Joining Real Madrid is a dream that has come true for Brazilian Lucas Silva, his former coach Marcelo Oliveira has said.
The talented Silva, who played for Cruzeiro, has agreed a contract until June 2020 for a reported fee of €14 million and will be presented at the Bernabeu tomorrow.
Real won the chase to bring in the creative 21-year-old, who is able to dictate play from the middle of the pitch and will be a useful understudy to Toni Kroos this season as he gains first-team experience.
“I have been talking with Lucas and he is very happy as one of his dreams has come true. (Real Madrid coach Carlo) Ancelotti has got a real diamond,” Oliveira said.
Hungary blocked by County on Facebook
Notts County have blocked Hungary from their Facebook page after it was swamped by a flood of comments about new striker Balint Bajner.
The club signed the 24-year-old Hungarian last week from Ipswich Town whose own page was inundated with “No Bajner, no party!” posts when he was dropped in August.
County’s page received more than 1,700 new likes in two days after Bajner joined the world’s oldest professional football club on a free transfer.
“Anything we posted got a good number of Balint Bajner posts within a few minutes and it just grew and grew,” the club’s head of media Jamie Dixon said.
“It was all taken in good fun but then we did have to appreciate that it was blurring the waters for everyone else on the page.”
Shaqiri fired up for Torino clash
Inter midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri is fired up for today’s home match against Torino with his team looking to climb up in the Serie A table.
The Switzerland international scored his first goal for Inter in Wednesday’s 2-0 triumph over Sampdoria that allowed the Nerazzurri to progress to the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia.
Shaqiri said: “I’m delighted to have scored my first goal for Inter.
“We turned in a good team display against Samp.
“Now we must give continuity to this result.”
Bojan not for sale
Stoke manager Mark Hughes has sent a simple message to any clubs looking to snatch Bojan Krkic: “Don’t bother.”
Liverpool are being increasingly linked with a move for the former Barcelona youngster after his recent run of form.
However, Hughes was quick to dismiss such talk.
“Don’t bother,” he said.
“He’s done exceptionally well. We knew it would take a little bit of time for him to get to grips with the Premier League and he’s done that.
“I think he’s very happy. We have no intention of encouraging any interest in him.”
We were relaxed says Cambridge winger
Man. United boss Louis van Gaal may have had an uneasy night’s viewing squirming in his seat, but Cambridge winger Ryan Donaldson believes the hosts were “comfortable” in their goalless draw which earned a glamour FA Cup replay at Old Trafford.
The League Two side will go to Manchester for a money-spinning fourth-round replay after deser-vedly holding United.
Donaldson was relaxed about the late bombardment which resulted in goalkeeper Chris Dunn saving well from Radamel Falcao, Robin van Persie and Angel di Maria.
“We were under the cosh for almost all the second half, (but) we’ve got a good resilience about us,” Donaldson said.
“I didn’t feel we were in too much trouble. They had a couple of chances, but I thought we were reasonably comfortable.”
Bayern hit back at Zwanziger
Bayern Munich have accused senior FIFA member Theo Zwanziger of double standards after the former German soccer chief criticised the Bundesliga champions over last week’s visit to Saudi Arabia.
The team from Bavaria, a leading global football brand, played a friendly against Al-Hilal in Riyadh last week in a one-day trip organised by a club sponsor.
It coincided with an uproar over the flogging in Saudi Arabia of blogger Raif Badawi and Zwan-ziger accused Bayern of being driven by “commercial ethics”.
“If Dr Theo Zwanziger has indeed forgotten what he once said (about Bayern) then we are seriously worried,” read a column on the club website. “Does the Dr need a doctor?”.
“Dr Theo Zwanziger ... is grateful to have used his chance at Bayern’s expense to hit the headlines.”
Eto’o set to seal Sampdoria switch
Sampdoria coach Sinisa Mihajlovic said yesterday that Samuel Eto’o is set to join the club and told his players not to be distracted by the Cameroon forward’s arrival.
TV pictures showed Eto’o, currently at Everton, arriving at a clinic in Rome for a medical. He was due to be presented to the crowd before today’s Serie A match at home to Palermo.
But Mihajlovic said he did not want his players to be carried away by the festive atmosphere.
“Party, what party?” he told reporters.
“Eto’o is joining this team but he must not be a distraction.”