De Jong confirms Ajax stay after Champions League qualification

Newcastle United have bolstered their defence ahead of a return to the Premier League with the signing of Florian Lejeune from Eibar.

The centre-back becomes the Magpies second arrival of the close-season following the permanent switch of Christian Atsu from Chelsea.

Lejeune has put pen to paper on a five-year deal at St James Park, meaning he will stay at Newcastle – promoted as champions under Rafael Benitez last season – until 2022.

I m very happy to have signed. Newcastle United is a big club, and I m very happy to be here, Lejeune told Newcastle s official website.

When you have a manager like Rafa Benitez who wants you, you are very happy to come. Since I ve been in touch with the manager, it was an easy decision for me to come here.

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Former Premier League chief executive Rick Parry feels that top-flight clubs in England could work together to standardise the cost of tickets for away supporters.

The issue of ticket prices hit the headlines again this week after a group of Liverpool fans boycotted Tuesday s game at Hull City because they were being charged up to £50 per ticket, while Stoke City supporters paid £16 at the KC Stadium earlier in the season.

Parry, who was the Premier League s first chief executive before going on to fulfil the same role at Liverpool between 1998 and 2009, believes that while it is important for clubs to retain the right to set their own pricing structures, there is room for collective responsibility when it comes to away fans.

The Premier League is owned by…

Angel Di Maria s performances in the absence of Neymar and Edinson Cavani are a gift to Paris Saint-Germain boss Thomas Tuchel.

Di Maria hit a brace in Tuesday s 3-0 win over Dijon in the quarter-finals of the Coupe de France – the latest in a string of impressive performances over recent weeks.

The Argentina international excelled in the 2-0 Champions League win over his former club Manchester United earlier this month, with PSG having headed to Old Trafford without Neymar and Cavani due to respective metatarsal and hip injuries.

Tuchel feels ex-Real Madrid man Di Maria s long-established pedigree on big occasions has been vital to his team during a tricky period.

Di Maria won the Champions League with Real Madrid, I was watching his matches and he wa…

Jose Mourinho needs time to implement his ideas at Old Trafford if the glory days of Alex Ferguson are to return to Manchester United, according to Juan Sebastian Veron.

During his 26 years at Old Trafford, Ferguson won 13 Premier League titles, five FA Cups and two Champions League crowns.

The Scot retired in 2013 and United have only won three trophies since then – the 2015-16 FA Cup and the EFL Cup and Europa League in the following campaign.

David Moyes, Louis van Gaal and Mourinho have all been tasked with filling the hole left by Ferguson s departure.

Mourinho has come under fire this season with United languishing eighth place after 12 matches, but former United midfielder Veron believes the Portuguese could still prove to be the right man.

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Record caps holder Wesley Sneijder has been left out of the Netherlands squad for the crucial World Cup qualifying double-header against Belarus and Sweden.

Sneijder has scored 31 goals in 132 international appearances, but has not been called up by manager Dick Advocaat for the crunch games.
 
The Netherlands are third in Group A, four points behind leaders France and three points adrift of second-placed Sweden.
 
They travel to Belarus on 7th October before hosting Sweden in Amsterdam three days later as they look to qualify for the World Cup in Russia next year.
 
There is also no place in the squad for Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Robin van Persie, but Ryan Babel will be hoping to make a first appearance for his country since 2011 after his fine recent form for Besiktas.…

Scotland crashed out of the Women s World Cup in controversial fashion after Argentina fought back from three goals down to draw 3-3 on Wednesday.

Following 2-1 defeats to both England and Japan in their opening Group D matches, Scotland needed victory to stand a chance of progressing into the last 16, and they looked to be cruising through as one of the best third-placed sides when Erin Cuthbert put them 3-0 up in the 69th minute at Parc des Princes.

Kim Little s effort had got things rolling for Shelley Kerr s side, before Jennifer Beattie s header improved matters early in the second half.

But Argentina hauled one back five minutes after Cuthbert s close-range strike, with Lee Alexander s own goal setting up a grandstand finish.

The VAR then …

Leon Goretzka rejected interest from the Premier League, LaLiga and Serie A in order to join Bayern Munich, head coach Jupp Heynckes has said.

The Bundesliga champions announced on Friday that a deal has been reached to sign the midfielder when his Schalke contract expires after the end of the season.

Goretzka had been linked with the likes of Liverpool, Barcelona and Juventus before agreeing to a four-year deal at the Allianz Arena.

Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge described the move as good news for the Bundesliga and Heynckes is also delighted to see a young Germany international stay on home turf.

I talked to [assistant coach] Peter Hermann, who worked with Leon Goretzka at Schalke, about him, he told a news conference.  He said Leon has a ver…

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp believes Manchester City will have to get used to having Erling Haaland in the side, just as his team must adapt to Darwin Nunez.

The two best teams in England bolstered their fearsome attacks in the off-season, with City signing Haaland from Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool spending big on Nunez from Benfica.

Since making his debut for Dortmund in January 2020, only Robert Lewandowski (122) and Kylian Mbappe (89) have scored more goals among players from Europe s top five leagues than Haaland, who netted 86 goals in 89 appearances in all competitions for BVB.

Meanwhile, Nunez enjoyed a brilliant season in 2021-22, scoring 34 goals in all competitions, including six in the Champions League.

Both players impressively outp…

Competition: La Liga

Market: Levante to beat Celta Vigo

Odds:

La Liga continues this weekend for yet another massive round of games that will have a large bearing come the end of the season. Every side will be looking to claim all three points from this weekend s game, and with all of this in mind, Levante host Celta Vigo in a scrap near to the relegation zone.

Levante have been struggling massively this season and they are looking to embark upon a run of form that will see the danger of relegation diminish. After 18 games they have won three, drawn nine and lost six, while they have scored just 15 goals, conceding 25 times. In their last five games they have drawn three times and lost twice, which has seen them onto 18 points for the season so…

Former AC Milan, Real Madrid and England boss Fabio Capello announced he has retired from management as he brushed aside speculation linking him with the Italy job.

The 71-year-old was dismissed by Chinese Super League outfit Jiangsu Suning in March, and that spell looks to be the last of a trophy-laden coaching career spanning more than 30 years.

Capello won Serie A titles with both Milan and Roma either side of the turn of the century, adding the Champions League with the Rossoneri in 1994.

He also claimed LaLiga glory in both of his single-season stints at the Santiago Bernabeu, although he is less fondly remembered by England fans following the team s poor showing at the 2010 World Cup.

As Italy seek a permanent successor to Gian Piero Ventura who pai…