Arsenal great Robert Pires believes Jamie Vardy has all the qualities to be a success at the Emirates Stadium, should he decide to leave Leicester City.
The 29-year-old is said to be considering his future while at Euro 2016 with England after Arsenal met a reported £20million release clause in his Leicester contract.
Vardy scored 24 times in the league in 2015-16 as Leicester went on to complete one of the most remarkable triumphs in sporting history by claiming their first Premier League title.
And Pires, who was part of Arsene Wenger s Invincibles , believes Vardy will thrive at Arsenal should he make the step up in the off-season.
There is no reason why it couldn t work out for Vardy, the two-time Premier League winner told the Daily Mail. H…
England manager Roy Hodgson has confirmed Ashley Cole will win his 100th international cap by starting against Brazil on Wednesday.
The Chelsea defender, who made his debut in 2001, will mark a century of appearances for England at Wembley.
While the 32-year-old will feature in the starting 11 at Wembley, Hodgson said he would not take the captain s armband from Steven Gerrard for the game.
Hodgson also defended the controversial full-back.
If you are an England fan and don t respect and love someone for what he s done, that s your problem, he said.
The 65-year-old also described the left-back as the most consistent player over last 10-12 years in our team he deserves to celebrate that.
Meanwhile, Hodgson is keen to see expectations sur…
AC Milan president Silvio Berlusconi has expressed interest in signing Paris Saint-Germain starlet Marco Verratti.
AC Milan president Silvio Berlusconi has expressed interest in signing Paris Saint-Germain starlet Marco Verratti.
The midfielder most recently hit the headlines by equalising in stoppage time during Italy s 1-1 friendly draw with Netherlands, and has played regularly under Carlo Ancelotti in Ligue 1 this season.
Verratti is a player that (Milan) are considering to buy, Berlusconi said.
We need to see if the financial aspects (of any deal) are good enough for us to acquire him.
Verratti has been compared to Azzurri icon Andrea Pirlo due to his fine performances in a Paris Saint-Germain shirt this term, and Berlusconi lamented …
Jose Mourinho says he cannot imagine taking charge of Bayern Munich as he is so settled at new club Tottenham.
Mourinho was appointed by Spurs last month, replacing Mauricio Pochettino, and has steered his side into the next round of the Champions League.
The former Manchester United boss had previously been linked with Bayern, who have also sacked a coach this season, dispensing with Niko Kovac s services after poor domestic displays.
Mourinho s contract at Tottenham runs until the end of the 2022-23 season, and the Portuguese does not expect to join Bayern in the future.
I don t imagine myself in the Bayern job because I m so happy at Tottenham, Mourinho told reporters ahead of Wednesday s Champions League clash between the sides.
Spurs were ha…
Alisson has challenged Liverpool to sustain the defensive focus that has helped them secure back-to-back clean sheets for the first time since September.
The Champions League holders reached the last 16 on Tuesday thanks to a 2-0 win away to Salzburg, with Naby Keita and Mohamed Salah scoring the goals.
It was also Liverpool s second clean sheet in a row, following last Saturday s 3-0 Premier League win at Bournemouth, a result that leaves the Reds eight points clear at the top of the table.
Since losing the Community Shield on penalties in August, Klopp s side have only lost once in all competitions a 2-0 defeat to Napoli in September but their defence has nonetheless come under scrutiny following a run of 13 matches in which they conceded at least one goal.
Siem de Jong s injury nightmare continues after Newcastle United confirmed the Dutchman has suffered a collapsed lung.
Injury-plagued Newcastle United forward Siem de Jong is set for another two months on the sidelines after undergoing surgery on a collapsed lung.
Former Ajax captain De Jong has made just two Premier League appearances for Newcastle since arriving at St James Park last July.
The 26-year-old has not played since August due to a persistent thigh injury, and his frustrating season has now taken another turn for the worse, with Newcastle announcing on Tuesday that he will miss another eight weeks with a collapsed lung an issue he also suffered with in 2013.
After four months of hard work getting back to full fitness it is such bad luck to su…
Brazil s image has benefited from hosting the FIFA World Cup, according to the country s minister for strategic affairs Marcelo Neri.
Some in Brazil felt the money spent on hosting the finals would have been put to better use improving the country s infrastructure, with isolated protests against the government breaking out in the build-up to the tournament.
Demonstrations continued during the first couple of days of the finals, but there has been little sign of any unrest as the showpiece has progressed, with the exciting action on the pitch taking centre stage.
And with Rio de Janeiro where Sunday s World Cup final will be held due to host the Olympics in two years time, Neri believes the World Cup has done a lot to improve the mood in Brazil.
I think t…
A potential return to Newcastle for Andy Carroll is in the hands of chairman Mike Ashley and the Liverpool board, manager Alan Pardew says.
Carroll cost the Merseyside club 35 million pounds when he made the switch to Anfield in January 2011, but it is believed new boss Brendan Rodgers does not see the striker as suitable for the style of play he plans to implement next season.
Several reports have suggested Newcastle have already had a loan offer for the 23-year-old, which supposedly included an option to make the deal permanent for a fee of around 13 million pounds, turned down.
Liverpool, it has been claimed, are holding out for a higher figure of around 20 million pounds as they look to recoup a more significant chunk of their original outlay.
It wi…
Saint Etienne, the club where UEFA president Michel Platini made his name in the 1970s and early 1980s, is in danger of becoming the forgotten team of French football, with 11 defeats in 15 league outings this season having plunged them to the foot of the table.
Ten league titles, six domestic cups, an appearance in a European Cup final and a list of former stars including Platini and Dominique Rocheteau.
Thirty years ago it was all so different for a club which once was used to dining at the top table of the European game.
Had it not been for a goal in the dying minutes of the second leg at Anfield in an epic 1977 European Cup quarter-final from Liverpool s legendary supersub David Fairclough the French, losing finalists a year earlier to Bayern Munich, woul…
Real Madrid could be willing to part ways with Gareth Bale in the summer, according to .
Both Bale and manager Zinedine Zidane have recently stated that the Welsh star s focus and future lie with , but Zidane has lately been preferring the likes of Isco, Marco Asensio and Lucas Vazquez ahead of Bale.
Up to this point, Bale has missed 36% of Real s games since he arrived at the club due to injuries. Nevertheless, he has been an important piece of the puzzle. He scored some trophy-winning goals over the five years he has spent there so far, and the number of trophies he s won is impressive in itself.
However, in the recent Champions League tie against Paris Saint-Germain, Bale was left on the bench when fully fit and ready to play for the first time since he s bee…