..::Football III::..

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Official: Crystal Palace sign Hangeland

Crystal Palace have completed the signing of centre-back Brede Hangeland on a free transfer.

The Norway international was a free agent after leaving Fulham at the end of last season following the expiry of his contract.

Palace have subsequently swooped for the experienced 33-year-old and Hangeland is thrilled to have put pen to paper on a one-year contract.

"I'm delighted to be here. I look forward to helping out and doing the best I can for this club," he told the club's official website.

"I'm quite old school as a player, I just want to be part of a good group of players, working for a good manager, working really hard and driving something in the right direction.

"All the people I spoke to told me that's what's going on at Crystal Palace and I really wanted to be a part of that.

"It's a traditional club with a big following. I thought the atmosphere here was fantastic and obviously the fans had a lot to be happy about come the end of the season.

"If we can do something similar to that this season, that would be great. I'm really looking forward to playing in front of those fans as soon as possible."

Hangeland made over 270 appearances for Fulham after Roy Hodgson brought him to Craven Cottage from FC Copenhagen in January 2008 and played in the Europa League final against Atletico Madrid in 2010.

His six-and-a-half year stay came to an end when the London club were relegated from the Premier League last season.

Hangeland's exit was somewhat acrimonious after he reportedly learned of his release via e-mail and later hit out at Fulham boss Felix Magath, describing the German as "very difficult to work with".

 

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Malaga complete Ochoa deal

Malaga have completed the signing of Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa on a three-year contract.

The 29-year-old was a free agent after his deal with French side Ajaccio expired at the end of last season, but his performances for Mexico at the World Cup ensured he wasn't short of offers this summer.

Ochoa had been linked with moves to AC Milan and Liverpool but has instead opted for a fresh start in La Liga."Malaga Club de Futbol has reached an agreement to sign one of the best goalkeepers from the recent World Cup in Brazil, Guillermo Ochoa," read a statement on the club's official website.

"He will wear the Blue and Whites' shirt for the next three seasons. Ochoa has successfully passed the routine medical checks."Ochoa began his career with America in his homeland and made over 300 appearances during his stay at the club.

A move to Ajaccio ensued in July 2011 and he played over 100 league and cup games in France.

Malaga were in the market for a new keeper after Willy Caballero opted to join Premier League champions Manchester City.

 

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Immobile must adapt to Dortmund intensity - Klopp

Borussia Dortmund boss Jurgen Klopp says Ciro Immobile is still getting to grips with the intensity of the club's training sessions as he bids to fill Robert Lewandowski's boots.

The 24-year-old signed for the club on a five-year deal from Torino for €19 million following Lewandowski's decision to join Bayern Munich when his deal expired at BVB at the end of last season.

However, Klopp believes Immobile is still undergoing the adaptation process that comes with signing for a new club and noted the differences facing the Italy star from the environment he was used to in Serie A.

He told reporters: "For him, the following applies: He is currently heavily loaded. The extent to which we train is high.

"In addition, he is in a new environment. He must embark on our special sequences that differ significantly from those in Turin from now."

Dortmund defender Neven Subotic is continuing his recovery from a serious knee injury, suffered back in November, but Klopp revealed the 25-year-old is making good progress.

"He came out of the summer break in a superior state; much better than I had hoped for after a long period in which he was gone," said the 47-year-old.

"Of course, he is now heavily burdened by the rehabilitation, but overall he's in a very, very stable condition. He has had up to this point little problems, neither muscular nor other. Neven is in a top way."

Dortmund open their Bundesliga campaign with a home clash against Bayer Leverkusen on August 23.

 

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Rose welcomes Davies competition at Tottenham

Tottenham defender Danny Rose believes the signing of fellow full-back Ben Davies can help him develop as a footballer.

Rose penned a new five-year deal at White Hart Lane on Thursday, extending his stay at White Hart Lane to 2019, after making a career-high 22 Premier League appearances for Spurs last season.

New head coach Mauricio Pochettino has ensured there will be competition for a left-back berth at the north London club by bringing in Davies from Swansea City last month, but Rose is relishing the competition.

"I'm over the moon to sign my new contract," Rose told the club's official website. "I'm glad it's been sorted and now I can focus on the start of the season.

"Working under Mauricio has been brilliant. We went through our first three games unbeaten [during the US tour] so we're all happy and everyone has a good understanding of what the manager wants to implement.

"We've brought in Ben Davies now and I'm hoping he can improve me, and likewise I'm hoping I can help him settle in and help him improve his game as well.

"There are two or three good players in each position at the club and we're all excited for the start of the season."

Rose is also hoping he and Tottenham can both show a higher level of consistency in the new season.

He added: "This season, first and foremost, I want to stay injury-free. I had a small, annoying injury ... and when I came back I was a bit inconsistent with my performances so I'm determined to improve on.

"From a club point of view I hope we can be a bit more consistent as well because we lost to and drew with teams that we feel we should be beating last season.

"While this season will be a difficult one, we're all looking forward to it."

 

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Gerrard 'irreplaceable' for England - Henderson

Jordan Henderson has hailed Steven Gerrard as "irreplaceable" and believes England's young players need to show their worth in his absence.

Liverpool captain Gerrard announced his retirement from the international scene earlier in July after 14 years' service with the national side and on the back of the Three Lions' worst ever showing at the World Cup.

Roy Hodgson's squad was filled with youthful talent and Henderson, who has been touted as one man who could fill the hole left by the departing Gerrard, has called on those players to step up.

"Let's face it, you can never replace a player like Steven Gerrard because he's probably the best player this country has ever seen - so yes, he's irreplaceable," Henderson is quoted as saying by the Mirror.

"I don't think you even necessarily try to fill that void. He is a one-off, I see him every day [at Liverpool] and I don't think there is any player like him.

"But what we have to do is develop the young talent coming through, and there is a lot of it. We've got to give them space to go and show how good they are.

"The likes of myself, Jack [Wilshere], Ross [Barkley] or whoever is in the England team need to take more responsibility, step up to the plate and take more of a leadership role if needed."

 

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Milner: I need to play more for Manchester City

James Milner has confirmed his Manchester City future will be determined by how frequently he plays this season.

The 28-year-old is into the final year of his contract at the Etihad Stadium and has been linked with moves to Arsenal and Liverpool after starting just 12 Premier League games last season.

The England international has made it clear he is more than happy to sign a new deal with Premier League City, providing he plays a more prominent role.

"Basically I want to be here - as long as I'm playing," Milner is quoted as saying by the Manchester Evening News.

"I love it here and hopefully I can be here for a long time to come. But that's determined on how much football I get. I just want to feel like I'm contributing.

"I played a fair amount last year - maybe not as many in the league as I would have liked but I felt I contributed to the trophies I won. That's what it's about.

"I think at the end of the season you win trophies and you haven't played as much as you wanted it can be frustrating. But that wasn't the case last year and hopefully it won't be this either."

Milner is set to face additional competition for a place this term, with Fernando having arrived from Porto, but welcomes the challenge.

"I've been here four years now - you know what to expect. There's big-money signings every year," said the former Aston Villa man.

"You want to play against the top teams, play with the best players in the world. We definitely have that at City, you test yourself every single day in training.

"You want to improve, you want to win trophies and think 'did I become the best player that I can?' If you can't improve playing with these guys in the dressing room you are going to struggle anyway."

 

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Atletico Madrid complete Ansaldi loan deal

La Liga champions Atletico Madrid have signed Zenit full-back Cristian Ansaldi on a season-long loan deal.

Ansaldi, who has been capped by Argentina on three occasions, is capable of playing on either side of the defence, with his arrival announced on Friday after the 27-year-old passed a medical.Atleti's sporting director, Jose Luis Perez Caminero, said: "Ansaldi is a player who's going to help us increase the group's competitiveness.

"He's a full-back who can play at both sidelines, with a great defence level and offers many variables on the attack.

"He will bring plenty with his versatility. We are very pleased with this agreement."
Ansaldi's arrival helps compensate for the recent departure of Filipe Luis, who left Atleti last month to join Chelsea.

 

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Liverpool make breakthrough in Moreno talks

Liverpool have made a breakthrough in negotiations for Sevilla left-back Alberto Moreno and are closing in on a €21 million deal.

Reds chief executive Ian Ayre is in Spain in a bid to finalise a deal for the 22-year-old, and is also confident of tying up a loan deal with Atletico Madrid for Javier Manquillo.

Goal reported in June that Sevilla were holding out for around €23m for Moreno, amid reports that he had already agreed terms with the Reds.

But talks are progressing after a two-month delay and Brendan Rodgers is now confident that a deal can be agreed for the Spain Under-21 international.

A agreement with La Liga champions Atletico for right-back Manquillo is also close. The 20-year-old has made only six appearances in the Primera Division and would provide cover for Glen Johnson at Anfield.

The two moves would push Liverpool's summer spending past the €125m mark following the £70m sale of Luis Suarez to Barcelona.

Southamption trio Adam Lallana, Dejan Lovren and Rickie Lambert have all moved to Merseyside, while Emre Can joined from Bayer Leverkusen and Lazar Markovic has been recruited from Benfica.

Rogders has also signed Divock Origi from Lille, but the Belgium striker will return to the Stade Pierre-Mauroy on loan for the 2014-15 campaign.

 

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Sahin to miss Dortmund opener

Borussia Dortmund midfielder Nuri Sahin will miss his team's Bundesliga opener due to tendonitis in his knee.

The midfielder left Dortmund's training camp in Switzerland on Thursday to have his knee checked in Munich and the Bundesliga club later confirmed that the Turkey star will miss three weeks of training to recover.

The 25-year-old played 45 minutes in Dortmund's friendly versus Rot-Weiss Essen on July 27 - wearing the captain's armband - but has apparently been struggling with pain in his knee for some time.

The problem will see Sahin miss the DFL-Supercup against Bayern Munich on August 13, as well as Dortmund's DFB-Pokal tie against Stuttgart Kickers two days later.

He will also be on the sidelines for his team's first Bundesliga fixture of the season against Bayer Leverkusen on August 23.
Sahin played 34 Bundesliga matches for Dortmund last term, starting 31 games and scoring two goals.

 

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Del Bosque: Spain must move on from World Cup wound

Vicente del Bosque has called upon Spain to move on from their World Cup humiliation and look to build a brighter future.

The European champions were eliminated in Brazil at the group stage, receiving a 5-1 thrashing from Netherlands before Chile sealed their fate with a 2-0 win.

The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) elected to keep faith in former Real Madrid boss Del Bosque, who guided the team to world and European titles in 2010 and 2012, and he is looking to re-build going into the European Championship in France in two years.

"The World Cup wound hurts, but we must look forward and fight for a better future," he told Onda Cero.

"The Federation has never had any doubts surrouding my renewal. The six years outweighed the game that we lost. I understand the fans' reaction, when you lose they will usually go against the team and the coach."

There were some suggestions Del Bosque should have called up some fresher faces to his World Cup squad rather than stick to the veterans of past tournaments, including Xavi and Iker Casillas.

Del Bosque, however, insists he would not change his selection given the chance.

"I wouldn't make any changes to the 23 we had at the time. Maybe we failed, but we did our best. They are outstanding players, heroes who have given us a lot of what we have."

 

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Evans impressed by Van Gaal's attention to detail

Jonny Evans has been impressed with new Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal's meticulous training methods.

Van Gaal arrived at the club after guiding the Netherlands to third place at the World Cup in Brazil last month.

The Dutchman has forged a reputation as an outspoken character over a long, trophy-laden career, and his attention to detail in United's pre-season training sessions have left a lasting impression on Evans."I think it is a lot more detailed at the training ground [now]," he said."They have spent thousands on it and a few of the lads have seen HD cameras around the pitch.
"We have this system at the minute where he can watch us on the pitch. I think a lot of teams use it but we are looking into it in quite a lot of detail."He is saying 'you should be five yards to the right'; we are able to see things that are happening live on the pitch.

"That kind of scrutiny is new to every single player. The case before was that as long as we got the results everything was fine."David Moyes would have looked at videos a lot so we got a bit of that from last year. [Now] we are looking at things in detail."

Van Gaal is well known for being quick to voice his displeasure when something is not right, and Evans insists that can only help the players as they look to improve on a torrid 2013-14 campaign."The manager told us it was going to be difficult because he is demanding and he knows that himself," said said the 26-year-old.

"That is the standard he has set for us. It is everything from the clothes you wear to the time you have a meal and everyone eating together.

"He is quick to congratulate you when you have done well and is also quick to tell you when you have done something wrong."

 

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Official: Falque joins Genoa from Tottenham

Genoa have completed the signing of Iago Falque from Tottenham.

Falque featured in all three of Tottenham's pre-season games during their tour of the United States this summer and scored a penalty in the club's 3-3 draw with Seattle Sounders, but has has made the switch to Serie A.

The 24-year-old winger initally joined White Hart Lane from Juventus on a season-long loan in August 2011 before his move was made permanent the following January.

Falque failed to appear in the Premier League during his time at Tottenham but featured 11 times in various Europa League, FA Cup and League Cup fixtures.

The Spaniard also spent time on loan at Southampton, Almeria and, most recently, Rayo Vallecano.

Falque is the fifth player to leave Tottenham this summer after Cameron Lancaster, Jake Livermore, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Heurelho Gomes.

 

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Rummenigge: Gotze must step up for Bayern

Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has called on Mario Gotze to up his game after scoring the goal which won Germany the World Cup.

The 22-year-old moved to the Allianz Arena last summer in a €37 million deal but did not hit the heights expected of him, despite helping the Bavarians to the Bundesliga title.

After the heroics for the national team in Brazil this summer - with Gotze volleying home in extra-time against Argentina at the Maracana to seal the trophy - Rummenigge feels he must cement his reputation for his club this campaign.

"It's important that Mario makes his mark here," he told Sport1.

"The fans and media always accused him of not arriving yet, but he needs to start in that direction in his second year.

"I am convinced that he knows what is expected of him - and he will do that. He will now justify fully the confidence we have in him.

"He is a great player at Bayern, a very great one."

Bayern have been linked with an audacious move for Marco Reus and Rummenigge insists that he will not disrespect Borussia Dortmund by speaking publicly about the 25-year-old.

"We have a professional relationship with Dortmund and I don't want to create any problems with a premature, unnecessary mark. That wouldn't be fair," he said.

"Dortmund could buy out his release clause or sign a new contract."

Rummenigge also claimed that Dortmund and Bayern will face stiffer competition for the Bundesliga title in the coming years as their top-flight rivals continue to strengthen.

"There are a few clubs trying to get closer to Bayern and Dortmund. We'll have to wait and see if this is possible," he added.

"[Bayer] Leverkusen have had sponsorship money from Bayer for the next three months paid in advance to buy new players, Wolfsburg have great possibilities. Let's see what happens by the end of the transfer window."

 

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Koeman: Schneiderlin going nowhere

Want-away midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin will not be leaving Southampton, according to manager Ronald Koeman.

Schneiderlin handed in a transfer request during the week after criticising the club on Twitter for blocking a move to Premier League rivals Tottenham, managed by former Saints boss Mauricio Pochettino.

The France international was a notable absentee from Southampton's 3-1 pre-season win over Brighton on Thursday.

But Koeman has no intention of parting ways with Schneiderlin, having already lost captain Adam Lallana, Luke Shaw, Dejan Lovren, Calum Chambers and Rickie Lambert ahead of the 2014-15 campaign.

"It's the decision of the board but I don't talk about it," Koeman told Sky Sports News. "He's a player at Southampton and he will continue as a player at Southampton.

"But I don't like to talk about that situation. I spoke to Morgan two days ago and he is still not in the shape to play a friendly at this level. He needs more training sessions. If he's ready he will play.

"Normally he will play next week against Bayer Leverkusen [Southampton's final pre-season friendly]."

While the core of Southampton's squad has been pulled apart, Koeman has attempted to fill the void by signing Dusan Tadic and Graziano Pelle, and Ryan Bertrand on a season-long loan deal.

And the Dutchman expects to add to his arrivals in the coming days, with Celtic goalkeeper Fraser Forster, Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez and Inter winger Ezequiel Schelotto all linkedto St Mary's.

"There is no news on that and still no news on other players," he said. "We are close to signing two or three players and we hope to do that by this weekend.

"I won't talk about any of the players but we are looking to bring in players into this squad at the level that we need to have a good season."

Southampton's first Premier League fixture of the season is against Liverpool at Anfield on August 17.

 

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Juventus loan Rossi to La Liga newcomers Cordoba

La Liga newcomers Cordoba have secured the services of Fausto Rossi on a season-long loan from Italian champions Juventus.

Rossi will arrive at Estadio Nuevo Arcangel on a temporary basis, although Cordoba have inserted a clause into the deal to enable them to complete a permanent transfer after the 2014-15 campaign.

"Cordoba reserves the right to purchase the player on a permanent deal for the next three seasons," a statement on the Spanish club's website read.

Cordoba finished seventh in the Segunda Division at the end of last season and only qualified for the play-offs due to Barcelona B's ineligibility for promotion.

A 1-1 aggregate draw with Las Palmas in the final saw Cordoba promoted on the away goals rule, and the outfit announced on Friday they had bolstered their midfield options with the signing of former Italy Under-21 international Rossi.

The 23-year-old is yet to make a first-team appearance for his parent club and has spent the previous three campaigns out on loan at Vicenza, Brescia and Real Valladolid.

Rossi featured heavily in La Liga for Valladolid last season, making 31 league appearances - 25 of which were starts - although he was unable to save the club from relegation.

 

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Atletico will compete again, says Villa

Former Atletico Madrid forward David Villa believes that Diego Simeone's side will be competing for top honours once more next season.

The 32-year-old helped the capital club to the Liga title and Champions League final last season but elected to continue his career in MLS with New York City via a loan stint at Melbourne City in the A-League.

However, despite his exit and those of Diego Costa, Filipe Luis and Thibaut Courtois this summer, Villa feels the Spanish champions can look forward to another successful campaign.

"They are very good in all positions and will make do without the players who are gone," he told Marca.

"They will be a competitive team again and have a great season."

Villa went on to say explain he is determined to leave "a winning legacy" in America following his MLS switch and revealed he would be ready to be called on by Spain once again.

"It's not only the city, but the project. This company has franchises around the world such as Manchester City and will make the team big," he said.

"I've done a lot in Europe already, a very good career; an opportunity to start from zero, to start over again is something I thought was exciting.

"More and more players in Europe are thinking of coming here to play. I think that's good for MLS.

"I want to leave a winning legacy. One of hard work and dedication so people remember the name David Villa.

"[Vicente del Bosque] knows what I can give. If necessary I will answer his calls; if not, I won't."

 

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Griezmann a better signing than James, says Cerezo

Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo believes that Antoine Griezmann is a better siging than Real Madrid's €80 million man James Rodriguez.

The Colombian completed a move to Santiago Bernabeu from Monaco after starring for his country at the World Cup this summer, where he won the Golden Boot as he inspired them to the quarter-finals.

However, Cerezo feels that Griezmann, signed from Real Sociedad for around €25m, is more used to top-level football in Europe and believes he could be as influential for the club as new Barcelona signing Luis Suarez.

"Antione is a player who is more tested across Europe and is the signing of the summer," he said at the Frenchman's unveiling.

"[Griezmann] is comparable to players like Luis Suarez. He's a great reinforcement for the club and we made a great effort to bring him in.

"Though I had many offers, he decided on a serious and important club like Atletico.

"We don't know about James because he still doesn't have a defined path."

 

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Balotelli vital to AC Milan, says El Shaarawy

AC Milan forward Stephan El Shaarawy believes that Mario Balotelli will be key to his side's hopes of a successful season.

The 23-year-old had been linked with a move away from San Siro earlier this summer but looks set to stay at the club following CEO Adriano Galliani's insistence he would not be sold.

His fellow attacker feels that Balotelli is determined to prove his critics wrong and deliver success back to the Rossoneri this term.

"Mario is doing well," he told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"He has a lot of desire to show what he can do and get back to being a champion and he has all the qualities to succeed. He's very important to us.

"[Our objective] has to be more than getting into the top three. This group deserves it and I can see the determination in the eyes of my team-mates."

Milan are under the tutelage of legendary striker Pippo Inzaghi this season and El Shaarawy is looking forward to working with the 40-year-old.

"He transmits incredible enthusiam and that's his best quality. The thing in particular which he asked me are off the pitch, about time off. I give a lot of value to those things."

Milan have endured a miserable pre-season tour of the USA, losing 5-1 to Manchester City and 3-0 to Olympiakos, but El Shaarawy is confident they will be ready in time for the new campaign.

"I understand that the fans are disappointed but I can assure that the game plan is there. All we need is a little patience. I'm convinced we'll be ready by the end of August.

"I have a lot of confidence. I see the right spirit and commitment in everyone."

 

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Mata relishing hard work under Van Gaal

Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata is encouraged by manager Louis van Gaal's impact at the club ahead of the upcoming Premier League season.

Van Gaal was officially unveiled to the media on July 17, following his commitments with the Netherlands at the World Cup in Brazil, and he has hit the ground running at United.

The Dutchman has introduced a new 3-5-2 formation - based on a three-man defence with two wing backs - and overseen three consecutive wins over the Los Angeles Galaxy, Roma and Inter in the United States.

While Van Gaal recently admitted United will struggle for the first three months as they attempt to adapt to a change of system, Mata said the early signs have been promising ahead of Saturday's International Champions cup clash with Real Madrid in Michigan."The manager's new system could be very good for us," Mata told United's official website.

"Obviously we need to train more and improve but I think it's very difficult for opponents when we play like this. For me personally, playing behind two strikers is a great position to help me perform at my best level.

"The first thing the manager told us in pre-season training was that the first three months of this season would be hard, because we had to change our mindsets and understand what he was trying to do, and there was a new system as well."Mata added: "It will take time to fully adapt but, in the meantime, we are doing our best.

"We're enjoying training and the most important thing is that we are learning from him, because he is a very experienced coach."

United open their Premier League campaign against Swansea City at Old Trafford on August 16.

 

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Griezmann: Atletico Madrid will battle to win it all

Atletico Madrid new boy Antoine Griezmann has revealed that he joined the club because he wants to fight for major honours.

Diego Simeone's men surprisingly pipped Real Madrid and Barcelona to the Liga title last year and reached the Champions League final, only to lose in extra-time to their city rivals after conceding a last-minute equaliser.

France international Griezmann, who joined the club for a fee of around €25 million, feels that they will be competing on all fronts once again next year, despite losing the likes of Diego Costa.

"I am an ambitious player and the team will be battling to win every competition it is involved in," he said at his unveiling.

"But as the coach says, we'll take it one game at a time, and that means a lot of hard work and effort. I needed to take a leap in my career, to learn new things and I knew that the place to do that is here at Atletico.

"I hope to learn a lot from the technical team and also from my new team-mates.

"Atletico stated an interest quite some time ago, and when they called, they made their intentions very clear. This is a great club; they ended last season as League champions and runners-up in the Champions League.

"They didn't really need to say anything more to me.

"I don't feel under any pressure, I only want to enjoy my football and show my gratitude to the fans in every game, in every minute I play.

"I've come here to play, to grow as a player and help the team. We'll try to put in a season as good as last season's."