Here, Sports Mole rounds up the latest news from across the footballing world, including Ben Chilwell's explanation of why he turned down Liverpool, Emiliano Martinez's vow to challenge for the Arsenal No.1 spot and Cesar Azpilicueta's praise for Jorginho. Scroll down for more!
Chilwell has no regrets over rejecting Liverpool
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Leicester City defender Ben Chilwell has insisted that he does not regret turning down the chance to move to Liverpool as a teenager. The 22-year-old was courted by then-Reds boss - and current Leicester manager - Brendan Rodgers but ultimately decided that remaining with the Foxes would be the best move for his development.
"I was 17 at the time. My agent was the one dealing with it all, talking to Liverpool and Leicester about the situation," Chilwell recalled to Sky Sports News. "At the time, I was trying to break into the U21 team at Leicester so I was just focused on getting into that and progressing into the first team here.
"Definitely no regrets. When I look at how the last four or five years have gone, starting eight games now for the England team is something I'm very happy with. Leicester was the right place for me to be at the time and the older players have helped me a lot. The staff have kept me grounded. Definitely no regrets."
Boro want Bristol Rovers striker?
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Middlesbrough have become the latest club to show interest in Bristol Rovers striker Jonson Clarke-Harris, according to the Bristol Post. The League One side remain hopeful of tying the 25-year-old down to a new deal - one that would make him their best-paid player - amid interest from the likes of Boro, Hull City, Preston North End and Reading.
Martinez vows to challenge Leno
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Arsenal's deputy stopper Emiliano Martinez has vowed to challenge Bernd Leno for the number one shirt at the club following his impressive displays in the Europa League. The Argentine moved up the ranks at the Emirates this summer following Petr Cech's retirement and has been deployed by boss Unai Emery in Europe, while Leno remains between the sticks in the Premier League.
"I believe in the work and love the club," Martinez told reporters this week. "At the moment it's a really good decision [to stay]. I'm working really hard, feeling humble. and that's what I'm working for. To play for Arsenal you have to challenge everyone. Matt [Macey] challenges me and I challenge Bernd. I don't know if people aren't taking the Europa League seriously, it's a great competition... We always take it really seriously.
"Since I signed for this club my goal was always to be a No.1. I've been here for 10 years, I came as a young boy and now I'm a grown man. Some loans were good, some were bad. That's the dream, I won't stop until I'm the No.1 for Argentina. Do I feel I'm the best? Of course. If you want to be the No.1 you have to."
Rodgers explains Carragher coaching decision
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Leicester City boss Brendan Rodgers has explained his decision to overlook Jamie Carragher for a coaching role during his time in charge at Anfield. Rodgers sounded out Carragher - then a key member of the first team - about joining his backroom staff when he first took over at Anfield in 2012.
"Sorry for ruining your coaching career!" Rodgers told Carragher in an interview for The Telegraph. "I remember thinking how much I was looking forward to working with you and Stevie [Gerrard] and it would be a good idea to have you on the coaching staff. Then when we met I got the feeling that you were still focused on playing for another season. It would have been difficult to do both. So apologies if I stopped you being a big manager now."
Juventus announce increase in debt
Juventus have announced an increase in net debt from €310m (£276m) to €464m (£413m) in the space of just one season. The latest financial results could give renewed hope to Tottenham Hotspur's chances of signing Paulo Dybala in the January transfer window.
Claudio Marchisio announces retirement
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Juve legend Claudio Marchisio has confirmed the end of his playing career at the age of 33. The Italian spent the majority of his career with the Turin side, making almost 400 appearances and winning seven league titles before departing San Siro for Zenit St Petersburg in 2018. Marchisio had been a free agent since being released by the Russian side over the summer.
Son admits wanting to leave Spurs
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Spurs forward Son Heung-min has admitted that he contemplated leaving the club towards the end of his debut season in 2015-16 but was convinced to stay by manager Mauricio Pochettino.
"I wanted to go back to Germany because I felt very comfortable there," Son revealed in an interview with Goal. "But the coach has always encouraged me. He was the right coach for me in this situation. I said I'd like to leave the club, but he really wanted me to do well at Tottenham. He gave me new self-confidence. The talks went so well that at some point I pushed aside my thoughts of change."
Azpilicueta praises "amazing" Jorginho
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Cesar Azpilicueta has hailed Chelsea teammate Jorginho's improvement in his second season at Stamford Bridge. The Italian midfielder failed to live up to expectations after being brought in by then-Blues boss Maurizio Sarri last term but now appears to be flourishing under Frank Lampard.
"Jorginho has impressed me a lot since he arrived here with us," Azpilicueta told reporters this week. "Obviously he was doing what the manager (Sarri) at the time wanted from him, which was to play short and to control the game in a different way, to touch a lot of the ball maybe without being dangerous by putting balls behind the defence.
"I think this season he has adapted to the [new] manager. He prefers to play a bit longer, to switch the play with longer balls to get more commitment in the final passes to get more chances for the strikers. Apart from that, his work rate has been amazing. The way he reads the game, he wants to press, he recovers a lot of balls. He is a very important player for us through the season."
Neil Wilkes
