..::Football II::..

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Thiago: Guardiola attracted me to Bayern

The 22-year-old is thrilled to be joining the Champions League winners and cited the brilliance of their new boss as a big reason for joining the club Thiago Alcantara says the allure of playing football under Pep Guardiola again convinced him to sign for Bayern Munich.

The Spain international was heavily linked with Manchester United, but made the decision to join die Roten in order to continue learning from his former Barcelona coach.

“I am very happy. If there is one day in your life where you can be completely happy, then today is such a day. I am very happy to be at such a big club like Bayern Munich,” Thiago told the official club website.

“[What attracted me to Bayern was] the history of the club which has been one of the best in the world for many years.

"The team plays very nice football and I also believe the arrival of Pep Guardiola will give me an extra boost.

“We have known each other for a long time, he is a trainer who gives me great confidence. I am a big fan of his kind of football.

"There are few coaches in the world with his capabilities. He was certainly an important reason as to why I went to Munich.”

Thiago has completed his €20 million switch and will now join Spain team-mate Javi Martinez at the Allianz Arena.

He added: “I spoke to him [Martinez] a bit and he told me only good things. Munich is a spectacular city with a great atmosphere and a great enthusiasm for football.

"I will go on this adventure with great pleasure and hope that I will play many games and hopefully repeat last season’s success.”

 

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Villa: I can fill Falcao's boots


The Atletico Madrid signing has praised the size and ambition of his new side, while the club president described the Spain international's arrival as "an honour"
New Atletico Madrid signing David Villa is hoping he can fill the boots of Radamel Falcao following the Colombian's move to Monaco.

The ex-Porto forward left the Vicente Calderon for a reported €60 million this summer, with the Rojiblancos turning to Spain international David Villa to fill the void left by Falcao's departure.

Villa, who Atleti cost €5.1m from Barcelona, is excited to be joining the Liga giants and wants to help the club succeed on continental and domestic fronts this campaign.

"I'm very happy," the striker told reporters at a press conference on Monday. "Atletico Madrid have showed me the affection I needed.

"It's an honour for me to be at a club this big. I'm going to give my all for Atletico. I'm very motivated for the coming season. I want to make the fans of this club happy, it's a huge challenge for me.

"I'm here to help a team that is already a winning team. I was happy at Barca [but] last year I didn't play as much as I wanted. That chapter ends, and a new, exciting one begins at Atleti.

"I'll do my best to make sure the team doesn't feel Falcao's absence. Atleti finished third in La Liga, won the Copa del Rey, are in the Champions League.. Joining the club wasn't a difficult decision.

"I've left Barca to play regularly and be in the national team, but not because it's a World Cup year."

Atleti president Enrique Cerezo was delighted to have secured the attacker - who had been linked with a move to Arsenal and Tottenham in the previous six months - and is looking forward to seeing the impact Villa can have up front.

"It's an honour to welcome one of the most important international forwards of all time," Cerezo said. "Many great strikers have played for this club, and the arrival of David Villa sees us continue in this vein.

"David, I hope you continue to score many goals in the Rojiblancos shirt. I hope that we can enjoy many great footballing moments together."

Following the packed press conference, Villa was unveiled to around 20,000 supporters at the Vicente Calderon on Monday.

 

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Sven Bender: Lewandowski is committed to Dortmund

The midfielder is adamant the Polish striker will still give his all for the club despite frequent rumours linking him with a move to Bayern Munich Borussia Dortmund midfielder Sven Bender believes Robert Lewandowski is fully committed to the club.

The Poland international was close to joining Bayern Munich this summer, however, the deal fell through as BVB CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke decided to keep the star for another season.

"We have a superb team with a great atmosphere among the squad," the 24-year-old told reporters at a press conference in Bad Ragaz.

"Robbie is committed and gives everything. He's the same he has always been."

Bender then went on to praise "the fastest offence" he has ever played behind but warned that his team should also focus on stabilising the defence as well to avoid conceding as many goals as last season.

"If you concede less, you need to score less in order to win. Therefore, we must act focused and disciplined at the back," he added.

"If we're able to do that, we can beat any opponent."

Lewandowski's contract with Jurgen Klopp's side expires in June 2014 and he has already intimated he could join Bayern at the end of next season.

 

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Manchester City agree €27 million fee with Fiorentina for Jovetic

The Premier League runners-up concluded talks over a deal to bring the Montenegro international to England on Monday, with the forward undergoing medical tests in Florence.Manchester City have agreed a €27 million plus add-ons deal with Fiorentina for attacker Stevan Jovetic.

The 23-year-old's agent, Fali Ramadani, is set to travel to Manchester to meet with City sporting director Txiki Begiristain in the next 24 hours, with club officials confident of completing the move following those talks.

City have agreed to a package that meets Fiorentina's €30m (£26m) asking price, with €27m (£23.3m) set to be paid up front and a further €3m (£2.6m) to be paid in performance-related bonuses.

Jovetic visited the Fanfani Medical Centre in Florence for tests on Monday, accompanied by the Serie A side's doctor, Jacopo Giuliattini.

City, who have sent a large group of staff to South Africa as part of their pre-season tour, also conducted similar assessments on Jesus Navas in Seville before his €21m move to the Etihad Stadium in June.

Jovetic was later followed by Mario Gomez, who is set to complete his transfer from Bayern Munich to the Florence outfit imminently.

Ramadani met with Begiristain at Mottram Hall last week to discuss terms, with City set to pay Jovetic an £80,000-a-week salary package on arrival in Manchester.

The clubs have maintained a good relationship harboured following Stefan Savic's move from Manchester to Fiorentina last summer.

 

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My heart chose Napoli, admits Mertens

The Belgium international is happy about the new challenge that awaits him in Serie A and revealed supporters have already urged him to score against Juventus
Former PSV winger Dries Mertens says he listened to his hear before opting to join Napoli.

The Belgian, who notched 16 goals and 21 assists for PSV last term, completed a €9.5 million switch from the Eredivisie side at the end of last month, and he is relishing the prospect of progressing his career in Italy.

"I chose Napoli with my heart," the 26-year-old said at his official unveiling.

"I was ready to leave Holland and Serie A is a big step for me. And I’m not here just because Rafa Benitez wanted me, Napoli wanted me just as much.

"I hope to be important because I haven’t come here to sit on the bench. I'm a player who can score and assist, even if I know I'll have to help out defensively too."The fans have already asked me to score against Juventus, evidently they don’t like them."Mertens added that he would be willing to adapt his position to fit in with Benitez's plans at Stadio San Paolo next season.

"I hope to play on the left as I've spent the last five years there, but I’m ready to change if necessary."

 

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Kroos relishing Thiago competition

The Germany international welcomes the arrival of the Spaniard at Bayern Munich and insists it is inevitable some "very, very good players" will miss out on a starting spot Bayern Munich midfielder Toni Kroos feels new signing Thiago Alcantara will add healthy competition for places under Pep Guardiola next season.

The 22-year-old completed a €20 million switch to Sabener Strasse on Sunday after the European champions successfully beat Manchester United to the midfielder's signature.

Thiago's arrival will add further competition to an already talent-laden midfield at the Allianz Arena for the coming season, but his new team-mate Kroos insists it is up to the coach to select the best starting XI possible.

"It's Pep's job to assign Thiago to a position," the 23-year-old told Tageszeitung.

"I think he's a very good footballer, and good footballers are always welcome.

"In a team which has so much quality, a few very, very good players will have to sit on the bench, just like last season."

The Bavarian giants will face Borussia Dortmund in the Supercup on July 27.

 

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Inter and Roma interested in Nainggolan, claim Cagliari

The midfielder impressed in Sardinia last term and his club have revealed they have already rejected one offer for the 25-year-old

Inter and Roma are interested in Cagliari midfielder Radja Nainggolan, the Sardinian club have revealed.The midfielder impressed as Ivo Pulga's side finished a respectable 11th in Serie A last season and has attracted interest from a host of Italy's biggest clubs.

Inter, Roma and Napoli have all been linked with the 25-year-old despite Nerazzurri president Massimo Moratti's insistence they were yet to make an approach, but his current club won't let him go on the cheap."We have received a bid for Nainggolan, but we did not deem it to be good enough," sporting director Nicola Salerno told Radio Sportiva.

"I can confirm that Inter and Roma are interested, but we will only accept an offer which will be impossible to refuse."Nainggolan's agent confirmed the Belgium international had plenty of opportunities to leave the club and hinted that a move away from Serie A could be on the cards.

"We have a number of options to leave Cagliari, but it all depends on (club president) Massimo Cellino," Alessandro Beltrami told Russian newspaper Izvestia."Up until now he has never wanted to sell him because he is considered as a key player.

"We’ll just have to wait and see even if the player is ready to consider the idea of transferring to another championship."

 

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Gerrard signs Liverpool contract extension

The Reds skipper is ecstatic to have agreed a new deal, which managing director Ian Ayre hopes will tie the talismanic midfielder to Anfield "until the end of his career"Liverpool veteran Steven Gerrard has signed a contract extension with a view to ending his career at Anfield.

The Reds icon, 33 years old, is set to enter his 16th season in professional football with the Reds in 2013-14.

"I think everyone knows what it means to me," Gerrard told the club's official website. "I've been here that long and so, to extend, it's a big day for me and I'm really happy for myself and my family. It's great news.


"It lets me know the club thinks an awful lot of me and want me here.

"I'm glad it's all done and it's happened at the right time before the season, so I can just focus on playing as well as I can."

Managing director Ian Ayre is delighted to have secured the Anfield hero's future for what he hopes will be "until the end of his career", adding: "It's fantastic for everyone - the club, Steven and the fans.

"He is - and always has been - such a big part of Liverpool. Particularly in this day and age, it's rather unique to find a local player who has given his whole career to his club.

"We're pleased today to add an extension to his existing agreement and that keeps him here until the end of his career.

"We've said what we'll do in two years' time is review it again and see how happy Steven is. We seem to always be happy with him, so hopefully we'll just continue in that vein."

 

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Congratulations Gerrard​

 

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Rooney will stay at Old Trafford, says Cole

The 41-year-old believes the England striker would represent too big a loss for David Moyes' side and expects him to remain at the club, while also praising the former Everton bossFormer Manchester United marksman Andrew Cole believes Wayne Rooney will stay at Old Trafford this summer.

In May, Goal exclusively revealed that Rooney is 'hell bent' on leaving United', while the striker hinted that he is open to a move to Premier League rivals Arsenal in June.Cole, however, believes the 27-year-old will stay with David Moyes' side as he would represent too big a loss for the club were he to leave."Everyone wants him to stay. He's a wonderful player. If you lose a quality player like that you're going to be disappointed," Cole said in Australia on Monday.

"I do believe he's going to stay at Manchester United which is the most important thing."

Cole is also confident that new boss Moyes will succeed at United, despite being under immense pressure to deliver results in the wake of Sir Alex Ferguson's trophy-laden 26-year stint at the club.

"David Moyes has come in. He's done a wonderful job at Everton and I wish him well at Manchester United," he continued.

"I think we all know it's going to be a very, very tough job to follow Sir Alex Ferguson but I really do believe he'll do a very good job.

"Manchester United gave David Moyes a six-year contract so they believe in him. Naturally they're going to give him time.

"Football now is always guided by results. It's a results-driven business. As Manchester United, we're very spoilt and very privileged that we've won so much over the past 25 years.

"We want it to continue, naturally, but everyone wants to win the big prizes. We know we're going to find it tough but I think David Moyes will do a very good job."

 

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Thiago blow must spark Moyes & Manchester United into action

Sir Alex Ferguson's successor has missed out on one of his key summer transfer targets and must respond decisively to solve his new side's long-standing midfield conundrum.

If David Moyes presumed that running a club with a bank vault full of cash, a princely reputation and a world class squad would entitle him to a simpler life than the one he was accustomed to at Everton, then the whirlwind start he has encountered at Manchester United would have dispelled any such notion.

The conjecture that surrounds Wayne Rooney’s future remains, despite Moyes’ insistence that the striker’s future lies at Old Trafford, while Thiago's decision to snub the English champions in favour of teaming up with Pep Guardiola at Bayern Munich represents a significant early setback.

United are no strangers to missing out on big-name targets in recent years. From Ronaldinho in 2003 and Arjen Robben in 2004, the Red Devils have seen Karim Benzema, Mesut Ozil, David Villa, Samir Nasri, Wesley Sneijder and Lucas Moura all decide against moving to Old Trafford. And the latest example leaves Moyes pondering a puzzle that even Sir Alex Ferguson failed to solve...how do you replace Paul Scholes?

The decision to bring him out of retirement was a damning indictment of United's midfielders, and has been cited as a reason why Paul Pogba left the club last summer. Make no mistake, United's need for Thiago would have been significantly diminished had the talented Frenchman been retained.

But despite that, and any talk of Rooney's future, Moyes' priority is now to find a long-term answer to United’s midfield conundrum. The declarations of Ed Woodward, the club's executive vice president, that there is a possibility of breaking the transfer record this summer indicates that a lack of funding should not represent a barrier to Moyes’ ambitions.

Tellingly, Moyes himself has acknowledged that the midfield needs reinforcing, which is more than his predecessor managed in recent years.

"We are short there and will look to strengthen," he told the Sunday Times. It has been claimed recently that Thiago was not necessarily Moyes' first choice, and while he would certainly have been a popular signing among United fans, the suggestions are that the Scot has got his fingers in a number of other pies.

"We’re working hard to get the first transfer in and to make sure it's the right one," he added. "I've been left a really good team and I want to add to it sensibly."

Sensible seems to be the watch word at Old Trafford these days. Moyes, of course, was seen as the sensible choice to replace Ferguson. After working on a tight budget at Goodison Park, the 50-year-old certainly knows how to spend his money wisely, too.

But let it not be said United were not extremely keen on signing Thiago. Representatives of both club and player met on several occasions, and a £120,000-per-week contract was laid on the table in order to lure him from Catalunya. The promise of first-team football went hand-in-hand with that, with United prepared to make the 22-year-old a key part of their plans. The interest of his former coach, Guardiola, and the chance to play for the European champions blew United out of the water. It was undoubtedly a setback, and the public nature of it means Moyes will have to recover strongly quickly.

The task he faces at Old Trafford has been well documented, but the importance of his summer business cannot be understated. Football clubs, especially Manchester United, rarely interest themselves in appeasing the media or fans, but Moyes knows that his every move this summer will be pored over in forensic detail.

A big-name signing would go a long way to ease the pressure, but Moyes will be more concerned with what any new arrival can offer United on the pitch than how many shirts he can sell.

Finding the right balance will be one of the biggest decisions Moyes has to make in his entire career. With concerns in some quarters that Ferguson's departure might signal a decline similar to the one that afflicted the club following Sir Matt Busby's retirement in 1969, finding the central midfield presence so sorely missed at Old Trafford in recent years could prove invaluable.

Whereas Thiago is undoubtedly talented and full of promise, Moyes may be more inclined to go for somebody with Premier League experience.

Talk of a move for Cesc Fabregas has resurfaced now his former Barca team-mate is out of bounds, and snatching him away from Camp Nou, and the inevitable overtures of former club Arsenal, would be an aggressive show of intent.

It remains to be seen how new Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti plans to use Luka Modric, but the former Tottenham schemer would set pulses racing in Manchester. Juventus' Claudio Marchisio has also been mentioned fleetingly.

Such fanciful name dropping will serve little purpose for Moyes. Plans are undoubtedly in place, secret negotiations ongoing, and nobody would bet against a surprise signing in the coming days. Indeed, United have made concrete moves to sign Ezequiel Garay from Benfica, but there will be a number of others on the radar.

Protestations from the boardroom that United can spend upwards of £80m on one player were no doubt handily timed to coincide with Thiago's rejection, while Moyes' pulling power at the top table is legitimately questioned.

With Thiago snatched away in a very public fashion by Guardiola, many at United will be wondering about their current standing in the world game. And with Ferguson gone and what seems a gaping hole in the middle of the pitch, Moyes can go a long way to making things right with his summer dealings.

 

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David Villa unveiled at Atletico Madrid

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Congratulations David Villa

mama asama player kenek​

 

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Ow Bro anith 1ka Cavani th ena nisa Iba PSG innawa kiyanne team 1ka thawath strong

 

[trh88]

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Vilanova: Fabregas wants to stay

Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova has claimed Manchester United target Cesc Fabregas wants to stay at the Camp Nou.

United are rumoured to have tabled a €30 million bid for former Arsenal midfielder Fabregas, after they failed to land Bayern Munich-bound Thiago Alcantara.

Fabregas, 26, returned to Barca from the Gunners in 2011 for a fee in the region of £35 million, but there has been speculation over his future as he has struggled to hold down a regular place in the first-team.Vilanova, however, has indicated he sees Fabregas' future with the Liga champions, insisting the player also shares his intentions.Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, he said: "There have been offers for him from other clubs, but I spoke with Cesc and he told me that he was still determined to stay here and be successful, so I'm not worried.

"He doesn't want to go to other teams for money reasons or playing time. He knows there is competition for places here, but his decision is to stay. I am relaxed about the situation."It is a good sign that the club gets offers for our players. It shows we have players other teams want. But Fabregas wants to stay."

Asked about Barca's interest in Paris Saint-Germain defender Thiago Silva, Vilanova said: "The idea is to bring in a central defender. Thiago Silva is a player we want, but there are other players."Vilanova also reflected on the departure of promising youngster Thiago, who will be plying his trade at Bayern in the new season.

He said: "I don't feel annoyed that Guardiola has taken Thiago to Bayern, I feel annoyed that he left Barcelona because we did all we could to convince him to stay."

 

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Fabregas tranfer wei kiyalanam hithanna baha

 

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The Running Man - Arsenal Tour 2013

 

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Bale and Messi to feature on FIFA14 Cover

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