e_Paper, Thursday, August 17, 2017

20
THURSDAY, AUGUST 17, 2017
DT
European Transfer
Albion sign Everton midfielder Barry
West Bromwich Albion signed former England midfielder
Gareth Barry from Everton for an undisclosed fee
on Tuesday. Barry has agreed a one-year contract with
the Baggies after being told he could leave Goodison
Park following Everton’s summer spending spree. The
36-year-old missed Everton’s opening Premier League
match against Stoke City on Saturday because of an
ankle problem, but he hopes to be back in action with
his new club soon. “I want to come and help the team. That’s always been the
same for me wherever I have played,” Barry told Albion’s website. “I want to help
the team improve, work hard and hopefully add quality.” Former Aston Villa and
Manchester City midfielder Barry has made 628 Premier League appearances.
PSG’s Matuidi set for Juventus medical
Midfielder Blaise Matuidi is on the verge of signing for
Juventus, who have agreed to pay Paris Saint-Germain
20 million euros plus bonuses, according to reports on
Wednesday. French international Matuidi is expected at
Torino’s Caselle airport later on Wednesday to undergo
a medical and sign a deal that would see the 30-yearold
earn 3.5m euros ($4.1m) per season, according
to Gazzetta dello Sport. If confirmed, Matuidi would
become Juve’s ninth signing of the season alongside the likes of Douglas Costa
(Bayern Munich), Mattia Di Sciglio (AC Milan), Federico Bernardeschi (Fiorentina)
and goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny (Roma).
Sports
Liverpool survive missed penalty
to win in Hoffenheim
• Reuters
Teenager Trent Alexander-Arnold
curled in a magnificent free kick
on his European debut to set Liverpool
on the way to a 2-1 win at
Hoffenheim which put them on the
brink of Champions League group
stage place on Tuesday.
Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet
saved an early penalty and
James Milner’s shot was deflected
into his own net by Havard Nordtveit
for the English Premier League side’s
second goal in an end-to-end match.
A last-minute own goal by
Young Boys defender Kasim Nuhu
handed CSKA Moscow a 1-0 away
win while Sporting were held to
a goalless draw at home by FCSB,
formerly Steaua Bucharest, in the
RESULTS, 1ST LEG
Nicosia 2-0 Prague
De Camargo 2, Aloneftis 10
Young Boys 0-1 CSKA
Nuhu 90+1og
Hoffenheim 1-2 Liverpool
Uth 87 Alexander-Arnold 35,
Nordtveit 74og
Sporting 0-0 FCSB
Qarabag 1-0 Copenhagen
Madatov 25
other playoff ties.
Alexander-Arnold, 18, who only
made his Premier League debut
in December, curled a free kick
through a gap in the Hoffenheim
wall 10 minutes before halftime as
Liverpool survived a rocky start.
It could have been very different
if Andrej Kramaric had converted a
penalty for the Bundesliga side in
the 12th minute but he saw a weak
effort saved by Mignolet.
Liverpool had another let-off
just before halftime when Mignolet
saved from Kramaric and Sandro
Wagner rolled the rebound wide
of the post. Hoffenheim had more
possession but Liverpool were more
threatening and went further ahead
in the 77th minute.
The host lost possession trying
to play their way out of defence,
the ball was switched to substitute
Milner on the left and his shot from
a narrow angle deflected off Nordtveit’s
chest and into the top corner.
Mark Uth pulled one back with
three minutes left. •
Bacca returns to La Liga with Villarreal loan
Villarreal have landed Colombian striker Carlos Bacca
on loan for the season from AC Milan, replacing the
departed Roberto Soldado, who joined Fenerbahce last
week. Bacca, who signed for Milan in 2015 after two
seasons at Sevilla, was the Serie A side’s standout player
during a disappointing season. “The deal includes an
option to buy the player once the campaign is finished,”
Villarreal said in a statement. Bacca, 30, has scored 165
goals in 336 games in his career, with 13 in 39 coming for Milan last season.
Spaniard Jese joins Stoke on loan from PSG
Spanish forward Jese has joined Stoke City on a season-long
loan from Paris Saint-Germain, the two clubs
announced yesterday. “Jese was a man in demand when
PSG made it clear they would allow him to leave on loan
and we’re delighted he has chosen to join us,” said Stoke
chief executive Tony Scholes. “He hasn’t had the happiest
of periods in his career in Paris but he’s still only a
young man and is hungry to make a big impression in
the Premier League.” The 24-year-old Spanish youth international only joined PSG
from Real Madrid a year ago but failed to establish himself in the French capital
and spent the second half of last season on loan at his native Las Palmas. He won
the Champions League twice with Real and was top scorer when Spain lifted the
European U-19 Championship in 2012. He is Stoke manager Mark Hughes’s sixth
signing of the season joining the likes of Darren Fletcher, Kurt Zouma, Eric Maxim
Choupo-Moting, Bruno Martins Indi and Josh Tymon at The Potters.
Newcastle sign Spanish striker Joselu
from Stoke
Rafael Benitez’s frustration at missing out on several
transfer targets abated a little as Spanish striker Joselu
yesterday agreed a move to Newcastle United from
Stoke City. The 27-year-old, who scored just four times
for Stoke in 27 appearances, cost Newcastle a reported
£5m (5.4m euros, $6.4m) and signed a three year
contract. “I feel very happy because I have signed for a
very big club,” he told the club website. “I’m very happy
to be part of this club, and so excited. I’m looking forward to getting to know my
team-mates, the city, the training ground, the stadium and all the supporters,”
added Joselu, who spent last season on loan with Deportivo la Coruna. Joselu,
who will compete with Dwight Gayle and Aleksandar Mitrovic for a place up
front, is Benitez’s sixth summer signing.
Hoffenheim’s Ermin Bicakcic and Liverpool’s Sadio Mane vie for the ball during their Champions League qualifier in Sinsheim,
Germany on Tuesday
AFP
‘Arsenal risk losing Sanchez for free’
• Reuters
Arsenal risk losing striker Alexis
Sanchez for free next season, according
to manager Arsene Wenger,
who confirmed the club have made
no progress on a new contract for
the Chilean striker.
Sanchez, 28, is currently in the
final year of his contract.
He has been linked with a move
to Paris St Germain in the current
transfer window.
“We have not progressed on
that front,” Wenger said in a news
conference before Arsenal head to
Stoke City on Saturday.
“At the moment, he is a player
who goes into the final year of his
contract and prepares for the season.
We have not made any progress
on the other front.
“It’s not an ideal situation on the
financial side and it demands some
sacrifice...but it doesn’t mean the
players who are in the final year of
their contract will not extend their
contract. We will work on that as
well.”
Wenger said Sanchez is still recovering
from an abdominal strain
but is expected to regain full fitness
before the club’s match in Liverpool
on Aug. 27.
“For Sanchez, it (Stoke) looks
a little early, but he works hard
in training,” Wenger added. “He
should be available for next game
against Liverpool.
“His recovery is going very well,
he is working very hard. But you
have to be very cautious. It was a
muscle strain and (you have to be
wary) not to have any setback on
it.”
The manager confirmed midfielders
Jack Wilshere and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain,
who are also in
the final year of their contracts, are
firmly in his plans for the current
season.
Wilshere returned to action
from a fractured leg during Arsenal
Under-23’s 3-2 win over Derby
County earlier this week.
“It’s good that he is back and
available,” Wenger said. •