Jose Mourinho labelled Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg a phenomenal player after Tottenham s derby win over Arsenal on Sunday.
Son Heung-min and Harry Kane combined twice as Spurs recorded a 2-0 win in the north London derby to remain top of the Premier League.
Hojbjerg, an August arrival from Southampton for a reported £15million plus add-ons, played a key role.
The midfielder had more touches (61), passes (44), successful passes (35), passes in the opposition half (15) and interceptions (three) than any other Spurs player.
Hojbjerg s performance earned praise from Spurs boss Mourinho, with the 25-year-old also having Tottenham s only other shot on target.
Pierre is, first of all, very intelligent. He reads the game very well. He s going to be a coach on…
Atletico defender Diego Godin admits it hurt a little less to see Barcelona lift the La Liga trophy instead of bitter rivals Real Madrid.
A final-day win over Granada saw Barca clinch a back-to-back league crowns, beating Madrid by just one point.
Atleti finished three points behind the eventual champions but saw their title race come to an end after a 2-1 loss to Levante in the penultimate round.
While Godin said it was hard to see Atleti come up just short, he was relieved that Barca managed to lift the trophy over their Madrid rivals.
If Barcelona win the league it hurts less, because our city rivals are Real Madrid, the Uruguayan international told COPE.
I do not hate them or anything, I have a lot of respect for Real Madrid, but…
Bayern Munich striker Luca Toni has slammed the press in his native Italy for consistently criticising him since he joined the German giants last year.
The 2006 World Cup winner claims he has been given a rough ride by the Italian media since Fiorentina sold him to Bayern for 11 million euros (15 million US dollars) in the summer of 2007.
Despite scoring 24 goals in 31 Bundesliga matches last season, Toni played poorly for Italy during last June s Euro 2008 tournament where the world champions were beaten by Spain in the semi-finals.
If the Italian national team wins, Toni played badly. If Italy loses, it is Toni s fault, the striker moaned to German agency SID after Italy s 2-0 win over Georgia in Udine, Italy, on Wednesday night in a World Cup qualifier.
Jose Fonte has joined Chinese Super League side Dalian Yifang for an undisclosed fee, West Ham have confirmed.
The 34-year-old signed for the Hammers from Southampton for a reported £8million in January last year, but has managed only eight appearances this season.
West Ham United can confirm that Jose Fonte has agreed a deal to sign for Chinese Super League side Dalian Yifang for an undisclosed fee, the club said in a statement.
Everyone at West Ham United would like to thank Jose for his efforts during his time at the club and wish him a successful future with Dalian Yifang.
Fonte, who has been recovering from an ankle injury in recent weeks, saw his relationship with West Ham sour following comments from owner David Sullivan.
The Portugal i…
West Ham striker Andy Carroll is to undergo surgery and will miss the start of the new Premier League campaign.
The 25-year-old has been ravaged by injuries since his move from Liverpool was made permanent at the start of last season.
Carroll made 24 Premier League appearances on loan at Upton Park during 2012-13, but during the previous campaign he was troubled by a foot injury and played just 15 times in the league.
On Thursday, the England international took to his Twitter account to break the news.
Going under the knife tomorrow morning and absolutely devastated to be missing the start of the season, the tweet read, along with an image baring the words I m busy getting stronger attached.
Jack Sullivan, son of West Ham co-chairman David Sulliv…
Ronald Koeman claimed the first win of his second spell in charge of the Netherlands as the Oranje dispatched 10-man Gibraltar 3-0.
Nathan Ake scored twice in a game that saw the Netherlands have 50 attempts without allowing one at the other end, as Koeman s team got up and running in Euro 2024 qualifying following last week s heavy defeat to France.
Ake s second-half double came after Memphis Depay had put the Dutch ahead against the Group B minnows in Rotterdam on Monday.
It marked a 19th straight defeat in Euro qualifying for Gibraltar, who had Liam Walker sent off for a rash challenge on Dutch debutant Mats Wieffer.
In need of a response following their hammering in Paris, the Netherlands had control from the off, and the lead came in the 23rd minute.…
Unai Emery was happy to see Paris Saint-Germain escape with a point against Saint-Etienne after describing their first half as the worst of the season .
The Ligue 1 leaders snatched a 1-1 draw at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard courtesy of an own goal from Mathieu Debuchy in second-half stoppage time.
Emery made seven changes to the team that beat Monaco in the Coupe de la Ligue final and watched his side produce a miserable first-half display, in which Remy Cabella put Saint-Etienne ahead and missed a penalty.
Presnel Kimpembe was sent off four minutes ahead of the break but PSG improved in the second half, although Edinson Cavani missed an open goal before they were eventually saved by Debuchy s misfortune.
Emery was pleased with the response shown after the in…
La Gazzetta dello Sport has learned that AS Roma are keeping close tabs on Saint Etienne defender Florentin Pogba.
The Giallorossi attempted to sign the 24-year-old footballer this summer, but ultimately turned to Newcastle s Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa.
Nevertheless, they remain keen on the older brother of Juventus star Paul Pogba, and are expected to launch a new assault on January.
Florentin Pogba is a left-footed centre-back who can also be deployed on the left flank and he has another two years left on his deal at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard.
He joined les Verts from Sedan in the summer of 2012, but was loaned back to the club before returning to Saint Etienne last summer.
After making four substitute appearances in the league last season, Pogba has star…
Chelsea F.C. right-back Wallace Oliveira dos Santos, commonly known as Wallace, is reportedly attracting interest from a host of European clubs, including Inter Milan and Roma, .
Wallace, 19, made his senior debut for Fluminense at the age of 17. Since 2011, the Brazil Under-20 international has made 21 first-team appearances in the Brasileirão for Flu.
The 19-year-old defender, who agreed a deal with Chelsea in December, has joined the Blues for pre-season training amid reports that a number of Serie A clubs are interested in signing the player on loan for the 2013/14 season.
Wallace s agent Frederico Moraes has yet to rule out a move, while confirming reported interest from Italian giants Inter Milan and A.S. Roma.
There has been a lot of…
Premier League side Blackburn Rovers have signed Chelsea striker Franco Di Santo on loan for the first half of the season.
And Rovers boss Sam Allardyce, who is trying to strengthen his attacking options following the departure of Roque Santa Cruz to Manchester City, has signed the 20-year-old Di Santo, giving him an another option.
The Argentinian, who has made a minimal impact on the first team at Stamford Bridge, started his club career with his local side Godoy Cruz in 2005, before moving to Chilean team Audax Italiano in 2008.
After scoring 16 and 19 goals in the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons respectively, he was signed by Chelsea.
However, the player will stay with Blackburn until January under the terms of the deal completed today with Rovers then h…