Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko has capped a dream start to the new Premier League season by signing a new four-year contract with the club.
Dzeko dazzled in his side’s opening day win at Newcastle on Sunday after which boss Manuel Pellegrini made no secret of the player’s importance to the team.
“I’m really happy here at City – it’s a second home to me so it was an easy decision to stay for the long-term,” Dzeko said.
“I knew from the beginning when I started here that I wanted to stay for a long time – I can’t see any place better than here.”
The 28-year-old Dzeko joined City from Wolfsburg in 2011.
Juventus confident Vidal will stay put
Juventus are confident reported Manchester United target Arturo Vidal will remain at the club.
The Chilean midfielder has been strongly linked with a move to the Premier League this summer. The 27-year-old Vidal only signed a new contract with Juve back in December, which will see him tied to the Turin-based club until June 2017.
“All the requirements are there for Vidal not to leave before the end of the transfer market,” Juve general director Giuseppe Marotta said.
“The contract extension he signed has made more solid the marriage between Juve and Vidal.”
Vidal moved to Juve from Bayer Leverkusen in 2011.
Leeds United sign Italian Antenucci
Italian striker Mirco Antenucci has joined Leeds for an undisclosed fee.
The 29-year-old had been at Elland Road for talks this week and tweeted a photograph of himself in front of the pitch as well as one of him signing his papers with club consultant Graham Bean.
“Proud to be a part of this club,” he wrote.
“I hope to give you a lot of satisfaction.”
Leeds yesterday confirmed he had signed a two-year deal subject to international clearance.
Antenucci has done the rounds in Italian football, playing for the likes of Catania, Ascoli, Torino and Ternana, for whom he scored 19 goals last season.
His best return came in 2009-10 when he scored 24 times for Ascoli to win the Serie B golden boot.
Easy for Inter
Inter comfortably won the first leg of their Europa League play-off 3-0 away to Stjarnan, late Wednesday.
The damage was done in a seven-minute spell either side of the break in Iceland, with Mauro Icardi putting them ahead just before the break
Dodo then added a second in the 48th minute, with Danilo D’Ambrosio putting away an injury-time third, placing Inter in complete control ahead of the second leg in Italy next week.
Scholes ‘scared’ about United future
Manchester United great Paul Scholes has said he is scared about the club’s future and believes they could spiral into decline in the same way Liverpool did in the 1990s.
Scholes, who played for United throughout his whole career and won 11 Premier League titles, says the club need to sign five top players to arrest their current slump that saw them fail to qualify for the Champions League last season.
“I am scared for United. Genuinely scared they could go into the wilderness in the same way Liverpool did in the 1990s,” Scholes said.
“What do they need? Five players. Five proper players who can hit the ground running and turn round a situation that looks desperate.”
Australia claim Liverpool’s Smith
Australia coach Ange Poste-coglou called England U-21 international Brad Smith into his squad for next month’s Asian Cup warm-ups against Belgium and Saudi Arabia yesterday.
The 20-year-old Liverpool left-back was born in Australia to British parents and moved to England when he was 14, going on to represent the country at Under-17, Under-19 and Under-21 levels.
Smith will be sidelined for several weeks after injuring his knee while on loan at Swindon Town last week, though, suggesting his call-up is a bid to secure his services for the Socceroos.
Smith was one of four uncapped players in Poste-coglou’s first squad since the World Cup.
Palermo land defender Stankovic
Newly-promoted Serie A club Palermo yesterday announced they had signed defender Vojislav Stankovic from Partizan Belgrade.
Reports in Italy this week said the 26-year-old centre-half was about to join Lazio but Palermo moved in the last minute to seal his signature.
“Vojislav is 95 per cent sure of going to Palermo,” agent San-tiago Gentiletti said.
“The two clubs reached an agreement and we can soon positively conclude the transfer.
“We are very satisfied. Lazio were also interested but Vojislav thinks Palermo is a better option.”