Down to Ten Men

Italy international Claudio Marchisio has made the move to Zenit St Petersburg on a free transfer. The experienced midfielder decided to revoke his contract with Juventus revoked last month and he has now taken the option to pursue a career overseas with Zenit after opting against joining a Serie A rival.

Speaking to the club’s official website, Marchisio said that he had no second thoughts over the move after being struck by the impressive facilities around the club, he said: “I had no doubt about signing for Zenit. I like the club, I like the ambition. After leaving Juventus, I promised that I would not sign for any other Italian team, but I still wanted to find a place that shares my values.

AS Roma sporting director Monchi has stressed that the fans should look into the arrivals during the summer transfer window rather than pondering over players, who have parted ways with the club. The Giallorossi have made solid business this summer with the recruitment of Justin Kluivert and Javier Pastore and Monchi has now hinted that the club have open their cheque books to sign Bordeaux’s Malcom.

Speaking in a news conference, Monchi said: “Today we are presenting Kluivert, which seemed impossible three months ago; everyone wanted him here and he is here. Pastore seemed impossible as well, according to some of you, but now he is here too. Malcom sounded like madness, and today you’ll tell me that this is only a possibility. It is right to say this. We shouldn’t just talk about the sales of Alisson and Radja Nainggolan, but also of the purchases we’ve made.”

Germany international has revealed his ambition to win trophies with Juventus during his presentation as a Bianconero. The 24-year-old had been linked with the Bianconeri for the past year and he eventually sealed his transfer last month after his contract with former club Liverpool expired.

Speaking in the press conference, he said: “I already knew Juventus was a huge club. You can see it straight away from everything here…Sami Khedira told me how big it was and I’m very happy to be here. The mentality at Juventus is that we just want to win titles. That’s my mentality too. I came here to win titles. I feel at home in the midfield. Of course, at the end the manager decides and I just want to help the team and always give my best whether it’s defender, striker, goalkeeper, or midfield.”

AC Milan midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu has credited manager Gennaro Gattuso for his upturn in form during the second half of the campaign. The Turkey international joined the Rossoneri from Bayer Leverkusen last summer and he had thereafter undergone a difficult period under manager Vincenzo Montella.

However, with the appointment of Gattuso, Calhanoglu managed to overcome of his key problems in terms of the language and he is satisfied with the progress under the once Champions League winner, he told Milan TV: “Yes, it’s true.

AC Milan head coach Gennaro Gattuso has admitted that the Rossoneri missed their opportunity to secure a victory over Sassuolo at the San Siro. The Rossoneri had the chance to close the gap to the top-four after both AS Roma and Inter Milan succumbed to defeats, but they could not make their chances pay against mid-table Sassuolo.

The Rossoneri dominated the game from the off, but they were denied on several occasions by goalkeeper Andrea Consigli through the first period. In the second half, Gattuso gambled with Andre Silva entering the fray for Ignazio Abate, but the Portuguese’s presence could not turn the tide of the game.

Veteran shot-stopper Gianluigi Buffon has admitted that he has joined up with the Italian national side to play tribute to the late Davide Astori. The 31-year-old sadly passed away in his sleep earlier this month, and this recently saw his former club Fiorentina pledge to rename their training ground after him.

Speaking in a press conference, the 40-year-old revealed that he felt a sense of responsibility which drove him to accept a call-up from interim boss Luigi Di Biagio to the national side.