Aston Villa have named striker Gabriel Agbonlahor as their new captain following Stilian Petrov s diagnosis with leukaemia.
England international Agbonlahor, who has scored six times for the Midlands club this season, has been awarded the armband after the Bulgarian put an indefinite hold on his playing career.
Agbonlahor, who has played over 200 games for the club he joined as a boy, will lead his side out for the first time against Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday.
The 25-year-old made his debut in 2005, before enjoying loan spells with Watford and Sheffield Wednesday for the remainder of the campaign.
He returned to Villa Park the following season and has been a key player in the side ever since, notching 53 goals in his time with the Premier League c…
Wales manager Chris Coleman credited his success with the national team down to not being afraid to dream or fail after their stunning 3-1 Euro 2016 quarter-final victory over Belgium.
Belgium took the lead in the 13th minute of Friday s contest at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy through a fierce long-range effort from Radja Nainggolan, only for Wales to dump out one of the pre-tournament favourites with a remarkable comeback.
Captain Ashley Williams headed Wales level on the half-hour mark before a superb turn and finish from Hal Robson-Kanu made it 2-1.
Sam Vokes fine late header made sure of progression to the semi-final, where Wales will meet Portugal in Lyon next Wednesday.
The run to the last four marks the first time Wales have reached the semis of a major…
Nicolas Gaitan has penned a two-year contract extension with Primiera Liga champions Benfica.
The Argentina winger moved to Estadio da Luz from Boca Juniors in May 2010 for a reported €8.4million and has become a key player for the Lisbon giants.
Gaitan s previous deal was due to expire in 2016, but it was announced on Monday that he has signed fresh terms until June 2018 with a release clause of €35million inserted.
Benfica and the athlete, Nicolas Gaitan, have extended the employment contract for two more seasons up to June 30, 2018.
The amount of an express termination clause in the contract of work is €35million.
The Argentina international, 26, came to Luz on May 3, 2010, originating from Boca Juniors.
The 26-year-old, who w…
Tite said there is more talk about Neymar in the media than within the Brazil squad ahead of the Selecao s Copa America opener.
Brazil will kick off their Copa America campaign against Bolivia in Sao Paulo on Friday, without star Neymar due to an ankle injury.
Neymar – who has vehemently denied a rape allegation amid an ongoing investigation – was ruled out of the South American tournament after hurting his ankle in last week s friendly win over Qatar.
The Paris Saint-Germain forward is still in the spotlight as Brazil prepare to host Bolivia in Group A and head coach Tite told reporters: There s more talk about Neymar [in the media] than there is talk about him within the squad.
Within the squad we are focused on our preparations. I would never want…
Paul Pogba has reportedly contacted Juventus coach Maurizio Sarri directly to ask for a move back to the Serie A giants.
Pogba left Juve to rejoin Manchester United in 2016, but seems set on a move away from Old Trafford ahead of next season.
Real Madrid have been heavily linked with a move for the France star, though the 26-year-old apparently favours a return to Turin.
TOP STORY – POGBA MAKES SARRI PLEA
Manchester United star Pogba wants out of Old Trafford, and has called Juventus coach Sarri in order to force through a return to Italy, according to Tuttosport.
The Italian publication claim that Pogba is desperate for the move to happen, and has contacted Sarri directly.
Juve sporting director Fabio Paratici already con…
FA Cup replays have been scrapped from next season, the Football Association has announced.
The move to abolish all replays from the first round proper onwards is part of a new agreement between the FA and the Premier League which will see up to an extra £33million going to grassroots football from the top flight each season.
The FA had already scrapped replays from the fifth round onwards and said the move to ditch them altogether had been agreed “in light of changes to the calendar driven by the expanded UEFA competitions”.
The FA and The have reached an agreement to strengthen the format and increase support for grassroots football.
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— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup)
The FA said all rounds would now be playe…
Vinicius Junior s stunning late strike helped Real Madrid to a 2-1 win over Sevilla at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday.
Sevilla, led by former Los Blancos boss Julen Lopetegui, could have moved a point clear of Madrid at the top of the table with victory, and they got off to a fine start thanks to Rafa Mir s early header.
Karim Benzema pulled the hosts level shortly after the half-hour mark, before Vinicius secured maximum points three minutes from full-time with a wonderful long-range drive.
The result moved Carlo Ancelotti s men four points clear of Atletico Madrid and Real Sociedad at the top of the table, with Sevilla a further point back in fourth.
18 Only Mohamed Salah (19, 11 goals and 8 assists) has been involved in more goals in Europe s five maj…
Atletico Madrid have completed the signing of Fiorentina defender Stefan Savic on a five-year deal.
Atleti reached an agreement with the Serie A club for the centre-back, and the Montenegro defender agreed terms until 2020 after passing a medical.
Savic moved to Fiorentina in August 2012 after struggling to adapt during a one-year stay at Manchester City, with whom he won the Premier League in the 2011-12 campaign.
The 24-year-old has impressed in Italy, though, and was linked with a move to Milan, while talk of a switch to Manchester United was also mooted.
However, Savic has opted to join Atleti and the club s sporting director Jose Luis Caminero is happy with the club s business.
We are very satisfied with the agreement reached with Fiorentin…
Chelsea wing-back Kenedy has joined Newcastle United on loan for the remainder of the season.
Kenedy will be ineligible for Newcastle s FA Cup fourth-round clash against Chelsea on Sunday, but could make his debut against Burnley at St James Park next Wednesday.
The 21-year-old is looking forward to working under Rafael Benitez and reuniting with former Blues team-mate Christian Atsu.
I m so happy with this opportunity at Newcastle. They ve opened the door to me to come here, show my potential and come and play for Newcastle, said Kenedy in a statement.
It s a traditional club and Rafa Benitez is a fantastic, amazing coach. Christian Atsu, as well – we trained together at Chelsea and know each other, and he said good things about the club. So it was …
Serie A outfit Lazio are showing interest in Atletico Madrid winger Alessio Cerci, .
The Biancocelesti could offload Ricardo Kishna to Genoa in the coming days and if that happens, they will make a move on the former Torino star.
It is believed that Atletico Madrid would accept a loan deal until the end of the season with an option to buy for €4 million, which sounds like a great deal for the player who was one of Serie A’s leading performers in the 2013/2014 season.
Cerci has, however, struggled for form and playing time since moving to Atletico Madrid, making just six substitute appearances in La Liga, while enjoying loan spells with AC Milan and Genoa.
The forward made a return from a knee injury back in December, but it is clear that he does not …