Newcastle United lead James Maddison race

Arsenal have sent defensive duo Carl Jenkinson and Cohen Bramall to Birmingham City on season-long loan deals.

Jenkinson, who has been on the Gunners books since 2011, only made five appearances in all competitions last season, having spent the previous two seasons on loan with West Ham.

Birmingham confirmed on Monday the 25-year-old will spend 2017-18 at St Andrew s, where he will be joined by Bramall.

Left-sided Bramall, 21, only joined Arsenal last season from non-league Hednesford Town midway through last season and will now get the chance to gain first-team experience in the Championship.

OFFICIAL: Blues are delighted to announce the signings of pair Carl Jenkinson and Cohen Bramall

— Birmingham City FC (@BCFC)

Both players are…

Adidas have unveiled the official matchball for next year s World Cup in Russia – the Telstar18.

The German sports giant has manufactured balls for the World Cup since the 1970 tournament in Brazil.

Recent designs, such as the Brazuca for Brazil 2014 and the infamous Jabulani for South Africa 2010 have drawn inspiration from the host countries, but Adidas has chosen to reimagine a classic design this time around.

The original Telstar, a 32-panel ball featuring 12 black panels on a predominantly white design in order to make it more visible to a growing television audience, was used as Brazil swept to glory at the 1970 World Cup in Mexico.

A similar design, the Telstar Durlast, was used in Germany four years later and it retains an iconic status among fo…

Manchester City are set to miss out on signing Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, .

The Premier League side, who will be managed by current Bayern boss Pep Guardiola come the summer, were linked with a big-money move for the World Cup winner though he has no intention of quitting the Bundesliga.

The news will be no doubt welcomed by City shot stopper Joe Hart. Who’s future at the Etihad Stadium would have been under threat should a move for Neuer have materialised.

Hart has been the club’s first choice keeper since breaking into the senior side in the 2007/08 campaign and has since racked up over three-hundred and thirty appearances in all competitions.

He is also number one for his country, and has won fifty-seven caps for England since mak…

Italy international Eder was content to keep Inter on course for a return to the Champions League after scoring the equaliser in Sunday s 1-1 draw with Torino.

The Brazil-born forward, who signed a new contract through to 2021 during the week, celebrated the extension by coming off the bench to cancel out Iago Falque s opener at San Siro.

While the draw extended Inter s unbeaten start in Serie A to 12 matches, the Nerazzurri were left ruing a missed opportunity to move level with leaders Napoli in the Scudetto race.

However, Eder insists the goal is simply to book a place in Europe s top club competition for the first time since 2011-12.

Our objective is Champions League qualification. We re on track and we re happy about this, the 30-year-old told M…

Craig Bellamy believes he has been handed a rare opportunity as he begins his tenure as Wales manager.

Bellamy was named the new Wales boss on Tuesday following Rob Page s sacking last month, with the country having failed to qualify for Euro 2024.

It is Bellamy s first senior managerial role and the former Wales captain has signed a four-year contract. As a player, he made 78 appearances for the national team, scoring 19 goals.

Bellamy had been named as Burnley s acting head coach following Vincent Kompany s move to Bayern Munich in May, but turned down the opportunity to stay on as a coach following Scott Parker s appointment.

He called taking the Wales position my ultimate dream when the deal was agreed and then faced the media for the first time on We…

Rodri declared his love for Manchester City and claimed his new side have changed the story of football in England to become a more attractive proposition for players compared to rival teams.

City announced the club-record signing of Rodri on a five-year deal on Thursday after triggering the reported €70million (£63m) release clause in his Atletico Madrid contract.

He also attracted rumoured interest from Manchester United, while Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich have been linked with a move in recent days, but the Spain international said joining Pep Guardiola s side was an easy choice to make.

Asked why City are considered a bigger attraction than rivals United, Rodri told reporters: Maybe they have changed the story. I think City this last five or six year…

Vladimir Petkovic wants Switzerland to prove they can match tournament favourites France in their final Euro 2016 Group A game on Sunday.

A win over Albania and a 1-1 draw with Romania have put the Swiss in second spot ahead of their meeting with the host nation in Lille, and a victory would see them pip Didier Deschamps side to top spot.

France, meanwhile, have already sealed their place in the last 16 with two wins from two and need only avoid defeat to safeguard first place.

Les Bleus captain Hugo Lloris has called for his side to justify their place as favourites by beating Switzerland just as they did at the World Cup two years ago but Petkovic has challenged his own players to show they have the same level of quality as their opponents.

France ar…

The United States and Cuba will play their first international friendly since 1947, US Soccer announced on Thursday.

In an historic meeting, USA and Cuba will clash in Havana on October 7.

The friendly will be the second time USA will have visited Cuba in 69 years.

We are happy to have the chance to bring our team to Cuba, USA coach Jurgen Klinsmann said in a statement, having guided the Americans to a fourth-place finish at the Copa America Centenario in June.

In addition to good competition, we are always looking for our group to have different experiences, and this is a unique opportunity.

On September 6, 2008, USA defeated Cuba 1-0 in the semi-final Round of qualifying for the 2010 World Cup.

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Market: Montpellier double chance

Odds: 8/15 @

Hoping to secure back-to-back Ligue 1 victories and making another statement here, Montpellier will welcome Nice to the Stade de la Mosson on Saturday night.

Starting with the hosts, making a return to winning ways last week as they stormed their way to a routine 3-0 romp away at Nantes, Montpellier will be desperate to produce a repeat display here. While Michel Der Zakarian’s side might have eventually fallen to that remarkable 5-4 loss at the hands of Lyon on May 7th, La Paillade should still find the mood in their camp at a real high. Although the Occitanie-based outfit might know that they need a minor miracle in their bid to book a top-half Ligue 1 finish, Saturday’s hosts are signing off the 2022/23 campa…

Borussia Dortmund midfielder Sven Bender has reiterated his hope that the club can tie down their key performers to new contracts, a week after he agreed fresh terms.

Bender extended his contract until 2021 last week but Dortmund are yet to secure the long-term futures of Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Mats Hummels, Ilkay Gundogan and Marcel Schmelzer.

The quartet all see their contracts expire next year, with Bender stating after signing his new deal that he would be glad if some of my other team-mates would follow in the coming weeks .

And speaking to Kicker on Monday, he added: We didn t really discuss [my statement] in the dressing room.

I just wanted to say that we are a totally committed bunch of guys, and it s a whole lot of fun. I hope that it was food for …