Manchester City playmaker Samir Nasri has signed a new five-year contract with the Premier League champions.

The Frenchman moved to the Etihad Stadium in 2011 and has since scored 22 goals in 129 appearances.

He played a key part in City s success last season, putting in a string of impressive performances and scoring in the 3-1 League Cup final win over Sunderland.

Nasri s form has now been rewarded with fresh terms, much to his delight.

I m really happy to have signed this contract and to have committed my future with City, Nasri told the club s official website.

I m 27 now and if you listen to some of the best managers in the game, they say that a midfield player s best years are between 27 and 30 so I hope that I will give my best years to C…

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola believes he has improved as a coach since arriving in the Premier League.

Guardiola took charge of City in 2016 after enjoying success at Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

The 47-year-old led City to the Premier League title in a record-breaking 2017-18 season, while they top the table this campaign.

Guardiola said learning about the challenges in England had improved him as a manager.

I am a better manager than I was in Germany, and I am a better manager now than I was in Barcelona by far, just for the fact of being there, he said on Wednesday, via Sky Sports.

Now, I feel being here I am a better manager too because I learned to handle this incredible league in many circumstances.

We are doing a job, ev…

Antoine Griezmann feels Atletico Madrid have made amends for last season s disappointing Champions League campaign after reaching the last 16 with a win over Monaco.

Diego Simeone s side finished third in their group in 2017-18, behind Roma and Chelsea, after winning only one of their six matches.

Although they went on to win the Europa League, Griezmann admits Atleti felt compelled to qualify for the knockout round of Europe s top competition this season, which they did on Tuesday thanks to a 2-0 win at the Wanda Metropolitano.

That was the most important thing: to be in the last 16, after last year, and that s what we ve managed, Griezmann, who scored his side s second goal, told Movistar.

We still have a game left to know if we ll be top. Plus, on a …

Italy beat the Netherlands 3-2 in the Nations League third-place play-off in Enschede.

Roberto Mancini’s side, who sealed Nations League bronze for the second tournament running, made a flying start as Federico Dimarco and Davide Frattesi put them 2-0 up in 20 minutes.

Steven Bergwijn reduced the deficit for the Netherlands midway through the second half, but Federico Chiesa struck Italy’s third four minutes later.

The Azzurri seal third place

— UEFA EURO 2024 (@EURO2024)

Georginio Wijnaldum ensured a nervy finale with the Netherlands’ second goal in the 89th minute, but it was not enough to prevent a third defeat in four games under boss Ronald Koeman, in his second stint in charge.

Croatia face Spain in the final at Feyenoord…

Inter head coach Simone Inzaghi has declared he was never worried about Lautaro Martinez, after his return to goalscoring form.

The Argentina striker endured a five-match scoreless streak in Serie A before he was on target against Salernitana in midweek, having also found the back of the net in a 3-3 Champions League draw with Barcelona.

He claimed a double to make it four goals in three games and contributed an assist in Inter s dramatic 4-3 victory at Fiorentina on Saturday.

Martinez was the catalyst for Nicolo Barella s opening goal, then weaved his way through the defence to double his side s lead and showing composure from the spot to put Inter 3-2 up in the second half after the Viola had got back on level terms.

Luka Jovic s late strike then looked…

World football s governing body FIFA have announced a plan to pump more than 17 million pounds into a new anti-corruption program.

The governing body will invest 17.5 million pounds to help abolish match fixing and illegal betting by helping to educate players, referees and officials.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter said it was important for the sport s integrity that there were no behind-the-scenes activities going on.

The threat of match fixing is a major one and we are committed to doing everything to tackle it, he said.

In the fight against illegal betting and match-fixing, the preventive measures that can be taken and the protection of the players and the integrity of the game are of the utmost importance.

Joint work with the authorities and…

Stoke City manager Tony Pulis has targeted a win at home to Wigan Athletic on Sunday to seal a top 10 finish.

Pulis’ men finished a respectable 11th last season and he wants to go at least one better this term.

We have had a fantastic season and we want to go out on a winning note to better last season s points tally and finish in the top 10, he said.

We have a responsibility to the Premier League and to this football club to do our very best to win that final game.

As it is the last game of the season, we are keeping our fingers crossed that we can get Jermaine Pennant, Matthew Etherington and Kenwyne Jones back from injury.

But I am not sure about Robert Huth. He has shown tremendous character to play through injury but whether he will b…

Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew knows the importance of a positive result at Swansea City as speculation over his future intensifies.

Reported comments by Mike Ashley that Pardew had one game to save his job prior to Monday s 1-0 Premier League defeat to Stoke City were written off as tongue-in-cheek by the Newcastle chairman, but that joke could wear thin if results do not turn around soon.

The St James Park club, who are without a Premier League win this season, currently sit 19th in the table, ahead of rock-bottom Burnley on goals scored alone.

Pardew knows the pressure from all quarters will only increase if his side come away from the Liberty Stadium empty-handed on Saturday.

There s not much to say we need to get a win, he said. No matter what…

Uruguay star Luis Suarez hinted he would have no issue with repeating his infamous deliberate handball if required against England.

Suarez played no part in Uruguay s shock 3-1 FIFA World Cup defeat to Costa Rica on Saturday, which came just hours before Italy beat England 2-1 in Group D s other fixture.

Early defeats means the stakes have risen for both sides ahead of Thursday s clash in Sao Paulo and Suarez suggested he would have no problem with being the villain again – as long as it benefited his team-mates.

The striker stopped Ghana from being the first African side to reach the World Cup semi-finals with a deliberate handball in the last minute of extra time in 2010, to deny Dominic Adiyiah a dramatic winner.

Suarez was sent off as a result, but Asamoah …

Wayne Rooney has completed his return to Everton after the Toffees agreed an undisclosed fee with Manchester United.

The 31-year-old has agreed a two-year-deal at Goodison Park after passing a medical on Saturday.

Rooney left Everton for United in 2004 for a reported fee of £27million, which made him the world s most expensive teenager at the time.

He went on to win 12 major trophies for the club in 13 years, including five Premier League titles, three League Cups, the FA Cup, the Champions League and the Europa League.

He was named captain by Louis van Gaal in 2014 and broke Bobby Charlton s long-standing scoring record at United last season, eventually finishing on 253 goals in 559 appearances.

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