Football News: Review Of The Day 23rd January 2018
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Review of the Day
R.I.P. Patrick Cryne
Former Barnsley owner Patrick Cryne has lost his battle with cancer at the age of 66. His passing comes just a month after the club was sold to a consortium which included a Chinese billionaire, Chien Lee, and the pioneer of Moneyball in baseball, Billy Beane. Cryne was a lifelong Barnsley fan who first joined the board in 2003 and is credited with being the saviour of the club. His family retain a 20% stake in Barnsley, with his son James a director.
Transfer Deals On Targett
Southampton's left sided player Matt Targett has joined Fulham on loan in a move that is sure to set off rumours of young starlet Ryan Sessegnon moving on.
One of Leeds United's summer arrivals is heading off on loan for the second half of the season. Mateusz Klich is off the FC Utrecht to try and get some gametime.
Norwich City have completed the signing of 26 year old Aberdeen midfielder Kenny McLean and then immediately sent him back there on loan until the end of the season.
Benfica's Sweden U21 international Erdal Rakip has joined Roy Hodgson's Crystal Palace on loan for the rest of the season. Rakip had only joined Benfica from Malmo earlier this month.
Inter Milan have confirmed the signing of Rafinha on loan from Barcelona for the rest of the season. Inter have the option to make the deal permanent before the end of the season by paying a fee of around 38million Euros.
Polish forward Michal Zyro has left Championship leaders Wolverhampton Wanderers to join Charlton Athletic on loan as he looks to return to full fitness following a long term knee injury.
Former Juventus and Inter Milan midfielder Saphir Taider has left Serie A club Bologna to become MLS side Montreal Impact's designated player. Taider has joined on a 2 year loan deal with an option for a third season.
Another Managerial Change
English League One side Oxford United have sacked Spanish manager Pep Clotet following a 2-1 at home to bottom of the table Bury on Saturday. Clotet was only appointed in July and had formerly been a coach at both Leeds United and Swansea City. Derek Fazackerley has been given the role of caretaker manager while a long term replacement is sought.
O'Neill Rejects Scotland Offer
Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill has decided against being the replacement for Gordon Strachan as Scotland boss. "It's a huge honour to be offered the position however I do not feel that this is the right opportunity for me at this moment in my career," he said. "I would like to place on record my gratitude to the SFA for the very professional manner in which they conducted negotiations and I would also like to wish them every success for the future."
R.I.P. Jimmy Armfield
Former England and Blackpool captain Jimmy Armfield has died after a battle with cancer. Armfield holds a club record for appearances with Blackpool, with 627 games played and moved into management with Bolton Wanderers and Leeds United, following his retirement from player. In more recent times he has been a much loved football summariser on the radio. Like another recent loss, Cyrille Regis, he was one of life's nice guys who will be sadly missed.
Ronaldo In Truly Ronaldo Moment
In a moment which probably summed up Cristiano Ronaldo's reputation better than any other, vanity overshadowed his goalscoring. After scoring 2 goals in Real Madrid's 7-1 victory over Deportivo La Coruna, Ronaldo took a boot to the head from Fabian Schar, which did enough damage to end his game there and then. However the Portugese superstar seemed more interested in any potential damage to his face, as he borrowed the club doctor's phone to use it as a mirror on the way off the pitch. Perhaps the way to beat Real Madrid is to set up lots of giant video screens around the ground just focusing on Ronaldo? Would he be too busy preening to play?
De Bruyne Signs New Contract
Manchester City have tied down their Belgian playmaker Kevin de Bruyne until 2023, a 2 year extension on his previous deal. De Bruyne had joined Citeh from VfL Wolfsburg after he had been surprisingly sold to them by Chelsea as a youngster. Since then he has grown into one of the top midfielders in Europe, scoring 6 goals and providing 10 assists this season alone.
The Deal Is Done
Finally the swap deal between Arsenal and Manchester United has been completed. Man Utd have added Alexis Sanchez, while Henrikh Mkhitaryan heads the other way in return. Having almost joined Man City in the summer, Chile attacker Sanchez was desperate to leave the Gunners and is now United's highest paid player after signing a 4 and a half year deal. Both players were in desperate need of a fresh start as Mkhitaryan had been on the fringes under Jose Mourinho.
Poyet Rules Out Malcom Sale
New Bordeaux manager Gus Poyet has revealed that he took the role on condition that Brazilian forward Malcom was not sold. The 20 year old has been targeted by both Tottenham and Arsenal this January and recently said it was his dream to play in the English Premier League. At least it is his dream unless Barcelona or Real Madrid show interest, in which case it has always been his dream to play in Spain.
Robinho Signs For Sivasspor Despite Jail Sentence For Gang Rape
Former superstar Brazilian Robinho, now 33, has agreed a deal to sign for Sivasspor in Turkey. Robinho, who has previously played for Man City, Real Madrid and AC Milan, was handed a 9 year jail sentence after being found guilty of taking part in the gang rape of a woman in Milan in 2013. Robinho maintains his innocence and his sentence is suspended while he appeals the decision.
Spanish Football Union Hits Out At Saudi Deal
Spain's version of the PFA has slammed a deal which has seen nine players from Saudi Arabia join Spanish clubs on loan as sacrificing "the essence of this sport. This new business model prioritises the economic aspect over the sporting one," said Spain's footballers' union (AFE). Villareal, Levante and Leganes are amongst the teams who have signed players. One of the teams, Sporting Gijon, who signed a player knew so little about him they actually released a Twitter statement naming his club as the player they had signed.
FIFA Discuss Sponsorship Of VAR
In proof that little has changed at FIFA, despite Sepp Blatter's ousting, they are discussing the possibility of a sponsor for the VAR in the forthcoming World Cup in Russia. With VAR being used for the first time ever at a World Cup, FIFA intend to use the pauses in the game to offer broadcasting time to sponsors. While the idea of VAR is intended to be to make the game more fair, will it not be tempting to use it more often than needed so that more sponsorship money can be wrung out of the World Cup?
Heynckes Admits Rejecting Chelsea And PSG
Bayern Munich head coach Jupp Heynckes has revealed that he rejected offers from Chelsea and PSG following the end of his previous spell with the Bavarian giants. Despite Heynckes winning the treble of Bundesliga, cup and Champions League, he was famously replaced by Pep Guardiola in 2013, when he announced his retirement. Despite the retirement announcement, Heynckes had no shortage of suitors trying to convince him to continue in football management. Roman Abramovich tried to convince him to replace Rafael Benitez by asking if he could visit him at home but Heynckes turned him down. PSG were even more extravagant, as the boss, Nasser Al-Khelaifi wanted to take his whole entourage to Heyncke's farmhouse and to have his chefs cook for the German! Heynckes also said no to that offer, but he was quick to step in to help out Uli Hoeness after Carlo Ancelotti was given the push by Bayern.
Kane Is England's Player Of The Year
Tottenham striker Harry Kane has added to his personal accolades with England's player of the year for 2017, receiving 75% of the votes. After scoring 7 goals in 6 games, it was a well deserved win.
Chicharito Requests Transfer
According to the agent of Javier Hernandez the Mexican striker has put in a transfer request to West Ham United. "Our primary focus is a club in which [Chicharito] can play the most games possible," agent Eduardo Hernandez has said. "That's the most important. Javier has asked personally for it. He's commented, stated and demanded that we look for a club that really needs a player with his characteristics because what he wants is to play and play and play." The 29 year old has struggled for first team football recently with manager David Moyes preferring a pairing of Marko Arnautovic and Manuel Lanzini up top.
Written by Tris Burke January 23 2018 03:58:59
