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Watford have completed the signing of Alessandro Diamanti on a season-long loan from Chinese outfit Guangzhou Evergrande.
The 32-year-old attacking midfielder arrives at Vicarage Road for the 2015-16 Premier League season subject to international clearance.
Diamanti headed to China from Bologna in 2014 having previously spent a season in England's top flight with West Ham.
The 17-times capped Italy international scored seven goals in 28 matches during his previous Premier League stint in 2009-10 and will be charged with helping his new club avoid relegation back to the Championship.
Diamanti spent the second half of last season on loan at Fiorentina and counts Brescia and Livorno among his other former clubs.
Watford have opened their campaign with back-to-back draws against Everton and West Brom.
Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe bemoaned the confusion surrounding changes to the offside rule following his side's 1-0 Premier League defeat at Liverpool on Monday.
Christian Benteke scored the winner for Liverpool in the 26th minute but - under new regulations introduced this season - Philippe Coutinho should have been flagged offside for his own attempt to connect with Jordan Henderson's cross.
The incident followed an earlier situation where Bournemouth captain Tommy Elphick had a goal disallowed after being judged to have impeded Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren.
"It is hugely frustrating," he told Sky Sports. "We were in the game, the big decisions have gone against us.
"The first was a goal by Tommy. If that is a free-kick then we will see free-kicks every time there is a corner.
"The new offside rule is a grey area. Under the new rules that is clearly offside. Our goalkeeper was affected by the player in front of him.
"We had a few chances tonight but the big positive is overall our performance. We know if we perform like that the results and goals will come.
"The players are winners and this is an experience we don't want to get used to.
"I am very proud of the performance and the players. You can't beat the decisions and the two big ones have cost us points. It is unforgiving."
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher said the club's defence has already improved from last season, though they will face their first big test against Arsenal next week.
Liverpool have registered two wins from their opening two Premier League fixtures without conceding a goal after claiming a gritty 1-0 win at home to newly promoted Bournemouth on Monday.
The club's Achilles heel has been their defence in recent years, having conceded 48 goals last season and 50 in 2013-14. Before that, the last time Liverpool shipped more than 45 goals was back in 1998-99 when they let in 49 under Roy Evans and Gerard Houllier.
But Carragher - ever reliable in the heart of Liverpool's defence between 1996 and 2013 - believes the back four of Joe Gomez, Dejan Lovren, Martin Skrtel and Nathaniel Clyne are making progress ahead of the trip to Arsenal next Monday.
"The problem last season, equally with the lack of goals, was conceding too much," Carragher told Monday Night Football via Sky Sports.
"And now they’ve got two clean sheets on the bounce.
"Sometimes you can keep a clean sheet but your 'keeper has made great saves or you’ve been fortunate, but they haven’t given away any chances away in two games.
"That's the thing to build on. The goals will come, for sure, as players get fitter and stronger.
"But the acid test will come away at Arsenal next week considering what happened there last season.
"It will be a test for the back four next week but if they can come through that then that will give them confidence that they have more organisation, and that can help massively."
Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker is adamant new goalkeeper Petr Cech will help lead the club to success, despite making an indifferent start to life at the Emirates.
Cech endured a nightmare Premier League debut for Arsenal as his two mistakes saw West Ham claim a stunning 2-0 win in their first league outing, having helped Arsene Wenger's men past former club Chelsea in the Community Shield the week prior.
Czech Republic international Cech looked more assured in Arsenal's 2-1 victory at Crystal Palace on Saturday and Mertesacker is in no doubt that the pair will build a formidable partnership as the Londoners bid to win the Premier League for the first time since 2004.
"Petr is very experienced. You can feel that, he has lots of things to say and in the dressing room he gives us a great lift," Mertesacker said.
"Even when we lose a game, he has some great ideas on and off the pitch. He is experienced enough to think about what went wrong, you don't have to tell him.
"My feeling is he comes back even stronger, so there is no doubt he will be a great addition for us. Even when you are experienced, sometimes mistakes happen.
"The interaction between the goalkeeper and the back four has to be top to compete in the Premier League. Sometimes it takes longer than you think.
"Petr came and had that understanding from the start, we both communicate well and understand each other as someone who has to talk and is really responsible.
"We match our ambitions on the pitch and so it is great to communicate with him."
Sunday Oliseh's first squad as Nigeria coach has seen him omit Chelsea players John Obi Mikel and Victor Moses, as they prepare for an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Tanzania.
Oliseh, appointed in July, has omitted midfielder Mikel and winger Moses from his 18-man squad for the clash in Dar es Salaam on September 4.
The Nigerian Football Federation alluded to the omission of the pair in the statement revealing their squad.
"There are a number of surprises, in line with Oliseh's earlier pledge to make current form and first -level football key indices for selection to the Super Eagles," the NFF statement read.
"There are goalkeeper Carl Ikeme, midfielder Izunna Ernest Uzochukwu and forwards Emem Eduok, Sylvester Igboun and Moses Simon."
Neither Moses (24 caps) nor Mikel (64) appeared in the English champions' first two Premier League matches this term.
Manchester City midfielder Samir Nasri will not be moving to Inter, according to his agent Jean-Pierre Bernes.
Nasri struggled for regular game time at City last season and he has emerged as a transfer target for former manager Roberto Mancini and Inter, who are set to sell Mateo Kovacic.
Mancini brought out the best in Nasri during City's Premier League-winning campaign in 2011-12, but the 28-year-old France international has no plans for a reunion.
"I've heard rumours in Italy about Inter and Samir," Bernes told FCInterNews. "However, there's absolutely nothing concrete with the Nerazzurri.
"Will he stay in Manchester? I can say that there's nothing with Inter."
Nasri has been named among the substitutes for City's opening two league victories this season, coming off the bench in matches against West Brom and Chelsea.
Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany backed defender Eliaquim Mangala to eventually prove his worth in the Premier League.
The Frenchman, 24, made a £31.8million move from Porto to City in August last year, featuring 25 times in the league in his first season.
But Mangala has combined with Kompany to help Manuel Pellegrini's men keep clean sheets against West Brom and Chelsea to start the new season.
Kompany believes Mangala, whose proposed loan move to Valencia is seemingly off, will prove himself.
"People always underestimate the hardship of this league. It is very rare, especially with a central defender, for someone to come in and dominate. It is very hard," he said.
"Our defending against Chelsea was made easier by the fact we defended well as a team.
"We have a style of play where we play very high with a lot of space, so a lot of individual challenges are required.
"Because of that, it is only when the whole team works like we did that we get great defensive performances."
City are top of the table after their first two outings, having claimed back-to-back 3-0 wins to start the season.
Kompany, who has scored in both wins, said it was strange to be labelled title favourites so early in the season, and he is unfazed.
"Usually we get written off a bit later in the season, then we come back," he said.
"It is not a bad way to start, but for all of a sudden people to talk about us as favourites, why does it matter?
"I am happy for people to say Arsenal, Liverpool, [Manchester] United and Chelsea are the favourites. But if we keep playing like this, you won’t see any sad faces at this club."
Newcastle United manager Steve McClaren has no plans to try and curb Aleksandar Mitrovic's aggression, but urged the striker to learn to control his emotions.
Mitrovic, who moved to St James' Park on a five-year deal last month, has started life in the Premier League with two yellow cards in as many substitute appearances.
The 20-year-old was booked less than two minutes after coming off the bench in Saturday's 2-0 defeat to Swansea City, which marked an improvement on the 11 seconds it took him to earn a caution in Newcastle's league-opening 2-2 draw against Southampton.
McClaren fears that Mitrovic will become a target for referees, but feels it would affect the former Anderlecht player's game to rein in his combative style.
"I've had a lot of these type of players during my career and we should not take that aggression, that emotion away from the game," McClaren said.
"Just don't do it. For example, Diego Costa at Chelsea - it's the same.
"I've worked with those players and to curb it you take 50 per cent of their game away. You have to live with them. Mitrovic is a young man but he needs to control that and be smart with referees and opponents.
"But he’s just showing his enthusiasm, his will to win and wanting to play.
"It's only two games he has been with us. The nature of the game is changing. He has to adapt and keep his emotions under control. We all have to do that. We learned that here.
"There's no point looking at the reasons, he did what he did. I think we've just got to learn to be a little bit smarter in our play."
Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson could be set for a spell on the sidelines after manager Brendan Rodgers revealed his captain is battling a foot injury.
Henderson was substituted in the 52nd minute of Liverpool's 1-0 win over Bournemouth in the Premier League on Monday.
The 25-year-old had set up the game's only goal for Christian Benteke before coming off shortly after half-time.
Rodgers revealed afterwards Henderson had missed training in the lead-up and was simply in too much pain to continue.
"He's had a problem with the bottom of his foot. He hadn't trained for part of the week," he said.
"He was taking some painkillers with it and he'd done ever so well to even be out on the field.
"He wanted to give it a go but you could see he was limited in his running.
"He done great for us for the period of time he was on but it's important that we get victories and it's important that we have fit players on the field.
"Unfortunately for him he was just in too much pain."
Liverpool's win moved them into third in the Premier League table with matches against Arsenal and West Ham to come before the international break.
Terry gets away from Manchester City pain by buying new Ferrari
By Harry Sherlock
Aug 18, 2015 11:05:00
The Chelsea captain is amassing quite the car collection and showed off his latest purchase on Instagram as he looks to get over his Etihad Stadium nightmare
John Terry suffered the indignity of being substituted at half-time during Chelsea’s chastening 3-0 defeat to Manchester City on Sunday, but appears to have found a way to get over the experience.
Taking to Instagram, the veteran centre-back has shown off his latest purchase: an extremely rare Ferrari 275 in blue.
Self-dubbed "Supercar dealer" Tom Hartley Jr recently hinted that the iconic car had been sold to a new client, and now Terry has been revealed as the buyer.
The Chelsea captain, clearly keen to treat himself after Sunday's disappointment, posted the picture of his latest purchase as he continues to add to his impressive - and ever-expanding - car collection.
In July of last year, the 34-year-old showed off his £235,000 Rolls-Royce, while he has also been pictured in a Range Rover Overfinch 4x4.
Perhaps Terry is hoping he can drive his troubles away…
West Ham have sent Diego Poyet out on a season-long loan to Championship side Milton Keynes Dons.
Highly rated midfielder Poyet moved to Upton Park in July 2014 but has been used sparingly, making just three Premier League appearances.
The 20-year-old had a temporary stint at Huddersfield Town last season and will now continue his development with Karl Robinson's team in the second tier during the 2015-16 campaign.
Alan Pardew has rejected speculation Yannick Bolasie and Glenn Murray could leave Crystal Palace before the transfer deadline.
Winger Bolasie has been linked with a move to Tottenham after catching the eye with some lively displays for Palace.
Pemier League new boys Bournemouth are reported to be keen on striker Murray, but Pardew is determined to keep the duo at Selhurst Park.
"Yannick is linked to other clubs all the time because he's an exciting player," said Pardew. "But he is a Crystal Palace player and is loved by our fans.
"Murray is [also] very much our player. He's been brilliant for this football club and will be brilliant for this football club going forward.
"As much as we owe Glenn, he owes us for the platform that we've given him in the Premier League. I have a great relationship with him."
Pardew did hint that Dwight Gayle could leave the club despite a potential move to Bristol City breaking down, stating: "Gayle remains our player until such time that another club puts a bid in that we accept."
Thierry Henry has hailed Pedro as the "perfect professional" and expects his former Barcelona team-mate to flourish in the Premier League amid reports that Chelsea are closing in on the Spain international.
Manchester United were reportedly leading the race to sign Pedro, but champions Chelsea have emerged as favourites to land the 28-year-old.
Since breaking into the Barcelona team in the 2007-08 season, Pedro has won 20 trophies for the Catalan giants - including five Liga titles and the UEFA Champions League three times.
Henry was his team-mate for three of those seasons and the former France striker believes the wideman will be ideally suited to English football whoever he opts to sign for.
"The perfect team-mate, the perfect professional - he is that guy," Henry told Sky Sports.
"He pressures from the front, but he's also the player that any manager would love to have. You know what you're going to get with Pedro, always 100 per cent.
"He can adapt to the English system, he won't have to learn, he will understand staying wide, putting pressure and all that type of thing from the front and the first time I saw him he was already on point.
"I think he can be a success. It depends on how the team is going to gel, and how he has to adapt to the Premier League. But he is definitely a great team-mate to have, he's won everything in the game."
Chelsea have swooped to complete the signing of Barcelona forward Pedro.
The Spain international had been strongly linked with Manchester United, with reports suggesting the club's executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward had flown to Spain to conclude a deal.
However, Premier League champions Chelsea have now confirmed his arrival - with Barca revealing the transfer fee could rise to €30million.
"I am very happy to be here," Pedro told his new club's official website. "I am very excited to start my adventure at Chelsea and I am here to keep winning titles.
"Thanks to the club and the supporters for giving me the opportunity to put the blue shirt on."
United manager Louis van Gaal was thought to be keen on Pedro as a replacement for Angel di Maria, who joined Paris Saint-Germain after a disappointing one-season stay at Old Trafford.
It appeared as though United had beaten off interest from rivals Manchester City for his signature, before Chelsea's 11th-hour move.
Reports suggested that Jose Mourinho almost signed the 28-year-old in January before opting for Fiorentina's Juan Cuadrado, who has struggled to hit top form in the Premier league.
Pedro comes with an excellent pedigree having won 20 major honours at Camp Nou, including five La Liga titles, three Copa del Rey medals and the UEFA Champions League three times.
He has also enjoyed success on the international stage, winning the World Cup and the European Championship with Spain.
However, Pedro recently found starts hard to come by at club level, with Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar proving a devastating attacking trio last term - scoring 122 goals between them as Barca won a Liga, Copa and Champions League treble.
Aston Villa midfielder Leandro Bacuna has signed a new five-year deal with the Premier League club that will keep him at Villa Park until 2020.
Bacuna was a first-team regular during his first season at Villa after moving from Groningen in 2013, but found opportunities hard to come by under Tim Sherwood last term.
The 23-year-old only made 10 league starts in 2014-15, but his performances have impressed the Villa hierarchy and he has been rewarded with a new deal.
"I am absolutely thrilled to sign a new contract and continue my time at Aston Villa," he told the club's official website.
"I love it here and am really excited about my future in claret and blue under the manager.
"I feel I can really develop here and show my worth to the team and I think there are bright times ahead for us all."
Norwich City v Stoke City: Shaqiri set for belated bow
20 August 2015
Xherdan Shaqiri looks set to make his belated Stoke City debut when Mark Hughes' men visit Norwich City in the Premier League on Saturday.
The Switzerland winger - Stoke's record signing at £12million - was ineligible for last weekend's 2-2 draw at Tottenham due to an unspent Coppa Italia suspension from his time at Inter.
Manager Hughes believes the extra time has enabled Shaqiri to settle into his new surroundings and expects his new star man to make a big impact.
"There are decisions to be made on who starts and who will be on the bench [against Norwich]," he said. "He [Shaqiri] has been very good in training.
"Although we would have liked him available last week, we feel that the extra week he has had has aided him. He is more integrated into the group now, and he is aware of what we are trying to do.
"With every signing there is always an element of risk to it, and this one is no different. He is our record signing, and we feel we have brought in a player of real top quality. He can be a really big player for us this season."
Bojan Krkic is well on the road to recovery from the knee injury that cut short his first season in England and, with a trip to Luton Town to come in the League Cup on Tuesday, Hughes has hinted the Spanish forward could soon make his return.
"I haven't made a decision yet," he explained. "I have made a conversation with Bojan and he is progressing really well.
"He had 90 minutes (for the Under-21s against Wolves) last weekend which was important, but I am mindful that we have a game on Tuesday night as well."
Shaqiri and Bojan contribute to what could become a significant attacking selection headache for Hughes, whose side can from two goals down to rescue a point at White Hart Lane.
"I think people are excited and enthused about what we could possibly offer when we have everybody fit and available," he added. "We need to get the balance correct though, and get the combinations right.
"There are lots of talented players in the squad now, and throughout the season I will look at which 11 I feel is best for that game and pick my team on that."
While Stoke have picked up one point from their opening two fixtures, Norwich got off the mark with a 3-1 win at Sunderland last weekend, but winger Nathan Redmond is not dwelling on that victory.
"We'll put the Sunderland game to bed and we'll study Stoke and look to that game on Saturday," he told the Norwich evening news. "We just want to try and continue the momentum but you have to understand that each game is different, each team is different and it's a different task, so we've got to be ready for it."
Stoke are still without Ryan Shawcross (back) and Peter Odemwingie (hamstring), while Norwich will check on Kyle Lafferty (knee) and Martin Olsson (shoulder).
Crystal Palace v Aston Villa: Pardew seeking home comforts
20 August 2015
Turning Selhurst Park into a fortress in the Premier League is high on Alan Pardew's agenda this season, starting with a Crystal Palace victory over Aston Villa on Saturday.
After their opening-day success at Norwich City, Palace were brought back down to earth by Arsenal as the visitors claimed a 2-1 win last weekend.
Palace won only six league games at home last term, relying on better away form to finish 10th in Pardew's first campaign in charge since returning to the club he played for.
Plenty of positives were gleaned from the Arsenal setback by Pardew, but he knows Palace must convert good performances into points to improve their home record.
"Every home game we need to be thinking about that [improving], we have got to win our home games," he said.
"I thought we played well [against Arsenal] but we got beaten by the better team. Our levels were really high and I was pleased with the performance, but we need to turn that into results at home, we need to win more than half of our home games.
"One lesson we must take away [from the Arsenal loss] is their ability under pressure to retain the ball, we have improved on that, our training is geared towards it, but Arsenal were magnificent at that."
Bakary Sako missed the Arsenal defeat, but the former Wolves winger could make his Palace debut this weekend. Marouane Chamakh (hamstring) and Julian Speroni (hand) remain sidelined.
Statistics suggest that Villa may struggle as the Midlands club have scored just two goals on their last 10 trips to London, while Palace have won three and drawn two of the last six Premier League meetings between the two teams.
Like Palace, Tim Sherwood's side also began 2015-16 with an away victory - a 1-0 success at Bournemouth - but were unable to build on that as they suffered a 1-0 loss to Manchester United last weekend.
A raft of new players are slowly beginning to settle at Villa since the departure of Christian Benteke and Fabian Delph, with Rudy Gestede making an instant impact with a goal on his debut.
One new face unlikely to start is former Barcelona forward Adama Traore, with Sherwood keen to give the 19-year-old more time to settle into life in England.
"Adama looked very short of fitness to me. He is going to need the exercise to get himself up to speed," Sherwood told The Birmingham Mail. "I don't expect too much too soon, he is a player who is developing.
"We are hoping he is something for us immediately but I don't think we should be putting too much pressure on him."
Sherwood hopes to have Jack Grealish and Carles Gil back in his squad for the trip to Palace, the pair having been laid low with injuries picked up in pre-season.
Leicester City v Tottenham: Pochettino wary of in-form hosts
20 August 2015
Leicester City find themselves in illustrious company at the top of the Premier League following their first two games of the season.
Ahead of Saturday's clash with Tottenham at the King Power Stadium, Claudio Ranieri's side are one of just four teams - along with Liverpool and the two Manchester clubs - to have claimed maximum points so far.
A 4-2 win over Sunderland and a 2-1 victory at West Ham have provided Leicester with a firm foundation upon which to build as they bid to avoid a similar relegation scrap to last season.
The Midlands club, who brought in Swiss international Gokhan Inler this week, are on a run of four home victories in the league and have not won five on the bounce in the top flight since 1984.
In addition, Leicester have never opened a season in the top division with three victories, meaning Tottenham head coach Mauricio Pochettino is expecting a tough encounter.
"They've started very well," he said. "I think they played very well last season, they signed some very good players, got good organisation.
"Ranieri has a lot of experience in football and they've started the season very well.
"We expect a very tough game against Leicester."
Pochettino should feel relatively confident heading to Leicester, with Harry Kane having netted a hat-trick in a 4-3 win when the sides last met at White Hart Lane back in March.
But Tottenham have just one point from their opening two fixtures - losing 1-0 at Manchester United before squandering a two-goal advantage in a 2-2 home draw with Stoke City last weekend.
And, while he is generally happy with his team's performances, Pochettino believes there is plenty of room for improvement.
"The Premier League is very long and we need to keep the same level," he added. "We need to improve in areas like the defence and we need to be more consistent.
"I think everyone says that we need an offensive player but we need to be more consistent because we conceded a lot of goals last season and scoring wasn't our problem.
"The problem was that we concede a lot of goals and that's something that we need to improve this season."
Leicester are without Matty James (knee), while Andros Townsend (ankle) remains a doubt for Tottenham, who could include forward Clinton N'Jie - signed from Lyon last weekend - for the first time.
West Ham v Bournemouth: Bilic backs deputy ´keeper Randolph
20 August 2015
West Ham manager Slaven Bilic is confident Darren Randolph will have no mental scars from his previous Bournemouth nightmares when he stands in for suspended goalkeeper Adrian on Saturday.
Adrian was unsuccessful with an appeal against a three-match ban after being sent off late in last week's 2-1 defeat to Leicester City for a dangerous challenge on Jamie Vardy.
Randolph, a close-season signing from Birmingham City, is set to deputise between the posts in the Spaniard's absence and will be keen to erase his recent memories of playing against the Cherries.
In his last three matches versus Bournemouth, Randolph has conceded 16 goals - half of those coming in an 8-0 hammering for Birmingham last October.
Nevertheless, Bilic - who described Adrian's punishment as "unbelievable" - has backed his deputy.
"Darren is doing well and he is an experienced goalkeeper, an international, so I'm expecting him to be in goal," Bilic said ahead of the contest at Upton Park.
"It's very short-sighted to say he has a problem with Bournemouth. It happened once. When I played in Germany [with Karlsruher] we beat Valencia 7-0 in the UEFA Cup, but it was once.
"You can't say that we were better than Valencia as a club, so I believe in Randy. He is experienced, he is good and he played in so many games and what happened with Bournemouth could happen to anyone or to him against any other team."
Bilic will be without Mauro Zarate, who picked up a hamstring injury in training and joins fellow forwards Andy Carroll and Enner Valencia (both knee) on the sidelines.
In Bournemouth, West Ham face a team who have failed to pick up a point in their first two matches since winning promotion from the Championship.
However, Eddie Howe's men received plenty of plaudits for their showing in a 1-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield on Monday, only a controversial Christian Benteke goal separating the sides.
Bournemouth - who are playing West Ham in the league for the first time since 1990 - will be keen to get off the mark sooner rather than later, but Howe is remaining positive.
"We are upbeat going into this one," he said. "Our performances in the past two games have been good.
"We saw West Ham's game against Leicester and we know they are a good side. It's going to be a tough game at Upton Park, but it's one we are looking forward to."
Howe says Bournemouth have no new injury worries, with Harry Arter (groin) the only absentee.
QPR striker Charlie Austin has lambasted West Ham co-owner David Sullivan for making "misleading" comments about his physical condition and an "outrageous slur" on his professionalism.
Austin has been linked with a move to Upton Park throughout the close-season following QPR's return to the Championship, but Sullivan ruled out making a move for a player who scored 18 Premier League goals last term, citing concerns over his fitness and quality.
Speaking to the 'Knees Up Mother Brown' podcast, Sullivan said: "He failed a medical at Hull a couple of years ago. They say he has no ligaments in his knee, who knows? He could go on for years, but knowing our luck his knee will go in his first game and that's the end of it.
"And he didn't keep Queens Park Rangers up. If he'd kept them up single-handedly you might say it was different - and a few of those goals were penalties.
"When we played Queens Park Rangers last year they had to win to stand any chance of staying up and he wasn't very good."
Former Burnley star Austin has now hit back at those comments via a statement on Twitter.
"I feel I have no option but to address the inaccurate, misleading and uninformed innuendo about my physical condition that has been raised by an individual who is not privy to my personal health history," he wrote.
"It is one of a number of inaccurate reports about my so-called injury problems which have been made over the summer.
"For the record there is nothing wrong with my 'ligaments', as has been suggested. My strength and performance in pre-season has been excellent and with two goals in my last two games I don't think there is any doubt that my match sharpness is as good as ever.
"I scored 18 goals in the Premier League last season, which would not be possible were I feeling discomfort or pain.
"Like many professional footballers, I have the legacy of injuries picked up over my career but the effect on my day-to-day training and on match day is non-existent.
"For a senior figure at a Premier League club to insinuate that I could break down at any moment is an outrageous slur on my professionalism and the work that has gone into making the footballer I am today."
