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Showing posts from August, 2017

Deadline Day: The transfers which got away

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While it was a blockbuster summer transfer window, there were several big-name players who didn't make the big-money moves they may have done. From buying clubs not matching sellers' valuations to players failing to agree personal terms, there were a range of reasons for these potential transfers falling through. Here, we take a look at the ones that got away… Alexis Sanchez to Manchester City It would have been a huge Premier League transfer had it come off, but Manchester City eventually missed out on signing Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez - despite a Deadline Day offer of up to £60m for the attacker. Pep Guardiola was keen on a reunion with the player he coached at Barcelona. However, despite Sanchez having just one year left on his contract - and so free to leave Arsenal for nothing next summer - Arsene Wenger was reluctant to sell. Arsenal's stance on Sanchez, coupled with their inability to secure a late deal for Monaco's Thomas Lemar, ended any chan...

Chelsea Football Club Completes the Signing of Davide Zappacosta from Torino

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Chelsea Football Club has today completed the signing of Davide Zappacosta from Torino. The 25-year-old can play at wing-back or full-back and has been capped by Italy. He has signed a four-year deal at Stamford Bridge. Zappacosta said: ‘It is a dream for me to join Chelsea and play in the Premier League. I am very excited to be here and start working with the team. I hope I can show my quality to the coach, my team-mates and the supporters.’ Technical director  Michael Emenalo  added: ‘Davide is a player of international calibre who  Antonio Conte  knows well and we have been aware of for some time. We are very pleased to be able to bring him to the club and believe he will become an important member of the squad.’ Zappacosta possesses a combination of defensive and attacking qualities and is a fine crosser of the ball from a wide-right position. His energy and stamina enable him to get forward for 90 minutes and recover quickly when defending. He is quic...

Kylian Mbappe to Paris St Germain: Why this teenager is worth it

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Kylian Mbappe has made his  big move to Paris Saint-Germain  but why was he so in demand? With the help of analytics expert Rory Campbell, we examine the teenager’s numbers and the characteristics that have got everyone in the game so excited. The reported £166m fee that Paris Saint-Germain have agreed to pay for Kylian Mbappe is startling. This is a player with only 20 league starts to his name. As a result, it is natural to wonder just what the biggest clubs could have spotted in those appearances to convince them that the French teenager is so extraordinary. What sets him apart that they can be so certain this is a player of unparalleled potential? Perhaps it makes sense to start with the raw numbers; the record and the records. Mbappe made his debut for Monaco in December 2015, featuring away to Tottenham in the Europa League the next week. He scored his first senior goals in a home win over Troyes in February of last year and started in an away win over PSG the f...

How did Bayern Munich's Renato Sanches end up at Swansea?

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Swansea pulled off one of the shocks of the transfer window with their season-long loan deal for Bayern Munich's Renato Sanches. But how did they make it happen? And why is it such a coup for Paul Clement's side? How good is he? Sanches is seen as one of the most exciting young players in Europe. The midfielder, who has only just turned 20, burst onto the scene with a dazzling breakout season at Benfica in 2015/16, helping his boyhood club win the Portuguese title and reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League. He then starred for Portugal at Euro 2016. Sanches produced a man-of-the-match performance against Croatia in the last 16, scored a crucial goal against Poland in the quarters, and became the youngest finalist in the tournament's history when he started in Portugal's extra-time triumph over France in Paris. By that time, Bayern Munich had already beaten off competition from a host of top European clubs for his signature. Sanches headed to Bavar...

Kylian Mbappe: The inside story on his move from Monaco to PSG

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Sky Sports News' chief news reporter, Bryan Swanson, explains the details behind PSG's stunning signing of Kylian Mbappe from Monaco, including the FFP rules involved... Kylian Mbappe's transfer from Monaco to Paris Saint-Germain becomes one of the biggest deals in world football, eclipsed only by his new team-mate Neymar. On August 3, the club signed the Brazil international after it paid his Barcelona release clause of around £200m (€222m). Less than a week later, senior figures close to PSG were adamant the club would not sign any more players and emphatically declared there would be "no move" for Mbappe. "Do you seriously believe we could afford €222m and then €170m, or whatever price?" they asked, incredulously. The club issued denials to selected media but the devil was in the detail. There would be no permanent transfer this summer but, instead, a deal with a surprising twist. On August 21,  Sky Sports News  learned that PSG were disc...

Thomas Lemar: The Monaco winger wanted by Arsenal

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Arsenal have made a big-money bid for Thomas Lemar but Thomas decided against the move. Here's why the Monaco winger is such an attractive prospect and arsenal should try to get him in the nearest future... With Manchester City attempting to sign Alexis Sanchez, Arsene Wenger has stepped up his long-term interest in Lemar, with Sky sources understanding a £92m bid has been made. Here, we chart Lemar's rise from the island of Guadeloupe to the left wing of Monaco's midfield... Background Having been born in the French overseas territory of Guadeloupe, Lemar moved to mainland Europe in 2010 to join Caen's youth setup. The versatile midfielder rose up the ranks, but seldom featured for Caen in his first season with the senior side, playing just seven games in the 2013/14 campaign which saw Caen earn promotion to Ligue 1 - one N'Golo Kante played every match that season. Lemar featured more heavily alongside Kante upon the club's return to top-tie...

Chelsea £30m deal for Ross Barkley collapses

Chelsea agreed £30m deal for Barkley, but whilst undergoing his medical, the player decided he didn't want to join Chelsea. With Antonio Conte needing to increse the size of the number of football players in the team this would come as a blow. Just minutes to go until the transfer window slams shut.

Gibbs completes Westbrom Medical

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Arsenal defender Kieran Gibbs is close to finalising a £7m move to West Brom after completing a medical, according to Sky sources. Watford pulled out of a deal for the defender  on Tuesday after failing to agree personal terms, despite agreeing a deal with the Gunners last week. Gibbs, who is in the final year of his contract at the Emirates and has been told he can leave, was believed to have been keen to play under Marco Silva at Vicarage Road but his future now appear to be at The Hawthorns, with only minor contractual issues to be sorted. The left-back lost his first-team place to Nacho Monreal last season when he made just eight Premier League starts and, having missed the pre-season tour to the Far East, has yet to feature this season. Baggies' boss Tony Pulis has been desperate to sign a left-sided defender for some time after they played the whole of last season without a recognised senior left-back at the club. Gibbs, who has 10 England caps, is a pro...

DONE DEAL: Monaco have completed the signing of Keita Balde from Lazio for €30m

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It has been anouced on monaco official twitter handle that Keita Balde have joined on a 5 year deal. A 22-year-old Senegalese international, Keita enjoyed a breakout campaign in the Italian top flight last season. He racked up 16 goals and 3 assists in 35 appearances for Lazio. Monaco may be signing Balde as they view the Lazio forward as someone who can fill in for Lemar, but it’s also possible that he’s being bought to replace Kylian Mbappe. Mbappe is set to be announced as a PSG player imminently. It’s been a busy few days at Monaco, as they’s also landed former Man City striker Stevan Jovetic. Jovetic is seen by AS Monaco representatives as a belated replacement for Valere Germain

Update On Mustafi’s Potential Move As Arsenal Seek €5m Loan Fee

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According to Sky Italia, Arsenal want Inter Milan to pay a loan fee of €5m to take Shkodran Mustafi for the 2017-18 season. On top of that, they want the Italian giants to agree to a €25m purchase at the end of the season, triggered if the German international plays over 50% of their league games during the campaign. The Gunners are willing to let Mustafi go less than 12 months after paying £35m to Valencia for him, but having already sold Gabriel to the same Spanish side for £10m, they need to set up a deal for another centre-half. It’s widely believed that we’re in discussions with Northern Irish Intenational Jonny Evans,and the imminent sale of Kieran Gibbs to the baggies means lines of communication between the clubs are open. Many would feel that a 29 year old who has been let go by Manchester United is a somewhat underwhelming signing. Even if he is a decent, consistent Premier League player, he not going to get too many people excited. It certainly look...

Busted South African police officer nabbed with cocaine

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The officer, Pulse learned, was en route Johannesburg when she was nabbed with the illegal substance. A South African female police officer, Angela Maluleke, 33, has been arrested for possession of hard drugs at the Sao Paulo International Airport in Brazil. Maluleke from  Giyani  in  Limpopo  was arrested after she was allegedly found with six bricks of cocaine in her luggage. Source: pulse

ARSENAL PLAYERS WORTH AND WHAT IT MEANS TO NEYMAR!!!

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With Arsenal currently in meltdown we look at the value of each player at the club and their worth Petr Cech £10m Monreal £2m Kosielny £5m Bellerin £3m Mustafi £30 Chamberlain £7m Ramsey £8m Welbeck £13m Ozil £40m Lacazeette £44m Xhaka £34m Walcott £4m Giroud £6m Sanchez £38m Total cost for ARSENAL team £222m Cost for only NEYMAR £222Million MORAL OF THE LESSON: One good head is better than many foolish ones.

OFFICIAL: Liverpool FC have agreed a deal with RB Leipzig for the future transfer of Naby Keita

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Liverpool Football Club confirm on their official website that they have reached an agreement with RB Leipzig for the future transfer of Naby Keita. The Reds have agreed a deal with the German club and the midfielder that will see the 22-year-old move to Anfield on July 1, 2018 following the conclusion of the current season. Keita, a Guinea international, joined Leipzig from Red Bull Salzburg in 2016 and scored eight goals in 31 Bundesliga appearances last term to help them to a second-place finish. “I am delighted that an agreement has been reached which will allow me to join Liverpool Football Club next summer, when I will become part of a project that excites me greatly,” he said. “My commitment to RBL remains absolute for the remainder of my time at the club. I have given my all every time I have worn the shirt – that will be the case until the final whistle, in my final appearance. “Having my future resolved means I can now focus on helping RBL achieve great thi...

54yrs ago from today Martin Luther King, Jr gave one of the greatest speeches in human history—"I have a dream"

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Martin Luther King's I have a dream speech August 28 1963   I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation. Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of captivity. But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself in exile in his own land. So we ...

BREAKING: TWO DAYS PUBLIC HOLIDAY DECLARED BY FG FOR THE CELEBRATION OF EID-EL-KABIR

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The Federal Government has declared Friday, September 1 and Monday, September 4, 2017 as public holidays to mark the Eid-el-Kabir celebration. This was made public in a press statement by the Minister of Interior, Lt. Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau (retd.) on Monday in a statement released by the Director Overseeing the Office of the Permanent Secretary, Dr. Rufa’i Attahiru. Dambazau congratulated Muslims and urged all Nigerians to use the occasion to pray for peace, unity, prosperity and the stability of democracy. He admonished the citizens to join hands with the government of President Muhammadu Buhari “in its avowed determination to build a peaceful and harmonious country, where the rights of every citizen are protected and guaranteed,” as enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The minister assured Nigerians of their safety in all parts of the country, emphasising that security agencies have been directed to maintain the peace and protect lives a...

5 Signings That Would Resurrect Arsenal

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With all of the panic among Arsenal and their fans, its clear that the club is in a very sticky situation and it seems they have been for a while. Each year, Arsenal ill prepare their side and always fall short of winning the title. Now, with 4 days left until the transfer window closes, anybody that Arsenal buy will be seen as a 'panic buy'.  90 mins have made a list of fife players that would have been perfect for Arsenal and maybe they still could be... 1. Virgil Van Dijk Van Dijk is probably the most talked about Centre Backs in the premier league right now, with almost every top 6 club after him. The 26 year old stands at over 6 foot 3 inches tall and has a brilliant physique. - something that Arsenal don't have anywhere in their side. With bags of Premier League experience, Van Dijk would restructure Arsenal's defence and potentially resolve all of their defensive problems on his own. 2. Julian Draxler After PSG signed Neymar in the biggest t...