Michael Laudrup has insisted Michu will stay with Swansea during this month’s transfer window after the Spanish striker put his side in sight of a place in the English League Cup final.
Swansea manager Laudrup described the forward as the “bargain of the season” following a 2-0 win away to European champions Chelsea in the first leg of their semi-final tie — the Welsh club’s first victory at Stamford Bridge since 1925.
Michu, signed for £2 million (US$3.21 million) from La Liga side Rayo Vallecano, scored his 16th goal in 25 appearances this season to give Swansea a 39th minute lead on Wednesday.
His goal tally has made Michu a coveted target, but Laudrup reckoned his recent form had put him out of reach of all but Europe’s wealthiest clubs.
“We all know the situation, the economic situation in the world, so there really aren’t that many clubs who can buy him,” Denmark great Laudrup said.
“And Michu likes it here. He’s happy where he is, so I’m really not afraid because I’m so sure he will stay with us for the next five or six months. I don’t know in the summer,” he said.
“I don’t know how much he’s worth. Ask my chairman. He was the bargain of the season, we know that. But we’re happy we’ve found the right players,” Laudrup said.
The Dane refused to accept his side were favorites to go through.
“We’re not there yet,” he said. “We’re still very far. We will need a great, great performance like the one today.
“We have a realistic possibility, but there’s still a mountain to climb,” he said
Mistakes from Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic allowed Michu and Danny Graham to clinch victory and inflict a second successive home defeat on Chelsea.
The New Taipei Kings claimed the inaugural Taiwan Professional Basketball League (TPBL) championship on Sunday, defeating the Kaohsiung FamilyMart Aquas 108-89 in the final. Playing at home, the Kings pulled ahead with Jeremy Lin’s (林書豪) clutch three-pointers, securing their victory over the Aquas in the TPBL final. The Kings came out strong in the first quarter, dominating to build a 35-18 lead. By halftime, they had stretched their advantage to 61-38. In the third quarter, the Aquas narrowed the deficit to 12 points, but Lin stepped up, sinking several tough three- pointers to extend the lead. In the final quarter, the Kings pushed the
Spain are the favorites to win the UEFA Women’s Euro 2025, but star player Aitana Bonmati’s illness ahead of the tournament raises another question mark around a side which, despite their obvious quality, are not unstoppable. Having claimed the last two Ballon d’Or awards, Barcelona midfielder Bonmati is the game’s biggest star at present, so her absence in the final days before the start of Euro 2025 is a major setback. The 27-year-old came down with a fever in training last week, and was subsequently hospitalized and diagnosed with viral meningitis. Bonmati was discharged on Sunday and joined up with
SEMI-FINAL SWEEP: Taiwanese are to take up all four berths in the men’s doubles semi-finals, while three Taiwanese women’s doubles pairings secured spots Taiwan’s badminton ace Chou Tien-chen stayed hot as he secured a semi-final berth in the men’s singles at the US Open at Council Bluffs, Iowa, on Friday. Chou entered the Super 300 tournament as the top seed and breezed past Victor Lai of Canada 21-19, 21-8 in 37 minutes, advancing to the semi-finals for the second straight tournament. Earlier this month, the 35-year-old veteran finished runner-up at the Indonesia Open, becoming the oldest male shuttler to reach a Super 1000-level final. He was set to face Ayush Shetty of India last night after press time for a spot in the final. Meanwhile, 22-year-old Taiwanese
PROMISING TALENT: Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso was pleased with youngster Gonzalo’s performance and compared him to former ‘Los Blancos’ great Raul Spanish giants Real Madrid on Tuesday beat Juventus 1-0 to set up a FIFA Club World Cup quarter-final clash against Borussia Dortmund, who edged Mexican side Monterrey. Serhou Guirassy struck twice for the German outfit as they scraped past Sergio Ramos’ side 2-1 in a tight last-16 clash in Atlanta, Georgia, and denied the former Real Madrid skipper a matchup against his former team. Youngster Gonzalo Garcia headed home his third goal of the tournament to help Madrid edge Italian side Juventus at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami earlier. It was an impressive display from Xabi Alonso’s Madrid side,