Futbol en Espana
Lazio manager Simone Inzaghi has said that the team must provide more than decent performances in order to secure victories over the likes of Juventus and Napoli. The Serie A side have made a poor start to the campaign after back-to-back defeats against the above-mentioned duo and this sees them rooted to the drop zone.
Corinthians right back FagnerConservaLemos, simply known as Fagner, celebrated his inclusion in the World Cup list to represent the Brazilian national team, with the video going viral online. The fullback was a surprise addition as Coach Tite named his killer squad expected to bring home the World Cup from Russia.
Speculation has increased surrounding the future of Brazilian midfielder Paulinho, who has had very little game time at Tottenham this season. It has been increasingly speculated that manager Mauricio Pochettino, who came to the club only in the summer, does not see Paulinho as part of his plans. Former manager Andre Villas-Boas played a key role in bringing the Brazilian to White Hart Lane. Unsurprisingly, Paulinho was a regular first-team player in his first season at the club after having cost £ 16 million. He found his importance within the team reduced after the arrival of Tim Sherwood as the replacement for Villas-Boas.
This season, though, it has been shocking to see the midfielder utilised for just 29 minutes in the Premier League so far. He has featured in two Europa League matches, which is widely seen as the platform for Tottenham reserve players to make a name for themselves. Rejecting any speculation of a fallout with Paulinho, Pochettino says that the midfielder is not featuring only because of the World Cup hangover. The 26-year-old was part of the Brazilian team that suffered an embarrassing exit at the World Cup 2014. The lack of regular game time has led to Paulinho being linked with a return to his former club Corinthians.
“No, no Tottenham player, including Paulinho, will be loaned to Brazil. There is no chance. Paulinho arrived late, one of the last players to join the squad after the World Cup. There isn’t any problem. He is training and doing well, it’s just a technical decision,” said the Spurs manager. The fact that Tottenham are struggling for consistency in results especially in the league could force Pochettino to take a look at including Paulinho in the team much earlier than expected. Tottenham have won just three games in the league so far this season.
Brazilian club Corinthians are likely to part company with Romarinho in the next few days after it has emerged that the club have agreed to a transfer fee from El Jaish. Corinthians are the last non-European club to have won the FIFA Club World Cup after beating Chelsea in 2012. However, they have had to pay for the success by losing a number of important players over the years. The defensive minded team are currently fourth in the table after having taken 32 points from their 18 matches this season. The loss of Romarinho will be especially hard to take.
The 23-year-old is a key player for the club after having risen to prominence in the last few years. He scored seven goals in 33 matches during the stunning 2012 campaign. His goalscoring record has improved tremendously in 2014 after he has got 12 goals in 36 matches. The player, though, will be bringing a substantial revenue to the club. It is believed that Corinthians have managed to agree a €7.5 million fee for the striker. Considering that the Brazilian economy has slipped into recession over the last few months, it is vital that Corinthians bring in money through the sale of players in order to keep the club going.
“Forever in my heart,” said Romarinho on his Twitter account which virtually appeared to confirm the fact that he is about to depart the club. Romarinho has been at Corinthians since 2012 after having signed from Bragantino. Despite being only 23 years old, he has already won a number of key titles like the Copa Libertadores, FIFA Club World Cup, Campeonato Paulista, and Recopa Sudamericana. Since much of the economic rights of the player is owned by third-parties, it is believed that Corinthians will get only 40% of the transfer fee.
Nicolas Lodeiro recently completed the switch from Botafogo to Corinthians. He has been one of the high-profile transfers in the Brazilian football this campaign after this switch has reportedly cost Corinthians around £ 1.5 million. He had signed a contract with Corinthians back in May, but the Uruguay striker has completed the move just now. After joining his new team, he stated that he is extremely delighted to be part of a huge club that has always competed for titles. He says that playing for Corinthians is a huge step up from playing for Botafogo where he has been playing for the last two seasons.
Last season, Lodeiro was one of the influential player from the pitch after scoring 14 goals in 50 appearances for the Brazilian club. It was his best ever season till date. After missing out on a place in the Uruguay national team for the World Cup 2014, Lodeiro will be hoping that playing for a club like Corinthians helped him get into the eyes of the Uruguay manager, Oscar Tabarez. The 25-year-old will be joining the new club at a time when poor form has seen them slip down the table. They are trailing table leaders Cruzeiro by five points after having played 13 matches.
“I’ve finally arrived. Time to do my part to show that I want to play and win many titles here. I’ll try to do the best in every game. My feature is to not lose the ball. It is a very important stage in my career to come to a big team like Corinthians. I want to play and do my best here. I’ve been through a tough time but that’s in the past,” said the attacking midfielder. Corinthians have managed just three victories in the last five matches, but they have been unbeaten during this period.
Brazilian club Corinthians have expressed their confidence that they would be able to sign Elias before the international transfer window shuts down on Monday. Corinthians have been involved in negotiations with the midfielder, who is currently playing for Portuguese outfit Sporting Lisbon. He was on loan at Flamengo last season and he has also been looking at as a possible signing by the likes of São Paulo. It is believed that Corinthians have made an offer of € 4 million for the midfielder, but there are still some details left to be ironed out in the deal.
The club, though, are confident that they will be able to complete the signing before this transfer window since it would help them do well in the Brazilian Serie A. After winning the Copa Libertadores a few years ago, Corinthians have been struggling for form. The presence of former Brazil national team manager Mano Menezes, though, has helped them attract a lot of quality players, which is going to help them along way into rebuilding the team. The Brazilian Championship for the new season starts in the middle of April.
This will not be the first time Elias place for Corinthians since he had already represented the club from 2008 to 2010. He has also played for Spanish outfit Atletico Madrid, while representing the national team for 13 times. A return to domestic football, though, is expected to hurt his chances of being in the national team squad for the upcoming World Cup 2014. Still, it is understood that the player is keen on the move.
“The commitment of Corinthians was very large and the probability is quite large in achieving the business. I hope everything goes well,” said the Corinthians Director of Football, Ronaldo Ximenes. The club finished third in the group stages of the Paulista Championship.
Bayern Munich’s defender Rafinha was heavily linked with a return to Brazilian football with Corinthians, but he chose to remain with the European champions. At 28 years of age, Rafinha should be playing regular football, but he is only on the fringes of the first-team at Bayern Munich. This is due to the quality at disposal of manager Pep Guardiola, who has even used fellow full-back Philipp Lahm in a defensive midfield position. Such is the intense quality available at the hands of Guardiola and it had raised the possibility of Rafinha being sold in January.
Corinthians were understood to have made an offer for the 28-year-old, as they saw this is the perfect opportunity to sign the former Schalke defender. The World Cup is coming in less than a few months and Rafinha would have wanted to be part of the Brazil team at this competition. However, he is unlikely to get a look in due to the lack of regular football. A return to Corinthians, though, would have certainly helped in this aspect. Rafinha, though, has revealed that Bayern Munich have made him a counter offer and were interested in keeping him as a starter in the team.
The defender has stated that he simply could not refuse the offer and he is now interested in knowing what the future holds for him.
“I actually had the proposal but unfortunately we did not reach an agreement. Bayern made me an irrefutable offer to become a starter. I’m right here in Munich. I made the decision and I am happy. You can not think so. I know that the club went through difficult times but I think if I had gone to Corinthians I would be earning. I made the decision (to stay at Bayern) and how things have happened belongs to God,” said Rafinha.
Construction of stadiums, violence on the streets, distances that squads will have to cover in order to play their respective matches all of these are factors that have been putting into question whether or not the upcoming 2014 World Cup will be a success or not.
Aaron James Ramsey is a footballer of Welsh origin, who plays for Arsenal and wears the 16 number jersey for the team. His position in the 11 is a midfielder and is six feet tall. Born on 26th December 1990 in Caerphilly, Wales Ramsey has represented the Welsh national team and has also appeared in the 2012 Olympics representing the Great Britain team.
Though a midfielder primarily, he had been also used in other positions in the midfield as well as a fullback. His youth career started with Cardiff City which extended to 8 years before he finally joined the senior team and made 22 appearances including the FA Cup Final in 2008. A £5 million contract saw him moving to Arsenal where he entered into the first team.
In February 2010 a broken leg in the game against Stoke City significantly held up his progress but after two loan experiences with Nottingham Forest and Cardiff City he was again at his elements with full fitness. He is now a key player for the Arsenal campaign for 2013-14.
When Ramsey made his debut on 19th November 2008 against Denmark he was just 17 years of age and set the record for the youngest player to make it to the Wales national team. His first goal at senior level was scored in the 2010 world cup at Liechtenstein from a free kick. Overall Ramsey has made a total of 210 appearances in the senior level matches and scored 27 times. His team achievement included Runner-up tag at the 2008 FA Cup with Cardiff City and as an individual he had been chosen as the Welsh Young Player of the Year in 2009 and 2010, Arsenal Player of the Month 5 times till 2013 and was awarded the Barclay Player of the Month in September 2013.
Former Brazilian national team manager Mano Menezes was appointed as the new head coach of Corinthians and he has immediately set a target of winning the state championship. The Brazilian Championship is divided into two categories and the latter is expected to suffer from the World Cup taking place in the month of June. The state championship has just begun with Corinthians playing their first match of the season. Menezes says that it is now time for Corinthians to concentrate on the current affairs alone and not worry about the future competitions.
There has already been talk of Corinthians repeating the success in recent years by winning the Copa Libertadores, but Menezes says that it is too early to talk about it. After winning the Copa Libertadores, the club managed to go on and win the FIFA Club World Cup by beating Chelsea in the final. It is regarded as one of the prestigious tournaments in the world. It is going to be difficult for the club to win the state championship since they are expected to sell their best players in this transfer window. The club is reportedly in debts of £ 10 million that is owed almost immediately to the creditors.
Menezes has admitted that he knew of the financial situation of the club before coming back.
“We have to keep winning. One semester is not enough. Speaking about the Libertadores is a little early, we have no place for it in this Championship. Let’s play the Paulista first. The Brasileirão is after the World Cup, but this (Paulista) can give us a possibility and then we focus on the Brasileirão. When my phone rings and calls are made for me to work, I have no idea how the finances of the club are,” said Menezes ahead of the first match of the season.