Lyon sign Lopez in a record deal

Jose Mourinho praised his players for standing firm against what he described as monsters in the air after Tottenham produced a second-half turnaround to see off Brighton and Hove Albion.

After losing 2-0 last time out to London rivals Chelsea, Spurs appeared in danger of suffering a second successive home defeat when they fell behind on Boxing Day, Adam Webster heading in a free-kick in the 37th minute.

However, Harry Kane who had earlier seen a goal ruled out for offside drew the hosts level before Dele Alli struck what turned out to be the winner with a wonderful 72nd-minute finish, much to the delight of the Spurs boss.

Mourinho felt his side had not played that badly before the break, but just needed to change bits to launch a comeback against a team …

The situation surrounding the future of Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane is extremely tense at the moment. Manchester City remain firmly interested in his services, but as City boss , it s all down to Spurs now.

The striker was supposedly due back in training on Monday, but he did not appear until Saturday, after releasing a statement saying he never meant to refuse to train, nor to anger the Spurs fans.

Sky Sports journalist Kaveh Solhekol gave his view of this statement of Kane s and pointed out the significance of its timing, while Dharmesh Sheth compared the situation with that of Jack Grealish, who made his Man City debut in the 1-0 Community Shield to Leicester City on Saturday following a £100m transfer from Aston Villa.

Why was this not clarified e…

Barcelona defender Joao Cancelo faces a spell on the sidelines after suffering knee ligament damage.

Cancelo was forced off after 11 minutes of Barcelona’s 2-1 LaLiga victory at Las Palmas on Thursday.

“Tests carried out on Friday show that first-team player Joao Cancelo has a strained medial collateral ligament in his left knee,” read a Barcelona statement.

MEDICAL NEWS | Tests carried out this morning have revealed that first team player João Cancelo has a left MCL strain. He is out and his recovery will determine his availability.

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona)

“He is unavailable for selection and his recovery will dictate his return.”

Barcelona are in action again on Sunday, against Barbastro in the Copa del Rey, with the…

German daily  that Wolfsburg are set to complete the signing of Brazilian midfielder Luiz Gustavo from Bayern Munich.

Both Barcelona and Arsenal have been showing interest in the wantaway midfielder of late, but it seems the Wolves have won the race for the player s signature.

According to Bild, Wolfsburg have had a €15 million bid accepted by their Bundesliga rivals, with the player expected to agree personal terms in the coming days.

Luiz Gustavo was eager to leave Alianz Arena in search of first team football as he fell further behind in the pecking order following the arrival of Thiago Alcantara.

With the 26-year-old desperate to keep his regular starting berth in the national team ahead of the 2014 World Cup on home soil, a summer exit was always…

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce revealed he signed Andy Carroll ahead of Wilfried Bony and he is happy with the decision.

Swansea City splashed out a club-record £12million on Bony from Eredivisie outfit Vitesse Arnhem in 2013, the same year West Ham brought Carroll back to Upton Park on a permanent basis.

The two Premier League rivals meet at Upton Park on Sunday and Allardyce said he made enquires about the Ivory Coast international before spending £15m on Carroll, who netted seven goals in 24 matches during his loan spell from Liverpool in 2012-13.

Bony has gone on to score 22 goals in 48 Premier League appearances, while injuries have limited English striker Carroll to a mere two goals in 19 games but Allardyce still believes he got the better deal.

…

Justin Kluivert s expected move from Ajax to Roma is 90 per cent sure , despite his father Patrick advising him to stay with the Eredivisie club.

The 19-year-old winger enjoyed something of a breakout season in 2017-18, scoring 10 goals and setting up another five in the league.

His dribbling ability and general play in the final third have seen him earn rave reviews, with several of Europe s biggest clubs said to have shown interest.

Reports claim Roma are close to completing a €18million move for the Netherlands international, but his father – who also played in Italy for AC Milan – thinks it is too early for him.

I personally said to him maybe it s better to stay one more year at Ajax, to make some kilometres, to be important for the team, Kl…

Former Manchester City winger David White is the fourth English footballer to speak publically about being sexually abused as a child by a youth coach.                                                              

Over the past week, ex-Crewe Alexandra players Andy Woodward and Steve Walters told the Guardian of their ordeals with Barry Bennell – a coach who was subsequently convicted as a serial paedophile.

White also claims he was abused by Bennell, while his one-time City team-mate and fellow England international Paul Stewart told the Daily Mirror he was sexually assaulted between the ages of 11 and 15 by an unnamed coach, who told him of Bennell s crimes in an attempt to legitimise the abuse.

In a statement released on Wedne…

Pep Guardiola will not entertain talk of a Manchester City treble until after they have won both the Premier League and the FA Cup, having been bemused by the suggestion they are just 11 games away.

City are through the semi-finals of both the FA Cup, playing Sheffield United on Saturday, and the Champions League, having eliminated Bayern Munich in the last eight this week.

As the league champions close on Arsenal at the top of the table, too, there is the potential for City to emulate rivals Manchester United s feat of 1999.

But Guardiola s side face a gruelling schedule, with the manager already complaining of fatigue following the Bayern game even before reaching a two-legged semi against Real Madrid.

For that reason, he sought to shut down the topic o…

Lazio head coach Maurizio Sarri has called for resignations over the decision to overturn Juventus 15-point deduction in Serie A.

The Bianconeri were hit with the penalty in January after an investigation into a capital gains case, with the club found guilty of alleged breaches in relation to historical transfers.

However, Juve s appeal to have the deduction revoked proved successful, with the Collegio di Garanzia announcing on Thursday the penalty has been annulled.

The Italian Football Federation (FICG) could yet punish Juve again after re-evaluating the case, but for now they have jumped to third in Serie A.

Massimiliano Allegri s men have the chance to leapfrog Lazio into second should they beat leaders Napoli on Sunday, but Sarri is not happy with ho…

Iraq warmed up for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup with a 1-1 draw against Poland in a friendly international match here on Tuesday.

In their final match before tackling hosts South Africa in the tournament opener this Sunday, coach Bora Milutinovic s side were disappointed after Mahdi Kareem s second-half strike was cancelled out by Roger Guerreiro.

A small stadium in the heart of the Cape Flats in the south-west city was an odd setting for a match between two nations with few links to South Africa, and an attritional first half provided few chances.

Around 2,000 spectators turned up, with a number of Polish and Iraqi flags fluttering, but they witnessed a quiet opening 45 minutes as neither side could register a shot on target.

Both coaches made many …