Swansea City manager Garry Monk is eager to secure Wilfried Bony’s future and reports in the UK said yesterday that the club are set to open negotiations with their striker about a new contract.
The 25-year-old Ivorian was linked with a move away from the Liberty Stadium in July, after scoring 25 goals in his first season with Swansea.
“In the coming weeks his representatives will make contact with the club and we’ll have a chat,” Monk said.
Bony joined Swansea for a club-record fee of £12m in 2012 and 16 of his goals were scored in the Premier League in 2013-14.
Walcott comeback
Theo Walcott played 45 minutes for Arsenal’s U-21 side against Blackburn late Friday as he stepped up his recovery from the knee injury which kept him out of the World Cup.
The 25-year-old has been sidelined for nine months after rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during the FA Cup third-round win over Tottenham.
“It has been a hard, long nine months,” Walcott said after featuring for the first half of the goalless draw at Meadow Park.
“I don’t think about picking up little knocks – I think about the game. That’s what I did, and I got through fine.”
Irvine: Berahino won’t be cheap
West Brom head coach Alan Irvine has warned potential suitors Saido Berahino is worth more than £15 million.
The red-hot Berahino hit five Premier League goals and helped fire England U-21s to Euro 2015 this month. Tottenham had been linked with a £15m move but Irvine dismissed the amount.
“It doesn’t sound a lot. I would be absolutely astonished if anyone could sign Saido from us for £15 million,” he said.
“That doesn’t sound like a lot of money for a talented, young, English player with great potential who is playing really, really well in the Premier League at the moment.”
Moyes expected more United backing
Former Manchester United manager David Moyes believes the club failed to “do what was right” when they sacked him after less than 10 months.
The Scot’s succession to Alex Ferguson was an overwhelming disappointment as poor results blighted his short spell at Old Trafford. However, Moyes maintains the club should have had more faith in him.
“I got the job and I expected it to be a six-year plan,” he said.
“I knew that it could be difficult but I joined a club that I felt stood behind their managers, made sure they supported them in difficult times.
“I do understand that the landscape has changed a little bit in football but I expected United to do what was right with me.”
Napoli’s Gargano suffers rehab blow
Napoli announced they will have to do without midfielder Walter Gargano for several weeks after a setback in his rehab following operation on a fractured cheekbone.
The Serie A club said that while surgery was a straightforward procedure, the 30-year-old cannot engage in physical contact for at least another month.
“The surgery was a complete success,” Napoli said in a statement.
“Walter Gargano will be able to resume light training on Monday but must avoid physical contact for the next four weeks.”
This month Gargano declined a call-up from Uruguay to continue with his recovery.
Mourinho ponders role reversal
Jose Mourinho suggested he would have been given a stadium ban had he been the perpetrator, rather than the victim, of Arsene Wenger’s push.
The Chelsea boss was pushed firmly in the chest by the Arsenal manager during the Premier League leaders’ 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge earlier this month but the FA took no further action as the touchline fracas was witnessed and dealt with by the match officials.
Mourinho did not expect Wenger to be punished but believes he would have been had the roles been reversed.
When asked if he felt he would have been charged had he pushed a rival manager, a smiling Mourinho said: “Charged? Charged? Or stadium ban?”
Malaysian launches FIFA exco bid
Malaysian Football president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah is targeting more places for Asian sides at future World Cups after launching a bid to join the all-powerful FIFA executive committee.
The Asian Football Confederation will vote for three members to join FIFA’s decision-making board with Tengku Abdullah the first of many expected to throw their hat into the ring for the election expected to take place in April or May.
“We are the largest continent and half of the sponsorships FIFA receive are from Asia,” Shah told reporters.
“I believe that we should be given more places in the World Cup rather than the four seats allocated to us at the moment.”