[h=1]Bayern Munich's move for Dale Jennings spreads cheer at Tranmere[/h] The transfer of the 18-year-old from Tranmere to Bayern Munich invites the question, how the hell did that happen?
Dale Jennings is expected to sign for Bayern Munich in a deal which could earn Tranmere nearly £2m. Photograph: Paul Thomas/Action Images
The transfer will not be the most expensive of the summer, it will have no bearing on the destiny of the Premier League title and it will not insult the intelligence with heartfelt pleas to be closer to home or the kids. But it is still the most intriguing that English football has to offer. Take a bow Dale Jennings, the forward Liverpool rejected at 15 and who, three years and 30 appearances for Tranmere Rovers later, is on the verge of joining the four-time European champions Bayern Munich. Jennings will undergo a medical in Munich on Wednesday and minus any unforeseen hitches, sign for the giants of Germany in a deal worth an initial £600,000 to Tranmere. Once add-ons are included, involving the 18-year-old signing senior professional forms for Bayern and appearing for the first team, the deal could rise to £1.8m. It is a transfer that reflects the teenager's natural talent, his willingness to listen to Tranmere's youth coaches and his impact upon making the first team last September, one month before signing his first professional contract. It also invites the question, how the hell did that happen?
Bayern have no dedicated scouting network in England. To be more precise, they have no dedicated scout to monitor the Premier League, never mind a teenager in his debut season in League One. Yet they expect to beat the host of Premier League and Championship clubs who parked their scouts at Prenton Park last season to the signature of a player named League One's Apprentice of the Year. The reason could lie with the former Bayern Munich, Newcastle and Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamann. Hamann stepped out of retirement to make 13 appearances for MK Dons last season. His final start for the club, and in English football, came in a 4-2 defeat at Tranmere in October when Jennings scored twice in a display that encouraged seasoned Rovers' observers to draw comparisons with their last great discovery, Steve Coppell. Around the same time Bayern's general manager Christian Nerlinger, a close friend of Hamann, began visiting Merseyside on a fruitless mission to persuade Leighton Baines to leave Everton for the Bundesliga. During one trip Hamann told Nerlinger of the principal reason for his ordeal at Tranmere the veteran was substituted at half-time and German interest in Jennings was under way. Bayern were almost beaten to the quick, skilful forward in January when a Premier League club, believed to be West Ham United, tried and failed with a straight £600,000 bid. Bayern's original offer to hand Jennings a trial in Bavaria at the end of last season was also rejected by Tranmere, who are £6m in debt but under no pressure to offer favours. A deal was finally agreed between the clubs on Monday. Les Parry, the Tranmere manager, said: "I don't want to overstate it but this is one of the biggest transfers in a long, long time. I know money-wise there have been bigger ones but you'd really have to rack your brain to think of an 18-year-old player from England who has been taken to one of the European giants like this. It is a massive, massive move for Dale, for Tranmere Rovers and for English football if it does go through. "I know it's money for the club but I don't want to be seen to be making him do something he doesn't want to do. He said he'd love to go and it is a massive club. He's a quiet lad and doesn't speak much, so the German is not going to be a problem. He can mutter in German as well as he can mutter in English." Nerlinger has stated Jennings will initially join Bayern's second team, who were relegated to the fourth tier of German football last season and are investing in an immediate return to the more competitive 3rd Liga. It is a remarkable journey regardless, with the Tranmere player struggling to recapture his early season form once he recovered from a groin injury, necessitating a six-week lay-off, in March and ending the campaign with six goals. After a difficult time while at Liverpool Jennings prospered in Tranmere's youth academy, which provides a contrast in resources and the number of players it can afford to place on the production line. "Dale deserves credit for turning his career around," says Shaun Garnett, the former Tranmere defender and now the club's head of youth and centre of excellence. "He has dealt with rejection, broke into the Tranmere first team at 17 and could sign for Bayern Munich at 18. That just shows what smaller clubs can do. "We can't compete with the big boys and to play for Everton, Liverpool or Manchester United must be fantastic, but we can offer a route to the top and to have a player sign for Bayern Munich would be fantastic for the club and for the youth set-up. Dale is an exciting player and yYou could see he was a talented boy straight away. He wants to express himself on the pitch and part of his armoury is that you don't know what he is going to do next."
[h=1]Liverpool agree £7.5m fee with Blackpool for Charlie Adam[/h] • Scotland international set to complete move
• Roma's Doni also heading for Anfield, says agent
Liverpool are set to sign Blackpool's Charlie Adam. Photograph: Action Images
Liverpool's six-month pursuit of Charlie Adam is almost over after they agreed a fee with Blackpool for the midfielder.
After weeks of negotiation, a deal understood to be worth £7.5m, rising to £8m based on appearances, has been agreed. A proposal to include loan moves for two Liverpool players was not part of the final agreement.
A Liverpool statement said: "Liverpool Football Club today announced they have reached agreement with Blackpool for the transfer of Charlie Adam. The player will now travel to Merseyside for a medical and to discuss personal terms."
In January Liverpool had two bids – the highest worth £6.5m – rejected by Blackpool, who were keen to hang on to their captain for their relegation battle, which ultimately proved unsuccessful. Liverpool reopened negotiations at the end of the season but struggled to agree a fee for a player, who had only 12 months left on his contract.
Adam will become Kenny Dalglish's second signing of the summer following the £16m deal for Sunderland's Jordan Henderson. The third may be Roma's goalkeeper Alexander Doni, whose agent said he expects his client to move to Anfield before the weekend.
Ovidio Colucci said: "In the next 36 hours we will know something definite. Liverpool are interested in Doni and there is the agreement between the two clubs and with the player. Doni is in Italy right now.
"We just have to ratify certain details with Roma. If the deal is completed, Doni will join Liverpool on a free transfer and will sign a two-year contract. Doni is very happy with the chance to play in the Premier League."
Liverpool have also confirmed that their England international defender Glen Johnson has signed a contract extension.
The club's director of football, Damien Comolli, said: "His best years are to come. Very often defenders peak between 26 and 31, so he is just entering into those years where a maturity comes in and his knowledge of the game gets better and better. We are happy his long-term future is at Liverpool."
Juan Mata's reaction after being told he is Liverpool's second choice behind Stewart Downing. Photograph: Jose Jordan/AFP/Getty Images
Carlos Tevez may or may not be considering a move to Spain or Italy in order to be a very little bit closer to his family in Argentina but the suggestion that he is justifies the Mill's decision to coin the Carlos Tevez Syndrome, of which we find several other suspected sufferers today. Asamoah Gyan, for instance, is believed to have added Stoke City to the list of possible destinations as he seeks to leave Sunderland because candystriped jerseys don't agree with him; Gabriel Agbonlahor is excited about the (remote) possibility of moving to Paris Saint-Germain because he has always wanted to live by the coast; and PaulKonchesky is determined to reject all moves away from Liverpool because he wants first-team football. Speaking of Liverpool, as the Mill has been warned it must do on a daily basis in order to pre-empt a hysterical internet campaign condemning a blatant pro-Manchester United bias, word is Kenny Dalglish will switch his affection from Stewart Downing to Spanish conjurer Juan Mata after Aston Villa rejected his £15m bid. Dalglish is also weighing up an offer for Monaco's South Korean striker Park Chu-Young, who is being coveted by Milan, amongst others, but has his heart set on Anfield because he has been a Liverpool fan ever since he was in nappies with Frode Kippe-branded nappies. Meanwhile, reports in France claim that PSG have offered Guillaume Hoarau to Liverpool and two other unnamed English clubs, though why they think Liverpool would want a 27-year-old striker with a patchy goal-scoring record and wavering relevance to matches is not clear. It's as if something has convinced PSG that Liverpool are absolute mugs in the transfer market yet there is no obvious reason why they would think this? Isn't that right, David Ngog? West Ham are a club that get far more coverage than they deserve and, as such, will no doubt turn the next Championship season into a particularly low-rent version of I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! Apparently Niko Kranjcar's desperation for a match means he would like to go there all the same, but Spurs have placed a £12m price tag in his path, causing an impasse that suits no one. Harry Redknapp, meanwhile, is preparing to freshen up his bench with Joe Cole and revamp his defence with both Roger Johnson and Christopher Samba, if only to provoke jealous sobbing from Arsenal fans. The exodus from Arsenal, meanwhile, will continue with the sale of … a player whom the Mill assumed had left long ago: yes, Armand Traoré could be on his way to Hamburg or Werder Bremen: Arsène Wenger's reign is coming apart at the seams! The club's in meltdown! Will they even have 11 players by the time the season starts? And so on and so forth. Mind you, no one seems to have told Leighton Baines, who at this very moment may be slipping into his car and preparing to guide it to the Emirates with the same precision he uses to send crosses into the box. Could it be that Wenger really is about to dramatically alter his erstwhile policy and splash out? And, what's more, actually encourage Arsenal to stick in crosses? Much more in keeping with Wenger's recent behaviour, no doubt, would be a move for QPR trickster Adel Taarabt, who is exactly the sort of player that Arsenal don't need but is, according to TalkSport, a genuine target for the club. The Sun, meanwhile, reckon that Inter's Thiago Motta is the man to replace Cesc Fábregas, who – and this is a Mill exclusive – today finds himself the subject of a sensational link with Barcelona. Gervinho, meanwhile, is in London today to talk about all of this and much more with Wenger.
Falcao is on his way to Stamford Bridge, perhaps to perform a reprise of his almost-forgotten hit single Rock me, André Villa-Boas. Manchester United … Wesley Sneijder … you know the story. West Brom want Shane Long but not at £10m. Finally, one-time in-house resident of the Mill, Franck Ribéry, returns to his jaded old stomping ground today to scoff at reports of an imminent move to Newcastle.
Juan Mata's reaction after being told he is Liverpool's second choice behind Stewart Downing. Photograph: Jose Jordan/AFP/Getty Images
Carlos Tevez may or may not be considering a move to Spain or Italy in order to be a very little bit closer to his family in Argentina but the suggestion that he is justifies the Mill's decision to coin the Carlos Tevez Syndrome, of which we find several other suspected sufferers today. Asamoah Gyan, for instance, is believed to have added Stoke City to the list of possible destinations as he seeks to leave Sunderland because candystriped jerseys don't agree with him; Gabriel Agbonlahor is excited about the (remote) possibility of moving to Paris Saint-Germain because he has always wanted to live by the coast; and PaulKonchesky is determined to reject all moves away from Liverpool because he wants first-team football. Speaking of Liverpool, as the Mill has been warned it must do on a daily basis in order to pre-empt a hysterical internet campaign condemning a blatant pro-Manchester United bias, word is Kenny Dalglish will switch his affection from Stewart Downing to Spanish conjurer Juan Mata after Aston Villa rejected his £15m bid. Dalglish is also weighing up an offer for Monaco's South Korean striker Park Chu-Young, who is being coveted by Milan, amongst others, but has his heart set on Anfield because he has been a Liverpool fan ever since he was in nappies with Frode Kippe-branded nappies. Meanwhile, reports in France claim that PSG have offered Guillaume Hoarau to Liverpool and two other unnamed English clubs, though why they think Liverpool would want a 27-year-old striker with a patchy goal-scoring record and wavering relevance to matches is not clear. It's as if something has convinced PSG that Liverpool are absolute mugs in the transfer market yet there is no obvious reason why they would think this? Isn't that right, David Ngog? West Ham are a club that get far more coverage than they deserve and, as such, will no doubt turn the next Championship season into a particularly low-rent version of I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! Apparently Niko Kranjcar's desperation for a match means he would like to go there all the same, but Spurs have placed a £12m price tag in his path, causing an impasse that suits no one. Harry Redknapp, meanwhile, is preparing to freshen up his bench with Joe Cole and revamp his defence with both Roger Johnson and Christopher Samba, if only to provoke jealous sobbing from Arsenal fans. The exodus from Arsenal, meanwhile, will continue with the sale of a player whom the Mill assumed had left long ago: yes, Armand Traoré could be on his way to Hamburg or Werder Bremen: Arsène Wenger's reign is coming apart at the seams! The club's in meltdown! Will they even have 11 players by the time the season starts? And so on and so forth. Mind you, no one seems to have told Leighton Baines, who at this very moment may be slipping into his car and preparing to guide it to the Emirates with the same precision he uses to send crosses into the box. Could it be that Wenger really is about to dramatically alter his erstwhile policy and splash out? And, what's more, actually encourage Arsenal to stick in crosses? Much more in keeping with Wenger's recent behaviour, no doubt, would be a move for QPR trickster Adel Taarabt, who is exactly the sort of player that Arsenal don't need but is, according to TalkSport, a genuine target for the club. The Sun, meanwhile, reckon that Inter's Thiago Motta is the man to replace Cesc Fábregas, who and this is a Mill exclusive today finds himself the subject of a sensational link with Barcelona. Gervinho, meanwhile, is in London today to talk about all of this and much more with Wenger.
Falcao is on his way to Stamford Bridge, perhaps to perform a reprise of his almost-forgotten hit single Rock me, André Villa-Boas. Manchester United Wesley Sneijder you know the story. West Brom want Shane Long but not at £10m. Finally, one-time in-house resident of the Mill, Franck Ribéry, returns to his jaded old stomping ground today to scoff at reports of an imminent move to Newcastle.
[h=1]Manchester United's £20m offer for Samir Nasri is rejected by Arsenal[/h] • Arsenal tell United they will not sell for less than £25m
• Nasri due to return to training on Thursday
Manchester City, Chelsea and Inter may also make bids for Samir Nasri after hearing of United's £20m offer. Photograph: Kerim Okten/EPA
Arsenal have turned down Manchester United's opening offer for Samir Nasri and told the champions they will not sell the Frenchman unless they receive a bid of at least £25m. United must now decide whether they are willing to meet the asking price and put together an improved financial package after it emerged on Wednesday they had placed an offer of just under £20m two weeks ago. The clubs had agreed at the time not to publicise the bid but it is now clear that United, having already spent £50m on Phil Jones, David de Gea and Ashley Young, have made the first decisive move towards bringing Nasri to Old Trafford and reinforcing their position as the major force in the summer transfer market so far. At the same time, they are threatening to make it an even more traumatic summer for Arsène Wenger, who is already faced by the near-certainty of Cesc Fábregas's departure to Barcelona and now confronted by the distinct possibility of losing another of his key players. Nasri is due to return to Arsenal for pre-season training on Thursday and the expectation is that the 24-year-old, in the final year of his contract, will inform the club he wants to leave. Arsenal are willing to award him a vastly improved salary but they will still find it difficult to compete with the money on offer from Old Trafford. The news of United's bid may trigger counter-offers from Manchester City, Internazionale and Chelsea, who have monitored Nasri's potential availability and are weighing up whether to turn their interest into something more concrete. City distanced themselves from reports last week they had made a £20m bid, saying there had been no talks between themselves and Arsenal and that, at that stage, none were planned. They are, however, reconsidering their options after the failed move for Alexis Sánchez of Udinese. Should they decide to compete against United, City would also be confident they have the financial power to offer Nasri the best deal. The difficulty for Arsenal is that Nasri will be available as a free transfer in a year's time and, unless he signs a new contract, his value will start to depreciate sharply. Wenger, therefore, must decide whether it would be better for the club to cash in on the player and put the money towards rebuilding.
[h=1]Manchester United's £20m offer for Samir Nasri is rejected by Arsenal[/h] Arsenal tell United they will not sell for less than £25m
Nasri due to return to training on Thursday
Manchester City, Chelsea and Inter may also make bids for Samir Nasri after hearing of United's £20m offer. Photograph: Kerim Okten/EPA
Arsenal have turned down Manchester United's opening offer for Samir Nasri and told the champions they will not sell the Frenchman unless they receive a bid of at least £25m. United must now decide whether they are willing to meet the asking price and put together an improved financial package after it emerged on Wednesday they had placed an offer of just under £20m two weeks ago. The clubs had agreed at the time not to publicise the bid but it is now clear that United, having already spent £50m on Phil Jones, David de Gea and Ashley Young, have made the first decisive move towards bringing Nasri to Old Trafford and reinforcing their position as the major force in the summer transfer market so far. At the same time, they are threatening to make it an even more traumatic summer for Arsène Wenger, who is already faced by the near-certainty of Cesc Fábregas's departure to Barcelona and now confronted by the distinct possibility of losing another of his key players. Nasri is due to return to Arsenal for pre-season training on Thursday and the expectation is that the 24-year-old, in the final year of his contract, will inform the club he wants to leave. Arsenal are willing to award him a vastly improved salary but they will still find it difficult to compete with the money on offer from Old Trafford. The news of United's bid may trigger counter-offers from Manchester City, Internazionale and Chelsea, who have monitored Nasri's potential availability and are weighing up whether to turn their interest into something more concrete. City distanced themselves from reports last week they had made a £20m bid, saying there had been no talks between themselves and Arsenal and that, at that stage, none were planned. They are, however, reconsidering their options after the failed move for Alexis Sánchez of Udinese. Should they decide to compete against United, City would also be confident they have the financial power to offer Nasri the best deal. The difficulty for Arsenal is that Nasri will be available as a free transfer in a year's time and, unless he signs a new contract, his value will start to depreciate sharply. Wenger, therefore, must decide whether it would be better for the club to cash in on the player and put the money towards rebuilding.
[h=1]Barcelona play hardball with Arsenal over Cesc Fábregas deal[/h] • European champions happy to play waiting game
• Gunners expected to unveil £11m Gervinho
Arsenal's Cesc Fábregas enjoys a kickaround during his children's campus academy in Tordera, Barcelona, on 29 June. Photograph: Alejandro Garcia/EPA
Cesc Fábregas's hopes of a swift resolution to talks between Arsenal and Barcelona over his return to Spainappear to have been dashed after the European champions indicated they would be willing to wait until transfer deadline day to complete his signing. The clubs remain significantly apart in their valuation of the 24-year-old, with Barcelona insistent that the fees they feel they were due when losing the teenagers Jon Toral and Hector Bellerin to the Gunners in May, for a compensation package amounting to £600,000, should be built into any deal for Fábregas. Neither club has indicated a willingness to back down and Barça, who have now effectively had two bids this summer fall well short of Arsenal's £40m price, are now apparently content to wait to secure their target. "The experience of the last few years, and of last season, shows us that we have right up until the last minute before the season starts [to sign players]," said the Barcelona vice-president, Josep Bartomeu, who signed Javier Mascherano from Liverpool three days before the cut-off in August 2010. "We made signings very late last season. We have the best team in the world, so we can afford to be patient. There is no rush. We have until the last minute." Asked about the danger of Arsenal accepting a higher bid for Fábregas, most likely from Real Madrid, who have indicated a willingness to pay up to £45m, Bartomeu said: "We are well aware that there are other clubs who can spend more money than us. But we will continue on our own path without paying too much attention to what others are doing." That willingness to wait will dismay Fábregas, who is contracted to the Londoners until 2015 but had hoped to see a return to his boyhood club smoothed before the weekend, when Arsenal depart on a commercially driven tour of Malaysia and China. TheSpain midfielder will not be with the senior squad on that two-match outing as he isstill suffering from a hamstring strain picked up over the summer, but will instead remain at London Colney undertaking gym work with his personal trainer. Yet there is confidence behind the scenes at Barcelona that a deal will be struck in this transfer window, with the Catalans having come so close to re‑signing Fábregas last summer only for the move to be vetoed at the last by Arsène Wenger. The club's president, Sandro Rosell, said on Wednesday that they would "let things run their course and hope they go in our favour", although his right-back, Daniel Alves, was less cryptic when interviewed by the local radio station, RAC1. "I am convinced Cesc will join us. Arsenal are tourist class. Barcelona are in business class and any player would want to join us." While the player's desire to leave is clear, Arsenal will resist selling him at what they consider to be a knockdown price, however, with negotiations between the clubs now likely to drag on in the hope a compromise can yet be reached. "I would say that 90% of the players in the world who are really worth signing are already at the club," said the Barçca sporting director, Andoni Zubizarreta. "We have the top three from the balon d'or from last year, after all. Just because we are not making headlines every day can make it seem as if we are not doing anything, but there are other ways of working that are not so visible." The Gunners may be firmer still in their resolution to retain Sami Nasri, who is due back forpre-season training on Thursday and will be on the flight to Kuala Lumpur on Sunday. The Londoners remain braced for Manchester United to formalise their interest in the Frenchman, who has indicated an unwillingness to sign a new five-year contract at the Emirates stadium worthsome £90,000 a week, but would only consider bids of around £25m for the 24-year-old even though he has entered the last 12 months of his current deal.
Manchester City and Chelsea are monitoring Nasri's situation in north London, although Arsène Wenger is reluctant to lose the player to a domestic rival. The manager hopes to introduce Gervinho, the Ivory Coast forward, to his playing staff on Thursday after the player underwent a medical ahead of an £11m move from the French champions, Lille. Gervinho has agreed terms on a four-year deal and may yet be followed by the Valencia winger Juan Mata.
Arsenal are the Spain international's principal suitor, with Liverpool's interest having waned, and would cost around £20m. The player currently earns around £30,000 a week in Spain and could be offered a significant increase to bolster the Londoners' attacking options.
[h=1]Barcelona play hardball with Arsenal over Cesc Fábregas deal[/h] European champions happy to play waiting game
Gunners expected to unveil £11m Gervinho
Arsenal's Cesc Fábregas enjoys a kickaround during his children's campus academy in Tordera, Barcelona, on 29 June. Photograph: Alejandro Garcia/EPA
Cesc Fábregas's hopes of a swift resolution to talks between Arsenal and Barcelona over his return to Spainappear to have been dashed after the European champions indicated they would be willing to wait until transfer deadline day to complete his signing. The clubs remain significantly apart in their valuation of the 24-year-old, with Barcelona insistent that the fees they feel they were due when losing the teenagers Jon Toral and Hector Bellerin to the Gunners in May, for a compensation package amounting to £600,000, should be built into any deal for Fábregas. Neither club has indicated a willingness to back down and Barça, who have now effectively had two bids this summer fall well short of Arsenal's £40m price, are now apparently content to wait to secure their target. "The experience of the last few years, and of last season, shows us that we have right up until the last minute before the season starts [to sign players]," said the Barcelona vice-president, Josep Bartomeu, who signed Javier Mascherano from Liverpool three days before the cut-off in August 2010. "We made signings very late last season. We have the best team in the world, so we can afford to be patient. There is no rush. We have until the last minute." Asked about the danger of Arsenal accepting a higher bid for Fábregas, most likely from Real Madrid, who have indicated a willingness to pay up to £45m, Bartomeu said: "We are well aware that there are other clubs who can spend more money than us. But we will continue on our own path without paying too much attention to what others are doing." That willingness to wait will dismay Fábregas, who is contracted to the Londoners until 2015 but had hoped to see a return to his boyhood club smoothed before the weekend, when Arsenal depart on a commercially driven tour of Malaysia and China. TheSpain midfielder will not be with the senior squad on that two-match outing as he isstill suffering from a hamstring strain picked up over the summer, but will instead remain at London Colney undertaking gym work with his personal trainer. Yet there is confidence behind the scenes at Barcelona that a deal will be struck in this transfer window, with the Catalans having come so close to re‑signing Fábregas last summer only for the move to be vetoed at the last by Arsène Wenger. The club's president, Sandro Rosell, said on Wednesday that they would "let things run their course and hope they go in our favour", although his right-back, Daniel Alves, was less cryptic when interviewed by the local radio station, RAC1. "I am convinced Cesc will join us. Arsenal are tourist class. Barcelona are in business class and any player would want to join us." While the player's desire to leave is clear, Arsenal will resist selling him at what they consider to be a knockdown price, however, with negotiations between the clubs now likely to drag on in the hope a compromise can yet be reached. "I would say that 90% of the players in the world who are really worth signing are already at the club," said the Barçca sporting director, Andoni Zubizarreta. "We have the top three from the balon d'or from last year, after all. Just because we are not making headlines every day can make it seem as if we are not doing anything, but there are other ways of working that are not so visible." The Gunners may be firmer still in their resolution to retain Sami Nasri, who is due back forpre-season training on Thursday and will be on the flight to Kuala Lumpur on Sunday. The Londoners remain braced for Manchester United to formalise their interest in the Frenchman, who has indicated an unwillingness to sign a new five-year contract at the Emirates stadium worthsome £90,000 a week, but would only consider bids of around £25m for the 24-year-old even though he has entered the last 12 months of his current deal.
Manchester City and Chelsea are monitoring Nasri's situation in north London, although Arsène Wenger is reluctant to lose the player to a domestic rival. The manager hopes to introduce Gervinho, the Ivory Coast forward, to his playing staff on Thursday after the player underwent a medical ahead of an £11m move from the French champions, Lille. Gervinho has agreed terms on a four-year deal and may yet be followed by the Valencia winger Juan Mata.
Arsenal are the Spain international's principal suitor, with Liverpool's interest having waned, and would cost around £20m. The player currently earns around £30,000 a week in Spain and could be offered a significant increase to bolster the Londoners' attacking options.
[h=1]Wolves replace sweat with science in new take on pre-season training[/h] Premier League teams are making more use of sports scientists and fitness experts as they look to optimise their conditioning work before the new season
The Wolves manager, Mick McCarthy, watches his players perform an exercise during pre-season training. Photograph: Sam Bagnall
Mick McCarthy laughs as he recalls one of his early pre-season memories as a player with Barnsley. "It's a bit of a legendary story this one," the Wolverhampton Wanderers manager says, smiling. "We were doing a road run and we ran so far in Barnsley that a few of us got lost. As we had fallen such a long way behind the others, a small group of us decided to hitch a lift back to the ground. By the time everyone else got back, me and three others were already in the bath."
It is a stunt that a few have tried over the years, although there was no chance of anyone in the Wolves squad repeating the trick during their pre-season training camp in Ireland this week.
The days of gruelling long-distance road runs are a thing of the past because of the growing influence of sports science, while the introduction of state-of-the-art technology, including GPS tracking devices, means that there is no hiding place on the training ground, let alone in the back seat of a passing car.
This week the Guardian spent a day with Wolves in the grounds of the luxurious Carton House Hotel in Maynooth, near Dublin, where the Midlands club have started their preparations for the new season.
The behind-the-scenes access provided a fascinating insight into the way that a Premier League club approaches pre-season training, revealing just how much the landscape has changed, including the sort of attention to detail that would have been unimaginable only a few years ago.
One of the most significant factors driving the shift in emphasis is that it is often a fitness coach, rather than the manager or his assistant, that takes the first couple of weeks of pre-season training. "I almost feel like I'm pinching a living during the first fortnight," Terry Connor, McCarthy's assistant, says as we walk down to the training pitches, where Tony Daley, the former Aston Villa and England winger who is Wolves' fitness and conditioning coach, is setting up the equipment for his second session of the morning.
The Wolves players, who were in the gym between 8.30 and 9.30am lifting leg weights, step on to the scales, which they do before and after every training session to monitor fluid loss. They are then issued with their heart-rate monitors and GPS units, which are linked to a laptop on the side of the training pitch that provides real-time results. It is an incredible tool that is used by the top clubs in Europe and allows coaches to access a broad range of data on every player at the touch of a button.
"GPS is a big thing at the moment, in terms of finding out the intensity players are working at, what distances they are covering and comparing that with their Prozone stats in games," Daley says. "If, for instance, we know that Christophe Berra covers 9km in a game and he only does 250m of that as high-intensity runs, then why are we, as a club, asking him to cover distances much different to that in training? We want to replicate in training what players are doing in matches."
This also helps to explain why the longest run that the Wolves players will do during pre-season will last no longer than three minutes. "Players don't run for 25 minutes at a time, it's stop-start and it's all about recovery," Daley says.
One of the other reasons that players have stopped plodding around for mile after mile, Daley says, is that runs of that nature were designed to shed a few pounds and get players back into shape. The Wolves players, however, are never out of shape.
Daley tells them to take a complete break for a fortnight at the end of the season but for the next four weeks they are expected to train every other day for about 45 minutes. It is easy to see whether or not they have been following the programme because they undergo four different physical tests four times a year, including at the start and end of the season, measuring their speed and agility, fatigue levels after sprinting, leg strength and aerobic capacity. Anyone whose results appear outside their normal range will stand out like a beacon.
Not that there is much chance of that happening. "I think the players are so much more professional now, and you can probably put that down to the foreigners that have come into the game," Karl Henry, the Wolves captain, says. "Before they came over, I think the drinking culture in the older players was something that was quite widespread, and people would come back out of shape, whereas now people come back and are weighing in at the same weight as they were when they left."
Henry has just finished several attempts at the speed and agility test, which requires players to sprint around four cones, laid out in a T-shape, in about nine seconds. Daley shouts out the times, which are all logged, as the players cross the line.
It is quite a contrast from the days when Henry remembers "running myself into the ground" as a youngster at Stoke. "It's still hard now but it's much more specific," he adds. "There's nothing specific about running up a hill or in a forest for a day and killing ourselves."
Having been split into two groups, the remainder of the Wolves players are taking part in games of head-tennis before they swap over to the physical work. The atmosphere is fairly relaxed, although the club's match analyst, James Lovell, who has been given the thankless task of refereeing, could do with some help from Hawk-Eye to prove to George Elokobi that he is not giving all the debatable points to the other team just because McCarthy is on their side. "You're not watching the game," barks Elokobi, much to the amusement of everyone else.
There was a time when McCarthy would have had a whistle around his neck and a stopwatch in his hand during pre-season but those days are long gone. "I've got guys who have gone to university and studied sports science and strength and conditioning," McCarthy says.
"Tony Daley is brilliant and so is Steve Kemp, the physio, and Matt Perry, the doctor. They head that team and I let them run it. And why would I not listen to them? It's like getting a builder in to do your house and then telling him how to do it. It's just not right."
McCarthy smiles when asked about some of the methods of yesteryear. "I remember being given salt tablets and told that would stop me getting cramp. Well, actually, stopping running seven miles in a morning would have stopped me getting cramp.
"It's more structured and scientific now. I've no doubt when I was doing pre-season my managers would have had it all planned what we were going to do: running, weight sessions, press-ups and sit-ups. But it just appeared that we always did it to exhaustion; players being sick. I've never seen players here being sick."
Training finishes at midday, giving the players an hour break before lunch and then a further two hours before they return for the tougher afternoon session.
When they come back they are once again divided into two groups, half of them starting off with Daley. A large square is set out for them to run around with a ball at their feet, dinking it over hurdles and dribbling around cones. By introducing the ball to a physical exercise the players have to maintain their technique while becoming fatigued. They work for four minutes before swapping over, completing the exercise three times in total.
The others are working with Connor, who stations half a dozen of them on the outside of a small grid and tasks them with keeping the ball from the two in the middle. The ball fizzes around, leaving Dave Edwards and Berra chasing shadows, before a few wayward passes prompt Connor to remind the players that, although pre-season has only just got under way, he still expects high standards. "I am not going to start chewing on my first day but I will get ratty," the Wolves assistant says.
All the while Neil Dallaway, who has recently joined the club as a GPS analyst intern, is standing over the laptop on the edge of the pitch, scanning his eyes across the figures that the small units on each player's back are registering with every step that they take. As the data is instant, it means that Daley can run across and take a quick look to check that the session is having the desired effect. "That's just what I was after," he says, after asking to take a look at a few of the players' heart rates.
Daley points out that "sport science doesn't rule the training field" but he also appreciates the value of using the technology to support his work. "It's a great tool," he says, "and the players have bought into it. We produce a rough report after every training session and it says distance covered, what their heart rate was, sprint distances. And, although it's not intended to be a competition, it becomes like that, because you hear players saying: 'I did X amount'. It's really about educating them. Some aren't bothered about it, but others will want to know why their stats are different to someone else's."
Kevin Doyle is one of those. The Irishman wanders over to Dallaway to inquire about his heart rate and how that compares with the other players after the first of three 800m runs that have to be completed in under three minutes, with a three-minute rest in between. It is the last exercise and the hardest part of the day by far. By the time the second run is over, there are a few people bent over, no doubt wishing there was not another 800m to come. "Come on lads, one more," Sylvan Ebanks-Blake says, trying to lift the mood.
Andy Keogh, Elokobi and Henry seem to be the pick of the runners, although there is little to choose between them, which is credit to someone like Jody Craddock, who turns 36 this month and is taking part in his 19th pre-season. "That was quite hard this afternoon," Craddock says after the players have finished their warm-down. "The running with the ball is designed to keep your concentration when you're a bit tired. It wasn't too hard – it's only the second day. We did the 800m and we'd knocked 30 seconds off each run from the day before. But it will get harder."
Not as tough, though, as when he started out with Cambridge United, in 1993. "One of the first few pre-seasons with Cambridge we would go to an army camp for a week. It was like you see in films – a lot of shouting, graft, running with logs on your shoulders, until they break you basically. And here we are now with everyone wearing heart monitors. It's beneficial to the player; they can take you to your limit and then hold you there as long as they want without pushing you over. I think the tendency when you were younger was to do too much too soon, because it wasn't monitored, and then you couldn't walk for a week with sore legs and blisters."
Any of the Wolves players who have aches and pains after the end of their second day of pre-season have the medical staff on hand to offer them a massage. Most, however, are just keen to get back to their rooms and cross off another training session. "Pre-season is the one horrible part of being a footballer, and some of the runs are terrible but look at the facilities here," Henry says, surveying the surroundings. "We are here on a lovely day with nice pitches to train on. There's not much to moan about really."
[h=2]Training day[/h]Wolves' first week of pre-season training made summer holidays seem a distant memory 7-8am Light breakfast (optional) 8.30-9.30am Players report to gym and are divided into two groups, alternating between doing the jump test (measures leg strength) and a leg-weight session. Players given a protein recovery shake immediately afterwards 9.30-10.30am Breakfast (cereal/fruit/eggs) 11am – noon Stretching. Players divided into two groups, alternating between the T-test (speed/agility) and head-tennis 1pm Lunch (carbohydrate and protein-based) 3.15pm-3.35pm Dynamic stretching session (on the move rather than static) 3.35pm Players divided into two groups, alternating between an endurance session with the ball (dribbling around cones, lifting it over hurdles and running with it at their feet for four minutes) and a keep-ball session, when they are, in effect, recovering from the other exercise. Three times through on each exercise 4.10pm-4.25pm Players have to complete three 800m runs each inside three minutes, with three minutes of rest in between the runs 4.25pm A 10-minute cool down followed by ice baths, massage and rest 6pm Dinner (carbohydrate and protein based) followed by rest for the players
[h=2]Tests and checks[/h]Heart-rate monitors and GPS
Heart-rate monitors have been used for some time but hi-tech GPS (Global Positioning System) units and the real-time software that come with them are not so common. The instant data that the GPS devices provide allows the coaches at Wolverhampton Wanderers to monitor the physical performance of their players on the training ground while the session is taking place and tailor training to replicate each player's work on a match day Close-season training
The Wolves players are told to take a complete break from exercise for two weeks at the end of the season, but they are given a programme to follow over the next four weeks that requires them to train for 45 minutes every other day, ensuring that they report back for pre-season in reasonable shape and close to their normal level of fitness Regular testing
Wolves carry out four tests four times a year – the start and end of pre-season, the end of December (depending on the match schedule) and the end of the season – to measure players' speed/agility, endurance, leg strength and aerobic capacity. The results are logged and the players are expected to stay within a specified range whenever tested Weighing and body-fat testing
The players are regularly weighed, including before and after each training session during pre-season, when the club monitor fluid loss. Measuring the players' body composition in millimetres gives the club an idea of lean-muscle mass and what percentage of their body is fat. The players are measured in eight areas and, as with the physical testing, need to maintain their target levels
[h=1]Why elite clubs are in a desperate hunt for rare midfield magicians[/h] Signing a player who can pick the lock is the most pressing task for clubs seeking to carry off silverware
The ability of Tottenham's Luka Modric to play attacking passes in the tightest of spaces has made him much sought after. Photograph: Ian Walton/Getty Images
The summer's transfer sagas are established and the most prized asset sought on the market is invention. Sir Alex Ferguson, drooling over the talents of Eric Cantona in 1996, had stressed "of all the many qualities a good team must possess, the supreme essential for me is penetration". The Frenchman was his "can opener". Those at the top still crave a player capable of prising opponents apart. It is an urgency that has dictated why Manchester United, the champions by nine points last term and European Cup finalists, were willing to bid £20m for Samir Nasri, a player they could potentially pick up for nothing in 12 months' time. It has similarly dictated Arsenal's financially risky policy of resisting the loss of such a performer to a direct rival, particularly if Cesc Fábregas does finally realise his aspiration to return to his boyhood club, Barcelona. Charlie Adam, a fine passer, has eventually been signed by Liverpool while the others to draw focus have been Luka Modric and Wesley Sneijder, a pair coveted by the top four. These are the talents able to combine vision with execution, playmakers that current employers will strive to retain and suitors will pursue remorselessly until the transfer window deadline on 31 August. There is an irony that a desire to recruit those capable of the unpredictable will be at the centre of an utterly predictable summer game of transfer cat and mouse. The desire to add invention is understandable. The established elite have grown used to confronting massed banks of opposing ranks in recent seasons with 4-5-1 the norm for clubs visiting the Emirates, Stamford Bridge, Eastlands and Old Trafford. Rivals largely seek to suffocate and stifle. The contenders are forever seeking to move the ball more quickly, with "tempo" the buzzword in the dug-outs, but need to retain the accuracy in delivery. Chelsea managed only 39 home goals last term, compared to 68 the previous year, and lacked an instigator to fire Fernando Torres. United desire spark to elevate them closer to Barça's enviable level. The Catalans have set the standard. Theirs is the blueprint of the moment: they are a side who shift the ball in a blur. It is only natural that this country's best should try to emulate what they witnessed at United's expense at Wembley back in May. Yet, by returning to pursue Fábregas, Pep Guardiola is moving on already: the Spain international would apparently be used at the tip of a diamond in a 3-4-3 aimed at unpicking stubborn opposition. Yet, even if the European champions are moving on, the rest are still clambering to catch up. That the playmakers being targeted are largely foreign should not come as a huge surprise. Jack Wilshere may be progressing impressively at Arsenal, and Josh McEachran quietly but assuredly at Chelsea, but English football has not been awash with inventive, home-grown talent in recent years. Paul Gascoigne, Paul Scholes and even Joe Cole stand out almost as exceptions among the swathe of industrious, box-to-box midfielders considered naturals for the domestic top flight. "We've always had individuals who've come through [the system] but I wouldn't say we've had many of that creative player who sits in behind a striker," says Gareth Southgate, the Football Association's head of elite development. "But then the Premier League, as a model, doesn't always lend itself to that type of player. It's different for our top clubs now when they play in European competition. But, for Premier League success, clubs haven't always encouraged that type of player to emerge. When we've imported those types Dennis Bergkamp, Gianfranco Zola they've been unbelievable. But, over a period of time, the likes of Wayne Rooney and Scholes have been the exceptions." That is a situation the FA is attempting to redress. Southgate was speaking while promoting the association's Your Kids, Your Say programme, with which he has been touring the country alongside the FA's national development manager, Nick Levett. The scheme recommends key changes to the game at grassroots level which would include preventing children playing 11-a-side matches until under-13 level. It will be put to the FA's voting shareholders at next May's annual general meeting with an aim to implement the proposals for the 2013‑14 season. There is evidence to suggest that reducing both the size of the pitches on which youngsters play, and the numbers in teams, will encourage the development of more skilful players who, by definition, will be more comfortable on the ball. The only other countries whose 11-year-olds play 11 versus 11 are Belgium, Australia and New Zealand hardly footballing powerhouses while Spain, France and Italy do not allow their juniors to participate in full-sided games until the under-14 age group. Those nations have claimed three of the past four World Cups. It would take time for the benefits of the programme to be felt but change is needed. At present the onus is on athleticism, with 11-year-olds playing on the same sized pitches as senior internationals, with the physically stronger, but not necessarily most talented ball-players, most likely to succeed. "We need to put youngsters in positions where they are going to get more touches on the ball, more shots on goal and be able to make more dribbles and one-on-ones," Levett says. The benefits could be felt in time. For now, arguably the most talented and experienced English creative midfielder in the top-flight, Cole, finds himself on the fringes at Liverpool. A loan move away from Anfield may offer him more first-team opportunities, though his wage demands could frustrate even that lowly aspiration.
While the elite teams focus on their hopes of luring Modric or Sneijder, Fábregas or Nasri, Cole sits on the outside looking in while England awaits its creators.
[h=1]Samir Nasri ready to play out contract as Arsenal hold firm over fee[/h] • Wenger does not want player to join rival domestic club
• Arsenal have rejected opening offer from United
Samir Nasri is valued at around £25m by Arsenal, although the club would still prefer not to sell him to a domestic rival. Photograph: Tom Jenkins for the Guardian
Samir Nasri has returned to training with Arsenal with the French midfielder currently content to play out the final year of his contract if the club do not receive a sizeable enough offer to tempt Arsène Wenger into selling him. Arsenal have already dismissed Manchester United's opening offer, thought to be just under £20m, with the London club rejecting it out of hand and not even deeming it worthy of a formal reply. That stance has reinforced the feeling within Old Trafford that Wenger is rigidly sticking to his promise not to entertain the idea of doing business with any of Arsenal's Premier League rivals, and particularly United. The feeling at the Emirates is that any serious bid would have to start at £25m and, even then, United are not entirely convinced that Wenger would be willing to sell to them if Arsenal can generate offers elsewhere. Senior figures at Old Trafford know, for example, how intensely they would fight any bid from another top-four club for one of their top players, citing the lengths they went to in 2007 to prevent Gabriel Heinze joining Liverpool. They also have extreme doubts that Wenger would be overruled from within the club and there is a realistic view at Old Trafford about the complications of negotiating with a major rival and the hurdles that have to be crossed if Nasri is to become their fourth major signing of the summer, taking their net spending beyond £70m. Nonetheless, they are prepared to take their interest as far as they can and are encouraged by the sense that Nasri wants to move to Old Trafford, both because of the finances on offer and the frustrations that he feels about Arsenal's failure to win a trophy since he joined the club from Marseille in 2008. Arsenal have come up with a new contract worth £90,000 a week, which would make him the club's equal highest earner alongside Cesc Fábregas, but the 24-year-old is conscious that while this is the club's best offer – Wenger is not prepared to break his rigid pay structure – United could offer him a contract of more than £100,000 a week. Nasri completed morning and afternoon sessions on his first day back at the club's training ground but it is not thought he spoke about the situation at length with Wenger and it remains unclear when that time will come. If the impasse continues, the danger for Arsenal is that he could run down his contract and leave as a free agent next summer, just as Mathieu Flamini did in 2008 when he left to join Milan after turning down a contract extension. Manchester City are among the other clubs considering putting in a counter offer, while Chelsea and Internazionale are also monitoring the situation. Nasri, meanwhile, will be on Arsenal's pre-season tour to Asia when the squad fly out on Sunday. With Fábregas keen to finally make the move back from Arsenal to Barcelona, Wenger is conscious that if he were to lose his captain and Nasri, following this week's transfer of Gaël Clichy to City, this would send a negative signal to his rivals.
Nasri has already stated that he would consider a move to United, saying last month: "I don't know if I will sign a new contract. Anyway, the discussions are ongoing." Arsenal's two-match tour to Malaysia and China features games against a Malaysia XI and Hangzhou Greentown before they return home, ahead of travelling to FC Cologne for a friendly on 23 July. Wenger will hope he has resolved Nasri's future by then, though the situation has the potential to become one of the summer's long running sagas.
[h=1]Samir Nasri ready to play out contract as Arsenal hold firm over fee[/h] Wenger does not want player to join rival domestic club
Arsenal have rejected opening offer from United
Samir Nasri is valued at around £25m by Arsenal, although the club would still prefer not to sell him to a domestic rival. Photograph: Tom Jenkins for the Guardian
Samir Nasri has returned to training with Arsenal with the French midfielder currently content to play out the final year of his contract if the club do not receive a sizeable enough offer to tempt Arsène Wenger into selling him. Arsenal have already dismissed Manchester United's opening offer, thought to be just under £20m, with the London club rejecting it out of hand and not even deeming it worthy of a formal reply. That stance has reinforced the feeling within Old Trafford that Wenger is rigidly sticking to his promise not to entertain the idea of doing business with any of Arsenal's Premier League rivals, and particularly United. The feeling at the Emirates is that any serious bid would have to start at £25m and, even then, United are not entirely convinced that Wenger would be willing to sell to them if Arsenal can generate offers elsewhere. Senior figures at Old Trafford know, for example, how intensely they would fight any bid from another top-four club for one of their top players, citing the lengths they went to in 2007 to prevent Gabriel Heinze joining Liverpool. They also have extreme doubts that Wenger would be overruled from within the club and there is a realistic view at Old Trafford about the complications of negotiating with a major rival and the hurdles that have to be crossed if Nasri is to become their fourth major signing of the summer, taking their net spending beyond £70m. Nonetheless, they are prepared to take their interest as far as they can and are encouraged by the sense that Nasri wants to move to Old Trafford, both because of the finances on offer and the frustrations that he feels about Arsenal's failure to win a trophy since he joined the club from Marseille in 2008. Arsenal have come up with a new contract worth £90,000 a week, which would make him the club's equal highest earner alongside Cesc Fábregas, but the 24-year-old is conscious that while this is the club's best offer Wenger is not prepared to break his rigid pay structure United could offer him a contract of more than £100,000 a week. Nasri completed morning and afternoon sessions on his first day back at the club's training ground but it is not thought he spoke about the situation at length with Wenger and it remains unclear when that time will come. If the impasse continues, the danger for Arsenal is that he could run down his contract and leave as a free agent next summer, just as Mathieu Flamini did in 2008 when he left to join Milan after turning down a contract extension. Manchester City are among the other clubs considering putting in a counter offer, while Chelsea and Internazionale are also monitoring the situation. Nasri, meanwhile, will be on Arsenal's pre-season tour to Asia when the squad fly out on Sunday. With Fábregas keen to finally make the move back from Arsenal to Barcelona, Wenger is conscious that if he were to lose his captain and Nasri, following this week's transfer of Gaël Clichy to City, this would send a negative signal to his rivals.
Nasri has already stated that he would consider a move to United, saying last month: "I don't know if I will sign a new contract. Anyway, the discussions are ongoing." Arsenal's two-match tour to Malaysia and China features games against a Malaysia XI and Hangzhou Greentown before they return home, ahead of travelling to FC Cologne for a friendly on 23 July. Wenger will hope he has resolved Nasri's future by then, though the situation has the potential to become one of the summer's long running sagas.
[h=1]Harry Redknapp: Unsettled Luka Modric happy but confused at Spurs[/h] • 'He signed a contract, we love him here, we don't want to sell'
• Spurs rejected a £22m bid from Chelsea for their playmaker
Luka Modric's ability to play attacking passes in the tightest of spaces has made him much sought after. Photograph: Ian Walton/Getty Images
Harry Redknapp has admitted Luka Modric is "confused" regarding his future after the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder told the club he would like to join Chelsea, following their unsuccessful £22m bid for him last month. Spurs are intent on keeping the 25-year-old and Daniel Levy, their chairman, informed the player at a meeting on Wednesday that he would not be sold. After Modric completed his first day of pre-season training on Thursday Redknapp said: "He's walked in today and is happy, but the kid's a bit confused at the moment. "Other teams want him but we want him here and I want to keep him. He loves playing here. It's a difficult situation for him and I understand where he's coming from. We can't kid ourselves. "He signed a contract here, we love him here and want him here. We don't want to sell our best players. He's a special player for us. We want him here and need him here." Nikky Vuksan, Modric's representative, confirmed his client, who joined Spurs from Dinamo Zagreb for £16.6m in 2008, would not request a move but repeated the Croatia playmaker's statement of last month that he wants to play Champions League football; Spurs, who reached the quarter-finals last season failed to requalify for the competition. "I don't think he'll hand in a transfer request. He will honour his contract," Vuksan said. "He wants to play [in the] Champions League and win trophies. The only way we can resolve this is to sit down and talk. Luka will report today for training and will do his best, as always. "I have never been in a situation before where a player has had to fight a club and it's not something we want to do. The only official offer so far is from Chelsea and we haven't talked to any clubs. It's no surprise that there is interest in Luka, though, because he is a top, top player." Modric is contracted until 2016 and Redknapp said that rather than selling his best performers he wants to recruit more, although the club are yet to make their presence felt in the summer transfer window. "We need to add to Modric. I've had a chat with Daniel Levy and we're looking to improve – we obviously need to. But it's not easy. Daniel has always spent money here and he'll do it again this year." One player who is departing is Jonathan Woodgate, the club confirmed. After joining Spurs in January 2008 from Middlesbrough the former Leeds, Newcastle United and Real Madrid centre-half was limited to only 65 appearances due to a catalogue of serious injuries with his final setback, a groin problem, allowing him to play just one game in the last 15 months.
Redknapp was only willing to offer the 31-year-old a pay-as-you-play deal, despite rating him as one of the best English defenders of his generation. But after talks collapsed Woodgate is now a free agent.
[h=1]Arsenal want to keep Cesc Fábregas and Samir Nasri – Arsène Wenger[/h] • Frenchman breaks his silence to deny duo will leave
• 'We will do everything we can to keep them'
Arsenal's Cesc Fábregas, left, and Samir Nasri, have both looked likely to leave the Emirates. Photograph: Dylan Martinez/Reuters
Arsène Wenger has vowed he will fight to keep his captain, Cesc Fábregas, and the contract rebel Samir Nasri at Arsenal.
The Gunners have once again endured a summer of transfer speculation surrounding the Spain international Fábregas, with Barcelona lodging a £27m bid which was rejected.
Nasri has yet to commit himself to the club, with his current contract set to expire in 12 months' time, and Manchester United are thought to be ready to test Arsenal's resolve with a £20m offer.
However, as the club prepare to depart for a tour to the Far East on Sunday, which Fábregas is set to miss with a troublesome hamstring injury, Wenger maintains both men are key to the future of the team.
Speaking to the club's official website, Wenger said: "Our position is always the same – we want to keep Cesc and I will fight as hard as I can to keep him. Samir Nasri is exactly the same. We will do everything we can to keep him."
Barcelona appear determined to bring Fábregas, their former youth player, back to the Camp Nou, but have made it clear that they have no intention of being held to ransom over Arsenal's £40m valuation. For his part, Fábregas does not want to leave the club he joined as a 16-year-old in 2003 on bad terms.
Whatever transpires during the summer transfer window, it is a blow to Arsenal that their captain will now not play during what is an important trip aimed at boosting the club's brand in Asia, with games set for Malaysia and China.
Wenger said: "We will take the strongest possible squad, but Fábregas will not travel because he still has a small muscular problem. He will stay and practise here."
While Fábregas may not be heading out to Asia, Arsenal have included the Japanese youngster, Ryo Miyaichi, who has returned after a successful loan spell in Holland at Feyenoord.
Wenger, though, rejected suggestions the 18-year-old's participation was purely a cunning marketing ploy. "He is on the plane because he is quality," the Arsenal manager said. "It is a good opportunity for him to show that he has the talent to play for Arsenal. Everybody will be curious to see him play in Asia."
The Lille striker Gervinho is understood to have undergone a medical, with confirmation of a four-year deal expected shortly.
Arsenal are also expected to step up their pursuit of the £17m-rated Bolton centre-back Gary Cahill, while reports in Spain suggest the Emirates Stadium is the preferred destination of Valencia's Under-21 Spain midfielder Juan Mata, whose buy-out clause would be around £20m.
Although not being drawn on specific targets, Wenger confirmed he was looking for some more fresh faces to bolster his squad. "I can promise you that we will work very hard and we have had some long nights to achieve what we want to achieve," he said.
Wenger certainly has funds available, with the full-back Gaël Clichy sold to Manchester City last week in a £7m deal.
However, Wenger rejected suggestions he would buy just for the sake of it. "If there were an obvious choice, people would have already made their decisions," Wenger said. "Everybody needs the same players for the same positions. We are at the top level and therefore need exceptional quality to strengthen our side.
"I can understand that people say 'you have money, just go out and buy', but it's not only that, we want to find the quality we need."
Wenger also believes the failings of the final weeks of the last campaign can serve to inspire his men for the challenges ahead. "I have said many times that we were very close to winning things last season, despite the disappointment we had at the end. I hope that provokes a response from my players," he added.
"We were so close this time we want to come back and achieve it. My responsibility is first of all not to lose players and then to add and make us stronger. Let's hope we can bring in one or two more additions of top quality."
[h=1]West Ham's Carlton Cole heads to Stoke City in £6m deal[/h] Stoke set to pay £4.5m up front, plus add-ons
Pulis likely to end interest in Blues striker Jerome
West Ham United's Carlton Cole is heading to Stoke City for £6m. Photograph: Dylan Martinez/Reuters
Stoke City have agreed a deal worth up to £6m with West Ham United for Carlton Cole. Tony Pulis, the Stoke manager, is hopeful that the 27-year-old striker will be able to join up with the Midlands club this weekend on their pre-season training camp in Austria.
It is understood that Stoke will pay £4.5m up front for Cole with a further £1.5m to follow in add-ons depending on whether the player triggers various clauses. Pulis has been tracking Cole for some time and failed with a bid for the former Chelsea player last month. Queens Park Rangers also inquired about Cole, who had two years remaining on his contract at Upton Park but was always likely to move on in the wake of relegation from the Premier League last season. Cole endured a disappointing campaign, finishing with only five league goals from 35 appearances.
The imminent arrival of Cole suggests that Pulis is unlikely to continue with his pursuit of the Birmingham City striker Cameron Jerome, who has similar attributes to the former England forward.
[h=1]Stop worrying and learn to love Stewart Downing[/h] Reports of Stewart Downing moving to Anfield have been met by a shrug from many Liverpool fans. This is depressing
Stewart Downing could soon sign for Liverpool but Aston Villa reportedly want £19m for the England international. Photograph: David Davies/PA
The summer transfer window is the most obvious example of football's refusal ever to stop happening. Even when it's not technically happening: it is in fact still happening, so much so that football is now one of those elements that are always there, like the weather or traffic or our communal hunger for toggled brown leather corner sofas, a yearning that must apparently be serviced constantly by a network of hangar-sized out-of-town warehouses. Most of this week's transfer rumour stories have centred on familiar figures. Luka Modric may or may not be going to Chelsea. Either way he will continue to resemble a small boy dressed up as a witch, and to run with a football at his feet so naturally you feel without it he wouldn't be able to move at all and would simply sit down and mope like a kangaroo with an empty pouch. Samir Nasri wants to leave Arsenal in order to earn more money. And Cesc Fábregas could finally be going to Barcelona, albeit this saga has dragged on for so long Fábregas himself has begun to resemble a sickly one-legged dog being tearfully rehomed on daytime TV. Perhaps the most interesting story is the proposed £19m transfer of Stewart Downing to Liverpool, a move that has been greeted by some Liverpool fans with a shrug and by many as conclusive proof of the "English premium" clubs must pay for underpowered domestic maybes. This is a depressing reaction. Downing is the most undervalued of English footballers: intelligent, scuttlingly forceful and with some refined touches in his versatile left foot. He is an unusual English footballer in other ways too. Mainly because he seems to be getting better rather than worse with age, and fitter rather than more raddled with booze and knee‑snap. Going against the trend, he is also slightly better rather than slightly worse than he's cracked up to be. Despite this Downing is still seen as a peculiarly depressing figure. Why is this? Undoubtedly he has a terrible name. Stewart Downing. Downing. Down. Ing. If only he could have been called Stewart Davis or Steve Dawning or Stanley Devastating he might have sounded more like a compelling athletic force and less like a travelling paperclip salesman or the pale boy at school who used to be sick a lot and cry in PE. It isn't the name, though. Downing is a player cursed by association with the failings of others. At this point it is time to broach another subject. We need to talk about Steve McClaren. It's time. Those years, McLaren's England interlude, still seem hazy and smudged, a buried shame. There are players who have never quite recovered, the ones who emerged in a trickle to augment the wretched "Golden Generation" and who have since lost their way or remain burdened by the memories. We might even call these players the Ginger Generation. David Bentley would perhaps have gone wonky in any event but he took his first wrong turn as a strainingly mimetic Ginger Generation David Beckham. Then there is the issue of Darren Bent's Air of Lingering Crapness. This is entirely undeserved. Bent is a fine player but he will continue to carry his Air of Lingering Crapness, conjured in the first instance by that famous missed chance against Croatia at Wembley, a muff granted premature howler status and then crystallised into a chemical stain, the Air of Lingering Crapness that – despite repeatedly proving his worth – Bent retains. There are others. I believe Steven Gerrard was destabilised during this period by his match-winning performance away to Andorra, where the notion took hold that through the power of running furiously he could become invincible in an England shirt, creating ultimately the tortured arm-waggling stickman of the last World Cup. McClaren did at least have ideas, a sense of tactical fluidity (disastrously fluid: but still fluid) and an air of the cautious internationalist. Would England really be in any worse a position now if he had been allowed to learn on the job, to sharpen his guileless good intentions? Probably they would, but the fact remains the England team are essentially on hold under Fabio Capello and will only begin to be interesting again when they are presided over by a crazed, touchy, flailing Englishman wreathed in deliciously poignant passions. McClaren may be too far gone to rehabilitate fully just yet, but Downing – his protege at Middlesbrough, the poster boy for the Ginger Generation and surely the only tyro England international to be booed while warming up – deserves a second viewing. He is at least realistic. Downing is what we can do right now. He's not a peripheral jinker, a pretend Iberian. He's not a thigh‑flexing warrior of the skies, the kind of muscular English centre-forward whose ideal incarnation appears to be Brian Blessed's chest-beating birdman character in Flash Gordon.
With Downing McClaren had a sensible idea: building a team around neat, skilful, hard-working players rather than false prophets and self‑propelling celebrities. Downing would also be a smart buy for Kenny Dalglish: with a few more goals maybe even a Ray Houghton-ish team man, protector on the right of the blindly rampaging Glen Johnson. Give him a chance. Enjoy his craft and his energy. Bury the old shame. Give us all a break.
[h=1]Stop worrying and learn to love Stewart Downing[/h] Reports of Stewart Downing moving to Anfield have been met by a shrug from many Liverpool fans. This is depressing
Stewart Downing could soon sign for Liverpool but Aston Villa reportedly want £19m for the England international. Photograph: David Davies/PA
The summer transfer window is the most obvious example of football's refusal ever to stop happening. Even when it's not technically happening: it is in fact still happening, so much so that football is now one of those elements that are always there, like the weather or traffic or our communal hunger for toggled brown leather corner sofas, a yearning that must apparently be serviced constantly by a network of hangar-sized out-of-town warehouses. Most of this week's transfer rumour stories have centred on familiar figures. Luka Modric may or may not be going to Chelsea. Either way he will continue to resemble a small boy dressed up as a witch, and to run with a football at his feet so naturally you feel without it he wouldn't be able to move at all and would simply sit down and mope like a kangaroo with an empty pouch. Samir Nasri wants to leave Arsenal in order to earn more money. And Cesc Fábregas could finally be going to Barcelona, albeit this saga has dragged on for so long Fábregas himself has begun to resemble a sickly one-legged dog being tearfully rehomed on daytime TV. Perhaps the most interesting story is the proposed £19m transfer of Stewart Downing to Liverpool, a move that has been greeted by some Liverpool fans with a shrug and by many as conclusive proof of the "English premium" clubs must pay for underpowered domestic maybes. This is a depressing reaction. Downing is the most undervalued of English footballers: intelligent, scuttlingly forceful and with some refined touches in his versatile left foot. He is an unusual English footballer in other ways too. Mainly because he seems to be getting better rather than worse with age, and fitter rather than more raddled with booze and knee‑snap. Going against the trend, he is also slightly better rather than slightly worse than he's cracked up to be. Despite this Downing is still seen as a peculiarly depressing figure. Why is this? Undoubtedly he has a terrible name. Stewart Downing. Downing. Down. Ing. If only he could have been called Stewart Davis or Steve Dawning or Stanley Devastating he might have sounded more like a compelling athletic force and less like a travelling paperclip salesman or the pale boy at school who used to be sick a lot and cry in PE. It isn't the name, though. Downing is a player cursed by association with the failings of others. At this point it is time to broach another subject. We need to talk about Steve McClaren. It's time. Those years, McLaren's England interlude, still seem hazy and smudged, a buried shame. There are players who have never quite recovered, the ones who emerged in a trickle to augment the wretched "Golden Generation" and who have since lost their way or remain burdened by the memories. We might even call these players the Ginger Generation. David Bentley would perhaps have gone wonky in any event but he took his first wrong turn as a strainingly mimetic Ginger Generation David Beckham. Then there is the issue of Darren Bent's Air of Lingering Crapness. This is entirely undeserved. Bent is a fine player but he will continue to carry his Air of Lingering Crapness, conjured in the first instance by that famous missed chance against Croatia at Wembley, a muff granted premature howler status and then crystallised into a chemical stain, the Air of Lingering Crapness that despite repeatedly proving his worth Bent retains. There are others. I believe Steven Gerrard was destabilised during this period by his match-winning performance away to Andorra, where the notion took hold that through the power of running furiously he could become invincible in an England shirt, creating ultimately the tortured arm-waggling stickman of the last World Cup. McClaren did at least have ideas, a sense of tactical fluidity (disastrously fluid: but still fluid) and an air of the cautious internationalist. Would England really be in any worse a position now if he had been allowed to learn on the job, to sharpen his guileless good intentions? Probably they would, but the fact remains the England team are essentially on hold under Fabio Capello and will only begin to be interesting again when they are presided over by a crazed, touchy, flailing Englishman wreathed in deliciously poignant passions. McClaren may be too far gone to rehabilitate fully just yet, but Downing his protege at Middlesbrough, the poster boy for the Ginger Generation and surely the only tyro England international to be booed while warming up deserves a second viewing. He is at least realistic. Downing is what we can do right now. He's not a peripheral jinker, a pretend Iberian. He's not a thigh‑flexing warrior of the skies, the kind of muscular English centre-forward whose ideal incarnation appears to be Brian Blessed's chest-beating birdman character in Flash Gordon.
With Downing McClaren had a sensible idea: building a team around neat, skilful, hard-working players rather than false prophets and self‑propelling celebrities. Downing would also be a smart buy for Kenny Dalglish: with a few more goals maybe even a Ray Houghton-ish team man, protector on the right of the blindly rampaging Glen Johnson. Give him a chance. Enjoy his craft and his energy. Bury the old shame. Give us all a break.
Tottenham are ready to sign the 'new Didier Drogba' - Ivory Coast's sensational teenage striker Souleymane Coulibaly. Spurs supremo Daniel Levy has teed up a stunning £2 million deal for Coulibaly, who has scored nine goals in just four games at the mini World Cup in Mexico. Coulibaly - just 16 years and six months - bagged back-to-back hat-tricks, including some amazing strikes to get some of the game's giants stampeding for the young 'Elephant' hit man. The fantastic talent plays for AC Siena's youth team but he can be bought and Spurs are flying to Italy today in a bid to seal the deal ahead of Spanish giants Real Madrid.
Coulibaly has been likened to Drogba because of his explosive power and shooting and the fact that he is almost half the age of the Ivory Coast and Chelsea star. And while Harry Redknapp would love the original version if Chelsea would sell, crafty Levy has worked on the move to land the new version. Spurs have so much faith in Coulibaly that they will offer him a squad number and promote him to Redknapp's first-team squad immediately - all part of the incentive to sign.
Levy has masterminded Tottenham's transfers so far this summer, landing keeper Brad Friedel for nothing and bringing in Mexican hot shot Antonio Pedroza Whitham who has just arrived in London.
[h=1]Aston Villa deny receiving a bid from Arsenal for Stewart Downing[/h] • Speculation that Arsenal offered £18m for England winger
• Downing has made it clear he does not intend to sign new deal
Stewart Downing has been strongly linked with a transfer away from Aston Villa, but the club deny an approach has been made by Arsenal. Photograph: David Davies/PA
Aston Villa have yet to receive an offer from Arsenal for Stewart Downing and remain determined to hold on to the England international. There has been speculation that Arsenal have bid £18m for Downing, which would be a £3m improvement on the offer that Liverpool had turned down last week, but Villa have denied that is the case and insisted that Arsenal have yet to make a formal approach. Alex McLeish, the Villa manager, has said that Downing is not for sale, although it remains to be seen whether the former Middlesbrough winger will try to force the issue by submitting a transfer request.
The situation is complicated for Villa because Downing is now into the final two years of his contract and he has made it clear that he has no intention of signing an extended deal.
[h=1]Arsène Wenger: Cesc Fábregas and Samir Nasri staying at Arsenal[/h] • Wenger expects midfielders to stay despite speculation
• Arsenal confirm signing of Gervinho from Lille
Arsène Wenger, speaking at a press conference on Arsenal's pre-season tour of Malaysia, said Cesc Fábregas and Samir Nasri would not be leaving the club. Photograph: Lai Seng Sin/AP
Arsène Wenger has reiterated his desire to keep Samir Nasri and Cesc Fábregas at Arsenal despite both players being persistently linked with transfers away from the Emirates. Wenger, who has arrived with his Arsenal squad in Kuala Lumpur for their pre-season tour of Malaysia and the far east, said at a press conference that he was confident neither midfielder would leave this summer. "Our position is always the same – we want to keep Cesc and I will fight as hard as I can to keep him. Samir Nasri is exactly the same. We will do everything we can to keep him," said Wenger. "I'm confident we can get both of them to stay." Nasri is about to enter the final year of his contract and has been the subject of interest from Manchester United, with Manchester City and Chelsea also believed to be monitoring the situation. "I expect Samir to stay," Wenger said. "There is always speculation, but he is committed to the club right now.'' He added that the question of whether Nasri would sign a new contract was a separate matter. Nasri is said to be ready to play out the final year of his deal, after which he would be allowed to leave for free, should Arsenal choose not to sell him. Fábregas has once again been the subject of speculation linking him with a return to his boyhood club Barcelona, though there is a disparity in the clubs' respective valuations of the Spain midfielder. He is missing from Arsenal's touring party after being left behind to continue his recovery from a hamstring injury.
"We know that this story for Barcelona has gone on for years now, we have to close that and focus on the season, hopefully with Cesc Fábregas," Wenger said, adding that his conversations with Fábregas on the matter would remain private.
"I never speak on matters that happen behind closed doors. I have given the media enough headlines and I don't want to add any more." Wenger also confirmed the signing of the Ivory Coast forward Gervinho from Lille. "Gervinho has just joined up for training today at London Colney,'' he said. "He signed last Thursday, and has just come back from his holidays."
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Dale Jennings is expected to sign for Bayern Munich in a deal which could earn Tranmere nearly £2m. Photograph: Paul Thomas/Action Images
