Pedro Obiang has left West Ham for Serie A side Sassuolo in a deal reportedly worth €9million (£8m).

Obiang, 27, joined the Hammers from Sampdoria in 2015 after showing potential in Italy, but he has been unable to hold down a first-team spot in the Premier League.

Although the Spain-born Equatorial Guinea international played 24 times in the league last term, only 12 of those outings were as a starter and he has opted for a return to Serie A.

Obiang reportedly secured a four-year deal, though Sassuolo did not confirm the length of his contract or the fee paid to sign him.

We ll never forget Pedro s screamer against Spurs!  

— West Ham United (@WestHamUtd)

…

Rangers manager Steven Gerrard would not be surprised to see Brendan Rodgers return to the Premier League after the Celtic boss entered talks with Leicester City.

Leicester are on the hunt for a new manager after Claude Puel was sacked on Sunday following a 4-1 home defeat to Crystal Palace.

Rodgers and Rafael Benitez were both touted as potential candidates and, although the pair each insisted they were focused on their current jobs, it appears the Celtic coach is set to leave the Scottish Premiership champions.

Gerrard, now a rival of Rodgers, worked with the 46-year-old at Liverpool and rates him highly, meaning the interest from the Foxes comes as no surprise.

I ve just been made aware that he s in talks with Leicester, Gerrard told a news conferen…

Antoine Griezmann says he is trying to bring joy to Atletico Madrid fans after drawing criticism for shushing supporters in a match earlier this year.

Griezmann gave a mesmerising individual display for Atletico on Wednesday, scoring all four goals in a 4-0 demolition of Leganes that saw Diego Simeone s men move within four points of LaLiga leaders Barcelona.

A second hat-trick in four days after a treble against Sevilla on Sunday indicates Griezmann is one of the world s hottest players, with his first strike against Leganes bringing up his 100th Atleti goal in all competitions.

You have to enjoy it, I m trying to give people joy, Griezmann told beIN SPORTS after a blistering performance saw the striker reach 15 LaLiga goals for the season. 

I could h…

Memphis Depay is only thinking about the prospect of winning silverware for Lyon amid suggestions Paris Saint-Germain are ready to rival Barcelona for the forward s signature.

The 26-year-old is out of contract with Lyon at the end of the campaign and has been strongly linked with a move to Barca since ex-Netherlands boss Ronald Koeman took over in the close season.

He has scored six goals in 14 Ligue 1 matches this term and, according to French outlet Le Parisien, PSG want the Dutchman to link up with Neymar and Kylian Mbappe in 2021.

Depay recently suggested he was open to reuniting with Koeman at Camp Nou but, questioned on his future at a news conference on Tuesday, he took a different approach.

To be honest, we have a great team here, he said. I do…

Competition: Irish Premier Division

Market: Derry City to score over 2.5 goals

Odds: 

Handed the chance to move within touching distance of the Europa League spots, a resurgent Derry will host UCD in Londonderry on Friday night.

Starting with the hosts, picking up an impressive 2-2 draw against runaway league leaders Dundalk last week, the mood in Derry s camp couldn t be any higher. Appearing to refind some of their form that helped them lift the Premier Division title two years ago, Declan Devine s men are enjoying a five-match unbeaten run in Ireland s top-tier, a run that stems back to the middle of May. A huge part of City s recent revival has come thanks to their continued showings in the final third. Once again scoring a pair of goals against t…

Watford are ready to listen to offers for Troy Deeney, according to the Star.

The Hornets captain had a relatively unsuccessful campaign last time around, scoring just five goals as opposed to hitting double figures in each of the two seasons prior.

The twenty-nine-year-old has three years remaining on his current Watford deal and will command a transfer free of around £10m.

Since signing from Walsall in the summer of 2010 Deeney has racked up three hundred and thirty-four appearances in all competitions, scoring one hundred and twelve goals.

He was part of the squad that gained promotion to the top flight in 2015, with the Hertfordshire side finishing in second place behind champions Bournemouth.

Andre Gray, who only signed for Watford fro…

Derby County have announced that former Netherlands midfielder Phillip Cocu will be Frank Lampard’s replacement as the club’s new head coach. The former PSV boss has signed a four-year deal with the Rams.

The Dutchman will bring with him Chris van der Weerden as assistant manager and Twan Scheepers as first coach. It is certainly an interesting appointment and seems something of a coup by County.

Cocu has a massive football pedigree

The 48-year-old has an absolutely massive football pedigree, both from his playing career and during his managerial career. He enjoyed a trophy-laden playing career with the likes of PSV Eindhoven and Barcelona, while also winning 100 caps for his national side.

Cocu enjoyed two very successful spells as PSV boss, winning the Er…

Melbourne has won the rights to host Australia s World Cup qualifier against Japan on October 11 at Etihad Stadium.

With Australia set to start the third round of Asian Football Confederation qualifying against Iraq in Perth on September 1, Football Federation Australia (FFA) announced on Wednesday that the Socceroos second home game will be at Melbourne s second-largest stadium.

We are excited to have locked in Docklands Stadium in Melbourne for the Caltex Socceroos  crucial World Cup qualifier against Japan in October, FFA CEO David Gallop said.

“The interest from state governments all over Australia was high and a good indication of the popularity of the Caltex Socceroos.

The Australia v Japan World Cup qualifier will be a fantastic event and we a…

Accusations that Lionel Messi is in decline are laughable, according to the Argentine s former Barcelona team-mate Gianluca Zambrotta.

Messi endured a difficult match against Juventus in the Champions League on Wednesday, firing five shots off target as Barca exited the competition at the quarter-final stage, losing 3-0 on aggregate.

But Zambrotta insists Messi s form is not slipping, comparing the Barcelona star to his great rival Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored five goals in Real Madrid s 6-3 quarter-final win against Bayern Munich.

It makes me laugh when somebody says Messi is declining, Zambrotta told Omnisport. 

6 Lionel Messi recorded 5 shots off target against Juventus; only against BATE Borisov (Sept 2011) has he had more in the CL (6). Wayward…

Diego Maradona said he was wasting away as he discussed his past off-field issues after being introduced as Dorados head coach.

Argentine great and 1986 World Cup winner Maradona fronted the media for the first time on Monday, having replaced Francisco Gomez last week.

Former Napoli and Barcelona star Maradona – who also coached Argentina at the 2010 World Cup – has previously struggled with drug and alcohol addiction.

Talking about his problems with substance abuse, the 57-year-old said: I want to give Dorados what I lost when I was sick.

Haciendo click.  

— #HazlaDeDiez (@Dorados)

Today I want to see the sun and I want to go to sleep at night. Before, I didn t go to sleep and I didn t even know what a pillow was. That s why I ac…