Battle Line: Vieira Meets Balotelli In First Genoa Training Session

Patrick Vieira oversaw his first training session as the new coach of Genoa and reunited with Mario Balotelli after their previous personality clashes.

The former Crystal Palace and Strasbourg boss was appointed today to replace Alberto Gilardino and met his players for the afternoon session at the Villa Rostan camp.

Genoa released several images of Vieira in his first session, including pointedly a picture of him speaking individually to Balotelli.

The pair were teammates at Manchester City and then famously clashed when reunited at OGC Nice, where Vieira was coach and Balotelli a player.

The new boss will make his debut on the bench in a relegation tussle against Cagliari at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris, also known as Marassi, on Sunday at 11.30 GMT.

It remains to be seen how he will be greeted, as the Genoa fans were very fond of Gilardino and are protesting his sudden dismissal.

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Joao Felix Reveals Why He Rejected Aston Villa transfer

Joao Felix has revealed why he turned down a January transfer to Aston Villa in favour of a switch to AC Milan.

Villa boss Unai Emery is a big fan of the Portuguese forward, but Villa have failed in attempts to sign him in the last two transfer windows as he left Atletico Madrid for Chelsea for £45m last summer and then departed Stamford Bridge for Milan on loan before the end of the January transfer window.

Speaking in his first interview since moving to the San Siro, Felix said: “My agent told me about interest from other clubs, but I was already in negotiations with AC Milan. In my mind, this was the only option, I had already decided to come here.”

“For now, I’m on loan until June, we’ll see how it goes,” he added. “I’m liking everything: the club, the people, the infrastructure. My family and I have received a great welcome and I want to be in a place where I feel good. Things can change in football, but if there’s the chance to stay here, I’d like that.”

Felix made a great start to life at AC, scoring on his debut in a 3-1 win against Roma in the Coppa Italia.

“A week has already passed, it’s been fantastic with the two wins and my first goal at San Siro,” he said. “I knew that AC Milan was a big club, but I’m still surprised by the size of it, you understand straight away when you get here. It’s one of the biggest in Europe.

“I fell in love straight away with the atmosphere at San Siro, the atmosphere here is different.

“It was my first match and I didn’t expect the reception from the fans to be so affectionate. Let’s hope we can continue like this.”

Serie A

Lookman Set for February Return Following Knee Injury

Atalanta winger Ademola Lookman is expected to return to action before the end of February after recovering from a knee injury sustained in training last month.

The 27-year-old Nigerian international has missed the team’s last three matches across all competitions and will also be unavailable for both legs of Atalanta’s crucial UEFA Champions League play-off against Club Brugge.

According to Transfermarkt, Lookman is slated to make his comeback during Atalanta’s Serie A fixture against Empoli on February 23.

The former Leicester City player has been in stellar form this season, recording 14 goals and seven assists in 27 appearances. His return is expected to provide a significant boost to Gian Piero Gasperini’s side as they continue their campaign in both domestic and European competitions.

Serie A

Tomori Reaffirms Commitment to AC Milan After Semifinal Victory

AC Milan defender Fikayo Tomori has pledged his loyalty to the club following their 3-1 victory that secured a place in the Coppa Italia semifinals.

The England international, who turned down a move to Tottenham, emphasized his dedication to the Rossoneri after Wednesday night’s triumph.

“We are all ready to help the team. We knew it was an important match for our season as we wanted to reach the semifinal,” Tomori stated. “After the derby, where we played a good game but didn’t win, it was still a good performance. Now we are happy with this result.”

Reflecting on his four years at Milan, he added:

“I have been here for four years, I am happy here. The last season hasn’t been what I wanted, but I feel at home and want to give my all for this team.”

Tomori also praised his teammates Joao Felix, Santi Gimenez, and Riccardo Sottil, who made their debuts during the match.

“They can help us, and I’m sure we can get where we want at the end of the season, both in the Coppa Italia and the Champions League,” he concluded.