..::Football II::..

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Beckham signs deal with Paris St.-Germain until end of 2012-13 season

Paris Saint-Germain has announced that it has secured the services of former England captain David Beckham on a free transfer.

The 37-year-old Beckham, who had been without a club ever since leaving LA Galaxy after winning his second straight MLS Cup back in December, travelled to Paris on Thursday to complete the deal. He has signed a five-month contract until the end of the season after passing his medical. Beckham confirmed in a press conference in Paris that he would not be receiving a salary, and instead his wages would be donated to a children's charity.

"David turned down offers from all over the world, so we're happy to have him here," PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi said in front of assembled reporters. "He will be a part of our big project, our big dream, to become one of Europe's biggest clubs."

Beckham himself, meanwhile, was overjoyed with his transfer to Paris Saint-Germain and is pleased to be part of their project.

"I'm very lucky, I'm 37 years old," Beckham said. "I got a lot of offers, more than I've had in my career. I chose Paris Saint-Germain, because I can see what the club are trying to do. I can see the players the clubs are bringing in."

Beckham is PSG's second signing of the transfer window after the previous arrival of Lucas Moura from Sao Paulo, a deal that had already been agreed at the start of the 2012-13 campaign.

 

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Congratulations Becks!​

 

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Beckham: I would never play for another Premier League club other than Manchester United

New Paris Saint-Germain signing David Beckham has revealed that he snubbed a number of offers from Premier League clubs during the January transfer window, insisting the only English team he would play for again is former side Manchester United.

The 37-year-old, who enjoyed a 10-year spell at Old Trafford before moving to Real Madrid in 2003, signed a five-month deal with the Ligue 1 giants on Thursday.

The deadline-day move brought to an end two months of speculation regarding the midfielder's future, with West Ham, Tottenham and QPR all having previously been linked with the veteran.

"I was successful with Manchester United and always said I'd never want to play for another English club," Beckham told reporters at a press conference to announce his move to PSG.

"I had a lot of history with Manchester United. It's the team I support and the team I dreamt of playing for.

"I'm very honoured by the offers I had from other Premier League clubs but I didn't want to play there unless it was for Manchester United."

 

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Liverpool forward Pacheco completes Huesca loan

Liverpool youngster Dani Pacheco has joined second-tier Spanish side Huesca on loan until the end of the season.

The 22-year-old Pacheco has struggled to break into the first team at Anfield and has been sent out on loan for a third time after previous spells with Rayo Vallecano and Norwich, where he scored two goals in six appearances when the Canaries were in the League Championship in 2011.

Pacheco joins Huesca in a relegation scrap with the club 19th in the Segunda Division through 23 games in the current season.

The former Spain Under-21 international has made 17 appearances for Liverpool since making a move to Merseyside from Barcelona in 2007.

 

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Fulham confirms loan signing of Urby Emanuelson from Milan

Fulham has completed the signing AC Milan winger Urby Emanuelson on loan until the end of the season.
The 26-year-old Netherlands international has found first-team opportunities hard to come by the past few months at the San Siro under Massimiliano Allegri, making 20 appearances across all competitions for the Italian giants this season before falling out of favor.With the player comfortable at both left back and on the left side of midfield, the move to Craven Cottage sees him reunited with former manager Martin Jol, who coached the player during their time together at Ajax during the 2009-10 season."Fulham Football Club is delighted to announce the loan signing of Urby Emanuelson until the end of the 2012-13 season," a statement read on their official club website.Emanuelson becomes the club's second signing of the January transfer window so far after it completed the loan move for Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Frimpong earlier this week, also until the end of the current campaign.

 

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QPR signs Samba on four-and-a-half-year deal

Christopher Samba has signed a four-and-a-half-year deal with QPR after completing a 12.5 million pound switch from Anzhi Makhachkala.

The Rs activated the center back's release clause on Wednesday and have now put the finishing touches to a deal to bring the Congo-born stopper back to the Premier League. Manager Harry Redknapp has been desperate to reinforce his defense following the departures of Anton Ferdinand (loan to Bursaspor) and Ryan Nelsen (coaching Toronto FC) this month and had previously been linked with a move for Fulham’s Brede Hangeland.

“I’ve been linked with the club for a long time. With Harry here though, he is really passionate and he wants to do something with the club," Samba told QPR's official website. “Unfortunately things haven’t gone the way the club would have wanted so far this season but there’s still a lot of time and I’m sure we can get out of it.

“I know what is going on with the project here. There is a very important fan base here - I’ve played at Loftus Road before and it’s fantastic.

“The club is ambitious and I’m sure it’s a good challenge for me. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t believe we could get out of trouble.”

Redknapp also described Samba, who will wear the No. 5 shirt, as a "monster."

“This is an unbelievable signing," Redknapp said. “[Owner] Tony Fernandes deserves a lot of credit for this one – he has worked so hard on bringing him in.

“I was speaking with him a month ago and he asked me who I would want to sign if Ryan Nelsen left, he asked me to give him a couple of names. I said to him, ‘Well, these aren’t possible to get but if you’re asking me who I’d have, I’ll give you a couple of players.’ One of them was Chris Samba.

“The next thing I know he’s telling me that he’s working on bringing him in! It’s amazing. Chris is just what we need. He’s a monster. Great in the air, quick, a leader, strong, fantastic in both boxes, hard as nails. He’s a proper center half.”

 

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Villas-Boas cautious over any further Tottenham deals

Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas has revealed that it is unlikely the club will bring in any new players on transfer deadline day.

The north London side, which earned a 1-1 draw against Norwich on Wednesday evening, added Lewis Holtby and Ezekiel Fryers to the squad so far this month but has been linked with a host of further names.

But, despite hinting that Spurs are still exploring their options before the close of the window, Villas-Boas conceded that more deals are unlikely.

"No I don’t think so. Obviously, it finishes tomorrow, thankfully. We looked to be quiet in the market," Villas-Boas told reporters. "It’s not impossible that a couple of things can happen, but it’s highly unlikely. I think we need to add quality to the squad."

Tom Huddlestone has been linked with a move to Tottenham's London rivals Fulham, but the Portuguese boss expressed doubt over the possibility of a switch materializing.

He added: "There was an interest from Fulham. I’m not sure if they’re going to follow that interest on. We have allowed the club to speak to the player.
"He’s a player that we rate very, very highly and I think it’s very unlikely it can happen."

 

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Balotelli completes AC Milan transfer

Milan complete Balotelli signing

AC Milan have completed the signing of Mario Balotelli from Manchester City on a four-and-a-half year deal, with the Italy international expressing his hope that his former club retained their Premier League title this season without him.

The move ends weeks of speculation that has seen Balotelli, 22, linked with a number of clubs in his homeland.

Milan announced the news on their official website via a statement released on Thursday.The statement read: “AC Milan announces that it has acquired Manchester City's Mario Balotelli, who has signed a contract until 30 June 2017."

Balotelli, who spoke of his excitement at playing for the Rossoneri on Wednesday, admits he will always remember his time at City fondly.

“For sure I will remember my brilliant team-mates, the manager and all the supporters,” he told City’s official website. “They are the best, they were great with me and I will always have a very special place in my heart for City, it’s a great club with a great future. I thank them for all of their support of me. Maybe one day we will see each other again."I think to win the Premier League was a very special moment, and I am proud to have been a part of that."

He added: “Being at City was an important part of my life and career. I needed to grow up like a player and as a person and it has been a very good experience for me.

"I will remember, too, the song that City fans had for me. It was special for me and I always liked to hear it. I hope they can still sing it sometimes still, even if I'm not there. Someone told me the fans sang it at QPR; that is nice."I will always be interested in Manchester City and their fortunes. I really hope that City can win the league again this year and beat United. I think there are great players at the club and a great manager too. The club will be very successful in the future and that makes me happy."

Balotelli had an up-and-down relationship with City boss Roberto Mancini - with the pair infamously squaring up to each other during a training session - but the Italy international says he will always be in debt to his old manager.

“I spoke with Roberto before I went to speak to the players. We spoke for some time about lots of things,” he said. “He was sad, and I was too. But it was a good conversation. I love Roberto, he has been very important for my career, and I will always thank him for having trust and faith in me.”The deal was first made public by Milan director Umberto Gandini, who confirmed on Tuesday that a deal was in place, subject to a medical.

“I certainly do not have to introduce Mario Balotelli,” vice-president Adriano Galliani told the club’s official website. “It is a dream come true and something that we all wanted, with the president Silvio Berlusconi at the forefront.

“With the arrival of Mario, we have strengthened our team a lot. We have worked so hard and Mario has been in our hearts for a long time and finally we have succeeded in signing him.”

Despite helping City to the title last season and impressing with Italy at Euro 2012, Balotelli found his opportunities limited as his club’s fourth-choice striker this term, and his days at Eastlands appeared numbered after photos emerged of the bust-up with Mancini.Balotelli, a childhood Milan supporter, has made no secret of his desire to represent the Rossoneri and reportedly accepted a pay-cut to secure the move.

"I ran to Milan,” Balotelli told Milan Channel. "I had wanted to play here for a long time. The start of this season was negative, but with this jersey I will do better. I made some important choices, so I hope they can bring good luck to me and the team. I just want the fans to love me."

Balotelli, who will wear the number 45 shirt at Milan, makes a return to the San Siro after playing for rivals Inter between 2006 and 2010.

 

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Congratulations Balotelli!​

 

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West Brom slam 'unprofessional' Odemwingie over QPR saga

West Brom has slammed Peter Odemwingie for his actions on Thursday evening after the striker arrived at Loftus Road in order to force through a move to QPR.

The Nigeria international turned up in west London, despite no agreement being in place between the two clubs and was refused entry into the Hoops' stadium by club officials.

Odemwingie has attacked West Brom's fans and club chiefs recently on Twitter, but will remain at the Hawthorns until the summer at the very least.

Baggies chairman Jeremy Peace told the club's official website: "This evening's developments have brought a conclusion to what has been an unsavory affair.

"As our sporting and technical director Richard Garlick has repeatedly said in recent days, we had no need or desire to sell our core players.

"The only way we would have considered letting Peter leave was if an acceptable offer was forthcoming and if we had found a suitable replacement at relatively short notice.

"Neither materialized and, in the end, the matter became a point of principle as much as anything.

"Peter has acted wholly unprofessionally. He must now accept the fact he remains under contract for a further 18 months and has to focus on his Albion commitments."

 

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Tottenham fails in last-ditch Damiao bid

Tottenham has failed in its last-ditch attempt to sign Internacional forward Leandro Damiao.

In a bid to bolster their attacking options with Jermain Defoe carrying a pelvic injury and Emmanuel Adebayor at the Africa Cup of Nations, Spurs were locked in talks with the Brazilian side on Thursday afternoon but a 16 million pound offer for the 23-year-old was rejected.

Internacional director of football Marcelo Medeiros revealed the club is looking for a larger fee for the Brazil international but concedes the striker could potentially be sold during the summer transfer window.

"Damiao isn't going. The numbers are lower than what we wanted," Medeiros told Globoesporte. "Is it possible that he will leave later? Of course. Lucas [Moura] to PSG, for example, was a hell of a deal, without talking about clubs."

On Thursday evening, Tottenham allowed Andros Townsend to move to QPR on loan until the end of the season, while midfielder Jermaine Jenas has also joined Harry Redknapp's side on a permanent deal.

 

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Arsenal seals 10 million euro Monreal deal

Arsenal has confirmed the 10 million euro signing Malaga left back Nacho Monreal

Monreal passed a medical at the club’s London Colney training base on Thursday night after jetting into the capital and has agreed to sign a four-and-a-half year contract.

The Londoners centred their deadline-day sights firmly on Spain as Arsene Wenger made a late bid to shore up his leaky defense.

Monreal, who has won nine caps for Spain, is Arsenal’s only signing of the January window despite Wenger having around 58 million euros available to spend. Because he has played for Malaga in the Champions League, Monreal will not be eligible to play for Arsenal when it takes on Bayern Munich in the round of 16 in three weeks.

Monreal emerged as Wenger’s specialist left back target to provide competition for Kieran Gibbs, who suffered a thigh injury against Liverpool on Wednesday night.

The Arsenal boss has lost faith in Gibbs’ deputy Andre Santos, who could be offloaded to Fenerbahce or Galatasaray before the Turkey window closes on Friday.

 

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Stoke confirms Butland signing

Stoke City has completed the signing of Birmingham City and England goalkeeper Jack Butland.

The 19-year-old shot-stopper had been linked with moves to Chelsea, Manchester City and Fulham but opted to link up with Tony Pulis at the Britannia Stadium.


Butland represented the Great Britain Olympic football team in the summer, before making his debut for Roy Hodgson's Three Lions against Italy, making him England's youngest ever goalkeeper.

He has signed a four-and-a-half-year deal at the Britannia Stadium, but will remain at St Andrews on loan for the rest of the season.

Meanwhile, the Potters have allowed defender Matt Upson to join Brighton for the rest of the season.

The former England international signed for Stoke in the summer of 2011 and will stay at the Amex Stadium for any potential playoff clashes.

 

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Everton completes Stones swoop

Everton has signed defender John Stones from Championship side Barnsley.

The 18-year-old completed a medical on Thursday and has signed a five-and-half year contract with David Moyes' side.

The right back has made 28 appearances for the Championship club since breaking into the first team at the end of 2011.

"I am very excited to be joining Everton," Stones told the club's official website.

"I've been very impressed with everything I have seen at Finch Farm already. Now the hard work begins."

Wigan was also understood to be interested in signing the defender on Thursday, but the move broke down with the Toffees interested.

David Moyes and the Goodison Park club completed the signing after a move for Twente midfielder Leroy Fer collapsed on Wednesday, despite a fee of around 8.5 million pounds being agreed with the Dutch outfit.

 

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Alou Diarra completes loan move from West Ham to Rennes

West Ham has confirmed midfielder Alou Diarra has joined Stade Rennais on loan for the remainder of the 2012-13 season.


The 31-year-old joined the Hammers in the summer from Marseille, but has found first-team opportunities limited to just five outings due to the excellent form of Mohamed Diame and persistent injury concerns.


The France international recently told L'Equipe recently of his desire to leave the club after making just one Premier League start all season: “Yes, I want to go. It's breaking point."With the current coach [Allardyce], it is impossible. There's no dialogue, no explanation. At West Ham, I wasted my time."

Rennes will be the sixth French club Diarra has played for during his time as a top-flight player, after having spells at Le Havre, Bastia, Lens, Lyon, Bordeaux and Marseille respectively.

 

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Sissoko seals Fiorentina switch

Fiorentina confirmed that it has brought Mohamed Sissoko to the club on loan from Paris Saint-Germain, with an option to make the move permanent.

La Viola announced this week that they were in talks with the Ligue 1 leaders to bring the former Juventus player back to Serie A during the winter transfer window.

Talks with the 28-year-old have come to fruition, and Fiorentina could elect to sign the player permanently once his loan period expires.

"Fiorentina announce that they have acquired the rights to the player Mohamed Sissoko from Paris Saint-Germain," a statement on the club's official website read.

"The player comes on loan with the right to purchase."

The 28-year-old began his career with Auxerre, and enjoyed spells with Valencia, Liverpool and Juve before moving to the Parc des Princes.

 

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Willian has agreed Anzhi move, says Lucescu

Shakhtar Donetsk coach Mircea Lucescu has confirmed that Willian has agreed a move to Anzhi Makhachkala.

Rumors circulated earlier on Thursday that the Dagestan outfit was interested in signing the Brazilian, who has recently attracted the attention of both Chelsea and Tottenham.

However, it seems that he has set his sights on a switch to the Russian Premier League after his release clause was triggered.

"This is personal decision, and we must respect it," Lucescu told Sport Express.

"There is a club willing to pay the release clause in his contract, and Willian agreed to move. There is nothing I can do.

"To tell you frankly, I tried to convince him to stay because I think his decision is hasty and not thought out well enough. He is like a son to me.

"He came to Shakhtar almost as a child and leaves us as a 24-year-old man. I told him he would have achieved more with us when we said goodbye.

"Why did he not listen to me? I guess he was under huge pressure from his agent and his relatives that wanted to get everything at once."

 

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Beckham's PSG wages go to charity

David Beckham has taken the unique step of agreeing to donate his Paris Saint-Germain salary to a children's charity in the French capital.



Beckham, 37, was presented to the press on Thursday evening after signing a five-month deal with the Ligue 1 outfit. While his arrival at the Parc des Princes came as no surprise after sightings of him in Paris earlier in the day, Beckham did raise more than a few eyebrows with his announcement that he would not pocket a euro for his services.


"I'm lucky to have achieved what I've achieved and earned what I have earned," he explained. "One of the reasons to come here is that with Nasser [Al Khelaifi, PSG president] and [sporting director] Leonardo, we've decided on something quite unique."I won't receive any salary. My salary will go to a local children's charity in Paris.I'm very excited about that. I'm not sure it's been done before. I'm very passionate about children and so are the club."


Leonardo added that the name of the charity and sum it will receive has yet to be decided upon given initial contact over the move only occurred in the early hours of Thursday.The ex-Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder had been out of contract since leaving the Los Angeles Galaxy in December.


Beckham, who was pursued by clubs across the globe, also explained why he rejected a move back to England, where his wife and children will remain while he plays in Paris."I've always said that I didn't want to play for another [English] club than Manchester United. I have a long history with them, I supported them and always dreamed of playing for them. I'm honoured by the offers I had from the Premier League, but I didn't want to play there if it wasn't for Manchester United."


Though he has been training with Arsenal, the former England captain admitted he was still short of match fitness, and even when he is available for selection, does not expect any favours from Carlo Ancelotti, whom he worked under during a loan spell at AC Milan in 2009.


"I've always been 150% committed to whichever team I've played for. I've never expected to be in the starting XI. I don't expect to come into the team and play every single game. I expect to help as much as possible. If I work hard, it's down to the manager. I don't automatically expect a first-team place, I have to work for that," he said.


"I have a lot of experience, I've played for some of the biggest clubs, played with some of the best players. I'm still being successful and fit at 37 - I can still run around like I did when I was 21. I haven't lost my pace as that was never one of my strong points in the first place."


Though he has penned only a short-term playing deal at the Parc des Princes, Beckham suggested his link to PSG may continue beyond the end of this Ligue 1 campaign.


"We haven't talked about that. We have brushed over it, but a long-term partnership is what we've looked for. Playing is short-term, but I'm very proud to be part of this organisation," he said, before casting doubt that his playing career would end in June, a month after he turns 38."I don't know if it'll be my last contract. People have been speculating about my last contract for a number of years, and I keep playing and signing contracts. We'll see how I feel at the end of the season.


"I want to keep playing as long as possible. My passion is football. When I play, it's never been about the biggest contract and the most money. I want to play for the biggest teams and with the best players."

 

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Stekelenburg: I wanted Fulham move

Roma goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg has revealed that he wanted to join Fulham during the January transfer window and was disappointed that a proposed move did not go through.


The Netherlands international has found playing time limited at Roma this season and was London-bound when his club cancelled the deal.“I really wanted to join Fulham. I would have been guaranteed playing time,"

Stekelenburg told Sport Promotion NL. “I’m really disappointed that the transfer didn't take place. I hoped that this situation would have ended differently.“It’s a big blow that will take me a little time to get over, but I’m a professional and my objective is to become the first choice at Roma again.

Stekelenburg joined Roma in 2011 after nine years with Ajax, where he played for current Fulham manager Martin Jol. He has taken a back seat at Roma to Uruguayan Mauro Goicoechea.

“I can’t really blame anyone for this though. Roma, from the start, told me that they would have only sold me should they get an adequate replacement," Stekelenburg said. “The fact that the deal wasn't done doesn't mean that it won’t happen any more. We’ll see what the situation is like in the summer.”

 

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Jordi Alba: I have scars from Essien challenge

Jordi Alba has revealed that Michael Essien's challenge on his during Barcelona's Clasico clash with Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey.



The Ghanaian appeared to go in studs-up on the former Valencia fullback, who accepts that matches between the two rivals are difficult for officials to control.
“Yes I still have the scars, but I'm not going to show them.” Alba told reporters.

"I'm also a player that can get hot headed very quickly and then I'm fine again. At the end of the day everyone has their own way of playing. There is tension in these games.“It's a very difficult game to referee this game. But we are not looking back on it; we are focused on getting the ball and trying to score as many goals.”

The Spain international went on to reveal that he is looking forward to returning to Mestalla for the first time this weekend following his move from los Che to Camp Nou last summer.

“I’m very eager to return to Mestalla. Valencia gave me the opportunity to play in Primera Division and gave me the chance to be the player I am today.
“I’m very grateful and I’m looking forward to seeing the people and fans.”