Paul Scholes insists Arsenal star has ‘gone backwards’ under Mikel Arteta​

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.

Inter Miami CF traded forward Leonardo Campana to the New England Revolution for $2.5 million in General Allocation Money split between 2025 and 2026, a 2025 international roster slot and a 2026 international roster slot.

The deal, which was announced on Thursday, breaks the Major League Soccer record for the most expensive domestic trade set in January 2022 after FC Dallas acquired Paul Arriola from D.C. United for $2 million in guaranteed GAM plus $300,000 in conditional GAM.

As part of the move, Inter Miami will retain percentage of any future moves for Campana and receive up to $750,000 in GAM if the player meets certain performance-based incentives.

“Leo has been an important player for Inter Miami over the past three years. His contributions in attack were key throughout a historic period in which we clinched our first two titles. We are thankful for his contributions in a crucial time of growth for our Club and wish him the best in the future,” said president of football operations Raúl Sanllehí. “The General Allocation Money will allow us to continue to strengthen our roster for the 2025 Season.”

Campana departs from Inter Miami with 32 goals and 10 assists in 100 appearances across all competitions. In two years, he managed to become the second all-time leading scorer for the team and one of three players in Inter Miami history to reach the 100 appearance milestone.

Sources add the deal to trade Campana was motivated by the strict MLS roster rules. The forward was an integral player for Inter Miami, but his current contract with the club made it complicated for the Herons to be compliant with league regulations.

Campana helped Inter Miami win the 2023 inaugural Leagues Cup title and the 2024 Supporters’ Shield, while playing a role in the team’s league record for most points recorded in a single season in 2024.

Prior to the deal, the league announced Inter Miami had $3,300,159 in General Allocation Money.

Inter Miami kicks off the 2025 MLS season with a match against New York City FC on Feb. 22 at Chase Stadium. The team will also participate in preseason friendlies against Orlando City FC and Liga MX giants America, and play a Concacaf Champions Cup match against Sporting Kansas City before the regular season begins.

The LA Galaxy traded MLS Cup Final MVP Gastón Brugman to Nashville SC on Thursday, just 12 days after the Uruguayan midfielder led the club to its record sixth league championship.

The Galaxy acquired midfielder Sean Davis from Nashville, which will retain a portion of Davis’ salary budget charge for next year.

Brugman was named the MVP of MLS’ championship match for his splendid performance filling in for injured star Riqui Puig in the Galaxy’s 2-1 victory over the New York Red Bulls on Dec. 7. Brugman commanded the game from midfield, and he set up the Galaxy’s first goal with a superb long pass to Joseph Paintsil.

But before his dramatic return to a major role in the title match, Brugman had played a diminished role under coach Greg Vanney. Brugman began the season as a starter in midfield, but the Galaxy had used him mostly as a substitute since midseason.

The 32-year-old Brugman had no goals and five assists for the Galaxy last season, his third with the club. He recorded six goals and 10 assists in 71 career appearances for the Galaxy, making 55 starts and regularly struggling with injuries.

“To maintain a championship-caliber roster in Major League Soccer, teams are often forced to make difficult contractual decisions, and today’s trade is evidence of that” Galaxy general manager Will Kuntz said in a statement. “Gastón is a fierce competitor, an incredible teammate, and an even better person. He made countless contributions to the Galaxy on the field and in the locker room during his time with the club, and none was more important than his 2024 MLS Cup MVP performance earlier this month.”

Davis has five goals and 27 assists in 263 career MLS appearances for the Red Bulls and Nashville. He had one assist in 25 matches last season.

Nashville will receive $100,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM) from the Galaxy if Davis meets certain performance metrics.

After beating Manchester United 4-3 in a dramatic Carabao Cup quarterfinal, Tottenham Hotspur were drawn against Premier League leaders Liverpool in the semifinals.

Arsenal will host Newcastle United at the Emirates in the first leg of the other semifinal, which begins on the weekend of Jan. 6.

The second legs will be played on the weekend of Feb. 3.

Arsenal beat Crystal Palace in their quarterfinal on Wednesday, while Liverpool and Newcastle beat Southampton and Brentford, respectively, to advance to the semifinals.

Defending champions Liverpool are also leading the Premier League by two points over Chelsea and have a game in hand.

“We have to defend the trophy because the club won it last season, so we want to compete in every league and this is one of them, so we’re happy that we reached the semifinal,” said Slot after Liverpool’s win on Wednesday.