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SCOTT PARKER APPOINTED NEW BOURNEMOUTH BOSS

Scott Parker has been appointed head coach of Sky Bet Championship side Bournemouth on a three-year deal.

Fulham announced earlier on Monday that the 40-year-old had left the west London club, and less than four hours later he was confirmed as the new Cherries boss.

Parker replaces Jonathan Woodgate, who was told earlier this week that his short-term contract would not be renewed.

“I believe this is the perfect fit for both parties,” Parker told afcbTV. “I’m familiar with Bournemouth because of my relationship with Harry Arter.

“It’s a football club I know well from watching him over the years.

“The ethos, the reputation, the journey and the challenge here is something that’s very exciting for me and my staff.

“We want to build a team the fans can be proud of and one they feel represents them. We can’t wait to get started.”

Parker is bringing Matt Wells (assistant head coach), Rob Burch (first-team goalkeeping coach), Alastair Harris (head of performance), Charlie Moore (lead physical performance coach) and Jonathan Hill (first-team head analyst) with him to the Vitality Stadium.

Bournemouth’s chief executive Neill Blake said: “It has been a long process but I am delighted to finally get our man.

“Scott has always been our number one choice for this role and someone whose coaching career we have taken a keen interest in since his first steps in Tottenham Hotspur’s academy.

“Over a period of time he has proven himself as one of the best young head coaches in the country; someone who has a clear philosophy on how he wants to play and knows what it takes to win promotion from the Championship.

“Scott is fully invested in the long-term project in front of us here, and this is the start of an exciting new period for this club.”

Parker took caretaker charge of Fulham – his first senior managerial role – in February 2019 on a temporary basis, but was unable to keep the club out of the Premier League’s relegation zone.

After being appointed manager on a permanent basis in May that year, the Cottagers secured promotion back to the top flight after beating Brentford in the play-off final.

However, their Premier League return lasted less than a year as their relegation was confirmed following a 2-0 home defeat to Burnley last month.

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AGREEMENT REACHED AS RANGERS GOAL MACHINE, ALFRED MORELOS INCH CLOSER TO PORTUGAL

Soccer Football - First Qualifying Round Second Leg - Rangers v St Joseph's - Ibrox, Glasgow, Britain - July 18, 2019 Rangers' Alfredo Morelos with the matchball after scoring a hat trick at the end of the match Action Images via Reuters/Lee Smith

Prolific Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos has reportedly agreed personal terms to join Portuguese giants Porto.

The Colombian attacker is expected to quit Ibrox this summer, with a number of top European clubs chasing his signature. However, it would appear that Porto have won the race after reports last week that Morelos was subject of a £10million bid.

It’s understood that Rangers are looking for a fee in the region of £15-20m for the 25-year-old frontman.

But radio station Antena 1, as cited by the Glasgow Evening Times, states that there is a “total agreement” between Porto and the player over a move.

Morelos has scored 94 goals in 182 games during his time at Ibrox. He was also a key figure as Steven Gerrard’s side lifted the Scottish Premiership title last season.

The striker has often been a controversial figure at Ibrox, however, having been sent off an incredible seven times.

Any fee that Rangers recoup for Morelos is expected to go towards the addition of another striker for Gerrard.

The Ibrox outfit begin the defence of their title against Livingston on July 31.

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IRISH DEFENDER NATHAN COLLINS JOINS BURNLEY IN £12M DEAL

Premier League side Burnley have signed Republic of Ireland Under-21 international Nathan Collins from Stoke City for a fee reported to be in the region of £12 million (€13.9 million).

The defender, 20, has signed a four-year deal with the Clarets.

Stoke brought Collins to their academy in 2017 after he impressed with Dublin side Cherry Orchard.

He is highly rated and became the club’s youngest ever captain last year.

He will join Ireland internationals Kevin Long and Jimmy Dunne at Turf Moor.

Speaking after signing with Burnley, Collins said: “I want to play in the Premier League. It’s going to be a jump but I think I can be ready for it. Every season they go into it, Burnley look dangerous. They can always hurt teams and it’s a really attractive team to come and play for.

“I want a challenge. That’s why I play football — to challenge myself and I can’t wait to get going. I want to play big games, I want to play against these players — I really can’t wait.

“Looking at Burnley, looking at what they’ve done in the last few seasons and what they want for the future; everything played a part.

“I think they do have big expectations at this club and I want to be part of it.”

Burnley chairman Alan Pace said: “We are extremely pleased to have secured the services of Nathan, who has been much sought after as one of the most promising young players in the country.

“We believe he will be an excellent addition.”

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PSG SET TO MAKE IMPROVED OFFER Of £60M FOR INTER MILAN’S ACHRAF HAKIMI

Paris Saint-Germain will be hopeful of pipping Chelsea in the race for Achraf Hakimi as they get ready to launch an improved bid worth £60million for his services, according to reports.

Chelsea and PSG have both been put on red alert this summer over Hakimi’s situation at Inter Milan, with the Serie A champions desperately needing cash to help resolve their financial crisis.

And now according to Italian football journalist Fabrizio Romano, the Ligue 1 giants are set to table a £60m bid – which is what he is valued by Inter at – that includes add-ons to complete a move for Hakimi after having an initial £56m offer knocked back.
It has also been claimed that PSG have already reached personal terms with Hakimi, with the Moroccan agreeing a five-year contract at the Parc des Princes.

And PSG are said to now be ‘confident’ of getting the deal over the line for one of the most sought-after full backs in European football.

Former Real Madrid star Hakimi played a starring role as Inter claimed their first Serie A title since 2010.

Hakimi played 45 times in all competitions last season under former boss Antonio Conte, scoring seven goals and creating 11 assists as he provided a huge attacking threat for Inter down the flanks.

The 22-year-old right back can also play on the left side of defence too, as well as a winger, and would provide PSG with extra quality in their bid for Champions League glory.

The latest news will come as a huge blow to Chelsea, who have been in pursuit of Hakimi this summer.

The Blues have been in talks over a deal for Hakimi, and were planning to use Marcos Alonso as a sweetener to get their man.

Chelsea have shown interest in a £52m cash deal which would also include 30-year old Alonso.

The arrival of Hakimi at Chelsea would add competition to the right wing back spot, which is currently held by Reece James, as the European champions look to lead a Premier League title charge next term.

But Chelsea will now be hoping that Inter push back PSG in their latest move for Hakimi.

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NIGERIAN FORWARD, EMMANUEL DENNIS JOINS WATFORD

Newly-promoted English Premier League club Watford FC made an official announcement on Monday that they have reached an agreement with Belgian side, Club Brugge for the transfer of Nigerian striker, Emmanuel Dennis.

Other details around the length of the contract and the financial implication are yet to be fully disclosed by the two parties.

The statement on Watford website Monday night read: “An agreement with Club Brugges has been reached for the transfer of exciting young forward Emmanuel Dennis, Watford FC is delighted to confirm.”

Dennis, 23, spent part of last season on loan in Germany’s Bundesliga with FC Köln but he failed to impress

The Nigerian forward first joined the Belgian top-flight side in the summer of 2017.

A scorer of 27 goals in less than 100 club appearances for Brugges, Dennis has featured in both the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League where he scored some famous goals; including against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.

According to Watford, they are currently finalising ‘personal terms’ with the pacy striker – so far capped twice by Nigeria.

Born in the Northern Nigerian town of Yola, Dennis began his footballing quest in the country’s capital city with the Abuja Football Academy.

It was from the Abuja Academy that Dennis headed out to Europe for a professional football career in 201a 6 as he settled for the modest Ukrainian side, Zorya Luhansk despite the reported interest from a handful of othasclubs.

Watford have a rich history of Nigerian players with the likes of William Troost-Ekong and Isaac Success presently playing for the Hornets while Odion Ighalo can pass for a club legend at Vicarage Road.

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BUFFON RETURNS TO PARMA AFTER 20 YEARS AWAY

Gianluigi Buffon has returned to Parma on a free transfer 20 years after leaving the club to join Juventus, it was announced on Thursday.

The 43-year-old goalkeeper left Juve at the end of the last campaign, where he had been for two decades, either side of a 12-month spell at Paris Saint-Germain in 2018-19.

Parma’s U.S. owner Kyle Krause had teased Buffon’s return on Wednesday with a tweet which read: “it’s a bird it’s a plane it’s” — in reference to the ex-Italy international’s Superman t-shirt he wore during the club’s 1999 Coppa Italia celebrations during his first spell.

arma tweeted the announcement with a video of a man in a black hooded jumper, walking on to the club’s home pitch to dig up an old treasure chest with a Superman t-shirt and Parma jersey, before Buffon revealed himself and said: “I’m back.”

Parma were declared bankrupt and were re-founded in Serie D in 2015. They returned to Serie A in 2018, but they are back in Serie B after dismal 2020-21 campaign saw them finish bottom.

Buffon made his professional debut for Parma at the age of 17 in 1995 and kept a clean sheet against AC Milan. He won the Coppa Italia, UEFA Cup and Italian Supercoppa at the club in 1999 before he left to join Juventus for a then-world record fee for a goalkeeper. The £32.1 million fee in 2001 was a record for 16 years until Manchester City paid Benfica £34.7m for Ederson.

At Juve, he won 10 Serie A titles in 19 seasons, as well as the Serie B title in 2006-07 when the club played in the second tier after they were relegated as a result of the Calciopoli match-fixing scandal. He also won the Coppa Italia five times and the Supercoppa on six occasions. Buffon reached the Champions League final three times with Juve, but was on the losing side in each.

In 2018, he moved to PSG where he won the Ligue 1 title and Trophee des Champions before returning to Juve the following season.

Buffon is the most capped Italian man with 176 international appearances and was part of the 2006 World Cup-winning side, a season which saw him finish second in the running for the Ballon d’Or.

He made his Azzurri debut in 1997 and was part of squads for nine major tournaments from 1998 to 2016 and was an unused sub at the 1998 World Cup. Buffon was also captain of the Italy side which lost to Spain in the Euro 2012 final.

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MANCHESTER UNITED STAR, DONNY VAN DER BEEK OFFERS HIMSELF TO BARCELONA

Manchester United midfielder Donny van de Beek has sensationally made himself available to Barcelona ahead of a possible switch to the La Liga side, according to reports.

Van de Beek has struggled to earn a place in Red Devils boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s plans since his £35million move from Ajax last summer and is apparently keen to seek regular football elsewhere.

Solskjaer handed the 24-year-old just four Premier League starts.

Two of those came during United’s final five matches – in the 2-1 defeat against Leicester City and in the 2-1 final-day victory over Fulham.

Van de Beek made played in just half of his side’s top-flight fixtures and often found the likes of Scott McTominay, Fred and Paul Pogba ahead of him in the midfield pecking order.

The Dutchman’s frustrations were compounded when he was forced to withdraw from the Netherlands’ squad for Euro 2020 due to a groin injury.

Ronald Koeman’s Barcelona appear to want a midfielder this summer to improve their squad following a poor season.

They tried and failed to sign Gini Wijnaldum, who will join Paris Saint-Germain when his Liverpool contract expires at the end of the month.

And Van de Beek has taken the opportunity to offer himself to Barcelona, according to report from Spain.

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DANNY ROSE SIGNS FOR WATFORD ON A FREE TRANSFER

File photo dated 23-04-2019 of Tottenham Hotspur's Danny Rose applauds the fans. Issue date: Thursday May 27, 2021.

Tottenham defender, Danny Rose has moved to premier league returnee side, Watford on a free transfer. The North london club has released a statement to confirm this on Wednesday.

“We’ve said our goodbyes to Danny Rose already, so this is mostly just a confirmation of what we already know: Rose has left Tottenham Hotspur on a free transfer and has now officially signed for Watford.”
the statement read.

This is actually the second time Danny’s gone to Watford — he spent the second half of the 2008-09 season there on loan in the Championship, where he played in seven matches as a midfielder under then-manager Brendan Rodgers. Amazing how the more things change the more the same names keep popping up in conversation.

Now that he’s on the wrong side of 30 I don’t know if he’ll be a lock-down starter at left back for Watford in the Premier League, but he’ll absolutely be in the rotation. Spurs play home to Watford on August 28, and away on New Year’s Day 2022.

Good luck to Danny, and for god’s sake please don’t score a worldly against us in August because that would both be thrilling and would make me very sad.

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PSG BEAT BARCA, BAYERN MUNICH TO SIGN GEORGINIO WIJNALDUM

Paris Saint-Germain have beaten Barcelona and Bayern Munich to the signing of Georginio Wijnaldum from Liverpool on a free transfer.

Wijnaldum, 30, has agreed a three-year deal with PSG after deciding to run down his contract at Anfield, which expires at the end of June.

“Signing for Paris Saint-Germain is a new challenge for me,” Wijnaldum said. “I’m joining one of the best squads in Europe and I want to bring all my desire and commitment to this ambitious project. Paris Saint-Germain have proved how good they are in recent years and I am convinced that together, with our supporters, we can go even further and higher.”

The Netherlands international had previously reached an agreement to join Barca. His agents met with the Catalan club’s president Joan Laporta at the end of May and a medical had been pencilled in.

Barca’s interest in Wijnaldum dates back to last summer, when Ronald Koeman made him a target after being appointed as the club’s coach.

However, as first reported by ESPN on Friday, PSG made a late play to hijack Barca’s move for Wijnaldum.

Sources close to the negotiations told ESPN that the Ligue 1 side were willing to double the terms agreed with Barca, while a phone call from coach Mauricio Pochettino also helped persuade Wijnaldum to change his mind.

Bayern Munich also held talks with Wijnaldum, who informed the German club and Barca last weekend that he had decided to sign for PSG.

The midfielder becomes PSG’s first signing of the summer as they look to strengthen after missing out on the league title to Lille and a semifinal Champions League exit to Manchester City.

Wijnaldum, who is preparing for the European Championship with Netherlands, played for Feyenoord and PSV Eindhoven before making the move to England with Newcastle United in 2016 for around €15 million.

After Newcastle were relegated from the Premier League a year later, he joined Liverpool on a five-year deal for a fee of €25m.

He helped Liverpool win the Champions League in 2019, famously scoring twice in the semifinal win over Barca, and was part of the side which won the Premier League a year later.

During his five-year stay at Anfield, he also won the UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup.

In total, he made 237 appearances for Liverpool, scoring 22 goals.

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GIANLUNGI DONNARUMMA NEARS MOVE TO PSG

Paris Saint-Germain are reportedly close to completing the free signing of Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Donnarumma’s eight-year spell with AC Milan will come to an end this summer after the highly-rated goalkeeper failed to agree new terms with the Italian club.

And now the 22-year-old is due to join PSG as a free agent, with the Parisian side beating the likes of Chelsea, Juventus and Manchester United to his signature.

According Sky Sports, PSG have offered Donnarumma a five-year deal worth £10million (€12m) a year plus add-ons, which will see him become the French club’s new No 1.

The report goes on to claim that Donnarumma could undergo his medical while he’s away on national team duty with Italy for Euro 2020, with any medicals to be conducted at their Coverciano training base before the tournament kicks off.

Juventus abandoned talks to sign the goalkeeper after being put off by the player’s mammoth wage demands, and were unwilling to go above £8m (€10m) per season.

Jose Mourinho was also hoping to tempt Donnarumma to his new club Roma, with the Special One said to have personally contacted the Italy international about a joining him in the capital.

However, Donnarumma looks set for France with PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi spearheading the move to bring him to the Parc des Princes, despite the fact that Keylor Navas recently renewed his contract with the club.

Milan have already secure Donnarumma’s replacement, with Lille’s Mike Maignan completing his move at the end of May just days after helping the French club wrap up an unlikely Ligue 1 title.

Speaking about Donnarumma’s departure last month, Maldini said: ‘Gigio was a leader and often the captain. People sometimes don’t realise what it means to be a professional, it means you must be ready to change club.

‘It’s difficult to accept, I realise, but it’s also increasingly difficult to see a career in one team. We must respect those who gave so much to Milan and remember Donnarumma did not lack respect for us.

‘It can happen that at times you have to take different paths. I can only wish him the best.’

Having arrived in 2013, the Italy international made his first-team debut in 2015, aged just 16, and went on to make 251 appearances for them across all competitions.