Former Crystal Palace manager Tony Pulis thanked the club s supporters for a warm reception on his return to Selh
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urst Park in West Brom s 2-0 win.

Pulis took over from Ian Holloway at Palace in November 2013 and eventually steered the club to Premier League survival.

The Welshman brought his tenure to an abrupt end in August due to his reported frustration over Palace s transfer activity and he was subsequently appointed as West Brom head coach in January.

Despite the circumstances of his departure which came just two days before the 2014-15 campaign got under way  Palace fans still greeted Pulis return with plenty of applause on Saturday.

Obviously it s lovely coming back to a former club, he told reporters. It s funny, thinking about co…

that Tottenham Hotspur are set for a summer clear out, with Erik Lamela and Roberto Soldado two of the players likely to make way.

Manager Mauricio Pochettino is keen to free up funds in order to refresh his squad and is ready to move on the duo, who have both underwhelmed since arriving at White Hart Lane in the summer of 2013.

Lamela has made fifty-nine appearances for the club in all competitions, scoring six goals while Soldado has managed sixteen strikes in seventy-one games.

The pair have just three league goals between them this season, and made only cameo appearances in last month’s 2-0 League Cup final defeat to Chelsea.

Spurs drew 2-2 with Southampton on Saturday afternoon, with both sides still in the hunt for a European qualification …

Premier League giants battle for Zenit rebel

Talksport has revealed that a number of Premier League giants are showing interest in Zenit midfielder Igor Denisov.

The Russia international criticized the club’s decision to sign Hulk and Axel Witsel on bumper deals, claiming the new signings now earned three times more than other Zenit players.

The midfielder has since been dropped from the squad, together with forward Alexander Kerzhakov.

Talksport claims that Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool all plan to take advantage of the situation and enter the bidding war for the highly rated midfielder in January.

The 28-year-old, who has spent his entire career at Zenit, is held in high regard by Europe’s top clubs and could dec…

Italy international hints at Premiership move

Torino defender Angelo Ogbonna has revealed that he dreams of playing in English Premier League.

The 24-year-old is widely regarded as one of the best centre-backs in Serie A and it is only a matter of time before he will leave Granata for greener pastures.

The player admits that he was on the verge of leaving the Stadio Olimpico outfit in the summer.

I had many offers (in the summer) but I chose to stay here and I m happy to have made it, the Italy international confessed to Tuttosport.

The highly rated defender admits that English Premier League is his most likely destination when he decides to leave Torino.

I would go abroad willingly. I would like to experience other cultures. English fo…

Manchester United will face LaLiga opposition and a pair of relative minnows in the Europa League, after being drawn in Group E alongside Real Sociedad, Sheriff Tiraspol and Omonoia.

Arsenal have reached at least the semi-finals in three of their last four Europa League campaigns and will go up against Dutch outfit PSV in Group A as they look to go further and lift the trophy.

Last season s Europa Conference League champions Roma, led by head coach Jose Mourinho, will face off against Ludogorets, Real Betis and HJK Helsinki in Group C.

It was Feyenoord that Mourinho s team beat in the final to win the inaugural Conference League, and Friday s Europa League draw saw the Dutch side included in Group F alongside Roma s fierce rivals Lazio.

Last season s q…

England can practically guarantee their place at the 2010 World Cup if they beat minnows Andorra at home in the last round of this season s European qualifying matches.

England s 4-0 victory in Kazakhstan on Saturday their sixth win in six games allowed them to open up a seven-point lead over second-placed Croatia in group six with just four matches remaining.

Victory against Andorra, ranked 196th in the world, would therefore put them 10 points clear and mean that a win at home to Croatia in September would be enough to secure their place in South Africa.

Croatia were the team that denied England a place at the 2008 European Championships, but captain John Terry says his side cannot afford to look too far ahead.

We are playing well and are on the way t…

Tottenham head coach Jose Mourinho was left saddened by the alleged racist abuse suffered by Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger during Spurs 2-0 defeat on Sunday.

Spurs Son Heung-min and Rudiger were involved in an incident during the second half at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and in the tangle the South Korea international appeared to lash out with a kick.

Shortly after, as confirmed by Cesar Azpilicueta following the match, Rudiger reported to his captain that he heard racist abuse.

Chelsea boss Frank Lampard confirmed the pair raised the incident with Premier League officials at full-time, while Spurs have launched their own investigation.

And Mourinho was left disappointed by what is alleged to have taken place.

I m in the game, I m focused …

Barcelona remain confident of a resolution as they wait to announce a new contract for legendary forward Lionel Messi.

The long-time Barca captain has been a free agent since his previous deal expired on July 1.

A fresh agreement on more reasonable financial terms for the cash-strapped Catalan club has been anticipated for some time, but barriers remain.

So scant are Barca s resources amid the coronavirus pandemic that LaLiga will not allow new players to be registered until space has been cleared for their wages.

That has meant delays for the club s 2021 signings, including Messi, due to his free agency.

The coming week has been mooted as potentially pivotal as the new season nears, with a breakthrough hoped for ahead of Sunday s friendly against…

Having delivered crucial influence over the Champions League final on Saturday by coming off the bench to score two extraordinary goals, Gareth Bale is set to sit down and talk about his future to president Florentino Perez this week.

Speaking to BeIN sports after the game, the Welshman said he hasn t been happy with not being a regular feature of Real s starting XI since his comeback from ankle injury, and that he will now consider his future. According to , Bale has a good relationship with Perez and he will therefore likely get an audience, but Zinedine Zidane is the president s personal project and he s very likely to have the final say in any decision.

Zidane admitted Bale deserved to play more than he recently has, but he still favoured Isco ahead of the former T…

Arsenal have confirmed in a that Laurent Koscielny has refused to travel with the squad to the United States of America for their pre-season tour.

The club captain missed almost half of the 2018/19 season with an Achilles tendon tear which he had suffered in the 2018 Europa League semifinal against Atletico Madrid. Since his return to the pitch, he hasn t been quite able to replicate the fine performances from before the injury, and Arsenal are now in need of a quality centre-back to lead their back line.

The 33-year-old Frenchman has been linked with a move away from the Emirates, with Borussia Dortmund and Bordeaux reportedly interested in his services. BBC journalist David Ornstein, usually very accurate when it comes to Arsenal, reported yesterday that the north Lo…