Norwich City have allowed defender Daniel Ayala to join Middlesbrough on permanent basis following a successful loan spell.
The 23-year-old Spaniard has signed a three-and-a-half-year deal with the Championship outfit after Norwich accepted an undisclosed fee.
Ayala, a former Liverpool trainee, joined Middlesbrough on loan in October and has made 13 appearances for the club so far.
Having mustered only 10 first-team outings in an injury-hit first campaign with Norwich following his arrival from Liverpool in August 2011, Ayala was loaned to Nottingham Forest last season.
He once again struggled for fitness at the City Ground and appeared in only 14 games.
However, Ayala has been able to feature regularly for Aitor Karanka s Middlesbrough, who are seeking a r…
Bursaspor have lost an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over a one-year UEFA ban administered for breaking the governing body s Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules.
The Turkish club were due to play in the Europa League next term, but CAS upholding of UEFA s sanction means they will be excluded from the competition.
The original offence dates back to 2012 when Bursaspor were found to have flouted FFP rules, but the one-year ban from UEFA competitions was suspended for a probationary period of three years.
Bursaspor qualified for a place in the 2014-15 Europa League, and in December UEFA s Adjudicatory Chamber ruled that the club had broken FFP regulations again thus bringing their exclusion into effect for the coming campaign.
The club a…
Market: Carlos Vela to score 2+ goals
Odds:
Desperate to refind their winning touch in Los Angeles, Western leaders LAFC will welcome Houston to the Banc of California Stadium in the early hours of Thursday morning.
Starting with the hosts, while Los Angeles might be ending their season with a minor struggle, Bob Bradley s men have all but confirmed their spot as Western champions. Already holding a 15-point buffer over the chasing pack, one man who has continued to spearhead their charge is leading marksman, Carlos Vela. Once again finding the net in LAFC S 1-1 draw with Toronto over the weekend, the former Arsenal striker has already bagged an outstanding 29 MLS goals this season and is in pole position to claim the Golden Boot in his debut campaign in Ameri…
Fernando Torres came off the bench to score his first goal for Sagan Tosu on Wednesday, breaking his duck for the J.League club.
Torres is yet to score in seven league appearances for the club he joined after his Atletico Madrid contract ran out at the end of the 2017-18 season.
But the former Spain international was on target as Sagan knocked Andres Iniesta s Vissel Kobe out of the Emperor s Cup with a 3-0 home win.
Sagan were already in front when substitute Torres made sure of his side s progression by tucking in a sweet low finish after brilliant play on the wing from Akito Fukuta.
「Nice assist!!」
「Nice goal!!」 選手と 選手
8/26(日)はホーム でガンバ大阪戦
— サガン鳥栖公式 (@saganofficia…
World Cup favourites Spain crashed to a shock 1-0 defeat to unfancied Switzerland in their opening game of the tournament here on Wednesday.
A rock solid defence and a tremendous goalkeeping effort from Diego Benaglio saw the Swiss take the lead in the 51st minute through Gelson Fernandes and sustain wave after wave of pressure to hold on for the win in the Group H clash.
The victory was Switzerland s first-ever over Spain in 19 games dating back 85 years.
Fernandes scrambled goal was exactly the type pundits said the Swiss might score against a Spanish team whose slick passing game failed to convert territory and overwhelming possessional advantage into anything concrete.
A long, straight goalkick was picked up by striker Eren Derdiyok, whose path was …
English commentators launched scathing attacks Monday on their football team s dire performance against Germany which ended the country s World Cup hopes, as calls mounted for Fabio Capello to quit.
Newspapers saved some of their criticism for the referee in the game who disallowed an England goal that had clearly crossed the line, during the country s heaviest ever defeat in the World Cup finals.
But this was nothing compared to the fury directed at the team for their unconvincing effort in Bloemfontein, South Africa, which saw them slump to a 4-1 defeat against their arch-rivals.
The Sun tabloid, which is Britain s best-selling paper, headlined its front page with a message to the players: You let your country down.
We gave football to the world. Yet…
Sporting Lisbon defender Michael Ciani will be joining Espanyol in the summer transfer window, the Portuguese club has revealed.
The French defender only joined the Lions a month ago, having arrived on a free transfer from Lazio, but he has since experienced problems adapting to the new surroundings.
As a result, Sporting Lisbon has allowed the player to leave Stadio Jose Alvalade and moved to reveal that he would be signing for Spanish side Espanyol.
The Lions announced the move in an official statement, thanking the player for the short stay in Lisbon.
Before signing for Lazio in the summer of 2012, Ciani had spent his entire professional career in France, representing the likes of Sedan, Lorient and Bordeaux.
He hasn t quite managed to prove h…
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has praised Atletico Madrid head coach Diego Simeone for turning them into title contenders.
Simeone has been the architect of significant progress since taking over at the Vicente Calderon in 2011, guiding the club to fifth and third in La Liga, while also lifting the UEFA Europa League and the Copa del Rey.
When Hasselbaink played for Atleti they were relegated from the top flight and he is impressed with the changes that have taken place in the years since.
Atleti now sit top of the table with seven games to go and are in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League, and Hasselbaink, who spent a season at the club from 1999-2000, believes Simeone is the catalyst for their success.
He has given them a style that (means) they can compe…
Bolton Wanderers defender Stephen Darby has been forced to retire aged 29 after being diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease.
The former Liverpool youth academy product joined Bolton from Bradford City ahead of 2017-18, making three Championship appearances last season.
Darby, who married Manchester City and England defender Steph Houghton in June, announced the news of his retirement on Tuesday, after being diagnosed with the illness by a specialist.
It is with great sadness that I announce my immediate retirement from professional football due to a recent diagnosis of Motor Neurone Disease, Darby said via Bolton s official website.
I would like to take the opportunity to thank my team-mates, [manager] Phil Parkinson and all the staff at Bolton Wanderer…
N Golo Kante has been named the PFA Players Player of the Year after a formidable debut season at Chelsea, while Dele Alli of Tottenham has retained the Young Player of the Year award.
France international Kante has enjoyed an incredible rise in English football after joining Leicester City from Caen in 2015.
Having played a key role in Leicester s remarkable Premier League title success last term, the midfielder has continued to star at Stamford Bridge for this season s leaders, Chelsea.
Alli has also enjoyed a marvellous campaign for Spurs, his 16 goals and five assists vital in their title challenge.
He becomes the fourth player to be named Young Player of the Year in successive years, after Ryan Giggs, Robbie Fowler and Wayne Rooney.
Kant…