Real Madrid have slipped to second behind NFL team the Dallas Cowboys as a soccer team does not top the Forbes World’s Most Valuable Sports Team List for the first time since 2011. The Cowboys move up one place with an estimated value of $4bn, up from $3.2bn last year, with Real Madrid; top of […]
via Forbes Names Dallas Cowboys Worlds Most Valuable Team Ahead Of Real Madrid — newfanzoneblog
Never one to miss out on any opportunity to etch his personae in your minds and as a quintessential PR conscious man, Cristiano Ronaldo, is set to make a meal of Argentine star Lionel Messi’s hurriedly announced retirement from international football. Speaking with the international media, he described it as the ultimate opportunity to finally […]
via RONALDO PLANS GRANDER RETIREMENT THAN MESSI By Akeem Busari — newfanzoneblog
Real Madrid have remained the most valuable football team in the world for a fourth year in a row, according to US business magazine Forbes. Real Madrid are ahead of Liga BBVA rivals Barcelona, with Manchester United sitting in third place. Madrid’s value stands at $3.645 billion and their annual revenue is $694 million, a […]
via Real Madrid Named World Most Valuable Team For The 4th Year In A Row — newfanzoneblog
Top 5 performers in Europe’s top 5 football leagues (2015/2016) the story so far…,
We have put together a list of Europe’s top 5 leagues top 5 performers, our focus is on a few highlights of the game, mainly goals, assist and discipline for individuals and for teams it’s got to do with their positions on the Log, comments are welcome and hope you find this useful.
Please note that this is based on results as at the 4th of March 2016 and the Leagues are arranged in no particular other…,
A weekend where all top 5 leagues are in action is here again after their exploits in the knock out rounds of the UEFA Champions League and Europa League. The English FA Cup has also reached the quarter final stages but some teams are not there yet as they need to survive the huddle of Replay. Fatigue is setting in for most teams and Managers are having their hands full with fixture pile up. Our punters at Newfanzone have carefully put all these into consideration while they help you select a 10- game accumulator from Europe’s Top 5 leagues as usual.
Tobi Olubiyi’s (@Tobipreety) prediction:
French Ligue 1
St Etienne Vs Caen – St Etienne Win :
4th placed St Etienne are on a good run lately as they are currently unbeaten in their last 6 matches in all competition. The only 2 draws in that time was against Monaco and Marseille.
Same points with 3rd placed Nice, St Etienne will want to keep up the pressure in their quest for a Champions League spot and a win against lowly rated Caen would be on the cards. Caen have struggled for form heading into this fixture at the Stade Geoffroy, they have lost 4 of their last 6 matches. I believe St Etienne will be at an advantage heading into this game being the home side, and winning 4 of their last previous 6 games against Caen.
Lyon Vs PSG – Both teams to score:
This is the second time both teams will be facing off this month after meeting in a domestic cup competition, where PSG won convincingly thereby sending Lyon out of the tournament. This could be some sort of revenge mission for Lyon as they host PSG at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais. Lyon are also yet to defeat PSG in any of their last 6 matches and their besst result during that time was a 1-1 draw in 2014. PSG will be going into this game as firm favourites, they are unbeaten since a defeat to Real Madrid in the group stages of the Champions League last year. This match will be interesting and with a lot of goals, I see both teams getting into the score sheet after 90 minutes.
English Premier League
Manchester United Vs Arsenal – Arsenal win or draw :
Manchester United have been poor in 2016, but they could be pardoned as a lengthy injury list has been the major contributing factor to their bad form with 10 first team players currently injured. But loosing to lowly rated sides like Sunderland and Midtjyland will dampen the confidence of a reputable team like Manchester United. Arsenal’s 2 defeats in their last 12 matches have come against Chelsea and most recently Barcelona in the Champions league. They are heading into this game with a good league form after recently condeming league leaders Leicester to another defeat in their last league game.
Arsenal are the inform team between both sides,The red devils are still suffering from their injury worries. Van gaal will have to turn to youth players and they won’t be good enough to rescue their team from a second Arsenal defeat this season. Arsenal would get a result at Old trafford, and walk away with at least a draw.
Watford Vs Bournemouth – Both teams to score:
This is a clash of two strikers, Odion Ighalo of Watford and Benik Afobe of Bournemouth. These two strikers will be leading the line for their respective clubs and there will be high hopes on who comes ontop. Watford have been on an impressive run this season, currently sitting 9th on the log and loosing just one of their last 5 games in all competitions which was against 2nd placed Tottenham. They welcome Bournemouth to the Vicarage Road who have lost their last 3 games which were all played at home. Ironically, Bourneouth are unbeaten in their last 5 away matches.
I expect Eddie Howe’s Bournemouth to come out firing so as to end their poor run and move further away from relegation place. There will be goals and I expect both teams to score at least a goal each.
Italian Serie A
Fiorentina Vs Napoli – Anybody win (Double Chance):
This is one of the most difficult games to forecast in Europe’s top fixtures this weekend. It’s not clear where the pendulum could swing, the ever reliable and inform Napoli have not won in 3games. Their dip in form started after a late defeat to defending champions Juventus who overtook them into first place with that victory. Napoli are yet to recover from that agony of defeat and they need to show character going foward starting from this huge game against the Viola.
Fiorentina are unbeaten in their last 6 games heading into the Europa League 2nd leg against Tottenham.
I believe there will be a winner in this match, either Fiorentina or Napoli will win. It will not end in a draw.
Juventus Vs Inter Milan – Juventus win or draw:
Another huge match in the Serie A this weekend, league Leaders Juventus will look to extend the gap between them and 2nd place Napoli. Although for the first time in a long while this season the Old Ladies have not won in back to back matches, against Bologna and Bayern Munich. It must be said that they showed great character not to loose against Bayern after going behind by 2 goals. Inter Milan presently don’t have the personnel to match this juventus side and they have won only 2 of their last 7 matches in all competition. Roberto Mancini will have to pull a bunny out of the hat to stop the likes of Pogba,Dyabala and Mandzukic.
Juventus will get a result in this game and will get at least a draw.
German Bundesliga
Wolfsburg Vs Bayern Munich – Bayern Munich win:
8th place Wolfsburg welcome inform Bayern Munich to the Wolkswagen Arena when they have won just one of their last 5 league matches. Their poor form heading into this fixture will further set them back in their quest for a spot in Europe. Pep Guardiola’s last defeat with Bayern in all competitions was in December 2015 against Monchengladbach. They have gone on to win every match since then except a shock goaless draw away at Bayern Leverkusen. Muller is scoring again taking some pressure of Striker Lewadowski. While Robben still has a lot to offer since his return from injury. I expect a comfortable victory for Bayern Munich as they extend their lead on the table.
Borussia Dortmund Vs Hoffenheim – Dortmund win:
Dortmund look certain to finish in the top 4, but just 8 points behind league leaders Bayern Munich they may just pull up a heist on the Bundesliga title if Bayern suffers a slump. To achieve this they must keep their foot on the gas and get maximum points against teams like Hoffenheim especially at the Signal Iduna Park. Dortmund have not lost in their last 12 matches playing just 1 draw in that time. While 17the placed Hoffenheim have won only one of their last 5 matches and are 4points away from safety.
Dortmund will continue their impressive form with a win, star striker Aubumeyang will be expected to provide the goals.
Spanish La Liga
Real Madrid Vs Atletico Madrid – Atletico Madrid win or draw:
A tricky tie whose result would go a long way to test Coach Zinedine Zidane’s ability and competence to lead the Galacticos to success. It has always been a very intense derby whenever a Diego Simeone led Atletico face off with Real Madrid and Zidane is about to get a taste of that. Real Madrid have only won one of thier last 6 matches against Atletico with 3 draws and Atletico winning 2. Real Madird have won their last 7 home matches and they seem to be scoring a lot at home under Zidane, they has been at least 3 goals in each of their last 10 home matches. Atletico Madrid are a resilient side and hard to break down, there has been over 120 clean sheets in over 200 games Simeone has been in charge. Although Atletico are suffering some sort of bad run after winning just 2 of their last 8 matches in all competition. But as they say, form is thrown out of the window when it comes to Derbies.
This will be a tactical game and a battle between the gaffers but i believe Diego Simeone will come out ontop and get a result from the Bernabeu.
Barcelona Vs Sevilla – Barcelona win and Suarez to score:
Last week Suarez scored his way into the record books becoming the 3rd Barcelona player in History to score 40 goals in one season after Ronaldo De Lima and Lionel Messi. The menacing attack trio of Barcelona fondly called the MSN (Messi,Suarez, Neymar) have proven to be too strong for opponents as they have gone on to win 33 matches in all competitions winning 27 and drawing 6 since their defeat to Sevilla in October 3rd 2015. Their latest win was a comfortable away victory against Arsenal in the Champions League. Sevilla’s only victory against Barcelona in their last 6 matches was in the return fixture earlier in the season. Luis Enrique will have revenge on his mind as they welcome 5th placed and inconsistent Sevilla to the Camp Nou. I expect an easy Barcelona win and Suarez getting on the score sheet.
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.
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.”
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.
The 2016 Deloitte Football Money League – detailing the 2014/15 season – measures a club’s earnings from matchday revenue, broadcast rights and commercial sources, and ranks them on that basis.
The Premier League boasts 17 teams in the top 30 of this year’s Deloitte Football Money League. Manchester United lead the way for English reputation in revenue, keeping clear of rivals Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool.
Real Madrid retained their place at the summit for the 11th year in a row, having generated €577m.
Deloitte Football Money League
(2014/15 revenue):
1. Real Madrid (€577m)
2. Barcelona (€560.8m)
3. Manchester United (€519.5m)
4. Paris St Germain (€480.8m)
5. Bayern Munich (€474m)
6. Manchester City (€463.5m)
7. Arsenal (€435.5m)
8. Chelsea (€420m)
9. Liverpool (€391.8m)
10. Juventus (€323.9m)
11. Borussia Dortmund (€280.6m)
12. Tottenham (€257.5m)
13. Schalke (€219.7m)
14. AC Milan (€199.1m)
15. Atletico Madrid (€187.1m)
16. Roma (€180.4m)
17. Newcastle (€169.3m)
18. Everton (€165.1m)
19. Inter Milan (€164.8m)
20. West Ham (€160.9m)
21. Galatasaray (€159.1m)
22. Southampton (€149.5m)
23. Aston Villa (€148.8m)
24. Leicester City (€137.2m)
25. Sunderland (€132.9m)
26. Swansea City (€132.8m)
27. Stoke City (€130.9m)
28. Crystal Palace (€130.m)
29. West Brom (€126.6m)
30. Napoli (€125.5m)
Paul Ayorinde
Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said he is “hopeful” Gareth Bale’s latest calf injury is not too serious after the Wales international scored but then limped out of Sunday’s 5-1 La Liga win over Sporting Gijon at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.
Gareth Bale opened the scoring with his 11th goal in his last eight games with a header just seven minutes in and was heavily involved as Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema both notched quick doubles as Madrid went 5-0 ahead before the break. The Wales international did not make it to out for the second half, however, as he appeared to suffer another calf muscle problem, while Benzema was also substituted during the second half after suffering a bang on his ankle in an accidental collision with teammate James Rodriguez.
Asked about the injuries at his postgame news conference, the Los Blancos coach said Benzema appeared to be fine but there was concern that the Welsh winger had suffered what would be a fifth calf muscle injury in his two-and-a-half years at Real Madrid.
“Karim is just a bang, thankfully. Gareth’s is a bit more difficult, calf muscle, on the
left, another problem. But we will see the scans tomorrow, and hope it is a small one.” Zidane said
Done deals:
– St.Etienne have completed the signing of Oussama Tannane from Heracles on a four and a half year deal.
– Basel have completed the signing of Renato Steffen from Young Boys.
– Atalanta have signed Alessandro Diamanti from Watford on loan until the end of the season.
– Palermo have completed the signing of Hungarian forward Norbert Balogh from Debrecen.
– Juan Camilo Zuniga has joined Bologna on a six-month loan from Napoli.
Today’s reports and rumours:
– Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has revealed he wants to stay and win trophies at Borussia Dortmund.
– Manchester United are preparing a €40 million summer offer for AC Milan’s 16-year-old goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, according to reports in Italy.
– Schalke defender Joel Matip is set to join Liverpool on a free transfer in the summer, according to reports in England.
– West Brom have had their £7.5million bid for Angers’ Cheikh N’Doye rejected, according to reports.
– According to reports in Spain, Barcelona are close to signing Celta Vigo forward Nolito.
– The father of Atletico Madrid midfielder Saul Niguez says his son is happy where he is at the moment despite links with Manchester United.
– Bordeaux want to use some of the money they received from the sale of Henri Saivet to Newcastle in order to buy Red Star Belgrade centre back Vukasin Jovanovic.
– Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Veratti’s agent says his client is more likely to join Carlo Ancelotti at Bayern Munich than move to Spain.
– Manchester United are pursuing Valencia midfielder Andre Gomes after their move for Atletico Madrid’s Saul Niguez was blocked, according to reports.
– Wolfsburg sporting director Klaus Allofs says Nicklas Bendtner is still in the club’s plans.
– Paris Saint-Germain are keeping an eye on Partizan Belgrade winger Andrija Zivkovic, according to L’Equipe.
– Bournemouth will attempt to “hijack” West Brom’s £8m move for QPR winger Matt Phillips, according to reports.
– Austrian centre-back Aleksandar Dragovic is set to become Manchester United’s first signing of the January transfer window, according to reports.
– One of Ezequiel Lavezzi’s agents, Alessandro Moggi is not sure the player will leave PSG in January, but indicated Inter Milan are interested and talks could be held with Chelsea.
– Liverpool are keeping tabs on Sweden international Emil Forsberg ahead of a possible bid this summer, according to
reports.
– Abdul Baba Rahman admits he is frustrated about the lack of first team playing time he has received since moving to Chelsea.
– According to reports, Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet set to sign new contract.
– Marco Veratti has urged Paris Saint-Germain to extend Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s contract as soon as possible.
– Bologna are set to make an offer for Southampton midfielder Gaston Ramirez, according to reports.
– According to reports, Sampdoria have entered into talks with Udinese for the possible transfer of French defender Thomas Heurtaux.
– According to Sky Sports Italia, Marseille are considering making a move for AC Milan attacker Alessio Cerci.
– Toulouse full-back François Moubandje has rejected an offer from Championship side Wolves, according to reports.
– New Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane wants to bring French midfielder Paul Pogba to Madrid to be his first Galatico signing, according to reports in Spain.
– AC Milan CEO Adriano Galliani confirms the Luiz Adriano will move to China, Stephan El Shaarawy could stay and Gigio Donnarumma offers will be rejected.
– Genoa face competition from Spanish sides Levante and Getafe to loan Fiorentina forward Giuseppe Rossi, according to reports.
– Adriano’s agent confirmed “Roma and Barcelona are discussing a loan deal, but there is nothing completed yet.”
Football tit bits:
– Valencia have reappointed Jesus Garcia Pitarch as sporting director in a bid to help turn around the club’s fortunes.
– Andy Carroll is anxiously awaiting the results of a scan on the hamstring injury he suffered at Bournemouth on Tuesday but the early indication is the West Ham United striker will be out for between four and six weeks.
– FIFA has fined the football associations of Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Peru and Uruguay for homophobic chants by fans.
– Spain’s national court has ordered Neymar to testify in an investigation into alleged irregularities involving his transfer to Barcelona. The Brazil striker is set to testify on the 2nd of February.
– Chelsea have had their ticket allocation for their Champions League last-16 match with Paris Saint-Germain cut because of the heightened security level in the French capital and the behaviour of their fans last year.
– Roma have parted company with their head coach Rudi Garcia and are expected to appoint Luciano Spalletti as his replacement.
– World football’s governing body FIFA has dismissed suspended secretary general Jerome Valcke with immediate effect.
Paul Ayorinde
Done deals:
– Werder Bremen have signed Thanos Petsos from Rapid Vienna.
– Newcastle sign Senegalese midfielder Henry Saivet from Bordeaux on five-and-a-half-year deal.
– Bournemouth re-sign striker Lewis Grabban from Norwich on a three-and-a-half year deal.
– Bologna have confirmed the signing of striker Sergio Floccari from Sassuolo .
Today’s reports and rumours:
– Rio Ferdinard has urged Manchester United to do everything in their power to sign John Stones and Raphael Varane.
– Chelsea are preparing a £30million offer for AC Milan striker Carlos Bacca, according to reports.
– Southampton are interested in Palermo midfielder Oscar Hiljemark, according to reports in Italy.
– Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has ruled out a move for Brazilian forward Alexandre Pato.
– West Brom, Besiktas and AC Milan are all interested in Lyon’s Henri Bedimo, according to L’Equipe.
– Brazilian defender Dante has vowed to stay at Wolfsburg amid MLS links.
– Mauricio Pochetinno says Andros Townsend remains part of the squad and could be involved in the coming games.
– Steven Pienaar might leave Everton for Ajax Amsterdam, according to his business manager Rob Moore.
– Barcelona have opened talks with Ivan Rakitic over a new deal, the midfielder has revealed.
– Borussia Dortmund boss Thomas Tuchel says he is not planning to sell reported Liverpool target Neven Subotic, calling him “an important part of the group” despite his lack of game time this season.
– According to reports, Federico Fazio is nearing a Tottenham exit having failed to impress at White Hart Lane, with former club Sevilla a likely destination.
– Zenit St Petersburg and Guangzhou Evergrande are preparing offers for Inter midfielder Fredy Guarin, according to reports.
– Barcelona are interested in Manchester City target Leroy Sane, reports German publication Kicker.
– Chelsea defender Baba Rahman will remain at the club until at least the summer, his advisor has confirmed.
– Inter President Erick Thohir says they have ‘an ample squad’ but ‘it’s possible we’ll make some good buys in the market.’
– Borussia Dortmund defender Mats Hummels has insisted that he is not feeling any pressure to sign a new deal with the club.
– Tottenham have emerged as the bookmakers’ favourites to sign Fulham forward Moussa Dembele, ahead of Crystal Palace and Manchester United.
– Lyon have rejected a loan offer from Hellas Verona for the services of Lindsay Rose, according to L’Équipe.
– Sergej Milinkovic-Savic’s agent assures it’s “too early” for his client to consider leaving Lazio.
– Fiorentina and Spartak Moscow have agreed terms for on-loan Genoa midfielder Tino Costa, according to reports.
– Torino have reportedly submitted a bid for Sevilla’s Ciro Immobile.
– PSG winger Ezequiel Lavezzi’s move to Inter in January ’is possible’ according to his agent’s associate.
– Swansea manager Alan Curtis has said the club are willing to listen to offers for Jonjo Shelvey.
– Acccording to reports, Aston Villa manager Remi Garde hopes to be handed a large transfer fund to turn around the club’s season after talks with the board.
Football tit bits:
– Louis van Gaal believes Manchester United supporters should be happy their team are through to the fourth round of the FA Cup and suggested that traffic around Old Trafford, rather than apathy, was one of the reasons why many supporters left before the end of the 1-0 win over Sheffield United.
– Paris Saint-Germain have become embroiled in a row with the London-born rapper M.I.A after she wore a modified version of the club’s shirt in one of her music videos. Via Twitter, the 40-year-old has revealed a letter sent to her
record company, Universal Music, by Jean Claude Blanc, PSG’s deputy CEO, last month complaining about the fact she
can be seen in the video for Borders, a song about the global migrants crisis, wearing a white PSG shirt with the words ‘Fly Pirates’ across the middle, as opposed to ‘Fly Emirates’, the French club’s sponsor.
– Lionel Messi has won the Ballon d’Or award for an unprecedented fifth time. The 28-year-old Argentine had 41.33% of the vote, with Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo (27.76%)second and Barca’s Neymar (7.86%) third. “It’s a very special moment for me to be back here on this stage winning again, after being there in the audience watching as Cristiano won for two years “, Messi said after picking up the award.
– FA CUP FOURTH ROUND DRAW
Wycombe or Aston Villa v Man City
Northampton or MK Dons v Chelsea
Bury or Bradford v Hull City
Colchester v Tottenham or Leicester
Ipswich or Portsmouth v Bournemouth
Oxford v Newport or Blackburn
Crystal Palace v Stoke
Carlisle or Yeovil v Everton
Nottingham Forest v Watford
Shrewsbury v Sheffield Wednesday
Exeter or Liverpool v West Ham
Huddersfield or Reading v Walsall
Derby County v Man Utd
Arsenal v Burnley
Eastleigh or Bolton v Leeds
West Brom or Bristol City v Peterborough
Done deals:
– Palermo have signed midfielder Bryan Cristante on loan from Benfica.
– Granada have completed the signing of Sergei Guardiola.
– Norwich have signed Portuguese right-back Ivo Pinto from Dinamo Zagreb.
– Boca Juniors have completed the signing of Dani Osvaldo from Porto.
– Dundee Utd sign forward Riku Riski in loan deal from Rosenborg.
– Sunderland have completed the signing of Jan Kirchhoff from Bayern Munich.
– Angers have completed the loan signing of Saïd Benrahma from OGC Nice.
Today’s reports and rumours:
– Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger hopes Mohamed Elneny’s transfer from Basel will be completed in the “next two or three days.
– According to Le Progrès, St Étienne are closing in on a fee agreement with Heracles for Oussama Tannane.
– Bournemouth are still in for Napoli midfielder Jonathan De Guzman, according to reports in Italy.
– Borussia Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel is keen for the club to bring in a replacement for the recently departed Adnan Januzaj.
– According to reports in England, Stuttgart are interested in signing Chelsea defender Papy Djilobodji.
– Eden Hazard’s father has denied that the Belgium international is seeking a move away from Chelsea and said his current injury problems are down to playing too many games.
– Arsenal are looking to bid for Schalke defender Benedikt Howedes, according to reports.
– Borussia Monchengladbach are set to sign RB Salzburg defender Martin Hinteregger, according to reports in Germany.
– Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic is keen on a move to Galatasaray, according to reports in Turkey.
– Caen defender Damien Da Silva has rejected an approach from Premier League side Sunderland this month, according to L’Équipe.
– Aston Villa defender Joleon Lescott is a target for Major League Soccer side LA Galaxy, according to ESPN Soccernet sources.
– Wolfsburg left back Ricardo Rodriquez says he has “not heard” anything about Real Madrid’s interest.
– Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has ruled out leaving Borussia Dortmund as the club announced that there were no plans for any January sales.
– Rayo Vallecano coach Paco Jemez has confirmed his interest in signing Ghanaian midfielder Thomas from Atletico Madrid.
– According to reports in Germany, Liverpool are interested in Bayern Munich attacking midfielder Mario Gotze.
– Bournemouth will complete a £10million deal to sign Benik Afobe from Wolves, this weekend, according to reports.
– Alan Pardew has denied Crystal Palace are interested in Emmanuel Adebayor.
– Slavisa Jokanovic has sworn to fight to keep Moussa Dembele at Fulham, according to reports.
– Sunderland manager Sam Allardyce has turned his attentions to bringing in a new striker and a right-back, according to reports.
– According to Le Parisien, AS Monaco are in active negotiations for the signing of Ajax’s 19 year old defender Jairo Riedewald.
– Sporting director Cristiano Giaretta warns Udinese have “no intention” of selling Silvan Widmer in January.
– Lorient defender Lamine Koné is the subject of two offers from Premier League sides, Norwich and Aston Villa, according to various reports in France.
– Felipe Melo’s agent rubbishes rumours of a January transfer – “he wants to win the Scudetto with Inter”.
– Reports in the United States claim Roma’s Ashley Cole is close to joining MLS side LA Galaxy.
– Napoli and Torino have reportedly agreed on the terms for the loan of defender Nikola Maksimovic.
– Mauricio Pochettino says Harry Kane will not leave Tottenham, despite reports linking the striker with a move to Real Madrid.
– Sevilla midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak has admitted he has heard of transfer speculation regarding Arsenal but insisted he will leave such matters in the hands of his agent.
– New Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane says there is no chance Cristiano Ronaldo will leave the club while he is in charge.
Football tit bits:
– Barcelona have confirmed that they will appeal Luis Suarez’s two-game Copa del Rey suspension after the Uruguayan’s alleged involvement in a tunnel bust-up with Espanyol’s players.
– UEFA Team of the Year: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich); David Alaba (Bayern Munich), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Gerard Pique (Barcelona), Dani Alves (Barcelona); James Rodriguez (Real Madrid), Paul Pogba (Juventus), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Neymar (Barcelona).
– Argentina and Uruguay will form a joint bid to co-host the 2030 World Cup, the presidents of the two South American countries said on Thursday.
– Spanish prosecutors have reportedly requested that Neymar be charged on two counts of fraud and corruption relating to his move to Barcelona during the summer of 2013.
– Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure has reacted angrily to losing out on the CAF African Footballer of the Year award, saying the decision is “pathetic”, “indecent” and “brings shame to Africa”.
Our man Paul is back on the football transfer beat, tracking down the latest stories for you, and here are the latest football transfer stories for the 5th of January 2016.
you can follow Paul on twitter @El_Pauletta and also follow @NewFanzone for an instant follow back, lets keep the conversation going.
Done deals:
– Galatasaray have announced the signing of Ryan Donk from Kasimpasa.
– Cologne sign left-back Filip Mladenovic from Belarussian side BATE Borisov on a three-and-a-half year deal.
– Carpi have signed Fabio Daprela on a free transfer.
– Kenwyne Jones has completed a loan move to Abu Dhabi side Al Jazira until the end of the season.
– Blackburn Rovers have completed the signing of Elliott Bennett from Norwich on a two-and-a-half year deal for an undisclosed fee.
Today’s reports and rumours:
– Togolese striker Emmanuel Adebayor is weighing up offers from Watford and Crystal Palace, according to reports.
– Palermo’s president has confirmed that Bryan Cristante is set to join the club from Benfica.
– Marco Verratti has agreed a deal to stay at Paris Saint-Germain until “at least 2020,” according to his agent.
– lnter Milan manager Roberto Mancini has said he wants to keep hold of Marcelo Brozovic in the winter transfer window despite reports that Arsenal are ready to table a bid.
– Chelsea and Tottenham are both interested in signing Zenit St Petersburg midfielder Axel Witsel, according to reports in England.
– Everton manager Roberto Martinez insists he would not welcome bids for Kevin Mirallas during the January transfer window.
– Brighton have asked Arsenal about the possibility of signing winger Serge Gnabry on loan for the second half of the season, according to ESPN soccernet sources.
– Newcastle United and Crystal Palace are weighing up moves for unsettled Swansea City midfielder Jonjo Shelvey, according to reports.
– Watford are targeting Fiorentina midfielder Mario Suarez, according to reports.
– Inter Milan goalkeeper Samir Handanovic has extended his contract until 2019.
– Schalke have ruled out selling reported Manchester City target Leroy Sane during the January transfer window.
– Juventus have a good squad and do not need to delve into the transfer market, coach Massimiliano Allegri said on Tuesday.
– Aston Villa’s Joe Cole is on the verge of making a permanent move to Coventry, according to reports.
– According to reports in Brazil, AC Milan are close to securing Atletico Mineiro defender Jemerson for €10.5million.
– Crystal Palace have joined the race to sign Fulham’s Moussa Dembele,according to reports.
– According to reports, Swansea are keeping tabs on Napoli forward Manolo Gabbiadini as Alan Curtis looks to add to his forward line before the close of the window.
– Loic Remy is being ‘blocked’ from making a move away from Chelsea this month, according to reports.
– Basel have confirmed on their website that Arsenal target Mohamed Elneny has missed training and that a transfer could be completed “in the coming days”.
– West Brom and Watford are interested in signing Andros Townsend from Tottenham, according to Sky Sports sources.
– Norwich City negotiations with Inter has progressed, but Andrea Ranocchia has turned down the £7million move, according to reports in Italy.
– Atalanta have reportedly sealed a deal with Dutch side Heracles for attacking winger Oussama Tannane.
– According to L’Équipe, Milan Bisevac has completed his Lazio medical, as a transfer from Lyon gets closer.
– Kevin Grosskreutz is on the brink of sealing a move to Stuttgart from Galatasaray, according to reports.
– According to L’Équipe, Saint Étienne are interested in Belgian left winger Yassine El Ghanassy.
– According to reports, Manchester United are ready to make a summer offer of more than £75m for Real Madrid forward
Gareth Bale, after the Spanish club sacked manager Rafael Benitez on Monday.
– Arsenal are considering making a bid for Watford striker Troy Deeney, according to reports.
– West Ham are reportedly willing to sell striker Andy Carroll for £18million, with Sunderland and Newcastle interested in the 26 year old.
– Bournemouth want to sign Chelsea striker Patrick Bamford, according to reports.
– Marseille striker Michy Batshuayi is closing in on signing a contract extension at the club until 2020.
– Birmingham are interested in Sunderland’s Will Buckley, according to reports.
– Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri has said that forward Simone Zaza isn’t going anywhere in the current window, despite being linked with a loan move to the Premier League.
Football tit bits:
– Former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho’s representatives are said to be getting “frustrated” with the lack of movement regarding the Manchester United job, according to ESPN Soccernet sources.
– Rafael Benítez has expressed his gratitude for having the opportunity to manage Real Madrid and wished his successor, Zinedine Zidane and his staff well.
– FIFA Ethics Committee recommends 9 year ban for suspended FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke for alleged corruption
– QPR have appointed their former manager Chris Ramsey as technical director.
– Eva Carneiro’s case for constructive dismissal against Chelsea will have its first tribunal hearing on Wednesday.
– Pep Guardiola says he did not extend contract at Bayern Munich because he wants to manage in the Premier League.
newfanzone 