Patrick Vieira is unsure over the futures of Mario Balotelli and Alassane Plea at Nice after the duo were absent for the new coach s first day on the job.
The Nice squad reported back for pre-season training on Monday under the guidance of Vieira, who left New York City FC to take over at the Ligue 1 club.
However, forwards Balotelli and Plea who both reached double figures for league goals in 2017-18 failed to show up.
The pair have been the subject of transfer speculation since the end of the campaign; domestic rivals Marseille are reportedly keen on Balotelli, while Plea is attracting interest from a number of Premier League sides.
I have no information regarding them as it was not planned, Vieira who was placed in charge after Lucien Favr…
Best odds: 13/20
Bookmaker:
Coming back to the venue where their hopes for a Premier League title were shattered in the previous season, Arsenal will face Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on Tuesday night.
Last weekend, the Gunners regained their winning form and goal-scoring prowess by defeating Crystal Palace 5-0. In contrast, Nuno Espirito Santo s team had to settle for a 0-0 draw against Bristol City in Friday s FA Cup match.
Nottingham Forest
Taiwo Awoniyi s goal crushed Arsenal s hopes of achieving Premier League stardom once and for all last season. Simultaneously, it secured Nottingham Forest a spot in the top flight for the second consecutive year. However, a third straight season of top-flight football is far from guaranteed at this point.…
In the next week and a half crucial World Cup qualifiers will take place all around the globe. World Champions Italy will qualify for next years competition held in South Africa with a victory over the Republic of Ireland at Croke Park.
They are currently four points ahead of Ireland with just two games remaining. Italy have been lucky that they were in a relatively weak group. The World Champions will face a much tougher challenge in South Africa next year.
Looking stale and old
The World Champions have looked less than impressive in recent months. Their performance in the Confederations Cup was embarrassing. They looked stale and out of ideas. The team has lots of experience but at the moment what they really lack is creativity and vision.
They do not …
Manchester City winger Jesus Navas is delighted by Sevilla s progress ahead of Wednesday s Champions League reunion with his former club.
Navas swapped the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan for the Etihad Stadium ahead of the 2013-14 season, having twice won the Europa League under its former guise of the UEFA Cup.
Sevilla followed those triumphs with two more in 2014 and 2015 – last season s glory lifting them into the Champions League this time around.
I am very happy, seeing them grow year on year, keep doing well and now enjoying the Champions League – where they ll get to know themselves better, Navas told Omnisport.
It pleases me a lot. I watch their matches on television.
Sevilla and City have three points a piece, having beaten Borussia Mo…
Chelsea manager Antonio Conte could reluctantly allow goalkeeper Asmir Begovic to leave the club during the January transfer window.
Begovic has served as a back-up keeper at Stamford Bridge since arriving from Stoke City in 2015, with Thibaut Courtois having established himself as the club s first choice.
Reports on Friday suggested Bournemouth had seen a £10million bid for the Bosnia-Herzegovina international turned down.
But, while Conte concedes he would prefer Begovic to remain at the club, he also says an offer is still under consideration.
I want to say Asmir is an important player on and off the pitch. He knows this, Conte told a news conference ahead of Sunday s Premier League clash with Hull City.
There is this offer. Me and the clu…
What the papers say
Tottenham are determined to hold on to England captain Harry Kane, according to the Daily Mirror, despite him approaching the final year of his contract. Manchester United have been leading the chase to sign the 29-year-old striker.
Another England player is in Manchester United’s sights as they look for a possible replacement for goalkeeper David de Gea, 32. The Daily Mirror reports they are preparing a move for Jordan Pickford, 29, from Everton.
Bayer Leverkusen’s 23-year-old winger Moussa Diaby has emerged as a possible summer target for Arsenal, according to the Standard. The French international has also been linked with Newcastle and Paris St Germain.
Striker Romelu Lukaku, who turns 30 on Saturday, will return to Chelsea for pre-se…
Rangers trounced Celtic 3-0 at Ibrox as Michael Beale enjoyed his first win over the Hoops as Gers manager.
Midfielder Todd Cantwell fired the home side into the lead after five breathless minutes before returning defender John Souttar headed in his first Light Blues goal from a corner on 34 minutes.
Attacker Fashion Sakala made it 3-0 in the 70th minute to clinch a convincing victory over the below-par cinch Premiership champions.
— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC)
It was Beale’s first success in five attempts against the Parkhead side since taking over from Giovanni van Bronckhorst last November and it ended Celtic’s 34-game unbeaten domestic run – although Ange Postecoglou’s side remain on course for a domestic treble, with the S…
Borussia Dortmund are weighing up a move for Inter Milan defender Andrea Ranocchia, according to Sky Italia.
The Millionaires are hoping to sign a replacement for long-term casualty Neven Subotic and they seem to have made the Italy international their number one target.
The good news is that Inter are prepared to cash in on the stopper in the January window with their asking price being €16 million.
Nevertheless, Sky Italia understands that the Nerazzurri would probably settle for a transfer fee in the region of €12 million.
Andrea Ranocchia joined Inter from Genoa in January 2011 and has since featured in 74 Serie A matches for the club.
He has made a total of 14 league appearances this season, scoring 1 goal in the process, but it appears …
Southampton have announced the release of six first-team players, including Artur Boruc and Jos Hooiveld.
Goalkeeper Boruc joined the Premier League club in September 2012, but fell down the pecking order following the arrival of Fraser Forster.
The Poland international spent the majority of the campaign on loan with Bournemouth promoted as champions from the Championship and his release could pave the way for a permanent switch to Dean Court.
Hooiveld has also found himself out of favour at St Mary s Stadium this term and has been shipped out on loan to both Norwich City and Millwall during 2014-15.
Jake Sinclair, Cody Cropper, Omar Rowe and Chris Johns have also been released by the club.
…
Jose Mourinho does not believe Manchester United s three signings in the close season have improved their squad.
United, who finished second in the Premier League last term, brought in goalkeeper Lee Grant, defender Diogo Dalot and midfielder Fred, but Mourinho is thought to have wanted a new centre-back and has openly criticised the club s failure to back him.
Ahead of the Red Devils league opener against Leicester City, Mourinho claimed he is working with essentially the same group as in 2017-18.
It is the same, the same squad as last season, Mourinho told Sky Sports.
We changed the goalkeepers with Lee because Joel [Pereira, loaned to Vitoria de Setubal] is such a good young goalkeeper that he needs to play.
We changed Daley Blind [returned …