Everton have made a move for Brentford’s Moses
Odubajo, Goal has learned.
The 21-year-old joined Brentford in a £1 million deal
from Leyton Orient last summer, despite interest
from a number of Premier League sides.
Odubajo was one of the star performers as the Bees
made a surprise run to the Championship play-offs,
and he now looks set to be playing top-flight football
next term.
Both Everton and current boss Roberto Martinez
have not been shy in raiding the Football League, with
John Stones and James McCarthy plucked from
outside the Premier League in recent years.
Now Goal has learned that Everton have made their
move for Odubajo, who can play on the right side of
defence and midfield.
Meanwhile, Seamus Coleman is again being linked
with a move to Manchester United, whose attempts
to sign Dani Alves and Nathaniel Clyne has failed to
come to fruition so far this summer.
Monthly Archives: June 2015
Official: Arsenal sign Cech from Chelsea
Arsenal have completed the
signing of goalkeeper Petr
Cech from London rivals
Chelsea on a long-term
contract for an undisclosed
fee.
The 33-year-old completed his medical on Friday and
has now signed a £100,000-a-week contract,
immediately making him one of the club’s highest
earners alongside Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez.
Cech represents Arsenal’s first signing of the
summer, though Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho had
been hugely reluctant to allow the veteran goalkeeper
to join a rival.
“I’m really excited about joining Arsenal Football Club
and can’t wait to join up for pre-season,” Cech told
the club’s official website.
“I have the same commitment to football, the same
motivation and the same hunger for success as I had
at the beginning of my career, and I love the
challenges brought by the top quality players you
face while playing in the Premier League.
“When Arsene Wenger spoke to me about his
ambitions for this club, and how he saw me as part
of this team, the decision was clear.”
Very happy to announce that I have signed with @
Arsenal
3:29 PM – 29 Jun 2015
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Petr Cech
@PetrCech Follow
I would like to thank everyone who helped make
this happen both @ChelseaFC & @Arsenal
especially Roman Abramovich & my agents Sports
Invest
3:32 PM – 29 Jun 2015
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Petr Cech
@PetrCech Follow
Mourinho was keen to retain Cech as backup to
Thibaut Courtois, but owner Roman Abramovich
wanted to show respect for the Czech’s 11 years of
distinguished service so ceded to his wishes for first-
team football as well as his desire to keep his young
family in London.
COMMENT | Cech signing represents Wenger’s first
win over MourinhoCech has played a key role in the most successful era
of the Blues’ history, winning four Premier League
titles, the Champions League, Europa League, FA Cup
and League Cup during his time at Stamford Bridge.
Despite being reduced to a bit-part role last season,
Cech still showed his goalkeeping prowess by
recording five clean sheets in his seven Premier
League appearances.
His departure leaves Mourinho in need of a new
shot-stopper to provide cover for Courtois, and the
Blues have already identified Stoke City’s Asmir
Begovic as a primary target for the role .
Arsenal, meanwhile, are expected to sell Fenerbahce
target David Ospina to make room for Cech, with
Wojciech Szczesny to be his understudy, and the
Czech could yet be followed to the Emirates Stadium
by Chelsea goalkeeping coach Christophe Lollichon.
Bastian Schweinsteiger: Keen on fourth straight Bundesliga shield success
Bastian Schweinsteiger has cast doubts over a potential move to Man United by admitting he wants to win a fourth straight title with Bayern Munich.
Germany midfielder Schweinsteiger is on United’s list of summer midfield targets along with Southampton’s Morgan Schneiderlin
The 30-year-old midfielder made just 15 starts for the Bundesliga champions last season and is believed to be interesting Old Trafford manager Louis van Gaal.
But with Franz Beckenbauer encouraging Schweinsteiger to snub United, the player himself has hinted at staying in Bavaria next season.
No club has ever won four Bundesliga titles in a row, and Schweinsteiger told German press says it is a big motivation for him.
He told broadcasters Sport1: “We’ve won the Bundesliga for three consecutive times, no team ever has managed to win it four times,” he said. “That’s a motivation
“I feel good and I’m ready to play the next three years at the top level. That’s my goal.”
Schweinsteiger also insists the hunger has not left his game after winning the Champions League, Bundesliga and World Cup in the past three seasons.
“I would love to win the Champions League once again,” he said. “Winning big trophies like the Champions League or the World Cup is usually making people think ‘The player are not hungry any more’. Still that’s not what I feel.”
Abdul Rahman Baba (left): Linked with Chelsea and Arsenal
Abdul Rahman Baba’s agent has dismissed speculation the Augsburg left-back has already turned down a move to Chelsea.
Chelsea, Arsenal, Real Madrid and Roma are among the clubs to have been linked with Baba so far this summer, but it was reported last week that the 20-year-old had rejected an approach from Jose Mourinho’s side as he feared he would not be a first-team regular.
However, Baba’s agent Sascha Empacher said: “No, that’s not true. It is the classic example of bad investigative journalism.
“Many big European clubs are interested in Baba, but they do not want to be named. Do Augsburg want €18-20m (£12.5m-14m)? Yes, that is correct.
“There is a lot of competition for the player. If a side is interested, then they have to make an offer to the club.
Manchester City monitoring Monaco star Fabinho
Manchester City are considering a move for Monaco
right-back Fabinho, Goal understands.
The 21-year-old was part of Dunga’s Brazil squad for
Copa America although failed to make an appearance
in Chile as the Selecao were dumped out at the
quarter-final stage by Paraguay.
Goal understands that City have been monitoring the
defender closely in recent weeks, with director Txiki
Begiristain driving the Premier League club’s interest
in the Brazilian.
Any negotiations are, however, likely to be held up
over a fee for the promising full-back, who has been
linked with Chelsea and Manchester United, with
Monaco determined to hold out for a figure in the
region of £18 million.
City value the defender, who has two full caps for
Brazil, at the £8m mark but could well change their
stance should they be convinced he will be ready to
eventually replace first-choice right-back Pablo
Zabaleta.
Once on Real Madrid’s books, Fabinho only made
one appearance for the Liga giants after signing on a
temporary deal from Rio Ave back in 2012, where he
was frequently utilised in the club’s ‘B’ team.
He then made the switch to Ligue 1 with Monaco,
where he has emerged as the club’s first-choice right-
back and made over 60 appearances for Leonardo
Jardim’s side over the last couple of seasons.
Monaco moved to make Fabinho’s loan deal
permanent back in May 2015 although his rapid rise
has alerted the attention of City, who are considering
a deal for a player that the club’s scouts believe could
develop into a top-class right-back.
Thorgan: I’ll show Eden who’s the best Hazard!
Eden Hazard’s
younger brother Thorgan is
hoping for a Champions
League showdown between
Chelsea and Borussia
Monchengladbach next
season – joking that it will give
him the chance to prove he is the better footballer.
Eden, 24, was crowned the PFA Player of the Year and
the FWA Footballer of the Year after inspiring the
Blues to win the Premier League and League Cup in
2014-15.
Thorgan, meanwhile, secured an €8 million (£5.65m)
move away from Chelsea to Gladbach this summer
after an impressive loan spell at the club last season.
A third place finish in the Bundesliga means the club
will play in the Champions League next term
and Thorgan is hoping for a meeting with his older
brother in Europe.
“My desire is for Chelsea to be among Gladbach’s
Champions League opponents this campaign,” the
22-year-old told Bild. “I’ve never played against my
brother Eden competitively, that would be a great
thing for our whole family.
He added, chuckling: “Then we can see who the
better Hazard is!”
Thorgan also insisted he is aiming to demonstrate
why he deserves to play in a central role behind the
striker in his second campaign in German football.
“The No.10 position is my best position, but I do not
know how the coach plans to play me,” Hazard
added. “I have shown that I can also play on the wing.
“I learned a lot last season, I think I became a better
player. I was able to play in one of the strongest
leagues in the world.
“Of course, I hope that next season I will play a bit
more, but I know that the competition for places is
huge. This is normal at a big club. I will work hard
and have to play well to assert myself.”
Man Utd transfer updater: Shock Lukaku link,
But right now, speculation is far outstripping actual
Old Trafford entrances, with only Memphis Depay
having been confirmed so far.
ADVERTISEMENT
The start of the transfer window is just around the
corner so Man Utd fans are waiting desperately to
find out if the Red Devils can pull a few surprises out
of the bag given the names they’ve been linked to in
the past few months.
Edwin van der Sar: Man Utd’s cash can restore
club as major force
Here’s a round-up of the best Man Utd transfer
rumours from today.
Manchester United have held discussions to sign
Monaco star Fabinho, though must double their
offer to £20 million as the French side are
standing by their valuation. The right-back had a
great season in Ligue 1 and only recently became
a permanent player at the French club, but Man
Utd are keen on making him their first-choice
full-back. He won 81 tackles in Ligue 1 last
season. ( Daily Mail)
Louis van Gaal has identified Everton’s Romelu
Lukaku as a more viable transfer option as the
Dutchman looks to replace Robin van Persie this
summer. Van Persie scored just ten goals in a
difficult campaign that showed his powers at the top
level were declining and it’s well-known that Lukaku
wants a bigger task than Everton, despite scoring 20
goals for the Blues. ( Daily Star)
How Lukaku compares to Van Persie and United’s two
main transfer targets
Both Arsenal and Man Utd have been informed
by Southampton that they must pay £24 million
in order to sign Morgan Schneiderlin. The
Frenchman is almost certain to leave the club
this summer, but no movement has been made
just yet. He won the most tackles at
Southampton last season with 79 in total. (Daily
Star)
Man United’s alleged pursuit of AC Milan midfielder
Nigel de Jong may be coming to an end as he’s on the
verge of agreeing a new two-year deal with the
Italians. The Dutchman’s contract at the San Siro was
due to expire later this month, but it seems he’s
agreed new terms with the Italian giants after making
94 interceptions last season. (Express)
De Jong’s duels last term
Real Madrid have warned the Red Devils that
centre-back Raphael Varane is not for sale as he
features in the club’s long-term plans. There has
been speculation around Varane’s future for
months and United were set to bid for him this
summer, but it seems Madrid are playing
hardball. No outfield player at Madrid won more
than Varane’s 63% duels. ( Tutto Mercato Web)
Finally, Napoli have ruled out the prospect of selling
star striker Gonzalo Higuain this summer and
suggested that the only way they will allow him to
leave the club will be if someone meets his buyout
clause of €100 million (£72m), damaging Louis van
Gaal’s attempts to make him their star striker (via
Daily Mail). He scored 18 league goals in Serie A last
season, finishing as Napoli’s top scorer. (TMW)
Adriano could leave Barcelona, admits agent
Barcelona defender Adriano
is desperate for more playing
time and could well leave the
club this summer, according
to his agent.
The 30-year-old full back has
found himself behind the likes of Jordi Alba, Dani
Alves and Jeremy Mathieu in the pecking order at
Camp Nou over the past year and managed just 16
games in La Liga – 10 of which were starts – during
the 2014-15 campaign.
Paulo Afonso, the Brazilian’s representative, says the
player is happy with general life at the club but is
prepared to listen to offers from a Champions
League side if they can offer him more regular action.
“Adriano is very happy at Barcelona, he gets along
well with everyone and has written true history
there,” Afonso told Mundo Deportivo. “Adriano is
very grateful to Barca for all these years and all the
titles he’s won.
“But he wants to play, he wants more minutes, and
that’s the only thing that could see him leave Barca.
“We are listening to offers and, when we meet with
the player, we will get together with the club and find
the best solution for both parties.
“He wants to have more minutes and to play for a
Champions League team.”
Adriano, who joined Barca from Sevilla in 2010, has
won three Liga titles, two Copa del Reys and two
Champions Leagues in a trophy-laden five-year spell
in Catalunya.
Skrtel ‘likely’ to sign Liverpool deal
Liverpool defender Martin Skrtelhas turned down a move to Inter Milan and agreed a new contract, according to his agent.
Skrtel, 30, last monthsaid he had turned down a new deal at Anfield after describing the offer as “unacceptable”.
The central defender, who has one year left on his existing deal, was upset at Liverpool’s offer which as believed to be a pay-as-you-play-based contract.
“It’s unacceptable for me,” Skrtel told Slovakian websiteAkualnein May.
“I think that contracts like this are offered to players who are much older than me or the player who had some health problems.”
But there now appears to be have been a change of heart or change in the contract offer as Skrtel’s agent Karol Csonto has been quoted as saying the Slovakia defender is staying.
“The interest from Inter was real,” Csonto told theDaily Express. “But then the deal did not go ahead, there was contact made.
“The player had been thinking about his future and eventually opted to remain at Liverpool.
“As this time I can say that it is likely [he will sign a new contract].
Ligue 1 fixtures: PSG kick off title defence against Lille
Paris Saint-Germain will
open their Ligue 1 title
defence with a tough away
game against Lille, it was
announced on Thursday.
Laurent Blanc’s side have
been dealt a difficult curtain-raiser in the French top
flight, which will get underway on August 7, while
runners-up Lyon will host Lorient later that weekend.
Marseille, meanwhile, face Caen at Stade Velodrome,
while Monaco make the short trip down the French
Riviera to take on Nice.
Reigning champions PSG will meet Marseille on
matchday nine, scheduled to be October 6, and will
take on Lyon for the first time on December 13.
Meanwhile, newly promoted Angers take on
Montpellier away in their first Ligue 1 match in two
decades, while Troyes and Ajaccio – the top two of
Ligue 2 last term – will face off at Stade Francois Coty.
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