with Crystal Palace and planning for Wednesday s game against Aston Villa.

Guardiola the player was a diligent servant as a defensive midfielder for Barcelona and Spain, albeit rarely the player who would light up a match.

Yet as a coach his teams have had maverick tendencies, as well as being clinical and merciless at times, as his medal collection shows.

To mark Guardiola s big 5-0 , now is a timely moment to revisit some of the finest 5-0 wins from his coaching career.

Barcelona 5-0 Real Madrid (November 29, 2010)

Barca s 8-0 win at Almeria nine da…

Liverpool v Manchester City: Opportunity knocks again for Jurgen Klopp and his relentless Reds

Here they are again: Liverpool and Manchester City. The Premier League s leading protagonists primed for another high-paced, highly important battle, both determined to make a statement ahead of an international break.

It is 10 months since these two previously lined up against each other in the league. Back on January 3, the Reds went into the fixture at the Etihad Stadium knowing a win would open up a double-digit lead at the summit.

Success would not have secured the crown, of course, but it would have left their rivals with substantial ground to make up and with less than half a season remaining. City knew as much too, leading to a performance full of spirit to go with their undoubted skill.

We knew that it was a final today, if we lose it is almost over,…

Buffon matches Maldini´s Serie A appearance record, passes Del Piero´s Juventus mark

Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon matched Paolo Maldini’s Serie A appearance record after he was selected to play a 647th top-flight game in Wednesday s match against Sampdoria.

The veteran former Italy number one kept his place, with the injured Wojciech Szczesny ruled out of the line-up at Stadio Luigi Ferraris.

Buffon, who began his career at Parma, also took an outright club record as he passed Alessandro Del Piero s mark of 478 Serie A appearances, playing his 479th game in the division for the Bianconeri.

The 41-year-old was an Italy team-mate of former Milan defender Maldini, who retired in 2009 at the age of 40, and played for many years for club and country with Del Piero.

 Scendiamo in campo così

— JuventusFC (@juventu…

Courtois still dreams of winning the Champions League

Thibaut Courtois said the adventure continues as he spoke about his desire to win the Champions League with Real Madrid ahead of a reunion with former club Chelsea.

Los Blancos travel to Stamford Bridge for the first leg of their quarter-final on Wednesday, a repeat of last year s semi-final, which Thomas Tuchel s side won 3-1 on aggregate before eventually lifting the trophy.

Despite winning numerous honours throughout his career, it is a competition Courtois has never gone all the way in and the Belgian stopper is aiming to do something about that this season.

Speaking to Madrid s official website ahead of the first-leg clash in London, Courtois said: I ve won many trophies, but the Champions League is the biggest in club football and I haven t won it yet.

´They´ve awoken a sleeping giant´ – Kisnorbo revels in Leeds´ Premier League promotion

Patrick Kisnorbo said a sleeping giant has awoken after Leeds United secured Premier League promotion following a 16-year absence amid wild celebrations in West Yorkshire.

Not since 2004 have Leeds featured in the Premier League but second-placed West Brom s 2-1 defeat at Championship strugglers Huddersfield Town on Friday ensured the club s long-awaited return to England s top flight with two matches remaining.

Leeds reached the Champions League semi-finals in 2001 but the Yorkshire outfit imploded financially, relegated from the Premier League at the end of the 2003-04 season.

Their demise plunged to new lows when they were relegated to League One – England s third division – in 2007 before returning to the Championship in 2010, where Leeds have remained un…