In the prime of his career, Asia’s newly-crowned player of the year could be preparing for a dream move to Europe. Instead, Lee Keun-Ho is swapping his football studs for army boots.
The Ulsan Hyundai winger on Wednesday bowed out of top-flight football, for the foreseeable future at least, as the South Korean side lost 3-2 to J-League champions Sanfrecce Hiroshima at the Club World Cup in Japan.
Lee is embarking on a two-year stint of military service – a loss Ulsan coach Kim Ho-Gon lamented, describing the goal-scoring winger as “indispensable”.
Lee will drop down to the K-League’s second tier, turning out for military team Sangju Sangmu Phoenix during his term of service.
Tello agrees new Barcelona deal
Barcelona have agreed a contract extension with winger Cristian Tello, the Primera Division club have announced.
The 21-year-old made his first-team debut for Barca in November 2011 before going on to make 22 appearances last season.
A Barcelona statement read: “Barcelona announce they have reached an agreement with the player Cristian Tello to extend his contract until June 30, 2016.
“His buy-out clause has been set at 10 million euros.”
Palermo make Aronica approach
Palermo have made an approach for Napoli defender Salvatore Aronica, club president Maurizio Zamparini has confirmed.
The 34-year-old Sicilian’s current contract expires next June but Zamparini is keen to bring Aronica to the Stadio Renzo Barbera as soon as possible, with Palermo continuing to struggle in the lower reaches of Serie A.
He said: “We have already talked about Aronica because he was interested in coming to Palermo last year.
“We are working on it but I’m not sure where we are up to with the current negotiations.”
Drogba still a Juve target – reports
Juventus are still hoping to lure Didier Drogba to the club with an 18-month deal, according to reports.
Drogba signed a two-and-a-half-year deal with Shanghai Shenhua in July but that has not stopped Italy’s press from talking up the Ivorian striker’s departure from China in favour of Serie A.
Few Italian clubs speak candidly about potential transfer targets, and while Gazzetta dello Sport cited no official sources, their report claimed Juventus had offered Drogba an 18-month deal that would begin in January and end in June 2014.
The report claimed Drogba had turned down Juventus’s offer because he would prefer the contract to run until June 2015.
Toure keen to stay with Man. City
Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure has expressed his desire to see out the remainder of his career at the club.
The Ivory Coast international has become a hugely influential figure in Roberto Mancini’s side since arriving from Barcelona in the summer of 2010.
“I would love to end my career here,” said Toure.
“Nobody knows what the next step is in football and I believe that if you stop dreaming, you should stop playing football, but this is where I want to be.
“When I first arrived at City every time I went to sleep I would dream about us winning something and about us being the best team in whatever competition we take part in.”
Arsenal chief ‘upset and angry’
Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis was “upset and angry” following the League Cup defeat to Bradford this week, which he described as “not good enough”.
Gazidis met with fans’ groups on Wednesday night following the quarter-final exit at Valley Parade on Tuesday which has heaped further pressure on manager Arsene Wenger.
“(Tuesday night) was simply not good enough and it made us all upset and angry,” he said in quotes reported by several national newspapers.
“I would like to apologise to all of you (the supporters), especially the fans who travelled up there. It was unbelievable support as ever and you deserved better.”
“That is something we will work hard to put right.”
Hamsik shrugs off PSG talk
Marek Hamsik is not interested in discussing rumours linking him with a switch from Napoli to Paris Saint-Germain, the Slovakian midfielder said.
“I’m not thinking about changing clubs,” he told the Corriere dello Sport. “I feel good here. Happy and satisfied.
“I don’t bother myself with certain situations. I listen and read rumours, but I don’t know anything about them.
“I have a five-year contract at Napoli, a club that is growing, a side which is playing well and there is no reason to think of a move.”
The 25-year-old joined the Naples outfit in 2007 from Brescia.