Fifth-placed Everton have injury doubts over Ross Barkley, Leighton Baines, Phil Jagielka and Sylvain Distin for Saturday’s English Premier League home game with struggling Norwich City. . Midfielder Barkley has a toe injury while left back Baines has a back problem. Centre halves Jagielka and Distin have hamstring strains. . “Those four players are the ones we have got a question mark over,” manager Roberto Martinez told the club’s website (www.evertonfc.com) on Thursday. . “Everyone else is fine.” . Everton, seven points adrift of leaders Arsenal, are looking for their third home win in a row following victories over Southampton…
Author: David Folami
Nigeria head coach, Stephen Keshi, is hoping that his country will have a good outing at the 2013 Glo-Caf awards billed to hold in Lagos on Thursday. . Keshi is a shortlist for Coach of the Year award alongside his country’s Under-17 trainer, Manu Garba and Paul Put, who guided Burkina Faso to the final of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations. . But the Nigerian manager is hoping it will not just be a night of playing host to Africa’s biggest football award. . “It’s good we have found ourselves being nominated in a number of categories for the…
Manchester United manager David Moyes, reeling from three defeats in a row in 2014, must think that every cloud has a silver lining after being nominated for the Premier League’s Manager of the Month award for December. . Moyes’s side have endured a terrible start to the New Year but they did manage four wins, a draw and two defeats from seven league matches at the end of 2013. . The Scot has been nominated along with Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini, who went unbeaten in December, Chelsea’s Jose Mourinho and Everton’s Roberto Martinez. . Chelsea had five wins from…
Manchester United shot stopper David De Gea has reassured fans that they won’t be lying down for anyone this year as they’re putting in extra hours to recover from a torrid campaign. . As a season without silverware looks increasingly likely, United goalkeeper has told the official club website that the team are working hard to ensure their current form is a thing of the past. . In the article, the ‘kepper goes on to reveal that himself and Antonio Valencia work together after training as the squad work go beyond the call of duty to improve their current position.…
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…
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…
Robin van Persie could dramatically boost Manchester United ahead of their upcoming crunch clash with Chelsea, by making his return from injury. . According to Goal, the Premier League champions’ top goalscorer from last season is set to return to active duty in ten days time having worked extensively in Holland in order to increase his recovery time. . Goal claims that Van Persie has been working one to one with PSV Eindhoven fitness coach Arno Philip in order to recover from the thigh strain he picked up in early December, and has now completed the final stage of his…
Liverpool and Chelsea have been given a clear indication that midfield target Jorginho is available for transfer this month. . The player’s agent, Joao Santos, claims that his client will be allowed to leave Hellas Verona if the club receives a ‘great offer’. . Chelsea and Liverpool are both linked with the Brazilian, whilst previous reports in the Metro claimed Arsenal and Manchester United were also keen on the £15million-rated playmaker. . “He can leave Verona now if he receives a great offer – if an important proposal arrives it is fair that the player is allowed to leave,” Santos…
Ligue 1 leaders Paris Saint-Germain are confident they can land Eden Hazard, according to The Independent. . The French club have previously been linked with a move for Hazard’s Chelsea teammate, Juan Mata, but now they look set to pursue Chelsea’s prized playmaker, who arrived in 2012 for a massive £32million. . The Belgian has been in electrifying form this term, scoring nine and assisting five in 24 appearances. . According to French newspaper Le 10 Sport, PSG boss Laurent Blanc has put Hazard at the top of his summer wishlist, and has the support of chairman Nasser Al-Khelaïfi. .…
Arsenal are favourites to beat Tottenham to the signing of Fulham striker Dimitar Berbatov this month, according to the latest odds. . The Bulgarian international has been linked with a move away from Craven Cottage since Martin Jol departed following a disappointing first half of the season. . The 32-year-old former-Manchester United forward has just four Premier League goals for Fulham this term. He joined the club in a £5m deal in the summer of 2012. . And Arsenal and Tottenham, both looking to strengthen thin forward lines this month, reportedly have their eye on the forward. . Arsenal are…
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…
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. .…