Derby County have reappointed former manager Steve McClaren on a contract that runs until 2018.

The ex-England boss previously took charge of Derby in 2013, reaching the Championship play-off final in his first season, before being sacked at the end of his second campaign.

McClaren then became Newcastle United manager, but was dismissed in March, with the club battling ultimately unsuccessfully against relegation from the Premier League.

In a statement announcing his return on Derby s official website, McClaren described his delight at securing a fourth stint at a club where he also served as a player and assistant manager.

I am excited to be back at Derby County as the club s manager, he said.

I have a great affiliation with the club, having be…

Hull City are closing in on a deal to sign Wales forward Hal Robson-Kanu, .

Premier League champions Leicester City are also interested in securing a deal for the twenty-seven year old, who was one of the stand-out performers for Chris Coleman’s side in France this summer.

Aside from loan spells with Southend United and Swindon Town, the striker has spent his entire career so far with Reading, but left the club when his contract expired at the end of last season.

He racked up two hundred and twenty-eight appearances in all competitions, scoring thirty goals.

His most prolific campaign came in the Royal’s 2012/13 Premier League campaign where he netted seven times in twenty-five outings.

He has been capped thirty-five times for Wales, and…

Derby County are interested in signing Matty Longstaff from Newcastle United in the January transfer window, according to . It has been reported that Championship club Derby are considering making a move for the 20-year-old midfielder when the transfer window opens in January.

Longstaff, who signed a new contract in the summer of 2020, has struggled for playing time at Newcastle so far this season. According to , the 20-year-old midfielder has played just 29 minutes in the Premier League this campaign. During the 2019-20 campaign, the youngster made six starts and three substitute appearances in the league for the Magpies, scoring two goals in the process, according to .

Newcastle are 13th in the Premier League table at the moment with 14 points from 10 matches. Meanwhi…

Verdict: Both teams to score and Manchester City to win

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Manchester City are aiming to win their third EFL Cup in five seasons and visit Leicester City on Tuesday for a place in the semi-finals. Still unbeaten domestically this season, Pep Guardiola s side moved 14 points clear of their Manchester neighbours last weekend and face a Leicester side still reeling from a shocking 3-0 home defeat to Crystal Palace.

Leicester City

Although the Foxes may have suffered a shocking 3-0 home defeat to Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon, new boss Claude Puel has made a very positive impression since taking charge of the 2015 champions. Prior to Saturday, Leicester had won their last four in the Premier League, but surprisingly, Roy H…

Market: Over 1.5 goals

Odds: 2/5 @

In what could prove to be an enjoyable Premier Division affair from the Showgrounds on Friday night, Sligo Rovers will welcome St. Patrick’s to town.

Starting with the hosts, missing out on what they would have billed as an opportunity away at Drogheda last week as they eventually had to settle for an action-packed 2-2 stalemate, Sligo are certainly seeking some much-needed stability. Almost sat in Premier Division limbo and knowing that they need a minor miracle in their bid to clinch a top-half finish this season, the Rovers have managed to muster just a pair of wins from any of their last nine domestic appearances across all formats a run that stems back to May 27th. However, despite their extended defensive issues over th…

Chelsea head coach Antonio Conte admitted he changed his mind about Cesc Fabregas, praising the midfielder for forcing his way into his plans.

Fabregas struggled for playing time early last season, Conte s first at the club, before fighting his way in as Chelsea went on to win the Premier League title.

The Spain international has already made 12 league starts this season – he made 13 in 2016-17 – and Conte hailed the 30-year-old.

Cesc at the start of last season didn t play a lot, but I was very happy because through the work he tried to change my mind and it happened, the Italian said ahead of his side s Champions League clash against Atletico Madrid.

If you remember the second part of last season he started to play with regularity and first part o…

Cameroon have had to contend with several key withdrawals as they begin their bid for Africa Cup of Nations glory with a match against Group A rivals Burkina Faso on Saturday.

The opening day of the tournament will see the two teams meet in Libreville after hosts and group favourites Gabon have taken on outsiders Guinea-Bissau.

The top two teams will progress to the quarter-finals, with Cameroon among the candidates to win the trophy as they seek a first title since 2002.

That status comes despite eight of their preliminary squad including key players Joel Matip and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting withdrawing from the event in a significant blow to their hopes.

We respect all teams but we fear no one, newly installed captain Benjamin Moukandjo told Supersport.<…

West Ham United are interested in signing Joshua King before the summer transfer window closes on Friday, but the Premier League club are not willing to pay what Bournemouth want for the striker. That’s according to , which has claimed that the Cherries are looking for £20 million as transfer fee for the Norway international striker, but the Hammers do not want to pay more than £10 million to bring the player to the London Stadium.

The Hammers are on the hunt for a new striker, as David Moyes’s side aim to avoid a similar situation like last season when they battled against relegation to the Championship for most of the season. Sebastien Haller did not have a great campaign on a personal level, while Michail Antonio is a right-back by trade.

King scored six goals …

Luis Suarez has vowed to help Philippe Coutinho achieve his dreams following his transfer from Liverpool to Barcelona.

The Brazil star finalised his move to Camp Nou on Monday, signing a five-and-a-half-year contract after a reported fee of €160million was agreed between the clubs.

Suarez, who played alongside Coutinho at Anfield until he joined Barca in 2014, is looking forward to great success alongside his new team-mate.

Writing on Twitter alongside a picture with Coutinho, Suarez said: Welcome my friend, how nice [it] is to share [a] team with you again.

Lots of success in this new stage [sic], we will achieve them all together!

WELCOME my friend  how nice is to share team with you again  Lots of success in this new stage, we will achie…

France failed to bounce back from their surprise Euro 2020 elimination as they were held to a 1-1 draw in 2022 World Cup qualifying by Bosnia-Herzegovina, finishing with 10 men. 

Les Bleus, who went out in the last 16 of the European Championship after a shock penalty shoot-out loss to Switzerland, fell behind to Edin Dzeko’s 36th-minute strike in Strasbourg on Wednesday but were quickly back on terms following a fortuitous goal for Antoine Griezmann. 

Didier Deschamps  side would have been expecting to push on for a win to go six points clear of second-placed Ukraine, who drew 2-2 with Kazakhstan earlier on Wednesday, in the second half of the Group D clash. 

However, after a deadline-day switch from Sevilla to Chelsea failed to materialise, Jules Kound…