Posts

Showing posts from January, 2018

ICARDI CAUSES SOCIAL MEDIA SCARE

Image
Internazionale Milano captain, Mauro Emanuel Icardi caused a social media storm last night with his post “to say goodbye is to grow” The Nerazzurri striker has been linked with Real Madrid, but has repeatedly made it clear he wants to stay at San Siro. Last night Icardi on his official Instagram page  posted “to say goodbye is to grow”, along with the caption “Chau Chau”, a waving emoji and the ‘Epic Brozo’ one. This immediately caused concern among Interisti, but the words in question are lyrics from the song ‘Adios’ by Gustavo Cerati. Some on social media speculated he was saying goodbye to Inter, while others maintained he was splitting from wife Wanda. It was claimed she had changed her Instagram name from Wanda Icardi to Wanda Nara, but that's not true. This morning’s Gazzetta dello Sport speculates that it could have been a reference to Brozovic, who could be sold this month, but it’s not thought Icardi is on the verge of leaving himself. He is w

FIORENTINA SIGNS KEVIN DABO

Image
Fiorentina have officially announced the signing of midfielder dynamo Bryan Boulaye Kevin Dabo from Saint-Étienne. The Serie A side announces the outright signing of the player Bryan Dabo from the Association Sportive de Saint-Étienne Loire, a statement on the Viola’s website confirms. The 25-year-old has one cap for the French Under-21 side, and previously played for Montpellier, as well as having a loan spell in England with Blackburn Rovers. Dabo won the French title with Montpellier in the 2011-12 season. The new Viola player will be in Florence today for his medicals. Dabo was born on February 13 1992 in Marseille and boasts one cap for the Under-21 side of his country.

UNAI EMERY WANTS PASTORE TO STAY

Image
Paris Saint-Germain Coach U nai Emery Etxegoien insists insist he wants Javier despite interest from Inter Milan. The Argentinian international’s agent said this weekend that the French club would allow his client to leave if he remains unhappy with inter showing keen interest. However, U nai Emery in his Press conference today made it clear he wants the former Palermo man to stay at the Parc des Princes. “I want Javier Pastore to stay with us, it’s better for the team,” Emery insisted. “I’ve talked a lot with him. What is said outside is something else, it’s his responsibility. Pastore is a  great player and when he’s ready [physically] he’s important. “My opinion is that I want him to stay here, then it’s up to him to see what he wants on an individual level. “With the World Cup, every player wants to play more”.

WATFORD IN FOR DEULOFEU

Image
According to reports from Catalan-based RAC1 Watford leads the race in securing the signature o f Gerard Deulofeu Lázaro from Barca. The likes of Napoli, Roma and Inter have all be heavily linked with a midseason swoop for Deulofeu, but it is likely that the former Milan player will not move to Italy after all. The radio station explains the Barcelona outcast is one of Javi Gracia’s objectives at Vicarage Road but stresses an agreement for his transfer has yet to be reached. The 22-year-old would be no stranger to the Premier League, having played for Everton across two different spells.

“THERE’S NO SHAME IN PLAYING SECOND FIDDLE TO BUFFON”- SZCZĘSNY

Image
Wojciech Tomasz believes he sees himself at Juventus color in 10 years but admits playing second fiddle to Gianluigi "Gigi" Buffon is a test of his humility. Juve signed Szczesny  last summer to become Buffon’s long-term successor between the sticks, with the veteran expected to retire at the end of the season. “When Juve call you, you have no choice,” the former Roma and Arsenal goalkeeper told Rai Sport. “The choice is already made for those who have ambitions and want to win trophies.  “I came here to win every trophy possible. I was the happiest lad in the world when I exchanged my shirt with Buffon two years ago after Roma-Juventus. “I didn’t think that one day, I’d have reached the level of being able to train with him. It’s a great experience for me. “There’s no shame in playing second fiddle to him, knowing I’ll then have the opportunity to become the starting goalkeeper. “The choice I made is a test of my humility. I made it for the next

ARSENAL HAVE NOT PROGRESSED UNDER WENGER SAYS MICHAEL THOMAS.

Image
Arsenal is yet to win the Premier League since 2004, although they have won four FA Cup titles since but they have failed to put together a strong title challenge since moving to the Emirates in 2006. According to former Arsenal midfielder Michael Lauriston Thomas, Arsene Wenger would not have lasted this long at most other clubs with this poor record but admits the Frenchman has been good for the club overall. Thomas said: "[The 4-1 win over Palace on Saturday] was fantastic, but that's Arsenal. They are always going to win games, no matter who is playing. However, for me, the most important thing is to win the league. "They've not progressed. They've won the FA Cup and it's still a big thing but the league should be their bread and butter. "Arsene Wenger has been fantastic for the club and I love what he's done for the club, but anywhere else he wouldn't be there because he's not won a major trophy for a long time. "An

CARROLL’S CHELSEA MOVE RUIN BY ANKLE INJURY

Image
Andrew Thomas Carroll’s £20m move from the Hammers to Chelsea is off, with an ankle injury forcing the striker out of action for an extended period.     Carroll has been heavily linked with a move to the champions but any January switch is doomed after a scan revealed a hairline fracture of the ankle. He could now be absent for six weeks with surgery still a possibility. If Carroll opts for an operation, he could be out for virtually the rest of the season. Chelsea are looking at a number of options in an attempt to ease the workload on Álvaro Morata and were initially interested in taking Carroll on a six-month loan. West Ham wanted £20m for a player who has 18 months on his £70,000-a-week deal. Chelsea have been linked with other forwards – Red Star Belgrade’s Ghana international Richmond Boakye has also been scouted – but Carroll would have benefitted the squad as he was eligible for European competition. The injury news may also affect West Ham’s stance on Javier He

RAMIRES KEEN ON INTER MOVE-AGENT

Image
Football Club Internazionale Milano S.p.A have been heavily linked with the signing of Ramires Santos do Nascimento for some time, but a deal continues to evade the Nerazzurri and the former Chelsea man. Nonetheless, Ramires’ agent Luis Carlini told Calciomercato.com: “We hope everything goes well in the direction of Inter.” The website explains the Nerazzurri will avoid Financial Fair Play sanctions if they are able to negotiate a six-month loan for the Brazilian.

NO WINTER SIGNING FROM MILAN

Image
AC Milan insist they will not be making any signings this month as the Rossoneri want to centralize on the players they brought in last summer. Milan had been linked with moves for German pair Julian Brandt and Kerem Demirbay, but the club have been quick to reiterate their faith in the squad currently available to Gennaro Gattuso. “A little imagination never hurts and is part of the game, especially when the transfer market is open,” read a Press review. “But aside from all the players we’ve been linked with, Milan’s winter transfer campaign only involves the consolidation of all the players that moved to Milanello after all the business we did last summer. “The Club remain convinced of their choices and continue to work with them.”

VALENCIA IN FOR JOAO CANCELO

Image
According to Superdeporte, Valencia have shown keen interest in signing  João  Pedro Cavaco Cancelo  as their third January arrival after Luciano Vietto and Francis Coquelin and Coach Marcelino is prepared to wait until the last few days of the transfer window for the right-back. His agent Jorge Mendes would have also revealed that Cancelo was released by Inter, but the newspaper warns the Nerazzurri are demanding a fee for the Portuguese’s arrangement to be cut short. A lack of form and fitness has limited the 23-year-old to just five starts for the Beneamata this season, making it unlikely that they will activate their €25m purchase option in the summer.

RYAN GIGGS TO BE NAMED WALES MANAGER

Image
Former Manchester United assistant manager, Ryan Joseph Giggs  will be named Wales manager on a four-year deal today, according to Sky sources. The former Wales captain, told Sky Sports last month that he could be tempted back into football management with the national team.Wales will formally announce their new manager at a press conference at 2pm on Monday. Giggs' only previous spell as a manager came when he took over at Manchester United for the final four games of the 2013-14 season following David Moyes' sacking. Giggs quit his role at Manchester United in 2016 when José Mário dos Santos Mourinho Félix toaok over from Louis van Gaal.

"I WOULD'VE DIE AT INTER-COUTINHO

Image
Barcelona latest signing Philippe Coutinho Correia admits his spell with Internazionale was difficult and would’ve died without the support of his family. “I started to understand that I’d turn professional when I signed my first contract with a European club at the age of 16, Inter, but I was very young,” he told Barca TV. “It was difficult for a young man like myself, who came from a different culture. I went to Italy with my parents and girlfriend, who is now my wife”. “The team had many champions and it was a very positive experience but also difficult. If I went alone, I would’ve died...” “I needed my family’s support, and they were by my side.”

SÁNCHEZ TO START AGAINST CHELSEA DESPITE MANCHESTER CITY’S £20M OFFER

Image
Arsène Wenger will start Alexis Alejandro Sánchez Sánchez in tonight’s Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Chelsea, despite doubts over the Chilean future after Manchester City made a £20m offer to sign him during the January transfer window. Arsenal has been hit series of injuries as Mesut Özil joins the casualty list with Laurent Koscielny, Nacho Monreal, Sead Kolasinac, Aaron Ramsey and Olivier Giroud.   Wenger is particularly stretched in defence and he will include the new signing Konstantinos Mavropanos among his substitutes. The 20-year-old centre-half arrived last week from PAS Giannina in Greece and Wenger’s plan was to loan him out. “He’s not ready to play for us,” the manager said last Wednesday. “We’ll give him out on loan.”     City have shown keen interest in Sánchez since the summer, when they made an attempt to sign him, and, with the 29-year-old running down his Arsenal contract, they have been confident of signing him as a Bosman free agent at the

"BENEVENTO WILL SIGN THREE PLAYERS"-PRESIDENT

Image
Benevento President, Oreste Vigorito has confirmed that three players join the side in the winter transfer with Sandro’s deal very close. The Streghe have won their last two matches, but remain rooted to the bottom of the Serie A table, eight points from safety. “We’re not looking blindly, we’re aiming for players who have given their availability. These are players who come to Italy to put themselves in the shop window with the hope of saving Benevento, and that’s what we asked for”. “They have to bet on this experience, do well and grab a new contract in Italy. They come for commercial reasons”. “There will be three more players, one [Sandro] could arrive today but we haven’t closed it yet. A representative will go to Turkey to close what we couldn’t so far”.  Vigorito revealed it will be difficult for Benevento to sign players due to their position on the League log but was adamant that they will get their target players. “Our transfer campaign is complicat

"WE WILL DECIDE THE FUTURE AFTER HOLIDAY"-VERDI'S AGENT

Image
It was reported yesterday that the Rossoblu have accept a €24m bid from Napoli, and Verdi was open to moving to the San Paolo. Simone Verdi’s agent, Donata Orgnoni has confirmed that his client will decide his future at Bologna when he resumes from his holidays in awake of rumors  that his club have a deal with Napoli. “We took a pause to reflect,” Donato Orgnoni confirmed on Radio Kiss Kiss Napoli. “As soon as we get back from holiday we’ll sit around a table and we’ll decide.”

DEULOFEU TO JOIN INTER SOON

Image
Gerard Deulofeu Lázaro wants to join Football Club Internazionale Milano S.p.A., but the Catalan club want a sale or loan with obligation to buy. The arrival of Barca’s new record signing, Philippe Coutinho will limit the playing time for Deulofeu and it’s expected that the Spanish international will leave Camp Nou this month. Following his loan spell with Milan last season, a return to Italy has been mooted with Napoli also among the contenders for his signature. According to Sport though, Deulofeu has already chosen the Nerazzurri, so the only problem is dealing with Barça. The Blaugrana want to sell the 23-year-old permanently, or at least send him on loan with an obligation to buy. According to sources, Deulofeu’s representatives will meet with Barcelona today to try and find a solution.

ATLANTA MEETS JUVE ON JANUARY 30

Image
The Lega Serie A has confirmed the dates for the Coppa Italia semi-finals, with Atalanta-Juventus on January 30 and Milan-Lazio the following day. Four teams will compete over two legs to reach the final of the cup, which Juventus have won for the past three years in a row. The Bianconeri will look to reach a fourth successive final, and the first match of their tie with Atalanta has been confirmed for 19.45 UK time on Tuesday January 30. Lazio, last year’s beaten finalists, travel to face Milan the following day, with the kick-off also scheduled for 19.45. The return legs will be played in February on Tuesday 27 and Wednesday 28, but the dates and kick-off times of each game have not yet been decided.

CHELSEA COMPLETES BARKLEY DEAL

Image
Ross Barkley has official complete his long awaited move from Everton to Chelsea, the Premier League champions have announced. The 24-year-old's contract at Goodison Park was due to expire at the end of the season after he rejected a new deal with the Toffees. Chelsea failed to secure the signature of the mildfield dynamo in August but their patience has paid off a reports says their signed Barkley for a cut-price fee, reported to be in the region of £15million. Ross has pen down a five-and-a-half-year contract, which runs until 2023. Barkley said after signing: "I'm overwhelmed, I'm looking forward to it and I'm really excited to get started. "To be given a fresh start at a new club like Chelsea, it's unbelievable for me. I'm looking forward to continuing where I left off at the end of last season and hoping to improve and add more goals to my game." Club director Marina Granocskaia said of the completed deal: "Ross

"I DON'T GET MY TARGET PLAYERS"-CONTE

Image
Antonio Conte has revealed he rarely get the players he asked for  after Chelsea’s 2-2 draw with Arse nal. The Italian tactician spoke to Sky Sport Italia following the Premier League stalemate, which saw several big Alvaro Morata misses. He was asked by the Italian reporters about the January transfer window and potential additions to the squad. Has he aimed too high with his demands? “I do not aim high with my requests, especially as in my history I’ve rarely been given the players I asked for. I always ended up at clubs who were running an austerity programme,” shrugged Conte, referring also to his departure from Juventus. “I just try to do my work. If someone arrives, good, if they don’t, then that’s fine too. I have to continue my work, either way.” Conte took Italy to the Euro 2016 Quarter-Finals, but Giampiero Ventura was sacked after failing to even qualify for the 2018 World Cup. Before the question on the new Coach could even be finished, Conte had i

ROMA TARGETS JUANFRAN

Image
AS Roma are willing to secure Juan Francisco Torres Belén away from Atletico Madrid in January, as his contract is due to expire this summer. The Giallorossi have issues at their right-back department, as Rick Karsdorp has been injured practically since the moment he arrived, with Bruno Peres unconvincing, leaving only Alessandro Florenzi. According to Spanish newspaper AS, director of sport Monchi has set his sights on Juanfran as a January addition to the squad. It would be a similar approach to the hugely successful move for Aleksandar Kolarov, who brought experience and impressive fitness levels. But main problem would be getting Juanfran to leave Atletico Madrid after seven years, as he has been there since January 2011.

ANYONE WITHOUT WINING MENTALITY CAN’T SATY- MONCHI

Image
Director of sport Ramón Rodríguez Verdejo has reportedly told Roma players that anyone who doesn’t show a winning mentality cannot have a place at Roma. Ahead of the Giallorossi today’s training session, Monchi gave a motivational speech to the squad and Sky Sport Italia claim it was a stark warning. “At this delicate moment, we need to exhibit a winning mentality,” Monchi reportedly said. “Anyone who doesn’t show a winning mentality cannot have a place at Roma.” Roma have stuttered lately, crashing out of the Coppa Italia to Torino and managing one point in their last three competitive games.

INTER IN FOR ERIK LAMELA

Image
Inter Milan have shown interest in signing Érik  Manuel  Lamela ‘Coco’ from Tottenham Hotspur in a loan deal this winter. Lamela has been out for more than a year with a hip injury and has eight appearances to his name this season with six of them being from the bench. The Nerazzurri’s technical advisor, Walter Sabatini, was the man who signed the winger for Roma before selling him on to the English club and Inter are interested in bringing him back to Italy to get more playing time. That could represent a good solution for Spurs too, as it would allow Lamela to get back to full fitness ahead of next season.

CHELSEA COMPLETES BALLO'S DEAL

Image
Chelsea have completed the signing of 16 year old striker Thierno  Mamadou Lamarana  Ballo , according to reports in Austria.                                                                                                                                                 Ballo turned 16 on January 2 and, according to SPOX Austria, he has now signed a scholarship deal with Chelsea. Ballo has already played for Chelsea in youth team friendlies and made his mark by scoring five times in a 6-1 victory against West Ham last season. Ballo, who already has a sponsorship deal with Adidas, also made his debut for Austria’s Under-17 side when he was just 14 years old and has scored seven goals in 22 games at international youth level. The 16-year-old striker joined Viktoria Koln from Bayer Leverkusen in 2016 and has scored seven goals in 25 league appearances for the club’s Under-17 side.