Sports

West Ham United and West Bromwich Albion are interested in signing Junior Caicara from Basaksehir in the summer transfer window, according to . It has been reported that Caicara fancies a move to the Premier League despite winning the Turkish Super Lig title with Basaksehir during the 2019-20 campaign.

Russian Premier League club Zenit Saint-Petersburg are also interested in the 31-year-old full-back, but the veteran defender prefers a move to the Premier League. West Ham narrowly avoided the dreaded drop to the Championship at the end of the past season, while West Brom won automatic promotion from the second tier of English football.

Caicara, who is valued at £3 million, can operate in an attacking role in midfield. The Brazilian is a very good and experienced full-b…

Bundesliga leaders Borussia Monchengladbach have signed 16-year-old Joe Scally from New York City, sending the defender back to the MLS club on loan for the 2020 season.

The right-back has yet to appear in MLS but was the second youngest player in league history – after Freddy Adu – to sign a professional contract when he did so in March 2018, aged 15.

Scally, who will move to Germany in January 2021, made his professional debut in the US Open Cup against rivals New York Red Bulls in June 2018, replacing then NYCFC captain David Villa.

The MLS club reported the undisclosed fee for Scally s transfer, depending on bonuses, could rise significantly to become one of the highest transfer fees received for a MLS player being transferred to a European club .

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Blue cards are set to be dropped from sin bin trials planned by football’s lawmakers. the PA news agency understands.

The cards were set to be unveiled as the method used to signal a temporary dismissal in trial protocols originally scheduled for publication on February 9, a move which would have marked the biggest change in managing player discipline in the professional game since the introduction of red and yellow cards for the 1970 World Cup.

However, there was a largely negative reaction when reports about blue cards surfaced on the eve of publication, and the International Football Association Board, which sets the game’s laws, opted to delay publication of the protocol.

FIFA wishes to clarify that reports of the so-called blue card at elite levels of fo…

Eddie Howe will not be taking over at Celtic despite positive and detailed talks with the Scottish club.

Howe had been one of the frontrunners to replace Neil Lennon, who left Celtic in February with the Bhoys trailing Rangers in the Scottish Premiership.

Lennon s departure did nothing to prevent Rangers march to the title, ending Celtic s hopes of winning 10 championships on the bounce.

Howe left Bournemouth following their relegation from the Premier League in 2020, and Celtic confirmed they held talks with the 43-year-old.

However, it appears the move is dead in the water, with Celtic stating that they are assessing other candidates due to reasons beyond the control of the club and Howe.

Following very positive and detailed discussions with …

Chelsea have signed Spain midfielder Cesc Fabregas on a five-year deal from Barcelona.

Fabregas, currently away with his national side at the FIFA World Cup in Brazil, returns to the Premier League after a three-year stay at Camp Nou.

The 27-year-old joined the Catalan giants from Arsenal in 2011, and won La Liga in 2013, as well as the Copa del Rey 12 months earlier.

Fabregas final season in Spain ended in disappointment as Barca finished the campaign second behind Atletico Madrid, having failed to beat Diego Simeone s men on the final day when a victory would have seen them crowned champions.

Manchester United had reportedly also been mulling over a deal for the midfielder, while Arsenal turned down the chance to take up a first option on him.

However, Fa…

Toronto striker Jermain Defoe is confident goals in the MLS can help him secure a place in England s FIFA World Cup squad.

Defoe moved to Toronto from Tottenham at the end of February, after spending more than a decade in the Premier League, and scored twice on his debut at the weekend to secure a 2-1 victory over Seattle Sounders.

The striker is certain he will be selected by England manager Roy Hodgson if he continues to hit the back of the net.

I just need to play and score goals, he told FIFA.com. To get on a World Cup squad you have to be playing.

Throughout my career people know I ve scored a lot of goals. I think the most important thing for me is to play and score goals. That s all I can do.

The 31-year-old believes England can achieve success in B…

Robert Lewandowski is adamant Mario Gotze can still succeed at Bayern Munich and wants the Germany international to up his game in the remainder of the season.

Gotze has been struggling to become a regular starter at the Allianz Arena since joining Bayern from Borussia Dortmund in 2013 and has been heavily linked with a move elsewhere, with Dortmund and Liverpool believed to be keen to sign him.

Nevertheless, striker Lewandowski has told his team-mate to keep fighting and prove his critics wrong.

Mario proved during the international break that he is always capable of showing what he can do and that he is a great player, Lewandowski told Focus.

He should not be reading what people say about him in the papers. He does not need all the extra pressure. Ma…

Leyton Orient owner Francesco Becchetti has led the O s to ruin

English football seems to be full of very shady characters and I am not just talking about the ones that run around on the pitch.

The English game seems to have attracted the sort of club owners that just want to take from clubs and not give anything back.

Blackburn Rovers and Leyton Orient are fine examples of how these supposedly rich owners have come into clubs and ruined them.

Venkys have led Rovers to the third tier

Right from the very second the Venkys were involved with Blackburn Rovers the group seemed to be bad news. Rovers have gone from the Premier League to playing their football in League One under the current regime in seven years.

The Rovers owners seemed to ca…

Vancouver Whitecaps moved within a point of a play-off position in the MLS Western Conference table thanks to a 2-1 defeat of Sporting Kansas City on Sunday.  

Ryan Gauld scored in the 23rd minute and Russell Teibert added a second for the Whitecaps in the 35th with a left-footed strike that eluded goalkeeper Tim Melia. 

Johnny Russell netted for the sixth successive game, scoring in the 43rd minute for the visitors, but that was the extent of their comeback. 

Second-placed Sporting KC (52 points) would have clinched a play-off spot via a win or a draw but will have to wait as they remain five points adrift of leaders Seattle Sounders. 

Vancouver are on 40 points, one behind seventh-placed Minnesota and two back of Real Salt Lake and LA Galaxy.