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NEWCASTLE SIGN FLORIAN LEJEUNE

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Finally Newcastle United have signed another player this summer. The player Florian Lejeune completed his move from La Liga side Eibar to Tyneside for £8.7 million to become the second signing of Coach Rafa Benitez ahead of their return to the English top flight. The Magpies offered the player a five year deal to make him comfortable at St James Park. The 26-year old defender made many clearances in Spain and had been named the best defender in the Segunda Division a year earlier. The Frenchman used to play for Girona before his move the Spanish top flight where he is revered for stopping the opponents and clearing the ball to safety. Arsenal reportedly scouted him as they sought for a defensive option. Newcastle United can rarely strike a bargain in the player if he can replicate his Spanish success in England particularly in a time where the club needs it the most. More top strikers are joining the league and are getting more creative with the ball so Lejeune had his work pretty cut out.

NACHO AND THE CROSS OF RAIDING WITH GALATICOS

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La Castilla graduate Nacho Fernandez on Sunday night, opened scoring with a funky free kick that helped kick start Madrid’s route to a 4-1 win over Sevilla, thereby keeping the hopes of clinching a first La Liga title in 5 years. Given Barca’s relatively easier fixtures remaining in the run to the end of the season, Real Madrid are under immense pressure not to screw this up even as they prepare to face Juventus in Cardiff for theChampions League final, as they look set to become the first team in history to successfully defend the title. This is the stage where they need to pull all tricks in the bag to ensure that they do not run out of winning steam just few matches to glory and history making. As usual, Nacho and a couple of fringe payers are going to be getting enough opportunities to stand in for regular first choices. It is where they get to shine and show if they are able to displace the team’s first choice.And so like a good soldier he obeys and sacrifices bits of his personal contentment for the good of the team and club.

BENITEZ’S DRESSING ROOM HAS HELPED HIM

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Newcastle United manager Rafa Benitez is still receiving praise for his efforts in turning around a team that fell apart last season. Managing the Magpies dressing room is one of the biggest achievements of the Spanish coach. Picking lessons from the failure of Claudio Ranieri in managing the dressing room after Leicester City’s huge success last term, it was obvious that it was a love story gone sour. There was likely a player revolt and dressing issues as per contributions to the team’s achievements despite odds of 5000 to 1. Same thing happened to United after former manager Alan Pardew led the team to a top five finish. Many players wantedrecognition and this was evident as they asked for contract improvements and more bonuses and all that. Papiss Cisse did not hide his disappointment when it did not happen. Fabricio Coloccini was obviously disenchanted and Pardew could not manage the crisis that was brewing. After such heights and with a ‘Manager of the Year’ award, he would not have found it difficult to get another decent offer but he stuck with the job. The result was obvious: eroded team spirit.

COLOCCINI PENS OPEN LETTER TO NEWCASTLE FANS

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Newcastle United cancelled the contract of Argentinian Fabricio Coloccini earlier this year by mutual consent, to enable the defender to rejoin his former club, San Lorenzo. The 34-year old defender spent eight full years at St. James’ Park and was appointed club captain for the 2011/2012 season, but he has now opted to finally leave the Magpies following their relegation into the Sky Bet Championship. San Lorenzo boss, Diego Aguirre announced immediately that FabricioColoccini’s career at Newcastle United is over. The player joined Newcastle United from Spanish side Deportivo La Coruna in 2008 and he went on to make 248 Premier League appearances for the club. The former Argentina international has signed for the Argentine Primera Division club after a three – year pursuit from the club that once loaned him in the 2000/2001 season. Coloccini made his intentions to quit Newcastle clear this summer when he spoke of Newcastle having a “new project” and admitted he was pining to be back with his family in South America.

Coloccini writes to fans

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Former Newcastle defender FabricioColoccini has written a letter to the Newcastle fans where he has thanked them for their welcome at the club. He said that the fans have shown him love and warmth when he was far from his family and that he will never be able to thank them for what they have done. FabricioColoccini has left Newcastle after 8 years spent at the club and said that it was a hard decision to make. The player who still has some years on his contract has ended his deal with the club with mutual consent in order to play with his hometown club, San Lorenzo. He said that the primary reason why he left the club was that he wanted to be close to his children. He stated that his children have left him and return to Argentina while they were still kid and that they need their father at this time. He said that he is also exhausted with the pressure of top-level football and he does not think he can sustain it any longer. He said that he had tried so hard to win a trophy with Newcastle United, but unfortunately, they could not achieve it.

Fabricio Coloccini Thinks For Newcastle

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Fabricio Coloccini states how Newcastle would have fared better if Rafa had been brought in earlier. Newcastle United is headed by Fabricio Coloccini and he has much to lament about as the last season did not go well for the team. With Rafa Benitez being brought in now, he is hopeful that there would be positive changes seen. Fabricio believes that the Magpies would be done better if the Spaniard had come on their team a few months before. Benitez joined the team when there were only ten games remaining of the present season. The Magpies have already languished in terms of their scores and performance by then. Steve McClaren had been part of the 28 matches of the previous season for this team.

FABRICIO COLOCCINI WISHES NEWCASTLE BROUGHT IN BENITEZ MUCH EARLIER

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Captain Fabricio Coloccini says he wished that The Magpies employed the services of the former Liverpool tactician much earlier. He admits that the coach ran out of time to help salvage the club from relegation form top flight football. Benitez was only brought in with 10 games of the season remaining and with the Magpies already languishing in the Premier League’s bottom three after predecessor Steve McClaren was given the first 28 matches of the campaign. It took a few weeks for the ex-Liverpool boss’ alterations to pay dividends but, despite United’s relegation having been confirmed on Wednesday night after Sunderland defeated Everton, Newcastle are unbeaten in their last five outings. Newcastle captain Coloccini insists Benitez has changed things at the club in “the right way” - but has simply run out of time. When asked about the impact Benitez has made in just two short months, the 34-year-old Argentine replied saying: “We changed a lot of things. We changed the right way. “Maybe it was too late, and that’s why we are in this position.” The goalless draw at already-relegated Aston Villa last weekend stretched Newcastle’s winless run on the road to 11 league games, and all-but condemned United. Coloccini, who has not made an appearance since mid-February due to injury, is at a loss to explain why United are so bad away from home. He said: “It’s not one thing - it’s a lot of things. “Maybe I’m not the right person to speak about that. “I know I’m the captain, but I think it’s more [for] the club to speak about those things.

NEWCASTLE UNITED NOT GIVING UP YET

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English Premiership side, Newcastle United say they have not given up yet this season. The team is clearly in the relegation zone after just 25 points in 31 games this season. The Magpies are in 19th position currently, nine points above Aston Villa which are in last position. The team believes home games will decide their fate at season end, as they have four home games of seven matches left. Newcastle will play Southampton on the 9th April in an away match, Swansea at home next week, then EPL giant, Manchester City. Liverpool, Crystal Palace, 20th placed Aston Villa and second-placed and in-form Tottenham on the last round of games this season. If the squad falls to Southampton this week and Norwich defeat crystal palace in an away match, thus, increasing the gap, then relegation would be imminent for The Magpies. Currently, Crystal Palace are in 16th position with 34 points with a game in hand, Norwich in 17th with 31 points from 32 games. Sunderland is 18th with 27 points leaving Newcastle in 19th with just 25 points and a game in hand. Newcastle are trying to keep their hopes alive by fighting this relegation threat but it seems the season is pretty much decided, with just this week’s round of matches being key deciders.

Deschamps gets a contract extension until 2018 and his work has been laid upon him

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Back in February of the current year, Didier Deschamps was given a contract extension as the manager of the French national side saw his contract extend for 2 further years. Deschamps is now the man designated to lead the French squad past the upcoming 2016 Euro’s as his managerial stay will continue until 2018. Deschamps was awarded with this contract extension after what was an impressive 2014 FIFA World Cup campaign where he managed to guide the French side to the quarter-finals and only conceded 3 goals from the group stages until the quarter-finals. The French team has a few promising figures which includes the likes of: Paul Pogba, AlexandreLacazette and Raphael Varane, these young players are expected to make an impact with the national side in the next few years and France needs this to happen as they have a tough schedule. The 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying draw has already been done and France was pitted in Group A where they will be playing against: Netherlands, Sweden, Bulgaria, Belarus and Luxembourg. In this group, Netherlands and France are the favorites of making it through but the French team has been suffering some troubles in recent times. France sustained loses against Belgium and Albania as France played against these national sides in friendly matches which were played back in June. Even though these were just friendly matches, these defeats and performances that the French players have been displaying in recent times have affected Didier Deschamps as he took a chance to voice his thoughts and said: "With Belgium we had an opponent that was superior and played a great game.

Borussia Dortmund was located in the basement of the German League

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Not too long ago, Borussia Dortmund was located in the basement of the German League and relegation appeared to be inevitable but things have slowly been picking up for the team of JurgenKlopp as they have been climbing spots in the league and are now safely away from the bottom zone. During these dreadful months of Borussia Dortmund, certain players of the squad were not satisfied in how the team was performing and they were rumored on exiting the German club when the current season reaches it’s end. Marco Reus and Mats Hummels are some of the standout players of Borussia Dortmund that were linked with a move outside of the club. Not too long ago, Real Madrid was interested in signing Marco Reus but the midfielder penned a contract extension that will keep him in the club at least until 2019. Mats Hummels contract with Borussia Dortmund runs out in 2017 but the German defender is still being linked with a number of clubs that are still interested and are attempting to lure him away from the hands of JurgenKlopp. Manchester United is one of the top European clubs that has been most linked with the German defender and Louis van Gaal will be glad to hear that Mats Hummels is actually open and likes the idea of joining a team outside of Germany which is something that he has never done before in his career.