SOCCER SHORTS:Liverpool midfielder Jonjo Shelvey has signed a new contract with the club. The 20-year-old has found himself on the fringes of the first team at Anfield, making 37 appearances in all competitions since joining from Charlton in May 2010, but the club yesterday confirmed he has put pen to paper on a new long-term deal.
Shelvey played 10 games in the first half of last season while on loan at Blackpool before returning to the Reds and making 16 appearances.
Roma have confirmed Liverpool are interested in signing Italy international Fabio Borini. Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers revealed on Monday they were close to acquiring the 21-year-old striker, who worked under him at both the Chelsea academy and Swansea.
“There is a real interest shown by Liverpool in Borini,” Roma sporting director Walter Sabatini said. “We are evaluating the situation with (Roma general manager) Franco (Baldini).”
Laudrup signs Flores and De Guzman
Manager Micheal Laudrup has started the process of putting his own stamp on Swansea after making his first signings since succeeding Brendan Rodgers last month.
The Dane yesterday completed the captures of defender Jose Manuel Flores and midfielder Jonathan de Guzman as he builds towards his first campaign as a Premier League manager.
Centre half Flores, more commonly known as Chico, joins from Genoa for an initial fee of €2.5 million, while De Guzman arrives from Villarreal on a season-long loan deal. Both players worked with Laudrup during his time in charge of Mallorca and he will hope the pair can fill the gap in the Swans’ squad left by the exits of Steven Caulker and Gylfi Sigurdsson.
Caulker returned to Tottenham when his loan spell finished at the end of last season, while Sigurdsson has moved to White Hart Lane after his permanent switch to the Liberty Stadium fell through when Rodgers left for Liverpool.
Schalke pull-out sees Van der Vaart’s German options shrink
Rafael van der Vaart has seen his summer transfer options dwindle after Schalke announced they no longer want him. Tottenham Hotspur are open to offers for the attacking midfielder and he has been heavily linked with a move to Germany.
Schalke were considered as his likeliest destination but CEO Clemens Tonnies halted the negotiations to leave Hamburg, Van der Vaart’s old club, in the running for his signature.
Emmanuel Adebayor is on the brink of completing a permanent transfer to Tottenham, as Manchester City remove one obstacle to their pursuit of Arsenal’s Robin van Persie.
Tottenham believe they can secure the signature of Adebayor for €6.3 million, although they may have to pay a slightly higher fee, and are close to a compromise over his salary. Tottenham are ready to give the striker a massive signing-on fee and a lower salary than his €215,000-a-week City contract to fit him into club’s pay structure.
Guardian Service
Wilshere receives warning from Uefa disciplinary chiefs
Jack Wilshere has received a warning from Uefa disciplinary chiefs after comments he made on Twitter suggesting he had bet on an Arsenal team-mate to score.
Uefa’s regulations forbid players from gambling on football matches in which their teams are involved and the England midfielder has now received an official warning.
The 20-year-old had said on Twitter that Arsenal team-mate Emmanuel Frimpong was “worth a cheeky £10” to be the first scorer at long odds in the Champions League match against Olympiacos in December.
Wilshere, who was in the middle of a long injury absence, then said after a near miss by Frimpong: “Frimmy nearly won me some money there!” He later insisted he had only been joking.
