Zinedine Zidane is a magnificent coach who has earned the right to stay on and turn things around at Real Madrid, according to club icon Iker Casillas.

The Frenchman s future at the Santiago Bernabeu has been called into question on the back of one win in five matches in all competitions.

Madrid have won half of their 10 LaLiga matches and are down in fourth, while their hopes of progressing to the last 16 of the Champions League hang in the balance.

A horror 2-0 loss to Shakhtar Donetsk left Zidane s men third in Group B and needing to beat Borussia Monchengladbach on matchday six next week to guarantee progression.

Zidane guided Madrid to three successive Champions League titles in his first stint in charge and won a second LaLiga title last term.

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Harry Redknapp believes Charlie Austin s long-term future at QPR could depend on the club remaining in the Premier League.

After moving his way up through the Football League with prolific spells at Swindon Town and then Burnley, Austin moved to QPR in 2013.

His 19 Championship goals fired the club to promotion via the play-offs as QPR bounced back at the first attempt following relegation from the top flight.

Austin has looked comfortable in his new surroundings, netting 11 league goals in 15 appearances to spark speculation about a possible England call-up.

In a press conference on Wednesday, ahead of the Boxing Day trip to Arsenal, Redknapp said the striker s future would potentially hinge on whether QPR retain their Premier League status.

He …

Tottenham have loaned out young forward Souleymane Coulibaly to Serie B strugglers Grosseto until the end of the season.

The striker made his first-team debut in a friendly against Stevenage in July but is yet to break into Andre Villas-Boas first-team plans at Premier League level.

Coulibaly was voted Ivory Coast s Young Player of the Year in 2011 after he netted an astonishing nine goals in only four games in the Under-17s World Cup.

The teenager has also previously spent some time with Siena, featuring 10 times for their Under-19s and scoring one goal.

Grosseto currently find themselves at the bottom of the league in Serie B, 11 points away from safety.

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English football clubs are spending hundreds of millions of pounds on new players ahead of the 2008/09 Premier League season but are also selling big stars to balance their books amid the credit crunch.

Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool are among the biggest spenders this close season as they seek to snatch the Premier League crown from Manchester United, but all three have also sold key players for large sums.

Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood warned in July that the ongoing credit crunch, which has caused banks around the world to substantially reduce their lending, should be a serious concern for England s biggest clubs.

People need to be waking up to the realities of the world and that the days of easy money have come to a pretty sudden end, Hill-Wood told Ar…

Aaron Ramsey insists his focus is fully on Wales’ Euro 2024 ambitions amid uncertainty over his Nice future.

Ramsey has triggered a one-year contract extension at Nice after playing more than 30 games for the Ligue 1 club this season.

But it has been reported in the French media that the 32-year-old midfielder wants a longer deal to stay at Nice and that may not be forthcoming.

Big week

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Arsenal have secured a deal to sign Japan striker Takuma Asano from Sanfrecce Hiroshima.

The Gunners confirmed on Sunday that a deal has been agreed in principle subject to the completion of a medical and regulatory processes .

Arsenal did not give any details over the length of contract that has been agreed with Asano, but manager Arsene Wenger was delighted to land the 21-year-old.

Wenger said: Takuma is a talented young striker and very much one for the future.

He has had an impressive start to his career in Japan and we look forward to him developing over the next couple of years.

Asano has five international caps for Japan after making his debut against North Korea in August 2015 and scored his first goal against Bulgaria last month.

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Middlesbrough have been linked with a surprise move for Fenerbache forward Robin Van Persie, .

The North East outfit are looking to strengthen their attack as they prepare for their first season back in the top flight and have identified the thirty-two year old as their top target.

The Netherlands international only moved to the Turkish outfit last summer, and netted twenty goals in forty-five appearances in all competitions during the 2015/16 campaign.

Prior to his move to the Super Lig side, Van Persie spent three years with Manchester United, having spent eight years with fellow English top-flight side Arsenal.

He is the tenth highest goalscorer in Premier League history having netted one hundred and forty-four in the eleven years he played in t…

Lazio are leading the race for Lech Poznan winger Aleksandar Tonev, according to the player s representative.

Tonev, 23, has been in scintillating form this season, which has seen him caught the eye of some of Europe s top clubs.

A number of Italian clubs plus Celtic are all keen on the highly rated midfielder and his agent reveals the Bulgaria international can be acquired for mere £2 million.

“During the winter break, several Italian clubs showed interest in him, but we could not do a deal,” agent Gianfranci Cicchetti .

“Then the price was £1.5m, but after his recent excellent displays and his hat-trick for Bulgaria against Malta, I would say the transfer is close to £2m.”

The agent has moved to suggest that Lazio are leading the cha…

Santos vice-president Odilio Rodrigues says the club are not considering the sale of sought-after midfielder Ganso.

The 22-year-old s future has been thrown into doubt after Delcir Sonda, owner of the investment company DIS, which holds 55 percent of the midfielder s economic rights, claimed on Sunday the Brazil international would not play for the club again.

However, Rodrigues has played down the remarks, insisting Santos have no intention of parting company with one of their prized-assets.

There is no such thing as Ganso not playing again for Santos, Rodrigues told Globoesporte.

He did not play against Gremio on Sunday because of some physical problems.

We would not like to comment on such matters. He is a player of Santos and has a contra…

Market: Ciro Immobile to score anytime

Odds: 1/1 @

Looking to open up the 2022/23 Serie A campaign with a flurry on Sunday evening, Lazio will welcome Bologna to the Stadio Olimpico.

Starting with the hosts, while Lazio might have eventually fallen six points adrift of clinching a top-four finish last season, the Eagles did impress many across Italy. Appearing to enjoy life under one-time Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri, the Biancocelesti will be hoping to lay down an early marker on Sunday evening. Losing just one of their final eight Serie A matchups last season, there is no doubt that fans around the Stadio Olimpico will be calling on Ciro Immobile to spearhead their charge here. Enjoying what was another stunning campaign, the Italian international bagged 27 top…