Christensen not leaving Chelsea

I can rule it out. I like Andreas as a player; I’ve always liked him. I used to train with him and saw the talent coming through.  

I want Andreas to be the best he can be. When you see the height, the athleticism and the quality on the ball. The reality is we have competition at centre-back here.  

I have to choose on what I see and generally two of them won’t be happy.  

Those are the words of Chelsea manager Frank Lampard who has made it crystal clear that he does not want to see Andreas Christensen leave the club, and that in his mind, he isn’t going to do so. 

AC Milan are contemplating a move for the defender but nothing has been ironed out as of yet, and while there has often been a lot of speculation over Andreas’ future, he does…

The Numbers Game: Maradona-era record in sight as Napoli travel to in-form Roma

Until now, Napoli have pretty much risen to every challenge this season as they aim to win the Scudetto for the first time since 1990.

They sit top of the Serie A table after 10 games and are one of just two teams to not lose a game, with Luciano Spalletti s men already beating Lazio and Milan away from home.

While their past three league games – wins over Torino, Cremonese and Bologna – would have always been expected to yield Napoli victories, a slightly trickier run begins this weekend.

Before the break for the World Cup, Napoli still have to face Rangers and Liverpool in the Champions League, plus high-flying Udinese, second-placed Atalanta, Sassuolo and, first up, Jose Mourinho s in-form Roma in Serie A.

Sunday s trip to the capital poses a real …

Arsenal could sell Granit Xhaka

Arsenal are willing to sell Granit Xhaka in the summer transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that the Switzerland international midfielder is among six players that the Gunners could cash in on at the end of the season.

Xhaka has been on the books of Arsenal since 2016 when he joined from German club Borussia Moenchengladbach. The 30-year-old has been superb for the Gunners over the years and is now one of the first names in the first team in manager Mikel Arteta’s first team.

The 30-year-old has scored three goals and given five assists in 25 Premier League appearances for Arsenal so far this season. Xhaka has scored one goal in five UEFA Europa League for the North London club so far this campaign. Arsenal are at the top of the Premier League table …

Prediction: Udinese vs AC Milan

Best odds: 23/20

Bookmaker:

The race for the top four spots in the Serie A, which all warrant a place in the Champions League next term, is heating up by the week. On Friday evening, AC Milan will have to do whatever they can not to lose any ground when they take the trip to Udine, to face Udinese at the Stadio Friuli. The match will be played within round 27 of the Italian top flight.

Udinese

Udinese might ve hoped to be involved in this race in the early stages of the campaign, when their form had them very close to the top for a while. However, things in such surroundings got a bit too hot for them at one point, and they quickly slid down to the middle ranges of the table.

At the moment, Andrea Sottil s team are in 11th place with 35 points, with a c…

Jack Grealish expected to play for Manchester City after house is burgled

Jack Grealish could be available for Manchester City’s clash with Sheffield United on Saturday after nobody was harmed during a burglary at his house.

Raiders targeted the England midfielder’s Cheshire home while he was playing for treble winners City at Everton on Wednesday night.

Members of his family and his fiancee, Sasha Atwood, were at the property at the time when they heard a disturbance and raised the alarm.

It has been reported the thieves made off with £1million worth of jewellery and watches and police are now investigating.

A spokeswoman for Cheshire Constabulary said: “At around 9.50pm on Wednesday 27 December police were called to reports of a burglary. The caller reported that a number of items had been stolen.”

City manag…

Ryan Giggs hoping to ‘rebuild life’ after domestic abuse charges are dropped

Former Manchester United winger and Wales manager Ryan Giggs is “relieved” at being cleared of domestic violence allegations made by his ex-girlfriend after charges were dropped.

Kate Greville told police and lawyers she did not want to go through the ordeal of a second trial after jurors failed to reach verdicts in the high-profile first trial last year, Manchester Crown Court heard.

Giggs, 49, was not in court on Tuesday as lawyers said there was no longer any realistic prospect of conviction and it was not in the public interest for Giggs to go on trial for a second time over allegations made by Greville and her sister Emma.

Peter Wright KC, prosecuting, offered no evidence against Giggs at the 20-minute hearing as the allegations were formally dropped.

Flick leaving Bayern: The contenders to take over at the Allianz Arena

Hansi Flick has ended weeks of speculation over his Bayern Munich future by confirming he wishes to leave the club at the end of this season.

After taking over from Niko Kovac in November 2019, the 56-year-old led the Bavarians to a Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal and Champions League treble in his first campaign in charge.

He added a UEFA Super Cup, DFL-Supercup and the Club World Cup this term, with another top-flight title also looking likely after Bayern opened up a seven-point lead on Saturday.

However, it has recently been reported that Flick was considering his future and, speaking after a 3-2 win over Wolfsburg, the German coach revealed he will depart at the end of the season.

That means one of the biggest jobs in European football is about to become avail…

Wales opening doors to diverse communities ahead of Armenia fixture

Female football supporters from Wales’ South Asian communities will watch the national team play for the first time on Friday through a new initiative designed to create a more diverse fan base.

The sold-out signs are set to go up for Wales’ Euro 2024 qualifier with Armenia at the Cardiff City Stadium with Rob Page’s side hoping to take another step towards next summer’s finals in Germany.

Among the 33,000-plus capacity crowd will be women benefiting from a partnership between Her Game Too Cymru, Amar Cymru – the group launched in 2020 to give the South Asian community a voice in the national team – and the Football Association of Wales.

We’re working with to take South Asian female fans to their first game!

Join us at Cardiff City Stadium…

February 11th: Saturday’s Football Accumulator – 10/1

With Europe s elite once again taking center stage this weekend, we look set for another stacked schedule from across the continent. On that note, for those of you looking to stick on a Saturday acca, we have found a handful of helpful tips that are worth keeping an eye out for.

Saturday February 11th
BST 14:00 Empoli vs Spezia

Although Empoli might have been disappointed by their 2-0 loss away at Roma last weekend, the Blues have still impressed many across Italy on either side of the World Cup break. With their sights now firmly set on clinching a shock top-half finish in 2023, Saturday s hosts should be smelling the chance to make an immediate return to winning ways here. Only sat outside the top-10 thanks to their goal difference, Paolo Zanetti s men have suffere…

Morata to stay at Juventus for another season

Alvaro Morata will spend another season with Juventus after the Serie A giants extended his loan until June 30, 2022.

The striker has agreed to stay in Turin, where he spent 2020-21 on loan from Atletico Madrid.

Morata scored 20 goals in all competitions last season, his best tally for a single campaign in his career, while also providing 11 assists.

Juve said in a statement on Tuesday: It goes without saying, Morata is in the right place, at the right time. And, of course, for another year!

Morata spent two years at Juve from 2014 to 2016 before returning to Real Madrid for the 2016-17 season.

After a difficult spell at Chelsea, he moved to Atletico initially on loan in 2019 before signing a permanent deal a year later.

In total, Morata …