Chelsea F.C. defender Tomas Kalas has revealed he would be opening to returning to Middlesbrough next season if he continues to be surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge.

The Czech Republic international, 21, tallied one assist in 17 league appearances for Middlesbrough in 2014/15, but played the final game of his loan spell against Norwich City on Friday evening.

I ve really enjoyed my time here and I really want to come back, Kalas told the Northern Echo. If I have that option [next season], I will take it.

I m glad I ve been able to come to Middlesbrough, and I want to say thank you to the coach, the staff and everyone involved in the club for making me feel at home. Hopefully, we will meet again next season.

I m still a Chelsea p…

Newcastle and Tottenham meet in the opening round of the English Premier League season for the first time since the league was formed.

A Tottenham side managed by Osvaldo Ardiles earned a narrow 1-0 victory in the inaugural round of the Premier League in 1993 and they have enjoyed bragging rights in recent times.

After a 2-1 loss at St James Park in 2008, the Spurs have gone on to win three out of the past five, including a 5-0 thumping last season courtesy of two goals from French striker Louis Saha, who is no longer at the club.

However, fast forward to August 18 at St James Park and a lot has changed at both clubs.

Newcastle fended off interest from various European clubs to retain the services of Senegalese target man Demba Ba, while Alan Pardew sign…

Paul Pogba and Dimitri Payet struck as France launched a second-half comeback to beat Sweden 2-1 in Friday s World Cup qualifier at the Stade de France.

Both sides shared top spot in Group A heading into the game with seven points from their opening three fixtures and although France dominated the opening 45 minutes, the visitors looked solid in defence.

A surprise seemed to be in store when Emil Forsberg opened the scoring early in the second period with a fine free kick, but Janne Andersson s men were unable to hold on.

Pogba levelled the scoring with a powerful header, before Payet sealed the win with a cool finish after some unconvincing goalkeeping from Robin Olsen.

France are now three points clear of Sweden and six ahead of third-placed Netherlan…

Serie A high-flyers Genoa are stepping up their efforts to sign Nantes defender Issa Cissokho, French media outlet .

The Rossoblu are not exactly spoilt for options at full-back positions and they have identified the French footballer as the man who can help address the issue.

Genoa recently had a bid rejected for the 30-year-old defender, but they are set to return with an improved offer.

Issa Cissokho needed quite a while to start proving his worth, having spent his early career in the lower echelons of France s league system.

The 2010 switch to Nantes helped the full-back make it to the big stage and he has since helped the Canaries gain promotion to Ligue 1 before going on to make 68 top flight appearances over the past two seasons.

While Ge…

Martin Schmidt has stepped down as head coach of relegation-threatened Bundesliga side Wolfsburg.

An injury-time penalty from Robert Lewandowski gave Bayern Munich a 2-1 win over Wolfsburg on Saturday in what proved to be Schmidt s final game in charge.

Despite encouraging signs in that battling performance, the 2014-15 runners-up have only four league wins to their name all season.

They are now looking for their third head coach of the campaign, with former Mainz boss Schmidt having stepped in on the back of Andries Jonker s sacking last September.

Sad news today folks: Martin Schmidt has stepped down as VfL head coach

— VfL Wolfsburg US (@VfLWolfsburg_US)

Wolfsburg are 14th in the table, a point above third-bottom Mainz, who they f…

Newcastle United are keen to take Andy Carroll back to St James’ Park, .

The twenty-six year old was sold by Newcastle to Liverpool for £35m back in January 2011 – a then record for a British player.

In two and half years on the books of the Merseyside club, Carroll played just fifty-eight times scoring eleven goals.

He was sent out on loan to West Ham United for the 2012/13 campaign, signing for them on a permanent basis at the end of that season.

In total, he has played only sixty-three matches for the Hammers after continuously struggling with injury, scoring fifteen times.

He was by far at his most prolific during his time in the North East, while
internationally he has been capped nine times for England, scoring twice.

Ho…

Pep Guardiola would welcome Raheem Sterling penning a new contract at Manchester City and knows the winger s form could attract the attention of rival clubs.

Sterling joined City from Liverpool for £49million in July 2015 and has flourished under Guardiola s leadership this season, scoring 20 goals in all competitions for the runaway Premier League leaders.

The 23-year-old has often grasped for his best form on the international stage but turned in a superb display during England s 1-1 draw against Italy in midweek.

Sterling has two years left to run on his current deal but is reportedly keen for talks over fresh terms to commence, with team-mates Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva, Fernandinho and Nicolas Otamendi having all been rewarded with renewals this term.

…

Prediction: Manchester City to win

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The Premier League is back for another weekend of high quality action up and down the country as we gear up for what is bound to be a busy end to the autumn with the hectic winter spell being right around the corner. The game we re going to be looking at today is Manchester City vs Aston Villa, in a game that will mean different things to both sides. City managed to beat Crystal Palace and Villa defeated Brighton, but they aren t exactly close in the table right now.

Manchester City

Manchester City are widely perceived to be one of the best football clubs in the game, and with each and every passing day, it s getting harder and harder to argue with that. Their dominance in English football over …

Kieran Trippier has long been linked with a move back to England.

The 31-year-old full back has plied his trade in Spain for the past two-and-a-half years.

Trippier spent time with Manchester City, Burnley and Tottenham before joining Atletico Madrid, but seems set for a Premier League return next month.

TOP STORY – ATLETICO TO PERMIT TRIPPIER MOVE

Atleti are set to allow England international Trippier to join Newcastle United in January according to the Daily Mail.

The report claims that Atleti are hoping for £15million (€18m) from cashed-up Newcastle, who need reinforcements in their bid to avoid relegation.

Atleti will let the deal progress if they can find a suitable replacement for the defender during January.

…

Market: Over 1.5 goals

Odds: 4/11 @

Two sides who will be looking to extend on their Belgium Cup adventure on Christmas Eve, Anderlecht will welcome Kortrijk to Lotto Park.

Starting with the hosts, while Anderlecht might have been left heartbroken to have conceded late away at Club Brugge last weekend, the mood in Vincent Kompany s camp should still be at a high. Eventually having to settle for a 2-2 draw away at the Champions League outfit, the former Manchester City icon finds his side enjoying an extended seven-match unbeaten run across all formats. With their recent purple patch stemming all the way back to November 7th, the Brussels-based side have also really found their feet un the final third. Including a 5-0 romp against Seraing last month, Kompany s sq…