Va Va Voom: The Thierry Henry Story

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itsBilly

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HENRY: "I'M READY FOR MANAGEMENT"

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BREAKING NEWS: Former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry has today revealed he will be hoping to take his first steps into management in the new 2015/2016 season. The former French international has been studying for his coaching badges with former club Arsenal, and is now officially ready to make the step. Henry was quoted saying "It is a very exciting time for me, I have many goals and cannot wait to get started!"

So lets take a look at the legend himself:
1994-1999Monaco14128
1999Juventus193
1999-2007
2012 (loan)		Arsenal376228
2007-2010Barcelona12149
2010-2014New York Red Bulls13552

Arsenal's record goalscorer has had a phenomenal career, winning the World Cup, European Championship, UEFA Champion's League, and was a part of the Arsenal Invincible side of 2003/04. If his managerial career is half as successful as his playing career, he is going to be a very exciting manager.

Here are some goals I have for this save:

- Manage Arsenal
- Manage Monaco
- Manage Barcelona
- Win the UEFA Champions League
- Become France National Team Manager
- Win the World Cup with France
- Win 3 different League Titles​
 
HENRY: "SOCIEDAD NOT FOR ME"

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Thierry Henry has dismissied reports linking him with the vacant job at La Liga side Real Sociedad. The club are looking for a new manager since David Moyes was sacked at the end of the season, but Henry is not the man for the job.

The Frenchman did confirm he had spoke with the chairman about the vacancy, however both parties were in different places, and Real instead opted to appoint Marco Bielsa their new manager.

Henry also confirmed he rejected offers from Championship side Fulham, as well as Dutch Eredivisie side Heerenveen.​
 
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AN UNEXPECTED ADVENTURE

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HENRY ANNOUNCED AS NEW MANAGER OF NICE

7/11/15: News breaking out of France is that Gunners legend Thierry Henry has been appointed to take charge of struggling Nice. It seems the former striker, who rejected an offer from Real Sociedad earlier this season, will face a difficult task in his first managerial venture, with the Ligue 1 club find themselves in 16th place with critics already predicting a poor finish.

"It is an excellent opportunity for to prove to myself, and to the world that I can do this. Things haven't gone well so far this season at Nice, but we have a good squad that are more than capable of performing well this season" - Henry

Henry has reportedly signed a 2-year deal with the club, at 6k a week. The club have also confirmed that he will be put straight to work, taking charge of the team tomorrow night, away to Marseille.

Key Players

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HATEM BEN ARFA
The speedy winger has bags of talent, and if we get him in form, can be a menace for any defence.

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MOUEZ HASSEN
A top quaity young goalkeeper who is very highly rated by our scouts. He has featured in the last 2 games for Nice, keeping clean sheets in both.

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ALASSANE PLEA
A very pacey young winger who is already a full international for Mali. He could prove to be a good player for us.

Financing is very tough at this club, but hopefully we can score a couple bargains, offload some players and maybe secure a couple loan deals to boost the squad.​
 
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A TOUGH START

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November proved to be a difficult month for Nice and new manager Thierry Henry, who was put to work right away with an away tie against Marseille. With the international break, only 3 games were played. Could Thierry lead Nice on a quest back up the table?

MARSEILLE 0 - 0 NICE

Well, we done brilliantly to avoid defeat to one of the leagues top dogs. The back 4 were fantastically solid, but I can't say the same for our attacking players. I'm not too concerned as it is Marseille, but hopefullt things can get better attacking wise.

NICE 0 - 3 LYON

Well. Not really much I can say about this. Coming up against another big team in the league and we were not nearly as good as we were against Marseille. An absolutely awesome defensive first half was thrown away straight away when Oliver found the net within the first minute. Douglas turned the ball into his own net to double the lead for the visitors, and an excellent late counter attack finished off by Nabil Fekir rounds off a poor day for Nice.

TOULOUSE 3 - 2 NICE
Le Marchin
Perraud

Another poor defensive performance but at least the goals are coming. We took an early lead when Maxime Le Marchin's cross found its way over the goalkeeper, and we seemed to be on for a good day until deep in the second half, when two quick goals from Adrien Reggatin & Abel Aguillar found us staring at defeat. Substitute Romain Perraud got us back level on the 75th minute, but our hearts were broke immediately as Wissam Ben Yedder scored just a minute later.


Overall a very disappointing start to life for Thierry Henry as a manager. Nice still find themselves in 16th place, and with the visits of PSG & Montpellier, December isn't looking very appealing either.
​
 
THINGS START LOOKING UP

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After a disappointing start to managerial life, Thierry Henry is seemingly finding his feet, leading his OGC Nice team into an undefeated December in the league! Here's how the month played out leading in to the new year.

LORIENT 0 - 1 NICE
Gomis

Finally I get my first win as manager and it is a cruel one for Lorient if i'm honest. They dominated the game, but a sublime performance from Mouez Hassen in goal kept us in. We fought very well, and Kevin Gomis turned in header at the back post with just 6 minutes left to give us the win.

NICE 2 - 1 PARIS ST GERMAIN
Le Bihan
Germain

Well I am speechless! A change in tactics worked perfectly as we secure a win over the champions! A perfect all round performance was topped off when Marco Veratti was sent off in the final five minutes. On loan Monaco striker Valere Germain will make the headlines, with his stunning 25 yard strike securing a memorable win.

STADE DE REIMS 2 - 2 NICE
Ben Arfa
Le Bihan

A difficult away performance sees us twice drop the lead in a game we really should have won. Mikael Le Bihan scores for the second game running. Hopefully he can start leading the line and finding the net more often.

Coupe de la Ligue 4th Round
SAINT-ETIENE 2 - 0 NICE

Not too disheartened with the result here. I fielded a weakened team as I wanted to focus more on league survival. Nothing more really to say on this one.

NICE 1 - 1 MONTPELLIER
Le Bihan

We end the month, and the year, with a good result against the high flying Montpellier, who took n incredibly early lead through Daniel Congre, and it seemed we were on for a bad day. But we showed great character to come back, with Mikael Le Bihan scoring for the 3rd game running to earn us a point.


A Word with the Boss

"It has been a very productive month for us. I was very impressed with our character to earn a point against Montpellier and to win against Lorient. Of course the game against PSG will be remembered for a long time. Hopefully we can take this momentum into the new year and start climbing the table."

Nice still sit in 16th in the league, but have opened up a 6 point gap between them and the bottom three. Angers, Lorient & Caen all await in January, as Nice will look to add to the squad in order to ascend the table.
​
 
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NEW YEAR, SAME CHALLENGE

As 2015 came to a close, Nice were on a four game unbeaten run in the league, and things are starting to look up for Thierry Henry's side. The Frenchman made it clear that strengthening his side in the window was vital in the run in.

In World Football, Lionel Messi claimed the Ballon D'or for the 5th time in his illustrious career, but it was the 2nd nd 3rd place that shocked the world, as Cristiano Ronaldo didn't even make the top 3. His Real Madrid team-mate James Rodriguez took second spot, as well as taking the Player of the year award, while Manchester United's Juan Mata took 3rd place!

French Cup 9th Round
LYON 1 - 0 NICE

A disappointing start to the new year, but much like the Saint-Etienne result, I am not too worried about the cup competitions this season. A goal for Brazilian wonderkid Malcom sealed our fate, and we were lucky it wasn't more. Mouez Hassen was excellent in goal, keeping our pride in tact.

2 IN, 3 OUT!

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Thierry Henry has been quick to work in the transfer window, with 2 new signings and 3 departures in the first week. Madagascan midfielder Dada was released from his contract 6 months early after playing just once all season. The big departure was Swedish winger Nicklas Hult left to join Belgian side Genk in a £1.2m deal, bringing in some vital funds for the club. Young striker Said Benrahma was the final departure, joining Belgian champions Genk for just under £500k.

The two new signings coming in to the club was what grabbed the attention of the fans. Moustapha Diallo (right) was the first in, joining from Guingamp for £525k. The versatile midfielder, who can also play in defence, will be a vital part of the spine for Nice. The second player in was Sergi Enrich (left), a 26 year old striker from Spanish side Eibar, who joins in a deal worth £400k.

LILLE 0 - 0 NICE

A very boring game with not much to talk about at all. It was too early to debut our new players, who both started on the bench, but neither came on. Our unbeaten run in the league extends to 6 games.

NICE 2 - 1 ANGERS
Pied
Ben Arfa (pen)

Great win for us over a side who had been doing well in the league. Both new boys started, and it was Sergi Enrich who won the penalty, which Hatem Ben Arfa converted to give us the win. Jeremy Pied gave us the lead with a tap in at the back post, before Goran Koranovic levelled it up.

NICE 1 - 1 LORIENT
Le Bihan

A disappointing collpse after such a bright start which saw us take the lead in 3 minutes. Majeed Waris levelled the game for Lorient early in the second half. A poor result, but I have been impressed with the performances of Seri in the midfield. The Ivorian has been fantastic in the new year and is starting to gain some fans in the media.

STADE MALHERBE CAEN 2 - 1 NICE
Enrich

Our impressive unbeaten run comes to an end, and it was by our own means. Lack of rotation options in defence meant we were forced into playing some youngsters in defence, and it was our lack of experience that proved costly. Vincent Bessat & Andy Delort both netted in the opening 10 minutes, giving us an uphill battle to face. The only positive for us was new signing Sergi Enrich getting on the score sheet for the first time, hopefully the first of many!

ONE MORE SIGNING

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With just hours left in the transfer window, Thierry Henry captured his third signing of the window, bringing in Jonathan Brison from Saint-Etienne for the small fee of £53k. At 32, Brison brings in a lot of experience and can play all along the left side. A much better rotation option, so hopefully we won't have any more results like the Caen game.

Nice's good form had seen them climb up to 13th, but the defeat to Caen saw them drop back into 15th place to end the month. February sees the visit of Marseille, as well as a game against Bordeaux! Hopefully Seri can continue his good run of form, and we get our new signings performing and continue to climb the league!
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CONTRACT TALKS STALL!

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Not good news for OGC Nice fans as reports have been released this morning that star player Hatem Ben Arfa has declined a new contract with the club. The former Newcastle man only signed a one-year deal last summer, and sources close to the player suggest he is unhappy with the performance of the club this season. Manager Thierry Henry had this to say on the situation;

"I do not want to talk to much about this situation between us and Hatem. His contract is out in the summer and I will do as much as I can to convince him to stay. That is all I can say."

The report suggests that a move back to the Premier League could be in the cards for Ben Arfa, with West Brom and Leicester both lining up contract offers.
​
 
IT'S A BUMPY RIDE

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OGC Nice found themselves fall back into 15th place at the end of January, and the ride continued throughout a difficult February. However, there were some surprises. Here's how it went.


NICE 2 - 2 TOULOUSE
Plea (2)

Two goals from Alassane Plea spared out blushes at home to Toulouse. Plea had given us an early lead and fans believed they were in for a good day, but Wissam Ben Yedder, who scored against us in December, found the net again to draw level. Oscar Trejo pulled Toulouse ahead before half time and it wasn't until the 83rd minute that Plea levelled the game and earned us a point.

MONACO 3 - 1 NICE
Le Bihan

Monaco's quality proved superior in this game, and it was Stephan El Sharaaway who stole the show, bagging himself two spectacular goals. Mikael Le Bihan found himself on the scoresheet with a powerful header, but an own goal from Douglas sealed our fate, sending us down to 17th, staring right at the relegation zone.

NICE 2 - 1 MARSEILLE
Wallyson
Enrich

What a victory! Questions must be asked as to why we can't play like this every week. A two-minute two goal rush in the first half gave us a big lead before Nicholas Nkoulou pulled one back, but it was not to be for Marseille as we held on for a famous win. A win that sees us climb back up to 15th.

BORDEAUX 1 - 1 NICE
Pied

A Goal from Jeremy Pied after just 1 minute gave us hope that we would continue our form from the last match. We played fantastically, but an overload of attacking players led to Romain Genevois turning into his own net to gift Bordeaux a point.

NICE 1 - 0 BASTIA
Plea

Third goal of the month for Alassane Plea, who is really starting to find his form, gives us a crucial win against relegation candidates. The Mali international showed a brilliant burst of pace before slotting it past the keeper, and fans are starting to sing his praises.

Not a bad month for us as we pick up 8 points and end the month where we started, in 15th. Alassane Plea is really starting to impress, and hopefully he can keep his form in March, which sees us face relegation candidates Troyes & Ajaccio in 2 must win games!
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You can do avoid relegation! I think it's more realistic that you start in France than in Spain good decision!
 
PLEA-SING TIMES FOR NICE

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Just three games were played in March, with an international break taking up a large chunk of domestic football time. For Nice fans, the performances of Alassane Plea throught February had them all on the edge of their seats, and he continued his fine form into March as Nice opened up a comfortable gap between them an the bottom three.

NICE 1 - 1 TROYES
Diallo

We should have won this game. End of. Very disappointed as Troyes as struggling worse than us. Moustapha Diallo nabbed his first goal for the club, but the rest of the day was poor as Bryan Perea brought them level. Troyes finished the game with 10 men when Quentin Othon was sent off late on, but it was too late for Nice to capitalise.

MONTPELLIER 0 - 4 NICE
Plea (3)
Baysse (1)

Wow! Insane performance, and one man shone in particular. Alassane Plea bagged himself a spectacular hat trick, with his first coming on the 7th minute. The Mali international used his skill to get to the byline and somehow squeeze the ball into the net at the near post. His second came in very bizarre fashion. Ricardo Perreira had his penalty saved, but Montpellier opted to try and pass the ball out. But mis-communication saw the goalkeeper pass right to Plea, who slotted in his second calmly. Plea was involved in the third flicking the ball on for Paul Baysse to tap in, before converting a penalty early in the second half to round off a sensational win.

NICE 6 - 0 AJACCIO
Gomis
Plea (2)
Enrich (3)

Ajaccio sit rock bottom of the league, so I am more then delighted that we were able to steamroll them. It was a good reason to rest a few players, and one of the rotated options Kevin Gomis flicked a header in 2 minutes in. The lead was doubled just 2 minuted later, when the in-form man Alassane Plea turned in from a Hatem Ben Arfa cross. Coeff headed the ball into the path of Sergi Enrich for the 3rd to make things even more miserable for Ajaccio at the 10 minute mark.

20 minutes past before Sergi Enrich fired in a cross from Perreira. Enrich set up the 5th for Alassane Plea who guided the ball back across goal from a through-ball. And the dismal first half was completed for Ajaccio when Sergi Enrich found himself unmarked 6 yards from goal, and again turned in a Ricardo Perreira cross. All together, a sensational day at the office.

PLAYER OF THE MONTH

Alassane Plea's fine form hasn't gone unnoticed, with the 22 year old being award Player of the Month after bagging himself 5 goals and 2 assists.

"Its a fine achievement for a great player. I hope he can continue this form for the rest of the season." - Thierry Henry

5 games in April, including two daunting trips to PSG & Lyon, await for Nice. Can they continue their form or will they be brought crashing back down to earth?

Just a note. Thanks for your comments and likes, I appreciate it :) I've already finished off the season and some interesting opportunities are coming up. Will look to get April & May up on Thursday, as I have work then NXT tomorrow :) Again thanks for reading!!​
 
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SPRING BLUES FOR NICE

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Following a brilliant March, Nice's fortunes seemingly ran out as they ran into a difficult April schedule.


PARIS ST GERMAIN 3 - 0 NICE

PSG's quality was too much to handle here as we our brought back down to reality. Two goals from the master, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, including an incredible bicycle kick was too much for our defence to handle. Edinson Cavani also found the net to secure a poor, but inevitable day for us. Luckily for us, results elsewhere have given us a 7 point gap between us and relegation.

NICE 2 - 3 STADE RENNAIS
Pied
Germain

Very, VERY disappointed to be losing this match. We were on for a bad day very early on when Fallou Diagne headed in from a corner. Jeremy Pied managed to level things up before half-time, but two goals from Habib Habibou early in the second half had us staring at defeat. Valere Germain netted from the spot in injury time as a mere consolation, but we will see this game as 3 points stupidly lost.

LYON 3 - 2 NICE
Plea (2)

The man in-form Alassane Plea was back amongst the goals, but both came late in the second half, after the match was already lost. Clement Grenier scored twice, either side of a goal from Malcom to secure a third straight defeat. Again, thankfully, results went our way and see us remain 15th, just 4 points above the relegation zone.

NICE 4 - 2 STADE DE REIMS
Ben Arfa (3)
Traore

Edge of your seat stuff in another must win game against fellow relegation candidates Reims. Hatem Ben Arfa gave us a very early lead, but Diego levelled it up for the visitors before half time. Nicolas De Privelle gave Reims the lead just after the hour, and it wasn't till the 84th minute that our equaliser came, with Ben Arfa netting his second. There was still plenty of drama to be had, Mahamane Traore hit the post before following up to tap in a winner in the second minute of injury time. Before Reims could even realise whats happened, the ball was back in the net, with Hatem Ben Arfa finishing off a lovely move, just 30 seconds after the winning goal! A much needed win which sees us needing just one win from our last 3 games to ensure survival.

NANTES 2 - 1 NICE
Plea

Another disappointing defeat which didn't see us come into the match until the final minutes when Alassane Plea scored a consolation goal for us. Kolbeinn Sigporsson gave Nantes the lead just 5minutes, turning in a cross at the far post, before Adrien Thomasson doubled their lead on the half hour mark. The result means our survival will have to wait another week, taking us into May.

A Word With The Boss
"We haven't made it easy for ourselves, but I think we have a very good chance of surviving. We only have 2 games left, and need just a point now, which is easily done. My focus is on winning our remaining games and finishing as high as possible"

​
 
SURVIVAL!

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Thierry Henry pulls it off! Nice are safe, but it has no doubt been a bumpy ride. The hiring of Henry has been a breathe of fresh air into the club, leading the club to famous victories over Marseille, Montpellier & PSG this season. Here's how the final two games of the season played out.


NICE 0 - 0 SAINT-ETIENNE

Terribly boring match, however, SURVIVAL IS CONFIRMED! Over the moon to stay up, but would of liked to do it in better fashion. Nothing I can really say on this match, very mediocre. We will move on to the final match of the season.

GUINGAMP 1 - 3 NICE
Ben Arfa
Baysse
Plea

We end the season in style with a win, and condemn Guingamp to relegation! 3 second half goals from Hatem Ben Arfa, Paul Baysse, and the man of the season Alassane Plea give us a brilliant win.

FINAL SAY

We finish the league in a very credible 13th place! PSG stormed away with the league, finishing 13 points clear of 2nd place Marseille. At the other end, Ajaccio, Bastia & Guingamp felt the cruel kiss of relegation.

"I am very glad with our performance. We hit some bumps along the way, but ultimately finished in a good position and we can focus on next season"

AROUND EUROPE

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Bayern Munich absolutely stormed to the Champions League, annihilating Monaco, Porto & Barcelona before beating Arsenal in the final. In the Europa League, Diego Simeone took over in March and led Manchester United to European success against Valencia.

League Champions
England: Chelsea
France: Paris St Germain
Spain: Barcelona
Italy: Juventus
Germany: Bayern Munich
Portugal: Benfica
Holland: Ajax​
 
DECISIONS, DECISIONS

Predictably, there was plenty of managerial casualties at the end of the season. Of course I had to throw my name into the hat, and I was offered 3 big interviews!

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All three clubs seemed to be very ambitious following poor seasons. They each expressed some concern over my lack of experience, but I insisted that my on-field experience more than justifies my reputation.

Decisions, Decisions .....​
 
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VALENCIA HIRE HENRY AS MANAGER

After 6 months in charge of OGC Nice, France and Arsenal legend Thierry Henry has been confirmed as the new manager of the Spanish club, signing a 3 year deal worth £17k a week. After a disappointing 10th place finish last season, fans will hope Henry can hit the ground running and raise the club back to the top level.

"I am delighted to be handed this opportunity. We have a great squad here and I am very excited with our chances this season."

The rumour mill is already churning out some juicy stories. Henry is reportedly interested in bringing Mali international Alassane Plea with him from Nice in a reported £5m deal.


BACKROOM CHANGES

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Thierry Henry has wasted little time at Valencia, already shaking up the backroom staff by bringing in his own additions. Former Borussia Dortmund midfielder Otto Aldo has been confirmed as the clubs new assistant manager. Henry wasn't done there, recruiting Dutch Legend Ronald de Boer as part of the new look coaching team, coming in from Borussia Monchengladbach. Kenneth Perez joins from Celta Vigo, and former Hannover manager Tayfun Korkut complete the new look coaching team. Finally, former Valencia defender Roberto Ayala returns to the club as a scout.​
 
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TRANSFERS OUT

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It has been a very busy transfer window for new Valencia boss Thierry Henry, with 11 first-team players on the move. With a reasonably tight transfer budget in place, it was always going to be Henry's intention to offload unneeded talents. Sofiane Feghouli was one of two high profile departures. The Algerian winger had been frozen out under the previous manager and found himself on the transfer-list. Henry failed to convince him to stay in Spain, and he joined Lazio for £9.5m.

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Much like Feghouli, Pablo Piatti found himself transfer listed by the previous manager after a poor season. The Argentinian international ended a 5 year spell at Valencia, joining Feghouli in Serie A, with a £6.2m transfer to Napoli.

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Australian goalkeeper Matthew Ryan only made 14 appearances for Valencia in his first season in Spain, and was clearly no part of Thierry Henry's plans as he was sold to Roma for £5.2m. The 24 year old takes over the number 1 position following Wojciech Szczesny's return to Arsenal.

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Aderllan Santos was another victim of the cut after just one season at Valencia. The Brazilian defender joined Real Sociedad for £4.2m. Lucas Orban completed a move to the Premiership, joining Remi Garde's Aston Villa for £3.3m.

Brazilian striker Vinicius Araujo, who spent last season on loan with Cruizeiro, left the club in a £2.5m deal to join Udinese. Young Belgian attacking midfielder Zakaria Bakkali joined Granada in a £500k deal, while Fernando Cano joined Russian side Tom Tomsk for £120k.

To round up the departures, young prospects Robert, Tropi & Salva Luiz joined Eibar, Rayo Vallecano & Real Oviedo respectively on season long loan deals.​
 
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TRANSFERS IN

Over £50m was spent reshaping the Valencia squad by new manager Thierry Henry. After cutting all the deadweight in the squad, Henry looked towards some of the hottest young prospects in world football today, and Valencia fans can really look forward to the future with these signings.

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20 year old Brazilian midfielder Danilo spent last season on loan from Braga, featuring in 47 games in all competitions. His move to La Liga was made permanent in a £10.7m deal that was in place before Thierry Henry took charge of the club.

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Gabriel Barbosa was one of the most sought-after young talents this summer, but Valencia fought off competition from Monaco, Liverpool, Wolfsburg and more to secure his signature from Santos for £13.75m! The 18 year old is already being likened to Neymar, and Valencia will hope he can emulate his countryman's success.

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Next in was two defenders who found themselves transfer listed at the respective clubs. Neven Subotic comes in from Borussia Dortmund, while Hugo Mallo's dream move to Paris St Germain only lasted a year as he returned to La Liga. Both defenders move to Valencia for just £3.5m each!

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After the departure of Sofiane Feghouli & Pablo Piatti, Valencia found his attacking midfield options very short. He rewrote that very quickly, completing a season long-loan deal for Chelsea outcast Marko Marin. The German winger has had a torrid time at Chelsea, but will look to rejuvenate his career in La Liga.

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With Matthew Ryan joining Valencia, and Wojciech Szczesny returning to Arsenal, it only made sense for David Ospina to make the move to Valencia, after finding himself 3rd in the pecking order at the Gunners. The Colombian keeper joins for just £5m from Arsenal.

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The final two deals in for Valencia sees two of Europe's finest young midfielders come in to the club. Adrien Rabiot joins on a season long-loan from Paris St Germain. Thierry Henry has revealed he tried to secure Rabiot permanently, but PSG were reluctant to let him go. The final deal was the biggest of the summer. Youri Tielemans was linked with the likes of Chelsea, Barcelona & Manchester United last summer, but Valencia managed to sneak in and secure his signature, signing the Belgian from Anderlecht for £15m.

A WORD WITH THE BOSS

"Everyone at the club is delighted with our business this year. We spent a lot of money but I feel we have a very strong team and can really make a big mark this season. We were able to sign some of the best young players in the world ahead of some of the biggest clubs in the world, so naturally I am very excited."



Thats it for transfers. I will do a round-up of the big transfers in Europe as there have been some mad & massive transfers. What do yo guys think of our business? Thanks for reading.

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SUMMER ROUND-UP

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First off, Holland earned redemption for the World Cup finals in 2010, by defeating Spain to dethrone the European Champions! They defeated Poland, Denmark & Ukraine on the way to the finals, where Robin Van Persie scored the only goal of the game to give the Dutch there second European Championship.

MANAGERIAL MOVEMENTS

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Plenty of high-profile managerial movements this summer, with Arsenal, PSG, Manchester City, Barcelona and more all employing new coaches. After 20 years of service, Arsene Wenger called an end on his career, as did fellow Premier League manager Manuel Pellegrini. Sevilla boss Unai Emery was favourite to join Arsenal, but performed a massive swerve, signing for rivals Manchester City instead. Arsenal fans weren't upset for long, as veteran manager Carlo Ancelotti was named as Wenger's successor.

Elsewhere in Europe, Barcelona manager Luis Enrique left the club to take control of the Spanish national team. Former Barca defender Laurent Blanc took control of the club, leaving former Real Madrid player Fernando Hierro to take over at PSG.

Finally, Antonio Conte took charge of Italian champions Juventus, while Joachim Low made the surprise of the summer, signing for Sporting Lisbon!


WORLD TRANSFERS

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Another year, and another mental transfer window which seen some incredible fees thrown around. New Arsenal boss Carlo Ancelotti was one of the busiest in Europe, choosing to strengthen his striking options with the signing of Gonzalo Higuian from Napoli for £37.5m. In one of the biggest shocks of the summer, England captain Wayne Rooney left Manchester United after a bust-up with new boss Diego Simeone, with Arsenal the lucky destination, at a fee of £27m! Ancelotti also managed to nap the signitures of Alexander Dragovic and Juan Bernat to bolster his attempts to win the Premier League.

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Simeone was also hard at work, completing the signing of highly rated John Stones for £30m from Everton. Memphis Depay was sold to Juventus after just a year with the Red Devils, for a huge fee of £36m! He was quickly replaced with Douglas Costa, coming in from Bayern Munich for £24m. United also completed the signing of highly rated German striker Kevin Volland from Hoffenheim for £22m.

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Strikers were highly sought after this summer, and three highly rated youngsters were subject of big money transfers. England international Harry Kane made the jump from Tottenham to Manchester City in a massive £35m deal. While Spurs fans were upset at his sale, the blow was softened with the signing of Domenico Berardi from Sassuolo for £23m. Paulo Dybala was also on the move, joining champions Chelsea, from Juventus, for a massive £36m! Finally, in one of Europe's biggest transfer deals of the summer not to include an English club, Napoli's Manolo Gabbiadini moved to France, with Monaco, for a large £31m fee.

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Moving closer to home, and Real Madrid were once again massive spenders, most notably signing 2 of the hottest youngsters on the planet. Swiss left-back Ricardo Rodriguez rejected a move to the Premier League in favour of a move to Madrid, joining from Wolfsburg for £24m. Madrid were also able to exploit a clause in Bernardo Silva's contract with Monaco, which saw the Portugese international leave for £21.5m! Real also looked to one of their former players to bolster their attack. Alvaro Morata rejoined the club after two years with Juventus for a £23m fee.

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Finally, Real Sociedad will have to face this La Liga season without two of their most influencial players. Centre Back Inigo Martinez was sold to Bayern Munich for a massive £27m, while Mexican international Carlos Vela brought in an even larger £28m with his transfer to Barcelona.
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A BRIGHT START

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Just the two matches in August, and it was not an easy start for new Valencia boss Thierry Henry, with Atletico Madrid the first game of the season. A pre-season injury for Alvaro Negredo would keep him out until after the international break. so lets see how the new look Valencia side done in their opening ties with one of their key stars.


VALENCIA 3 - 1 ATLETICO MADRID
Jose Gaya, Paco Alacer, Rodrigo

What a start to the season! One of the big title contenders in the team are downed by half time. Jose Gaya turned in Hugo Mallo's cross at the far post to give us the lead. Youri Tielemans then thread a beautiful ball through to Paco Alacer, who finished in style. Rodrigo took his opportunity in Negredo's absence, firing in at the near post in first half stoppage time to really put the game beyond Atletico. Antoine Griezmann pulled a goal back in the second half for Atletico, put we held on for a memorable first win for Thierry Henry.

CORDOBA 1 - 3 VALENCIA
Paco Alacer, Gabriel Barbosa (2)

Another win to end the month with maximum points. Gabriel Barbosa is already showing his true talent, with two beautiful goals on his debut. The first was a looping header from a Marko Marin free kick. Paco Alacer slotted in for the second, before Barbosa finished with another cool header at the near post. On-loan Barcelona striker Jean-Marie Dongou pulled one back for Cordoba, but we were far too strong.
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