James Rodriguez has left Everton to join Qatari side Al-Rayyan for an undisclosed fee.
The Colombia playmaker, who did not make his nation s squad for the Copa America due to concerns over his fitness after missing the end of Everton s 2020-21 campaign, had not featured in a competitive game for the Toffees so far this season.
Rafael Benitez reportedly did not see the 30-year-old as a key player in his squad and confirmed earlier this month that Everton had been open to offers for the former Real Madrid man, who won the Golden Boot at the 2014 World Cup.
Signed on a free transfer from Madrid by previous manager Carlo Ancelotti, James made 26 appearances in all competitions for Everton last season, scoring six goals and creating a further eight.
However…
The contrast between the last season and this one could hardly have been more drastic than it has for Liverpool. It took them 30 years, but the Merseysiders finally managed to break the curse which saw them miss out on the Premier League title for such a long time after being named English champions for a record of 18 times, and eventually opened the door for Manchester United under the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson to rush past and win their 20th in 2013.
And as Jurgen Klopp made clear upon his arrival to Anfield that it would, it took some time for him to construct a team worthy of the title, a team which would also win the Champions League in 2019, having already reached the final of UEFA s elite competition the year before. The 2019-20 revealed a ruthless group of players und…
Sin bin trials featuring blue cards will be the subject of further discussion by the game’s lawmakers on Friday and Saturday.
The sin bin protocols, which would involve players being dismissed for 10 minutes for dissent and tactical fouls, had been signed off by the directors of the International Football Association Board (IFAB) and were ready for publication on February 9, at which point competitions would have been able to apply to conduct a trial.
However, the plug was pulled on publication that morning following media reports about blue cards the previous day.
FIFA wishes to clarify that reports of the so-called blue card at elite levels of football are incorrect and premature.
Any such trials, if implemented, should be limited to testing in a resp…
Jermain Defoe is not surprised by West Ham’s success in Europe and credited “top manager” David Moyes ahead of their Europa Conference League final on Wednesday.
West Ham can clinch their first major European trophy since 1965 when they face Italian side Fiorentina in Prague, where the Hammers will hope to sign off on a high after a disappointing domestic campaign.And former England and Hammers striker Defoe lauded Moyes as the mastermind behind his boyhood side’s resurgence in Europe, which also saw them reach the Europa League semi-finals last season.
A chance to write history Fiorentina Preparing well
The gaffer gives his view on Wednesday s final
— West Ham United (@WestHam)
Defoe, who played for the Scot at Sunderland, told the P…
Crystal Palace have agreed terms with Colombia midfielder Jefferson Lerma on a three-year deal.
The 28-year-old will join the Eagles on July 1 when his current Bournemouth contract ends.
“I am very happy and excited by this new opportunity,” Lerma told the official Palace website.
Jefferson has a message for you all.
— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC)
“Crystal Palace has good players and a good team, and I want to help with every objective the club has next season.”
Palace chairman Steve Parish said: “Jefferson is a strong addition to our squad.
“He is a proven performer at Premier League level, and his combative and competitive nature will endear him to the Palace fans.”
Lerma made a £25million switch to Bour…
Marcus Rashford scored twice to spare Dean Henderson s blushes as Manchester United yet again came from behind to beat beleaguered Sheffield United 3-2 and go sixth in the Premier League.
A terrible mistake from goalkeeper Henderson, replacing David de Gea against his former club, put an early opening goal on a plate for David McGoldrick at Bramall Lane on Thursday.
Yet it was deja vu for the Red Devils as they produced another fightback, Rashford equalising and Anthony Martial scoring his first top-flight goal of the season to put them in front at half-time.
The visitors were a huge threat on the break as they bossed the second half and Rashford took his tally for the season to 12 as they made it 10 consecutive Premier League away wins, despite McGoldrick s lat…
Pep Guardiola expects Chelsea to be back challenging for the title in the near future.
Chelsea last won the Premier League during Guardiola’s first season at Manchester City in 2016-17.
Since then it is City who have dominated the competition, taking the crown in five of the past six campaigns.
Chelsea did edge out City in the 2021 Champions League final but there has been plenty of turbulence at the London club since, and they currently sit 10th in the table.
Guardiola, who takes his side to Stamford Bridge on Sunday, said: “Chelsea remain one of the more important teams in England.
“It’s true that in the Premier League they were not close to winning it in these last seasons but they’re still one of the strongest teams, there’s no dou…
Kepa Arrizabalaga and Edouard Mendy credited one another after the former was introduced in extra-time and produced shoot-out heroics to ensure Chelsea s first Super Cup win since 1998.
Penalties were required after Gerard Moreno cancelled out Hakim Ziyech s opener and, in the closing minutes of extra-time, Thomas Tuchel sent on Kepa at Windsor Park.
The Spanish goalkeeper stepped up to the plate, denying both Aissa Mandi and Raul Albiol, to secure a 6-5 shoot-out victory and Chelsea s second Super Cup success at the fifth time of asking.
While Tuchel hailed his analysts and backroom staff for the decision based on statistics after the game, the two goalkeepers rejoiced together when speaking to BT Sport.
It s not a typical situation but we arrived to pe…
Jadon Sancho retains the faith of Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag despite his penalty miss in Saturday s Community Shield defeat to Manchester City.
United were on course to win their third piece of silverware under Ten Hag when Alejandro Garnacho gave them an 82nd-minute lead at Wembley Stadium.
However, Bernardo Silva s 89th-minute header took the game to penalties, and both Sancho and Jonny Evans failed to convert from the spot as City triumphed 7-6.
Sancho spent the second half of last season on loan at former club Borussia Dortmund after a public falling out with Ten Hag, who accused the winger of being a poor trainer in the aftermath of a defeat to Arsenal last September.
Ten Hag said he had drawn a line under the incident after Sancho rejoined …
Reiss Nelson s 97th-minute strike completed a remarkable comeback for Arsenal in a 3-2 win against Bournemouth.
Phillip Billing scored the second-fastest goal in Premier League history to hand the Cherries a shock lead, with Marcos Senesi doubling the advantage in the second half.
Thomas Partey and Ben White struck in quick succession to bring Arsenal level, though it seemed the Gunners would remain on course to drop crucial points in the title race.
Substitute Nelson had other ideas though, firing in from just inside the box in the dying moments to restore a five-point advantage over Manchester City.
9.11 Phillip Billing s goal for Bournemouth against Arsenal was scored in 9 seconds, 11 milliseconds the second-fastest goal scored in history, after Shane…