Bosnian international Emir Spahic claims he could be heading to Arsenal as Arsene Wenger steps up his attempts to sign at least one new defender before the start of the season in ten days' time.
The 31-year-old Montpellier defender would welcome the opportunity to play in the Premier League after being a regular starter in the French League last term.
Wenger has lost experienced trio Sol Campbell, William Gallas and Mikael Silvestre this summer while signing only Laurent Koscielny from Lorient and is aware he needs to bolster his defensive options.
Spahic told Sportssport.ba:"The most important thing is that so far the negotiations have gone as planned and that the transfer could be completed soon.
"Arsenal is a great club, I'm an admirer of Arsene Wenger and I hope that Montpellier will co-operate."
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Spahic played for NK Zagreb, Shinnik Yaroslavol, Torpedo Moscow and Lokomotiv Moscow before joining Montpellier last summer.Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
New France coach Laurent Blanc has sensationally suspended all 23 players that were on duty at this summer's World Cup finals in South Africa.
The 1998 world champions were placed into disarray when the squad staged a walk-out after striker Nicolas Anelka was sent home after an incident at the interval during the 2-0 loss to Mexico.
France failed to qualify from Group A under former boss Raymond Domenech and the players' behaviour appalled many back in their homeland.
Blanc will take charge of his first game against Norway in Oslo on August 11 and the former Bordeaux manager recommended that the full squad should not feature, a plea that was accepted by the French Football Association.
A statement on www.fff.fr read:"Laurent Blanc met this Friday, July 23, with the federal council, to whom he presented his staff and his sporting project.
"He also proposed to the federal council, who accepted, not to retain for the friendly against Norway, on Wednesday August 11 in Oslo, any of the 23 players officially selected by the French Football Federation for the World Cup in South Africa.
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"Laurent Blanc will release the list of players retained for this match against Norway on Thursday August 5 at 11.30."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
West Bromwich Albion have signed former loan striker Marc-Antoine Fortune on a two-year contract from Celtic for an undisclosed fee.
The 29-year-old spent the second half of the 2008-09 season at The Hawthorns, scoring five times in 18 games before opting to head north to join the Bhoys.
However, Fortune is now back in the Black Country, with boss Roberto Di Matteo telling the club's official website:"I'm delighted to welcome Marco back to the club.
"The great thing about this signing is that it won't take him long to settle in because he knows the club inside out. He also knows what this league is all about.
"Marc got on really well with the other players during his loan here and they're all delighted to see him back.
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"He is a powerful striker who can hold the ball up and bring others into play and having also signed Peter Odemwingie last week, we now have plenty of competition up front."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Cameroonian defender and free agent Rigobert Song’s Premier League salad days may have long expired, but his perpetually influential nature and domineering presence on the pitch would certainly be treasured at club aiming to reach the heights of the Reds.
Specifically, there are isolated rumours of high flying Cardiff City signing Song within the next few weeks, as The Bluebirds may look to blend a deadly combination of experience and wisdom with youth and virility.
To those who have forgotten, Song joined Liverpool halfway through the 1998/99 season, his debut coming in a 2-1 defeat at Highfield Road against Coventry City. Although his arrival coincided with Liverpool’s joint worst Premier League finish of 7th, fans quickly took to Song on account of his strength and coolness under pressure (of which there was a lot that season) and even succeeded getting his own song, the imaginative “We’ve only got one Song, we’ve only got one Song!”
In his second season, Song’s form remained consistent and Liverpool finished 4th in a Champions League near-miss. But it went downhill from there, and after making only four appearances in the 2000/01 season, Song was transferred to West Ham in November 2000, with then hot Finnish prospect Daniel Sjölund going the opposite way. A loan spell at Köln followed a year later, and after playing for Galatasaray (2004-2008) and Trabzonspor (2008-2010), found himself over the hill and on the scrap-heap.
Sceptical comments and viewpoints are inevitable, but the possibility of Song in a sweeper role to assist the midfield and (ultimately) the Craig Bellamy led attack is encouragingly reminiscent of Brian Clough’s system of play which led a Second Division Derby County to a 22 game unbeaten run in 1968. Upon signing, the aging Dave Mackay had a mixed reception, but was successfully employed in the sweeper role, leading Derby to the title.
Whatever neutrals and Cardiff fans make of this, a transfer such as this is certainly be an eye catcher, and would undoubtedly avert a few eyes momentarily away from the Premiership. Cardiff City are once again looking every inch the promotion contenders, and it is vital to the future of the club that the young charges who currently show much potential are honed and mentored in the right way.
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Chelsea carried on their winning tradition against Arsenal with a clinical 2-0 victory at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. Yesterday’s victory made it 4 wins in a row for Chelsea against Arsenal in the Premier League but they were made to work hard for the three points.
Carlo Ancelotti’s men were put under plenty of pressure by the away side in the second half but goals from Didier Drogba and Alex were ultimately enough to seal the win for Chelsea. Here’s 5 things we learnt from Chelsea’s performance against the Gunners.
1. Arsenal must be sick of the sight of Drogba
Didier Drogba’s opening goal saw him continue his incredible run of scoring against Arsenal. Yesterday’s strike made it 13 goals in as many games against the Gunners and he didn’t even need to be at his best to do it.
He just needed to be good when it mattered- and that was in front of goal. His delightful flick from Ashley Cole’s cross is what sets Drogba apart from his Arsenal counterparts. He took his chance when it was presented to him while Marouane Chamakh failed to even trouble Petr Cech despite having a couple of excellent opportunities to do so.
2. Ramires was excellent
Ramires came in for criticism following his performance last week against Manchester City and initially it looked like it could have been more of the same for the Brazilian. He was caught in possession once or twice as he took some time to settle into the rhythm of the game but once he did, he was a force in Chelsea’s midfield.
He played a number of good passes, most notably a perfectly-weighted through ball for Ashley Cole to set up Didier Drogba for Chelsea’s opener. He was strong and decisive in the challenge, denying Marouane Chamakh a shot at goal with a well timed tackle in the penalty area.
With Frank Lampard and Yossi Benayoun out of the side with injury, Ramires is faced with the prospect of an extended run in the Chelsea team and his performance against Arsenal is something he can gain a lot of confidence from.
3. Drogba still shouldn’t be taking corners
Last weekend against Manchester City, I mentioned that Drogba shouldn’t be taking Chelsea’s corners and yesterday only made me more certain that this should be the case.
He routinely failed to clear the first man at the near post from his corners and his presence in the box was sorely missed. He is a massive physical presence in the box and against the league’s lightest and shortest team, he could have been a huge threat getting on the end of a corner kick rather than taking them.
4. Chelsea were resolute in defence
In the second half, Arsenal really tested Chelsea’s defence with a sustained period of heavy pressure but Chelsea stood firm and denied Arsenal a route back into the game. John Obi Mikel was outstanding in Chelsea’s midfield, breaking up Arsenal’s play with precision and enthusiasm and using the ball invariably well when he won it.
John Terry and Alex were imperious at the heart of Chelsea’s defence, dealing with Arsenal’s threat with relative ease. To cap things off, Alex scored a thunderous free-kick from 25 yards out to seal the points for Chelsea.
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5. It may be Chelsea’s title to lose
It may be early in the season but it seems that the title could be Chelsea’s to lose. Chelsea have been positively miserly so far in defence in addition to being hugely prolific in front of goal.
With fellow title challengers Manchester United struggling, Chelsea could make the job of chasing pack hugely difficult by continuing to win. They currently sit at the top of the table with 18 points from 7 games, 4 points clear of Manchester City in 2nd and 5 clear of Manchester United in 3rd. Arsenal are 2 points further back from United in 4th and are already playing catch-up at such an early stage in the season.
What did you think about Chelsea’s win against Arsenal?
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Prospective Liverpool owner John W Henry has reassured supporters that he too hopes the ownership saga is "sorted out soon" on the day the club is in the High Court.
Henry's New England Sports Ventures group is hoping to complete a £300million takeover at Anfield despite a dispute involving current owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett.
They are attempting to block the sale in the High Court on Tuesday in a move which could throw the club into administration with debts in the region of £230million.
Henry, who also owns the Boston Red Sox, is not in London to watch the proceedings first hand but is keeping abreast of the situation as it unfolds.
In the meantime he has used Twitter to convey a message of solidarity with supporters concerned by the latest move of unpopular American duo Hicks and Gillett.
"Everyone is hoping for the best," he said."There have been enough twists and turns. Hopefully all gets sorted out soon; LFC moves forward.
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"It would be inappropriate and presumptuous at this time to respond to questions. In the interim, we're all rooting for the same thing."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
The financial results don’t make pretty reading at Old Trafford and they have done little but fuel the anti-Glazer campaign. David Gill has attempted to put a positive spin on it and claims it has little affect on the club’s transfer budget going forward, but judging by the United forums it is clearly falling on death ears.
This week at FFC we have seen a mixed bag of Man United blogs which has included…Ryan Giggs’ words of warning; Wayne Rooney hits the nail on the head and Fergie’s five transfer options to fill United’s void.
Plus we have taken a look at the best Man United stories on the Web this week
The Premier League WAGS Arena just got better
Sir Alex’s FIVE transfer options to fill United’s void
Should clubs heed to Ryan Giggs’ warning?
£80 million reasons for United to show concern?
Has Wayne Rooney hit the nail on the head with claims?
‘The Wonder Boy’ to light up Old Trafford this January?
How good is Manchester United target Anders Lindegaard?
A huge loss for both Manchester United and England
Unnecessary pressure heaped on Nani?
Does Fergie rue the day starlet quit Old Trafford?
Gianluigi Buffon denies Man Utd links
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Best of Web
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United We Stand, Divided We Fall – The Swiss Ramble
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The Obvious Conclusion: Wayne Rooney Is Going To Real Madrid – RoM
United’s 2009/10 results: Understanding the cash flow – The Andersred Blog
Solskjaer reserves highest praise for on the rise United starlet – The Busby Way
Arrogant Gill playing fans for fools – United Rant
The one that slipped the net: Players Manchester United missed out on – The Busby Way
According to the man himself, “I’m really pleased with how I have played in the last few games and the team is winning. When that happens, everyone has a better performance.” It would appear that the Liverpool midfielder is not wrong. Having seen a number of his performances of late, it would seem the young Brazilian midfielder has started to live up to his billing.
Following his performance against Chelsea the midfielder received rave reviews for his role in the victory. With a new manager and renewed belief at Liverpool it would seem Lucas is eager to impress and cement a regular place in the first team.
The much maligned Brazilian has certainly grown into a hard-working, tough-tackling midfielder who has been arguably Liverpool’s most improved and most consistent performer over the past 18 months. His performance against Chelsea very much seemed like a coming of age for the 23 year old.
Prior to his decent consistent form this season Lucas was targeted as a convenient scapegoat by supporters – admittedly, mainly those who rarely if ever attended games when Benitez’s reign unravelled last season. However, Hodgson showed an early sign of faith in the Brazilian by naming him skipper in Liverpool’s first pre-season friendly.
Then came the arrivals of fellow central midfielders Christian Poulsen and Raul Meireles, this appeared to jeopardise the Brazilian’s position. Instead, Lucas has responded positively and been a mainstay of the line-up that has kick started Liverpool’s season with four straight wins.
The young midfielder reaffirms the idea he has started to live up to his billing by stating “Everyone could see that the manager had brought in a midfielder in Poulsen and Mascherano was still here. We had a lot of midfielders. I don’t really think about things too much. I just want to keep working hard and be pleased with myself. I am trying to do everything I can. If at the end the manager doesn’t play me, it is his decision; all I can do is work really hard.”
This positive attitude has definitely proved beneficial not only for Lucas but the whole team. The young Brazilian seems to have turned a corner in the hearts and minds of the fans as he matures into a hard-working, tough-tackling defensive midfielder. The true test will be if he can maintain this decent start to the season. What do you think? Is Lucas well on his way to becoming a Premier League star?
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This week’s ‘El Clasico’ threw up a feast of football the likes of which you would be fortunate to see again. A rampant Barcelona destroyed a shocked and disheartened Real Madrid team, inflicting the heaviest defeat of Jose Mourinho’s coaching career. But far from being well on their way to a third successive La Liga title, after such a comprehensive victory over their nearest challengers the Catalan club are only 2 points clear of their notorious rivals. This is because until Monday Madrid had been equally devastating in dispatching the rest of the LA Liga opposition. They have put five or more past teams such as Athletic Bilbao, Deportivo La Coruna and Racing Santander. And last season were able to amass a record breaking points tally of 96, finishing 25 points clear of third placed Valencia. Only to be beaten by an even bigger record breaking points tally of Barcelona’s 99. So is La Liga really less of a challenge to win for either of these teams than the Premiership, as you only have one real competitor? Is La Liga in danger of becoming like the SPL with its gross mismatch in quality and trophy distribution?
I don’t think so. There is still great quality to be found in the rest of La Liga. Players such as Forlan, winner of the 2010 World Cup’s Golden Ball, Mata, Pablo, Llorente, Fabiano, Nilmar, Navas Canella and many more are all great football players who ply their trade outside of the big two in Spain. Certainly recent records in Europe suggest the rest of the League is of a high standard. The UEFA cup is always considered a good place to test the strength of a league, consisting as it does of clubs just below the best whilst the elites compete for the Champions League. Since the change to a single legged final in 1998 there has been four Spanish victories, including one all Spanish final, compared with one English victory for Liverpool in 2001. Indeed Madrid’s lofty position could be a bit deceiving; besides their 5-0 humbling at the hands of Barcelona they have faced only one other team in the current top five. In which they played out a 0-0 draw on the opening day of the season with Malaga. December could be a crucial month in their bid to recapture the title, hosting both Valencia and Sevilla before the winter break.
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The way TV rights are sold individually by the club as opposed to collectively in La Liga combined with the sheer number of fans the top two clubs have in comparison to the rest ensure that the league will continue to be unequal. Yet this separation is exaggerated and overemphasised amongst the English press whilst simultaneously overplaying the competitiveness of Premier League in a bid to promote it as the best in the World ahead of its Spanish competitor. Since the inception of the Premier League in 1992-93 only four clubs have won it. Since the same point in La Liga five clubs have won it. In both leagues it was 2004 that a team outside of the top two won it, Manchester United and Chelsea being England’s top two, Valencia in Spain and Arsenal in England.
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The reason for increased competition this year in the Premier League is more down to a drop of quality in the top two. Manchester United have lost Ronaldo and Tevez, Chelsea are a bit older and don’t have the same squad size they used to in order to cover injuries to key players, Abramovich’s cheque book has run dry. But I believe come the end of the season once again it will be one of those two crowned champions. The perceived decrease in competition in La Liga though comes from a rise in quality from the top two. Barcelona have built an exceptional team from a golden generation of talent coming from La Masia, their academy. Where as Madrid, a club that demands success, even more so when their bitter rivals are enjoying so much, have spent drastically to recruit the best players and coach from around the world. Yet this does not mean they are impervious to defeat and will necessarily win the Champions League in an all Spanish final, Barcelona have already fallen to a 2-0 home defeat at the hands of newly promoted Hercules. It is simply that Monday night’s game had more world class players in than any other match between two teams could have, and that is why in a league format they will be quite comfortably one and two.
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As Christmas edges closer, so does this weekend’s football for passionate fans over the west Midlands. For years, we have had to wait to have all four teams back in the top flight and what a weekend of football we have in line for us.
On Saturday the Aston Villa take on old rivals WBA at Villa Park and then on Sunday, the mighty gold and black lock horns with Birmingham City at twelve noon
This is a pivotal time for Wolves, and boss Mick McCarthy who has only seen Wolves pick up a maximum in one of the last nine league outings! Defensive frailties are the biggest concern for the Molineux outfit as free flowing attacking football has received national praise and even an international call up was on the cards for Matty Jarvis!
Leaking goals is something Mick has to address to the players before this weeks crunch game with the blues. And just six days before Christmas, Wolves travel to black country rivals West Bromwich Albion. This already had the potential to the biggest Derby in the history of the clubs, as its the first in the premiership but it holds more weight and significance for Wolves now we are starring down the barrel of relegation, and the potential to be bottom at Christmas!
As we touched on in this week’s show, Wolves are going to have to improve their performance from last week at Ewood Park, especially this week against a resolute Birmingham who have that ‘hard to beat’ feel about their club.
What a Christmas present this could be for us Wolves fans and most importantly for super Mick if we could sneak a win, two wins or just to be unbeaten would be a decent effort against two strong sides. But as we all know, football is a funny game and anything can happen, the form guide goes out the window when there is so much at stake!
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Who will be top of the Midlands tree next Sunday?
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