Van Der Vaart Wants To Join Madrid - Sneijder

Wesley Sneijder has revealed that Rafael Van der Vaart is desperate to join Real Madrid but he may have to be patient and spend another season with Hamburg.



The Dutch duo speak often on the telephone and discuss life at the Bernabéu and Sneijder knows that his compatriot wants to join him at the Spanish giants.

Madrid have made no secret of the fact that they are keen to buy Van der Vaart, having been delayed in their quest for Cristiano Ronaldo, and he is waiting for their call.

"I have spoken to him several times in the past few days and he has told me that he wants to play for Real Madrid, but does not know if it will be possible next season," Sneijder told AS.

"But he has told me that he is very excited about the prospect of joining Madrid and that it is his main aim."

Sneijder has played alongside Van der Vaart for many years and believes that he would be a big success at Madrid, but is unsure if a deal can be pushed through this summer.

"I can say that Rafael is a great player. He really impresses me. I have played with him for four season at Ajax and we have played many times for the Dutch national team in the centre of midfield," he continued.

"I really do not know if he will join this year though or wait until next season. I would really like him to sign for Madrid. He is like Guti in quality and plays a bit further forward, behind the front two.

"One of his main assets is his ability to move into the area and score and he always finishes the season with plenty of goals."

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Schuster: I Do Not Want Robinho To Go

Bernd Schuster has made it clear that he does not want Robinho to leave Real Madrid this summer amid reports that Chelsea could make a mega offer for his services.



The German coach has openly supported the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United, but does not want to see one his own first team stars leave the Bernabéu.

Robinho and his agent, Vagner Ribeiro, have made public their discontent with his inclusion in an exchange deal with Ronaldo or Madrid's unwillingness to listen to any offers.

A new contract is still being discussed and with los Merengues not making any major moves on that front, the Brazilian international has become agitated with the situation.

Despite that, Schuster does not want to see him sold and believes that the club should not allow any offers to tempt them into selling him.

"Robinho would be a big loss. He is an important player for me and for everyone here. We hope that he stays," he told Marca.

New Chelsea boss, Luis Felipe Scolari, would like to see his compatriot join him at Stamford Bridge and the player knows that the London club would match all his wage demands.

Madrid have been accused of failing to value Robinho by his representative and it remains to be seen if the club will accept that or see it as an attempt to force their hand on a new deal.

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Abouterika Could Still Make Zamalek Clash

Egyptian international midfielder Mohammed Abouterika might return to action for his club side Al Ahly when they square up in this weekend’s CAF Champions League crunch encounter against city rival club side Zamalek.



This was disclosed by Ahli’s assistant coach Hossam Al-Badri in an interview on the club’s official website.

Abouterika has been out of action since the end of the Egyptian league season in May, and missed all four 2010 World Cup qualifying games played by the Pharaohs of Egypt so far.

"Abou-Treika's condition will be assessed 24 hours before the match," Al-Badri told Ahli's official website on Tuesday.
"Then we will take a final decision over his availability for the game."

The player has however started full training and is reportedly keen on making the fixture against Zamalek.

"The player is keen to take part in the match, but the technical staff will have the final word over whether he can play," he added.

"We don't want to take any risks, what matters most is Abou-Treika's safety."

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Hleb In Barcelona For Medical

Aleksandr Hleb has flown to Barcelona on Wednesday to undergo a medical before putting pen-to-paper on a three-year deal at Camp Nou, the Catalan club have announced.



After the habitual photographs outside the club's offices where the large Blaugrana crest stands, the Belorussian will undergo a rigorous physical exam.

Hospital de Barcelona will be his first port of call, before travelling the short distance to the stadium to undergo further exams by the Barça medical team.

On Thursday morning, Hleb is expected to sign his contract before being presented to the press after his protracted move from Arsenal was finally completed.

The 27-year-old never made it a secret that he was keen to join Barcelona, having previously cited Inter as his preferred destination, and the Gunners were unable to persuade him to stay.

Arsène Wenger was always keen to keep Hleb, but once the former Stuttgart midfielder had made his mind up to leave it Arsenal were determined to hold out for the right price.

According to reports, Barça will pay €12.5 up front with €2.5m more depending on his performances and the team's achievements during his spell at the club.

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Solskjaer Excited By Coaching Challenge

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is ready to shed his baby-face persona as he embarks on his new career with Manchester United…



Solskjaer was unveiled as United’s new reserves coach in May, taking over from Brian McClair and Jimmy Ryan, who now direct the club’s youth academy.

The appointment was a popular one, to say the least. The 35-year-old is undoubtedly one of the best-loved Red Devils in recent history, having earned both the adoration of United fans and the admiration of rival supporters during his time at Old Trafford.

But the Baby-Faced Assassin will not be aiming to win any popularity contests in his new role, insisting he will take a firm approach in order to get the very best out of his charges.

“I believe that you have to be because what was good enough for me when I was 18 or 19 isn't good enough for them nowadays,” Solskjaer told United’s official website. “I've learned so much about what I should have done when I was that age subsequently.

“I think you need to push them a bit, but the boys want to be pushed as well. It's not a doddle being a professional footballer, so I think they'll have to shed their fair share of sweat. I'm really looking forward to it. It's a great challenge.”

After ending his playing career last year, Solskjaer remained with United in something of an advisory role, participating in training sessions with the youths and reserves on a casual basis.

The Norwegian ex-striker confessed he is thrilled to have landed the gig full-time and is looking forward to the challenge of preparing the Red Devils’ best young prospects for the rigours of top-flight football.

“I did a few sessions last year and some with the youth team,” he said. “I asked Choccy (Brian McClair) sometimes if I could have the Reserves to work with, to challenge myself because when you're doing coaching courses, you don't want to go in cold.

“I've enjoyed that and now they're my responsibility, so that's a better challenge as well.”

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Bojinov Hungry For City Success

Manchester City forward Valeri Bojinov has revealed his desire to make an impact on the Premier League after a disastrous debut season…


Bojinov is something of a forgotten man at Eastlands. The Bulgarian arrived last summer with a huge reputation, having been tagged as the continent’s answer to Wayne Rooney after impressing with Juventus and Fiorentina.

But the 22-year-old never had a chance to live up to the hype, as he suffered a season-ruining knee injury during City’s clash with Manchester United in August. He returned to training in February but did not appear again for the first-team.

The ex-Lecce hitman’s pre-season has been disrupted by a minor muscle problem, but he is determined to overcome that as he seeks to impress new boss Mark Hughes.

"I want to stay fit, I want to play and want to train with the team," Bojinov said. "There’s a new coach now and it’s very important for me because it’s close to the start of a new season.

"It’s important to be in training so the Manager can see me and I want to demonstrate my quality. I want to play well and score because I am a striker and the supporters didn't have a chance to see me last season because of my injury."

Hungry

City supporters will be no doubt be hoping Bojinov does fulfil expectations once he gets the chance, as the signing of Brazilian youngster Jo has laid the foundations for what could be one of England’s most exciting strike pairings.

Bojinov hopes so too, as he is desperate to make the most of his opportunities next term and help the Sky Blues achieve success on both the domestic and European fronts.

"It’s very important to come back and play," he continued. "I only had those three appearances and they were for such a short amount of time.

"So I want to play because City are a very important team, playing in the UEFA Cup, which is a very important tournament because you are on the European stage.

"I’m very hungry to come back and play on that green pitch because it’s been almost one year since I’ve been out on there with the team. So I am hungry for everything, training, playing and scoring goals."

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Del Bosque hired as Spain coach

The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) announced that Vicente Del Bosque will succeed Luis Aragones as the European champions manager.




"The president of the Spanish football federation Angel Maria Villar proposed the nomination of Del Bosque to the executive committee which was accepted," said a RFEF spokesman.

The former Real Madrid coach, who has 18 international caps for Spain, will be presented to the media on Thursday.

Former coach Aragones left his post after leading La Furia Roja to EURO 2008 glory, meaning their first major trophy in 44 years.

Aragones, who said that his exit depended on the RFEF unwillingness to offer him a new deal, is now in charge of Turkish giants Fenerbahce

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