Football news

Roberto Martinez, Wigan's new manager, wants to strengthen his team with more signings following the capture of Jordi Gomez from Espanyol.

Gomez signed for a reported fee of £1.7 million but despite the acquisition of the playmaker Martinez is unhappy with the numbers he has at his disposal.

The Spanish coach believes competition for places is crucial.

"We are a little light in numbers and I want to press ahead and bring in some more real quality into the squad," Martinez said.

"We must make sure that the players coming in are of the correct standard for us."

Cleo makes Belgrade history

Brazilian striker Cleo became the first player in 21 years to swap camps between Belgrade's bitter rivals after joining Serbian champions Partizan from Red Star.

Cleo, who scored 12 goals in 24 appearances for Red Star last season, followed in the footsteps of former Yugoslavia midfielder Goran Milojevic.

He said he expected Red Star fans, whose intense rivalry with Partizan supporters has often erupted into crowd trouble, to "understand" his decision.

"No one has said anything bad to me yet nor has anyone made any threats," Cleo said after signing a four-year contract.

Daily papers said Cleo might need bodyguards for him and his family if he made the switch.

Chelsea's Terry blasts UEFA bans

Chelsea captain John Terry criticised the punishments meted out to his team-mates Didier Drogba and Jose Bosingwa for their reactions to the club's Champions League loss to Barcelona.

Drogba was given a four-game ban by UEFA, with two games suspended, while full-back Bosingwa will have to miss three matches, with a further match suspended.

"What happened with Didier and the comments made after the game took the hype away from the referee a little bit," Terry said.

"It was a very bad performance from the referee. It was disappointing. I would like the people in charge to take these things into perspective and realise that after the game Didier apologised for his actions."

Chelsea intend to lodge an appeal.

Vermaelen seals Arsenal move

Belgium defender Thomas Vermaelen yesterday completed his transfer from Ajax to Arsenal.

Vermaelen, 23, made over 100 appearances for the Amsterdam giants. The undisclosed fee is reported to have been in the region of £10 million.

Arsene Wenger said: "Thomas is a solid performer with good experience of Champions League football and is also a regular with the Belgium national team.

"Thomas is primarily a left-footed centre-back, but he is multi-functional and can also play at left-back... Thomas will be a huge asset to Arsenal."

Juventus part with Mellberg

Juventus decided to part company with defender Olof Mellberg (picture) who will join Olympiakos in the Greek league next season.

The Swede, who will cost Olympiakos £2 million, would have lost his place at Juve next season following the arrival of Fabio Cannavaro from Real Madrid.

The 32-year-old Mellberg made 27 appearances for Juve last season, scoring two goals.

Another player mentioned with a possible transfer away from Juve is Tiago Mendes, the Portuguese midfielder. However, club delegate Alessio Secco denied the rumours.

Maicon threatens to quit Inter

Brazilian defender Maicon has again raised doubts about his future at Inter , saying the Serie A champions must assemble a side capable of winning the Champions League.

"Inter have to think big," Maicon was quoted as saying.

"I want to win the Champions League and this is an important objective for others of us too, because the Champions League is an important trophy for a player's career.

"If I can win it with Inter, fine. Otherwise it'll be necessary to consider going elsewhere to try to win it."

Maicon, who has been linked to Real Madrid, also threatened to leave Inter last week, complaining the club treated him with "indifference".

Grondona wants Riquelme back

Argentina's football chief Julio Grondona hinted strongly he was seeking the return of estranged playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme to Diego Maradona's troubled national team.

"The other day, I went into a locksmith's and I may have found the key to open the door," Argentine FA president Grondona told reporters.

Riquelme, a key member of the Argentina side that reached the 2006 World Cup quarter-finals, quit the team in March over remarks he perceived as critical of his playing style made by Maradona in the media.

He made his decision just days before Maradona named his first squad for the 2010 World Cup qualifiers after Riquelme had missed friendly wins against Scotland and France.