Roma have announced they have completed the signing of Brazilian full-back Marquinho from Fluminense for a fee of 3.5 million euros.
The 25-year-old came to Roma in the January transfer window on a six-month loan deal, and has now inked a contract that will keep him at Roma until the end of the 2015/16 season.
Roma will pay Marquinho s transfer fee in two instalments, with the second lot to be paid before July 10, 2013.
Marquinho netted three times in 15 Serie A appearances for Roma in the 2011/12 campaign.
The Brazilian started his professional career at Palmeiras, and also wore the jerseys of Botafogo and Figueirense before joining Fluminense in 2009.
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Former Melbourne Victory midfielder Carlos Hernandez has sealed his move to big-spending I-League club Prayag United.
Having finished seventh last season, the acquisition of Hernandez a member of Costa Rica s 2006 World Cup squad is the latest addition for Sanjoy Sen s Kolkata-based side.
In their bid to challenge for the league title and an AFC Cup spot, United have already paid huge amounts to secure the signing of the likes of Ranti Martins, Subrata Paul, Gouramangi Moirangthem.
Hernandez left Victory at the end of the 2011-12 season, having spent five years at the A-League powerhouse, where he won the Johnny Warren medal as best player for a dominant 2009-10 season.
A fan favourite and capable of the spectacular, he criticised the club s professiona…
West Brom head coach Tony Pulis has praised Sam Allardyce ahead of providing the opposition for his counterpart s return to Premier League management at Sunderland.
Sunderland travel to the Hawthorns on Saturday, searching for a maiden league win of the season with their new man at the helm for the first time.
Pulis points out that Allardyce has impressive form in steering teams away from relegation trouble and he also praised the 60-year-old s time at West Ham.
Allardyce rarely enjoyed popular support from the Upton Park faithful despite steering their side to promotion from the Championship in 2011-12 and going on to re-establish the Hammers in the top flight.
West Ham are currently sixth in the Premier League, four points behind leaders Manchester Ci…
Former Brazil international Zico has rubbished Qatar s prospective World Cup, claiming the event should not be held in a country that doesn t have football .
Qatar infamously won the right to host the 2022 World Cup in 2010, with widespread claims of corruption surrounding the country s bid.
Global frustration with Qatar s tarnished victory and ongoing stories of construction workers losing their lives in the process of building World Cup stadiums in the Middle Eastern kingdom provided a platform for Prince Ali bin Hussein to challenge Sepp Blatter for the FIFA presidency last week.
Zico is similarly unimpressed with Qatar s mandate to host the World Cup, with the mass arrests amongst FIFA s elite prompting the FC Goa coach to call for a new bidding process for t…
Market: Over 1.5 goals
Odds: 2/5 @
Hoping to extend their stay in the play-off spots on Tuesday night, Solihull Moors will make the trip to the Silverlake Stadium when they face off against Eastleigh.
Starting with the hosts, while Eastleigh might have shocked many across the National League with their eye-catching boost last month, the Spitfires came crashing back down to earth last weekend. Marking their return from an extended break, Ben Strevens side put in a nightmare display on home soil. Eventually getting hit with a 3-0 drumming against Aldershot at the Silverlake Stadium, the Blues almost find themselves sat in fifth-tier limbo. Knowing that they re in a real uphill battle if they re to try and mount a play-off charge this season, Eastleigh will be hopi…
Wesley Sneijder has hit out at former Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal over the way he has dealt with players and staff during his career.
The attacking midfielder worked with Van Gaal at Ajax during the latter s time as sporting director before they were reunited with the national team in 2012.
Sneijder has always hailed Van Gaal s coaching abilities, but he is unimpressed with the ex-Manchester United boss interpersonal skills.
I have always said that Van Gaal is the best coach there is, technically and tactically, the Galatasaray ace told Fox Sports.
There is no better coach than Van Gaal.
But I think there is room for improvement when you look at the way he deals with his players and staff.
I had a perfect time with him on the p…
Coach Graham Arnold aims to put smiles on Australian faces on Wednesday by emulating the great Socceroos team of 2006 and advancing to the knockout stages of the World Cup.
Australia head into their final Group D game knowing a win against Denmark will be enough to see them reach the round of 16 for just the second time in the nation s history. A draw would also be enough unless Tunisia beat defending champions France.
Arnold was an assistant to Guus Hiddink 16 years ago and he understands the size of the prize on offer.
He said: That s the whole purpose. My whole goal is to put smiles on Australian faces. It s not about me, it s about the game in Australia.
If you re not Australian and you don t know, football is probably the fourth or fifth-main sport.…
Boss Chris Hughton has done a superb job at Brighton Hove Albion
On Monday, Brighton Hove Albion sealed promotion to the Premier League following a 2-1 win over Wigan and rivals Huddersfield Town drawing 1-1 at Derby.
The Seagulls have not been in the top-flight of English football in 34 years.
The feat is truly an impressive one for the south coast club. Everybody involved deserves immense credit for the achievement.
Chris Hughton is so underrated
It’s easy to underrate Seagulls boss Chris Hughton. The former Republic of Ireland international comes across as such an understated and humble character. However, he does not get the credit he deserves.
Nobody in football seems to have a bad word to say about him and he seems to be a very ge…
Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone claims Saul Niguez has the potential to become one of the world s best midfielders.
Saul, 22, emerged from the youth set-up to make his first-team debut in 2012, having started out across the Spanish capital at Real Madrid s academy.
A season-long loan at Rayo Vallecano in 2013-14, the campaign in which Atleti won LaLiga, proved a formative experience, the midfielder returning to stake a regular claim in the starting XI at Vicente Calderon and helping the Rojiblancos to reach the Champions League final last year.
Addressing the media before his team s match away to Granada on Saturday, Simeone expressed his belief that Saul can reach the very highest level.
Always since I got to the club, beyond the goal of winning t…
Mats Hummels let out a laugh of indignation as Stuttgart scored their fifth and final goal in Saturday s 5-1 trouncing of Borussia Dortmund, the defender left at a loss as the visitors claimed a remarkable victory.
But there was no such reaction from Lucien Favre, as Dortmund s coach half-heartedly greeted a couple of his players and coaching staff before disappearing down the tunnel in sheepish fashion, wearing an almost gaunt expression.
Perhaps he knew what was coming – at the very least he will have had a suspicion given he called the loss a disaster in his post-match news conference.
It proved to be Favre s final match in charge as a run of three successive Bundesliga home defeats proved the final straw for the club s hierarchy, who dismissed the Swiss man…