In a relatively quiet transfer market during the summer, only four clubs in Europe committed more than ?70 million (Dh329m) on new recruits. Guess who?
Manchester City, naturally, were one of them. Real Madrid and Barcelona, typically, were two of the others. And finally, in a break from what they regard as a tradition or carefulness, even frugality, in their contract dealings, it was Juventus, the 27-time Italian champions, who joined that more obviously ostentatious trio.
Or at least Juve will do as soon as one or two of their loan deals - those with an option to buy - come to fruition at the end of the season: players such as Alberto Aquilani, whose move from Liverpool will be worth ?16m if he impresses enough by June; Pepe, whose ?2.6m fee for the first nine months will become just over ?10m; Fabio Quagliarella, ?4.5m rising to ?15m, and Marco Motta, ?1.2m to ?4.9m.
Add to those the permanent deals to bring in Leonardo Bonucci from Bari for ?15.5m; Milos Krasic from CSKA Moscow for ?15m; Jorge Martinez from Catania for ?12m and the ?4.5m paid for Marco Storari, the former Sampdoria goalkeeper, and Juve finished up at deadline day last month as, comfortably, Serie A's biggest spenders.
Since the last cheques were written, the Old Lady has been matching the big numbers with big scorelines, too: 10 goals in their last three matches, but, alas, maximum points only from the last, Sunday's 4-0 win away at Udinese.
The tale of brand new Juve so far is of a team straining to hit the ground running and glancing too infrequently in the rear-view mirror. Ahead of the trip to Udinese they had compiled successive 3-3 draws, against Sampdoria in Serie A and against Poland's Lech Poznan in the Europa League.
This is all a little more hectic than Gigi Del Neri, the head coach, ideally envisaged. But he, too, is finding his feet in the job. His superiors, Beppe Marotta, the director general, and Fabio Paratici, the sporting director - like Del Neri, formerly of Sampdoria - have likewise completed only their first summer in charge of hiring and firing.
"We still have a few problems to get through," Del Neri told reporters ahead of tonight's league meeting with Palermo, "but the win against Udinese was a step in the right direction."
It was also the fixture that permitted Marotta to reflect with some pride on his work so far. He is the man in charge of transfers, of finding new homes for long-term servants of the club like David Trezeguet, Mauro Camoranesi and Jonathan Zebina and in turn ensuring their younger replacements would quickly prove satisfactory.
He was beaming after the rout of Udinese, not only at the display of Quagliarella, whose dainty touch at the near post provided the second goal - his second in Serie A for his new club - but of the energy and guile of Krasic, the Serbian winger.
"I'm not sure if any new signing anywhere has made the impact he has," Marotta said.
Certainly, there is an eagerness to see Krasic as a player in a distinct Juve mould: industrious, clever, appreciated by colleagues. And, as nobody fails to point out, blond.
When he arrived last month, Krasic was soon steered by journalists into comparing himself to Pavel Nedved, the Czech midfielder with the blond mane of hair who, while with Juve, won the Ballon D'Or in 2003.
"I hope I can do some of what Nedved did here," Krasic said. Though he prefers to operate on the right of midfield - Nedved preferred the left - there are enough points of similarity at least to send the local press into flights of whimsy.
"In the history of Juventus, blond is the colour of hard running and generosity," beamed the Gazzetta dello Sport. Krasic has some big expectations to meet.
@Email:sports@thenational.ae
10.45pm, Aljazeera Sport +1
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital
Shooting Ghosts: A U.S. Marine, a Combat Photographer, and Their Journey Back from War by Thomas J. Brennan and Finbarr O’Reilly
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Sugary teas and iced coffees
The tax authority is yet to release a list of the taxed products, but it appears likely that sugary iced teas and cold coffees will be hit.
For instance, the non-fizzy drink AriZona Iced Tea contains 65 grams of sugar – about 16 teaspoons – per 680ml can. The average can costs about Dh6, which would rise to Dh9.
Cold coffee brands are likely to be hit too. Drinks such as Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino contain 31g of sugar in 270ml, while Nescafe Mocha in a can contains 15.6g of sugar in a 240ml can.
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
Company%20profile
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At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Jawan
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAtlee%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Shah%20Rukh%20Khan%2C%20Nayanthara%2C%20Vijay%20Sethupathi%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Tips from the expert
Dobromir Radichkov, chief data officer at dubizzle and Bayut, offers a few tips for UAE residents looking to earn some cash from pre-loved items.
- Sellers should focus on providing high-quality used goods at attractive prices to buyers.
- It’s important to use clear and appealing photos, with catchy titles and detailed descriptions to capture the attention of prospective buyers.
- Try to advertise a realistic price to attract buyers looking for good deals, especially in the current environment where consumers are significantly more price-sensitive.
- Be creative and look around your home for valuable items that you no longer need but might be useful to others.
Kamindu Mendis bio
Full name: Pasqual Handi Kamindu Dilanka Mendis
Born: September 30, 1998
Age: 20 years and 26 days
Nationality: Sri Lankan
Major teams Sri Lanka's Under 19 team
Batting style: Left-hander
Bowling style: Right-arm off-spin and slow left-arm orthodox (that's right!)
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
BACK%20TO%20ALEXANDRIA
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Company%20profile
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NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
The specs: 2018 Opel Mokka X
Price, as tested: Dh84,000
Engine: 1.4L, four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: Six-speed auto
Power: 142hp at 4,900rpm
Torque: 200Nm at 1,850rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L / 100km
