Brace yourself for Bayor August 15, 2008 Emmanuel Adebayor may have been on the verge of leaving Arsenal this summer, but back the lanky forward to prove his newfound loyalty by ensuring West Brom endure a miserable return to the top flight. The Baggies face a daunting trip to the Emirates Stadium tomorrow as the Premier League season kicks off – and [...]
Sir Alex has something up his sleeve, I’m sure August 7, 2008 Sir Alex Ferguson’s stance that he won’t be delving into the transfer market during this August window just doesn’t quite ring true with me. With Cristiano Ronaldo already out for the opening month or so of the season, the last thing Sir Alex wanted was to see any more of his squad sidelined for the [...]
Rooney virus mystery adds to United woe August 6, 2008 Manchester United are facing an injury crisis ahead of the new season after striker Wayne Rooney joined winger Cristiano Ronaldo on the sidelines. Rooney has not trained for more than a week after falling ill with a virus United suspect he contracted during the pre-season trip to Nigeria. The 22-year-old is out of tonight’s friendly [...]
Bentley: Spurs can break into top four August 1, 2008 David Bentley is convinced his arrival will help Tottenham break the so-called Big Four’s iron grip on Champions League qualification. Spurs have repeatedly failed to live up to expectations of reaching the lucrative and prestigious European club competition. Manager Juande Ramos was recruited from Sevilla last year and tasked with breaking into the top four, [...]
Never mind the credit crunch. What time’s the match? August 15, 2008 With the Premiership football season due to kick off tomorrow, London’s top-flight clubs appear to be immune to the ravages of the credit crunch, with some hopeful of attracting more fans than ever before. The stars of Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham and Fulham take to the pitch in the knowledge that fans are [...]
Chelsea sign Portugal’s Deco July 1, 2008 Chelsea last night completed the £8m signing of Portugal midfielder Deco from Barcelona, as Frank Lampard edged closer to leaving Stamford Bridge for Inter Milan. Deco, 30, has reportedly agreed a two-year contract, and follows his former Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari to Chelsea. Scolari built his Portugal team around Deco and the playmaker insists [...]
Levy furious as Reds sign £20m Keane July 29, 2008 Furious Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy hit out last night after being “forced” to sell striker Robbie Keane to Liverpool for a club record £20.3m. Spurs agreed a deal worth a guaranteed £19m, plus £1.3m depending on clauses – almost three times what they paid Leeds for Keane in 2002, and £1.7m more than they earned [...]
Benitez dragging his heels in transfer saga July 31, 2008 The statement from Aston Villa insisting Gareth Barry will not be leaving the club does nothing but drag an already tedious situation on and on. I really can’t see why they just don’t get on with it. Villa say they have set a deadline but you can’t tell me that, if Liverpool boss Rafa Bentez [...]
Setanta shows ITV the way to succeed in commercial TV August 8, 2008 By now there is little more to be said about ITV. The expected bloodbath duly arrived on cue this week and advertising revenue may not recover for 18 months. How different for ITV’s rival Setanta which is broadcasting the FA Cup and England internationals. The Irish pay TV sports broadcaster goes into the new football [...]
Eto’o and Arshavin to replace Spurs strike pair July 22, 2008 Tottenham last night stepped up their war on Manchester United and Liverpool for ‘tapping up’ Dimitar Berbatov and Robbie Keane, but already look to have earmarked Samuel Eto’o and Andrei Arshavin as replacements. Spurs chairman Daniel Levy has been angered by what he sees as deliberate attempts to unsettle the strike duo, and yesterday handed [...]