..::Football IV::..

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Hazard scoops Chelsea Player of the Year award

Eden Hazard has been voted Chelsea’s 2016-17 Player of the Season by supporters of the Premier League champions.The Belgian forward enjoyed a welcome return to form at Stamford Bridge following a forgettable defence of his PFA Player of the Year award 12 months ago.

He netted 16 goals in 36 top-flight appearances for the Blues as Antonio Conte’s side swept aside all before them.Hazard was pipped to another PFA prize by team-mate N’Golo Kante, but has seen his efforts recognised by a loyal fan base in west London.

While Kante missed out on the main award, he did get his hands on another trophy.

The France international, who has now claimed back-to-back Premier League titles, was honoured by his colleagues with the Players’ Player of the Year award.

The other notable gong of the night also went to Hazard, with his stunning solo effort in a derby date with Arsenal earning him the Goal of the Season award.

Chelsea missed out on a domestic double after being beaten by Arsenal in the FA Cup but can console themselves with title success and a return to Champions League competition for 2017-18.

 

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Congratulations Hazard!​

 

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Huddersfield Town 0 Reading 0 (aet, 4-3 pens): Ward the hero as Wagner's men go up

Goalkeeper Danny Ward was the hero as Huddersfield Town beat Reading 4-3 on penalties to win promotion to the Premier League for the first time.Izzy Brown missed a glorious early chance for Huddersfield which proved to be the best of a tense and scrappy 120 minutes of action, which ended 0-0.

Huddersfield's Michael Hefele and Reading's Liam Moore then missed in the shoot-out, before the decisive moment saw Ward save from Jordan Obita, allowing Christopher Schindler to hit the winning spot-kick and spark delirious celebrations.

Promotion in David Wagner's first full season as manager means Huddersfield end a 45-year wait for top-flight football, reaching the highest level for the first time in the Premier League era.The stakes were huge, with the value of Huddersfield's promotion estimated at £170million, a figure that rises to £290m if top-flight survival is secured next season.

Huddersfield almost struck first when Hefele headed wide from close range after Aaron Mooy's free-kick in a great early chance.And Wagner's men soon squandered an even better opportunity, good work from Elias Kachunga down the right seeing him find Brown two yards out at the far post, only for the on-loan Chelsea attacker to somehow miss the target.

Lewis Grabban curled wide for Reading, but the match soon became a scrappy affair as the first half ended with three yellow cards and no shots on target.The second half got off to a better start, with Chris Lowe and John Swift forcing saves from Ali Al-Habsi and Ward respectively.

Huddersfield then had a penalty claim refused when Hefele went down under Joey van den Berg's challenge as the defender attempted to hack clear.The first substitutions saw Obita replace Van den Berg for Reading, while Wagner replaced a frustrated Kachunga with Collin Quaner.

After a stumbling Quaner squandered a Huddersfield chance, Jaap Stam introduced Garath McCleary in a bid to find a breakthrough, while Wagner lost captain Tommy Smith to injury, meaning Martin Cranie came on.The last chances of regulation time saw Chris Gunter head over McCleary's cross and Nakhi Wells shoot straight at Al-Habsi at the other end as the match moved into extra time.

Brown was hoping his early miss would not prove costly when he was replaced by fellow Chelsea loanee Kasey Palmer, while Reading's final change saw Liam Kelly replace Swift.McCleary fired narrowly wide for Reading, before Huddersfield's Wells dragged an effort wide with the best chance of extra time and the match moved to penalties.

The first three spot-kicks were scored, before Al-Habsi saved a tame effort from Hefele to give Reading the advantage.Kelly and Wells then converted confidently, before Moore blazed over the crossbar, allowing Mooy to level the shoot-out at three apiece.

Reading failed to convert a second straight penalty when Ward saved from Obita, allowing Schindler to seal glory and a remarkable triumph for a team that finished 19th in last season's Championship.

 

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Congratulations Huddersfield Town!​

 

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Barcelona appoint Valverde to replace Luis Enrique

Barcelona have confirmed that Ernesto Valverde will be their new coach for the 2017-18 season.

The 53-year-old stepped down after four seasons in a second spell at Athletic Club last week and was widely expected to take over from Luis Enrique this summer.Barca had promised an announcement after the Copa del Rey final and a statement on Monday confirmed Valverde as the new coach on atwo-year deal.

"I have spoken personally with Ernesto Valverde and I told him of our decision," said club president Josep Maria Bartomeu."He said he is very excited and very happy, that it's a great challenge to come in as head coach of Barca.

"There is time to talk about why we chose him. We know he has ability, his knowledge and his experience. "He loves youth football and he has a special style, similar to what we do at Barca. He has philosophy similar to Barca's and trains the way we like to train."

Luis Enrique's three-year tenure yielded nine trophies, including a third successive Copa as Barca beat Alaves 3-1 at the Vicente Calderon on Saturday night.
The Asturian announced at the beginning of May that he would not be renewing his contract and Barca began to look at a number of candidates.Valverde, twice considered in the past, topped a list that also included Jorge Sampaoli, Ronald Koeman and Luis Enrique's assistant, Juan Carlos Unzue.

Born in Extremadura, Valverde spent two years at Barca as a player under Johan Cruyff between 1988 and 1990. As a coach, he won the Spanish Supercopa at Athletic - by beating Barca in 2015 - as well as three Greek titles and two cups with Olympiacos, while he also led Espanyol to a UEFA Cup final in 2007.

Nicknamed El Txingurri (which means bee in Basque) in his playing days, Valverde has also coached Valencia and Villarreal.He will be looking to turn Barcelona into the team to beat in La Liga again, with the Catalans having had to settle for second behind arch-rivals Real Madrid this season.

They also missed out on Champions League glory as Juventus proved to be too strong in the quarter-finals, although they did win the Copa del Rey for a third straight year.

 

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Congratulations & Good Luck Valverde!​

 

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Iniesta refuses to commit to Barcelona

Andres Iniesta's future remains up in the air after he refused to commit to Barcelona as the Spanish veteran evaluates his Camp Nou career.

Iniesta cast his Barca future into doubt before Saturday's Copa del Rey victory over Deportivo Alaves, when he acknowledged he was unsure whether he would stay beyond the end of his contract in 2018.The 33-year-old midfielder — who only started 13 La Liga matches in 2016-17 as Barca surrendered their crown to bitter rivals Real Madrid — attempted to clarify himself, but his future is still far from certain.

"I never said I wasn't going to renew my contract, but rather to evaluate a lot of different things," Iniesta — winner of 29 trophies at Barca — told Onda Cero. "It isn't an economic matter.

"There are several factors that have joined together, personal, the moment of the season, and it hasn't been easy."I need to make an honest decision and one that is best for everyone."

Ernesto Valverde could have a big say in Iniesta's future after his appointment on Monday.Former Athletic Bilbao head coach Valverde replaces Luis Enrique at the Catalan giants."I didn't know about Valverde until it was announced," Iniesta said. "I've talked to him a few times but not much.

"I believe he has a great support team that work hard and hopefully he has a lot of luck so we can achieve things together."He's had good vision at the teams he's been at thus far and this is another step for him."

 

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Mata admits Man Utd lack consistency to be Premier League title challengers

Juan Mata admits Manchester United need to add consistency to their game if they are to mount a Premier League title challenge.The Red Devils picked up three trophies in the 2016-17 campaign, with Jose Mourinho bringing success back to Old Trafford.

He was, however, unable to push the club into contention for the biggest prize in English football.

Mata appreciates that a club of United’s stature need to be pushing for domestic supremacy, but he is happy with the efforts of both himself and the team during another testing season under new management.

He wrote in his personal blog: “We won the Community Shield right after the pre-season, we lifted the EFL Cup trophy in London, in a very special game for me, and of course the [Europa League] final in Sweden.

“But we are aware of our lack of consistency and effectiveness in the Premier League that prevented us from fighting for the title, which is what Manchester United is supposed to do.

"Personally, I have played over 40 games once again. It’s true that I was injured for a month and a half, something that had never happened before in my career, but at the end I was able to enjoy again what I like the most and I finished the season happy.

"I want more, of course, but I’m happy and proud of what we have done along the way.“Next season we will play the Champions League, which is what this club deserves and where we all want to be.”

Mata managed 10 goals over the course of his 42 appearances for United, with double figures reached in each of his three full seasons at Old Trafford.

 

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'Belotti and Morata can play together' - Montella talks up AC Milan targets

Vincenzo Montella has raised the possibility of AC Milan making a double swoop for Alvaro Morata and Andrea Belotti this summer.

The Serie A side are expected to spend big in the transfer window as they look to improve on this season's sixth-placed finish following their takeover by Sino-Europe Sports and new chairman Li Yonghong.

Milan have emerged as a front runner to sign Real Madrid striker Morata, according to reports in Spain, while highly-coveted Belotti is also a target after an excellent season at Torino.

When asked which of the two stars he would prefer the club to sign, Montella stated they can play in the same team."It was a positive year but if the sponsors were able to make a little more effort, we may buy other top players and further improve," he joked.

"Morata and Belotti are complementary. They are very strong players and would work well together. So many good players want to come and play at Milan and that is an important starting point."We are a club that also likes great players, even though we will not compete in the Champions League next season.

"To reach the Champions League we will have to raise the bar and add to the squad to challenge the best mentally and physically in all competitions."The Rossoneri have an in-demand player themselves in 18-year-old Gianluigi Donnarumma, who is yet to sign a new contract with the club.

Last week, general director Marco Fassone said Milan "cannot afford to just sit back and wait for him to make a decision" on his future as speculation over a possible move increases.

However, Montella joked that there is no need to worry, as he has already tricked the goalkeeper into committing. "Without his knowledge, I made him put his autograph on a white sheet, so I have it in my hands."Everyone has their own dreams, he is happy in Milan and his efficiency has not changed despite the rumours. He will make the best choice."

 

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Spalletti leaves Roma amid Inter links

Roma have announced that manager Luciano Spalletti will leave the club immediately.

Roma finished second in Serie A in 2016-17 in a season in which they said goodbye to iconic captain Francesco Totti.The club thus ensured automatic qualification for the Champions League, but the Italian has been consistently linked with the vacant Inter Milan job.

Spalletti was also accused of mistreating Totti during his final campaign, but the club's president, Jim Pallotta, has placed on record his gratitude to Spalletti.

"We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to Luciano Spalletti for the great work and for his important contribution to the club since his return," Pallotta said."Under his leadership this season, the team won the most points and scored the most goals in the history of the Giallorossi. We wish Luciano the best for the future.

"The club intends to continue its growth path and the new coach will share the values ​​and philosophy of the company, contributing to the development of AS Roma."

Inter are currently looking for a new manager following the departure of Stefano Pioli, with former president Massimo Moratti backing the 58-year-old to take over at San Siro.

"I think he would be an ideal profile," Moratti told Retesport last week."He's an intelligent man and he has experience abroad. He did well with Roma this year and in my opinion he'd be good for Inter."

 

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PSG in talks over Aubameyang deal

PSG are in negotiations to sign Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Borussia Dortmund but the final decision will lie with sporting director Antero Henrique, Goal understands.

The Ligue 1 club are embarking on a major recruitment drive this summer, as they bid to overhaul their attacking options following their failure to win the domestic title in 2016-17.

Arsenal star Alexis Sanchez is a target, but Manchester City are confident of securing his signature ahead of PSG and Bayern Munich , and it is Aubameyang who is closest to securing a move.The Gabon international, who finished as Bundesliga's top scorer in 2016-17 with 31 goals, has demanded around €10 million-per-season, and has also recently acquired a property in the suburbs of Paris.

Henrique will make the ultimate call on the transfer, however, with the Portuguese to be unveiled this weekend.PSG will continue to pursue Alexis even if they sign Aubameyang, such is their desire to strengthen their ranks.

The Arsenal star is set to leave the Emirates this summer but wants his future resolved before the Confederations Cup, which starts on June 17 in Russia.

The Gunners are understood to be keen to sell Alexis abroad, instead of allowing him to join City, but it remains to be seen if PSG can complete any sort of deal.

 

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Mahrez hopes for Arsenal transfer as Monaco priced out of deal

Monaco have been priced out of the race to sign Leicester City star Riyad Mahrez, Goal understands, with Arsenal emerging as the favourites.

Last year's Premier League Player of the Year enjoys living in England, where he has become one of the highest-regarded wingers in the world despite his loss of form at the start of 2016-17.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger had a phone call with Mahrez last year in which he expressed his desire to sign him and, though a deal never came to fruition in 2016, Leicester are now willing to consider a sale for the right price.

Leicester, who finished 12th this season after 2015-16's incredible title win with Mahrez at the forefront, expect €40 million (£35m) for one of their top players, a sum the newly-crowned French champions would be unwilling to fork out.

"If Monaco cannot pay and Riyad signs a new contract, it will not be below a minimum salary of €6m (£5.2m)," a member of Mahrez's entourage told Goal.

Such a high salary would be an insurmountable stumbling block for Monaco, whose focus in recent seasons has been on hoarding young, talented players whom they later sell on for huge sums, such as James Rodriguez to Real Madrid and Anthony Martial to Manchester United.

This summer they have already sold Bernardo Silva for an estimated £43m to Manchester City, with Benjamin Mendy set to follow him from the Stade Louis II to the Etihad Stadium.

Man City signing Silva last week essentially ends the prospects of Mahrez, 26, joining Pep Guardiola's squad, while Chelsea are believed to be pursuing other options.

With Manchester United out of the picture, that leaves Arsenal - heavily linked with the Algerian last summer - as the most likely destination.

Joining the Gunners would mean no Champions League football in 2016-17 for Mahrez, but it's not expected to halt any potential move.On Tuesday afternoon, Mahrez released a statement explaining that he felt his ambitions couldn't be met by the Foxes and wanted to leave the club in the upcoming transfer window.


"Out of the huge admiration and respect I hold for Leicester City Football Club I wanted to be totally honest and transparent with them and have therefore informed the club that I feel now is the time for me to move on," he said.

 

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Borussia Dortmund sack Tuchel after third-placed Bundesliga finish

Borussia Dortmund have sacked head coach Thomas Tuchel amid a bitter dressing room divide and a third-placed Bundesliga finish.The club confirmed his departture following widespread claims that Tuchel's relationship with BVB's players has deteriorated to the point of being unworkable.

Although Dortmund won the DFB-Pokal on Saturday, it was overshadowed by a hostile player reaction to Nuri Sahin's absence from the matchday squad.

Club captain Marcel Schmelzer and influential forward Marco Reus both distanced themselves from the 43-year-old, who will receive 2.9 million in compensation according to Bild.

After meeting with Dortmund chiefs on Tuesday, Tuchel told Bild: "It was a very short analysis of the season, so you may guess the outcome."

Tuchel replaced Jurgen Klopp in 2015 when the coach left Signal Iduna Park in the aftermath of a tumultuous season in which Dortmund finished seventh.Dortmund finished second in Tuchel's first season as coach, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang stepping up to be their star forward.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan was sold to Manchester United last summer and Mario Gotze returned from Bayern after three years away, but Dortmund never looked like real title contenders.

Instead BVB were demoted to third in the Bundesliga ladder behind surprise challengers RB Leipzig, who were promoted last season and have strong financial backing.Their failure to compete with champions Bayern Munich in the league this season, Tuchel leaves with the best-ever points ratio (2.09) of a Dortmund coach.

Dortmund released a statement confirming Tuchel's departure, and thanked him for his work at the club: "We would like to thank Thomas Tuchel and his coaching staff for the sporting success at BVB, which reached a deserved climax last Saturday at the DFB Pokal final in Berlin against Eintracht Frankfurt. We wish Thomas Tuchel only the very best in his professional future."

In addition to searching for a new coach to lead their squad, Dortmund face a fight to keep hold of Gabon international Aubameyang, 27, amid reported interest from Barcelona and Real Madrid.


Nice's Lucien Favre, Hoffenheim's Julian Nagelsmann and Cologne's Peter Stoger are all linked with the now-vacant role, while Tuchel has been tipped with taking on the Bayer Leverkusen job.

 

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Tuchel ta Inter join wennath chance 1ka thiyanawa.ath mona weida danne naha.​

 

[bubble butt]

maha godak nan na. rep+

 

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Solanke set to join Liverpool from Chelsea

Dominic Solanke is set to join Liverpool from Chelsea after his contract expires with the Premier League champions in June.The 19-year-old is a developmental player so will not be allowed to move for free, with a tribunal likely to price the move around £3 million.

Solanke was also wanted by Bundesliga runners-up RB Leipzig and Scottish Premiership winners Celtic, but instead chose to sign for Jurgen Klopp's side.The forward is Liverpool's first signing of the transfer window, having spent the last 13 years at Chelsea, working his way up through the youth ranks.

Solanke gained first-team experience on loan at Vitesse in the 2015-16 season, scoring seven times in 25 Eredivisie appearances.

However, he never made a Premier League appearance for the Stamford Bridge, only playing one competitive match for the Blues. That brief cameo at the end of the 6-0 Champions League win over Maribor made him Chelsea's youngest ever player in the Champions League, but he failed to break into the squad after setting the record.

In February, Chelsea manager Antonio Conte confirmed that Solanke was likely to leave the club amid rumours that the Reds were interested."For now he is at Chelsea, I don’t know about his future," Conte told reporters.

"Is he leaving? I don’t know, I think this is his will. I have spoken with him to try to understand his will. It is normal. We must have a great respect for every decision.His contract expires in June and he has the full will to stay in Chelsea or to go away."

Solanke is expected to earn £20,000 a week at Anfield, and will likely feature in Liverpool's Under-23 side before being promoted to the senior squad.

 

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Wenger agrees deal to stay at Arsenal for two more seasons

Arsene Wenger is set to stay at Arsenal and will sign a two-year contract at the club, Goal can confirm.

The 67-year-old's new deal has been approved after Wenger and majority shareholder Stan Kroenke held a private meeting in a secret location on Monday, and the details of the Frenchman's contract were confirmed 24 hours later in a boardroom meeting.

A formal announcement is likely to follow on Wednesday. The structure of the club is set to remain the same under Wenger's management ahead of the 2017-18 campaign.The Frenchman's future was shrouded in uncertainty ahead of last weekend's FA Cup final against Chelsea.

Arsenal emerged victorious, despite being underdogs against the newly-crowned Premier League champions, and the club are now poised to confirm Wenger's stay at the club.

As revealed by Goal earlier in the campaign, transfer fixer Dick Law is set to remain in his role despite pressure over recent failed signings.

Wenger has come under increased pressure from supporters this season as the Gunners slipped to a fifth-placed finish in the Premier League that saw them miss out on qualification for the Champions League for the first time since Wenger took charge in 1996.

Though winning the FA Cup has placated some fans, there is still concern over how playing in the Europa League could affect both the current squad and the potential for new signings.

Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez are still to agree new contracts in north London, with Manchester City confident they can lure the latter to the Etihad Stadium after talks were held over the weekend.

 

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Montella signs AC Milan extension

Vincenzo Montella has signed a new contract with AC Milan after leading the Serie A club back into Europe.Montella agreed a two-year deal running to 2019 in a Facebook Live event streamed by Milan on Tuesday.

The former Italy international saw Milan to a sixth-place finish in Serie A this season, earning a place in the qualifying rounds for the Europa League, despite winning only one of their last seven league games.

There had been reports Milan's new owners, Rossoneri Sport Investment Lux - owned by Chinese businessman Yonghong Li, would seek to appoint a new head coach.
But Montella has been given the chance to oversee the new era at San Siro, with centre-back Mateo Musacchio already snapped up from Valencia on a four-year deal for a fee reported to be around €18million.Milan picked out European qualification, a late equaliser against rivals Inter and a win against Bologna with nine men among the reasons Montella has been handed a new deal.

"After a positive season managing a great group, the club and Vincenzo Montella are ready to continue working together, renewing the contract of the Rossoneri manager," the club statement read.

 

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OFFICIAL: Bournemouth sign Begovic from Chelsea

Asmir Begovic became the second player to leave Chelsea on Tuesday as he penned a "long-term" deal with fellow Premier League outfit Bournemouth.The experienced goalkeeper followed Dominic Solanke out of Stamford Bridge, the young striker moving north to sign for Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool.

During his two seasons at Chelsea Begovic made 33 appearances across all competitions, keeping 10 clean sheets, and claimed a Premier League title winners' medal as Antonio Conte's side were crowned champions.

With Thibaut Courtois the clear number one for the Blues, Begovic has opted to move to the Vitality Stadium to get regular first-team football. Goal revealed earlier on Tuesday that a £10m fee was agreed between the two clubs."Bournemouth is an exciting, ambitious club which has everything in place for a very bright future," the 29-year-old told the club's official website.

"Being part of a title-winning team at Chelsea was amazing but I felt now was the right time to move on because I want to be playing regular football."I am coming into an important part of my career and I want to show people what I am capable of.

"When I spoke to Eddie Howe I knew Bournemouth was the right club for me and I want to bring my experience to the squad, both on and off the pitch."I'm really excited to be part of the journey here and hope I can help take the club to another level."

Begovic - a former loanee at Bournemouth - will battle with Artur Boruc and Adam Federici for a starting berth under Eddie Howe, and the Cherries boss is delighted to see the extra competition for places.

"Asmir is an outstanding goalkeeper who has proved himself capable of performing at the highest level over a number of years," he said."He is at the right age and the right fit. He is a leader as well and exactly the kind of character you want in the team.

"Asmir will provide great competition to the excellent group of goalkeepers we already have here and his experience will prove invaluable in the dressing room and on the pitch."I look forward to him being a very important player here for years to come."

 

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Mbappe to consult Deschamps over future amid Real Madrid links

Kylian Mbappe will listen to the advice of France coach Didier Deschamps on his future as speculation Real Madrid could move for the Monaco teenager continues.

Mbappe is on international duty ahead of June fixtures against Paraguay, Sweden and England after he hit 15 league goals to fire Monaco to the Ligue 1 title.

Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane has urged Mbappe to join him at the Santiago Bernabeu but Mbappe insisted he was focusing on France as he clarified earlier comments about Zinedine Zidane, who he described as his first football idol.

"I dreamed of Zidane the player, not the coach," Mbappe said. "Zidane the player made me dream and still makes me dream when I watch videos of him."The coach is completely different, he is a great coach who has quickly achieved results and continues to develop.

"The advice of [Deschamps] counts. That will not guide my choice, but it will count. I do not think I will go to his office to ask. But there's plenty of time to think about all this. There are important matches for France."

Mbappe has been clear that he views regular starts as crucial to his development, but with Monaco struggling to retain key players - Bernardo Silva has already joined Manchester City - the 18-year-old accepted he could depart."Why play less?" Mbappe said. "I'll have time to reflect on that and, no, I'm not afraid to leave."