Saul: We hope 2017 is better for Atletico

Stephen Keshi s turbulent spell in charge of Nigeria has come to an end after he was sacked by the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF).

The NFF made the announcement on Saturday amid reports Keshi applied for the vacant Ivory Coast coaching job.

A statement on the NFF s official website read: Having thoroughly reviewed the reports/findings of the NFF Disciplinary Committee and NFF Technical and Development Committee, as well as having reviewed the actions and inactions of Mr. Stephen Keshi, in the performance of his duties as Super Eagles head coach, which we found to lack the required commitment to achieve the Federation s objectives as set out in the coach s employment contract.

To this end and pursuant to the provisions of Clause 4.3 of the Employment Contract…

Arsenal have been given a boost ahead of the transfer window, with defender Thomas Vermaelen pledging his future to the club.

The Belgian defender has been a hit for the English Premier League side since arriving from Ajax in 2009 and aspires to end his career at the Emirates Stadium.

Rumours that Arsenal captain Robin van Persie is set to leave Arsene Wenger s team persist, but Vermaelen insists he is not going anywhere.

I will stay at Arsenal forever. There will be no transfer for me, he told reporters.

I love London. I ve got a house there, I m happy there and I don t see any reason to ever leave the club.

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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger will fancy his chances of finally beating Chelsea after a five-year winless run in the Premier League.

Arsenal welcome London rivals Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium in Saturday’s Premier League clash, in a game that has seen the Gunners fall short for the last five years.

However, it’s Arsenal who boast superior form ahead of this weekend’s meeting, and Arsene Wenger’s men could exact their long-awaited revenge given Chelsea’s frailties as a result.

Arsenal have the momentum

Saturday’s meeting with Chelsea sees Arsenal coming off the back of three consecutive Premier League wins. The Gunners overcome a slow start to the season with victories over Watford (3-1), Southampton (2-1) and Hull City (4-1) to find themse…

Jose Mourinho says the champagne is not on ice as Chelsea bid to secure the Premier League title in front of their own fans against Crystal Palace on Sunday.

Chelsea have dominated domestically this season, losing just twice in the league, and another win would confirm a first top-flight crown since 2010.

A 3-1 come-from-behind victory at lowly Leicester City in midweek left Chelsea on the cusp of a fourth Premier League triumph and a third under Mourinho.

The Portuguese is understandably eager to ensure the task is finished at Stamford Bridge, but stressed it would be foolhardy to feel the job is already done.

It s easy. We need two or three points to be champions. Let s say three, to make sure we don t depend on goal difference, Mourinho said.

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Argentina Under-20 star Ezequiel Barco appears to be on the verge of joining MLS side Atlanta United after his current club Independiente bid farewell to the youngster.

Barco has been a revelation for the club since breaking into the first-team during the 2016-17 Superliga season, scoring five goals and providing as many assists.

He also played an integral part of Independiente s Copa Sudamericana success, stepping up and burying a penalty in composed fashion during the second leg of the final, despite being just 18.

That goal ultimately proved vital in the 3-2 aggregate win and Atlanta reportedly took notice, with speculation linking them with a move for the talented midfielder since December.

Atlanta are yet to comment on the move, but Independiente hav…

Manchester City claimed a remarkable 5-3 victory over Monaco in an all-time Champions League classic at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday.

The first competitive meeting between the two sides will live long in the memory after goals inside the final 13 minutes from John Stones – atoning for an earlier error – and Leroy Sane put City in command of the last-16 tie.

Sergio Aguero and Radamel Falcao had scored two apiece – the latter also missing a penalty – while Raheem Sterling and Kylian Mbappe also got in on the act.

Leonardo Jardim s side, who have scored over 100 goals in all competitions this season, will rue the moment Falcao squandered a chance to make it 3-1 from the spot, as City hit back.

It was Sterling who opened the scoring 26 minutes …

James Rodriguez paid tribute to the Bayern Munich support as he prepared to rejoin Real Madrid after the German champions opted not to sign him permanently at the end of his two-year loan spell.

The 27-year-old made 43 Bundesliga appearances following his arrival from Madrid in July 2017, and helped the club to back-to-back league titles during his spell in Munich.

But James failed to establish himself as one of head coach Niko Kovac s most important players and Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge bid him farewell after confirming his departure.

I thank James on behalf of FC Bayern Munich for two successful years, Rummenigge told the club s official website.

We have twice won the German championship and the DFB-Pokal with him. In addition, we reach…

Paris Saint-Germain are interested in signing Gianluigi Donnarumma from AC Milan, according to reports in France.

Italian legend Gianluigi Buffon has confirmed that he will be leaving the Parc Des Princes when his contract expires at the end of this month, and Turin-based outlet Tuttosport claim he could move to Porto and replace his Spanish counterpart Iker Cassillas.

Meanwhile, Le10Sport report that the Ligue 1 champions are keen on Donnarumma as Buffon s replacement and a long-term solution for the goalkeeper position that they have been searching for for a long time. The 20-year-old shot-stopper already came close to leaving Milan once. Back in 2017, he engaged in a contract stand-off with the club and caused a lot of anger among the supporters, but he eventually wo…

With another stacked midweek schedule on the cards, the action opens up on Tuesday evening with a host of noteworthy meetings from up and down the country. So, for those of you looking to stick on a Tuesday acca, we have searched far and wide to find you a couple of helpful tips that are worth keeping an eye out for.

Tuesday 2nd February

BST 18:00 Wolves vs Arsenal

Starting with Tuesday s guests, while Arsenal might have managed to pick themselves up a point against title-outsiders Manchester United over the weekend, the Gunners would have been disappointed to have not left with more to show for their troubles. Only continuing to impress many across the Premier League after what was a woeful start to the 2020/21 campaign, Mikel Arteta s side should find the mo…

Mikel Arteta is determined to rouse Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from his scoring slump after the Arsenal captain continued to fire blanks in the Premier League defeat to Wolves.

Arsenal head coach Arteta said Aubameyang s form is his biggest concern , pointing to how important the Gabon international s goals have been to the Gunners, who lost 2-1 at home to Wolves on Sunday.

Aubameyang took five shots and had nine touches in the opposition penalty area against Wolves – both personal highs for the season – but only one of those shots was on target.

The 31-year-old has not scored in open play in the Premier League since Arsenal began their campaign by easing past Fulham 3-0 at Craven Cottage in September.

Aubameyang s penalty allowed Arsenal to beat Manch…