Harry Redknapp has told Shaun Wright-Phillips that he will need to reduce his wage demands so that Queens Park Rangers can afford to keep him at the club, according to The Mirror. . The January transfer window is an ideal time for the London club to reduce their wage bill; however, it is proving difficult as players are unlikely to choose to drop their salary for first team football. . Redknapp reporters: “It’s difficult. It’s only Premier League clubs who could afford to take him (Shaun Wright Phillips) on his wages. . “Other clubs aren’t going to put up that…
Author: David F.
Just four more countries are still to arrive in South Africa for the African Nations Championship as the countdown to the tournament’s opening game on Saturday continues. . Only Burundi, Congo, Morocco and Uganda have not yet arrived although Morocco were due in Johannesburg late on Wednesday night after flying from Casablanca vuia Doha in Qatar. . Twelve sides are already in the country – Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique and Nigeria, plus the host nation’s team. . Uganda are due in on Thursday and will be almost straight into…
Alvaro Negredo grabbed a hat-trick as Manchester City crushed West Ham United 6-0 in their League Cup semifinal first leg on Wednesday in another body blow for the beleaguered London club. . City effectively sealed their place in the final at Wembley with another one-sided demonstration of their attacking potency, Edin Dzeko with two and Yaya Toure joining Negredo on the scoresheet. . It was the second time in four days that West Ham have conceded more than five goals after they were knocked out of the FA Cup 5-0 by second tier Nottingham Forest on Sunday. . While City…
Chelsea have been made favourites by the bookies to sign Southampton starlet Luke Shaw, despite registered interest from Manchester United. . SkyBet have made the Stamford Bridge outfit 3/1 to sign the 18-year-old wonderkid, which would imply that Jose Mourinho has the upper hand on David Moyes when it comes to the possibility of acquiring the player. . This follows heavy speculation that both of the Premier League giants would go head to head for Shaw, with Chelsea viewing him as the ideal successor to the ageing Ashley Cole and Manchester United seeing him as a promising candidate to fill…
Arsenal appear set to face stiff competition from Liverpool for the signing of Alvaro Morata this winter. . According to reports from Spanish newspaper Marca cited by the Daily Express , the Reds are looking to beat Arsene Wenger’s men in the race for one of Real Madrid’s hottest starlets – with the Merseyside outfit having made a bid to take him on loan. . The same report suggests that Liverpool would like to take Morata to Anfield for the rest of the season, but that La Liga giants Real are in no hurry to negotiate any potential deal. .…
Manchester United and Arsenal target Remy Cabella has opened the door to a potential Premier League move. . The highly-rated Frenchman has been heavily linked with a switch from Montpellier, with speculation back in November claiming the Gunners and Red Devils might get the opportunity to sign the player for £15million in the summer. . And, Cabella himself has admitted that a move away from Ligue 1 might be for the best, and whilst he’s fully focused on life at Montpellier currently, he’s ‘interested’ by a chance in England. . “For the moment, in my head, I’m 100 per cent…
United are keen on signing Porto defender Eliaquim Mangala during the summer transfer window rather than in January, according to Portuguese journalist Gonçalo Lopes . . The Premier League champions have been linked with a move for the France centre-back for some time now, as the club are desperately searching for a defender to replace the likes of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic as they are both out of contract at the end of the season. . And Manchester United’s scouting network have again turned to the Portuguese league to find a replacement for the aforementioned defenders. . Chelsea and…
The Metro is reporting that Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic will be heading out of Old Trafford at the end of the season as his contract looks set to expire. . The 32-year-old is out of contract in the summer and is yet to sit down with the board to discuss an extension as talks increase of David Moyes being armed with £200 million to spend and inject youth into an ageing squad. . The player’s representative has been indicating that the Serbian’s future at Old Trafford looks uncertain. . Vidic’s agent Silvano Martina believes his man is hot property…
Manchester United are one of the most successful clubs in England, and for that matter, the world, with some of the best talent the world has seen over recent years, so why have things drastically changed so much in the space of one year? . Many people around England – including myself – believe it stems from the last years of Sir Alex Ferguson’s rein at Old Trafford, the signings the 72- year-old Scot were hardly convincing, with the signings of Ashley Young (Aston Villa), Antonio Valencia (Wigan) and Alex Buttner (Vittese) hardly inspiring signings, maybe Fergie’s eye for talent…
Chelsea could be set to open talks with AC Milan striker Mario Balotelli this summer, according to the latest reports. . Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport claims Balotelli will leave Milan after the World Cup – potentially for Stamford Bridge. . Because the report suggests Chelsea may sound out Balotelli’s interest in returning to the Premier League at the end of the season. . The €35m-rated Italy striker, who moved to AC Milan from Manchester City last January, has become unsettled at the San Siro and has been linked with a move away from the club in recent weeks. .…
Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed that no one will be leaving Real Madrid in the January transfer window, delivering a blow to Premier League clubs hoping to sign some unwanted stars from the Bernabeu. . Manchester United were rumoured to be increasing their interest in Fabio Coentrao with a number of sources reporting a deal had been agreed. . But the Portuguese international is not on his way to Old Trafford just yet. . David Moyes denied that a deal was in place for Coentrao was in place but a need for a new left-back remains a priority for the United…
David Moyes’ problems increased on Wednesday when the football association said they were looking into the Manchester United manager’s latest attacks on referees. . Moyes said United were “playing” officials as well as the opposition” after Sunderland’s 2-1 victory at the Stadium of Light in the first leg of a League Cup semifinal on Tuesday condemned his side to three consecutive defeats for the first time in 13 years. . Moyes had previously seen his team lose by the same scoreline at home to Tottenham Hotspur and Swansea City in the past week, leaving reigning champions United 11 points off…
Arsenal are favourites to land Chelsea striker target Karim Benzema in the January transfer window, according to the bookmakers at least. SkyBet make the Gunners 2/1 to bring the French international forward to north London before February 1st, with French giants PSG next on the list at 14/1. . The Blues are even further back at 16/1 in the market, suggesting a switch to west London isn’t on the cards for the Real Madrid striker. . Arsenal have been linked with a move for the player for several months, with reports back in October claiming the La Liga outfit were…
If there’s one thing that has become synonymous with modern day football, it’s clubs spending well over the odds in order to acquire the players they need. . Whereas once upon time the existence of a player who could potentially serve as a £100million cash cow would have been laughed at, it’s now a prospect that can widely be judged as a safe bet to be realised within the next five years. . It’s for this reason, amongst a few others, that it really doesn’t make any sense for Manchester United to be sneering at the idea of stumping up…
Arsenal’s big summer signing Mesut Ozil has revealed in an interview with the club’s official website that he enjoyed playing over the Christmas period. . He said: “I’m very pleased that I’m in this league because you go from game to game very quickly. You play every two or three days and for me it’s better to play more games than train because I love a challenge and here that is perfect.” . Ozil joined Arsenal from Real Madrid over the summer for £42 million and has had an instant impact at the Gunners, scoring five times and providing ten…
Manchester United have been boosted by the news that Barcelona midfielder Xavi Hernandez admitted that he might not finish his career at Camp Nou, reports the London Metro. . The Spain international – widely regarded as one of the best players in world football – has been the subject of intense transfer speculation in recent weeks, with rumours that the reigning Premier League champions were planning a bid for his signature. . Red Devils boss David Moyes has been credited with an interest in bringing Xavi to Old Trafford, as he searches for a marquee signing to fill the creative…
Manchester United and Arsenal have been dealt a blow in their alleged pursuit of William Carvalho, after Sporting Lisbon president Bruno de Carvalho said the midfielder will not be sold this January, reports Sky Sports. . The 21-year-old has been the subject of intense transfer speculation in recent months, after rising to prominence at Estádio José Alvalade, following a series of impressive Primeira Liga performances. . Red Devils boss David Moyes has been credited with an interest in bringing Carvalho to Old Trafford, as he looks to strengthen his midfield department in the mid-season window. . However, recent reports have…
Chelsea could thwart Liverpool’s attempts to sign full-back Ryan Bertrand this month due to the situation involving Victor Moses’ current loan deal with the Merseyside club. . According to the Daily Mirror, the Blues are less than impressed with Moses’ loan spell at Anfield – he has made 13 Premier League appearances with just one goal to his name – but relations between the Premier League rivals may now mean that Bertrand misses out on such a move. . 24-year-old Bertrand, who has been with Chelsea since 2005, has never managed to establish himself as a first-team regular at Stamford…
Daniel Sturridge could return to Liverpool’s starting line-up against Stoke City on Sunday, according to the Daily Mail. . The striker, who scored nine goals in 12 Premier League games before picking up an ankle injury, has been out of action since the end of November. . The Liverpool striker’s last appearance came against Everton when the former Chelsea and Manchester City forward scored an all-important equaliser in his side’s 3-3 draw against Everton at Goodison Park. . Sturridge, 24, has reportedly now shrugged off his injury and could be reinstated into Brendan Rodgers’ starting line-up. . The England international’s…
Real Madrid have launched an internal inquiry after their Argentina winger Angel Di Maria was seen to grab his crotch while he was being substituted in Monday’s 3-0 La Liga win at home to Celta Vigo. . Di Maria, who was replaced by Gareth Bale midway through the second half at the Bernabeu and was whistled by the home fans as he trudged off, insisted it was “a natural gesture” and said he apologised if anyone had found it offensive. . The incident was widely debated in the Spanish and Argentine media on Tuesday and prompted further speculation that Di…