Paris Saint-Germain confirm arrival of Gianluigi Donnarumma on five-year deal

Gianluigi Donnarumma has officially been announced as a Paris Saint-Germain player, penning a five-year deal after leaving Milan on a free transfer.

At just 22 years of age, the Italian shot-stopper has made a name for himself as one of the best goalkeepers in Europe. Having made his debut for Milan at just 16 – subsequently becoming the second youngster goalkeeper ever in Serie A – he went on to make over 250 appearances for I Rossoneri.

Earlier this summer Milan confirmed they would be parting ways with Donnarumma, failing to come to an agreement during contract negotiations, and after weeks of speculation linking him with a move to PSG they’ve now taken to their official website to confirm his arrival.

“Paris Saint-Germain is pleased to announce the arrival in its squad of Gianluigi Donnarumma,” the statement reads. “The Italian goalkeeper has signed a five-year contract and is linked with the club until 30 June 2026.

“Recent winner of the UEFA Euro 2020, the new Parisian proves decisive during the shootouts won by Italy, in the semi-final against Spain and then in the final against England. He was named the best player in the competition for all of his performances.

Donnarumma took the opportunity to provide a brief statement expressing his delight at having signed for such an ambitious club.

“I am very happy to be part of this great club that is Paris Saint-Germain,” he said. “I feel ready to take on this new challenge, and continue to grow here. With Paris, I want to win as much as possible and give joy to the supporters.”

PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi went on to welcome Donnarumma to the club and he believes the former Milan man will be warmly received by both teammates and fans following his arrival.

Donnarumma's heroics won Italy Euro 2020Donnarumma's heroics won Italy Euro 2020

Donnarumma’s heroics won Italy Euro 2020 / Laurence Griffiths / Staff

“We are pleased to welcome Gianluigi Donnarumma to Paris Saint-Germain,” he said. “We congratulate him on his victory at Euro 2020, and his title as the best player of the competition.

“I know Gianluigi will receive a warm welcome from everyone at the club, including his teammates, our staff and all the Parisian supporters.”

Jadon Sancho responds to racial abuse and Euro 2020 exit

Jadon Sancho has revealed his pain after missing a penalty against Italy in the final of Euro 2020, before going on to slam the vile abuse received by both himself and his teammates on social media in the aftermath of the game.

England came within inches of being crowned European champions for the first time in their history last Sunday, but once again they suffered the heartbreak of penalty shootout failure.

Sancho was one of the three England players to fail from the spot and he’s taken to his personal social media page to apologise for his role in the defeat, claiming there’s plenty of positives both he and the team can take from the tournament.

“I’ve had a couple of days to reflect on Sunday’s final and still feel a mix of emotions,” he wrote. “I would like to say sorry to all my teammates, coaching staff and most of all the fans who I let down. This is by far the worst feeling I’ve felt in my career.

“It’s hard to even put into words the real feeling, but there were so many positives to take away from this tournament though the defeat will hurt for a long time.

“My first thought before going into any football match is always, ‘how can I help my team? How am I going to assist? How am I going to score? How am I going to create chances?’ And that’s exactly what I wanted to do with that penalty – help the team.

“I was ready and confident to take it, these are the moments you dream of as a kid, it is why I play football. These are the pressured situations you want to be under as a footballer. I’ve scored penalties before at club level, I’ve practiced them countless times for both club and country so I picked my corner but it just wasn’t meant to be this time.

“We all had the same ambitions and objectives. We wanted to bring the trophy home. This has been one of the most enjoyable camps I’ve been part of in my career so far, the togetherness of the team has been unmatched, a real family on and off the pitch.”

Despite the majority of the country showing support for Sancho, Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford following their penalty misses, a number of vile racist comments were sent to the trio following England’s defeat.

Sancho has refused to ignore the comments, telling anyone who has received similar abuse to hold their head up high before expressing his pride at representing his country.

“I’m not going pretend that I didn’t see the racial abuse that me and my brothers Marcus [Rashford] and Bukayo [Saka] received after the game, but sadly it’s nothing new,” he added. “As a society we need to do better, and hold these people accountable. Hate will never win.

“To all the young people who have received similar abuse, hold your heads up high and keep chasing the dream. I am proud of this England team and how we have united the whole nation in what has been a difficult 18 months for so many people.

“Much as we wanted to win the tournament, we will build and learn from this experience going forward. I want to say a massive thank you for all the positive messages and love and support that far outweighed the negative.

“It’s been an honour as always representing England and wearing the Three Lions shirt and I have no doubt we’ll be back even stronger! Stay safe and see you soon.”

Boubakary Soumare: Leicester’s ready-made replacement for Youri Tielemans

It is hard to think of a better run football club in Europe than Leicester City.

In the five summer transfer windows following their incredible Premier League title win, they have ritualistically purged one seemingly key player from the squad, while still managing to improve season after season. 

N’Golo Kante was the first to depart, with Danny Drinkwater, Riyad Mahrez, Harry Maguire and Ben Chilwell following him out of the exit door in an orderly queue after that. Those transfers have earned Leicester a combined £250m, funds they have reinvested in a state of the art training ground and a string of exciting new players. 

The Foxes seem likely to stick to the same blueprint this summer. Early on, James Maddison seemed the most likely to depart with Arsenal heavily linked with a big money move. 

More recently though, Leicester fans have started sweating over the future of another midfielder, Youri Tielemans. Liverpool are known to be long-time admirers of the Belgian and with Georginio Wijnaldum recently joining Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer, the timing has never been better for the Reds to pull the trigger.

The only thing that may stop Liverpool from negotiating a deal is Leicester’s asking price for Tielemans, as it’s widely acknowledged that their may be better ‘value’ available in one of Europe’s top five leagues.

Leicester are also keen to offer Tielemans a fresh contract, though the Belgian is yet to rule out an exit.

If he is tempted into a move to Anfield, it will be the biggest loss to the Leicester squad since Mahrez departed back in 2018. Ever since he arrived on loan Tielemans has been a near ever-present in the Leicester side. In fact, since his debut against Tottenham back in February 2019, he has missed just one Premier League game.

Tielemans has not even been rested in lesser competitions. He missed just one game during the Foxes’ run to the EFL Cup semi-final and played every minute as Leicester won the FA Cup last term. 

Brendan Rodgers, Youri TielemansBrendan Rodgers, Youri Tielemans

Tielemans has been a firm favourite of Brendan Rodgers / Michael Regan/Getty Images

Brendan Rodgers’ reliance on Tielemans is as understandable as it is undeniable. The guy can do a little bit of everything. As comfortable sitting deep dictating the tempo as he is hurrying his opponents and winning back the ball, the fact that top European clubs allowed him to slip through the net in 2019 became more unbelievable with each passing game last season.

He completed the sixth most progressive passes in the Premier League last term, the 24th most tackles and the 16th most shot creating actions. These stats sum up the versatility of Tielemans nicely, but they don’t tell the whole story. 

Watch him play and you will soon pick up that he is one of Leicester’s on-field leaders. As well as setting a fine example with his displays, he also provides plenty of verbal and physical instruction to his teammates. Almost like a quarterback, Tielemans dictates how his side plays with the ball. 

It goes without saying that replacing Tielemans, if he does depart this summer, will be an absolute priority for the Foxes. 

This is easier said than done, though. As well as finding the perfect successor, Leicester will also have to conduct the negotiations with every club in Europe knowing that they are one, desperate, and two, holding a significant wedge of cash following Tielemans’ sale.

This has stung Leicester before. They left it late selling Maguire for a world record fee and were then quoted comical prices for the likes of Lewis Dunk, James Tarkowski and Nathan Ake. Instead, they were forced to turn to a rarely used squad player, Caglar Soyuncu for their first game of the season. 

10 months later, he would be named in the PFA Team of the Year ahead of Maguire and countless others. 

Leicester can learn something from this scenario. Namely, the answer to their Tielemans conundrum may already be at the club. No, we are not referring to the functional but limited Nampalys Mendy. We are talking about Boubakary Soumare, recently recruited from Ligue 1 winners Lille for just £18m.

Boubakary SoumareBoubakary Soumare

Soumare could be Leicester’s next midfield revelation / Sylvain Lefevre/Getty Images

Soumare has been a favourite of the football analytics community for some time and he also looks good on a YouTube highlights reel. Preferring to pull the strings from deep, his combination of technique and physicality means he can glide past opponents as well. 

Comparing his season to Tielemans’ last time out returns some pleasing results. Soumare averaged more progressive passes per 90 minutes, registered a far higher pass completion rate and also played significantly more passes into the final third.  

Defensively, Soumare also posted some very interesting numbers last season. He bettered Tielemans in tackles, clearances and interceptions per 90 minutes last time out, with Lille and Leicester spending a similar amount of time out of possession. 

For all of this promising data, Soumare has not yet shown that he possesses his teammates robust nature. He missed six Ligue 1 games last season and failed to start in half a dozen or so more, while the previous shortened campaign also saw him sit out in spells. 

The big question hanging over Soumare is the same one that lingers for most foreign imports. Can he adjust to life in a new country and league? We will not have an answer to this for some time but as he is still just 22, there is plenty of time for Soumare to get used to his new surroundings. 

If he does make this adjustment there is nothing stopping him becoming the latest in a long line of Leicester City miracles. 

Orlando City sign Emmanuel Mas on a one-year contract

Orlando City SC have signed veteran Argentine defender Emmanuel Mas for the rest of the 2021 Major League Season, with a club option for 2022.

The experienced left-back departed Boca Juniors on 1July after his contract expired, enabling Orlando to approach the player as a free agent. In line with league regulations, Mas will be available to feature for the team as soon as his international paperwork is received by MLS. 

“We are really happy to welcome Emmanuel to Orlando and are excited about the experience and technical skill that he’ll add to our team at this crucial point in the season,” Orlando City EVP of soccer operations Luiz Muzzi said in a statement.

“Our goal as a club is to win titles and we believe the move to bring in a high-caliber player like Emmanuel is another step towards that end,” Muzzi added.

The Argentine player comes off of two-and-a-half seasons with Boca, where he recorded three goals in 43 overall appearances. Mas played an integral part in the team’s success, leading the club to league title victories in the 2017-18 and 2019-20 seasons. Prior to arriving to Argentina on a €2.3m transfer, Mas spent one year with Trabzonspor in Turkey. 

Before his short stint in Europe, Mas played with the Buenos Aires-based club San Lorenzo from 2013-16. He managed six goals in 93 appearances with the club, inspiring their 2014 Copa Libertadores win and 2014 FIFA Club World Cup qualification.

Internationally, Mas has featured eight times for the Argentinian national team, first debuting in 2015 under Tata Martino and most recently involved in a 7-0 win over Bolivia in 2017. 

The arrival of Mas finally satisfies Orlando’s desperate need for a veteran left-back who can provide a sense of leadership and quality play in the defensive line. The MLS side is currently thriving, sitting in second place in the Eastern Conference with 21 points in 12 games. However, they must consider minor improvements to challenge the New England Revolution for their top spot.

Gianluigi Donnarumma arrives at PSG headquarters ahead of official announcement

Gianluigi Donnarumma was pictured arriving at Paris Saint-Germain’s headquarters on Wednesday afternoon, ahead of his free transfer to the French giants.

The 22-year-old’s Milan contract expired at the end of last season, and the goalkeeper decided not to renew his deal, instead choosing a switch to the French capital.

And Canal Supporters captured the moment that Donnarumma entered the PSG headquarters on Wednesday, ahead of his inevitable announcement as their new goalkeeper. The Italian has signed a five-year deal with the French club that will run until the summer of 2026.

The former Milan star was his nation’s hero at Euro 2020, saving vital penalties in the semi-final and final shootouts, firing Italy to glory in the summer tournament. He made two stops in the final success over England, parrying spot-kicks from Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka.

Donnarumma’s superb performances meant he was voted as the Player of the Tournament for Euro 2020, confirming his place among the very best goalkeepers in the world. And that Italian success will be bittersweet to Milan fans, who have been forced to watch the man they nurtured as a boy walk away for free.

The goalkeeper also penned an emotional letter to Milan fans, thanking them for their support over the years, but stating that difficult decisions like this ‘are part of the development of a man.’

“Some decisions are difficult to make, but they are part of the development of a man. I joined Milan when I was a boy, I wore that shirt with pride for eight years. We fought, we suffered, won, cried together and celebrated together; unbelievable years that I will never forget.

“Now it is time for me to say goodbye, a decision which wasn’t easy for me to make and this letter can never be enough to fully explain why – maybe I will never be able to do so, because the deepest feelings can never be expressed in words alone.

“What I can say, is that sometimes it is good to have a change and confront new challenges, grow and fulfil yourself. Everyone in the Rossonero family will be a fundamental part of the path I am about to take, and who made me who I am.

“I wish Milan every possible success and I say that from the heart; for the affection that connects me to Milan’s colours, a feeling that time and distance can never erase”.

Donnarumma is expected to be announced as a new PSG player imminently.