Fabrice Muamba announced his retirement from football, after suffering a heart attack during a match last season.
The 24-year-old collapsed during an FA Cup tie away to Tottenham Hotspur in March and his heart then stopped beating for 78 minutes.
He was discharged from hospital in April and recently played football on holiday with friends, but said doctors had advised him to quit the sport.
“Since suffering my heart attack and being discharged from hospital, I have remained utterly positive in the belief I could one day resume my playing career and play for Bolton Wanderers once again,” he said.
“But the news I received was obviously not what I had hoped it would be and it means I am now announcing my retirement from professional football.
Congolese-born Muamba has played for England at every youth level. He joined Bolton from Birmingham in 2008 and has made 148 appearances for the club.
Former Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp has said he will do all he can to save the embattled club from going out of business.
Redknapp plans to speak to Nwankwo Kanu, who has lodged a claim for £3million in pay, to see if he can convince the former Arsenal striker to work something out with the club.
“I will be ringing Kanu today to see if there is anything I can do,” he said.
Center-back Tal Ben Haim is also owed a similar amount in wages and Redknapp added: “In the case of Tal Ben Haim, if players have a contract and are owed money, you can see why they think they should get it. But if the club closes down they won’t get a penny. They need to think hard about that.”
Redknapp spent five seasons at Fratton Park between 2002 and 2008, guiding the club to a momentous FA Cup win in 2008.
Thorgan Hazard will join his older brother Eden at Stamford Bridge next season after Chelsea confirmed his transfer from Ligue 2 side Lens.
The 19-year-old had only played 11 times for the Ligue 2 club but the Blues clearly see potential in midfielder Hazard, who could be immediately loaned to another club.
His brother signed for Chelsea from Ligue 1 club Lille in June for £32 million.
Manchester City skipper Vincent Kompany has signed a new six-year deal with the Premier League champions. The 26-year-old Belgian defender, who steered the Sky Blues …
Thorgan Hazard will join his older brother Eden at Stamford Bridge next season after Chelsea confirmed his transfer from Ligue 2 side Lens.
The 19-year-old had only played 11 times for the Ligue 2 club but the Blues clearly see potential in midfielder Hazard, who could be immediately loaned to another club.
His brother signed for Chelsea from Ligue 1 club Lille in June for £32 million.
Australian international Tim Cahill left Everton for the MLS, with the move subject to international clearance, and with the Red Bulls currently top of the …
The Premier League has agreed a new £120million three-year deal with title sponsors Barclays. The extended agreement will run for three seasons from 2013/14 to the end of the 2015/16 season.
The deal includes title sponsorship and exclusive worldwide marketing rights, plus advertising rights.
Britain’s third largest bank has held naming rights to the world’s richest football league since 2001.
The new Premier League deal comes a month after it sold domestic broadcast rights for the 2013-16 seasons for £3.018 billion, an increase of 70 per cent over the preceding three seasons.
Under Armour and Tottenham Hotspur unveiled on Thursday the club’s new home and away kits for the coming 2012/2013 season.
Tottenham will wear all white home jerseys for the 2012-2013 season set to start in August. The team wore a white shirt, blue shorts combo last year.
Spurs have, like Liverpool, taken up a new kit supplier after six years with Puma, also opting for an American sports clothing and accessories company.
Tottenham have finally completed the permanent transfer of Emmanuel Adebayor £6 million.
Adebayor, 28-year-old, a former Arsenal striker, has scored 18 goals in 37 games for Spurs since he moved to White Hart Lane on loan, helping the club to finish in the top four of the Premier League.
Chelsea captain John Terry has been cleared of racially abusing QPR player Anton Ferdinand.
The Chelsea and England defender had denied making the comments to the Queens Park Rangers player during a match at Loftus Road last October.
The case led to Terry being stripped of the England captaincy by the English Football Association ahead of the European Championship and the departure of coach Fabio Capello who disagreed with the decision.
Terry was charged after he was seen mouthing the words ‘f****** black c***’ in Ferdinand’s direction during Chelsea’s defeat against QPR at Loftus Road on October 23 last year.
Former and Chelsea star Gianfranco Zola has signed a two-year contract to take over as manager of Championship club Watford. “Everyone knows how Gianfranco Zola …
The Kuwaiti Al-Hasawi family has completed a deal to buy two-time European Cup winners Nottingham Forest, the club has confirmed.
In a statement issued on the Championship side’s website, the Al-Hasawis said: “It is an honour and privilege for the Al-Hasawi family to assume control of this great club steeped in history and with the outstanding legacy left by its previous owner Nigel Doughty.”
Doughty put the club up for sale last October before dying of a cardiac arrest at his home in February.
Al-Hasawi’s love for football and previous experience of spending heavily to breed results is potentially great news for Forest fans, who are surely desperate to see their club attempt to return to the glory days.
Tottenham are set to finally land Ajax star Jan Vertonghen after the club announced it had agreed terms yesterday.
Spurs have been tracking the Belgium defender since last season as he helped Ajax claim their second consecutive Eredivisie title.
Vertonghen is due to undergo a medical this week before completing a deal that will make him the second arrival since Andre Villas-Boas took over as Spurs boss.
“We are delighted to announce that we have reached agreement with Ajax for the transfer of Jan Vertonghen, subject to a medical,” a statement on the club’s website read.
Roberto Mancini agreed a new five-year contract with English champions Manchester City yesterday that ties him to the club until the summer of 2017. The …
Manchester United tried hard to sign the Dutch, now is arch-rivals City’s time to assault Inter.
After loosing Eden Hazard to Chelsea, the Citizens will try to make up with a noisy transfer. Corriero dello Sport reports that Roberto Mancini is willing to offer €35million in exchange of Sneijder’s transfer.
England midfielder Joe Cole said Monday he would love to finally prove himself at Liverpool after a successful loan season at French club Lille.
The 30-year-old endured a poor campaign with the Reds after joining on a free transfer from Chelsea in July 2010.
But he helped Lille finish third in Ligue 1, scoring nine goals in 42 appearances for Rudi Garcia’s side in the 2011-2012 campaign.
“I would love the chance – if they wanted to – to put it right,” he told Sky Sports News.
“It’s just that season at Liverpool. It’s in their hands. I’m easy whatever way but the fire still burns with me and I would love to have the chance put it right if that’s what they wanted.”
Liverpool has made it clear that the club is looking to make major improvements this summer.
“We never talk publicly about our transfer targets. However, any team would be lucky to have Clint Dempsey playing on their squad, ” said to goal.com Tom Werner, Liverpool’s executive chairman.
