Tag: Football News

Categories
football Slides Sports News Transfer News

ARSENAL CONFIRM £27M SIGNING OF LILLE DEFENDER GABRIEL MAGALHAES

Arsenal have finally confirmed the £27million signing of defender Gabriel Magalhaes – as the club unveiled him during a live clip on social media.

The Brazilian has signed a long-term deal and will wear the number six shirt as he becomes Mikel Arteta’s fourth major signing of the summer.

The club had teased fans by announcing that David Luiz and Willian will be joined by a ‘special guest’ in a group chat video, showing a picture of both players alongside a silhouette with a question mark, saying: ‘You don’t want to miss this one!’

They hinted that both players would reveal their fellow Brazilian as a Gunners player with the quote: ‘I’m not sure I can talk about it yet… Let’s call him!’

The clip starts with Luiz congratulating Willian on his move to the Emirates, with the winger replying: ‘I’m so happy we will soon be together. Let’s go full throttle and win trophies.

Luiz then says ‘It’s so good that our little Brazilian family keeps growing’, and adds that he has ‘heard the family will get even bigger’. The pair then mention Magalhaes before deciding to invite him into the call to ask if he has joined.

The defender appears in an Arsenal shirt, saying ‘what’s up boys?’ as he is welcomed by his compatriots. ‘I’m so happy to be here with you guys. Let’s make it count,’ he adds. ‘I cannot wait, let’s win trophies. We’ve already started well!’

Speaking about his new signing, manager Mikel Arteta said Magalhaes had ‘outstanding qualities’ to make the team stronger defensively.

He said: ‘He has many qualities which will make us stronger as a defensive unit and as a team. He has proved with Lille that he is a defender with many outstanding attributes and we are looking forward to watching him grow as an Arsenal player.’

Technical director Edu added: ‘We are delighted to have signed Gabriel. He is a player we have been studying for a while and he was in demand from many clubs, so we are proud to have agreed and completed this transfer with Lille and the player.

‘Gabriel is a player of high quality and Mikel and his coaches are looking forward to integrating him into the club.’

Arsenal emerged as front runners to land Magalhaes after agreeing a deal to sign him earlier this month – beating off competition from the likes of Napoli, Manchester United and Chelsea.

Categories
football Slides Sports News Transfer News

LEICESTER CITY COMPLETES CAPTURE OF BELGIAN WING BACK TO REPLACE BEN CHILWELL.

Leicester City are set to make Belgian international wing-back Timothy Castagne their first signing of the summer.

Reports from Castagne’s home nation say an £18m deal, potentially rising to £21.5m, has now been agreed with his club Atalanta, with the 24-year-old signing a five-year contract at the King Power Stadium.

While naturally a right-sided player, Castagne is equally comfortable on the left and he will help City cope with the departure of Ben Chilwell, who left the club last week in a £50m move to Chelsea.

The foxes wanted to get a deal for Castagne done before he joined up with Youri Tielemans, Dennis Praet, and the Belgian national team ahead of their Nations League games over the next week.

Reports from Belgium say the King Power side had looked at Castagne last summer, but have now made their move and will bring him in to strengthen their full-back and wing-back ranks. City have James Justin, Luke Thomas, Ricardo Pereira, and Christian Fuchs in their senior squad, but the latter two are ruled out until at least October with injury.

Operating as cover for both the right and left wing-backs at Atalanta last season, Castagne played 33 games in all competitions – providing two goals and three assists – as the Bergamo club finished third in Serie A and reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

He spent his youth days at Genk, where he was a team-mate of Wilfred Ndidi.

At the start of the summer, he said his dream was to play in the Premier League.

Speaking in May, Castagne said: “I’ll tell the truth, if I could choose my next destination, I’d lean towards England. I like that Premier League style of football, but I don’t have a preferred club. They are all good.”

Categories
football Slides Sports News

IVAN RAKITIC RETURNS TO SEVILLA FROM BARCELONA.

Croatian midfielder Ivan Rakitic has left Barcelona in order to return to his old club Sevilla.

The deal was reportedly agreed as early as 31 August, which allowed the player to undergo medical tests ahead of signing a four-year contract with Julen Lopetegui‘s side.

Only seven senior first-team players were not classified as ‘untouchable’ in the Catalan club’s rebuilding project, according to club president Josep Maria Bartomeu.

Croatian midfielder Rakitic was not named among those players, thus paving the way for him to move back to his former side Sevilla, where he has friends and close relatives.

The 32-year-old initially swapped Seville for Barcelona back in 2014 and enjoyed six trophy-laden years in Catalonia.

The midfielder won the Champions League with the club in 2015 and also won four La Liga titles and four Copa del Rey crowns during his time at Barcelona.

Though Rakitic lost his untouchable status at Barcelona, it may seem strange that the club were still willing to sanction his departure this summer.

At 32, the player still has a lot to offer at the highest level and had been a first-team regular in the side ever since his £16 million arrival.

Last season, Rakitic made 42 appearances for the club in all competitions. Thirty-one of those came in La Liga, with the player scoring once and registering three assists.

Sevilla manager Lopetegui will hope Barça’s loss will be Sevilla’s gain. The former Real Madrid boss is looking to use this window to build on last season’s Europa League triumph.

Rakitic will almost certainly not be the last high-profile departure from Ronald Koeman’s side this summer.

Dutch club Ajax are hoping to agree a deal for the signing of their former striker Luis Suarez. Meanwhile, Lionel Messi is desperate to find a new club as well. Manchester City are among the frontrunners for the Argentine great’s signature.

Categories
football Sports News

Naomi Osaka proceeds to next round in US Open

Osaka, who won the first of her two Grand Slams at Flushing Meadows in 2018, wobbled in the second set before recovering for a 6-2 5-7 6-2 victory.

Elsewhere, teenager Coco Gauff’s hopes of another Grand Slam run were ended by 31st seed Anastasija Sevastova.

But top seed Karolina Pliskova and sixth seed Petra Kvitova advanced.

Osaka, 22, withdrew from the Western and Southern Open final on Saturday with a left hamstring injury, saying afterwards she was “stressing” about her fitness going into the Grand Slam.

During Monday’s less-than-convincing win over 81st-ranked Doi, she did not wear any strapping or need medical treatment.

“It was difficult [physically]. I knew there was a chance it would get really long. I will have to see what happens tomorrow and how I feel,” Osaka said.

The former world number one struggled with her first serve in the early part of the match, landing only 38% as Doi took control in the second set and threatened to level the match.

But Osaka switched gears with a decider looming, finding more power and precision with her serves and returns to fight back from 5-2 down to level at 5-5.

Osaka was unable to take any of her three break points for a 6-5 lead before the momentum swung back to Doi, who broke on her second set point through Osaka’s 20th unforced error.

However, Osaka increased her level again at decisive moments. She broke in the opening game of the decider, and again for a 5-2 lead, to come through in two hours and three minutes.

Osaka walked out on court wearing a face mask with the name of Breonna Taylor, a black woman who was shot dead by a policeman in the United States in March.

Asked about it in her on-court interview, she said: “I have seven. It is quite sad seven masks isn’t enough for the amount of names – and hopefully I’ll get to the final and you will see all of them.”

She later added in a news conference: “For me, I just want to spread awareness. I’m aware that tennis is watched all over the world but that maybe there is someone who doesn’t know Breonna Taylor’s story. Maybe they’ll Google it after or something.

“I feel the more people know this story the more interested they will become in it.”

Osaka initially pulled out of her Western and Southern Open semi-final last week as a protest against racial injustice.

Tournament organisers then suspended play in New York on Thursday, one of a number of sporting events in the US to do so in protest at the shooting of Jacob Blake – a black man who was shot seven times in the back by police on 23 August in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Categories
football Sports News

Grealish called up to the England squad

Aston Villa midfielder Jack Grealish has been called up to the England senior squad for the first time.

However, Marcus Rashford and Harry Winks have pulled out of Gareth Southgate’s squad for the Nations League fixtures in Iceland and Denmark.

Grealish, 24, has previously represented England at Under-21 level and was a member of Southgate’s 2016 Toulon Tournament-winning squad.

It follows call-ups for Conor Coady and Ainsley Maitland-Niles on Saturday.

Following his withdrawal, Manchester United forward Rashford tweeted: “Gutted. Never want to let this team down but these fixtures just came a little too soon for me.

“I tried my best but I have to focus on starting the season at my strongest for club and country. Good luck boys, I’ll be cheering you on from home.”

England’s players met up at St George’s Park on Monday.

Southgate’s side face their Euro 2016 conquerors Iceland in Reykjavik on 5 September before playing Denmark in Copenhagen three days later.

The disruption caused to the football calendar by coronavirus, including Euro 2020 being delayed by a year until 2021, means England have not played since November 2019, when a 4-0 win in Kosovo concluded their Euro 2020 qualification campaign

Categories
football Sports News

David Silva test positive for corona virus

Real Sociedad’s former Manchester City midfielder David Silva has tested positive for coronavirus.

The 34-year-old Spaniard joined the La Liga club this month after 10 years with City in which he made 436 appearances and won 14 trophies.

He is not displaying any symptoms and is self-isolating.

The Spanish side confirmed the news on the same day the playmaker was revealed in his new club’s colours at Sociedad’s Anoeta Stadium.

Categories
football Sports News

Zlatan Ibrahimovic signs one year contract extention with Milan

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has signed a one-year contract extension with AC Milan.

The 38-year-old Swedish forward scored 11 goals in all competitions after returning to Milan in January.

Ibrahimovic, who first signed for the club in 2010 and won a Serie A title that season, resumed pre-season training with his team-mates on Monday.

He previously featured for Serie A rivals Juventus and Inter and played for Paris St-Germain, Manchester United and LA Galaxy between his Milan spells

Categories
football Slides Sports News

LA LIGA SIDES WITH BARCELONA ON CURRENT MESSI CONTRACT ISSUES IN NEW STATEMENT.

La Liga have released an official statement on the contract saga that is currently the most important issue in Lionel Messi’s future – and they have sided with FC Barcelona, reports say.

This morning, Messi failed to attend the PCR tests at Barcelona – a clear signal of his desire to leave the club and an attempt to put pressure on the board to reach a resolution.

Additionally, it has been reported that Messi’s camp believe that his release clause of €700m no longer applies, and that the Argentinean is effectively a free agent and can sign for any club he wishes.

However, La Liga have waded into the dispute via an official statement. In this, it states that the ‘current deal is still valid and paying [the] release clause for 700m is the only way out’, as relayed by Romano.

The Italian journalist added that Man City are awaiting to hear from Barcelona before making any decision, and that Messi’s wish to leave remains unchanged by the statement.

Barcelona are refusing to budge and grant the forward a free transfer, and will use the La Liga statement to bolster their position.

‘The saga is on’, Romano concludes

Categories
football Slides Sports News

LYON BEAT WOLFSBURG TO CLINCH FIFTH STRAIGHT UEFA WOMEN’S CHAMPIONS LEAGUE.

Lyon won the UEFA Women’s Champions League for a fifth season in a row with a 3-1 victory over Wolfsburg.

Pernille Harder missed a great chance to hit the target for Wolfsburg when the ball fell to her in the box, before at the other end Wendie Renard’s header dropped onto the roof of the net and Delphine Cascarino also went close

The opening goal came just after midway in the first half, Eugenie le Sommer forced a save from Friederike Abt and was first to the rebound to shoot into the far corner.

The German side were left with a lot to do approaching the interval, Saki Kumagai burying a 22-yard strike inside the post.

It was game on before the hour mark though, Alexandra Popp directing a header home from Ewa Pajor’s ball into the six-yard box.

did threaten an equaliser but without further troubling the keeper, then two minutes from time Le Sommer’s drive was directed into the back of the net by Sara Bjork Gunnarsdottir.

This year’s victory makes it the seventh UEFA champions League trophy and the fifth on a bounce for the French side.

Categories
football Slides Sports News

SAINTS’ LEMINA JOINS FULHAM ON LOAN.

Southampton midfielder Mario Lemina has completed a season-long loan move to Fulham.

The 26-year-old has joined Scott Parker’s side ahead of the 2020/21 campaign, as they return to the Premier League having won promotion via the Championship play-offs.

Lemina, who joined Saints from Juventus in 2017, also spent last season on loan with Turkish club Galatasaray, but now returns to England.

The club wishes Mario well for the season ahead.