Adebayor: Togo striker Emmanuel Adebayor signed for Arsenal yesterday from French club Monaco for an undisclosed fee. Manager Arsene Wenger told the club's website: "Emmanuel Adebayor is a great addition to our squad. He has shown in his performances with Monaco and Togo that he will add great quality to our offensive game. He is tall, good in the air and makes good runs. We are looking forward to him joining the squad when he returns from the African Nations Cup."
Vieri: Italy striker Christian Vieri should make his Monaco debut when the team entertain Girondins Bordeaux in Ligue 1 today. "I'll talk to him one last time after the final training session (on Friday) but he wants to play and there's nothing to suggest he can't", Monaco's Italian coach Francesco Guidolin told reporters. Vieri, 32, joined Monaco on Wednesday from AC Milan, where he had struggled to adapt, and is hoping the move will help him win a place at the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
Salgado: Michel Salgado has joined Real Madrid's lengthening injury list after tests revealed he had suffered a calf strain that will sideline him for about two weeks. Salgado sustained the injury early in the second half of Real's 4-0 King's Cup victory over Athletic Bilbao on Thursday. The club has no shortage of right backs, however, with Cicinho and Carlos Diogo both able to fill in for the Spanish international.
Edu: Valencia's Brazilian midfielder Edu says he expects to return to action next month after missing most of the season because of a serious knee injury. "The doctor that operated on me has told me that the knee is very strong and that I will be able to play in February," the 27-year-old said after arriving back in Spain following a five-month recuperation programme in Brazil. Edu joined Valencia as a free agent in May after completing his contract with Arsenal, but tore the cruciate ligament in his left knee during a training match a week before the start of the league season.
Pandiani: Uruguay striker Walter Pandiani completed a 1.5 million euro move from Birmingham City to Espanyol when he was unveiled by the Primera Liga side yesterday. Pandiani, who has signed a two and a half-year deal with the Barcelona-based club, said he was itching to make his debut. "I'm ready to play now and I can't wait to play although I don't know when I'll get the chance," he told a news conference.
Essien: Ghana ended any doubts over whether Chelsea's Michael Essien would play at the African Nations Cup by leaving the injured midfielder out of their squad yesterday. Initially ruled out due to an ankle injury, Essien made an earlier than expected return to light training this week, prompting speculation he might yet play a part in Ghana's campaign at the finals. But his name was absent from the 23-man list which Ghana belatedly provided for the finals being held in Egypt.
World Cup Tickets: Orders for 250,000 tickets for this year's World Cup in Germany on offer in the final sales window are set to be oversubscribed about 18 times, organisers said on Friday, two days before applications close. Preliminary figures show some 535,000 orders for 4.5 million tickets have been placed so far in the third sales period, which opened on Dec. 12 and is due to run until midnight tomorrow. Balloting to decide who gets the tickets is scheduled for Jan. 31 before allocations are announced in early February.
Division III: Birzebbuga vs Ta' Xbiex 14-0; Ghaxaq vs Siggiewi 2-1.
In England: The Championship - Wolves vs Luton 2-1.
In Italy: Serie C1 (B) - Lucchese vs Gela 2-1.