Football rumours: Ian Maatsen faces January exit as Chelsea contract talks stall

Pambos Christodoulou will take charge of his first match as Cyprus coach on Wednesday when Northern Ireland visit Nicosia.

Christodoulou was appointed as the successor to Nikos Nioplias after the Greek oversaw a disappointing Cypriot qualification campaign for the FIFA World Cup.

Under Nioplias, Cyprus finished bottom of Group E after taking only five points from a possible 30, with the side having failed to pick up a win since September 2012.

Cyprus finished their qualification campaign on a relatively positive note, drawing 0-0 with Albania, and Christodoulou will be keen for his charges to begin 2014 in a positive manner against Michael O Neill s men.

Northern Ireland have lost four of their last five matches and former AEL Limassol and Anorthosis coach Chr…

Head coach Silvia Neid said Tuesday Germany s women can afford to take nothing for granted when they defend their World Cup title on home soil in 2011, despite being handed a relatively easy draw.

Germany will face France, Nigeria and Canada in Group A of the 2011 Women s World Cup which starts at Berlin s Olympic Stadium on Sunday June 26 when the hosts face Canada.

We are very pleased with the group, Neid told German daily Bild after the draw in Frankfurt.

But you certainly can not say that we are already in the quarter-finals.

Under no circumstances will we take our opponents lightly.

Having beaten Canada 5-0 in Dresden in September and Nigeria 8-0 in Leverkusen just last week, Germany captain Brigit Prinz said the goal is to defend the ti…

Marko Arnautovic converted from the penalty spot deep into stoppage time as Stoke City won a spectacular match with Everton 4-3.

The Austria international went to ground after a challenge from John Stones with just a few seconds left on the clock at Goodison Park on Monday and then blasted the ball home himself to help Mark Hughes men to all three points in dramatic fashion.

Xherdan Shaqiri had opened the scoring early on for Stoke with his first Premier League goal, only for Romelu Lukaku to hit back as both attackers put in eye-catching performances.

Switzerland international Shaqiri then doubled his personal tally shortly before the interval, but Lukaku was not to be outdone and netted to make it 2-2 after the break, his 15th league goal of the season…

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini made a big decision to drop midfielder Yaya Toure from the starting lineup against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday night, but was vindicated as City delivered an effective performance that will now raises the question of where the Ivorian’s future lies past this summer.

City finally moving on without troublesome Toure

Toure came on late in the game as Kevin De Bruyne was given a rest for his excursions on the pitch, but City were more than deserving of their narrow victory over the French Ligue 1 without having their long-serving midfielder present. It was a big call to make by the manager as Toure has been a regular in the side for many years, but it appears the club are moving on as the former African Player of the Y…

Lionel Messi s €700million release clause does not apply at all as he seeks to leave Barcelona, his father says, although LaLiga reiterated the captain cannot walk away as a free agent.

Messi last week informed Barca he wants to move on after an 2019-20 season in which they failed to win a trophy and were hammered 8-2 by Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

Manchester City quickly emerged as suitors for the six-time Ballon d Or winner but are reportedly only interested in a free transfer.

Messi believed an agreement in his contract meant he could leave Camp Nou at the end of the campaign without the astronomical release clause being paid.

But with the season delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Blaugrana maintained that option has expi…

Aston Villa were in the race to sign Callum Wilson from Bournemouth, but they eventually withdrew their advances when it became known to them that the striker prefers a move to Newcastle United, who completed the signing for £20 million on Monday. Now, however, Villa have returned to Bournemouth with another proposal, this time concerning Joshua King.

King s desire to leave the Vitality was notable throughout the 2019/20, and he was heavily linked with Manchester United towards the end of the January transfer window. However, the deal did not go through and United ended up signing Odion Ighalo on loan instead. Bournemouth have been relegated since.

Villa boss Dean Smith is keen to add fire power to his team. According to , the Birmingham club have submitted an offer o…

Tottenham Hotspur are in talks with Steven Pienaar after agreeing a fee with Everton for the South Africa international.

Pienaar, 28, is already negotiating personal terms with Chelsea after the English Premier League title holders met Everton s asking price, believed to be three million pounds.

The former Ajax and Borussia Dortmund midfielder has been heavily linked with a move away from Goodison Park after failing to sign an extension to his contract, which expires at the end of the season.

While reluctant to sell, Everton have been forced to arrange a transfer to prevent losing Pienaar for nothing when his contract expires.

Pienaar joined Everton on-loan from Dortmund in 2007, before Everton agreed a permanent deal with the Bundesliga club worth appro…

Ian Baraclough has been sacked as manager of Championship club Scunthorpe after just seven months in charge.

Baraclough, 40, took over the role following the departure of Nigel Adkins to Southampton in September 2010.

His removal comes after a run of five defeats in the last six matches, one that has left the club inside the relegation zone and four points adrift of safety.

Their latest reverse was a 3-0 defeat at home to fellow relegation candidates Preston North End.

Scunthorpe United Football Club has relieved Ian Baraclough of his first team duties with immediate effect, the club said in a statement.

The difficult decision was reached in light of the team s disappointing performances.

Assistants Steve Parkin and Kevin Pressman ha…

Goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu has extended his contract at Paris Saint-Germain until 2018.

The Italian has established himself as the French champions number one, playing 37 of 38 matches as Laurent Blanc s men lifted the Ligue 1 title for the second season in a row last term.

And Sirigu, who has been with the club since joining from Palermo in 2011, believes PSG have only scratched the surface when it comes to the team s potential.

I wanted to continue this incredible adventure, both on a sporting and on a human level, with Paris Saint-Germain, he said.

I know we are only at the start of something exceptional.

We are going to win a lot of titles together.

President Nasser Al-Khelaifi added that the 27-year-old is an integral part of the…

Chelsea could be in a position to reveal their new manager within one or two weeks, according to chief executive Ron Gourlay.

Runners-up to Manchester United in the English Premier League last season, Chelsea have been without a head coach since the dismissal of Carlo Ancelotti on the final day of the campaign.

Dutchman Guus Hiddink, 64, won the FA Cup during a four-month spell as Chelsea s caretaker manager in 2009.

Now in charge of the Turkish national team, Hiddink has been heavily with a return to Stamford Bridge, either as head coach or director of football.

Gourlay would not give any indication of who the club will appoint, but did reveal Chelsea are hopeful of making an announcement shortly as they look to improve on a disappointing return in 2010…