English Premier League basement club Portsmouth denied on Thursday reports they were going to enter administration.

Speculation about the south coast club s financial position has been ongoing since the start of the season and intensified last week after it emerged players at Fratton Park had been paid their wages late for the second time this term.

Portsmouth are currently the subject of a Premier League transfer embargo, having undergone two changes of ownership this season.

Sulaiman Al-Fahim s protracted takeover took three months to complete, preventing the club from signing players during the pre-season while the likes of Peter Crouch, Glen Johnson and Niko Kranjcar, all left.

And Al-Fahim s time in charge lasted just six weeks, with the players wag…

With all eyes from across Europe falling on the Etihad on Wednesday night, Manchester City moved into pole position to defend their Premier League crown as they claimed a stunning 4-1 romp against Arsenal.

Knowing that they faced a season-defining showdown on home soil, Pep Guardiola’s side took just seven minutes to open the scoring as Kevin De Bruyne produced a wonderfully placed effort past a helpless Aaron Ramsdale.

Now sat just two points adrift of their bitter title rivals and laying down what was a crucial marker here, City didn’t look back on either side of the half-time break as England international John Stones saw his towering header marginally awarded following a lengthy VAR check.

While Rob Holding might have eventually snatched the Gunners a co…

Paris Saint-Germain will look to get back to winning ways when they host Lorient on Friday.

Laurent Blanc s outfit scrambled to a 2-2 draw at a 10-man Saint-Etienne on Sunday, halting a run of four straight victories in Ligue 1.

It could have been worse for PSG, who trailed 2-0 at one stage, but a red card for Fabien Lemoine gave them an opening.

And Edinson Cavani duly reduced the deficit before Blaise Matuidi levelled proceedings in the third minute of injury time, extending PSG s unbeaten league run to 22 matches.

Despite the small blip PSG remain on top of the league, with 25 points from their 11 Ligue 1 fixtures enough to see them goal difference ahead of newly promoted Monaco.

Blanc has been boosted by the return to training of full-back Chr
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Roberto Soldado says he was unable to recover his best form at Tottenham once Andre Villas-Boas left White Hart Lane.

The 29-year-old joined Spurs from Valencia for a fee believed to be £26million in August 2013, but the Spain international failed to hit the form he showed in La Liga and moved to Villarreal in August.

Soldado has now claimed the sacking of Villas-Boas, who brought him to White Hart Lane, in December 2013 proved to be the tipping point for his time in England.

I went there with excitement and enthusiasm, thinking that the Premier League offered the perfect football for me, he is quoted by AS.

But it was the opposite. After the departure of Villas-Boas, who was the one who signed me, everything was turned upside down.

I lost con…

Chelsea and Manchester United failed to put down a marker on a position in the top four after a scoreless draw between the two sides at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

Having seen Leicester City lose to Arsenal earlier in the day, it was a huge opportunity for both sides, one which neither took. On the balance of play, Chelsea enjoyed the better of the game and the chances but Thomas Tuchel s men were not able to find a way through. The Red Devils thought they should have been awarded a penalty in the first-half for a handball by Callum Hudson-Odoi but neither the referee or VAR were interested as both sides eventually claimed a point.

Here are three things we learned from West London:

Chelsea unfortunate?

Despite having earned what turned out could be a positive po…

Jean-Clair Todibo condemned refereeing in Ligue 1 as scandalous after being sent off just nine seconds into Nice s home game against Angers.

The former Barcelona player was red-carded after a clumsy tackle on Abdallah Sima when he was considered the last man by referee Bastien Dechepy.

It was the fastest card – yellow or red – shown in Ligue 1 since Opta started collecting data in the league in the 2006-07 season.

Defender Todibo clearly felt there was cover, with Dante also in close attendance to Sima when the challenge was made.

The 22-year-old reacted on Twitter, writing: A refereeing decision that shocks me and condemns my team to start the match with a big disadvantage.

The decisions of the referees at the start of the season are very …

Swansea have finalised the signing of midfielder Jonjo Shelvey from Liverpool for £5 million.

The 21-year-old, who moved to Anfield from Charlton in 2010, passed a medical with the Welsh club on Wednesday.

Shelvey, who was also reported to interest the likes of Crystal Palace and West Ham, made 69 appearances for Liverpool, scoring seven goals, but found his opportunities limited last season.

He is likely to see much more first team football at the Liberty Stadium while he will also have the opportunity to feature in the UEFA Europa League.

Following the move Shelvey tweeted: Just wanna say thank you to every one of the Liverpool fans for there support! They were first class. And will be truly missed.. Will miss the city very much.. And the club! Owe a lot to …

Liverpool striker Luis Suarez has signed a new long-term deal at Anfield, the Premier League club revealed on Friday.

The 26-year-old has been in sensational form this season, leading the Premier League scoring charts with 17 goals from 11 starts, which includes hat-tricks against West Brom and Norwich City.

Suarez has been rewarded for his recent glut of goals and fine individual performances with a new contract, although the exact length has not been disclosed.

While the Uruguay international had been linked with a move to league leaders Arsenal in the close-season and even expressed a desire to leave, Suarez was persuaded to stay and has now pledged his future to Liverpool.

And Suarez believes the club can be successful over the coming years as manager Brendan…

Diego Simeone dodged questions over his rumoured transfer interest in son Giovanni as he put faith in Atletico Madrid s existing strikers.

Atleti slipped to a 3-2 friendly loss to Paris Saint-Germain on Monday with Luciano Vietto and Kevin Gameiro culpable for missed chances.

French forward Gameiro last season produced his worst league scoring return in a decade with just seven goals, while Vietto netted only twice in a combined 20 LaLiga appearances for Atleti and Valencia.

Their struggles come amid rumours Simeone is attempting to sign his 23-year-old son Giovanni, who netted 14 times for Fiorentina in his second Serie A campaign in 2017-18.

When asked about Atleti s reported interest in Giovanni, Simeone responded: No comment.

The head coach i…

According to reports and Middlesbrough boss Tony Pulis, Aston Villa are set to seal the loan signing of Everton winger Yannick Bolasie. Boro were in talks to sign the winger on a temporary basis, but it seems he is now heading to the Midlands instead. Bolasie was pitched in the stands at Villa Park for the Villans 2-2 Championship draw with Brentford on Wednesday night.

Move to Everton has been a disaster

Yannick Bolasie comes across as a genuinely nice guy. Unfortunately, for the French-born star, his move to Everton has been a major disaster. Bolasie joined the Toffees back in the summer of 2016 for a fee in the region of £25million.

The move was a massive gamble for Everton at the time, who had not yet started to spend big summers of money on players. There were a…