Transfers

Barcelona's interim president Carlos Tusquets feels the club should have cashed-in on Lionel Messi during the summer transfer window.

Messi was heavily linked with a move to Manchester City and sent a recorded delivery (Burofax) letter stating his intention to leave. He later said the decision was due to being disillusioned with the direction the now former board had taken the club. Ex-Barça president Josep Maria Bartomeu resigned in October rather than face a vote of no confidence, with Tusquets taking temporary charge until January's elections.

It is fair to say that money controls the Premier League. Money is the reason Manchester City and Liverpool are title contenders, while Brighton and West Brom languish near the bottom of the table.

Soccernomics co-authors Simon Kuper and Stefan Szymanski calculated that 90 percent of variation in league position in the Premier League is determined by a club's wage bill.

A frustrated Lionel Messi said he is tired of being blamed for problems at Barcelona after he was accused by Antoine Griezmann's former agent of making life difficult for the French striker at the LaLiga club.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has signed a new two-year contract that will keep him in charge until the end of the 2022-23 season, the Premier League club said on Thursday.

The Spaniard has guided City to two Premier League titles, three League Cups and an FA Cup since his arrival in 2016.

Wales assistant manager Robert Page said Gareth Bale is back in love with soccer, having rejoined Tottenham Hotspur following a tough period at Real Madrid, and that could help the forward shine for the national team.

If Liverpool didn't have an injury crisis at center back before, it certainly does now. After losing Virgil van Dijk to a knee injury in the Merseyside derby last month, Joe Gomez is now expected to miss most of the season after injuring his knee during England training on Wednesday.

Paul Pogba "cannot be happy" with the situation he finds himself in at Manchester United, France head coach Didier Deschamps said on Monday.

The French midfielder has started just four of United's seven Premier League games this season, and just one of three in the Champions League. Pogba's future at United remains uncertain after he suggested last month that he "dreams" of playing for Real Madrid.