Serie A giants Juventus have completed the signing of Andrea Pirlo from newly crowned Serie A champions Milan.The veteran midfielder joins on a free transfer and signs a three-year deal, ending his decade-long stay at the San Siro.
Juventus are looking to strengthen after a disappointing campaign, which has already claimed the job of manager Luigi Delneri after he failed to qualify the side for Europe.
The club now hope that Pirlo’s arrival will inspire them to better things next season.
“This is our new player, an unrestricted free agent: Andrea Pirlo,” Juventus sporting director Beppe Marotta said at a press conference unveiling the new signing on Wednesday.
“I don’t want to spend too many words describing his footballing and personal skills since he has written many important pages in the recent history of Italian football. His accomplishments talk for themselves. I’m just taking this occasion to welcome him and wish him all the best for this new adventure.”
Pirlo played for Brescia and Inter before joining Milan in 2001, where he made over 400 appearances.
The 32-year-old won two Scudettos and a Champions League title with Milan, and his 72-cap Italy career features a part in the 2006 World Cup triumph.
“I’ve chosen Juventus because it is one of the most important teams in Italy, in Europe and in the world along with Inter and Milan,” Pirlo said.
“This team wants to win again. They haven’t won for many years and I’ve chosen to join this team for this reason. I want to win and I believe this is the team which has more commitment and motivation to win and get back to the previous years’ performances, which saw them win both in Italy and Europe. This is the reason why I’ve chosen Juventus. “
Juve look likely to spend the European summer rebuilding following the departure of Delneri.
Former Siena boss Antonio Conte is tipped to be announced as his replacement within a week.
At FootballFanCast.com this week we are looking at legends of the game. One thing that springs to mind when I think of legends in football is celebrations. Celebrations might be becoming ridiculous with choreographed moves, somersaults and props. But there are still some iconic celebrations over the years that stick in my memory.
I don’t think the Adebayor or Neville ‘rub it in your face’ celebrations are iconic, they were just controversial. And moments like when Gascoigne had water squirted in his face or when Robbie Fowler sniffed the line were funny but not iconic. I’m not thinking of the pointless ‘baby dummy’ of Tevez ot the Zoro mask of Fulham’s Sava are iconic either.
For me, iconic does not mean funny or controversial. No, instead, an iconic celebration can be created through longevity, or through significance. They might not always be controversial but they are memorable, and more often than not, away fans love to hate them.
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Click on Lee Sharpe below to see the Top TEN iconic celebrations
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Edwin van der Sar has backed new Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea to be a success at Old Trafford, and feels the 20-year-old can handle the pressure of becoming the Premier League champions’ number one.
The former Holland international retired at the end of the 2010/11 season, and his Spanish successor faces a battle to win over Reds fans.
“They (United) scouted all over Europe and found a couple of targets and they chose de Gea, Hopefully he’s going to have a great career at Manchester United,” the former Fulham goalkeeper told ESPN Star.
The 40-year-old also revealed that he was impressed with the new man’s career to date and that they had spoken.
“He’s very talented. He’s already won a trophy with Atletico Madrid and the Spain Under 21 team so the prospect of him doing well is there. Everybody has to be his own person but I’ve met him. I’ve spoken to him and it looks to me as though he can handle it,” Van der Sar concluded.
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De Gea will most likely make his United debut in the Premier League opener against West Brom at the Hawthorns on August 13.
The Mirror are reporting that Stoke City are on the verge of bringing Juventus midfielder Momo Sissoko back to the Premier League.
Tony Pulis has identified the former Liverpool enforcer as the man who can add an extra bite to his midfield as prepares to lead the Potters into Europe.
Stoke qualified for the Europa League after reaching the FA Cup final last season and Pulis has set about assembling a squad capable of holding it’s own in the competition.
The Mali international would bring bags of European experience and a tenacious style of play well fitted to the Potters system.
He signed for Juventus for £8 million in 2008 but they are prepared to sell him after he dropped down the pecking order in Turin.
Manager Antonio Conte keen to offload the 26-year-old meaning Stoke could wrap up a deal before the end of the month.
The Potters do have concerns over the player’s physical state after a knee injury in February ruled him out for the rest of the season.
A thorough medical examination would be required to rule out any underlying problems.
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There is still interest in the player from around Europe with Hamburg, Paris Saint Germain, Villarreal and Real Sociedad all chasing his signature.
Stoke will have to move quickly if they want to bring the player to the Britannia Stadium although it seems a move back to England is Sissoko’s preferred choice.
Arsenal have given Barcelona 10 days to sign captain Cesc Fabregas and end one of the longest running transfer sagas in history or risk missing out on the midfielder, reports The Guardian.
It seems that Gunners boss Arsene Wenger has grown tired and wants the deal done quickly so he has time to replace his midfield lynchpin before the transfer window slams shut on 31st August.
The Frenchman is hopeful he can hang onto Fabregas for at least one more season and insists he’ll be staying at the Emirates if the Spanish giants can’t conclude a deal soon.
He told the Guardian “We know that this story for Barcelona goes on for years now and we have to close that and for ourselves to focus on the season, hopefully with Cesc Fábregas.”
Barcelona head coach Pep Guardiola stated the club will ‘fight to the end’ to bring their former player home although admitted that signing Fabregas wasn’t his number one priority.
A move for Udinese winger Alexis Sanchez is the Spaniards current focus and a move for Fabregas will have to wait until the that deal is tied up.
Guardiola said: “This year Arsenal has agreed to negotiate and we are working on [it]. Barcelona has made an offer [of £26m], Arsenal another [between £35-40m], and we have time until 31 August and we’ll try to reach an agreement.
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“There is a sum of money in the strong box set aside for this signing but if it doesn’t work out it will be kept in the box for something else. We will fight to the end to try to get Cesc because we believe he will improve the team and the squad.”
Fabio Capello has ruled out any possibility of Joey Barton becoming part of the England squad that will play Holland in a friendly on Wednesday evening. While Capello insisted that the midfielder was a “good player” his concern seemed to be with the “dangerous” side to Barton’s game, and the Italian suggested he would not be able to trust the 28-year-old to keep his cool and was therefore unwilling to risk his inclusion anytime soon.
Barton was released by Newcastle United last week after his Twitter rant against the clubs transfer policy, and a reported dressing room confrontation with manager Alan Pardew after defeat at Leeds United. Despite his “dangerous” reputation, Barton has shown that he has the ability to play at the top level and was instrumental in Newcastle’s achievements last season. Barton’s placement on Newcastle’s transfer list is reported to have attracted a number of Premier League clubs, with his agent insisting there will be no problems in finding the midfielder a new side.
The retirement of Paul Scholes has left a void in the Manchester United midfield that will be difficult to fill. Despite reports that United are keen to sign Wesley Sneijder from Inter Milan, Barton’s availability is believed to have triggered an interest from the United hierarchy. Though Barton may not have the same kind of ability as the Dutchman, he would be at least £30m cheaper. One thing Barton is not particularly renowned for is his goal scoring, and with the likes of Carrick and Anderson already occupying a defensive role, Ferguson is unlikely to be keen on bringing the Scouser to Old Trafford.
Despite already bringing in three midfielders this summer, Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish was reported to be keen on bringing in Barton as well. With Gerrard, Lucas, Henderson, and Adam already competing for a place in the centre of midfield, Barton would be an unlikely starter at Liverpool and is believed to be keen on first team football more than anything. Ultimately, Barton would be surplus to requirements at Anfield and would be better off playing regular football for a club that would benefit from his services.
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Tottenham are another club believed to be interested in signing Barton, after an initial interest in acquiring Scott Parker is believed to have withered away. Spurs boss Harry Redknapp has insisted that additions will be made to his side before the transfer window closes on August 31st, but has claimed that whilst funds are available to make signings themselves, the club is struggling to meet the demands of player salaries. Barton is reported to be earning around £55,000 a week, and while his free transfer would save Spurs money, this kind of salary is believed to above what Redknapp is willing to offer the midfielder.
Finally, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is reportedly keen on bringing the former England international to the Emirates. Having been relatively quiet so far in the transfer window, Wenger is believed to have been eager to address the defensive frailties that have been evident in recent years at Arsenal and Barton would, at least in part, help to do this. Though Arsenal’s defence itself needs to be strengthened, Barton would protect the back four similarly to, if not better than, Alex Song does at the moment. Arsenal can offer Barton the kind of salary he is after, and regular football would not necessarily be out of the question.
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Though some fans of the clubs mentioned here are bound to be opposed to the idea of Barton joining their side, this seems somewhat rather unfair. Despite the “dangerous” reputation he has made for himself, Barton has proven to be one of the top midfielders in the league, and was arguably Newcastle’s best player last season. Whilst a call up to the England squad might be out of the question any time soon, Barton would have the opportunity of European football at Arsenal, and could even be the kind of addition to the squad that Wenger has been missing in recent years.
Although we see our fair share of horror tackles and ‘committed’ challenges in the Premier League these days, you really have to go back a few years to see some of the maestros in action.
Here is my list of the five dirtiest players to ever play in the Premier League, and when you consider the likes of Dennis Wise, Paul Ince, Alan Smith and Duncan Ferguson didn’t even make the shortlist, you really don’t want to be on the same pitch as these guys!
Robbie Savage
Never afraid of speaking his mind, Robbie Savage represented Leicester City, Birmingham City, and Blackburn Rovers in the Premier League. It was with these three clubs that Savage earned the unfortunate title of the most yellow cards ever in Premier League history, collecting 89 in all, before Lee Bowyer overtook him seasons later.
Despite only collecting two red cards in his career, Savage undoubtedly goes down as on of the dirtiest players in Premier League history, and had he spent more time in the Premier League, he could have finished much higher up the table!
Lee Bowyer
Pipping Savage to fourth place is the man that overtook him in yellow cards, Lee Bowyer. Having spent more time in the Premier League is the only real dividing factor between Bowyer and Savage, with the former having more time to display his hard tackling and aggressive style. On the 5th March 2011, Bowyer picked up his 99th yellow card in the Premier League, firmly establishing himself at the very top of the rankings.
Vinnie Jones
Coming in at number three is the original hardman of the Premier League. Vinnie Jones epitomised the now archetypal hard tackling defensive midfielder. Heading up the ‘Crazy Gang’ at Wimbledon, Jones spent just six years in the Premier League, but still managed to go down as one of the dirtiest players in it’s history.
Not only did he collect seven red cards in this short time, but also earned the quickest booking in Premier League history, earning a yellow after just 3 seconds for his foul on Dane Whitehouse.
Roy Keane
Following on from Jones, both on the pitch and in this list, is Manchester United hardman Roy Keane. Keane was a no-nonsense, hard tackling, and influential captain.
He picked up an impressive seven red cards and 69 yellow cards on his way to becoming the most feared holding midfielder in his time. He spent 12 seasons in the Premier League for United, and he terrorised opposition strikers and midfielders for the entire time.
Patrick Vieira
At the top of the pile comes the Frenchman who was Keane’s biggest rival, Patrick Vieira. The duo battled it out through the late 90’s and early 2000’s much in the same way that their clubs battled for supremacy in the league.
In terms of indiscipline, Vieira definitely took home the trophy, collecting 82 yellow cards and eight red cards during his time with Arsenal and Manchester City. If Vieira had started his career in England, or not made his brief sojourn into Italian football, then the mind boggles at just how much worse his record could have become!
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Arsenal got a confidence boosting victory at the Emirates this afternoon, thanks to goals from Robin van Persie and Alex Song. Arsene Wenger will hope that it is the kickstart that the Gunners need to get their Premier League season up and running.
At FFC this week we have seen a mixed bag of Gunners blogs that include Arsenal being robbed; the man to fire up Arsene Wenger, while Arshavin may be sacrificed to secure deal
We also look at the best Arsenal articles around the web this week
Vultures Circle the Emirates looking for rich transfer pickings
Arsenal’s transfer conundrum
Just what Arsenal are missing?
Arsenal simply being robbed
The actual motive of the modern day footballer?
The man we should look to help fire up Arsenal
Arsenal, Spurs or Liverpool – who is best equipped?
When is the right time for them to take the transfer plunge?
Arsenal may sacrifice Arshavin to secure £26m deal
Arsene Wenger linked with £10m January swoop
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Best of WEB
Is it the Board, Wenger or both? We need change……! – Highbury House
Wilshere out till Christmas, what about Vermaelen, what is wrong with our medics? – Le Grove
Ambition or Short-Termism? – Online Gooner
It’s Good To Talk But Arsenal Send Mixed Messages – A Cultured Left Foot
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Ethiopian whizkid set to join Gunners within two years – Gunnersphere
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Click on Bridge’s misses below to see her in all her glory
Scott Parker has stated that it would be an honour to help England qualify for Euro 2012, and that he is happy to command a starting place in his national team.
Fabio Capello’s men travel to take on Montenegro in Podgorica on Friday night with the knowledge that a point will be good enough to ensure their place in Ukraine and Poland next year.
The Tottenham midfielder has had a strong start to his time at White Hart Lane since moving from London rivals West Ham in the summer, and is enjoying being involved in the international set-up.
“It would be massive for me to qualify,” he told Sky Sports.
“It is a great honour for me to represent my country and I probably speak for everyone in the squad when I say it would be a proud moment if we do manage to qualify.
“I have always said how many good midfield players we have.
“It is the manager’s decision and I am sure he will put a side out there he feels is best equipped to win on Friday,” he continued.
Another Spurs man that could be involved on Friday night is Kyle Walker, who has impressed for Harry Redknapp’s men this term, and scored the winner in spectacular fashion in the North London derby last Sunday; Parker feels the full-back is ready for the step up.
“Since I have been at Tottenham, Kyle has really stood out. He is a fantastic player. He is young. He has bundles of energy and is very quick,” Parker stated.
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“He scored a very good goal at the weekend but his performance before that was really good. I am sure if he is called upon on Friday he will be more than ready to go,” he concluded.
When hearing someone say Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas has lost control, the images that are conjured up are those of a player revolt, with dressing room difficulties, and John Terry leading the protests, in a repeat of the Mourinho situation, thinking he knows better than the manager – sorry JT but the decline in both your and Chelsea’s form since the departure of a certain Special One suggests this is not the case. Maybe the phrase ‘lost control’ at the club in fact refers to a dispute with the man upstairs – no not god, as he likes to think of himself as, but Roman Abramovich. Again you’d be wrong in that assumption. What AVB has in reality been accused of losing control of is the discipline at the club.
For a man who learnt his trade under someone who makes his team train with 11 v 10, just in case UEFA and the relevant opposition are displaying favouritism once again, it is not as shocking as it should be when revealing that AVB and his Chelsea side have incurred 5 red cards in the last 8 games, finished the game against QPR with only Cech and Mata not receiving a caution from the starting 11 and can also claim to have never escaped having at least one player on the wrong end of a yellow card in every game this season.
Yes, Chelsea may point to the fact they never fare well under the officiating eye of Chris Foy, and he has been responsible for the sending off of 4 Chelsea players this season alone, yet for the vast majority of the red card offences, Chelsea can have little to no complaints. This is something that has been a prominent factor at the club for more than a couple of seasons now, with disciplinary issues marring much of the success Chelsea have had. Many may point back to the Mourinho era and say it was instilled in the players since then, and has not been cut out of the team despite the amount of managers since.
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This however is something that AVB quite simply has to cut out of Chelsea’s game, as sooner or later playing with ten men or less as the case may be will cost them more than just 3 points at Loftus Road. Not only is it physically draining on the players but they also have to then deal with the suspensions on top of the injuries that inevitably occur and the loss of several players to the African Nations. Needless suspensions are something that have to be cut out and are something that AVB cannot let carry on any longer or the manager will be serving his head on a platter to Abramovich’s overused managerial gauntlet.
Another lingering factor from the Mourinho days is the way players harass the referee. Chelsea players are nearly but not quite as guilty of this as Barcelona ones, but there are few teams in football that are as bad. John Terry and Ashley Cole are by far the worse culprits of this, and the way in which they can intimidate the officials would put Roy Keane and Jamie Carragher to shame. Again this does not look good on Chelsea’s record, but players cannot be expected to stop doing it when the manager is just as culpable.
For the majority of the time he’s been in the hot seat at Stamford Bridge, AVB has remained relatively cool, mannerisms on the touchline aside, yet after the game against QPR the young manager lost his cool completely and now faces having to ‘explain his conduct’ to the FA.
Every manager can be forgiven for losing their cool once in a while, and if this is an isolated incident then little should be made of it – Fergie especially has got away with more than a couple of comments over the years. Yet the way in which Chelsea surround the referee again is not a particularly good look for them and something Roman Abramovich is none too happy about.
Following the QPR game, Chelsea and John Terry have much to answer for, and it is vital that AVB shows strong leadership. The victory over Everton, unsurprisingly with 10 men, was a good reply performance wise, yet the ill-discipline has got to stop.
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Should JT be found guilty of making racist remarks towards Anton Ferdinand, not only should the FA throw the book at the player, but Chelsea must do so as well. It is there that AVB may face his toughest challenge yet – suspending or stripping Mr Chelsea himself of the captaincy? One can only imagine the revolt – no wonder AVB and Chelsea are defending John Terry so vehemently. Before this potential problem however, AVB must deal with the issues in hand, and none are more pressing than the loss of discipline at the club.
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