Football News: Review Of The Day 21st July 2019
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Review of the Day
Transfers
West Bromwich Albion have paid around £1.5m to sign Nigerian defender Semi Ajayi from Rotherham United.
Portugese striker Nelson Oliveira has left newly promoted Norwich City to sign for AEK Athens.
Benfica have paid just over £15m for Brazilian forward Carlos Vinicius from Napoli.
Former Aston Villa player Jordan Veretout has joined Roma on loan for a fee of around £900,000 from Fiorentina.
Veteran Portugese midfielder Miguel Veloso has joined Verona on a free transfer from Genoa.
Toulouse have paid over £2m to sign defender Agustin Rogel from Krylya Sovetov Samara.
Former Manchester City target Omar Abdulrahman has been released by Al-Hilal Riyadh of the Saudi Professional League.
Callum Evans has signed for Port Vale following his release by Macclesfield Town.
Trotters Face More Pre-Season Problems
The situation at Bolton Wanderers is showing no signs of being resolved as the club has to call off a second pre-season friendly game. Last Friday's game against Chester City was previously abandoned and now they have pulled out of Tuesday's match against Preston North End as the club's takeover shows no sign of being completed. The playing staff have issued a statement to explain that they are unhappy with the delay, have not been paid for 20 weeks and that they have received no communication from the club's administrator amid talk of the mental and emotional stress they have been put under.
Bhoys To Sign Israeli Defender
Once-capped Israeli defender Hatem Abd Alhamed is set to join Celtic from Hapoel Be'er Sheva after the two clubs agree a deal. The player will now take his medical and apply for a work permit. Abd Elhamed can play at right-back or centre-back and has previously played in Europe for Belgium clubs Charleroi and Gent, as well as Romania's Dinamo Bucharest.
Ighalo Quits International Football
Nigeria's 30 year old former Watford striker Odion Ighalo has retired from international football, despite finishing as top scorer at the recent African Cup of Nations tournament in Egypt with 5 goals and in qualifying for the tournament, when he bagged 7 goals. He had failed to score in the 2018 World Cup and his family had received death threats following that tournament, so it is understandable that he has lost his appetite to play for his nation. Ighalo said: "You always dream of playing for Nigeria as a boy and luckily I managed to do it from the under 20s to to the senior side. But you only need to take the time to reflect and tell yourself the truth, even though it was the hardest decision to make in my life as a footballer, I think it is the right one. I feel honoured to finish as top scorer in Egypt with the help of my teammates and coaching staff. Personally, it is also time for me to give way to the promising young players in the national team set up. I am extremely proud to have represented my country - and despite not reaching personal and collective ambition as a team - I have really enjoyed every moment. I returned to China with an injury and I now plan to focus on my club career. I'm going to support the country as a fan now and hopefully return to help my club as soon as possible."
Sarri The Reason Says De Ligt
Matthijs de Ligt has claimed that new Juventus manager Maurizio Sarri is the reason he joined Juventus over the other offers (I am sure that is way below the obscene wages and huge signing-fee though). De Ligt said of Sarri: "He was one of the reasons that I wanted to join here. I spoke to Sarri on the phone before coming just to get to know each other. I've heard a lot of good things about him and I like his footballing philosophy and how he prepares his defence."
Thousands Turn Out For Algeria Parade
Algeria have paraded their African Cup of Nations trophy in Algiers in front of tens of thousands of fans. It was their first title since 1990 when they won their only other AFCON trophy. To celebrate they paraded through the capital city Algiers on an open top bus with two stars to mark it as their second trophy.
Audi Demand Barca Cars Back
Audi's sponsorship deal with Barcelona has ended and the car manufacturer has told Barca's stars that they have to return the free cars they were given as part of the deal. The players were given free choice of any car from Audi's range and chose the following:
Sergio Busquets: Audi R8 Coupe V10 plus Daytona gray (£192,000)
Gerard Pique: Audi RS 6 Avant performance Daytona gray (£127,000)
Luis Suarez: Audi RS 6 Avant performance Daytona gray (£127,000)
Lionel Messi: Audi RS 6 Avant performance Sepang blue (£127,000)
Nelson Semedo: Audi Q7 Carrara white (£75,000)
Marc-Andre ter Stegen: Audi SQ5 TFSI Mythos black (£71,000)
Ernesto Valverde: Audi Q7 e-tron quattro Florett silver (£65,000)
Jordi Alba: Audi Q7 Sepang blue (£65,000)
Ivan Rakitic: Audi Q7 Graphite gray (£65,000)
Philippe Coutinho: Audi Q7 3.0 TDI (£65,000)
Ousmane Dembele: Audi RS3 Sportback Panther black (£56,000)
Sergi Roberto: Audi RS3 Sportback Catalunya red (£56,000)
Samuel Umtiti: Audi RS3 Sportback Catalunya red (£56,000)
Written by Tris Burke July 21 2019 06:14:12
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