Sport

We're winding down to the end of what has been an extraordinary year in the world of football, so it's only natural to take a backwards glance at the past 12 months in our alternative awards.

Arsene Wenger has appeared to aim a thinly-veiled dig at Chelsea by criticising the club's youth policy. The Blues have made a habit of stockpiling youngsters in recent years.

He has scored more than 20 goals in two of his three previous seasons at Dortmund and, although under contract until 2019, could receive a huge pay rise at Arsenal.

Englishman Mark Clattenburg, who was named the best referee in the world at the Globe Soccer Awards on Tuesday night, has emerged as a target for the wealthy league.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has claimed global football federations are 'overwhelmingly in favour' of his proposal to expand the current World Cup format from 32 nations to 48.

Manchester United forward Anthony Martial is considering a temporary move to Sevilla despite his club's reticence over a loan. Sevilla have made a request to take the France star for the rest of term.

Bob Bradley fears his Swansea departure will damage the future prospects of Americans managing in the Premier League after his disastrous 11-game spell came to an abrupt end.

RIATH AL-SAMARRAI: Bob Bradley accepted in his final Swansea press conference that there would be 'discussions' about his future. He can't have known is they were already under way.

Wesley Sneijder has always spoken warmly about his former boss's ability as a coach, but is less than complimentary about the way he works with his players on a human level.

NEW Everton manager Ronald Koeman has confirmed he is closing in on Charlton's £10 million rated youngster Ademola Lookman. The forward, 19, has already scored seven goals this season.

Henrik Larsson has backed €50m-rated Benfica defender Victor Lindelof to become one of the best defender in the world, but only if he joins Jose Mourinho at Manchester United.

Wilfried Zaha has been named in Ivory Coast's provisional squad for the Africa Cup of Nations, days after meeting England manager Gareth Southgate about his international future.

Arsenal are giving serious consideration to offering a 20-year-old left winger with no professional experience a two-year deal in a Roy-of-the-Rovers-style ascent from obscurity.

Gazza, who has battled alcoholism since his playing days, was rushed to a hospital in east London with a head wound after the dispute in the Ace Hotel, Shoreditch, a witness claimed.

MATT BARLOW: Antonio Conte has given Chelsea's title bid extra bounce by charming the families of staff and players at a Christmas trampoline party.

Wingers have always been the best players. From Stanley Matthews to Ryan Giggs, supporters have always enjoyed watching the winger humiliate the full back.

CIARAN KENNEDY: It was difficult not to raise an eyebrow when Conor McGregor was named Ireland’s most admired sportsperson in a representative 1,000 person consumer survey.

The second part of Richard McLaren's report found that more than 1,000 Russian athletes benefited from a state-sponsored doping programme from 2011-2015 that included cheating at London 2012.

There has been speculation in recent years about Ivanovic's future in the sport, with the Serbian struggling to replicate the form that saw her win her only grand slam title at the French Open in 2008.

Durant made his comments after the league concluded he was on the wrong end of a non-call during the Warriors' blockbuster Christmas Day showdown with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Watford's mascot Harry the Hornet has been spoken to by club officials about his conduct after mocking Wilfried Zaha at the end of their draw against Crystal Palace.

Currently on 50 goals for the calendar year in all competitions, Ibrahimovic will need to score twice in United's home match with Middlesbrough to usurp Lionel Messi's tally of 51.

MATT BARLOW: Mauricio Pochettino can recall the day Southampton turned orange in protest at his return and admits a little hate can be healthy in football's mad world.

The club are open to sanctioning a temporary departure in January but are understood to currently be ruling out the prospect of providing his services to other top-flight teams threatened by the drop.

Wilfred Ndidi played in Tuesday night's 2-0 win over Gent and the 20-year-old will join Premier League champions Leicester City for £15million at the end of the week.

AC Milan's Spanish playmaker Suso believes that he could one day feature for La Liga giants Real Madrid or Barcelona, while turning out for his country is high on his 2017 to-do list.

Sam Allardyce took over as Crystal Palace manager five days ago and has made it one of his priorities to speak to the winger about his plans. Zaha could be away for up to five weeks.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp admitted he has not felt the need to watch Manchester City in person ahead of their New Year's Eve clash, after Pep Guardiola was spotted at Anfield on Tuesday.

Italian giants Roma want the young Belgian on loan to fill the void left by former Chelsea player Mohamed Salah, while he joins up with the Egyptian national team for the Africa Cup of Nations in January.

Manchester City teenage full back Pablo Maffeo is returning to Spanish club Girona for a second loan spell, while team-mate Angelino joins them for the first time too - both until the end of the season.

West Ham have surged away from the relegation zone on the back of three straight wins, including the 4-1 demolition of Swansea on Boxing Day.

The struggling Spanish side have made an offer of around £850,000 to take the 30-year-old Newcastle outcast now, with his contract running out in the summer. They are third from bottom in La Liga.