Every summer the press is full of speculation about which Korean player is going where. A potential transfer to one of the big leagues in Europe is a major generator of headlines in the numerous sports dailies on sale in Seoul and well as the innumerable portals that litter the internet. It works both ways. As well as players like Lee Chung-yong who head west, there are those who come in the opposite direction and come home after stints in Europe. Last year Lee Dong-gook, who spent 18 fairly miserable months in England with Middlesbrough, came back to the K-League late last year, just in time to spend a short – and fairly miserable time- with Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma. This year though, he relocated to Jeonju and is starring for title challengers Jeonbuk Motors.

Bobby Robson's passing was an event charitably marked by the soccer world. He left the world at 76 as one of the major coaches in the world with a CV as impressive as any.

Aquilani set for Anfield as Liverpool move quickly to replace Alonso Liverpool may have finally lost Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid after a summer long transfer battle but manager Rafael Benitez has wasted no time in finding a replacement. The man set to fill the void is talented Roma midfielder Alberto Aquilani, who is set for a medical later this week. The two clubs agreed a fee of around £20million for Aquilani just a few hours after Alonso completed his £30million move to Madrid. A statement on the Liverpool website confirmed that Aquilani has been lined up as a replacement for some time. It said: “Liverpool completed their discussions with Roma once the sale of Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid was finally agreed.”