Man United to offer £15m and Vidic for Benzema

Transfer Talk: Fabregas and Yaya Toure to switch clubs? Higuain and Benzema also set for England

By Bill Mann

LAST UPDATED 3:15 PM, MAY 11, 2010

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Barcelona just won't let it lie. Having been humiliated in the Champions League by ten-man Inter, the club who like to call themselves 'Spanish Giants' are once again tapping up Arsenal skipper Cesc Fabregas.

According to a report in Spanish rag Sport, the conniving Catalans will redouble their efforts to steal Fabregas (above) from the Emirates as soon as their domestic season peters out next week.
Apparently Barcelona will offer the Gunners £40m for Fabregas, a derisory offer for which the Arsenal board is unlikely to get out of bed. They've let it be known in the past that £50m is the starting point for any negotiations for the sale of Fabregas - and so Sport is saying Barcelona might also offer Yaya Toure.
But would Arsenal be interested in the 27-year-old defensive midfielder, particularly as his brother, Kolo, so shamelessly walked out on the Gunners last year for Manchester City and life in the glamorous Europa League?
Talking of shameless, the Mail carries a hilarious report saying German outfit St Pauli are about to offer Arsenal talisman Sol Campbell a future in Germany. The Hamburg-based club, who have just won promotion to the Bundesliga, have somehow got it into their heads that Campbell might be willing to accept a lucrative one-year contract.
But with Campbell still having nightmares about his Notts County experience last year, the big man is unlikely to join another team of willing but limited enthusiasts. Campbell has yet to extend his contract at the Emirates but teammate Robin Van Persie today added his voice to the growing chorus of Arsenal players who want Campbell to sign on for another season: "Sol is one of those characters you need in your squad," said the Dutchman.
"If someone is easing off he tells them straight away. He says: 'This is not the way to do it, sharpen up otherwise it's not going to work.' We need that and I am very glad he is here. Of course he has his qualities (on the pitch) as you look at the way he came here and then the way he has been playing the last couple of months. He has been fantastic."
One defender who is set to quit his club is Manchester United's Patrice Evra. The Sun says that the Frenchman has had his head turned by Real Madrid and Inter Milan with both clubs apparently willing to hand £18m to the Red Devils in return for the 28-year-old full-back.
Evra joined United over four years ago from Monaco and is rated one of the world's best in his position, and the Sun says it was former United teammate Cristiano Ronaldo who advised Real to snap up the Frenchman. Evra has one year left on his contract which might tempt United to sell him now and reap the reward.
Possibly keeping Evra company on the plane to Madrid is Serbian hardman, Nemanja Vidic, who looks set to be the makeweight in a United bid to lure disappointing French striker Karim Benzema to Old Trafford.
According to the Sun, the Glazer family believe a marquee signing such as that of Benzema is just the thing to put an end to the ever intensifying fan’s revolt against their stewardship.
He will, however, not come cheaply. Having sampled the highlife at the Bernabeu, Benzema is looking for a tear-inducing pay packet of almost £200,000 per week – on top of the £25m Madrid are asking for him.
Real’s other frontman, the cheaper yet more effective Gonzalo Higuain, is also set to ply his wares in the Premier League, but this time in London. According to Spanish publication Marca, the player’s dad, Jorge, has already held preliminary talks with Chelsea and a summer move to the Bridge looks on the cards.
The 22-year-old Higuain, set to be a star for Argentina in next month’s World Cup, might well have played his last game for Madrid on Sunday against Athletic Bilbao. Afterward he gave what sounded like a valedictory address, saying: "I am proud of the applause from the fans who've known me these three and half years since I've been here. I have given everything for this club."
Finally, as predicted by The First Post several weeks ago, Manchester City will announce this week the capture of versatile German defender Jerome Boateng from Hamburg. The 21-year-old helped the German club to the semi-finals of the Europa League, where he and his teammates were unable to withstand the Fulham onslaught, and now it seems Boateng will be gracing the same competition next season in the Sky Blue of City.
"We are quite close to signing him," admitted City boss Roberto Mancini, adding: "Boateng is a good player, a young player and strong... He can play central defender, right defender, or in the middle, three different positions." 

Read more: http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/63178,sport,football,transfer-talk-manchester-united-to-offer-15m-and-nemanja-vidic-for-karim-benzema-yaya-toure-cesc-fabregas#ixzz0npGShO1J

Buffon, Arteta, Toulalan on their way to Arsenal

Transfer Talk: Arsenal look to ditch disastrous goalkeeper Fabianski, while Pato rejects Chelsea

By Bill Mann

LAST UPDATED 2:48 PM, MAY 12, 2010

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Arsenal and Juventus have all but reached agreement on Gianluigi Buffon according to Italian daily Tuttosport. The goalkeeping legend, 32 but still in his prime as far as shotstopping is concerned, has been linked with a move to the Premier League for several weeks, and it now appears certain that the Emirates is the destination for the player who has won 100 caps for Italy.

Tuttosport says Arsenal are set to seal the deal any time now for €25m and end Buffon's nine-year stint in Turin. The agreement means that Lukasz 'the Fumbler' Fabianski is unlikely to appear again in an Arsenal shirt, happy news for the thousands of Arsenal fans still in therapy as a result of Fabianski's antics this season.
If the Daily Mail is to be trusted then it appears likely that Buffon will be joined in the dressing room next season by Everton midfielder Mikel Arteta. The paper says that Arsene Wenger is a fan of the 28-year-old Spaniard, who has been at Goodison Park since 2005, but that he won't come cheap. Arteta's contract with Everton has another year to run and he's highly regarded on Merseyside so if Arsenal want their man they'll have to dig deep into their funds.
Another player who could arrive at the Emirates this summer is Lyon's defensive midfielder Jeremy Toulalan. The 26-year-old has been at the heart of his club's impressive Champions League run this season, but is said to be keen to test himself in the Premier League.
Toulalan has been included in the French World Cup squad, unlike Patrick Vieira in who's footsteps he could be following in his club career as well as internationally. According to caughtoffside.com the player would cost Wenger £14m.
Chelsea might be on the brink of a historic league and cup double but things aren't going quite so well in the transfer market. AC Milan striker Alexandre Pato has denied he wants to move to Stamford Bridge in an interview with Italian rag Corriere dello Sport. "I want to remain at AC Milan and win everything with them," said the 20-year-old Brazilian, who scored 14 goals in 28 matches before injury laid him low in March.
And the Times reports that Manchester City is about to pinch a pair of players from under Chelsea's nose, despite the fact the best the Sky Blues can offer next season is the Europa League. According to the paper City are confident of securing the services of Napoli midfielder Marek Hamsik and Mario Balotelli, the temperamental Inter Milan striker.
City boss Roberto Mancini has asked the board to give him the funds to buy the two players as the club looks to regroup after a disappointing season in which they missed out on Champions League qualification. Hamsik, a 22-year-old Slovakian, has been courted by Chelsea for several months but the Times says it seems likely he'll spurn the champions in favour for City.
Finally, the Mirror reports that Liverpool is having a summer clearout as they look to put a disastrous season behind them. And one of the first to go says the paper will be Italian midfielder Alberto Aquilani, who's been top of the underachieving list since arriving from Roma last summer in a deal that cost the Reds £20m.
Fiorentina are reportedly thinking of making a bid for the player but only one in the region of £7m, which means Liverpool would make a loss of £13m on the player who started just 12 games this season. Others said to be on their way out of Anfield are Dutchman Ryan Babel and French striker David Ngog. 

What they’re saying about Capello’s World Cup squad

 Inclusion of injured players will make England training camp look like a clinic

By Alex Lewis

LAST UPDATED 9:54 AM, MAY 12, 2010

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England manager Fabio Capello released the preliminary England squad list of 30 players last night, an announcement somewhat overshadowed by his controversial launch on Monday of the Capello Index.

By Tuesday afternoon, he had performed a swift U-turn under pressure from the FA, postponing the Index until after South Africa, to avoid having to rate his own players less than two hours after they had played in their World Cup matches. But the damage was done and Capello was no longer Mr Perfecto when he came out with his squad.
There are surprise inclusions - notably Liverpool's Jamie Carragher and Chelsea's Joe Cole and the uncapped Michael Dawson and Adam Johnson– but whether they will survive the eventual trimming of the squad to 23 remains to be seen.
Carragher retired from international football in 2007, but decided to throw his hat into the ring. Joe Cole's inclusion seems to be based on a half hour cameo in Sunday's match against Wigan. As recently as February, he was described by Capello as "no longer the Joe Cole I remember".
The big issue is the inclusion of players such as Gareth Barry and Aaron Lennon who are either injured or have barely returned from injury – not to mention Ledley King will need the constant attention of physios. The complete squad is listed below the media comments.
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING:
Oliver Kay, the Times: "Experience and character have clearly been huge considerations for Capello. Why else would he have called up Carragher and tried to tempt Scholes back into the fold? Why else would he have called up King, another whose fitness issues had seemed to consign him to the international wilderness. And in each of those cases, the instinct is to say it was the right choice, even if it has shown a glaring lack of faith in those such as Phil Jagielka, Gary Cahill and Jermaine Jenas."
Kevin McCarra, the Guardian: "The manager can no longer talk, as he once did, about taking only fully fit players to the World Cup finals. Standards have to be compromised when significant players carry some affliction or other. The base near Rustenburg may resemble a clinic as much as a training ground."
Henry Winter, the Telegraph: "It will take more than one foolish foray into online gambling for England fans to forget the rout of Croatia in Zagreb, the smooth qualifying passage to the World Cup or the reality that Capello attempts to sculpt something special out of imperfect clay."
Ian Herbert, the Independent: "It is a squad of compromises from a manager who has always preached a mantra of using the players who are fit and who have performed for him, but the injuries which have damaged the build-up have clearly changed all that."
Shaun Custis, the Sun: "The calm air around Capello has got a little blustery. The move to talk Jamie Carragher into playing again was surprising enough but the last-ditch attempt to get Paul Scholes to pull on a Three Lions shirt again after six years in exile was astonishing."
Phil McNulty, BBC online: "Capello openly betrays his uncertainty about England's defensive resources by picking Tottenham captain Ledley King... And even more so by the renewed courting of Jamie Carragher, who is being tempted out of self-imposed England exile and into the same circumstances that forced him there in the first place."
THE ENGLAND SQUAD – PRELIMINARY LIST:
Goalkeepers: Joe Hart (Man City), David James (Portsmouth), Robert Green (West Ham)
Defenders: Leighton Baines (Everton), Jamie Carragher (Liverpool), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Michael Dawson (Spurs), Rio Ferdinand (Man Utd), Glen Johnson (Liverpool), Ledley King (Spurs), John Terry (Chelsea), Matthew Upson (West Ham), Stephen Warnock (Aston Villa)
Midfielders: Gareth Barry (Man City), Michael Carrick (Man Utd), Joe Cole (Chelsea), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Tom Huddlestone (Spurs), Adam Johnson (Man City), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Aaron Lennon (Spurs), James Milner (Aston Villa), Scott Parker (West Ham), Theo Walcott (Arsenal), Shaun Wright-Phillips (Man City)
Forwards: Darren Bent (Sunderland), Peter Crouch (Spurs), Jermain Defoe (Spurs), Emile Heskey (Aston Villa), Wayne Rooney (Man Utd)

Fabregas is king of the assists

Cesc Fabregas has been king of the assists for Arsenal this season - and he almost topped the Premier League charts too.

The captain racked up 15 assists in 2009/10 and was second only to Frank Lampard in the top flight. However, Fabregas' record stands up to further scrutiny: he set up 15 goals in 27 games while the Chelsea midfielder's 17 assists came in 36 appearances.

That gives Fabregas a significantly better assists per game ratio than Lampard and the others who appear in the top flight - Didier Drogba (13 assists in 32 games), James Milner (12 in 36) and Ryan Giggs (11 in 25).

Only Fabregas can boast a record of fewer than two games per assist.

If Robin Van Persie had stayed fit all season, he could well have featured in the top five. The Dutchman conjured up seven assists in 16 Premier League appearances and, like Fabregas, scored his fair share too.

Nicklas Bendtner and Eduardo stepped in for Van Persie while he was sidelined and both managed six assists. And Samir Nasri was fifth in the Arsenal charts and 60th in the top flight with five assists.

PREMIER LEAGUE ASSISTS - TOP 5

Pos.	Name	Club	Assists
1.	Frank Lampard	Chelsea	17
2.	Cesc Fabregas	Arsenal	15
3.	Didier Drogba	Chelsea	13
4.	James Milner	Aston Villa	12
5.	Ryan Giggs	Manchester United	11

SELECTED OTHERS

Pos.	Name	Club	Assists
28.	Robin Van Persie	Arsenal	7
32.	Nicklas Bendtner	Arsenal	6
35.	Eduardo	Arsenal	6
60.	Samir Nasri	Arsenal	5

Premier League Manager of the Season 2010

Redknapp wins Manager of the Season

 

Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp has won the Barclays Manager of the Season award.

Redknapp claimed the trophy in only his second season at White Hart Lane after steering Spurs to a top four finish for the first time in 20 years.
Having taken over as manager of the club 18 months ago, when they were bottom of the Barclays Premier League, he has secured Champions League qualification for the first time in the club's history.

outstanding campaign

In August he got off to a flying start by winning the first Barclays Manager of the Month award of the 2009/10 season, as Spurs won their first four matches of the campaign.
In the past Tottenham have suffered lulls in form but under Redknapp they have found greater consistency in an outstanding campaign.
The flying start was matched by an impressive late season surge which secured wins against top of the table rivals Chelsea and Arsenal, followed by a crucial 1-0 away victory at Manchester City in the penultimate fixture of the season.
This is the first time that Redknapp has won the Barclays Manager of the Season award, although he has been named Barclays Manager of the Month on six occasions.
The decision was made by the Barclays Awards Panel, which includes representatives from football's governing bodies, the media and fans.

fact file

* Harry Redknapp's Barclays Premier League record with Tottenham this season reads: played 38, won 21, drawn 7, lost 10
* Redknapp joined Spurs from Portsmouth in October 2008, taking over from Juande Ramos. He guided the club to the Carling Cup final in his first season
* He has managed Portsmouth on two separate occasions, winning the FA Cup in 2008, with Portsmouth defeating Cardiff City 1-0
* He began his managerial career at Bournemouth, before moving to West Ham who he managed from 1994 to 2001. He has also managed at Southampton
* Redknapp has been named the Barclays Manager of the Month on six occasions - in November 1998, April 2004, October 2004, March 2005, April 2006 and August 2009
* Only Sir Alex Ferguson (with 24), Arsene Wenger (10), David Moyes (7) and Martin O'Neill (7) have won more Barclays Manager of the Month awards
* Harry Redknapp was born on 2nd March 1947 in Poplar, London

I like the look of Chamakh................ Van Persie

Robin Van Persie has only watched Marouane Chamakh on television - but he likes what he has seen.

The Moroccan striker has been strongly linked with a move to Arsenal when his contract with Bordeaux expires this summer and Arsène Wenger admitted last week that he was "confident" a deal will be done.

Chamakh could link up with Van Persie at Emirates Stadium and the Dutch forward is excited at the prospect.

"[I know him] just from TV," said Van Persie.

"He looks good, he looks quite strong in the air, he scores lots of goals with his head and he looks quite confident on the ball.

"Hopefully it [the deal] goes through. I think it is good for all of us and that is why I am happy to see him coming here."

Capello to rule out Barry

Hargreaves could replace Barry in squad

Last updated: 11th May 2010 

Barry: Facing World Cup heartache

ON SKY SPORTS
Follow news of the England World Cup training squad announcement on skysports.com and Sky Sports News from 3pm on Tuesday. We'll have all the details plus reaction and will let you have your say on the players in the party.

England coach Fabio Capello has indicated Gareth Barry is likely to miss out on being named in his World Cup squad.

Capello names his 30-man provisional squad on Tuesday as he begins his plans for the finals in South Africa.
Barry was set to be one of England's key members in South Africa after featuring in all but three of Capello's 22 games in charge.
However, the ankle injury Manchester City midfielder Barry picked up in last week's defeat to Tottenham is set to see him ruled out of the tournament.
Barry will be sidelined for four weeks with the problem and Capello feels the injury will not heal in time.
"It's too long," Capello said of Barry's injury.
If, as expected, Barry misses out, Owen Hargreaves could earn a place in the squad despite missing most of the season with a knee injury.

Backing

Capello also offered his support for Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard following a poor season by his own high expectations."I am sure that Steven Gerrard will be one of the most important players for the World Cup," added Capello.
"He knows what he has to do during games and that is important. As a manager you create the style on the pitch and the spirit of the group. It's important that these players are with me in South Africa."
Keep up to date with the 30-man squad being named on Tuesday on Sky Sports News and Skysports.com

England Specials. Click here to bet.

Comments (13)

• Page 1 of 1
• 1

Jack Sanders (Tottenham Hotspur fan) says...

what is capello doing micheal carrick should be replacing barry not hargreaves. He's gotta get him in

Posted 09:30 11th May 2010

Joel Jackson (Newcastle United fan) says...

Its abit weird how capello says he will only pick players in good form, and no reputation will be accounted for, in my opion hes got it wrong steven gerrard has had 1 of his worst seasons to date and owen hargeaves has only played about 90min football in the past 2 season , capello is loosing my faith in england to win world cup if he cant even stick to his own morales

Posted 09:29 11th May 2010

Tom Jay (Manchester City fan) says...

So glad barry is out. He's played far to much football this year and it has showed in some of his performances for city. He has looked a bit leggy in games at the back end of the season, which probably resulted in this injury. Dont get me wrong he hasn't been bad, just not as good as we know he can be. Hopefully this rest will have him chomping at the bit to go again for next season. Also with alot of england fans saying that he's over rated I feel this will show how much england have improved with him in the side, plus with us having no chance of winning the world cup with or without him anyway it wont make a massive difference. Maybe we just wont get past the second round this time.

Posted 09:25 11th May 2010

Chris Brittain (Tottenham Hotspur fan) says...

Honestly who needs Gareth Barry? Whats he going to bring to the team that Lampard, Gerrad, Huddlestone, Cole, Carrick cant?! As for putting Hargreaves in? You might as well play Beckham.Is he really going to be up to international pace after a year off, I dont think so.

Posted 09:18 11th May 2010

David Flood (Liverpool fan) says...

If Hargreaves gets picked then it's one of the biggest jokes in world cup history. Take nothing away from him coz when he's fit then he is an outstanding player but 2 include him when he hasn't played for so long, questions have got 2 be asked. I'd take Scott Parker all day and put him in the middle with lampard and play gerrard on the right coz the players who play there are 2 small and get easily knocked off the ball.

Posted 09:17 11th May 2010

Jason Hammett (Tottenham Hotspur fan) says...

Ledley King is the player to replace Gareth Barry, if his knee problem is managed well enough, Tom Huddlestone is another not Owen Hargreaves he hasn't played enough football to deserve to go to the world cup

Posted 09:13 11th May 2010

Paul Squires (Sheffield United fan) says...

Owen Hargreaves! Please no. How can we even consider taking a player who hasn't played for the best part of 2 years?

Posted 09:12 11th May 2010

Callum Craven (Manchester City fan) says...

Cant believe that Capello would rule Barry out completely and not give him the chance to prove his fitness. Barry has been one of the most consistent England performers and has at times outshone Lampard and Gerrard who've never Gelled as a pairing in Englands midfield. Even Carrick has had much better performances than Lampard in Englands midfield this season. As for Hargreaves as his replacement....less than half a game in 18months....form and fitness i think not.

Posted 09:11 11th May 2010

Lee Kinsley (West Ham United fan) says...

how can hargreaves get called up he aint played for 3 YEARS if he dos its joke a shows capello lied when he said players will be picked on form

Posted 09:10 11th May 2010

Darren Grimes (Ipswich Town fan) says...

I dont think Hargreaves has played enough football this season to get the England call up, i think it would benefit England more if they call up Scott Parker to replace Barry

Posted 08:54 11th May 2010

Albert Hutton (liverpool fan) says...

its really a shame for gareth barry,and i dont believe owen hargreaves deserves a shout. i believe michael carrick would not let the team down. as for steven gerrard,we all know what a dismal season he has had but that would be more to do with the overall performance of liverpool rather than stevie g himself. form,attitude and spirit are important and i think when steven joins the very positive england setup we will see the best of him at the world cup. he can now forget about this seasons disappointment and focus on england.the chelsea game aside,there were signs in recent weeks that he was starting to find form. he will be key for england. i wish him the best,no one deserves it more. come on england!!!

Posted 08:54 11th May 2010

Glen Moore (Liverpool fan) says...

Barry being out worries me as throughout qualifying he was part of a midfield that worked well and there is no stand out candidate for the job - illustrated by the fact Hargreaves name is even being mentioned. Tom Huddlestone can feel hard done by if Hargreaves gets in the 30 man squad ahead of him

Posted 08:50 11th May 2010

L Smith (Manchester United fan) says...

You have got to be joking! Owen Hargreaves? Does he even still know how to play football he has been out for so long. You can not put him in a team with Terry, Stevie G and Rooney. He will look inadequate! I thought we wanted to win this Tournament, not be the laughing stock of World Football!