Eintracht Frankfurt have been dealt a blow by the news that forward Nelson Valdez tore his cruciate knee ligaments in Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Wolfsburg.
The summer signing lasted only 54 minutes at the VW-Arena before being carried away with suspected ligament damage.
That was confirmed following a scan yesterday.
“This is very unfortunate,” said Frankfurt coach Thomas Schaaf, who also worked with Valdez at Werder Bremen.
“It’s going to hurt us. Nelson is a battler and we will do all we can to have him back as quickly as possible. He can rest assured Eintracht will support him.”
Redfearn not ruling himself out at Leeds
Caretaker manager Neil Redfearn refused to rule himself out of the running to succeed David Hockaday as head coach as Leeds ended a run of three defeats with a 1-0 home victory over Bolton.
Hockaday was sacked after only six games. As the only coach left on the club’s books Redfearn is an obvious contender and he is not saying no to anything.
“I love coaching and working with players,” he said.
“The most important thing is that the appointment is right for the club. I will have a chat with the president and see what he is thinking. It is his decision but the club needs a settled set of circumstances.”
Surprise recall for veteran Given
Shay Given has been recalled to the Ireland squad ahead of the double-header against Oman and Georgia.
The 38-year-old Aston Villa coach, who announced his retirement from international football after the Euro 2012 finals, is a surprise inclusion in Martin O’Neill’s final 27-man party for Wednesday’s friendly against Oman in Dublin and the opening Euro 2016 qualifier in Tbilisi four days later.
Skipper Robbie Keane is being monitored as he attempts to shake off a minor problem, although O’Neill is hopeful he will be fit for the Georgia game.
I can beat the booze, says Gascoigne
Troubled former England midfielder Paul Gascoigne has said he can overcome the demons which saw him admitted to hospital in a drink-fuelled stupor.
The 47-year-old, whose legacy on the pitch has been overshadowed by alcohol since retiring a decade ago, was treated in hospital in Dorset when he suffered a relapse last week after spending the previous seven months clean.
Gascoigne said: “I know I can overcome this. I am an alcoholic so I am taking one day at a time, but I will get there.”
Gascoigne said he turned to drink after being served with an eviction notice on his flat in the up-market area of Sandbanks, Poole.
Falcao denies Real Madrid tweet
Monaco striker Radamel Falcao looked to be closer than ever to joining Real Madrid during the weekend.
The Colombian denied writing a Twitter message that read “Dream come true #HalaMadrid”, and claimed it was a “photo montage”.
The initial Tweet appeared to have come from his official account and was widely circulated on the social network, retweeted by over 2,000 users prior to it being deleted.
Falcao later added on his account: “I have to deny a story about a Tweet I didn’t do and which is a photo montage.”
Wenger determined to keep Campbell
Arsene Wenger insists Joel Campbell will stay at Arsenal after resisting repeated attempts by other clubs to take him on loan.
Campbell was a star of Costa Rica’s World Cup campaign but is only on the fringe of the Gunners’ first team.
He spent all three years of his Arsenal career on loan at Lorient, Real Betis and Olympiakos but Wenger views the 22-year-old as part of his plans.
“We’ve had lots of enquiries and turned them down,” Wenger said.
“Once I say to my assistant he won’t go out on loan, even if people ask about him, my assistant doesn’t even tell me... when I say no it’s no.”
Chelsea sign Remy from QPR
Chelsea have bolstered their attacking options by signing France forward Loic Remy from Premier League rivals Queens Park Rangers on a four-year deal.
The pacy Remy, 27, arrives at Stamford Bridge after Chelsea activated a 10.5 million pound buyout clause in the player’s contract.
“I feel very happy and very proud. When I heard Chelsea wanted to sign me I said “let’s go” straight away because they are one of the best clubs in the world,” Remy, who has scored five goals in 24 games for France, said.
Chelsea moved for Remy after Milan agreed a two-year loan deal for misfit striker Fernando Torres.
Remy becomes the sixth signing for Chelsea this summer.