New Chelsea manager Sarri desperate to keep Hazard
LONDON: Chelsea coach Maurizio Sarri wants to keep Belgian forward Eden Hazard at the Premier League club and improve him as a player amid speculation of a possible move Real Madrid.
“He (Hazard) is one of the top two or three European players, and I look forward to working with him,” Sarri said on Wednesday. “Hazard is a very high-level player. I hope that I will manage to improve him.”
NO CHELSEA DEAL FOR GOLOVIN: CSKA PREZ
MOSCOW: CSKA Moscow president Evgeniy Giner has confirmed Aleksandr Golovin is close to leaving the club but refuted claims a deal with Chelsea has been agreed.
“In order not to ruin [Golovin] we must let him go,” Giner told Russian outlet Sport24. “Chelsea? There is no closed arrangement with them. But the question of his transition to another club will be decided, I think, in the next couple of days.”
LIVERPOOL CLOSE-IN ON RECORD ALISSON MOVE
LIVERPOOL: Liverpool are set to offer Italian giants Roma 62 million pounds to sign Brazil goal- keeper Alisson.
The deal is not finalised yet, but Liverpool is reportedly considering the world-record bid, reported Sports24.
INIESTA COULD DEBUT IN JAPAN ON SUNDAY
TOKYO:ANDRES Iniesta could make his J.league debut at the weekend when his new club Vissel Kobe host Shonan Bellmare, the Spaniard said after arriving in Japan on Wednesday.
“I want to play as soon as possible. I’ll get in top condition for Sunday, and I hope to show the fans great play,” Kyodo quoted Iniesta as saying.
Iniesta will link up with former German international Lukas Podolski at Kobe and will wear his familiar number eight jersey.
DE MATOS STEPS DOWN AS ARROWS COACH
NEWDELHI: Luis Norton de Matos, who coached the Indian team in last year’s FIFA U-17 World Cup, has decided to step down from his post citing personal reasons on Wednesday.
BOUCHARD BATTLES PAST BACSINSZKY
GSTAAD, SWITZERLAND: Eugenie Bouchard quelled a home threat at the Gstaad WTA tournament on Tuesday, fighting back to beat Timea Bacsinszky 4-6, 7-6 (7/1), 6-4 for a second-round place.
The 146th-ranked Canadian, who played the Wimbledon final four years ago, spent more than two and three-quarter hours in overcoming two-time Roland Garros semi-finalist Bacsinszky. The Swiss who once stood ninth in the world, missed the entire clay and grass season after tearing her right calf muscle during a match warm-up in Rabat last spring.
THOMAS WINS 11TH STAGE, TAKES YELLOW
LA ROSIÈRE, FRANCE: Welshman Geraint Thomas soared to victory in the 11th stage of the Tour de France on Wednesday to take the leader’s yellow jersey.
Thomas, of Team Sky, completed an impressive ride on the 108.5 km stage from Albertville to the summit of La Rosiere by
WARRIORS EXTEND KERR’S CONTRACT
NEWYORK: The Golden State Warriors have signed head coach Steve Kerr to a contract extension, the team announced
An ESPN report at the end of June said the sides were finalizing an extension to make Kerr one of the NBA’S highest-paid coaches.
“We’re excited to have Steve under contract and poised to lead our team for the next several years,” said president of basketball operations/general manager Bob Myers.