Leon Ruan explains why he’s chosen Hull KR following Leeds Rhinos exit​

Conor Gallagher has said Atlético Madrid and manager Diego Simeone are a perfect fit for him as they target winning the LaLiga title this season.

Gallagher joined Atlético from Chelsea last summer, with two goals and an assist in 20 matches in all competitions this season.

Atlético are second on the LaLiga table, level on points with Barcelona having lost just one league match this term.

Gallagher said he has quickly settled into life in the Spanish capital and has great admiration for coach Simeone.

“You can see the type of of players he likes and he needs in his kind of system, and I think it fitted me perfectly,” Gallagher told ESPN.

“So that was one of the decisions why I felt it was a a perfect move for me. And, hopefully I can keep improving and [keep] helping him as much as possible.

“I feel settled in the club. Everyone at the club has made me feel at home, and it’s been brilliant. Of course it’s been difficult at times, the first few months to play as many games as possible and [I’m] still learning the the language and learning the new teammates and loads of stuff.”

Gallagher also made it clear his ambition of winning the title in his first season in Spain.

“I think looking at it now, [success] would be to win the league, of course,” Gallagher said. “I think that would be the target for every season with a a club like this.

“We’ve had a good start. We’re in a good position right now. And as the manager says, we take it game by game.”

A brother of World Cup winner Paul Pogba was sentenced Thursday by a Paris criminal court to three years in prison — two of which are suspended — in an extortion and kidnapping case.

Mathias Pogba had already spent time in detention and the remainder of the sentence will be served under house arrest with electronic monitoring. This sentence is in line with the prosecution’s request. His lawyer said he would appeal the ruling.

The case at the Paris criminal court took place without the former Manchester United and Juventus player.

A judge had ordered Mathias Pogba and five other men to stand trial following an investigation into whether Paul Pogba was the target of an extortion scheme by his brother and childhood friends in 2022.

Mathias went on trial last month “for the offenses of attempted extortion and criminal conspiracy.”

The five others — identified by their first names only — demanded €13 million ($13.6m) from the France midfielder, who was held up at gunpoint by hooded men in March 2022. The defendants repeatedly intimidated Pogba, claiming he should have supported them after he became an international star. They were accused of extortion, abduction and confinement to facilitate a crime, as well as criminal conspiracy.

Roushdane K., suspected of masterminding the blackmail, was sentenced to eight years in prison. The others also received jail terms.

According to reports in French media, the court also found that Paul Pogba had suffered economic losses of €197,000 ($204,000) and moral losses of €50,000 ($52,000). It ordered all the defendants except Mathias Pogba to jointly pay this sum to the former Juve player.

During the investigation, Paul said he paid €100,000 ($104,000) to the organised group including his brother.

The case became public after Mathias Pogba posted threats on social media to share “explosive” revelations about his brother, fellow French star Kylian Mbappé and Paul Pogba’s agent Rafaela Pimenta. Mathias was also a football player who spent most of his career with lower-tier teams in Europe.

Once one of the world’s top midfielders, Pogba has made headlines in recent years more for his off-field problems than for his sporting ability.

Earlier this month, Juventus said it came to “a mutual agreement” with Pogba to cancel his contract, despite the France World Cup winner having his doping ban reduced last month.

The Serie A club never seemed overly enthusiastic about welcoming Pogba back after his four-year ban for doping was reduced to 18 months, following an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Pogba will be free to resume his career in March.

Pogba tested positive for testosterone in August last year and was handed the maximum punishment by Italy’s anti-doping court.

But CAS judges cut Pogba’s ban as they acknowledged a lack of intent and said his positive test was the result of erroneously taking a supplement prescribed to him by a medical doctor in Florida. Pogba’s contract with Juventus was set to expire in June 2026.

In 2016, Pogba became the then-most expensive player in history when he joined Manchester United from Juventus for a fee of €105 million ($116m).

Injuries limited him to just eight Serie A appearances in his second spell at the club before his ban last year.

United States forward Lynn Williams is set to be traded by Gotham FC to the Seattle Reign, a source confirmed to ESPN.

The Equalizer and Sports Illustrated were among the outlets to first report the news. Both clubs declined to comment.

The deal will see Williams as well as goalkeeper Cassie Miller head to the Reign in exchange for USWNT midfielder Jaelin Howell plus an undisclosed fee.

The move would see Williams, 31, join her fourth NWSL team in the last five seasons, having previously been with the North Carolina Courage, the Kansas City Current and Gotham FC. She also had loan spells in Australia with the Western Sydney Wanderers and the Melbourne Victory.

During her 10-year NWSL career, Williams has scored 83 goals in 188 league and cup appearances. In that time, she has been part of four NWSL Championship sides, as well as three NWSL Shield winners.

At international level, Williams has made 75 appearances for the U.S., scoring 21 goals and was part of the side that claimed the gold medal at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. She most recently scored the game-winner in the Americans’ 2-1 win against the Netherlands earlier this month.

Howell, 25, has changed addresses even more than Williams, and is on her third club in less than a year. The two-time Hermann Trophy winner was traded from Racing Louisville to Seattle back in August, and made eight appearances with the Reign. She has been on the fringes of the USWNT, making five appearances with her most recent showing taking place in 2022.

Miller, 29, was Gotham’s starter for part of of the 2024 campaign, but was relegated to a reserve role following the team’s acquisition of Ann-Katrin Berger. Miller has also played in the NWSL for the Chicago Red Stars from 2020-21 and the Kansas City Current from 2022-23.