ENGLAND
Everton sign Fabian Delph
Everton on Monday said that they have signed England midfielder Fabian Delph from Manchester City on a three-year deal. Everton did not say how much they had paid for the 29-year-old, who joined City from Aston Villa in 2015. Delph played 89 games for City, winning two Premier League titles. He also has 20 England caps. “When I look to bring a new player into our squad, the first thing I look for above all the other things is quality and Fabian is a player with high quality, but what they can bring to our dressing room is also important,” Everton manager Marco Silva told the club’s Web site. “Every time I have played against Everton, whether it was home or away, straight away the first thing that comes to mind when you see the fans is passion,” Delph said. “Hopefully, we can push together, fans and players, to do something special.”
SPAIN
Barcelona sign Hiroki Abe
Barcelona on Monday said they had completed the signing of young Japanese winger Hiroki Abe from the Kashima Antlers of the J-League. The Catalan club said that they had paid 1.1 million euros (US$1.25 million) for the 20-year-old and assigned him to their reserve team, which plays in the third-tier Spanish Segunda B. Barcelona said Abe had signed a four-year contract with a 40 million euros buyout clause which would rise to 100 million euros if he is promoted to the first team. He “is considered to be Japanese football’s big promise ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games,” Barca said on their Web site. Abe, who made his international debut in the Copa America last month, can play anywhere across the front line, but “has predominantly been used on the left flank,” Barca said.
ITALY
Juve to sign De Ligt: reports
Defender Matthijs de Ligt has agreed to join Juventus, Dutch and Italian media reported on Monday, but it was not clear whether the Turin club had yet agreed a fee with Ajax. Reports said that the 19-year-old Netherlands international, who captained Ajax to the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League, had agreed personal terms with Juventus and would arrive in Turin yesterday and undergo a medical today. Media in Italy said Juventus would pay Ajax 75 million euros. De Ligt has been linked with many of Europe’s leading clubs after his impressive play for resurgent Ajax last season. He has played 117 games for Ajax in all competitions, scoring 13 goals. Earlier on Monday, Juventus unveiled Aaron Ramsey, the Wales midfielder who had agreed in February to join as a free agent once his contract with Arsenal expired.
UNITED STATES
Martinelli scores on debut
Brazilian Gabriel Martinelli on Monday scored on his Arsenal debut as the English Premier League club began their pre-season tour of the US with a 3-0 friendly win over the Colorado Rapids. Bukayo Saka and James Olayinka also scored for the Gunners, who cruised to victory at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Denver, Colorado. Saka, 17, was an energetic presence and put Arsenal up 1-0 in the 13th minute as he collected a through-ball from Eddie Nketiah. Another teenager — 18-year-old Olayinka — doubled the score in the 29th minute. Martinelli, 18, capped the scoring in the 61st minute when he slotted home a cross from close range.
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was
RALLY: It was only the second time the Taiwanese has partnered with Kudermetova, and the match seemed tight until they won seven points in a row to take the last set 10-2 Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching and Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova on Sunday won the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix women’s doubles final in Stuttgart, Germany. The pair defeated Norway’s Ulrikke Eikeri and Estonia’s Ingrid Neel 4-6, 6-3, 10-2 in a tightly contested match at the WTA 500 tournament. Chan and Kudermetova fell 4-6 in the first set after having their serve broken three times, although they played increasingly well. They fought back in the second set and managed to break their opponents’ serve in the eighth game to triumph 6-3. In the tiebreaker, Chan and Kudermetova took a 3-0 lead before their opponents clawed back two points, but