(GSM) London based club West Ham United have stated that English striker Dean Ashton has hung up his boots due to a long-term injury.
The announcement was widely expected as Ashton had been unable to shake off an ankle injury, which had plagued his career since 2006, during a training session with the national team.
Ashton, who had joined the Hammers from Norwich City in 2006 for a £7.25 million fee, had made a promising start at Upton Park.
The forward s first season saw him net six times in 16 league and cup appearances, including two in an FA Cup quarter-final win over Manchester City and a goal in the final against Liverpool at the Millennium Stadium during the side s 3-3 draw.
This resulted in Ashton being called up for the England squad for a f…
Karim Benzema is progressing well in his recovery but the Real Madrid striker will only play in Saturday s derby with Atletico Madrid if there is no risk of injury.
Benzema missed Madrid s 4-1 win over Real Mallorca last weekend because of a knee injury.
It will also keep him out of Wednesday s Champions League clash with RB Leipzig, with the fixture against city rivals Atletico seen as a potential return date.
But head coach Carlo Ancelotti is unwilling to take any chances with his star striker.
He said ahead of the Leipzig clash: He [Benzema] is progressing well, there are options. But he will only play if there is no risk of injury.
Restons concentrés
— Karim Benzema (@Benzema)
The win over Mallorca featured a clash bet…
Juventus and Inter Milan have been credited with an interest in Blackpool forward Tom Ince, .
The son of England legend Paul Ince has been making waves in the Championship and it is only a matter of time before he leaves the Tangerines for greener pastures.
And while a number of English Premier League sides are believed to be keen, the 21-year-old has quite a few admirers abroad as well.
According to Tuttosport, Italian giants Juventus and Inter Milan are both keeping close tabs on the England Under-21 international.
Meanwhile, Ajax are also showing interest, but it is not realistic to expect the Amsterdammers can win the race for the forward s signature.
Tom Ince, who had come through the youth ranks at Liverpool, has been in scintillating form …
Championship promotion hopefuls Brentford have re-signed Leicester City defender Liam Moore on loan for the remainder of the season, .
The centre-back has seen his opportunities under Foxes manager Nigel Pearson, and he has been allowed to link up with Mark Warburton’s side in an attempt to win a second successive promotion to the top flight.
He made his Leicester debut in January 2012, having spent the first half of that campaign on loan with Bradford City, while his first temporary spell with the Bees came the following season.
Internationally, Moore has been capped eleven times for England’s U21s, and scored his one and only goal so far came in the 2-1 win over Croatia in last year’s UEFA U21 Championships.
Brentford thumped lowly Blackpo…
Marco Rose is plotting to stop one of the players he will have at his disposal next season when Borussia Monchengladbach come up against Erling Haaland and Borussia Dortmund in the DFB-Pokal.
Rose will be leaving his role as head coach of Monchengladbach at the end of the season to take charge at Dortmund, though still has a chance of signing off with a trophy.
With Bayern Munich already knocked out, the quarter-final clash offers a chance for both clubs to move a step closer to silverware.
Haaland will be hoping to get one over his future boss in the competition before they join forces, provided, of course, the prolific Norwegian does not depart Signal Iduna Park in the next transfer window.
The 20-year-old striker has 27 go…
Market: Accrington Stanley win
Odds: 6/5 @
Looking to extend on what has been a real purple patch on home soil, Accrington Stanley will host Shrewsbury on Saturday afternoon.
Starting with the hosts, managing to find a welcomed boost earlier in the week as they claimed a penalties victory against Barrow on EFL Trophy duties, there is no doubt that Accrington Stanley will be desperate to keep up that momentum. Hoping to fully bounce back from that 2-0 defeat at the hands of MK Dons last weekend, Head Coach John Coleman s side have still managed to impress since opening the 2021/22 campaign. Despite seeing their three-match winning run come to an end seven days ago, the Lancashire-based outfit have continued to catch the eye with their displays on home soil. Last…
Shakhtar Donetsk CEO Sergei Palkin says there have been no new offers tabled for in-demand Armenian international Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
Mkhitaryan has been heavily linked with a move to English Premier League side Liverpool throughout the transfer window, as Brendan Rodgers attempts to build a squad capable of challenging for top honours.
Champions League finalists Borussia Dortmund have earmarked the midfielder as the ideal replacement for Mario Goetze, but the Bundesliga outfit have already had a bid turned down.
Mkhitaryan, who netted 25 goals for the Ukrainian champions last season, has refused to report for pre-season training as the transfer saga drags on.
But despite the 24-year-old s unhappiness, Palkin claims no new offers have been made, while he has also…
Juventus have signed Italy international defender Angelo Ogbonna from city rivals Torino.
The 25-year-old has signed a five-year deal, with Antonio Conte s side paying €13million, to be staggered in installments over the next three years.
Juve could also pay their neighbours a further €2m if stipulated sporting targets are met during his time with the club.
Ogbonna made his Torino debut in 2007 against Reggina and has gone on to make 159 appearances, scoring only once, against Cesena in April 2010.
He has played six times for the Italy national team and was called into Cesare Prandelli s UEFA Euro 2012 squad, despite having played the previous season in Serie B.
Ogbonna is Juventus third signing of the season as they look for a third consecutive Serie A…
Tottenham Hotspur have agreed to send Kevin N’Koudou out on loan to Mainz, according to Sky Sports.
Talks between the clubs are ongoing and it is understood they are working on an option for the Bundesliga outfit to be able to eventually sign the winger on a permanent deal.
N’Koudou signed for Spurs from Marseille in the summer of 2016 though he has racked up just twenty-three appearances for them in all competitions, scoring his one and only goal for the club in a 3-0 win over APOEL last December.
He spent the second half of last term on loan at Burnley, playing eight times for them and helping them achieve a seventh-place finish.
Internationally, the twenty-three-year old was capped six times for France’s U21s, scoring once but he is yet to …
Walking under the shadow of a famous father is never easy and son of Barcelona and Brazil legend Rivaldo – Rivaldinho – is now hoping to follow his father footsteps as he makes another European move.
Having been released by Internacional, Rivaldinho joined Romania powerhouse Dinamo Bucharest on a free transfer this week.
Dinamo announced the deal on their revealing that the 21-year-old Rivaldinho has signed a three-and-a-half-year deal as the player hopes to make his second European stint a move successful one than the first.
Rivaldinho joined Portuguese club Boavista in 2015 but returned to his native Brazil after only three senior appearances for the club, which included one in the Primeira Liga against Moreirense and two Cup appearances.
The Braz…