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Celtic sign Japan's Nakamura then look to China captain
 
By Kenny MacDonald

GLASGOW, July 29 (Reuters) - Celtic paraded their 2.75 million pounds ($4.83 million) Japan midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura on the eve of the new Scottish season and confirmed that China captain Du Wei is to arrive for a week's trial.

Nakamura, the first Japanese footballer to play in Scotland, told a packed news conference at Celtic Park on Friday that all he knew about the country was bagpipes and Highland dancing.

 
"When I arrived I saw many media people and the attention was on me so I want to contribute to the set up and the Celtic team and the fans as well," he said via an interpreter.

Celtic manager Gordon Strachan said Nakamura should make his debut next week, adding. "It will not be tomorrow (Saturday) because he has not really trained and is just getting himself together. Hopefully, it will be next Saturday.

Celtic, who lost a Champions League second round qualifier 5-0 at Artmedia Bratislava in midweek, open their Scottish Premier League campaign at Motherwell this Saturday followed by a home game against Dundee United the following weekend.

Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell confirmed Celtic's interest in China defender Du Wei. "He will be here on Saturday night and he will be training with us for a week, just to see how things go," said Lawell.

Strachan added: "Obviously, it is very hard to see players in that area but he comes highly recommended and we're looking to bring people in who will make the team better and take it on a level.

"So we are open-minded and there are a couple of Chinese lads who have done very well in England with their play, their attitude and their fitness and we thought, 'Yeah, we'll have a look.'"

Strachan compared the aftermath of the crushing Champions League defeat in Slovakia as being "like a death in the family".

"You get something like that two or three times in your career," he said. "I think I have had about two of these games ...and I have sat down and watched the video tape and I really do think it was a freakish result.

"Everything went right for them and everything that possibly could go wrong, went wrong for us."

The winners of the two-legged tie will face Partizan Belgrade or Sherif Tiraspol in the third qualifying round but with Celtic unlikely to progress after Tuesday's second leg at home, Strachan is trying to deal with the consequences.

"This game itself won't go away...ever. We need to start winning games now and help erase the memory of the game but I don't think it will ever totally go away.

"I said this morning (to the players), 'I don't care how you feel , you can still be depressed, you can laugh...but deal with it.'

"It is like a death in the family, and I am sorry if anyone has had a death in the family but it's like that.

"People deal with suffering in different ways, some laugh through it, some get depressed, some go silent. I said, 'I don't care how you get through it but tomorrow we have to be angry and put right some of the wrongs from Wednesday.'

"We cannot be emotional, we have to stay focused."
 
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Czech striker Bednar joins Hearts
 
July 29, 2005
PRAGUE (AFP) - Czech striker Roman Bednar has signed a five-year contract with Scottish side Hearts, Bednar's agent Pavel Zika said.

The 22-year-old, who moves from Czech first division outfit Mlada Boleslav, joins compatriots Michal Pospisil and Rudolf Skacel who were signed by the Scottish Premiership side earlier this summer.

Bednar's transfer fee was put at between 20 million koruna (663,000 euros, 804,000 dollars) and 30 million koruna, according to agency reports although Mlada Boleslav declined to release the figure.

 
Bednar, 22, played for lower-division Bohemians Praha for three seasons before joining Mlada Boleslav. He goes abroad after playing only 25 matches in the Czech first league.

Sparta goalkeeper David Bicik may also join the team if a deal is struck for him to be on loan to Lithuanian team FBK Kaunas.

"We are still checking the possibilities relating to Kaunas and a permanent contract with Hearts," Zika said.
 
Atletico Madrid sign Argentina's Galletti
 
MADRID, July 29 (Reuters) - Atletico Madrid have signed Argentina winger Luciano Galletti from Real Zaragoza, the Primera Liga club said on Friday.

Galletti, who had one year left on his contract with Zaragoza, has agreed a three-year deal, with media reports putting the fee at 3.5 million euros ($4.24 million).

With unsettled Danish winger Jesper Gronkjaer negotiating a move to German side VfB Stuttgart, Galletti will be the ideal replacement. The versatile 25-year-old can operate on either flank.

Galletti is coach Carlos Bianchi's fourth major signing of the close season after Bulgarian midfielder Martin Petrov, Serbia & Montenegro striker Mateja Kezman, and Argentine forward Maxi Rodriguez.

He will fly out to join the rest of the squad at their pre-season training camp in England on Saturday.
 
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Getafe sign former Boca defender Matellan
 
MADRID, July 31 (Reuters) - Argentine centre-back Anibal Matellan was unveiled by Getafe on Sunday after signing a one-season deal with the Primera Liga club.

Matellan, who can also play at left back, has spent most of his career at Boca Juniors but has played in Europe before when he had a three-year stint at German side Schalke 04 between 2001 and 2004.

"I opted for Getafe because my greatest wish since becoming a footballer was to play in Spain and this club has opened the door for me to fulfil that ambition," the 28-year-old told a news conference.

Getafe surprised many pundits last season with a highly creditable 13th place finish in their first ever campaign in the top flight.

Former German international Bernd Schuster has taken over as coach this season after Quique Sanchez Flores quit to take charge of Valencia.
 
Atletico Madrid agree to sell Gronkjaer to Stuttgart
 
MADRID, July 29 (Reuters) - Atletico Madrid have agreed to sell Denmark winger Jesper Gronkjaer to VfB Stuttgart.

"It wasn't easy to make this decision but the offer from Germany was very interesting and perhaps life will be easier than here in Spain," Gronkjaer told Atletico's website on Friday.

"I can speak German and the culture is more similar to that of Denmark's. Also I will be much closer to my family which is very important to me."
 
The Spanish newspaper Marca said earlier in the day that Stuttgart would pay a fee of around six million euros ($7.26 million) for Gronkjaer.

The 27-year-old put in a transfer request because he was unable to settle in the Spanish capital after joining from Birmingham City in January.

Media reports said Atletico paid English Premier League Birmingham a fee of two million euros for the former Chelsea winger.

Despite making a promising start to his Atletico career, Gronkjaer's season was cut short when he cracked a bone in his right leg at the start of May.

"When I signed for Atletico I had every intention of completing my contract. But the world is a strange place and things didn't go as I had hoped," he said.

Atletico moved to fill his place by signing Real Zaragoza's Argentine international winger Luciano Galletti earlier on Friday.
 
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Cologne sign Turkish defender Alpay
 
BERLIN, Aug 1 (Reuters) - Newly promoted Bundesliga side Cologne have signed fiery Turkish defender Alpay Ozalan on a one-year contract, the German second division champions said on Monday.

The former Turkey international, 32, has 86 international caps and was instrumental in Turkey's passage to the World Cup semi-finals in 2002.

However, Alpay has courted controversy in recent years and has been unable to keep his volatile temper in check.
 
He was fired by Japan's Urawa Reds at the end of June after picking up three red cards in seven matches, with six months remaining on his contract.

Two years ago, he clashed with David Beckham in a Euro 2004 qualifier, taunting the English captain over a missed penalty.

Alpay stuck a finger in Beckham's face as the players walked off at halftime, although he later claimed Beckham had spat on his shirt.

The incident brought an abrupt halt to his spell at English premier league side Aston Villa.

Germany's Bundesliga kicks off on Friday. Cologne host near neighbours Mainz 05 the following day.
 
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Argentine Samuel moves from Real to Inter
 
(Adds background, byline)

By Simon Evans

MILAN, Aug 1 (Reuters) - Inter Milan have signed Argentina defender Walter Samuel from Real Madrid, the Italian club said on Monday.

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Inter said in a statement on their official website the central defender had signed a four-year deal with the Serie A club.

Samuel, 27, has previously played in Italy for AS Roma where he won the Italian league in 2001.

Inter are also in negotiations to sign Real's Portuguese midfielder Luis Figo, having already brought in Argentine winger Santiago Solari from the Spanish club.

Samuel leaves Real after completing just one season of a five-year deal signed when he joined the club for a fee of 25 million euros ($30.25 million) from Roma last July.

He was brought in to strengthen the club's shaky back four, but struggled to adapt to the more open style of football in Spain and was given little support by an attack-minded midfield in the early part of the season.

His performances improved after mid-season signing Thomas Gravesen added steel to the centre of the midfield and turned in some confident displays to help Real end the campaign with their best defensive record in a decade.

However, the quietly spoken Argentine never managed to win over the Real Madrid fans and was deemed surplus to requirements by the club's coaching staff.

Samuel's departure leaves the door open to England defender Jonathan Woodgate to claim a place in the starting line-up if he can complete his recovery from a thigh injury that has kept him on the sidelines for 16 months.