Swansea City manager Paul Clement hopes that having a full pre-season with his side will help them start the 2017-18 Premier League campaign strongly and avoid another relegation scrap.
Clement joined Swansea in January, when they were bottom of the table, and led them out of the relegation zone with the team collecting 26 points from 18 games to finish 15th after four wins in their last five league matches.
The 45-year-old believes that his side will benefit from the opportunity to have a full pre-season as he can develop the team without the pressure of a relegation battle.
“The key to making sure we do not have the same sort is season is starting strongly,” Clement was quoted as saying by British media.
Barcelona target Paulinho swoop
Brazil midfielder Paulinho has revealed that his agent is in talks with Barcelona over a potential move to the Catalan club.
Paris Saint-Germain’s Marco Verratti has emerged as Barca’s top target, but reports emerged earlier this week of their interest in Guangzhou Evergrande’s Paulinho.
And the midfielder has confirmed the speculation.
“There’s been contact with my agent. There’s an offer (from Barca), it’s true, and the two parties are talking,” Paulinho said.
“I’m really proud that a great club like Barcelona are interested in my situation – there is no price for that.”
Arsenal keen on Lacazette – Aulas
Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas has said Arsenal are interested in signing Alexandre Lacazette but would have to pay €65 million to get him.
Lacazette, 26, has been heavily linked with a move to the Emirates this summer after scoring 37 goals in 45 games for the Ligue 1 club last season.
“I do not have the intention of rapidly letting Alexandre go, because there is still a desire from Atletico Madrid to bring him in on the January 1, 2018,” he told L’Equipe.
“I saw Arsene Wenger, during the match between France and England. I was with Gerard Houllier and I was led to be believe that he said to Gerard that there could be interest from Arsenal.
Watford sign midfielder Hughes
Watford have signed midfielder Will Hughes from Championship side Derby County on a five-year contract, the Premier League club said on Saturday.
British media reported that Watford paid 8 million pounds ($10.2 million) for the 22-year-old who becomes the first signing since Marco Silva was named as manager last month.
Walter Mazzarri was sacked before the last league game of the season and Watford ended 17th in the table.
Getafe seal La Liga return
Getafe beat Tenerife 3-1 for a 3-2 aggregate victory in the playoff final on Saturday to secure their return to the La Liga next season.
Getafe were relegated from the top flight after the 2015-16 campaign and finished third in the lower division last season to advance to the play-offs, where they beat Huesca in the first round to progress to the final.
Midfielders Alejandro Faurlin and Daniel Pacheco (two) scored for the Madrid-based club at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez while Tenerife’s only goal was scored by striker Anthony Lozano.
Russia hopes to use VAR – Mutko
The president of Russia’s Football Union, deputy prime minister Vitaly Mutko, said on Saturday that the country was in talks with FIFA on using the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology at some of its stadiums.
VAR, which uses two video assistant referees who monitor the action on screens and call the match referee’s attention to mistakes or omissions, is being tested at four Russian stadiums hosting the Confederations Cup.
Soccer governing body FIFA has already said it would like to use video assistant referees in the 2018 World Cup, and soccer’s lawmaking body IFAB is expected to decide next March whether to authorise their use in the game on a permanent basis.
“I have asked FIFA to leave the system at the four stadiums and FC Krasnodar has asked for it as well,” Mutko told reporters.