Terry: Chelsea captain John Terry is confident he will sign a new contract with the Stamford Bridge club before the start of the season. The 26-year-old defender still has two years left of his current deal to run but negotiations on a new contract were believed to have reached a sticking point over the central defender's wage demands. "Talks so far were very promising and I am hoping things can be done soon," Terry said. "It has moved a step closer."
Miccoli: Fabrizio Miccoli is hoping to fight for a Champions League spot with Palermo next season. The former Benfica striker completed his move to Palermo earlier this month. "I want to play in the Champions League, although I am aware that it will not be easy," Miccoli said. "There are at least four clubs which I consider fairly strong, but it is our duty to try to reach a Champions League spot."
Owen: Michael Owen scored his first Newcastle United goal in more than 19 months on Tuesday night as Sam Allardyce's reign began with a 3-1 win at Hartlepool. The England striker, who last found the net for Newcastle was at West Ham on December 17, 2005, converted James Troisi's 58th-minute cross.
Lucarelli: New Shakhtar Donetsk signing Cristiano Lucarelli has announced that he left Livorno because he felt it was time for a change. Lucarelli joined the Ukrainian club this week after agreeing to a three-year contract worth £2.8m per season. "After scoring 102 goals in Serie A, I needed a new challenge. The offer from Shakhtar came just at the right time," Lucarelli said.
Pienaar: Everton are in talks to sign Borussia Dortmund's Steven Pienaar. The Premier League side have opened talks with the German outfit to sign the South African and hope to strike a deal in the coming days. Pienaar, formerly of Ajax, was linked with Manchester City earlier this summer.
Middlesbrough: Middlesbrough are to appeal against a red card handed to Fabio Rochemback during a pre-season friendly against Hertha Berlin in Austria earlier this week. The Brazilian midfielder was dismissed midway through the second half after reacting to a tackle in the 1-1 draw with the Bundesliga outfit. Boro are hoping that Rochemback will not be forced to miss the start of the Premier League season as a result of the dismissal.
Asian Cup: Group matches - Malaysia vs Iran 0-2; Uzbekistan vs China 3-0; Indonesia vs South Korea 0-1; Saudi Arabia vs Bahrain 4-0. Quarter-finals - (Saturday) Japan vs Australia; Iraq vs Vietnam. (Sunday) Iran vs South Korea; Saudi Arabia vs Uzbekistan.
Friendlies: Chelsea vs Suwo SB 1-0; Duisburg vs Besiktas 0-1; Red Star vs West Brom 1-1; Heerenveen vs Sheffield Wednesday 2-2; Union Berlin vs Leeds 2-0; F. Dusseldorf vs Galatasaray 1-1; Genk vs Porto 1-0; Darlington vs Sunderland 0-2; B. M'gladbach vs Bayern Munich 2-1; Bray Wanderers vs Wolves 0-4; Shrewsbury vs Coventry 2-2; Bochum vs Slavia Prague 1-2; D. Dresden vs Schalke 1-1.
Johann Vogel: Everton are in talks to sign 30-year-old Switzerland captain Johann Vogel from Real Betis. "We are in negotiations with the player and he will be coming shortly to discuss personal terms with a view to signing a contract," Everton chief executive Keith Wyness was quoted as saying in The Guardian.