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West Ham in for Adriano after Arsenal rejection
LONDON: West Ham United is negotiating a possible loan deal for Inter Milan's Brazilian striker Adriano, the Premier League club said on Tuesday.
Adriano, who had been offered to Arsenal according to the north London club's manager Arsene Wenger, has struggled at the Italian champion in the past two seasons.
"Following speculation in the press, West Ham can confirm we are holding talks with Inter Milan over striker Adriano," the Hammers said in a short statement on their Web site (www.whufc.com). No figures were given "as the possible deal is in its early stages and money has not yet been discussed. The club is investigating the possibility of a loan deal at this stage." West Ham is in the market for a striker following the departure of last season's saviour, Argentine forward Carlos Tevez, to Manchester United.
A loan move would run counter, though, to comments by Adriano in Tuesday's Gazzetta dello Sport that he is demanding a permanent move, rather than a temporary switch.
French journeyman matches Agassi's Slam mark
NEW YORK: France's Fabrice Santoro equaled Andre Agassi's all-time Grand Slam record for total events played, making his 61st Slam appearance in a first-round victory on Tuesday at the US Open.
Santoro, a 34-year-old veteran ranked 43rd in the world, matched the mark set by eight-time Slam champion Agassi at last year's US Open, the American legend's emotional farewell tournament.
Santoro opened with a 6-1, 6-7 (8/10), 6-2, 6-1 victory against Spain's Albert Montanes on Tuesday to book a second-round date with US sixth seed James Blake.
Santoro, playing in his 37th consecutive Slam since missing Wimbledon in 1998, has been ousted at Slams in the first round 24 times, the second round 20 times, the third round 12 times and the fourth round three times.
Sweden's Jonas Bjorkman, who will face Britain's Andy Murray in the second round of his 56th Slam appearance, is Santoro's nearest rival among active players.
Bjorkman, 35, is one Slam start shy of sharing third on the all-time list with Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendl, Michael Chang and Wayne Ferreira.
Materazzi compares injury pain to pregnancy
MILAN: Italy defender Marco Materazzi has spoken for the first time about the rare thigh injury requiring surgery that he picked up in last Wednesday's 3-1 friendly defeat in Hungary.
"To be honest, I couldn't wait for them to put me to sleep when we arrived back in Italy. I was in so much pain, that I had never felt before, and I was hoping it would end," the Inter Milan player told the club Web site (www.inter.it).
"I thought of when my wife said giving birth is the greatest pain a person can feel. I thought I was close." He is expected to be out for at least two months.
(China Daily 08/30/2007 page23)
