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Football News: Neville Denies Media Claims, Yaya Focused On Man City and Cech Worth More Than 15 Points To Arsenal + More News

Neville Denies Media Claims, Yaya Focused On Man City and Cech Worth More Than 15 Points To Arsenal + More News
Image from: zeenews.india.com

1. Transfer round up
Nicola Bollomo, Chievo Verona to Vicenza, on loan
Fabian Monzon, Catania to Universidad de Chile, undisclosed fee
Rosinei, unattached to Coritiba
Thiago Galhardo, Coritiba to Red Bull Brazil, on loan
Bruno, Coritiba to Piracicaba, on loan
Rafheal Lucas, Coritiba to Goias, on loan
Marcelo, Cianorte to Chapecoense, on loan
Martin Tonso, Newell's Old Boys to Colo Colo, on loan (£64,000 fee)
Sebastian Sosa, Pachuca to CA Rosario Central, on loan
Andres Schetino, Fenix to Fiorentina, £2.45m
Thiago Potiguar, Santa Rita to America, free
Breyner Bonilla, Tolima to Defensor, free
Deivis Barone, Guillermo Brown to Rentistas, free
Jhon Valoy, Once Caldas to Hunan Billows, undisclosed fee
Kamel Ghilas, RSC Charleroi to Dinamo Bucharest
Josip Brezovec, Spezia Calcio to HNK Rijeka, loan return
Chengdong Zhang, Rayo Vallecano to Beijing Guoan, loan return
Luis Leal, Belenenses to APOEL Nicosia, loan return
Denys Boyko, Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk to Besiktas, £2.31m
Claudio Perez, Boca Juniors to Banfield, free
Jesus Fernandez, Levante to Granada, free
Geuvanio, Santos to Tianjin Quanjian, £7.7m
Fabricio, Bragantino to Muangthong United, undisclosed fee
Kamil Wilczek, Carpi to Brondby IF, £158,000
Florin Bejan, ASA Tirgu Mures to Cracovia Krakow, £70,000
Zdravko Kuzmanovic, FC Basel to Udinese, on loan
Francisco Rodriguez, VFL Wolfsburg to Arminia Bielefeld, on loan
Gary Hooper, Norwich City to Sheffield Wednesday, undisclosed fee
Jordan Loties, released by CA Osasuna
Alessio Cerci, Atletico Madrid to Genoa, on loan
Andres Schetino, Fiorentina to AS Livorno, on loan
Pavlo Rebenok, Torpedo Zhodino to Vorskla Poltava, free
Tommy Oar, released by Ipswich Town
Kevin Foley, unattached to Ipswich Town
Auremir, Fortaleza to Sampaio Correa, free

2. Hiddink wants Costa to keep his edge
Chelsea's interim coach Guus Hiddink has told Diego Costa to carry on being fiery. While the burly striker has been criticised for spending too much time getting wound up, and losing his concentration on the game, Hiddink has backed the Spanish international to carry on as he is. "I'd prefer to have players who, sometimes, you have to control or tell them 'a little bit less' than have to push them," Hiddink said. "Sometimes you are misjudged by images. Off the pitch, they seem to be the most vulnerable figures. He shows a lot of joy to everyone. I observe the players when they are in the canteen, dealing with people who prepare the pitches, not snobby or arrogant, that's good to see. They're different characters off the pitch. On the pitch they have that desperate will to win, almost at any cost. That's a slight change in character and behaviour." Hiddink takes his Chelsea side to the Emirates Stadium to take on Arsenal on Sunday.

 

3. Ipswich let go of Oar
Australian winger Tommy Oar has struggled to adapt to life in England. The 24 year old former Utrecht player has now negotiated a release from Ipswich Town so that he can move closer to home. Oar only joined the Tractor Boys in August. "I'd like to thank Ipswich Town for their co-operation over ending my contract," Oar told itfc.co.uk. "It's a great club and the manager, staff and players made me feel very welcome but while I have enjoyed playing for Ipswich, I have found it difficult to settle into life in England. I have been away from home for five or six years now. My family came over at Christmas and maybe I've got to a point where I want to be closer to home again. "It's just one of those things where moving over here as not worked out as I had hoped but I'd like to wish the Club, the manager, the staff and the players the best of luck over the rest of the season and I hope to be watching Ipswich in the Premier League next year." "Tommy came to see me and said that he hadn't settled in England and asked if it was possible to end his contract," Ipswich manager Mick McCarthy said. "It's disappointing obviously as we had high hopes for him. He had shown great quality in training but I don't want to keep a player at the Club who doesn't want to be here. We wish him well."

4. Boateng suffers groin injury
Bayern Munich have been hit by an injury on their return to Bundesliga action. The German international injured his groin during Friday night's match against Hamburg, limping off in the 55th minute as Bayern won 2-1. Bayern are now awaiting the results of tests to find out how long he will be out for, but they expect him to miss next weekend's game with Hoffenheim. "Jerome Boateng is doubtful for FC Bayern's next Bundesliga match against Hoffenheim on 31 January," a Bayern statement read. "The centre-back sustained a groin injury in the 2-1 victory away to Hamburg and had to be replaced 55 minutes into the contest. A detailed examination will follow in Munich at the weekend."

 

5. Neville denies Spanish media claims
Struggling Valencia head coach Gary Neville is finding it a totally different ball game leading a football team rather than sitting on a chair in a TV studio telling other people how to run a team, while getting lots of direction in his ear telling him what to talk about. Neville has yet to win a match in La Liga since taking over at the Mestalla in December, and now reports have emerged that he had criticised his players in the dressing room, telling them they were not fit to wear the Valencia shirt. Neville has denied the claims, calling them untrue. "This is wrong," he said. "There is a line that is crossed. You can comment on the performance, you can say what you like, but I have to correct this position because it's very dangerous to think that this is correct. It is absolutely not correct. I don't mind whatever is said about me, but if I am misquoted through rumour and speculation, it is dangerous. Those players are fit to wear this shirt. They have fantastic talent. There are a lot of young players and they don't need to be reading things like this when it is not true."

6. Goal for Tijuana v Santos Laguna
It is not so much about the finish by Henry Martin, it is the silky turn and precision pass by Juninho that makes this goal worth seeing:

 

7. Toure focused on Man City
While Yaya Toure's agent is making comments in the media about him listening to offers to go elsewhere, Yaya himself has been busy whining about not winning African Player of the Year. The Manchester City manager, Manuel Pellegrini, has said that Toure is fully focused on playing for the Citizens this season. "I know what Yaya thinks, I know Yaya is mentally absolutely involved in this season," the Chilean said. "He's not thinking about his future, he wants to continue being the same important player he has been for this team in other years. So I don't think that it's important to answer different opinions because so many different agents of different players can have their opinion, I don't think it's important. Yaya will be always a very important player for our team. Maybe as we are just talking about the amount of games that we have to play, it was one of the reasons he didn't start the last game but he always makes a difference," he said. "We also have very important other midfielders in Fernando, Fernandinho and Delph, so the four of them cover that position in a good way. I think they are four players that for me give me a lot of trust but Yaya will continue being always a very important player."

8. Pick that out!
Beautiful finish by Shoya Nakajima for Japan versus Iran in the AFC U23 Championships

 

9. Bundesliga needs to compete with the Premier League
Borussia Dortmund boss Hans-Joachim Watzke believes the Bundesliga needs to take the fight to the Premier League to get more publicity for the league. Despite the Bundesliga only having one team in the title race, Watzke believes that it can compete for TV audiences worldwide. "I have no fear of the English (league), we must make sure our qualities are in the foreground," Watzke told Koelnischen Rundschau when asked about the financial gulf between Germany's top clubs and their English counterparts. "There is no need for the Bundesliga to be shy. From a football perspective, it's just as good as the Premier League. We have superb stadiums filled with passionate fans, the average attendance is much higher, we play great football and we have first-class academies. We are the world champions, while the English will be able to celebrate a great milestone in the summer: 50 years without a title," he added. "The English clubs also only have four teams in the Champions League and I can't imagine that good players from Borussia Dortmund will move to Norwich City or Crystal Palace," said the Dortmund CEO. "Dortmund is among the top ten clubs in Europe: we are a first-class address. You only have to look at the table: we stand 12 points in front of VfL Wolfsburg," he said. "We have regained our former position."

10. Cech worth more than 15 points per season
Arsenal goalkeeping great Bob Wilson has claimed that Petr Cech is worth more than 15 points to the Gunners this season. "I think Arsenal are really really close," says Wilson. "John Terry was absolutely on the button about his influence but I would say he is probably worth more than 15 points. It is one of the signings of the season without any doubt. I think we have three 'worldies' at the moment: Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez and Cech. He is everything Wenger and Arsenal hoped he would be. At this moment, he is the most experienced, best goalkeeper in football. I think Arsenal will have at least five, six, seven years, depending obviously on injury. He is 33 and that is prime time for a goalkeeper. Peter Shilton, David Seaman, Pat Jennings all went on until over 40." "I consider him now as a real Arsenal player who looks to me as if he's been here forever because he has adapted so well," said Wenger. "He has a calming presence, he communicates well, anticipates well, sees what is coming. He is a kind of coach. The best position to be a coach is the goalkeeper because he doesn't move and he sees everything. He is the camera behind the team."

Written by Tris Burke January 23 2016 06:42:46