19, October 2019
Matip signs a long-term contract extension with Liverpool 0
Liverpool defender Joel Matip signed a long-term contract extension with the Premier League leaders on Friday.
Matip’s existing deal was due to expire at the end of this season, but the former Cameroon international has now committed his future to Jurgen Klopp’s side.
Liverpool didn’t reveal the length of Matip’s new contract, but media reports said the centre-back would now be tied to Anfield until 2024.
“It’s a great feeling to be a longer part of the club. When you are inside, then you really get a feeling for how big the club is,” Matip told Liverpool’s website.
“We have a young and talented team and I think every one of us is hungry. Now we’ve seen how it is to win something and we want to have that feeling again.
“There are a lot of things still to achieve. You never know how it will end, you just have to work hard and do the best you can do. Then we will see.
“It is an honour to be a part of the club. It makes me happy that people think I’ve done a good job and they want to keep me.”
Matip joined Liverpool on a free transfer from German club Schalke in 2016.
The 28-year-old has established himself as Virgil van Dijk’s partner at the heart of Liverpool’s defence, holding off competition from Joe Gomez and Dejan Lovren.
He has made 107 appearances for Liverpool, including last season’s Champions League final win over Tottenham in Madrid.
Matip is set to return to the Liverpool side for Sunday’s trip to bitter rivals Manchester United after missing the last two games due to an unspecified “knock”.
Liverpool will equal Manchester City’s Premier League record of 18 successive victories if they beat struggling United.
Source: English.ahram.org
19, October 2019
Eto’o open to Real Mallorca return to kick-start coaching career 0
Samuel Eto’o believes he reached his peak as a player at Real Mallorca and is now looking to the club as a potential launch pad for his coaching career.
The former Barcelona, Inter and Chelsea striker retired from football in September following a glittering career spanning more than two decades.
He won the Champions League and LaLiga three times each after battling back from rejection at Real Madrid, who let a young Eto’o leave for Mallorca in 2000 following a successful loan spell.
Eto’o scored 54 goals in 128 games during his permanent spell with the Balearic Islands-based outfit, a period he regards as the best of his playing days.
“I reached my top level when at Mallorca,” said the Cameroon great, who moved to Barca in 2004.
“We were a group of normal guys who had to compete against the great players at Real Madrid and Barcelona. But we did it very well, we were proud of defending our jersey and our island.
“At Barcelona it was about opening the eyes of the world, making it known that a kid coming from where I came from, when given the same opportunities as the others, could do well. It was tough at Mallorca but when I got to Barcelona I saw that we could not fail, we were a group of unbelievable players and we just had to win.”Featured links
Further spells in England, Italy, Russia, Turkey and Qatar expanded Eto’o’s horizons and list of contacts ahead of a move into management.
The 38-year-old has stated his desire to win the Champions League as a coach, but those big ambitions could have humble beginnings back at Mallorca, where his teenage son, Etienne, is on the books.
“Now I want to prepare for new challenges,” Eto’o said.
“I love football, so I would like some day to be able to coach at the highest level. It could be my Mallorca or some other big team. I have had the fortune to win things as a player and I would like to do that again as a coach.”
Mallorca, who finished as high as third in the top flight with Eto’o leading the line, won promotion back to LaLiga last season.
Vicente Moreno’s men have collected two wins from eight games to sit 18th ahead of Saturday’s home game against leaders Madrid.
Source: Besoccer.com