United Edging Closer To Pedro Deal
Manchester United are reportedly moving ever closer to
completing their deal for Barcelona star Pedro. United executive
vice-chairman Ed Woodward has flown back to the UK to finalise the transfer
that will see the club take their summer spending over the £100m mark. United look
prepared to trigger Pedro’s £22m release clause and Woodward has held talks
with the player’s agent. The move is now close and Pedro is set to become
United’s sixth major deal of the transfer window. Pedro wants out of Barca
after falling down their pecking order dramatically in the past few seasons. He
is now behind the trio of superstars of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar,
with no promise he’ll get regular playing time at the Nou Camp. Despite this,
his quality is undoubted and holds a fine record both domestically and
internationally, scoring 98 goals in 318 games for the La Liga giants and
earning 51 caps for Spain. Pedro is set to replace mega-money flop Angel di
Maria who is edging towards his £46m move to Paris St-Germain. The 27-year-old
will become United’s sixth new face after the combined £80m deals of Memphis
Depay, Matteo Darmian, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Morgan Schneiderlin and
Sergio Romero’s free transfer.
Dutch winger Ibrahim Afellay has joined Premier League club
Stoke City from Spanish giants Barcelona on a two-year deal. “Stoke
City are delighted to confirm the signing of Dutch international Ibrahim
Afellay on a two-year contract,” read a statement on the club’s official
website. The 29-year-old, who joined Barca from Dutch giants PSV in 2011,
endured a tough time at the Camp Nou, with injuries and various loan spells
limiting him to just 35 appearances in the Blaugrana shirt. The Netherlands
international’s contract was not renewed by Barca and Stoke swooped in for the
talented winger. Afellay, who has 50 international caps to his name, is the
eighth signing of the season thus far for Stoke, as he joins former Barcelona
players Bojan Krkic, Marc Muniesa and Moha, as well as fellow countrymen Erik
Pieters and Marco van Ginkel at the English club.
Chelsea coach Jose
Mourinho has told rival coach Arsene Wenger to use a calculator before
dismissing his side’s chances of Premier League glory. Wenger has
constantly re-iterated his thoughts that it is “impossible” for the Gunners to
win the league title, yet Mourinho feels his opposite number may “find a
surprise” if he adds up the numbers.
“If you add up the amounts the clubs have spent in the last three
or four years I think maybe you will find a surprise,” he told reporters.
“Get a calculator. That is one of the easiest things to do. It leaves no
space for speculation. If you want to be honest, objective and pragmatic it is
the easiest job for a manager or a journalist to do. They [Arsenal] have bought
a fantastic goalkeeper and that is a position which is very important in a
team. If you put [Mesut] Ozil plus [Alexis] Sanchez, plus [Calum] Chambers,
plus [Mathieu] Debuchy you will maybe find a surprise.” Mourinho firmly
believes Arsenal will feature prominently in the title race this season, as he
expects a tough fight for Champions League positions in the 2015/16 campaign.
“It [Arsenal] has a fantastic squad with good players, fantastic
goalkeeper,” the Blues coach said. “They are more than ready to be title
contenders. Everyone of us should expect to win the title. We have five teams
who will play for the title, only one will win and one of us will be playing
Europa League in two years. That is the reality, five teams for four Champions
League positions, only one will be champion and one in Europa League.”
Karim Benzema’s agent
insists his client will be at Real Madrid when the new season gets underway. The
French striker has been linked with a move to Arsenal, while Manchester United
have also reportedly emerged as late suitors. However, Karim Djaziri says
Benzema is staying for the foreseeable future. “Karim is very happy at
Real Madrid and he will be a Real Madrid player by the end of this transfer
window, 1 000 percent. Karim is not looking to move anywhere this summer,” the
agent said.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has welcomed Paris Saint-Germain’s
reported move for Manchester United winger Angel di Maria. The
French giants have been strongly linked with Di Maria, who failed to match
expectations in his first year with United last season following his £59.7
million switch from Real Madrid. “I don’t know if it is done but of course
if you get a chance to play with Di Maria, it is a fantastic thing. The guy has
won everything. He is a fantastic player who plays for the team,”
Ibrahimovic is quoted as saying in the Irish Times. “He brings pace to a team.
He brings quality, big quality and for sure he will make our team even better
than it is today. So for sure he is welcome and we will receive him with open
arms.” Ibrahimovic applauded PSG’s determination to bring top quality
players to Parc des Princes. “It shows how much they are willing to get
what they want,” he added. By investing in players like that. Because
every year they invest to get big players but also players that fit in the
team. So there is no limits. The people behind this, they want to become big.
They are dreaming bigger and they will get bigger. It’s all about small
details. Real Madrid are a fantastic team. They have fantastic players. Of
course when Real Madrid got Bale they became better for sure and we will become
better for sure with Di Maria.”
Manchester United
manager Louis van Gaal has reiterated he will retire from football in 2017. The
Dutchman insists he will not break a promise made to his wife Truus. “I
will give it up [in 2017],” Van Gaal said. “I promised that to my
wife. We have not many years together any more. That is the reason. I have to
admit I have said to her, when I met her and after our relationship seemed to
be very good, that at 55 I shall quit. I am still working and next week I am
64.” Van Gaal, who steered United back into the Champions League in his
first season at Old Trafford last term, has enjoyed success with former clubs
Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Ajax Amsterdam. And he is satisfied with his
efforts. I have done everything in my career as a manager. I have been in the
Netherlands, my home country, in Spain, which is a fantastic league, and
Germany is also a fantastic league,” Van Gaal said. I participated in the
World Cup and the European Championship too. The only wish was the Premier
League. Now I am here. Do I have to go to Qatar to earn still more money? I
don’t think so. You have to enjoy also your life and your relationship with
your wife.” Van Gaal, however, is naturally hopeful he can claim Premier
League honours before calling it quits. “I want to do that in [my] three years
[at the club],” Van Gaal said. “If it is this year, then I am very
happy. But I cannot say this year we shall be the champions. We have to fight
for it. That is the most important thing. Until the end we have to challenge
for the number one. And maybe we are. The long-term vision is to win the
championship or an FA Cup or a Champions League.”
Talismanic Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba has joined MLS
side Montreal Impact. The
decorated frontman, who turned out for
Premier League winners Chelsea last season, has reportedly joined the Canadian
club on an 18-month contract, yet will only officially join once his
International Transfer Certificate and his Canadian work permit has been
received. “It’s an honour to welcome Didier Drogba to the Impact,” said Impact
President Joey Saputo. “From the first conversation I had with him, I felt that
he really wanted to play in Montreal. This is one of the biggest days in club
history and his arrival to the club will be beneficial in every aspect.” Drogba
enjoyed a stellar career in the Premier League, scoring 104 goals and providing
63 assists in 254 games as he helped Chelsea to four league titles, three
League Cups, four FA Cups as well as the UEFA Champions League title. Impact
will have to pay Chicago Fire $50,000 for Drogba after negotiating with the
Ivorian, who was on the latter’s ‘discovery list’ – MLS rules state that “a
team must give $50,000 in compensation to sign a player from another team’s
discovery list, but only if the original team isn’t planning to offer that
player a contract”.
Crystal Palace coach
Alan Pardew says he would love to return back to South Africa, and may even be
back by the end of the year. Pardew’s Premier League side were beaten 2-0
by Portuguese rivals Sporting Lisbon in the inaugural Cape Town Cup final, with
Pardew well-pleased with the level of competition in the pre-season spectacle. “That
was as close as a competitive game as you’ll get during pre-season,” he told
reporters. “I’m so pleased with that game, it was just what we wanted. Of
course not the result but that was a Europa League-standard quality game out
there today on that pitch.” Pardew did however reveal his displeasure at local
referee Lwandile Mfiki for his handling of the final, saying he did not
understand the European style of play. “Unfortunately the referee had no
concept of European football so almost every challenge was a free kick and
we’re not used to that – we probably gave away eight or nine free kicks around
our box and we usually average about two,” he said. “In the end they managed to
score one and that changed the game. I thought it was a terrific first half
with two different styles but even for Sporting the referee spoilt it a little
bit and we were frustrated with the stop-start nature of the game.” Pardew
said he thoroughly enjoyed his stay in South Africa, and would return to Mzansi
in a heartbeat. “We’ve enjoyed every aspect of it, we’ve been very well
received – the welcome we’ve had and the way we’ve been treated has been
absolutely superb, we could not have asked for more,” he said. “We would
love to come back. In fact, we’ve been talking about coming over for a
mid-season break because flying here overnight makes the time difference
irrelevant, and makes a lot of sense for us,” he continued. “So if anyone in
South Africa wants to fly us back, we’d love to come back!”
Manchester United have completed the transfer of Argentine
goalkeeper Sergio Romero on a free transfer from Italian side Sampdoria.“Manchester
United is delighted to announce that goalkeeper Sergio Romero has signed a
three-year contract with the option to extend for a further year,” read a
statement on United’s website. The 28-year-old made his professional debut for
Argentine side Racing Club in 2007, before making the move to Europe where he
turned out for Dutch club AZ Alkmaar until 2011, when he joined Sampdoria. The
experienced gloveman, who was part of his national side that earned the
runner’s up spot at last year’s World Cup, was thrilled to have penned a deal
with the Premier League giants. “I am absolutely delighted to join Manchester
United,” he said. “To play for the biggest club in the world is a dream come
true for me. Louis van Gaal is a fantastic manager and I cannot wait to get
started on this new and exciting challenge in my career.” Coach Louis van Gaal, who coached the
Argentine during his spell in the Netherlands, was full of praise for the
shot-stopper. “Sergio is a very talented goalkeeper. He was a young keeper
during my time at AZ Alkmaar and I am delighted he is joining Manchester
United. He had a fantastic World Cup last summer in Brazil, although that is
something I have put to the back of my mind! He will be a great addition to the
team and I am looking forward to working with him once again.” The signing of
Romero seems to spell the end for unwanted goalkeeper Victor Valdes, while the
future of Real Madrid target David De Gea remains uncertain.
Newcastle have
announced the signing of Congolese defender Chancel Mbemba from Anderlecht,
subject to the player receiving a work permit. The 20-year-old, who awaits
his clearance from the Football Association, has 17 caps for the Democratic
Republic of Congo. Mbemba joined Belgian side Anderlecht in 2012.
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers says the ball is in Mario
Balotelli’s court as to whether he wants to stay at the club. The
Italian striker managed just four goals for the Reds last season following his
£16-million move from AC Milan at the start of 2014/15. He has been left out of
Liverpool’s pre-season tours of Australia and the Far East, while the signing
of Danny Ings, the arrival of Divock Origi and the expected transfer of
Christian Benteke have further cast doubt over his future. Rodgers says it is
up to Balotelli to decide where he wants to be next season. “Mario is obviously
not on tour but working hard and training well with a number of other players
at Melwood,” Rodgers said. “I’m not sure [where his future lies]; that will
entirely be up to Mario. He is working hard to get fit and we will see when the
season begins.”
Chelsea manager Jose
Mourinho says his Premier League rivals are trying to ‘buy the title’ from them
in the current transfer window. ‘Buying the title’ was a phrase often
synonymous with current Premier League champions Chelsea when Jose Mourinho
first joined in 2004, shortly after Roman Abramovic took over the club. Now the
Portuguese tactician believes the tables have turned as his rivals Manchester
United, Manchester City and Liverpool are spending left, right and centre on
playing personnel ahead of the new season. However, Mourinho is confident his
troops can still fend off any title threats in the new season, despite not
delving into the market the way other teams have. In the beginning of Mr Abramovich
coming to Chelsea, Chelsea was buying the title,” Mourinho said. “Now,
they are buying the title. All of them, they are buying the title. It is up to
us to be strong and to fight them and, obviously, to try and win it again, even
without the big investments.”
Chelsea striker Diego
Costa has welcomed the arrival of Radamel Falcao, and vows to help the
Colombian forward regain his old form. Falcao has joined Chelsea on a
season-long loan deal from French side Monaco, after an unhappy spell under
Louis van Gaal at Machester United last season. However, Costa is happy about
Falcao’s unsuccessful spell with United that has now led to his former Atletico
Madrid teammate joining him at Stamford Bridge, and believes his new Blues
teammate will flourish if given love and trust. “It’s good for us that he
didn’t have the best of seasons as that’s why he’s now with us,” Costa
said. ‘We know that Falcao is a hugely talented player. The only thing he needs
is to feel loved and trusted, and he will get both here. The manager is very
happy to have brought him in and we are all very excited to have him in our
squad because he’s a great player. He gets on very well with his team-mates and
he will help us a lot off the field too.”
Five Roma players
were refused entry into Indonesia for a pre-season game and forced to fly home.
The team arrived on Friday for their first visit to Indonesia in the Serie
A club’s history but ran into trouble at customs, Roma chief executive Italo
Zanzi said. Seydou Doumbia, Gervinho, Victor Ibarbo, Adem Ljajic and Antonio
Sanabria were all stopped by immigration officials at Jakarta’s international
airport and later boarded a flight back to Rome, missing what was billed as ‘AS
Roma’s Indonesia Day 2015’ 24 hours later. Zanzi told reporters as the team
hotel: “It’s a real disappointment for us, given that we’ve made a
substantial effort to be here. It’s not a positive thing for the players, for
the club, who did everything we were asked to do, but most importantly for the
Indonesian fans.Despite some of the issues with local football, we organised
‘Roma Indonesia Day 2015’ and we wanted our full team to be here.” It was
not immediately clear why the players were stopped from entering the country
since Indonesian authorities are yet to comment.
New York Red Bulls has announced the
signing of former England international Shaun Wright-Phillips.Wright-Phillips, 33, was a free agent after his
release by Queens Park Rangers at the end of the season. The winger, who played
for Manchester City and Chelsea earlier in his career, will link up with his
brother Bradley at the MLS club. Red Bulls sporting director Ali Curtis told
the club’s official website: “Shaun is a proven player who has played on
soccer’s largest stage. He can play a number of positions for us and is an
excellent fit in our locker room. When we evaluated the unique set of
circumstances along with the quality that Shaun has, it became apparent that we
needed to be aggressive about adding Shaun to our club. We are pleased that he
will be wearing a Red Bull jersey and we can’t wait for him to take the
field.”
Chelsea manager Jose
Mourinho said Kevin De Bruyne told him he was not prepared to fight for a first
team place at Stamford Bridge. De Bruyne, 24, was on the champions’ books
for two years, but spent 18 months out on loan before penning permanent terms
with Wolfsburg in January last year. The midfielder has recently been linked
with big-spending Manchester City after scoring 15 goals and provided 25
assists in all competitions this past season for the Bundesliga runners-up. “I’m
happy for him because he’s a good kid,” Mourinho said. “I wanted to
keep him, but he couldn’t handle fighting for his place in such a competitive
squad. He told me it was not in his personality to be competing for a position
in the team. He needed a team where he knows he can play every game. I told
him: ‘This is Chelsea, you are very young, you have Eden Hazard, you have Juan
Mata, you have Willian, you have Andre Schurrle so I cannot promise you that.’ He
told me he was not happy. He was not training very well.”
Zenit St Petersburg
striker Hulk withdrew from last weekend’s 2018 World Cup preliminary draw in
defiance over racism in the country. The Brazil international, who spoke
out after being the subject of racist comments at the end of last year, was set
to join Ronaldo, Fabio Cannavaro and Samuel Eto’o for the ceremony in Saint
Petersburg on Saturday. However, the Selecao star withdrew, with Fifa reasoning
that he is involved in action for his club the following day. Yet after
slamming the discrimination of foreign players earlier this week, many feel
Hulk’s absence is an act of defiance, with former Russia international Alexey
Smertin replacing the forward Hulk for the draw. “It [racism] happens at
almost every match in Russia, but the world does not hear about it because they
try to keep it quiet,” Hulk told reporters on Monday. Ghanaian midfielder
Emmanuel Frimpong was last week given a two-match ban for gesturing towards
Spartak Moscow supporters he claimed were racially abusing him.
Atletico Madrid have
signed centre-back Stefan Savic from Fiorentina for €12 million. The
24-year-old penned a five-year contract with the La Liga side after passing a
medical on Monday. Atletico sporting director Jose Luis Perez Caminero said:
“We are very pleased by the agreement reached with Fiorentina, because Stefan
is a player with huge prospects and a great future ahead. He is a quick and
potent defender, with experience despite his youth due to having played in the
top leagues of Serbia, England and Italy. I am convinced that he will
contribute greatly to the team.” Savic, a Montenegro international, played one
season for Manchester City in 2011-12 before moving to Fiorentina and
impressing in Serie A.
Aston Villa have signed Ghana striker Jordan Ayew on a
five-year deal for an undisclosed fee. The 23-year-old, who joins
from Lorient in France’s Ligue 1, helped his country to second place in the
2015 Africa Cup of Nations. Villa were in the market for a striker after
selling Belgian Christian Benteke to Liverpool for £32.5m. Ayew’s arrival
follows Villa’s summer acquisition of fellow Ligue 1 players Jordan Amavi and
Idrissa Gueye. The Midlanders, who also lost Fabian Delph to Manchester City,
have signed Scott Sinclair, Micah Richards and Mark Bunn since the end of last
season. “I’m really pleased to bring Jordan to the football club,”
manager Tim Sherwood said. “He is a fantastic young player who is
perfectly suited to the Premier League.” His older brother, Andre Ayew,
moved to Swansea City after leaving Marseille in June.
Newcastle United have
signed Serbian striker Aleksandar Mitrovic from Anderlecht for an undisclosed
fee. The 20-year-old has penned a five-year deal at St. James’ Park. “I
am so happy to have signed for Newcastle,” Mitrovic told the club’s
official website. “I visited the stadium and it is amazing. I have played
in a lot of impressive stadiums in my career but St. James’ Park is so big, I
can’t wait to play my first game here. I know how passionate the fans are. This
is a club with a very big history and the fans are a big part of that. There
will be pressure here, for sure, but I like pressure. I also know about the
famous players who have played for Newcastle United, like Alan Shearer, who is
a hero of mine. I hope I can play like him for this club. It will be an
honour.”
Ghanaian midfielder
Sulley Muntari has signed a two-year contract with Saudi club Al-Ittihad. The
30-year-old was a free agent after departing AC Milan by mutual consent last
month. Muntari spent three seasons with the Rossoneri, featuring 17 times last
season. He previously played for Milan’s rivals Inter Milan and Udinese, as
well as England’s Portsmouth and Sunderland. Al-Ittihad are also reportedly
trying to bring Muntari’s compatriot Kevin-Prince Boateng to Jeddah.