Schweinsteiger eyes Prem move

Germany star Bastian Schweinsteiger claims he could leave Bayern Munich this summer to move to the Premier League.

The 23-year-old winger was sent off in Germany's 2-1 defeat to Croatia in the group stages of Euro 2008, but returned from suspension to net the opening goal in the 3-2 win over Portugal as the pre-tournament favourites progressed to the last four.

Schweinsteiger is approaching the final year of his contract at Bundesliga champions Bayern, and although new boss Jurgen Klinsmann is keen to keep him in Bavaria, a move to the Premier League could be on the cards.

Appeal

"I may stay with Bayern and the coach has promised to be supportive of whatever decision I make," Schweinsteger told the Sunday Mail.

"England does have a good appeal as it is one of the world's best leagues.

"I've always wanted to play there and we'll see if it happens this year."

source : www.skysports.com

UNITED RUBBISH FERGIE QUIT TALK

Manchester United have rubbished reports that Sir Alex Ferguson could bring forward his retirement if Cristiano Ronaldo is sold against his wishes.

The Daily Express reported on Monday that Ferguson had told close friends he would walk away should the Glazer family sell Ronaldo to Real Madrid behind his back, but United have dismissed the story and reiterated their intention to hold on to the Portugal winger.

"It is absolute nonsense," said a spokesman.

"It is simply tiresome. We are not selling Cristiano Ronaldo."

source : http://www.sportinglife.com/football/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=soccer/08/06/16/manual_160717.html

No case for the defence: Capello must ditch the Terry-Ferdinand option and turn to Liverpool's Gerrard as England captain

A series of meaningless friendlies under his belt, it's time for Fabio Capello to get serious as he faces the biggest decision of his tenure so far - who will lead his team?

In the aftermath of England's easy but underwhelming win over Trinidad and Tobago, Capello revealed he had whittled down his prospective candidates to two. Although he has used four different captains in his first four games - David Beckham, Rio Ferdinand, Steven Gerrard and John Terry - press reports seem to suggest that the "two" mentioned by Capello are Ferdinand and Terry.
Oh, when will England be blessed with a manager who learns from previous mistakes? Terry's tenure as England captain showed that England do not need a defender as captain.

Terry, an influential and inspirational captain at Chelsea, could not exert his influence as England skipper despite working in tandem with Ferdinand in what should be the most formidable defensive line in Europe. I would envisage Ferdinand having a similar impact upon the team as Terry did during his time as captain under Steve McLaren.

England's tame surrender in the Euro 2008 qualifiers was a signal that the team require a leader who can drag them back into games from the brink of oblivion - which leaves Steven Gerrard as the only genuine option.

The moment he had the extra burden of responsibility thrust upon him when made Liverpool captain, Gerrard embraced it, and his game improved tenfold.

Admittedly his form for England has had its highs and lows. However, he has been the victim of his own versatility and forced to repeatedly play out of position. But there is no denying his class.

On countless occasions he has pulled results out of nowhere for Liverpool at the highest level. Champions League games against Olympiakos and AC Milan, and the FA Cup "Gerrard Final" spring to mind.

It is this kind of determination and inspiration that England need to ensure safe passage to the World Cup 2010, and Capello needs to recognise Gerrard's leadership qualities quickly.

SOURCE : http://www.sportingo.com/football/a9038_no-case-defence-capello-must-ditch-terryferdinand-option-turn-liverpools-gerrard-as-england-captain
BY Adam Uren

PREM TRIO ON MILAN WISH-LIST

AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani has revealed Arsenal forward Emmanuel Adebayor is one of the Rossoneri's top summer transfer targets - along with Tottenham's Dimitar Berbatov and Chelsea star Didier Drogba.

Carlo Ancelotti's side are looking to reinforce their forward line and the club are hoping to lure the Togo international to the San Siro.

But Drogba, Berbatov, Barcelona forward Samuel Eto'o and Stuttgart's Mario Gomez are also on Milan's wish list.

"The names are those that have been reported by the press," said Galliani.

"That is Eto'o, Drogba, Adebayor, Gomez and Berbatov.

"Any of them would be good."

Galliani did admit that negotiations for 24-year-old Adebayor would not be easy with the player having signed a long-term contract at the Emirates Stadium only last year.

"He is under contract," admitted Galliani.

Meanwhile, Adebayor has played down speculation linking him with a move to the Italian giants.

Arsenal's leading marksman with 30 goals last season has consistently pledged his loyalty to the Gunners and it is understood that stance remains unwavered.

"I am very happy here. Reports which suggest I have threatened to quit are rubbish," he said.

"I love the club and the fans.

"We have a great set of players here with a fantastic team spirit.

"We have had a good season, but next year we want to go one better by winning a trophy."

Source : www.sportinglife.com

Martin O’Neill has reportedly admitted defeat after weeks spent trying to fend off Liverpool in their attempts to sign his captain Gareth Barry.
Despite seeing his club come sixth in the league last season and qualify for the Intertoto Cup, it is understood that Barry has become increasingly determined to perform at Champions League level, especially after playing, and captaining, England in Trinidad. Performing at the highest plateau in Europe is a pre-requisite, he believes, for carving out a long-term international role.
As such, the chances of Barry remaining at Villa Park are looking progressively slim. O’Neill recently played down Villa’s immediate chances of reaching Champions League – a thinly veiled acceptance that the club and Barry’s most pressing ambitions no longer dovetail. Villa will demand more than the £10 million players-plus-cash deal that Rafael Benitez offered last month, with their asking price said to be in the region of £14 million.Liverpool, for their part, have begun clearing the decks ahead of Barry’s arrival. Xavi Alonso has been given permission to move to Juventus, although negotiations have been beset by Liverpool’s failure to find common ground with the Italian club over their method of payment. The Turin club are demanding that they be allowed to pay the £16 million fee in instalments over three years.

However, the Liverpool board desperately need to free up accessible cash to fund the Barry move. Benitez is currently trying to offload Peter Crouch to Portsmouth for £10 million, although that deal is also proving harder to bring to conclusion than first thought. Benitez has instead proposed sending Crouch to Villa, a suggestion given short shrift by the 6ft 7in striker.

Finally, Liverpool are expected to firm up their deal with Italian defender Andrea Dossena today ahead of his wedding at the weekend. The Udinese player will arrive on Merseyside for the tune of £7 million.

Source : http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2008/06/06/ufnbarry106.xml
by Sandy Macaskill

Ronaldo 'wants to play at Madrid'

Cristiano Ronaldo's future at Manchester United has taken a new twist after the winger was reported as saying he would like to play for Real Madrid.

Real have been tracking Ronaldo, 23, despite being warned off by United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

"I'd like to play for Real Madrid but only if it's true they are ready to pay what Manchester United ask of them," he told respected Brazilian website Terra.

"However, it does not depend on me," said Portuguese midfielder.

"I'll only talk about this again after the European Championship," added Ronaldo. "Don't ask me any questions because I won't answer."

BBC Radio 5 Live's Mike Sewell who was with the Portugal squad in Switzerland on Thursday said he had spoken to another Portuguese journalist who had verified the translation of the website interview.

Journalist Julio Gomez, who spoke to Ronaldo, said nothing was cut and dry yet.

"This statement actually puts the pressure on Real," he told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"The Spanish club would have to come up with the fee that United ask for Ronaldo, if the Premier League side decide to sell him.

"So if Ronaldo doesn't play for Real next season then it might be deemed as Real's fault for not matching the asking price.

"He's not saying he won't play for United, he's saying that he wants to play for Real but these conditions have to be fulfilled and the outcome doesn't depend on him."

Earlier this week Madrid president Ramon Calderon told Spanish newspaper Marca that the signing of Ronaldo "seems impossible" but, following Ronaldo's comments to Terra on Thursday, he has spoken again on the matter.

"For Madrid it is an honour to know that a player like him thinks that playing at Real would be good," he told Spanish newspaper AS.

"We are proud to know that he would like to be with us."

Further complicating the situation, Ronaldo's mother Dolores Aveiro was quoted on Friday saying her son would be staying with Manchester United.

"He is fine where he is," she told Portuguese television station TV1.

"The future only God knows, but what is sure is that he is going to continue in England."

Last season Ronaldo scored 42 goals as United won the Champions League and the Premier League.

Former France international and Tottenham winger David Ginola told BBC Radio 5 Live he believes the best option for the winger is to stay at United.

"I'm sure when he was young his dream was to play for Real Madrid at one stage in his career," said Ginola.

"It would be no surprise to me if he went, but if it was me I would wait another two or three years because playing in the best league in world, playing probably for best club in world, there's nothing better than that.

"He still has a few things to achieve in this country and I'm sure he can win more trophies. He is so loved in England that people would be disappointed to see a player like that leave."

Previously, Ferguson has maintained the Portuguese winger would not move, saying: "I'm confident about that. I'm very confident.

"It's a game Real play all the time, In the past they've done it with [David] Beckham, they've done it with Ronaldo, they've done it with my fitness coach last summer when they took him away from us, so we're used to it.

"It's a compliment to the standard of players we have, and we always seem to produce, but I am more than confident Cristiano will be with us next year."

"The Glazer family will not be messed about in this situation.

"We want Cristiano to stay for a long, long time. He is on a fantastic contract and quite rightly so - he's the best player in the world."

source : http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/m/man_utd/7439031.stm

The Sacking Of Avram Grant!

I don't think this came as a surprise to anybody.

Avram Grant has been sacked as Chelsea manager less than a week after he led Chelsea to their first ever Champions league league appearance.

Avram Grant was never a popular choice at the bridge and his tactics came under scrutiny more than ones especially after the Carling cup loss to Spurs after taking a lead through David Drogba's splendid free kick (although Paul Robinson should have done better).

Avram did well in my reckoning although managers are judged according to the trophies they won, and he failed to win any. He was a penalty kick away from winning the UCL but their "strong man" John Terry bottled it.

I have a feeling he would still have been sacked even if John Terry had put away that penalty. Most Chelseans are glad to see his back.

So who's taking over?

- Guus Hiddinks

- Frank Riijkaard

- Sven Goran Ericsson

- Ten Cate

- Jose Mourinho

- Roberto Mancini

The list is endless.

I have a feeling Peter Kenyon already has a candidate in mind but he wants the UCL furore to cool off before getting back in the news.

The job of the new manager is clear. Get rid of the unhappy players and bring in quality players to fortify the squad. The signings made at the beginning of the season by former manager Jose Mourinho were not up to scratch.

The right back position has been a problem for Chelsea so the signing of José Bosingwa is a good one especially if you consider that he can also play in midfield.

They also need quality wingers. Florent Malouda has not really settled in well. I heard Barcelona are ready to take him on so that will be good for all parties. Joe Cole is not a natural winger and should be brought back to the middle.

The central midfield in good as it is. Frank Lampard, Michael Ballack, Mikel Obi, Claude Makelele should do the job for them.

Chelsea should be back stronger next season.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Akin_Alabi

Welcome Back Jose Mourinho

Jose Mourinho was announced as the new manager of Inter Milan and I for one would like to welcome the special one back to the realms of football. Jose is quite a character and has been truly missed by those who love the sport of football.

Mourinho breathed new life into the world of English football when he took over as the manager of Chelsea and I am sure that he will have a similar positive affect on the Italian football league.

The majority of the supporters of Chelsea would love Mourinho to be back in charge of their league in the future and now has legend status at Stamford Bridge.

So what can Jose Mourinho bring to Inter Milan? Passion, pride, success and winning football is the answer. Mourinho has already been victorious in the ever popular Champions league and this will no doubt be his goal for the coming season. Who would beat against a Chelsea versus Inter Milan final next season? Football seems to make these types of events happen.

The Inter Milan supporters sure have a lot to look forward to. Their will be frills and spills as well as a huge amount of entertainment. Just listening to what Jose has to say pre and post match is fascinating in itself.

Going back to Chelsea I have heard rumors that Zola could well be on his way back in some capacity. This is just a rumor at the moment but this itself would really please the Chelsea supporters as well as the rest of the English football public.

Good luck Jose Mourinho; I look forward to hearing and watching your antics next year. Perhaps one day you might even manage my favourite team, Birmingham City - some how I doubt it however.

Steve Hill is a webmaster from Birmingham, he has interests in a number of websites including:
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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steve_Hill