Posts

Traore joined the Blues from Auxerre in 2013, but played just 16 times for the club, spending two seasons on loan at Vitesse and Ajax. Now, having joined Lyon for a fee of £8.8 million, Traore claims that last season confirmed his decision to leave Stamford Bridge, having been denied the opportunities he felt he deserved. “It was time. Considering my age and for my development, it was time for me to leave the club,” he is quoted as saying by the London Evening Standard ....

The NCAA sent out a memo to all men’s and women’s basketball teams last week advising them that the league has more limited access to chartered flights this year, which, coupled with the women’s tourney moving up to overlap the second day of the men’s tournament’s opening weekend, may make for some particularly inconvenient itineraries. The memo also says that any men’s team that loses before 3 p.m. will fly out the same day — as early as seven hours after tipoff or as late as 10 p....

Harvick was running fourth in Sunday’s rain-delayed Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway when he slowed on the track and headed to pit road, coasting into his stall. Harvick could fire his engine, but could not keep it going. Meanwhile on the track, Joey Logano hit the wall for the second time of the afternoon, causing the caution period on Lap 152. MORE: Kyle Busch, Logano deal early setbacks...

Chase Young came up injured after a routine-looking play near the Washington end-zone. He was trying to pressure Tom Brady while left tackle Donovan Smith blocked him. MORE: Why Raiders’ 2020 draft class is already a big bust Young was just getting by Smith when he fell to the ground. His knee bent in an awkward, non-contact fashion, and Young was writhing around in pain after the play. MORE: Russell Wilson spent ‘19 to 20 hours a day’ rehabbing finger injury...

Here’s a quick breakdown of the 12 FBS schools in the state of Texas. Who had the best record last year? The last five years? Since the Southwest Conference ended in 1995? Here’s a look at all that, and a special take from “Dave Campbell’s Texas Football” managing editor Greg Tepper. Baylor Last year: 11-2, .846 Last five years: 40-24, .625 Since 1996: 79-133, .373 Conferences: Big XII (1996-present)...

Billups was an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Clippers during the 2020-21 season. However, the coaching job with the Portland Trail Blazers will be his first coaching assignment as head coach. The 2004 Finals MVP promised a terrific season with the Blazers this year. He also had a lot to say about center Jusuf Nurkic. In an interview with Athletic, Chauncey Billups stressed how important the Bosnian center was to the Blazers’ success during the 2021-22 season....

ESPN’s Darren Rovell in January gave the first glimpse of what the jersey ads will look like on the Celtics (General Electric), Kings (Blue Diamond), and Sixers (StubHub) uniforms next season. Celtics, Kings, 76ers jersey ads And the Brooklyn Nets jumped on the jersey sponsorship bandwagon in February, announcing a deal with software company Infor. Nets jersey ad MORE: Stephen Curry still has best-selling jersey in NBA Last April, the NBA Board of Governors approved the sale of jersey sponsorships, beginning with the 2017-18 season, as part of a three-year trial....

The kid's got moxie, grit, pluck, and any other intangible with which a hustle-first point guard can be gifted. Sunday against Iowa, it was almost too much on display. Diving for a loose ball on an in-bounds pass (something only Aaron Craft would go for, right?), the senior guard dump-trucked an Ohio State cheerleader. If taking out your own cheerleader for the sake of a steal isn't the ultimate sign of hustle, then I don't know what is....

Chelsea faced Manchester United at Old Trafford in the first gameweek, where the Red Devils exploited each and every weakness the Blues had and demolished them by a scoreline of 4-0. After a midweek Super Cup loss to Liverpool in which the team played really well compared to the United game, it was time to host Leicester at Stamford Bridge. This was Lampard’s homecoming, and there is no doubt every fan expected a victory in the boss’ first game at the Bridge....

FIFA U-17 World Cup: Know Your India U17 Players Reigning Premier League and La Liga champions Chelsea and Real Madrid respectively have five players each whereas the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United have only one player in the youth competition. The same goes for Dortmund after snapping Jadon Sancho from Manchester City, who would have otherwise had five players at the world cup. Interestingly, RB Leipzig (4) have pipped German heavyweights Bayern Munich (2) while Lyon (4) have more players than PSG (3) among the participating players....

During her career, Cleary wrote over 40 books including nine books involving Ramona Quimby, an energetic and imaginative young girl who became one of Cleary’s most famous characters. Cleary’s books have sold over 85 million copies worldwide and been translated into at least 29 languages. In 2000, the Library of Congress named Cleary a “Living Legend.” In 2003, former President George W. Bush gave her the National Medal of Art from the National Endowment for the Arts....

As a former first child herself, Clinton said she sympathizes with Barron as well as the Obama children Sasha and Malia, as well as the Bush Twins, Jenna and Barbara, daughters of the 43rd George W. Bush. “Like I very much kind of felt protective of the Bush twins who were just a little bit younger than me and certainly very protective of Sasha and Malia,” Clinton, 40, said in the latest episode of Spotify’s “Jemele Hill is Unbothered” podcast....

The teenager came through the ranks of the west London club and has already won the FA Youth Cup and the UEFA Youth League with the Blues. Guus Hiddink, who was the interim manager at Chelsea following the sacking of Jose Mourinho gave Abraham a chance to make his senior debut at the end of the last season. Abraham featured against Liverpool and Leicester City. Hiddink was replaced by Antonio Conte and the former Juventus and Italy coach has decided not to include the 18-year-old in his plans at the club, which has now seen him join the Championship side....

The England international made high-profile mistakes against Swansea City and Arsenal last month, but is adamant he can move on from his struggles and get back to his usual best. “I don’t care what anybody says, I don’t listen to anybody. The only people I have to prove myself to is the manager of the football club that I’m playing at and my teammates that I’m playing with,” Cahill told the BBC....

Courtois has been involved in all of Chelsea’s games this season and has seen the Premier League champions overcome an opening day defeat at home to Burnley to completely turn their form around and win four straight matches. Last season Antonio Conte’s side slipped to defeats to Liverpool and Arsenal in September, but the Belgium international insists they are in far better shape to deal with the Gunners this time around....

The 21-year-old winger is currently one of Europe’s hottest priorities in the January transfer window. He is attracting a couple of interest from top clubs, including current Premier League toppers Arsenal. Chelsea could move in to hijack the transfer from their London rivals despite the player’s desire to play for Mikel Arteta’s team. Should the Blues succeed in securing the services of Mudryk this January, his arrival could indirectly affect a couple of players....

The Blues have a strong history, spanning well over 100 years, and talented players have always come through the ranks at Stamford Bridge. In fact, there is rarely a decade gone by where Chelsea did not field a world-class footballer in their side. However, with Roman Abramovich’s entrance into the club’s affairs, Chelsea took off on a positive trajectory that would see them enjoy great success in the last two decades....

That’s because they didn’t. Christian Pulisic, deployed as the center forward in a 3-5-1 formation by Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel, was utterly invisible through his 45 minutes on the pitch up front. U.S. fans surely saw this coming, already aware that Pulisic’s impressive skill set does not include things like hold-up play, positioning between center backs, and aerial proficiency. MORE: Why Ziyech was not selected by Morocco for AFCON...

The LA Clippers, on the other hand, are on a three-game winning streak. They have lost four of their five games and looked distraught on the floor but seem to have now found a rhythm. Although the wins were against non-playoff teams, the LA Clippers hope to carry that momentum into the game. Charlotte Hornets Injury Report The Charlotte Hornets lost their backup power forward PJ Washington for two games due to an elbow injury....