Former Manchester City winger Kiki Musampa expects to seal a move from Trabzonspor to Derby County this week.
Musampa, 30, spent the 2005/06 season on loan at City where he had taken time to get used to the pace of the English game, however still started 24 games for the club.
He then joined the Turkish club however picked up an injury which reduced his involvement to a handful of substitute appearances last season.
He said, "I have played for Manchester City and the Premier League suited me well. I hope that it continues, I am not yet ready to move home. Derby County must 1st agree everything with Trabzonspor."
Musampa, who started his career at Ajax in the year they last won the European Cup, has 2 years left on his current contract and could be a loan option for Billy Davies.
31 July 2007
Georgian forward Shota Arveladze faces a race to be fit for Levante UD's opening match of the season at RCD Mallorca on 26 August after suffering a knee cartilage problem during training.
The 34 year old tore his meniscus at the Spanish club's pre season base in Soria and will travel to Amsterdam for surgery tomorrow after undergoing extensive tests with Dr Jose Nebot.
Arveladze joined Levante on a one year contract with the option of a further term from AZ Alkmaar last month, having previously played for FC Dinamo Tbilisi, Trabzonspor, AFC Ajax and Rangers FC.
Now retired from international football, he struck 27 goals in 63 appearances for his country.
29 July 2007
A last minute Emil Gabriel Jula penalty helped FC Otelul Galati come from behind to seal a memorable away triumph against Trabzonspor and a place in the 2nd qualifying round of the UEFA Cup by virtue of a 4-2 aggregate success.
The Romanian side had taken a 2-1 lead to Turkey from the 1st leg however allowed their advantage to slip in 8th minute when Ceyhun Eriş left goalie Paulius Grybasukas helpless with a fierce strike.
However, the visitors were back on terms 5 minutes later when midfielder Janos Joszef Szekely let fly from outside the area to restore Otelul's aggregate lead.
Trabzonspor surged forward before the break in search of another goal and Ceyhun almost broke through again on 37 minutes only to be denied by Grybasukas on this occasion.
After the break the home crowd urged their side on however as time passed so did the likelihood of Ziya Doğan's side, who were struggling in the high temperatures, scoring the 2 goals they required to reached the next round.
The Black Sea club came close to getting the 1st of them 10 minutes from time when Turkey midfielder Gökdeniz Karadeniz's shot came back off the post however the result was put beyond all doubt in added time when substitute Adnan Gungör, on for Ayman Abdelaziz, was adjudged to have handled the ball in the area. Jula scored scored from the resultant spot-kick to leave Otelul one tie away from UEFA Cup football.
28 July 2007
FC Porto sign Serbian international Milan Stepanov from Trabzonspor for an undisclosed fee, with the defender agreeing a 4 year contract.
The 24 year old has left the Turkish club to accept the challenge of UEFA Champions League football with the Portuguese title-holders.
Stepanov said, "This is the largest moment of my career. I needed a new challenge and now I would like to show why Porto have brought me here."
Stepanov spent 5 and a half seasons with FK Vojvodina before joining Trabzonspor during the 2005/06 campaign.
In Turkey he made 37 league appearances. The centre back has also won 5 international caps over the last year, since reaching the UEFA European U21 Championship semi-finals with Serbia and Montenegro in 2006.
26 July 2007
Romanian UEFA Intertoto Cup contenders FC Otelul Galati sign 26 year old forward Pavel Beganski from Belarussian side FC Shakhtyor Soligorsk.
Beganski did not play in any of Shakhtyor's 4 UEFA Intertoto Cup games this season. Otelul are 2-1 up from the 1st leg of their 3rd round tie against Trabzonspor with the 2nd leg to be played in Turkey Sunday.
Meanwhile, the Belarussian side have released 32 year old defender Aleksandr Khapkovski, 31 year old defender Vadim Lasovski and 26 year old Russian forward Ishref Magomedov.
01 July 2007
FK Makedonija Skopje came back from a 1-0 1st-leg deficit to oust Ethnikos Achnas FC, FC Dacia Chisinau overcame FK Baku in a dramatic penalty shoot out and KS Vllaznia shocked highly-fancied NK Zagreb as 10 UEFA Intertoto Cup 1st round games were decided on Saturday. To see a full list of competing clubs and fixtures, click here.
FK Makedonija Skopje 2-0 Ethnikos Achnas FC (agg, 2-1)
Makedonija will play PFC Cherno More Varna in the UEFA Intertoto Cup 2nd round after recuperating from a 1st-leg deficit against Achnas thanks to 2 goals by Macedonian U21 international Aleksandar Stojanovski. The forward struck either side of half time to overhaul the Cypriot outfit's 1-0 1st-leg lead and set up a tie against Bulgarian opposition in the next round. Makedonija levelled aggregate terms after 13 minutes when Stojanovski drove in an angled shot from 15 metres and, even though the visitors twice came close to silencing the home crowd before the break through Christos Poyiatzis and Zoran Stjepanović, Stojanovski scored the deciding goal midway through the 2nd half, finishing off substitute Ismail Ismaili's cross from close range.
FC Dacia Chisinau 1-1 FK Baku (agg, 2-2, Dacia triumph 4-2 on penalties)
A repeat of the same score line as last weekend in Azerbaijan had taken this enthralling contest to extra time and then penalties, and the side from Moldova held their nerve in front of their delirious home fans to set up a testing 2nd round meeting with Swiss Super League side FC. St Gallen. Dacia had earlier taken the lead on the quarter hour mark when Valeriu Onila pounced to make it 2-1 on aggregate however Amiran Mujiri levelled on 71 minutes with a well-taken shot for the Azerbaijani visitors, who almost stole a winner a minute from time only to be denied by a spectacular Mihail Moraru save. After extra time produced no goals Baku missed 3 spot-kicks to allow Maxim Andronic, who scored an own goal last week, to claim hero status with the winning penalty.
KS Vllaznia 1-0 NK Zagreb (agg, 2-2, Vllaznia triumph on away goals)
Midfielder Arlind Norra will be grabbing all the headlines in Albania Sunday after scoring the goal that knocked their much-fancied Croatian opponents out of the Intertoto Cup on Saturday night. Norra struck on 26 minutes to level the tie on aggregate and, along with his team-mates, then set about testing Miroslav Blazević's side, who, inspite of boasting a string of international players, would not find a way past their obdurate hosts. Zagreb had placed good stock in a UEFA Cup run this season however instead it is Vllaznia, who lost 2-1 in Zagreb last week, who can now look forward to an exciting 2nd round meeting with Turkish giants Trabzonspor as a due to the away goals rule.
FC Zestaponi 2-0 FC Tobol Kostanay (agg, 2-3)
Inspite of a valiant 2 goal triumph in Georgia, Zestaponi fell only short of the 3 goals required to take this tie into extra time as their opponents from Kazakhstan won through on the strength of their 1st-leg success. The home side were always going to be up against it however a headed 3rd minute goal from a corner by centre back Ediki Sadjaia gave them early hope of a comeback. 8 minutes before half time and partisan optimism transformed into real belief as the hosts struck again when forward Gaga Chkhetiani connected with Gilvan Vieira's centre. After the interval Tobol defended in numbers and could have scored themselves on the break through Nurbol Zhumaskaliyev however Zestaponi came closest to scoring again and forcing extra time when Shalva Gongadze and then Chkhetiani fired wide. Tobol held on, though, to face FC Slovan Liberec of the Czech Republic in the next round.
OFK Grbalj 1-1 AFC Gloria 1922 Bistrita (agg, 2-3)
Gloria have won the right to meet Israeli club Maccabi Haifa FC in the next round after grinding out a 1-1 draw against Grbalj in Montenegro. The Romanian side had taken the lead 5 minutes before half time when Cristian Coroian scored from close range after a delightful pass on the counterattack from Cosmin Tilinca. However, the hosts drew level within 3 minutes when Milos Djalac headed Luka Pajović's pinpoint left wing cross past Anton Tatarusanu in a frenetic spell before the break which also saw Gloria forward Dorel Zaharia hit the post from the edge of area. The match remained delicately poised and in the 2nd half European debutants Grbalj were much the better side. Indeed the Montenegrin side could have levelled the tie on aggregate however for Tatarusanu, who made 2 brilliant reaction saves late on, 1stly from defender Goran Grujić's header and then Dragan Bosković's follow-up.
FK Maribor 2-1 Birkirkara FC (agg, 5-1)
The 1st half dismissal of Thomas Paris did little to help the cause of a Birkirkara side already 3-0 down from the 1st leg and once the Slovenian hosts had taken the lead early in the 2nd half the result was never really in doubt. Maribor were without Croatian midfielder Martin Pregelj, who had signed for NK Inteblock Ljubljana earlier in the day, however Dejan Mezga made light of his absence by scoring the opening goal 8 minutes into the 2nd period when he was 1st to the rebound from a Marko Popović shot repelled by Bernard Paris. To their credit the Maltese visitors pulled a goal back within 3 minutes when Roderick Briffa's lay off was thundered in from distance by Michael Galea. However, 12 minutes from time Matej Vracko completed the scoring following good work by Popović, to set up a 2nd round match with FK Hajduk Kula of Serbia.
FK Slavija Sarajevo 3-2 UE Sant Julia (agg, 6-4)
For the 2nd time in a week Slavija completed a 3-2 triumph against their Andorran opponents in a match which also followed exactly the same scoring pattern as last Saturday's encounter. The Bosnia-Herzegovnian club once again raced into a 2 goal lead, this time thanks to goals by Bojan Jamina on 21 minutes and Sretko Vuksanović midway through the 2nd half, before Sebastian Varela's header (70) and a penalty by Argentinian forward Alejandro Romero (85) brought the visitors back into contention. However, Vuksanović's 2nd goal of the match deep into added time dashed any last expects of Sant Julia taking the match into extra time and ensured that Slavija will now play FC Otelul Galati of Romania in the 2nd round.
Cork City FC 0-1 Valur Reykjavik (agg, 2-1)
Cork City fell behind to a 1st half goal at Turner's Cross however the side from the Republic of Ireland managed to hold out defiantly against their Icelandic opponents, whom they defeated 2-0 last weekend, to set up a 2nd round contest against Hammarby of Sweden. Helgi Sigurdsson struck for the visitors on 20 minutes after pouncing on a loose ball in the penalty area to reduce the aggregate deficit to one goal. However, all attempts to score the vital 2nd proved beyond the Urvalsdeild outfit, whose bad night was compounded when Sigurbjörn Hreidarsson was sent off for a late challenge on Liam Kearney with 2 minutes of the match remaining.
KÍ Klaksvik 1-2 Hammarby (agg, 1-3)
A penalty by Paulinho early in the 2nd half effectively finished Klaksvik's expectations of a recovery on home soil as their Swedish opponents in the end ran out comfortable winners over the 2 legs. Hammarby added to their solitary goal from last weekend's fixture when midfielder Haris Laitinen struck after 34 minutes and even though the hosts were back in the match soon afterwards thanks to defender Kaj Ennigard's effort (37) the Brazilian's spot-kick 10 minutes after half time put paid to any further expects of a Faroese comeback. The Allsvenskan club will meet Cork City FC of the Republic of Ireland in the 2nd round.
SK Slovan Bratislava 3-0 FC Differdange 03 (agg, 5-0)
The side from Slovakia added 3 more goals to the 2 they scored in Luxembourg last week to complete an uncomplicated 5-0 aggregate triumph against Differdange. Lubomir Meszaros's goal shortly before the half hour mark set the ball rolling before Miroslav Poliacek (56) and Jakub Sylvestr (78) rounded off the scoring. Slovan will expect to face a sterner test than that put up by the Division Nationale club in the 2nd round, though, with SK Rapid Wien of Austria standing between them and the chance of UEFA Cup football next season.
30 June 2007
Boro manager Gareth Southgate says that his interest in AZ Alkmaar's Iceland international Gretar Steinsson.
Southgate is looking for cover at right back following the departures of Abel Xavier and Stuart Parnaby and a serious injury to Tony McMahon.
Steinsson, 25, was rumoured to be on Southgate's radar and he said the defender was one of several players he is presently monitoring.
"He's one of a number of players we have watched however we have not got any bids in as yet for anyone in that position," Southgate mentioned on Boro's official website, mfc.co.uk.
"Having lost Abel Xavier and Stuart Parnaby, right back is certainly one position we are looking at because Tony McMahon is still recuperating from a broken leg. We have got young players we can look at in pre season. However, we'd like a bit of experience there and we require competition for places everywhere."
Meanwhile, Southgate has said recent signing Tucay Sanli will not be joined at the Riverside by Turkey team mate Gokdeniz Karadeniz.
The Trabzonspor player was linked with Boro in recent weeks.
Southgate also said Cameroon midfielder Geremi would not be returning to the club. He expects to join Newcastle from Chelsea.
20 June 2007
Versatile performer Serkan Balcı has left Fenerbahce SK for Super Lig rivals Trabzonspor as they are preparing for UEFA Intertoto Cup action.
The 23 year old, who joined the Turkish champions from Genclerbirliği SK in 2004, signed a 2 year deal with the Black Sea club. "The club was waiting for a title for 23 years [they last won the league in 1984/85]," he said.
"I came here to win another championship with Trabzonspor. I hope we will be successful this year. Thanks to Fenerbahce for everything in the past. Now it will be a new challenge for me."
Like Fenerbahce team mate Mehmet Yozgatlı, who recently joined Beşiktaş JK, Serkan was generally used as a substitute by Zico however will hope to get more 1st team action under Ziya Doğan, who was also his coach at Genclerbirliği. He can play in either defence or midfield.
Trabzonspor have already signed Adnan Gungör from 2nd division Samsunspor and expect to confirm the arrival of Guinean right back Daouda Jabi from Kayseri Erciyesspor tomorrow.
Trabzonspor's Serbian midfielder Ardijan Djokaj, who was loaned to Ankaraspor AS last season, has agreed terms with German 2nd division club SC Freiburg.
Trabzonspor start their UEFA Intertoto Cup campaign in the 2nd round in July, playing the winners of the 1st round tie between Croatia's NK Zagreb and Albania's KS Vllaznia.
Meanwhile, Fenerbahce have given 25 year old goalie Volkan Demirel a new 2 year contract following the departure of Turkey custodian Rustu Recber for Beşiktaş.
16 June 2007
Bolton Wanderers have played down reports saying that they are close to signing Trabzonspor's Turkey international winger Gokdeniz Karadeniz.
The 27 year old was watched by the Trotters during his country's recent friendly against Brazil, however played for only 25 minutes, leaving manager Sammy Lee playing his cards close to his chest.
He informed the Bolton News, "We have had some good reports, however he did not play a full game and it could be wrong of us to take a risk on a player on the strength of 25 minutes. You read things in some of the papers and you wonder where it comes from. However, it is the silly season and people appear to be using Bolton Wanderers to create interest in players. There are a lot of negotiations going on in the background, however rather than blowing trumpets, out of respect for the individuals involved, the holding club and our own club, I prefer not to talk about them until the deals are done. We have our irons in the fire however it is only a question of waiting to see how things develop."
