Newly-promoted Italian Serie A side Frosinone Calcio have signed midfielder Aleksandar Tonev from Aston Villa for an undisclosed fee, the English Premier League club said yesterday.
The 25-year-old Bulgarian was sent out to Celtic on loan last season and made 14 appearances for the Hoops.
Tonev never found the back of the net for Aston Villa and made only six Premier League starts and 11 substitute appearances for the club.
The Bulgaria international was given a seven-match ban on Dec-ember 16 for racially abusing Aberdeen’s Shay Logan.
Lokomotiv Plovdiv not quitting league
Lokomotiv Plovdiv said they will continue their participation in the Bulgarian league after the domestic football union (BFU) nearly halved the fine on the club for their fans’ alleged racist behaviour earlier this month.
Lokomotiv were considering whether to quit the Bulgarian league after the BFU fined the club 37,500 levs ($21,224) after the August 8 match against Litex Lovech.
The 2004 Bulgarian cham-pions Lokomotiv categorically denied any wrongdoing during the 1-1 draw against Litex Lovech and said they were considering quitting the league, keeping only their youth teams.
Man. United fans arrested in Bruges
Fifty-seven Manchester United fans were arrested in Bruges on Wednesday night as fighting took the gloss off their emphatic Champions League win over Club Brugge.
Chief Constable of Bruges Police Dirk van Nuffel said glasses and chairs were thrown in a clash between English and Belgian “hooligans” outside a bar in the city centre after the 4-0 win, which put United into the Champions League group stages.
Van Nuffel said around 30 Belgian thugs attacked United fans in the Charlie Rockets pub.
The fight then spilled out on to the street, where the missiles were thrown.
Van Nuffel revealed 32 travelling fans and six Belgians were arrested near the bar.
Bayern extend Thiago contract
Midfielder Thiago Alcantara has extended his contract with German champions Bayern Munich by two years to 2019.
The versatile 24-year-old Spain international, who joined from Barcelona in 2013, suffered a severe knee injury that saw him sidelined for much of last season before coming back in April.
“We are happy that Thiago Alcantara decided to stay at Bayern for the long term,” said club CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge in a statement.
“He is young and an important player for the future of the club.”
Nolan leaves West Ham United
West Ham United have confirmed that midfielder and former skipper Kevin Nolan has left the club by mutual consent, bringing an end to a four-year spell at the Hammers.
The 33-year-old scored 31 goals in 157 games for the club since joining from Newcastle United in June 2011.
He captained West Ham to promotion via a Championship play-off final in his first season and finished as the Hammers’ leading scorer in the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons.
However, Nolan has found his appearances limited under new manager Slaven Bilic and did not start the club’s first two Premier League games this season, with midfielder Mark Noble taking the armband instead.
Walters wants to stay at Stoke City
Stoke City forward Jonathan Walters wants to stay with the Potters and continue his longest-ever stint at the same club despite the prolonged negotiations over his contract, reports said.
The 31-year-old was the subject of a failed bid from Norwich City last week and has been widely tipped to leave the Britannia Stadium after entering the final year of his current deal.
“Of course I’d be disappointed if I had to leave the club,” Walters said.
“I want to stay. I’ve been here five years, this is my sixth season and it’s the longest I’ve been at any club,” he added.
Claudio Pizarro keeping options open
Claudio Pizarro is still waiting for the right offer to arrive as he prepares to be given an official send-off by Bayern Munich this weekend.
The Peruvian – the Bundes-liga’s all-time top foreign goal-scorer with 176 goals – was re-leased earlier this summer when his contract expired. He has yet to find himself another club, although he insists that is not down to a lack of interest.
“I’ve had a few, but not yet the right one,” the 36-year-old said.
“I don’t have any rush, though. I’m keeping my options open.”
One of the offers he turned down is from Bayern’s city rivals 1860 Munich – a move which would have meant his family did not have to move away from the Bavarian city.