Everton midfielder Ross Barkley was the victim of an ‘unprovoked attack’, his lawyers said yesterday, after CCTV footage emerged of him being punched in the face in a bar. “We can confirm that Ross was the victim of an unprovoked attack by a stranger who approached him on Sunday evening,” lawyers acting on Barkley’s behalf said in a statement.
A video that circulated on social media showed Barkley having a seemingly friendly conversation with an unidentified man, who then punched him twice before being restrained by bystanders. Local police said they were looking into the incident.
“Merseyside Police is aware of footage online reportedly showing an assault in a bar in Liverpool city centre,” police said in a statement. “No report of an assault has been received, but officers are making enquiries to establish the circumstances of the incident.” Everton are yet to comment on the incident, which is said to have occurred hours after Barkley, 23, starred in their 4-2 home win over Leicester City in the Premier League on Sunday. Everton manager Ronald Koeman warned after the game that Barkley will be sold if he refuses to sign a new contract at the club. Barkley's current deal runs out at the end of next season, with no new agreement yet in place. Manchester United, Manchester City, Tottenham, Chelsea and Arsenal have all been linked with a possible move for Barkley in recent months.
The 23-year-old, a boyhood Everton fan, graduated from the academy at Goodison Park, but his future at the club looks increasingly uncertain.
 
Liverpool to play Sydney FC in May
English Premier League giants Liverpool will play leading Australian club Sydney FC in Sydney next month, the A-League team said. Jurgen Klopp’s team will line-up at the Olympic stadium on May 24.
Liverpool last toured Australia in 2015, playing to packed stadiums in Adelaide and Brisbane. In 2013, 95,000 fans watched them beat Melbourne Victory at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.


Arsenal legend Tony Adams named interim Granada boss
Former Arsenal and England captain Tony Adams was put in charge of La Liga strugglers Granada until the end of the season after Lucas Alcaraz was sacked yesterday. Adams has been working as an advisor at the Spanish club as part of his role with DDMC, a Chinese football management company tied to Granada owner Jiang Lizhang.
Granada lie 19th in La Liga, seven points adrift of safety with just seven games remaining. Sunday’s 3-1 home defeat to Valencia prompted the relegation-threatened club to pull the plug on Alcaraz’s third stint as Granada coach. Adams becomes Granada’s third coach of the season after Alcaraz replaced the sacked Paco Jemez in October.
The 50-year-old won four English league titles as a player at Arsenal but has struggled in previous managerial spells at Wycombe Wanderers, Portsmouth and most recently with Azerbaijani club Gabala.
Much of the blame for Granada’s poor form has been aimed at the club’s Chinese owners and a chaotic recruitment policy. Their 25-man squad contains 16 loan players from 18 different countries.
However, Adams says his role is to bring stability and a more Spanish core back to the club. 

Sacked Juric back at Genoa in musical chairs
Genoa sacked coach Andrea Mandorlini yesterday and swapped him with the man he took over from in only February, the Serie A strugglers said. Former Croatian international Ivan Juric takes over once more, having been in charge until February 20 after Genoa were hammered 5-0 by Pescara and he was dismissed.
The Italian Mandorlini, a former defender with Inter Milan, got off to a good start after succeeding Juric, taking four points from his first two games. But Genoa, beaten 3-0 at Udinese at the weekend to sit nine points off relegation in Serie A, went on a poor run of four defeats under Mandorlini after that. Juric played for Genoa from 2006 to 2010.