NBA Legend Kobe Bryant Dies In Helicopter Crash

Kobe Bryant died in a helicoper crash in Calabasas Sunday morning, NBA officially confirms.

Kobe Bryant has died in a helicopter crash in California aged 41. The NBA legend was travelling with four people in his private helicopter when it crashed in Calabasas, 40 miles north-west of Los Angeles, on Sunday morning.

Bryant’s 13-year-old daughter, nicknamed Gigi, was also onboard the private helicopter when it went down on Sunday, reps for the former basketball player told TMZ Sports. Five people are reported to have died in the accident. 

A call for a downed helicopter went out at 10.01am, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said. Firefighters attended the scene and put out the flames.

“Unfortunately there were no survivors,” Tony Imbrenda, the Los Angeles County Fire captain, told reporters. Imbrenda could not confirm who was on board or who the helicopter belonged to, but it is reportedly Bryant’s aircraft.

Kobe has famously used a helicopter to travel for years -- dating back to when he played for the Lakers. He was known for commuting from Newport Beach, CA to the STAPLES Center in DTLA in his Sikorsky S-76 chopper.

Bryant is considered one of greatest basketball players of all time. He became a legend at Los Angeles Lakers, spending his entire 20-year career with the team, becoming a five-time NBA champion and twice being named finals MVP.

NBA communications

Football Clubs and stars pay tribute to Kobe Bryant:

Messi: "I have no words... All my love for Kobe's family and friends. It was a pleasure to meet him and share good times together. He was a genius like few others."

Read More

Erling Haaland Makes History After Being First Player To Score Five Goals in First Two Bundesliga Games

Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland has made Bundesliga history by becoming the first player to score five goals in his first two matches in the division.

The Norwegian’s feat is made more remarkable by the fact that it has been achieved in just 57 minutes of pitch time, meaning that he is averaging an incredible 7.9 goals per 90 minutes for Dortmund.

Unsurprisingly, his feat of scoring five times in such a short space of time for a new club is also a record.

On both of his appearances, the January arrival from Red Bull Salzburg has come off the bench.

His debut was a 34-minute cameo against Augsburg, in which he hit the headlines by scoring with his very first touch and then going on to grab a treble. His second outing was only a little less remarkable as he struck a double for Lucien Favre’s side in a 5-1 victory over Koln on Friday, in which Raphael Guerreiro, Marco Reus and Jadon Sancho were also on target.

Even before moving to Germany, the 19-year-old had caught the eye for his goal-grabbing exploits in Austria.

He scored 16 times in 14 top-flight matches for Salzburg but perhaps most impressively transferred that level into the Champions League, where he struck eight times in six matches, only failing to net against Liverpool in the final match.

Although Manchester United reportedly snubbed him this month for fears agent Mino Raiola would be the controlling influence in negotiations, the player’s representative has indicated that Haaland could be open to a future move to England.

"I think it was the right move to go to Germany," he said. "Because if you talk about the Premier League and you see the Premier League as the most important point of the pyramid, you need to be careful when you come here.

"I think he's also preparing himself for the best. He's so young that he has time to come."

Dortmund now lie third in the Bundesliga, level on points with Bayern Munich but trailing midseason pace-setters RB Leipzig by four points.

Read More

Arsenal Closing In On Ex Man City Defender Pablo Mari

Arsenal are edging closer to completing a deal for the Flamengo centre-back Pablo Mari, after the 26-year-old was apparently spotted with Gunners technical director Edu.

Spaniard Mari is familiar to Gunners boss Mikel Arteta having been on the books at Manchester City for three years, although he never played a first-team game for the club.

He was immediately loaned out to City's sister club Girona upon signing in 2016, and then departed on further loan spells to NAC Breda in the Netherlands and Deportivo La Coruna back home in Spain.

Mari joined Brazilian side Flamengo in July last year for around £1million, and he has been a key figure in manager Jorge Jesus' side.

He played 30 times in the 2019 season, and was in the Flamengo team that lost 1-0 to Liverpool after extra-time in the Club World Cup final in Qatar last month.

Globo Esporte in Brazil claim that the deal to sell Mari to the Gunners is now 'well under way', with the transfer set to cost around £7million after he was spotted with Edu preparing to fly to London.

Arteta has made strengthening the Gunners' defence a key priority ever since he arrived as head coach last month.

His side have kept two clean sheets in his seven games in charge, and he saw David Luiz sent off in the 2-2 draw with Chelsea on Tuesday.

The Brazilian will now serve a suspension, and with Calum Chambers out with a long-term ACL injury, Sokratis Papastahopoulos suffering with a recent bout of illness and questions over the form and future of Shkodran Mustafi, Arteta has been forced to look into the transfer market.

The Gunners are next in action at Bournemouth in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Monday.

Read More

Arsenal Blocked Dani Ceballos From Emirates Exit

Ceballos wants to leave Arsenal so as not to scupper his chances of playing in the Euros but they don't want him to leave and Real Madrid won't get involved.

Dani Cabellos wants to leave Arsenal and end his loan deal in London. A deal to get the Real Madrid player out of the Premier League remains complicated, however, and Arsenal have told the player and his parent club, Real Madrid, that they will not let him leave in this transfer window. The midfielder is not in Mikel Arteta's plans (he is yet to play a single minute since the new manager took over) but the club's board think he could still become an important player.

The situation is complicated because the decision to leave the club was made by Ceballos and Ceballos alone. Unai Emery was the man who requested his sercives and Real Madrid wanted to let the player leave with Zidane not counting on him either.

Ceballos negotiated his contract with Arsenal and signed a deal that would see him leave the Emirates at the end of the season. Real Madrid believe this is a situation that he needs to resolve himself and have left it between Arsenal and him to figure out. It's a different situation to that of Jesus Vallejo, who is set to join Granada, with Real Madrid getting involved and recommending that he leave Wolves. Nuno Espirito Santos was not counting on the defender and an agreement was reached. 

There is still time left in the transfer market but Arsenal don't look like they'll change their minds on the issue. Madrid won't pressure them either as the clubs maintain an excellent relationship and they do not want that to change. They are worried about Ceballos situation but it was his decision to set off for London and it is his job to fight for a place there.

Ceballos is concerned for his place in Spain's Euro squad. He left Madrid in order to get minutes so that he could play at the tournament but with the change of manager at Arsenal, things have taken a radical twist. Valencia want to offer him a way out with a loan deal but Arsenal aren't for turning.

Read More

Italian Giant Inter Milan Loan Victor Moses From Chelsea

Victor Moses is officially an Inter player. The 29-year-old Nigerian has joined the Nerazzurri on loan with an option to buy.

According to the announcement, Moses will join the Nerazzurri on a 6 month contract that will keep him tied to the club until the end of June 2020. No transfer fee has been revealed but according to several sources in Italy, Inter will loan the player until the end of June 2021 and then have an option to make the transfer permanent for €10 million.

He moved to Wigan in 2010, where he debuted in the Premier League, before making a big step forward in 2012 when he was signed by then European champions Chelsea. During his first season at The Blues, he scored ten goals in 43 matches, winning the UEFA Europa League in the process. 

But this wasn’t enough to convince Chelsea’s new boss. So, with his usual determination, Victor rolled up his sleeves and went again. Loan spells at Liverpool, Stoke City and West Ham followed.

When Antonio Conte became Chelsea’s Coach in 2016, a new chapter began in Victor Moses’s career. He became an important part of the current Nerazzurri Coach’s side, contributing to the Blues’ 2016/17 Premier League triumph and FA Cup success in 2018.

Over two seasons, he played 78 times, scored eight goals and provided eight assists. Conte used him out wide in midfield, whereas in the two years prior to this he’d often been used as an out-and-out winger or a second striker. More recently, Moses has spent time at Fenerbahce in Turkey.

On an international level, Moses played for all of England’s youth teams, also finishing as the top scorer at the U17 European Championship. In 2012, however, he made the decision to play for Nigeria, the country where he was born. 

He’s since scored twelve goals in 38 matches for the Super Eagles and taken part in two World Cups. Most notably, he won the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, at which he left his mark with an assist for the winning goal in the final.

Read More

Klopp Now World No.1 Coach of Club World Ranking

Noted football website Club World Ranking have updated the lastest ranking of coaches as Klopp replaces Valverde as new World No.1 Coach.

Juventus boss Sarri overtakes Man City manager Guardiola on 4th, while Atletico Madrid boss Simeone goes 11th.

Stats and rankings are based on Club World Ranking system.

Read More

Odriozola Joins Bayern on Loan Till End of Season

BREAKING: Real Madrid right-back Odriozola joins Bayern on loan until end of season

details later

Read More

BREAKING: Inter Milan Signs Manchester United Captain Ashley Young For a Reported €1.5 Million Deal

Ashley Young is officially an Inter player. The 34-year-old English defender arrives from Manchester United and has signed a contract lasting until 30 June 2020 with an option to extend for a further season.

No transfer fee has been revealed but according to several sources in Italy, Inter have paid Manchester United €1,5 million to secure the services of the former Aston Villa man, a fee that will increase every time Young plays for the Nerazzurri.

Ashley Young’s contract with Manchester United was due to expire at the end of June 2020 but the Nerazzurri wanted to add him to the fold for the second half of the season and so they negotiated this deal with the Red Devils.

Ashley Young joined Manchester United from Aston Villa ahead of the 2011/2012 season for a reported fee between £15-20 million and has since then featured 261 times across all competitions scoring 19 goals in the process.

Read More

Eddie Nketia To Remain At The Emirates

The 20-year-old was in talks with Bristol City, Nottingham Forest and Sheffield Wednesday but will stay in north London

Eddie Nketiah will remain at Arsenal for the rest of the season despite several loan offers from the Championship, sources have confirmed to Goal.

The 20-year-old striker scored five goals in 19 appearances while on loan with Leeds in the first half of the season, and it was expected that he would go back on another loan for the second part of 2019-20.

Championship clubs Bristol City, Nottingham Forest and Sheffield Wednesday all held talks over a short-term deal for Nketiah, but the striker will not be returning to the English second tier this season.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has been impressed with Nketiah's attitude in training and has decided that he wants to keep hold of him for the remainder of the season.

Nketiah saw game time with the Gunners' senior side last season as the academy product made nine total appearances, including three starts, and scored against Burnley on the final day of the Premier League season.

The striker made his first-team breakthrough the previous season, as he made 10 total appearances with the Gunners in the 2017-18 campaign.

There could be a chance for Nketiah to see minutes straight away, as star forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will miss three matches after Arsenal's appeal to have his red card at Crystal Palace overturned was unsuccessful.

Aubameyang's suspension will see him miss Saturday's Premier League match against Sheffield United, a derby clash with Chelsea three days later and an FA Cup tie against Bournemouth.

Alexandre Lacazette is also struggling for form as the Frenchman has failed to score in six consecutive appearances, which could hand an opportunity to Nketiah.

The Gunners are looking to turn their season around under Arteta, who took over from the sacked Unai Emery in December.

Arsenal have won two, drawn one and lost one in four matches under Arteta, with the club up to 10th in the Premier League table. 

The Gunners are 11 points behind fourth-placed Chelsea as they look to avoid a fourth consecutive season without Champions League football.

Outside of a top-four finish, Arsenal can qualify for the Champions League if they win the Europa League, with the club set to face Olimpiacos in the last 32 next month.

Read More

Arsenal In Layvin Kurzawa Talks

Arsenal have opened talks with Paris Saint-Germain full-back Layvin Kurzawa according to RMC Sport.

The 27-year-old has six months left on his contract and so will be available on a free transfer in the summer, though a January move has not been ruled out.

The Gunners are believed to have offered a five-year contract to Kurzawa, who is keen on a move to England.

Read More

Manchester United To Loan Atletico Madrid Star Marcos Llorente

Injuries have forced the Red Devils to look into strengthening their midfield

Manchester United are aiming to land Atletico Madrid's Marcos Llorente on loan until the end of the season, reports the Manchester Evening News.

With injuries to Paul Pogba and Scott McTominay, the club have been forced to look at strengthening their midfield in the January transfer window.

Llorente, 24, joined Atletico from Real Madrid in the summer but has failed to secure regular minutes under Diego Simeone, starting just three of 19 La Liga games thus far.

Read More

Arteta Denies Interest In Stones

Mikel Arteta has rubbished linking John Stones with switch to Arsenal.

Reports had claimed that the Gunners were lining up a loan move for the Manchester City centre-back as they looked to ease their defensive woes.

But Arteta has rejected the speculation, telling reporters: "No truth at all.

"John is a player I really like. We followed him before we signed him when I was at City.

"I worked with him for many years, I know him well and when I look at centre-backs he has many attributes I like, but we are not interested in him."

Read More

Dutch Midfielder Already A Done Deal to Join Spanish Giants

Donny van de Beek will join Real Madrid in the summer, according to De Telegraaf.

The Dutch newspaper's chief sports writer Valentijn Driessen told Veronica Inside: "You can write that down [the Van de Beek to Real Madrid transfer being done]. It's all settled. It's done.

"Manchester United won't have to call for him anymore."

Reports have suggested that Ajax have agreed to sell to Madrid for €55 million (£47m/$61m).

Read More

Paul Pogba Increasingly Interested In Moving Out Of Old Trafford

Paul Pogba is looking increasingly likely to leave Manchester United in the summer, according to Sky in Germany.

The Red Devils want to keep the midfielder until at least the end of the season due to a lack of replacements being available in January, with Pogba keen on joining Real Madrid.

A summer deal will still be difficult for interested parties, however, with United reportedly asking for a fee in the region of £150 million ($195m) for the French World Cup winner.

Juventus are also apparently interested in signing the midfielder.

Read More

Chelsea Eager To Lure Isco Away From Los Blancos

Blues set sights on Blancos playmaker

Real Madrid midfielder Isco has emerged as a top target for Chelsea - according to Eldesmarque.

The Blues want the Spaniard to play in front of N'Golo Kante, but will have to cough out £47 million ($61m) to secure his services.

Isco has been restricted to just six La Liga starts for Madrid throughout the 2019-20 campaign.

Read More

Olivier Giroud Close To Inter Milan Move

Former Arsenal and current Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud is set to join Serie A giant Inter Milanin the coming days - according to RMC Sport.

The Frenchman will sign a two-year contract at San Siro, with the Blues set to receive €6.5 million ($7m, £6m).

Giroud has been restricted to just five Premier League appearances for Chelsea in 2019-20.

Read More

James Maddison In Arteta's wishlist

Gunners targeting Foxes superstar

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has identified Leicester City playmaker James Maddison as his top transfer target for the summer, Football Insider reports.

Maddison, 23, is currently under contract until 2023 with the Foxes and is said to be locked in talks over a new deal with Brendan Rodgers' side.

With Arsenal now joining both Manchester clubs in being credited with an interest in the England international, however, a move to a historically bigger club may be appealing.

Read More

PSG Holding Firm On Cavani

Atletico Madrid will not sign Edinson Cavani in January, RMC reports, with Paris Saint-Germain unwilling to part with the Uruguayan  before the end of the season.

It is claimed that the striker has already agreed terms with Diego Simeone's club, but PSG have no intention of letting Cavani leave before the end of his contract as they feel he will be an important member of the squad in the second half of the 2019-20 campaign.

Read More

Inter Are Not In For Big Money Spending

Inter boss has play down transfer of Ashley Young and Eriksen. The Nerazzurri are on the lookout for "cheap opportunities" in the winter transfer window rather than splashing the cash

The Nerrazurri do not have any significant funds available for transfers in this winter window, according to Antonio Conte, who has attempted to play down links with a number of top players.

Conte has guided Inter to second place in the Italian top flight after 19 fixtures, with only two points separating his team and defending champions Juventus.

The Nerazzurri still have the Coppa Italia and Europa League to play for with the fixture list set to pile up from February onwards.

Conte has been tipped to add to his ranks in order to maintain a trophy challenge on multiple fronts, with Tottenham's Christian Eriksen  thought to be Inter's top target in the January market.

The two clubs are reportedly already in talks over a deal, but Spurs value the Danish midfielder at £17 million ($22m), which is a significantly higher fee than Inter are hoping to part with.

Manchester United full-back Ashley Young has also been touted for a switch to San Siro, but Conte insists Inter are short on money to spend on new players this month.

"There is not much money, the director has been clear," the former Chelsea manager told reporters. "We must be good at finding situations that can bring us benefits.

"We must find cheap opportunities, otherwise I see it being hard. The ideas are there, if there is the possibility, we will improve.

"What you can't get with money you have to get with intelligence and wit."

Conte was speaking after his side's 4-1 Coppa Italia round-of-16 victory over Cagliari on Tuesday, which represented another significant step forward for an improving Nerazzurri outfit.

The Italian tactician has been delighted with Inter's progress during his first six months at the helm, having seen his unique philosophy "embraced" by a squad eager to do a "great job" on the pitch.

"We have made an important first step. We have faced serious problems and despite this, we have gained 46 points," Conte said. "The second half of the season will be difficult, we know it, there will still be a lot of room to fight and to grow.

"The most important thing about this course was the feeling that was created between me and the boys and the fact that they fully embraced my project."

Inter will be back in Serie A action on Sunday when they take in a trip to Lecce.

Read More

Inter Target Parma Full-back Darmian

Parma defender Matteo Darmian has emerged Inter Milan favorite transfer target - Tuttomercatoweb.

Talks between the two clubs have already begun as Antonio Conte looks to bring the 30-year-old to provide extra cover at full back.

Darmian has featured in 15 Serie A games for Parma since his summer move from Manchester United.

Read More

Inter Milan Agrees Terms With Ashley Young

Inter Milan are in talks with Manchester United over the transfer of Ashley Young according to a report on Sky Sport Italia transfer market expert Gianluca Di Marzio.

The 34-year-old full back has already agreed to a move to the Nerazzurri and will sign an 18 month deal with the club that will run until the end of next season.

It now remains to be seen if the Premier League side will let their club captain go on a free transfer this month given his contract is due to expire with them at the end of the season or if they will demand that Inter pay a nominal fee for him.

This season, Young, who has been on the Red Devils books since the Summer of 2011, has made 18 appearances across all competitions.

In 1313 minutes on the field, the 39-time English international, has found the back of the net on one occasion and provided a single assist

Read More

Mane Insight On Ballon'd or

Liverpool superstar Sadio Mane has overcome his Reds teammate Mo'Salah and AFCON winner Riyad Mahrez to be named as Africa's Footballer of the Year for 2019.

He deserves it but his best is yet to come.

Neither one of Mohamed Salah or Riyad Mahrez was in attendance in Cairo to see Mane crowned as the King of Africa over the past 12 months, with Manchester City's Mahrez in action in a Carabao Cup semi-final and Salah pictured back in training at Liverpool.

Egyptian icon Salah won the award in each of the last two years, but 2019 saw Mane's emergence to Liverpool grow to a level that equaled and often surpassed his teammate.

Given Liverpool's rise in the world most loved game, and a start to the 2019/20 season which has seen them installed as overwhelming favorites to lift their first league title since 1990, Mane is creating history with his current club and should have no reason to move on.

Mane has always been more tactically disciplined, more prepared to sacrifice himself for the team and more willing to do things that others aren't. He's become the perfect player in this near-perfect Liverpool season.

Off the ball he has dialed-in to Klopp's counter-pressing system as well as anyone, giving opposition players no peace once Liverpool turns the ball over, helping the side become as dangerous without the ball as it is with it.

The Senegal forward's 22 Premier League goals in the 2018/19 season led to him sharing the Golden Boot with Salah and Arsenal star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. He has scored 15 goals so far in 2019-20, with Liverpool 13 points clear at the top of the Premier League table.

After playing an important part in Champions League, Mane then netted a brace as Liverpool beat Chelsea in the UEFA Super Cup final at the beginning of this season, and both played their part as Klopp's men lifted the Club World Cup in Qatar last month with a 1-0 victory over Flamengo in the final.

Mane's Senegal side finished runners-up in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, after which he was named in the Team of the Tournament. He's always been extremely keen to make his fans in his home country happy and never forgets where he came from. 

Ballon d'Or in sight

Mane finished above Salah in the Ballon d'Or rankings this year, and there was no-one who was getting in his way when it came to 2019's African Footballer of the Year Award. Quite literally.

If he's good enough for Lionel Messi in 2019 then he's good enough for the rest of us.

Mane was the great Barcelona icon's pick for the Ballon d'Or that Messi himself won in 2019.

If Mane is able to be a part of Liverpool’s first league title win in 30 years it would trump any individual award, but being part of such an achievement should see the personal awards continue to flow for the Senegalese and his team-mates. 

There is a real possibility that one of these players could succeed Messi as the world's best football player, and Mane is in pole position to do so.

Now, the next target will surely be the Ballon d'Or prize.

Read More

Jerome Boateng Transfer To The Emirates Becomes A Doubt

Arsenal are in the market for some new defensive reinforcement and have been linked with moves for RB Leipzig star Dayot Upamecano and Bayern Munich centre-back Jerome Boateng.

According to reports, the Gunners' board is slightly concerned with Mikel Arteta's alleged top transfer target, Jerome Boateng.

Arsenal's defence has been shaky for the past few seasons, and Arteta has identified it as the area he wants to strengthen.

RB Leipzig defender Dayot Upamecano has been linked with a transfer to north London in recent months, but would cost the cash-strapped Gunners a bomb.

Bayern Munich star Boateng is the other centre-back on Arsenal's radar and would be a considerably cheaper option.

Reports in Germany claim the Bundesliga giants could offload the defender for free as long as his wages are paid in full.

Boateng earns around £200,000-a-week at Bayern Munich, which is immediately problematic for Arsenal as it would made the German the club's joint second-best paid player behind Mesut Ozil.

Secondly, according to Goal, the Arsenal board are reportedly concerned over the defender's lack of playing time this season and how this has impacted his fitness.

The Gunners need a player to come in and hit the ground running this January, especially if they are breaking the bank to get him to the club.

And it seems the Arsenal hierarchy will only splash the cash if they're convinced it will be a worthwhile investment

Read More