Watford have confirmed the signing of forward Mauro Zarate from Fiorentina.
The 29-year-old Argentine has signed a two-and-a-half-year deal at Vicarage Road, as Walter Mazzarri seeks to reinforce the Hornets with a player who has scored two goals in seven Serie A appearances this season.
Zarate, who began his career with Velez Sarsfield, first appeared in England s top flight during a loan spell at Birmingham in 2008, when he scored four times in 14 appearances.
He later arrived at West Ham in 2014, netting seven goals from 29 games, followed by a loan spell at QPR a year later.
OFFICIAL: Mauro Zárate has joined from in a two-and-a-half-year deal.
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— Watford FC (@WatfordFC)
Zarate, who won the Coppa Italia at L…
Paris Saint-Germain slipped to a first defeat of the season as second-placed Lens demonstrated their Ligue 1 title credentials with an impressive 3-1 victory at Stade Bollaert-Delelis.
Goals for Przemyslaw Frankowski, Lois Openda and Alexis Claude-Maurice in an entertaining New Year s Day contest reduced PSG s lead at the summit to four points.
Hugo Ekitike equalised in the first half, but Christophe Galtier s side were second best in their first game of 2023 as they await the return of Lionel Messi following his World Cup triumph with Argentina.
It was a dream start to 2023 for Lens boss Franck Haise, who celebrated his 100th match in charge in style.
End of the match, the Parisians lose in Lens. I
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English)
…
According to some reports in England, Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos could well quit the club if Jose Mourinho returns to the Bernabeu as their new manager. Mourinho managed Ramos between 2010 and 2013 and it seems as if their relationship has become fractured over time, which is hardly surprising given that Jose has poor relationships with a lot of people he used to work with.
Ramos is known for being a controversial figure himself, and it appears as if the partnership wouldn’t even remotely be entertained by the Spaniard.
Mourinho was recently sacked from his position as Manchester United manager, but such is the nature of his reputation, the Portuguese boss has already been linked with several top European clubs.
While nothing will happen overnight, the …
AC Milan should accept they are ugly and not aim to be like film star Brad Pitt, according to coach Gennaro Gattuso.
A run of three straight wins in Serie A has seen Gattuso s men climb to seventh in the table, with a 0-0 draw in the Coppa Italia semi-final first leg against Lazio on Wednesday extending their unbeaten run to six games in all competitions.
Milan have been grinding out results under the former Italy midfielder, who believes talk of a challenge for Champions League qualification is premature.
I know my ideas and the hard work of my staff, Gattuso told reporters ahead of Sunday s trip to Udinese.
I keep my feet on the ground and try not to read too much that is said about me, because I know there s a long way to go.
We must not f…
Inter Milan returned to the Serie A summit with a 4-0 win over Udinese at the San Siro.
Hakan Calhanoglu, Federico Di Marco and Marcus Thruam rewarded Nerazzurri dominance in a seven-minute scoring burst before half-time.
Lautaro Martinez put the gloss on victory six minutes from time by winning possession and advancing to lash home his 14th goal of the season from 20 yards.
Four goals and top of the table
Powered by
— Inter (@Inter_en)
Udinese might have argued their plan to shackle Inter was working until Nehuen Perez pulled back Martinez and Calhanoglu converted from the penalty spot after 37 minutes.
This was Inter’s 12th win from 15 league games and again took them two points clear of Juventus, who had beaten champion…
Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane refused to discuss his future amid growing speculation.
According to reports, Varane is considering leaving Madrid as he seeks a new challenge having won four Champions Leagues and two LaLiga titles since arriving in 2011.
The 25-year-old, however, was not willing to talk about his future at the Santiago Bernabeu.
I do not want to talk about my future, Varane – who is preparing for France s Euro 2020 qualifiers against Moldova and Iceland – told Le Parisien.
I am not one to discuss my future publicly.
Varane has been reunited with countryman Zinedine Zidane, who returned to Madrid as head coach following Santiago Solari s sacking.
Zidane left the Spanish capital after guiding Madrid to a third con…
Verdict: Atletico Madrid or Draw
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Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid host Premier League champions Chelsea on Wednesday night in week two of the Champions League group stage. Both teams will be looking to progress from Group C, and this game will go a long way towards deciding who will finish on top.
Atletico Madrid
The Rojiblancos opened their Champions League account this season with a 0-0 draw away at Roma. This result certainly won’t trouble Diego Simeone too much as Atleti are famed for their reliance on defensive solidity, but it makes the home game against Chelsea that bit more important. Simeone won’t want to be playing catch-up if the result doesn’t go their way, but the Madrid club have suffered just one defeat at …
What the papers say
The potential ins and outs at Manchester United continue to keep the rumour mill turning with Brazil midfielder Casemiro at the heart of the speculation. According to The Sun, via French outlet Sports Zone, Paris St Germain are keen on the 31-year-old with Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal also interested.
There appears less interest among clubs in ending Jadon Sancho’s time at Old Trafford. The Sun says Manchester United are finding it hard to find a buyer willing to match the 23-year-old’s wages.
One former United player has teased a potential playing return on social media after leaving in the summer. The Daily Mirror reports David De Gea, 33, posted an Instagram message saying “Work, work, work” having been linked with Newcastle or even a shock…
Former Juventus midfielder Claudio Marchisio told Manchester United star Paul Pogba to return to the Serie A giants and be happy again .
Pogba has been linked with a move away from United, where he returned from Juve in 2016.
The 27-year-old sparked fresh speculation over his future when he discussed his happiness to be on international duty, saying the French national team is a breath of fresh air .
Pogba is reportedly a target for Juventus and LaLiga giants Real Madrid, and former team-mate Marchisio would love to see him back in Turin.
Replying to a tweet from Pogba, Marchisio wrote: Please @paulpogba.
Come to @juventusfc… you will be happy again. Me too #tilltheend
Please
Come to you will be happy again me too
— Cla…
Chelsea marked the anniversary of Frank Lampard signing for the club amid reports the former midfielder Frank Lampard is set to take over from Maurizio Sarri.
Despite leading the club to a third-place finish in the Premier League, the final of the EFL Cup and Europa League glory against Arsenal, Sarri has by no means been a popular figure at Stamford Bridge.
The Italian, who left Napoli for Chelsea last year, is widely reported to be on the brink of being appointed as head coach by Juventus, who are seeking a successor to Massimiliano Allegri.
The switch was expected to be completed on Friday, when Chelsea noted on social media it was 18 years since Lampard, now managing Derby County, joined the club from West Ham.
On this day in 2001 Frank Lampard beca…