Football News: Man City Star Set To Stay, Klopp Backs Liverpool Forward And More
Image from: zimbio.com
1. Pulis denies Berahino absence was due to transfer
West Bromwich Albion laboured to a dour 1-0 win over Championship side Bristol City last night without their England U21 striker Saido Berahino. With interest in the want-away forward from Premier League rivals such as Newcastle United, speculation was rife that he has been dropped due to the interest. Manager Tony Pulis has denied that the reports had any truth in them, stating that Berahino missed out due to a stomach bug. Berahino has not started a match since the end of October and he is still intent on moving away from the club in this January window. Pulis said: "The first thing to say is that the valuation will be determined by the (Albion) chairman (Jeremy Peace). I was going to play Saido tonight but he's not been well. He's picked up a bug that (Rickie) Lambert and a few other players have had over the last few weeks, so we've given him a miss. But we want to keep Saido if we can." There was some good news for the Baggies as summer signing Salomon Rondon got his first goal in three months.
2. On loan Arsenal youngster scores cracker
Ainsley Maitland-Niles is currently on loan at Ipswich Town and he scored a cracker last night for them against Portsmouth:
3. Bony denies talk of leaving Man City
Wilfried Bony became the most expensive African footballer in history when he joined Manchester City from Swansea City last January, signing a four and a half year deal with the then Premier League champions. Despite this Bony is being linked with a move away from the Citizens in this January transfer window by the tabloids, as he is unable to force his way into the first team on a regular basis. Bony has laughed off the rumours denying he is looking to leave City. "I'm happy at the club," Bony told BBC Sport. "All this speculation is not true. I have a contract so I'm happy and I think I'm at one of the top clubs in the United Kingdom. I have no regrets about joining Man City. We play in the Champions League and we're one of the top clubs in the world. I'm happy here and I can just say I'm blessed."
4. Wilshere visits Great Ormond Street
Arsenal's England midfielder Jack Wilshere has taken time out to visit sick kids in Great Ormond Street Hospital. The 24 year old is currently in rehab after being injured in August.
5. Klopp says Benteke has a Liverpool future
With Christian Benteke on the bench for the big games this season under new Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, speculation is rife regarding his future at the Merseyside club. Klopp has come out and ruled out talk of him leaving, and dismissed doubts about his ability to fit into the high pressing style of football Klopp wants to play. "Of course he has a future, that is not a question. He is a goalscorer and makes chances and so on, that is all good," Klopp said. "This is how it works, we make a starting line-up and it ends at 11 then we make the bench. That is how we did it in the past, now we will do it in the future. He has always the possibility to play. For the next game it could be different. We have to think about how we create chances. First of all we cannot hope that we can get the ball into the box and then maybe Christian will finish it. He is a complete striker, but you have to work for it. He hasn't finished his development (with us) and we as a team haven't either. You have to look at how (different styles) fit," the former Borussia Dortmund manager said. "To have Christian on the bench is a quality sign."
6. Messi's tax fraud trial clash with Copa America
The date has finally been set for Argentina and Barcelona star Lionel Messi's tax fraud trial. Argentina will be unhappy as the dates clash with their preparation for the summer's Copa America tournament, which kicks off on 3rd June. The case has been set for a hearing between 31st May and 3rd June. Messi and his father, Jorge Horacio Messi, have been charged with three counts of tax fraud and could be sentenced to nearly two years in prison if found guilty. They are accused of defrauding Spain's tax office of 4.1 million euros ($4.4 million) in unpaid taxes from 2007-09. The attorney's office called for a prison sentence of 22 months and 15 days for Messi and his father, along with a fine in the amount defrauded, payment of all legal proceedings and the loss of any possible tax benefits for a year and a half. Last year fellow Barca and Argentina player Javier Mascherano admitted to tax evasion of nearly 1.5m Euros.
7. Graham delight at leaving Sunderland
Despite having become a starter in recent weeks for Sunderland, striker Danny Graham has said how delighted he is to leave, after signing on loan for Championship side Blackburn Rovers. With just one goals in his forty-four appearances, it is little wonder the Black Cats were happy to let him leave for Rovers. Graham told Blackburn's official website: "To get out of Sunderland and have a fresh challenge is superb for me, so I'm delighted to get it done. I can't wait to get going and hopefully we can pull together and move up the table. I'm looking forward to the first game against Charlton and hopefully we can get off to a flying start."
8. Bolton staff to go unpaid in January
Championship club Bolton Wanderers are fighting for their place in the Championship, as they currently prop up the league, but more pertinently they are fighting for their financial lives as the club struggles against huge debts and an unpaid tax bill of over £2.2m. HMRC have hit the club with a winding up order but they have been given a five week adjournment to try and remedy their cash flow problems, having stated that they hope to sell a car park to a retail park to ease their debt. Even so, the club have confirmed that staff will not be paid on time for January. A statement on their official website read: "Bolton Wanderers has stated that due to the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the club's current funding position, it has been unable to confirm to its staff today that they will receive their wages for the month of January on the due dates. Every effort continues to be made by the board of directors and its advisers to pay staff and also resolve the longer term funding issue during what remains a difficult and challenging time for the football club."
9. Transfer round up
Sotiris Ninis, Panathinaikos to RSC Charleroi, free
Jan Mauersberger, Karlsruhe SC to 1860 Munich, £35,000
Timm Klose, VfL Wolfsburg to Norwich City, £7.7m
Marquinho, Udinese to Ahli, on loan
Zoltan Stieber, Hamburg SV to 1. FC Nuremberg, on loan (£70,000 fee)
Erik Johansson, KAA Gent to FC Copenhagen, £1.05m
Denis Tkachuk, Zenit St-Petersburg to Rubin Kazan, undisclosed fee
Berat Djimsiti, FC Zurich to Atalanta, free
Nordin Amrabat, Malaga CF to Watford £5.88m
Gonzalo Jara, 1 FSV Mainz 05 to Universidad de Chile, free
Cristian, Ituano to Ponte Preta, free
Clayson, Ituano to Ponte Preta, undisclosed fee
Kenan Ozer, Konyaspor to Adana Demirspor, free
Ibrahim Dagasan, unattached to Adana Demirspor
Petar Stojanovic, NK Maribor to Dinamo Zagreb, £1.4m
Leandro Euzebio, Tupi to Cabofriense, free
Niklas Backman, Dalian Yifang to Aarhus GF, free
Damir Sovsic, Dinamo Zagreb to NK Lokomotiva Zagreb, loan return
Rolando Mandragora, Pescara to Genoa, loan return
Fabricio, FK Partizan Belgrade to Bragantino, loan return
Michael Olaitan, Olympiacos to KV Kortrijk, on loan
Goran Mujanovic, Al-Nasr to Birkirkara FC, free
Facundo Cardozo, CA Velez Sarsfield to Bolivar, on loan
Erik Sviatchenko, FC Midtjylland to Celtic, £1.75m
Emanuel Insua, Udinese to Newell's Old Boys, on loan
Ricardinho, Sheriff Tiraspol to Sharjah FC, undisclosed fee
Joan Roman, Braga to Nacional, on loan
Kieza, Shanghai Shenxin to Sao Paulo, £642,000
Fernando Godoy, Atromitos Athens to Godoy Cruz, undisclosed fee
Thomas Ayasse, CS Troyes to AC Le Havre, undisclosed fee
Lucas Ontivero, Galatasaray to Montreal Impact, on loan (£158,000 fee)
Ezequiel Rescaldini, Malaga CF to Quilmes, on loan
10. Football League regrets Leeds fixture change
The Football League has released a statement of regret after a late schedule change to the Leeds United versus Middlesbrough Championship match. Leeds have previously taken legal action over the fixture changes and even attempted to ban TV cameras from Elland Road. Fans have vented their anger on social media after the game, which was originally scheduled to take place on Saturday 13th February was moved back to Monday 15th February. The Football League has claimed that the legal challenge by Leeds resulted in the late announcement of the fixture change. "Like other matches being broadcast during February, this game was originally selected for transmission in early December with home clubs asked to make the necessary arrangements at the time," a Football League statement read. "However, as was referenced by Leeds United in its statement of the 29th December, the club has challenged the League 'through the appropriate legal routes', which has prevented confirmation of the date of this fixture until now. Due to ongoing legal restrictions the League cannot comment further at this time."
Written by Tris Burke January 20 2016 16:18:36
