Ernesto Valverde has agreed a new contract with Barcelona until the end of the 2019/20 season, the LaLiga club have announced. The 55-year-old former Barca player took charge at the club in the summer of 2017 and guided them to a LaLiga and Copa del Rey double last season. His existing deal was due to expire at the end of this season, but he will put pen to paper on fresh terms that keep him at Camp Nou until 2020, with the option of a further year. “The signing of the extension will take place on Friday 15 February at 10.15am CET in the Presidential Suite at Camp Nou,” a…

England have won the battle over the Republic of Ireland to land Declan Rice after the midfielder declared he will play his international football with the Three Lions. Rice, 20, was born and raised in England, but was eligible for Ireland through his grandparents and even made made appearances for the latter in three international friendlies. He represented the Boys in Green at youth level but has changed his international allegiances at senior level. The West Ham man is one of the brightest young prospects in the Premier League, so this is a massive coup for Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate. It strengthens England’s options but where would Rice fit…

The Croatian midfielder continues to be linked with a move away from Camp Nou but the coach is adamant that he will continue to be key to his plans Luis Enrique says that Ivan Rakitic is still an important player for Barcelona but would not be drawn on the prospect of offering him a new contract. Man City to bid for Oblak The Croatia international continues to be linked with a move away from Camp Nou after falling down the pecking order since the 1-1 Clasico draw with Real Madrid in December. Editors' Picks Sarri vindicated for dropping Kepa as Chelsea & Pedro impress in Spurs win Magnificent Mane takes…

Moussa Sissoko insists Tottenham can end their trophy drought by winning the Premier League title this season. Spurs head into the weekend’s Premier League fixtures just five points behind the leaders Manchester City and second-placed Liverpool. Mauricio Pochettino’s side, who welcome Leicester to Wembley on Sunday, also have a game in hand on reigning Premier League champions City. And France midfielder Sissoko is not giving up hope of Spurs springing a surprise and landing their first piece of silverware since 2008. He told the Daily Telegraph: “If people want to talk about Liverpool and Man City then it’s better for us. “For me, I prefer that. It means we can…

Gary Lineker says it’s “way too early” for Arsenal fans to be questioning Unai Emery – insisting only one of their players would be good enough to start for Manchester City, Liverpool or Tottenham. Emery has endured a challenging start to life in north London after Arsene Wenger’s 22-year tenure ended last May. Manchester United’s stunning resurgence to form has made Arsenal’s already uphill challenge to secure a top-four spot even steeper, with many questioning what the point of sacking Wenger was for – with limited improvement on the field. Former Gunners midfielder Emmanuel Petit has been one of the most vocal – recently underlining his surprise at the decision to…

The Argentine attacker was deployed more centrally as his side completed a 6-2 aggregate triumph over Real Sociedad, which impressed his coach Barcelona coach Luis Enrique praised Lionel Messi’s role in Thursday’s Cope del Rey quarter-final victory over Real Sociedad. Barca on course for Copa hat-trick as Madrid miss out Messi generally plays on the right wing, though he was utilised more centrally as holders Barca defeated the visitors 5-2 in the second leg to complete a 6-2 aggregate triumph. Editors' Picks Sarri vindicated for dropping Kepa as Chelsea & Pedro impress in Spurs win Magnificent Mane takes centre stage as league leaders Liverpool put on a five-star show Lukaku…

The iconic Argentine striker attracted interest from the world’s top clubs throughout his distinguished career but always wanted to challenge himself Gabriel Batistuta has admitted to having snubbed Manchester United and Real Madrid during his iconic career as he would have got “bored scoring more than 200 goals”. The legendary Argentine was one of the finest frontmen of his or any other generation. A heady mix of power and panache, the South American was one of the most fearsome finishers in world football. Article continues below Editors' Picks Sarri vindicated for dropping Kepa as Chelsea & Pedro impress in Spurs win Magnificent Mane takes centre stage as league leaders Liverpool…

Glenn Hoddle has revealed his heart stopped for a minute during the cardiac arrest suffered in the BT Sport studios last October. Hoddle collapsed after a live television broadcast on his 61st birthday, and had to be rushed to hospital for lifesaving surgery. He was in intensive care for a period before being discharged to continue his recovery at home, and he has spoken for the first time since the incident in an interview with The Sun. And Hoddle, who played for Tottenham, Monaco, Swindon and Chelsea throughout a 20-year career, revealed an engineer, Simon Daniels, brought him back to life as his heart stopped for ‘at least 60 seconds’.…

The top three all kept their title ambitions on track in the Premier League in another enthralling weekend of action. Manchester City were the big winners, literally, as they thumped Chelsea 6-0 at the Etihad Stadium, meanwhile Tottenham Hotspur beat Leicester City 3-1 and Liverpool registered a 3-0 triumph over Bournemouth. It’s getting even tighter at the bottom two as three points separate 13th place and 18th with Cardiff City registering a vital win over Southampton and Burnley defeating Brighton on Saturday night. Here at talkSPORT.com we’re always keeping an eye on Understat.com to see how players and clubs are performing based on their xG stats. Find out how the stats believe…

The club are top of La Liga, hold a 3-0 advantage over Sevilla in the Copa del Rey Round of 16 and remain in the Champions League but remain grounded Zinedine Zidane is adamant Real Madrid are not thinking about winning the treble just yet, maintating that there is still a long way to go in the 2016-17 season. Klopp explains note to Sturridge Madrid have been in sublime form this campaign and hold a four-point lead over second-placed Sevilla in the Liga table, with a game in hand. Editors' Picks Sarri vindicated for dropping Kepa as Chelsea & Pedro impress in Spurs win Magnificent Mane takes centre stage as…