Villa unveiled as Falcao replacement at Atletico… and fans invade pitch to mob striker at Vicente Calderon

Tottenham target David Villa was unveiled at Atletico Madrid on Monday and was promptly mobbed by supporters as he was paraded on the pitch at the Vicente Calderon.

As Villa, 31, performed the customary kick-ups and waved to supporters, fans began to rush onto the field to greet their newest player.

The former Barcelona and Valencia striker kept a smile on his face as fans were dragged off him by the stadium’s security team.

Mobbed: Fans invade the pitch in Madrid as David Villa is unveiled as their newest signing

Come here, you! Villa is smiling as he walks off the pitch amid a group of fans

Villa admitted he had his heart set on a move to the Premier League until ‘the best team in world’ showed their hand.

He completed a cut-price 2.1million euro move from Barcelona on Monday afternoon. The fee paid to the Spanish champions will rise to 5.1m euros if Villa sees out the entirety of a three-year deal.

The Spain striker started less than half of Barca’s league games last season to put a host of European clubs on high alert, with Tottenham among the Premier League clubs closely linked with a move for the former Valencia forward.

But when Atletico approached him in early July, he knew his future lay with the capital club.

He told reporters: ‘We had a move to the Premier in mind but then Atleti appeared and within three days all my personal terms had been agreed.

‘From a career point of view, they weren’t lacking anything. They finished third and will play in the Champions League. They beat Real Madrid to win the Copa del Rey.

‘Starting from today, the best club in the world for me is Atletico Madrid.’

Villa’s challenge will be replacing the goal threat that disappeared to Monaco when Colombian hitman Radamel Falcao made a surprise switch to the principilaty last month.

Falcao hit 28 league goals in the 2012-13 season and 52 in just two years with Atleti, but Villa hopes his own goal record will stand up to scrutiny in southern Madrid.

The Asturian has scored 282 career goals for Sporting Gijon, Real Zaragoza, Valencia and Barcelona, with his 91-cap adventure with Spain yielding 56 goals to date.

Talent: Villa was paraded on the pitch in his full kit and had a kickabout in the process

Icon: Some supporters even carried a cardboard cutout onto the pitch

‘I have to talk to the coach (Diego Simeone) about playing in a number nine role, where Falcao played,’ Villa added.

‘But I am simply at his disposal and will play wherever he wants. (Falcao) was loved here but hopefully I can make sure his absence isn’t felt.’

Briefly touching on his reasons for leaving Barcelona after three successful seasons, he added: ‘I left Barca because I wasn’t playing, not because the World Cup was on the horizon.

‘I love this game and I wanted to play it.’

Grappled: A member of the stadium’s security team tackles one supporter to the ground

Larking about: Villa looks amused as the security guards clamour to take one supporter off the field

Popular choice: Atletico fans packed out the Vicente Calderon Stadium to see their new signing

All smiles: Villa (centre) looks proud as he stands with his Atletico shirt

Related articles

• Villa set for switch to Atletico (bbc.co.uk)
• David Villa transfer: Atletico Madrid win race to sign Barcelona striker (thesun.co.uk)
• Luis hails Villa signing (soccerway.com)
• Official: FC Barcelona Sell David Villa To Atletico Madrid (barcablaugranes.com)
• David Villa Transfer: Atletico Madrid, Barcelona Agree To Deal For Spanish Striker (huffingtonpost.com)
• Atletico Madrid: Why David Villa is Falcao’s Ideal Replacement (bleacherreport.com)
• We Paid Lowest Possible Price for David Villa – Atletico Madrid President On Capture of Striker from Barcelona (insidefutbol.com)
• David Villa Transfer To Atletico Madrid 2013: Can Striker Replace Radamel Falcao’s Production? (latinospost.com)
• Villa yearned for PL switch (skysports.com)
• Sorry Tottenham, my Premier League switch was off once Atletico Madrid came calling, says David Villa (metro.co.uk)

Morning Paper Talk Follow the rumour mill with the latest transfer rumours, gossip and speculation from the newspapers.

Morning Paper Talk Follow the rumour mill with the latest transfer rumours, gossip and speculation from the newspapers..

Morning Paper Talk Follow the rumour mill with the latest transfer rumours, gossip and speculation from the newspapers.

• New Manchester United boss David Moyes has warned Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger off making moves for Wayne Rooney.
• Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is in talks over a new deal at the Emirates.
• Jose Mourinho says he is even better than before after returning to Chelsea.
• Hull are lining up a move for Arsenal forward Nicklas Bendtner as Steve Bruce looks to be reunited with the Danish international.
• Southampton striker Billy Sharp is a target for Middlesbrough.
• Doncaster are closing in on a loan swoop for Aston Villa goalkeeper Shay Given.
• Wigan have agreed a fee to sign Bristol City winger Albert Adomah.
• • New Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini is ready to launch a cut-price swoop for Swedish superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
  • David Moyes has hit back at Jose Mourinho’s public courting of Wayne Rooney by insisting the striker is not for sale.
  • Arsene Wenger is ready to usher in a new era of success and big spending by committing his future to Arsenal.
  • Norwich are lining up a shock £6million move for Juventus striker Fabio Quagliarella.
  • Joe Kinnear wants to get Darren Bent signed when he returns to work at Newcastle on Monday.
  • Cardiff boss Malky Mackay is trying to beat off interest from Tottenham to sign Benfica striker Nelson Oliveira on a season-long loan.
  • Michael Laudrup is saying adios to the Spanish market as far as Swansea are concerned.
  • • Arsene Wenger has pledged his long-term future to Arsenal after revealing he has started talks over a new contract.
    • Jose Mourinho tried his latest trick yesterday to lure the unsettled Wayne Rooney to Chelsea.
    • Brendan Rodgers is in daily contact with Luis Suarez in a bid to keep the unsettled striker at Liverpool.
    • Tottenham will lodge a £20million bid for Aston Villa’s Christian Benteke next week.-
    • • Jose Mourinho has cranked up the pressure on David Moyes by admitting: I’d love to have Wayne Rooney at Chelsea.
      • Arsene Wenger has hinted he is ready to make another offer for Luis Suarez.
      • Arsenal face a stumbling block in signing striker Gonzalo Higuain.
      • Newcastle have stepped up their interest in Aston Villa striker Darren Bent.
      • Nicklas Bendtner is being lined-up for a move to Premier League new-boys Hull and a reunion with Tigers boss Steve Bruce.
      • Paolo Di Canio wants £4million defender Bastian Oczipka to join his foreign revolution at Sunderland.
      • New dad Tom Ince has snubbed a move to Cardiff following the birth of his first child.
      • • Shahid Khan last night became the new Fulham owner as he completed a £150million takeover of the Premier League club.
        • Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini is closing in on a £25million deal for Alvaro Negredo.
        • Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers says he is in touch with Luis Suarez on a daily basis and remains confident of keeping the striker.
        • • Arsene Wenger has revealed that he has already held positive contract talks with Arsenal and confirmed his long-term desire to stay at the club rather than move to Paris St Germain.
          • Tottenham Hotspur are set to table an opening bid of £20 million for Aston Villa striker Christian Benteke next week.
          • Mohamed Al Fayed has brought his colourful 16-year association with Fulham to an end after sanctioning the sale of the Premier League club to the United States-based billionaire Shahid Khan.

Premier League: Wilfried Zaha will be part of Manchester United squad

Manchester United boss David Moyes says Wilfried Zaha will get a chance to shine at Old Trafford this season after impressing on his pre-season debut in Thailand.

Zaha played the second half of United’s 1-0 defeat by the Singha All Stars in Bangkok, a result Moyes was not too bothered about given the relative lack of experience on display.

There had been speculation that the 20-year-old would return to Crystal Palace on loan this season, but Moyes gave a large hint that would not be the case.

“Wilfried did well,” said Moyes. “He gave us a little bit of something different.

“We have brought him here to give him a chance. It is the first time I have worked with him and had a chance to see him up close.

“He will certainly be part of the squad and we will see where we can fit him in as often as we can.”

Zaha came closest to getting United level when he curled a shot against the post but in the end they could find no response to Teeratep Winothai’s 50th-minute goal.

“It wasn’t a brilliant result but this wasn’t one we desperately needed to win,” added Moyes. “It is one we need to get prepared to win games from.

“(Adnan Januzaj) was a plus for us. He played well. It is always good when you give a young player a chance and he shows up. He did that tonight.

“The more he plays like that, the more opportunities he is likely to get.”

SPL: Celtic boss Neil Lennon concedes striker Gary Hooper is set to leave.

Celtic boss Neil Lennon has conceded Gary Hooper may have played his last game for the club.

Norwich and Queens Park Rangers are both battling to sign the striker who has turned down a new deal to stay at Parkhead.

Hooper is entering the final year of his contract and Celtic are resigned to selling him rather than risk letting him see out his deal.

The 25-year-old has failed to feature in Celtic’s last two pre-season friendlies with a groin problem and he is unlikely to play in next week’s UEFA Champions League qualifier at Cliftonville.

Lennon admits it will be difficult to keep Hooper with Norwich and QPR expected to come back with new bids for the former Scunthorpe man.

“It will be difficult to convince Gary to stay,” said Lennon. “He has not featured much in pre-season and the games start in earnest for us on Wednesday night.

“So he’d have a bit of catching up to do and I don’t know where his mind is at the minute.

“Has he played his last game for Celtic? Never say never but it’s looking more and more that way.”

Lennon is hoping to bolster his squad after losing Victor Wanyama to Southampton, feeling he needs three players if they are to qualify for the Champions League.

“I haven’t spoken to Peter Lawwell yet about bringing someone in but we need two or three players if we’re going to get back into the Champions League,” added Lennon.

Premier League: Leroy Fer becomes Norwich City’s sixth summer signing

https://www.youtube.com/results?q=Premier+League:+Leroy+Fer+becomes+Norwich+City%27s+sixth+summer+signing&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=w1

Norwich City have confirmed the signing of Dutch international midfielder Leroy Fer from FC Twente on a four-year deal.

The 23-year-old, who is Chris Hughton’s sixth summer signing, scored 21 goals in 71 appearances for FC Twente after starting his career with Feyenoord.

Fer, who has two full caps, captained Holland at Under-17 and Under-19 levels and he was a key part of their European Under-21 Championship team which made it to the semi-finals earlier this summer, scoring twice during the group stages.

He joins Javier Garrido, Ricky Van Wolfswinkel, Nathan Redmond, Martin Olsson and Carlo Nash in boosting Hughton’s options for the 2013-14 Barclays Premier League season.

“We are really pleased to have acquired the signature of a player with the qualities that Leroy has.”
Chris Hughton

Hughton said: “We are really pleased to have acquired the signature of a player with the qualities that Leroy has.

“He’s a very versatile Dutch international and at 23 he has that pleasing balance of having acquired experience playing over 100 games in the Dutch League – but still having plenty of time ahead of him to continue his development as a player here with us at Norwich City.”

Friendly: Iago Aspas scores as Liverpool win 4-0 at Preston

Iago Aspas marked his first outing in a Liverpool shirt with a goal as the Reds romped to a 4-0 friendly win at Preston.

The Spaniard, signed from Celta Vigo for £7.7million, curled home his side’s final effort as they eased their way back into action to comfortably win the specially-commissioned Shankly Shield, in honour of Reds’ iconic manager and former Lilywhites player Bill Shankly at Deepdale.

In reality, the game had already been settled with goals from Philippe Coutinho, Jordon Ibe and Raheem Sterling in little more than a gentle run-out – even if temperatures on the pitch touched 30 degrees.

Brendan Rodgers’ four new signings all featured. Aside from one first-half save from Scott Laird’s shot, goalkeeper Simon Mignolet had nothing to do, while centre-back Kolo Toure may have had a more testing afternoon had new Preston signing Kevin Davies been ready to play.

Rodgers’ two Spanish imports, Aspas and Luis Alberto, played the second half with Aspas’ 20-yard left-foot curler for Liverpool’s fourth in the 75th minute the highlight.

The elephant in the room – and not on the pitch – was Suarez, the Uruguay international currently on extended leave because of Confederations Cup duty who seemingly wants out of Anfield.

Rodgers did not speak to the media after the match, wanting to avoid an inquisition over the 26-year-old for whom the club have already turned down a £30million bid from Arsenal.

Fellow forward Daniel Sturridge was absent, still making his way back from an ankle injury, and while captain Steven Gerrard was fit after missing the last two matches of the season to have a shoulder operation, he watched from the sidelines.

Who will provide the goals without that trio remains to be seen, with Rodgers still looking to add attacking options after missing out on Shakhtar Donetsk’s Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

Aspas showed he has the potential to contribute but while forward Fabio Borini, who missed plenty of last season with injuries, was a willing runner he spurned his one chance with only goalkeeper Declan Rudd to beat.

Coutinho, inventive in the opening 45 minutes, won and converted a spot-kick after a 13th-minute foul by John Welsh.

Ibe, 17, cut in from the left to drill a low right-foot shot just inside the post, Sterling raced on to Aspas’ pass to round replacement goalkeeper Thorsten Stuckmann before the new Spanish signing wrapped things up.

Eurobot – Transfer window latest

Premier League – Who is Fulham’s new owner Shahid Khan?

Other international owners such as Russian Roman Abramovich (Chelsea) and American Malcolm Glazer (Manchester United) rarely talk to the media or engage with fans but Khan has shown that he enjoys attention.

When Khan bought the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars in 2011, he brought his yacht into port in the northern Florida city and set about a series of community meetings with local politicians and fans.

“He is kind of a rock star with the fans,” Alfie Crow, editor of the Jaguars’ fan blog ‘Big Cat Country,’ told Reuters.

“He comes out to practice, interacts with the fans and talks to them. He is very much out there and engaged. He has really energised people.”

Any trepidation Jaguars fans initially had about the team’s new owner quickly dissipated as he won them over with his charm, not to mention a thick handlebar moustache and flowing hair that is a marked change from the staid image of the traditional NFL owner.

Khan, after all, is far from a typical owner of an American sports franchise.

Born in Lahore, Pakistan, where he not surprisingly fell in love with cricket, Khan moved to the United States as a 16-year-old, sleeping in a YMCA and washing dishes on his way to earning an engineering degree at the University of Illinois.

He ended up buying the first company to give him a job, transforming Flex-N-Gate into a lucrative car parts business. In 2010 he was making his first move into the sports world with an attempt to buy the NFL’s St. Louis Rams.

The man who foiled that attempt was Stan Kroenke, who took majority ownership of the Rams. At Fulham, Khan will be in close proximity to Kroenke, the majority shareholder in Arsenal.

While Khan missed out on the Rams he did win friends in the NFL’s elite ownership group and that helped him when he finally got into the league with the Jaguars.

“I thought, I have developed a love and affection as a fan for the sport and I’d like to be part of it,” he said.

As well as engaging with the local fan base, Khan has emphasised the opportunities to “put Jacksonville on the map” by taking the Jaguars to London for an annual game over the next four seasons.

It was typical of Khan’s approach though that he responded to speculation that his move for Fulham might have a negative impact on the Jaguars by emailing the team’s season ticket holders to reassure them.

“Fulham F.C. will operate as a fully stand-alone business from the Jaguars. Fulham and the Jaguars each have a great responsibility to their players, fans, partners and communities, and both deserve nothing less than a 100 per cent commitment from ownership,” he wrote.

“In short, our pledge to you – a Jaguars franchise that is proud, bold and committed – remains unchanged.

Fulham season ticket holders can expect the same sort of hands-on attention, including fan forums, emails, media appearances, the kind of things that most foreign Premier League owners shy away from.

“I want to be clear, I do not view myself so much as the owner of Fulham, but a custodian of the club on behalf of its fans,” said Khan.

“My priority is to ensure the club and Craven Cottage each have a viable and sustainable Premier League future that fans of present and future generations can be proud of.”

The Premier League, with its unrestricted free-market approach to wages and transfers, is a very different world to the closed, salary-capped business model of the NFL, and it will be fascinating to see how Khan approaches Fulham.

However it turns out, Fulham fans are certainly going to know they have a new owner.