West Ham s French midfielder Julien Faubert has applied for an Algerian passport in a bid to achieve his dream of playing at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, the player told AS sports daily Friday.
Faubert, whose wife is Algerian, has played only one match for his native France although that was a friendly.
Algeria qualified for the World Cup after a dramatic two-leg play-off with north African giants Egypt. The Desert Foxes will play in Group C alongside England, the United States and Slovenia.
West Ham loaned Faubert to Real Madrid last season, where the player had a bitter experience playing a total of one hour in the last few months of the 2009 season before returning to England.
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(GSM) Former Newcastle United forward Nolberto Solano has completed a move to Championship side Leicester City.
The Peruvian 35-year-old had been on trial with Leicester, and managed to sufficiently impress the Foxes to force a more permanent deal.
Solano, who started his career at Sporting Cristal in 1992, moved to Europe to join Newcastle United six years later. Since then, the player also wore the shirts of Aston Villa and West Ham United.
Since 2009, Solano was active at Lima s Universitatio de Deportes.
It is inclear whether the veteran gets to play in the FA Cup at Cardiff on the weekend due to clearance issues. If this is not the case, Solano is likely to make his debut against former club Newcastle on January 30.
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David Moyes believes Manchester United have abandoned their traditions, as he revealed how close he came to signing Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Toni Kroos at Old Trafford.
Moyes was given the unenviable task of replacing Alex Ferguson at United, but he lasted just 10 months before being sacked in April 2014.
But the Scot felt it could have been different if he managed to complete the transfers he targeted, including bringing in Kroos from Bayern Munich.
Toni Kroos was agreed to come in the summer, Moyes told UK newspapers.
I had agreed it with Toni himself and his agent.
Moyes also said he wanted to sign Bale, revealing United offered more than the then world-record fee of £85.1million Real Madrid paid Tottenham.
When I first w…
German international playmaker Mesut Ozil has been at his creative best this season producing 15 top-flight assists
Arsenal’s German international midfield playmaker Mesut Ozil has undergone an amazing transformation this season.
It seems that for the first few seasons of his Gunners career Arsenal fans were not convinced by Ozil.
His languid style of play made him look lazy and he appeared to lack the physique for the rough and tumble of the Premier League.
However this season has seen German return to his best form, as his assist spree continues unabated.
Ozil was at it again last night. The German produced two more assists as Arsenal defeated Premier League rivals Manchester City 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium. The first assist was probably los…
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As we move through the month of April there are still plenty of things left to be determined in English football s top tier from the title picture to the relegation battle and beyond. Many fans feel as if they know the direction of travel with some choosing to look ahead to the Euros already, but before we get to all of that, there s still a great deal of intrigue behind some of the remaining fixtures and that includes Everton vs Tottenham Hotspur.
Everton
Even though they ve had their own setbacks along the way, this season has to be viewed as a step in the right direction for Everton Football Club. In addition to their new stadium getting the green light, Carlo Ancelotti has also been able to inject new life …
Marking their return from the international break on Sunday afternoon, Manchester City put on a real masterclass as they picked up a thumping 6-3 romp against Manchester United at the Etihad.
Looking to keep up pace with after the Gunners claimed their own derby day victory on Saturday lunchtime, the defending Premier League champions put on a real clinic here.
Heading into the half-time break with a stunning 4-0 lead and with both Erling Haaland and Phil Foden bagging their own hat-tricks, Pep Guardiola s superstars underlined why many have tipped them as a landslide pick to defend their crown this season.
While Manchester United might have mounted somewhat of a second-half charge as Antony s wonderstrike and Anthony Martial s late brace brought some respect t…
Portugal head coach Paulo Bento has denied his team s experience in two-legged play-offs will give them much of an advantage over Sweden.
Bento s team drew Sweden in Monday s draw for UEFA s World Cup play-offs after both Portugal and the Swedes finished second in their respective qualifying groups.
Portugal qualified for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and the 2012 European Championships in Poland and Ukraine thanks to play-off triumphs over Bosnia and Herzegovina on both occasions but Bento does not believe that will make a big difference when they take on Sweden.
Our target was to (have) already qualified, as it was not possible, we have to try now with these two games, Bento said.
They (Sweden) have an organised team, a very strong team, which finished the…
(GSM) Argentinian striker Mauro Boselli has joined Wigan Athletic for an undisclosed fee from Estudiantes.
The 25-year-old forward scored 32 goals in 57 appearances for Estudiantes and he has two caps for his country. He has passed a medical at the DW Stadium and agreed terms on a four-year deal.
Wigan boss Roberto Martinez told the club’s website: He s a goalscorer who lives to put the ball in the the net a clever player and a natural finisher.
The 36-year-old Spaniard is confident Boselli will bring something good to the team.
He can cause havoc in the penalty area and he gives the team some great new options with the variety of roles he can play, he added.
At 25-years-old he is at a perfect moment in his career to come and play in the Pr…
French giants Marseille are set to launch a fresh assault on PSG starlet Adrien Rabiot, according to the Daily Mail.
The talented footballer has repeatedly requested to be allowed to move clubs in search of first team football, but it does not look as though the Saints are ready to let him go at the moment.
League rivals Marseille hope to sign the 20-year-old on loan until the end of the season, but they could have a tough time agreeing a deal with PSG.
OM earlier attempted to bring Rabiot to Stade Velodrome after his loan spell with Toulouse came to an end in the summer of 2013, but without success.
Adrien Rabiot, 20, has had his share of first team opportunities this term, having started 9 Ligue 1 fixtures, while also making three appearances in the Ch…
Manchester City 3 Everton 1 (4-3 agg): De Bruyne inspires controversial comeback before injury scare
Kevin De Bruyne inspired Manchester City to the League Cup final as they came from behind to record a 4-3 aggregate win over Everton courtesy of a controversial 3-1 victory at the Etihad Stadium.
City had only once before managed to overturn a first-leg deficit in the tournament way back in 1976, when they beat Middlesbrough before going on to lift the trophy and their task of emulating that feat was made all the more difficult by Ross Barkley s fine opening goal.
Manuel Pellegrini s men responded six minutes later through a deflected Fernandinho effort and the hosts twice hit the woodwork inside the first hour through Sergio Aguero and David Silva, while Everton themselves wasted a great chance to regain the lead through Gerard Deulofeu.
The 2013-14 winner…