Aaron Ramsdale’s dad criticises Mikel Arteta for not explaining why son dropped

Aaron Ramsdale’s father has criticised Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta for not telling his son why he has been dropped in favour of David Raya.

England goalkeeper Ramsdale started in Arsenal’s first four Premier League games, but has been relegated to the bench following Raya’s arrival on loan from Brentford.

Ramsdale’s father, Nick, told The Highbury Corner podcast that his son had “lost his smile” and was finding it difficult after not being given an explanation by Arteta.

Nick Ramsdale said: “Aaron’s lost that smile to when he was holding on to that ball at this moment in time and it is difficult.

“It really is difficult to see him there and we all keep saying ‘you need to keep smiling’.”

He added: “It’s possibly the way i…

England 3-0 Ivory Coast: Sterling stars in easy win as Aurier sees red

Raheem Sterling played a starring role with the captain s armband as England cruised to a 3-0 friendly win over Ivory Coast, who had Serge Aurier sent off in the first half.

Gareth Southgate made 10 changes from the team that beat Switzerland 2-1 on Saturday, though at no point did that look an issue for the Three Lions, whose record unbeaten run was extended to 22 matches – excluding penalty shoot-outs.

Sterling was at the centre of much that was good about England in the first half, teeing up Ollie Watkins for the opener and then providing a finish just before the interval having seen Aurier dismissed moments earlier.

An England penalty was then overturned early in the second half, and the Three Lions looked like settling for a two-goal win during a disjointe…

Man City advance in Gvardiol and Kovacic pursuit

The talks between Manchester City and the representatives of RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol over proposed personal terms are progressing well, according to Fabrizio Romano.

It appears that for all the commotion around their alleged 115 breaches of financial rules, the 2022/23 treble winners are about to add another expensive player to their ranks. Leipzig are not prepared to do any kind of cut-price deal, and with Gvardiol s contract set to run until the summer of 2027, they obviously hold all the cards in their hands.

The 21-year-old Croatia international has reportedly been on the radars of several top clubs, such as Real Madrid, Manchester United and Liverpool, but it seems City have been the most decisive suitor in that race.

The interest comes as no sur…

Dani Alves revels in second Barcelona debut: ´A special day to wear the shirt again´

Dani Alves described playing for Barcelona again as too special a gift  after making his second debut in the Copa del Rey win over Linares Deportivo.

The veteran defender played the full 90 minutes as Xavi s side came from behind at Linarejos, with goals from Ousmane Dembele and Ferran Jutgla sealing a 2-1 win over the third-tier club.

The 38-year-old was officially registered on Monday after re-joining the club on a free transfer in November following his departure from Sao Paulo.

Alves was making his 248th appearance – and first since May 2016 – for the Blaugrana, with whom he won 23 trophies during his first spell.

And he praised the mental strength of his team-mates to recover after Hugo Diaz s header put them on the back foot.

Let s get …

Ajax 3-0 Lille: Ten Hag´s men start Champions League campaign in style

Last season s beaten semi-finalists Ajax opened their 2019-20 Champions League campaign with a convincing 3-0 win over Lille on Tuesday.

Erik ten Hag s side – who were denied a place in the final by Tottenham last term – were in dominant mood against their Ligue 1 opponents and looked well placed to claim all three points from the outset in Amsterdam.

Quincy Promes headed them into an 18th-minute lead before Edson Alvarez scored his first goal for the club five minutes after the interval.

Nicolas Tagliafico added a third with a thumping header after 62 minutes as the Dutch champions stormed into pole position in Group H.

Ajax started on the front foot and went agonisingly close to taking the lead in the 14th minute, Hakim Ziyech s thunderous half-voll…

Mourinho turns on misfiring Abraham: ´You should ask him what´s the problem´

Jose Mourinho has taken aim at misfiring Roma striker Tammy Abraham, suggesting the England international may be distracted by the World Cup.

Abraham enjoyed a prolific debut season with the Giallorossi, scoring 27 goals in 53 appearances during the 2021-22 campaign, but he has only netted three times in 18 games this term.

The Roma head coach appeared to question the focus of the former Chelsea forward, whose last Serie A goal came in the 2-1 win over Empoli on September 12.

You should ask him what’s the problem, said Mourinho during his press conference ahead of Wednesday s clash with Sassuolo. If he is distracted, if he has a problem or if he thinks about the World Cup.

However, Mourinho defended Roger Ibanez, who was subjected to criticism after h…

St Juste gets first Dutch call-up with De Vrij out through COVID-19

Stefan de Vrij s positive coronavirus test has ruled him out of the latest Netherlands squad, with Mainz centre-back Jeremiah St Juste included for the first time in his place.

Dutch coach Frank de Boer named a final 24-man squad on Friday, picking from an initial 31-man group selected earlier this month.

Inter defender De Vrij was among those to make way, having contracted COVID-19, prompting a lockdown of the Nerazzurri camp.

Their international players have been banned from joining their national teams, although Belgium still called up Romelu Lukaku while De Boer suggested a delayed arrival was possible for De Vrij.

But that complication has created an opportunity for St Juste, a former youth international.

For Stefan de Vrij, it is of course …

Porto 5 Leicester City 0: Silva at the double as Ranieri´s men crumble

Leicester City suffered the biggest margin of defeat by an English side in Champions League history after Andre Silva s double helped Porto secure second place in Group G with a resounding 5-0 victory at Estadio do Dragao.

Claudio Ranieri admitted Leicester face a scrap for top-flight survival following the 2-1 defeat at Sunderland last time out, but their sparkling, unbeaten form in Europe had represented a reprieve from what has been a dismal season so far.

However, the Premier League champions never looked likely to extend their unbeaten record on Wednesday, thanks to a comprehensive first-half display from Nuno Santo s side.

Silva capitalised on weak defending to put the hosts ahead early on, with Jesus Corona s exquisite volley and a deft finish from Yacin…

Ibrahimovic is ´being recruited by AC Milan´, claims MLS commissioner Garber

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is being recruited by AC Milan , according to Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber.

The 38-year-old has spent the past 18 months in MLS, but his contract with LA Galaxy expires in December and he has been linked with a return to European football.

Ibrahimovic played for Milan for two seasons before leaving for Paris Saint-Germain in 2012 and Garber has suggested a return is on the cards.

Zlatan is such an interesting guy, he told ESPN. He keeps my hands full and my inbox full, but he s a thrill-a-minute. 

You need to have those guys that break through the clutter like [David] Beckham did in our early days. He is a 38-year-old guy who is being recruited by AC Milan, one of the top clubs in the world.

Ibrahimovic was na…

Terry admits Manchester City bid gave him leverage to negotiate better Chelsea deal

John Terry has acknowledged he used interest from Manchester City to negotiate a new and improved contract with Chelsea back in 2009.

City were keen to lure the centre-back to the Etihad Stadium at the time and even tabled a formal bid for Terry.

The defender preferred a prolonged stay at Chelsea, though, and used City s offer as leverage to get a better deal at Stamford Bridge.

I met Roman [Abramovich] at the time and told him I want to stay, he told ITV’s Play to the Whistle.

Manchester City had made an offer.

What it does do is it gives you bargaining power to go in and renegotiate a contract.

So it gives you a bit of power.

Terry has struggled to secure regular first-team action at Chelsea this campaign following the arr…