OptiNews - Friday 04 to Thursday 10 August 2017

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Sourced from Mirror.co.uk article

Southampton break club record to sign Juventus midfielder

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Southampton have confirmed the signing of midfielder Mario Lemina from Juventus .

The Gabon midfielder has signed for a club record fee , thought to be in the region of £16million, rising to £20million and is Saints’ second signing of the summer following the arrival of Jan Bednarek from Lech Poznan.

The 23-year-old has penned a five-year deal at St Mary’s after Saints pipped Stoke for the former Marseille man, who won league titles and two Italian Cups during his time in Turin.

Lemina told the club’s website: “I am really happy to have signed for Southampton. I think that it was the project that attracted me the most and the one my family was really behind. I am really happy to be here.”

Les Reed, the vice chairman (football) at Saints also chipped in: “Mario is an outstanding talent who has already achieved a great deal in his career, winning a number of titles and gaining experience of playing on some of the biggest stages in world football.

“Investing in a player of Mario’s quality and buying from a club like Juventus is a significant statement of intent from the club, and this is a purchase that has set another club-record fee.

“Mario still has his best years ahead of him, and we believe that he will not only be an excellent acquisition for us in the immediate future, but that he will also be able to realise even more of his potential here in the years to come.

“In a volatile market with some extraordinary and inexplicable transfers taking place, we are determined to go about our work in a diligent and correct way. This is a player who has won trophies and played in the Champions League final less than three months ago and he has signed for Saints amid a host of suitors.

“Mario will complement what is already an extremely strong group of midfield players in our squad, and we are excited about what he will bring to the group.”

Southampton kick off their Premier League campaign by hosting Swansea on Saturday.

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Sourced from Optimus trousers summary article summary

Summary of non-mainstream articles: 08/08/2017 23:54:36

| | Mario Lemina keen to prove his worth after joining SouthamptonBELFASTTELE |
|

| Southampton sign Juventus midfielder Mario LeminaSBNATIONSTMARYSMUSINGS |
| | Ian Wright says Arsenal should have signed van Dijk and MaticDAILYCANNON |
| | Southampton Ready To Bid For This In-Demand Portuguese Fullback: Just What The Saints Need?THE4THOFFICIAL |
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| Southampton signing of Mario Lemina a ‘significant statement’IRELANDCOM |
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| Transfer Round-up: Southampton, Sebastian Larsson and Hull featureHEREISTHECITY |
| | Should Southampton bring back Jose Fonte in light of Virgil van Dijk situation?HEREISTHECITY |
| | Sunderland will sell star for ‘right price’ amidst West Ham and Southampton interestFOREVERWESTHAM |

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Sourced from ESPN FC article

Southampton sign Mario Lemina from Juventus for £15.6 million

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Southampton completed the signing of midfielder Mario Lemina from Juventus on on a five-year contract on Tuesday.

Juventus confirmed in a statement on their official website the deal was worth €17 million (£15.6m), which could increase by a further €3 million (£2.77m).

The 23-year-old Gabon international told Southampton’s website: “I am really happy to have signed for Southampton. I think that it was the project that attracted me the most and the one my family was really behind.”

Lemina started his career in France with Lorient before joining Marseille in 2013. The midfielder signed initially on loan with Juventus in 2015 and after completing a permanent transfer last summer, went on to help the Bianconeri win the Serie A title as well as reach the Champions League final against Real Madrid.

Southampton vice chairman Les Reed feels Lemina will be a welcome addition to Mauricio Pellegrino’s squad.

“Mario is an outstanding talent who has already achieved a great deal in his career, winning a number of titles and gaining experience of playing on some of the biggest stages in world football,” Reed said.

"Investing in a player of Mario’s quality and buying from a club like Juventus is a significant statement of intent from the club, and this is a purchase that has set another club-record fee.

"Mario still has his best years ahead of him, and we believe that he will not only be an excellent acquisition for us in the immediate future, but that he will also be able to realise even more of his potential here in the years to come.

"In a volatile market with some extraordinary and inexplicable transfers taking place, we are determined to go about our work in a diligent and correct way. This is a player who has won trophies and played in the Champions League final less than three months ago and he has signed for Saints amid a host of suitors.

“Mario will complement what is already an extremely strong group of midfield players in our squad, and we are excited about what he will bring to the group.”

While Pellegrino has been busy fine tuning the players for the start of the new Premier League season, which kicks off at home against Swansea on Saturday, the future of defender Virgil van Dijk remains unresolved.

On Monday evening, the Dutchman hit out at his treatment from Southampton as he made public his intention to leave St Mary’s.

The 26-year-old said he felt “insulted” by suggestions he had refused to train and has grown frustrated at the Saints turning down approaches from “multiple top clubs” this summer.

The Netherlands defender, who joined the club from Celtic in 2015 and is a long-term target for Liverpool, revealed he had handed in a transfer request.

Van Dijk was left out of the Saints’ preseason training camp in France last month, with Pellegrino saying “psychologically he is not 100 percent,” while Southampton have insisted he is not for sale.

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Sourced from Southampton FC - Official Site article

Gallery: Lemina signs at Staplewood

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Sourced from Daily Star article

Virgil van Dijk to Liverpool: Southampton prepared to let defender rot on sidelines

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Saints are ready to get tough to wreck captain Van Dijk’s hopes of a dream £60m move to Anfield.

They hope their hardline stance will instead smoke out interest in their wantaway captain from Chelsea.

The champions have yet to formally contact the south coast club but have been keeping a close eye on developments.

A Saints insider said: “We do not want to sell Virgil to Liverpool and will happily let him sit in the stands all season if we have to.

“Most of the fans would back the club in this after everything that has gone on.”

Van Dijk slapped in a transfer request this week after months of speculation over his future.

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Sourced from Optimus trousers summary article summary

Summary of non-mainstream articles: 09/08/2017 00:54:52

| | Southampton sign Juve’s Mario Lemina for club-record feeEUROSPORTUK |
| | Official: Lemina joins Southampton, Juve make a 9 million euros profitCALCIOMERCATOCOM |
|

| Are Arsenal one of the ‘big clubs’ asking about Van Dijk transfer? | Just Arsenal NewsJUSTARSENALNEWS |
|

| Congratulations On Future Liverpool Move – Southampton Legend On Mario Lemina SigningINSIDEFUTBOLCOM |
| | Saints seek Gibson as Van Dijk replacement?SPORTSMOLE |
| | Lemina attracted by exciting Saints projectREADSOUTHAMPTON |
| | Why Leeds fans will be particularly pleased if Southampton land Ben GibsonHEREISTHECITY |

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RedSLO Southampton FC blog

New content from (- RedSLO Southampton FC blog)

| How are things going? (Southampton 2017-2018 Premier League Roster/Squad Update 2) | As an American, my view of Southampton fans is undoubtedly badly distorted. I do not run into people in my daily … 09-08-2017 |

Older content…

| Happy Third Anniversary9 days ago |
| A Modest Proposal (re Virgil van Dijk)18 days ago |
| Southampton 2017-2018 Premier League Roster/Squad Update2 months ago |
| Predictions 2016-2017 (Round 29)5 months ago |
| Predictions 2016-2017 (Round 28)5 months ago |
| Predictions 2016-2017 (Round 27)5 months ago |
| Predictions 2016-2017 (Round 26)6 months ago |
| Predictions 2016-2017 (Round 25)6 months ago |
| Predictions 2016-2017 (Round 24)6 months ago |
| Predictions 2016-2017 (Round 23)7 months ago |

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Sourced from Premier League - Official Site article

Schedule favours Saints backline for FPL

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Fantasy Premier League managers must consider the fixture list when building their squads, a strategy which guarantees Southampton players as early targets.

According to the Fixture Difficulty Rankings (FDR), no team can match the Saints’ run of matches up to Gameweek 12.

Over that spell, they face only one opponent - Manchester United at St Mary’s - who score more than two in the FDR.

They also start the season with three home matches in the opening four Gameweeks.

But we should show caution when considering the Southampton attack.

They scored a modest 41 goals last season, including only 17 in 19 home matches - only relegated Sunderland notched fewer.

There is also some doubt surrounding the most likely starters.

Both James Ward-Prowse (£5.5m) and Nathan Redmond (£6.5m) have had limited pre-seasons due to their involvement with England in the UEFA Under-21 European Championships.

They will vie with Dusan Tadic (£6.5m) and Sofiane Boufal (£6.0m) for attacking midfield roles in the favoured 4-2-3-1 formation.

New manager Mauricio Pellegrino has also used strikers Shane Long (£6.0m) and Manolo Gabbiadini (£7.0m) in those positions this summer.

Up front, Gabbiadini could be Pellegrino’s choice as the lone striker, though Charlie Austin (£6.5m) will also challenge for pitch time.

So FPL managers should prioritise the Saints’ defence for early points.

His Alaves side conceded only 43 goals in LaLiga last season - a record bettered only by Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Villarreal.

At right-back, Cedric Soares (£5.0m) has played only 63 minutes in pre-season following international exertions with Portugal.

Central defenders Maya Yoshida and Jack Stephens (both £5.0m) appear more secure Gameweek 1 options.

But Ryan Bertrand (£5.5m) could be worth the extra outlay.

The left-back topped the Southampton ranks with 4.4 points per match (ppm) last season, scoring two goals and providing five assists.

With the early fixtures, Bertrand has a platform to build his FPL reputation and become the early pacesetter in the defender standings.

Remember, managers must submit their final selections by 6.45pm BST on Friday 11 August.

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Sourced from Sky Sports article

Pardew on player power

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Former Newcastle and Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew explains how prominent player power is in the Premier League and gives an example of one of his former players refusing to play to engineer a move.

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Sourced from A tweet by mattletiss7 tweet

@mattletiss7 - Matt Le Tissier

Yep my fault https://twitter.com/dannyroman63/status/894967279238119425

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Sourced from Optimus trousers summary article summary

Summary of non-mainstream articles: 09/08/2017 06:56:16

| | Revealed - What Southampton told Virgil van Dijk about his dream move to LiverpoolIRISHINDEP |

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Sourced from Mirror.co.uk article

Liverpool receive bad news in chase for their top summer target

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Liverpool have reportedly faced a fresh blow in their efforts to sign wantaway defender Virgil van Dijk from Southampton.

That’s according to the Daily Express , who report that Saints would rather let the centre-back rot in the stands than sell him to the Reds.

The 25-year-old has put in a transfer request at St Mary’s, but the club are still angry at the Merseysiders for tapping up their captain and are digging their heels in over the matter.

Mauricio Pellegrino’s side are even said to be willing to miss out on the £60million payday that would come their way, even if it means him never playing for the club again.

Barcelona want to sign Liverpool playmaker Philippe Countinho by the end of the week.

The Spanish giants are sending a three-man delegation to London to try to negotiate a £100million move to the Nou Camp.

Liverpool continue to insist the player is not for sale and that he remains committed to the Kop cause.

But Nou Camp trio Oscar Grau, Raul Sanllehi and Javier Bordas will be sent to the UK under orders to secure Coutinho’s signature in time for him to play in Spain’s Super Cup final on Sunday against arch rivals Real Madrid.

Barca, awash with cash following the £199m sale of Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain, are determined to strike a deal.

David McDonnell has more here .

Holland boss Dick Advocaat admits he will have to “deal with things” if Virgil van Dijk’s Southampton stand-off remains unresolved.

Wantaway Saints defender Van Dijk stepped up his attempts to force his exit by handing in a transfer request.

Liverpool and Chelsea are both keen on the defender £60m Dutch centre-back who has been ordered to train alone after telling Saints boss Mauricio Pellegrino he wants to leave.

But with Southampton adamant they won’t cave in and sell Van Dijk, 26, is facing an uncertain future for club and country.

Adrian Kajumba has the full story here.

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Sourced from Optimus trousers summary article summary

Summary of non-mainstream articles: 09/08/2017 07:56:31

| | SPORTREVIEWCOM |
| | Sky Sports Pundit Backs Top Liverpool Target To Make Anfield Switch Snubbing Chelsea – The Kop Times | Liverpool Fan …THEKOPTIMES |
| | Revealed - What Southampton told Van Dijk over Liverpool moveSUNDAYWORLD |

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Sourced from Daily Echo article

Bednarek: Saints “don’t talk or think” about Van Dijk saga

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JAN Bednarek insists that Saints’ preparations for the Premier League season have not been hampered by Virgil van Dijk’s ongoing transfer saga.

The £5m summer signing from Lech Poznan says that Mauricio Pellegrino’s team “don’t talk” about Van Dijk and are only focused on making a positive start to campaign against Swansea at St Mary’s on Saturday.

“It’s Virgil’s own situation,” the 21-year-old centre-back said. “We have to just focus on Saturday and that’s the most important thing.

“This is his own problem and we have to be separated from this, because we have an important game and for the team that’s the only important thing.”

“We don’t think about this and don’t talk about it,” he added.

“It’s his problem and if he wanted our support we would do it, but the most important thing is the team spirit and we are focused on it.”

Van Dijk was banished to train alone by Pellegrino after asking to leave and has since handed in a transfer request to try and force a move away from St Mary’s.

Bednarek, though, isn’t worried about that and is far more interested in fighting for his place in the Saints team.

The Poland Under-21 international knows he faces a big challenge to get ahead of Maya Yoshida and Jack Stephens, but is adamant he’s ready for the task.

He said: “I’m ready. Of course, the intensity and level of the players is very, very good but I’m used to it.

“I can play and now I’m looking forward to my debut in the Premier League.”

“It’s not like I started playing football two days ago. I’ve played for ten years and I’m ready,” he continued.

“I’m confident and ready to be in the squad but it’s up to the coach.

“There’s a few good players in my position.”

He knows his rivals for a starting role can be valuable allies in adapting to the Premier League.

“They’re very good players. Maya is a Japan international, Jack is an England Under-21,” he said.

“They are very good players, but I can learn a lot from them and can’t wait to play with them.”

The Premier League is a big step up from the Polish ranks.

“When you come to the best league in the world it’s always a big step - it doesn’t matter where you’re from,” he said.

“I’m ready, though, and I want to improve and that’s why I’m here.

“I have to keep working and give my best.”

He wants to fight for game time.

“This is the most important, you have to play and be on the pitch,” he said.

“You just have to play as much as possible, to improve and feel confident.”

The 6ft2in defender has been getting tips off his colleagues as he eyes his Premier League debut.

“I’ve talked with some players,” he said. “They told me what it’s like and they said it’s not easy but I’m ready for that.

“I’m ready in my mind and that’s the most important thing.”

Bednarek has moved to Winchester and is living on his own currently, but is already feeling well settled in the area thanks to his team-mates.

“I’m alone here but I have a lot of football friends,” he said. “They are helping me so much. We are always going out together to do something.

“They are very friendly and my family will come once a month.

“They’ll keep close to me but far away. It’s a bit different, but I’ll handle it. I’m a tough guy, so it doesn’t matter.”

Saints face Swansea in their Premier League opener and Bednarek believes Pellegrino’s side are ready.

“We have prepared very well. We’ve worked very hard and we can’t wait for the first game,” he said.

“I’m looking forward to playing in front of a full house. It will be so noisy and will be a good atmosphere.”

What does he expect from the season?

“I expect a lot of emotions, ups and downs. We will win and we will lose but you have to keep going, working and improving.

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Sourced from Sky Sports article

Could Paul Merson’s Premier League predictions bring you profit?

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It’s one of SkySports.com’s longest-running features, but just how accurate are Paul Merson’s predictions?

Each week, the Sky Sports pundit - who will be on screens every Friday with a new PL Predictions show - stir up plenty of discussion with his tips, whether he’s predicting another Stoke home win, talking up a “massive, massive football match” in early September or describing strugglers on the “old glass mountain with moccasin slippers on.”

But if you followed Merse’s predictions each week, you’d end up in a healthy 14 per cent profit.

That means Merse’s predictions in 2016/17 were more fruitful than any high street cash ISA, and comfortably beat the FTSE 100 over the same period.

Our friends at @EightyFivePoint worked out Merse’s success rate with results (win, lose or draw) using historical odds from the 2016/17 season, in which the Magic Man correctly predicted 220 out of 378 games, or 58 per cent.

Betting £10 on every game would have handed punters a tidy 14 per cent profit, working out at £519.20 over the season, not including the original stake.

Merson’s most profitable predictions were all draws, with his forecast draws for Man City v Man Utd (April 2017) and Leicester v Bournemouth (May 2017) both bringing in profits at 11/4.

Merson’s most common prediction last season was 1-1, accounting for 14.8 per cent of his tips, followed by 2-0 and 2-1. The most common actual scores in the Premier League last season were in fact 1-1 and 1-0, followed 2-0 and 2-1.

Predictably, Merse favours the home win more often than not, and gets 67 per cent of them correct, compared with 60 per cent of away and 33 per cent of draws.

Our man last season predicted Chelsea would win the Premier League at 7/1, with Antonio Conte’s men taking their second title in three years by a seven-point margin over rivals Tottenham.

This season Merson is backing Manchester City to lift the title in May, with Chelsea, Tottenham and Man Utd making up the top four, and Watford, Brighton and Huddersfield dropping down.

Watch Paul Merson and Max Rushden on the new PL Predictions show every Friday and follow Merse’s week-by-week tips on skysports.com and the Sky Sports apps.

Make sure to follow @EightyFivePoint, and visit the website HERE

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The Ugly Inside News for Southampton

New content from (- The Ugly Inside News for Southampton)

| Advocaat Gets Worried As Van Dijk Puts Dutch World Cup Hopes At Risk ! | Every pundit who can cash a cheque from Sky Sports or Talksport is willing to give their opinion on Virgil Van Dijk, … 09-08-2017 |
| Saints Willing To Let Vulgar Van Dijk Rot In The Stands ! | Saints are standing firm with their want a way central defender now known as Vulgar Van Dijk to many supporters and … 09-08-2017 |

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Sourced from Optimus trousers summary article summary

Summary of non-mainstream articles: 09/08/2017 08:56:47

| | Tottenham move for van Dijk could unlock Dier’s full potential in midfieldFOOTBALLLONDON |
| | Live transfer news for Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs and West HamFOOTBALLLONDON |

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Sourced from Daily Star article

Arsenal should have gone after Virgil van Dijk and Nemanja Matic - Ian Wright

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Manchester United completed one of the shock buys of the summer when they signed Matic from reigning Premier League champions Chelsea for £40m. Van Dijk is still a Southampton player but surely not for much longer after handing in a transfer request and he is strongly linked with a move to Liverpool. But at the start of the summer Liverpool were forced to apologise to Southampton for allegedly tapping up Van Dijk and the Reds announced they had ended their interest in the Dutch international.

“Van Dijk and Matic are some players you would think Arsenal would try and be sniffing around” And Arsenal legend Wright believes the Gunners should have jumped at the chance to tempt Southampton into selling at the time. “When Liverpool came out with that statement about Van Dijk I was praying Arsenal were going to jump in there so they can knick him because that’s the kind of player he needs,” Wright told Sky Sports. "I even thought with Matic because I didn’t think it was on the cards he was going to leave Chelsea.

"So if there was a chance he was going to go to Arsenal, that’s a player Arsenal needs. “Van Dijk and Matic are some players you would think Arsenal would try and be sniffing around if there’s a deal to be done.” Arsene Wenger has so far brought in Alexandre Lacazette and Sead Kolasinac but rumours continue to surround Alexis Sanchez and his future. The Chile international’s contract runs out in under 12 months time and Arsenal risk losing him for free next summer.

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Sourced from A tweet by SouthamptonFC tweet

@SouthamptonFC - Southampton FC

“It is a league where everything goes very quickly.”

@LeminaM_13 on settling into #PL football with #SaintsFC: http://sfcne.ws/MLAdapt

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Read Southampton

New content from (- Read Southampton)

| Twitter reacts: Lemina signs for Southampton | Southampton completed the signing of Mario Lemina from Juventus on a five-year deal on Tuesday. The Saints have … 09-08-2017 |

Older content…

| Lemina reveals why he joined Southamptona day ago |
| How well do you know Mario Lemina?a day ago |
| Les Reed has his say on Southampton new boy Mario Leminaa day ago |
| Confirmed - Mario Lemina signs for Southamptona day ago |
| Southampton offer contract to former Bayern Munich goalkeepera day ago |
| Mario Lemina passes Southampton medicala day ago |
| Southampton reaffirm position on Chelsea and Liverpool target2 days ago |
| Italian defender holding out for move to Southampton2 days ago |
| Van Dijk hands in transfer request2 days ago |

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