Ex-Swansea, Arsenal great Charles dies

Tributes have been paid to former Swansea City and Arsenal great Mel Charles, who has died at the age of 81. Charles, who played as a defender and a striker, spent seven years with Swansea before joining the Gunners in 1959 for a reported fee of £46,750 – a record for a transfer between two British clubs at the time. He also earned 31 caps for Wales and was part of the side that reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup in 1958, with Brazil great Pele reportedly describing him as the best defender he faced during the tournament.

 

Branislav Ivanovic feels Chelsea let manager Antonio Conte down with their first-half performance in Saturday’s3-0 defeat at the hands of Arsenal. The visitors were two goals down within 14 minutes following strikes from Alexis Sanchez and Theo Walcott, while Mesut Ozil added a third shortly before the break to put the match to bed, and Ivanovic acknowledged they did not stick to Conte’s game plan. The result made it three league games without a win for Chelsea, leaving them eighth.

 

 

 

Jurgen Klopp says he will “address the situation” surrounding Mamadou Sakho following the Liverpool defender’s outburst on social media of his disappointment at the club and claimed he had been fully fit for three weeks after recovering from a heel injury. The 26-year-old, who has been frozen out of the Liverpool squad is yet to make a first-team appearance this season. Sakho rejected a move to Stoke before the close of the summer transfer window, despite Klopp suggesting a move away from Anfield would be the best solution for the France international.