New Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti has compared club captain John Terry to Italian legend Paolo Maldini.
The former Milan coach appeared in confident mood during his unveiling as a Blue, conducting his first press conference in English, requesting that any questions journalists had should be asked slowly in order for him to fully understand.
“I am very happy to start here,” he said.
According to a plethora of reports, Manchester City had offered £30 million for Terry, an offer that had been swiftly rejected. However, City’s interest continues to hover in the press, as the money-laden club are willing to pay the centre-back a weekly salary of £300,000.
Ancelotti was keen to quash such speculation, but not after he duped an unwitting audience into believing that the skipper is expendable.
“I think that John Terry is a symbol of this team, but I don’t know if he will be a captain next season,” Ancelotti delivered nonchalantly Read more…
The Franck Ribery transfer saga looks to have taken another swing, with Real Madrid set to offer Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder plus a heap of cash in order to land the signature of the Frenchman from Bayern Munich.
A host of European clubs continue to track the 26-year old midfielder, who recently stated that his preferred destination would be to join up with international teammate Karim Benzema at the Bernabeu next season.
Bayern Munich coach Luis Van Gaal has admitted that he hopes to have a decision on Ribery’s future soon to avoid transfer talk interrupting his pre-season preparations, although he remains hopeful that the player will remain in Germany.
The Daily Star reports that Madrid value the Dutch duo of Robben and Sneijder at around €47m and are willing to include a €17.5m cash supplement to reach an agreement with the Bundesliga giants. Read more…
New Manchester United striker Michael Owen insists he is fighting fit and his injury-plagued past should not be a concern to fans of his new club.
Ferguson has added the striker on a free transfer after a surprise call and breakfast meeting
The 29-year-old has signed a two-year deal with the Premier League champions after swift negotiations which lasted less than 48 hours.
A chequered history with injuries - hamstring problems at Liverpool, knee ligament issues at Newcastle - was thought to have deterred most of England’s top clubs from considering signing the out-of-contract striker but United manager Sir Alex Ferguson had no hesitation in taking what most consider a risk.
But Owen believes his new boss was right not to be frightened off by reams of medical notes detailing exactly why he had spent much of his four-year spell on Tyneside on the sidelines. Read more…
Michael Owen has been confirmed as a Manchester United player. The striker has signed a two-year deal to play at Old Trafford and no transfer was paid as the former Liverpool, Real Madrid and Newcastle forward was a free agent.
United manager Sir Alex Ferguson happily confirmed the deal saying, “Michael is a world class forward with a proven goalscoring record at the highest level and that has never been in question. Coming to Manchester United with the expectations that we have is something that Michael will relish”
Owen himself was similarly happy, and said: “I had just begun to talk to other Clubs when out of the blue Sir Alex phoned me on Wednesday afternoon, invited me to have breakfast with him next morning during which he told me that he wanted to sign me. I agreed without a moment’s thought.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for me and I intend to seize it with both hands.
“I am now looking forward to being a Manchester United player and I am fortunate that I already know so many of the players here. I missed pre season last year and am pleased that I will be starting at Carrington from day one. Read more…
Cristiano Ronaldo has been given a final farewell from Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson. With a world record £80million fee banked by United and Ronaldo ready for a public unveiling at Real Madrid next week, Ferguson could only wish the Portuguese talent well as he launches the next phase of his career. United recently opted to cash in on the 24-year-old, who cost just £12million six seasons ago before going on to be voted FIFA’s World Player of the Year for 2008.
“Cristiano has been a marvellous player for Manchester United,” said Ferguson. “His six years at Old Trafford have seen him develop into the best footballer in the world.
“His contribution has been a major factor in the club’s success in that time and his talent, his ability to entertain and his infectious personality have enthralled fans the world over,” he said. Read more…
Manchester United are reportedly interested in out-of-contract Newcastle United striker Michael Owen.
Owen is looking for a new club after allowing his Magpies deal to expire and a number of Premier League clubs are considering a move.
The likes of Hull City and Stoke City have signalled their intent to bring him in but it now seems Premier League champions Manchester United have also entered the chase.
Sky Bet have slashed their odds on the 29-year-old moving to Old Trafford amid claims that tentative talks have taken place between Owen’s representatives and United officials.
Sir Alex Ferguson is keen to bolster his strike-force following the departures of Carlos Tevez and Cristiano Ronaldo Read more…
Just hours after denying that a deal had been agreed with Real Madrid for Karim Benzema, Olympique Lyon have confirmed that a deal has in fact been done.
Swiftly afterwards, Real Madrid added that the deal was indeed set to take place following a medical, and that Benzema wil sign on for six years at the Casa Blanca.
A statement on the offiical Lyon website announces that the striker will cost Madrid €35 million initially and that with performance related bonuses the deal could rise to €41 million.
The message also explains the situation with Benzema and that he asked the president if he could move to Madrid sooner than expected. Read more…
The attacking midfielder took the chance to explain why he left AC Milan, and why he chose to come to the Spanish capital.
“Milan opened the door to negotiations for the first time. It was a time of world crisis, this was back in January,” he explained.
“After the season finished, they said again there were some offers and they had to begin the transfer negotiation procedure again. So then I said I would love to go to Real Madrid if at some point Milan decided to let me go.
“Today for me was incredible, unforgettable - not only in my life but the lives of many other people. It was historical for me.
“I chose Madrid because it appeals to me in every way. When i talk to my colleagues from the national team, they always talk to me about Real Madrid. I had this information and that’s why I decided that one day, if I left Milan, it would be to play for Real Madrid, and now it has come true.” Read more…
Kaka is confident Real Madrid are building a squad capable of knocking Barcelona off their throne next season.
The Brazil superstar was unveiled on Tuesday night as Madrid’s first recruit of what could be a busy summer following the return of Florentino Perez to the club presidency at the start of June.
Perez promised a “spectacular project” to get fallen giants Madrid back to top of the football tree both in Spain and Europe, and he has wasted no time trying to fulfil that pledge.
Aside from the signing of Kaka for a reported price tag of around £56million, Madrid have also finalised a deal with Manchester United that will see Cristiano Ronaldo move to Spain for a world-record £80m. Read more…
