Real Madrid could pounce for Jose Mourinho if he leaves Chelsea, claims former Bernabeu president Ramon Calderon, who also revealed that Rafael Benitez was only hired after three other candidates turned the job down.
Calderon claims Benitez only became Madrid head coach after Mourinho, Joachim Low and Jurgen Klopp had snubbed the chance to succeed Carlo Ancelotti.
But Mourinho – who steered Madrid to La Liga title glory in 2011-12 and is facing increasing scrutiny at Chelsea remains a firm favourite of current president Florentino Perez, according to Calderon.
Mourinho was sacked by Chelsea in 2007 only to return and Calderon can see a similar scenario happening at Madrid.
He told beiN SPORTS: You know in football the results are very important. …
Simon Mignolet s erratic Liverpool career took an upward turn at Anfield as the goalkeeper repelled Diego Costa s penalty to preserve a 1-1 draw with Premier League leaders Chelsea.
David Luiz caught Mignolet and the Liverpool wall napping with a spectacular 24th-minute free-kick – an effort that mirrored the clinical precision of the first-half work from Antonio Conte s men.
To their credit, Liverpool did not allow their energy levels or thirst for possession to subside as they faced the prospect of a fourth consecutive home defeat in all competitions and Georginio Wijnaldum headed his third goal of the season 12 minutes into the second half.
Jurgen Klopp s side appeared to be building momentum towards a first league win this month but Costa had them fearing t…
Marco Verratti will leave Paris Saint-Germain if the club cannot help him to Champions League success, the midfielder s agent has warned.
Italy international Verratti has claimed the Ligue 1 title with PSG in each of his four years in the French capital after joining from Pescara in 2012.
But the prize he covets most – the Champions League – continues to elude him, prompting his agent Donato Di Campli to suggest a move away from the Parc des Princes may be in the offing.
Di Campli told L Equipe: Our goal is always the same: to win the Champions League with PSG, which is also the ambition of the club.
It s not a question of getting Marco out at any price, but he wants to win this event. And if this is not possible at PSG, then he will do it el…
Raul Ruidiaz scored twice as Seattle Sounders shocked Los Angeles FC 3-1 to advance to the MLS Cup final.
Supporters Shield champions LAFC had dominated throughout the season and broke records along the way, however, Bob Bradley s side came unstuck on Tuesday.
The visiting Sounders took control after Eduard Atuesta opened the scoring for LAFC in the 17th minute, with quick-fire goals from Ruidiaz and Nicolas Lodeiro putting Seattle ahead nine minutes later.
Seattle sealed their place in the November 10 final thanks to Ruidiaz s second goal of the match with 26 minutes remaining in Los Angeles – the Sounders to face either defending champions Atlanta United or Toronto in the decider.
Confidence was high at Banc of California Stadium after LAFC overcame c…
The Mirror understand that Manchester United are considering re-signing Jonny Evans from West Bromwich Albion.
The Northern Ireland international racked up just under two hundred appearances for the Red Devils, helping them win three league titles and two League Cups.
He also helped Sunderland win the Championship title after spending the 2006/07 campaign on loan with them.
Since leaving Old Trafford in the summer of 2015 Evans has spent almost three years with the Baggies, but looks set to leave at the end of the season with their relegation to the Championship all but confirmed.
Evans, who has been capped sixty-eight times for his country is set to be available for just £3m this summer with Arsenal also linked with a move to secure his services.
Jack Grealish expressed remorse for his disparaging comments about Miguel Almiron, admitting that was one thing I regret .
The Manchester City winger aimed a harsh jibe at his Newcastle United counterpart in the aftermath of the Citizens Premier League triumph earlier this year.
In a clip that went viral, Grealish said he had welcomed the substitution of Riyad Mahrez against Aston Villa on the final day as his team-mate played like Almiron – in reference to the Paraguay international s ineffective performances for the Magpies.
However, Almiron has enjoyed an upturn in form this season and won the Premier League s Player of the Month and Goal of the Month awards for October after scoring six times in six games.
The passion
— England (@England) …
Louis van Gaal knows there is a long way to go, but declared the Netherlands can become world champions in Qatar.
Van Gaal s team progressed into the World Cup quarter-finals, where they will face either Australia or Lionel Messi s Argentina, with a 3-1 victory over the United States at Khalifa International Stadium on Saturday.
Memphis Depay and Daley Blind struck in the first half, with the excellent Denzel Dumfries – who assisted the Netherlands first two goals – sealing the win after Haji Wright had pulled one back for the USA.
Van Gaal s pragmatic approach has seen him come in for some criticism, but his team are now just two wins away from the final, and three away from lifting the trophy for the first time in their nation s history.
I get enou…
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho is hoping his side s struggles domestically will enable them to fly under the radar all the way to Champions League success.
The Blues have suffered a dismal start to the Premier League season and lie in 14th place, just two points above the relegation zone, but on Wednesday they qualified for the knockout stages of the Champions League courtesy of a 2-0 victory over Mourinho s former club Porto.
The Portuguese has experienced success in Europe s elite club competition before with Porto and Inter and believes Chelsea s woes may lead them to be underestimated by future opponents.
He told reporters: To win the Champions League, I think it s obvious that a team that is struggling so much like we are, is not a candidate to win it.
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Chelsea have signed goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer on a one year contract, .
The 40 year old was released by the Blues West London rivals Fulham last month after five years at Craven Cottage, and becomes Jose Mourinho’s third signing since retaking the reins at Stamford Bridge.
Schwarzer moved to England in July 1996, making thirteen appearances for Bradford City before moving to Middlesbrough six months later.
During his eleven-and-a-half year spell in the North East, the Australia international turned out almost 450 times; the highlight coming in the 2004 Carling Cup final victory over Bolton Wanderers.
Schwarzer secured a free transfer to Fulham in 2008, missing only a handful of league games during his time at the club.
He is the only ove…
Sinisa Mihajlovic is facing a potentially make-or-break encounter when AC Milan host his former club Fiorentina on Sunday.
Mihajlovic replaced Filippo Inzaghi at San Siro in the close-season, but has failed to oversee a significant upturn in Milan s fortunes.
The seven-time European champions sit eighth in Serie A at the halfway point of the campaign, 10 points adrift of city rivals Inter in the third and final Champions League qualification spot.
Speculation surrounding Mihajlovic s future has intensified in recent weeks, with a 1-1 draw at Roma last Saturday and qualification for the Coppa Italia semi-finals not stopping reports that World Cup-winning veteran Marcello Lippi is in line to replace the Serb, who coached Fiorentina between June 2010 and Novembe…