Football News: Review Of The Day 24th August 2018

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Review of the Day

Transfers

QPR sign a pair of strikers to try to lift them off the bottom of the table. Tomer Hemed has joined from Brighton & Hove Albion and Nahki Wells arrives from Burnley. Both forwards are on loan until the end of the season.

A successful trial has seen Wycombe Wanderers give Alex Samuel a short term deal until January. Samuel left Stevenage at the end of last season.

Chelsea defender Tomas Kalas has made another loan move into the Championship, this time to Bristol City, after two years on loan at Fulham.

Free agent winger Liam Feeney has joined Blackpool on a two-year deal. The 31 year old was with Blackburn Rovers last season.

Millwall have taken Barnsley striker Tom Bradshaw on loan until January with an obligation to buy in January for an undisclosed fee.

Everton midfielder Muhamed Besic has returned to Middlesbrough on loan. The Bosnian international spent the end of last season with Boro and this season will spend the whole season with the North Eastern side. Joe Williams has also left Everton on a season-long loan deal, the young midfielder also joining a Championship side, in his case Bolton Wanderers.

Liverpool defender Connor Randall has joined League One side Rochdale on loan for four months.

The epitome of footballing underachievement and greed, Jack Rodwell, has somehow managed to find a new club imbecilic (or desperate?) enough to sign him. Blackburn Rovers manager Tony Mowbray has given him a season-long deal following his far-too-late contract cancellation by Sunderland in the summer.

Morrocan forward Abderazak Hamed-Allah has made a surprising move between two countries currently at each other's throat. The striker has swapped Al Rayyan of the Qatari Stars League to join Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr.

Watford full-back Dimitri Foulquier has moved to Getafe on loan for the season. The Hornets have also sent young striker Obbi Oulare to Standard Liege on loan.

Former Swansea City forward Bafetimbi Gomis has moved to the Saudi Pro League to sign for Al Hilal for a fee of over £5m from Galatasaray.

Brazilian defensive midfielder Josef has been another player to join the Saudi league as Al Ahli have paid over £10m to sign him from Fenerbahce.

Rayo Vallecano have signed Spanish winger Alvaro Garcia from Cadiz for a fee of about £4.5m.

Over £7m has been splashed out by FC Nantes to sign Anthony Limbombe from Club Brugge.

Former Newcastle United midfielder Siem de Jong has left Ajax to move on loan to Sydney FC of the Australian A-League.

Aston Villa have paid a loan fee of just under £2m to sign winger Anwar El Ghazi on loan from LOSC Lille.

Will Grigg's On Fire Enough To Earn Norn Iron Recall

Wigan Athletic forward Will Grigg has hit the ground running this season, and has done enough to earn a first call up for his country since the end of 2016. Oddly, free agent defender Gareth McAuley has also been called up, despite not having been able to find a club since being released by West Bromwich Albion.
Northern Ireland squad:
Goalkeepers: McGovern (Norwich City), Carson (Motherwell), Peacock-Farrell (Leeds United).
Defenders: Cathcart (Watford), J. Evans (Leicester City), Hughes (Hearts), McAuley (unattached), C. McLaughlin (Millwall), McNair (Middlesbrough), Smith (Hearts), Lewis (Norwich City).
Midfielders: Davis (Southampton), McGinn (Aberdeen), Dallas (Leeds), C. Evans (Blackburn), Ferguson (Millwall), Saville (Millwall), Jones (Kilmarnock), Norwood (Sheffield United).
Forwards: Lafferty (Rangers), Boyce (Burton Albion), Magennis (Bolton Wanderers), Grigg (Wigan Athletic), Washington (Queen's Park Rangers), Ward (Nottingham Forest).

Bony Returns To Training

Swansea City have been boosted by the return to training of Ivory Coast international Wilfried Bony. The 29 year old striker has not played since February, when he tore his cruciate ligament against Leicester City. Currently the Swans only have one senior striker available to new manager Graham Potter.

Four EFL Cup Second Round Ties Will Trial VAR

The ties between Brighton & Hove Albion and Southampton, Fulham against Exeter, Leicester City versus Fleetwood Town and Everton's match with Rotherham United have been chosen as guinea pigs for VAR, which will be limited to goals, penalty calls, direct red cards and mistaken identity cases. There has also been a move to keep fans in the stadium involved by having a set of messages to display on screens around the ground. They are:
VAR Check in Progress
VAR Check In Progress - Checking Goal
VAR Check In Progress - Checking Penalty
VAR Check In Progress - Checking Red Card
VAR Check In Progress - Checking Mistaken Identity
VAR Check Complete
VAR Check Complete - Original Decision Overturned

Pellegrini Asks For Fan Support

West Ham United manager Manuel Pellegrini has asked the fans to get behind the team and not leave the ground early, even if the team are struggling as "the players need everybody together". Pellegrini's side have so far lost both matches 4-0 and 2-1, respectively, and the Chilean said: "I perfectly understand if you are losing 4-1 or 5-1, maybe you leave early, but losing 2-1?. Maybe the fans had a reason, but I just want to clarify their importance. It is not about how much I criticised the fans - it is how much the team needs the fans."

Written by Tris Burke August 24 2018 06:14:05