Sir Alex Ferguson has seemingly admitted defeat in Manchester United’s pursuit of Wesley Sneijder, according to Sky Sports.
The Inter Milan midfielder has been linked with a move to Old Trafford all summer but now it seems Ferguson has given up on signing the player by saying it’s time to forget about him.
Despite the United boss stating on Thursday that there isn’t any current interest in the Dutchman it hasn’t stopped the media from speculating that a deal may be forthcoming.
It’s even been claimed that the clubs shirt manufacturers Nike will get involved to ensure that any deal for Sneijder, which could prove lucrative to them, will go through.
Ferguson and his squad are currently in Seattle on their summer tour of the United States. When quizzed by Sky Sports about Sneijder on Sunday the United boss was straightforward in his response.
“Forget it,” he said. “We are looking at some things but I am not so sure Sneijder will be easy to get.”
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Ferguson’s admittance of defeat in the chase for his prime target may force him to consider other midfield alternatives. It’s a position he is keen to strengthen especially now that his lynchpin Paul Scholes has retired.
Joe Jordan has challenged his Tottenham players to add to stuttering Chelsea's woes and blow the Premier League title race wide open.
The last time Chelsea managed to pick up three points in the Premier League was a 1-0 victory over Fulham in mid November and Jordan thinks Spurs can add to Chelsea's woes.
Tottenham have not lost in the league since a 4-2 reverse at Bolton and assistant boss Jordan feels they are in the kind of form to cause Chelsea real problems at White Hart Lane.
Jordan said:"Chelsea have stuttered and they've let the other teams in.
"Not only that, but they've let the other teams in, I think, in believing that there is an opening this season for not just Manchester United and Chelsea to repeat what they have been doing, but other clubs.
"I think it is an open championship; I think there are opportunities there."
He added:"You look at the top teams and you think, 'This is a chance'.
"The top two teams aren't showing the form that they did last year.
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"So that, to me, indicates that there is a chance that someone – one or two teams – could get in the pack."
Luka Modric returns after missing Tuesday night's Champions League draw at FC Twente with flu, but fellow midfielder Rafael van der Vaart will play no part as he struggles with a hamstring injury.Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Manchester City midfielder Samir Nasri has stated that his decision to move to the Etihad Stadium over Manchester United last summer has been vindicated.
Both Manchester clubs wanted the France international after he decided to leave Arsenal, and the playmaker has stated that winning the Premier League title with City has shown that he made the correct decision.
“I thought for a few months before making my decision, with my parents and my advisors,” Nasri stated, covered by Mirror Football.
“Patrick Vieira’s argument was that United are used to winning everything.
“Last season they won the league title and got to the Champions League final and if you sign this season and you play less well, it won’t have been a success for you.
“Whereas City is a club that’s building, which has recruited smartly with the likes of Sergio Aguero, and if you win the title you’ll be part of history.
“I weighed up the pros and cons, Roberto Mancini was calling me every day and I decided to go there.
“I came to Manchester to help the team become champions. Next season the club’s ambition is to go further in the Champions League and win the title again.
“In terms of statistics, it’s not my best season. Last season I was much more prolific in front of goal with Arsenal.
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“But what counts is the team and the title with Manchester City, so it is my best season,” he confessed.
Tottenham are reportedly interested in Standard Liege defender Eliaquim Mangala, but will have to battle a number of leading French and Italian clubs for his signature.
Harry Redknapp is supposedly interested in bolstering his options in central defence, with the side being stretched in that position in 2010/11 with long term injuries to Ledley King, Jonathan Woodgate and Younes Kaboul negatively impacting on the side.
The 20-year-old centre back of Congolese descent has made twelve appearances for France under-21’s and despite being in contract until June 2013 is reportedly ready to move on from the Belgian club, with an estimated value of £4million.
L’Equipe state that Paris St Germain, backed by new owners Qatar Investment Authority, and Ligue 1 champions Lille are interested in bringing the Colombes born man back to his homeland.
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The French media source also state that Juventus have been in touch with Mangala’s agent, and that Udinese are preparing to bid for the player.
Wigan Athletic boss Roberto Martinez hopes that a change of scenery will do Chris Kirkland the world of good after allowing the former Liverpool goalkeeper to join Leicester City on a one-month emergency loan deal.
The 29-year-old has lost his place at the DW Stadium to Ali Habsi but Martinez does not think his Latics career is over.
The Spaniard told the Wigan Observer:"Chris has been training really well but to improve his form he probably needs to play some games.
"It is a great opportunity for him. I think it is the best possible way for Chris to get back to his best match fitness.
"He is going to a team making a really good challenge and it is probably what he needs now after the consistency he has shown in training.
"Goalkeeper is a very specific position and it can be frustrating at times. We feel from now until January 1 is a perfect window, with a huge amount of games, where Chris can really push himself and enjoy his football.
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"It is a real boost for his Wigan career. He had a couple of niggles earlier on in the season and that affected his form. Ali has come in and done extremely well. Now it is just a way for Chris to keep competing for the number one shirt from a distance.
"In football there are times when you need to play games to test yourself. Chris has still got a long-term contract with the football club. He is a huge asset and a model professional. I don't want Chris to drop his standards because of frustration."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Johan Cruyff has ruled himself out of the running to become Liverpool’s next director of football.
The Dutch legend walked away from his post on the board of directors at Ajax over the weekend due to internal disputes, and has been linked as a potential candidate to replace the ousted Damien Comolli at Anfield.
However, Cruyff, who works as an adviser to both Barcelona and Mexican side Chivas, has stated that he will not be moving to Merseyside in a hurry.
“I see my name is being mentioned in connection with Liverpool. I don’t know where that has come from, because I have not heard anything from them,” he told De Telegraaf, translated to English by The Daily Mail.
“There has been no contact whatsoever.
“If you just read speculation like this, without any substance to it, there is no point taking it seriously. It is just talk.”
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The 21 year-old defender actually started his career as a striker before moving further back the pitch simply due to a lack of defensive options in the Paris Saint Germain youth team. Sakho is still at the club after four years of service and has broken in to Laurent Blanc’s French senior side over the past year. Arsene Wenger has been a long-time admirer of the Paris-born player and Liverpool are also said to be interested in signing Sakho, with a fee of around £12-18 million likely to tempt his hometown club to sell this summer.
Kevin Gameiro:
Gameiro scored 22 Ligue 1 goals last season, just under half of all Lorient’s goals in the League. He is 24 years-old and regularly competes with Karim Benzema for the striker’s role in the French national team. He has already made himself available to potential suitors, stating: “I want to go to a bigger club than Lorient in France or abroad. If I go abroad it is to play in the Champions League. If I stay in France, this would be for the Champions League and maybe also the Europa League.” Newcastle were the first Premiership team to declare and interest but are likely to be disappointed by Gameiro’s ambition to play in Europe next year. Valencia are rumoured to be exploiting the striker’s affinity to Spain and a bid of around £12million should prise him away from Ligue 1.
Nene:
The Brazilian-born winger scored 18 times in his first season at Paris Saint Germain having played for eight clubs in Spain, France and Brazil over the last ten years. He is 29 now so represents a player at his peak with immediate quality and was one of the major contributors to his club’s successful season, finishing 4th in Ligue 1. It is not known whether Nene is looking to move on this summer, nor the transfer fee his sale would command, but he would undoubtedly provide a top-8 Premiership club the required attributes for a wide-man.
Rio Mavuba:
The defensive midfielder originally joined Lille on loan for six months between January and June 2008 after his move to Villarreal from Bordeaux wasn’t working out. The club signed him on permanent terms that summer, securing his return to Ligue 1, and made him captain. He has now completed three full seasons with the recently crowned champions of France, and although not a goal-scorer, possess frightening power for a player of his size (roughly 5ft 7inches).
Marvin Martin:
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The creative midfielder has been at Sochaux for his entire three-year professional career and was instrumental in propelling the club that has trained him for the past nine years to a fifth placed finish in Ligue 1 last term. He was called up by Laurent Blanc for last Monday’s friendly fixture with Ukraine and was introduced as a substitute. Martin scored twice and set up a third to complete a dream debut for his country, becoming just the fourth player to score twice on his first French senior appearance. He scored just three goals last season but assisted an impressive nineteen, and is likely to require a bid of around £13million to lure him away from France in what would be his first ever transfer.
Birmingham City manager Alex McLeish is delighted with the form of summer signing Ben Foster.
The 27-year-old goalkeeper has impressed since his £6million arrival from Manchester United, having made the switch to secure regular first-team football.
McLeish told the Birmingham Mail:"I knew we were getting a guy who just needed to play and even Sir Alex (Ferguson) said to me when we signed him 'he will be in the England team by the end of the season'.
"He is fighting Joe Hart for that position. He is a good keeper.
"If a keeper makes a mistake it is normally fatal, but Ben has learned a lot from his Manchester United days and his loan spell at Watford. He is looking a very accomplished goalkeeper.
"It was great we were able to do a swift deal with Manchester United. At the time, everyone else was okay for keepers, so we had no real competitors.
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"A new keeper was top of the list after Joe Hart did so well last season and Sir Alex couldn't hold on to him any longer.
"He had to be fair to the guy and he has done him a favour there."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
One of the most important days of the footballing calendar is nearly upon us – the first Merseyside Derby of the season. As the 217th recorded Merseyside Derby takes place at Anfield tonight, let’s remind ourselves about all that makes a Derby day special with a look back on the Top 10 Merseyside Derbies of all-time. There’s blood, sweat and with it, the obligatory tears to boot. Let’s take a look.
1. Liverpool 4 Everton 4 (Anfield) – FA Cup Fifth-Round, 1991 – Quite rightly regarded as the best Merseyside Derby of all-time and memorable for the fact that it was Kenny Dalglish’s final game in charge of his first spell at the club with the Scot resigning the next day. Peter Beardsley drew first blood after Ian Rush dispossessed Kevin Ratcliffe and had his shot saved by Neville Southall, with Beardsley banging in the rebound. Graeme Sharp equalised right after the break before Beardsley bagged a spectacular left-footed effort from 25 yards into the top left-hand corner. A mix-up between Steve Nicol and Bruce Grobelaar saw Sharp equalise once more with a tap in from two yards before Ian Rush saw Liverpool take the lead for the third time in the 77th minute with a deft header from a Jan Molby cross. A hopeful punt up field led to Tony Cottee, on as a sub, bagging Everton’s third to make it 3-3. John Barnes handed Liverpool the lead in extra-time until Cottee once again pegged Liverpool back with a 114th minute equaliser. Everton went onto win the replay 1-0. Simply put, one of the best FA Cup ties of all time and a great advert for the Merseyside derby.
2. Liverpool 3, Everton 2 (Wembley) – FA Cup Final, 1989 – Held just five weeks after the shocking, traumatic and deeply upsetting events of the Hillsborough disaster where 96 fans lost their lives, this game went some way to cathartically healing the wounds for many across Merseyside. On the footballing front, the final didn’t disappoint. John Aldridge gave Liverpool a crucial early lead before Stuart McCall struck back in the 90th minute. In extra-time Liverpool sub Ian Rush put his side ahead once more. Stuart McCall, the unlikeliest of scorers, then struck a sensational second before Rush once again, the scourge of Everton fans everywhere, bagged his second and Liverpool’s third and with it the FA Cup on a very moving day for all connected with either club and the city.
3. Everton 2, Liverpool 3 (Goodison Park) – Premier League, 2001 – Both clubs approached the tie with very different priorities in mind. Liverpool were on the cusp of an infamous treble, Everton under Walter Smith, were trying to stave off relegation for a further season. This has to go down as the finest Derby of the Premier League era, notable for the final kick of the game, a 40-yard free-kick by Gary McAllister that crept into Paul Gerrard’s net – a truly astounding goal. This game had everything. Liverpool surged into a two-goal lead courtesy of Emile Heskey and Markus Babbel before terrace favourites Duncan Ferguson and Dave ‘Rhino’ Unsworth reduced the deficit and levelled the tie. Igor Biscan was sent off, there were 12 cards in total and even an uncharacteristic Robbie Fowler penalty miss to throw into the mix until McAllister stepped up with an unlikely and breathtaking winner. Pulsating.
4. Liverpool 0, Everton 1 (Anfield) – First Division, 1984 – The turning of the tide? Everton announced themselves as the new dominant force in English football with an era defining victory over Liverpool at home. Liverpool were the reigning European Cup champions, but on this display, it was to be Everton that were to go onto bigger things that season. Graeme Sharp’s thunderous volley that later went onto be named Goal of the Season was the difference in the score lines, but the difference in performance was startling. Everton went onto claim the league title, European Cup Winners Cup and narrowly lost out on a momentous treble with a defeat to Man Utd in the FA Cup.
5. Liverpool 3, Everton 1 (Wembley), FA Cup Final, 1986 – The first ever all-Merseyside FA Cup final. A close-run league campaign eventually saw Liverpool edge out their close rivals. At Wembley, Gary Linekar continued his only ever campaign in an Everton shirt in predictably prolific fashion giving Everton the lead. However, perennial thorn in the side Ian Rush struck twice and Craig Johnston added the icing on the cake.
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6. Liverpool 2, Everton 2 (Maine Road), FA Cup Semi-Final, 1977 – What is is about the FA Cup that brings the best out of these Merseyside Derby encounters. Perhaps the most controversial on the list, Liverpool fans the world over will still be left wondering quite how they came away from this game with a draw and a replay. Bryan Hamilton had a goal unfathomably disallowed by referee Clive Thomas in the dying moments with the scores level after Jimmy Case and Terry McDermott had scored for Liverpool and Bruce Rioch and Duncan McKenzie had done the same for the Toffees. Liverpool went onto win the replay 3-0 to further add insult to injury.
7. Everton 0, Liverpool 5 (Goodison Park), First Division, 1982 – Ian Rush completely destroyed his boyhood heroes with a four-goal salvo. Everton weren’t helped by having debutant Glen Keeley sent off early on, though. Mark Lawrensen added the other with a tap in from a Kenny Dalglish cross. This game is memorable most for the true finishing masterclass put on by Rush.
8. Everton 3, Liverpool 0 (Goodison Park), Premier League, 2006 – A game personally memorably for me for so many reasons. Could it be the tortuous four-hour long journey home in a car with three Everton fans? Could it be the one-word riposte of Phil Neal in the stands when asked what he thought of the performance…’disgusting’? Or could it be the now infamous chant of ‘Reina drops keep falling on my head’ that was sung in the crowded streets after the game in reference to the third goal of the game? Everton recorded their biggest victory over Liverpool in 42 years with a display of clinical finishing. Tim Cahill notched the first before an Andy Johnson double ended the contest.
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9. Liverpool 3, Everton 2 (Anfield), Premier League, 1999 – Liverpool went into this game seeking their first victory over their nearest rivals since 1994 in a run that stretched to 9 games. Olivier Dacourt put Everton ahead inside the first minute with an excellent strike from 30 yards. Marco Materazzi then gave away a penalty after clumsily lunging for the ball and bringing down skipper Paul Ince in the process. Robbie Fowler dispatched the penalty before then celebrating with the now infamous ‘snorting the line’ celebration which manager Gerard Houllier bafflingly laughed off stating that Fowler was “eating the grass”. Fowler added a second with a header before Patrick Berger added a third with a fine volley from the edge of the area. Francis Jeffers got Everton’s second late on with a neat turn and finish. There was still time for more drama, though, as an 18 year-old sub by the name of Steven Gerrard managed to clear off the line from Danny Cadamarteri in the dying embers of the game.
10. Liverpool 0, Everton 1 (Anfield), Premier League, 1999 – A typically feisty Derby day encounter saw Kevin Campbell’s 12th goal in 19 games since arriving back from Turkey prove the difference in the fourth minute. Francis Jeffers and Sander Westerveld were both shown a red card for what can only be described as handbags at dawn and Steven Gerrard was also given his marching orders for a scything (not the first time that could be said of his challenges in a Derby game) challenge on Campbell late on.
Youssouf Mulumbu’s early goal sealed a 1-0 win for West Bromwich Albion against 10-man Everton at the Hawthorns on Saturday.The late dismissal of Diniyar Bilyaletdinov did not help the visitors’ cause as West Brom clinched their first league double over Everton since 1979.
It was also the first time the home side have kept a clean sheet in 35 English Premier League matches this season, stretching back to August 2010.
There were four changes to the West Brom line-up following an abject defeat at Wolves last weekend, but it was two mainstays that combined to create the 10th-minute breakthrough.
First Nigerian forward Peter Odemwingie struck the side-netting following a Mulumbu through-ball, before the roles were reversed.
Odemwingie took Chris Brunt’s pass to the byline and fed Mulumbu with a slide-rule ball – and the Congolese midfielder buried it from three yards out to make it 1-0 to West Brom.
West Brom goalkeeper Scott Carson produced a top-drawer save from Victor Anichebe to preserve the lead, with Tim Howard soon matching his opposite number’s heroics by tipping a Chris Brunt free-kick over the bar.
Both sides went close in the 25th minute as a header from Everton’s Johnny Heitinga glanced past the post.
Jerome Thomas then weaved past the visitors’ defence only to see fullback Tony Hibbert block his shot on the goal line.
Howard was back to his best to keep out Odemwingie’s header, with Carson again matching his counterpart by pushing another goal-bound Anichebe header to safety.
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Simon Cox was inches away from making it 2-0 to West Brom – he failed to convert Odemwingie’s cross with the goal at his mercy.
The home side were forced to hold out late in the game during Bilyaletdinov’s five-minute cameo from the bench.
The Russian impressed at first, but wastefully fired over before receiving a straight red card for a studs-up tackle on James Morrison.