Tuesday 28 July 2009

John Terry: Fully committed to Chelsea

The Blues captain John Terry reiterated his dedication to the Stamford Bridge team.

After beating Club America on Sunday evening in the World Football Challenge by a score of 2-0, he gave an interview that focused on both his and the team's future.

Despite releasing a statement before the game that declared his continuing loyalty to the team, the captain of both club and country felt it was important to reassure Chelsea fans that he was remaining at the club and that any offer from Manchester City would not have tempted him away from Stamford Bridge.

"Listen, from day one, when I received the phone call from Peter Kenyon when I was away on holiday and he told me that Man City had put in an offer for me, they said they didn't want to sell me and I didn't want to leave".

When he was asked by Sky Sports why he had taken this long to release a statement, he answered, "I wanted assurance that players such as Ashley Cole and Didier Drogba, who are in talks about their contracts right now as well Frank Lampard, will be staying with Chelsea".

The centre-back continued by saying he would like to stay with Chelsae until he hangs up his boots, "I've been at the club now for fourteen years and it's very strange because no team has ever put a bid in for me before".

He also stated that the fans at The Bridge played a major role in his decision to stay, "of course they play a massive part because I have a great relationship with them and hopefully it'll go on and on".

Wednesday 22 July 2009

Beckham confronts disgruntled fans

David Beckham was involved in an angry confrontation with LA Galaxy fans during his first home game this season, the 34 year old ex-Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder had been on loan at AC Milan forcing him to miss the first half of the MLS season and he was booed and jeered by large sections of the sell-out crowd throughout Sunday's friendly, ironically against Milan.

"Most of the fans have been great, it was only one or two that, you know, it was to be expected" he insisted afterwards, "i tried to shake one of the guys hands but he didn't want any of it", the boos drowned out the sound of any cheers as he and the rest of the LA Galaxy squad were introduced to the 27,000 capacity crowd.

Security had to escort him from the field at half-time as he walked past an area of jeering fans, one supporter jumped down from the stands and had to be restrained before being taken away, Galaxy head coach, Bruce Arena tried his best to play down the reception that Beckham received.

"We regret the incident that occurred at the end of the first-half" he said, "while it is important that our fans remain free to voice their opinions, they must do so in an appropriate manner", the game marked the end of a turbulent week for the ex-England captain.

After he responded to accusations from Galaxy captain Landon Donovan that he was unprofessional, the match itself ended in a 2-2 draw, Beckham having a hand in both Galaxy goals, a trademark cross-field ball by Beckham to Donovan who then set up Alan Gordon to score the first.

While for the second and with Galaxy down 2-1, it was his corner that was headed home by Bryan Jordan, he then turned to a section of the crowd that had been especially vociferous and simply shrugged his shoulders, while he did applaud those fans who had remained supportive when he was withdrawn in the 75th minute.

Tuesday 21 July 2009

Emmanuel Adebayor

Emmanuel Adebayor insists he's not at City for the money, the Togolese forward said his move north is based on football and not financial reasons.

Emmanuel Adebayor, who left Arsenal for Manchester City on Sunday for a reported £25 million, has asserted it wasn't the lucrative wage packet that prompted him to move clubs, "people who say I have joined City just for the money are wrong" he stated.

"If that had been my reason for moving then I would have been playing for Barcelona or Milan last season", on City's official website he insisted "They gave me bigger offers than Arsenal did for me to stay", "I'm impressed by the ambitions of the club and that's why I'm here".

"This club is aiming to be one of the biggest in the world and I want to be a part of that", the Togolese hit man feels that a glittering era is just around the corner for 'The Citizens' and can break into the lucrative Champions' League places this season, "We have everything we need here. Why can't we do that this year?".

He added that "Now is better than in two or three years", "the Chairman, in fact everyone at City want this club to be one of the best in the world", "we will all fight to achieve that. I want to win silverware and trophies. That is my ambition".

"The team has got a lot of quality throughout and has a manager who knows what he wants", "I want to show how I can help. everyone has shown me such great respect", "when you sign for a new club, you want to feel at home as quick as possible and I do. I am happy to be here", "the fans were just fantastic to me when I arrived".

Monday 20 July 2009

United need Eto'o says Venables

United need Eto'o says Venables, the ex-England manager and former Barcelona boss believes United need to sign the Cameroon striker to stay in touch with cross-town rivals City.

Venables has stated that United boss Alex Ferguson would be wise to retract an earlier statement that his summer spending has ceased and put a deal together that would bring the Barcelona striker to the Old Trafford club, who may be in the midst of a swap deal along with Internazionale striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Venables has said that Manchester United's squad will still need further strengthening, after the loss of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez which would have seriously weakened the squad, by securing the signature of Eto'o, Ferguson could exact revenge on City boss Mark Hughes after he signed Tevez.

In his column for The Sun, Venables wrote, "Ferguson will be at Wembley again next month for the Community Shield" "and if he's not too busy next weekend he might be a good idea for him to visit the Arch", "he could pay a visit to the Wembley Cup featuring Tottenham, Celtic, Al-Ahly and Barcelona"

"Alex will see not just some great football", "he may also get to see a possible solution to United's summer discontent" "and yes his name is Samuel Eto'o. The same one who scored against United in last May's Champions' League final".

"Yes the same Eto'o that has been courted by Manchester City, the same Eto'o that has scored 108 goals in five years for Barcelona", "I believe Eto'o can fill the void left by the shattering departures of Ronaldo and Tevez", "he might not have all that keen on a move to City but United might prove a more attractive prospect", "Manchester City want to be a force in Europe but United already are" he concluded.

Thursday 16 July 2009

Andrew Flintoff To Retire From Test Cricket

Flintoff calls test career to an end, fitness problems prompt Flintoff to end Test cricket career, the sheer number of injuries that he has suffered over recent years have finally taken their toll, his plan is to play the current Ashes series against Australia and then concentrate solely on the one day game.

"It's something I've been thinking of for some time, if you'll excuse the pun, this is isn't a knee-jerk reaction", "Seeing the surgeon on Monday and having more jabs in it, my body is telling me to give in", "This is for my own sanity, I've spent two out of the last four years just doing rehabilitation", "There's four test matches left and I will obviously give my utmost for England and an Ashes victory".

A final decision on whether he has recovered from his latest knee injury won't be made until Thursday morning, the day of the second test, "I've bowled a few overs" he added "And I'll bowl a few more before the team is announced in the morning".

The 31 year-old Lancashire all-rounder felt he had to make his decision public to help him perform better in the Ashes, "I just think the time now is right and I needed to get it out there and tell everyone what my intentions are", "Over the next few weeks I will do all I can to get out on the Cricket field".

Flintoff's finest hour came in the 2005 Ashes when he starred with both bat and ball as England ended their 18 year drought against Australia, he says that he hasn't yet given up hope of history repeating itself.

"It was a special group of cricketers" he recalled, "We were all confident of doing something very special", "Standing on the podium after the last match is something I'll never forget, I hope I can do that again", "You have one-day cricket and Twenty20 but the Ashes is the ultimate".

Alex Ferguson wishes the best for Ronaldo

Alex Ferguson wishes the best for Ronaldo, he spent all of last season insisting that he wouldn't let Ronaldo go but the United boss did eventually bow to the inevitable and Ronaldo was on his way to the Bernabeu for a world record £80million, it ended a six year association with the Old Trafford team.

A period of time that saw Ronaldo transformed from a raw teenager to being voted the best player in the world, to lose a player of such talent may leave Ferguson justifiably disappointed, but 24 year old Ronaldo heads for Spain with his best wishes.

"I had a good relationship with the boy but never, ever thought we would keep him for a long time", "We are very proud and pleased to have had him at Manchester United for six years", "He has had this opportunity to take another challenge and I respect him for that", "Ronaldo was such a fantastic player for us and a good lad and gave us no problems. We wish him well".

However, having the cash and spending it have become two very different things for Ferguson and the team, they were keen to lure Karim Benzema away from Lyon only to find Real's open cheque book had snatched him away, all of which led to United's shock move for Michael Owen, plus the addition of Gabriel Obertan from Bordeaux and Antonio Valencia from Wigan.

"That is the end of our business" Ferguson stated, claiming his summer dealings are over, however if anyone believes that United won't be competitive next season should be aware.

Ferguson has stated that young players such as Danny Welbeck and Federico Macheda will have an impact at the highest level, "we have a very good squad for next year, we are going to be very strong".

Monday 13 July 2009

The Treble is the target for Kaka and Real Madrid

The Treble is the target for Kaka and Real Madrid, Los Blancos' summer signing outlines ambitions for the club, due to the massive Reconstruction of the squad over the summer, Real Madrid are expected to struggle to gel, but Kaka, who cost the club €67.5 million believes there is no excuse for failure this season.

The Brazilian play maker warned their rivals that Los Blancos will be doing everything in their power to win every trophy available in 2009-2010, "My dream is to win Madrid's tenth Champions League trophy", "But I know that competition will be the hardest one to win" he told Marca.

He also admitted that stopping Barcelona in the Primera Division will be equally difficult, "Barca deserved to win everything they did last season", he affirmed that "To eclipse them we will have to play at our very best", "to be honest I'd rather win the Treble for Real than pick up the Ballon d'Or for myself again".

The 27 year old also said that he and Cristiano Ronaldo, are worth the massive amount of money that Madrid paid for them this summer, he continued by praising the newly formed Galacticos, as well as those who could yet arrive.

"Benzema has a very bright future and Cristiano is just out of this world", as for rumoured signing Franck Ribery, he said "It's always a pleasure to watch him play", finally he said that he's not afraid of the gossip he may read about himself, "i don't go out at night so I don't have to be afraid of the paparazzi".

Friday 10 July 2009

English RFU announce Senior Elite Player and Saxons squads

English RFU announce Senior Elite Player and Saxons squads, team manager Martin Johnson and Elite Rugby Director Rob Andrew announced the 32 man squads.

Martin Johnson said "The selection process for both squads has been very difficult", "because we didn't have this level of strength in depth 12 months ago", "during the British & Irish Lions tour in South Africa this summer, the England players played exceptionally well", "giving us a chance to look at other players in the Churchill Cup matches against Argentina".

"We feel we have made considerable progress as a squad during the course of last season", "when the squads get together for the August training camp we feel we can build upon this progress", "and into November during the Investec Challenge internationals against Australia, New Zealand and Argentina".

"There will be strong competition for places as always but there will also be plenty of opportunities", "for example, Delon Armitage and Mark Cueto earned places in the Senior side due to retirement, suspension or injury" "and Ugo Monye and Joe Worsley, earned Lions caps this summer after starting out in the Saxons".

"We have selected players from French clubs with whom we have had extensive discussions", "they went very well and we are all looking forward to that positive relationship continuing", "we are continuing to monitor the fitness and the form of the following players who played for England last season", "with a view to hopefully inviting them to forthcoming training sessions".

"Andy Goode, James Haskell, Tom May, Jamie Noon, Tom Palmer and Steve Thompson are the players in question", pre-season training camp for both squads will begin on Sunday August 9Th, the Elite Player squad includes the former World Cup hero Jonny Wilkinson.

Thursday 9 July 2009

Felipe Melo signs for Juventus

Felipe Melo signs for Juventus, the deal, according to Sky Sport Italia, is that the Brazilian will join the Bianconeri for €20 million plus Marco Marchionni. Melo and Marchionni were signed from Serie 'A' club Fiorentina, the deal has gone through and official confirmation will arrive tomorrow, 9Th July.

Felipe Melo signed a new contract with Fiorentina only last week, the new deal with Juventus does include the €25 million release clause in that contract, Felipe Melo's new contract is worth €2.6 million a year over 5 years.

Juventus have been in the market all summer for a top-class centre midfielder and their primary target had been Gaetano D'Agostino of Udinese, however, the failure to agree on a transfer fee forced Juventus to look elsewhere.

There had been much speculation over the last few days over a move for Felipe Melo, who has also been tracked by Premier League side Arsenal, Sky Sport Italia reported on Saturday that a deal had been struck between Melo's agent and Juve and that officials from Juve and Fiorentina would meet on Tuesday to agree on a transfer fee.

This was followed by an official statement from the Viola that they had received only one firm offer from Arsenal and that the deal involved Emmanuel Eboue in a cash-plus-player exchange.

Yesterday, according to Fiorentina, Juve had still not made an offer for Melo, but now, Sky Sport Italia claim that Felipe Melo is now a Juventus player, the 25 year old Melo becomes the third Brazilian on the Juventus side along with Diego and Amauri.

Tuesday 7 July 2009

Michael Owen joins Manchester United

Michael Owen joins Manchester United, the Red Devils confirm the signing of the striker, in the transfer markets biggest shock move this summer.

Michael Owen has completed the move that even a couple of days ago would have been laughable, it was a deal that on the face of it appeared too far fetched to be taken serious, he has signed a two year deal.

Michael Owen is clearly delighted at the sensational move as confirmed on United's official website, i had only just begun talks with other clubs' he stated, when Sir Alex called me on Wednesday afternoon and invited me to breakfast'.

He told me during the breakfast meeting that he wanted to sign me and I agreed without a moment's thought', this is such a fantastic opportunity and I intend to seize it with both hands'.

I'm looking forward to being a player with United', It's fortunate that so many of the players here, I already know', he finished by saying 'I want to thank Sir Alex for the faith he has shown in me' and I will repay his faith with my goals and performances'.

United manager Alex Ferguson stated 'Michael is a world class forward with a proven goalscoring record', coming to Manchester United with the expectations that we have is something he will relish'.

Owen joins up with friends and former England colleagues Rio Ferdinand and Wayne Rooney, as he looks to put himself back in the frame for an England place with the World Cup just a year away.

Monday 6 July 2009

Barcelona interested in Cesc Fabregas

Barcelona interested in Cesc Fabregas, club president has confirmed they are interested in signing the Arsenal captain.

Laporta made no bones about the club's desire to bring back their youth team superstar, there have been rumours of a move back to his former club for some time and these recent comments from Laporta confirm that a transfer is a distinct possibility.

Laporta was speaking to the radio station Cadena Cope, Fabregas has Barcelona DNA in his body' and we know he wants to return and play for Barcelona', at the moment, we know he is the leader at Arsenal and a very important player for them', but he is wanted by me, Pep Guardiola the coach, and the sporting director Txiki Begiristain'.

We do have a lot of respect for Arsenal but at the same time we concentrating all our efforts on this', there has always been positive relations between us and Arsenal', so discussing this topic with them will not be easy'.

The player himself has been sending mixed messages about his future, stating his commitment his arsenal, whilst at the same time stating that he would love to return to Barca at some point in the future.

Fabregas signed for the Gunners in 2003, offering him a contract that Barca couldn't do due to Spanish law, since that time he has made 231 appearances and been made captain.

Friday 3 July 2009

Benzema Transfer Confirmed by Lyon and Real Madrid

Benzema transfer confirmed by Lyon and Real Madrid, the ongoing saga has come to an end as a deal is finally confirmed, just hours after denying that a deal had been agreed with Real, Olympique Lyon confirm a deal has been done.

Moments later, Real Madrid admitted that the transfer would take place following a medical, the striker will cost Real Madrid €35 million, according to Lyon's official website, although with performance related bonuses that may rise to €41 million, it is expected that Karim Benzema's contract will be for six years.

Lyon's website added that Benzema had asked to leave to join Madrid earlier than expected, the website added that 'Some days ago.

Karim Benzema informed president Jean Michel Aulas of his wish to join Real Madrid' and that it was his preferred club after Olympique Lyon, the player wished to seize the chance that Real Madrid offered', that he would have the opportunity to be a major element in a team that has world-wide players'.

Lyon accepted the decision of Benzema' and negotiated conditions for the transfer that would satisfy both parties', the club would like to wish Karim every success with Real Madrid' the website continued, which, with it's ambitious plans both on and off the pitch'.

That include, amongst others, sponsorship, taxation and property ownership', which are incomparable with the situation that currently prevails in French professional sports', Benzema will be joining Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo and Raul Albiol as Madrid's summer signings.