Premier League

ROBERTO MARTINEZ has revealed he will be holding talks with Cristiano Ronaldo over his international future. The former Wigan and Everton boss was officially announced as Portugal’s new manager earlier today.
Ronaldo has recently signed for Saudi Arabian side Al-NassrCredit: Rex
Roberto Martinez had been Belgian manager from 2016Credit: Getty
He arrives only weeks after leaving his post in charge of Belgium after their disastrous World Cup campaign.
Top of his agenda will be the future of Ronaldo after the 37-year-old’s whirlwind few months at club and country.
Shortly following his explosive Manchester United exit, Ronaldo found himself walking down the tunnel in tears after Portugal were eliminated by Morocco at the quarter-final stage in Qatar.
Speculation followed about his future with Portugal and Martinez has told reporters at his first press conference today he will have crunch talks with the forward.
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He said: “Football decisions have to be taken on the pitch. I’m not a coach that makes decisions in the boardroom.
“My starting point is to get in touch with all the players, the list of 26 from the World Cup, and Cristiano Ronaldo is on that list.
“He’s been with the national team for 19 years and he deserves the respect of being able to sit down and talk.
“From there [the goal] is to create in 10 weeks the best team for the qualification of the European championship. Today is a day of satisfaction. Tomorrow we will start working, getting to know all of the players and Cristiano is one of them.”
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Ronaldo’s tournament had started brightly and he set a World Cup record by scoring against Ghana during the group stages.
But things quickly unravelled and he was left on the bench for both the defeat against Morocco but also Portugal’s stunning 6-1 win over Switzerland, which was by far their most convincing performance in Qatar.
The quarter-final exit saw Fernando Santos sacked, while Ronaldo issued a defiant statement after the tournament underlining his commitment to his country.
He said: “I just want everyone to know that much has been said, much has been written, much has been speculated, but my dedication to Portugal has not changed for an instant. 
“I was always one more person fighting for everyone’s goal and I would never turn my back on my teammates and my country.
“For now, there’s not much more to say. Thank you, Portugal. Thank you, Qatar. The dream was beautiful while it lasted… Now, it’s time to be a good advisor and allow each one to draw their own conclusions.”
Portugal were not the only major side to face an underwhelming as Martinez’s Belgium exited at the group stage.
Reported dressing room rifts saw the Red Devils limp into the final group game against Croatia where a misfiring Romelu Lukaku missed multiple chances.
Martinez’s assistant manager Thierry Henry has been linked with the vacant Belgium post. More

ROBERTO MARTINEZ has been named Portugal manager just a month after leaving Belgium. A tweet read: “A new leader at service: welcome, Coach Roberto Martínez!”
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GRAHAM POTTER is facing increasing pressure as Chelsea boss.The former Brighton manager has overseen a dismal run of results in recent weeks.
Graham Potter is under pressure at ChelseaCredit: Getty
The difficult period has seen the Blues crash out of both domestic cups, after yesterday’s 4-0 drubbing at Manchester City.
Potter has also made the worst start over 11 Prem games of any Chelsea manager in the last 30 years.
Chelsea icon Frank Leboeuf claimed “enough is enough” after the City embarrassment and called for Potter to go.
While away fans chanted the name of former boss Thomas Tuchel.
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City manager Pep Guardiola called on Potter to be given time to get it right at Stamford Bridge.
But with vultures already circling around the 47-year-old, we take a look at who Betfair claim to be his five most likely successors.
MAURICIO POCHETTINO – 17/20
Former Tottenham boss is Betfair’s favourite to succeed Potter, having been out of work since leaving PSG at the end of last season.
Pochettino, 50, oversaw many feisty encounters with the Blues during his time at Spurs, and a marriage with the Stamford Bridge club could be uneasy for both fanbases.
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Mauricio Pochettino has been out of work since leaving PSGCredit: Reuters
BRENDAN RODGERS – 9/1
The Leicester boss has obvious history with the Blues, having managed their reserves during 2006 and 2008.
His stock fell a little after the Foxes’ poor start to the season, but the Northern Irishman remains a well respected coach.
Brendan Rodgers coached in Chelsea’s academy earlier in his careerCredit: Reuters
DIEGO SIMEONE – 10/1
Atletico Madrid boss has been at the helm of the Spanish club since 2011, and is reportedly the highest paid coach in the world on £36.2m a year.
Simeone, 52, has an impressive CV, but may not be the perfect fit with Chelsea’s young squad.
Diego Simeone is the highest paid coach in the worldCredit: AFP
ZINEDINE ZIDANE – 12/1
Zinedine Zidane appeared to be waiting for the France job, but has been snubbed by the French Federation who opted to extend Didier Deschamps’ deal to 2026.
This could open the door to a return to club management, with Zizou having been out of work since leaving Real Madrid at the end of the 2020-21 season.
Zinedine Zidane has been out of work since the end of the 2020-21 seasonCredit: Splash
THOMAS TUCHEL – 14/1
They say never go back… but Chelsea fans in the away end at Man City yesterday appeared to yearn for former boss Tuchel.
The German spoke of his devastation upon his sacking in September, but would Todd Boehly really swallow his pride to bring him back? And would it even be a smart move? Time will tell.
Thomas Tuchel was sacked by Chelsea after a defeat to Dinamo ZagrebCredit: Getty
These games could decide Graham Potter’s fate
Chelsea’s lack of goals is the team’s biggest problem More

MANCHESTER UNITED are interesting in signing Frankfurt ace Randal Kolo Muani, according to reports.The Red Devils continued their excellent post-World Cup form against Everton on Friday by making it five wins on the bounce since the season returned.
Randal Kolo Muani is wanted by both Manchester United and Bayern MunichCredit: Getty
And Marcus Rashford has scored in each of those victories.
But Anthony Martial once again failed to play 90 minutes and is struggling with a lack of form and fitness.
Therefore, Erik ten Hag desperately wants to sign a striker this month, especially with United still fighting on four fronts.
They’re in the last-32 of the Europa League, quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup, fourth round of the FA Cup and are sitting fourth in the Prem.
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The Dutchman will need to add depth to his squad to ensure United have the best chance of qualifying for the Champions League and also ending their seven-year trophy drought.
And according to Telefoot, they’re targeting a move for Kolo Muani.
The 24-year-old is currently enjoying his breakout campaign in Germany.
He’s scored eight goals and registered nine assists in all comps with 15 contributions in 14 Bundesliga matches.
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His fine form has helped Frankfurt into the top four and also saw them reach the last-16 in their debut Champions League campaign.
And Kolo Muani continued his form at the World Cup, making three appearances and scored France’s opener in their semi-final win over Morocco.
He also featured in the final and won the first penalty that got his side back into the game.
But the report states he doesn’t want to leave this month because he wants to face Napoli in the knockouts. More

TOTTENHAM are hoping for a triple injury boost ahead of Sunday’s North London derby.Antonio Conte’s side will take on Mikel Arteta’s league leaders hoping to derail their title charge, while strengthening their own top four bid in the process.
Tottenham should have Yves Bissouma available againCredit: Getty
Spurs beat League One Portsmouth 1-0 on Saturday without a host of key players.
Yves Bissouma had been due to start alongside Pape Matar Sarr, but was replaced by Oliver Skipp after sustaining an injury in the warm-up.
Despite his issue, the Malian is expected to be available on Sunday.
Bissouma’s fellow midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur has been out of action since tearing his abductor muscle playing for Uruguay at the World Cup.
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Spurs remain hopeful that the 25-year-old could play a part against Arsenal this weekend, having missed matches against Brentford, Aston Villa, Crystal Palace and Pompey.
Vital winger Dejan Kulusevski has been absent since the 2-2 draw with Brentford on Boxing Day.

The Swede has endured an injury-ravaged campaign, but is expected to be able to return against the Gunners.
Bryan Gil has deputised for Kulusevski in Spurs’ last three matches, earning the player of the match award against Portsmouth.
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Rodrigo Bentancur had gone into the World Cup in a rich vein of formCredit: AFP
Injury-plagued Dejan Kulusevski has been a key man when fitCredit: Rex
Spurs will likely remain without Lucas Moura for the foreseeable future, with the Brazilian having been hampered by a calf injury for much of the campaign.
Richarlison, meanwhile, is closer to a return than Lucas, but less likely to feature this weekend than Bissouma, Bentancur and Kulusevski.
The forward has been out of action since injuring his hamstring on Brazil duty at the World Cup.
Tottenham will be desperate to put a dent in Arsenal’s title hopes, with the Gunners currently five points clear of Manchester City at the top of the Prem.
Spurs were well beaten 3-1 at the Emirates earlier this season, but have won their last three home matches against Arsenal in a row.
These triumphs include last year’s 3-0 thumping, which helped them book their Champions League spot at the Gunners’ expense.
Richarlison attended Spurs’ home clash with Aston VillaCredit: Getty More

EX-ARSENAL star Lukas Podolski was SENT OFF in a charity match for insulting the referee.Despite being the grand age of 37, the German clearly hasn’t lost his competitive edge.
Lukas Podolski was sent off for insulting the refereeCredit: Twitter: @CommonSensePL
The ex-Arsenal man was unhappy after conceding a penaltyCredit: Twitter: @CommonSensePL
Podolski, in his 21st season in professional football, was competing at his own tournament called the Schauinsland Reisen Cup.
And he was playing for his current team Gornik Zabrze against five other sides from around Europe on an indoor pitch.
Ależ ten facet nie trzyma ciśnienia. Pomyśleć, że po takiej karierze to, co teraz robi, powinno być dla niego relaksem, sportowymi wakacjami.A u niego co rusz jakieś przerwy w dostawie prądu.— Maciej Trąbski (@MTrabski) January 9, 2023

But he lost his cool during their semi-final against Rot-Weiss Essen.
In what Bild described as a heated affair, where three penalties were awarded, Podolski was in the thick of the action.
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With the score at 2-2, the former Gunners man conceded a spot-kick for bringing down an opponent.
Clearly angry with the decision, Podolski confronted the referee and ended up insulting him.
And he was given his marching orders.
But he wasn’t finished there.
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The ex-Germany international made his way over the barriers and off the pitch.
But he then threw water onto the pitch and appeared to be aiming at the officials.
And Podolski’s red card proved costly as Gornik ended up losing in the semi-finals and had to settle for a third-place finish at the tournament. More