..::Football IV::..

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OFFICIAL: Skrtel completes £5.5m move from Liverpool to Fenerbahce

Martin Skrtel has completed his £5.5 million transfer from Liverpool to Fenerbahce after passing a medical and agreeing personal terms with the Turkish giants.The centre-back arrived in Istanbul on Tuesday night to thrash out the formalities of his switch, and underwent physical checks on Wednesday.

He is set to be officially unveiled on Friday by the Turkish giants, who secured his signature amid interest from Roma, Inter, Wolfsburg as well as their Super Lig rivals Galatasaray and Besiktas.Skrtel departs Liverpool having made 320 appearances for the club, winning the League Cup in 2012.

The 31-year-old saw his status and minutes decrease at Anfield last season, playing just 27 times; the lowest total he recorded for a full campaign in his eight-and-a-half years of service.

Jordon Ibe is also nearing Liverpool exit, with the England Under-21 international saying his goodbyes at Melwood on Tuesday after agreeing a £15m move to Bournemouth, while Sergi Canos has left for Norwich.The Spaniard signed a four-year deal at Carrow Road with the option of an extra 12 months.

The Reds are set to bank £4.5 inclusive of extras for the 19-year-old. They have negotiated buy-back and sell-on clauses for both starlets.

 

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Antonio Conte reveals the Premier League manager he'll be calling for advice

New Chelsea boss Antonio Conte admits he will be contacting Claudio Ranieri for advice during his early days in the Premier League.

After guiding Italy to the Euro 2016 quarter-finals, Conte was officially unveiled as the new manager at Stamford Bridge on Thursday afternoon.

Conte is the fourth Italian currently managing in the Premier League after Walter Mazzarri, Francesco Guidolin and Claudio Ranieri.

Conte has guided Juventus to three consecutive Serie A titles but the Italian insists he will be in touch with last season's Premier League title winner.

“There are a number of Italian coaches who represent our country in the Premier League. We all feel responsible to represent Italy in this country. I can’t wait to be a part of it,” said Conte.

Asked if he has already spoken to Ranieri, Conte replied: “If I’m honest I didn’t have much time as it was only a week ago I was in Montpellier with Italy.


“In the coming days I will call Ranieri for a bit of advice. I am clued up on the customs of this country. When you move to a new country it’s important to come in with a low profile and get to grips with the new customs.”

 

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Conte: I hope to earn a good nickname at Chelsea!

You just knew it was going to happen, didn't you?

As soon as Antonio Conte took his seat and addressed reports from England and his native Italy during his Chelsea unveiling, a question regarding what he would “call himself” was always going to be on the cards.

Ever since Jose Mourinho rocked up to Chelsea in 2004 and labelled himself a 'Special One', various foreign managers have been asked on their arrival whether they had a nickname for themselves.

However, when asked by one reporter whether he had a label to describe himself, Conte refused but did urge journalists to come up with one for him.. but joked that he hopes it's a good one!

“I’m not very good to find a different name,” said a cheerful Conte. “I hope during the season I give you this opportunity to find a new name for me. I hope it’s a good name, not bad!”

 

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Conte aiming to turn Chelsea into a 'blazing inferno'

Antonio Conte is aiming to turn his "underrated" Chelsea into a "blazing inferno" as he begins work as the club's new manager.

The Italian addressed the media in his first press conference on Thursday having been appointed as Jose Mourinho's permanent successor earlier in the summer.Chelsea finished last season in 10th place, with their worst-ever defence of a Premier League title costing Mourinho his job last November.

They will now aim to return to the summit of the table under Conte in a season in which Pep Guardiola also arrives in the English top flight and Mourinho takes charge at Manchester United."First and foremost, I felt very emotional about coming to Chelsea and it feels incredible," Conte told reporters.

"I am aware the league will be very competitive and I hope the winners of the Premier League next season deserve it."I think we're underrated but I hope we can surprise people. I hope there is a small flame flickering that can grow into a blazing inferno."

While admitting that the title race will be demanding, Conte set qualifying for the Champions League as a minimum target for his team."The fans need to find a team ready to fight until the end, and to compete with the other teams," he added.

"Then, I know, that there is only one team who wins the title. But we must stay there at the end of the season, to fight for the title and be there for the Champions League."Chelsea belongs in the Champions League, and we must stay there."

 

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Conte: Mourinho and I both share the same winning mentality

New Chelsea boss Antonio Conte believes it is “tough” to make comparisons between managers but does believe he and Jose Mourinho are both natural winners.

The Italian addressed the media in his maiden press conference as Chelsea manager on Thursday and was asked a number of questions involving Mourinho.

Conte brushed aside one question which asked whether he had a nickname for himself, in reference to Mourinho famously branding himself a 'Special One' when he was first appointed Chelsea boss in 2004.

But when asked more specifically about similarities between himself and Mourinho, Conte indirectly alluded to the fact that he feels he shares the same winning mentality as the Manchester United boss.

"What I’ll bring with me from Italy is everything I’ve learned from my playing and coaching career," said Conte. "I’ll try and represent my country and this is a great responsibility for me. I’ll try and make my compatriots proud.

"It’s tough to compare people. There are managers who are winners. I think, regardless of the job they do, there is a winning mentality certain coaches have. I believe there are winners in football and not everyone has that."


Conte has started work at Chelsea this week following the conclusion of his role with the Italy national team at Euro 2016 and is gearing up for his maiden clash as the Blues boss against Rapid Vienna in pre-season on Saturday.

 

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Conte Chelsea hoda place 1kakata ganiwi

Congratulations & Good Luck Conte!​

 

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'His future is in his hands' - Ranieri leaves contract decision up to Kante

Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri has stressed N'Golo Kante's future is "in his own hands" amid reports claiming Real Madrid and Chelsea are keen to sign him.The holding midfielder was a key figure in Leicester winning the Premier League title in 2015-16 and his performances have not gone unnoticed elsewhere.

Madrid and Chelsea are believed to be interested in luring Kante away from Leicester, but the champions remain hopeful of keeping the 25-year-old.

"We offered Kante a new deal before he went to the Euros," Ranieri told reporters. "Now I know there are a lot of big teams interested."His future is in his hands."

The France international's existing contract with Leicester is due to expire in 2019.
Leicester previously managed to convince Jamie Vardy to snub a move to Arsenal in favour of a new deal at the King Power Stadium.

 

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Shaw returns to Man Utd training after 10 months out

Luke Shaw is back in training with Manchester United 10 months after breaking his leg in a Champions League match against PSV.

The left-back has not featured at all since the incident and was not fit enough for a place in England's squad at Euro 2016.

He is in line to make his comeback at the start of the new season, however, and has worked out in front of Jose Mourinho this week as the ex-Chelsea kicked off United's preparation.

Shaw signed for the Red Devils for around £30 million from Southampton in 2014 and had started every league game of the 2015-16 season until his injury.New signings Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Eric Bailly have also been present on the training ground, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and the rest of United's Euro 2016 players still on holiday.

 

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OFFICIAL: Ibe completes £15m move from Liverpool to Bournemouth

Jordon Ibe has finalised his £15 million transfer from Liverpool to Bournemouth on a four-year deal, becoming the south-coast club's record signing.

The 20-year-old, who said his farewells at Melwood on Tuesday after agreeing personal terms with the Cherries, has linked up with the squad at their pre-season training camp in Chicago.The sum eclipses the £10m that it cost Eddie Howe's side to recruit striker Benik Afobe in January.

Ibe, acquired by Liverpool from Wycombe in 2011 - two weeks after his 16th birthday - departs Anfield after making 58 appearances and netting four goals.

His former club will bank around 15 per cent of the England Under-21s international's transfer fee.Much was expected from the winger, who inked a new five-year deal with the Reds last May, but his progress stalled in 2015-16 as he failed to fully grasp Jurgen Klopp's tactical requirements.

It was hoped that Ibe could elevate his game following Raheem Sterling's blockbuster switch to Manchester City in the summer of 2015 but he secured just 10 starts since the turn of the year, dazzling only in rare flashes.Liverpool have negotiated buy-back and sell-on clauses as part of the agreement.

 

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Reus four weeks away from Borussia Dortmund return - Watzke

Borussia Dortmund are confident Marco Reus will be ready to resume squad training halfway through August after medical tests confirmed his recovery is on schedule.

The Germany international was forced to miss Euro 2016 with an adductor injury he aggravated during Dortmund's DFB-Pokal final defeat to Bayern Munich last season and initial reports suggested he could miss a large part of the first half of the 2016-17 campaign.

Dortmund were quick to dismiss such suggestions last month, though, and they have now confirmed the 27-year-old's recovery is going well."There is nothing negative to report. Things have developed well," Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke told the club's official website.

"Marco's progress is in accordance with the plan we drew up weeks ago."He needs four weeks to get in shape alone, and will then return to first-team training by mid-August."

Reus will miss the DFL-Supercup match against Bayern on August 14 and is likely to sit out the DFB-Pokal trip to Eintracht Trier a week later as well. He could be match fit in time for Dortmund's Bundesliga opener at home versus Mainz on August 27.

 

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Juventus reach agreement with Higuain

Juventus have agreed a four-year contract with Gonzalo Higuain worth €7 million a year, Goal can confirm.

The Argentina striker has decided to seek a move away from Napoli this summer and Juventus will now attempt to agree a deal with their Serie A rivals.Higuain has been linked to a number of clubs this summer, including Arsenal, after scoring 36 goals in 35 games in the Italian top flight last season.

Juve are now at the front of the queue to sign him but are reluctant to meet his €94m release clause and are instead ready to offer players in exchange to bring the price down.

The most likely candidate to be swapped is midfielder Roberto Pereyra but promising centre-back Daniele Rugani could also be on the table.Juventus general director Giuseppe Marotta will meet with Napoli officials to discuss a potential deal in the coming days.

Juventus' pursuit of a player of Higuain's cost and calibre is likely to heighten speculation around the future of Paul Pogba, who has been linked with a €120m move to Manchester United.

 

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'I'm 100 per cent staying' - Payet

West Ham star Dimitri Payet is "100 per cent staying" at the club despite reported interest from elsewhere.The 29-year-old has reportedly emerged as a target for Real Madrid among other sides after his strong performances in the Premier League last season and for France at Euro 2016.

However, Payet – who is contracted until mid-2021 – has now been reported as revealing that he has no plans to leave West Ham."I've heard about all the interest and I'm flattered," he told The Sun.

"But I love West Ham. We had a fantastic season and I can't wait to play in the Olympic Stadium."I'm 100 per cent staying at West Ham, I love the club. I can tell the Hammers fans that."

Payet scored nine goals and was credited with 12 assists in the Premier League last season before starring at the European Championship as France finished as runners-up.

 

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Xhaka: Arsenal are the best team in the world

Granit Xhaka says he joined Arsenal because "they are the best team in the world", as he continues to train with Kosovan side FC Prishtina in a bid to maintain his fitness ahead of the new season.

Xhaka, speaking after arriving in Kosovo for a summer holiday with his fiancee Leonita Lekaj, was pictured training on Wednesday with a top-flight Kosovan outfit during a visit to his parents' homeland.And he has now revealed exactly why he joined the Gunners.

The 23-year-old joined the Gunners from Bundesliga giants BorussiaMonchengladbach for a fee in the region of £31 million and was one of the stars of Switzerland's Euro 2016 campaign, receiving two Man of the Match awards during his time in France.

Xhaka, whose parents are Kosovo-Albanians who settled in Switzerland, played and beat his brother's Albania team 1-0 for the first time when they faced each other in a group-stage game.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger has informed Xhaka that he should return to training towards the end of July although there is a possiblity that he could return considerably sooner as he looks to settle in at the north London giants.

 

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Wolfsburg rule out Draxler sale

Julian Draxler will be staying at Wolfsburg this summer, according to the Bundesliga club’s sporting director Klaus Allofs.

Reports in Germany have claimed that Wolfsburg are ready to sell up to 10 players in the transfer window and could be tempted by Arsenal’s €60 million proposal for the 22-year-old.

Wolfsburg finished eighth in the Bundesliga last season and the club have already admitted that Andre Schurrle could leave following interest from Borussia Dortmund.

But Allofs is adamant that Draxler will not be one of the players sold.

"The situation with Draxler is 100 per cent certain that he will be staying at Wolfsburg," he told Sport1.

"There is no discussing that."

 

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Mata, Blind and the Man Utd players with a point to prove to Mourinho

Manchester United begin an exciting new era when they travel to Wigan on Saturday. But while the start of Jose Mourinho’s reign brings with it new optimism and intrigue, for many first-team players it will represent the need to step up and prove themselves.

The potential debuts of Eric Bailly and Henrikh Mkhitaryan will certainly be the more eye-catching appointments for most United fans at the DW Stadium, but it is the need for existing stars to prove their worth to the new manager which will provide the most significant plot-line over the first 90 minutes of Mourinho’s spell with the Red Devils.

It is exactly because United were rammed full of mediocrity last season that Louis van Gaal was shown the door and Mourinho handed his prestigious job - and a large number of the Dutchman’s former allies now find themselves with something significant to prove.

The most obvious name that comes to the fore is that of Juan Mata, who has already been discarded by Mourinho once before in January 2014 at Chelsea following a rocky period for the back-to-back club Player of the Year. On that occasion the Portuguese’s arrival led to Mata’s work rate being thrown into the spotlight, and the Spain international seemed to crumble under the new pressure.

His winter move to Old Trafford that season cost United £37.1 million and, while his quality on the ball has left a great impression on many fans at the Theatre of Dreams, it is fair to say that question marks regarding Mata’s off-the-ball work rate and desire to seek out possession loom as large as they did at Stamford Bridge three years ago.

Daley Blind might have been the closest thing United had to an ever-present last season with his 56 appearances in 59 games, but he will find himself having to prove to Mourinho that he has an outstanding quality that the new boss cannot do without.

His predominant role under Van Gaal in 2015-16 was that of a stand-in centre-back, and while the experiment worked to some degree thanks to his clever reading of the game, a lack of pace and defensive instinct saw him exposed too often. Mourinho’s first move in the market this summer was to add Bailly in the spot Blind filled last term, and as such the 26-year-old has something to prove all over again in terms of his value in another position.

"I’m more a manager that likes specialists and not so much the multi-functional players," said Mourinho at his unveiling, "because I’m very clear in my approach so I need specialists for that." And since nobody more than Blind has shown his flexibility over the past two years, the Wigan friendly provides him with a challenge to show he can be a firm fixture in one particular position. With Bailly’s arrival and Luke Shaw’s return to fitness, that spot could well be the central midfield role he originally filled when signing for United in 2014.

Beyond Mata and Blind, others also have much to prove. Ander Herrera has dazzled only occasionally in his two years at Old Trafford, and his style does not match with the physical, energetic approach to midfield play which has become synonymous with Mourinho midfields.

Memphis Depay has something more akin to the profile of a player who Mourinho could make good use of, but his performance level over the course of 2015-16 was well short and, as such, he may need to hit the ground running to avoid being moved on. Adnan Januzaj falls under the same category having never truly convinced since his breakthrough campaign under David Moyes, and Jesse Lingard must prove himself all over again now that the likes of Mkhitaryan and Zlatan Ibrahimovic have been added to the forward line.

Andreas Pereira will be fighting for recognition following a spell under Van Gaal which produced zero league starts, and players such as Ashley Young and James Wilson will also need to leave an early impression on their new boss.

As further stars return following their involvement at Euro 2016 there will be still more futures to solve, with the likes of Marouane Fellaini, Morgan Schneiderlin, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Matteo Darmian all needing to convince Mourinho that they have a future at Old Trafford, but there are plenty available for action in Wigan on Saturday with cases of their own to present to the Special One.

Will Mata, Blind, Memphis, Januzaj, Lingard et al be a part of Mourinho’s brave new world? We will start to learn the answer at the DW Stadium.

 

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Barcelona and Real Madrid set for first Clasico in December

Barcelona and Real Madrid must wait until December to resume Clasico hostilities in La Liga.

Madrid, runners up to Barca last term, travel to Camp Nou on the weekend of December 3 and 4 – the last La Liga outing for the Champions League winners before they contest the Club World Cup in Japan between December 8-18.A mouth-watering return at the Santiago Bernabeu comes on April 22 or 23 as the season enters its final straight.

Barcelona begin their title defence at home to Real Betis on the weekend of August 20 and 21, with Madrid's first full season under Zinedine Zidane kicking off against Real Sociedad at Anoeta.

Atletico Madrid will once again aim to upset the established order and launch their campaign at home to newly promoted Alaves.The Madrid derbies will take place on November 20 at the Vicente Calderon and April 9 at the Bernabeu.

 

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Wilmots sacked as Belgium head coach


Marc Wilmots has been sacked as Belgium’s head coach.The 47-year-old had been leading the national team since 2012 and managed to guide the team to the quarter-finals of the 2014 World Cup.This summer, Belgium reached the quarter-finals once again but were knocked out with a surprise 3-1 defeat to Wales.



Wilmots' contract was set to expire after the 2018 World Cup but the Belgian Football Association believes the team "needs a new impulse" ahead of their qualifying campaign.A statement from the Belgian FA read: “We would like to thank Marc Wilmots for his work during the last four years.

“With Marc Wilmots as a head coach, the Red Devils have climbed from the 54th position to the top of the Fifa World Ranking. He managed to win 34 games out of 51, including eight draws. Above all, the fans have reinstalled their love for the Belgian Red Devils during this period.

“The RBFA’s Technical Commission have made an evaluation of the recent UEFA Euro 2016 and have declared that the intended goals have not been reached.
“There is a common sense that the team needs a new impulse to lead this group towards a top result at a major tournament.

“The Belgian FA will immediately start the procedure to find a new head coach, in a transparent way. The idea is to start the upcoming games in September with a new coach, beginning with an international friendly game in Brussels against Spain on the 1st of September.”

 

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Ancelotti tells Man City: Kimmich is not for sale

Carlo Ancelotti insists there is no chance that Joshua Kimmich will leave Bayern Munich for Manchester City.

Reports have claimed that Pep Guardiola is keen on bringing the 21-year-old to the Etihad Stadium this summer.

Kimmich was signed by the Spaniard from RB Leipzig last and impressed in his debut season in the Bundesliga.

The midfielder was also one of Germany’s standout players at Euro 2016, even though he was played out of position at right-back, but Ancelotti insists any possibility of a move away from Bayern is out of the question.

"Kimmich is our player, he is very important for us. He will stay with us 100 percent," said the Italian.

 

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Carrick: Mourinho hasn't broken us yet!

Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick claims the first week working under Jose Mourinho has not been as tough as some might suspect.

The former Chelsea boss, who was appointed as Louis van Gaal's successor in May on an initial three-year deal, took charge of his first training session with some of his senior playing squad last Wednesday.

Carrick says the opening week has been "enjoyable" under the new manager and says the sessions under the ex-Real Madrid and Inter coach have not yet been too taxing.

"It's been very good," he told MUTV. "We came in last Wednesday and have done over a week with him now and it's been enjoyable. The sessions are very good, it hasn't broken us yet and hasn't been as hard as you might think!

"There's been a lot of football and fun at the right times, and I think everyone's enjoying it. When you get a new manager, pre-season is always a little bit different because it's a new personality and new ways. But you approach the season as any other and you've got to prepare yourself to be ready for the battle."That's what the first few weeks of pre-season are for, to get that base of fitness and mentally prepare yourself for the year ahead."

Carrick signed a new one-year contract in March to end speculation that his time at Old Trafford was drawing to a close, and he insists his drive to win trophies remains as strong as ever."I'm delighted to be here. I've been here quite some time now and I just love the place," said the former Tottenham man, who turns 35 later in July.

"It's such a great place to come and work every day. I've still got that drive and desire to be successful and give everything I can, so hopefully this year will be a good one."

 

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Barcelona move reduced me to tears - Umtiti

Samuel Umtiti says he was reduced to tears when it became clear he would have the opportunity to join Barcelona.

The France international, who played in his country's run to finish runners-up in Euro 2016, was presented to the media on Friday following his €25million move from Lyon.

Umtiti targeted winning every possible trophy during his stay at Barca and is in the early stages of learning the Catalan language after signing a five-year deal. "When I knew I had the possibility to come to Barca it really touched me, I cried a little even though I tried to hide my emotions.

"It has been a dream of mine - since childhood I wanted to come here. I'm very happy and excited to be here."I can't wait to play alongside these great players. I came here to progress and learn a lot with players who have more experience than me.

"I'm already learning Catalan, but I don't speak it very well at the moment. I have come to the best club in the world and I hope to win everything here."

Umtiti is only 22, but the centre-back wants to force his way into Barca's starting line-up immediately.He continued: "My standards are very high, I'm a player and competitor and want to play. I will work hard and show that I have the quality to help the club, I know there a good players in my position."I am grateful for this chance, I hope to adapt and settle in quickly."