..::Football II::..

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Tottenham agrees 27 million euro Moutinho fee with Porto

Tottenham has agreed a club record 27 million euro fee with Porto for playmaker Joao Moutinho, Goal.com understands.

The Portuguese playmaker has been identified by Spurs manager Andre Villas-Boas as the preferred replacement for Luka Modric, who completed a transfer worth 42 million euros to Real Madrid earlier this week.

Goal.com revealed on Thursday that the north London club was making a final push to sign Moutinho, and the midfielder’s arrival would pave the way for Rafael Van der Vaart to complete a 16 million euro return to Hamburg.

Tottenham does not expect to encounter any problems when discussing personal terms with Moutinho, who has expressed his desire to play in the Premier League and re-unite with former Porto boss Andre Villas-Boas.

Porto had previously asked for 38 million euros for the 25-year-old but dropped the asking price as the transfer window draws to a close, with its other star player, Hulk, now likely to stay at the Estadio do Dragao.

Villas-Boas claimed as recently as Thursday that Moutinho would be too expensive but chairman Daniel Levy has backed him with a deal that would break the club’s transfer record, currently 21 million euros paid for Modric in 2008.

Spurs have chased Moutinho all summer to become the creative fulcrum of the side and, if he completes a switch, he will join new signing Mousa Dembele in the Spurs midfield as Villas-Boas makes his mark on the squad.

Moutinho’s arrival became increasingly likely once Spurs allowed Van der Vaart to travel to Hamburg for a medical, with the clubs close to reaching an agreement on his departure from White Hart Lane.

 

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Manchester City signs Sinclair from Swansea City

Manchester City has completed the signing of Scott Sinclair from Swansea City.

The 23-year-old winger, who played four times for Great Britain this summer at the London 2012 Olympics, has signed a deal at the Etihad Stadium and could be in line for his debut in the game against QPR on Saturday.

Sinclair moved to the Liberty Stadium in 2010 for 500,000 pounds when he impressed former manager Brendan Rodgers while on loan from Chelsea.

And after protracted negotiations looked doubtful of completion, Sinclair is relieved his move has finally gone through to join the Premier League champions.

"I'm just glad everything is settled and that I'm now a City player," said Sinclair. "There were times when I thought it might not happen so I'm relieved that I'm here and I can't wait to get started.

"Playing alongside some of the best players in the world is exciting for me and when you see two Champions League fixtures against Real Madrid on the horizon, it brings it all home."

Sinclair is Roberto Mancini's second summer signing after Jack Rodwell joined from Everton earlier this month, and could be joined by Maicon, Javi Garcia, Matija Nastasic and Richard Wright as The Blues look to strengthen their squad on the final day of the transfer window.

 

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Hiddink: I've had enough of playing Dutch clubs

Following victories against AZ Alkmaar and Vitesse Arnhem in their Europa League qualifying matches, Anzhi Makhachkala boss Guus Hiddink is hoping to avoid drawing a Dutch side in the tournament's group stages.


The mega-rich Russian side enjoyed a 5-0 away win over AZ last night, winning 6-0 on aggregate after a tightly contested first leg and also beat Vitesse 4-0 on aggregate earlier in qualification.

When questioned as to whether he would like to face the other remaining Dutch team in the Europa League, PSV Eindhoven, Hiddink seemed to prefer the idea of avoiding them.

"I've had enough of all of the Dutch teams for now. They won't let me cross the border if we go on like this," joked the Anzhi boss, speaking to AD.nl.

Anzhi and Hiddink don't have long to wait to discover their European fate, as the Europa League group stage draw will be made today.

 

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Adam arrives at Stoke City ahead of 4m pound move from Liverpool

Charlie Adam has arrived at Stoke City‘s Clayton Wood training ground ahead of a potential 4 million pound move from Liverpool.


The Scottish midfielder will hold talks with Stoke boss Tony Pulis today and undergo a medical as the Staffordshire outfit looks to beat the transfer deadline.


Adam has failed to impress consistently at Anfield since joining from Blackpool last summer in a deal rumored to be worth as much as 8.5m pounds, contributing just only two goals in 37 games – but did finish the season as the club’s top assist maker with 11.

However, it now appears that the Scotland international will be the latest player that Reds boss Brendan Rodgers ships out after Andy Carroll completed his loan move to West Ham last night,. Jay Spearing is on the verge of a similar six-month move to Championship side Bolton.

For Adam, the move to Stoke will be a chance to reinvigorate his career after the arrivals of Joe Allen and Nuri Sahin has forced his name down the midfield pecking order.
Everton, whose boss David Moyes is the brother of the midfielder's agent Kenny, and Fulham had also been linked with a move for Adam, but it is Pulis who appears to have won the race.

 

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Ancelotti: All the teams and games are difficult

Despite Paris Saint-Germain spending big this summer to land world class players, manager Carlo Ancelotti is keen to maintain focus ahead of its first Champions League fixture against Dynamo Kiev next month.


The Parisian club was handed a group that includes Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb, Ukrainian side Dynamo Kiev and Portuguese champion Porto.

"I think the hardest part was Group D with Real Madrid, Manchester City and Dortmund," explained Ancelotti, when speaking to FranceFootball.fr.

"Us, we are in a balanced group. Is it a good draw? All teams and all games are difficult in the Champions League."

PSG's sporting director Leonardo also gave his thoughts on the group.

"The Champions League is not like the Championship, which is a marathon," explained Leonardo, also speaking to FranceFootball.fr.

"It's more like a 100-meter race, you have to be ready. There is no theory that this is easy or difficult. Okay, there is Group D, it is the most difficult, but we cannot know.

"No other team has experienced this past year as we have, with all these new players arriving, a change of president, coach, athletic director," reasoned the Brazilian.

"The other teams in our group are used to playing in the Champions League. Zagreb, Kiev and Porto often play and have even won it not so long ago.

"We do not fear, it is up to us to enter the competition, it is not a matter of the players we have, it is a matter of putting it all into a symphony," he explained.

 

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Sydney FC announces imminent Del Piero signing

Alessandro Del Piero has made the decision to continue his career at Sydney FC, and will finalize his contract with the Australian side in the coming days. Sydney CEO Tony Pignata will travel to Italy shortly to complete the deal.

The 37-year-old attacker left Juventus this summer after it decided not to offer him a new contract, and he will now continue his career in the A-League.

"This is huge for Sydney FC, huge for the A-League and huge for Australian football," chairman Scott Barlow said on the club's official website.

"We feel honoured that Alessandro has decided to play for Sydney FC and we share his excitement that a move to Sydney FC will create a lasting legacy for football in this country.

"I want to thank Tony Pignata and Lou Sticca for the outstanding work over the last few days in progressing discussions with Alessandro and look forward to Tony finalising the contract in Italy over the coming days."

Nevertheless, Del Piero's brother and agent Stefano has stressed that the deal is not official just yet.

"He still has not signed anything," commented Stefano Del Piero on the matter.

Del Piero, who made over 500 league appearances for Juventus between 1993 and 2012, had also been linked with clubs from the USA and China in the past few months.

 

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Schalke signs Afellay on loan

Schalke announced on its official website that it has completed the signing of Ibrahim Afellay from Barcelona on a one-year loan deal.

The Bundesliga side was eager to add some more creativity to its squad before the closure of the summer transfer window, and Goal.com exclusively revealed on Wednesday that it had opened talks with Barca over the transfer of the Netherlands international.

Negotiations continued on Thursday and Afellay has now completed his move after passing a medical on Friday morning.

Afellay joined Barcelona from PSV in January 2011, and played an important role in the Catalans' Champions League victory that season with an assist in the semifinal tie versus Real Madrid. Nevertheless, a serious knee injury kept him out of action for the majority of the 2011-12 campaign.

Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova recently revealed that Afellay was unlikely to play a big role at the Blaugranas this season, prompting the 26-year-old to seek a loan move in order to get regular first team action elsewhere.

 

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Marotta admits Bendtner was not Juventus' first choice

Giuseppe Marotta has admitted that Nicklas Bendtner is not the high-profile signing that Juventus was aiming for at the start of the summer transfer window, but added that it was forced to look for alternatives due to the nature of the market.

The Serie A champion had initially set its sights on Edinson Cavani, before turning its attention to Stevan Jovetic and then Fernando Llorente.

However, Juve failed to agree terms with the respective clubs of the aforementioned trio, prompting it to move for Bendtner instead.

"Bendtner is not the high-profile striker we were hoping to sign, but it's a chance we had to take in a difficult market like this," Marotta stated to La Gazzetta dello Sport.

Juventus has confirmed on its official website that the 24-year-old Denmark international is currently undergoing a medical, and he's expected to ink a one-year loan deal with the Italian giant later on Friday.

 

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Rodgers eyeing deadline-day arrivals at Liverpool

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers confirmed that he is eying deadline-day signings after his side secured its place in the group stage of the Europa League with a 2-1 aggregate win over Hearts.

Rodgers also confirmed that he had allowed Andy Carroll to join West Ham on loan in an attempt to secure regular football for the striker but kept tight-lipped over the futures of Charlie Adam and Jay Spearing.

The Ulsterman revealed that the Reds would be in the market to sign additional players before the transfer window shuts on Friday evening.

He told ESPN: "Andy leaving was on the understanding that he would go out and get games, as he would not get many here. He is going to West Ham to get games, and we have the opportunity to get another player tomorrow.

"There’s been lots of movement, so we’ll see what happens, and we have a number of targets.
"There’s been nothing as yet [on Spearing or Adam], as we wanted to concentrate purely on the game. Now the game is done, we will get an update on that."

A late Luis Suarez strike saved Rodgers' side from going into extra-time after David Templeton handed the visitors the lead in the 85th minute following a mistake from Pepe Reina.

Despite the nervy ending at Anfield, Rodgers says that he was never worried about his side's progression after what he described as an "excellent" performance.

"I felt reasonably comfortable throughout. Hearts worked hard, but Jose Reina’s goal was never under threat. Once the goal went in, we had to respond, and we did.

He added: "We didn’t lose, which is important. It was off the back of an exceptional performance, and the boys have been excellent, so I have no complaints there. It was important to keep the faith and keep passing. We’re delighted to be through, it’s a job well done."

Adam Morgan made his first start for the Reds in the match, and Rodgers revealed he will be looking to give more young players a chance in the team while he is in charge.

He said: "He’s a local boy, from Liverpool, and it’s important for me to give local boys who came through the ranks a chance.
"It was important for him to get his first start, and it’s important for me to give local boys a chance, and it’s something I’ll look to do."

 

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West Ham seals Andy Carroll loan switch


Andy Carroll has completed his move to West Ham from Liverpool on a season-long loan.

Goal.com understands that the Hammers have a 17 million pound option to purchase the forward but have no commitment to buy him as part of the terms of the deal.

The striker arrived in east London for a medical on Thursday after a summer of speculation, linking Carroll with a move to either Upton park or his former club, Newcastle United.

"It's great to be here at West Ham and all signed up - I just can't wait to get started now," Carroll told the Hammers' official website.

"I want to be playing games and obviously hoping to score some goals. I know the manager well and some of the lads, so it is nice for me to come to a place where I know people.

"I'm hoping to add a lot of goals and create a few chances. I know Sam from Newcastle and he was a massive reason for me coming. When I worked with him at Newcastle it was great so it was a no-brainer really."

Irons boss Sam Allardyce was also delighted to secure Carroll's signature, having previously managed him at Newcastle.

Allardyce has notably introduced a more physical approach since taking over at Upton Park, but denied that Carroll's meant a definite continuation of that, also praising the big striker's ability with the ball at his feet.

He added: "I think for all parties this is a great signing. Andy is an all-round footballer, but because he is 6'3" and one of his strengths is his aerial power, everybody dismisses the ability he possesses on the floor.

"Hopefully he can score goals for us and we will be in a very good position at the end of the year in the Barclays Premier League."

Carroll became the most expensive English player in history when he moved to Anfield on deadline day in winter 2011, but injury and poor form saw him fail to establish himself on Merseyside, scoring just 11 goals, in 58 appearances for the Reds.

 

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Granero joins QPR on four-year deal

QPR has announced the signing of Real Madrid's Esteban Granero on a four-year-deal.

The 25-year-old, deemed surplus to requirements by Jose Mourinho, is Mark Hughes' ninth summer signing as he aims to improve on the west London side's 17th-place finish last year. Hughes told the club's official website: "He is a great player, first and foremost. You don’t play at a club like Real Madrid if you’re not.

"He has got great energy and is technically very gifted, as you would expect. He is an all-round excellent midfielder.

“He has been there from the age of nine, so this has been a huge decision for him. He is very well regarded there and for him to leave a club of that stature to come to us shows the belief he has in what we are trying to do."

Granero spent two years at Getafe before returning to Los Blancos where he played 60 games in the last three seasons.

The midfielder will wear the number 14 shirt and added: "I love the passion of the English fans and from what I know QPR supporters are amongst the very best.

"When I spoke to Mark [Hughes] and Mike, as well as Tony [Fernandes] I was convinced that I wanted to be part of this project, which has no limits.

"Players that have joined before me are as excited as I am about what QPR can become, one of the great teams in England."

 

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Liverpool 1-1 Hearts (Agg 2-1): Late Suarez strike saves Reds after Reina howler

Liverpool secured its qualification for the Europa League group stage after a late goal from Luis Suarez spared Pepe Reina's blushes in a 1-1 draw with Hearts.

Brendan Rodgers' side was in control but lacked cutting edge and it looked as if it would be made to pay as Reina allowed David Templeton's strike to squirm past him. However Suarez saved the day with a late equalizer from a tight angle.

The first real opportunity of the game went the hosts' way just before the 15 minute mark. Stewart Downing, who started the game very well at full-back, found Morgan with a deep cross, the youngster nodded the delivery back across goal towards Suarez but the forward's close-range header was saved and then hacked away.

The Reds continued to see the better share of the ball, but found breaking down the Hearts' back-line no easy task - Martin Kelly overhitting his cross when the hosts did manage to break free on the right-flank.

The better chances continued to fall to the home side as Morgan's low drive was initially spilled by MacDonald, but he regathered before Steven Gerrard could pounce.

The Liverpool captain then embarked on a brilliant solo run that saw the midfielder get into a good position before attempting to dink the ball past the outrushing keeper with his left, but the effort was matched by an equally impressive save.

The game took a while to get going again in the second-half, as the Reds continued to control the match without creating much in the final third.

After the hour mark the home side should have taken the lead. Suarez beat the offside trap to latch onto Jordan Henderson's through ball, the striker then rounded the keeper but hesitated and eventually saw his shot deflect onto the post. Moments later the forward wasted another good position after lashing wide with his left from inside the box.

Sterling's introduction helped inject some pace into Rodgers' men's play, the tricky winger halted at the last by a super tackle from Danny Grainger after a winding run before Gerrard's follow-up was saved by MacDonald.

With under ten minutes to go Reina, who had very little to do for the majority of the game, made a huge error that gave Hearts hope of extra-time. Templeton fired a tame shot from outside the area straight at the Spaniard, however the keeper failed to hold onto it as the ball found its way across the line and leveled the aggregate scores.

However, Liverpool responded perfectly as it broke down the other end with Suarez, who completed an individual run with a powerful finish past MacDonald from an acute angle, sending the Reds into the group stages of the Europa League.

 

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'We know Valencia and Bayern are favorites' - Llorente wary of expectation in Champions League group stage

Manuel Llorente is hopeful Valencia can live up to expectations in the Champions League group stage following Thursday's draw in Monaco.

The Liga giant was drawn in Group F alongside last year's finalist Bayern Munich, Lille and Belorussian champions BATE Borisov.

And while the president is aware of the pitfalls that await his side, he is adamant they can progress to the knockout stages of the competition.

"Obviously the favorites are Valencia and Bayern," said Llorente. "Lille were the French champions two years ago and we must respect them, although they do not have the same team. And BATE Borisov, of course, are there for a reason."

The 60-year-old is proud that Valencia have reached Europe's most prestigious tournament once again, and is now targeting a place in the quarter-finals after last season's disappointing campaign, where they finished behind Chelsea and Bayer Leverkusen in their pool.

"The Champions League is always difficult, with top-level matches," Llorente noted. "We have a good team. This is the third consecutive time we have played in the Champions League and the 10th overall. This means that we have experience and a reputation.

"Our aim is to do well because we have to get into the knockout round and reach the quarters after. But Europe is Europe and it is very difficult. "

Valencia started its domestic campaign with two draws, a 1-1 stalemate away at Real Madrid before a thrilling 3-3 contest at home to Deportivo La Coruna.

It will begin its Champions League campaign with a trip to the Allianz Arena on September 18.

 

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Lennon: It's very exciting to be in a group with Barcelona

Celtic boss Neil Lennon is excited to face Barcelona after the Hoops were drawn in the same Champions League group as the four-time winners.

The SPL champion has also been drawn alongside Benfica and Spartak Moscow and Lennon hopes that the club's past experiences against all three sides will benefit them.

"We're familiar with all three teams. Under Gordon [Strachan] we played Barcelona and Benfica, and we also knocked out Moscow in a playoff," Lennon told Sky Sports. "Let's take it as it comes and see where we are first and what fixtures we've got coming up. It's fantastic to be here and we're going to enjoy it. I'm delighted to be here and it's fantastic to be involved in the draw.

"It's a tough tough group, all the teams play good football so it should be quite attractive to watch. It's very exciting to be in a group with Barcelona, tough but a real glamour game for the club. The other two are huge clubs in their respective countries."

 

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League Cup Third Round Draw: Manchester United face Newcastle & Arsenal meet Coventry

Manchester United has been drawn to play at home against Newcastle in what looks to be the standout tie of the League Cup Third Round draw.

Elsewhere in the draw, European champions Chelsea face Championship side Wolves, who booked their spot in the last 32 of the competition with a 3-1 win over Northampton on Wednesday night.

Premier League holders Manchester City welcomes Aston Villa to Eastlands and Liverpool travels to West Bromwich Albion in two high-profile clashes between top-flight sides.

Arsene Wenger is likely to take the chance to blood youngsters in the third round with Arsenal drawn at home to League One side Coventry City.

Tottenham will be on its travels to play Carlisle while in-forn Everton face a tough-looking trip to meet Championship side Leeds United.

Sunderland is also away from home against MK Dons, while Paolo Di Canio's Swindon side faces a home clash against Burnley as its reward for knocking out Stoke City.

Full draw for League Cup Third Round (Premier League teams in bold):

Arsenal v Coventry City
Bradford City v Burton Albion
Carlisle United v Tottenham
Chelsea v Wolves
Crawley Town v Swansea City
Leeds v Everton
Manchester City v Aston Villa
Manchester United v Newcastle
MK Dons v Sunderland
Norwich v Doncaster
Preston v Middlesbrough
QPR v Reading
Southampton v Sheffield Wednesday
Swindon v Burnley
West Brom v Liverpool
West Ham v Wigan

 

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Transfer Deadline Day Few More Hours Remaining!

 

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UEFA Super Cup 2012.08.31 Fixture

UEFA Super Cup 2012.08.31 Fixture

Chelsea Vs Atletico Madrid

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After 22nd Minute

Chelsea 0 Vs 2 Atletico Madrid

 

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Fulham: No Reds Dempsey bid

Fulham have denied rejecting a Liverpool bid for Clint Dempsey, just hours after the player turned down a move to Aston Villa.

Liverpool - who have been linked with a move for the US international throughout the summer - were reported to have tabled their offer after selling Charlie Adam to Stoke City for £4 million, only to see it turned down by the Londoners.

Villa had a bid - thought to be around £7 million - for the forward accepted, but 29-year-old Dempsey is holding out for a move to Anfield. Insiders at both Fulham and Liverpool, however, have told ESPN that no offer has been lodged.Liverpool have spent much of the summer chasing Dempsey, sparking an angry reaction from Fulham manager Martin Jol after the player went on strike on the eve of the new season.

Fulham complained to the Premier League last month over remarks made about Dempsey by Brendan Rodgers, who told a press conference that Liverpool were interested in signing the forward.

However, Cottagers manager Martin Jol insisted no Liverpool offer had been received at any stage, and Fulham believe Rodgers contravened Premier League rules by publicly revealing his club's interest in the player.

A Premier League statement said: "The Premier League has received a complaint from Fulham FC regarding certain comments made by Liverpool FC officials, and is currently looking into the matter."

The issue was sparked by a story on a website belonging to Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group that implied that Dempsey was to become a Liverpool player.Although the story was swiftly taken down, Rodgers, speaking during his club's American tour, told a press conference: "Clint is a player we've enquired about - it is as simple as that. Ian Ayre, our managing director, has spoken with the club to see what the position is.

"That is where we're at. He's a very talented player - but we don't like to talk about other clubs' players."

Jol recently described the situation as "almost embarrassing" and claimed Dempsey had told people at Fulham that he was going to Liverpool.Speaking last week, Jol said: "Mentally Clint wants to move - he doesn't want to stay here. His head was turned, and that was the problem.

"It's a problem and a situation you don't want. It's not something you can talk to a player about every day because he doesn't want to."

 

[Assassin.]

manutd