Sunderland have completed the signing of winger Charalampos Mavrias from Panathinaikos.
Greece international Mavrias known as Charis moves to the Stadium of Light on a three-year contract, becoming manager Paolo Di Canio s 11th signing of the transfer window.
Mavrias, 19, came through the academy at Panathinaikos, establishing himself as a regular with the Athens club after making his debut as a 16-year-old in 2010.
The teenager made 70 appearances in his time at the Apostolos Nikolaidis Stadium, scoring six goals.
Capped twice by his country, Mavrias progress through the ranks has been rapid, and he will now attempt to make an impression in the English game with a Sunderland side that finished a lowly 17th in the Premier League last term.
Di Canio has mad…
Vitesse must get back to winning ways when they face AZ in the Eredivisie to avoid Ajax widening their lead at the top of the table.
Peter Bosz s side were top for seven consecutive weeks earlier in the season but draws in their last two matches have seen Ajax open up a two-point gap at the summit.
They face an AZ side who are slowly rebuilding their campaign after a poor run of form saw them slip from top to mid-table, with last weekend s 2-0 win over Groningen pushing them back up to sixth.
Vitesse, who are unbeaten 12 league matches, will be confident despite their recent dip given that AZ have not won back-to-back matches in the Eredivisie since November.
Ajax welcome Groningen to the Amsterdam Arena on Thursday and boast a proud record against the visitors, …
The Mirror understands that Sunderland have terminated the contract of defender Papy Djilobodji.
The former Chelsea man has been sacked after breaching his contract by returning to the club late following close season and failing all medical tests upon his arrival.
Record signing Didier Ndong also remains AWOL, with the Black Cats considering suing both players.
Djilobodji signed from the Blues in the summer of 2016 but made just twenty-two appearances for the North East outfit in all competitions – all but four of which coming in a disastrous Premier League campaign, where they finished bottom of the table.
He spent the majority of last season on loan with Ligue 1 side Dijon while he played just once for Chelsea when he initially arrived in Engla…
New York Red Bulls preserved their perfect start to the MLS season, while reigning champions, the Seattle Sounders equalised at the death.
The Red Bulls made it two wins from two games with a 1-0 victory at home to Colorado Rapids on Saturday.
After rallying to beat Atlanta United last week, the Red Bulls earned another three points thanks to Eric Miller s own goal on the stroke of half-time.
Rapids defender Miller directed a cross into his own net as Red Bulls goalkeeper Luis Robles celebrated his MLS record 142nd consecutive start with a win.
HT: After a couple stellar saves, goes up 1-0 right before half.
— Major League Soccer (@MLS)
Houston Dynamo also won their second successive match, accounting for Columbus Crew 3-1.
…
AC Milan missed the chance to go second in Serie A as they slumped to a 4-2 defeat at neighbours Monza, finishing with 10 men after Luka Jovic was sent off.
Stefano Pioli’s side had made the short trip north full of confidence, having lost just once in all competitions since early December.
Milan produced a bright start, with Jovic sending a header from a free-kick straight at the Monza goalkeeper before Theo Hernandez saw his shot deflected wide.
Celebrate, .
You ve earned it.
— Lega Serie A (@SerieA_EN)
At the other end, Monza forward Milan Djuric flicked a header onto the frame of the goal.
There was a lengthy stoppage from the 36th minute when Monza goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio came to punch out a corner and clashed hea…
Chelsea striker Mia Fishel will be out for a significant period after sustaining an ACL injury while on international duty with the United States.
The 22-year-old is the second Blues player to pick up such an injury this year after striker Sam Kerr was ruled out in January.
Fishel signed from Mexican side Tigres in the summer and has scored once in 10 Women’s Super League appearances this season.
We re with you every step of the way, .
— Chelsea FC Women (@ChelseaFCW)
In a statement the club said: “Mia will be assessed by a specialist in the coming days and will then begin her rehabilitation with the club’s medical team at Cobham.
“Everyone at Chelsea would like to wish Mia the very best for her recovery.”
Emma Hayes�…
Milan will aim to break their away duck in Serie A by enjoying familiar success against Parma on Sunday.
Although Milan have yet to win in four league games on their travels this season, they boast a superb record against Parma, having lost just one of the last 18 meetings between the two sides.
Parma s only victory over Milan in the last 10 years came in March 2010, when a late goal from Valery Bojinov secured a 1-0 win at the Stadio Ennio Tardini.
However, Roberto Donadoni s men will be buoyed by victories in each of their last two home games, against Atalanta and Sassuolo.
Parma currently sit 13th in the table, but were unbeaten in four prior to a 3-2 reverse at Hellas Verona last time out.
Milan s last action came in the UEFA Champions League as they he…
Sergio Ramos believes Lionel Messi is a notch below Ream Madrid team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of the FIFA Ballon d Or announcement.
Messi is the only player to win the prize, which recognises the best player in the world over a calendar year, since it became an official FIFA award back in 2010.
Ronaldo has finished second in two of those votes but, while Messi s 2013-14 campaign has been marred by injury, the Portugal international has been in superb form.
The 28-year-old attacker has scored 24 goals in all competitions for Real so far this term, and Ramos feels the former Manchester United man is now a level above his Argentine counterpart.
He told Movistar: In previous years maybe not, but this year it is being demonstrated that, although he has always been…
understands that Juventus are interested in signing Liverpool midfielder Emre Can in the summer.
The Germany international moved to Anfield in the summer of 2014 and has since racked up over a hundred appearances for the club in all competitions, scoring six goals the last of which came in the 4-3 defeat to Bournemouth back in December.
Can has started just thirteen of the Reds’ twenty-five league games so far this season and Italian giants Juve, who currently sit seven points clear at the top of Serie A closing in on what would be their sixth straight title, are monitoring the situation.
They are also interested in securing a deal for Borussia Dortmund star Mahmoud Dahoud in what could be a further blow to Jurgen Klopp’s side who have also been linked w…
Shanghai SIPG s stars came to the fore as Oscar and Hulk netted in a 5-1 win over Western Sydney Wanderers on a high-scoring day of AFC Champions League action on Tuesday.
Compounding a difficult day for Australian sides, Brisbane Roar were thrashed 6-0 by Ulsan, while Urawa Reds beat Seoul 5-2 in Shanghai s group.
Muang Thong United secured a landmark win over Japanese champions Kashima Antlers, while Emirati powerhouses Al Ain left it late to seal victory over Uzbekistan s Bunyodkor.
AND THE OSCAR GOES TO
Following on from the Academy Awards, it was fitting that Oscar gave a sparkling display in SIPG s demolition of the 2014 champions.
The Brazil international scored the second goal of the game, set up by Hulk after a sweeping move …