McDermott rules out Downes return

West Ham United are considering a move for Obafemi Martins as they aim to add firepower to their goal-shy attack, .

The Nigerian striker is currently plying his trade in MLS with Seattle Sounders, where he is currently on loan from La Liga side Levante.

Martins spent three years in the Premier League with Newcastle United, where he scored twenty-eight goals in eighty-eight appearances before moving to Wolfsburg, and then to Russia with Rubin Kazan.

A brief return to the Premier League came in 2011, when he made four league appearances for Birmingham City, before returning to Rubin.

He signed for Levante last summer, where he scored seven goals in twenty-one league outings before being sent to America in March.

He is the latest forward to b…

Eight-time CAF Champions League winners Al Ahly have been eliminated at the second round for the second year in succession, losing on penalties to Moghreb Tetouan.

The Egyptian outfit, who hold the record for most titles in the tournament s history, went into Saturday s second leg trailing 1-0 from the away fixture, courtesy of Mouhcine Iajour s stoppage time goal in Morocco.

However, Abdallah Said pulled Al Ahly level in the tie with a low strike to the bottom left-hand corner shortly before half-time, giving his side hope of a place in the group stage.

That goal eventually forced the tie to penalties, but Al Ahly were unable to get the better of their opponents in the shootout, losing 4-3.

The scenario is all too familiar for the club s fans, having d…

Everton defender Yerry Mina has been fined £10,000 and served with a warning but avoided a ban after appearing in an advert for a betting company in his native Colombia.

Mina breached the Football Association s strict betting rules by taking part in a campaign for the company Betjuego, and he accepted a misconduct charge.

The Everton FC defender breached FA rule E8(3) by participating in an advertisement for betting activity which he is prohibited from engaging in, said the English national governing body.

The rule in question states: An individual participant, when acting in a personal capacity, shall not be permitted to advertise or promote any betting activity that the participant is prohibited from engaging in.

Players in England are strictly for…

Milan have confirmed that no first-team player or member of the technical staff has tested positive for COVID-19.

There had been some confusion over the prospect of more cases of coronavirus at the Serie A club following comments from president Paolo Scaroni, who referred to some infected players on the mend .

The remark led to some concern about unknown cases at the club, with technical director Paolo Maldini and his son Daniel having returned the only confirmed positive tests in March.

However, in a statement issued on Saturday, the club said: AC Milan confirms that, based on all medical tests carried out to date on first-team players and technical staff, there have not been any positive cases of COVID-19.

Players will continue their individual trainin…

Former-England boss Steve McClaren could be set to lead little FC Twente to their first ever Dutch league title as FC Twente.

A victory over midtable NAC Breda next Sunday would secure the title for the provincial club.

Successful

Steve McClaren has done a superb job in Enschede. Last season was his first in charge and they finished as runners-up in the Eredivisie.

This season’s rise to the top of the pile has been amazing considering the size of the club compared to the giants of Ajax, PSV Eindhoven and Feyenoord.

McClaren has always been a decent coach. He did a good job at Middlesbrough and as a result got the England job. Unfortunately for McClaren it was too much too soon for him. He didn’t have enough experience to handle the very deman…

League leaders Barcelona head into the second half of the season unbeaten and their imperious form shows little side of subsiding to allow Real Madrid to close the five-point gap at the top.

They joined a select group of teams to go the first 19 games of the season without defeat after sweeping aside Valladolid and now it is the turn of Sporting Gijon to try and stop the side that won all six trophies they competed for in 2009.

Barca coach Pep Guardiola remains cautious though and believes there will be plenty of twists and turns still to come.

This is just an anecdote, last year at this stage of the season we had a 12 point lead over Madrid and in the end we had to go to the Bernabeu and win, he said.

Barca have won their last three league games scorin…

Patrice Evra has grown frustrated with a reduced role in the Juventus first team this season, the player s agent has said.

The 35-year-old has been a regular in the Champions League but has only started three Serie A matches this term, with Alex Sandro frequently preferred at left-back.

Evra s contract expires at the end of the season although Juve have an option to extend it by a further year but his lack of playing time has prompted talk of a move back to the Premier League as early as January.

Although his agent, Federico Pastorello, has denied that Evra is unhappy with life in general at Juve, he concedes that he would like a bigger role in the side.

I do have to admit that, like all footballers, he would like to be playing more often, he told juvene…

Lionel Messi was Barcelona s free-kick hero once more as the holders sunk Athletic Bilbao 3-1 to claim a rousing 4-3 aggregate triumph in the last 16 of the Copa del Rey.

Trailing following a contentious 2-1 defeat in Bilbao last week, Barca had to wait for their breakthrough before it arrived in landmark fashion 10 minutes from half-time.

Luis Suarez volleyed his 100th goal for the club on the end of a move that fittingly featured Messi and Neymar – it was the 300th goal for MSN since the awesome forward trio began playing together in 2014.

Neymar won and converted a penalty early in the second period, but Athletic hit back through wideman Enric Saborit, a Barcelona-born product of the Espanyol youth system.

But Barcelona, looking for a win at their th…

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Only days removed from their thiller in the capital, Manchester United will welcome West Ham to Old Trafford on Wednesday night when they turn their attention to EFL Cup duties.

Manchester United

Starting with the hosts, managing to mount another signature comeback on their travels over the weekend, Manchester United will find the mood in their camp at a real high. With Mark Noble s last-gasp penalty miss handing the former Premier League champions a 2-1 victory away at Wednesday s guests, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer got the perfect response after their Champions League stutter last week. Throwing away the lead against Young Boys and hit with a stunning 2-1 defeat in Switzerland, the Reds are desperate to end their long wait for a piece of s…

Reece James was the hero as Chelsea overcame Aston Villa 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in the third round of the EFL Cup at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday. 

Ben Chilwell missed a chance to secure the win during the shoot-out after Ashley Young hit the bar and Kepa Arrizabalaga kept out Marvelous Nakamba, but James made no mistake to send Chelsea through. 

Villa were the better team for much of the first half but Timo Werner put Chelsea in front in the 54th minute with his first goal for the club this season and only his fifth of 2021. 

Cameron Archer – who scored a hat-trick against Barrow in the second round – guided in a stunning header to equalise 10 minutes later, only for Chelsea to show more composure at the spot and advance.

The decisive k…