TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2015 SPORTS Monaco puts money first with Martial expected sale PARIS: Not so long ago, Monaco was splashing cash profile profile player to leave a club that made head- instead. With its highly-praised team of scouts, Jardim Cavaleiro, Malian winger Adama Traore and Croatian to lure football’s biggest stars. In a complete change of lines two years ago when it recruited Radamel Falcao, brilliantly coped with the club’s change of develop- midfielder Mario Pasalic, but the new-look Monaco commercial strategy, it is now getting rid of Anthony James Rodriguez and Joao Moutinho for a combined ment strategy, rebuilding a balanced squad mixing team has been struggling so far. Martial, one of the brightest young players in French fee of 130 million euros ($145.8 million). seasoned veterans and talented youngsters like The club failed to reach the group stage of the football. At the time, the Principality side looked determined Martial. That is why the teenager’s expected sale to Champions League after losing to Valencia in a play-off Hailed as Thierry Henry’s successor, the 19-year-old to fight toe to toe with big spenders Paris Saint- United does not make any sense, at least from a sport- and is already lagging seven points behind PSG in the Martial was granted permission to leave France’s Germain for the domestic supremacy. ing point of view. French league standings after a 3-0 home loss to the national squad to sign a contract with Manchester But facing a UEFA probe for overspending on play- It comes just after the departures of four other key defending champions on Sunday. United on the final day of France’s winter transfer win- er transfers and wages as part of the Financial Fair Play, players (Yannick Ferreira Carrasco to Atletico Madrid, But does it really matter to Rybolovlev? During the dow, which closes late yesterday. Monaco allowed Falcao and Rodriguez to leave a year Geoffrey Kondogbia to Inter Milan, Layvin Kurzawa to summer transfer window, Monaco reportedly spent 67 Gifted with huge physical qualities and technical later. Their departure marked the beginning of a new PSG, Aymen Abdennour to Valencia) which have not million euros ($75.2 million), recouping 124 million skills, the highly-praised Martial was at the heart of era, as owner Dmitry Rybolovlev -the Russian billion- been compensated. ($139 million) in sales. And Martial, who joined from Monaco’s rebuilding project, the lethal weapon in aire who invested millions of euros to bring Monaco The club signed Italy forward Stephan El Shaarawy Lyon at a cut-price of 5 million euros ($5.61 million), is front of the defensive fortress erected by coach back to the topflight in 2013 - made clear the club from AC Milan among the dozen of players recruited expected to bring an extra 36 million pounds ($55.5 Leonardo Jardim. He is set to become the latest high- would focus on the development of young talents this summer, including Portuguese winger Ivan million) in the club’s vaults. A lucrative business. — AP Huge transfer fees spark concerns in Germany BERLIN: Kevin de Bruyne’s record club record even for Abu Dhabi- of the Volkswagen board. “Even transfer to Manchester City earned backed City. But the deep pockets of Bayern Munich, who were interested Wolfsburg a reported 79.8 million England’s Premier League sides in De Bruyne at one point, said ‘at the euros (58 million, $89.3 million), but means German clubs can expect to end of the day, we can’t currently there are concerns here about the lose more future talent, according to compete against sums like that’.” drain of Bundesliga talent to England. Ralph Hasenhuettl, coach of newly- Winterkorn warns the Bundesliga De Bruyne is just one of several promoted Ingolstadt, who are in their must think carefully about “what can German league stars tempted by debut Bundesliga season. be done to maintain German football Premier League cash before the clo- “It’s unbelievable the sums of and guard against the supposed sure of the transfer window in money which are in play,” said superiority of the English (clubs), who Germany on Monday. Hasenhuettl. “I am happy that my throw a lot of money around in order Son Heung-Min joined Tottenham players aren’t involved, but that will to assert themselves”. Hotspur for 22m from Leverkusen last probably change. “You have to be Wolfsburg’s director of sport Klaus Friday after Liverpool paid happy just to walk into the changing Allofs admitted the week-long saga Hoffenheim 29m for Roberto Firmino rooms and find your flock is all still which preceded De Bruyne’s transfer in June and Germany captain Bastian there.” disrupted the team behind the Schweinsteiger signed for Manchester Wolfsburg, Leverkusen and scenes. United for 14m from Bayern Munich in Hoffenheim are the three Bundesliga Both he and coach Dieter Hecking July. clubs backed respectively by car man- faced a constant barrage of media Those four signings alone com- ufacturers Volkswagen, pharmaceuti- questions for the latest update before the deal was confirmed on Sunday afternoon. Ex-Germany captain Stefan Effenberg felt the speculation also got to De Bruyne on his final below-par appearance in a 1-1 draw at Cologne ten days ago. “It will be interesting to see if he really is worth it,” said Sky expert Effenberg. “His head wasn’t really in his final Bundesliga match. You could see that it (the speculation) ITALY: Roma’s Miralem Pjanic (left) celebrates with teammate Radja Nainggolan after scoring on a free kick during had burdened him. a Serie A soccer match between Roma and Juventus. — AP “I am sure he went to the club after that and made it clear that he wanted to leave.” The disruption caused by De Roma hand Juve second Bruyne and Son’s departures to their respective clubs is something which must not be repeated, according to Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans- successive league defeat Joachim Watzke, who wants the trans- fer window moved back to close here MILAN: After losing only three league games last sea- Roma were on top throughout and unlucky not to be on August 1. son Juventus have now lost the first two of the new ahead at halftime after Pjanic hit a post. The Bosnian’s “It has annoyed me colossally. We Kevin de Bruyne campaign as a deserved 2-1 defeat at AS Roma on radar was better calibrated after the hour when he need the transfer window to be Sunday condemned the champions to their worst-ever curled home an excellent free kick to put Roma ahead. pushed back to August 1. What has Serie A start. Juventus then had defender Evra dismissed for a second bined have earned their former cal company Bayer and billionaire been happening in the last few days is Not since Bologna in 1941 have the champions of booking before another Bosnian Dzeko, newly arrived Bundesliga clubs around 170 million software entrepreneur Dietmar Hopp. horrible,” Watzke told Sky. euros, but there are concerns in But even Wolfsburg stood no chance “What is happening now is that the Italy begun the defence of their title with successive on a season-long loan from Manchester City, rose well Germany’s top flight that the influx of of matching the massive reported really big and rich clubs come in on defeats and Juve, beaten 1-0 at home by Udinese last to head the second. cash will only widen the gap between annual salary of �200,000 per week August 30th or 31st with 20, 30, 40 or week, have never previously suffered such a start. They Dybala pulled one back three minutes from time to the league’s rich and poor. City supposedly offered De Bruyne, a 50 million and shake everything up. can have no complaints about Sunday’s defeat either as set up a frantic finale but Juve could not find the “It means the gap within the price even Bayern Munich refused to “As a coach, you have to ask your- last year’s runners-up struck through Miralem Pjanic equaliser and remain without a point. league will just get wider,” said meet, according to Volkswagen boss self why are we doing pre-season and Edin Dzeko before Paulo Dybala struck late on for Roma move on to four points from two games, trail- Hamburg coach Bruno Labbadia. The Martin Winterkorn. training when you have to give up Juventus who finished with 10 men with Patrice Evra ing early pacesetters Sassuolo who have won their first De Bruyne transfer smashed the “At some point you are powerless four players and introduce four more? having been sent off. two matches. — Reuters Bundesliga’s transfer record and is a against such sums,” said the chairman This is all madness.” — AFP Martial set for big Fonte urges Saints not money United move to sell any more players LONDON: Southampton should not anyone go,” the report quoted Fonte loan. Fonte revealed that he and his PARIS: Monaco forward Anthony Martial “Given the exceptional circum- very high sums of money. let any players leave before the as saying. teammates had spoken to the 24- has been given permission by France stances, the coach has agreed to the “If one exits the football sphere, yes transfer window closes today, the “That would be a help to us once year-old Wanyama, who was coach Didier Deschamps “to travel to request of the player.” Martial is due to the money is out of all proportion, but Premier League club’s captain Jose the transfer window is closed and dropped for Sunday’s 3-0 Premier England to sign a contract with return to the French training base at seeing the means at the disposal of Fonte has said.