Author: Anuraag Peesara

After a dismal run of form, Odisha FC decided to part ways with Kiko Ramirez and have replaced him with another Kino Garcia to lead them for the remainder of this edition’s Indian Super League. The side have picked up just 13 points in 10 games under Ramirez in the ongoing Indian Super League campaign and find themselves in the ninth position. Odisha have conceded the most goals in the tournament and have picked up just one win in their last six outings. They faced a couple of big defeats in the hands of Hyderabad FC (0-4, Dec 14) and Jamshedpur (1-6, Dec 28), but their 2-0 defeat…

Indian Premier Leagues’s two latest additions Ahmedabad and Lucknow have been handed a deadline of January 22 to complete their signings. Each of these two franchises have the opportunity to draft three players among the ones who are not retained by the existing eight franchises, out of which they can pick a maximum of one overseas cricketer. “They have time till 5 pm on January 22 to complete their signings,” Cricbuzz quoted a BCCI official as saying on Wednesday. This deadline has been set after formally approving the CVC Capital Partners and RPSG group as the new owners. CVC Partners’…

Cristiano Ronaldo made a stellar return to Manchester United from Juventus in August, and although he was expected to bring back a lot of the glory days to Old Trafford, things have not worked out the way fans expected. Former boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was eventually sacked, and United went for a rebuilding maestro in Ralf Rangnick for an interim and consultancy role. The German has been in charge for just over a month now, and it is increasingly evident that there is a much deep-rooted problem at the club, which won’t change with a managerial appointment. Known as the godfather of gegenpressing, the…

Sevilla’s Jules Kounde, who is capable of playing both centre-back and right-back, is one of most highly-rated defenders in modern football. The Spanish club have attached a 75 million pounds price tag to the player and are not willing to sell him in January, but it is highly likely that he will be making his way out this summer. But some reports suggest that the youngster has agreed Liverpool’s contract offer, settling the personal terms aspect of a potential transfer. Kounde has been in the radar of many premium clubs in European football, including English clubs like Chelsea and Manchester United. He has…

Pau Torres has been on the radar for many English and Spanish clubs for quite a while now, but they have been put off by Villarreal’s valuation of the centre-back. If reports by Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano are to be believed, Tottenham Hotspur will push to sign the defender to strengthen Antonio Conte’s push for a top-four finish. “Let’s see what happens with a centre-back. Tottenham want to sign a new centre-back in January. Pau Torres has always been on their list since last summer, but Villarreal has no intention to let him leave in January.”Romano said (as quoted by…

The Gunners manager Mikel Arteta seems to have regained the trust of fans and management with an impressive run of form this season, which was also supplemented by some beautiful football. Arsenal are currently fourth in the Premier League and are the favourites to finish in Champions League slots as it stands, above the likes of Tottenham, Manchester United and West Ham. In January, the club are looking to bolster their attacking strength having already made two massive additions in the defensive area last summer alongside converting Martin Odegaard’s loan move into a permanent deal. With the club having some off-field issues…

The Gunners have completed their first transfer of the window, having put pen on paper with West Brom’s teenage sensation Lino Da Cruz Sousa. The 16-year-old footballer, who is a very talented left-back, has been representing the West Brom U18s since last season and has made a very significant impression. According to the club’s official website, Sousa is a versatile left-back with great dribbling skills and is incredible with his close control. He was asked to train with the English national camp previously and has also played for the U15 and U16 national sides before. He also got a start for West Brom in Premier…

One of the most revered names in Japanese football, Kazuyoshi Miura has signed a professional contract, which will get him into his 36th year in professional football. The footballer signed up with Japanese fourth tier club Suzuka Point Getters and is keen on continuing a few more years as a professional footballer. Miura, also hailed as “King Kazu” by the Japanese fans, was with Yokohama until last season and decided to quit the club after they were relegated into the second division. Suzuka will be the 15th football club Miura will be signing up for, having previously played football across Brazil, Italy,…

The overhaul job at Newcastle United is officially in place, and the club have already signed senior full-back Kieran Trippier to bolster their chances of survival. They are keen on getting a few more players in the coming week with a number of players like Sven Botman and Diego Carlos as centre-back options to go with some targets for the striker position. They seemed to have completed their second signing of the season to cover up the striker position they were looking at, and it is being said that the club have triggered the release clause on Burnley’s Chris Wood. The New…

Juventus winger Federico Chiesa is officially ruled out of the remainder of this season after the club’s medical team confirmed a tear on his left anterior cruciate ligament. The youngster will require ligament surgery to get better, and will be missing Italy’s crucial World Cup qualifier games, which may include a knock-out game against 2016 Euro champions Portugal. The winger injured himself during the game against AS Roma, which finished with a thrilling 3-4 scoreline. Chiesa assisted the opening goal for Juve, which was finished by Paulo Dybala. But around the half-hour mark, the footballer found that something was wrong and perhaps immediately he…