London rivals vying for Mehdi Benatia

The Italian media outlet Gazzetta dello Sport claims Juventus defender Mehdi Benatia looks set to leave Turin this winter.

The former Bayern Munich centre-back is attracting plenty of interest from all around the globe with clubs from China and the United Arab Emirates said to be interested in the Moroccan.

Benatia could very likely remain in Europe, however, as the same source claims London rivals Arsenal and Fulham appear to be also keen on his services.

The 31-year-old has dropped down the pecking order at Juventus and is looking to revive his career this winter. Arsenal and Fulham have both made their interest known and are hoping that Juventus would be willing to discuss a potential deal for the player who only made five Serie A appearances this season.

Napoli boss Sarri interested in coaching abroad

Napoli boss Maurizio Sarri possesses a desire to coach abroad at some point in his career, lamenting infrastructural inadequacies in Italy.

Sarri has spent his entire career coaching in his native Italy, building an impressive reputation by guiding Empoli back to Serie A and keeping them up before moving to hometown club Napoli in 2015.

The 58-year-old has led the Partenopei to second and third-place finishes in his two seasons at the helm and won the 2017 Enzo Bearzot Award for the best Italian coach.

But Sarri is also keen try his hand at coaching abroad, stating that Spain and France are among the countries that would tempt him.

I would like to [coach abroad]. If I had to choose now, Spain and France intrigue me, he told Corriere della Sera.

B…

Man Utd prospect James Garner joins Watford on loan

Manchester United have allowed highly rated midfield prospect James Garner to join Watford on loan for the 2020-21 season.

Garner, 19, is among United s most promising young players and heads to Vicarage Road in search of greater exposure to first-team football.

A technical midfielder who can play in deep-lying or advanced roles, Garner made his debut for the United senior side in February 2019 and featured six times – including three Europa League starts – last term.

Garner has long been earmarked as a potential first-team player for United, with boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer speaking glowingly of him on several occasions.

A regular at various youth levels for England, including captaining their Under-17s, Garner also skippered United s Under-23s in 2020…

It was a tough one – Dyche lauds Heaton´s professionalism after dropping Hart

Burnley boss Sean Dyche admitted dropping Joe Hart for the game against West Ham was a difficult decision, but hailed Tom Heaton s professionalism after he came in and kept a clean sheet in a much-needed 2-0 win.

The Clarets had conceded 41 times in their 19 Premier League games heading into Sunday s encounter at Turf Moor, and Dyche responded by dropping former England international Hart.

Long-serving Burnley stopper Heaton was drafted in for a league game for the first time since September 2017 and was not breached as Burnley picked up their first victory in four matches to move level on points with 17th-placed Southampton.

It was a tough one on Joe, but Tom is a great pro and his professionalism has paid him back, Dyche told a news conference afterwards.