Monte
Carlo: Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery won the UEFA Best Player in
Europe award for 2012/13 ahead of the usual contenders Lionel Messi and
Cristiano Ronaldo.
It was recognition for his part in Bayern`s unprecedented Champions League, Bundesliga and German Cup treble.
The
Frenchman was the first player from a club other than Barcelona or Real
Madrid to make the final three since the award was established by
European soccer`s governing body in 2011.
Argentina`s Messi won the inaugural award followed by Spaniard Andres Iniesta, his Barcelona team mate, last year.
Messi and Real Madrid`s Portugal forward Ronaldo had also both made the last three in each of the two previous years.
Reuters --------------------- ZEENEWS.com
This to me is daylight robbery. Why would they give an individual award to somebody because his team won a treble?
An individual award should be based solely on your individual exploits on the pitch and should not necessarily be based on whether your team wins or not.
For example, you are not going to deprive the highest goal scorer his award because his team was relegated are you? That is what an individual award should be about; Messi should have won with Ronaldo coming second, FIFA, check yourselves... I rest my case
Liverpool eye Aston Villa misfit Shay Given as experienced cover in goal
Ireland stalwart appears to have no future under Lambert and Reds hope to bring him in as Mignolet back-up for a nominal fee
Given go? Villa keeper could prove a handy signing for Liverpool
Neville Williams
Shay Given is wanted by Liverpool to provide cover for first-choice keeper Simon Mignolet.
Brendan
Rodgers is keen to add some experience to his goalkeeping department
following Pepe Reina's departure to Napoli on loan, and Given is surplus
to requirements at Aston Villa.
Villa boss Paul Lambert did not
take him on the club's pre-season tour this summer, and it is clear the
Republic of Ireland international has no future at the Birmingham club.
The 37-year-old has three years left on his £60,000-a-week deal, and Villa are keen to get him off their wage bill.
This has alerted Rodgers and the Anfield giants are now investigating the possibility of buying Given for a nominal fee.
Meanwhile, Liverpool have hit problems in their pursuit of defenders Tiago Llori and Mamadou Sakho.
Chelsea's Jose Mourinho gets narky over his head-to-head record against Pep Guardiola
The former Real Madrid and Barcelona bosses renew hostilities as the Blues meet Bayern Munich in European Super Cup
Dislike a boss: Mourinho and Guardiola cross swords again in Prague
Getty Images
Jose Mourinho has launched into an embarrassing rant that highlights his bitter rivalry with Pep Guardiola, writes John Cross in Prague.
Mourinho
set out to defend his poor head-to-head record against Guardiola ahead
of their latest face-off in Chelsea's Friday night European Super Cup
showpiece against Bayern Munich here in the Czech Republic.
But the Blues' boss scored a spectacular own goal by getting his stats wrong.
Mourinho,
now back in charge of Europa League winners Chelsea, has pitted his
wits against Guardiola, new coach of European champions Bayern, 15 times
over the years.
And their rivalry developed into an ugly feud while they were in charge of Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively.
But
The Special One is clearly better at management than mathematics,
because Mourinho insisted a journalist was wrong to correctly claim the
Portuguese had enjoyed just three wins in those 15 matches.
Mourinho
snapped: "Your statistics are wrong as a start. Very wrong. Very wrong.
Because... but I don't want to discuss that because it's not important.
I'll just say it's wrong.
"Go there and see what happened with
Inter in the Champions League semi-final. The league records in Spain.
The Copa del Rey in Spain. The SuperCup in Spain.
"You are very, very wrong. You are wrong. But it's not important.
"That's not me against him, it's club against club. That's not important.
"I
just know that I won the Champions League semi-final with Inter. I won
the Spanish Cup final in Valencia. I won the SuperCup in Spain. I was
champion in Spain. I won the match of the title in Barcelona with Real
Madrid.
"So, I don't know...
"Maybe you are right and I am wrong, but I don't care. It's not important for me."
The stark facts are Mourinho teams have won matches against Guardiola teams only three times, but he has won additional tie on aggregate with Inter after each club won their home leg.
Mourinho
then got further wound up when asked whether it annoyed him that he was
portrayed as an enemy of football when at Real, while Guardiola earned
all the plaudits for Barca's crowd-pleasing style of play.
Pointing
angrily to the Chelsea crest on his sweatshirt, Mourinho said: "If you
want questions about Chelsea I'm here until 4 o'clock. If you want
questions about Real Madrid and Barcelona, I'm not here.
"It's not
about me and Pep. It's about Chelsea and Bayern Munich. It's about a
SuperCup, where the European champions are playing the Europa League
champions.
"Pep is not European champion and I'm not the Europa
League champion. We're just coaching these teams. It's not about us.
It's about Chelsea and Bayern."
Mourinho also snapped when asked
about Bayern president Uli Hoeness's claim this week that Guardiola is
"miles ahead" of his Chelsea counterpart.
"It is his opinion," said Mourinho. "It's his opinion. No problem."
Chelsea
were outclassed by Atletico Madrid and Radamel Falcao in particular a
year ago when, as European Cup holders under Roberto Di Matteo, they
were humiliated 4-1 in this same fixture.
Twelve
months on, Mourinho's return to the Chelsea hot-seat gives the Super
Cup an extra edge because of the rivalry with Guardiola.
Mourinho's new signings from Anzhi Makhachkala, midfielder Willian and striker Samuel Eto'o, will not be involved against Bayern as they did not register in time.
Meanwhile, the Portuguese insisted there will be no exit for Juan Mata, whose agent was a guest of Arsenal at Tuesday's match against Fenerbahce.
Mata,
who appears to have been frozen out under Mourinho, could start here in
Prague, but the Special One insists the Super Cup is no place for
sentiment as both clubs - and indeed both coaches - are desperate to
win.
Mourinho added: "I don't like to call it a competition - it's
a match that gives a trophy. If any one of us says he doesn't want to
win a trophy, it's not true.
"It's always difficult to play
against Bayern. I've played them many times. It doesn't matter the
system or the player. It's always a powerful team, a big club. It's
always difficult. Tactics don't matter.
"Mata didn't play against Man United. It was my option.
"I
always have my reasons. I feel it's my duty to explain to the players
the reasons, and I do. It's not my duty to explain to the media the
reasons for my choices.
"But everything is clear between me and the player. We have no problem.
"He's a very important player for us, I want him to stay, he wants to stay, the club wants him to stay, and he will be a very important player for us.
"We have a lot of players in these positions behind the striker, but they can all also play wide from the side. This is the Juan: Will Mata get a run-out against Bayern?
Shaun Botterill
"Go to Man City, Arsenal, United, every big team - Tottenham,
Bayern - they've all got many options because people want to compete in
different positions.
"And it's a World Cup year, which makes it
more difficult for the national teams because, even for friendlies, they
[the players] go, they don't have rest, they travel...
"After
this match, we have a double fixture with the national teams, then
Premier League, Champions League and Capital One Cup consecutively...
"We need numbers. We can't do it with 10-12 players. We have to do it with 20. That's the reason why we strengthened our squad."
Arsenal renew interest in Di Maria, Ozil and Benzema? Transfer Rumours and gossip from today's papers
The big gossip and stories from today's papers, including rumours that
Arsenal have renewed interest in Di Maria, Ozil and Benzema
PHILADELPHIA, PA - AUGUST 11: Karim Benzema #9 of Real
Madrid is congratulated for a second half goal by teammates Mesut Ozil
#10 and Angel Di Maria #22 during the match against Celtic at Lincoln
Financial Field on August 11, 2012 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Real
Madrid won 2-0. (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images)
Drew Hallowell
According to reports in today's papers, Arsenal have renewed their
interest in Real Madrid trio Karim Benzema, Angel Di Maria, and Mesut
Ozil.
Find out the latest on all this, and more, in our transfer gossip round-up, with the latest rumours from all of today's papers.
Transfer news, rumours and gossip from today's Daily Mirror
Transfer gossip from other newspapers and websites
Scott Sinclair has slammed Roberto Mancini for bringing him to
Manchester City and not giving him a chance at first team action,
Sinclair has subsequently moved on loan to West Brom (The Sun).
Fellaini and Baines have been told by Roberto Martinez not to assume the grass is greener on the other side (The Sun).
The Daily Mail have brought back rumours that Arsenal are after
Benzema, Di Maria and Ozil. But do the trio have any interest in joining
The Gunners? (The Daily Mail).
Marouane Fellaini has reportedly told Roberto Martinez that he wants
to leave Everton. Rumours in The Sun and The Independent yesterday
suggested that Baines had done the same thing, but Martinez denied it at
a press conference (The Daily Mail).
Liverpool transfer pursuits of Ilori and Sakho deadlocked over defenders' price-tags
Sporting Lisbon and PSG want £17m and £13m respectively for duo even though they will be out of contract next summer
Everybody hurts: Rodgers is praying he gets help for his injury-hit defence
Andrew Powell
Liverpool's ongoing interest in Tiago Ilori and Mamadou Sakho has hit problems. The Anfield giants
are attempting to land Brendan Rodgers the defender he so badly wants,
but have baulked at Sporting Lisbon’s asking price of £17million for
Ilori - way above the £6m Liverpool are prepared to offer for the
20-year-old centre-half.
The Reds feel their offer is realistic,
because Ilori is set to be out of contract next summer and is refusing
to sign a new one.
Rodgers’ move for Sakho has also run into difficulties.
French
champions Paris Saint-Germain want £13m for the France international
even though, like Ilori, he is scheduled to be a free agent a year from
now.
Rodgers is desperate to make a breakthrough in negotiations
as he has lost defenders Kolo Toure and Sebastian Coates to injury,
while Martin Skrtel is only just back from a knock of his own.
The Super Lig side will be replaced in the
tournament by Norwegian outfit Tromso, after losing their appeal against
a ban related to match-fixing
Besiktas
have been removed from the Europa League less than 24 hours after
qualifying for the group stages, after the Court of Arbitration (CAS)
upheld Uefa's decision to exclude the Super Lig side from this season's
tournament.
The European game's governing body had banned the
Turkish outfit from competing in Europe because of the club's
involvement in a match-fixing scandal.
The Black Eagles appealed
the decision and were therefore allowed to participate in the play-off
round, with Slaven Bilic's men claiming a berth in the last 32 with a
3-2 aggregate success over Tromso on Thursday evening.
However, the CAS has now upheld Uefa's ruling, meaning it is the Norwegians who will progress to the group stages.
"Due
to the urgency of the matter, the CAS Panel has issued its decision
without the grounds," read a CAS statement. "The full, reasoned award
will be issued as soon as possible.
"Uefa excluded Besiktas from
the current edition of the Europa League because of match-fixing. The
Turkish club appealed such decision to the CAS.
"In agreement
with the parties, the CAS set a timetable for an accelerated procedure
and granted the stay of the Uefa decision, allowing Besiktas to
participate in the current edition of the Europa League. The parties
were heard at a hearing at the CAS on 20 August 2013
"Pursuant to the Uefa decision, which is now confirmed by the CAS, Besiktas are excluded from the Europa League 2013-14."
The
CAS had already upheld Uefa's decision to ban Besiktas' compatriots
Fenerbahce from European competition for two years for match-fixing and
it has now been confirmed that last season's Super Lig runners-up, who
were beaten by Arsenal in the Champions League play-off round, will be
replaced in the Europa League by Cypriots APOEL. --------------------- goal.com
The
Brazilian, who announced his desire to leave the Santiago Bernabeu on
Thursday, slotted home the opener early on before Spain Under-21 star
Alvaro Morata and summer signing Casemiro made it 3-0 inside the first
16 minutes.
And Kaka rounded off the scoring with his second of
the game on 82 minutes, as Madrid were crowned winners of the annual
pre-season tournament.
Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti named a strong
starting XI for the clash with Depor, handing starts to Iker Casillas,
Pepe, Isco and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Unsurprisingly, los Blancos
quickly began to set the tempo against the Segunda Division outfit, and
though Borja Bastion carved out an early opportunity for the hosts, the
visitors soon had their first of the evening through Kaka.
Ronaldo,
who missed the Uefa Best Player in Europe gala to play a part in the
game, slid the ball across for the 31-year-old and he tapped the ball
home to make it 1-0.
Ancelotti's decision to start the season
with Diego Lopez as Madrid's first choice goalkeeper has again been the
cause of plenty of headlines, but Casillas did little to harm his claims
for a recall with a smart save from Borja.
But, soon after, it
was 2-0 to the away side, as Marcelo and Morata combined well to set the
latter of the pair free to fire past German Lux in the Deportivo goal
on 12 minutes.
And the game was all but over as a contest just a
matter of minutes later as Madrid threatened to run riot. With 16
minutes on the clock, Casemiro popped up in the area to head home from a
corner-kick and make it 3-0.
The capital club played out the
rest of the encounter in first gear and even had the luxury of handing
game time to Angel Di Maria, Karim Benzema and Mesut Ozil in the second
half, with Kaka putting the icing on the cake with a fourth late on in
what could be his farewell appearance for the club. --------------- goal.com
Everton want £25m EACH for Manchester United targets Marouane Fellaini and Leighton Baines
Toffees are desperate to keep left-back Baines but are more
willing to sell Fellaini PLUS Martinez sounds 'grass not greener'
warning
Together again? Moyes managed Fellaini for five seasons at Everton
Alex Livesey
Everton will demand FIFTY million pounds from Manchester United for Marouane Fellaini and Leighton Baines.
Chairman
Bill Kenwright continues to play hardball with former Toffees boss and
new United manager David Moyes, rejecting the champions' increased joint offer of £38m.
Kenwright wants £25m for each player.
Everton are desperate to hang on to England left-back Baines, even though he wants to join the Old Trafford giants, and know their stance will price him out of Moyes’ reach. The Toffees
are more willing to negotiate over Fellaini though and will consider a
bid which, with add-ons, is close to their £25m valuation.
Moyes'
Goodison successor Roberto Martinez has already drawn up contingency
plans to implement should Fellaini be sold, and is understood to have
made an approach to his previous club Wigan for James McCarthy.
The Championship club’s £15m valuation could be a sticking point, however.
Martinez
would like to be able to stretch his Fellaini windfall to buying
midfielders Gareth Barry and Thomas Ince from manchester City and
Blackpool, respectively.
The Spaniard has also reminded Baines and
Fellaini there are no guarantees they will succeed if they quit
Goodison Park for United.
"It's an interesting debate," said the
Blues boss. "If you sign a player for a big investment and he gets
injured and is out for 12 months, could the club just get rid of him
because he's not playing or is not going to be any good for them?
"Every time you have a good player, if you're going to expect
to lose him because they think that the grass is always greener
elsewhere, it's a challenge.
"Of course, players will always like that next challenge and to go to play Champions League football and win trophies.
"But
there are great stories about that - Michael Owen leaves Liverpool to
go to Real Madrid to win trophies and Liverpool win the Champions
League.
"In football, nothing is guaranteed. Clubs need to be strong, and must be allowed to be stronger than the players.
"It's
one of those situations, where you have to be respectful to the club,
which has given you the opportunity, which has made the previous
investment. Things need to be right for everyone."
Baines is
understood to be keen on joining United, but Martinez says the England
international will be rewarded with a new contract if he stays:
"Once
the window closes, we're going to look at all of the players in the
squad and see where their contracts are up to and individually address
things."
Arsenal transfer policy labelled "ridiculous" by former captain Tony Adams
Gunners icon baffled why Wenger should be looking to spend big on his perfectly-good attack when the defence needs fresh faces
Shut that door! Adams wants to see Arsenal buying defenders not attackers
Getty Images
Arsenal legend Tony Adams has branded Arsene Wenger’s £40million bid
for Luis Suarez “ridiculous” – and admitted he fears the worst in
Sunday's North London derby.
Adams poured scorn on a futile stakeout for big-money signings at the Emirates before the transfer window closes on Monday.
While arch-rivals and neighbours Spurs have spent £109m on an expensive summer refit, the Gunners’ only major recruit so far has been to re-sign French utility warhorse Mathieu Flamini.
And
ahead of this weekend’s partisan tiff along the Seven Sisters Road,
Adams claimed Wenger was shopping at the wrong end of the pitch by trying to sign Liverpool striker Suarez – because shoring up the defence should be his priority.
Dear
old Tone – at 46, it is now 11 years since he made the last of his 504
appearances for Arsenal, where he choreographed the offside trap like a
dance routine on Top of the Pops.
But after a penalty shoot-out
with fellow north London legends Ian Wright, Ledley King and Les
Ferdinand in Trafalgar Square to launch Vodafone’s 4G network, the
former England captain took Le Professeur to task.
Adams said:
“It’s not Arsene’s style to pay top dollar and gamble huge sums of money
on a single player, but my main criticism of him is that I would do
things differently.
“This team is so gung-ho, and they are so
open, that the balance is not right. They are too susceptible to the
counter-attack and they never look like keeping a clean sheet.
“It’s
so scary, I sit there holding my breath every week. So to try and shell
out £40m on Suarez or Wayne Rooney would be money badly spent on yet
another player who can open doors in the attacking third while the back
door remains wide open.
“I thought it was a ridiculous bid for
Suarez – I would never have gone there in a million years. You have got
the baggage as well, but I’m not even talking about the baggage.
“Arsenal
have not got a problem scoring goals, because Giroud scored 17 last
season, they have got the pace of Theo, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain,
Wilshere, Ramsey. They can score from all over the pitch.
“They need someone to lock it up when it breaks down, and I would be scouring Europe for the next Gilberto.
“I
must have been the only person in the country doing somersaults
watching Manchester United and Chelsea keeping clean sheets the other
night – two fantastic, organised, solid sides giving nothing away.
“That wasn’t a boring game for me, because I was wishing Arsenal could do that more often.”
Like
a man who knows he is not about to land a job on the Emirates coaching
staff any time soon, Adams – currently a consultant to Azerbaijan club
FC Gabala – has become increasingly vocal in his criticism of Wenger’s
methods.
And with the clock ticking over into a ninth season
without Arsenal winning a trophy, Adams fears the balance of power in
north London may be about to shift.
He added: “There’s not going to be a lot in it on Sunday.
“Tottenham
have spent a lot of money, they have got better and Arsenal have not
been challenging for trophies while too many big players have walked out
of the door, which has been galling for the supporters.
“Tottenham
have come back to Arsenal in recent years and north London derbies have
certainly changed a lot since my first one, when Stewart Robson kicked
Glenn Hoddle all over the pitch and we could have a good fight.
“I’m also critical of Arsene for selling Robin van Persie.
“Once
you have got that type of player, you should give him the world to keep
him. But Robin chose to join a club who are challenging for the title
every year where Arsenal are now challenging to finish in the top four.
“I
admire Arsene for sticking to his principles, but somewhere along the
line you have to win trophies as well. It’s easy to criticise from this
side of the fence, but Arsene didn’t do enough to keep Van Persie.”
Revealed: The €15m pay cut Eto'o accepted to seal Chelsea move
The striker completed his move to Stamford Bridge
on Thursday, but is set to see his weekly pay-packet reduced by an
astonishing 71 per cent after leaving Russia
EXCLUSIVE By Paul Clennam
Samuel Eto'o accepted a staggering €15 million pay cut to complete his move to Chelsea, Goal can reveal.
The
striker, whose free transfer to Stamford Bridge from Anzhi Makhachkala
was confirmed on Thursday, has been handed a one-year deal worth
€117,000-a-week - €293,000-a-week less than his earnings at the Russian
club.
Eto'o was the best paid player in world football at Anzhi,
whose owner Suleyman Kerimov has moved to drastically reduce spending
at the club, having previously sold Willian to the Blues for €38m on
Sunday and a host of Russian talent to various domestic rivals.
Despite
the mammoth loss in weekly earnings, Eto'o is still set to receive a
substantial eight-figure severance package and signing on fee having
completed the move to west London.
The former Barcelona star
also receives €5.8m-a-year as a face of Puma, but has still seen his
weekly pay-packet reduced by over 70 per cent.
Eto'o played under
Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho during Inter's treble-winning 2009-10
campaign, before moving to the mega-rich Dagestan outfit in the North
Caucasus.
He emerged as a target for the Blues boss after the
club abandoned their pursuit of Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney,
despite making two bids for the striker.
"I am very happy to be
here but also anxious because I want to get playing as soon as
possible," Eto'o told Chelsea's official website on Thursday.
"It
wasn't a hard decision. I saw the qualities Chelsea have, and I was
very happy with Jose Mourinho before, so when the opportunity came, I
was very happy to take it."
Eto'o is Chelsea's sixth signing of
the summer transfer window, joining Willian, Cristian Cuevas, Andre
Schurrle, Mark Schwarzer and Marco van Ginkel at Stamford Bridge. ------------------- goal.com
Hoeness attacks Mourinho over 'unqualified comments'
By Mark Doyle
The Portuguese coach was irked by the fact that
his losing record against the Bavarians' trainer, Pep Guardiola, was
brought up in a pre-game press conference
Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness has hit out at allegedly "unqualified comments" made by Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho ahead of Friday's Super Cup showdown between the two sides.
Mourinho
later conceded that perhaps it was he who had erred in terms of the
head-to-head record but Hoeness was still less than impressed by the way
in which the former Inter and Madrid trainer had responded to the line
of questioning.
"I do think that the match [against Chelsea] is about prestige," the World Cup winner is quoted as saying by Kicker.
"Especially since Mourinho has, again, made some unqualified comments ahead of the match.
"So, I think our coach will be fired up about this game."
Hoeness
has the utmost faith in Guardiola to bring home the trophy, but he did
admit that he fears that fortune might once again favour Chelsea, who
edged out Bayern on penalties in a dramatic 2012 Champions League final.
"I'll
keep my fingers crossed and hope he will win it," he admitted.
"However, I'm not sure there won't be certain forces working against the
Germans again."
Bayern's eagerly-awaited meeting with Chelsea in Prague is scheduled to kick off at 20:45CET. ------------------------ goal.com
Arsenal fear Wenger will spend NOTHING on transfers this summer
Gunners have backed away from Cabaye and Guaita with four
days left in the window - could freebies Sanogo and Flamini really be
it?
Blue Monday? WIll Wenger make any dent in that £70m before the window closes?
Michael Regan
Arsene Wenger HAS re-signed Mathieu Flamini - but now Arsenal fear
their manager may end up not spending a single penny in transfer fees
this summer.
Midfielder Flamini, a Gunner from 2004-08, was
without a club after leaving AC Milan has been handed a three-year
contract worth £30,000-a-week.
The 29-year-old becomes the north Londoners' second signing of the summer after rookie striker Yaya Sanogo, who also joined as a free agent.
But
there is a very real concern now that those are the only two deals
Arsenal will end up doing in the summer transfer window after missing
out on a succession big-name targets.
That will infuriate fed-up
fans and cause major frustration in the boardroom, because Wenger has
had a £70m transfer kitty at his disposal.
Arsenal have still not
given up on making a dramatic signing before the window shuts on Monday
night and are still keeping close tabs on Real Madrid trio Karim Benzema, Angel Di Maria and Mesut Ozil, who all remain possibilities.
But they are understood to have dropped their interest in Newcastle midfielder Yohan Cabaye as they have refused to go anywhere near the Toon's £20m valuation.
That deal is dead in the water unless the Geordies do a dramatic U-turn.
Similarly, Arsenal have been scared off Valencia keeper Vicente Guaita after having a £6m bid turned down.
They could also do with a replacement on the left flank after Lukas Podolski was ruled out for up to 10 weeks with a hamstring injury suffered in midweek against Fenerbahce.
Former
Chelsea forward Salomon Kalou, now at Lille, and Manchester United's
Nani are possibilities, but Mirror Sport understands no deal is
particularly close.
It leaves Arsenal with the very real danger of
not spending a penny which would cause a major fans' backlash -
especially if they lose at home to big-spending rivals Tottenham in
Sunday's North London derby.
Ironically, the Gunners are in line to face one of the summer targets they missed out on, Gonzalo Higuain, after being handed a nightmare Champions League group including his Napoli side, last season's beaten finalists Borussia Dortmund and Marseille.
But
despite a growing injury list - as well as Podolski, Mikel Arteta,
Thomas Vermaelen and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are all out - Wenger seems
reluctant to blow the dust off his cheque-book.
It is causing frustration, as chief executive Ivan Gazidis spoke of the club's "escalation of financial firepower" in June.
Wenger will be under massive pressure from the board and the fans to spend.
It
is believed to be particularly keen on Ozil and Di Maria, but there is a
growing feeling that he will end up doing nothing further.
Chelsea ready to listen to Fernando Torres transfer offers after Samuel Eto'o signs
Spanish striker the Blues paid £50m for in 2011 is up for
grabs - and faces a lack of playing time in a World Cup year if he stays
Time to go'o? Does the arrival of Samuel Eto'o mean a Torres exit?
Matthew Peters
Chelsea striker Fernando Torres is up for sale following the arrival of Samuel Eto’o.
Cameroon marksman Eto'o, 32, has signed a stunning one-year deal worth £7million to move from Anzhi Makhachkala to Stamford Bridge.
Now,
despite Demba Ba being linked with a return to Newcastle, Chelsea are
ready to listen to offers for Torres, who was signed from Liverpool for a
British record £50million two years ago.
Spanish sides are aware
of his availability, with the 29-year-old having fallen down the pecking
order following Eto’o’s arrival.
Clubs enquiring after
rising-star forward Romelu Lukaku following Eto’o arrival have been told
that the Belgian still remains very much in Mourinho’s plans.
Torres has lifted the European Cup, FA Cup and the Europa League trophy during his time with the west Londoners.
In
his three games under new boss Jose Mourinho this season, however, the
Spaniard has been substituted against Hull, unused against Aston Villa
and sent on from the bench for the game at Manchester United.
Torres
knows that his chances of being selected for the World Cup next summer
could be in jeopardy if he is not playing regular first-team football
this season.
International team-mate David Villa quit Barcelona
for Atletico Madrid this summer in order to get more opportunities to
impress Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque.
Mourinho turned to Eto’o,
with whom he lifted a Treble of Italian title and Cup and the Champions
League at Inter Milan, after failing to land Wayne Rooney from United
earlier this week.
Eto’o is understood to be a player on whom Mourinho believes he can rely on.
Torres, in contrast, faces an uncertain future at Stamford Bridge.
Eto,
who rejected a counter-offer from Inter to move to London, said: “I am
very happy to be here, but also anxious because I want to play as soon
as possible.
“It was a difficult decision. Was very happy with
Jose Mourinho before so when the opportunity came, I was very happy to
take it."
Ancelotti experience can help Real Madrid topple Juventus - Butragueno
By Kris Voakes in Monaco
The former Spain striker insists that the Italian
coach has what it takes to get the best out of his players as they
prepare for a tough Champions League group campaign
Real Madrid director Emilio Butragueno believes that Carlo Ancelotti’s experience in Italy could be a key factor in the Spanish giants winning their Champions League group.
The Blancos were paired with Juventus, Galatasaray and
Copenhagen in Thursday’s draw in Monaco, and the former striker admitted
that the new coach’s familiarity with Italian football may be the
tipping factor as his side search for top spot in Group B.
“It is a tough group and it is very important to finish top because
in the knockouts it is crucial to play the second game at home, and also
playing a runner-up is better,” Butragueno told Goal.
“The two games with Juventus are important, but then every game is.
Carlo is a very experienced coach, and of course being Italian he knows
perfectly how we can compete against Juventus. But it's not just that, I
think in general he is a great coach and will bring experience to every
game.”
Madrid open their group campaign with a trip to Galatasaray, whom
they eliminated in the quarter-finals of last season’s competition
despite an away-leg defeat, and the 50-year-old told the assembled press
that he is expecting another rough ride at the Turk Telecom Arena.
“It is a great atmosphere. The support they give to their players is
immense. The fans are fantastic. Also, I must say that the Galatasaray
people were extremely friendly when we were there and were great hosts.
But they are a great team so they will make it very difficult for us.”
Butragueno was quick to play down talk of Madrid winning a 10th
Champions League crown, saying La Decima is a long way off at this stage
of the season.
“We play in every competition to win, of course, and we will try to
do our best. But every detail is going to be important, so we have to be
focused on the group stage and try to qualify for the next round. But
this competition is extremely difficult.”
The record nine-time champions have not won a European title since
their 2-1 success over Bayer Leverkusen in the 2002 final at Hampden
Park in Glasgow. -------------------------- goal.com
The deal had been expected to go through at the
start of the week, but the English outfit do not want to sanction the
Welshman's departure until a replacement has been signed
Real Madrid vice-president Fernando Fernandez-Tapias has accused Tottenham of "stalling" the club's bid to sign Gareth Bale.
Los Blancos
had been expected to complete the deal earlier this week, and had even
constructed a stage on which to unveil the 24-year-old attacker at the
Santiago Bernabeu, only to be forced to dismantle it as the transfer was held up by Spurs' desire to sign a replacement before selling the Wales international.
While
Fernandez-Tapias is still confident that Madrid will belatedly get
their man, he admits that the Liga giants have been frustrated by
Tottenham's behaviour.
"There are problems, but I think it will all be straightened out," he is quoted as saying by AS. "We thought he'd be here, but he hasn't even flown to Madrid yet, although it could still happen
"I think it will happen, but I couldn't swear to it completely. We have to wait, because Spurs are stalling."
Fernandez-Tapias argued, though, that Madrid are more than capable of
challenging for titles even if the deal does not go through before the
close of the transfer window on September 2.
"I have no doubt of Bale's ability, but without Bale, Real are still a
force to be reckoned with - we have an amazing team," he declared.
Bale, who scored 26 goals in 44 appearances for Tottenham last term, is reportedly set to join Madrid for a world-record fee. ---------------------- goal.com
Super Eagles and Enugu Rangers defender Chibuzor Okonkwo is the latest
player to quit the Glo Nigeria Premier League for ‘greener’ pastures in
the Libyan League futaa.com has confirmed.
player to quit the Glo Nigeria Premier League for ‘greener’ pastures in the Libyan League futaa.com has confirmed.
Though the details of the move are still sketchy, an official with the
Flying Antelopes confirmed that the former Heartland player is already
away in the oil-rich North African country to seal a deal.
“Yes, he has gone to Libya to sign for one of their top clubs but I
don’t have the details now; before the end of the day, other details
will be announced, an official of Rangers told futaa.com.
Okonkwo who was part of the 2008 Beijing Olympic silver-winning Nigeria
side had before now undergone trials in England, Ukraine, Russia and the
Netherlands.
He now joins the likes of Lobi Stars striker Tony Okpotu and Warri
Wolves Ike ThankGod who have also made a switch to play their club
football in Libya. ------------------- complete sports
The Ajax director hopes the Dane will stay in
Amsterdam but believes he could be a big hit in north London should his
much-anticipated transfer go through
Christian Eriksen could be a great addition at Tottenham Hotspur, according to Ajax legend Edwin van der Sar.
The 21-year-old is due to seal a transfer from the Amsterdam ArenA to
the north London outfit in the coming days, ending a five-year
association with the club.
And while Van der Sar will be sad to see him go, he believes Eriksen
has the qualities necessary to be a success at White Hart Lane.
“He's a very good player and I would be sorry if he were to leave
us,” said the Ajax marketing director. “He has great quality, is
two-footed, is very quick, gives you a lot of pace on the ball and his
corners and free-kicks are very good, so I'm sure if he went to
Tottenham he would be a great player there.”
Van der Sar was speaking in Monaco at the Champions League draw event
after Ajax were given a tough draw in Group H alongside Barcelona, AC
Milan and Celtic. But the former goalkeeper, who won the 1995
competition with the club, said that he is far from worried about the
task ahead.
“I'm not worried at all, I'm looking forward to it. They're going to
be great stadiums to play in. [Director of football] Marc Overmars and I
have fond memories of Milan from the experiences we had as players.”
The 42-year-old also won the competition with Manchester United in
2008, making the winning save from Nicolas Anelka in the penalty
shoot-out. And he believes his former club have what it takes to
overcome the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson to thrive under new manager
David Moyes.
“It's new for Man United,” he continued. “They haven't been in this
position for 26 or 27 years, but then there was also their first Premier
League game without Sir Alex, then their first home game.
“There are going to be comparisons every time, but they have
experience in the squad with the players, who are all still there of
course. It will be different training, maybe their approach is more
technical when playing in Europe but I don't think it will be a problem
for Man United.” -------------------- goal.com
The Italian admitted the Viola had endured a tough night after edging through to the Europa League group stage
Fiorentina coach Vincenzo Montella
says his side were "made to suffer" by Grasshoppers after losing 1-0 to
the Swiss outfit in the second-leg of their Europa League play-off
clash.
The Viola drew the tie 2-2 on aggregate but
advance to the group stage of the competition on away goals, with
Montella's decision to rest Giuseppe Rossi, Massimo Ambrosini and
Alberto Aquilani backfiring on the night.
"There is great
satisfaction for the qualification, but our opponents showed they were
in better physical shape and made us suffer,” the 39-year-old told told Sky.
"We
have learned to suffer and we’re going to need that skill in Serie A
too, because it can happen over the course of a whole season.
"In the second half I saw some good things, starting from Mario Gomez. Nobody held back."
A
slip-up by Brazilian goalkeeper Neto enabled the Swiss outfit to take
the lead towards the end of the first half, but Montella refused to
criticise his player.
"A mistake can happen, he reacted
afterwards like a goalkeeper who knows how to hold his own. Fortunately
we qualified and the lad will be more relaxed from now on," h added.
"I’d like us to play some important games in a prestigious stadium."
The Europa League group stage draw takes place on Friday, with Fiorentina and Lazio both residing in pot one. ----------------------- goal.com
Blessing Okagbare is one of the three long jumpers in contention
tonight for the USD$40,000 bonus and the Diamond Race Trophy on offer in
Zurich at the penultimate leg of the 14-leg of IAAF Diamond League
meetings.
The other two are USA’s Britney Reese who won the IAAF World
Championships title in Moscow penultimate Sunday and England’s Shara
Proctor who failed to shine in Russia.
Apart from the cash and trophy on offer, the Nigerian will also be
itching to extracted her pound of flesh from Reese who denied her the
chance to be crowned world champion in Moscow.
A win for Okagbare in the winner takes-all-battle tonight will make her the
first Nigerian athlete to be crowned champion of her event in IAAF’s
highly lucrative one-day meetings after Falilat Ogunkoya who was crowned
the IAAF Golden League winner in the 400m in 1998 in Moscow.
Okagbare is tied on 12 points with Reese following her wins at Lausanne,
Switzerland and Monaco legs of the meetings as well as second place
behind Reese in Doha, Qatar at the opening leg of the lucrative
meetings. ------------------------ complete sports
Says Eagles coaches need to discover more talents from domestic league
Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi, has declared that the exit of
Sunshine Stars defender Godfrey Oboabona to Turkey where he recently
joined Rezespor and few other home-based players who are on the verge of
joining foreign clubs will mean more work for the coaching crew ahead
of the African Nations Championship holding in January in South Africa.
Oboabona who was a part of the team that won the 2013 Africa Cup of
Nations in South Africa and also helped coach Stephen Keshi to qualify
for the CHAN, recently completed a move to Turkey, a situation that has
ruled him out of the tournament designed by CAF to help home-based
players improve in the round leather game.
Speaking yesterday, the former Togo national team handler who is looking
forward to the 2014 World Cup qualifier against Malawi next month said
the Home Eagles will not disappoint in South Africa.
“I wish Oboabona good luck in his new club and also I want to advise him
to be a good ambassador of the country. He must also give his best in
the new club,” says Keshi.
“He alongside others have played a key role by making sure that we
qualified Nigeria for the CHAN for the first time and now that they are
not going to be there for the main championship, it means we really need
to work harder and make sure that we get good replacement for the
position that will be vacant in the team.” ----------------- complete sports
Goal.com keeps you up to date with all the
missing men from England's top-flight - from what's keeping your
favourite player out, to when they will return to action
--Set to dump domestic league
Blessing Okagbare is one of the three long jumpers in contention
tonight for the USD$40,000 bonus and the Diamond Race Trophy on offer in
Zurich at the penultimate leg of the 14-leg of IAAF Diamond League
meetings.
--Home Eagles Exit To Europe
