Transfer Round Up For January 25th 2016

Done deals:

– Steve Sidwell has joined Brighton on loan from Stoke City until the end of the season.

– Mainz have completed the signing of defender Guilio Donati from Bayer Leverkusen.

– Atalanta have confirmed the loan signing of striker Serge Gakpe from Genoa until the end of the season.

– Porto have announced the signing of forward Moussa Marega and goalkeeper Jose Sa from Maritimo.

– Chelsea winger Christian Atsu has signed on loan for Malaga until the end of the season.

Today’s reports and rumours:

– A decision over Fenerbahce striker and West Ham target, Emmanuel Emenike’s future is expected in the next 48 hours, according to reports.

– Antoine Griezmann has responded to speculation linking him with a move away from Atletico Madrid by insisting he is very happy at the club.

– Watford and Newcastle are still interested in Tottenham winger Andros Townsend, according to reports.

– According to L’Équipe, Stade de Reims have made an enquiry concerning the availability of St Étienne striker Nolan Roux.

– Leicester City have submitted a £10million bid for Sampdoria striker Eder, according to SkySports Italia.

– Watford are finalising a deal with Fiorentina for Mario Suarez that would see him join the Premier League side on a permanent four-year deal, according to reports.

Mesut Ozil
photo credit: Brian Sikorski
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/legalcode

– Real Madrid have a buy-back clause in their transfer agreement with Arsenal for Mesut Ozil, according to leaked transfer documents.

– Sampdoria sporting director Carlo Osti confirms Inter “asked for” Roberto Soriano and Eder.

– Bordeaux are reportedly interested in Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu.

– Chelsea midfielder Ramires is close to joining Chinese Super League club Jiangsu Suning, according to Sky Sports sources.

– Southampton are in no rush to commence new contract talks with Graziano Pelle despite speculation surrounding the striker’s future,according to ESPN Soccernet.

Mario Balotelli, photo credit liverpoolfc.com

– West Brom are reportedly interested in signing Liverpool striker Mario Ballotelli.

– Stephan El Shaarawy describes Roma as “a great opportunity” as he prepares to move on loan from Milan.

– St Étienne’s defensive midfielder Ismaël Diomandé is set to join Caen on loan until the end of the season tomorrow, according to L’Équipe.

– Chelsea striker Loïc Rémy still has a desire to leave the club this month, according to reports.

– Scouts from several English clubs including West Ham, Manchester United and Liverpool attended Marseille’s’s 1-1
draw with Lyon on Sunday night to watch 20-year-old winger Georges-Kévin N’Koudou.

– According to reports in Spain, Arsenal are stepping up their efforts to sign Real Madrid midfielder Isco.

– Tottenham have enquired about Juventus striker Alvaro Morata’s availability for a January move, according to reports.

Alexandre Pato
photo credit: .lemeilleurdupsg.com

– Chelsea are set to sign Alexandre Pato on loan, according to reports.

– Gregory van der Wiel has stalled on signing a new contract with Paris Saint-Germain, according to talksport.

– Hull City are interested in signing Manchester United midfielder Nick Powell on loan, according to reports.

– According to L’Equipe, Arsenal scout Giles Grimandi has been sent to Monaco to scout 17-year-old Kylian Mbappe.

– La Liga has extended the transfer deadline to February 1st.

Football tit bits:

– Italy & Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon says he plans on retiring from football after the 2018 World Cup.

– Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo’s apparent kick at Francisco Molinero on Sunday has been labelled an “ugly gesture” by the Real Betis defender.

– Crystal Palace striker Connor Wickham faces a three-match ban after being charged by the FA with violent conduct over an incident involving Tottenham’s Jan Vertonghen.

– Stoke City defender Ryan Shawcross is set to be out of action for up to a month with a back injury.

– West Ham do not have the power to veto a groundshare at the Olympic Stadium and such an agreement is still possible, according to the London Legacy Development Corporation.

– Manchester United chief executive Ed Woodward has reportedly spoken to a number of players and senior figures at
Old Trafford about Louis van Gaal, following their defeat to Southampton.

Paul Ayorinde

Volleyball Dominates Kenya’s Sports Awards

Volleyball dominated Kenya’s Annual Sports Awards, scooping six of the 20 honours in Nairobi. For the first time in the history of these awards, which was started 12 years ago by former world (Athletics) marathon record holder Paul Tergat, Volleyball which is still playing catch up with other popular sports in Kenya like Athletics, Football and Rugby-ruled the podium when they were called six times to collect various trophies.

Local Federation KVF lead by Waithaka Kioni retained the best Federation of the year for their development of Volleyball locally.

KVF beat the Rowing, Canoeing and Boxing Associations to the award to win it for the second year in a row.

David Lung’aho who coached Kenya to win a record ninth Africa Nations Cup, FIVB world Grand Prix Group three first place and a historic two wins at the FIVB world Cup in Japan was voted coach of the year.

That team which beat Peru in the Grand Prix title beat their colleagues who won gold at the 2015 All Africa Games in Congo, Brazzaville to the first spot in the team of the year category.

Squad member, outside hitter Mercy Moim came second to Hyvin Kiyeng in the overall women’s Sports Person of the year.

Kenya celebrate Group 3 Gand Prix win

Veteran and Beach Volleyball player, Ednah Rotich was feted for her role of mentoring and supporting local talents.

The Kenya Commercial Bank player was voted the Community Heroine of the year.

The awards were clear testament that Volleyball in on an upward trajectory in the Kenya.

Access Bank Lagos City Marathon: Athletes Begin Collection Of Bib Numbers

Athletes that have registered their ambition to be part of the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon will from Tuesday, January 26, 2016 start collecting their bib numbers for the February 6 race the Organizing Committee have announced.

Yussuf Alli, General Manager for the Lagos race stated that athletes who have duly completed their registration forms will start getting their bib numbers form 12 noon at the Lagos City Marathon Expo Center, Omolade Okoya Indoor Sports Hall, Teslim Balogun stadium in Surulere, Lagos.

Alli advised participants to come with proof of identification when coming to collect their running numbers.

He stated that peradventure, participants intend to have their running number collected on their behalf; the person collecting must come to the Marathon office with the printed out copy of the form or the final confirmation received by e-mail.

“They must have proof of their identity in order to do this.” Alli stated.

With the Marathon Expo also already going on, intending participants will also have a chance to have a feel of the Expo with the theme Hospitality, Wellness and Wellbeing..

Corporate organizations and government bodies at the ongoing Expo include Access Bank the title sponsor of Lagos City Marathon, GSK, Ladel’s Baby Centre, Airtel, another sponsor of the marathon, Food Clique, Oniru Family, Eko Hotel, Lagos State Ministry of Tourism, SuperSport and a host of others.

Olympic Dreams On The Line At Sailing World Cup Miami

With the calendar switched to an Olympic year, the intensity on the water at the 2016 Sailing World Cup Miami presented by Sunbrella is a match for the famously bright South Florida sun. In less than 200 days, many of the nearly 800 sailors gathered in Coconut Grove this week will walk in the Opening Ceremonies of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games. For the sailors with a confirmed spot in the Olympic Regatta, this event is about sharpening their tactical game, refining their equipment and improving their conditioning. Others have a more immediate focus as they are in the midst of a selection series for their respective countries or working to qualify their country for the Olympic regatta.

Sailing World Cup Miami is the second of six regattas in the 2016 series. From 25-30 January 2016, Coconut Grove, Miami, USA is hosting more than 780 sailors who are competing across the ten Olympic and two Paralympic classes on the beautiful waters of Biscayne Bay.

“There’s a lot at stake this year at Sailing World Cup Miami,” said Josh Adams, Managing Director of U.S. Olympic Sailing. “For the first time in the event’s 27-year history, it’s being used as part of the U.S. selection process and part of country qualification process for the 2016 Olympic Games.”

For American sailors in eight of the Olympic classes and the 2.4mR, this event is the first of two events that will determine the U.S. Olympic Sailing Team for this summer’s Games.

The Sailing World Cup Miami presented by Sunbrella is the second event in the six-regatta 2016 Sailing World Cup. Competition in US Sailing’s premiere racing event gets underway this Monday in all 10 Olympic classes and two of three Paralympic classes. Saturday’s Medal Races will be carried live on ESPN3.

The Olympic classes competing this week will be: Laser Radial (women), Laser (men), Finn (men), Men’s RS:X, Women’s RS:X, 49er (men), Men’s 470, Women’s 470, Nacra 17 (mixed) and 49erFX (women). Paralympic classes included are the 2.4mR (open, Para World Sailing) and Sonar (open, Para World Sailing).

Befitting an event of this magnitude, this evening athletes, volunteers and regatta officials participated in an Opening Ceremony on the lawn of the Coral Reef Yacht Club. The 68 national flags ringing the lawn—and the variety of languages heard in the various boat parks—are a stirring reminder of the global popularity of this event. The event record of 855 sailors, which was set last year, is safe; the 2016 edition of the Sailing World Cup will rank third in terms of attendance. The 68 nations attending breaks the record set in 2015.

Sailing World Cup Miami is the second of six regattas in the 2016 series. From 25-30 January 2016, Coconut Grove, Miami, USA is hosting more than 780 sailors who are competing across the ten Olympic and two Paralympic classes on the beautiful waters of Biscayne Bay.

“Sailing World Cup Miami is a pivotal event for Olympic sailors on the road to Rio. The caliber of the athletes that will be on show in Miami is exceptional and many of the medalists here will be on the Olympic podium in August,” said Sailing World Cup Manager, Antonio Gonzalez de la Madrid. “Racing in Miami in January provides a welcome respite for the European sailors looking to escape the European winter. We have World Champions Giulia Conti and Francesca Clapcich (ITA) in the 49erFX, Billy Besson and Marie Riou (FRA) in the Nacra 17 and Danish Laser Radial star Anne Marie Rindom. That’s to name but a few in the world class fields we have on show in the ten Olympic and two Paralympic events.”

The trickle down of having all these top international athletes training and racing in the United States every January should not be understated.

“The training leading up to this regatta is at a very high level,” said Adams. “For the US Sailing Team Sperry and our overall Olympic program, there’s great value in this event. Our athletes are able to go out and train against the world’s best.”

Racing gets underway tomorrow at 10 a.m. (EST), weather providing and will run until the late afternoon each day through Friday. Saturday’s double-point medal races—a shorter sprint for glory with just the top 10 sailors in each class competing—will start at 11 a.m., and be broadcast live on ESPN3.

Stuart Streuli

Egypt To Host Men’s Volleyball African Club Championship

2016 Men’s African Club Championship

African Volleyball Federation “CAVB” as nominated Egypt as a host for the 2016 Men’s Volleyball African Club Championship March 23 to April 1, 2016.

The competition will be held in Cairo Stadium Complex and is expected to attract all the major forces on the continent led by the record holders Al Ahly (11 titles), Sfax of Tunisia (6) and Zamalek of Egypt (5).

CAVB has set February 28 as a deadline to confirm participation.

The 2015 edition of this prestigious competition in Tunisia featured a ground breaking record of 24 participants.

Ahly Captain receiving the cup of 2015 Men’s Volleyball African Club Championship

CAVB web site: http://www.cavb.org
Twitter: CAVB Tweets
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CAVBVolleyball
YouTube: CAVB Video
Instagram: CAVB_ volleyball

Astana Arlans Begin WSB Title Defence In Style With Convincing Win Over Baku Fires

Defending World Series of Boxing champions Astana Arlans Kazakhstan began the defence of their title in style on Friday night, defeating Azerbaijan Baku Fires 4-1 in the Kazakh city of Karaganda.

Light flyweight star Temirtas Zhussupov got the hosts off to a strong start against WSB debutant Javid Dadashov in the evening’s opening bout. The 28 year-old was faster than his young opponent, never letting up his intensity until the final bell, and a unanimous decision from the judges gave Arlans the lead.

Astana Arlans Kazakhstan kick off WSB title defence against Azerbaijan Baku Fires in Karagandy

Their two-time WSB champion Meirbolat Toitov then doubled the advantage, narrowly beating the aggressive Iarash Magomedov in a gripping encounter. The 2-0 lead took the pressure off Arlans’ own debutant Yerkin Mukhametzhan, in for the injured Vassiliy Levit, up against the strong southpaw Haji Murtazaliyev. After a nervy start, Mukhametzhan landed a dangerous body blow in the third round and began to grow in stature, taking the judges’ decision and securing the Arlans their first win of Season VI.

Astana Arlans Kazakhstan’s team captain Samat Bashenov unfortunately could not enter the line up, with Askhat Ualikhanov deputising against Baku Fires’ London 2012 Olympian you Gaybatulla Gadzhialiyev. The Azeri proved the stronger boxer over five rounds, notching the Fires’ an important first victory of the new season against the reigning champions.

Kazakhstan controlled the final bout of the match to seal a comfortable victory, with National Champion Meirim Nursultanov proving exactly why he is going to be one to watch this year, defeating Baku Fires’ Georgian boxer Badri Khardzhiani in emphatic fashion to give the Arlans a precious 4-1 win over their great rivals.

Eagles Set To Soar Over Guinea Into Quarter Finals

The Super Eagles are battle –ready to pick all three points off Guinea’s Syli Nationale on Tuesday in order to make sure of top spot in Group C and guarantee qualification for the quarter finals of the 4th African Nations Championship.

On Sunday, the Eagles arrived in beautiful border district of Rubavu, venue of their clash with the Syli Nationale, after a three –hour road trip from Rwanda’s capital, Kigali. They are lodged at the Gorilla Hotel, close to the Kivu Beach.

The team had its first training session in Rubavu on Sunday, and on Monday, the team had a feel of Tuesday’s match venue, The Rubavu Stadium.

According to the team’s Media Officer, Toyin Ibitoye, all 23 players who made the trip are in excellent physical and mental shape ahead of the crucial West African derby with the tricky Guineans.

Coach Sunday Oliseh praised the players for their brave performance against the very experienced Tunisian side on Friday and promised that the team will put out another high -level display on Tuesday.

Victory by any margin on Tuesday will guarantee the Eagles top spot in Group C, and a quarter –final date with the second –placed team in Group D. A draw would be enough for qualification, as Nigeria has a two –point margin on second –placed Guinea and Tunisia, but should Tunisia achieve a high –score win over Niger Republic, top spot may not be guaranteed.

Guinea have drawn each of their two matches 2-2, against Tunisia and Niger Republic, coming from behind each time. They pose a big threat because of the skill and guile of their strikers.

Super Eagles, photo credit Nigeria Super Eagles fb

Nigeria forward Chisom Chikatara, on four goals, will pose the biggest threat to the Guineans at the Rubavu Stadium. His excellent positioning can get him the goals to be top scorer of this championship.

Super Eagles’ Head Coach, Sunday Oliseh, was in the Nigerian squad that earned a 1998 FIFA World Cup ticket at the expense of Syli Nationale. But the Guineans also stopped Nigeria reaching the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations finals, when drawing 2-2 with the Super Eagles in Abuja in October 2011.

Caciques De Venezuela Get New Wsb Season Off To A Dream Start In Warsaw…,

Caciques de Venezuela get new WSB season off to a dream start in Warsaw beating the Rafako Hussars Poland

Rafako Hussars Poland struggled once more to cope with the South American swagger of Caciques de Venezuela, suffering a 3-2 defeat in their World Series of Boxing Season VI opening match. It was a third straight defeat for the Hussars at the hands of the Venezuelans, whose management had reinforced their team during December’s Draft Pick with the likes of Riccardo D’Andrea, but even the experienced Italian couldn’t halt the Venezuelan march.

The early signs looked positive from the hosts, now led by one of WSB’s most well-travelled coaches Sergey Korchinsky. Dawid Jagodzinski was in attacking mood against Angelino Cordova in their opening light-flyweight bout, but he was unable to sustain the pressure, allowing the Venezuelan too much room from which to launch his combinations and earn the visitors an early lead.

That left high expectations on the shoulders of Hussars’ newcomer D’Andrea and he edged the opening round against Jose Diaz. The crowd’s growing optimism was to be short lived as the Caciques’ bantamweight talent landed a lethal right jab late in the second round to put the Italian on the canvas, forcing the referee to end the match. After knocking out an Argentine opponent, Elias Gonzalez, last season, Diaz is earning himself a reputation for landing big punches.

At 2-0 down, the Hussars were able to call upon another exciting draft pick, Germany’s light welterweight star Kastriot Sopa, to try and turn the match around. Eager to inflict an emphatic defeat, Caciques’ Luis Arcon went on the attack immediately. Sopa had little response in the opening rounds but as Arcon tired, the German grew in confidence, using all his experience to carve out a narrow win over the five rounds.

Caciques de Venezuela get new WSB season off to a dream start in Warsaw

Pawel Ruminski was called upon to replace Polish welterweight star Tomasz Jablonski in Friday’s team, and his debut could hardly have been more testing against Rio 2016 Olympic Test Event winner Johan Jose Gonzalez and with his team 2-1 down. Despite a battling performance, Ruminski was unable to cause an upset, and the Caciques took an unassailable 3-1 lead on the night.

It may have been a dead rubber in terms of the match, but the final heavyweight bout between the hosts’ Michal Olas and Caciques’ Colombian import Deivis Julio brought a morale-boosting win for Rafako Hussars. Struggling early on, Olas bravely fought his way back into the match, knocking his opponent down in the third round and giving the crowd something to cheer on a difficult night for the Poles.

NFF Condoles NSC Over Olu Akoja’s Death

The Nigeria Football Federation has commiserated with the National Sports Commission over the death, last Friday, of a deputy director in the NSC’s Federations and Elite Athletes Departments, Mr. Olu Akoja.

Akoja died at the National Hospital, Abuja on Friday from complications that followed a medical operation.

NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, led the NFF team that included Dr. Emmanuel Ikpeme (Deputy General Secretary), Mr. Bola Oyeyode (Ag. Director, Competitions), Mr. Ademola Olajire (Asst. Director, Communications), Mr. Abdulrafiu Yusuf (Asst. Director, Technical), Barr. Okey Obi (Chief Legal Officer), Mr. Nasiru Jibril (personal assistant to NFF President) and Daniel Musa (security officer). They were received by the Director of Federations and Elite Athletes Department, Mrs Hauwa Kulu-Akinyemi.

Sanusi said: “We have come to express our sorrow over the death of Mr. Akoja. He was known to be very hardworking and a gentleman to the core. Allah knows best. We pray that God will be the father, Provider and Protector of those he has left behind, and also that He will grant the family and the National Sports Commission the fortitude to bear the big loss.”

Kulu-Akinyemi, who confessed that she is still finding it difficult to come to terms with the fact that Akoja was gone, thanked the NFF delegation for the condolence visit.

“Akoja’s death is most shocking. We still find it difficult to believe. The Almighty God has an answer for everything, so we would have to accept it that way. He was a very energetic and efficient person who loved to take on even greater responsibilities. The NSC and Nigeria sports will sorely miss him.”

NFF presents Chukwueze with World Cup bronze boot

The Nigeria Football Federation has presented Golden Eaglets’ forward Samuel Chukwueze with his bronze boot from the FIFA U-17 World Cup Chile 2015.

Football’s world–governing body, FIFA, admitted in November that it made a mistake in naming Eaglets’ skipper Kelechi Nwakali as the winner of the bronze boot, and decided to send another one to the actual winner, Chukwueze, while telling Nwakali to keep his.

NFF Executive Committee member, Alh. Ibrahim Musa Gusau and General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi presented Chukwueze with his prize, congratulating him for a great outing in Chile.

NFF presents Chukwueze with World Cup bronze boot

FIFA had explained that although Nwakali and Chukwueze finished the tournament with the same number of goals (three) and assists to be joint third best scorer, Chukwueze played less number of minutes in the tournament and therefore, is the winner.

Nwakali was selected as the Player of the Tournament.

Line-Up Confirmed For 2016 ITF Junior Masters

Hungarian duo Dalma Galfi, the 2015 ITF Girls World Champion, and Mate Valkusz, the current boys’ world No. 1, head the entry for the 2016 ITF Junior Masters taking place at the Sichuan International Tennis Centre in Chengdu, China on 8-10 April.

The ITF Junior Masters, now in its second year, is an international event showcasing eight male and eight female players who qualify on the basis of their 18-and-under ITF Junior World Ranking at the end of the year. The ITF Junior Masters consists of two knock-out singles events, with each player guaranteed three matches to determine their final finishing position. Players will compete for a total prize fund of $160,000 in travel grants, and will also compete for wild cards into professional events.

The following players will contest the 2016 ITF Junior Masters:

Women’s singles

Dalma Galfi (HUN)
Katie Swan (GBR)
Anna Blinkova (RUS)
Tereza Mihalikova (SVK)
Usue Arconada (USA)
Sofia Kenin (USA)
Charlotte Robillard-Millette (CAN)
Kayla Day (USA)

Men’s singles

Casper Ruud (NOR)
Mate Valkusz (HUN)
Hong Seong Chan (KOR)
Marcelo Barrios Vera (CHI)
Orlando Luz (BRA)
Miomir Kecmanovic (SRB)
William Blumberg (USA)
Alvaro Lopez San Martin (ESP)

Galfi, the 2015 US Open junior champion, lines up alongside Australian Open junior champion Tereza Mihalikova and runner-up Katie Swan, and Wimbledon junior finalist Anna Blinkova. They will be joined by Sofia Kenin, a member of the United States’ 2014 Junior Fed Cup by BNP Paribas winning team.

Valkusz, who took over the boys’ No. 1 ranking at the start of 2016, heads up the men’s entries alongside 2015 Orange Bowl junior champion Miomir Kecmanovic, Australian Open junior runner-up Hong Seong Chan and 2014 double Youth Olympic medallist Orlando Luz. They will be joined by 2013 Junior Davis Cup by BNP Paribas winner Alvaro Lopez San Martin.

The provision of travel grants is one of the ways in which the ITF Junior Masters assists these top juniors in making a transition from junior tennis to the professional game. Each player competing in the 2016 ITF Junior Masters will earn a minimum travel grant of $7,000, while the boys’ and girls’ champions will both be awarded $15,000 travel grants. Players will also compete for wild cards into professional events donated by National Associations, with further details to be confirmed later this year.

The Sichuan International Tennis Centre will host the event for the second year as part of the ITF’s three-year agreement with the Chinese Tennis Association and the Chengdu Sport Bureau. The centre, which was built in 2008 and consists of 32 hard courts, has hosted several international events. The ITF Junior Masters will be staged on the centre’s two show courts, including a 6,000-capacity centre court, with matches broadcast by Sichuan TV and streamed live over the three days of competition.

The ITF Junior Masters joins the ITF junior team competitions, the 14-and-under ITF World Junior Tennis competition, and 16-and-under Junior Davis Cup and Junior Fed Cup by BNP Paribas, as the premier junior events on the 2016 ITF calendar.

Fabregas Reveals Zidane As His Footballing Idol

The Chelsea maestro has named Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane as his idol. While speaking to English media, Fabregas said that he grew up celebrating the dazzling heroics of the French legend.

‘My first football memory was Zinedine Zidane scoring two goals in the final of the World Cup at France in 1998,’ Fabregas told English media.

Zinedine Zidane photo credit/ Raphaël Labbé https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode

He said that winning the 2010 World Cup with Spain was the major influence in his career since it allowed him to follow in the footsteps of the Frenchman.

Fabregas further talked about how he evolved as a kid in Barcelona to Europe’s most lethal midfielder.

“Long before signing for Barcelona, I went for a trial with Albert Benaiges [who ran Barca’s youth teams]. That was the first time I put on the Barcelona shirt in a real game,” Fabregas said to Goal.com.

“There were many things that made me go to Arsenal,” he admits. “I was really happy in Barcelona but I saw how players like Messi and Pique were moved up to the youth ‘A’ team and Rodolfo wasn’t there anymore.”

“They wanted me to move up to the first team within a short time, they believed in me very much but I still couldn’t make out if they were selling me a dream. It was true that Wenger had interrupted his holidays in France to see me and make me the offer in person. That was decisive and we decided to take that route. And everything was phenomenal after that.”

His rise to stardom was meteoric. “It couldn’t have gone better,” he says. “At the age of 16 I was the youngest player in the history of the club to debut, to score in the Premier League and also in the Champions League. That allowed me to reach the level I have been at for the last 12 years and that’s difficult in football today. It’s more physical and the speed is incredible. The only thing you can do is to keep training your body and mind to stay around for as long as possible.”

Cesc Fabgregas playing in the Champions League for Chelsea against Maccabi Tel-Aviv
photo credit: Tellementfoot.com

The 28-year-old Chelsea midfielder played an important part for Chelsea yesterday against his former club Arsenal in the London derby which ended 0-1 in favour of the defending champions Chelsea. Fabregas, who showed spectacular form last season which ended with Chelsea crowned the Premier League champions, has failed to replicate the same form this season. In 19 league appearances so far, the Spaniard has only 3 assists and 1 goal to boast of.