Roberto Firmino to join Liverpool, Petr Cech to join Arsenal pending medical

Roberto Firmino

Photo courtesy of ibtimes

Brazilian international, Roberto Firmino has signed a five year deal worth £29 million with Liverpool.  The striker had previously played for Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga, where he scored 47 goals in 151 games.  This deal will rank second in Liverpool’s largest signings, only behind Andy Carroll’s £35 million deal to join the club back in 2011.  According to Sky Sports, Firmino may have been brought on to the club to replace Raheem Sterling with speculation growing that the England international will join another club, potentially Manchester City, sometime in the near future.

           

Petr Cech

Photo courtesy of zimbio.com

 

           Pending a medical next week, Petr Cech will be set to join the Gunners.  Arsenal have agreed to a £10.9 million fee for Cech.  Although the Czech Republic international is now 33 years old, he is out to prove that he is still one of the best keepers in the world.  According to Mirror, Chelsea skipper, Jose Mourinho, believes that selling Cech to Arsenal is a big mistake.  Cech was told by Chelsea’s board that he was free to join any club he wanted, but Mourinho probably wasn’t expecting him to join the cross town rival.

Pirlo in talks with New York City FC, adds to MLS retirement image

                                        

                                               Photo courtesy of funmozar.com

                      

Thirty-six year old Italian international, Andrea Pirlo, has reportedly been in talks with New York FC.  According to NBC Sports, deal negotiations are far from complete, but New York City FC have been interested in signing Pirlo for months.  Pirlo also posted a picture on Twitter of him at a New York Yankees baseball game yesterday, which adds to the speculation.

The MLS seems to be trying to sustain their perception as a retirement league.  Since MLS teams have trouble recruiting international stars at the peak of their careers, they seem to be settling on signing them when their careers are about to end.  It seems as though more and more players are turning to the MLS near the end of their careers: Thierry Henry, David Beckham, Kaka, David Villa, Jermain Defoe, Tim Cahill, Robbie Keane, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, and now maybe Andrea Pirlo.  

If I was a mid-30's superstar, I would love to end my career in the MLS too.  Loads of cash, people drooling over the sight of me, and much less pressure from coaches and fans.  I still can’t get over how there was a “David Beckham Cam” when he sat on the bench his first game for the Los Angeles Galaxy.  The game coverage was a split screen of David’s face, and the game action.  If the MLS wants to get rid of the reputation of being a retirement league, teams need to start recruiting promising young internationals and stop trying to sign old timers that want an easy way to fill their pockets and end their careers.  

Leicester City sacks 3 players after Racist Orgy Romp in Thailand

James Pearson Jr, 22, did not appear in any games for Leicester City last season. Photo Credit: BBC Sport

James Pearson Jr, Tom Hopper, and Adam Smith all had their contracts terminated by Leciester City over the weekend after video circulated of the three engaging in a racist sex film in a Thailand hotel. According to sources, the players refer to the Thai women in the film as "slit eyes." Several racial slurs are thrown around by all three players.

It must of been an especially awkward Father's Day weekend for Leicester City's manager Nigel Pearson, who's son was part of the group that was cut. What do you give to the person that just fired you?

And to add more insult to injury, the owner of Leicester City, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, is a billionaire from, you guessed it. Thailand. Srivaddhanaprabha and his son are both heavily involved in strategic partnerships from companies throughout Thailand. It's no surprise that Leicester moved swiftly in handling this dicey matter.

FIFA Movie Flops, Grosses $918 in Opening Weekend

United Passions, a film based on the rise of FIFA to international prominence, broke the record for lowest grossing box office opening in the history of U.S. film, making a whopping $918 on a $27 million dollar budget. $918. 

The real story here is Sam Neill, who plays former FIFA President Joao Havelange in United Passions. Neill starred in the original Jurassic Park, and was left out of the newest Jurassic installment, Jurassic World, which, oh yeah, just broke the record for biggest U.S. box office opening of all-time. Meanwhile, Neill gets to star in the worst U.S. opening of all-time. If you think your life sucks right now, just be glad you aren't Sam Neill. 

But seriously, has any movie ever been released at a worse time than this film? With all that's been going on with FIFA recently, you would think that, you know, maybe they would push back the release date? Releasing the movie now is the equivalent of releasing a fishing charter into the middle of the Atlantic Ocean during a Category 5 hurricane hoping that the boat and everyone in it comes back in one piece. 

Not even kidding, I'm pretty sure a porno starring the actual 83 year old Sepp Blatter would have grossed more money than this film.

Here's the trailer if anyone actually wants to see how terrible this movie is. 

Harry Kane to stay with Spurs

Photo courtesy of The Telegraph

Tottenham Hotspur phenom, Harry Kane, has announced that he plans to stay with the club in response to transfer speculation.  He had signed a five year deal with Tottenham towards the end of last season, but he has been targeted by Manchester United for quite some time.  According to Sportsmail, Manchester United stated that they were willing to spend 45 million pounds on Kane in May.  Harry Kane claims that he is happy playing for Spurs and is excited for the future.

            Harry Kane scored 31 goals in all competition last season, and came in 2^nd in the premier league for goals scored with 21.  Harry Kane is only 21 years old, and Spurs should be absolutely delighted that he wants to stay at White Hart Lane.  Kane showed tremendous abilities to score in a variety of ways.  Probably the best performance I saw throughout the season by any striker was when Kane scored two in a 5-3 victory over Chelsea at White Hart Lane. 

Season fixtures released

The fixtures for 2015/2016 Barclays Premier League season have been released.  For the first week, the biggest matchup has to be Manchester United vs. Tottenham at Old Trafford.  It’s always interesting to see how the promoted teams perform in their first game.  Watford vs. Everton at Goodison Park, Bournemouth vs. Aston Villa at Goldstands Stadium, and Norwich City vs. Crystal Palace at Carrow Road.

Full List for Week 1

Bournemouth vs. Aston Villa

Arsenal vs. West Ham

Chelsea vs. Swansea City

Everton vs. Watford

Leicester City vs. Sunderland

Manchester United vs. Tottenham

Newcastle vs. Southampton

Norwich City vs. Crystal Palace

Stoke City vs. Liverpool

West Brom vs. Manchester City

Check out your favorite team's schedule at: http://www.premierleague.com/en-gb/news/news/2015-16/jun/170615-fixture-list-for-2015-2016-season-released.html

Everton’s need for improvement & transfer rumors

Photo courtesy of BBC Sport

 Everton finished the season 11^th place in the premier league, which was a big disappointment for Everton fans due to the fact that Everton placed 5^th in the league two years ago.  As an Everton supporter myself, it was very frustrating to watch them play every weekend.  They would show signs of improvement one week, and then lose to teams fighting to get out of relegation the week after.  Early in the season, defense seemed to be the biggest problem, but as the season progressed, I thought the defense actually became pretty solid.  John Stones is rising as a top defender in the premier league, and it’s not hard to see why big clubs are looking to sign him. 

Everton’s attack was very inconsistent throughout the season.  Most times, the offense seemed to be lacking either creativity around the goal or finishing abilities in general.  I was disappointed with the way Lukaku played throughout the season, especially because he just signed a 28 million pound contract last year and he dreams of playing in the champion’s league.  His work rate wasn’t always high and his ball skills are not the best.  However, he always seems to surprise me with his some of the goals he scores.  There’s no doubt that he has a great shot and his heading abilities are special.

The midfield lacked depth, and many teams exploited that weakness.  Everton just recently signed  Tom Cleverley to a five year deal, and I’m very excited about that.  Cleverley should work well with Barkley and McCarthy, and he has the ability to create scoring chances.  If Everton can keep Mirallas that would be a big plus.  He’s the most creative person around goal on the team, and his free kicks can be spectacular.

            According to the Liverpool Echo, Everton are close to signing Spanish international, Gerard Deulofeu and are interested in signing German international, Lukas Podolski.  Gerard Deulofeu has previously played on loan for Everton during the 2013-2014 season.  It is reported that Everton are offering him 3 million pounds to bring him to Goodison Park for good.  He is definitely a speedy youngster that can also add creativeness around the net.  Lukas Podolski is reportedly being let go by Arsenal for the price of only 1.5 million pounds.  If Everton want to get him, they need to move quickly because Turkish football club, Galatasaray, also seem to be interested in him.  Podolski’s experience alone should help Everton win more games this season if they are able to get him.  

Falcao to Chelsea, Tevez to decide on move to Liverpool Wednesday

            Colombian international, Radamel Falcao, is almost set to join Chelsea next season.  Falcao has verbally agreed to the move, and is supposedly taking a significant pay cut to join Chelsea.  According to the Daily Star, Chelsea still need to negotiate a package with Monaco to confirm the deal. 

            Falcao had a difficult time at Manchester United last season, scoring only four goals.  However, Chelsea’s attack could be a nightmare to opposing teams with Diego Costa and Radamel Falcao up top.  Falcao and Costa have previously shown great chemistry together during their time at Atletico Madrid.

Photo courtesy of NBC Sports

            Carlos Tevez is set to reveal whether or not he has decided to sign with Liverpool on Wednesday.  According to talkSPORT, the signing of Tevez would cost Liverpool £10 million. 

           Although Tevez is now 31 years old, he can definitely help Liverpool put goals on the board.  Liverpool struggled to do so last season, scoring only 52 goals.  In the 2013-2014 season, Luis Suarez scored 31 goals by himself and the team had 101 total goals. 

Photo courtesy of beIN Sports

Getting to know A.F.C. Bournemouth

            A.F.C. Bournemouth, of southern England, are among the three teams joining the Premier League this season.  This is very impressive knowing what position they were in only six years ago.  Bournemouth were promoted to League One after the 2009-2010 season.  Only two years later, they found themselves competing for a top spot in the Championship League. After coming in first place in the Championship last season, they now find themselves in the Barclays Premier League for the first time in their clubs’ history.  “The Cherries,” as they are known as, are managed by Eddie Howe and their attack is led by top goal scorer last year (23 in all competitions), Callum Wilson.

            A.F.C Bournemouth’s home stadium is Dean Court, which was built in 1910 and holds 11,700 spectators.  The Cherries sport red and black striped kits for their home games.

Dean Court

Photo courtesy of dailymail.co.uk

Memphis Depay Signs with Manchester United

Manchester United skipper, Louis Van Gaal, has added another name to his star-studded roster.  According to ESPN, Memphis Depay has signed with Manchester United for a reported contract worth $25 million.  Depay had previously played for PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands where he scored 50 goals in 124 games.

 Depay is only 21 years old, and he is definitely a rising star.  I’ve had my eye on him since the World Cup last year, and his speed and talent is top class.  Manchester United fans should be excited to see him play for their squad this year. 

Photo courtesy of thesportbible.com