Month: October 2020

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AJAX BAN AFRICAN PLAYERS FROM TRAVELING FOR INTERNATIONAL DUTY.

Ajax Amsterdam have refused to allow four of their African internationals to travel and join up with their national teams this week because they would have to quarantine on their return to the Netherlands, the club confirmed on Wednesday.

Ghana’s Mohammed Kudus, Moroccan pair Zakaria Labyad and Noussair Mazraoui, and Lassina Traore from Burkina Faso have not been released as Ajax have made use of a Fifa ruling that allows clubs to refuse to release their players this month if they face a period of quarantine or self isolation on their return.

Usually players must be released if called up for international duty during the Fifa window but world football’s governing body announced a relaxation last week amid a spike in Covid-19 infections in recent weeks.

Ajax confirmed the players would remain in Amsterdam in a reply to a Reuters’ query. Morocco and Ghana’s football associations also confirmed the absences.

Kudus, who Ajax recently signed from Nordsjaelland in Denmark, was to join up with Ghana for two internationals against Mali and Iran, to be played in Turkey. Morocco have home friendlies against Senegal and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Burkina Faso play the Congolese on Friday and Madagascar next week, also in Morocco.

Ajax’s Cameroon goalkeeper Andre Onana has joined up with his national side, as they are playing against Japan in Utrecht on Friday.

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THOMAS PARTEY ADDRESSES ARSENAL FANS FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE JOINING FROM ATLETICO.

Thomas Partey has sent his first message to Arsenal fans after his transfer from Atletico Madrid.

The Ghanaian midfielder’s transfer was confirmed on deadline day after the Gunners activated his £45m release clause.

With nearly 200 appearances for the La Liga side which includes Champions League experience, fans have been excited at the prospect of signing the 27-year-old.

And the midfielder has now sent his first message to the Gunners faithful as a north London player.

Speaking on Arsenal’s official Instagram channel, Partey said: “Hello, Gunners!

“Thanks so much for the love, for the messages I’ve received. I can’t wait to be part of you guys, I can’t wait to join the team.

It’s a great feeling to be part of a family like this. Thanks so much to everyone for the love, I feel so grateful and I feel so amazed to be part of you.

“I can’t wait to join you guys. And don’t forget, no Thomas, no Partey!”

It comes days after Partey sent a message to furious Atletico fans, who were left surprised at his deadline-day move.

He wrote on Instagram: “Dear Atletico fans, today I only have words of gratitude for you. For several years now, Atletico Madrid has been my home and this family will always be a part of me.

I want to thank the club for the trust placed in me from day one, but above all, I want to thank you, this wonderful fanbase that accepted me from the first moment and one that never stops believing in both the good and the bad times.

“Atletico Madrid is not just a club, it is a family. Thank you.”

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XHERDAN SHAKIR CLEARED TO PLAY FOR COUNTRY AFTER SURVIVING COVID-19.

Xherdan Shaqiri has flown to Spain for Switzerland’s Nations League tie after testing negative for coronavirus.

The Liverpool star, 28, had been self-isolating having tested positive for the disease on Tuesday.

Shaqiri has 82 caps for Switzerland.

He missed Switzerland’s defeat to Croatia in a friendly on Wednesday but having received medical reports from the latest round of tests the Swiss Football Association revealed Shaqiri, who was isolating with teammate Manuel Akanji, had subsequently tested negative.

“On Thursday morning the Swiss Football Association received the written results of the COVID-19 tests of the national team, which had also been carried out the day before with all players and staff members,” read a statement.

“Only Manuel Akanji tested positive. All other results were negative, including that of Xherdan Shaqiri.

“Manuel Akanji is in isolation and continues to show no symptoms. Further medical investigations will take place.

“All other players and staff members of the national team are flying to Spain this afternoon, where the UEFA Nations League game against the group A leader will take place in Madrid on Saturday.

“After Xherdan Shaqiri’s negative Covid-19 test, the UEFA health committee must now decide on eligibility to play on Saturday.

“When this decision will be made is still unclear. Shaqiri is flying to Spain as planned.”

There was further good news for Shaqiri on Thursday as he was named in Liverpool’s Champions League squad.

The Switzerland forward joined the Reds in the summer of 2018 but has been a bit-part player throughout his time at Anfield having struggled with injuries.

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LIVERPOOL SIGN BRAZILIAN GOALKEEPER.

Liverpool have signed 17-year-old goalkeeper Marcelo Pitaluga on a permanent deal from Fluminese.

Pitaluga was scouted with the help of Alisson Becker’s brother Muriel while the pair were at Fluminense.

The teenager, who was part of the Brazil squad which won the FIFA U17 World Cup on home soil last November, has started training at Melwood, where he will be based with the first-team group, and will play for the club’s academy teams.

I asked Ali to speak to his brother to see how it goes and how he is doing,” goalkeeping coach John Achterberg told liverpoolfc.com.

“Ali spoke to his brother and Ali went training there (during the club’s Premier League break in February).

We saw a little bit from the training and the games he was playing for the reserves in Brazil.

“He was already 16 playing in the reserve team there so you also think, ‘they trust him to play already in the reserves at 16’.

“Now he is here, we have to improve [him]. He is still young, there is no pressure because there is still a long road and we don’t want to create any pressure for him because there is still work to do.”

Pitaluga joins Becker, Adrian and Caoimhin Kelleher in Liverpool’s pool of goalkeepers. Loris Karius is also still on Liverpool’s books but has joined Union Berlin on a season-long loan.

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AS ROMA LOSE OVER €200M TO THE PANDEMIC.

AS Roma will report a loss of €204 million for the 2019/20 season, the club have revealed in a message to the stock market. The results have been published just a few months after the Italian club were taken over by the American privately held consortium of businesses and investments The Friedkin Group, who in August finalised a full purchase of the club from fellow American James Pallotta in a €591 million transaction.

“The fourth quarter of the 2019/20 financial year saw a significant deterioration in the economic and financial situation and the equity of the company and group, mainly due to the spread of Covid-19,” the statement read.

As a result of the loss, the club’s shareholders’ equity has decreased by €115 million to negative €242.5 million. Accordingly, AS Roma require financing of €140 million for the 2020/21 season.

The club saved €30 million from players and some staff foregoing wages for the months of March, April, May and June and have agreed individual incentive plans with some players for the coming seasons.

“However, despite the measures taken by the company to mitigate the consequences, this emergency situation, extraordinary by nature and extent, has had and is having significant repercussions on economic activities of the company and of the group, causing a context of general uncertainty,” the statement read.

AS Roma point out the loss has been partially offset by payments of €60 million from the club’s parent company, NEEP Roma Holding SpA, and from a capital increase of shareholder loans equal to €29.1 million.

The club, traded on Milan-based Borsa Italiana, have seen a decrease in their share price of 53 per cent to around €0.19 since the same date six months ago, and have a market cap of €115 million.

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OZIL MISSING IN ARSENAL’S EUROPA LEAGUE LINE UP.

Arsenal will not include Mesut Ozil in its Europa League lineup when the final squad is announced on Thursday, a report said. The veteran midfielder has not played a single minute since the games resumed after the lockdown.

Ozil is the highest-paid player on the club, earning an estimated $452,000 a week, BBC reported.

The Europa League only allows 17 non-locally trained players in the 25-man lineup. Goal reported that Mikel Arteta decided to leave out Ozil and defender Sokratis to make room in the squad.

Ozil last featured for the Gunners in the win against West Ham in March before the football season was suspended due to the global pandemic. Throughout the 31-year-old’s career, he’s served Arsenal in 254 games, netted 44 goals and tallied 77 assists. But while he’s been with the Gunners since 2013, he hasn’t been utilized much in 2020.

When asked why the German player hasn’t been seeing action on the field, Arteta replied by pointing out how their team is changing.

“The team is evolving, you can see the level they are achieving. This is where we are at the moment. We want to evolve more and play better and compete better,” Arteta told a news conference in September.

“You can see that the players we are changing, we are using, it’s very difficult every week not just for Mesut but for some other players as well to make the squad. Every week we try to pick the right players,” he continued.

The Arsenal manager added that he wants to give other players more time and experience as well.

“It’s difficult for others as well that aren’t involved in the Premier League and didn’t play tonight either. We have a squad of 26, 27 players at the moment and we can’t give playing time to all of them,” the 38-year-old coach shared.

“I understand and I respect your questions but I have to try to do my job as fair as possible. I try to select the players that are, in my opinion, in better condition,” Arteta concluded.

Arsenal’s Europa League campaign will start on Oct. 22 when the club faces Rapid Wien in Austria.

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MANCHESTER UNITED OPEN TALKS WITH POCHETTINO TO REPLACE OGS

Manchester United have made contact with Mauricio Pochettino following the club’s dismal start to the Premier League season.

The Argentine was United’s first choice to replace Jose Mourinho in December 2018 but Solskjaer impressed so much during his interim time in charge that the club felt compelled to prolong his deal.

Pochettino was keen on joining United and his five-year stay at Tottenham came to an end last November, with many feeling results started to downturn after he was overlooked for the United job.

United have just three points from their opening three matches this term and Sunday’s humiliating 6-1 defeat was ironically inflicted by Jose Mourinho, who preceded Solskjaer and replaced Pochettino.

Solskjaer has a little over 18 months to run on his contract at Old Trafford and sacking the Norwegian would only cost in the region of £4m, which is paltry compared to the £18m that Mourinho received.

Despite a strong finish to the previous campaign, a negative cloud hangs over United’s season and Solskjaer faces Chelsea, Arsenal, PSG and Everton in his next six matches. Pochettino is yet to take a new job after his exit from Spurs and the Mirror claim contact has been made between United and the Argentine to sound him out over replacing Solskjaer.

Pochettino has received various job offers since leaving Tottenham but he’s waiting for the right opportunity and Sir Alex Ferguson is a well known admirer of the 48-year-old.

Unlike in previous years, there’s fewer doubts about the quality of United’s first XI and more worries about the lack of coaching that the squad are receiving.

Pochettino worked wonders at Spurs with a limited budget and United are one of the few super powers in Europe to operate without a Director of Football, which appeals to the Argentine.

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XHERDAN SHAKIR JOINS MANE AND THIAGO IN ISOLATION AS SWISS TESTS POSITIVE FOR COVID-19.

Liverpool forward Xherdan Shaqiri has tested positive for coronavirus, the Swiss football association has confirmed.

The 28-year-old is the THIRD Reds player to contract COVID-19 in the last seven days, after both Sadio Mane and Thiago Alcantara tested positive last week.

Shaqiri is currently on international duty with Switzerland, having only linked up with his national team on Monday, and has now entered self-isolation in his homeland.

“Xherdan Shaqiri has tested positive for Covid-19,” read a statement from the Swiss Football Association on Tuesday morning.

“In consultation with the health authorities, he is in isolation.

“The strict protective measures and requirements of UEFA for national teams in accordance with the ‘UEFA Return to Play Protocol’ have been strictly adhered to since the move began.

“Based on this, clarifications are currently underway with the local health authorities about how to proceed.”

Self-isolation guidelines in Switzerland differ slightly from in the UK, as people must remain in isolation for at least ten days after the point symptoms first appeared.

Shaqiri was due to be part of the Swiss team to take on Croatia on Wednesday, followed by Nations League matches against Spain and Germany on October 10 and 13.

The Liverpool winger has made just one appearance in Jurgen Klopp’s side this season, in the 7-2 victory over Lincoln City in the Carabao Cup third round on September 24, where he opened the scoring.

He was linked with a departure from Anfield throughout the summer transfer window, especially having failed to even be named in a Premier League matchday squad this season.

Italian clubs Roma and Lazio were linked with an interest, but no deal materialised before Monday’s transfer deadline, and so he will remain with the Premier League champions until at least January.

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TELLES SIGNS FOR MAN UNITED

Manchester United have announced the signing of left-back Alex Telles from Porto for an undisclosed fee.

The 27-year-old joins on Man Utd a four-year deal, with an option to extend for a further year.

“I won many trophies at FC Porto and I want to continue that at United,” the Brazilian told the club’s official website. “The manager has a clear plan and direction for this team and I can’t wait to pull on the famous shirt.”

Telles will add to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s options on the left side of the Red Devils’ defence, with the new addition set to compete with Luke Shaw and Brandon Williams for a starting place.

He has spent the past five seasons at Porto, scoring 26 goals and registering more than 50 assists as an attack-minded full-back.

The defender also enjoyed spells in the UEFA Champions League with Galatasaray and Inter Milan after arriving in Europe in 2014.

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EDISON CAVANI BECOMES A ONE-YEAR DEVIL.

Manchester United have made Uruguay striker Edinson Cavani their second Deadline Day signing, on a one-year contract with the option of a further 12 months.

The 33-year-old, who left Paris Saint-Germain in the summer, joins Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Man Utd side on a free transfer after scoring 341 goals in European club football since moving to the continent in 2007.

“I’ve worked really hard during the time off and I feel eager to compete and represent this incredible club,” Cavani told the club’s official website.

“I look forward to continuing to write my little story inside the book of football and I know that’s why my focus has to remain the same as always – work, work, work. I have had a conversation with the manager and this has increased my desire to wear this beautiful shirt.”

Cavani won six league titles with PSG and is their all-time leading scorer with 200 goals. He claimed the Golden Boot in both Ligue 1 and Serie A, having excelled in three years at Italian side Napoli.

He has also scored 50 goals in 116 international appearances for Uruguay.

Manchester United travel to St. James’s park for their next Premier League match with Newcastle United on Saturday 17 October.