Paulo Sousa leaves Bordeaux just days after Juventus links

England interim manager Lee Carsley believes he is capable of taking the job on a full-time basis, but conceded he had his doubts.

Carsley oversaw a 2-0 victory over the Republic of Ireland in his first match in charge since stepping in to replace Gareth Southgate on a temporary basis.

An extended audition continues on Tuesday when England take on Finland in their second Nations League match.

And Carsley acknowledged the performance and result against Ireland, who he represented as a player, has provided a much-needed confidence boost.

He said: In the back of your mind you always think you know, it s easy to be the England manager, isn t it, when you re sat in the house.

There have been times when I ve thought I m not sure if I could do it.

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Ross County have secured the return of left-back Josh Reid on a three-year contract.

Reid left County for Coventry in January 2021 after playing 24 times for the Dingwall side’s first team.

But the 21-year-old only made two appearances in England, one for the Sky Blues in the League Cup and one on loan with Stevenage.

Manager Malky Mackay told County’s website: “I am delighted to see Josh return to the club, he knows the club and area very well and is a player who has had recent international experience with the Scotland Under-21s.”

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Champions Bayer Leverkusen cruised to a 4-1 victory at Hoffenheim on Saturday thanks to a dazzling performance by Victor Boniface.

The Nigerian scored two goals and laid on an assist, ensuring Leverkusen got back to winning ways in their first game since the international break.

The visitors struck twice in the first half an hour for a 2-0 lead, with Boniface setting up Martin Terrier for a tap-in in the 17th minute before turning scorer with a clever finish.

Mergim Berisha, making his first appearances since a knee ligament tear last November, cut the deficit for Hoffenheim just before the break from close range.

Leverkusen restored their two-goal lead courtesy of a penalty, buried by Florian Wirtz in the 72nd minute, after Dennis Geiger fouled Alex Grim…

Tottenham Hotspur are among the clubs who are interested in signing Kylian Mbappe from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer transfer window, according to . The report in the Spanish publication has claimed that Manchester United, Real Madrid and Chelsea are also keen on the 24-year-old France international forward.

Mbappe has told PSG that he will not extend his current contract which runs out at the end of the next season. This means that, as things stand, the Frenchman will leave the Ligue 1 champions as a free agent next summer. PSG are not happy with the situation and want to cash in on the forward now.

The striker scored 29 goals and gave five assists in Ligue 1 and scored seven goals and provided three assists in the UEFA Champions League for PSG last season. Mbappe …

Former Uruguay and Manchester United forward Diego Forlan has announced his retirement from professional football.

Forlan, 40, last played for Kitchee in Hong Kong, with his final appearance coming in May last year.

The forward, who also played for the likes of Inter and Atletico Madrid during a fine career in Europe, confirmed his retirement on Tuesday.

It hasn t been easy, I didn t want the time to come, but I knew it was going to come, Forlan told Telemundo.

I have decided to stop playing football professionally.

Forlan started his professional career with Independiente in Argentina before earning a £6.9million move to Manchester United in January 2002.

He won the Premier League with United in 2002-03 and the FA Cup the following se…

Sevilla and Real Madrid were title rivals when they last met in LaLiga back in November.

Then, as is the case now, Madrid led the table, but Sevilla were just two points back in third having played the same number of games. Optimism was growing for a genuine title fight.

But the team the capital from behind to win 2-1 through a late Vinicius Junior goal and have since opened a significant gap to Sevilla.

Including the three earned at the Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid have collected 10 more points than Sevilla in the intervening period.

Now, as the sides prepare to face off again at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, Carlo Ancelotti s men – fresh from reaching the Champions League semi-finals – look to be coasting towards a 35th championship.

Even victor…

Alexandre Lacazette s second-half penalty proved decisive as Arsenal beat Tottenham 2-1 to dent the top-four hopes of Spurs, who saw goalscorer Erik Lamela sent off.

Arsenal s preparations for the game were by no means ideal as Mikel Arteta revealed pre-match that captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had been dropped for disciplinary reasons, reportedly relating to tardiness, but the Gunners were the better side from start to finish and deserved the points.

It looked like being a grating day for them after seeing Emile Smith Rowe and Cedric Soares denied by the woodwork either side of Lamela s quite remarkable breakthrough goal.

But Martin Odegaard restored parity on the stroke of half-time and Lacazette completed the turnaround from the spot in the second period to…

While the summer transfer might have only slammed shut a matter of weeks ago, should already be planning for January following some devastating injury news last week.

Watching midfield talisman Rodri limp off in the first-half during City’s 2-2 stalemate against Arsenal on September 22nd, ’s men are now set to be without the Spanish international for the remainder of the season.

Undergoing surgery on an ACL injury, the 28-year-old certainly leaves a real void in the heart of City’s midfield.

With many billing the ex-Atletico Madrid star as a potential Ballon d’Or winner this year, we have taken a look at the potential contenders to replace during the January transfer window.

Martin Zubimendi Real Sociedad

While it might have appeared almost ce…

Eddie Howe will not put a target on Newcastle’s back as they attempt to continue their progress.

In the space of seven days this month, the club has gone out of the Champions League and the Carabao Cup to leave themselves fighting on just two fronts as the turn of the year approaches.

That has led to suggestions from outside the city that the Magpies are in serious danger of under-achieving this season and, in some quarters, that head coach Howe’s job could be under threat.

Howe said: “My discussions with everyone connected with the football club here and the running of the football club, there’s never been that pressure of this season or next season in terms of positions in the league and expectations to win competitions. That’s all come from us intern…

Manchester City kept up their 18-match winning run with a 1-0 win at Arsenal on Sunday that maintained their 10-point lead at the top of the Premier League.

The Gunners have lost each of their most recent eight league games against City and saw the repeat of a familiar problem at Emirates Stadium.

Mason Mount tapped into an established Chelsea tradition in their 1-1 draw at Southampton – a sixth match unbeaten for Blues boss Thomas Tuchel.

However, David Moyes showed imposing records do not last forever as fourth-place West Ham beat Tottenham 2-1.

Here, we take a look at some of the quirks that revealed themselves over the course of the latest Premier League weekend.

City slickers catch sleepy Gunners napping

The scoring at Emirates Sta…