August 8th, 2008
Daisuke Matsui, Japanese soccerstar who recently moved to French Ligue 1 club St Etienne, believed to become a successor of former Japanese soccerstar Hidetoshi Nakata in European football competition.
St Etienne chief executive Vincent Tong-Cuong also believe that Matsui to become one of Japanese football legend in europe. “Matsui is a beautiful player, with very good technique, speed and talent to beat his opponents, I want him to be a fans favourite in St Etienne” Tong-Cuong added. “I think Matsui can play well for us in the UEFA Cup.”
“Playing in european competition is one of my dreams. I’d like to develop my game by playing with various teams and various players in European competition,” Matsui told the press following his dream move to Saint Etienne in May. “I believe it is a joy for a player to be playing in front of St Etienne crowds and I’d like to be accepted by the supporters first”.
During the 2007-08 season Matsui appeared in 34 games for other French Ligue 1 club Le Mans and the team finished in 9th place. At the conclusion of the season, after having played for Le Mans for four consecutive years, Matsui announced his transfer to AS Saint-Étienne of Ligue 1 on a three year signing.
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August 19th, 2007
French Ligue 1 champion Lyon reported to sign Barcelona striker Eidur Gudjohnsen. Lyon ready to move Gudjohnsen with a £7 million cost. Lyon plans Gudjohnsen as a replacement for their Brazilian striker Fred.
Eidur Gudjohnsen 29-year-old is the captain of the Iceland national team and is often referred to as the greatest Icelandic player who is currently still in the game.
English Premiership club West Ham United also reported linked with Eidur Gudjohnsen.
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July 6th, 2007
French Ligue 1 club Olympique Marseille announced that Liverpool midfielder Boudewijn Zenden will join the club for free transfer and will sign two years contract. Zenden contract in Liverpool expires last season and it seems that Rafael Benitez dont want to hold Zenden in Anfield anymore.
Marseille, the 1993 European champions, needed a forward after France’s Franck Ribery left them for Bayern Munich. Zenden is their second major signing after Algeria midfielder Karim Ziani, formerly with Ligue 1 rivals Sochaux.
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June 17th, 2007
French Ligue 1 champion confirmed the sign of Lille duo Mathieu Bodmer and Kader Keita. “Kader Keita cost 18 million euro including two million of profit-sharing, while Mathieu Bodmer cost 6.5 million euro, both of them will stay in Lyon for four-year contracts” said Lyon chairman Jean-Michel Aulas.
Ivorian Kader Keita 25-year-old plays as an attacking midfielder position while Mathieu Bodmer 24-year-old plays as a central midfielder.
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