New Signing Cristiano Keen To Not Let Sporting Lisbon Down

New Sporting Lisbon signing Cristiano says he wants to work hard and not let his new side down.
New Sporting Lisbon signing Cristiano says he wants to work hard and not let his new side down.

The winger joined the Portuguese giants from Greek side PAOK, where he failed to make an impression and secure a starting XI spot. He has now reunited with former coach Paulo Sergio.

"I chose Sporting because I wanted to play here," the 27-year-old told Diariodigital.sapo.pt. "I believe things will go well. It's a big club and I'm going to work hard to help the side.

"I want to thank all the support the people at the club have given me and I believe I won't let them down.

"All clubs go through difficulties, but I don’t think Sporting have so many problems. They may be having a tough of time of it, but I've already seen the changing room is very strong and will turn around the situation," he added.

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Harry Redknapp Reveals Tottenham Had Made A Bid For Villarreal Striker Giuseppe Rossi

Tottenham coach Harry Redknapp has confessed the club did make a last-day bid for Villarreal striker Giuseppe Rossi.
Tottenham coach Harry Redknapp has revealed that the Spurs had placed a bif for Villarreal star striker Giuseppe Rossi.

Redknapp said club director Daniel Levy offered €41 million for the Italian international.

"Daniel always said that if we found the right player then we would have gone for him but it was difficult," the tactician told Sky Sports. "He tried something with Rossi. I think he offered £35 million [€41m] in the end.

"It's hard to get top players unless you pay top money. You couldn't get Rossi because Villarreal don't want to sell you him.
"The chairman would have bought someone for £30m [€35m] though, for sure. He wanted to bring someone in.

"There was no doubt that he wanted to do it. He wanted to get somebody in and if Daniel can find the right people they will have a go again."

Luka Modric was the Spurs' most expensive player, with the club having paid £16.5m to transfer from Dinamo Zagreb in 2008.

Rossi has scored 12 goals in 20 league appearances for the Yellow Submarines, and recently signed a contract extension until 2016.

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Napoli Sporting Director Riccardo Bigon Keeping Options Open Over Udinese Midfielder Gokhan Inler

Napoli sporting director Riccardo Bigon has spoken about several transfers including the possibility of Udinese midfielder Gokhan Inler joining the Azzurri.
Napoli sporting director Riccardo Bigon has spoken about several of the Azzurri's current and future signings.

Bigon spoke highly of Victor Ruiz and Giuseppe Mascara, and left the door open over the Partenopei signing Udinese star midfielder Gokhan Inler.

"Ruiz is a young player. He is still a Spain Under-21 interntaional, and this is a sign of some sort of guarantee of a quality player," Bigon stated to Marte Sport Live. "We must give him time to get accustomed to playing in Italy.

"I got to know him last March and many teams were interested in him. Now, we must let him wok with coach [Walter] Mazzarri.

"Mascara was a difficult negotiation also because he was the Catania captain. He was keen to wear the Azzurri jersey. He will be an important figure for us in attack, and will give us a hand.

"As for Inler, there is no accord at the moment. We shall see what happens during the summer," he concluded.

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Cagliari Coach Roberto Donadoni Wishes Alessandro Matri Good Luck With Juventus Loan Move

Cagliari coach Roberto Donadoni has sent his best regards to striker Alessandro Matri, after he joined Juventus on loan until the end of the season.
Cagliari coach Roberto Donadoni has wished Alessandro Matri the best of luck with his loan move to Juventus on the final day of the transfer deadline.

According to the coach, the Isolani were presented with an important which couldn't be turned down. He believes Matri's move will inspire the team to improve and do well.

"The club decided to release Matri in front of an important offer," the former Itay national team boss stated to Tuttomercatoweb. "I wish him all the best because he will have to get accustomed to a new reality and a new club.

"His signing will need to be seen as a spark for the side. Our objectives will not change and we should not cry over our loss."

Matri joined the Bianconeri for a total of €18 million. The Rossoblu will be paid an initial €2.5m for the loan period until the end of the season, with an option to purchase the hitman for a €15.5m fee during the summer.

The 26-year-old has already scored 11 goals this campaign from 22 league matches.

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Juventus Striker Amauri In Milan To Sign Parma Loan Deal

Sky Sport Italia are claiming Amauri is on the verge of joining Parma.
Amauri is about to leave Juventus for Parma on loan for the rest of the season.

Sky Sport Italia claims the 30-year-old left Vinovo on Monday morning and arrived in Milan for lunch with Parma general director Pietro Leonardi.

A loan deal has been agreed until the end of the season when Amauri's future will come under discussion again.

The season has been unkind to the striker who joined Juventus from Palermo in 2008. Injuries and a struggle for form have put him on the back foot in Turin.

Reports earlier claimed Alejandro Dominguez from Valencia would be Amauri's proxy.

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Official: Partizan Belgrade Sign Prince Tagoe From Hoffenheim

Partizan Belgrade have signed Prince Tagoe from Hoffenheim on a six-month loan deal.
Serbian powerhouse Partizan Belgrade have completed the transfer of Ghanaian attacker Prince Tagoe from Hoffenheim on a six-month loan deal with the option to make the move permanent at the end of the season.

Partizan were eager to add some more depth to their attack this winter and head coach Aleksandar Stanojevic has now gotten his desired reinforcements.

Tagoe joined Hoffenheim from Al Ettifaq in the summer of 2009, but the 24-year-old attacker failed to live up the expectations at the German side. He has scored only two goals in 19 Bundesliga appearances for Hoffe.

"Unfortunately, Prince was unable to leave his mark at Hoffenheim like he had wanted to. He will now get the chance to gain important first team experience at Belgrade," said Hoffenheim's sporting director Ernst Tanner on the club's website.

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Official: Levante Clinch Loan Signing Of Villarreal Winger Jefferson Montero

Levante confirm the loan signing of Jefferson Montero from Villarreal until the end of the season.
Levante have confirmed that they have reached an agreement with Villarreal over the loan transfer of winger Jefferson Montero until the end of the season.

The promoted side, who are currently in the bottom three in the Primera Division, have made a deadline-day swoop to land the Ecuadorian international as they look to retain their position in the Spanish top flight.

The 21-year-old was promoted to the Yellow Submarines’ first-team squad this season after some dazzling displays for the B team last year, and has been used as an impact substitute on occasions this campaign.

The Granotes have moved quickly to land Montero until the end of the season, and the intention is to gain valuable first-team experience before returning to El Madrigal next season.

The deal has been confirmed on both side's official websites, and the player is expected to join up with his new colleagues later this week.

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Official: Davidson Drobo-Ampem Joins Esbjerg On Loan From St Pauli

St Pauli have loaned left back Davidson Drobo-Ampem to Esbjerg.
St Pauli have confirmed the transfer of young defender Davidson Drobo-Ampem to Esbjerg FB on loan.

The 22-year-old left back heads to the Danish Superliga on a six-month deal after making just one Bundesliga appearance this season, a four-minute run-out against Koeln.

"Drobo has to realise that it's important for him to be able to show everything that he's learned with us on a regular basis. Only then can he develop more and take the next step," St Pauli coach Holger Stanislawski said. "Against Koeln, we used him as a substitute because he earned it again."

Droubo-Amepem has been behind Leverkusen loanee Bastian Okzipka in the pecking order this year, and has not been a regular starter for St Pauli since 2009.

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Tottenham Submit Official Approach For Atletico Madrid Striker Diego Forlan

Tottenham have made an official approach to Atletico Madrid for striker Diego Forlan.
Tottenham have made an official approach to Atletico Madrid for striker Diego Forlan, emerging reports from Spain suggest.

Marca comments that the Uruguayan, who has been linked with Real Madrid and Juventus already in the current window, is wanted by the London club, and will table a bid within the next few hours.

The White Hart Lane outfit have already been linked with a €45 million offer for Forlan’s compatriot at the Vicente Calderon, Sergio Aguero, as well as approaches for Villarreal’s Giuseppe Rossi and Athletic Bilbao’s World Cup-winning attacker Fernando Llorente.

Earlier today Spurs manager Harry Redknapp refuted claims of a swoop for Aguero, but did not completely rule out doing business before the end of the day, and with mere hours remaining before the January market slams shut, 31-year-old Forlan is their primary objective, and they will test the Spanish club’s resolve with a substantial offer.

The former Manchester United man, who has twice collected the Pichichi award in Spanish football for finishing the season as top goalscorer, has struggled for form in front of goal this season, and recently suggested that he would listen to offers from other sides if received.

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Official: Stuttgart Sign Shinji Okazaki

VfB Stuttgart have signed Japanese striker Shinji Okazaki on a free transfers from Shimuzu S-Pulse.

The 24-year-old forward has scored 21 times in 38 appearances for his national team, thus catching the eye of the Bundesliga strugglers.

Okazaki has signed a three-and-a-half-year deal at the Mercedes-Benz-Arena, and will arrive at his new club on Friday.

The player told Stuttgart's official website, "I hope that I can contribute a lot to this team. I feel that my strengths are my ability to run, and in front of goal.

"In recent months I've felt a lot of stress, but another strength of mine is that I'm very resilient. I just need a few days to turn off, and then I'll be back in great condition.

"I know that the Bundesliga is a very physical, very high-level league. I'm looking forward to this challenge."

Okazaki scored three goals at the 2011 Asian Cup in Qatar, which Japan won by beating Australia in extra-time in the final.

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Genoa Coach Davide Ballardini Looking Forward To The Closure Of The Transfer Window

Coach Davide Ballardini praised Genoa for a positive first have performance during the 3-1 victory over Parma.
As Genoa edged away from the drop zone with a 3-1 victory over Parma this afternoon, coach Davide Ballardini praised his new arrivals but admitted his relief to the vicinity of transfer deadline day on Monday

“We played well in the opening period,” he declared to RaiSport.

“After the break we suffered a little as they started to push more but I was happy with the way my men controlled things.

“The new arrivals are integrating well, and [Antonio] Floro Flores in particular gave a good showing this afternoon.

“I am very much looking forward to the closure of the transfer market on Monday.

“With the window closed it becomes much easier to go about your work as a coach without having to constantly respond to questions over the future of certain players.”

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Liverpool Rejected Transfer Request Submitted By Fernando Torres

Liverpool have rejected a transfer request submitted by Fernando Torres after the club declined a bid from Chelsea for the striker.

Chelsea had a £35 million offer turned down for the Spanish international on Thursday, after which, Liverpool reiterated they have no intention of selling the forward.

But Goal.com UK exclusively revealed Torres would welcome a move to London after becoming disillusioned with Liverpool's lack of ambition and on the back of having a transfer request publicly turned down, it appears the striker is keen to push for a switch before the January transfer window closes on Monday.

A statement on Liverpool's official website said: "Fernando Torres tonight submitted a written transfer request, which has been rejected by Liverpool.

"Fernando is under long-term contract and the Club expect him to honour the commitment he made to Liverpool FC and its supporters when he signed the agreement."

Reports have suggested Chelsea are willing to increase their offer but Liverpool will be wanting a substantial profit from the 26-year-old, who was purchased for £20 million in 2007 from Atletico Madrid.

Torres's record at Liverpool has been strong - 65 goals in 102 Premier League games but season's have been blighted by injuries and recently, a dip in form which has led to subsequent questions regarding his attitude.

But the arrival of Kenny Dalglish appeared to reignite Torres, but the Liverpool manager now has the role of persuading Torres to stay at Anfield.

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Tottenham Manager Harry Redknapp Insists Indispensible Gareth Bale Will Not Be Leaving For Inter

Winger has been targeted by a number of European clubs.
Harry Redknapp has ruled out the sale of Gareth Bale to Inter – regardless of the amount offered by the Italian side.

The left winger has been an influential figure at White Hart Lane and has attracted the interest of a number of European clubs.

But the Tottenham manager has reiterated his desire to keep the Welsh international at the club and insists selling the 21-year-old would dent his side’s progress.

"You have special players in your team and if you're going to be a top team you've got to keep your top players," said Redknapp.

"We can't go selling Gareth Bale, in all honesty. You've got three or four players who can make the difference and he's one of those players.

“If you lose him, how are you going to replace him?

“When he gets the ball, he can do something that no one else can do. You can't afford to lose him and if you sell him the moment you sell him it sends out the wrong signals.

"If we're going to be a big club, we're not going to sell Gareth Bale. We won't be selling Gareth Bale in the summer, I'm pretty certain of that. It's up to the chairman at the end of the day, but I'd be very surprised if we'd be interested in selling him at any price."

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Real Madrid Defender David Mateos Close To Joining AEK Athens

AEK Athens are close to capturing Mateos of Madrid on a loan deal until the end of term.
Real Madrid are about to loan David Mateos to Greek outfit AEK Athens until the end of the season.

Goal.com Spain understands that the 23-year-old centre-back, who made his debut for the Merengues earlier this season, will leave the Bernabeu and join forces with coach Manolo Jimenez in Athens.

The former Sevilla coach has been pressing for the Spanish stopper to beat off a reported interest from Zaragoza and Celtic.

Mateos is expected to complete his move on Saturday and his move to Greece will offer him the chance of regular action, something that has not happened in Madrid.

A loan deal seems likely as Madrid are not prepared to allow their man to leave permanently as they see him as a prospect for next season.

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Chelsea To Come At Liverpool With £60 Million Bid For Fernando Torres

Chelsea look set to improve on their bid for Liverpool's Fernando Torres with a sum of £60 million, according to The Mirror.

The record-breaking bid comes after the Spanish striker told his current team that he wants to leave via a written transfer request.

His representatives have also apparently written to the club's new American owners stating all the reasons why the player should be allowed to leave, including the fact that the forward has been let down over promises made last summer to keep him at the club after Rafa Benitez's departure.

The West London club are also prepared to throw in young striker Daniel Sturridge, a player Liverpool wanted to take on loan earlier this season, and the Reds look to have an offer they can't refuse.

Any completed deal will probably see Torres become Chelsea's highest ever earner, but the negotiations will need to gather momentum quickly given that there are only three days left for such a big transfer to go through before deadline

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