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Gago and Real blast Manchester City

Fernando Gago is very disappointed that his move to Manchester City was cancelled right at the end.

The Real Madrid midfielder hoped to boost his World Cup chances by leaving Real this winter but his move to City was stalled at the last moment. “They used us,” said Gago’s agent Marcello Lombilla.

Manchester City launched their first bid on Gago last week and the Argentine midfielder felt the deal would be settled. However, City manager Roberto Mancini opted to move for McDonald Mariga, the Kenyan midfielder who signed for Internazionale at the last day of the transfer window.

The Citizens then returned to Real Madrid for Gago but it was already to late. They could not complete the deal until they had an official agreement from club chairman Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who they could not reach in time.

“They had nothing prepared, not even one document signed,” Real’s sporting director Jorge Valdano told El Pais. “They had not reached an agreement with the player and they would have had to have done everything in 40 minutes.”

Lombilla is very angry at City, considering his client might miss the World Cup.

“This has never happened to me before,” the agent told radio station Onda Cero. “”I don’t want to talk about the figures that City were offering because they approached Madrid without even knowing there wasn’t physically enough time to put something together.”

Lombilla insists that Gago will now concentrate on getting his Real career back on track.

“Despite the fact he went from being ‘untransferable’ to suddenly ‘for sale’, he will always continue to work hard,” he stated.

Tags: Al Nahyan, Argentine, citizens, club chairman, fernando gago, internazionale, Jorge Valdano, last moment, MADRID, manchester city, marcello, mcdonald mariga, midfielder, onda cero, radio station, real madrid, roberto mancini, sheikh mansour, world cup chances, zayed al nahyan

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Atletico sign Argentine teen striker: reports

Atletico Madrid, looking to recover from a dismal first half of the season, have signed 19-year-old striker Eduardo Salvio from Argentine side Lanus for 8 million euros, Spanish media said Tuesday.

“I have fulfilled the dream of my life, because it is a dream to play alongside players like (fellow Argentine Sergio) Aguero or (Diego) Forlan,” Salvio told the sports newspaper Marca.

“Atletico is one of the greats of Europe and I am joining with the hope of battling for major things.”

Lanus chairman Nicolas Russo confirmed the transfer, lamenting that this “fantastic player” was “irreplaceable.”

The Spanish club have been looking for a striker to replace Frenchman Florent Sinama-Pongolle, who left for Sporting Lisbon earlier this month.

Atletico last week signed Portuguese international midfielder Tiago from Juventus and he was presented to the fans on Tuesday.

“I want to repay the trust that the club has placed in me,” the 29-year-old said.

“With Tiago and Salvio, Atletico is closing its reinforcement programme,” club chairman Enrique Cerezo said on Monday.

Atletico, who finished fourth in the league last season, have been in poor form this season, crashing out of the European Champions League while struggling in the league.

However, wins in their last two league games, against Sevilla and Valladolid, have given cause for optimism.

MADRID (AFP)

Tags: argentine side, club chairman, diego forlan, enrique cerezo, european champions, florent sinama pongolle, juventus, lanus, league games, midfielder, reinforcement, salvio, Sergio Aguero, spanish club, spanish media, sporting lisbon, valladolid

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Burnley appoint Davis as caretaker boss

Burnley have appointed first-team coach Steve Davis as caretaker manager as they prepare for the imminent departure of manager Owen Coyle to Premier League rivals Bolton.

Davis will take charge for Burnley’s league match against Stoke on Saturday with the support of goalkeeping coach Phil Hughes, club chairman Barry Kilby has confirmed.

“The backroom staff will take the team on Saturday and Steve will be in charge,” said Kilby.

Lawyers from both clubs are currently working on a compensation deal for Coyle, who has expressed a wish to leave Turf Moor for Bolton where he played in the mid 1990s.

Coyle was appointed Burnley boss in November 2007 following spells in charge of Scottish clubs Falkirk and St Johnstone.

The Scot, 43, quickly made his mark in England with Burnley generating a number of upsets in cup competitions before winning promotion to the top flight for the first time in 33 years.

Although Bolton are currently in the Premier League’s bottom three, Coyle will enjoy considerably greater resources there than he has done at Burnley, who are only two points clear of the drop zone.

LONDON (AFP)

Tags: 33 years, backroom staff, Barry Kilby, caretaker boss, caretaker manager, club chairman, coach phil, coach steve, cup competitions, drop zone, England, Falkirk, goalkeeping coach, imminent departure, kilby, league rivals, london, mid 1990s, Owen Coyle, phil hughes, premier league, Scot, St, st johnstone, Steve, team coach, top flight

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Reports: Darren Ferguson to coach Preston

Darren Ferguson, son of Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, is set to take over as manager of Championship side Preston North End, according to reports by the BBC.

Ferguson, 37, started the season as manager of bottom side Peterborough United, but he was let go in November as the side struggled in their season after being promoted from League One.

Preston have been without a manager since the sacking of Alan Irvine a week ago, and Preston club chairman Derek Shaw has been keen on Ferguson for some time.

Ferguson has also been rumored to be in the fold for the Sheffield Wednesday job, vacant since the dismissal of Brian Laws.

Preston sit 16th in the 24-team Championship, but are eight points behind the playoff spots in the league. The club has played exactly 23 of its 46 games this season.

Tags: Alan Irvine, alex ferguson, bbc, bottom side, Brian Laws, club chairman, coach, Darren Ferguson, Derek Shaw, games, job, manchester united, peterborough united, Preston, Preston North, preston north end, shaw, Sheffield, sheffield wednesday, sir alex ferguson

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Leaving Turkey, Roberto Carlos eyes Real return

Brazil defender Roberto Carlos, who is leaving Turkish giants Fenerbahce for Sao Paulo’s Corinthians, said he hopes instead to return to Real Madrid to replace the injured Pepe.

“I am negotiating my December departure from Fenerbahce,” he told Spanish sports newspaper Marca on Tuesday.

Reports from Turkey last week said Carlos, whose contract with Fenerbahce ends on December 20, had agreed a two-year deal with Corinthians.

Corinthians “are interested in me and we have a verbal agreement, but if Real calls me I will go immediately.”

The 36-year-old arrived at the Turkish club in 2007 after 11 years with Real, which is now seeking a replacement for Pepe, who is out for the rest of the season with a knee injury.

“My life in football and the club of my heart is Real,” Marca quoted Carlos as saying. “It would be a dream to return home to the Bernabeu and help this club win titles.”

Earlier, Fenerbahce said on their website that the defender had met with club chairman Aziz Yildirim to agree his departure while Hurriyet and Sabah newspapers reported that there would be a small ceremony for Roberto Carlos following Thursday’s Europa League match at home to Sheriff of Moldova.

MADRID (AFP)

Tags: 11 years, AFP, bernabeu, brazil, club chairman, corinthians, fenerbahce, giants, hurriyet, knee injury, MADRID, marca, match, moldova, pepe, real madrid, roberto carlos, Sabah, sao paulo, spanish sports, Turkey, turkish club, verbal agreement

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Wunderkind Kroos to return to Bayern next season

Rising German football star Toni Kroos will return to Bayern Munich next season after being loaned to Bayer Leverkusen since January, club chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said Friday.

“Toni will return to Bayern and will become an important player for the club,” said Rummenigge.

Leverkusen had hoped to hold on to the teenager, who is under contract with Bayern until June 2010.

The 19-year-old was voted player of the tournament at the Under-17 World Cup in 2007, but had failed to regularly break into the Bayern first-team.

He joined Leverkusen to get more play as his game was limited at Bayern with the presence of Miroslav Klose, Luca Toni and Lukas Podolski.

Kroos played 19 times for Bayern between 2007 and 2009.

He has played 23 games for Leverkusen, scoring four goals.

MUNICH, Germany (AFP)

Tags: 19 year old, bayer leverkusen, Bayern, club chairman, football star, game, games, german football, Germany, karl heinz, karl heinz rummenigge, klose, LEVERKUSEN, Lukas, Lukas Podolski, miroslav klose, Munich, munich germany, presence, teenager, Toni, toni kroos, World Cup, wunderkind

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Nilmar returns to Europe to join Villarreal

Spanish side Villarreal are about to sign Brazilian Nilmar of Internacional, according to club chairman Fernando Roig.

Villarreal are willing to pay 10 million Euros for the 25-year-old, which would set a new club transfer fee record.

“He is a real world class player,” Roig explained. “Next week, he will sign a contract for five seasons.”

Nilmar gained European experience playing for Olympique Lyon in the 2004-05 season, after which he returned to his home country to represent Corinthians and Internacional respectively.

By: Jonathan Roorda

Tags: 10 million, club chairman, corinthians, Europe, european experience, Euros, fernando roig, five seasons, Internacional, Lyon, nilmar, Olympique, olympique lyon, real world, season, spanish side, target, Villarreal, world class player

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Real Madrid wants D’Agostino, says Udinese chairman

Karim Benzema may not be the last player to join Real Madrid this season. The Spanish giants are reportedly in talks with Udinese with the purpose of signing Gaetano D’Agostino.

The 27-year-old had already attracted the attention of Juventus but the Turin outfit were not willing to pay the fee set by Udinese. Club chairman Giampolo Pozzo claims that Udinese want 25 million Euros for the player.

According to Spanish sportspaper Marca, Pozzo now says that Real Madrid have approached his club to sign D’Agostino.

In the past, the midfielder played for AS Roma, Bari and Messina but never truly broke through until joining Udinese in 2006. last month, he received his first Italy cap in a friendly with Northern Ireland.

By: Jonathan Roorda

Tags: Bari, club chairman, giants, Italy, jonathan, juventus, Karim Benzema, LA Liga, MADRID, marca, messina, midfielder, Northern Ireland, real madrid, Roma, Serie A, turin, udinese

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“Stratospheric” offer for Eto´o

BARCELONA, Spain (AFP) – Barcelona have received a “stratospheric” offer for their Cameroon striker Samuel Eto’o but they want him to stay, club chairman Joan Laporta said Sunday.

“He has a stratospheric offer which would make him the world’s best-paid player,” Laporta told Spanish radio in comments published on the club’s website.

However, Laporta has said all along he wants to keep the forward while sports daily AS reported last week that there was a dearth of offers for the star, who bagged 30 goals in La Liga last season and also hit the opener in the 2-0 Champions League final win over Manchester United.

“I think Eto’o would like to stay and I would like him to,” Laporta stressed.

Eto’o’s current contract only runs for another year and AS indicated wage demands of some ten million euros a year were frightening off top clubs, although big-spending English Premier League club Manchester City, French side Lyon and Italy’s Inter Milan are all said to be interested.

City’s initial interest has waned with the club landing Paraguayan forward Roque Santa Cruz from Blackburn.

Spanish media have tipped Valencia’s David Villa, Atletico Madrid’s Diego Forlan and Inter’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic as possible replacements for Eto’o if he should leave.

Laporta admitted keen interest in Bayern Munich’s French star Franck Ribery and added Barca were set to complete the signing of Brazilian striker Keirrison from Sao Paolo side Palmeiras.

Tags: atletico madrid, Barcelona, barcelona spain, Bayern, bayern munich, cameroon, CITY, club chairman, club manchester, DAVID VILLA, diego forlan, English Premier League, franck ribery, french side, french star, initial interest, inter milan, Italy, joan laporta, LA Liga, MADRID, Manchester, manchester city, Milan, Munich, s david, samuel eto, samuel eto o, santa cruz, Spain, spanish media, spanish radio, top clubs, Valencia, wage demands, zlatan ibrahimovic

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Southgate is the man to take ´Boro back up, says chairman

MIDDLESBROUGH (AFP) – Gareth Southgate will remain as manager of Middlesbrough and try and guide them to an immediate return to the Premier League the club chairman Steve Gibson told the BBC on Tuesday.

The 38-year-old former England international has been in charge since June 2006 but having taken them to 13th in his first campaign he failed to keep them up this term as they joined fellow North east club Newcastle in being relegated.

However, Gibson, who has bankrolled the club for well over a decade insisted that Southgate – capped 57 times by England but who will probably be best remembered for failing to convert a penalty in the Euro ‘96 semi-final defeat to Germany – was the right man for the onerous task of lifting them out of the Championship.

“Gareth has convinced me he knows what it takes to get us back up,” Gibson told BBC Radio after meeting with Southgate.

“He is a man I know and admire and we will work together to get this club back to the Premier League.”

Gibson, who has seen his side lift the League Cup and reach the UEFA Cup final when Steve McClaren was in charge, said that there should be no witch hunt of Southgate.

“We will not have a scapegoat at this football club, it will not be Gareth Southgate,” added Gibson.

“He is a good man, an intelligent man capable of being a top, top manager.

“What we need is the support of the fans and the town, and let’s work together to get the club back in the Premier League.

“You may disagree with my decision and I respect that, but I have to make the decision and I am convinced that Gareth is the right man for the job.”

Gibson also rejected claims that the club was in a parlous state financially and was in no danger of going into administration, insisting that the 90million pounds debt had been reduced by two thirds.

He was also at pains to deny he was pleased they had fallen into the Championship so it would mean he could cut costs with several of their higher paid stars set to move on such as Turkish international Tuncay Sanli.

“We hate the Championship, we don’t want to be here,” he said.

“We are a Premier League club, we are a Premier League town with Premier League supporters.

“At the moment, I am a Championship chairman – I want to be a Premier League chairman. It’s daft to suggest anything else.

“It’s just daft. There is no evidence to support that theory whatsoever.”

Tags: bbc, club chairman, decade, England, england international, English Premier League, football club, Gareth, gareth southgate, Germany, good man, intelligent man, middlesbrough, NEWCASTLE, onerous task, parlous state, premier league, right man, scapegoat, steve gibson, Steve McClaren, tuncay, two thirds, uefa, UEFA Cup, witch hunt

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