Transfer news...

Transfer news...

[h=1]Wales boss vows revenge on Scotland for past heartbreak[/h] Published 23:00 31/07/11 By Martin Lipton in Rio de Janeiro

http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/new...iers-after-draw-in-Brazil-article779618.html#
Wales-Gary+Speed+cropped


Wales boss Gary Speed last night vowed to avenge the night Scotland sent him to bed crying with a broken World Cup heart.
Speed was still at junior school when Joe Jordan's infamous Anfield handball was wrongly deemed to be a Welsh hand for the penalty that helped the Scots progress to the 1978 World Cup at the Red Dragon's expense.
Scotland also beat Wales 1-0 in the deciding qualifier for the 1986 World Cup on a night overshadowed by Jock Stein's fatal heart attack.
But Speed admitted the memories of 1977 are still among the strongest of his life as he said: "There is a bit of history there in terms of World Cup qualifiers. We owe Scotland one or two.

"The game in 1977 is one I remember well, I was at home watching it. I was eight years old at the time and knew straight away it was Joe Jordan who hand-balled it. I think I went to my bed crying that night.
"I was a bit older in '85 when Davie Cooper, God rest his soul, scored that penalty to win 1-0. But it again shows there is history there. Everyone in Wales will be up for these games."
The games against the Scots could be the easiest Wales face in a tough Group A that also includes Croatia, Serbia, Belgium and Macedonia, although Speed claimed: "On any given day anybody can beat anybody. There is not one team I expect to run away with it.
"It's a difficult group but it's one I feel we can progress from. I'm actually quite confident."
Northern Ireland were handed a slightly easier draw, in Group F alongside top seeds Portugal, Russia, Israel, Azerbaijan and Luxembourg, while the Republic of Ireland drew Germany, Sweden, Austria, the Faeroes and Kazakhstan in Group C.
 
[h=1]Troubled Ravel Morrison will get 'full support' of Manchester United[/h] • Top-level talks at Old Trafford over behavioural issues
• Teenager has been involved in criminal investigations




  • Daniel Taylor in New York
  • guardian.co.uk, Sunday 31 July 2011 17.34 BST Article history
    Ravel-Morrison-Manchester-007.jpg
    Ravel Morrison played a part in United's FA Youth Cup triumph last season and made his first-team debut in the Carling Cup. Photograph: Martin Rickett/PA Wire/PA Images

    Manchester United have pledged to give Ravel Morrison their full support to help get his life in order and prevent one of the more prodigiously talented young players to emerge through the club's ranks for many years becoming a story of wasted talent.
    Morrison, 18, is rated as one of the leading footballers of his generation, but his life has become a tangled web of court cases and criminal investigations, and there have been top-level talks at Old Trafford about how to address the teenager's behavioural issues.
    Morrison played an integral part in the FA Youth Cup triumph last season and made his first-team debut in the Carling Cup, but he came close to going to prison this year after admitting two charges of witness intimidation and is on a 12-month referral order. He has also been advised by a district judge to seek counselling about domestic abuse.
    United, however, are sticking by him, despite numerous disciplinary issues involving the teenager behind the scenes.
    The chief executive, David Gill, said: "He's a great player and we are giving him all the support within the club that we can. We're discussing it [the best course of action] and we're helping him. He's a very, very talented young player and the appropriate people within the club are making sure we assist him as best as we can."
    The club have been encouraged by the latest reports from the youth offending team that has been monitoring Morrison, with the district judge at his last court case commending him for his improved behaviour.
    Sir Alex Ferguson believes the teenager has a rare talent that can lead to him becoming a player of flair and distinction. However, the United manager was almost certainly talking about Morrison in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport this year when he spoke of a young player at the club who was "highly emotional".

 
[h=2]Dublin Super Cup: Internazionale 0-3 Manchester City[/h] [h=1]Manchester United move still on, says Internazionale's Wesley Sneijder[/h] • Dutch midfielder hints that August move could happen
• Wage demands have so far proved the obstacle




  • David Hytner in Dublin
  • guardian.co.uk, Sunday 31 July 2011 22.01 BST Article history
    Wesley-Sneijder-007.jpg
    Wesley Sneijder was playing against Manchester City in Dublin but it is the other Manchester club to which he may be heading. Photograph: PA

    Wesley Sneijder has left the door open to his proposed move to Manchester United by admitting that "there is always a chance something will happen". The Internazionale midfielder is the player Sir Alex Ferguson wants at Old Trafford to replace the retired Paul Scholes and it has emerged that United have sounded him out over personal terms.
    Ferguson was quoted on Sunday as saying: "If he [Sneijder] wants to come, he must accept our contract offer. If not, we have other options in mind. We're done talking." The Scot has since denied making those remarks but Gian Piero Gasperini, the Inter manager, acknowledged that "there has been an offer [to Sneijder]".
    Sneijder is rated at £35m and his weekly wage stands at almost £250,000, making it difficult for any club in the world to afford him. He played in his team's 3-0 friendly defeat by Manchester City in Dublin and when he spoke afterwards he was relaxed about the eventualities.
    "I have been at the highest level for 10 years and there are always speculations but look, I am still here," Sneijder said. "I am always happy. I am a happy guy. I am happy to train every day with my colleagues and play my games for the fans and everyone at the club. And whatever happens after that, we will see. There is always a chance something will happen but we will see."
    Gasperini was equally laid-back about the situation, although he did point out that any contact from United in relation to Sneijder ought to come directly to the club. He sounded a note of defiance when he said that, if the Holland international were to leave, it would be on Inter's terms. "I appreciate that there has been an offer but it's with Inter that the negotiations should take place," Gasperini said.
    "I'm not necessarily worried because it's normal in this period of time to live these type of situations. The market is open until 31 August, so we expect this to be happening until then.
    "It's not just Inter Milan, it's the same for other big clubs where big, important players are the object of desire for a lot of clubs. When big clubs have this type of player, they tend to keep them or, if they do sell them, they sell them at their own conditions."
    Gasperini, who has also seen Samuel Eto'o linked with Manchester City, possibly as part of a swap deal with Carlos Tevez, said that it was normal for "these type of players to get different offers and be part of certain negotiations".
    "But as far as I know, both Sneijder and Eto'o are contracted to Inter Milan and belong to Inter Milan. I am not flustered. We live detached from everything else that is being said outside of the pitch. Players focus on their games. There is a lot of talk but we also know that when there is a concrete decision to be taken, it is taken very quickly."
    The City manager, Roberto Mancini, said it was "possible" Craig Bellamy could move to Celtic on loan, following talks between the clubs, while Emmanuel Adebayor and Roque Santa Cruz would also be allowed to leave.
    "Adebayor wants to go to Real Madrid and if they want to take him, they can," Mancini said. "We have four top strikers and it is really difficult [for the others]. Manu needs to play and I would be happy for him to go back to Real Madrid. I hope he can go back there."


 
[h=1]Mario Balotelli: I don't like Manchester and I'm homesick[/h] • Manchester City striker courts controversy once again
• Refuses to rule out move back to Italy with Milan




  • David Hytner
  • guardian.co.uk, Monday 1 August 2011 11.25 BST Article history
    Mario-Balotelli-007.jpg
    Mario Balotelli made the comments after Manchester City's 3-0 friendly win over his former side Internazionale. Photograph: PA Wire/PA

    Mario Balotelli has followed his team-mate Carlos Tevez in declaring that he does not like the city of Manchester, as well as admitting he sees his future back in Milan. The Manchester City striker, who signed from Internazionale and seemingly has an addiction to outspoken behaviour, spoke to Italian TV after scoring in his team's 3-0 friendly victory over Inter in Dublin on Sunday.
    He was feted for his performance, which followed the criticism of the one that he gave against LA Galaxy the previous Sunday, when his botched back-heeled finish drew the wrath of his manager Roberto Mancini, but his comments, which hinted at homesickness, might not be quite so well received by the City support.
    "I am not happy in Manchester," Balotelli said. "I do not like the city. With my team-mates and my manager, everything is fine, but the city is not to my tastes. I miss the chance to be at home with my family and with my friends."
    Mischief, as ever, undercut the interview. It is sometimes tempting to wonder whether the Italian is simply revelling in a wind-up. When he was asked about the appeal of a move to Milan or a return to Inter, with the former appearing more likely, he replied that Brescia was his home, rather than Milan.
    "That is my home," he said. "Milan is a great team and one day, you cannot say what will happen. Inter again? We will see. At the moment, I am attached to Manchester. Adriano Galliani [the Milan chief executive] says that sooner or later I will go to Milan? I would like to, but we will see. Yes, I have chanted 'Forza Milan' in the past, that I was joking. One day, though, maybe."
    Tevez, who handed in a transfer request last January, is due to return to Manchester on Thursday, after his exertions for Argentina at the Copa América, from which they were eliminated on 16 July. His future at the club remains uncertain, on the back of his criticisms of the city which were rather more colourful.
    "There's nothing to do in Manchester," Tevez said. "There's two restaurants and everything's small. It rains all the time, you can't go anywhere. There comes a moment where you say 'where am I going to go with my family?' and you begin to feel bad.
    "Of course, one trains, plays, does things, and when the family or friends come one feels bad and you can't take them to the movies because they don't understand anything. You can buy a house in Marbella and take a vacation. I will not return to Manchester, not for vacation, not anything."

 
[h=1]Premier League preview No1: Arsenal[/h] Last season, Arsène Wenger asked people to judge him in May. This time, judgement might come as early as September


Amy Lawrence and Paul Doyle discuss Arsenal's prospects for next season Link to this video Guardian writers' prediction: 5th (NB: this is not necessarily Amy Lawrence's prediction, but the average of our writers' tips)
Last season's position: 4th
Odds to win the league: 9-1
First the good news. Jack Wilshere seems perfectly happy to play for Arsenal. Thomas Vermaelen looks ready to resume a promising career for the club after a season blanked out by injury. Gervinho might prove to be another classic Arsène Wenger bargain, an athletic and pacy ball player raring to step up a level, spirited over from France for a fee that doesn't make a certain manager with a well-documented devotion to cautious housekeeping choke as if he was asked to fix the Greek economy before breakfast.
Unfortunately at this point the scales lurch with a foreboding clang towards the less good news, the downright depressing news and the bewildering lack of news in critical areas that have made this the most pessimistic close season for Arsenal in decades.
For some years now summertime has merely represented a mix of dread about the best players being picked off, together with frustration that the handful of ambitious signings required to turn potential into the real deal never came. But few really expected, or even asked for, a radical overhaul.
Until now.
This summer was always going to feel different. For a start, patience wore down to breaking point as the 2010-11 campaign imploded in a way that was as miserable as it was predictable. Why are the lessons never learned? Arsenal were mauled like a pretty animal in a David Attenborough documentary that ends up as dinner to even the rangiest of scavengers. To make matters worse their fate was largely self-inflicted as they made traps for themselves to fall into (witness the fiasco against Birmingham City in the Carling Cup final).
So much goodwill in the bank from Wenger's past successes has been raided. Also, for the first time, it became obvious that some players had lost belief in the manager's philosophy. The atmosphere in the dressing room became increasingly bitter during a run of two wins from their last 12 league matches post-Carling Cup final. They knew, with even more clarity than any fan or pundit, that this youth project, for all its valiant idealism, has profound failings.
The other fundamental difference about this summer is the new scene at board level, with Stan Kroenke's takeover and Alisher Usmanov's increased shareholding suggesting that something somewhere would be adjusted in terms of the club's direction. But so far, the only thing to be altered is ticket prices, hiked with timing perfect in its clunkiness.
Even though there was never much chance of Wenger departing, this summer required major surgery in all departments to lift the mood. Experienced players are a necessity. Dead wood needs binning. A change in both the coaching staff and ideals can refresh an approach that is too feeble, too flawed, to last the distance (Patrick Vieira and Dennis Bergkamp's new roles elsewhere look like an opportunity missed, and while the competition are signing up the likes of Steve Clarke and Roberto Di Matteo as assistants, Pat Rice was talked out of retirement to prolong the status quo).
Wenger doesn't want to practice defending? Fine, so long as you bring someone in who will. The squad players not up to the task when the going gets tough? Fine, so bid au revoir to Manuel Almunia, Emmanuel Eboué, Sébastien Squillaci, Carlos Vela etc.
Some have departed, and others have flashing "for sale" signs attached, but Arsenal have not yet been as aggressive and decisive in the market as suggested by the promise from Wenger that they would be "very active". There is still a lot to do, with, astonishingly, the defence barely touched thus far. Where is the new robust centre-half, the experienced left-back to replace Gaël Clichy, the alternative to Alex Song in defensive midfield and the goalkeeper to prevent any more sightings of Almunia if injury strikes again?
The lack of arrivals is presumably linked to the demoralising sagas concerning the futures of Cesc Fábregas and Samir Nasri. But a "very active" window was needed regardless. Waiting for last-day bargains, as Arsenal tend to do, doesn't seem like a brilliant idea. Could be a bit late by then.
August brings meetings with Liverpool and Manchester United, plus a crucial Champions League play-off and a trip which is bound to remind them of all their worst foibles, to Newcastle United, where last term the good, the bad and the hideous of Arsenal morphed into one extraordinary game.
Arsenal remain in an elite group who have qualified for the Champions League for 14 successive seasons, and they have managed it with the "sustainable business model" that operates at a fraction of the outlay of their competitors. It is admirable. But with the big four now potentially a big six, it may not be workable for much longer.
Without a shaken-up squad, the only other source for change is at the training ground if the will and wherewithal is there. Andrey Arshavin has suggested they have been working on set pieces and a more intense pressing game during pre-season. Notably Arsenal's most impressive performances of last season, wins against Chelsea, Manchester United and Barcelona, showed how energetic pressing, rather than languid passing, reaps rewards. Equally notably, that approach didn't transmit to less interesting challenges. It remains to be seen whether Wenger can inspire enough of a change, whether a few alterations here and there is enough.
Last season Wenger asked people to judge him in May. This time, judgement might come as early as September.
 
[h=1]Premier League preview No2: Aston Villa[/h] Unless Alex McLeish profits from a benign set of early fixtures, there will be zero goodwill to fall back on if things go wrong


Amy Lawrence and Paul Doyle discuss Aston Villa's prospects for next season Link to this video Guardian writers' prediction: 12th (NB: this is not necessarily Stuart James's prediction, but the average of our writers' tips)
Last season's position: 9th
Odds to win the league: 400-1
Did Alex McLeish hand-pick Aston Villa's opening fixtures? As a manager who starts the season under severe pressure to get his own supporters on side, McLeish could not have wished for a more benign opening to the campaign. With only one top-six opponent in his first 11 matches (and that game, against Manchester City, is not until the middle of October), McLeish has been given a wonderful chance to change a few opinions early on by picking up some much-needed victories.
The Scot had better hope it turns out that way because there will be zero goodwill to fall back on if things go wrong. Villa supporters were never going to welcome a former Birmingham City manager with open arms, although the objections to McLeish's appointment would appear to owe more to the fact that he presided over two relegations in three Premier League seasons at St Andrew's and picked up a reputation for playing dour football in the process.
The latter accusation, McLeish says, is unfair. "I don't necessarily agree with you there," he said, when it was put to him that the attractive football Villa played against Walsall in a pre-season friendly last month contrasted with Birmingham's approach. "There was a lot of terrific football played by that [Birmingham] team last season. I think I've explained this before. I had some Dutch masters at Rangers and we played a brand of football that suited the players. It's horses for courses."
Unfortunately for McLeish, a couple of thoroughbreds have moved on from Villa this summer. Ashley Young and Stewart Downing have switched to Manchester United and Liverpool respectively, stripping the team of two of their stellar performers. Anyone doubting the size of their influence on a poor Villa side last season need look no further than the Opta statistics that reveal Young and Downing scored or created 31 goals.
Any Villa supporters that felt like throwing in the towel after their departures should be a bit more upbeat now that Charles N'Zogbia has signed. The Frenchman has the potential to be an excellent acquisition, and it is easy to imagine him providing a similar contribution to Downing or Young in terms of goals and assists. On the other flank, opportunity knocks for Marc Albrighton, whose emergence last season was something of a silver lining in a dreadful campaign.
Another player who has the potential to fill the creative void is Stephen Ireland. Having sleepwalked his way through his first year at Villa, the word is that Ireland has woken up to the fact that he needs to get his career back on track. If McLeish can get the Irishman playing like he was at Manchester City a couple of years ago, when he was named the club's player of the year, Villa will have a decent array of attacking talent to provide the ammunition for the goal machine that is Darren Bent.
At the other end of the pitch, the signing of Shay Given more than compensates for the loss of Brad Friedel, although questions remain about the defence in front of the new Villa goalkeeper. Richard Dunne and James Collins were poor on the field and troublesome off it last season – what can we expect from the duo this term? Left-back seems less of an issue now that Stephen Warnock has resumed his Villa career after six months with the reserves while the door remains open for McLeish to bring in a right-back on loan to compete with Luke Young.
Elsewhere, Stilian Petrov, Jean Makoun, Fabian Delph and the versatile Ciaran Clark are likely to be competing for two places in what feels like a less than inspiring central midfield. Further forward, Gabriel Agbonlahor and Emile Heskey's involvement would appear to depend largely on McLeish's formation. Thereafter, however, the squad begins to look painfully thin, exposing a lack of depth that could, depending on injuries, be McLeish's biggest problem, especially as Randy Lerner's chequebook is not going to come to his rescue.
Lerner will justifiably get some flak if things go wrong this season after a scattergun appointment process culminated in the decision to turn to McLeish, but nobody can question the American's financial support – he had invested £206m into Villa up until last summer and in January broke the club's transfer record to sign Bent in a deal worth up to £24m. Some of the other figures are less impressive – Villa posted a £38m pre-tax loss in their last accounts, which was on the back of a £46m loss the previous year, and the wage bill for the 2009-10 season represented 88% of turnover.
The numbers become even more sobering in the context of Villa's revised positioning in the Premier League pecking order, where they have lost ground on Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool. In short, the days of being a top-six club are gone, and it is a sign of just how much times have changed at Villa that McLeish has said it will be "extremely difficult" to better last season's ninth-placed finish because of the challenge presented by clubs like Stoke City and Sunderland.
McLeish might well be trying to manage expectations with that kind of talk but it is unlikely to wash with the majority of supporters, who will expect better than treading water in the Premier League and will certainly not want to contemplate the idea that it will be hard to improve on last season, which was a disaster under Gérard Houllier as Villa flirted with relegation amid a backdrop of player unrest.
By appointing McLeish to replace the Frenchman, Villa jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire, and it will need a combination of victories and entertaining football to douse the flames. If McLeish can pull that double off, he will have the Holte End critics off his back and Villa might have a decent chance of being the best of the rest and finishing in seventh place. If, on the other hand, he fails to hit the ground running, the protests will be loud and clear.
 
[h=1]Football transfer rumours: Nani to Juventus?[/h] Today's tell-all is so much more than just a raft of baseless speculation



  • Nani-007.jpg
    Have Juventus made a £15m bid for Manchester United's winger Nani? Photograph: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

    The Rumour Mill doesn't speak much Italian beyond being able to gesticulate furiously while wearing expensive hand-stitched loafers, but even we couldn't help but notice that the lead story on website calciomercato.com is posted under a photograph of Manchester United's Portuguese winger Nani and features the phrases "Juve" and "offerta da 15 millioni". Make of that what you will ... and feel free to get in touch if you know what the "piano" mentioned in the story has to do with the price of fish.
    Elsewhere in Italy, with Wesley Sneijder having "left the door open" to his proposed move to Manchester United, expect Sky Sports News to train their cameras on it in the hope that Internazionale's Dutch midfielder will saunter through it before the transfer window closes. "If he wants to come, he must accept our contract offer. If not we have other options in mind. We're done talking," Sir Alex Ferguson was yesterday quoted as saying, although he has since denied talking about being done talking.
    Meanwhile at White Hart Lane, despite repeatedly slamming the door in the face of Roman Abramovich and then triple-locking it, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy may have to contend with the Russian oligarch sliding £30m in used tenners underneath it if the Sun's suspicion that Chelsea are prepared to up their offer for Luka Modric turns out to have any basis in fact. Should Spurs continue to bite their thumbs at their Premier League rivals, Chelsea manager André Villas-Boas may open talks with Kaká instead. The Brazilian famously belongs to Jesus, who currently sub-lets him to Spanish club Real Madrid.
    The Rumour Mill thought it had heard everything when boos rang around Ibrox in the wake of Rangers' failure to beat Hearts in their opening match of the season, but that was before the sound of seething obnoxious entitlement that emanates from so many football fans these days could be heard echoing around north London yesterday afternoon, when Arsenal failed to beat New York Red Bulls in a pre-season exhibition masquerading as the Emirates Cup. The mood of chippy Gooners is unlikely to be improved when they read that Barcelona president Sandro Rosell has been riffing about Cesc Fàbregas again, this time describing the Arsenal midfielder as the Catalan club's "unique and final objective", albeit a unique and final objective he's suggested should help grease the wheels of a move to the Nou Camp by waiving a £4m signing-on fee.
    Unhappy Arsenal supporters will at least be able to take some solace from the fact that Valencia winger Juan Mata has decided to eschew a move to their bitter rivals Tottenham in favour of inking a deal with Arsenal instead. A fee of £17m is believed to have been agreed between the clubs, with the Mirror reporting that the Spanish club's president, Manuel Llorente, may give his ultimate blessing to the move as early as tomorrow. Quite what such a move would mean for Samir Nasri remains to be seen, while in other Arsenal news the club are also reported to be sniffing around Wolves winger Matt Jarvis while simultaneously making plans to offload consistently inconsistent Moroccan striker Marouane Chamakh to Serie A side Roma. Determined not to let Arsène Wenger steal his thunder in this summer's transfer shenanigans, Tottenham's manager, Harry Redknapp, will bring Bobby Zamora back to White Hart Lane in a deal that could see Peter Crouch head the other way.
    One man's double fracture may well prove another Manchester City winger's salvation, if reports that Bolton Wanderers are lining up a bid for diminutive Manchester City outcast Shaun Wright-Phillips or his equally unwanted-at-Eastlands team-mate Vladimir Weiss as a replacement for shuttle-running winger Lee Chung-yong turn out to be true. The Trotters' unfortunate South Korean is set to miss the entirety of the forthcoming Premier League campaign after undergoing surgery to repair a leg broken in a pre-season friendly at Newport. "We will make sure Chung-yong gets all the support he needs, as now it is all about his recovery and wellbeing. That is the most important thing," said Bolton manager Owen Coyle, diplomatically neglecting to add that the second most important thing is finding somebody to fill in at the Reebok Stadium for the man from Seoul they call Blue Dragon.
    Having long been touted as the steel girder Arsenal require to shore up the centre of their defence, burly Blackburn Rovers stopper Christopher Samba may have to settle for replacing Phil Jagielka at Everton now that the England international is being touted as the steel girder Arsenal require to shore up the centre of their defence. On the redder half of Merseyside, Joe Cole may be shipped out to his nursery club West Ham, but only if Liverpool agree to continue to pay the lion's share of the 29-year-old's weekly wages. Kenny Dalglish's side are also being linked with a move for Stoke defender Ryan Shawcross, one of several players apart from their own on whom Arsenal fans are always happy to pour scorn.

 
[h=1]Premier League preview No3: Blackburn Rovers[/h] Venky's took over at Ewood Park in November and have yet to convince they know the game, even if they talk a good one. This is a big season for Steve Kean


Amy Lawrence and Paul Doyle discuss Blackburn Rovers's prospects for next season. Link to this video Guardian writers' prediction: 19th (NB: this is not Paul Doyle's prediction, but the average of our writers' tips)
Last season's position: 15th
Odds to win the league: 2,500-1
If you could bottle and sell the mood around Ewood Park, you'd be banged up for peddling toxic moonshine. Blame the Indian chicken barons who, since buying the club last November, have failed to produce the readies to genuinely pursue their grandiose ambitions. Ronaldinho? Champions League in four years? Dreaming is good, but to keep declaring your dreams while doing little to realise them is lame. And annoying. Most Blackburn fans are annoyed.
It is, of course, still early days in the Venky's reign and in the long run they may transpire to be visionaries. Perhaps it is just the firm's PR which is pants: the few signings made so far have showed more savviness than a communication campaign featuring long periods of silence interspersed with sporadic announcement of imminent greatness.
Ruben Rochina and Mauro Formica, respectively signed from Barcelona B and Newell's Old Boys in January, are brimming with potential and after six months of adaptation may be primed to become forces, or at least make more of a contribution than they did last term; likewise the pursuit of Dundee United's David Goodwillie, another promising player in his early 20s, seems a better bet than chasing a dwindling 'big name'.
Those three players seem well suited to producing the slick(er) football that Steve Kean is trying to provide. Recruitment has still, however, been insufficient, especially since the club pocketed £18m by flogging the man who could have become the bedrock of their defence, Phil Jones. As the squad stands, Blackburn are only a couple of injuries away from plummeting into another relegation fight.
On the other hand, if they reinforce before the transfer window closes or if they are spared ruinous injuries, Blackburn could be the season's surprise package: there is the skeleton of a good team there.
Paul Robinson is a competent goalkeeper and the back four is formidable – the central-defensive partnership of Ryan Nelsen and Chris Samba (assuming he stays) provides staunch protection. Gaël Givet generally copes well enough at left-back and on the right Michel Salgado has consistently proven his quality and commitment. Of course natural erosion will afflict the 35-year-old Spaniard at some stage, casting doubt on his ability to replicate the dynamism of last season, when he finished in the Premier League's top 10 both for tackles made and interceptions.
If Kean's attempts to progress the club beyond the Age of Allardyce are to succeed, the midfield must build on its promise. Martin Olsson and David Hoillet bring the sort of speed and slinkiness the manager seeks, though not yet on a consistent enough basis. Steven Nzonzi is another emerging talent. David Dunn, Morten Gamst Pedersen, Brett Emerton and Keith Andrews are still around to contribute experience, but they also slow the team down when they appear (usually off the bench), causing a disconnect between how Kean wants his team to play and how his resources allow them to. This is why it is so important that Rochina and Formica come to the party.
Goodwillie would also have to make a strong early impact. With Nikola Kalinic in iffy form and seemingly on the way out, Blackburn found goals hard to come by last season. The Croatian himself, Jason Roberts and Hoillet were the top scorers in the league, with only five apiece.
Kean's record so far is slightly better than Paul Ince's was at Ewood Park, however the positive end to last season – when Rovers secured survival by going unbeaten in their last four matches – suggests that, unlike under Ince, most of the key players believe in the manager and momentum is positive.
It is now up to the owners to show similar belief: they have given him a job, now they must give him enough tools to do it properly. Otherwise they risk rendering Kean as a lame duck. And Blackburn's goose could be cooked. And there will be many more puns like those.
 
[h=1]Antonio Valencia signs new four-year contract with Manchester United[/h] • Winger's new deal runs until end of 2014-15 season
• 'Antonio has made a fantastic contribution since his arrival'




  • Press Association
  • guardian.co.uk, Monday 1 August 2011 12.24 BST Article history
    Antonio-Valencia-of-Manch-007.jpg
    Antonio Valencia has made 69 appearances for Manchester United since joining from Wigan in 2009. Photograph: Paul Ellis/AFP

    Antonio Valencia has signed a new four-year deal with Manchester United. The Ecuador winger is now contracted to the Premier League champions until the end of the summer of 2015.
    The 25-year-old's progress last season was stalled by an ankle injury that sidelined him for five months, but he made a successful return to the first team. He was a stand-out performer as United beat Schalke in the Champions League semi-finals and was part of the side defeated by Barcelona in the final.
    Competition for places has been increased by the signing of Ashley Young from Aston Villa, but Sir Alex Ferguson was delighted to agree terms with Valencia, who has scored 10 goals in 69 appearances since joining from Wigan Athletic two years ago.
    "Antonio has made a fantastic contribution since his arrival," the manager said. "His speed, crossing ability and versatility have been a big asset for us. He has a quiet, unassuming way of going about his business, which is underlined by great strength of character – as his recovery from such a bad injury last season proves."
    Valencia added: "Since my first day at Carrington, I have been happy here. I hope that I can continue to develop as a player. I am looking forward to making my contribution to helping this squad compete for more trophies."

 
[h=3]Lampard kuwekwa benchi na Wilshere[/h]
LONDON, Uingeza

MUDA wa Frank Lampard kuendelea kudumu katika kikosi cha kwanza cha England, umekwisha.

Mchezaji huyo mwenye umri wa miaka 33 ambaye ni nyota wa Chelsea, ameichezea timu ya England mechi 86, anaweza kuitwa kwenye timu ya taifa kwa ajili ya mechi ya kirafiki dhidi ya Uholanzi Agosti 10.


Gazeti la Mail la jana lilisema kwamba, kama itatokea Jack Wilshere au Scott Parker kuumia, ndipo kunaweza kumfanya Lampard kuanza kucheza katika kikosi cha kwanza cha England.

Ingawa Kocha wa England, Fabio Capello, ataendelea kumwita Lampard, Mtaliano huyo anahisi kuwa, mkiungo huyo ameshindwa kuonesha matunda, huku Wilshere mwenye miaka 19, akionekana kuwa mzuri zaidi katika nafasi ya kiungo kwenye kikosi cha England.

Licha ya kukosekana kwa Steven Gerrard kutokana na maumivu ya korodani, Lampard anaweza kuanzia katika benchi katika mechi dhidi ya Uholanzi.

Kwa miaka minne, makocha wa England wamakuwa wakiumiza kichwa jinsi ya kuwachezesha Lampard na nyota wa Liverpool, Gerrard katika sehemu ya kiungo.

Lakini, sasa hatima ya mchezaji huyo wa England iko kwenye hatihati, baada ya mchezaji wa Arsenal, Wilshere, aliyeichezea timu ya taifa mechi tano kuonekana mzuri.

Hata Parker, kama alivyo Lampard, naye anaonekana kucheza vizuri zaidi akiwa na kijana kwa kuweza kuwasaidia washambuliaji.

Lampard alitolewa licha ya kuifungua bao England katika mechi dhidi ya Uswisi.

kwa siku hiyo, nafasi yake ilichukuliwa na Ashley Young, ambaye naye anaonekana kuwa mchezaji muhimu zaidi kwa England katika kuhakikisha inafanikiwa katika michuano ya Euro 2012 .
 

[h=1]Luka Modric has his price, says Tottenham's No2 Kevin Bond[/h] • 'We don't want to lose him, but everyone has a price'
• Chelsea currently weighing up third bid for midfielder




  • Press Association
  • guardian.co.uk, Monday 1 August 2011 12.54 BST Article history
    Luka-Modric-007.jpg
    Kevin Bond's comments about Luka Modric, above, contradict those made by the Tottenham chairman, Daniel Levy. Photograph: Peter Cziborra/Action Images

    Tottenham Hotspur could sell Luka Modric if the club's valuation of him is met, the assistant manager, Kevin Bond, has admitted. It comes as Chelsea weigh up whether to make a third bid for the Croatian midfielder, having already seen two offers rejected this summer.
    The Tottenham chairman, Daniel Levy, has insisted that the 25-year-old is not for sale "at any price" but that was contradicted on Monday by Bond, who told TalkSport: "We desperately don't want to lose him, but everyone has a price.
    "If somebody came along and the money turns your head and he did go – although the chairman is adamant he doesn't want to sell him – then we'd have to get on with it."
    That price is likely to be well in excess of the £22m and £27m offered by Chelsea in recent weeks. Harry Redknapp branded the first bid as "ridiculous" and the manager also gave short shrift to the second.
    Modric still has five years remaining on the long-term contract he signed last summer. However, he wants to leave and handed in a transfer request after accusing Levy of reneging on a gentleman's agreement to sell him this summer if a club like Chelsea made a bid.
    Bond added: "Transfers are part and parcel of the game but you don't want to lose your best players and he certainly is one of our best players."
    Bond said "Harry would have to deal elsewhere in market" if Modric was sold but Redknapp himself has admitted Tottenham would struggle to compete for top players because they could not match the salaries on offer at the likes of Manchester City.

 
[h=1]AC Milan fancy Aquilani - but not Balotelli[/h] Published 16:25 01/08/11 By MirrorFootball


alberto-aquilani-liverpool-cropped


AC Milan vice president Adriano Galliani has admitted his interest in Liverpool midfielder Alberto Aquilani.
The Italy international has been expected to leave Anfield all summer but has yet to make a move, with Fiorentina looking his most likely destination recently.
However, Milan are in the market for a midfielder following Andrea Pirlo's transfer to Juventus and Galliani told Gazzetta Dello Sport: "He's a midfielder who has the characteristics we're looking for, so he could be of interest."
Galliani also ruled out moves for Real Madrid's Kaka, a former San Siro favourite, and Manchester City's ex-Inter Milan striker Mario Balotelli.
 
[h=1]Spurs midfield target going nowhere, insists manager[/h] Published 14:19 01/08/11 By MirrorFootball


Miralem+Pjanic+cropped


Lyon manager Remi Garde has moved to dismiss speculation the club are looking to sell Miralem Pjanic.
The midfielder has been strongly linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur this summer, with rumours he could make the switch for around £10m.
But Garde has insisted he will try to keep the highly-rated Bosnian.
"Mira to leave? I do not think so," Garde told FranceFootball.

"I am not sure if the president has received any genuine proposals.
"But I rely on him very much."
 
[h=1]Transfer news, rumours and gossip from Monday's papers[/h] Published 08:49 01/08/11 By Football Spy

http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/new...Chelsea-Monday-newspapers-article779886.html#
PaperTalk.jpg


The summer transfer window is hotting up as the new season draws ever closer. Keep on top of all the latest news, rumours and gossip from the printed press and the web here.
Don't miss Darren Lewis' guide to the Top 30 summer transfers still to happen .
And don't forget you can use your football knowledge to win hard cash by playing our Fantasy Football game You The Manager. There are 2,800 ways to win - and if you sign up NOW then your first team is on us .
Transfer stories from today's Daily Mirror

Sneijder refuses to rule out Man United switch
Barcelona want Fabregas to help pay his transfer fee
Chelsea to launch third bid for Modric this week
Villas-Boas rules out Chelsea exit for young striker
Newcastle midfielder to finally sign for Swansea
Bolton to move for Man City winger to replace injured Lee
Blackburn lead chase for Scotland striker
Birmingham target ex-West Ham midfielder
Burnley target Republic of Ireland international
Today's transfer stories from other papers and websites
Inter Milan are furious with Manchester United for allegedly tapping up star man Wesley Sneijder (Daily Express).
Mario Balotelli says he isn't happy in Manchester. While he says he is happy with his teammates and manager, he doesn't like the city, misses family and friends and a return to Milan would make him happy (Gazetta dello Sport).
Kaka could be the answer for Chelsea with Real Madrid admitting he could leave them this summer (Metro).
Arsenal could be about to make a move for Wolves winger Matt Jarvis (Daily Mail).
If Arsenal sign Phil Jagielka , Chris Samba could become a target for Everton as his replacement (Metro).
Bobby Zamora could make a return to Tottenham Hotspur from Fulham , with Peter Crouch moving the other way (Metro).
Chelsea defender Alex has become a target for Juventus, as well as being on the radar for Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Zenit St Petersburg (Daily Mail).
David Beckham has said he is unlikely to return to playing in the Premier League (The Independent).
Bolton 's replacement for the injured Chung-Yong Lee could be a loan move for Manchester City's Vladimir Weiss (The Sun).
Bolton are also planning a new bid for Sporting Lisbon's Simon Vukcevic after having two previous attempts turned down (The Sun).
Emmanuel Adebayor traveled to Leicester to make a "come and get me plea" to Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho (Daily Mail).
Arsenal striker Marouane Chamakh is a target for Roma after falling down the pecking order at the Emirates (Inside Futbol).
Newcastle are ready to give up their bid to sign Paris St Germain striker Mevlut Erdinc (The Sun).
Manchester City remain keen on young AC Milan striker Luca Scapuzzi (Daily Mail).
Stoke are considering a move for South Korean midfielder Bo-Kyung Kim (The Sun).
Harry Redknapp has admitted he can't compete in the transfer market with Premier League big spenders Manchester City and the rest of the top four and must persuade his targets to accept lower wages than they could make elsewhere (Guardian).
 
[h=1]Defiant Szczesny issues Arsenal rallying cry[/h] Published 17:47 01/08/11 By MirrorFootball


wojciech-szczesny-arsenal-cropped


Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny insists they are good enough to end their six-year silverware famine - and mount a sustained challenge for the Barclays Premier League title.
"I'm confident, from what we've seen so far," said the 21-year-old. "Hopefully, we can step up a level and use the experience of last season to win the Premier League."
That looks a fanciful prospect on the evidence of the Emirates Cup, which saw Arsenal twice throw away commanding positions and finish third in the four-team event.
Some critics have even suggested they may find their traditional top-four spot under serious threat this term.

But Szczesny said: "That's not the way I see it. I see it that we are Arsenal Football Club and we should do our best to win the Premier League, not fight for a top-four place.
"I start the season thinking that we should win the Premier League. I feel we have the quality to do so."
The Pole admitted, though, that there was still "a lot of room for improvement" required from Wenger's men ahead of their Premier League opener at Newcastle on August 13.
"We have to make sure we go to St James' Park and end up on the winning side."
Wenger will continue his efforts to strengthen the squad before then, with centre-backs Phil Jagielka and Christopher Samba continuing to be linked with the north Londoners.
Valencia winger Juan Mata is another reported target, but Szczesny feels there is no need for panic buys.
"If the boss decides to add one or two players, fair enough," he said. "But I believe the squad he has is good enough to win the Premier League."
It is movement in the opposite direction which is of more concern to Arsenal supporters.
Wenger insisted yesterday there was nothing new to report on Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri - speculation over whom has dominated the club's pre-season.
Szczesny denied that had been an unwelcome distraction for the rest of the squad.
"Not at all," he said. "I don't pay attention to it. I don't think the players in the dressing room do. It doesn't affect us."
The keeper claimed he had not thought about the consequences of Fabregas' departure, adding: "He is the captain. He is still the captain, and I hope he will remain at the club."
But he admitted losing both Fabregas and Nasri would be a huge blow.
"It would be a big loss because they are great players," he said. "But they are still at Arsenal and I hope they stay."
 
[h=4]Series: Digger[/h] Previous | Index

[h=1]New report warns of a 'football bubble crash' unless spending is cut[/h] • Report backs Michel Platini's financial fair play plan
• Premier League's football creditors rule could survive




  • Matt Scott
  • guardian.co.uk, Monday 1 August 2011 22.59 BST Article history
    Michel-Platini-007.jpg
    José María Gay de Liébana's report backs Michel Platini's financial fair play plan. Photograph: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images

    Michel Platini has warned the architects of a breakaway European super league that their clubs would be ejected from their domestic leagues if they went ahead. Some might consider it a risk worth taking.
    A new report by José María Gay de Liébana this month presages a "football bubble crash" unless there is a sustained period of rationalisation among the top five European leagues. Gay's report details that the cumulative losses of the five richest leagues exceeded €1.5bn (£1.3bn) for 2011‑12. In the five years between 2006‑07 to 2009‑10, the total player pay in the top French league rose from €619m to €790m, being 27.6%. Over the same period total revenues rose by €84m. In Germany, of the €284m extra income that was achieved in those five years, all but €27m of it went to players.
    Although Spain and England bucked that trend (data for Italy was not available) – since La Liga revenues rose by €302m while wages increased only by €133m and Premier League wage growth was €327m against €400m of new income – both saw operating losses rise by an aggregate of €42m and €149m respectively.
    "The economic and financial viability of football demands a thinning of its structures, for spending [to be tied to] the reality of [clubs'] income, tight controls, rigorous standards of transparency and fair play," writes Gay.
    "If not, no doubt, this economic haemorrhage [will become] uncontrollable, triggering a financial default: from the 'crack' of football to the crash of the football bubble." Given that one of Gay's remedies is Platini's financial fair play plan, which hawks in the European Club Association cite as one of their big gripes, salvation may be some way off.
    Indeed, as Gay shows total income of €13.928bn and debts of €12.641bn (or gearing of 91%, the kind of level that as the economists Carmen Reinhart and Kenneth Rogoff showed causes nations to drown), he asks: would Europe's big leagues pass an economic stress test? Plainly the answer is no.
    [h=2]Debt and Dante[/h]Football is clearly not immune to the effects of global financial crisis yet few could have expected Premier League involvement in a court case surrounding Lehman Brothers, the failed emblem of the credit crunch.
    Seven law lords ruled last week against attempts by administrators for Lehman Brothers to recover funds paid out to several creditors under a lending arrangement of purgatorial complexity called the "Dante Programme". This scheme involved a failed investment bank, creditors from as far afield as Australia and some seriously arcane financial engineering.
    Yet up pops Peter McCormick, the chairman of the Premier League's legal advisory group, to have his say in the case on behalf of football as an "intervening party". Why? It turns out elements of the case overlapped with the league's own defence of its controversial football creditors rule, under which players, clubs and staff receive the millions they are owed in club insolvencies whereas other unsecured creditors, including the taxman, receive pence in the pound of their dues.
    HM Revenue & Customs, which is attacking the rule, also attended the case as both it and the league sought to ring-fence proceedings away from their own, separate hearing due later this year. So the 28,000-word judgment deals narrowly with the facts of the Dante case and it is hard to extrapolate areas that could be applied to the FCR. However, morally unpalatable though it is to see local schools and St John Ambulance picking up pennies in football insolvencies while players drive off in new Ferraris, the FCR could survive: the supreme court rejected Lehman's case.
    [h=2]The price of 39[/h]"Meaningless" is the word most frequently attached to the term "pre-season friendly", yet for some fans the modern-football narrative always has resonance. The throng outside the Barclays Asia Trophy final between Chelsea and Aston Villa in Hong Kong on Sunday drove the value of touted tickets to nine times their retail price, or approximately £300 each. "Game 39" may be dead in the Premier League's eyes but the appetite for competitive fixtures in far-flung corners of the globe is not.
    [h=2]Briatore 'affair' that isn't[/h]Flavio Briatore's colourful career has certainly left an impression on the sports in which he has been involved. A few influential people involved in football and Formula One have firm opinions about him, left, and so on Monday Digger was tipped off about the headline in the German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung, "Flavio Briatore involved in Formula 1 affair". But whether it was justified to be quite as gleeful as they were about the alleged involvement of Briatore in the inquiry into Bernie Ecclestone's alleged payment of tens of millions of pounds in bribes to a German banker is quite another question. Prosecutors told Digger on Monday: "No investigation has been opened against Flavio Briatore."

 
[h=1]Mood swing at Arsenal leaves Arsène Wenger needing silverware[/h] Arsenal fans cannot nourish themselves so easily on memories now they have been starved of a trophy for six years



  • Ars-ne-Wenger-Samir-Nasri-007.jpg
    Arsène Wenger, left, needs to resolve the situation regarding Samir Nasri, right, before Arsenal can progress. Photograph: Ian Kington/AFP/Getty Images

    Friendlies count only when you lose. The victories are met with a thin smile at best. When Manchester United beat Barcelona at the weekend no one supposed the hierarchy had been reversed since the Champions League final between them at Wembley on 28 May. Most people will have reflected that the start of La Liga season comes a fortnight after the opening of the Premier League campaign. Nothing much mattered at all at the weekend, or not, at least, until the conclusion of the Emirates Cup.
    Arsenal came in for some booing after the trophy went to New York Red Bulls. It was as if there had never been a summer break. The continuity was bleakly impeccable. The closing home match of the Premier League campaign had also seen them berated by their fans. A failure against Aston Villa at home condemned them to fourth place in the table and a berth in the qualifiers for the Champions League. Manchester City had vaulted over Arsenal that afternoon.
    Even if Roberto Mancini's spending were to taper off, with the purchase of Sergio Agüero balanced to a considerable degree by the potential sale of Carlos Tevez, the possible impact of his squad is obvious. With Manchester United restructuring from a position of strength, Chelsea still solid even before we discover the long‑term intentions of André Villas-Boas and Liverpool zealous in redeveloping their side, Arsenal face a struggle simply to stand still.
    There was anger in May at the club suffering its worst home record in the League for 14 years. That, however, was an academic issue compared with the dread of further deterioration. Arsène Wenger is in credit with the public at large for the sleek and entertaining play of his better line-ups but fans cannot nourish themselves so easily on memories now that they have been starved of a trophy for six years.
    It is galling to the average supporter that Arsenal appeared to be perfecting the spectacular mishap. If supporters reeled last season at the 4‑4 draw away to Newcastle United after a 4‑0 lead had been established in the 26th minute, the deeper pain probably lay elsewhere.
    In November they led 2-0 at the Emirates before losing 3-2 to Tottenham Hotspur in the League. At White Hart Lane a 3-1 lead paved the way to no more than a draw for Arsenal. The syndrome is well known but that does not mean it has been addressed.
    Wenger most likely happened to buy a forward as his first major acquisition of the summer because there was a deal to be done with Lille. Gervinho looks an asset already, with his ability to attack from a range of positions, but scoring has seldom been a concern to Arsenal. Defending and checking the opposition in midfield have been far greater worries. It will be a relief if Thomas Vermaelen can be a constant presence, after achilles trouble restricted him to five appearances last season.
    The real issues, for Arsenal, have not lain in the fortunes of any one player. Indeed a bid for the title was sustained for many months. The greater worry lay in the disintegration that saw them take full points from only one of their last seven matches.
    The exception would have been as maddening as it was gladdening. United, the prospective champions, were beaten. Arsenal see constantly that there need be little if any difference between themselves and the inveterate trophy-winners of recent years such as United and Chelsea.
    There are areas of uncertainty. Wojciech Szczesny is a mere 21‑year‑old but, then again, he does not have the experience of Manchester United's David de Gea, although the latter is younger still.
    Other issues have still to be addressed. Samir Nasri's intentions are yet to be established as he enters the last season of his contract. At a grander level still can a satisfactory fee be obtained from Barcelona for Cesc Fábregas? If so, will Wenger have enough time left to put that money to use?
    Arsenal, by and large, should be well-placed. Despite the downturn in the economy, there has been some progress in the property development around their old ground. On the football scene, however, the environment is testing. Moods have shifted as well. Supporters no longer speak as if they are blessed to be in the presence of Wenger's team. The League Cup might not count for much in the eyes of such a club but losing the final to a Birmingham City side who went on to be relegated was profoundly troubling. While the wining goal should have been avoided, the needlessness of the defeat felt characteristic.
    Wenger, who has remade Arsenal so gloriously, must fashion a team who can lift trophies as well as win the admiration of purists.

 
[h=1]Joey Barton available on free transfer as Newcastle lose patience[/h] • Criticism of board proves the last straw
• Player's agent expects no shortage of takers




  • Andy Hunter
  • guardian.co.uk, Monday 1 August 2011 20.42 BST Article history
    Joey-Barton-007.jpg
    Joey Barton has been put up for sale on a free transfer by Newcastle United. Photograph: Owen Humphreys/PA

    Joey Barton's agent has said there will be no shortage of takers for the outspoken midfielder after Newcastle United made the 28-year-old available on a free transfer.
    Barton, who cost £5.8m from Manchester City in 2007, was told he could leave St James' Park with immediate effect at a meeting with club officials on Monday morning. Their decision followed fresh criticism of the Newcastle hierarchy from Barton on Sunday on Twitter, in which he suggested there was widespread dressing-room unrest and a relegation battle looming, and was announced in a brief statement on the club's website before the player could reveal the development himself on the social networking site.
    Newcastle's current player of the year has 12 months remaining on his contract and intended to leave on a free next summer after talks over an extension collapsed. Those plans have been brought forward after the owner, Mike Ashley, and managing director, Derek Llambias, lost patience with the midfielder's public outbursts against their regime and waived their right to a transfer fee.
    Arsenal and Aston Villa are among several Premier League clubs linked with the Liverpool-born player this summer, although no one had met Newcastle's valuation before Monday's development, and Barton's representative, Willie McKay, believes his client's sudden availability will generate widespread interest.
    McKay said: "We will be looking for a new club for Joey now and I'm sure there will be plenty of takers. Especially now." He described Newcastle's actions as "a wee bit suicidal".
    Barton responded to Newcastle's decision with a renewed Twitter attack on the club hierarchy, whom he accused of not understanding what it meant to wear the black and white shirt. Fifty-five minutes later than he had originally intended to tweet about his free transfer, the midfielder wrote: "Somewhere in those high echelons of NUFC, they have decided, I am persona non grata. I am on a free but the honour of wearing those B+W stripes, surpasses that. One day the board might realise, what the shirt signifies. HONOUR and PRIDE. Thanks for your continued support........... #toonarmy."
    The midfielder's discontent with Newcastle's owners stems from the decision to sell Andy Carroll to Liverpool for £35m in January. Barton had been close to signing a contract extension at that time and was dismayed when they accepted the staggering offer, a feeling that deepened when Kevin Nolan, the club captain and his close friend, was sold to West Ham United in June. McKay revealed in May that Newcastle would not be offering his client a contract extension and Barton tweeted that his employers were seeking a "younger, better, cheaper player".
    Newcastle chose to sever ties with Barton when, after a 3-2 friendly defeat at Leeds United on Sunday, he echoed José Enrique's recent criticism of the club. The Spanish left-back, who may also leave St James' this summer, was fined for accusing Newcastle of a lack of ambition in the transfer market and of lying over claims to have offered him an improved contract.
    Barton's incendiary tweets read: "If only we as players could tell the fans exactly how it is, without them above fining us lots of money. There will be a time and a place. If it wouldn't effect team morale and cause unrest within the dressing room, am certain Jose's comments would be the tip of the iceberg.....
    "And again it would be left to those magnificent fans to pick up the remnants of their once great football club. #hadenoughofcertainpeople. If I wanted to leave, I'd just come out and say I want to leave. Things need addressing as am not prepared to go through a relegation again."

 
[h=1]Arsenal's pursuit of Valencia's Juan Mata overruns buyout clause[/h] • The 23-year-old's €25m buyout clause expired on Sunday
• Mata favours move to Arsenal after rejecting Tottenham




  • David Hytner
  • guardian.co.uk, Monday 1 August 2011 22.17 BST Article history
    Valencias-midfielder-Juan-007.jpg
    Valencia are now free to dictate the price for Juan Mata following the expiration of his buyout close. Photograph: Jose Jordan/AFP/Getty Images

    Arsenal's pursuit of Juan Mata has run into a complication with the expiration of the Valencia forward's €25m (£22m) buyout clause on Sunday night. The Spanish club do not want to sell the 23-year-old and are now in a position to price Arsenal and other would-be buyers out of the market.
    Tottenham Hotspur tried to exploit the clause on Saturday by offering to meet it, only for Mata to indicate that he did not want to go to White Hart Lane because he wants to play Champions League football. But the reality for Arsenal is that, with Tottenham having set the benchmark, Valencia would be loth to accept less than ¤25m and they are in a position to demand more.
    Mata wants the move to Arsenal and he has been led to believe that they will make an acceptable offer to Valencia as soon as the Cesc Fábregas saga is resolved. Fábregas wants to return to Barcelona but the Catalans have so far failed to get near Arsenal's £40m asking price and the impasse has had a knock-on effect for Mata.
    Arsenal are due to train at the Emirates Stadium on Thursday in front of their fans, on the annual members' day, and there has been conjecture about whether Fábregas will appear. He has not featured in pre-season because of a muscular injury, according to Arsène Wenger, the manager.
    Valencia have signed the creative midfielder Sergio Canales on a two-year loan from Real Madrid, with an option to buy him for ¤12m and this was interpreted as them preparing for life without Mata. But the club say that the pair can play together, as they did for the Spain Under-21s at the European Championship in June.
    Valencia continue to endure serious financial difficulties and they are open to an approach from Arsenal for Mata but the delicate balance of the situation appears to have tipped in their favour. Mata could force the issue by demanding to leave, although he is not expected to do so.
    He has four years to run on his contract at the Mestalla, which he renegotiated after he returned with the Spain squad from their triumphant World Cup campaign last year.

 

[h=1]Football quiz: Samir Nasri[/h] Today's questions can't decide whether they should stay or they should go




  • Sam Joiner
  • guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 2 August 2011 00.01 BST
    Arsene-Wenger-and-Samir-N-001.jpg
    Arsène Wenger does not want to let this mecurial talent go. Photograph: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images
    • 1. How old was Samir Nasri when he made his professional debut?
      1. 16
      2. 17
      3. 18
      4. 19
    • 2. How much did he cost Arsenal when he signed for the club in July 2008?
      1. £8m
      2. £12m
      3. £16m
      4. £25m
    • 3. Which club did the Gunners sign him from?
      1. Marseille
      2. Lyon
      3. Paris St Germain
      4. Lille
    • 4. Which former Arsenal player did Nasri famously fall out with?
      1. Thierry Henry
      2. Emmanuel Adebayor
      3. William Gallas
      4. Kolo Touré
    • 5. How many goals did Nasri score during his four seasons in Ligue 1?
      1. 7
      2. 11
      3. 27
      4. 34
    • 6. What was Nasri's nickname in France?
      1. The little prince
      2. The little devil
      3. The magician
      4. The little pea
    • 7. Which award did Nasri win in 2010?
      1. European player of the year
      2. French footballer of the year
      3. PFA young player of the year
      4. French young footballer of the year
    • 8. Which illness has Nasri suffered from?
      1. Flu
      2. Meningitis
      3. Tuberculosis
      4. Malaria
    • 9. Who held the No8 shirt for Arsenal before Nasri?
      1. Freddie Ljungberg
      2. Lassana Diarra
      3. Mathieu Flamini
      4. José Antonio Reyes
    • 10. Where was Nasri born?
      1. France
      2. Algeria
      3. Tunisia
      4. Seychelles
 
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