Spurs winger Reto Zeigler has joined Serie A side Sampdoria in permanent deal. The 21 year-old had made 15 appearances for the Italians during a loan spell last season.

The Swiss international is the last reminder of Jaques Santini’s short reign as Spurs manager, he had limited opportunity and with Gareth Bale joining during the transfer window there will be even less opportunity next season. Zeigler scored once for Spurs in 35 appearances, in the 5-2 win against Everton.

Massimo Donati last night sealed a move to Celtic in a £3 million transfer from AC Milan. Donati will fly into Glasgow to sign on the dotted line at the beginning of the week and sign for the Scottish champions after passing a medical. It is rumoured that the Italian has signed a four year deal after Celtic beat off competition from a number of other clubs in Italy.

Milan bought Donati for £10 million from Atalanta, but had been sent out on loan to a number of Serie A clubs as competition in the San Siro side was too strong for the pacey winger.

Donati will become Gordon Strachan’s fourth signing during the summer, with the winger joining Scott Brown, Chris Killen and Scott McDonald as new employees on the payroll. The Italian should jet off with Celtic to their pre-season friendlies in Switzerland and America in July, with many Celtic fans hoping that he is joined by a number of other new signings including Italian compatriot, Gennaro Delvecchio (Sampdoria), Stephen Appiah (Fenerbache) and Roy Makaay (Bayern Munich).

The Tinkerman Claudio Ranieri has decided to turn down the offer of working at the Eastlands stadium and take over the sterling work of Stuart Pearce, in order to resume the mantle of Didier Deschamps.

Ranieri was thought to be the chosen one of the consortium bidding to buy City. His appointment at Juve has been welcomed by goal keeper Gigi Buffon who said Ranieri was “the right choice”.

Liverpool secured their place in the Champions League final in Athens later this month when they knocked out Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea side on penalties. The sudden death finish was needed after both sides had won one-nil in their home legs and neither side could break the deadlock in extra time.

The possibility of an all English final was scuppered when Manchester United let their slender one goal advantage from the first leg slip away as the were emphatically crushed by the Italians.

Goals from Kaka, Seedorf and Gilardino ensured that the Italians, will have the opportunity to exact revenge on Liverpool in a repeat of the final from two years ago. When Liverpool fought back from being three goals down at half time to winning on penalties after extra-time thanks to the heroics of Jerzy Dudek.

Manchester United got off to the same dream start they had in the previous round when Cristiano Ronaldo put them ahead in the Champions League Semi Final against AC Milan.

With just six minutes on the clock the Portuguese winger found an opportunity to put his name on the score sheet. His header from a corner found a path past Dida in the AC Milan goal. Having made an attempt to clear the corner the Brazilian keeper could only help Ronaldo’s header over the goal line as he tried to make the save.

However the dream start was to turn in to a nightmare. A virtuoso performance by Milan’s Kaka, he single-handedly destroyed United’s feeble defence. He latched on to a Seedorf through ball leaving Carrick and Heinze in his wake before putting a low shot past a wrong footed Edwin Van Der Sar.

United looked like they were back at the races when the Brazilian struck again. Kaka took the ball off Fletcher on the wing flicking it between Heinze and Evra, he squeezed in between them to head the ball in to the box leaving them to collide taking them out of the equation. His second finish was just as clinical as the first, a low curling shot past an advancing Van Der Sar.

The turning point of the game had to be the substitutions mad by Milan. Maldini and Gattuso came off for Bonera and Brocchi respectively, which duly opened up both the midfield and defence for United to exploit the gaps. Rooney was the first to capitalise on the new found opportunity after only seven minutes. Paul Scholes scooped the ball over the static Milan defence, Rooney broke through controlling the ball with his chest before putting the ball under Dida and in to the goal.

When the game looked like it was about to end in a 2-2 draw giving Milan the major advantage going in to the second leg in the San Siro next week in Italy. Ronaldo collected the ball in defence and went on an immediate attack, playing the ball to welsh veteran Ryan Giggs. Giggs sprited up the park and passed the ball to Rooney who shot without taking a touch, the shot flew in to the bottom corner to give United a one goal advantage in the second leg.

A Two goal victory in Germany has set up a semi final Manchester United. Milan did the hard work in the first half and were two up in half an hour.

The first goal was scored by dutch veteran Clarence Seedorf with Milan’s first shot on goal, with a shot from the edge of the area. Just four minutes later Filippo Inzaghi finishing a fantastic move by Gattuso and Seedorf.

The home side tried to get on the score sheet, Van Bommel missed an abundance of opportunities but could not find a path to the back of the net.

AS Roma travelled to Old Trafford with a one goal advantage after the bloody first leg in Rome, and many pundits thought that the game would be explosive for all the non-footballing reasons. The Manchester United players had other ideas, within twenty minutes they were winning 3-0 with goals from three different players.

The first came from the unlikely source of Michael Carrick who coolly chipped the ball in to the goal from twenty-five yards. Five minutes later Alan Smith joined him on the score sheet. His strike from the edge of the box was a fitting end to a United move that fluidly moved from end to end. Roma were reeling and again the United players took advantage just two minutes after the game was restarted Ryan Giggs broke down the right to put a low cross into the box which found its way into the back of the net via the boot of Wayne Rooney and the post.

Roma were not playing like a disciplined Italian side with a well-marshalled defence. To compare their poor performance to that of a pub team would only be an injustice to the description of the standard of pub league football.

Cristiano Ronaldo grabbed a brace one either side of the half time interval. Another splendid pass from Ryan Giggs allowed Ronaldo to strike from the edge of the Roma box in to Doni’s goal just before the break. Giggs was provider for Ronaldo again four minutes into the second half with another low cross that Ronaldo dispatched for his second of the night.

Michael Carrick made it 6-0 on the hour when he guided the ball in to the top left hand corner of Doni’s goal with a majestic twenty-five yard strike.

Roma managed to score a consolation goal when De Rossi cushioned a Francesco Totti cross from the right wing, in to the United goal at the near post.

Substitute Patrice Evra registered number seven in the final ten minutes his shot finding its way to the back of the net off the post.

United will face either AC Milan or Bayern Munich in the next round, they will not be looking forward to the prospect of facing the former Champions League Champions in the semi finals.

United midfielder Paul Scholes was sent off for the second time in four games for two yellow card offences just thirty four minutes in to the game. The first was a nasty two footed tackle which he could have been sent off for, the second was given when Italian forward Francesco Totti through himself over Scholes outstretched leg. It was a harsh decision that would cost United on the night.

Roma needed just ten minutes to engineer the space required to allow them to score the opening goal. Taddei scoring from the middle of the Manchester United penalty area with the help of a deflection from a United defender.

United continued to battle on and off the pitch against the Italians, the players against the treat posed by AS Roma and the fans against the relentless beatings being offered by the Italian Police. During half time the Police set upon the United fans who were being provoked through a Perspex fence by the Roma Ultras. Another demonstration of needless violence in Italian football, not what one would expect from the home of the world champions.

Rooney ended his goal drought to bring the Red Devils level on the hour. However it was not enough as substitute Vucinic scored just five minutes after being introduced to give the home side the lead before the return leg in Old Trafford.

There will be an investigation in to the violence which could see one of the sides removed from the competition.

Having gone behind twice either side of half time the Germans had to rely on the goal scoring of Daniel Van Buyten to keep them in the tie. The home side went ahead when Pirlo scored five minutes before half time. It took another forty minutes of play for the visitors to draw level through the first of Van Buyten’s goals.

Then a poor decision from the referee awarded Milan a Penalty kick when the crowd and television audiences all believed that the ball had gone out for a corner. Brazilian playmaker Kaka stepped up to convert the spot-kick and put his side back in front.

Justice was served in injury time when defender Van Buyten finished from close range to give the visitors the away goal advantage for the return leg next week.

Looking for 2007 UEFA Cup Quarter-final and Semi-Final Draw?

The Managers of England’s top three clubs should be happy with the quarter final draw for the Champions League. The open draw has given them all fixtures against foreign opposition. Liverpool will travel to Eindhoven to play PSV, Manchester United have a tough trip to Roma for the first leg and Chelsea will host Valencia.

The draw for the semi-finals was also made in Athens this morning and it has set up a possible clash between Liverpool and Chelsea should they beat their respective quarter-final opponents.

Manchester United could face another Italian side in the semi-final if they manage to get past Roma without the services of Louis Saha (injury) and Henrik Larsson (End Of Loan). Alternatively they could have a replay of the 1999 Champions League final against Bayern Munich when they won the game in injury time.

The full draw for the 2007 UEFA Champions League Quarter Final and Semi Final is as follows.

Quarter-final draw: ?
Milan v Bayern Munich
PSV Eindhoven v Liverpool
Roma v Manchester United
Chelsea v Valencia

Ties to be played on 3/4 April and 10/11 April.

Semi-final draw:
Chelsea or Valencia v PSV Eindhoven v Liverpool
Roma or Manchester United v Milan or Bayern Munich

Ties to be played on 24/25 April and 1/2 May