Lampard Joins City On Loan
Former Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard will be part of
Manchester City’s Premier League squad for the new season on a six-month loan
from MLS expansion team New York City FC.City manager Manuel
Pellegrini confirmed the deal Saturday after the club’s International Challenge
Cup defeat on penalties against Olympiakos at the University of Minnesota.
“From next week, on Wednesday, he’ll start working with our team,”
Pellegrini said. “At the moment, he will start working with our squad
because he is a member of the squad. He will be in the fight for a position. We
have a very good team. He is one player more. We have a lot of competition,
especially in the Champions League, so he is very important to our team.” Lampard
signed a two-year contact with the New York club – owned by Manchester City and
the New York Yankees – last month. The MLS team is scheduled to begin play next
year. The 36-year-old Lampard is Chelsea’s all-time top scorer.
Chelsea’s Oriol Romeu
will spend a second season away from Stamford Bridge after the Blues confirmed
a loan move to Stuttgart. The Spanish midfielder, who joined Chelsea in
2011, spent last term with Valencia. And the 22-year-old has again been farmed
out by boss Jose Mourinho to continue his development, this time with German
side Stuttgart. Romeu last month put pen to paper on a new three-year deal with
the west London outfit, leading Chelsea fans to believe he would form part of
Mourinho’s plans for the coming campaign, possibly at the expense of John Obi
Mikel. But Mourinho’s plans for the young midfielder appear to be more
long-term.
Liverpool and
Manchester United’s hopes of signing Marco Reus have been dealt a blow after
Borussia Dortmund insisted the midfielder will not be leaving the Bundesliga
club this summer. Reus has been linked with a move to the Premier League
duo in recent weeks, with German giants Bayern Munich also said to be keen on
his signature. But Dortmund chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke said the club
are working to tie the 25-year-old down to a long-term contract.
Arsenal are believed
to have made an enquiry over the availability of Manchester United target Mats
Hummels. According to the Mirror, Gunners boss Arsene Wenger is ready to
challenge United for the centre-half, with Thomas Vermaelen’s departure from
the Emirates on the cards. Borussia Dortmund have repeatedly stated this summer
that Hummels is not for sale, but Arsenal believe a £30m bid could test their
resolve. Wenger is looking to bolster his defence with club captain Vermaelen
expected to leave before the transfer window closes at the end of the month. Man
United have been linked with the Belgian international, but Spanish giants
Barcelona are also keen and are expected to make a £10m move imminently. Should
United miss out on Vermaelen and then see the Gunners pip them to Hummels, boss
Louis van Gaal will have to quickly identify further targets if he is to
replace Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic this summer.
Liverpool fans
flocked to social networks to voice their frustrations with Glen Johnson after
the 3-1 International Champions Cup defeat to Manchester United. The Reds
took the lead courtesy of a Steven Gerrard penalty when Phil Jones hauled down
Raheem Sterling in the box, but Wayne Rooney levelled before Juan Mata and
Jesse Lingard sealed the contest for Louis van Gaal’s men. However, despite it being a pre-season
warm-up, Liverpool fans were vociferous in their panning of the out-of-sorts
Johnson, and didn’t hold back with their comments on Twitter about the England
right-back.
Sunderland are in
negotiations with Manchester City to sign midfielder Jack Rodwell. The
23-year-old England international is on Wearside for talks and to have a
medical. Reports suggest he will join Sunderland for a fee in the region of
£10m. Rodwell joined City from Everton for £12m in 2012 but has made only 25
appearances, after struggling with a hamstring injury and falling behind other
midfielders in the pecking order. Rodwell would be the second high-profile Englishman
to leave Etihad Stadium this summer after Gareth Barry signed for Everton.
Having failed Uefa’s Financial Fair Play rules last season, City must name at
least five home-grown players in their 21-man Champions League squad this
season.
Footballers often get
a bad press at times, but a gesture from Everton’s Steven Naismith deserves as
much, if not more, publicity than the misdemeanours of those splashed across
the front pages. The Scottish international, who is heavily involved in
charity work, has decided to give something back to fans across Merseyside by
sending match tickets to unemployed supporters. The 27-year-old said: “I come
from Ayrshire in the West of Scotland and spent a lot of my life in Glasgow – a
city that, at times, has suffered from high unemployment. Liverpool has a
similar history and I am aware that, through no fault of their own, there are
many unemployed in Liverpool trying hard to find a job and may not be able to
afford a ticket. I thought this might be a small gesture to help those in that
situation to enjoy a day out at one of our league matches. Hopefully it can
bring some joy to many people. I have asked the Jobcentre Plus if they could
give the tickets to different job centres across the city each week and select
people who are unemployed through no fault of their own, are trying hard to
find employment and who would enjoy watching a Premier League football match. Every
day I feel very fortunate for the opportunities and lifestyle my job as a
footballer has afforded my family and me and also to be in the position where I
can help the community in some small way.”
Southampton striker Pablo Osvaldo will finalise a loan move
to Inter Milan this week – and could start training with the Serie A side as
early as Thursday. The forward arrived in Milan to negotiate terms
of the transfer on Monday and, according to Italian publication Gazetta dello
Sport, the 28-year-old will undergo a medical which should be completed before
Thursday. Osvaldo’s future at Southampton has been in doubt ever since he was
involved in a training ground altercation with teammate Jose Fonte last season,
which resulted in The Saints’ record-signing spending the rest of the campaign
on loan at Serie A champions Juventus. Osvaldo will now be loaned out to Inter
for the 2014/15 season, after which time, the Italian giants will be able to
make the move permanent for about £5.5m next year.
Juventus great
Alessandro Del Piero insists he is not ready for retirement just yet as he
looks to prolong his decorated career. Italy’s second all-time league top
goal-scorer spent 19 glittering years with the Old Lady, winning six Scudetto
titles, the Italian Cup as well as the Champions League, before spending the
last two years turning out for Australian League side Sydney FC. Despite being
39 years old, and his contract in Australia running to an end, the veteran
striker says he wishes to continue playing, as he prepares to captain an
Australian All Stars team against his former club Juventus this Saturday.
Manchester United
striker Robin van Persie will miss the start of the Premier League this season,
coach Louis van Gaal has revealed. The star frontman only returns to
training this week at his club after a busy spell with the Netherlands as he
helped his nation to a third-place finish at this year’s Fifa World Cup in
Brazil. Yet the Red Devils coach said the Dutchman will not be available in
next week’s friendly against Emirates Cup winners Valencia – van Gaal’s first
match in charge at Old Trafford – nor for the start of the upcoming league
campaign. “He won’t play in the Premier League either. When a player has
been on holiday for three weeks they have to train. I’m sorry but players have
to train and Robin needs a full training regime behind him before he can play again.”
Van Gaal said that despite the criticism, he knows how to handle his players. “People
can criticise me for my decision but I know what to do with players who have
had three weeks’ holiday,” he said.
French winger Samir
Nasri has hinted at an imminent decision which could see the 27-year-old retire
from international football. Nasri, who missed selection for the 2010 and
2014 World Cup – with current coach France Didier Deschamps claiming he does
not play the same for his country as at club level – is widely expected to hang
up his boots for France after revealing he has made a decision over his
international future, which he will announce soon.
Real Madrid have signed Costa Rica goalkeeper Keylor Navas
from Levante on a six-year deal.Navas was a standout performer at
the 2014 World Cup as Costa Rica reached the quarter-finals.
Arsenal manager
Arsene Wenger has raised questions regarding Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard’s
loan move to reigning Premier League champions Manchester City. Wenger
feels the English player’s move to City is a means for the club to adhere to
UEFA’s Financial Fair Play regulations. Manuel Pellegrini’s side were punished
last season by UEFA for over-spending, and were dealt with a £49 million (R878
million) fine, and will only be allowed to select a 21-man squad (instead of
the normal 25-man team) for Champions Leagues games this campaign, with eight
of the squad members having to be home-grown players. “Is it a way to get
around the fair play? I don’t know,” Wenger told the press. “At the
moment the players they sign cannot play until next year so they will register
them in the other clubs and can get out on loan.” The English champions are
part-owners of Lampard’s new Club, New York City FC, and own Australian club
Melbourne City FC as well, and Wenger feels this is a ploy to capture players
back on loan from their various clubs across the globe. “It looks like all
of these ‘City’ clubs will feed the main club Manchester City – I heard they
want to buy five clubs all over the world,” said the Gunners coach. Wenger said
his team will not repeat their rival’s antics, and will remain focused on
running their own club in London. “We are happy to dedicate the money to
just run our club – there is not a lot of surplus to run other clubs,” he
said.
Patrice Beaumelle
resigned as Zambia coach on Sunday, leaving the country’s national side just
two months before they begin their African Nations Cup qualifying campaign. Beaumelle
had taken over in October from fellow Frenchman Herve Renard, and is now
expected to rejoin him as assistant after Renard was named as the new coach of
the Ivory Coast on Thursday. The 36-year-old Beaumelle had no previous
managerial experience when he replaced Renard. He took charge of 10 matches
over the last nine months with three wins, three draws and four defeats. Zambia
must now find a replacement in time for their opening Group F qualifier against
Mozambique at home on Sept. 5 as they begin their bid to qualify for the finals
in Morocco.
Former Manchester United
and Real Madrid striker Ruud van Nistelrooy has been appointed as one of the
assistant coaches to manager Guus Hiddink in charge of the Netherlands. “Guus
Hiddink (67), Danny Blind (52) and Ruud van Nistelrooy (37) forms the technical
staff of the Dutch team,” read a statement on the Dutch FA’s official website. Van
Nistelrooy, who scored 35 goals in 70 internationals for the Oranje, will work
alongside Blind as Hiddink’s right-hand men, with Blind taking over the head
coach role after the 2018 World Cup in Russia as part of a predetermined
succession plan.
Barcelona forward
Neymar expects to be back to full fitness for his Spanish club ahead of the
start of the upcoming La Liga season. The Selecao star was stretched off
the field in Brazil’s World Cup quarter-final encounter against Colombia after
fracturing his vertebra in a tackle with opposition defender Camilo Zuniga. Having
undergone meticulous treatment since his injury on 4 July, Neymar feels he will
be back to his best as his club continues their preparations for the upcoming
campaign. “I am recovering from the injury day by day,” the 22-year-old said
while participating in various promotional events in Japan. “I’ll be coming
back to Barcelona 100% fit.” Neymar is set to rejoin his Barca team mates
in preseason training on 5 August, and is expected to be fit for the annual
Joan Gamper Trophy match – a traditional preseason friendly played by Barcelona
in honour of their former president – which is scheduled for Monday, 18 August
against Mexican club Leon FC. Neymar was recently criticised by new Brazilian
coach Dunga for focussing too much on his off-the-field image rather than
matters on the pitch.
Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez has revealed that
interest from Italian club Inter Milan pleases him, yet has refused to
speculate whether or not he will leave Old Trafford before the end of the
transfer window. ‘Chicharito’ made just 24 League appearances last
season, mostly from the substitute’s bench, and has long-since been linked with
a move away from Manchester, with many believing the talented Mexican is in
search of more regular game-time. Hernandez was included in United’s squad
which is currently on tour of the USA, yet has made just two brief substitute
appearances for the Red Devils thus far in their preseason friendlies. Serie A
club Inter Milan are the latest side showing interest in the 26-year-old, who
is happy to have been noticed by the Milan club, yet refused to reveal whether
a switch to Milan is on the cards. “I know there is much interest in me from
the Italian club and I thank them for this,” Hernandez told Corriere dello
Sport. “There are also other teams and everything obviously is pleasing, but
right now I belong to Manchester United and it would be disrespectful to mention
other teams even though I do not know what will happen once the tour of the US
concludes.”
Everton have signed
Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku for a club record £28m. The 21-year-old
Belgian World Cup forward, who scored 16 goals on loan at Everton last season,
has signed a five-year contract at Goodison Park. Everton boss Roberto Martinez
said: “This signing is not just important for this season. It is a
significant day in the history of this football club.” Lukaku joined
Chelsea from Anderlecht for £18m in August 2011 but played only 15 games for
the club. After signing his contract at Goodison, Lukaku said: “I’m 21, I
need to be playing in a good team. I needed to be in a place that felt right. I
decided very quickly I wanted to come back. This is the place I belong.” Lukaku’s
transfer breaks the previous record of £15m for Marouane Fellaini when he
joined Everton from Standard Liege in 2008. It was originally thought Everton
would pay £23.7m for Lukaku before the club revealed the £28m fee. Chelsea believe
the transfer puts them in a strong position to comply with Uefa’s Financial
Fair Play rules. Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, who has now brought in £68m after
the sale of Lukaku and defender David Luiz, said: “He wanted to play for
Chelsea but wanted to be the first-choice striker. That’s very difficult to
promise. Everton made an important offer and financial fair play is something
that is always behind the thoughts of the board. This leaves Chelsea in a great
position.”
Liverpool captain
Steven Gerrard has revealed that he had told former team mate Luis Suarez that
he was “too good” to sign for Premier League rivals Arsenal. Suarez, who
signed for Spanish giants Barcelona earlier this month, had been linked with a
move to the Gunners, and his former skipper was pleased the striker did not end
up with their London-based opponents. “I would have been really sad and
disappointed to see Luis go to Arsenal,” Gerrard told the Daily Telegraph. “With
all due respect to them, I said to him that he was too good for Arsenal. I said
if you score 30 goals for us and win the PFA player of the year, the press
player of the year – I knew he was going to win them – I told him Real or
Barcelona will come for you.” Gerrard said he doesn’t blame Suarez for joining
Barca – a club he had always spoken of joining – and was glad the forward had
heeded his warning of not joining Arsene Wenger’s side. “His [Suárez’s] wife is
from Barcelona and I don’t think you can begrudge a player like that, who has
worked so hard for his dream,” the English midfielder revealed. “You can’t go
against him when he says he is leaving for Barcelona. His dream from the first
day he came was to play for Real Madrid or Barcelona. “Last summer when he was
out in the cold and training on his own that’s the conversation I had with him.
I said: ‘Don’t go to Arsenal’.
Mali midfielder
Seydou Keita has labelled Real Madrid defender Pepe as “worthless” after a
recent spat in a club friendly, which brought up a racial-abuse incident from
the past. Keita, who recently joined Serie A outfit Roma, refused to shake
the defender’s hand when the Giallorossi and Los Blancos lined up for a
friendly fixture on Tuesday night. Immediately after the pre-game traditional
handshakes, Keita threw a water bottle at his opponent, sparking a heated
exchange between the two sides. Following the incident, the midfielder, who had
faced Pepe on numerous occasions during his four-year stint at Barcelona, took
to Twitter to explain himself. “1. He called me a monkey during Madrid-Barca, 2.
I did not shake his hand, 3. He spat on me, and after I threw the bottle, sorry
for my attitude,” Keita wrote on his official twitter account.”
Liverpool have
announced the signing of Belgium striker Divock Origi for £10 million from
Lille. The 19-year-old will be loaned back to the French Ligue 1 club for
the coming season and link up with the Reds for the 2015/16 season. Origi
impressed at the 2014 World Cup and was also courted by Tottenham Hotspur and
Atletico Madrid. Liverpool have also signed Rickie Lambert, Adam Lallana, Emre
Can, Lazar Markovic and Dejan Lovren during this pre-season at a combined cost
of £94 million.