Daniele De Rossi is sad to see Miralem Pjanic leave Roma but has wished his exemplary former team-mate well at Juventus.
Pjanic completed a €32million move from the Giallorossi to Juve on Monday, the Bosnia-Herzegovina playmaker signing a five-year deal with the Serie A champions.
The 26-year-old enjoyed an outstanding 2015-16 campaign, scoring 10 goals in 33 league appearances to help Roma to the third place in the table, behind Juve and Napoli.
And while De Rossi will miss partnering Pjanic in the centre of Roma s midfield after nearly five years together, he bears no ill-feeling about his decision to swap the capital for Turin.
Speaking after Italy s Euro 2016 victory over Belgium on Monday, De Rossi said: From the very first day that he arrived at R…
Japan international Shinji Kagawa s transfer to Manchester United has caused quite a stir among his national team-mates.
While the player himself spurned reporters as he insisted on focusing on his national team duties, his Samurai Blue team-mates were more than willing to discuss their compatriot s bombshell move to the Premier League.
For our generation, a Japanese player going overseas and joining a big club was something you d only see in a comic book, Japan captain Makoto Hasebe said.
Shinji s giving kids something to dream about. It s incredibly big, what he s doing.
As Alberto Zaccheroni s side prepared for their 2014 World Cup qualifier with Jordan on Friday, one of Kagawa s team-mates threw his hat in the ring as the next Japanese player to …
Sweden midfielder Kim Kallstrom believes internal conflicts are bound to arise within any team during major competitions.
The Lyon star thinks minor complaints can turn into major conflicts due to the pressure at tournaments and gave the example of France s 2010 World Cup meltdown as an example of the unrest that can occur during international competition.
The tension is incredible, he told reporters at a press conference. It is a very special scenario for two weeks.
You have to deal with a congested match schedule and at the same time everything is brought to a head.
You completely live in a bubble, you have no contact with the outside world and the same time the pressure just gets bigger and bigger. You just want to win all the time.
I thi…
Gerard Deulofeu will join Premier League side Watford on loan from Barcelona for the rest of the season, the La
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Liga leaders have confirmed.
Spain winger Deulofeu re-joined Barca from Everton during the close-season when his boyhood club exercised a buyback option after the 23-year-old s impressive loan stint at AC Milan.
However, he has been restricted to five LaLiga starts, scoring in October s win over Malaga, and Philippe Coutinho s arrival from Liverpool this month was set to leave Deulofeu further down the pecking order in Ernesto Valverde s squad.
Watford will pay Deulofeu s salary in full during his time at Vicarage Road, with a potential additional payment of €1million to be made to Barcelona if certain stipulations are met.
Catalan…
Crotone extended Inter s winless run in Serie A to eight matches as Andrea Barberis second-half equaliser secured Walter Zenga s side a well-deserved 1-1 draw at San Siro.
Playing in place of the injured Mauro Icardi, Eder marked his first league start of the season by heading the Nerazzurri ahead in the 23rd minute, albeit visiting defender Davide Faraoni got the final touch on the ball.
Yet the out-of-sorts hosts laboured throughout and Crotone deservedly picked up a valuable point in their battle to beat the drop, Barberis reacting quickly to poke a loose ball beyond Samir Handanovic.
The result will be particularly pleasing for Zenga, a legendary name at Inter who is back coaching in his homeland after an unsuccessful spell at English Championship side Wolves…
Marseille and Napoli are showing interest in Caen midfielder N Golo Kante, .
Having proved his worth in France s top flight, the 23-year-old has caught the eye of several top European clubs and Ligue 1 giants OM are believed to be leading the chase at the moment.
Marseille chairman Vincent Labrune contacted his Caen counterpart to enquire about the possibility of signing Kante during the January transfer window.
The negotiations have since been shelved due to Jean-Francois Fortin s alleged involvement in match-fixing scandal, but chances are the talks will be resumed in the summer.
Meanwhile, L Equipe has learned that Italian outfit Napoli have also been showing interest in the talented midfielder.
N Golo Kante began his professional career with …
Chelsea s Thorgan Hazard will spend the 2014-15 season on loan at Bundesliga outfit Borussia Monchengladbach, it was confirmed on Saturday.
The 21-year-old, who is the younger brother of Eden Hazard, made the switch to Stamford Bridge from Ligue 1 side Lens in 2012.
Chelsea immediately opted to loan the younger Hazard to Zulte Waregem in his native Belgium, where he has spent the past two seasons.
Gladbach claimed to have reached an agreement to loan the player on Thursday, and the temporary deal has now been confirmed.
Max Eberl, Gladbach s sporting director, told the club s official website: Thorgan is a promising talent.
He can be used in various offensive positions and we are pleased that he has decided to take the next step in his career at …
Amr Zaki is undoubtedly the find of the season in the Premier League, but Wigan boss Steve Bruce will need all his powers of persuasion to keep hold of the 25-year-old Egyptian.
The powerful striker has blasted seven goals in eight Premier League games and leads the scoring charts after his double against Liverpool at Anfield at the weekend and at of 15.5 Zaki could be a shrewd bet to win the golden boot.
Zaki, who has been likened to Alan Shearer, was once again at his best as he crashed home an acrobatic overhead kick at Anfield a goal which has made Liverpool chief Rafa Benitez take note.
Zaki s brace wasn t enough at Anfield as Wigan lost 3-2, but the on-loan star is now firmly on Benitez s radar.
Everybody will be checking his situation now, Benit…
Lionel Messi will have the final say on when his international career with Argentina is over, but head coach Lionel Scaloni is hopeful that is not anytime soon.
The Paris Saint-Germain forward played a starring role as Argentina ended a 36-year wait to lift the World Cup for a third time in December.
Messi announced immediately after his side s penalty shoot-out win over France in the final that, contrary to what many predicted, he would continue playing for Argentina.
La Albiceleste are in action for the first time since then in a friendly against Panama on Thursday, with Messi and his team-mates set to receive another heroes welcome.
The 35-year-old has previously revealed he does not intend to take part in the 2026 World Cup, but Scaloni is unsure exac…
Competition: Championship
Market: Reading to win against Preston
Odds:
Reading welcome Preston North End at the Madejski Stadium in this afternoon’s Championship clash, and are slim favourites to come out on top in what promises to be a well-fought encounter. The winner could go top in their opening league game, but could also focus on just getting off the mark as soon as possible.
Reading finished 17th in the Championship last season with 52 points from 46 games, but their home form as more convincing. The Royals lost only six times on home soil in 2015/16, and have a new manager at the helm as they attempt to start the new campaign in speedy fashion.
As for their opponents, Preston North End finished above Reading the Championship table, ending t…