Football News: Review of the Day 5th February 2020

Review of the Day

Contracts



Nigerian midfielder James Igbekeme has signed a deal running until 2025.



David Worrall has signed a 2 and a half year contract with Port Vale.







Transfers



Brighton & Hove Albion forward Jurgen Locadia has joined FC Cincinnati on loan, with the option for a permanent deal.



Qatari Stars League side Al Sadd have signed Marco Fabian from Philadelphia Union.



Amiens defender Jordan Lefort has signed for BSC Young Boys on loan.



Udinese have signed Watford's Austrian centre-back Sebastian Prodl on a free transfer.



Derrick Etienne Jr. has been traded to Columbus Crew by NY Red Bulls.







Injury Round-Up



Bayern Munich winger Ivan Perisic has suffered a fractured ankle in training, ruling him out for at least a month.



Celtic defender Jack Hendry has torn his medial collateral ligament. The 24 year old is currently on loan with A-League side Melbourne City.



Atletico Madrid right-back Kieran Trippier has had groin surgery. The 29 year old former Tottenham Hotspur player has not featured for nearly a month due to the injury.



Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek has made his return to action after a lengthy lay-off due to a heel injury. The 24 year old ruptured his Achilles tendon in a friendly in pre-season.



Tests on Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele's hamstring injury have revealed "a complete proximal hamstring tear in his right thigh". It is expected that he will miss the rest of the season.







Managerial Changes



Stuart McCall has returned to the Bradford City hot seat for his third spell as manager of the League Two club. Gary Bowyer left on Monday after a run of seven games without a win and with Bradford sat in 8th place in the table. McCall said: "It is always difficult taking over from a manager who has lost his job, so I feel for Gary (Bowyer). But, when (Bradford chief executive) Julian Rhodes contacted me, I was desperate to return. We have to assess the squad very quickly and get ready for the remainder of the season. I obviously know a few of the players from my previous spell here, so am looking forward to the challenge. The club is a huge one in this division and, with everything still to play for, the job is to try and get us back to where we should be."







Kalou Blocked By Work Permit



Salomon Kalou has revealed that he almost joined Aston Villa in January. The 34 year old is out of favour at Hertha Berlin, with new head coach Jurgen Klinsmann making him train apart from the first team. Kalou admitted that he was close to returning to English football, having previously played for Chelsea. Kalou said: "England would have tempted me very much. I received a call from my good friend John Terry, who coaches Aston Villa now (as an assistant). He was our captain at Chelsea back then and a true leader. I would have liked to play under him. We tried until the final hour if there is a possibility. But I'm not a European and don't play for the national team anymore. That was the problem."







Watt At Mothers



Former Celtic striker Tony Watt is currently training with Motherwell but manager Stephen Robinson does not expect to sign the free agent. Robinson said: "Tony's a local boy, a very good footballer. We have just let him come in to train with us, use our facilities, with no real case of anybody wanting anything out of it at this stage."







Zamalek Back Down



Egypt's Zamalek have given way on their upcoming African Super Cup game against Esperance of Tunisia. The game is to be played in Qatar this month and initially Zamalek had refused to take part. The club's board have now voted to send their team for the match on the 14th of February.







Gervinho Trains Alone



Parma's former Arsenal forward Gervinho has found himself in hot water after missing training sessions to try and force his way out to join Qatari club Al-Sadd. The deal fell through despite Parma being hopeful they had completed and delivered all the necessary documentation in time. A disappointed Parma stated: "After unjustifiably missing training repeatedly last week, Parma can confirm that Gervinho will follow an individual training plan under the orders of the club's technical staff."







Korean Fans Win Compo After CR7 No Show



The South Korean fans who went to court over their "mental anguish" after paying to watch a Juventus friendly in which Cristiano Ronaldo never played, have won compensation. The game was advertised as featuring Ronaldo for at least 45 minutes against a K-League all-star team, but Ronaldo sat on the bench throughout. The organisers have been ordered to pay 371,000 won (around £240) to the two fans, including 300,000 won for "mental anguish". The K-League itself protested to Juventus for violating the contract.