Tottenham have appointed Tim Sherwood as their new head coach until the end of the 2014/15 season.

Sherwood was among the frontrunners for the job after being named interim manager of the north London club following the sacking of Andre-Villas Boas last week.
A statement on Spurs’ official website on Monday evening said: “Following the departure of Andre Villas-Boas, the club can announce that Tim Sherwood has been appointed head coach with a contract to the end of the 2014/15 season.”
Sherwood was in charge as Tottenham crashed out of the Capital One Cup following a second home defeat to West Ham this season.
But he bolstered his standing by leading the club to a 3-2 victory at Southampton in the Barclays Premier League on Sunday.
The 44-year-old had been the head of football development during Villas-Boas’ tenure, and although he has no previous managerial experience it is clearly not an issue for the Tottenham board, who have entrusted Sherwood to lead the club until the end of next season.
Chairman Daniel Levy told the club’s official website: “We were extremely reluctant to make a change mid-season, but felt we had to do so in the club’s best interests.
“We have a great squad and we owe them a head coach who will bring out the best in them and allow them to flourish and enjoy a strong, exciting finish to the season.
“We are in the fortunate position of having within our club a talented coach in Tim Sherwood.
“We believe Tim has both the knowledge and the drive to take the squad forward.”
Sherwood, who made nearly 100 appearances for Tottenham as a midfielder from 1999 until 2003, will be assisted by Chris Ramsey and former Tottenham team-mates Les Ferdinand and Steffen Freund.
Villas-Boas was dismissed a day after Tottenham’s 5-0 home defeat against Liverpool.
Despite an earlier heavy defeat at Manchester City last month, the Portuguese had a good record overall as Tottenham manager, averaging 1.83 points per league match, the highest of all Spurs bosses in the Premier League era, while he had a 100 per cent record in the Europa League.
Yet he oversaw a heavy outlay over the summer, in which the club spent over £100million with seven new players arriving at White Hart Lane as Tottenham re-invested the huge transfer fee they received from Real Madrid for Gareth Bale.
Sherwood was among the favourites to take charge as he had the benefit of knowing the players, despite his novice status as manager, while former player and manager Glenn Hoddle expressed his interest.
Ajax boss Frank de Boer and former Real Madrid and Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink were also linked with the post, but the Spurs board opted to give their backing to Sherwood, who will be expected to lead the charge for a top-four finish.

According to Foxsports

Andrés Iniesta will be a Barcelona player for at least another four seasons. The midfielder officially put pen to paper on his new contract earlier on Monday, in the presence of club president Sandro Rosell and director of football Andoni Zubizarreta.

Iniesta, 29, had less than two years to run on his previous deal, which was due to expire on 30th June 2015, but is now tied to the club until 2018. His contract will subsequently be automatically renewed annually provided he makes a specified number of appearances each season.

Assuming he sees out his contract before retiring, Iniesta will have spent his whole senior career at the ‘Azulgranas’, having joined the club’s famed youth academy at the age of 12 in 1996. In 2018 he will turn 34 and celebrate 22 years in the ‘Azulgranas’ shirt.

Iniesta’s contract was one of the last big pieces of unfinished business on Barça’s agenda, with Messi, Xavi and Puyol all having agreed new terms last year and Sergio Busquets extending his contract this past summer. The club failed to persuade goalkeeper Víctor Valdés to stay on, meaning he is set to leave the Catalan capital on 30th June next year.

As well as Barcelona supremo Rosell, Iniesta’s agent, parents and daughter Valeria were all present to witness the signing of the new deal. The playmaker claimed to be “very happy” to have committed his future to the club, “especially because of how well the team is doing”.

Accoridng to Marca

The forward is not convinced about a move to Newcastle, but David Moyes is keen on the winger moving to St James’ Park on a temporary basis.

Newcastle manager Alan Pardew would be keen to sign Manchester United forward Wilfried Zaha in January “if the opportunity arises”.

Goal understands that the Red Devils want Zaha to join the Magpies on loan, despite his reluctance to relocate to the North East.

The England Under-21s international has made only made two Premier League appearances from the substitutes’ bench since completing a permanent move to Old Trafford from Crystal Palace at the end of last season and Pardew is sad to see that “his career has stalled”.

“He’s a Manchester United player, as far as I’m concerned,” the Newcastle boss told the press. “He’s a player I know well. He played for my old team [Palace].

“He was absolutely phenomenal when they got promoted and he got a big move to Manchester United.

“Unfortunately, his career has stalled but, if an opportunity arises, we’ll grasp it. If not, we won’t.”

Pardew has also set his sights on securing a place in the Europa League next season, although he knows from experience that it is not easy to combine an assault on Europe with the demands of the Premier League.

“The Europa League causes massive problems for Premier League teams,” he observed. “Swansea City and Tottenham are feeling that [this season].

“The demands of the Premier League are much greater than other leagues. It’s something we’re wary of but we’re chasing a European spot.”

According to Goal

The Brazilian full-back has signed on a three-year deal which will see him remain at the Allianz Arena until 2017 after a renaissance this term

Bayern Munich have confirmed that Rafinha has extended his contract at the club until the summer of 2017.

The Brazilian moved to the Allianz Arena back in 2011, but seemed certain to leave the club just a few months ago after two disappointing seasons in Bavaria.

However, the arrival of new coach Pep Guardiola, along with Philipp Lahm’s switch to midfield, has seen him take on a first-team role this term; and the former Schalke man is delighted to have committed his future to the club.

“It’s very important to me, my career and my family that I continue to work for one of the best clubs in the world. I am very proud,” the 28-year-old told the club’s official site.

Chief financial officer Jan-Christian Dreesen, who led the negotiations, says it was important to tie Rafinha down in the long term.

“Rafinha is not only a good player on the pitch, but a great character in the dressing room. He has received a boost under Pep Guardiola and is doing his job again,” he continued.

Bayern face Raja Casablanca in the Club World Cup final on Saturday and Rafinha is hoping to add another medal to his collection.

He added: “It’s a dream to play in this final. We really need to play well to win.”

Rafinha’s previous deal at Bayern was due to expire in June 2014.

According to Goal