FOOTBALL NEWS
Celtic have agreed terms with Norwegian defender Leo Fuhr Hjelde on a three-year deal, subject to international clearance. The 15-year-old, who is a left-sided centrehalf, joins from Rosenborg and has been capped by his country at Under-16 level.
A statement released by the Parkhead club yesterday read: “Celtic Football Club are delighted to announce that it has agreed terms with talented young player Leo Hjelde, who has agreed a three-year contract to join the club, subject to international approval.”
Hjelde, who will celebrate his 16th birthday next month, is the son of former Nottingham Forest, Mansfield Town and Rosenborg defender Jon Olav Hjelde, and will initially join the Parkhead club’s reserve team, with a view to progressing to the first team.
Hjelde told the club’s website: “It is a real honour to join Celtic. I had a number of options in front of me, but I know that Celtic is the right place for me.
“I have had the opportunity to speak to many people within the club, including the manager Neil Lennon and that has been fantastic.
“I know that the club will provide me with the best pathway for my future and I am really looking forward to the next few years of my career at such a fantastic club.” Former Manchester United and France defender Patrice Evra has retired from playing at the age of 38.
Evra has been without a club since the conclusion last summer of a short-term deal with West Ham.
“My playing career is officially over,” Evra said in an interview to Gazzetta dello Sport, reported in several media outlets. “I started training for the Uefa B Coaching Licence in 2013, now I want to finish it and then go on to get the Uefa A licence.
“In a year and a half, if everything goes well, I’ll be ready to lead a team.”
The left-back was with Manchester United from 2006 to 2014, winning one Champions League title, the Premier League five times and the League Cup on three occasions. Midfielder Philip Billing admits it was an easy decision to make the switch to Bournemouth.
The 23-year-old completed his reported £15 million-plus transfer, which provides Sky Bet Championship side Huddersfield with a record fee for a player sale, to become the club’s third signing of the summer.
“As soon as I heard of the club’s interest, there was never any doubt in my mind,” Billing said.
“It was an easy decision to make to come into a squad which is full of talented, international players and Anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out has praised Chelsea boss Frank Lampard after he condemned his club’s supporters for referring to West Ham as “pikeys”.
A section of the Blues fans used the derogatory word in a chant during Sunday’s friendly with Reading, leading the new boss – once of West Ham – to ask them to stop.
“We are aware of the chant and contacted @Chelseafc working with a manager of Eddie Howe’s quality.”
Billing joined Huddersfield’s youth set-up in 2013. about the issue last week,” Kick It Out said on Twitter.
“We are pleased to see the club and Frank Lampard take such a clear stance in support of equality by condemning the song – ‘pikey’ is a discriminatory word and no football supporter should be using it.” Lampard, pictured, said on Sunday: “If there’s a song that has offensive words in it then of course I don’t want to hear that.”