Football News: Review Of The Day 18th September 2020

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Review of the Day

Contracts

Accrington Stanley boss John Coleman, his assistant Jimmy Bell and coach John Doolan have all extended their contracts until 2024.

Derby County midfielder duo Max Bird and Louie Sibley have also both extended their deals until 2024.

Bogdan Milovanov has extended his Sporting Gijon deal until 2024 as well.

Transfers

Liam Feeney has joined Tranmere Rovers on loan for the season from Blackpool.

Southend United have made a double signing. Veteran midfielder Alan McCormack has returned to the club after ten years away and Barnet striker Simeon Akinola has also signed.

Burton Albion have brought Jack Roles in on loan from Tottenham Hotspur until January. Also joining the Brewers is Indiana Vassilev from Aston Villa for a season long loan.

Jonathan Grounds, who was released by Birmingham City in the summer, has signed for Swindon Town.

Wigan Athletic have made their first signing of the season with the arrival of Tom James on loan from Hibernian.

Coventry City midfielder Josh Eccles has joined Gillingham on a season long loan.

Trabzonspor have signed former Arsenal and Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Benik Afobe on loan for the season from Stoke City.

Nathaniel Clyne is training with Crystal Palace in an attempt to get a permanent move back to his first club after being released by Liverpool this summer. Palace manager Roy Hodgson said: "Nathaniel Clyne hasn't trained with us, I haven't seen him. I believe he was coming to be tested today so he could take part in some training with us over next couple of weeks where he is interested to improve his fitness and show us - and not only us, perhaps other clubs too - that he is fit and ready to go again. A lot hinges on Nathan Ferguson, the player we have actually brought in to be a right-back at the club and to compete for a place there. A lot will depend on how his injury situation pans out over the next few weeks, but it will be very nice to see where Nathaniel is and if there is an opportunity for us to offer him something or if he is interested in us offering him something, then him joining us."

AS Roma have signed 20 year old defender Marash Kumbulla on a 2 year loan from Hellas Verona with an obligation to purchase him at the end of the loan. The move involved Mert Cetin, Matteo Cancellieri and Aboudramane Diaby going the other way on loan for a year with an obligation to buy them all at the end of the loan.

Antonin Barak has joined Hellas Verona on loan from Udinese.

Chelsea have sent Conor Gallagher on loan to West Bromwich Albion.

RCD Mallorca have signed Jordi Mboula from AS Monaco.

PEC Zwolle have signed Immanuel Pherai on loan from Borussia Dortmund.

Bournemouth's former Liverpool left-back Brad Smith has joined Seattle Sounders of Major League Soccer on a free transfer.

Juventus have released Gonzalo Higuain.

Sassuolo have paid £3.6m for Italian defender Filippo Romagna from Cagliari.

Freiburg have spent £9m on Baptiste Santamaria from SCO Angers.

Lorenzo De Silvestri has joined Bologna on a free transfer from Torino. Joining Torino on loan is Nicola Murru from Sampdoria.

SD Huesca have signed Greek centre-back Dimitrios Siovas from Leganes for under £1m.

Former Hull City and Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Yannick Sagbo has been released by Qatari side Umm Salal SC.

Injury Round-Up

Gillingham are expecting to be without midfielder Stuart O'Keefe for the rest of the season after he suffered a broken leg and ligament damage in the Carabao Cup win over Coventry City.

Middlesbrough manager Neil Warnock had complained of feeling unwell before watching his side lose to Barnsley in the Carabao Cup. The 71 year old has since tested positive for coronavirus and will now spend 2 weeks in isolation.

Managerial Changes

Disciplinary Charges

A Brentford fan who made a racist comment in a video posted on social media has been given a lifetime ban from the club. A club statement read: "We have a zero-tolerance policy towards discriminatory language, abuse, chanting and behaviour of any kind. It is vital that our community of fans, present and future, understand that we will not tolerate racism and discrimination."

Hull Cancel Fan Return

The rise in cases of Covid-19 in the area has led to Hull City cancelling their planned crowd return on Saturday. Hull's League One match with Crewe Alexandra was one of ten games that were initially meant to have a test pilot scheme of up to 1,000 fans in attendance. The local council have stepped in to cancel the pilot after infection rates triple in the city in the past week. A statement from Hull City Council read: "In order for the proposed 'return of fans' pilot match to go ahead at the Hull City v Crewe Alexandra game at the KCOM Stadium this Saturday, it was necessary to meet 10 public event assessment criteria, established by the Association of Directors of Public Health. The first of these states that there can be no significant increase in the area's coronavirus infection rate ahead of an event. Unfortunately, the rate in Hull currently stands at 15.3 infections per 100,000 people, up from 4.2 per 100,000 people last week. Consequently, on the grounds of public health and public safety, this pilot cannot go ahead and the game will have to be played without fans in attendance. We appreciate this decision will be disappointing for many but, in the current circumstances, it is the safest and most appropriate decision and has been made in the best interests of our residents and our visitors." That leaves just 7 games in the pilot scheme now:
Middlesbrough v AFC Bournemouth (Championship)
Norwich City v Preston North End (Championship)
Blackpool v Swindon Town (League One)
Charlton Athletic v Doncaster Rovers (League One)
Shrewsbury Town v Northampton Town (League One)
Carlisle United v Southend United (League Two)
Forest Green Rovers v Bradford City (League Two)

Addicks Sale Blocked

Businessman Paul Elliott has won his appeal and been granted an injunction to block the sale of Charlton Athletic until after a court case to determine his claim on the club takes place in November. The ruling will now put a block on Danish businessman Thomas Sandgaard's attempt to buy the club for now.

Leeds Defend Casilla Decision

Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa has defended his decision to name Kiko Casilla as captain for the club's Carabao Cup defeat against Hull City. The 33 year old Spanish goalkeeper was banned for 8 games and fined £60,000 in February for racially abusing Charlton Athletic forward Jonathan Leko. Bielsa said: "I interpreted the feeling of his team-mates. His team-mates think he deserved to be the captain and we have to listen to those messages. The players see in their captain someone they feel can represent them. I respect the opinions of any person. After that, opinions can be argued. Surely those who judge Kiko ignore a lot of the things his team-mates see in him? I cannot deny that the captain not only represents his team-mates, but he also represents the club. The opinion of the masses should always be heard. But I don't know if you guys know what percentage of fans it is. If there is a correlation between what the authorities, the fans and his team-mates think, surely the public won't have all the information that his team-mates would have?"

New Deal With China

The Premier League has agreed a new broadcast rights deal in China to replace the deal with PPTV which was terminated earlier in the month. A new deal with Tencent Sports has replaced the previous one and it will include short in-play clips clubs will be able to share in order to engage with supporters.

Havertz Not Burdened By Price Tag

New Chelsea signing Kai Havertz has dismissed talk that his big price tag could weigh down on him and become a burden. The Blues paid over £70m to sign the 21 year old midfielder from Bayer Leverkusen. Havertz said: "In football today it's normal to pay these prices. I will not put a lot of pressure on myself because I think I'm not doing the worst things in the past - that's why the price tag was high. It's a very big step to come from the Bundesliga to the Premier League. It's the best league in the world. I will need some time to adapt, but I'm looking forward to it."

Setien Sues Barca

Former Barcelona manager Quique Setien and three of his assistants are suing the club after being sacked last month. The quartet claim they only received their written notice of contract termination on 16th September, despite being sacked nearly a month earlier on 17th August. Setien claims that the letter he received "revealed the clear intention from the club to not comply with contracts we signed on 14 January 2020".

Written by Tris Burke September 17 2020 22:09:35