Silvestre swaps Sounders for Timbers

Liverpool have announced midfielder Jordan Henderson as their new captain following the departure of Steven Gerrard to LA Galaxy.

Henderson has become a key figure at Anfield since his arrival in 2011 and was appointed Gerrard s deputy in September, going on to lead Liverpool on 19 occasions.

Gerrard s exit to the United States left the role of captain vacant, but Henderson has now been confirmed as the man to step into the void left by the iconic 35-year-old.

I m absolutely delighted and proud, Henderson told the club s official website. It is a great honour and a huge privilege to be named as the captain of this football club.

When Steven [Gerrard] wasn t in the team last season, I tried to do the best I could when I stepped in and took the armband.…

Massimo Gobbi says Parma s players are willing to pay the price and accept a cut in wages in order to help keep the club afloat, amid reports of a potential takeover.

Parma s debts were revealed to total over €218million when the Serie A outfit were declared bankrupt and placed into administration last week.

Financial assistance from the league and the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) has ensured rock-bottom Parma can complete the campaign, and Gobbi claims he and his team-mates are also willing to play their part.

When we met with the administrator we talked about other issues, the steps of the bankruptcy procedure, things like that, said the 34-year-old, who has been at the Stadio Ennio Tardini since 2010.

Given the massive amount of debt, …

Arsenal survived both the dismissal of Granit Xhaka and the concession of a late penalty to beat Burnley 2-1 in dramatic fashion on Sunday, Alexis Sanchez s last-gasp spot-kick keeping the pressure on their Premier League title rivals.

Shkodran Mustafi opened his Gunners account after the break at Emirates Stadium, where Andre Gray equalised from the penalty spot in injury time.

Arsene Wenger s team refused to be denied though, Sanchez restoring the lead with a spot-kick of his own in the 98th minute as Arsenal snatched back the victory to climb to second in the table.

The hosts saw midfielder Xhaka sent off for the second time in his debut season before Burnley lost Dean Marney to a potentially serious injury. 

The time added on as a consequence of that…

Oscar and Renato Augusto are back in the Brazil squad for their opening 2018 World Cup qualifiers with Chile and Venezuela, but there is again no place for Thiago Silva.

Dunga s men will begin their campaign on October 9 with an away game against Copa America winners Chile before taking on Venezuela in Fortaleza five days later.

Chelsea midfielder Oscar returns after missing the Copa America due to injury, while Corinthians playmaker Augusto, who last played for the Selecao in a 3-2 defeat to Germany in August 2011, has been handed an opportunity to impress.

However, defender and former captain Thiago Silva is again left out. The Paris Saint-Germain centre-back has not featured for Brazil since their exit from the Copa America back in June.

Skipper …

Sven Ulreich has signed a new three-year contract with Bayern Munich.

The 29-year-old, whose previous deal was due to expire at the end of the season, has committed himself to the Bundesliga leaders until the end of the 2020-21 campaign.

I m pleased that Bayern have put their faith in me and I can help this great club in the coming years to achieve its aims, the goalkeeper told Bayern s official website. 

My family and I are also really happy in Munich.

  have extended the contract of goalkeeper Sven Ulreich until 2021!

More to follow

— FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN)

Sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic added: The last three years have shown that we can rely on Sven not just as a goalkeeper but also as a person.

…

James Rodriguez has made a huge impression on Bayern Munich coach Jupp Heynckes, who believes the Colombian has been a godsend since arriving on loan from Real Madrid.

The attacking midfielder gradually fell out of favour at the Santiago Bernabeu after initially impressing in the wake of an €80million move from Monaco which came on the back of an immense 2014 World Cup showing.

He also got off to a slow start in Munich, initially struggling to get into Carlo Ancelotti s starting XI on a regular basis, but things have improved since the Italian s dismissal.

James has become an important part of Heynckes team and has so far managed four goals and six assists from 12 Bundesliga starts.

And, although Heynckes expects James to keep keeping better, he could n…

Vinicius Junior insists being criticised is to be expected when playing for Real Madrid, who he describes as the biggest club in the world.

The Brazil international has struggled to cement himself as a first-team regular at the Santiago Bernabeu since arriving from Flamengo in 2018.

He has made 53 LaLiga appearances since the start of 2018-19 25 of those being starts and has scored just seven goals and set up one more.

That sees the 20-year-old rank below the likes of Marco Asensio (nine), Lucas Vazquez and Isco (both eight) for goal involvements in an almost identical number of games.

Vinicius has his fair share of critics but says he blocks out the out the opinions of those who do not matter to him.

I always think about those who want the best …

Paul Pogba wanted to leave Manchester United before the 2019-20 season, but Opta numbers suggest the midfielder can help turn the Red Devils poor start around.

Pogba is set to make his 100th Premier League appearance at home to Arsenal on Monday, the France international having missed recent action for club and country with an ankle injury.

The 26-year-old has been a lightning rod for criticism since returning to Old Trafford, becoming the world s most expensive player when he left Juventus in 2016.

Pogba is still United s key man their sole world-class talent and a performer capable of winning games on his own when operating at the top of his game.

Here, we assess his Premier League career to date, comparing the upcoming landmark with his time at Juve,…

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer appeared to reignite a feud with Jurgen Klopp over penalties ahead of Manchester United s clash with Aston Villa on Saturday.

Solskjaer s men were knocked out of the EFL Cup by West Ham on Wednesday, losing 1-0 at Old Trafford to a Manuel Lanzini goal as they failed to beat Alphonse Areola in goal despite 27 attempts.

United felt they should have had a penalty when Jesse Lingard went to ground in the box after having his shirt pulled by Mark Noble, but nothing was given.

There were similar frustrations in the 2-1 Premier League win over the Hammers last weekend, when Cristiano Ronaldo was felled by robust challenges from Vladimir Coufal and Kurt Zouma, neither of which were penalised.

West Ham were then given an injury-time penalty fo…

Manchester United target Kalvin Phillips was born and belongs at Leeds United, according to the Whites head coach Marcelo Bielsa.

Phillips, who came through the academy at Leeds and has developed tenfold under Bielsa, has repeatedly been linked with a move away from Elland Road after impressing in his debut Premier League campaign.

A subsequent call-up for England s Euro 2020 squad followed and the midfielder received praise once more, forming a remarkable partnership with Declan Rice as Gareth Southgate s side marched to their first major final in 55 years.

Indeed, Phillips recovered possession a team-high 45 times, while only three team-mates completed more than his 293 successful passes at the tournament.

And Bielsa, who transformed the 25-year-old in…