FRIDAY FOOTBALL HEADLINES

***Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi has
said that he is proud of his team
despite their defeat to Uruguay in
Group B of the Confederations Cup.
Diego Lugano gave Uruguay the lead
before John Obi Mikel equalised for
the Super Eagles and Diego Forlan
sealed a 2-1 victory for Oscar Tabarez's
men in Salvador.
***Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez has
said that his decision to start with three
strikers paid off as his team secured a
vital 2-1 victory over Nigeria. Diego
Forlan, Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani
spearheaded the attack in Salvador,
where the South American team took a
huge step towards the knockout stages
of the Confederations Cup.
***In the other game in Group B,
Fernando Torres scored four times and
missed a penalty while David Villa
score a hat trick as Spain hammered
the Ocenia champions Tahiti 10-0 in
the Confederations Cup.
***Chelsea have denied that
midfielder John Obi Mikel is set for a
move to Galatasaray. (ESPN)
***Arsenal forward Gervinho has said
that he is flattered by interest from
Marseille.
***Benfica striker Oscar Cardozo has
attracted interest from Chelsea and
Liverpool, according to reports.
Fenerbahce president Aziz Yildirim is
prepared to wait to see if Cardozo's
asking price is met. (talkSPORT)
***Montpellier HSC have captured
Ivory Coast full-back Siaka Tiene from
Paris Saint-Germain.
***Barcelona midfielder Thiago
Alcantara has reportedly agreed
personal terms with Manchester
United. The Premier League champions
are unlikely to announced the signing
this Friday as talks between the two
clubs are to continue over the
weekend. (Daily Mail)
***Athletic Bilbao have announced the
appointment of Ernesto Valverde as the
club's new manager. The 49-year-old is
set for his fourth stint with the Basque
club having previously spent time there
as a player, assistant boss and first-
team coach.
***Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has
been urged to break the bank for
Wayne Rooney by Alisher Usmanov,
the Gunners' No.2 share-holder.
Wenger is already closing in on the
£22million signing of Real Madrid
forward Gonzalo Higuain. (The Mirror)
***Liverpool have paid Andy Carroll
around £1million to leave Anfield.
England striker Carroll completed a
£17.5m move to West Ham, on a six-
year deal, earlier this week after
spending last season on loan to the
Londoners. (The Mirror)
***Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina
has thrown his Liverpool future into
doubt by admitting he would find it
tough to turn down a bigger club. The
Spanish keeper is weighing up his
future after eight years at Anfield. (The
Sun)
***Manchester City new signing
Fernandinho insists he can help new
club Manchester City go from
European chumps to champs. (The
Sun)
***Tottenham manager says he will
keep hold of star player Gareth Bale
after chairman Daniel Levy promised
top stars would not be sold this
summer. (The Sun)
***Juan Mata’s future at Chelsea is
secure, with Jose Mourinho planning to
make the Spanish ace pivotal to his
new-look Blues. (The Mirror)
Thank God It's Friday. Wishing y'all a
fabulous fantastic fans Friday.... A.M.A