TRANSFER NEWS

Romelu Lukaku will have a medical in the next couple of days and should be able to join Man Utd for their USA tour.

The Gunners have made the France international their record signing, with Arsene Wenger raiding Lyon for a man being tipped to emulate an icon

Alexandre Lacazette has been compared to Arsenal legend Ian Wright by Gerard Houllier after completing a £46 million transfer to England.

Having long been linked with a move to Emirates Stadium, the Gunners have finally got their man in a record-breaking deal with Lyon.

Arsene Wenger has acquired a proven goalscorer in the France international, with Lacazette boasting a prolific strike rate from his time at his hometown club.

Arsenal's top 10 record signings

Former Liverpool boss Houllier, who is now an advisor at Lyon, is confident the 26-year-old can transfer his Ligue 1 form onto a Premier League stage and follow in the footsteps of an attacking icon in north London.

He told talkSPORT of Lacazette: “He is very mobile, very quick, good in short spaces, has good skill and he scores goals.

“He was the top scorer in France in 2014-15, the best player in the league in 2015 and has been the best French scorer over the last three seasons.

“He scores more than 25 goals every season. One thing he will bring to Arsenal is goals. His main asset is to score goals.

Branislav Ivanovic: Chelsea defender moves to Zenit St Petersburg

Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic has joined Russian Premier League side Zenit St Petersburg for an undisclosed fee on a two-and-a-half year deal.

Serb Ivanovic, 32, joined the Blues in January 2008 from Lokomotiv Moscow and played 377 times for the club.
He won the Champions League, Premier League twice, FA Cup three times and League Cup, and scored the winning goal in the 2013 Europa League final.
However, he had only started six Premier League games this season.
Ivanovic, who was set to be out of contract at the end of the season, scored for the club in his final appearance, Saturday's 4-0 FA Cup win over Brentford.
Chelsea captain John Terry paid tribute to his team-mate, describing Ivanovic as a "legend" in an Instagram post.
"Unbelievable defender for us over the years and a great and big character and presence in the dressing room," Terry wrote.
Even though the English transfer window closed on Tuesday, Premier League clubs can sell to teams in countries whose window remains open, such as Russia.

Girl Stripped Naked, Brutalized For Sleeping With Her Married Boss

A Zimbabwean woman was recently stripped Unclad and brutalized after news of her alleged affair with her married boss leaked to his wife.

The woman, identified as Sandra Chibanda, was stripped Unclad, splashed with opaque beer and bashed by her boss’ wife identified only as Mai.

The quartet arrived, armed with a pair of scissors and two bottles of opaque beer and intruded into the company kitchen where Sandra works and gave the workers free drama as they descended upon the woman splashing ‘chi super’ on her.

In a bid to retrieve messages between the two, Sandra’s phone was smashed after she refused to divulge her password.

During the fiasco a sobbing Sandra revealed that she had been dating Nyamunetsi for almost a year now and pleaded for mercy.

“Please forgive me, l will break up with him. I do not know what got into me. I know you but l could not resist, we have been dating for a year now,” she pleaded.

It emerged that Sandra was helped by Mai Jerry’s mother to get the job as a cook at MVI Coaches and that Nyamunetsi had built a house for Sandra’s mother in Seke.

“Was it not my mother who helped you secure a job here? And this is how you pay her by bedding her daughter’s husband, you made me bake cakes for your children using my husband’s money making me appear like a fool.

“Today l want to teach you a lesson, l want all the things that my husband bought for you,” Mai Jerry said this whilst cutting off Sandra’s hair using a pair of a scissors and tearing off her clothes including her panties.

After stripping her they told her to walk to their car which was parked outside and one of the workers protested and exchanged blows with Mai Jerry and her team.

“How can you strip a woman in front of men, you are not going to take her out of this premises,” he said.

He was grabbed by other men when he exchanged blows with Mai Jerry in a bid to protect Sandra.

Mai jerry and her three friends led Sandra clad in a sack to the car.

All this drama took place after Mai Jerry’s husband had left for a business meeting and efforts to get his comment were fruitless by the time of going to print, HMetro reports.

The attackers were later arrested and charged to court. The brutally assaulted lady confirmed she had been knowingly dating a married man for almost a year.

The wife of the man in question, told the court that she acted out of anger and that the affair had been infringing on her conjugal rights.

Magistrate later ordered the wife and her friends to pay US$50 fine each by April 22 or spend ten days in prison.

South African Twin Sisters Marries The Same Man

26 year old twin sisters, Owami and Olwethu Mzazi from Vosloorus, South Africa recently got married to the same man, 51 year old Mzukiseni Mzazi.

When interviewed by a South African magazine, the sisters said they’d always known they’d marry same man as they have shared everything else together since they were born…

“We have always done everything together. We share everything. That is how our grandmother raised us. So when we decided to marry, we said any man that wants to marry one, will marry the other” Owami told Drum magazine.

Community Shield: Manchester United beat Leicester with Ibrahimovic header

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has helped to put the blockbuster feel back into Manchester United and the striker who has promised to become a footballing god to the club’s fans offered an illustration of his patented sense of occasion.

The curtain-raiser to the Premier League season had been engaging enough, marked by Jesse Lingard’s marvellous solo goal and a deserved Leicester Cityequaliser from Jamie Vardy, but it looked to be sliding towards a rather artificial penalty shootout conclusion.

Enter Zlatan. The free-agent signing from Paris Saint-Germain had successfully executed a back-heel with his first touch in the early running – the Swede is addicted to the extravagant. But it was what he did in the 83rd minute that represented his setting down of a marker.

Antonio Valencia stood up a cross towards the far post and Ibrahimovic leapt for it with Wes Morgan, the Leicester captain and not a man easily outmuscled. Ibrahimovic outmuscled him. The header did not pack similar power but the precision was perfect. The ball squeezed past Kasper Schmeichel and went in off the far post. Ibrahimovic was overtaken by delight.

José Mourinho’s mission is to bring silverware to Old Trafford and, after losing his previous three Community Shields with Chelsea, the new manager has started by locating the trigger for momentum. His broader goal, however, is to bring back the club’s identity which took such a hit under his predecessor, Louis van Gaal.

Mourinho knows it will take time to impose a more high-tempo and direct style, one in which his players look quickly for the space in between the lines, while he has also switched to a zonal marking system. Pre-season has brought its frustrations, particularly the lost week in China, following the cancellation of the friendly against Manchester City. His United is clearly a work in progress.

But with Mourinho and Ibrahimovic on board – and Paul Pogba to follow for €110m (£93m) – the swagger is back. Mourinho is not only comfortable with great expectations; he encourages them. In the cool Wembley air, it was possible to detect the shoots of optimism, not least when the trophy was hoisted to the sky. If nothing else, it was pleasing to see United look forward as though they meant it when they had the ball.

Leicester contributed fully to the occasion, which continues to occupy a curious space in the English game. It is a showpiece friendly or a competitive match, in the manner of, say, the Spanish Super Cup? Do goals officially count towards a player’s tally for the season? Nobody seems to know, for sure.

The Premier League champions – yes, it really did happen – were a match for United, which boded well for the challenges ahead, and they might have taken the lead in the first half through Shinji Okazaki. He saw a shot deflect narrowly wide and he hit the crossbar with a header from Marc Albrighton’s corner.

Leicester were value for Vardy’s equaliser while the new signing Ahmed Musa, who came on as a substitute, looked pacey and threatening. There were reasons for Claudio Ranieri, who feels that his team is only at 60% of its capacity, to be cheerful. They may have lost the element of surprise but their qualities remain. Ranieri said his target for the season was 40 points. Where have we heard that before?

Lingard – whose screaming volley had won the FA Cup last May – brought the game to life. The winger collected Wayne Rooney’s square pass and he exploded away from two blue shirts before surging around a third in Robert Huth and riding Morgan’s head-on slide challenge. It was not Morgan’s day. When Danny Simpson could not get across in time, Lingard had opened up the one-on-one with Schmeichel. The finish with his right instep was nerveless.

Apart from Andy King for N’Golo Kanté, who has been lured to Chelsea, Ranieri’s starting XI was the one that had fired last season’s fairytale. Perhaps there was an element of personal reward for his champions. Leicester do not play at Wembley every year. It was their first appearance since 2000, when they beat Tranmere Rovers in the League Cup final. Ranieri introduced three of his five summer signings in the second half, Luis Hernández and Papy Mendy following on from Musa.

Mourinho’s selection had more talking points. Lingard justified his inclusion ahead of Henrikh Mkhitaryan, one of the club’s three new boys, while that of Marouane Fellaini in midfield raised a few eyebrows. Eric Bailly, another new signing, looked extremely promising in central defence even if he made a few mistakes. The 22-year-old showcased his pace and strength.

Mourinho’s keenness to get Mkhitaryan on for a taste of the action in stoppage time resulted in the decision to hook Juan Mata, who had entered as a 63rd‑minute substitute. Given Mourinho’s history with Mata at Chelsea it was difficult not to over-analyse. Mata walked through the mixed zone afterwards without talking but with a look that suggested people ought to know why.

Leicester’s equaliser was a horrible moment for Fellaini, who underhit an attempted back-pass for David De Gea, which allowed Vardy to nip in and finish. United lost Lingard after he was caught by King’s slide challenge and there were second-half chances for Ibrahimovic, Musa and, at the very last, the Leicester substitute, Demarai Gray. By then, Ibrahimovic had bent the game to his will.

Norwich City hit their stride as Jacob Murphy sets up rout at Blackburn

Norwich City have kept their manager and most of their Premier League squad since relegation last season and were able to show their pedigree at Ewood Park, cruising into a commanding first-half lead to leave an out-thought and outclassedBlackburn Rovers looking like a side from several divisions below.

The first boos of Owen Coyle’s reign as Rovers manager were heard after 24 minutes, as a sweeping crossfield move ended with Cameron Jerome scoring at the far post to put his side three goals in front. The home centre-backs had been badly embarrassed twice by then, first when Jacob Murphy made space for himself with a neat turn to beat Jason Steele from outside the area, then when Wes Hoolahan made it two after darting between Elliott Ward and Shane Duffy into the area.

Ward went off injured shortly afterwards and Blackburn improved when Gordon 

Greer took over in defence, though they were already chasing a lost cause and the situation became hopeless when a third goal went in with less than a third of the game completed.

Steven Naismith and Hoolahan tried to find a way through the middle again but found their routes blocked, though they retained possession and the presence of mind to sweep the ball out to Ivo Pinto on the right, whose low cross behind the Blackburn defenders was tucked away by Jerome with deflections off post and goalkeeper.

One or two home fans could be seen heading for the exits even at that early stage, all the optimism of opening day having evaporated. They did not miss much for the rest of the first half.

Blackburn could not get going in midfield, where Hoolahan and Jonny Howson were in firm control, and all that the Norwich goalkeeper, John Ruddy, was asked to do before the interval was come out to collect a couple of hopeful crosses.

Danny Graham had been unable to accomplish anything on his own up front in the first half, so Coyle sent out Anthony Stokes to accompany him, though Blackburn were still too slow into most of the 50-50 challenges and laboured in their passing for it to make much of a difference.

A good example came early in the second half, when Norwich could easily have increased their lead. Naismith in the centre had options on both sides but chose Murphy, powering into the area on his right. A fourth goal was avoided by only the width of a post after Steele let Murphy’s shot through his legs. No matter, it took only another six minutes for the fourth goal to arrive. The irrepressible Hoolahan cheekily nutmegged Adam Henley in the penalty area to set up Naismith, who finished with his usual calmness and accuracy.

A fifth goal almost arrived straight afterwards when Hoolahan played Murphy into even more space on the left, though this time Steele managed to save with his legs.

Norwich were so neat and precise in comparison with their leaden-footed hosts that some of their attacking moves looked like training ground exercises, though it is easy to put on an exhibition when four goals to the good against opponents apparently unwilling to mount any kind of fightback.

While Stokes did manage to raise a small amount of cheer midway through the second half with a goal on his debut, a downward header from a deep cross that Ruddy probably should have saved, it did not lead to any quickening of Blackburn pulses either on or off the pitch.

It looked as though Norwich had begun their season a few weeks ago and were now hitting their full stride. Alex Neil’s side are among the favourites to be promoted from the Championship and they could hardly have made a more promising or confident start.

Blackburn, in contrast, looked as if they were still on their holidays, or perhaps warming up in a pre-season friendly, with the real thing still a week or so away. Unfortunately for Coyle and his new patch of east Lancashire, this was the real thing and Blackburn are in deep trouble already.

Granted they will not be playing teams of Norwich’s class every week but they will find the going tough against almost anyone in the division unless they improve their work rate, their defending and perhaps come up with the odd attacking idea.