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CRYSTAL PALACE SIGN DEFENDER JOACHIM ANDERSON FROM LYON FOR AN UNDISCLOSED FEE

Crystal Palace have announced the signing of defender Joachim Andersen from Lyon for an undisclosed fee.

The Denmark international spent last season on loan with Fulham in the Premier League and will continue to ply his trade in England after he agreed a five-year deal at Selhurst Park.

Andersen is new boss Patrick Vieira’s fourth signing of the summer, following in the footsteps of Michael Olise, Remi Matthews and Marc Guehi.

He told the official club website: “I’m extremely proud to be joining Crystal Palace and to be playing in the world’s best football league.

“The management of the club and Patrick Vieira have given me very strong assurance that they know my qualities, they believe in me and want me to play an important role in the team.

“I have a very positive impression of Patrick from the conversations I have had with him and I have heard nothing but great things about the manager, the club and its plans for the future.”

With centre-backs Gary Cahill, Mamadou Sakho and Scott Dann released at the end of last season, the heart of defence was an area which needed to be bolstered and Andersen fits the bill for the style of play being implemented by Vieira.

Roy Hodgson’s successor is eager for Palace to pass out from the back, with possession-based football a key part of his tactics, and the ex-Fulham loanee gained admirers for his quality on the ball during the previous campaign.

Meanwhile, left-back Patrick Van Aanholt has completed a move to Galatasaray on a free transfer, signing a deal until the summer of 2024.

He wrote on Twitter: “Palace has been a proper home to me, you’ll forever be a part of my life. To the boys, good luck for the up and coming season. Big change, big opportunity, big rewards. Make it count.”

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NORWICH PRESEASON FRIENDLY CANCELED OVER COVID CRISIS

Norwich’s pre-season friendly against Coventry has been cancelled due to a number of positive Covid-19 tests among the Premier League squad.

The fixture was scheduled to take place at Chesterfield’s Technique Stadium this evening but will now not go ahead following the test results.

“The decision was made as a precautionary measure following a small number of positive COVID-19 test results within City’s first team group,” a Norwich statement read.

“The club’s players and staff will continue to follow Premier League protocols and government guidelines, operating and training in their respective first team bubble at the Lotus Training Centre.”

The Canaries – who are preparing for their return to the Premier League having won the Sky Bet Championship last season – have already played King’s Lynn Town, Lincoln and Huddersfield in pre-season.

Daniel Farke’s side will now face recently-relegated Sheffield United on Saturday before playing Gillingham and Newcastle ahead of their season opener at home to Liverpool.

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BEN WHITE COMPLETES ARSENAL MOVE

Brighton & Hove Albion defender Ben White has completed his move to Arsenal for a fee of around £50 million, reports Fabrizio Romano. The defender joins hoping to become a key part of Mikel Arteta’s ongoing rebuild at the Emirates. He should tick the boxes for age, potential and ball-playing ability to slot straight into the side.

As for Brighton, they’ll consider the deal good business having received the £50 million fee. Without White, the Seagulls still have a solid bunch of defensive options including the more experienced Lewis Dunk, Joel Veltman and Adam Webster.

Arsenal fans will be satisfied with the move, but they’ll still have plenty of questions probably starting with, did they even need another centre-back? The Gunners already have David Luiz, Rob Holding, Gabriel and Pablo Mari. Sure Ben White offers added quality, but surely the budget should have gone on the frontline?

Last season saw Arsenal concede less goals than third place Liverpool yet finish the season five places and eight points away from them. The argue could be made that they didn’t need to target defenders, especially when looking at their offensive numbers.

Whilst conceding less goals than Liverpool, Arteta’s side scored less than Leeds United and Newcastle United. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang struggled for the majority of the season, scoring just ten Premier League goals.

At the age of 32, the likelihood is that he only continues his decline in the forthcoming season, too, leaving Arsenal without a goalscoring. White will undoubtedly find success at the Emirates, but is he needed? No.

Instead, Arteta should have thrown sentiment out of the window and targeted a replacement for Aubameyang. Luckily for the Gunners, there is still time to welcome further players before the beginning of the season.

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SIMONE BILES WITHDRAWS FROM ALL-ROUND GYMNASTICS AFTER MENTAL HEALTH CONCERNS

Simone Biles has decided to withdraw from Thursday’s women’s all-around final, USA Gymnastics has confirmed.

The 24-year-old pulled out after one rotation of the women’s team final on Tuesday in Tokyo, citing mental health concerns.

USA Gymnastics said Biles is yet to decide whether to withdraw from her four individual finals, which are scheduled to take place next week.

In a statement, USA Gymnastics said: “After further medical evaluation, Simone Biles has withdrawn from the final individual all-around competition.

“We wholeheartedly support Simone’s decision and applaud her bravery in prioritising her well-being. Her courage shows, yet again, why she is a role model for so many.”

Biles won four gold medals in Rio in 2016 and was aiming to become the first gymnast to retain a female all-around title at the Games since Vera Caslavska in 1968.

She successfully qualified for the final in first place but a mistake on her opening vault in Tuesday night’s team final prompted her to leave the arena with a US team medic.

Amid injury fears, Biles returned to the arena to support her team to an eventual silver medal behind the team representing the Russian Olympic Committee, and later revealed she had made her decision due to a desire to protect her mental health.

Biles said on Tuesday: “It’s been really stressful these Olympic Games, not having an audience. It’s been a long week, a long Olympic process, a long year. We are just a little bit too stressed out. We should be out here having fun.

“I feel like I’m also not having as much fun and this Olympic Games I wanted it to be for myself and it felt like I was still doing it for other people. It hurts my heart that doing what I love has been taken away from me to please other people.”

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DORTMUND SIGNS MALEN FROM PSV TO REPLACE SANCHO

Borussia Dortmund have completed the signing of Netherlands forward Donyell Malen from PSV Eindhoven on a five-year contract, it was announced on Tuesday.

The 22-year-old arrives following the departure of Jadon Sancho to Manchester United for €85 million.

“Borussia Dortmund is a top European club that is always at the top of the Bundesliga and also has high demands on itself in the Champions League,” Malen said.

“I can hardly wait to be on the pitch with my new teammates, to be able to measure myself against the best. And of course I’m looking forward to the fans and the stadium that all of Europe raves about.”

Malen, who played for Ajax and Arsenal at youth level, moved to PSV in 2017 and played for Jong PSV in the second tier. He won Player of the Year in his first season. He made four first-team appearances for the side which won the Eredivisie title in 2017-18.

The following campaign, he was promoted to the senior side and scored 10 league goals. In 2020-21, he finished the season with 27 in all competitions — his best-ever single season tally.

Malen has 13 Netherlands caps and was part of the Euro 2020 squad, starting two matches, including the surprise round of 16 defeat to Czech Republic.

“Donyell is a player with great offensive potential, who exudes goal danger, brings his creativity to the table and has a high speed,” BVB director Michael Zorc added.

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OLYMPICS 2020: GERMANY ELIMINATED IN GROUP STAGE AFTER DRAW WITH IVORY COAST

Germany have been eliminated in the group stage of the men’s Olympic football tournament after a 1-1 draw with Ivory Coast at the Miyagi Stadium in Rifu on Wednesday.

Stefan Kuntz’s side, who won silver at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro, came into the match a point behind Ivory Coast and knowing anything less than a victory would mean they were knocked out.

After a bright start by Germany, Ivory Coast grew into the game and took a deserve lead on 67 minutes when Benjamin Heinrichs bundled into his own goal.

Germany equalised six minutes later through Eduard Lowen’s stunning free kick to set up a tense finish but they were unable to find a winner.

Ivory Coast, unbeaten in the group, finished second to Brazil while third-place Germany joined Saudi Arabia in exiting the competition at the first hurdle.

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MAHREZ STUNNER GIVES MANCITY PRESEASON WIN OVER PRESTON

A stunning free kick from Riyad Mahrez helped a depleted Manchester City side beat Preston North End 2-0 in their first preseason friendly of the summer.

Mahrez, one of only a handful of senior players available to Pep Guardiola following the European Championships and the Copa America, opened the scoring in the first half against the Championship side before 18-year-old Sam Edozie added a second after the break.

Ruben Dias, Joao Cancelo and Nathan Ake only returned to training on Monday, but were immediately thrown back into action by Guardiola as part of a back four which also included Benjamin Mendy.

Fernandinho and Mahrez also started at City’s academy stadium alongside a host of youngsters including exciting winger Morgan Rogers. Mahrez gave City the lead in the 25th minute with a curling free-kick from 25 yards which was too good for Preston goalkeeper Connor Ripley.

Edozie, on as a substitute at half-time as Guardiola made 10 changes, doubled City’s advantage after a slick move after 64 minutes. An otherwise comfortable evening for City was soured late on when 18-year-old goalkeeper Cieran Slicker was forced off on a stretcher after a collision with Tom Bayliss.

City are set to play Barnsley at the CFA on Saturday after a planned trip to France to face Troyes had to be cancelled because of quarantine issues surrounding their return to the UK.

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TOBY ALDERWEREILD LEAVES TOTTENHAM FOR QATARI GIANTS AL DUHAIL

Toby Alderweireld has left Tottenham after six seasons with the Premier League outfit to join Qatari giants Al Duhail.

The move was confirmed by all parties on Tuesday, with Alderweireld stating it had been “an honour” to play for the North London outfit.

The Belgium international has won 113 caps for his national team and was part of the side that finished third at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

In his six seasons with Spurs, Alderweireld made 243 appearances and was largely a mainstay in the heart of defence.

Now 32, Alderweireld has put pen to paper to a three-year deal with Al Duhail and will be a like-for-like replacement for Medhi Benatia, the former Bayern Munich and Juventus centre-back who spent the last two seasons in Qatar.

Al Duhail manager Sabri Lamouchi appears to be looking to rejuvenate his squad after a disappointing campaign, which saw them finish 13 points behind champions Al Sadd in the Qatar Stars League title race, while they also suffered an embarrassing group-stage exit in the AFC Champions League back in April.

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RAPHAEL VARANE SET FOR MAN UNITED MEDICALS AFTER REAL AGREE DEAL FOR FRENCH DEFENDER

Raphael Varane will reportedly undergo his medical tests in a couple of days, which will then make his move from Real Madrid to Manchester United a formality.

According to reputed Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, Manchester United are moving closer and closer to secure the services of Raphael Varane in the summer transfer window. The Real Madrid defender is pencilled in for his medical with the Premier League heavyweights, which will be conducted in two days.

Raphael Varane is bringing a glittering decade-long stint with Real Madrid to a close, with the Frenchman winning every single trophy at club level with Los Blancos. During his stint, the 28-year-old has turned out 360 times for the Merengues while chipping in with 17 goals and seven assists.

However, it had been speculated for a long time that Varane was keen on embarking on a new challenge this summer while he was still at the peak of his powers. To that end, Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain have been heavily linked with the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner, with the Red Devils prevailing in the race to sign him.

At Manchester United, the need of the hour has been to sign a reliable long-term partner for captain Harry Maguire following the blow hot blow cold displays of Victor Lindelof. With the Swede also struggling with a niggling back issue last term, in addition to the fitness issues that have plagued Eric Bailly, it became imperative that the English giants signed a centre-back.

To that end, Manchester United were heavily linked with a gamut of central defenders early in the summer before they zeroed in on Varane after sensing there was a real opportunity to sign him. And in the week gone by, Manchester United have come within whiskers of securing the services of the Real Madrid defender.

The much sought-after “Here We Go” was delivered by Fabrizio Romano on Monday and Gianluca Di Marzio has further revealed that Varane’s medical with Manchester United is set to be conducted in two days. Further, it has been revealed that a €50 million fee has been agreed between the Red Devils and Real Madrid.

In some additional information from the reliable David Ornstein, the Premier League heavyweights have agreed a four-year deal with Varane. The deal is nothing short of a coup for Manchester United, who are signing a world class defender while he is still at his peak. What now remains to be seen is if Varane can continue to garner success at club level after leaving Real Madrid for Manchester United.

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JOHN TERRY LEAVES ROLE AS ASTON VILLA ASSISTANT MANAGER

John Terry has left his role as Aston Villa’s assistant boss, the club have announced.

The 40-year-old former England and Chelsea skipper signed for Villa in the summer of 2017, taking on the captaincy and going on to play 32 times for the midlands outfit in the season that followed.

He then returned as assistant head coach when Dean Smith took charge at Villa Park in October 2018.

Terry told Villa’s official website: “It has been a tremendous honour and privilege to have spent these last three years at Aston Villa, but I feel now is the right time to make the extremely difficult decision to move on.

“I want to be as respectful to the manager and everyone at Aston Villa as I can and, having given my future serious consideration over the summer, I genuinely don’t feel it is fair to move into a new season without being certain of seeing that through.

“My immediate plan is to spend some quality time with my family and, thereafter, hopefully take up some invitations to visit clubs and managers around Europe to develop my aim and objective of becoming a manager.

“It has always been my ambition to move into football management and, providing the right opportunity presents itself, I feel ready to take up such a challenge.”

Terry said he “will forever be indebted to the gaffer (Smith) for giving me the opportunity to start my coaching career at such a wonderful club”, adding: “I have loved every minute of it and learnt so much.

“I can’t thank Dean enough for the support and guidance he has provided me with and I’m sure he will continue to lead the club from strength to strength.”

During the former centre-back’s time coaching at Villa, the club secured promotion to the Premier League in 2019, followed by top-flight finishes of 17th and then 11th last term.

Smith said: “I’m disappointed to lose John as part of my coaching staff but fully understand and respect his decision.

“John has played a huge role in the success the club has enjoyed over the last few years and has been very supportive of myself throughout that period.

“I have no doubts he will go on to be a first-class manager in his own right and wish him well for the future.”

Terry, holder of 78 England caps, had the final games of his playing career with Villa after making 717 appearances for Chelsea and winning 15 major trophies with the club.