Alvaro Arbeloa almost moved to AC Milan before switching to West Ham United, .
The former Liverpool man moved to the East London club from Real Madrid last month after spending seven seasons at the Bernabeu.
He racked up two hundred and thity-three appearances for the La Liga giants in all competitions, scoring six goals and helping them to the La Liga title in 2012 as well as two Spanish Cups and two Champions Leagues while he played a total of ninety-eight times for Liverpool.
Milan were keen on securing the services of the World Cup winner, but the deal fell through leaving him free to complete his move to the Hammers.
He could make his debut as Slaven Bilic’s side take on Watford at the London Stadium at the weekend, and the .
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Eden Hazard and Alvaro Morata ran riot as Chelsea outclassed West Brom 4-0 at the Hawthorns to turn up the heat on Tony Pulis.
As Antonio Conte celebrated his 50th Premier League match in style, the contrast to his opposite number in the dugout could not have been greater, as Pulis side never came close to avoiding a fourth consecutive defeat.
Conte kept David Luiz to the bench on his return to the squad but the visitors hardly needed defensive reinforcement in cruising to their 10th win in 12 league away games.
On the ground where they sealed last season s title, Chelsea raced to a two-goal lead inside 23 minutes as Morata and Hazard exchanged assists for their quickfire goals.
It was all too easy for Marcos Alonso as he added a third from Cesc Fabre…
Netherlands coach Guus Hiddink has hit out at local fans who booed Andres Iniesta during Tuesday s 2-0 win over Spain in Amsterdam.
Iniesta was jeered by sections of the Amsterdam Arena support during the friendly win, with Stefan de Vrij and Davy Klaassen scoring to ease the pressure on under-fire boss Hiddink.
However, the 68-year-old was unhappy with the reception given to Iniesta who scored the winning goal in the 2010 World Cup final between the sides.
It s a disgrace. If such a world-class player is booed you should be ashamed deeply as the public, he told reporters.
I asked the bench why they did that, I did not understand. Iniesta is firstly a fantastic footballer and also a great person.
I found this reaction very inappropriate an…
Pep Guardiola feels his Manchester City players will need to cool off “in the fridge” after their exertions of the past few days.
City responded to last Wednesday’s draining penalty shootout loss to Real Madrid by digging in for a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Chelsea in their FA Cup semi-final at Wembley on Saturday.
The win, secured by a late goal from Bernardo Silva, maintained their hope of defending the domestic double but Guardiola later hit out at the scheduling of the fixture.
The strike that secured our place in the final!
— Manchester City (@ManCity)
The City boss felt his players should have been allowed more rest after their European game and he now intends to give them a break before they return to Premier League action at …
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Desperate to open this year s World Cup adventure with an early flurry in Al Wakrah, France will meet Australia on Tuesday night.
France
Starting with France, while Les Blues might be desperate to defend their world crown in the Middle East next month, they do have the feel of a side seeking an early statement on Tuesday night. Enduring what was a Nations League nightmare this year, it is no secret that Didier Deschamps finds real pressure on his shoulders. Although the European giants might have just about clung to their League A status during September s international break, they did pick up just a single victory from any of their six appearances. Signing off their pre-World Cup preparations with a 2-0 loss away at Denmark on Septem…
A deal to sign Michael Owen to UAE club Al-Shabab has fallen through.
Owen is a free agent after Manchester United declined him the chance to stay for a fourth season.
After strong links with Stoke City, Al-Shabab claimed on their official Twitter account that they were close to an agreement with the England international, but the club have since backtracked.
Saeed Al Marri, the club’s executive director, told UAE press: The physical demands of Michael Owen does not correspond with the club.
Owen joined United in 2009 following four good seasons at Newcastle, but in each of his three years he has appeared in progressively fewer matches, making 31 appearances in his first term, 17 in his second and just four in the past season.
Injuries have be…
Liverpool have completed the signing of winger Oussama Assaidi from Heerenveen for an undisclosed fee.
The Morocco international passed a medical at Melwood before signing a long-term contract with the club.
The 24-year-old scored 20 goals in 68 appearances for the Eredivisie outfit after joining from De Graafschap in 2009.
I m very happy to play for this big club, he told the club s website.
The first time I spoke to the coach I had a good feeling. I had offers from other big clubs but I ve been waiting for this moment.
The coach gave me a good feeling. It will be a dream to play with these big players and I hope training will help me to be a good player here.
When I watch Liverpool it s always a good atmosphere, the fans are fantas…
Jack Warner threatened to implicate FIFA in involvement in the Trinidad and Tobago elections in 2010.
The former FIFA vice-president was one of 14 people indicted by the United States Department of Justice last week in a move that preceded Friday s FIFA elections in Zurich which later proved futile, when re-elected Sepp Blatter revealed his decision to quit four days later.
Warner, in an address televised on TV6 on Wednesday night, said he has evidence of a link between FIFA, its funding and me, the link between FIFA, its funding and the United National Congress and The People s Partnership Government in general election 2010 .
The 72-year-old also indicated his documents directly implicate Blatter.
It also deals with my knowledge of international transa…
Anderlecht have reached an agreement with Eredivisie club NEC to see central defender Bram Nuytinck join the Belgian side.
NEC announced on their official website that the clubs agreed an undisclosed fee this morning and the 22-year-old has travelled to Brussels, along with his agent, to agree personal terms with the Belgian champions and complete the deal.
The move brings an end to a frustrating search for coach John van den Brom as he looks to strengthen his defence in order to increase his side s chances in the league and Champions League this season.
Anderlecht have been given a tough draw in Group C alongside AC Milan, Malaga and Zenit St. Petersburg.
Van den Brom lost out on signing his top priority Niklas Moisander, who then joined Ajax, as well a…
Paris Saint-Germain captain Thiago Silva has signed a two-year contract extension running until June 2020, the Ligue 1 champions have confirmed.
Silva s future was a source of mounting speculation over recent months and Juventus chief executive Giuseppe Marotta stated in October that the Brazil defender was of interest to the Serie A champions.
But the 32-year-old maintained that he was keen to renew his association with a club he joined in 2012.
Nine major domestic titles, including four consecutive Ligue 1 crowns followed his switch from AC Milan and the centre-back is convinced more success is on the way despite a patchy first half to Unai Emery s maiden campaign in charge at Parc des Princes.
It s an immense pleasure to extend my contract with Paris…