SPORTS SATURDAY, JANUARY 3, 2015 Other Suarez too young to seize City chance

BARCELONA: Former Manchester City starlet Denis Suarez, now flourishing at Sevilla, believes he was too young to make the most of his chance in the Premier League. City have pumped £200 million ($308 million) into a new academy and training complex, but Suarez was a promising youth player who chose to leave due to limited first-team opportunities. Suarez, now 20, is in the first season of a two-year loan deal from Barcelona and, given the chance to show off his attacking flair, has become a favourite with the Sevilla crowd. His dribbling and passing skills have made him an integral part of the Andalusian side, who lie sixth in La Liga and are pushing for a European place. A jewel in Celta Vigo’s youth ranks, Suarez was chased by a number of top European clubs before he decided to join City in 2011, aged 17. But City’s big- spending meant opportunities for young players were slim and after a couple of seasons in which he made less than handful of first-team appearances he signed for Barcelona. “I am now hav- ing the continuity that I need and I am having a good season,” Suarez told Reuters. “City is a club which is growing and it was a great opportunity for me to go there but I was too young when I went to Manchester to really take advantage. “I was there for two years and I have no real regrets about what happened. It was the right decision to move there so as to have a new expe- rience in a different culture. Who knows one day I may go back. (Roberto) Mancini was the manager when I signed and I think PARIS: Paris Saint-Germain’s Uruguayan forward Edinson Cavani arrives at the club’s headquarters yesterday at the Camp-des- he is a great coach who has had a lot of success and he gave me Loges in Saint-Germain-en-Laye in western Paris. — AFP my debut. The problem was that there were good players ahead of me like (David) Silva and (Samir) Nasri who had already won a lot.” Premier League clubs Less Physical Suarez feels that now the Premier League is less physical it is a good place for Spanish players to thrive in. “I had a great time in Manchester and the only problem was the weather,” he said. to dominate window “I like English football a lot with the full stadiums and the atmosphere. “English football is becoming more technical and so players like Silva, Cesc (Fabregas) and (Santi) Cazorla are PARIS: The January transfer window in Europe is poised to Nevertheless, midfielder Sami Khedira is out of contract in the doing very well.” Suarez became good friends with Silva during open, with the bulk of the spending set to be done by clubs in summer so can now negotiate his next move, and the reigning his time in England. “I think City are now signing fewer players the English Premier League. Among the continent’s leading European champions could replace him with Brazilian and giving young players more of a chance,” he said. “I went to nations, clubs in Spain will be the first ones to be able to sign prospect Lucas Silva, of Cruzeiro. Barcelona and there it was very different. I don’t think any other reinforcements, with the window there opening yesterday Meanwhile, Barcelona cannot sign any new players until club trains the same way as they do, although City are techni- and shutting on Jan 30. In England, Germany and France, the 2016 after the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld a one-year cally strong and Pellegrini likes to play a passing game.” After a window opens today and will not shut until Monday, Feb 2, transfer ban imposed by FIFA for breaching rules on signing season with the Barcelona B team, Suarez moved out on loan to while a shorter window in Italy opens from Jan 5. youth players. Instead they must focus their energy on offer- Sevilla but there is a chance that he could be recalled early due Premier League teams splurged a record £835 million ($1.3 ing new terms to right-back Daniel Alves, who is out of con- to the transfer ban imposed on the Catalan club. “I am concen- billion) in the summer and they should again be the busiest in tract in the summer. Atletico Madrid have already moved to trating on Sevilla at the moment and we are fighting for a top- this shorter window. Most of the movement is unlikely to bring back former idol Fernando Torres, who arrives after a six finish,” Suarez said. “I am enjoying my football here and we come before the final, crazy days of the window, but in the disappointing six months in Italy with AC Milan. Moving in the will see in the future if I go back to Barca or not.” — Reuters meantime much of the talk will surround Manchester United, other direction is former Torino man Alessio Cerci, who only who are said to have no upper limit on the amounts they can departed Serie A in the summer. spend. Much of the transfer speculation in Italy surrounds champi- The Old Trafford club spent a net sum of £122m in the sum- ons Juventus, who appear unlikely to get Bayern Munich’s mer, but manager Louis van Gaal still needs to strengthen at Xherdan Shaqiri but have been linked with a move for Matches on TV the back in particular. He has been linked with moves for fel- Galatasaray’s Wesley Sneijder, and Inter, who recently brought (Local Timings) low Dutchman Ron Vlaar, of Aston Villa, and Borussia back Roberto Mancini as coach. January is not usually a busy Dortmund’s Mats Hummels, while Dutch midfielder Kevin time in Germany, where Bayern are likely to be busiest trying Spanish League Strootman of Roma is another target. Elsewhere, Manchester to offload Shaqiri, while Wolfsburg have signed China mid- City’s spending potential is limited because of Financial Fair fielder Zhang Xizhe and struggling Dortmund have captured Atletico v Levante 18:00 Play, but Chelsea are set to sign Croatian striker Andrej Slovenia midfielder Kevin Kampl from Salzburg. beIN SPORTS 16 HD Kramaric from Rijeka for £7 million and loan him to Dutch side In France, Paris Saint-Germain - hampered by Financial Fair beIN SPORTS 2 HD Vitesse Arnhem. Play restrictions - need to sell before they can buy, while Lyon beIN SPORTS 13 HD Southampton have agreed a deal to bring in Dutch winger president Jean-Michel Aulas has dismissed claims that he will Sevilla v Celta 20:00 Eljero Elia on loan from Werder Bremen and new managers - listen to offers for leading scorer Alexandre Lacazette. beIN SPORTS 7 HD Tony Pulis at West Bromwich Albion and possibly Alan Pardew Meanwhile, attacking duo Ezequiel Lavezzi and Edinson beIN SPORTS 13 HD at Crystal Palace - will be given funds. In contrast, Liverpool Cavani finally returned to the Paris Saint-Germain training beIN SPORTS 16 HD manager Brendan Rodgers has said he will be quiet this ground yesterday afternoon after missing their team’s first Elche v Villarreal 22:00 month. “There won’t be a lot of activity, if any, in January,” he training session of 2015. The South American duo were the beIN SPORTS 2 HD said. “I don’t think it is a good time to spend. Last year we nev- notable absentees from training yesterday morning, having beIN SPORTS 11 HD er brought anyone in. “We brought in a lot of players (in the already missed a training camp in Morocco which culminated beIN SPORTS 13 HD summer) who we felt could develop and they are starting to in a 1-0 friendly win over Inter Milan on Tuesday. adapt. My job is to coach and manage the players here and Their absence from that winter camp had further fuelled Sunday maximise that talent.” speculation that one or both could be leaving the club during Deportivo v Bilbao 0:00 the January transfer window. Inter Milan coach Roberto beIN SPORTS 5 HD Khedira, Alves on Move? Mancini, meanwhile, said that the Italian club had not been in Malaga v Almeria 0:00 In Spain, Real Madrid are seemingly focusing their energy contact with Lavezzi. “Lavezzi is a great player, but he’s a PSG beIN SPORTS 2 HD on the pursuit of Dortmund and Germany star Marco Reus player. There is no contact and it’s not for me to contact him,” beIN SPORTS 11 HD while dismissing suggestions they will allow Gareth Bale to said Mancini. However, Andre-Pierre Gignac and Andre Ayew beIN SPORTS 13 HD depart. “We would never listen to any offer for Bale regardless will be out of contract at Ligue 1 leaders Marseille in the sum- of the amount,” said Madrid president Florentino Perez. mer so can negotiate moves elsewhere. — AFP