Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti appears to have rubbished claims that Fabio Coentrao will join Manchester United before the end of the month by emphasising the defender’s importance to the team. . The Portuguese international has been heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford over the last few weeks as David Moyes is keen on adding another left-back to his ranks. . Manchester United came close to landing Coentrao in the summer but were denied the chance of landing the defender during the final stages of the transfer window due to paperwork implications. . Reports had suggested that Manchester…
Author: David F.
Ikechukwu Uche has equalled the 11-goal mark of Finidi George after his brace for Villarreal on Monday night. . Uche’s double helped his side beat Real Sociedad 5-1. He scored Villarreal’s second goal of the game in the 27th minute and completed his brace in the 55th minute to give his team 4-0 lead. . He thus becomes only the second Nigerian to score 11 goals in a single season in La liga after Finidi’s exploits in 1998/1999 season when playing for Real Betis. . Villarreal are now fifth on the league table with 34 points from 19 matches. .…
Former Super Eagles handler Samson Siasia says all the Home Eagles need to be back on track is to remain focused and learn from their defeat to Mali in their opening game of the 2014 CAF African Nations Championship holding in South Africa, We can report. . The Home Eagles who are featuring in the Championship for the first time had a disappointing 2-1 defeat in the hands of Mali last Saturday and will be up against Mozambique in their next game tomorrow and Siasia who once played for the Super Eagles believes they can still make it despite the…
Manchester City look set to sign a third member of the Nigeria squad that won the Under 17 World Cup in the UAE after entering talks with Musa Yahaya. . City have signed Kelechi Iheanacho, who won the Golden Ball with six goals, on a pre-contract aggreement and are talking to midfielder Chidi Nwakali. . Now Yahaya, who scored four at the World Cup has been nicknamed the “Nigerian Neymar” is on the Premier League giants’ radar. . Yahaya, 16, plays for Mutunchi Academy in Nigeira and has attracted interest from across Europe, including Tottenham Hotspur. . “I am not…
Manchester United’s Japanese midfielder Shinji Kagawa says that he needs to toughen up in order to make more of an impact in the English Premier League. . The 24-year-old is still to convince United manager David Moyes that he is worthy of a regular starting berth, although he impressed in last weekend’s 2-0 defeat of Swansea City. . Kagawa will face renewed competition for his preferred central playmaking role when Wayne Rooney returns to fitness, but he says he has identified the areas of his game where improvements are needed. . “I think I can still improve my strength,” he…
Liverpool remain serious about the acquisition of Basel forward Mohamed Salah before the close of the transfer window, but the Egypt international may be the club’s only signing this month. . According to the Daily Mail, Reds manager Brendan Rodgers will meet with club owners later this week to discuss the funds available to him but may have to wait until the end of the season to land a number of targets. . Rodgers is reported to be in the market for reinforcements at full-back, in midfield and up front but the finances are unlikely to stretch to cover all…
Swedish star Zlatan Ibrahimovic gave his former teammate Xavi a slap at the FIFA Ballon d’Or gala on Monday night. . Ibrahimovic, who used to play alongside Xavi at Barcelona, made the FIFPRO Team of the Year alongside the Spanish international. . And Xavi was also joined by his Barcelona teammates Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi in the XI. . Ibrahimovic was also the winner of the FIFA Goal of the Year award for his incredible overhead kick goal against England. . Ibrahimovic certainly enjoyed being reunited with his former teammate at Monday’s award ceremony
Juventus midfielder Claudio Marchisio has admitted that he is finding sustained time on the subs bench tough to take, but still believes that his long-term future belongs in Turin rather than Premier League champions Manchester United. . Marchisio has been linked with a £20m switch to Old Trafford consistently during the past fortnight, with Paul Pogba, Andrea Pirlo and Arturo Vidal providing formidable competition for a starting spot in Juve’s three-man midfield. . Manchester United manager David Moyes made a personal check on Marchisio during last weekend’s Serie A clash between Juve and Cagliari, with the Italian international coming off…
Borussia Dortmund midfielder Ilkay Gundogan has offers from both Manchester United and Real Madrid – and will make his mind up over his future soon, according to Bild. . The German international has struggled badly with injury this season and has made just one Bundesliga appearance, back in August. . However that has not stopped him being linked with a host of clubs, including Manchester United. . According to Bild, Gundogan has offers on the table from both the Red Devils and Real Madrid; . Manchester United are said to have offered €30 million to take him on in the…
Recent reports claim that Manchester United are determined to bring Paul Pogba back to Old Trafford for £40m. . United boss David Moyes was spotted watching Juventus’s league match against Cagliari last weekend which, of course, did little to quash the speculation. . But for a whole host of logical reasons the chances of this deal happening are miniscule. . For starters it makes no business sense whatsoever for Manchester United to re-sign a player for £40m – forty million pounds – that was allowed to walk away from Old Trafford for free just 18 months earlier. . Sure, Chelsea…
Abou Diaby, once one of the most consistent midfielders in world football. But now, where has he ended up? . Diaby joined Arsenal from Auxerre in 2006 for a fee of just £2m – a bargain for all concerned -and he was apparently meant to be compared to the next Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira. . It was predicted that his pay cheque reached maximum propulsion, yet recently he hasn’t been taking his check whilst injured once again. The minimum expectation is that a squad member needs to be challenging, yet Diaby is not. . It was predicted that Diaby was…
Manchester United have been offered the chance to sign Inter Milan left-back Yuto Nagatomo, reports the Daily Mail. . The Serie A star has been a key member of the Inter side in this campaign, however it now appears that he could be on his way to Old Trafford. . Manchester United boss David Moyes has been targeting a new left-back since he arrived at Old Trafford. The Red Devils boss is looking for a long term replacement for French left-back Patrice Evra and Nagatomo could now join the side. . Nagatomo, who can also play at right-back, is a…
Chelsea have completed the signing of midfielder Nemanja Matic from Benfica. . In a statement to the Portuguese Stock Exchange, Benfica confirmed that the deal is worth €25 million. Chelsea confirmed that Matic has put pen to paper on a deal that will keep him at Stamford Bridge until 2019. . The 25-year-old told Chelsea’s official website: “I am very happy for this opportunity to be back at this club. I feel very good because of that and just want to say I will give my best to help the team and make the Chelsea fans happy.” . Chelsea boss…
Manchester United winger Nani is wanted by as many as six European based clubs, reports the Daily Mail. . Nani, despite signing a new contract at the Theatre of Dreams earlier this season, looks set to leave the Red Devils in the near future and there are a number of clubs ready to make a move for the Portuguese star. It has been reported that the likes of Spanish duo Atletico and Valencia are interested in taking him to La Liga, whilst Italian champions Juventus want to bring the Portuguese ace to the Serie A. . A move to Ligue…
Manchester United manager David Moyes has done little to dampen speculation over star arrivals at Old Trafford over the past three days, choosing to watch both Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain in person to help form a more considered view over summer transfer targets. . Moyes got the chance to watch some of European football’s most exciting midfielders including the likes of Andrea Pirlo, Paul Pogba and Arturo Vidal, but the Red Devils boss should have spotted the incredible potential of PSG’s prodigious young playmaker Marco Verratti. . Verratti is arguably among the gifted players in possession on the continent at…
Chelsea’s Brazilian ace Willian has had an impressive 2013, but wants to go one better this year. The 25-year-old had an uncertain start to 2013, playing for three different clubs between March and August. . The attacking midfielder was signed for big spending Russian outfit Anzhi Makhachkala from Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk. He signed a lucrative four- year deal with the Russians, but a sudden change of heart by the club’s ownership led to them offloading all their high-earners in a change of tact that brought to the Brazilian to Stamford Bridge after foiled talks with Tottenham Hotspur. . He,…
Manchester United and Liverpool have been dealt a transfer blow in their pursuit of Turkish winger Arda Turan. . The 26-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to the Premier League in the recent past, with both the Reds and Red Devils among the interested parties. . Indeed, reports in November claimed that both clubs were considering a move to activate a €40million release clause in his contract during this month’s transfer window. . Such a move is unlikely to persuade the player to want to move away from Atletico Madrid however, with Turan perfectly happy in the Spanish…
Manchester United remain clear favourites to sign Southampton star Adam Lallana in the January transfer window. . Sky Bet have released odds wherein the Premier League champions are 3/1 to bring in the high-flying England winger before the date where the transfer window slams shut, February 1. . Rumours have been rife recently suggesting that David Moyes has toyed with the idea of recruiting the £15million playmaker, who has so far exceeded expectations with his sensational form in the Premier League. . United are looking to revamp their squad this window and Lallana, who only made his international debut in…
Manchester United have today been linked with a move for Borussia Dortmund midfielder Ilkay Gundogan. . The 23-year-old German international is reportedly attracting interest from both Manchester United and Real Madrid after failing to rule out the possibility of leaving Dortmund in the near future. . Gundogan has played just one game for Bundesliga outfit Dortmund this season as he has been nursing a back injury since the first game of the current campaign. . European duo Manchester United and Real Madrid remain keen on luring Gundogan away from Germany – despite having not seen the deep-lying playmaker in action…
Manchester United boss David Moyes is unconvinced by the qualities of Real Madrid full-back Fabio Coentrao, reports the Daily Mail. . The Red Devils have been linked with a move for the Portuguese star since last summer’s transfer window and recent reports have suggested that Moyes was looking to make a move for the player this month. . It has been suggested that the Red Devils can only have the Real Madrid ace on loan this month if they pay £20m for the star’s services in the summer. . However, it now appears that the Manchester United boss is having…