Liverpool reject Arsenal's second offer for Luis Suarez

 By Suleiman Chacha

                                           

 Liverpool’s resilience to hold on to their prized asset Uruguayan scoring machine Luis Suarez has yet been put to the test by Arsenal after the Londoners tabled an improved offer of just over 40 million pounds plus 1pound for the want away striker but the second bid was rejected once again by Liverpool.

The unusual bid of 40,000,001 was meant to trigger a clause in the striker’s contract. Under Suarez’s contract, the club is duty bound to consider any offer for him in excess of 40 million pounds and then inform the player about it but it is not a must they sell.

The 26-year- old who scored 30 goals in 44 games for Liverpool last season has publicly said that he would like to leave Anfield and play for a champions league club but so far only the Gunners have made formal offers for the player but they have all been rejected by the club. Spanish giants Real Madrid have shown interest in the player but they have not yet tabled any formal offer.

Suarez who has been instrumental in Brendan Rodger’s squad, joined Liverpool from Ajax Amsterdam in January 2011 in a 22.7 million pounds deal. He has ever since been attracting the wrath of the media both on and off the pitch.

The high tempered striker was recently punished with a 10 game ban at the end of April for biting Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic during a league match between the two teams. He still has six games left to serve the punishment.

                                         

In 2011 he was banned after being found guilty of racially abusing Patrice Evra of Manchester United but despite his indiscipline he has been phenomenal in the pitch terrorizing defenders as he pleases and smashing in goals leaving the goalkeepers equally mesmerized.

                                               

Liverpool’s resolve to hold on to the lethal striker will yet again be put to the test should Arsenal persist and place yet again a more luring bid.

Wenger has shown his interest and desire to bring the striker to the Emirates as he looks to strengthen his charges in a bid to challenge for trophies and make the London based club a football powerhouse once again but all Arsenal fans and Wenger himself should pray very hard that Real Madrid puts no bid for the player.

Manchester City signs Stevan Jovetic

        
           

Stevan Jovetić is a Montenegrin footballer who plays as a striker for Manchester City and the Montenegrin national team. 

Born: November 2, 1989 (age 23), Podgorica, Montenegro

Height: 6' 1" (1.85 m)

Nationality: Montenegrin

Weight: 174 lbs (79 kg)

Salary: 2.5 million EUR (2012)

Fiorentina striker Stevan Jovetic 23 is the latest acquisition for the 2011-12 premier league champions Manchester City.

According to the Serie A club, Man City have agreed a fee to sign the Montenegro  forward who scored 13 goals in 31 appearances last season to help Fiorentina finish fourth in Serie A.

Foirentina who missed out on champions league football by a whisker to AC Milan on the final day wrote on their official twitter account on Thursday, “there had been an agreement reached with Manchester City football club for the permanent transfer of the player Stevan Jovetic.”

The 28 million pounds (42.56) rated striker has been a hot property since last year and has also been linked to premier league champions Manchester United, Arsenal and Italian Champions Juventus.

He was under the keen eye of former City manager Roberto Mancini during his tenure at the Etihad but it is the new manager Manuel Pellegrini who has secured the services of the striker.

City who won their first ever tittle in 44 years during the 2010-11 season under Mancini but lost the prestigious crown to their local bitter rivals Manchester United, are looking to strengthen their squad this season in a bid to reclaim their lost glory.

Under new manager City have already signed Brazilian midfielder Fernandinho from Shaktar Donetski, Spain winger Jesus Navas from Sevilla and have agreed a deal for Sevilla striker Alvaro Negredo. They have sold want away Argentine Striker Carlos Tevez to Juventus to create space for more players.

Tito Vilanova steps down as Barcelona Manager

Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova

 Barcelona football club has announced that Tito Vilanova has stepped down as manager due to ill health. Vilanova has been battling throat cancer since succeeding Pep Guardiola at the end of the 2011-2012 season and has taken the initiative to be able to continue with his cancer treatment and according to the club the new manager will be announced next week.

The surprise announcement has has disrupted the preparations of the Spanish champions for next season.

Speaking during a hastily conveyed press conference attended by first team squad, a rather grim faced Barcelona President Sandro Rosell announced the sad news and said that the club had decided to cancel Saturday’s friendly against Polish side Lechia Gdansk and added that Vilanova will not be able to continue as Barca head coach as he will be having treatment.

“This is a very severe blow to the Club but life goes on, we have overcome many difficult setbacks before,” he said

The 44 year-old Spaniard who, last season catapulted Barca to a fourth La Liga crown in five years and equaled Madrid’s 100 points in La Liga, stroked a good partnership with now Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola, graduating from Barca’s academy together and coaching B side before taking hold of the first team in 2008 when Frank Rijkaard left.

Tito Vilanova and Pep Guardiola during their reign

Together they formed a formidable team and produced the best out of the player leading the club to a spectacular 4 year conquest including 2 champion league crowns and 3 La Liga tittles. It is also under their wing that Lionel Messi discovered his true potential propelling him to winning a record four consecutive world best player tittles.

It might be a sad exit for Vilanova who had previously worked as Pep Guardiola’s assistant and took the mantle from Pep Guardiola as Barcelona manager in June 2012, but he surely leaves big shoes to be filled and however will replace him must surely prove his worth.

Reports from Spain suggest that former Girona head coach Joan Francesc Ferrer, popularly known as Rubi who joined Barcelona coaching staff last month as Vilanova’s assistant after guiding Girona to play offs in division 2 losing to Almeria, is the likeliest replacement for Vilanova in a caretaker capacity.

Manchester City signs Sevilla striker Alvaro Negredo

  Manchester City are believed to have signed the highly rated Spain striker and Sevilla scoring machine Alvaro Negredo subject to medical, according to the Spanish club.

The former English Champions are reported to be splashing around 20 million pounds (23m euros) for acquire the services of the Spanish international who scored 26 la Liga goals last season.

Negredo 27, at a farewell press conference in Seville said that the four years he had been with the club he has been happy but it was time to take his footballing career to the next level and face new challenges.

“For four years I have been very happy but I think my time was over here”, he said

If the transfer goes through, Negredo will join his former Sevilla team-mate Jesus Navas also 27, at the Etihad stadium who sealed a 14.9m pounds transfer on a 4 year deal earlier this summer and the mercurial forward is happy to be spending yet another year with his former team-mate.

Sevilla club president Jose Maria Del Nido said that Man City are buying a great player, the top scoring Spaniard in La Liga.

He also added that the deal was the second most important in the history of sevilla after the Spanish club sold (now Barcelona full-back) Daniel Alves.

According to the Sevilla president, Negredo who has won 14 international caps, scoring six goals, and was part of Spain’s victorious EURO 2012 squad will sign a contract of his life