Transfer Round Up For January 26th 2015

Done deals:

– Crystal Palace have completed the signing of striker Emmanuel Adebayor on a free transfer.

– Cristian Tello has joined Fiorentina on loan until the end of the season.

– Southampton forward Gaston Ramirez has joined Middlesbrough on loan until the end of the season.

– Maccabi Tel Aviv have completed the signing of Orlando Sa from Reading.

– Chinese Hebei Fortune have completed the signing of winger Gervinho from Roma.

– Malmo have confirmed the signing of Anders Christiansen from Chievo .

– Roma have signed Stephan El Shaarawy on loan from AC Milan, with an option to buy for €13million.

Emmanuel Adebayor joins Crystal Palace

Today’s reports and rumours:

– According to reports, Aston Villa are closing in on a loan move for Arsenal defender Mathieu Debuchy.

– Leeds United want to take Aiden McGeady on loan from Everton, according to report.

– Newcastle United have reportedly agreed a £12million deal to sign Andros Townsend from Tottenham

Luis Enrique, credit fcbarcelona.com

– Barcelona head coach Luis Enrique has revealed Neymar will renew his contract at the Camp Nou.

– Real Madrid will not make any signings this month despite the fact that they could be subject to a transfer ban in the near future, according to president Florentino Perez.

– Shola Ameobi has offered to play for Bolton for free until the end of the season, but the Championship club cannot take the striker up on the offer, according to reports.

– Roberto Martinez says there is currently no movement involving players leaving or joining Everton.

– Aston Villa are in talks with Hajduk Split over the signing of their goalkeeper Lovre Kalinic, according to reports.

– Fenerbahce are interested in Roma forward Seydou Doumbia, according to reports.

– Real Betis are reportedly ready to sign Inter Milan defender Martin Montoya.

– Napoli are reportedly very close to reaching an agreement with Empoli for the transfer of defender Federico Barba.

– Eder’s agents are reportedly in England for Leicester City talks, but Inter could match the offer for the Sampdoria striker.

– Lazio midfielder Eddy Onazi is a target for Newcastle, Swansea and Werder Bremen, according to reports.

– Leicester have had a £15.1m bid rejected by CSKA Moscow for midfielder Ahmed Musa, according to BBC.

– ESTAC Troyes President Daniel Masoni has confirmed that he has rejected a €1.6m offer for winger Jimmy Cabot.

– Napoli have turned down a bid worth more than €25m from Wolfsburg for Manolo Gabbiadini, according to reports.

Ramires
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– Chelsea expect the £25m sale of Ramires to Chinese club Jiangsu Suning to be completed before the end of Wednesday.

– Alexandre Pato is on his way to west London after it emerged Chelsea had struck a loan deal with Corinthians.

– Sunderland have submitted a new formal transfer offer for Lorient defender Lamine Koné, according to reports.

– According to reports, Newcastle United are in pole position to sign Chelsea striker Loïc Rémy on loan until the end of the season.

– Liverpool and Shakhtar Donetsk remain far apart in their valuations of Alex Teixeira, according to reports.

– West Ham have a deal in place is to sign Fenebahce striker Emmanuel Emenike on loan with an option to buy in the summer, according to Sky Sports.

– Celta Vigo have rejected an approach for Nolito from Barcelona, according to reports in Spain.

Nwakali

– Kelechi Nwakali’s brother has said that the midfielder is close to joining Arsenal but he is still waiting to be granted a visa.

– Adriano Galliani insists AC Milan have finished their January transfer activity.

Football tit bits:

Louis Van Gaal

– Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal did not offer to resign following Saturday’s defeat to Southampton, sources at the club have told Sky Sports News .

– Manuel Pellegrini has revealed Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany should be back in action in
two weeks.

– Chelsea and West Brom have been fined after being found guilty of failing to control their players during their Stamford Bridge meeting on January 13.

– Tottenham defender Jan Vertonghen faces up to eight weeks out of action after scans revealed that he suffered medial knee-ligament damage during Saturday’s 3-1 win at Crystal Palace.

– Qatar’s football association is suing the former German FA president Theo Zwanziger for calling the Gulf nation a
“cancer on world football” following its successful World Cup bid, Düsseldorf’s regional court has said.

Barcelona’s Lionel Messi Has ‘Small’ Strain; Jordi Alba Set To Be Out Of Action For 10 Days

Barcelona forward Lionel Messi picked up a “small strain” against Athletic Bilbao on Sunday while Jordi Alba has been ruled out for 10 days with a hamstring injury.

Barcelona manager Luis Enrique allayed fears about Messi’s fitness by insisting he took the Ballon d’Or winner off at half-time only as a precaution.

The Barcelona coach withdrew Messi, who scored the first of Barca’s six goals against the Basques by netting from the penalty spot, for Arda Turan at the end of the first half with a right hamstring strain, but he hinted that the forward could still feature against Athletic Bilbao in Wednesday’s Copa del Rey quarter final first leg at San Mamés stadium.

“Messi will have tests tomorrow, he has a small strain and had a little discomfort so we preferred not to take any risks,” Luis Enrique said in a news conference.

Lionel Messi
photo credit: Marc Puig i Perez
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“We spoke about it at half-time and with the scoreline as it was we did not want to take risks. I don’t like taking risks with any player, so imagine what it’s like with Messi.”

However, Barcelona confirmed on their official website that Jordi Alba, who pulled his hamstring in the 69th minute against Athletic Bilbao, is expected to be sidelined for 10 days.

Paul Ayorinde

FIFA Ballon d’Or: Messi, Lloyd, Enrique and Ellis the big winners at FIFA Award Gala

Lionel Messi won the FIFA Ballon d’Or for the fifth time, while US midfielder Carli Lloyd claimed her first-ever FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year award. FC Barcelona coach Luis Enrique and United States national team coach Jill Ellis have also been named for the first time as FIFA World Coaches of the Year for Men’s and Women’s Football respectively. The winners were chosen by the coaches and captains of the national teams as well as by international media representatives invited by FIFA and France Football. The entire electoral procedure was overseen and monitored by PricewaterhouseCoopers Switzerland (PwC).

Lionel Messi, FIFA Ballon d’Or

• 165 national team coaches, 162 national team captains and 171 media representatives submitted their votes for the FIFA Ballon d’Or award. Lionel Messi won the title with 41.33% of all votes ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo (27.76%) and Neymar (7.86%).

• 136 national team coaches, 135 national team captains and 106 media representatives voted for the FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year award. Carli Lloyd came out on top with 35.28% of all votes, ahead of German Célia Šašić (12.60%) and Japan’s Aya Miyama (9.88%).

• 167 national team coaches, 161 national team captains and 171 media representatives voted for the FIFA World Coach of the Year for Men’s Football award. Luis Enrique won the award with 31.08% of all votes after leading FC Barcelona to four titles (La Liga, Copa del Rey, UEFA Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup) in 2015. Second and third place were claimed by Pep Guardiola (FC Bayern Munich, 22.97%) and Jorge Sampaoli (Chilean national team, 9.47%) respectively.

• 137 national team coaches, 137 national team captains and 106 media representatives voted for the FIFA World Coach of the Year for Women’s Football award. Jill Ellis won this prize after leading the US women’s national team to glory at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Canada. She secured 42.98% of all votes, ahead of Japan coach Norio Sasaki (17.79%) and England women’s national team coach Mark Sampson (10.68%)

Manuel Neuer
photo credit: Steindy
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2015 FIFA/FIFPRO WORLD XI

Manuel Neuer; Thiago Silva, Marcelo, Sergio Ramos, Dani Alves; Andres Iniesta, Luka Modric, Paul Pogba; Lionel Messi, Neymar, Cristiano Ronaldo.

Luis Enrique, credit fcbarcelona.com

* Women Coach of the Year– Jill Ellis (United States)

* Men Coach of the Year- Luis Enrique (FC Barcelona)

* FIFA Fair Play award– all the football organisations and clubs supporting refugees worldwide

* FIFA Puskas – Wendell Lira (Goianésia of Brazil)

* Women Player of the Year– Carli Lloyd (United States)

* FIFA Ballon d’Or Player of The Year– Lionel Messi (Argentina/Barcelona)

Cristiano Ronaldo

FIFA Ballon d’Or 2015 top 20 players ranking (% of total votes);

1. Lionel Messi (41.33)

2. Cristiano Ronaldo (27.76)

3. Neymar (7.86)

4. Robert Lewandowski (4.17)

5. Luis Suarez (3.38)

6. Thomas Muller (2.21)

7. Manuel Neuer (1.97)

8. Eden Hazard (1.33)

9. Andres Iniesta (1.24)

10. Alexis Sanchez (1.18)

11. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (1.13)

12. Yaya Toure (0.89)

13. Sergio Aguero (0.86)

14. Javier Mascherano (0.79)

15. Paul Pogba (0.72)

16. Gareth Bale (0.65)

17. Arturo Vidal (0.58)

18. Kevin De Bruyne (0.47)

19. James Rodriguez (0.45)

20. Karim Benzema (0.40)

Latest Football Transfer Stories, Rumors And Titbits For The 4th of August 2015

Here are the top Transfer Stories as compiled by Our man Paul Ayorinde the 4th of August 2015

you can Follow Paul on twitter @El_pauleta and also follow @Newfanzonwe for instant follow back, you can also like our Newfanzone Facebook page

Lets keep the conversation going!

Done Deals:

– Fiorentina have completed the signing of Davide Astori from Cagliari on loan with an obligation to buy.

– Stoke have signed midfielder Sergio Molina from Real Madrid on a three-year contract.

– Bournemouth have signed forward Lee Tomlin from Middlesbrough on a three-year deal.

– 17-year old Chelsea forward Dominic Solanke has signed for Vitesse Arnhem on a season-long loan.

– Augsburg have confirmed the signing of left-back Philipp Max from Karlsruhe.

– Hull City have completed the signing of Chuba Akpom from Arsenal on a season-long loan.

– Bournemouth complete the signing of Ivory Coast winger Max Gradel from St Etienne on a four-year deal for an undisclosed fee.

Chuba Akpom
photo credit Kieran Clarke
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Today’s reports and rumours:

– Napoli-owned Chile international Edu Vargas will “make a decision that satisfies everyone” after interest from Marseille, according to his agent

Luis Enrique, credit fcbarcelona.com

– Barcelona manager Luis Enrique insists he wants Pedro to stay at the club, despite interest from Manchester United for the Spain forward.

– Adriano Galliani said Milan “won’t raise our offer by €1” for Roma’s Alessio Romagnoli, while they are “in pole position” for Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

– Angel Di Maria’s move from Manchester United to Paris St Germain moved a step closer as the Argentina winger underwent a medical in Doha.

– Ronny Deila has hinted Southampton will have to pay more than £7m for Virgil van Dijk if they want to sign him from Celtic.

– Barcelona winger Adama Traore is not on Liverpool’s list of transfer targets, according to reports.

– According to reports, Newcastle United midfielder Moussa Sissoko is the subject of a £17m war between Manchester City
and Liverpool.

– Emmanuel Adebayor held talks with Aston Villa boss Tim Sherwood on Monday ahead of his proposed loan switch to the club.

Edin Dzeko
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– According to Sky Sports sources, Roma have agreed a £14million fee with Manchester City for striker Edin Dzeko.

– Genoa and Sampdoria are reportedly set to battle it out for the signature of Atalanta striker German Denis.

– Newcastle are ready to declare their interest in Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard, according to ESPN.

– West Ham are set to offer £12million to Manchester United for striker Javier Hernandez, according to reports.

– Fiorentina are considering signing Liverpool forward Fabio Borini, according to reports.

– Galatasaray President Dursun Ozbek admits Felipe Melo’s Inter situation is ‘not clear’ and wants Gary Medel in exchange.

– Napoli have reportedly raised their offer for Torino defender Nikola Maksimovic to €18m including bonuses.

– Axel Witsel’s Italian intermediary says Juventus and Milan are both still in the hunt for the Zenit St Petersburg midfielder.

– Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal has made two £100m bids for Real Madrid winger Gareth Bale this summer.

– Napoli midfielder Gokhan Inler has reportedly rejected a move to Leicester City, opening the door for a Fiorentina switch.

– Cagliari confirm talks with Juventus and Chelsea for Godfred Donsah, but “he needs to grow up with us.”

– According to L’Équipe, Marseille remain in the race for Internacional’s Chilean midfielder Charles Aranguiz.

– Juventus have reportedly prepared a €24m bid for Schalke 04 midfielder Julian Draxler.

– Everton defender John Stones should join Manchester United instead of Chelsea, according to Rio Ferdinand.

– Chelsea have reportedly told Tottenham to name their price for left-back Danny Rose, with the Blues prepared to pay £15m for the 25-year-old.

– According to reports, Lazio have told Mario Balotelli’s agent they will take the 24-year-old Liverpool striker on loan this
season but only if they qualify for the group stages of the Champions League.

– According to L’Équipe, Lyon manager Hubert Fournier has told striker Alexandre Lacazette to leave the club if he is unhappy.

– According to reports in France, Ghanaian attacker Majeed Waris is set to join Rennes after an agreement between the French side and Trabzonspor was reached on Monday.

– Oscar’s agent insists negotiations with Juventus “were only in the media” and Chelsea have no intention of selling.

– According to reports, Georgios Samaras has failed a medical with Sampdoria.

– Augsburg defender Baba Rahman is ready to join Chelsea, says his agent, with just a fee left to be agreed between the two clubs.

– Luca Toni will “evaluate my future with Verona” next summer

– According to reports, Manchester United have told Anders Lindegaard that he can leave on a free transfer.

– According to reports, Arsenal have joined the hunt for Real Madrid’s Russia international winger Denis Cheryshev.

– Manchester City are eyeing a move for Real Madrid playmaker Isco, according to reports.

– Torino deny reports Roma are close to signing Bruno Peres. “We heard from Porto a while back, but there’s no Giallorossi offer.”

– According to reports, Alessandro Diamanti is considering his next move, including Watford, Aston Villa and a return to Bologna.

Football tit bits:

– A non-league Russian football match ended in chaos on Sunday, with the referee in hospital and players from both
sides questioned by police.

– The Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema risks missing the start of the season after being diagnosed with a thigh injury.

– Legia Warsaw have been declared 3-0 winners over Kukesi after last week’s Europa League qualifier in Albania was
abandoned early in the second half following crowd trouble. The second leg will be played in Warsaw on Thursday.

– Uefa has dismissed Fenerbahce’s protest against Shakhtar Donetsk fielding a player in a Champions League qualifying match who previously tested positive for doping at the Copa América.

– Zlatan Ibrahimovic will miss Paris Saint-Germain’s season opener at Lille on Friday because of a knee injury.

Jose Mourinho photo credit uefa.com

– Jose Mourinho has told Sky Sports News he is happy with his professional relationship with club owner Roman Abramovich.

Of Treble Winning Teams And Coaches…

Jose Mourinho photo credit uefa.com

Glasgow Celtic are the first team in Europe to complete a “Champions League” treble. This feat happened way back in 1967 managed by Jock Stein, Ajax Amsterdam Achieved same five years later in led by Ștefan Kovács in 1972 but the Football world had to wait sixteen years before the next treble happened when PSV Eindhoven under the guidance of Guus Hiddink Completed the treble in 1988.

Manchester United Became the first and only English Side to Complete the “treble” In 1999 managed by Alex Ferguson who’s later knighted by the Queen of England for his service to British Football. 2009 was the year Barcelona won what was termed an historic treble under the watchful eyes of Pep Guardiola, then this was followed by Italian Giants Inter Milan a year after in 2010 Led By Jose Mourinho.

2013 saw Bayern Munich join this elite group of clubs with “trebles” when the German team also pulled of the treble with Jupp Heynckes at the helm of affairs in the dug-out.

But No team has ever won the treble twice until last night in Berlin when the Catalan Side managed by Luis Enrique defeated the “Old Lady of Turin” by 3 goals to one to complete the “Treble”.

Juventus were also gunning for their first treble but this was not to be as a Superb performance by Barca ensured that the Spanish Giants Win their 5th Champions League trophy.

Luis Enrique, credit fcbarcelona.com

Treble winning teams:

The teams to have won the continental title and their domestic league and cup double in the same season are:

· Glasgow Celtic (1967) – managed by Jock Stein
· Ajax Amsterdam (1972) – managed by Ștefan Kovács.
· PSV Eindhoven (1988) – managed by Guus Hiddink
· Manchester United (1999) – managed by Alex Ferguson
. FC Barcelona (2009) – managed by Pep Guardiola
· Inter Milan (2010) – managed by Jose Mourinho
· Bayern Munich (2013) – managed by Jupp Heynckes
. FC Barcelona (2015) – managed by Luis Enrique

Xavi Hernández, Andrés Iniesta, Leo Messi, Gerard Piqué, Dani Alves, Sergio Busquets and Pedro Rodríguez will also go into the history books as the first players to be part of this unprecedented “Double Treble” the above listed players were part of Guardiola’s treble winning team and were also an integral role in Luis Enrique’s treble last night at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, Germany.

Xavi Hernández as also set a new UEFA Champions League appearance record, his half appearance makes it a total of 151 matches that he has played in the Champions League.