Laurent Blanc is hopeful he will be able to sign a new contract to keep him on as Paris Saint-Germain coach as early as next month.
The 50-year-old took over at PSG in 2013 after Carlo Ancelotti left the club for Real Madrid.
Blanc is in the final months of a three-year deal but is keen to stay on at the club he has won eight trophies with.
I hope I can sign a new contract before the Chelsea game [on February 16], Blanc said after his side beat Toulouse 2-1 in the Coupe de France on Tuesday.
My agent will meet the club soon and they will have to find an agreement.
If they can t, we ll see after.
PSG are unbeaten in Ligue 1 this season and hold a 21-point advantage over second place Monaco.
…
Renato Tapia has completed a move to Feyenoord from Twente on a four-and-a-half-year deal.
The 20-year-old midfielder has developed into a promising prospect during his time in the Eredivisie and had made 14 appearances for Rene Hake s side this season.
With Twente having been hit with a three-year ban from European competition, Tapia has chosen to pursue his career with a Feyenoord side who are battling for a return to the Champions League in 2016-17.
We ve very pleased to sign Renato Tapia, Feyenoord director Martin van Geel told the club s official website.
He s a very talented boy, who already has the required domestic and international experience despite his young age.
He s also a multifunctional player, though we see him mainly as a mid…
Derby County increased the pressure on Jose Mourinho as Scott Carson denied Phil Jones to secure a shock 8-7 penalty shoot-out win over 10-man Manchester United after a dramatic 2-2 draw at Old Trafford in the EFL Cup.
Marouane Fellaini s stoppage-time equaliser gave United – who had Sergio Romero sent off – a second bite, but after 15 successful penalties between the two sides, Jones saw his feeble effort saved by Carson.
The hosts wasted little time before taking the lead in the regulation 90 minutes, as Juan Mata rounded off a lovely early move, but Derby looked capable of troubling United and deservedly levelled early in the second half through Liverpool loanee Harry Wilson s stunning free-kick.
Things got more difficult for United when Romero was dismi…
Feyenoord missed a chance to win the Eredivisie title as they suffered a shock 3-0 away defeat to Excelsior.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst s side, seeking a first title since 1999, could have ensured they held an unassailable advantage over closest challengers Ajax with just one match left to play.
But instead they suffered a stunning loss which, coupled with Ajax s easy 4-0 home win over bottom-of-the-table Go Ahead Eagles, means the title race instead goes to the final day of the season.
Feyenoord fell apart in the second half, goals from Nigel Hasselbaink, Stanley Elbers and Ryan Koolwijk earning fellow Rotterdam side Excelsior a shock triumph, which they celebrated joyously.
Helden!
— Excelsior Rotterdam (@excelsiorrdam)
Ajax s win ca…
NBA 2K23 is here, and that means hoop heads and casual NBA fans will have about a season’s worth of debates to initiate and more than a few Clyde Drexler dunk packs to choreograph. We’re breaking down the new NBA 2K23 rosters for all 32 NBA teams, and in this guide we’re taking a closer look at the Portland Trail Blazers. If you’re curious about who the Trail Blazers’ best players are, where Jusuf Nurkic ranks next to bigs in the league, or which team positions may need an upgrade in MyNBA Eras, then here’s everything you need to know about the new NBA 2K23 Trail Blazers roster.
Portland Trail Blazers – Best Player
The Trail Blazers are the 19th best team in the entire league according to the ratings for all 32 teams in NBA 2K23. At launch, Portland is set for an overall t…
Tottenham head coach Antonio Conte described Harry Kane as not only a top player but a top person after the England captain launched a foundation to change attitudes towards mental health.
On Monday, which was World Mental Health Day, the striker launched the Harry Kane Foundation, with the aims of normalising conversations regarding mental health and tackling stigma.
Kane said he hoped to use his platform to encourage others to look after their mental health, be their best and not be afraid to ask for help, during Monday s launch.
Speaking on the eve of Tottenham s Champions League fixture against Eintracht Frankfurt, Conte highlighted Kane s suitability for such a role.
Harry, for me, is the best person to represent this type of campaign, because he s …
Joan Laporta has revealed he hoped Lionel Messi would make a last-ditch offer to play for free to avoid him leaving Barcelona.
Messi ended up moving to Paris Saint-Germain in a blockbuster free transfer move in August.
It came after long negotiations over his new Barcelona contract reached a point where the Catalan giants could no longer afford to renew his terms while complying with the financial rules in LaLiga.
Messi, who this week insisted he had not made a mistake in joining PSG, was in tears as he attended his farewell news conference at Camp Nou and admitted he was leaving against his will.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe)
Barca president Laporta was holding out hope Messi would end up staying without taking a salary but ultimately felt…
(GSM) Real Madrid defender Marcelo has expressed his support for under performing team-mate Karim Benzema.
Despite the Spanish giants cruising at the moment, being undefeated and at the top of La Liga and their UEFA Champions League group, Benzema has had a difficult time to adjust with Spanish football.
The 22-year-old has struggled to impress since his big-money move from Olympique Lyon in the summer of 2009, and so far this season he has struck just one goal.
The French international was given a rare starting opportunity in last night s Copa del Rey tie at third-tier Real Murcia but was unable to make a breakthrough before being replaced in the 62nd minute of the goalless draw.
Benzema has found himself under the media spotlight, but Brazilian full-ba…
(GSM) Milan s Zlatan Ibrahimovic will welcome jeers from Internazionale fans as he enters his first derby in red and black this weekend.
Ibra told he told Sky Italia: “In three years with Inter I won and also suffered a bit. I have fond memories, but that is the past, this is the future.
“Will the Nerazzurri fans jeer me? I welcome their jeers, as they fire me up even more. It just adds to the motivation.
“Inter are now an opposition team for me. I play for Milan and they’re my opponents, so doing everything to beat Inter is normal.”
Ibrahimovic, who joined Barcelona from Inter in 2009, says he left Inter because he felt that he could not give more to the club.
“When I was playing for Inter, there was a plan for the future, but now w…
Shinji Kagawa has explained how Alex Ferguson s infamous hairdryer treatment could silence the Manchester United dressing room.
The Japan international was signed by Ferguson in June 2012 and lifted the Premier League title in the iconic former manager s final season in charge in 2012-13.
Kagawa considers his short time under the 73-year-old as a vital learning curve in his professional career and has hailed the aura the Scot created within the United camp – especially when he voiced any frustration at his players during half-time team talks.
He normally left the training to the coaching staff, Kagawa recalls of his time under Ferguson. The day or so before the game, he just turned up at the stadium or hotel.
Although I had heard about the [hair…