Pogba Turned Down £62-million Bid From Chelsea
Juventus star Paul Pogba turned down a sensational
£62-million (R1.3-billion) bid by Chelsea just days before the transfer window
closed. The much-coveted French midfielder would have earned an
annual salary of £8.7-million (R180-million) at Chelsea, who would have sent
Brazilian midfielder Oscar to Juve. It is alleged that the main reason why
Pogba was not persuaded to move to Chelsea is that one of his former agents is
refusing to part with his 25 percent stake in the midfielder. However, other
sources say Pogba turned down Chelsea as he wants his next destination to be
Barcelona. Juventus had agreed to sell Pogba at what was obviously ‘the right
price’ at the right time, but Chelsea will now have to wait until the transfer
window re-opens in January, when the price could well be significantly higher.
“Maintaining a winning team is about making great signings, but when you’re
faced with offers of over €100-million, you wobble,” Juventus director general
Beppe Marotta is quoted as saying when turning down a recent €80-million
Barcelona bid for Pogba. If Barca are that desperate for the Juve number 10,
they will have to join Chelsea in the queue for Pogba in January, when their
transfer ban is lifted.
Belgium manager Marc
Wilmots was unimpressed with Eden Hazard’s display against Cyprus in an Euro
2016 qualifier despite the Chelsea playmaker scoring the only goal of the game.
Hazard, who has also been criticised by Blues boss Jose Mourinho for his
performances this season, converted a Dries Mertens cross late on in Nicosia on
Sunday. Belgium are second in Group B, knowing victory over bottom-placed
Andorra will send them to the finals in France. “He was the worst
tonight,” Wilmots said. “I thought about substituting him, but in the
last 10 minutes he always the ability to do that. At the World Cup, this was
the case. I obviously expect more from him, but he will grow as the season
progresses.”
Ex-Borussia Dortmund
manager Jurgen Klopp says he is willing to join any club that has an ‘exciting’
project and needs help. Klopp left the Dortmund club at the end of last
season after seven years at the helm, helping the team to two Bundesliga
titles, one DFB-Pokal and a UEFA Champions League final. Despite turning down
an offer to join French Ligue 1 side Marseille last month, the German coach
says he is not only interested in joining one of world’s top sides. “[My
next move] doesn’t have to be an absolute top club, there are other good
projects that are exciting, [teams] who need help,” Klopp said at the
International Radio Exhibition in Berlin. “I stay informed, read and meet
a lot of people – there are ordinary little things that are great fun. I miss
nothing [about football] currently.” The 48-year-old also says he is yet
to decide on his future but insists he will return when the time and job offer
feels right. “I don’t know where I’ll be heading to but right now, that’s
not important for me because I know that if I will have the right feeling it
will be a wonderful next chapter. You will see what happens and I find it
exciting right now not knowing what will happen next. Most of the time in life, the next day is
pre-planned. In my case, the next year is completely unplanned. I don’t know
when to continue, where to continue but I know that I will continue.”
Tottenham Hotspur have left Emmanuel Adebayor out of their
Premier League and Europa League squads for the 2015/16 season. The
Togo international’s days at White Hart Lane are limited, but the club have
been unable to get rid of the striker – and his considerable wages. A
last-minute loan move to Aston Villa fell through, meaning he is likely to
spend the remaining year of his contract in the stands in north London.
Brazil striker Neymar
has hit out at national team coach Dunga after being benched in their 1-0
friendly win over Costa Rica. Brazil narrowly beat the Central American
side courtesy of an early goal from Hulk, while the Barcelona star had to
settle for just 10 minutes on the pitch. Neymar was left out of Dunga’s
starting line-up for the friendly international in New Jersey on Saturday, and
has since warned the coach that he will not tolerate sitting on the bench. “Being
benched is not something I’m used to and I’m not willing to get used to
it,” Neymar told ESPN Brasil. “I want to play and I’m always working
to be amongst the starting eleven.” The 23-year-old also missed Barca’s
opening four matches of the season due to the mumps, and made his first start
in the 1-0 La Liga win over Malaga last week.
Manchester United
failed in bids for four Real Madrid players during the recent transfer window. The
Red Devils’ pursuit of Sergio Ramos was well documented, with the defender
eventually signing a new long-term deal and taking over the captain’s armband.
But Real president Florentino Perez confirms that Louis van Gaal was also
chasing Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Raphael Varane. “We know that United
showed interest in Bale, Benzema and Varane,” he said. Arsenal were also
thought to be keen on Benzema, while Bale was expected to return to England
after a difficult second season at Madrid.
Real Madrid will
donate €1-million to the current Syrian refugee crisis. Almost 3 000 people
have died fleeing war-torn Syria to Europe, where governments are trying to
find a way to deal with the mass influx. Bayern Munich donated €1-million
earlier this week, and Real have now followed in the German giants’ footsteps. “Real
Madrid has announced that it will donate €-million to aid refugees that are
taken in by Spain,” a club statement read. “Faithful to its commitment to
charity, the club has taken this decision with the aim of supporting men, women
and children who have been forced to leave their homes in order to flee from
war and death. The president of Real Madrid, Florentino Perez, spoke yesterday
by phone with the president of the [Spanish] government, Mariano Rajoy. The
pair talked about this contribution and other measures that the club will put
in place in order to collaborate with the care of refugees that arrive in
Spain.
Bayern Munich winger
Arjen Robben will be out of action for a month after suffering a injury on
international duty. The Dutch speedster limped off just after the half hour
mark in his side’s shock 1-0 loss against Iceland last Thursday night clutching
his groin, with his German club confirming the extent of the damage. “Arjen
Robben will be out for four weeks after picking up an injury on international
duty. #GetwellsoonArjen,” the Bavarians tweeted from their official account. After
the game, Robben – who had endured an injury-hit season last year, insisted he
was fine before the game. “I was super fit, but after a few knocks I felt it in
my back. That went on to my groin and I couldn’t go on with the match. Now I
will go back to Munich and I will not be playing against Turkey.” Robben
is set to miss crucial club matches for the Bundesliga side, including the
much-anticipated clash against last season’s League runners up Wolfsburg, and
his side’s first two Champions League group stage matches against Olympiakos
and Dinamo Zagreb.
Controversial striker
Emmanuel Adebayor failed to report for international duty ahead of his side’s
Afcon qualifier last week. Togo were scheduled to take on Djibouti in
Friday’s qualifier, but will seemingly have to do so without their national top
goal-scorer, who has not reported for duty. “He has not given us a reason.
He was in the squad but he has just not shown up,” a Togolese official said. The
31-year-old has been the topic of discussion the entire week, having been left
out of Tottenham’s registered squad for the 2015/16 season, with former Spurs
boss Harry Redknapp claiming the striker is “wasting away” at White Hart Lane. The
31-year-old refused a move away from the club despite making just three
substitute appearances the entire year, and looks set to see out the remaining
year on his contract with the Spurs development team.
Brazil defender David
Luiz has hit back at criticism received from for Manchester United defender
Gary Neville, saying the Englishman lacked respect. The former Red Devil
likened the PSG defender’s playing style to that of a 10-year-old on a
PlayStation, and although welcoming of any criticism, Luiz feels it must
justifiable and given with respect. “I think that respect is imperative. I’m
not saying that people have to like me or that nobody can criticise me. Do it
with reason and balance, though, with responsibility. Not lacking respect. You
can criticise someone, say they didn’t play well. That’s fine. When Gary
Neville talked about me being like something out of a video game, that’s the
sort of thing that lacks respect, especially because he was a player. But I
reacted in a positive way because I know that he’s learning, and he’s growing
into a new profession. I think he realised that he’d made a mistake, and he
spoke well of me later on. These things happen.” The 28-year-old then
spoke of his move from Chelsea to the French capital, insisting it was his
decision to leave Stamford Bridge. “I’d had four happy years at Chelsea,
and they offered me a new contract, but I preferred to go. It was my decision. When
I left [the Chelsea squad at the end of the 2013/14 season], I was with Brazil,
and I didn’t really have any contact with [Mourinho]. I was in Brazil on
holiday first, then preparing for the World Cup. Everything was presented to
me, I accepted, and he sent me a little message saying ‘good luck.’ Afterwards,
I went straight to Paris. I didn’t go back to London.”
Bayern Munich
midfielder Arturo Vidal has lashed out following his rushed exit from the
Chilean national team camp. The former Juventus star had travelled to Chile
ahead of Saturday’s friendly against Paraguay, yet made a swift return to Germany,
where he was seen at training with fellow Munich teammates on Thursday. Reports
in Chile suggested the midfielder may have been sent home due to disciplinary
reasons, with local papers reporting he had arrived at training under the
influence of alcohol, while others say he was caught at a casino. Vidal, who
has been known for various off-the-field incidents having crashed his Ferrari
while on national duty at the Copa America this year, has responded to such
claims, saying the media is merely dragging his name “through the mud”. “Of
course I am upset because you are dirtying my image and I think that I am
playing on one of the best teams in the world and this affects me a lot,” he
said. “I would prefer it if you would be more kind to me in Chile, but
some people just want to drag me through the mud.” Vidal insists he
returned home for personal reasons with his coach’s approval, while dismissing
claims that his son, who has diabetes, was in any danger.
Real Madrid boss
Florentino Perez has refused to take the blame for failing to finalise David De
Gea’s proposed deadline day move, insisting Manchester United’s “inexperience”
was at fault. The Red Devils shot-stopper was on the verge of completing
his much-anticipated switch to the Santiago Bernabeu, yet the necessary
paperwork was not submitted on time, leaving the 25-year-old stuck at Old
Trafford, having yet to feature in a game under Louis van Gaal this season. Madrid
president Perez says he is baffled by the amount of time United took to send in
the relevant documents, claiming the Spanish club had completed their necessary
papers much earlier in the day. “De Gea was very affected because he
really wanted to come to Real Madrid,” Perez said. “At 13.30,
Manchester United already had the contracts. We sent the contracts to
Manchester United at 13.30 and they took eight hours until they sent back the
papers. We don’t understand why they took eight hours to see the contracts and
we don’t understand that if they wanted to negotiate, they waited until the last
moment.” Perez insists his relationship with the English club has always been
“good”, yet feels his Premier League counterparts lacked experience in this
negotiation, having endured a similar situation with various other players in
the past. “Our relationship with Manchester United is good,” he said. “We
do not understand many things, but I’m not here to blame anyone. They
[Manchester United] lack experience, because this same thing happened last year
to [Fabio] Coentrao and Ander Herrera [with Athletic].”
Former Tottenham boss
Harry Redknapp says the current Liverpool team is the worst he has seen in
years, labelling the Merseysiders “bang average”. The Reds
started the season with wins over Stoke City and newly promoted Bournemouth
before drawing with Arsenal and losing 3-0 to West Ham at Anfield last time out.
“I don’t fancy Liverpool at all,” Redknapp said. “I think it’s the worst
Liverpool team I have seen in years. They look bang average. They are lucky to
have any points. Bournemouth should have beaten them, they got a wonder goal at
Stoke. OK, they played all right first-half at Arsenal. I think they will do
well to finish in the top five. I am not with Liverpool at all this year.
Having said that they will probably win the league!” Redknapp went on to criticise the make-up of
Brendan Rodgers’ outfit. “They lost Steven Gerrard, their leader. What a
player. They lost Jamie Carragher the year before. They’ve lost their
characters,” he added. “Look at the two centre-halves on Saturday (Dejan Lovren
and Martin Skrtel). The left-back (Joe Gomez) is a good young player who can’t
kick with his left foot but he is playing at left-back. He’s a fantastic
talent, strong, quick. But what will he give you on the left? He is on the
wrong side. They look a badly balanced team to me. Sorry, I can’t have
Liverpool.”
Arsenal manager
Arsene Wenger feels Manchester United’s big-money signing of Anthony Martial
illustrates the dearth of world-class talent on the market. The Gunners
were the only team in the top five European leagues not to enlist an outfield
player in the summer transfer window, with goalkeeper Petr Cech the sole
arrival at the Emirates Stadium. By contrast title rivals United spent heavily,
culminating in the £36million acquisition of 19-year-old Martial, who has
become the world’s most expensive teenager. “What happened last night with
Monaco, who sold Martial to Manchester United for 80 million euros – Martial
scored 11 goals in the French championship – that sums it up well,” Wenger
said. “That means it’s not the money that’s missing at the moment, it’s
not the desire of investment that is missing, it’s the number of players
available who can strengthen the big clubs.” The Frenchman has been widely
criticised for his lack of transfer activity, but insists it is difficult to
source suitable recruits. “Am I happy with the investment I make? Yes,
every time,” he said. “I bought (Alexis) Sanchez, I bought (Mesut)
Ozil, I bought Cech, I bought Gabriel last year but when you have to invest you
have to find the players to invest in. The problem at the moment is finding the
players that guarantee you are a better team afterwards.”
Bulgarian striker
Dimitar Berbatov has joined Greek club PAOK on a one-year deal. “PAOK FC
announce the signing of Dimitar Berbatov who penned a deal with the
“Double-Headed Eagle” until 30.6.2016,” read a statement on the club’s official
website. The 34-year-old, who has turned out for Premier League clubs
Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham, spent last season with Ligue 1
side Monaco, netting 18 goals in 53 matches, before being released by the
French club. In total, Berbatov has scored 274 goals in 635 appearances across
all clubs in his illustrious career, with 48 goals in 78 national caps to his
name. Berbatov arrives in Greece with an impressive CV, having lifted two
Premier League titles, two Community Shields, a FIFA Club World Cup and the
Bulgarian Cup, while he was also crowned as the Premier League’s Golden Boot
winner in 2010/11 with 20 goals. PAOK will hope to utilise Berbatov’s
experience to improve their third-place finish in the Greek League last season,
having last won their domestic League in the 1984/85 season.
Former Mexico and Real Madrid great
Hugo Sanchez has described Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal as a
“scoundrel” for the manner in which he treated former striker Javier Hernandez.
Chicharito, who has now signed for German club Bayer Leverkusen, returned
from his loan spell at Real Madrid and was included in United’s squad that did
battle against Club Brugge in their UEFA Champions League qualifier last week. The
Mexican, who had not scored for the Red Devils in 17 months, had the ideal
chance to do so from the penalty spot in that encounter, yet missed the target
as he fell while taking the spot-kick, with coach van Gaal caught on camera
giving assistant Ryan Giggs an ominous stare following the miss which many felt
spelt the end of the 27-year-old’s future at Old Trafford. Sanchez, who earned
over 50 caps for Mexico between 1977 and 1994 and featured in over 200 games
for Madrid, feels van Gaal’s reaction was unjustified, feeling that it was an
unacceptable way for a coach to react to his player’s error. “Van Gaal made a
bad decision – and it’s not one he’s done for the first time, he’s done it
50,000 times,” Sanchez said. “I’ve coached and a coach cannot do that
to their own player. I’d go out and applaud him and tell him to trust in
himself. But that look he gave Giggs… What a scoundrel. It was a bad game for
Chicharito but any player in the world can do that. Van Gaal is a scoundrel;
hopefully those in England realise he is a bad person and treats his players
poorly. He should be professional. The players deserve professional and humane
treatment.”
West Brom manager
Tony Pulis says striker Saido Berahino needs to grow up following his
controversial transfer saga on deadline day. Tottenham Hotspur were keen
admirers of the 22-year-old, with the striker himself trying to force a move –
despite his club rejecting four bids for the talented forward – by sending out
a tweet on deadline day which read: “I can officially say I will never
play (West Brom chairman) Jeremy Peace”. Despite his statement, and the
fact that he has not played in almost a month for West Brom, coach Pulis says
he still backs the striker, although admits he has a lot of maturing to do. “Saido’s
problem has been how he he’s gone about it,” the West Brom manager said. “I
spoke to Saido and told him not to get involved in anything else but football
but again, unfortunately, he didn’t listen. By handing in a transfer request,
he only antagonised the whole situation. Respect has to be earned and Saido has
to learn that lesson. West Brom have nurtured Saido’s career for over a decade,
they deserve the utmost respect and at times unwillingly he has shown them
little. He has to grow up and wise up to the fact that people at West Brom have
supported him right from the beginning of his career.” Pulis also admitted it
will be hard for the Burundi-born frontman to feel part of the team again
following his declaration, but insists he will play for the club again.
Claudio Pizarro has
joined German club Werder Bremen from Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich in what
will be his third stint at the Weserstadion. The Peruvian striker first
donned the Bremen shirt between 1999 and 2001 before joining Munich, while
marking his return to the The Green Whites in 2008 after failing to reach his
best at Premier League outfit Chelsea. The veteran rejoined the Bavarians
before the start of the 2012/13 season, and after failing to renew his contract
at the Allianz Arena, has now signed a one-year deal with Bremen. The
36-year-old, who has six Bundesliga titles, five German Cups and a Champions
League winners medal to his name from his time with Bayern, won the 2009 German
Cup with Bremen, and has scored an impressive 127 goals in 220 matches in his
previous two stints with the club, including 44 assists. Pizarro, who has 72
national caps to his name, is the Bundesliga’s record foreign goal-scorer, and
will be reunited with coach Viktor Skrypnyk, who was his team-mate at Bremen
when he first joined 16 years ago.
Italy coach Antonio
Conte has slammed critics of playmaker Andrea Pirlo, insisting the veteran
deserves more respect. The 36-year-old, who now turns out for MLS side New
York City FC following four successful seasons at Juventus, was heavily
criticised for his display in Italy’s 1-0 victory over Malta in their Euro
qualifier last week Thursday. He was subsequently benched in the Azzurri’s 1-0
win over Bulgaria on Sunday, yet despite relegating him to the bench, head
coach Conte feels the maestro deserves much more respect from his doubters. “What
really disappoints me is the lack of respect from some towards an immense
player like Pirlo,” Conte said. “He deserves more respect in every
way. Pirlo cannot be considered irreplaceable one day and the next ready for
the scrapheap.”
Spain coach Vicente
del Bosque has hit out at Spanish fans for whistling at defender Gerard Pique
in their 2-0 defeat of Slovakia in Oviedo. The Barcelona defender was
jeered by sections of the home supporters, who voiced their disapproval of the
player’s support of the Catalan referendum, with the Spanish state looking to
gain independence from the European nation. Fans want Pique to be excluded from
the national team based on his political view, yet La Furia Roja’s head coach
has blasted the supporters for whistling at their own player on home soil. “This
does not benefit us. He wants the national team to work well, and he has my
esteem,” Del Bosque was quoted as saying on Spanish radio. It is unpleasant. I
find it disgraceful that a player of the national team is being booed, and I
hope this doesn’t happen again.”