transfer speculations

Arsene Wenger Threatening To Quit Arsenal Over Takeover Battle

Sun, 8 Nov 2009 06:52:02 -0600

Boardroom battle takes a twist...

Arsene Wenger has reportedly threatened to quit his position at Arsenal, if Alisher Usmanov wins the battle to control the club.

According to the News of the World, the Frenchman has made it clear to the board that he does not intend to remain in charge if such a takeover happens, and has hinted at a move to Spanish giants Real Madrid instead.

Another board member, Stan Kroenke, has steadily been increasing his stake in the club in recent weeks. His share currently stands just shy of the 30 per cent mark, which is the minimum required amount to initiate a takeover bid.

The report claims that Kroenke's motive behind upping his shares is to edge Usmanov out, thereby protecting Wenger's postition at the Emirates Stadium.

After last season's exit from the Champions League, Usmanov had claimed that the Gunners need to reinvest heavily in the squad to match the European elite stride-for-stride, consequently promising a £100 million injection if his Red and White group takeover the club.

However, the former Monaco boss is said to be unwilling to compromise on his principles of garnering the youth and moulding them into the stars of the future, as opposed to ushering in a 'Galactico' era in north London.

An insider allegdly told the tabloid: "He [Wenger] doesn't want any owner interfering with the way he is developing the team.

"He has long been resistant to bringing big money signings in.

"He has a plan and everyone is seeing it come to fruition. That's not to say along the way he won't bring in some players but he will only do so on his terms. Arsene has made the board very aware of that and that he couldn't work with an owner who insists on spending big money on new players.

"As it stands Arsene is happy working with Kroenke on the board because he has shown no interest in interfering. The same can't be said for Usmanov."

At the moment, Usmanov owns 23 per cent of the club, and is said to be battling it out with Kroenke to buy out Lady Bracewell Smith, a 15.9 per cent shareholder, who has reportedly fallen out with the club.

Ex-Juventus President Giovanni Cobolli Gigli In Zlatan Ibrahimovic 'Gypsy' Slur

Sun, 8 Nov 2009 06:48:59 -0600

The former Juventus president believes the club deserves to be handed back the revoked Scudetti, and has hit out at former striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic claiming he is 'a nice gypsy that abandoned the club'...

Former Juventus president Giovanni Cobolli Gigli has hit out at Barcelona striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and he has demanded the club be handed back the Scudetti that were revoked in the wake of the Calciopoli scandal.

Gigli stepped down from his role as president last week, and has used his freedom to speak his mind on the issues he faced during his three years at the club. Gigli is particularly sour with players who left the club, claiming they jumped ship when it started to sink, rather than help to keep it floating.

"I found myself in the middle of court room trials and we had to rebuild the team. Some stayed loyal to the cause, but others left. That nice gypsy Ibrahimovic gave up on us, then he revealed himself to be a gypsy later on, albeit a nice one," Gigli told Tuttosport.

Juventus were stripped of two titles during the Calcipoli scandal - Scudetti Gigli feels should be restored to their rightful owners.

"After the first sentence which was Serie B and minus 30 points I wasn't scared," added the Italian.

"I am a man who follows the rules, even though my heart bleeds. We won 29 Scudetti on the pitch. We cannot ask for anything, but if the trials ended in a certain way, the Italian FA could give us back one of those two Scudetti."

Former Juventus directors Luciano Moggi and Antonio Giraudo received bans from the game following the 2006 scandal. Gigli believes both men were put through the hoops excessively.

"I think their punishments were excessive," added Gigli.

"Yes, there were things that were not right in the old Juventus, but venial facts lead to mortal sins."

Barcelona In Shock £85m Swoop For Manchester United Star Wayne Rooney - Report

Sun, 8 Nov 2009 06:45:44 -0600

The England striker appears to have impressed the Catalan side.....

Barcelona are preparing to launch a world record £85 million raid for Manchester United's superstar striker Wayne Rooney, according to the News of the World.

The tabloid claims that the Camp Nou board hopes to exploit the Red Devils' financial concerns in order to top Real Madrid's £80m purchase of Cristiano Ronaldo last season.

Sir Alex Ferguson is yet to reinvest the money brought in from his Portuguese protege's departure, and it is thought that the Old Trafford club's debts are preventing him from doing so.

Meanwhile, with Rooney set to enter the 2010 World Cup as England's marquee player, Barca believe his arrival next summer would be just the marketing leveller needed after Los Galacticos output in the last transfer window.

However, the Spanish giants are aware of the difficulties in orchestrating such a signing - the main problem being that the player himself has often expressed his desire to remain at United for the rest of his career.

Furthermore, the 24-year-old's wife, Colleen, recently gave birth to the pair's first child, and so he would be naturally wary of destabilising his young family by moving abroad.

We rejected €45m bid from Chelsea for Sergio Aguero – Atletico Madrid

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:29:34 -0500

Blues attempted 'Kun' coup in the summer…

Chelsea attempted a mega-money transfer for Atletico Madrid star Sergio Aguero in the summer window, according to club delegate Miguel Angel Gil Marin.

The Blues were reported to be admirers of Ageuro, whilst club team-mate Diego Forlan was on the shortlist of transfer targets for big-spending Real Madrid.

Marin told Marca: "There were two bids in the summer. Chelsea wanted Aguero and Real Madrid wanted Forlan."

Furthermore, Marin disclosed how much Chelsea were willing to pay in order to convince Atletico to part company with the prodigiously talented Argentine.

"Chelsea offered €45m plus €5m in bonuses for Aguero and Real Madrid offered €36m for Forlan."

When probed as to whether the club will need to sell a player in order to raise funds for winter-window acquistions, Marin said: "It will not be a must, but it is obvious that there are cycles with teams and with players.

"If any player wants to look for a new challenge then Atletico would evaluate it."

Sir Alex Ferguson Admits Manchester United Were Beaten By 'Better Team'

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:23:05 -0500

Red Devils manager critical of referee but accepts defeat...

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson conceded that his side put on a lacklustre showing as they were defeated 2-0 by Liverpool this afternoon.

“Well, disappointing performance – the first half in particular was a bad performance by us,” he told Sky Sports.

“We didn't handle the atmosphere of the game, I thought, and we didn't handle the decisions against us well. We should have been better at doing that, we've got enough experience of doing it,” he continued.

The Manchester United manager felt his side were better after half-time but were unlucky with the key decisions in the game.

“Second half I thought we improved a good deal but, we lost out to one or two major decisions,” explained Ferguson.

“I felt that [the challenge on] Carrick in the first half was a penalty kick, he's [Jamie Carragher] clearly gone over the top of the ball to Michael Carrick, outside the box it's a free kick.

“Of course the controversial one which everyone will be talking about, when he [Carragher] brought Michael Owen down on the edge of the box. He's there most experienced player, he's their best defender without question.

“If he goes off at that stage of the game it would have been difficult for them.”

Despite this criticism, Sir Alex was gracious in defeat and believed Liverpool outplayed his side and deserved the three points.

“All in all Liverpool were the better team, they created more chances, they were better than us on the day and I've no complaints...Liverpool were the better team.

“They deserved their victory,” he concluded.

Liverpool insiders fear Fernando Torres may quit Anfield

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 07:20:41 -0500

Liverpool fear another season of failure could spark Fernando Torres' departure from Anfield.

Nobody doubts the brilliant Spaniard's commitment to the Anfield cause. But since arriving from Atletico Madrid in a £20 million move 28 months ago even Torres' goal-scoring brilliance has not inspired the Reds to lift a trophy.

There is mounting concern that another barren campaign will prompt the striker's advisers to start pressing for a move to a more successful club.

That would be a body-blow to the Anfield cause. A club insider said: "Fernando is a great lad and a fantastic player. We don't worry about his attitude but the issue will be if rival clubs start making it clear to his advisers that he can win more by joining them.

"He's hungry for success. We don't want to lose him."

Torres has scored 46 goals in 64 games for Liverpool. He is idolised by Liverpool fans and acknowledged as one of the world's finest strikers.

He also signed a new contract at Liverpool in August that ties him to the Anfield cause until 2013. But any hint that he is unfulfilled by life at Liverpool would be seized on by major rivals.

So far in his career the only club honour he's won is the Spanish Second Division title in 2002.

Defeat To Manchester United Could Cost Rafael Benitez His Job – Terry Venables

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 07:13:35 -0500

Reds cannot afford to lose tomorrow believes ‘El Tel’...

Former England manager Terry Venables has claimed Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez could lose his job if his side taste defeat to Manchester United at Anfield tomorrow.

Having lost four games in a row, their worst record for 22 years, the Reds are under huge pressure to get a result in Sunday's clash against their arch-rivals in order to get their season back on track.

Defeats to Fiorentina and Lyon in the Champions League mean Liverpool face a tough battle to qualify for the next round of the competition; whilst domestic losses to Tottenham Hostpur, Aston Villa, Chelsea and Sunderland mean their Premier League title challenge is also fading fast.

Writing in his column in The Sun, Venables claims that another defeat tomorrow could spell the end of the Spaniard’s reign on Merseyside.

“It would be extremely difficult for him to stay as manager if his team fail to get a result against Manchester United,” writes the former Spurs boss.

“The Anfield clash is a game Liverpool and, in particular, Benitez simply cannot afford to lose.

“If Liverpool lose again tomorrow, then they will not only wave goodbye to their faint hope of winning their first top-flight title for 20 years, they may also wave goodbye to their manager.”

Whilst many reports have suggested Liverpool cannot afford to sack Benitez, Venables insists that results on the pitch may force the American owners’ hand.

“Ironically, the chaos upstairs may just be the thing that keeps Benitez in a job as the Americans may not want to pay the reported £20m it will take to get rid of Rafa,” he added.

“Another defeat tomorrow, though, and they might not be able to afford to keep him.”

Report: Arsenal tracking Spartak Moscow youngster Zhano Ananidze

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 07:10:21 -0500

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is rumoured to be monitoring starlet Zhano Ananidze, dubbed “the next Georgi Kinkladze”.

The Spartak Moscow midfielder signalled his arrival on the football forefront last week, netting his first professional goal in the Russian Premier League – the youngest player ever to do so – at 17 years and eight days.

Wenger is set to face stiff competition for the fledging star, with Juventus, AC Milan and Sevilla also believed to be tracking the youngster's progress. And the Frenchman remains defiant despite regular criticisms aimed at his recruitment policies whereby foreigners have been the fulcrum of his transfer activity.

“In a football team you can have 80 per cent foreigners,” he told News Of The World.

“If that happened in normal society, English people would be upset.

“You have to be prepared to accept the rules of a new country.

“When I was in Japan I ate sushi. And when I am in England I eat roast beef and Yorkshire pudding.”

Arsenal Are Two Players Away From Matching Barcelona - Andrei Arshavin

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 07:08:41 -0500

The Gunners are not quite at the same level as the European champions, but they are close...

Andrei Arshavin believes that with two more players Arsenal could be on a level playing field with Barcelona in terms of attractive football.

The Russian star made it clear that he was keen to join the Blaugrana in the summer of 2008 by posing in a team shirt and also came close to joining Tottenham Hotspur.

But he ended up at Arsenal, a side Arshavin believes are close to producing the kind of football that he dreamt of playing at Camp Nou as he continues to cast envious glances at Pep Guardiola's team.

"The most beautiful football isn't here, but at Barcelona," Arshavin told Russian website Bobsoccer. "But after them, perhaps Arsenal.

"We are probably missing two top players."

Moving to London may not have been difficult on the pitch, but off it Arshavin feels that he has done well not announce every problem that began with the 50 per cent tax bracket.

"On one hand I love it here. On the other, I haven't said anything about the difficulties," he continued.

"In Spain, for example, everything seems easier. England, in general, is different from many European countries, in terms of lifestyle and mentality.

"In domestic terms, I confess, it is difficult. They say that a foreigner only adapts to London after living there for a year, so I still have three months left!

"Here you have to pay every step of the way. Sometimes I have to shell out to breathe."

Real Madrid Weigh Up Swoop For Liverpool Star Steven Gerrard - Report

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 07:06:55 -0500

Los Merengues are already considering their targets for next season, and the England midfielder is at the top of their list...

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is already putting together a shortlist for next summer's transfer market, and it appears that his priority is a swoop for Liverpool's Steven Gerrard.

"It's no secret Gerrard is a player Perez and technical director Jorge Valdano admire," a source inside the club announced to British tabloid The Sun.

"There is a shortlist for next season and Gerrard is the first name on it."

Having signed Xabi Alonso from the Premier League side last summer for €30 million, los Blancos are looking to spend around the same amount on the 29-year-old.

Liverpool coach Rafael Benitez is already under heavy fire after an awful start to the season and he would be loath to lose his star midfielder.

Gerrard's loyalty to Liverpool has previously been tested by Real Madrid and Chelsea, who he was on the verge of joining in 2005 before a change of heart at the 11th hour