Claude Puel may not be a terrible appointment for Leicester

I was not surprised that Craig Shakespeare’s tenure as permanent Leicester boss was not a long one. For me, he was never a long-term appointment. Claudio Ranieri’s former assistant just did not strike me as a Premier League boss.

Leicester have now found a replacement for Shakespeare in former Southampton boss Claude Puel, who was appointed on Wednesday on a three-year deal.

Mixed opinions on the appointment

When Southampton appointed Puel in the summer of 2016, I thought his appointment could have gone either way. In the end, the French did a decent job on the south coast, as the Saints finished eighth in the Premier League table and made it to the League Cup final.

I did not watch Southampton week-in and week-out last season under Puel. However, th…

Roma eyeing Szczesny deal

Roma are keen to sign Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny on a year-long loan with a view to a permanent deal, .

The Poland international has been linked with a move away from the Emirates Stadium this summer following the arrival of Petr Cech, who signed from Chelsea in June.

He also lost his place in the Gunners’ starting line-up to David Ospina in January, with his last league appearance for the club coming in their 2-0 defeat to Southampton on New Year’s Day.

Aside from a loan spell with Brentford in the 2009/10 season, Szczesny has spent his entire career so far with Arsene Wenger’s side, racking up one hundred and eighty-one appearances for them in all competitions.

The 25 year old shot-stopper has been capped twenty-three times for his …

Motherwell bring back McGhee as manager

Motherwell have brought back Mark McGhee as manager for a second spell to replace the sacked Ian Baraclough at Fir Park.

The Scottish Premiership side have handed the 58-year-old, who is part of Gordon Strachan s coaching team with Scotland, a two-year contract.

McGhee s first spell with Motherwell was between 2007 and 2009 and guided them to finishes of third and seventh in the table before moving on to Aberdeen.

McGhee, whose last managerial job with Bristol Rovers ended with him being sacked in 2012, said:  For the last two and half years I have indulged myself in going to Arsenal, Tottenham and Chelsea and all the London clubs, to watch all the lads with any tenuous link to Scotland.

I have enjoyed that tremendously, it has been a privilege to watch…

Senegal accuse Watford of blocking Sarr from AFCON duty

Senegal have accused Watford of blocking Ismaila Sarr from linking up with the national team ahead of the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations.

Sarr has not played for Watford since November 20 due to a knee ligament injury and is not expected to return to fitness until the end of this month at the earliest.

Despite still being out injured, Senegal named the 23-year-old in their squad for the tournament, which runs from January 9 until February 6.

However, Watford informed Senegal earlier this week that Sarr will not be allowed to travel.

It is the second Africa Cup of Nations row Watford have been embroiled in after Nigeria accused the Premier League side of baring fangs after objecting to Emmanuel Dennis being named in the squad.

The Senegalese Footba…

Switzerland v Poland: Seferovic targets final, Pazdan staying humble

Haris Seferovic claims Switzerland are capable of reaching the final of 2016 as Poland s Michal Pazdan remembers an important lesson in humility ahead of their meeting in the round of 16.

Both countries have advanced to the knockout stages of the European Championship for the first time, Switzerland claiming second in Group A behind France courtesy of a win over Albania and draws with Romania and the hosts.

They narrowly avoided a daunting match against the world champions, but are nevertheless wary of a Poland side headlined by Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski.

We could have got Germany, but Poland are [also] very difficult to play, Seferovic was quoted as saying by UEFA s official tournament website.

We have showed our qualities so far, but we…

Manchester City 1-0 Chelsea: What Did We Learn As Pep Guardiola’s Side Make More Premier League History At The Etihad?

With a real party atmosphere around the Etihad on Sunday afternoon, Manchester City lifted the 2022/23 Premier League title as they secured a 1-0 victory at home against Chelsea.

While the job might have already been completed yesterday as Nottingham Forest claimed a season-deciding 1-0 win against Arsenal, Pep Guardiola’s side have now extended their unbeaten run to 24 matches.

Getting their hands on five Premier League crowns over the past six seasons and making more domestic history here, it was Julian Alvarez who proved to be the match-winner as the 23-year-old produced a clinical finish in the 12th minute.

With Guardiola electing to make nine changes on Sunday afternoon and leaving out the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland, it was certainly an o…