Liverpool set to sign victor valdes on a free transfer

LIVERPOOL have made contact with ex-Barcelona
star Victor Valdes ahead of a trial period with a
view to a permanent deal. Brendan
Rodgers is desperate the sign the Spain
international, and is confident that a contract can
be agreed in the next fortnight if the goalkeeper
can prove his fitness following a long-term injury.
It is now understood that Liverpool have held talks
with Valdes' representatives, and the 31-year-old
is set to arrive at the club for a trial where he will
look to earn himself a full-time contract.
Victor valdes who is currently a free
agent after leaving Barcelona following
the expiration of his contract in the
summer, is said to be a big fan of
Liverpool and Brendan Rodgers. His
agent, Gines Carvajal, has said that he
expects Valdes to be playing for a ‘big
club’ before Christmas, and under the
current circumstances, that club looks
most likely to be Liverpool.

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Daniel Sturridge signs new FIVE-YEAR contract with Liverpool

DANIEL STURRIDGE has pledged his future to Liverpool by signing a new contract
which will keep him at Anfield until 2019.
The new five-year deal is heavily incentivised and could net the Liverpool striker
almost £40m.
Sturridge’s pay packet is expected to soar from £65,000-a-week to beyond
£150,000-a-week if he is playing and scoring regularly.

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The Gunners have come face-to-face with many a former hero in recent years but none will provide as much pain as seeing their old skipper pulling the strings for Chelsea

Once a Gunner always a Gunner. Whether the bond between Arsenal and Cesc
Fabregas survives Sunday’s reunion will represent an irrelevant subplot should the
Spaniard deliver a painful dose of what-might-have-been with a match-winning
performance.
Arsenal’s long-suffering fans should really be desensitised to the sight of a former
hero biting the hand that used to feed them by now, but the prospect of Fabregas
pulling the midfield strings in Chelsea blue will trigger unrivalled levels of regret and
envy, as well as raise further questions over the direction the club is heading and
those who make the key decisions.
Emmanuel Adebayor, Samir Nasri and Robin van Persie have all, in the face of
significant provocation it must be said, revelled in the role of pantomime villain,
celebrating goals and titles as a means of justifying their various defections.
Fabregas, too, is no angel. The manner in which he engineered a move back to
Barcelona highlighted certain foibles that are also apparent in the confrontational,
borderline arrogant, way in which he plays his football.
However, when Fabregas lines up for Chelsea, a sight that the player himself recently
described as unthinkable a few years ago, he will take on the role of the jilted former
lover rather than Judas, which only adds to the complex and conflicting mixture of
emotions that will come to the boil at Stamford Bridge this weekend.

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Krasnodar 1-1 Everton:ETO GIVE EVERTON A POINT

Roberto Martinez's side were second best for much of their Europa League tie in Russia but the Cameroonian striker came up with the goods late in the game to share the spoils
.Everton struck back through Samuel Eto'o to secure a 1-1 draw with Krasnodar in the Europa League group stage.  Roberto Martinez's men fell behind just before half-time when Phil Jagielka flubbed an attempted clearance straight into the path of Ari, who finished decisively past goalkeeper Tim Howard.  Despite being second best through much of the game, however, the Toffees got back into it with less than 10 minutes to go when Eto'o took advantage of a poorly defended cross to bundle home at the far post.  The draw moves Everton onto four points, while Krasnodar, who also led against Lille, are left to reflect on another missed opportunity ahead of meetings with Wolfsburg.  Krasnodar started the game brightly and went close to opening the scoring in the 17th minute when Marat Izmailov's low drive from the edge of the area forced Howard into a strong save.  Izamilov then brought the American shot-stopper into action again as the hosts dominated the early stages without being troubled defensively by Martinez's men.  Everton finally did threaten the Krasnodar goal in the 22nd minute. Aiden McGeady - a player with experience of Russia, having spent time at Spartak Moscow - saw an effort turned round the post by former team-mate and veteran keeper Andriy Dykan, who soon produced another stop to keep out Gareth Barry's curling strike.  John Stones was the next to waste a good opportunity by heading a McGeady cross wide and the visitors were punished for their profligacy by Ari in the 43rd minute, the 28-year-old firing a volley beyond Howard after Mauricio Pereyra had flicked Odil Ahmedov's clever lofted ball into his path.  Striker Romelu Lukaku was brought on for Christian Atsu after the half-time interval but his introduction failed to produce an immediate impact.  Instead it was Krasnodar who almost added a second, substitute Wanderson jinking his way into the box before clipping a shot against the crossbar.  Unsurprisingly Oleg Kononov's men began to sit deeper in the closing stages as Krasnodar sought to protect their slender advantage.  But they could not see out what would have been a famous victory, Eto'o displaying his considerable prowess in front of goal to turn home Leighton Baines's right-wing cross and rescue a share of the spoils.
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Liverpool news and transfers: Dani Alves set to join English club next summer?

Alves claims he is heading for the Premier League
Brendan Rodgers' men saw their campaign hit a new low last night as they were beaten 1-0 by FC Basel after an abject performance in Switzerland

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Nathaniel Clyne and Jonjo Shelvey named in England squad for San Marino and Estonia qualifiers

Clyne has been named for the first time England boss Roy Hodgson has named a 21-man squad for the upcoming Euro 2016 qualifiers against San Marino and Estonia.  Southampton full-back Nathaniel Clyne has been called-up for the first time after impressing under Ronald Koeman this season.  It comes as defensive pair Calum Chambers and Luke Shaw - who both played with Clyne at St. Mary's - were demoted to the Under-21 squad.  Arsenal left-back Kieran Gibbs has been named in the squad, alongside Jonjo Shelvey who has been rewarded for his fine form with Swansea.  Hodgson has opted to name just three strikers for the fixtures, accepting Brendan Rodgers' demands to leave crocked striker Daniel Sturridge out.  Wayne Rooney, Rickie Lambert and Danny Welbeck are the frontmen selected in the 21.  England face San Marino at Wembley next Thursday before the trip to Estonia on Sunday October 12.  LIVE : Follow all the reaction to the announcement in our rolling blog  Full squad Goalkeepers  Fraser Forster (Southampton), Ben Foster (West Bromwich Albion), Joe Hart (Manchester City)   Defenders  Leighton Baines (Everton), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Nathaniel Clyne (Southampton), Kieran Gibbs (Arsenal), Phil Jagielka (Everton), John Stones (Everton)   Midfielders  Fabian Delph (Aston Villa), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Adam Lallana (Liverpool), James Milner (Manchester City), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal), Jonjo Shelvey (Swansea City), Raheem Sterling (Liverpool), Andros Townsend (Tottenham Hotspur), Jack Wilshere (Arsenal)   Forwards  Rickie Lambert (Liverpool), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Daniel Welbeck (Arsenal)  
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Galatasaray and Basel charged by UEFA following fan disorder in the Champions League

Turkish supporters threw flares onto the Emirates pitch while Basel fans have been charged for throwing an object during Liverpool win


Gala keeper Fernando Muslera picks up a flare thrown by the club's supporters UEFA have charged three sides over fan disorder during Champions League matches this week.  Both Galatasaray and Basel - who faced Arsenal and Liverpool respectively - have been cited for "crowd disturbances" on Wednesday evening. German side Borussia Dortmund have also been charged.  UEFA says that the cases involve a range of disturbances from supporters during the three matches and include throwing lit fireworks and other objects on Wednesday evening.  Galatasaray supporters threw flares onto the pitch during their 4-1 defeat by Arsenal and briefly delayed play during the first half; Uruguayan keeper Fernando Muslera and captain Wesley Sneijder both had to plead with them to stop.  

Galatasaray fans lit flares in the stands at the Emirates Dortmund face the same charges for crowd disorder and throwing fireworks in their 3-0 win in Belgium against Anderlecht, where Adrian Ramos scored twice.  Basel - already on a two-year probation for crowd trouble in the Europa League last term - have also been charged, after the referee reported fans throwing an object during their 1-0 win over Liverpool in Switzerland.  Cases will be heard on October 16 by UEFA's disciplinary panel and sanctions may be applied before the teams' next European matches.  

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Manchester United ready €13m for Khedira bid:The Germany international was the subject of an approach from Arsenal in the summer but is now a target for Louis van Gaal's side as they seek to further bolster their squad

Manchester United are plotting a €13 million January bid for Real Madrid midfielder Sami Khedira, Goal can reveal.  United have turned their attentions to the Germany World Cup winner after being informed by Roma that Louis Van Gaal’s No.1 midfield target Kevin Strootman will not be allowed to move when the transfer window reopens.  Goal revealed last month that Van Gaal had been given the green light to spend again in January following an unprecedented summer outlay which saw the likes of Angel Di Maria, Ander Herrera and Radamel Falcao move to Old Trafford.  Despite that promise, executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward has asked the club's manager to put forward a cheaper alternative to Strootman with Roma likely to demand over €38 million for a player who has yet to make his comeback from the cruciate knee ligament injury he sustained in March.  Van Gaal has now sanctioned a move for Khedira and the club are confident they can complete a deal for the 27-year-old, who is out of contract in the summer and appears set on leaving the Santiago Bernabeu, for as little as €13m.
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Liverpool youngster Suso ready for two-month lay-off:The 20-year-old has been suffering with a groin injury and will now undergo surgery, sidelining him for up to eight weeks, but is looking forward to returning "stronger than ever"

Liverpool midfielder Suso could miss two months of action as he requires surgery on a groin injury.  The 20-year-old was part of the travelling party for Liverpool's 1-0 Champions League defeat to Basel on Wednesday, but was not included among the substitutes.  Subsequently, the Spaniard has revealed that he has been suffering with a groin complaint and is set to go under the knife next week.  "Just to tell you I'll be out of the team for a couple of months," Suso wrote on Instagram.
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PODOLSKI MAY LEAVE ARSENAL THIS SUMMER

The Germany international came close to a move away from the Emirates in the summer, with Wolfsburg and Juventus both having been keen to acquire his signature.  An injury suffered by Olivier Giroud eventually prompted Arsenal to rebuff offers for Podolski, though he has played just 27 minutes of Premier League football this season.  The versatile attacker has now suggested that he could look to leave north London in the upcoming transfer window, with Danny Welbeck the club’s current first-choice striker.  “I am a full-blooded player, a street player and I love competition,” Podolski told RTL Television.  “If I don’t have that competition every weekend, then a change must occur.”  Podolski’s contract expires in 2016 but he has suggested that he may look to leave the club before his current deal has run its course.  “We will have to see,” he said when asked if he would see out his current deal. “It is certainly something one has to think about.”  Podolski has scored 28 goals for Arsenal since joining the club in 2012.
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Anderlecht 0-3 Borussia Dortmund

The Signal Iduna Park forwards' goals ensured that the 2012-13 finalists maintain
their 100 per cent record in Europe this season
Borussia Dortmund forward pair Ciro Immobile and Adrian Ramos fired the club to a
3-0 victory over Anderlecht in Wednesday's Champions League clash.
Jurgen Klopp's side have seized just one point from their last three outings in the
Bundesliga and went into Wednesday's fixture on the back of a painful defeat to arch-
rivals Schalke.
However, Immoblie fired them into a third-minute lead following a handsome
throughball from Shinji Kagawa.
A double from substitute Ramos then put the victory beyond doubt, a predator's goal
preceding a fine individual effort.

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Malmo 2-0 Olympiakos:

The striker made the difference for his side as they recovered from their defeat in the
first week of the competition to collect all three points against the Greek club
Markus Rosenberg profited from poor defending to give Malmo a 2-0 win against
Olympiakos and their first Champions League victory.
A one-minute period at the end of the first half turned the match in Malmo's favour
as Konstantinos Mitroglou had a goal rightly ruled out for offside before the hosts
took the lead from the resulting free-kick.
Olympiakos failed to clear the routine ball forward and Rosenberg took advantage to
put Malmo 1-0 up after 42 minutes, having been second best up to that point.

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Ludogorets 1-2 Real Madrid

Cristiano Ronaldo missed a penalty not long after the hosts took a shock lead and,
though he converted a later spot kick to level affairs, the French striker scored the
late winner
Karim Benzema came off the bench to save Real Madrid from dropping points at
Ludogorets on Wednesday in the Champions League.
The France striker hit home 13 minutes from time to deny the plucky hosts their first
point in the competition following a superb display of determination from the
Bulgarian side.
Georgi Dermenzhiev's men had come within a last-minute penalty of taking a point
from Liverpool in their opening fixture and once again belied their tag as Group B's
underdogs on Wednesday.

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Basel 1-0 Liverpool

The 33-year-old capitalised on slack marking from a corner to bundle in the winner
on 52 minutes and dent the Reds' hopes of reaching the Champions League knockout
stage
Marco Streller's close-range finish continued Basel's impressive recent record
against Premier League opposition and dealt Liverpool's hopes of qualifying from
Champions League group stage a serious blow as they were beaten 1-0.
Streller capitalised on some slack marking from a corner in the 52nd minute to
bundle in the only goal of a game which saw the Reds uninspired in the first half and
profligate in the second.
Raheem Sterling and Lazar Markovic both spurned presentable opportunities as the
Reds pushed forward in search of an equaliser but Brendan Rodgers's men now go
into two matches with Real Madrid level on points with the Swiss champions.
Liverpool made two changes to their starting line-up from Saturday's Premier League
derby draw against Everton, with Jose Enrique replacing Alberto Moreno and Philippe
Coutinho coming back in for Adam Lallana.
Basel went into the match with problems at the back, with Marcelo Diaz suspended
and fellow defenders Philipp Degen, Ivan Ivanov and Walter Samuel all sidelined
through injury. Paulo Sousa also preferred Breel Embolo to Derlis Gonzalez up front,
even though the Paraguay international was on target in defeat at the Santiago
Bernabeu.

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Arsenal 4-1 Galatasaray

The £16 million man sped past a shoddy Turkish defence to prod home three clever
goals as the Gunners got their group-stage campaign off and running despite losing
their keeper
Danny Welbeck struck his first-ever hat-trick but Wojciech Szczesny was sent off
as Arsenal crushed a disorganised Galatasaray 4-1 in the Champions League .
The England international struck twice in the first half and once more in the second,
frequently darting past a hapless back line with clever poked finishes each time.
Alexis Sanchez hit Arsenal's third just before the break, slotting home with precision
into the far corner while under pressure in the penalty area, as Arsene Wenger's side
registered their first points of the group stage.

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Atletico Madrid 1-0 Juventus

The attacker's second half goal was enough to give Diego Simeone's men all thee
points against the Serie A champions in a close encounter
Juventus suffered a first defeat under Massimiliano Allegri as a goal from Arda Turan
earned Atletico Madrid a 1-0 home win on Wednesday.
The Turkey international converted from close range 15 minutes from time to ensure
last term's beaten Champions League finalists claimed their opening points in this
season's competition.

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Ferdinand: Moyes is great

The QPR defender called the Scot's tactics while Manchester United boss
"embarrassing" in his autobiography but insists that he would be happy to talk his
arguments over in person
Rio Ferdinand says that he would like to meet with David Moyes to discuss his
Manchester United reign and claimed the Scot is a "great man", despite his criticism
of the manager in his autobiography.
The QPR defender claims that Moyes had him "doubting everything" that he knew
due to his preference to train United to stop the opposition, while slamming his
"embarrassing" tactics of resorting to a long-ball game.
Moyes was sacked by the Red Devils in April, to be succeeded by Louis van Gaal,
having failed to guide the club into Europe, yet Ferdinand insists that he has no
problem with the Scot and would welcome the chance to speak with him.
When asked if he would like to talk with Moyes, Ferdinand told CNN World Sport :
"Yes, of course, I've got nothing against him as a person.
"I'm saying that he's a gentleman, a great man. I've never had any bad words to say
about him at all in that respect as a person."
Ferdinand rejects claims that Moyes inherited a squad in decline when he took over
from Sir Alex Ferguson, insisting that the players at his disposal were good enough
to replicate their title success of 2012-13.
"I don't understand how people can say [that]," he remarked. "You've got some
great players throughout the squad. You win the league by 11 points. You've got to
be a top team to do that.
"So [Ferguson] goes and then it all falls apart? So that's his fault? How can people
say that? I don't think the buck stops with Sir Alex Ferguson at all. I think you leave
and you win a trophy. There's not many better ways to go out than that."
Source: goal

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Heskey: Balotelli is a risk worth taking for Liverpool

The former Reds striker believes the controversial Italian has the talent to
make his €20 million price tag look like a bargain for Brendan Rodgers' side
Liverpool's €20 million signing of Mario Balotelli from AC Milan is a risk worth taking,
according to former Reds striker Emile Heskey.
The Italy international scored his first goal for his new club against Champions
League group-stage opponents Ludogorets but is yet to get off the mark in the
Premier League.
Heskey, however, believes Balotelli has the talent to succeed at Anfield despite his
history of disciplinary problems.
"I think he has got enough talent to really make [his reputation] irrelevant," Heskey
told Goal . "If you're looking at €20m for someone of his calibre, that's cheap."
Watch the full interview to hear Heskey's thoughts on Balotelli in full as well as his
views on Raheem Sterling.
Source: Goal.com

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Arteta signs new Arsenal deal till 2016

Mikel Arteta is the latest Arsenal player to agree a contract extension with the club.
The Gunners captain will sign a deal until 2016 which will be announced next week,
while Theo Walcott is also expected to renew with the north Londoners.
Source: Daily Mirror

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Van Gaal eye Subotic

Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal is resigned to missing out on Borussia
Dortmund centre-back Mats Hummels, but is ready to move for BVB team-mate
Nevan Subotic instead, while Aston Villa's Ron Vlaar is also on his radar.
Source: Daily Mirror

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Arsenal & Chelsea looking to snare Khedira for FREE

Premier League giants Arsenal and Chelsea lead the race to sign Sami Khedira on a
free transfer at the end of the season. The German World Cup winner has yet to sign
a new deal at Real Madrid and is chasing a huge cash sum should he move.

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Arsenal Transfer News: Gunners Must Chase Winter Deal for Andre-Pierre Gignac

The summer addition of Danny Welbeck has gone
a long way in solving Arsenal 's striker issues in
the absence of Olivier Giroud, but a January deal
for Andre-Pierre Gignac stands to be the next
logical move in Arsene Wenger's recruitment.

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Luis Enrique: PSG are still a threat without Ibra

The Barcelona coach feels the Ligue 1 champions are not significantly weakened without star striker and admits the match could be crucial to the eventual group standings  Luis Enrique has warned his Barcelona players that Paris Saint-Germain remain a huge threat despite Zlatan Ibrahimovic's absence through injury.  The two sides meet in the Champions League on Tuesday in a mouthwatering tie and the Barca coach insists his team must be at their best if they are to get all three points from a game he feels could decide the outcome of the group.  Despite the absence of ex-Camp Nou striker Ibrahimovic, who is suffering with a heel problem, Luis Enruqie says the French champions are still a powerful force.  "Ibrahimovic not playing doesn't change anything," the coach told reporters.  "He would be an an important loss for any team, but nothing changes in the way I'm approaching the game. They will still be a fearsome opponent and they have other resources in the squad.  "PSG are a team that can come and bring the game to us easily. They have a strong team and if they play attacking football then so be it, that's good.   "They are certainly candidates to win the Champions League but so are we and we have to be ready to deal with the situation, whether they come to us or we go to them.   "This game is likely to have some impact on the outcome of the group, but it's too early to say. Of course finishing top is important, but we must see what results we get from every game.  "Theoretically we are the two favourites of the group, but to beat PSG we must be at our best and give a wonderful showing of ourselves."  Defender Jeremy Mathieu believes the absence of Ibrahimovic is an advantage to his side, but stressed the visitors will still be dangerous opponents.  The Frenchman said: "Of course he is an influential player. It makes a difference when he is not there as it will be harder for PSG to play their game.  "That is an advantage but they are still a strong team and it will be very difficult for us."
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Inter 1-4 Cagliari: Ekdal shines asNerazzurri crumble

The visitors pushed on after Yuto Nagatomo was
sent off after receiving two yellow cards, with
Marco Sau opening the scoring before Albin Ekdal
went on to score a hat-trick
A first-half Albin Ekdal hat-trick inspired Cagliari t
a stunning 4-1 Serie A thrashing of 10-man Inter
at San Siro on Sunday.
The Sweden international had never scored more
than one goal in a single domestic season before,
but he was superb as Cagliari ran riot - assisted
by Inter captain Yuto Nagatomo's 27th-minute red
card.

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