Scott Parker hailed his Burnley players for delivering a statement result in his first game at the helm as they thrashed Luton Town 4-1 in their Championship opener.

Parker took over as Clarets boss in July following Vincent Kompany s move to Bayern Munich, tasked with masterminding an immediate return to the Premier League after they finished 19th last season.

His reign began with a trip to Kenilworth Road to face Luton, who were relegated alongside Burnley last term and have also been tipped to compete for promotion.

Goals from Josh Brownhill, Wilson Odobert, Dara O Shea and Vitinho saw the visitors record an eye-catching win, taking them second in the early-season Championship standings, behind Sheffield Wednesday.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the game…

Newcastle United are interested in signing Jules Kounde from Sevilla in the summer transfer window, according to . The report in the Spanish news outlet has claimed that Newcastle wanted to sign the France international centre-back in January and are still keen on him this summer.

Kounde has been on the books of Sevilla since 2019 and is one of the best young central defenders in Europe. The 23-year-old made 31 starts and one substitute appearance in La Liga last season, scoring two goals and providing one assist in the process. The youngster also made four appearances in the Europa League last season.

Newcastle will be aiming to challenge for the Europa League places in the Premier League table next season, while Sevilla will be looking to finish in the La Liga top fou…

Stefano Pioli insists the Scudetto triumph must be a starting point for Milan after the Rossoneri lifted their first Serie A title in 11 years.

Pioli s side dethroned city rivals Inter by beating Sassuolo on the final day of the 2021-22 campaign, securing their first trophy since lifting the Italian Super Cup in 2016.

The Rossoneri won their final five matches and went 15 without defeat, with their final tally of 88 points their second best in the three-points-per-win era.

Inter will be hungry to reclaim the Serie A title in the 2022-23 campaign, with Simone Inzaghi looking set to bring in Romelu Lukaku on loan and Paulo Dybala on a free transfer.

Pioli, speaking after receiving honorary citizenship at Noceto on Monday, expressed his delight over Mi…

Football faces a conundrum as packed schedules impact the quality of play, and Gus Poyet believes the solution lies with players making decisions rather than organisations.

A new officiating directive in the Premier League has seen games regularly pass the 100-minute mark due to additional stoppage time this season, as was also the case at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Manchester United s Raphael Varane has voiced his concerns over the increased playing time adding to an already hectic schedule, while Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has outlined similar fears.

Former Chelsea and Tottenham midfielder Poyet acknowledges it is a difficult situation, with top leagues and governing bodies keen to maximise revenue, sometimes at the expense of quality.

Poyet t…

Rudi Voller revealed his first reaction at being asked to become director of the Germany national team was: Is there nobody else?

The former Germany striker and head coach ultimately agreed to take on the job, filling the role previously held by Oliver Bierhoff until he departed after a second successive World Cup failure.

Voller s appointment was confirmed by the German Football Association (DFB), with head coach Hansi Flick among those who welcomed his arrival.

It came after deliberations from a DFB task force that included Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Oliver Kahn, Matthias Sammer and Oliver Mintzlaff, plus Voller himself.

Hans-Joachim Watzke offered 62-year-old Voller the job, and the vide-president may have been surprised by the initial response.

…

Norwich City head coach Daniel Farke has signed a new four-year deal that will keep him at the club until 2025.

The German arrived at Carrow Road in 2017 after he departed from Borussia Dortmund and guided the Canaries to the Premier League in his second season.

Relegation followed in 2020, but the 44-year-old led his side to an immediate return at the first time of asking as Norwich collected 97 points on their way to the Championship title last campaign, the second time of being crowned champions under Farke. 

I m absolutely over the moon and feel pretty emotional in such a moment. I m unbelievably grateful for all of the trust and support, Farke told the club s media on Wednesday.

It is a pleasure to be allowed to continue to work on this level wit…

Karim Benzema created Club World Cup history by becoming the first player to score in four editions of the tournament as Al-Ittihad booked their place in the second round.

The former France international netted for the Saudi Pro League outfit as they won their first-round tie with Auckland City 3-0.

Benzema, who has enjoyed success in this competition with Real Madrid, put the finishing touches on victory that sets up a second-round match with Al Ahly.

To the next round

First Mission

— Ittihad Club (@ittihad_en)

The game was won with three goals in 11 first-half minutes.

Romarinho opened the scoring in the 29th minute with a deflected effort before former Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante doubled the lead five minutes later.<…

Erik ten Hag labelled Bruno Fernandes an inspiration as the Manchester United manager leapt to the defence of his vice-captain after attracting criticism in the wake of Sunday s thrashing by Liverpool.

The Portuguese midfielder was chastised for his performance and attitude during United s humiliating 7-0 defeat at Anfield, with critics suggesting he should lose the armband, which he wears in the absence of out-of-favour club captain Harry Maguire.

However, Ten Hag dismissed those suggestions and is optimistic his on-field captain will respond well to the weekend s hardships.

Everyone has to learn, I have to learn, he will learn as well because he s intelligent, the Dutch manager said at a press conference ahead of his side s Europa League first-leg fixture ag…

Robert Lewandowski twice equalised late on but Barcelona s hopes of progressing to the Champions League knockout stage look slim after a 3-3 draw with Inter.

Lewandowski s late show keeps Barca s chances alive, though the Blaugrana are now relying on Inter not to win either of their final two Group C matches.

Ousmane Dembele s first-half strike put them ahead, though elimination was back on the cards as Nicolo Barella and Lautaro Martinez struck in a chaotic second half.

Robin Gosens thought he had sent Inter into the last 16 in the 89th minute, only for Lewandowski to score his second goal in the space of 10 minutes to snatch a point for Barca.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan cleared Lewandowski s header off the line, while Edin Dzeko was denied by the crossbar in th…

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is worried by the hamstring injury that inflicted quite big pain on Olivier Giroud during the 1-0 EFL Cup win over West Ham.

Giroud s rare opportunity to start was ruined when he limped off clutching his right leg in the 78th minute.

Francis Coquelin was also hampered by cramp during Tuesday s quarter-final clash but is expected to be available for Friday s visit from Liverpool.

The news is less encouraging for France striker Giroud, who appears set to miss the festive period.

It looks like that. We have to wait. Nowadays you do the scan 48 hours after the injury, Wenger told reporters at his post-match news conference.

That will happen on Thursday, then we will have a precise kind of grade on what his hamstring [injur…