For Elneny, though, the dream is to then lead his eponymous club to the very top and defy any critics – much like his earlier playing days.

“I remember one journalist was talking to me in Egypt and he asked me, last question, he said to me: ‘Mo, where you do you want to play?’,” Elneny said.

“I was playing for a club (Al Mokawloon) in the middle of the table in Egypt but I said to him ‘I want to play at the Nou Camp in Barcelona’.

“I swear to you, he just walked off and didn’t continue the interview with me, no thank you, no goodbye or anything, he just walked off.

“My friend said ‘look where you are. Look where you are in the middle of the table in Egypt, how are you going to get to one of the best teams in the world’?

�…

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Looking to cause an upset at St. Mary s this weekend, Southampton will welcome Manchester United to the South Coast on Sunday afternoon.

Southampton

Starting with the hosts, while Southampton would have been disappointed to have had to settle for a point away at Wolves after taking the lead on Monday night, the Saints have hugely impressed since opening the 2020/2021 campaign. Still firmly battling it out in the European spots, Ralph Hasenhüttl s men find themselves enjoying a glittering seven-match Premier League unbeaten run that stems all the way back to September 20th. Making a host of alterations after opening the New Year with back-to-back defeats at the hands of Tottenham and Crystal Palace, the former RB Leipzig boss finds th…

Jose Mourinho said Diego Maradona would always call him after big defeats as a manager, the Tottenham boss remembering the Argentina and Napoli great after his death.

Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata head coach Maradona – arguably football s greatest ever player – died of natural causes at the age of 60 on Wednesday.

Thousands gathered to farewell the football legend in Buenos Aires on Thursday during three days of national mourning in his homeland, where Maradona s coffin was draped in the Argentina flag at Casa Rosada – the presidential mansion.

Former Real Madrid, Inter, Chelsea and Manchester United manager Mourinho paid tribute to World Cup winner and friend Maradona following Tottenham s 4-0 rout of Ludogorets in the Europa League on Thursday.

Jose…

In what was a heavyweight Premier League showdown on Saturday evening, Manchester City dropped a pair of costly points as they had to settle for a 1-1 draw against Chelsea.

While Pep Guardiola’s men might have been looking to make a major statement here and extend on their 11-match winning run, the Sky Blues were outplayed for large spells on home soil.

With the Etihad left stunned just three minutes before the half-time break as former City superstar Raheem Sterling produced a slick finish, the defending champions failed to find much fluidity.

However, while Rodri might have eventually powered home in the final few minutes as City snatched a late point, there is no doubt that Guardiola’s men missed out on a real opportunity.

Although Chelsea might h…

Anfield will be expanded to include an additional 7,000 seats, taking Liverpool s stadium to an overall capacity of more than 61,000, the club has confirmed.

Liverpool City Council gave the plans to redevelop the Anfield Road Stand approval in June, and on Wednesday the Reds revealed the expansion will officially start with a ceremony next week.

It is set to be completed ahead of the 2023-24 season.

Liverpool confirmed the redevelopment works will be conducted while the ground is still in use for matches.

Andy Hughes, managing director of Liverpool FC, said: We have been clear from the beginning that in order for this expansion to go ahead we needed the co-operation of local residents and the community, to successfully navigate the complex planning lands…

Holders Bayern Munich look to move another step closer to retaining their Champions League title when they face Lazio, while Atletico Madrid and Chelsea do battle in Bucharest on Tuesday.

Bayern cruised into the round of 16 as Group A winners, claiming five victories and a draw in six games, and will be expected to knock Serie A side Lazio out, although they will arrive in Rome on the back of a 2-1 defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt.

Lazio and the Bundesliga leaders will lock horns at Stadio Olimpico in the first leg, but there will be no home advantage for Atleti when they take on Thomas Tuchel s Chelsea.

Coronavirus-related travel restrictions meant the game was moved to the National Arena in the capital of Romania, which Tuchel believes will give his side an …

Arsenal are preparing to open contract negotiations with Jorginho following a string of standout performances, the PA news agency understands.

The 32-year-old Italy midfielder is out of contract at the end of the season.

Jorginho joined Arsenal from London rivals Chelsea last January and has so far made 41 appearances across all competitions, scoring once.

A Euro 2020 winner at Wembley, the former Napoli player has impressed Gunners boss Mikel Arteta with his professional approach and has added much-needed experience to a young squad at the Emirates Stadium.

It is understood that a one-year deal with the option of a further year is planned as an opening point for talks with Jorginho, who won the Champions League and Europa League during his five-year stin…

With all eyes falling on Prague on Wednesday night, Fiorentina and West Ham will be looking to make their own piece of Europa Conference League history when they meet at the Fortuna Arena.

Although the Hammers might have shown some extended domestic issues this season, David Moyes’ men are just 90 minutes away from getting their hands on a first piece of silverware since their FA Cup success back in 1980.

However, although the Premier League outfit might have came past AZ Alkmaar last month thanks to a 3-1 aggregate victory, the former Manchester United boss will face a huge challenge here.

Watching the Viola mount a stellar semi-final comeback against Basel on May 18th, Fiorentina have certainly claimed a real boost over the past fortnight and they w…

Aymeric Laporte has told Manchester City that he wants to leave in the summer transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur are interested in the Spain international central defender, who has made it known to Premier League champions City that he wants to move on.

Laporte has been on the books of City since 2018 when he joined from Athletic Bilbao. The Spain international central defender has done well for the Premier League champions over the years, but he has not been a regular in manager Pep Guardiola’s side in recent times and has lost his place in the team.

The 29-year-old central defender has made 11 starts and one substitute appearance in the Premier League for City this season. Laporte has also made three starts …

Just under a month ago, Manchester City excitedly announced Pep Guardiola had extended his contract with the club until 2023, but the news was curious in that the response from supporters and media alike was somewhat muted.

While the fact it was only a new two-year deal may have contributed to that, with respect to fans there seemed to be trepidation as to whether Guardiola was still getting the results – stylistically as well as wins – many expected.

Although some will have dismissed the signs of City turning stale as natural by-products of a turbulent year for the sport, others undoubtedly began to voice concern at City s performances and the lack of intensity Guardiola s team have shown.

And City have arguably got worse since the news of his extension brok…