Nicolas Pepe admits it wasn t easy to come to terms with leaving Arsenal, believing many judged his performances in the Premier League on his £72million price tag.
Pepe, who joined Arsenal from Lille in 2019, completed a permanent switch to Turkish side Trabzonspor last year, leaving the Emirates on a free transfer.
The Ivorian s arrival in North London came with great expectations, having become the club s most expensive signing, surpassing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang s £56m move from Borussia Dortmund.
That has since been eclipsed by Declan Rice s £100m move from West Ham last year, but the England midfielder flourished in his first season with the Gunners.
Pepe made 112 appearances for Arsenal, scoring 27 goals and adding 21 assists during his four-…
Goals for Karim Benzema and Toni Kroos saw Real Madrid battle their way to a 2-0 win against Athletic Bilbao in a lively LaLiga encounter on Sunday.
Veteran France international Benzema hooked back a loose ball with a sensational volley to beat Unai Simon in the 24th minute at San Mames Stadium.
Kroos then swept home a breakaway finish in the 90th minute to wrap up the points for Carlo Ancelotti s men and keep the pressure on league leaders Barcelona.
But Ernesto Valverde s side will be left to mull whether they should have taken a point from the encounter after pushing hard for a draw before Kroos goal ended those hopes.
FT: 0-2
24 , 90 . |
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden)
Following Barca s victory over Getafe, it was impera…
Prediction: Bayern Munich to win 3-1
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Mainz and Bayern Munich will face each other in the Bundesliga this coming weekend. The match between Die Nullfünfer and Die Bayern will be held at the MEWA Arena and is scheduled to kick off at 2:30pm UK time on Saturday.
Mainz
Mainz are an established club in the Bundesliga and do well in the top flight of German football. They have been playing in the Bundesliga since the 2009-10 season and tend to finish in mid-table. Now, there have been occasions when Mainz have been in danger of getting relegated to 2. Bundesliga, but overall they have done well in the German top flight.
Bo Svensson’s side are eighth in the Bundesliga table at the moment with 42 points from 28 matches. Main…
New Liverpool head coach Arne Slot is keen to build on the solid foundations laid by Jurgen Klopp at Anfield.
Slot, who led Feyenoord to their KNVB Cup success last season, officially started his position at the start of June as the Reds start life without Klopp, who won eight trophies during nine years on Merseyside.
Liverpool finished third in the Premier League, nine points behind winners Manchester City and seven behind runners-up Arsenal, lifting the Carabao Cup in February against Chelsea.
The Dutchman is optimistic his new side can once again challenge for the title in his first campaign in charge and is hopeful of continuing the good work Klopp started back in 2015.
I think 82 points is a result of the playing style. Always the points you get…
Sandro Schwarz is treating New York Red Bulls meeting with New York City FC as a blank slate but is looking forward to the special atmosphere of the derby.
The Red Bulls are winless in five matches since their return to MLS action after the Leagues Cup, alternating between draws and losses – they drew 2-2 with Atlanta United last time out – leaving them fourth in the Eastern Conference.
They lost the reverse fixture back in May 2-1, but Schwarz is adamant that history will not dictate the result of this meeting.
It s a derby and that means a special atmosphere in our stadium, which is necessary for us, Schwarz said. This is good to have this game now against New York City.
It s a new situation, and now we have to show we are in a good spot and show …
Best Odds: 2/5
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Getting their Nations League campaign back underway on Friday night, Turkey will welcome Montenegro to Samsun.
Turkey
Starting with the hosts, while Turkey might have arrived in Germany over the summer at the heart of a wobble, Vincenzo Montella’s men sprung a real EURO 24 upset. Booking a quarter-final ticket and receiving plenty of plaudits from across the continent, the Crescent Stars will be smelling the chance to lay down a Nations League marker here. Already putting four points on the board from their opening two League B showdowns, the one-time AC Milan boss should find the mood in his camp at a continued high. Last seen signing off September’s international break with a routine 3-1 victory against Iceland, Turkey have now l…
Oxlade-Chamberlain joined Liverpool from Arsenal on transfer deadline day last August for a reported £35million fee and hit a rich vein of form after the turn of the year.
He scored five times in all competitions, including a superb long-range strike in the Champions League quarter-final win over Manchester City.
It is typical of Ox that he didn t want the news to overshadow the end of the season and, to be quite honest, we thought we could wait and tell people at an appropriate time, Klopp added.
His surgery – which he had on the day of our second leg in Roma – has been completely successful and his recovery has started superbly well.
But the truth of the matter is that we are preparing this season knowing he will not be with us on the pitch for …
Everton will hope to continue their good form and table progression, while Sunderland need a win to stop the rot and appease the increasingly disguntled supporters.
Everton s David Moyes is a highly respected manager in the Premier League and while others panicked about their poor early season form, he kept calm and kept working hard to improve perfomances. Now several key players have returned from injury Everton are starting to look their old self, and they find themselves nearing the top half of the table once more. With Cahill, Bilayedtinov, Fellaini and Osman operating in midfield, they have pace power, tenacity and an eye for Goal. Louis Saha seems finally to havew put his injuries behind him and looks a threat up front. Despite missing Joseph Yobo in the heart of defen…
Week 6 of the 2019-20 UEFA Champions League will take place between Tuesday and Wednesday this week. Here are the three top matches to watch during this week’s slate, which signals the end of the group stage.
Salzburg vs Liverpool (Tuesday – 17:55 GMT)
Salzburg have been one of the biggest surprises of the 2019-20 Champions League, as no one expected them to be alive for a Round of 16 berth before the final matchday of the group stage (seven points, W2, D1, L2). As if that wasn’t enough, the Austrian Bundesliga champions also own the third-best scoring record of the tournament with 16 goals. They are not going to be pushovers ahead of this Tuesday matchup against Liverpool.
The reigning champions have not qualified yet (10 points, W3, D1, L1), but a draw here wou…
Transfer Rumours Sunday is finally here! Let s kick off the day by looking at the latest transfer rumours in European football.
We start by looking at speculation surrounding Manchester United.
Manchester United Rumours
According to The Sun, Manchester United are targeting 27-year-old Villarreal holding midfielder Bruno Soriano. Soriano is rated at £10 million despite not scoring in his 123 appearances for Villarreal in La Liga.
He is by definition a defensive midfielder, a position that United lack quality or experience in. Bruno would surely be a good fit at Old Trafford, but will Sir Alex splash £10 million for a 27-year-old holding midfielder?
In other news, Manchester United are reportedly targeting Dundee Unit…