Atletico Madrid sign Brazilian midfielder Assuncao
July 7, 2008
MADRID (AFP) - Atletico Madrid announced Sunday the signing of Brazilian midfielder Paulo Assuncao from Portuguese first division side Porto for an undisclosed fee.
The 28-year-old will join his new teammates at Atletico on Monday, the Spanish club said in a statement posted on its website without specifying the length of his contract.
Assuncao joined Porto in 2005 from AEK Athens but has been eager to leave the Portuguese club after falling out with its management.
Atletico said meanwhile that is was in talks with several clubs which are interested in signing its Portugal international Maniche, 30, ended last season out on loan at Inter Milan after having fallen out with coach Javier Aguirre.
"Returning to Atletico would be difficult, if not impossible. They sent me out on loan because of Aguirre, because we had great differences of opinion and being with him became impossible," he told sports daily Marca last month.
It is the fifth signing for Atletico which finished fourth in La Liga last season and will therefore return to the Champions League stage after an 11-year absence.
The club has signed defenders Johnny Heitinga from Dutch side Ajax and Tomas Ujfalusi from Italian side Fiorentina as well as French keeper Gregory Coupet from Lyon and French striker Florent Sinama Pongolle from Recreativo Huelva.
Popularity: 1% [?]
Atletico sign Coupet from Lyon
July 5, 2008
LYON, France (AFP) - June Spain’s Atletico Madrid on Friday signed French international goalkeeper Gregory Coupet from champions Lyon for 1.5 million euros, Lyon announced.
Coupet, 35, had been set to sign last week following talks but the move hit a hitch over the fee.
Coupet had a clause in his Lyon contract running to 2010 allowing him to leave Lyon, with whom he has won seven straight league titles, for three million euros, but the Spanish finally got their man for less.
Atletico will pay an extra 500,000 euros if Coupet helps them qualify for the Champions League in the next two seasons.
This year they will participate in the final qualifying round of the competition.
Popularity: 1% [?]
Ben Arfa finally joins Marseille
July 2, 2008
MARSEILLE, France (AFP) - Lyon’s France international midfielder Hatem Ben Arfa has finally joined Marseille after the clubs reached an agreement, the French football league (LFP) said after a meeting on Tuesday, on a 12-million-euro transfer.
The undisclosed fee had reportedly been for up to 20 million euros, but the lower fee was eventually accepted by Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas, plus an extra one million euros should they go on to qualify for the 2009/2010 Champions League.
The LFP said in a statement: "The transfer (of Ben Arfa from Lyon to Marseille) is sealed (…) from the date of June 30."
The player himself said on leaving the three-hour meeting of the LFP’s disciplinary commission: "I am relieved. The only thing to say now is that I am a Marseille player." He had in fact trained with Marseille earlier on Tuesday.
Ben Arfa won his first full cap against the Faroe Islands last year but failed to make the final cut for the French Euro 2008 squad.
The attacking midfielder is widely regarded as one of France’s best rising stars, along with Lyon striker Karim Benzema and Samir Nasri, who is thought to be heading to Arsenal.
Ben Arfa - who had also been linked with a move to the Gunners - joined the French champions in 2004, aged only 17, and helped them to four consecutive championships between 2005 and 2008.
Lyon are undergoing personnel changes as new coach Claude Puel prepares his squad for the coming season.
The club are looking to focus their efforts on the Champions League - a tournament in which they have never before reached the last four.
Popularity: 1% [?]
Manchester United prepares to bid big for Karim Benzema
June 2, 2008
Earth shattering transfer news are coming out of Old Trafford and it has been reported that Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is ready to launch record breaking offer for Olympique Lyon rising star Karim Benzema.
Local British newspapers have reported that Ferguson and United chief executive David Gill are working on a deal to snap up the 20 year old wonder kid who is tipped to star in Euro 2008 and insiders reveal they can get their man in a few days.
It has been reported that Benzema was top of Fergie’s wish list for a new striker a few months ago, but he was given no encouragement by Lyon, who are not willing to let go of their prized asset at any cost.
However it is believed that Ferguson and the United board has now decided to make an offer which could go as high as £30m, an offer they believe will be hard for Lyon to turn down.
It is believed that Ferguson knows Benzema is one of the few players in the world who could make a difference and help take his side to the next level.
It is revealed that United insiders say Ferguson and Gill are ‘working on something big’, but have also set a deadline to tie up the move. Ferguson hopes to move fast because he knows the price could rise if Benzema has a successful Euro 2008.
Benzema has so far appeared 76 times for Lyon and scored an impressive 26 goals along the way. Benzema also has 10 international caps for the French national team and has scored 3 times at international level.
BIO
Full name: Karim Benzema
Date of birth: December 19, 1987
Place of birth: Lyon, France
Height: 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Playing position: Striker
Current club: Olympique Lyonnais
Number: 10
Popularity: 3% [?]
Mourinho wants Micheal Essien at Inter Milan
June 2, 2008
Sensational transfer news are out and it has been revealed that Chelsea’s versatile midfielder Michael Essien is Jose Mourinho’s top target at Inter Milan.
Local British newspapers have reported that Inter Milan are bankrolled by billionaire oil magnate Massimo Moratti and are prepared to match the huge £24 million fee Chelsea splashed to land Essien from Lyon three years ago.
However the case maybe, the Premier League runners-up are expected to put up a fierce fight to keep their big names especially Micheal Essien at Stamford Bridge.
It is however reported that Mourinho really wants Essien to be his midfield enforcer at the San Siro while it is believed that the Ghana star would love to be reunited with his old boss.
Essien’s natural position is playing as a central midfielder and he normally plays as a deep-lying playmaker for the Black Stars, the Ghana national football team. At Chelsea Essien is employed all over the pitch at due to his incredible versatility.
BIO
Full name: Michael Essien
Date of birth: December 3, 1982
Place of birth: Accra, Ghana
Height: 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Playing position: Midfielder and Right Full Back, Centre Back
Current club: Chelsea
Number: 5
Previous Clubs
2000–2003: Bastia
2003–2005: Lyon
2005– Chelsea
Popularity: 2% [?]
