Samuel Eto’o was released by Chelsea in June after one season.
Ajax Amsterdam coach Frank de Boer said he was hopeful the Dutch champions would offer Samuel Eto’o a contract after talks between the Cameroon international and the club last week. “If you can get a player with his qualities and he still has ambition to show what he can do, then it is an opportunity not to be missed,” De Boer told Fox Sport television yesterday ahead of his team’s 4-1 win over Vitesse Arnhem in their opening game of the new Dutch season.
De Boer said he had received the suggestion from the club’s technical director Marc Overmars via an SMS that said: “Eto’o?”. “I texted him back: ‘If you can get him, that would be top. As far as I’m concerned you can try’. He (Eto’o) has been in the game for 20 years so he can naturally take a leadership role. He can teach our own players about professional football,” De Boer added.
The 33-year-old Eto’o held talks with Overmars in Paris on Thursday. The four-times African Footballer of the Year was released by Chelsea at the end of June after one season and his World Cup appearances were limited in Brazil because of a knee injury.
Ajax’s rivals PSV Eindhoven said they had also been offered the services of Eto’o but the striker’s wage demands proved to be the sticking point. In 2011, Eto’o signed for Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala in a deal that earned him 20 million euros a year. Eto’s has won Champions League titles with Barcelona and Inter Milan.
Munich without Ribery, Rafinha in Super cup
Bayern Munich will be without Franck Ribery and Rafinha for Wednesday’s German super cup game at Borussia Dortmund for injury reasons.
Munich said that the France winger Ribery is nursing a knee injury and will be out of team training for a week. Right back Rafinha is out indefinitely with an ankle injury. Both could also miss the August 17 German cup match at lower league Preussen Muenster. Munich start the Bundesliga season another five days later, August 22, against Wolfsburg.
Southampton sign Forster from Celtic
England international goalkeeper Fraser Forster joined Southampton from Celtic on Saturday, penning a four-year deal believed to be worth £10 million. The 26-year-old, who was part of the England squad at the World Cup in Brazil, began his career with Newcastle United, and had loan spells at Stockport County, Bristol Rovers and Norwich City before joining Celtic in 2010.
Afellay joins Olympiakos on loan from Barca
Dutch midfielder Ibrahim Afellay has joined Olympiakos from Barcelona on a season-long loan, the Greek champions announced. Afellay, 28, was sidelined for much of last season with a thigh injury having spent the 2012-13 campaign on loan at Schalke in Germany before a series of injuries curtailed his time in the Bundesliga.
The injury-prone Dutchman joined Barcelona from PSV Eindhoven in 2011 but has made just 35 appearances for the Spanish giants since his arrival at the Nou Camp. He won the 2011 Champions League coming on as a late substitute in Barca’s 3-1 victory over Manchester United in the final at Wembley. He won the last of his 44 Netherlands caps in November 2012.