Sam Allardyce refuted suggestions West Ham erred in permanently signing Andy Carroll from Liverpool in 2013.

Striker Carroll spent a year on loan at Upton Park in the 2012-13 season, before switching permanently from Anfield to London for an estimated £15 million transfer fee.

The 25-year-old has endured several injury spells since, with heel and ankle problems restricting him to just 12 Premier League starts last term and ruling him out until November.

But Allardyce said West Ham co-owner David Sullivan s suggestion Carroll s acquisition was a mistake, was off the mark.

Everyone wanted to sign Andy Carroll when he finished the season, everybody, Allardyce insisted.

There wasn t one person from the owners to any members of staff who didn t want…

Newcastle boss Alan Pardew has signed a new eight-year deal with the club which will see him remain at the club until the 2019/20 season.

The 51-year-old has been handed the extension along with three members of his coaching staff John Carver, Steve Stone and Andy Woodman.

Pardew guided the Magpies to a fifth-placed finish in the Premier League last season helping them qualify for the Europa League.

Newcastle chairman Mike Ashley has chosen to reward the former Charlton boss and his coaches for the team s performance last season and to bring long-term stability to the club.

Managing Director Derek Llambias hailed Pardew and is looking to emulate the success of Manchester United and Arsenal who have shown that keeping faith in the manager is the best o…

Japan coach Alberto Zaccheroni is eager for his players to make an impression against France in Paris on Friday.

Zaccheroni has named a full-strength squad, including Manchester United striker Shinji Kagawa, for the friendly at Stade de France against Didier Deschamps side.

Japan have never beaten France a record Zaccheroni says must change if the four-time Asian champions are to continue to build and make a strong showing at the 2014 World cup in Brazil.

By playing against strong teams that lead Europe and South America, I hope we can gain valuable experience of international-level battles that will help us grow further, Zaccheroni said.

There are more players I wanted to call up who are not in the squad. That I have so many options shows how high the…

Ronald Koeman claimed it will make no difference to Lionel Messi s Barcelona future if Mauricio Pochettino takes over at Paris Saint-Germain.

Messi has been linked with a move away from Camp Nou ever since he expressed a desire to leave the club in August 2020, only to decide to stay until at least the end of this season when his contract expires, having been unable to force a transfer.

In a recent interview with Spanish television channel La Sexta the Argentina forward said he did not know what he was going to do but suggested he would like to play in the United States at some point.

With former Tottenham boss and compatriot Pochettino heavily tipped to become the new coach at PSG it has been suggested Messi and the Ligue 1 club could be a good fit, particularl…

Barcelona will win LaLiga, that much is essentially a given at this point. But their Copa del Rey semi-final elimination by Real Madrid provided another reminder of just how unremarkable the Blaugrana have become.

Of course, every team – even the best – can be forgiven for the occasional off day. With the amount of matches played by the modern footballer, you can t expect a team to be flawless all the time.

But even when Barca beat Madrid 1-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu in the first leg, they were comfortably second best. They just got fortunate with an Eder Militao own goal.

That first leg was one of the least Barca-like performances you re ever likely to see from the Blaugrana, yielding possession to an incredible degree. Had it come on Ronald Koeman or Ernest…

Nice boss Patrick Vieira denied holding talks with Arsenal prior to Mikel Arteta s appointment as head coach.

Arteta officially began work at Emirates Stadium on Sunday after agreeing a three-and-a-half-year deal to succeed Unai Emery.

Arsenal head of football Raul Sanllehi said he and technical director Edu spoke to several top-class candidates, one of which was rumoured to be Vieira.

Former Gunners captain Vieira was linked with the role throughout the recruitment process but, in an interview with Canal Football Club, claimed there was no substance to the speculation.

Asked if he had been contacted, Vieira – who has also been linked to David Beckham s MLS franchise Inter Miami – said: No. It s flattering seeing your name everywhere but I am under co…

Ronald Koeman is happy for Lionel Messi to decide on his Barcelona future at the end of the season.

Messi asked to leave Barca in 2020 but ultimately stayed put, although he has made little effort to hide his displeasure with former club president Josep Maria Bartomeu.

The 33-year-old s contract runs out at the end of the season, and he is set to become the most highly sought-after free agent in history.

While Messi, who did not feature in a 1-1 draw with Eibar on Tuesday, is reportedly yet to fully decide on whether he will leave the club, head coach Koeman is not looking to hurry his captain.

Leo is fine. He was training on [December] 30 and 31, while the rest of the squad was resting, Koeman said ahead of Barca s clash with Huesca.

No dou…

According to fresh rumours from Spanish press, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is keen to reunite with Kingsley Coman, the player he worked with at Bayern Munich.

has learned that the Citizens are keeping a close watch on former Juventus star pondering a summer approach for the talented winger in 2017.

The France international joined Bundesliga champions on a two-year loan deal in 2015 forced by none other than Guardiola himself, who helped the youngster establish himself as a first-team regular at Bayer and earn a place at the Euro 2016.

Coman has lost his place in the team under Carlo Ancelotti and it is believed that Bayer Munich will not be paying Juventus the €21 million fee to buy out his contract.

In the meantime, Manchester City are monitori…

Ernesto Valverde admits there is no single player who can replace Andres Iniesta in the Barcelona first team.

The 34-year-old will play his final match for the club on Sunday, when the LaLiga champions conclude their campaign against Real Sociedad at Camp Nou.

The Barca captain has won 32 major club trophies during his illustrious senior career, including the domestic double in 2017-18, and Valverde concedes it will require a certain reorganisation of the team to compensate for his absence.

Hopefully, we ll send Andres off with a victory, he told a news conference. I don t think we ll get anybody with the same characteristics as Andres. We have to be realistic and stay faithful to our style.

There are similar players to him, like Denis Suarez, [Carles] …

Manchester City fans are in need of some good news after Friday s loss to Wolves, and they might have thought they had it when Real Sociedad announced Martin Odegaard would be joining on loan.

The reigning Premier League champions threw away a 2-0 lead at Molineux as Wolves fought back against 10 men to win 3-2 and leave City 14 points adrift of leaders Liverpool, who also have a game in hand.

With City offering up a limp title defence, the club may be forced into action when the transfer window reopens next month – despite Pep Guardiola s insistence they will not be – and they have been linked with Norway international Odegaard.

The 21-year-old joined Sociedad from Real Madrid on an initial season-long loan back in July and he has shone for a side who are …