..::Football II::..

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Fergie confirms Moura talks

Fergie confirms Moura talks

Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed that Manchester United are in talks to sign Brazil international Lucas Moura from Sao Paulo.The likes of Real Madrid and Inter Milan have been linked with the 19-year-old midfielder, but United have moved into pole position in recent weeks.

Reports have claimed a deal worth around £26million had been agreed, but Ferguson insists this is not the case.But for the first time he has confirmed he wants to sign the youngster, who has 11 caps for Brazil to his name.

"We haven't reached an agreement," said Ferguson from China, where United are on the latest leg of their pre-season tour."We've shown interest. Until such time we reach an agreement we can't say he's ours."

Working hard

Ferguson, who is also bidding for Arsenal captain Robin van Persie and admitted to wanting another left-back earlier this month, says they are working hard behind the scenes.

"At this moment we're looking at other options in terms of bringing other players in," he said."We're not lying on our backsides doing nothing. We're trying hard to bring other players to the club."

Ferguson was asked about whether he ever made a move for former Chelsea Didier Drogba before his switch to China."He said he was going to leave Chelsea and not play again in England. So that eliminated everyone," he added.

 

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muwa ganna puluwan wunoth Hazard gatta waga thama..!

Ow AiyaMoura wa kohomahari ganna Puluwan unoth nam Watinawa

 

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Neymar: Messi should win the Ballon d'Or, he is the best in the world

Santos star Neymar has declared that he is tipping Barcelona forward Lionel Messi to win the 2012 Ballon d'Or award.

The Argentine star is believed to one of the favourites to clinch the individual accolade after inspiring the Blaugrana to win four titles in 2011-12 with 73 goals in all competitions.

Neymar has often earned comparisons with Messi, but the 20-year-old dismissed the notion that he is contention for the accolade, insists that he expects the Barca ace to win the honour.

"Me? No, the Ballon d'Or is for Messi, who is the best in the world, there is no one like him," Neymar told Mundo Deportivo. "He will win it, he is the greatest. He comes up with new things after every match. Yes, yes, another Ballon d'Or for Messi. That is what there is. We all know it."

Messi, who is Barca's all-time leading goalscorer, equalled Michel Platini in January in winning the Ballon d'Or for three years running.

 

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Ramsey hopeful contract rebel Van Persie will stay at Arsenal

Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey remains hopeful that club captain Robin van Persie will still be at the Emirates Stadium when the news season gets underway next month.

There has been much speculation over the Dutchman's future ever since he announced he would not be signing a new deal with the Gunners, and criticized the club over its transfer policy and the direction in which it was headed.

The 28-year-old scored 30 Premier League goals last season which went a long way towards helping Arsene Wenger's side secure third place, and midfielder Ramsey, currently preparing for the Olympics with Team GB, knows how difficult it would be to replace those goals.

He told the The Belfast Telegraph: "We don't know anything that goes on. We hope that he stays at Arsenal."He had a brilliant season last year and he is a big player for us, so we are just hopeful that he will stay."

Arsenal has already signed forwards Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud, perhaps with Van Persie's imminent departure in mind.

Arsenal's poor start last season was attributed, by many, to Wenger leaving its dealings in the transfer market until the last minute.

Ramsey is convinced if it gets its business done early it can make a better start to the upcoming campaign and possibly close the 19-point gap to second placed Manchester United.

He added: "If we get off to a better start this season than we did last season, we know we are capable of finishing pretty strongly, like we did last year."We have brought in a couple of players who are well-known and hopefully we can put ourselves in a position to compete early on."

 

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Oscar set for Chelsea 'dream'

Oscar set for Chelsea 'dream'

Brazil midfielder Oscar has described a potential move to Chelsea as "a dream", with Brazilian media reporting that the contract will be signed on Friday.

Oscar, 20, has been linked with Chelsea for some time and confirmed earlier this week that he had undertaken a medical ahead of a £25 million move to West London.

"I have full confidence in my work", Oscar told reporters. "If I go to Chelsea, it will be a dream - a big club in Europe. I'm sure I'll have a great Olympics and if it is to be Chelsea, I will do a great job there."

Brazilian media giant Globo are reporting that the Oscar will finally complete his move to the Blues on Friday, with the two parties to meet in Manchester once Brazil arrive to prepare for their second Olympic clash.Earlier on Monday, Internacional president Giovanni Luigi had confirmed that his side had struck an agreement with Chelsea over the player's transfer.

"There is a verbal agreement between the two parties. But we have to put that on paper and the lawyer of both clubs have to discuss the matter," Luigi told Radio Guiaba.Before the deal can take place, Oscar will be in action as Brazil begin their quest for Olympic gold taking on Egypt in Cardiff on Thursday night.

 

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Tottenham midfielder Parker to miss beginning of season after surgery on Achilles injury

Tottenham midfielder Scott Parker is set to miss the beginning of the Premier League season after surgery on a persistent achilles injury.

The midfielder who is set to undergo surgery to correct a persistent Achilles problem which hampered the 31-year-old during the latter stages of last season and during Euro 2012.

Spurs manager Andre Villas-Boas has confirmed the news, with Parker missing their current preseason tour of America to have the operation.

Villas-Boas told reporters: "There might be a small tear on his achilles – we are at the moment evaluating the situation regarding a possible operation that can take four to six weeks normally to heal."

The injury would see him miss the start of the domestic season and England's friendly against Italy in Switzerland on Aug. 15. The former West Ham player could also be ruled out of the first two World Cup qualifiers, away to Moldova and at home to Ukraine, on Sept. 7 and 11 respectively.

 

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Villas-Boas to continue Redknapp's attacking style

CARSON, Calif. -- Andre Villas-Boas, wearing shorts and a fresh white Hotspur t-shirt, paused briefly before sitting down at the podium in the basement of the Home Depot Center. He flashed an impish grin of such childlike glee it was hard to shake the suspicion the Portuguese coach might enjoy these press conferences after all.

Then the questions started. They began with Luka Modric and continued through several other prickly topics. Villas-Boas answered in his customary corporate jargon, hesitant ums and uhs giving his brain time to formulate delicate answers in his second language.

He stared mostly into the mid-distance, answering as openly as he could, a wrinkled brow detracting from his natural handsomeness.

The only question that returned some of the youthful delight to the 34-year-old's voice was about Tottenham's tactics for the upcoming season. Villas-Boas gushed about maintaining Harry Redknapp's particular brand of swift, wide, counterattacking soccer.

"Tottenham last year played magnificent attacking football," Villas-Boas said. "We want to keep that exactly as it stands, to take it into the pitch, but training in a different way. We would like to be a team that has speed in possession and different combinations, a team that looks to the counterattack in a very aggressive way. We'll have to make sure we continue to do exactly that like we have in the past."

It's no surprise training sessions have changed. Rafael van der Vaart once said of Redknapp that, "There are no long and boring speeches about tactics." For a detail-oriented, analytical coach like Villas-Boas, who used to prepare intricate team scouting reports for Jose Mourinho, that style of preparation was never an option.

Van der Vaart will just have to tolerate a few boring lectures.

"We're trying to continue with the same system that Tottenham played most of the time last year," AVB said. "It's a system that benefits Rafa and [new signing Gylfi] Sigurdsson as the two players competing for that role behind the striker."

Villas-Boas made it clear he's still looking for the striker to play in front of either playmaker, with Emmanuel Adebayor the frontrunner given his success in the role last season. However, with the Togolese striker still under contract with Manchester City, Villas-Boas was reticent to discuss him too thoroughly.

At the other tip of the formation, there are no plans to replace goalkeeper Brad Friedel. The American's age – 41 – led some to speculate a replacement could arrive, but Villas-Boas nixed that notion.

"The search for a goalkeeper is a non-search to be fair," he said. "It's false that we are looking for a goalkeeper."

Friedel is seven years older than Villas-Boas.

 

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Iniesta: Vilanova's arrival at Barcelona is not dramatic

Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta has played down the impact of Pep Guardiola's departure at the end of last season.

The 41-year-old stepped down as the Catalan side's coach in June after guiding the club to 14 titles in the space of four years in order to take a sabbatical from soccer due to the exhausting nature of the job. And although Iniesta believes that Guardiola played a leading role in Barca's recent successes, he insisted that the transition to new coach Tito Vilanova will be seamless.

"With Guardiola, we reached the peak, we will miss him," Iniesta said in an interview with Gol TV. "But we will follow practically the same line with Tito. Considering this, the change will not be dramatic."

The 28-year-old then stated that Jordi Alba had a "perfect" Euro 2012 and stated that the Ballon d'Or is not only an individual award, but also a collective one with Lionel Messi, Xavi and himself believed to be in contention for the accolade.

 

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Mourinho to receive career award from Portuguese reporters

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho will receive on Friday the Fernando Soromenho Prestige Award from the Portuguese Association of Sports Journalists (CNID) for his achievements in football.

The 49-year-old will receive the honor at the Pestana Palace Hotel in Lisbon, after which he will address the media at a press conference.

It is the highest award handed out by CNID, which was created in 1967.

Mourinho, who began his coaching career in 2000 at Benfica, guided Porto to one UEFA Cup and one Champions League trophy in his two-year spell at the club.

He went on to coach Chelsea and Inter before joining Real Madrid in the summer of 2010. He has so far guided Los Blancos to one Copa del Rey and one Liga title.

 

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Villas-Boas: Modric faces club discipline for "player revolt"

CARSON, Calif. -- Andre Villas-Boas doesn't even know where Luka Modric is right now. All the Tottenham boss is sure of is that the Croatian playmaker didn't join the Spurs traveling squad to the United States for a preseason jaunt.

"The last time I heard he was back in London," Villas-Boas offered.

AVB and Modric exchanged messages earlier in the summer. But there's no lack of clarity in communication for the former Chelsea coach.

"The situation as it stands is the player is under club discipline for not being present," Villas-Boas said. "There [are] clubs interested in him but we have to hold onto our values and our rights. At the moment the situation for Luka is that he's under club discipline."

Modric also tried to force a transfer last year, with Chelsea -- then controlled, perhaps ironically, by Villas-Boas -- the suitor. Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy convinced the playmaker to remain in north London, and the 26-year-old scored four goals and tallied four assists in 36 Premier League starts last season.

"He's a player who has offered so much for Tottenham," AVB allowed. "We also have a sense of respect for what he has done for us but the chairman feels that the fact that he is not present is not common professional behavior."

The 34-year-old sees only two possible outcomes to the current knotty situation. The first is that any interested parties meet Tottenham's asking price for arguably its best player. The second is that Modric returns to the fold and resumes normal training duties.

"The chairman and myself have been very very open with this situation by saying that we are willing to listen to offers for players, which is uncommon I think," Villas-Boas said.

The Portuguese didn't know the exact amount of the fines Modric faces, claiming he left the specifics to others within the club. With Modric taking the fairly dramatic action of skipping preseason, the most likely outcome appears to be a transfer. Real Madrid – coached by Villas-Boas' past mentor, Jose Mourinho – has been linked heavily.

"It's pretty straight forward to be fair," AVB continued. "Transfer requests [are] not things that you have to give handwritten, but he has shown his willingness to depart and we have told him that we are willing to receive offers if the offers meet the value of the player."

Still, Tottenham won't compromise on its valuation of the player. Last season it rejected a reported bid of 27 million pounds from Chelsea.

"This type of player revolt is not new, but I think the clubs have to protect themselves," Villas-Boas said. "There's plenty of time in the market. I think we respect Luka's willingness and past contributions, but we want to embrace the player and we want him to feel that we are willing to help him if he's willing to help as well."

Tottenham has since confirmed on its official website that Modric returned to training at Spurs Lodge in England.

 

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Everton accepts Tim Cahill bid from New York Red Bulls

After being linked with big names ranging from Kaka to Michael Ballack, the New York Red Bulls have finally decided on a third Designated Player, bidding for Tim Cahill from Everton. Everton accepted the offer as confirmed on its official website.

The two sides negotiated a transfer that will see Cahill likely join New York for 1 million pounds. The Red Bulls have made no secret of their desire to acquire an attacking midfielder and made inquiries about several players before deciding on Cahill.

Erik Soler admitted prior to the Red Bulls home opener that the club was open to purchasing a player from another club. It is thought that Everton wanted to rid itself of Cahill's contract, especially in light of the team's recent financial struggles. With Cahill's goalscoring totals dwindling each season (he scored two league goals last term), the Toffees were willing to sell the popular midfielder for a bargain price.

Known for his athleticism, Cahill is famous for headed goals. In his eight seasons with Everton, the Australian international scored 56 goals in 226 appearances. The Red Bulls have yet to announce the move, with a club spokesperson telling Goal.com "no comment."

 

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Cahill MLS giyoth nam aparade

 

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Jonathan dos Santos on Betis and Malaga's radar

Jonathan dos Santos continues to be on the radar for La Liga teams, with the Barcelona B midfielder being named as a target for both Betis and Malaga.

Barcelona's Director of Football Andoni Zubizarreta promoted Dos Santos to the first team for the length of Barca's preseason campaign, but rumors still abound that the Mexican midfielder might be stamping at least a temporary exit from the Nou Camp.

According to Record, sources close to dos Santos have revealed that there are several La Liga teams interested in the player's services, with Real Betis and Malaga being the top two candidates vying for him.

However, it is dos Santos' only wish to break through with the Blaugrana's senior team, an issue that might delay or completely derail a transfer involving the midfielder.

In the meantime, new manager Tito Vilanova has shown an interest in at least gauging dos Santos' talent, as he has named the Mexican player to the roster that will face Hamburg in the team's opening preseason fixture at the Imtech Arena.

 

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Robben: Bayern is hungrier for titles than last season

Bayern Munich ace Arjen Robben has conceded that the team is eager to win titles after two seasons without a trophy.

The Bavarian giant finished second in the Bundesliga last season to Borussia Dortmund, before succumbing to the same opponents in the DFB-Pokal final and losing the Champions League decider to Chelsea on penalties. As Bayern prepares to contest its first official title of the new season, the German Super Cup against Dortmund, Robben stated that the team aims to do one better this term.

"We have a season behind us in which we were close to all titles, but in the end we did not win anything," the Dutchman told Bild. "The hunger for titles is even greater now. I already feel a lot of desire in the team, even if we are missing several key players who are still on holiday after Euro 2012."

Robben then called on the team to show more focus in the pitch following the club's 3-2 defeat to Napoli in a friendly match on Friday.

"You must never lose," Robben added. "We must always win. Before half-time we gave them a goal to make it 1-1 too easily. This should not be happening. That is the sort of thing that cost us points in the Bundesliga"

 

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Marko Marin is looking forward to playing with Fernando Torres

NEW YORK -- New Chelsea FC signing Marko Marin is looking forward to playing with Fernando Torres. The German playmaker believes he can help bring out the best of the Spanish striker.

"Fernando is a top player. For us wingers, it's nice for us to have a player like him up front," Marin told Goal.com. "He's fun to play to with. He's very fast and sharp. I look forward to playing with him."

With Didier Drogba departing Chelsea after the club's surprising Champions League victory, Torres becomes the team's top option at the lone forward position. Since Torres' arrival in January 2011 in a transer worth 50 million pounds, he has only scored seven goals in 46 appearances with the club. That's a dramatic dip from his Liverpool days where he averaged over 16 goals a season.

With the summer additions of Marin, Eden Hazard and possibly Brazilian playmaker Oscar, head coach Roberto Di Mateo has brought in players who can penetrate and create more spaces for Torres.

In Marin's second preseason appearance for the Blues, the former Werden Bremen star displayed why he can be a creative force for Chelsea in the club's 1-1 draw against Paris Saint-Germain at Yankee Stadium.

With Chelsea's offense stagnating in the first half, Marin came on for the final 45 minutes and terrorized PSG's flank defenders, opening spots on the pitch for Chelsea's attack. It was some promising play from Marin and he was quick to point out that it was only his second game.

"It was my second game and I enjoyed every game now," he said. "I'm happy to be here playing with such high quality of players."

 

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Jovetic will not leave Fiorentina, says director Teotino

Juventus target Stevan Jovetic will not leave Fiorentina in the summer, communications director Gianfranco Teotino has said.

It is understood that the Bianconeri have put together an improved 25 million euro bid for the Montenegro international after having their initial offer rejected by the Florentine club.

Such a bid falls close to Fiorentina's 30m euro valuation of Jovetic, but the Viola director has given a strong indication that the 22-year-old has been taken off the market.

"I think that Stevan will stay with us and that the squad will be built around him to entertain the fans," Teotino told reporters on Monday. "There is a lot of confidence and we want the player to be part of our project for the next year. We want to qualify for the Champions League with him being part of the project."

Jovetic, who joined Fiorentina from Partizan in 2008, scored 14 goals in Serie A last season.

 

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Giggs looking forward to Olympics test

Team GB skipper Ryan Giggs says that he cannot wait for the Olympics to get underway, as he readies himself to take part in the first international tournament of his career.


The Manchester United legend will lead the side out against Senegal in the team's opening game at Old Trafford on Thursday evening, his home ground for the entirety of his 21-year club career.The Welshman, who made 64 appearances for his country, has never progressed to a major finals with the Red Dragons - coming closest in 1993 when Romania piped the Welsh to USA '94 - and Giggs is looking forward to experiencing something he never has before.

"My career for my country has obviously been the total opposite to my club career, I've been so successful with United but not so with Wales," Giggs told TheFA.com. "I would always watch the other lads, especially those ones I grew up with, Becks, Butty, Nev, Scholesy, go away on international tournaments and I would wish that I could do the same.

"Unfortunately, I never got the chance, but now I've got the chance and even in the first few weeks together here, I've seen things that I haven't seen in my career before. It's been an eye opener, and really enjoyable as well."

Giggs also says that there will be something special in representing all of Great Britain.
"It's [playing in the Olympics] not something you think of as a footballer. The game has been played at the Olympics, but there hasn't been a Great Britain team for a long, long time. As a Welshman, you don't think you'll get into the Olympics really.

"To be there representing Great Britain as captain is going to be something special."

The midfielder's current Manchester United teammates are embarking on their preseason tour, and the 38-year-old says that manager Sir Alex Ferguson was a key figure in his decision to take part in Great Britain's squad.

"Right from the start, he was keen for me to be involved and he's backed me ever since really," he added.

"He's been good and he recognizes that maybe a tournament could add to what already is a pretty good career. He's been supportive all the way through my career, since I was 13 through to today."

 

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Hamsik: I have no reason to leave Napoli

Marek Hamsik has ruled out the possibility of him leaving Napoli this summer, stating that he sees no reason why he should consider departing the San Paolo.

The Slovakia international was heavily linked with a move to AC Milan last year, while the Partenopei appear to have been significantly weakened by the loss of Ezequiel Lavezzi to Paris Saint-Germain earlier this month.

However, Hamsik has no intention of following in his former teammate's footsteps, insisting that he is perfectly happy at Napoli.

"There is no reason to leave," the attacking midfielder told La Repubblica. "There is an important project here, one which I feel even more central to.

"I arrived five years ago, after the promotion to Serie A, and since then there has been steady growth at Napoli. I'm happy, why change? To win more? I can do that at Napoli. Indeed, I hope that this year we will lift another trophy."

While Hamsik freely admits the absence of Lavezzi will be sorely felt by the club, he is confident the Partenopei have the strength in depth to cope with the loss of 'Pocho'.

"In attack, Napoli are just as competitive," he argued. "We have signed a great player like Pandev [who was on loan from Inter last season] and then there are two young men of great value: [Eduardo] Vargas and [Lorenzo] Insigne.

"I didn't expect Lorenzo to be so good. He will give us a big boost, even if 'Pocho' was the star of our team and we will miss him a little."

Hamsik, who scored Napoli's second goal in the team's 2-0 Coppa Italia success over Juventus in May, netted nine times in 37 appearances in Serie A last season.

 

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De Gea: I always had faith in my ability

Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea has revealed that adapting to life at Old Trafford has been a struggle following his 18.9m euro move from Atletico Madrid last summer.

The 21-year-old suffered widespread criticism after a string of early mistakes at United, but has since established himself as a regular start under Sir Alex Ferguson, and the Spaniard believes he is finally beginning to get to grips with the Premier League.

"My English is getting better," De Gea told the Guardian. "I understand most things but I find it harder to speak. English football is different, especially for a goalkeeper. It's more aggressive, more physical. It's far, far harder. The ball is in the air more and you get pushed about. And the referees don't blow [for] anything!"

De Gea's slender physique was often touted as a factor behind his shaky start, while others have pointed to his eyesight, with the club even recommending he undergo laser eye surgery to improve his vision.However, the shot-stopper is confident neither issue will prove problematic to his development at Old Trafford.

"Eat well and lots of gym work. We're not talking about a huge amount anyway, just four or five kilos," he said. "The other thing is that I am still young and I will naturally fill out anyway.
"I'm just short-sighted, like loads of people. I wear contact lenses - in fact, I've got new ones - and I can see perfectly well, just like anyone. I don't understand the fuss. I put lenses in and ... perfecto."

De Gea will feature for Spain at this summer's Olympic Games, having come through the ranks of the World and European champion, and the youngster insists that he has never doubted his own ability, but admitted being away from his native country has proved difficult.

"There have been doubts in the first season but I always had faith in my ability," he added. "The pressure at an elite club like United is huge but Ferguson just told me to do what I did at Atletico. You have to be as strong when things go wrong but I don't get nervous. Mistakes are normal, everyone makes them.

"I think that at times people don't realize that it's not easy. You travel a lot, you work hard. When you come home in Spain, your family are waiting for you. When you're in England, they're not. For a Spaniard it's different."

 

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Robben: Bayern is hungrier for titles than last season

Bayern Munich ace Arjen Robben has conceded that the team is eager to win titles after two seasons without a trophy.

The Bavarian giant finished second in the Bundesliga last season to Borussia Dortmund, before succumbing to the same opponents in the DFB-Pokal final and losing the Champions League decider to Chelsea on penalties. As Bayern prepares to contest its first official title of the new season, the German Super Cup against Dortmund, Robben stated that the team aims to do one better this term.

"We have a season behind us in which we were close to all titles, but in the end we did not win anything," the Dutchman told Bild. "The hunger for titles is even greater now. I already feel a lot of desire in the team, even if we are missing several key players who are still on holiday after Euro 2012."

Robben then called on the team to show more focus in the pitch following the club's 3-2 defeat to Napoli in a friendly match on Friday.

"You must never lose," Robben added. "We must always win. Before half-time we gave them a goal to make it 1-1 too easily. This should not be happening. That is the sort of thing that cost us points in the Bundesliga"