Dean Saunders has criticised midfielder Declan Rice for his decision to switch his allegiance from Republic of Ireland to England. After months of speculation, West Ham starlet Rice confirmed on Wednesday he has pledged his international future to the Three Lions – despite the 20-year-old making three senior appearances in a green shirt. Rice was born and raised in London, coming through the ranks at Chelsea and West Ham, but he chose to play for Ireland at youth level having qualified through his Cork-native grandparents. He made 20 appearances from Under-16 to Under-21 level, before being handed his senior debut in 2018 against Turkey. He went on to play a further…

The young French centre-back has caught the eye yet again this season with impressive displays – and his coach hopes he will remain in Seville Sevilla coach Vincenzo Montella is convinced Barcelona-linked centre-back Clement Lenglet is good enough to play for the Catalan giants. Lenglet was one of the last signings of Monchi’s tenure as Sevilla’s sporting director, joining in a reported €4.5 million deal from French side Nancy, whom he captained despite his tender age. Still just 22, Lenglet has been a key player for Sevilla this term, playing 30 games in La Liga and 11 in the Champions League. Article continues below Editors' Picks Sarri vindicated for dropping…

Arsenal’s humiliating defeat to BATE Borisov in the Europa League on Thursday night was another reality check for their manager Unai Emery. The Spaniard, who replaced Arsene Wenger last summer, has a tough task on his hands trying to get the Gunners competing with the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City once again. In the Premier League, they’re only fifth, ahead of Chelsea, on goals scored and are ten points behind third-placed Tottenham Hotspur, their local rivals. It’s not good enough and supporters may well be worried given it’s been reported the club only have £45million to fund a summer overhaul. They could get some extra cash, though, if they…

Romelu Lukaku is reportedly set to be used as a makeweight by Manchester United as they look to lure Inter’s Mauro Icardi and Paulo Dybala from Juventus. The Belgium striker, who signed for a whopping £75million in 2017, has failed to convince the United hierarchy of his ability and any deal for the Serie A superstars, will see Lukaku move the other way. It remains to be seen what part the 25-year-old will play against former club Chelsea in the FA Cup on Monday night, a game you can hear exclusively live on talkSPORT. Icardi, who was recently stripped of the Inter captaincy, was left out of Luciano Spalletti’s squad to…

Click:detergent defoamer The in-form Rossoneri are on track for a return to the Champions League, but their coach will not allow himself to look long term Milan boss Gennaro Gattuso has stated that he is “not building anything” at the club despite a recent upturn in form to help bolster his position. The 41-year-old’s side are unbeaten in six games across all competitions and have lifted themselves to fourth in Serie A to occupy the division’s last qualification place for the Champions League. Despite the overall progress made since his took the top job at the San Siro outfit however, reports of a forced exit from the Rossoneri have been…

Click:Cosmetic glass jar Arsenal youngster Matteo Guendouzi has been linked with a shock £60million move to Paris Saint-Germain. The 19-year-old has impressed in his debut season at the Emirates, starting 17 of the Gunners’ 26 Premier League games. Guendouzi only joined Arsenal last summer, in an £8million deal from Ligue 2 club Lorient. But now The Express report he is being targeted by French giants PSG, who let Guendouzi go in 2014 after he spent nine years in their academy. The Ligue 1 champions are set to lose Adrien Rabiot to Barcelona at the end of the season – and the midfielder could be replaced by Guendouzi. Arsenal boss Unai Emery…

Los Blancos will be without the Colombian playmaker for the trip to Celta Vigo, with Marcelo, Luka Modric, Dani Carvajal and Pepe also out James Rodriguez has suffered another calf injury setback as Real Madrid head coach Zinedine Zidane counts the cost of mounting fitness problems for the La Liga leaders. Colombia playmaker James has missed Madrid’s last four matches in all competitions due to an injury to his left calf and has now damaged the same muscle in his right leg, with local media reports predicting a further two to three weeks on the sidelines. “James has a problem with his other leg,” Zidane said ahead of Wednesday’s Copa del Rey…

Rafael van der Vaart celebrated his birthday by posting one of his favourite goals – against Arsenal. The 36-year-old retired footballer spent two years at the Gunners’ north London rivals Tottenham where, despite his short stay, is considered a White Hart Lane legend by many. His arrival from Real Madrid in 2010 stunned supporters on transfer deadline day and he quickly wrote himself into folklore thanks in part to his tendency to score in the north London derby. Immediately a key player, he displayed his creativity and ability in front of goal straight away, scoring three goals in his first four Premier League games. So when thanking fans for wishing…

Leeds teenager Mateusz Bogusz has revealed he turned down an offer from Premier League club Brighton to join the Whites instead. The Championship side won the race for the 17-year-old’s signature in January, signing him on a two-and-a-half year deal from Polish club Ruch Chorzow for an undisclosed fee. Bogusz had attracted attention from a host of top clubs following a string of impressive performances in Poland’s second tier, and Italian giants Napoli even offered him a trial in 2018. However, the attacking midfielder eventually opted to join Championship leaders Leeds, describing it as the ‘perfect place’ to go in this stage of his career. In an interview with Poland’s Sport Express,…

Leeds made a January move to sign Jese Rodriguez before the Paris Saint-Germain forward join Betis on loan, according to reports. Jese, 25, linked up with LaLiga side Betis on a temporary basis on January 29, returning to Spain for the remainder of the season. Formerly of Real Madrid, Jese has been on PSG’s books since 2016 but has flopped hard in France, with the loan spell at Betis his third in recent years after also spending time with Las Palmas and Stoke. Despite achieving little of note since leaving Los Blancos, Jese keeps earning moves to new clubs – and Betis were not alone in chasing him last month.…