Federico Fernandez has been reunited with Rafael Benitez after completing a reported £6million switch from Swansea City to Newcastle United.
Magpies boss Benitez had been on the hunt for defensive cover following Florian Lejeune s cruciate ligament injury and his search has ended with a two-year deal for the experienced Fernandez.
The 29-year-old spent the last of his three seasons at Napoli under Benitez s guidance before moving to the Premier League with Swansea in August 2014.
He made 128 appearances for the Swans in total, but was unable to prevent the team enduring relegation to the Championship last term.
Our new arrival in our new home shirt.
Federico Fernández has become Newcastle United’s seventh signing of the summer.
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Bayern Munich s new signing Sandro Wagner has been compared to Mario Mandzukic by his new team-mate Javi Martinez.
Mandzukic played for Bayern between 2012 and 2014 before moving to Juventus, for whom he scored a stunning goal in their 2017 Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid.
Wagner signed a two-and-a-half-year deal at the Bundesliga champions after a reported fee of €12million was paid to Hoffenheim to sign the 30-year-old.
And Martinez believes Wagner, like Mandzukic, can add a fresh dimension to Bayern s attacking play, although he is likely to play a back-up role to Robert Lewandowski.
He reminds me of Mario Mandzukic, Martinez told Bild.
Whenever I had to play against Sandro, I knew: Man, today it will be uncomfortable!
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Former Spain and Barcelona goalkeeper Andoni Zubizarreta has been named the new sporting director of Marseille.
Zubizarreta held a similar position at Barcelona between 2010 and 2015, overseeing the arrivals of players including Javier Mascherano, Luis Suarez and Ivan Rakitic, and replaces Gunter Jacob, who departed the Stade Velodrome on Wednesday.
The Spaniard s arrival comes after Rudi Garcia s appointment as head coach last week, a change which followed American businessman Frank McCourt s purchase of the club.
I m happy to be in a club with as much personality as Marseille. I hope I will live up to the trust placed in me, said Zubizarreta upon his presentation to the media on Thursday.
To me, Marseille is a club that breathes football. It is a club…
Jurgen Klopp says Premier League leaders Liverpool were in a depression before his appointment in 2015.
Klopp is yet to win a trophy since taking charge at Anfield but his side sit six points clear at top halfway through the season.
Liverpool have benefited from the arrivals of players including Alisson and Virgil van Dijk this year, with defender Dejan Lovren hailing new arrivals as key to their title charge.
But Klopp, who succeeded Brendan Rodgers, believes a change in attitude throughout the club has been just as important as the Reds seek to win the title for the first time since 1989-90.
I heard what Dejan said, but I m not 100 per cent sure what he meant, Klopp told ESPN Brasil. But bringing in the right players or whatever and, of course, we …
Mohamed Salah s stunning four-goal haul against Watford inevitably recalled Luis Suarez s own phenomenal exploits for Liverpool – but Jordan Henderson is uncomfortable making the comparison.
Henderson played alongside Suarez when the Uruguay star fired Brendan Rodgers Liverpool to the cusp of the Premier League title in 2013-14.
Arguably his finest display in that thrilling campaign came in December 2013, when Suarez hit four in a 5-1 thumping of Norwich City, meaning Salah s masterclass at the weekend had an obvious parallel.
Who s the best? Don t be asking me stuff like that, Henderson chuckled when speaking about the Anfield heroes old and new.
They are both fantastic players and you can t compare them.
They are different players. I know t…
Jupp Heynckes seamless return to life with Bayern Munich will soon be crowned by the club s sixth consecutive Bundesliga title – a run he started in 2012-13.
That season Bayern came out on top in a titanic struggle with Borussia Dortmund, wrestling back domestic control from Jurgen Klopp s vibrant side and beating them 2-1 after extra time in the Champions League final.
Respective thumping wins over Barcelona and Real Madrid to reach that Wembley showpiece and the exploits of that season, along with Germany s World Cup triumph 12 months later, underlined the Bundesliga s status as Europe s model league in the eyes of many purists.
Low ticket prices, huge crowds, great teams, fierce competition, pioneering youth development and majority member ownership of clubs…
Market: FC Halifax draw no bet
Odds: 19/20 @
Two sides who will be desperate to book their spot in this season s play-off semi-finals, Halifax will welcome Chesterfield to Yorkshire on Tuesday night.
Starting with the hosts, signing off their regular-season run with a 2-0 defeat against an already-promoted Stockport on May 15th, Halifax will be looking to prove that was just a minor blip. Eventually cruising their way to another play-off finish with plenty of time to spare, Pete Wild s side have continued to gain a reputation from across the National League for their success on home soil. Despite being last seen in Yorkshire having to settle for a 1-1 draw against Aldershot, they are unbeaten in each of their last 10 straight contests at The Shay, a run that ste…
Marcus Rashford could miss almost three months of the 2021-22 Premier League season after opting to undergo surgery on a long-term shoulder injury.
Rashford is reported to have suffered a muscle tear in his shoulder last November but he played through the pain for the rest of the season, and then featured for England at Euro 2020.
The forward chose to put off treatment on the injury until after the Euros in order to take part in a tournament that England ultimately reached the final of – though Rashford was one of three players to miss a penalty in the final s decisive shoot-out against Italy.
He played for just 84 minutes of England s campaign in total, failing to score, assist or create a chance.
The 23-year-old s form had suffered towards the end o…
Five-time Ballon d Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo will play in his native Portugal for Juventus for the first time on Wednesday and coach Andrea Pirlo is expecting something special from his talisman.
Juventus meet Porto in the Champions League last 16 on Wednesday, with the Old Lady determined to improve upon last year s continental exit at this stage to Lyon.
Madeira-born Ronaldo, 36, has not played club football in Portugal since November 2016 when Real Madrid defeated his former club Sporting CP 2-1 in the Champions League.
Pirlo said Ronaldo s return home had provided added motivation for Portugal s all-time top scorer and current international captain.
[Cristiano Ronaldo] is back home in Portugal, Pirlo said on Tuesday. He is keen to score even more.<…
Besiktas have denied completely untrue reports on-loan striker Wout Weghorst is close to joining Manchester United.
Netherlands international Weghorst emerged as a surprise target for United last week as manager Erik ten Hag widens his search for a new attacking player.
The 30-year-old has impressed for Besiktas this campaign, scoring nine goals in 18 appearances after joining on a season-long loan from Burnley in July.
Weghorst was reported to have an exit clause in his loan arrangement that would allow him to leave should the Super Lig side be paid a €2.5million (£2.2m) compensation fee.
However, Besiktas refuted those claims on Monday in a statement published on their official website.
After our match against Kasimpasa, there was a need to …