Van Der Sar: Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson believes Edwin van der Sar can finally fill the void left after Danish goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel quit the club six years ago. "Post Schmeichel it has been hard for younger keepers to deal with," Ferguson said. "When you've had a great goalkeeper like that in your team it is inevitable there will be comparisons. We decided to combat that and to cope with it we had to go for experience and personality. That's why we got Edwin van der Sar. He has got experience in abundance."

Baptista: Arsenal's hopes of signing Sevilla forward Julio Baptista suffered a fresh blow yesterday when the Brazilian said he wanted to remain in Spain for at least another year. "My agent and I believe that it is important that I become classed as a EU player and I will need another year in Spain to do that," the 23-year-old said.

Essien: Olympique Lyon midfielder Michael Essien appears set to stay with the club for now after talks between the French champions and Chelsea yesterday. Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon met president Jean-Michel Aulas and manager Gerard Houllier after which a Lyon spokesman said: "The position of both clubs has not changed". Ghana international Essien is keen to join Chelsea but Aulas does not want to sell.

Marseille: Former France international Sabri Lamouchi and Peru striker Andres Mendoza have joined Olympique Marseille. Lamouchi was loaned to Genoa by Inter last season. The midfielder, who won French titles with AJ Auxerre in 1996 and Monaco in 2000, has signed for a year with an option for another year. Mendoza joins on loan for a year from Ukrainian side Metalurg Donetsk. Marseille have an option to buy him.

Striptease: Barcelona president Joan Laporta has apologised after he stripped to his underpants during an argument with security staff at the city's airport. An eyewitness told Spain's daily ABC that Laporta had become incensed with staff after the alarm on the security scanner sounded three times. The irate Barca president hurled his shoes into the air and then took off his trousers after being asked to walk through the scanner again and again. "I would like to apologise if any Barcelona fan felt offended," Laporta said.

Salas: Chile striker Marcelo Salas is to end his second spell at River Plate after failing to agree a new contract with the Argentine team. The 30-year-old Salas returned for a second spell at River, where he made his name during the 1990s, after leaving Juventus in July 2003. But he showed only flashes of the form which once made him one of the world's top strikers.