Soccer Central

Having seen their team pay way over the odds to complete the signing of Joleon Lescott; Manchester City fans will no doubt be pleasantly surprised to see their team complete the signing of Sylvinho on a free transfer.

Sylvinho played for Barcelona up until the end of the 2008/09 season, and even starred in the side’s fantastic Champions League Final victory over Manchester United in May. Sylvinho has a huge wealth of experience at left back, and is an incredibly high quality player that should fit in well within the Manchester City first team.

Sylvinho is to provide cover for Wayne Bridge, and although the player is now 35-years-old – he certainly showed in the Champions League Final last season that he is still a player with the ability to perform well at the highest possible level.

Mark Hughes has done an excellent bit of business in signing Sylvinho, and there will now be many looking forward to seeing the brilliant Brazilian make his Manchester City debut.

After a successful season with Kidderminster Harriers in the Blue Square Premier; 28 year-old striker Justin Richards has now made his way back into the Football League with Cheltenham Town.

Cheltenham Town was relegated from League One last season, and Richards will therefore be spending the 2009/10 campaign in League Two. Justin Richards has signed a one-year contract with Cheltenham, joining on a free transfer from Kidderminster.

Richards will now be hoping to carry his good form into the Football League, and if he can indeed successfully make the step up from the Blue Square Premier to League Two then he’ll no doubt be seen by the Cheltenham fans as a very clever signing.

Justin Richards has the definite potential to perform in League Two, and it’ll be interesting to see next season if he can fit in well within the Cheltenham Town squad.

Aldershot striker Junior Mendes has joined Stevenage Borough on loan until the end of the season. The journeyman striker started out his professional career with Chelsea back in 1995, and Stevenage now becomes his twelfth professional club.

Mendes has been with Aldershot since February 2008, but has found his starting opportunities limited since signing for the club. He now takes the step down to the Blue Square Premier hoping to help Stevenage achieve promotion, with the club currently chasing the play-offs.

Mendes may make his Stevenage debut tomorrow as the club hosts fellow play-off hopefuls Oxford United. Stevenage has scored 59 league goals so far this season, and Junior Mendes will now be looking to strengthen the sides attack, and help the club improve its goal difference which currently stands at +14.

Stevenage Borough is now undefeated in 22 games, and the club hasn’t lost a competitive game since December 2nd.

Rade Prica has joined Rosenborg for an undisclosed fee from Sunderland. The player joined Sunderland in January 2008 from Aalborg, but has found himself surplus to requirements at the Stadium of Light, making only six appearances from the bench throughout the whole time he has spent in English football.

Prica has signed a four year deal with Rosenborg, and will be available for selection this Saturday when Rosenborg open their season against Valerenga. Having had limited opportunities with Sunderland, the Swedish striker will now be looking to impress in Norway, and the 28 year-old will no doubt be hoping that with Rosenborg he can get back to his goal scoring way which has seen him pick up fourteen full international caps throughout the years.

Rade Prica is a talented Swedish striker, and although he hasn’t been a success in England; I’m sure that he’ll now be able to put in some pleasing performances in Norway.

A deal has been agreed with LA Galaxy, and David Beckham is now to stay with AC Milan until the end of the Italian season. In a unique ‘timeshare’ agreement; Beckham will then for a few months return to LA Galaxy, but is to rejoin AC Milan in November.

Beckham’s first game back for LA Galaxy will be against New York Red Bulls on July 18th, and it’s thought that the majority of the loan fee being paid to LA Galaxy is coming out of David Beckham’s own pocket.

David Beckham is desperate to keep his place in the England team, and by remaining in Milan he massively enhances his chances of doing so. Beckham has been a huge success for AC Milan so far, and having performed so well in the months that he has already spent with the club, he’ll now be looking to remain in the Milan first team until the end of the season, and then pick up where he left off when he returns to the club in November.

Beckham earned his 108th England cap against Spain on February 11th, equalling Bobby Moore’s outfield caps record in the process. He still has some way to go before matching Peter Shilton on 125, he has shown phenomenal strength in returning to the England team though, and having once been dropped in a grand declaration of change by former England manager Steve McClaren; Beckham is still fighting hard to play for his country, and doing all that he can to maximise his chances of playing for England at World Cup 2010.

It’s expected that the deal will be officially confirmed by both clubs before the end of the weekend.