Golden Soccer 360

Frank Lampard has the potential to be a big success at Derby - as long as the owners give him time, says Jamie Redknapp. What a great move for Frank Lampard. What a great move for Derby County! I'm really excited to see Frank appointed as Derby manager and I'm already looking forward to going to Pride Park to see what style of football he plays and the success he can have there. This has been his ambition for a long time and, knowing him like I do and from talking about football with him, Derby have appointed a very sensible manager. He is a clever guy who has had a fantastic career as a player. This is a bold choice for him as his first job - but a great opportunity. My dad worked at Derby as a director of football for a while and when I went to watch games there I was reminded of what a big club it is. It's a sleeping giant. The question is whether Frank can be the person to wake it up and take Derby back into the Premier League. A lot of people have trie...

Chelsea are likely to sell Thibaut Courtois and are considering entering the race for Roma goalkeeper Alisson, according to Sky in Italy. The Belgium international has just a year left on his current contract and the Blues have decided to stop negotiations over a renewal. Courtois made 46 appearances for the Blues last season but they missed out on Champions League qualification and manager Antonio Conte's future remains in doubt heading into the summer, with Maurizio Sarri linked to the job. The 26-year-old 'keeper has seemingly joined a number of first-team players whose futures are also shrouded in doubt, including Willian, who is understood to want to leave the club if Conte stays, with Manchester United interested. Courtois recently hinted that his future was uncertain when he said "we'll see what is going to happen after the World Cup", following Chelsea's FA Cup triumph at Wembley. The ex-Atletico Madrid star has been a long-term target for...

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has no buyout clause in his new contract amid reports linking him to the vacant Real Madrid job,  Sky Sports News  has been told. Zinedine Zidane made a shock exit from the Bernabeu on Thursday and Pochettino is among the candidates being touted to replace the Frenchman. Sky Sports News  understands the Spurs boss has no buyout clause and club sources deny that there is a verbal agreement for Pochettino to be granted permission to discuss a move to La Liga. The Argentine signed a new five-year contract last week after guiding the North London club to three successive top-three finishes in the Premier League. Pochettino is among the bookmaker's favourites to succeed Zidane along with former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger. Earlier this year, Sky Sports' Spanish football expert Guillem Balague reported that Madrid president Florentino Perez had identified Pochettino as top choice to be their next manager. via...

Zinedine Zidane has quit as Real Madrid manager just days after becoming the first coach to win the Champions League in three consecutive seasons. Zidane, 45, replaced Rafael Benitez in January 2016 and despite his European success has come under pressure for winning only one La Liga title during his two and a half years in charge. He told Real president Florentino Perez he would be leaving on Wednesday before informing captain Sergio Ramos. "I know it is a strange moment for everyone involved," said Zidane. "But it had to be done for everybody. "This team has to continue winning and need a change. After three years they need a new voice, a new way of saying things - possibly another way of working. "That's why I've taken that decision. I love this club, I love the president, he's given me the chance to come as a player and a manager. I'm eternally grateful to him but today for me and for everyone we have to change....

Granit Xhaka's place in Switzerland's World Cup squad is in doubt after the Arsenal midfielder picked up an injury in training. The Swiss FA confirmed Xhaka had to stop training on Thursday after injuring his knee in a duel. He was not sent to hospital and was instead treated and examined by the physio at the team hotel. A statement on the Swiss FA website said Xhaka reported feeling pain on the outside of his left knee and will be sent for an MRI scan before any further update on the injury is given but they have told Sky Sports: "It is too early to say if he will miss the tournament in Russia". Xhaka is part of coach Vladimir Petkovic's 26-man preliminary squad which also includes Stoke midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri and Arsenal target Stephan Lichtsteiner. Switzerland play Spain in a warm-up match on June 3. They begin the World Cup against Brazil on June 17, before facing Serbia and Costa Rica in group E. via Sky Sports

Roman Abramovich remains fully committed to Chelsea despite the fact plans to redevelop Stamford Bridge have been put on hold, Sky Sports News understands. The Russian billionaire sanctioned the decision to put all further developments of Chelsea's home ground on hold, which was announced on Thursday. However, one source has told us that it is still "business as usual" at the west London club and that Abramovich's commitment to the club is "unwavering". He was due to invest up to £1bn in the rebuilding project, which received planning permission last year. It was expected that Chelsea would play at an alternative venue, probably Wembley, until the start of the 2020-2021 season when the new stadium would be ready. Abramovich, who has owned the team since 2003, attends the majority of Chelsea matches. However, delays over his latest visa application renewal led him to miss Chelsea's FA Cup final victory over Manchester Unitedearlier this month....

Everton have appointed former Watford boss Marco Silva as their new manager. The Toffees have been without a manager since parting ways with Sam Allardyce, who was sacked by the club earlier this month after less than six months in charge at Goodison Park. Sky Sports understands Silva has signed a three-year contract at Everton - his third English club following spells at Hull City and Watford. "I'm really proud to be the new Everton manager," said Silva, who will hold his first press conference on Monday. "I'm excited and I'm really happy to take this big challenge for us as a club and for me as a manager. "I want to express my thanks to Farhad [Moshiri], to the Chairman, to the Board of Directors and to Marcel [Brands] as well for the confidence in my work. "I know the huge history of Everton as a club and what the fans expect. I'm sure with everybody working together I will be ready for this challenge." Silva was originall...

Robert Lewandowski has informed Bayern Munich of his intention to leave the club, the player's agent revealed. There have been no offers for the player yet, but Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City have all shown interest, although they face competition from Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain. The 29-year-old is under contract at the Bundesliga champions until 2021, but recently hired super-agent Pini Zahavi - the man behind Neymar's world-record move to PSG - to negotiate a deal to release him from the club. It is understood that if Lewandowski has to stay at Bayern, he will not go on strike but it has been made clear that his motivation to score goals will not be there. Speaking to  Sport Bild , Zahavi said: "Robert feels he needs a change and a new challenge in his career. The managers of Bayern know about it." Lewandowski joined Bayern from Borussia Dortmund in 2014, and has scored 151 goals in 195 games, topping the Bundesliga scoring ...

The appointment of Maurizio Sarri could see Chelsea play the football that many at Stamford Bridge are desperate to see, writes Adam Bate. It is difficult to be certain whether social media has exacerbated the appetite for change or merely given it a voice. What is clear is that there is rampant excitement at the prospect of Maurizio Sarri replacing Antonio Conte as Chelsea manager. Avatars and Twitter handles have already been altered in his honour. Announce Sarri, they demand in their droves. Yes, it can be a strange old place and a 59-year-old former banker with a long history of unsavoury behaviour makes for an even stranger youth icon, but Sarri has something they want. He has a knack for producing the flowing football that Chelsea fans feel they are being denied. There is a craving for change and Sarri offers it in spades, triangles and transitions. Jose Mourinho's comments after the FA Cup final could easily be dismissed as the musings of a man who would say ju...

John Terry is leaving Aston Villa, the club have confirmed. The former Chelsea captain joined Villa on a one-year deal last summer and led the side this season, making 35 league appearances. Villa finished fourth in the Championship but narrowly missed out on promotion to the Premier League   after a 1-0 loss to Fulham in the play-off final last weekend. A club statement read: "Aston Villa can confirm the club will part company with John Terry. "We would like to place on record our most sincere thanks for the effort and professionalism he showed with us last season. "John is a true leader and was everything and more that we hoped. Hugely popular and influential in the dressing room, he played a real captain's role in creating the incredible bond the players shared with our supporters, and vice-versa. "We hope he looks back on his time with Villa fondly and we wish him the very best as his career moves forward." via Sky Sports

Juventus are confident of completing the signing of Emre Can by the end of the week, according to Sky in Italy. The 24-year-old midfielder formed a pre-contract agreement with Italy's double-winning side during the January transfer window. Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has been trying to get Can to stay and extend his deal at Anfield, which expires next month, but it now appears certain the German will leave the Premier League club. Can came on as a late substitute in Saturday's Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid but had previously not featured since March because of a back injury and was left out of Germany's preliminary World Cup squad. He was an instrumental part of Liverpool's success this season before the injury, making 37 appearances in all competitions and scoring seven goals. Liverpool signed Can from Bayer Leverkusen in a £10m deal in 2014, and he has since made 166 appearances and scored 14 goals. via Sky Sports

Mohamed Salah is expected to return in three weeks to help spearhead Egypt’s World Cup campaign, the country’s football federation have said. Salah was forced off with a shoulder injury during Liverpool's 3-1 Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid last weekend after tangling with Sergio Ramos. The forward arrived in Valencia on Tuesday for treatment on his damaged shoulder and has been assessed by Egyptian national team doctors. The Egypt Football Association have since tweeted they expect Salah to be fit again within three weeks. That may come too soon for Salah to play any part in Egypt's World Cup opener against Uruguay on June 15. However, with the current projected time frame for his recovery, Salah could potentially feature in Egypt's second match against host nation Russia in Saint Petersburg on June 19. via Sky Sports

Romelu Lukaku says his relationship with Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho as "perfect", and he did not start the FA Cup final because he "didn't look good in training". The striker was named as a substitute for the final against Chelsea, having picked up an ankle injury during the win over Arsenal in late April. Lukaku came off the bench in the second half as United ultimately fell 1-0 to Chelsea, with Mourinho going on to explain that the 25-year-old did not want to start. However, Lukaku has rebuffed those claims, but says everything is "all clear" with Mourinho following a discussion after the game. Asked if he was desperate to start the final, Lukaku replied: "Of course, I was, but I didn't look good in training at all. "It was a difficult situation. Obviously me and the manager had a conversation, he's the one that made the decision. "But we had a conversation after the game, where we were both disappoin...

Dietmar Hamann has questioned Loris Karius' behaviour after Liverpool's Champions League final defeat, and claimed the goalkeeper's ego is far greater than the level of his performances. Karius made two costly mistakes as Liverpool lost 3-1 to Real Madrid in Kiev on Saturday, leaving the German in tears after full-time as he gestured apologetically towards supporters in the stadium. But Hamann, who won the Champions League with Liverpool in 2005, admits he has little sympathy for Karius, calling the goalkeeper's emotions after the final whistle "unnecessary". "My sympathy with Karius is limited," Hamann told  Sport Bild . "We don't have to discuss that he decided the final with his two mistakes. Something like that can also happen to a professional footballer. But what I didn't like was his behaviour afterwards. "To publicly show his suffering after the final whistle was just as unnecessary as his tearful asking for forgi...

Usain Bolt is spending a week training with Norwegian top-flight side Stromsgodset. The eight-time Olympic gold medallist trained with the team for the first time on Wednesday and is due to play a training match against Norway U19s next Tuesday, the club said. The Jamaican sprinter, who retired after last year's World Championships in London, has already trained with German side Borussia Dortmund and South African club Mamelodi Sundowns this year. Stromsgodset were Norwegian champions in 2013 and the club's sporting director is former Sheffiled Utd and Norway striker Jostein Flo. He said: "We think it's amazingly fun that Usain Bolt chooses to come here to Stromsgodset to train. He is a champion, one of the greatest athletes of all time and, of course, we can learn a lot from him. "Usain Bolt is furthermore a particularly charismatic and energetic type and his presence will undoubtedly be a great inspiration for players, coaches and the whole club...

Huddersfield head coach David Wagner has signed a three-year contract extension with the club, until the summer of 2021. Assistant head coach Christoph Bühler and first-team coach Andrew Hughes have also agreed to remain at the John Smith's stadium for the next three seasons. In a club statement, Wagner, who guided the club to Premier League safety this season, said: "The decision to extend my stay at this club was not a difficult one. "The relationship Christoph, Andy and I have with Dean, the rest of the board, the staff and the supporters is special. We've achieved some incredible things together in two and a half years and now I'm excited about the future. "We still have a lot of work to do as we adapt to life in the Premier League, but this club and its people have the ambition, desire and attitude to take this challenge on. "Finally, a message to Huddersfield Town fans everywhere. Thank you for the support you have shown us and the...

Cristiano Ronaldo was a conspicuous absentee as Real Madrid launched their new shirts for next season. Moments after securing his fourth Champions League title in the last five seasons with the Spanish giants, Ronaldo appeared to cast doubt on his Real Madrid future. Following Saturday's memorable 3-1 win over Liverpool, he told BeIN Sports Spain: "It was very nice to be at Real Madrid. In the next few days, I will speak. I am going to enjoy this with my team-mates and in the next few days I'll give an answer." And speculation about Ronaldo's future will no doubt intensify after he was the only first-team squad member not pictured in either the home or away shirt for next season, which went on sale on Real Madrid's website on Tuesday. In fact, Ronaldo is the only member of Real's first-team squad whose photo in the new shirt does not appear when you use the shop by player function on the club's official website. Gareth Bale, whose own Real...

Gareth Bale wants to feel more important at Real Madrid, says Guillem Balague, amid speculation linking him with a move away from the Bernabeu. Bale's two goals in Saturday's Champions League final against Liverpool in Kiev came at the end of a season where his starts have been restricted by manager Zinedine Zidane. The 28-year-old said afterwards he has not played as much as he would have liked this season and he will discuss his future with his agent Jonathan Barnett in the close-season. Balague believes Bale wants to be the axis of Real's attack, but reiterated that the Spanish club do not wish to sell the Welshman. "There is going to be a meeting between the representatives of Gareth Bale and Real Madrid, as he announced himself, but that won't take place for at least two weeks. "The message his reps want to send on behalf of Bale is that he wants to feel more important. Not only does he want to start, he wants to be the axis, the focus of Rea...

Brazil captain Thiago Silva has backed his compatriot Fabinho to be a success at Liverpool after the midfielder was announced as Jurgen Klopp's latest signing on Monday. The Reds agreed a deal to sign the Monaco midfielder from July 1 for a fee of up to £43.7 million. Fabinho has been capped four times by his country, but was omitted from their World Cup squad. However Silva faced the 24-year-old many times in France when Silva's Paris Saint-Germain came up against Monaco. Speaking at Tottenham's training ground, where Brazil are preparing for the World Cup, Silva said of Fabinho: "He is really smart, a really technical player and I am sure he will get adapted to the Premier League as soon as he arrives here." Silva, who arrived in Ligue 1 in 2012 from AC Milan, commented on Fabinho's move from defence to midfield, saying his versatility will be helpful to Klopp's side. "He changed his position in Monaco. He was a right-back and now he...

Frank Lampard is close to signing a deal to become the next Derby County manager,  Sky Sports News  understands. The Rams have been searching for a new manager since the departure of Gary Rowett to Sky Bet Championship rivals Stoke last week. Sky Sports News  understands a number of contractual issues still need to be addressed, but Lampard and Derby are keen to get the deal done. Jody Morris, who has led Chelsea's U18s to the FA Youth Cup in successive seasons, is expected to join Lampard as part of his coaching staff at Pride Park. Lampard confirmed on Saturday that he was in talks with Derby over becoming the club's new boss, with the 39-year-old keen to take his first steps into management. The former Chelsea, West Ham and England midfielder was also interviewed twice for the vacant managerial position at Ipswich. Lampard - capped 106 times by England - enjoyed a trophy-laden playing career winning three Premier League titles, four FA Cups, two League C...

Manchester United are in talks to sign Porto full-back Diogo Dalot, Sky sources understand. Jose Mourinho has reportedly been in the market for a right-back to compete with Antonio Valencia for a place in United's starting line-up, with Matteo Darmian's future at the club unclear. Portugal U21 international Dalot is understood to have a €20m (£17.4m) release clause in his Porto contract - which expires next summer - and is thought to have attracted interest from some of Europe's leading clubs. The 19-year-old, who made his first-team Porto debut in February, could now depart the Estadio Dragao to link up with compatriot and former Porto boss Mourinho. Dalot played out of position for Porto at left-back in the Champions League knockout stages against Liverpool earlier this season. He is a product of Porto's academy and won the U17 Euros with Portugal in 2016. via Sky Sports