Man.City signs Torres

Manchester City have signed winger Ferran Torres from Valencia on a five-year deal.
The Spain U21 international becomes Pep Guardiola’s first summer signing, joining for an initial fee of £20.8m plus bonuses.
City moved for Torres following Leroy Sane’s transfer to Bayern Munich last month.
The 20-year-old came through Valencia’s renowned academy and scored four times in 34 appearances last season as they finished ninth in La Liga.
He is considered one of Spain’s brightest young prospects but Valencia needed to sell some players to balance their books, even before the financial impact of coronavirus.

Torres told Man City’s club website: “I am so happy to be joining City. Every player wants to be involved in attacking teams and Manchester City are one of the most attacking in world football.
“Pep (Guardiola) encourages a really open, aggressive style, which I love, and he is a manager with a proven track record of improving players. To have him overseeing my development is a dream.

“City have won plenty of trophies in the last 10 years and I hope I can play a role in continuing that success.”
Torres made his senior debut as a teenager during the 2017-18 season, going onto make 13 appearances in total that term. The following season he scored three times in 37 games in all competitions as Valencia won the Copa del Rey.
City are also in the market for centre-backs this summer and have had a £41m offer for Nathan Ake accepted by Bournemouth .

Man City are expected to be busy as they look to regain supremacy in the Premier League from Liverpool.
The priority around recruitment will be in defence and, in particular, signing two centre-backs following their costly shortages last season while a new left-back will also be sought.
Two other very difficult challenges await: finding a successor to Sergio Aguero and the search for a new number 10 to replace Premier League legend David Silva. (skysports)

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Manchester City escapes UCL ban

Man City escape UEFA Champions League ban after CAS appeal
Manchester City have won their appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over alleged financial fair play (FFP) violations and are free to play in the Champions League next season, it was announced on Monday. An initial fine of €30 million was also reduced to €10m following Monday’s verdict.

City were originally banned from European competitions for two seasons but won their appeal to CAS, meaning fifth place in the Premier League will no longer qualify for the Champions League.

A statement from CAS read: “The CAS award emphasized that most of the alleged breaches reported by the Adjudicatory Chamber of the CFCB were either not established or time-barred.
“As the charges with respect to any dishonest concealment of equity funding were clearly more significant violations than obstructing the CFCB’s investigations, it was not appropriate to impose a ban on participating in UEFA’s club competitions for MCFC’s failure to cooperate with the CFCB’s investigations alone.
“However, considering : (i) the financial resources of MCFC; (ii) the importance of the cooperation of clubs in investigations conducted by the CFCB, because of its limited investigative means; and (iii) MCFC’s disregard of such principle and its obstruction of the investigations, the CAS Panel found that a significant fine should be imposed on MCFC and considered it appropriate to reduce UEFA’s initial fine by 2/3, i.e. to the amount of EUR 10 million.”

City took their case to CAS on June 8 after they were initially handed a two-year ban from UEFA competition and a €30m fine issued to them by the Adjudicatory Chamber of the Independent Club Financial Control Body (CFCB).
A Manchester City statement read: “Whilst Manchester City and its legal advisors are yet to review the full ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the Club welcomes the implications of today’s ruling as a validation of the Club’s position and the body of evidence that it was able to present. The Club wishes to thank the panel members for their diligence and the due process that they administered.”
The CFCB found that City “committed serious breaches” of FFP regulations — which limit the net losses clubs can accrue over a three-year period — between 2012 and 2016 and failed to cooperate with the subsequent investigation.
It was said that the club overstated “its sponsorship revenue in its accounts and in the break-even information submitted to UEFA between 2012 and 2016.”
In response, City claimed the process was “flawed” and said there was “irrefutable evidence” that would lead to them winning an appeal. FFP was introduced by UEFA at the start of the 2011-12 campaign, as a way of stopping clubs falling into financial difficulties by overspending.
Ahead of Monday’s verdict, manager Pep Guardiola had also voiced his confidence that City would get the ban overturned.
“The intention is every season to play in the Champions League as best as possible, it’s not about Monday,” Guardiola said.

A UEFA statement read: “UEFA takes note of the decision taken by the Court of Arbitration for Sport to reduce the sanction imposed on Manchester City FC by UEFA’s independent Club Financial Control Body for alleged breaches of the UEFA Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play regulations.
“UEFA notes that the CAS panel found that there was insufficient conclusive evidence to uphold all of the CFCB’s conclusions in this specific case and that many of the alleged breaches were time-barred due to the 5 year time period foreseen in the UEFA regulations.
“Over the last few years, Financial Fair Play has played a significant role in protecting clubs and helping them become financially sustainable and UEFA and ECA remain committed to its principles.
“UEFA will be making no further comments on the matter.”
City are also still able to compete in this season’s Champions League. They hold a 2-1 first-leg lead over Real Madrid in the round of 16, and will play either Juventus or Lyon in the quarterfinals if they progress. (ESPNFC)

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Zidane unsure if James will play for Real Madrid again.

Zinedine Zidane has admitted he “doesn’t know” if James Rodriguez will play for Real Madrid again after the midfielder was left out of the squad for the second game in a row.

James — who has been linked with moves to the Premier League and Serie A — didn’t feature as Madrid beat Alaves 2-0 on Friday night to go four points clear of rivals Barcelona at the top of La Liga.
The playmaker didn’t travel for Madrid’s previous game, a 1-0 win at Athletic Bilbao on July 5, either, with Zidane saying he “wanted to be left out for his own reasons.”
James, 28, signed for Real Madrid from Monaco for €75 million in 2014 and was an initial success, but his contribution since returning in 2019 from a two-year loan at Bayern Munich has been limited.
“It’s a good question, I’d like to know too,” James told Gol Caracol last month when asked why he has started just five league games this season. “It’s complicated when your coach doesn’t give you minutes. It’s hard to show what you can do… I’m not one of the key players, that’s clear.”

The Colombia international also suggested he had been denied a move to Atletico Madrid last summer — and is now understood to prefer not to be involved at all, rather than be a bit-part player.
He is unlikely to feature as Real Madrid play three games in seven days next week as they look to win La Liga for the first time since 2017. (ESPNFC)

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Chong needs to go on loan says agent

World-renowned super-agent and Chairman of number one agency Stellar Group, Jonathan Barnett believes his client and Manchester United hot-prospect Tahith Chong could further his development with a loan move as early as next season.

Chong, 20, made his competitive debut in 2019 when manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer opted to bring the youngster on in an FA Cup tie against Reading in place of Spanish star Juan Mata.

Since the Dutch winger’s introduction to top-flight football two years ago, he has gone on to make 15 senior appearances for the Reds.

Having recently committed his future to the club, as per an official announcement on United’s website in March this year, Solskjaer will be eager to further the development of one of his most highly regarded prospects.

Speaking exclusively with Jonathan Barnett, who represents Chong, Stretty News asked what inspired the youngster to stay with the club during a period which saw fellow prospect Angel Gomes opt to depart.

“He [Tahith Chong] believes,” Barnett said. “We all believe that he has a future there. I think he’s a great talent.”

Barnett went onto explain that game time could be key in the youngster’s next stage of development, “But he needs to be playing games and if that means going out on loan then maybe that’s something which we need to be talking about.”

When asked if a potential loan move was something fans could expect to see as early as next season, he added: “I would think so […] He’s a great talent.”

Chong will be looking to catch the eye of the United staff next season, with the likes of in-form Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Mason Greenwood firing on all cylinders the 20-year old attacker will be hoping to give Solskjaer some selection headaches.

The future certainly looks bright for United’s young boys, particularly Chong though, as the club and his agency remain fully commitment to his development. (strettynews)

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Klop reveals player that will never play for Liverpool again

Adam Lallana will not play for Liverpool again to prevent transfer-jeopardising injury, says Jurgen Klopp

The Midfielder will leave the club as a free agent at the end of the season after signing a short-term extension

Adam Lallana will not play for the again again as the club honours an agreement with the out-of-contract midfielder not to put him at risk of injury.

The 32-year-old signed a short-term deal to tie him over until the end of this extended campaign but it was always the intention for him to leave this summer.

And while Lallana is available to play should he be needed, manager Jurgen Klopp respects the player enough to not jeopardise his next move.

“It is clear Adam will leave the club in the summer,” said the Reds boss. “But now we have a difficult situation, but I will respect Adam a lot. And everything with Adam is sorted, let me say it like this.

“He is so fit, he is training, everything is fine. But yes, the future is his future, and if we need his help on the pitch we can get it. He is there.

“He trains 100 per cent but as long as we don’t need it, he will just train. That is the normal thing.

“I think there were a lot of discussions about players without contracts, with him there was not even a discussion.

“It was clear Adam would extend his contract and he wants to do that as well, but he will not put any risk on his future or whatever. That is absolutely clear.

“For now, if you ask me about it, I miss already everything about him. He is one of the most influential players on the training quality I have ever had in my life. He is an incredible professional.

“So he is one of the most important players of the time since I am here so I wish him only the best for the future.

“From my point of view he is already a legend here, so he can become a legend somewhere else from next season on.”(independent)

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United finally finds the missing puzzle

Manchester United have undoubtedly presented herself as a force to reckon with during the reign of Sir Alex Ferguson as manager, parading some of Europe’s best footballing talents such as David Beckham, Roy Keane, Ryan Biggs, Ruud van nistelrooy, cristiano Ronaldo and a plethora of names too numerous to mention.

However, since the Scottish tactician retired, taking an ambassadorial role at the old Trafford, it has been a rollercoaster affair for Manchester United.

Though there are glimpses of such attractive and result-oriented football, slightly edging closer to that obtained when Sir Alex Ferguson was in the dugout,The results have rarely built an aura of confidence amongst the fans.

Season after season, massive investments have been injected of both in transfer of players and sponsorship deals,all in a bid to acquire players that will spring them back to the top of European football but results appear minimal.

There have been numerous search for a reliable midfield partnership for Big money signing, Paul pogba but it does appear the light is beginning to illuminate red.

United finally got their dream man in the January transfer window and since then, everything have clicked and some may be wondering why it took the red devils so long to sanction the purchase of the Portuguese midfield maestro.

Manchester United are likely emerging from this deep crisis. In fact they have seemingly forgotten the feeling of losing a match since they have not lost any Premier league match since Bruno Fernandes joined them in January.

They have gone from a team challenging for UEFA europa league spot before Christmas to looking like a possible title contenders for next season.

I guess special thanks to the immense contributions of the Portuguese playmaker as he needed just 13 minutes of playing time in his debut to show he was the man Ole have been craving for.

His leadership quality is above the roof. He has boosted the confidence of players around him.

Nemanja Matic, Scott Mctominay Fred and even paul Pogba were all struggling to prove their worth at united but with his arrival, the team’s Mentality changed for good. He changed the culture of the team.

That free kick combination with Anthony Martial against Manchester City just shows how effective his communication has been with his team mates.

He has assisted 5 goals and scored 6 in 9 Premier league appearances. He also won the Premier league player of the month of February. There’s no doubt he is already a fan favourite at Manchester United fc.

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Arteta wants to keep Ceballos at Arsenal

Arsenal are in talks with Real Madrid over keeping Dani Ceballos at the club, with the playmaker’s loan deal due to expire soon, manager Mikel Arteta has said.

Ceballos, who joined Arsenal in July last year, missed over two months with a hamstring injury but scored in stoppage time against Sheffield United last week to send Arsenal into the FA Cup semi-finals.

“We are talking to the club,” Arteta said ahead of Arsenal’s Premier League game against Leicester City later today.

“Obviously we don’t own the player, he’s not in our hands so the clubs will need to have a communication and see what we can do. I’m really happy with him, the way he’s evolving.”

Ceballos contract with Real Madrid runs until 2023 and Arteta added that Arsenal might bring in more players on loan given the financial constraints brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We have to be open to different situations,” Arteta said. “I think the market will give us the opportunity to do certain (loan) deals like this but at the moment I cannot comment on that.”

Arsenal are seventh in the league on 49 points, six behind fifth-placed Manchester United.

With second-placed Manchester City facing a possible European ban for breaching UEFA financial rules, fifth place would guarantee Champions League qualification unless City win an appeal in the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

“It’s clear that it’s not in our hands; the only thing we can do is win as many games as possible and see what happens with the opponent,” Arteta said. (Reuter)

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Buffon and Ronaldo sets record

Cristiano Ronaldo and Gianluigi Buffon of Juventus both each set a record in a 4-1 win against Torino on Saturday.

Gianluigi Buffon has edged out AC Milan legend Paolo Maldini at the top of Italian top flight’s all-time appearance list in the win against Torino.

The 42-year-old made 648 appearances in the league and set a new record since he first joined Serie A’s Parma in 1995.

Teammate Cristiano Ronaldo also reached a milestone in the Turin derby with a free kick, having bagged his 25th goal this season, becoming the first Juve player to score 25 Serie A goals in a season in 59 years since Omar Sivori in the 1960/61 season.

More importantly, the goal from last night brought back his much-needed confidence having missed 42 attempts to score a free kick since he joined the Italian side.

Buffon joined Juventus after playing for Parma for six seasons, and spent a year at Ligue 1 giant Paris Saint-Germain where he made 17 outings. With an added 665 appearances in total, he has set another record for most appearances in Europe’s top five leagues.

He signed a one-year contract extension with Juventus earlier this week.

Juventus received help in their bid for a ninth straight Serie A title later in the day as Ibrahimovic of AC Milan scored one goal and assisted on another in his first start since the coronavirus lockdown against Laio.

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Solskjaer reveals players he will not sign at Manchester United

Manchester United boss, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, has said he will not buy “rotten apples” and any new signing must reflect his personality.

During his first summer transfer window as United boss, Solskjaer signed Harry Maguire, Daniel James and Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

The Norwegian then brought in Bruno Fernandes last January and Odion Ighalo on loan.

But United continue to be linked with more names this summer.

“I wouldn’t be able to look at myself if I didn’t know I’d given everything for my team-mates and my manager.

“That’s what I also now look for in players that we sign or we bring up from the youth team. You have to have a good personality and that you are professional because one rotten apple in the basket will make the others rotten,” Solskjaer told the Shiv Nadar Foundation.

United are scheduled to restart their Premier League campaign with a trip to Tottenham Hotspur on June 19.(daily post)

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Umahi directs army, police to take over warring Ebonyi communities

Gov. David Umahi of Ebonyi has directed the Nigerian Army and Police to take over Isinkwo-Ukawu and Abaomege communities of Onicha Local Government Area of the state and immediately restore law and order in both communities.
The directive which is contained in a statement signed by Mr Uchenna Orji, the State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, on Sunday stated that the governor is saddened by developments in both communities.

The statement said that the governor expressed dismay over the activities of the youth in both communities who resorted to taking ‘laws into their hands’ and inflicting injuries on the people because of land dispute.
“The state government has henceforth taken over the disputed land effective from June 6, 2020, in line with the laws of the state.
“The governor has directed the state Commissioner for Lands and Survey to immediately acquire the disputed land for the government, in overriding public interest,” the statement read.
The statement added that Umahi further warned both communities to ‘pull out’ completely from the disputed land.
“All concerned are to take this matter seriously,” the statement read.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that similar violence had erupted in Izzi recently where over seven houses were burnt at Amuzu village in Igbeagu community of Izzi Local Government Area, over a village headship tussle.
The crisis resulted in the arrest of no fewer than eight persons by the police including the traditional ruler.
(Vanguard Nigeria News)

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