Aaron Ramsey has signed a new long-term contract with Arsenal, the Barclays Premier League club have confirmed. The 19-year-old midfielder joined the Gunners from Cardiff in the summer of 2008 and played 29 times this season before having his campaign cut short by an horrendous leg break suffered against Stoke in February. "I'm very happy here at Arsenal, it's a great club and I've learned a lot since I've been here," Ramsey said. "Every player wants to play in a team where they can play football and I feel that this is the way it should be played, so that's one of the reasons I signed a new contract." Ramsey, capped 11 times by Wales, was well on the way to establishing himself as a key man in the Arsenal midfield before the tackle by Ryan Shawcross which left him with fractures to the tibia and fibula in his right leg.
New Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho has shed some light on areas in the team he believes need strengthening as he begins work on his new project at the Bernabeu. The Portuguese was unveiled yesterday as the new Madrid boss on a four-year contract, after guiding Inter Milan to a Serie A, Coppa Italia and Champions League treble in 2009/10. And the 47-year-old has wasted no time pinpointing the positions in which he will be looking to bolster his squad over the summer. "Real has a right-back that I like very much in Sergio Ramos," Mourinho told Spanish radio station Cadena Ser. "But in my way of thinking, I believe he can be better as a central defender so we might need a right-back. "I also would like to have an alternative left-back to Marcelo. "Marcelo has his characteristics but Real needs a balanced squad, different players for each position. I would like a left-back that has different characteristics to Marcelo."
The Wolves today made their first summer signing with the capture of Belgium full-back Jelle Van Damme from Anderlecht. Van Damme moves to Molineux on a three-year deal with an option for a further 12 months after the two clubs agreed an undisclosed fee for the 26-year-old. Wolves boss Mick McCarthy was pleased to have snared Van Damme, who has experience of life in England having played for Southampton in the 2004/05 campaign. * PA
