FOOTBALL UPDATE

Barcelona heads into the Copa del Rey match against Leganes in a delicate situation after losing points in a loss against Valencia.  The heavy defeat to Valencia and the doubts generated by the victories over Granada and Ibiza have set off alarm bells in Barcelona.  The duel against Leganés in the Copa del Rey comes at a delicate time for Quique Setién and his charges, at a time when he needs to get back to their game and get a comfortable win. For that reason, as 'AS' reports, it is expected that the Cantabrian technician, after the fright of the previous round, puts out his strongest starting XI yet, with captain Lionel Messi leading the charge.  The Argentinean star did not even make the squad against Ibiza, but is now expected to lead the Catalan team in the Round of 16. It would be the star's debut in this year's Copa del Rey competition and his first match since last season's final against Valencia, which ended in a 2-1 defeat.  In addition to th...

Since the start of the season La Liga leaders Barcelona have been flying, but the same is not true for striker Luis Suarez.  With three goals in his first 14 games, Suarez was in his worst form for the club, one of the few players in Ernesto Valverde’s side who was struggling as the Catalans established a firm lead in the title race. Barcelona were winning despite him, not because of him, as they often did in his first three seasons at Camp Nou. With 121 goals in his first 147 matches, helping his side to two league titles, a Champions League trophy and three King’s Cups, among other silverware, everything Suarez touched turn to gold, until this season. Suarez scored in the routs of Espanyol and Girona, as well as netting an important equaliser against Atletico Madrid in the 1-1 draw in October, but otherwise fired blanks. The 30-year-old failed to score in any of Barcelona’s six Champions League group games, missed easy chances and was bereft of confidence, despite Valv...

Barcelona have defended payments made to a charity run by Lionel Messi and insist they did not act as part of the player’s salary.  The Catalan giants made the payments to Lionel Messi’s foundation between 2010 and 2013 with German media outlet Der Spiegel alleging they had seen club documents which may have acted as a salary. The report claimed that a 2016 audit saw the club pay the foundation and Messi’s father Jorge millions, while the player’s advisers gave the authorities €12m in unpaid taxes despite insisting they were not part of his salary. “All of the money the club wired to Lionel Messi's foundation was for charitable purposes,” ESPN quote a Barcelona representative as saying. “The interpretations that (Der Spiegel), other media or other people can make about these donations does not change this position at all. There will be no further comment on the issue.” ESPN clarify the €12m was given by the club to Messi as a loan which would not need to be repaid, whil...

Luis Suarez helped Barcelona overcome a two-goal deficit to claim a 4-2 win over Real Sociedad on Sunday night in their first league win at Anoeta since 2007. The hosts raced out to a 2-0 lead through Willian Jose and Juanmi, but a late first-half goal from Paulinho swung the momentum in Barcelona's favour, and Suarez would complete the comeback with a pair of second-half strikes before Lionel Messi topped it off with a late free kick. With the victory Barcelona remain nine points up on second-place Atletico Madrid in the table, and a whopping 19 points in front of rivals Real Madrid. Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde made one change of note, as Andres Iniesta was rested and replaced in midfield by Andre Gomes.The Anoeta ghosts that routinely spook the Catalonians decided to make an early appearance, manifesting themselves in Willian Jose's 11th minute opener. Xabi Prieto curled in a cross from the right and Willian Jose, who scored the Real Sociedad goal in last seas...

The Colombian defender arrived from Brazilian club Palmerias earlier in the week after the two clubs agreed €11.8m (£10.4m) deal to sign Minaduring the winter transfer window. The two clubs had a deal for the defender to move to the Catalan giants after the World Cup in the summer for €9m, but the La Liga outfit were keen to bring forward the deal owing to Javier Mascherano's imminent departure to join Chinese Super League club Hebei Fortune. Palmeiras were reluctant to allow the defender to leave earlier than scheduled but sanctioned the move after they were offered €3m more than the initially agreed upon price. According to Spanish publication Sport, the defender completed his medical on Friday, while also getting his first taste of the Barcelona training ground. He has agreed a five-year deal with the current La Liga leaders worth a reported €18.5m (£16.4m, $22.3m). Mina will go straight into the first-team following his unveiling on Saturday and will compete...

Barcelona's quest for a fourth consecutive Copa del Rey title began with a finely poised round of 16 tie at Balaidos.  The 1-1 result in the first legmeant there was all to play for at the Camp Nou, but a lightning start from the hosts, with Messi the architect, soon ended Celta's hopes. A favourable result at home meant Celta had their work cut out to cause an upset, but Lionel Messi had other plans. The Argentine looked lively from the off, eager to get involved and testing Sergio Alvarez with a low strike early on. The danger signs were there, and he made no mistake when given a second chance, sweeping a half volley into the bottom corner after picking up a pocket of space on the edge of the box. Barcelona were ahead, and they doubled their lead just two minutes later. Jordi Alba provided the assist again and Messi finished with aplomb into the bottom corner. The Catalans were sublime to watch in a manner only ...

Since the start of the 21st century, both Real Madrid and Barcelona have acquired a certain reputation for being prepared to splash the cash when it comes to bringing the right players to the club, with Gareth Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo and James Rodríguez moving to the Bernabeu for exorbitant fees and Philippe Coutinho, Ousmane Dembélé and Neymar making to move to the Camp Nou. Those players are the most expensive acquisitions in the history of each club, with Real spending €101m on Bale, €96m on Ronaldo and €80m on James. Barca, for their part, have spent €120m (plus €40m in add-ons) on their latest recruit, €105 (plus €35m in add-ons) on Dembele and €95m on Neymar, though it's fair to say that the latter repaid his fee and then some. In total, according to figures from 'Transfermarkt', 'Los Blancos' have spent a whopping €1.628bn on transfers in the last 18 years, leaving their arch-rivals lagging behind, with Barca's total spend ammounting to €1.554bn...

Real Madrid want to sign Mohamed Salah in response to Barcelona’s £146 million purchase of Philippe Coutinho.  Barcelona completed their huge money move for Philippe Coutinho and have added a very talented player to their squad to help plug the gap left by Neymar when he left in the summer to join Paris Saint-Germain. Of course, the La Liga giants have done very well this season, leading the pack in Spain by 9 points and ahead of Real Madrid by 16 points. According to Gianluca Di Marzio, the current Champions League title holders are keen on sending a message to Barcelona and believe a similar raid on Liverpool to sign Mo Salah would do the trick. The Galacticos are huge admirers of Salah (who isn’t?) and believe the African Player of the Year recipient to be a player worthy of pulling on the white Madrid shirt. Di Marzio writes that “the Spanish club will now try to tempt the Egyptian winger and sign him, as Barcelona did with Coutinho.” If this is tr...

Barcelona signing Philippe Coutinho has traded heart-felt messages with former Liverpool star Steven Gerrard.  http://ochoochosoccer.blogspot.com.ng/2018/01/luis-suarez-welcomes-philippe-coutinho.html?m=1 The Brazilian secured his move to the Nou Camp for an impressive £145 million and Gerrard insisted he respected his decision, posting a message on Instagram declaring his admiration. The 37-year-old admitted it was hard to see such a good player leave the club but insisted Liverpool could not stand in the way of his dream. Gerrard posted on Instagram: 'It hurts you have left because you are a special player, up there with the best I shared a pitch with.  'I want to wish you and your family all the best for the next stage of your career in Barcelona . Thank you for the special moments and memories over the last 5 years . YNWA.' In response to Gerrard's message, Coutinho said: 'Steve, thanks so much for your kind words. It was an honour for m...

Barcelona players welcome Philippe coutinho to the team. Coutinho expressed his gratitude to the club on social networks: "A dream comes true, thanks Barcelona. I can't wait to start our journey together." Luis Suarez on his Twitter account: "Welcome friend, how nice it is to share a dressing room with you again, a lot of achievements await us in this new era, we will achieve them together." Coutinho with Bartomeu Iniesta on Twitter: "Welcome Coutinho! A pleasure to have you at Barcelona!" Coutinho with Paulinho Bezerra Coutinho with Cillessen

Coutinho's first full day as a Barcelona player included a welcome message from former Liverpool team-mate Suarez.  Luis Suarez has vowed to help Philippe Coutinho achieve his dreams following his transfer from Liverpool to Barcelona. The Brazil star finalised his move to Camp Nou on Monday, signing a five-and-a-half-year contract after a reported fee of €160million was agreed between the clubs. Suarez, who played alongside Coutinho at Anfield until he joined Barca in 2014, is looking forward to great success alongside his new team-mate. Writing on Twitter alongside a picture with Coutinho, Suarez said: "Welcome my friend, how nice [it] is to share [a] team with you again. "Lots of success in this new stage [sic], we will achieve them all together!" Coutinho had earlier met Gerard Pique and Paulinho on his first full day at the club.

Barcelona presented new signing Philippe Coutinho to their fans on the pitch at Camp Nou on Monday. Philippe Coutinho thanked Barcelona fans for their warm welcome as he was presented on the pitch at Camp Nou on Monday. The Brazil international completed his move from Liverpool to Barca earlier in the day by undergoing a medical and signing a five-and-a-half-year contract. Coutinho then ventured out onto the playing surface for the first time and, despite the thigh injury that is set to keep him out for three weeks, performed kick-ups to the delight of the thousands of fans in attendance.  "I'm happy to be here because of the history of the club and the players that have played here through history," he said. I want to thank everybody for the great welcome, especially on social media. "I hope to be able to play soon and live up to the high expectations."  Coutinho, who will address the media later on Monday, has reportedly cost Barca a club-record...

Phillipe Coutinho has signed for Barcelona in a five year deal, the Catalan club has confirmed, with the fee believed to be 160 million euros. In what is the second most expensive transfer ever after Neymar's move to Paris Saint-Germain, 120 million euros is to be paid up front with another 40 million performance related. The Brazilian is expected to be presented at the Camp Nou on Monday, which will conclude a transfer saga that dragged on throughout last summer with Liverpool then adamant that they would not allow their key creative midfielder to leave.Coutinho did put in a transfer request but it did not sway the Livepool board but now the persistence of Barcelona and the player has seen the move finally come to fruition.  Barcelona have brought in the player despite him not being eligible for the Champions League this season, having already been fielded by Liverpool.

Barcelona and Liverpool are close to sealing the transfer of Philippe Coutinho having agreed on a fee for the Brazilian. Philippe Coutinho's dream of joining La Liga giants Barcelona is about to be realised after the fee and payment schedules were agreed between the two clubs. The Catalans were planning to fly the Brazilian out on Saturday for a medical examination to be completed on Monday, which is why Coutinho didn't join the rest of the Liverpool squad on their trip to Dubai.  As soon as the deal worth £145 million is concluded, Coutinho will travel to Spain to meet up with his new teammates, becoming the second-most expensive signing of all time.  Liverpool bought Coutinho for £8.5m from Inter Milan in 2013 and are set to make a handsome profit when the transfer is officially announced in the coming hours.

Barcelona fans had reason to sleep easy when Lionel Messi finally put pen to paper on a new contract in November, it appears that there is a caveat to consider. Given the volatile political situation in Catalonia, it is being reported that the Argentine has planned an exit route if all goes pear shaped for the Blaugrana.Spanish daily newspaper El Mundo's front page for Friday reveals that Messi would only remain at the club if it were part of either the Spanish, French, English or German league system.Naturally, remaining in LaLiga would be the realistic option for Barcelona given the legal and practical issues in integrating to a distant competition. However the agreement also allows Messi to renege on his 700 million euro release clause should that not happen, and depart for free.Barcelona are said to believe this to be a given and consider it a gesture of commitment by Messi, who became the world's highest paid player when renewing following protracted negotiations. ...

The Barcelona manager knows his side can't afford to be complacent after playing to a 1-1 draw in the Copa del Rey first leg. Barcelona will show Celta Vigo respect when the Galician side travel to Camp Nou for the second leg of their Copa del Rey last-16 tie, says Ernesto Valverde. Jose Arnaiz gave Barca the lead in the 15th minute at Balaidos, but Pione Sisto slammed home an equaliser before half-time. Ousmane Dembele came on in the final 20 minutes for his first appearance since September, but the game ended 1-1, leaving everything to play for. Celta earned a 2-2 draw at the Catalan giants in La Liga last month, a result that would be sufficient to send them into the quarter-finals if repeated next Thursday, leaving head coach Valverde wary. "It's another competition and we know Celta's quality. They showed it in La Liga and again today," the Barca boss said. "They will come to play and we will too. We know the quality they have from La Liga. We r...

The Barcelona are preparing a fourth offer for the Liverpool midfielder and are ready to smash the British transfer record to get the deal done this month.  The 25 year old wants to seal his dream move to Spain before the transfer window closes and Barcelona are willing to pull out all the stops to make it happen after three failed bids in the summer. But Kop boss Jurgen Klopp has no fears about his players being distracted by the Coutinho circus ahead of tonight’s Merseyside derby. Klopp refused to be drawn on the future of the Brazilian – who will miss the Cup clash with a thigh injury – but insists the team will not lose focus in their FA Cup third round clash against Everton at Anfield.  He said: “Sometimes they are in the middle of the story and sometimes they are sat next to the guy in the dressing room who is in the middle of the story. “These young boys are used to this from a really early age and are used to ignoring things around them. If they are smart e...

Liverpool Former defender Jamie Carragher has urged Philippe Coutinho to stay at Anfield until the end of the season. Carragher gave his advice on the potential transfer of Coutinho from Liverpool to Barcelona on Twitter. On Tuesday that the Reds' playmaker has played his last game for the club, according to Spanish media reports, but it will take a British transfer record to sign him.  Carragher said: 'Best thing is agree the BIG fee for Coutinho to go in the summer like we’ve done with Keita, not now. 'What do the club gain by doing it now? Top 4 & CL progression seriously risked if they sell in Jan, & difficult to replace him now. 'If he goes on strike he damages himself.' Gary Neville mocked Carragher's thoughts on the Coutinho saga referring to them as 'a lovely story'. He then tweeted his Sky Sports colleague with Lisbon-based journalist Marcus Alves' tweet and added 'Strike / Strike / Strike!!' with a crying laught...

Philippe Coutinho finally completing his desired move to Barcelona but Ernesto Valverde has given nothing away in the week the transfer window opens.  Reports in England suggest that Liverpool may be ready to open negotiations for the Brazilian and consider a club record deal."[Coutinho] is a player for another team," noted Valverde at his pre-Copa del Rey press conference. "He is a great player, of course. "I don't know what will happen, but I like mine much more."One player who will be pulling on the Blaugrana jersey in January is Ousmane Dembele, who Valverde declared fit before considering the future of the winger's countryman, Samuel Umtiti."Having a player like Ousmane back is very positive for us," added the coach. "He got injured just as he was adapting to the team, so let's see if he can help us. He is ready to play."[Umtiti] is a great player and we hope he stays at Barcelona for many years."Celta Vigo a...

Transfer window hours away from opening, Barcelona are set to return for Coutinho. Having failed to find common ground with Liverpool in recent weeks, one final bid is in store to wear down the Premier League outfit.  Klopp has repeatedly insisted the club has no plans to sell Philippe Coutinho, frustrating the Catalans giants. Much like the events that transpired in last summer's transfer saga, Barcelona have run into a brick wall when trying to negotiate for the Brazilian. At least one big signing is expected to arrive at the Camp Nou in January and Barca chief Josep Maria Bartomeu is ready to press the situation for a player that is fundamental in Liverpool's Champions League aspirations. As reported by Spanish daily 'MARCA', Barcelona want to go all in for Coutinho who, if the transfer eventually does follow through, would not be elegible to play in Europe. With the potentially record-breaking fee Barcelona have lined up, they would hope for a recruit th...