Stoke City face competition from Celtic to sign Cardiff City's highly-rated midfielder Joe Ledley while the Bhoys look set to make an offer for Liam Lawrence.
Former Mansfield Town winger Lawrence is frustrated by his lack of first-team opportunities at the Britannia Stadium and would welcome the chance to move to Glasgow.
Meanwhile, 23-year-old Wales international Ledley is believed to prefer a move to the Potteries rather than Celtic.
Two years ago Stoke boss Tony Pulis failed to land Ledley despite offering £6million for a player who is now out of contract.
Pulis is desperate to cut a first-team squad that rose to 28 players last term and has already made it known that he would not stand in James Beattie or Dave Kitson's way if they wanted to leave the club.
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Steve Simonsen is wanted by Sheffield United and Reading while the Royals are also hoping to sign Andy Griffin.Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Atletico Madrid striker Sergio Aguero believes a deal to join Chelsea could finally be agreed this summer.
The Argentina striker has been continually linked with a move to Stamford Bridge during recent transfer windows.
The 22-year-old has been one of the most prolific marksmen in Spanish football in recent seasons, but believes this summer could finally see him join the Blues.
Aguero, who was restricted to cameo appearances off the bench during Argentina's World Cup campaign, is valued around the £25million mark.
"If an offer comes in from the right club and Atletico feels it is the right price, then a deal can be done," Aguero told the Daily Star.
"Of course Chelsea is of interest to me as they are one of the most powerful teams in European football.
"They show their intent summer after summer in the transfer market and more often than not that intent will see them end the season with at least one trophy.
"What I need to consider is where I can win things and I know for sure I can win things at Chelsea.
"You look at their players and you are excited about any future you may have there.
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"To be the strike partner of Didier Drogba is a thing many players would love to be.
"But it's not just Drogba – it's Lampard, Terry, Anelka, Essien, and maybe even Fernando Torres.
"They have quality players everywhere."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
After Liverpool ended the 2008/09 season with their highest points tally since the Premier League began, finishing second to Manchester United, many fans believed the men in red had their best chance in years to finally end their title hiatus last season.
In reality, it could not have been much worse for the 18 time league champions. Reports of rising debts, in-fighting between the manager and owners and a failure to find fresh investment provided a tumultuous backdrop for a side struggling for both form and fitness.
The only thing more dire than the club’s performance off the pitch was their performances on it. Former Valencia charge Rafael Benitez knew his time was up following a season which included the club’s worst run in 22 years, a group stage exit from the Champions League, bust-ups with players and an abysmal seventh placed finish. After six years of mixed results on Merseyside, Benitez and Liverpool parted company, as the appointment of Roy Hodgson signalled the start of a new era for The Reds.
Elder statesman of the game Hodgson ticked all the right boxes for a club crying out for stability and a calm hand to steer them through increasingly choppy waters. As opposed to the often stubborn, remote and negative Benitez, South Londoner Hodgson represented a diplomatic and approachable change. The 62-year-old is a football idealist and prides his sides on playing the free-flowing attacking football Anfield season ticket holders have been crying out for following the reigns of Benitez and FrenchmanGérard Houllier. Hodgson is also unlikely to use the media to air any grievances towards the owners, which became common practice under Benitez in his final dreadful months at the club.
Hodgson certainly has his work cut out if he is to turn Liverpool into regular title contenders, something which Benitez failed to do and which ultimately cost him his job. The Premier League is now more competitive than it has ever been, with up to seven teams fighting for the top four Champions League places. The landscape of English football has changed and there is no longer a level playing field at the top. Manchester City and Chelsea have inflated the transfer market and can afford to lavish millions each season on the best players available on the market. Liverpool are £350 million in debt and desperately trying to find a buyer and can simply not compete in
the current transfer market. Hodgson has to attempt to build a competitive side on a minimal budget.
Hodgson may be an excellent manager with an impressive CV, but until the club is sold and new investment found then Hodgson will have to continue working with one hand tied behind his back. Liverpool need to start work on a new stadium and increase the club’s revenue to compete at the top. Manchester United create huge income from their 76,000 seater Old Trafford stadium, while Arsenal have 60,000 capacity at the Emirates, compared to Anfield’s 45,000. The club’s ownership problems and the issues surrounding a new stadium, which was initially due for opening in 2011, are likely to rumble on in the background well into the new season and will continue to serve as an unwelcome distraction.
The new manager faces a baptism of fire in the Anfield hot seat, facing Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United in the club’s opening five games of the new league season. Failure to grab some valuable points out of the three fixtures would increase the pressure on Hodgson from the start and give those supporters who have doubted his appointment some welcome ammunition. Although picking up some points from these tough fixtures would fortify the squad in the important early stages of the season.
Liverpool and Hodgson still have a great deal of work to do in the transfer market ahead of the opening game of the season against Arsenal in less than two weeks time. After adding to the squad with the intelligent signings and attacking talents of winger Joe Cole and Serbian forward Milan Jovanovic on free transfers, Hodgson has confirmed he aims to make several more signings before the start of the season.
Argentine skipper Javier Mascherano is expected to depart in the coming weeks and wheeler dealer Hodgson needs to find his replacement. A move for Standard Liege’s highly-rated Belgium star Steven Defour is expected. It also appears Liverpool are in the market for cover at right-back following the collapse of Luke Young’s transfer from Aston Villa. While the re-signing of Fabio Aurelio has added depth at left-back, Hodgson is expected to sign a first-choice defender, with a reported £6m deal for Wigan’s Maynor Figueroa 90% done. Hodgson faces a race against time to add the finishing touches to his squad and will want to conclude his business before the season kicks off.
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The season ahead looks set to be a tough one for Liverpool and its supporters. Success in cup competitions could see Liverpool play up to 60 competitive games, after entering the Europa League at such an early stage, and a marathon season would provide a huge test for the newly assembled squad. Hodgson experienced a similar situation during Fulham’s marathon 63 games last season and coped admirably, prioritising his side’s cup run and league priorities in impressive fashion.
With the club still searching for a new owner and a limited budget in the transfer market, Hodgson finds himself in a similar position to his predecessor Benitez. One win in four games in pre-season, does not give supporters great confidence heading into the new season, however Hodgson has yet to welcome back his World Cup stars after an extended break. The fact club captain Steven Gerrard has committed his future to the club and Fernando Torres expected to do the same this week, shows Hodgson has convinced his star players he can to take the club forward.
Success this season for Liverpool would be to break back into the top four, while a cup triumph would be an added bonus. A new owner and stadium should be the club’s main priority however, giving Hodgson a fighting chance of turning Liverpool back into a force in English football once more.
Barcelona have expressed their disappointment at Cesc Fabregas' decision to stay at Arsenal for at least one more season.
The Spain international finally ended speculation about his future by releasing an official statement on Friday that confirmed he had no intention of leaving the Emirates Stadium.
Barcelona then issued a press release of their own, which read:"In the light of the statement released regarding the contractual future of Cesc Fabregas, Barcelona regrets the decision of Arsenal to declare the player not for sale and their decision not to take into consideration the offers proposed.
"None of those offers, in any way, exceeded Euros 40million."
The 23-year-old has been the subject of a persistent campaign from Barca players and officials to try and tempt him back to the Camp Nou, despite Gunners boss Arsene Wenger insisting that no deal would be done.
Fabregas told the club's official website:"Firstly I would like to apologise to all the Arsenal fans for not speaking sooner about my future, but I have not known what I was going to do until this moment.
"I cannot deny that joining a club like Barcelona was not an attractive move for me.
"This was the club where I learned my football, it is my home town where my friends and family are and a club where I have always dreamed of playing.
"There are not many players in the world who would not want to play for Barcelona.
"I have had many conversations with Arsene Wenger both in person and over the phone over the last few months and although the content of those conversations will remain private, the conclusion is that Barcelona have had two formal offers rejected by Arsenal.
"I am a professional and I fully understand that it is Arsenal's prerogative not to sell me.
"I owe a lot to the club, manager and the fans and I will respect their decision and will now concentrate on the new season ahead with Arsenal.
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"I can assure all the fans that now the negotiations have ended I will be 100 per cent focused on playing for Arsenal.
"I am an Arsenal player and as soon as I step out on to the pitch, that is the only club I will be thinking about.
"I am looking forward to the start of the season and putting this speculation behind me."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Robinho’s time in England is over. Seemingly incapable of producing anything close to form away from Eastlands meant that every mercurial performance he produced in front of his home fans went hand-in-hand with total anonymity when City went on their travels.
It is the type of expensive mistake that really only Man City can afford to make. £32.4m is a lot to spend on a player that was sceptical of coming in the first place. His desire to leave Real Madrid was never in doubt, but his preferred destination was Scolari’s Chelsea team. When Abramovich stalled over the fee, City made their move.
Now despite calling Robinho’s time at the club an error, I still believe the club were right to do it in the first place. City needed to make a statement of intent, and Robinho was the marquee signing to do that. It is almost as if the club were prepared to pay £30m to show the rest of the world what they were capable of. If it worked out, then brilliant, they would have a gifted player on their books, if it didn’t then at least people knew they meant business.
Despite Robinho’s away day blues, his first season was relatively impressive. He was an important part of what was becoming a very exciting City team to watch. When Roberto Mancini was appointed, the relationship between manager and player began to dwindle. Mancini may have been one of the beautiful footballers to play the game, but he is still an Italian, and with comes the infamous catenaccio style.
Mancini won league titles in Italy with a defensive set up (and the fact that he inherited a team far better than his rivals), and a player that didn’t pull his weight defensively was always going to struggle in one of his teams. Robinho is essentially a luxury, and teams that wish to compete at the absolute peak, can’t afford them, no matter how rich they are.
Now that Robinho is at Milan, he will probably do quite well. He will make up a trio of Brazilians up front with Pato and Ronaldinho, as well as the hulking sulk that his Zlatlan Ibrahimovic. They are reasons for optimism for the Rossoneri, but that is a lot of ego to manage and I can’t imagine they will become a harmonious partnership for years to come. Robinho has signed a four year contract at the San Siro, whether he will be there for the duration is questionable.
Maybe Robinho should be viewed as a fling; a glamorous affair that was short and exciting when it all began, but eventually turned sour, and split after various bust-ups. City shelled out money treating him to good times, and in return they got some good nights out, but there was never any future in the relationship. It is almost impossible to know whether Robinho was misunderstood or mismanaged, because I’m not sure if anyone has answered that question yet. There have been spells in his career where he has been in scintillating form, but never over a considerable period of time. In Brazil, Spain, England and now Italy, some of the best managers in the game have failed in fully realising his undeniable potential.
It is difficult to call Robinho mismanaged because we then have to believe that everybody has been at fault, rather than the man himself. So does that make him misunderstood? Well, to the extent that no one can understand why he has struggled at the clubs he has played for. His managers must become so frustrated with trying to help him succeed. City should be glad that he is no longer their player; while Mancini tries to mould a team together, the disruption that Robinho brings is the last thing they need.
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A welcome addition to the Premier League’s Wag arena – Click on image below to view gallery
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Arsenal fans have a discernible bond of trust with their manager Arsene Wenger. The Frenchman’s transfer dealings and youth development policy have gifted the Premier League with some of its most talented and engaging stars. Yet if the studious manager has one noticeable defect, it is his reluctance to source a reliable goalkeeper who could assimilate into other top teams. Manuel Almunia has saved five of the last six penalties he has faced. His understudy Lukasz Fabianski saved a penalty in Arsenal’s away win at Partizan Belgrade this week. However when placed in the context of an entire game those statistics pale into insignificance. Wenger has been accused of dithering in the transfer market but do the Gunners’ problems run deeper than their heavily publicised goalkeeping predicament?
Almunia is an athletic, nimble keeper who occasionally displays his impressive reflexes. Yet those important traits are easily dismissed when he delivers an error- strung performance, as exemplified last weekend against West Bromich Albion. The Spaniard was at fault in the early stages of that encounter, clumsily fouling Peter Odemwingie in the area. He temporarily redeemed himself by saving Chris Brunt’s tame penalty kick. He was criticised though for West Brom’s second goal as Gonzalo Jara’s low near post shot went in off his arms. For their third the maligned stopper erratically rushed towards Brunt on the edge of the area which allowed the Northern Irishman to square the ball to Jerome Thomas for a comfortable finish. If Wenger has been mistakenly loyal towards Almunia, he has been equally at fault in describing Fabianski as “world class.” The Polish keeper has earned an unfortunate yet amusing nickname in the tabloid press. In the Champions League on Tuesday, however, the Pole gave a confident performance, saving a late penalty and making an important save from Ivica Iliev shortly after.
For a club of Arsenal’s stature a goalkeeper enjoying a good game should be customary rather than remarkable. With the beleaguered Almunia suffering from an elbow injury Fabianski may look to cement his position as the club’s next No1. However his manager arguably conceded the requirement for a new goalkeeper this summer by expressing an interest in recruiting Fulham’s Mark Schwarzer. It is received wisdom that teams cannot win the league title without a world class stopper. Alan Hansen wrote in the Telegraph this week, “History has shown time and again that you need a top class goalkeeper in order to be successful.”
The esteemed Scottish pundit’s assertion may be apposite but it is difficult to imagine Petr Cech or Edwin van der Sar being left as exposed as Arsenal’s equivalents. Sunderland’s right winger Ahmed Elmohamady thoroughly exploited the weaknesses Gael Clichy in their 1-1 draw last month. The Egyptian international won 23 of the 29 challenges he contested in that match, the majority being against the French full-back. Clichy was dominated in the air and his poor clearance allowed the prolific Darren Bent to capitalise. He was additionally beaten resoundingly in the air by Brunt when Scott Carson’s goal kicks were dispersed to the right channel. On the opposite flank his colleague Bacary Sanga was equally inept, allowing Thomas to surge past him and assist the in form Odemwingie.
The team have indisputably missed the presence of Thomas Vermaelen, who as a left footed centre-back can offer aerial protection to Clichy. New signings Sebastien Squillaci and Laurent Koscielny have demonstrated their capabilities but are still getting used to each other’s style. The latter failed to apply pressure on Jara on Saturday although his shot should have been effortlessly stopped. Significance may additionally be placed on the continuing absence of Cesc Fagregas. Is his presence now as crucial as Gerrard’s for Liverpool or Rooney’s for Manchester United? Nevertheless if the defence can operate coherently, communicate and deny opponents time on the ball, the goalkeeping dilemma may take care of itself. There will be no tougher test of that defensive strength than at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
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Milan Jovanovic has angrily denied reports that he is unsettled at Liverpool after just a few months in English football.
Reports last week claimed the 29-year-old Serbia international was already becoming disillusioned with a lack of starting opportunities at Anfield.
He agreed to join the Reds on a free transfer from Standard Liege before Rafael Benitez was replaced as manager by by Roy Hodgson.
However, Jovanovic has dismissed suggestions that he is already looking to leave Liverpool.
"I am angry. I am new here and all I'm trying to do is work and do what's best for the team," he said.
"It's not important that I am on the bench. I have signed a contract for three years and I want to stay for three years.
"I feel very good at Liverpool and better players than me sit on the bench whether it's here or anywhere else.
"I have to learn and work to be better – it's not a problem.
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"I expected a challenge. I expected sometimes to be in the team and sometimes not.
"And also, I don't want to speak about myself. It is much more important to talk about the team."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Chief executive David Gill insists Manchester United remain on the right financial path following the emergence of Manchester City as a Premier League powerhouse.
United's ambition was questioned by Wayne Rooney before he performed a dramatic U-turn and signed a new five-year contract last week.
The England striker was linked with a move across Manchester to City where reports claimed the wages on offer were far in excess of what United could offer.
But despite increased competition from their local rivals, Gill is confident that United remain on the right track.
Asked if City's new financial muscle was a concern, Gill replied:"No not really. I'm not concerned by that as ever since we have been a public company we have had a policy that wages should be 50 per cent or less of turnover.
"We believe we can do that and still retain and attract the stars we need on the pitch. We think that's the sensible model.
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"Clubs have other models – that's their prerogative. Each to their own."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Right, I know what you’re thinking. Arsenal are sponsored by Nike, and have had some of the better kits in recent history, they can’t possibly have had five bad kits. Well guess what, they have. In fact, they’ve had some shockers. Whilst this list is confined in the most part to the away strips, even style icons Nike have managed to mess up the simple task of a nice red home strip. Therefore, lets take a walk down memory lane, and take a look at some of Arsenal’s worst fashion faux-pas…
1. Arsenal home shirt, 1994-1996
I don’t know what it was about that kit, I just didn’t like it. Ok it’s not the most offensive Arsenal shirt ever manufactured, but how can you mess up a plain red and white shirt? This was worn between 1994-96, and was Nike’s first attempt at an Arsenal home shirt. Apparently Nike wanted the kit to have red sleeves too. Although disaster was averted, this shirt was still ugly. The collar was too high, too tight, and Ian Wright hated it so much he started wearing the round neck training shirt in matches-enough said.
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2. Arsenal away shirt, 1995/96
I don’t understand this one really. What were Nike thinking? ‘I know what we’ll do, we’ll put lightning bolts down the shirt. The opposition will be super scared of us, and we’ll win the league’.
Actually, when this kit was worn during the the 1995/96, it was so bad, Dennis Bergkamp would take most of the season trying to overcome the shock.
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3. Arsenal away shirt, 1982/83
Green? Why green? When have Arsenal ever worn green throughout their long illsustrious history. Arsenal never won an away game when wearing this kit in the 1982/83 season, and the I’m not surprised, considering they look like they are dressed in camouflage on the pitch. No wonder nobody wants to wear Umbro anymore.
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4.Arsenal away shirt, 2002/03
Again, this kit is just bemusing. If you have to manufacture a blue Arsenal shirt, at least make it a good’n. There’s just too much going on here. The Blue-white fade in the middle is a bit mucky, and there are too many different sort of blues for one Arsenal shirt. At least the Gunners managed to win the FA Cup the season they wore this shirt in the 2002/03 season.
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5. Arsenal away shirt, 1991-1993
This little Adidas number is truly the mother of bad Arsenal kits. It literally looks like someone at Nike had one too many slim line vodka tonics and parked a leopard all over the prototype Arsenal shirt, only to hail it a masterpiece.
The early nineties has a lot to answer for, wot wiv those shell suits and New Kids on the Block, but this Arsenal shirt really is an abomination. However, Arsenal did manage to win the FA Cup and League Cup double in 1993 whilst this shirt was still in circulation, so it wasn’t all bad. In fairness, the opposition were probably just worried about getting sick down them.
Well there you have it. Arsenal have had some pretty terrible kits, and here are five of the worst. However, there might be some real fashionistas out there who feel that the green 1982 kit was simply ahead of its time, or think the 1991 bruised banana look needs to be reintroduced. If so, feel free to get involved in the comment box below…
Manchester United have some good memories of recent clashes with Wigan, as they welcome Roberto Martinez’s men to Old Trafford this Saturday. In both of United’s most recent championship winning seasons, crucial victories came in this fixture to de-rail the challenges of Chelsea and Liverpool.
Wigan may have appeared lambs to United’s slaughter in recent times, however, such is the inconsistent, erratic nature of Martinez’s side that a high quality performance at Old Trafford cannot be counted against.
Wayne Rooney has returned to training after his fitness break in the States- he will not feature on Saturday, but Alex Ferguson will be pleased to see his controversial striker return to something approaching fitness with his side only three points off the pace.
Injury concerns aside this should be a relatively simple afternoon for United. Should results go their way they could be level on points with Chelsea at the top on Saturday night- after the recent run of problems, this would surely count as a huge bonus.