Soccer CRAZZY

Berbatov hits brace to end Danish dreams

2008-10-02T20:12:00.001-07:00

Manchester United dashed hopes of a Danish fairy tale after Dimitar Berbatov scored his first two goals for the club in a 3-0 victory over Aalborg here on Tuesday.
Home manager Bruce Rioch had promised that an Aalborg win would trigger an “earthquake” in the 10,800-capacity Energi Nord Arena.
But a first-half strike from Wayne Rooney and Berbatov's second-half brace secured a comfortable away victory that kick-starts the holders' Champions League campaign after a disappointing goalless draw in their opener against Villarreal.
United's offensive strategy rattled Rioch's team as Sir Alex Ferguson's side took charge of the game immediately, nearly scoring twice within the first 10 minutes.
Rooney's back-heeled through-ball to Ronaldo forced home 'keeper Karim Zazinto into a hurried clearance which hit the Portuguese winger and ballooned into the air.
Former Tottenhem striker Berbatov was the first to react but sliced his volley wide.
Two minutes later Nani swung a dangerous corner into the penalty area which reached captain Rio Ferdinand unmarked at the far post.
The England defender caught his volley sweetly but found Zaza equal to the task once more, the linesman waving away suggestions that the ball had crossed the line.
The Reds received a blow in the 11th minute when experienced midfielder Paul Scholes was carried off with suspected knee ligament damage.
The home fans were anxious that the pattern of the match had been set, and were heartened by a dangerous incursion into the visitors' half.
AaB left-back Thomas Enevoldsen made an adventurous surge down the left wing before curling a wicked low ball across the six-yard area.
Polish striker Marek Saganowski failed narrowly to connect but the ball fell to winger Jeppe Curth, whose shot was blocked by an alert Patrice Evra.
The home fans' respite was brief as the English visitors continued to threaten.
Ex-Fluminense defender Rafael was the next United player to come close with a ferocious long-range drive which seemed to move markedly in the air, causing Zaza to fend off tentatively.
A goal for the Red Devils seemed inevitable so it proved in the 22nd minute when Rooney kept a cool head to register his 12th goal in the Champions League proper.
Veteran winger Ryan Giggs, Scholes's replacement, slipped a cute pass inside defender Michael Beauchamp which Rooney collected before finishing neatly under Zaza.
The Danes responded immediately and would have scored had Ferdinand not produced a last-ditch tackle to deny right-back Kasper Bogelund.
Ronaldo came close to doubling the lead on two occasions but his first attempt went over the crossbar and the second was palmed away by the overworked Zaza.
Any thoughts of a giant-killing act were dashed 10 minutes after half-time when Bulgarian forward Berbatov showed finally why Ferguson splashed out 30.75 million pounds on him on transfer deadline day.
The fomer Bayer Leverkusen striker had defender Steve Olfers to thank after a suicidal pass across his own 18-yard line presented him with the ball, but his thunderous drive into the bottom corner of the goal was all his own work.
Rioch's men seemed resigned to their fate as United continued to create chances, Ronadlo and substitute Tevez both coming close to scoring a third.
After waiting over three games to break his duck, Berbatov made it two with a fine volley.
Ronaldo jinked his way down the right-wing before delivering a floted cross which the Bulgarian guided expertly over his shouloder and into the goal.

Scolari issues a warning to players

2008-10-02T20:12:00.000-07:00

Chelsea's manager Luiz Felipe Scolari has said that if any of his players are unhappy at the club they will be free to leave during Januarys transfer window.
This statement comes in the wake of Nicolas Anelka's unhappiness at having been left out of the squad that played Stoke City on Saturday.
Scolari added that he wanted players to fight for their places and now with Drogba back, Anelka has to fight for his place back.
He also said that the team was important and if any player was there for himself and not the team was free to go elsewhere.

Manchester United count cost of Champions League win

2008-10-02T20:01:00.000-07:00

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted that his side's comfortable victory over Aalborg could carry a high price after two key players picked up injuries in the Champions League stroll.
Paul Scholes was carried off with knee ligament damage in the 11th minute while star-striker Wayne Rooney hobbled off in the second-half of the 3-0 win with an ankle problem.
“With Scholes it is definitely medial ligament damage, but we don't know how serious yet,” Ferguson said, before offering a prediction that the midfield dynamo would be sidelined for six to eight weeks.
“There's always a price to pay and it was a bad one for us today,” the United boss complained.
“Rooney felt his ankle weaken and will definitely be in doubt for the Blackburn game on Saturday.”
Ferguson will be keeping his fingers crossed that Rooney's problem is not serious and he can ill afford to lose Scholes with England midfielder Michael Carrick unavailable for the next month after breaking a bone in his foot against Liverpool on September 13.
The injuries took the shine off Tuesday's entertaining 3-0 win, which will be remembered for Dimitar Berbatov's first Manchester United goals since his 30.75-million-pound deadline day transfer from Totenhem.
After Rooney had given United a first-half lead, the Bulgarian's first arrived in the 55th minute when he capitalised on a terrible mix-up between Aalborg defenders Steve Olfers and Thomas Augustinussen to slam home a vicious drive from the edge of the penalty area.
His second goal was created by excellent skill on the right wing by Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Portuguese winger clipped an inviting cross into the penalty area but there was still a lot to do for the former Bayer Leverkusen striker as he hooked the ball from behind his body and into the goal.
The Scottish manager praised the Bulgarian hitman's performance.
“You always want to score early after being transfered for such an amount of money and he missed a good chance in the first half, which he was frustrated with.
“But to be fair he's taken his second goal very well, it was a real striker's finish,” the Scot added.
Rooney's opener was a cool finish after a penetrating through ball from substitute Ryan Giggs.
The holders now have four points and top group E on goal difference from Villarreal, who beat Celtic 1-0 on Tuesday.
“It's a good foundation going into the double-header with Celtic and gets us nearer to that 10 points level that you feel is vital for the next stage,” Ferguson added.
The Old Trafford boss sprung a surprise prior to kick-off by picking 18-year-old Brazilian Rafael instead of Wes Brown at right-back in a bold attacking starting line-up.
“I feel the boy's something special,” Ferguson said. “He's got great belief in himself and he's got a great chance the kid. I am very pleased with him.”
The youngster repaid Ferguson's faith with a dynamic performance which nearly resulted in a stunning long-range goal.
Aalborg manager and fellow Scot, Bruce Rioch, remained philosophical in defeat, realising that the experience and revenue gained from the current campaign far outweighs individual results.
“We were confident we could do well and the players' attitude was good. I'm pleased for them, it's a good experience for them and for the club,” Rioch said.
The Red Devils boss had generous words for his Jutland hosts, and predicted that they could make life difficult for opponents in the future.
“There's been lots of progress and developments outside the team itself and I think that's terrific,” he said.
“They play nice football and gave us some problems. It's difficult to think they're going to beat Villarreal but I can see them being a difficult team to beat away from home.”

United target Chelsea home record on Sunday

2008-09-20T05:28:00.000-07:00

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson said on Friday that the prospect of ending Chelsea's record unbeaten home run would spur his side on when the two powerhouses of English football meet on Sunday.

"They have got a good home record and everyone knows that has been the foundation of their success for the last four years," Ferguson told reporters.

"I think it's 84 games they haven't lost at home so it's a great challenge for us. A lot of people don't expect us to win which is unusual for our club so there's the challenge."

United go to Stamford Bridge, where Chelsea are unbeaten in a league game since February 2004, on the back of a rare Premier League defeat by Liverpool last Saturday, which put the champions six points behind early season leaders Chelsea.

Ferguson said his side, which will be boosted by the return to fitness of recent signing Dimitar Berbatov in attack, can ill afford another below-par performance against one of their title rivals.

"When you play the big ones you want to get a good haul (of points) out of them. Last season we did very well against the top four. This season we have lost the first one already so we can't afford to lose another one," he said.

Ferguson said he believed Luiz Felipe Scolari's purchase of Portugal midfielder Deco had changed the way Chelsea have played since Scolari replaced Avram Grant as manager following United's Champions League final win over the London club.

He may be tempted to bring fit-again Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo into his starting lineup following an impressive Champions League performance in mid-week, in an effort to stop Chelsea opening up a big advantage at the top of the table.

Scolari says he would like to sign Ronaldo

2008-09-20T05:27:00.000-07:00

Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari said he would "open the door" for Cristiano Ronaldo to join the London club if he decided to leave Manchester United.

Ahead of Sunday's Premier League clash between the teams, the former Portugal manager was quoted in British newspapers saying he has a father-son relationship with Ronaldo.

"When I was with Portugal, I had to choose three players every year for the World Player of the Year award," he was quoted as saying in Saturday's Daily Mail.

"One year I chose Didier Drogba, another year I wrote John Terry and another year I voted for Frank Lampard.

"Now these three players are with me, it's good for me -- maybe next season Cristiano is with me.

"Tell him, if he wants to change I'll open the door for him."

Scolari comes up against the 23-year-old winger for the first time since the Brazilian quit as coach of Portugal where he helped Ronaldo develop his skills in the national team.

Scolari, who left after Euro 2008 to join Chelsea, added: "When I arrived in Portugal, Ronaldo was a kid, a young boy of just 17. At that time he had a good character, but he was already thinking about his future.

"He has improved a lot since, more so in Manchester than with the national team. He spends 11 months of the year with United and only one with the national team, but I have watched him improve.

Scolari relishing first crack at Man United

2008-09-20T05:26:00.000-07:00

Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari gets his first crack at Manchester United on Sunday when his table-topping side host the Premier League champions.

The Brazilian has enjoyed an impressive start at Stamford Bridge since taking over from Avram Grant and will relish locking horns with one of Britain's greatest managers.

The rivalry between Chelsea and United has been intense in recent years and John Terry's tears after his side's Champions League final shootout heartache against the Manchester side in Moscow this year are still a bitter memory for the fans.

Skipper Terry will get a chance to gain revenge after the Football Association's decision on Tuesday to rescind the red card he received against Manchester City last week.

United manager Alex Ferguson, who had several run-ins with former Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho, was furious over the Terry decision. His frustration was probably heightened by the fact that his side have had a poor start to their title defence.

He was scathing about United's defending in their 2-1 defeat by Liverpool last weekend, a result that left the Old Trafford side in the bottom half of the Premier League table.

After Wednesday's goalless Champions League draw with Villarreal the Scot will expect a backlash from his players at Stamford Bridge where last season's prolific scorer Cristiano Ronaldo should return to league action after ankle surgery.

Chelsea, who coasted to a 4-0 win over Girondins Bordeaux in the Champions League on Tuesday, won the corresponding fixture near the end of last season to keep alive their hopes of catching United in a title race that went down to the final day.

Terry's Three Game Suspension Written Off

2008-09-18T05:45:00.002-07:00

Referee Mark Halsey made no hesitation in ordering Chelsea and England captain to leave the field of play after John Terry pulled Manchester City striker Jo to the ground.

Terry would have faced a three game suspension, meaning that he would have to watch on while his Blues face Manchester United this weekend, but the FA have overturned the ban insisting Halsey was wrong in showing red.

Luiz Felipe Scolari and Stamford Bridge chiefs lodged an appeal with the FA after the match and the FA announced that the 27-year old's ban has officially been void.

An FA statement said: "At an Independent Regulatory Commission hearing today, a claim for wrongful dismissal from Chelsea's John Terry was upheld... Terry was shown a red card for serious foul play during Chelsea's match against Manchester City on 13 September."

"As a result of today's hearing, Terry's three match suspension has been withdrawn," it concluded.

Sir Alex: Berba's well worth it

2008-09-18T05:45:00.001-07:00

Tottenham had already made their bid for the striker and United's last-minute intervention was too late to secure the Bulgarian's services from Bayer Leverkusen.

Berbatov went to White Hart Lane for a reported £10.9million fee. United have paid significantly more than that for a player who has shone in the intervening two years. But Sir Alex believes the fee is money well spent.

"We tried to get him when he was at Leverkusen, but we only had a few days to get it done," the boss told MUTV in an exclusive interview to be aired at 18:30 BST Tuesday.

"Tottenham had already made a bid. Unfortunately, we hadn't moved at the right time two years ago. Now we've managed to get him. It's cost us a bit more money, but he's worth it."

C.Ronaldo back against Chelsea

2008-09-18T05:45:00.000-07:00

Sir Alex Ferguson believes Cristiano Ronaldo will be red hot against Chelsea after being forgiven by the fans. The Old Trafford faithful gave him a rousing reception against Villarreal even though he tried to quit the club for Real Madrid in the summer. Ferguson said: “The crowd reaction was important to Cristiano. It will help him to realise what a great club he is at and how loyal those fans are to him. He will take great encouragement from it. Cristiano has shown great loyalty in five years but has had a turbulent summer. Since then he has dedicated himself to getting fit and committing to the club.” Ronaldo has made a timely return from an ankle injury with United travelling to title rivals Chelsea on Sunday. Fergie added: “It would be a big ask for him to play from the start on Sunday. But I will certainly have a lot more selection possibilities by then.”
Neil Custis, The Sun

The Guardian says Sir Alex "prioritised education rather than three points" against Villarreal to ensure United have the best possible chance of beating Chelsea on Sunday.

The Telegraph remarks: "United fans keep reminding the world that they are champions of England, champions of Europe, but the players need to start living up to their distinguished billing."

Barcelona and Real Madrid Lose

2008-09-17T04:31:00.000-07:00

Although much has been expected from Barcelona and Real Madrid this season -- at both a local and international level -- they both disappointed in the first round of the Spanish season.

Barcelona lost 1-0 against Numancia with an early goal, while, Real Madrid were beaten 2-1 by Deportivo La Coruna at the Riazor stadium, a venue where they haven't managed to win at in several years.

Despite lots of excitement in the transfer market I believe both Barcelona and Real Madrid haven't made good reinforcements, and although they should still do very well this season, they both look significantly weaker when compared to last season.

Barcelona made few important signings, and got rid of two of their key players in Brazilians Ronaldinho and Deco. Even if they are both proven trouble makers, they will always be great players, and it seems that Barca made the wrong decision to release them both.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid lost Robinho on a big-money move to Manchester City, and he will be a huge loss for the side. In truth Real Madrid haven't made any great purchases, and are likely to pay the penalty for this. Julio Baptista's transfer to Roma was also a big mistake.

Clarke takes Hammers job

2008-09-17T04:30:00.000-07:00

West Ham United have appointed Steve Clarke as first-team coach after compensation was agreed with Chelsea.

Clarke tendered his resignation to the Blues hierarchy last Friday, which was initially rejected, as he sought to join new Hammers manager Gianfranco Zola at Upton Park.

Chelsea demanded substantial compensation, reported to be as much as £5m for the former Scotland international, but the two clubs are now thought to have settled on a lower figure and Clarke has signed a three-year deal with the east London outfit

huge asset

West Ham chief executive Scott Duxbury said: "We are very pleased to welcome Steve Clarke to the club.

"Steve is rightly regarded as one of the top coaches in Europe and his experience and knowledge will be a huge asset to us.

"He recognises what we are trying to achieve at West Ham United and wants to be a part of that. We have worked very hard to bring him on board and are confident we now have the perfect coaching team."

Bent warning for Spurs

2008-09-17T04:28:00.000-07:00

Juande Ramos' side had been expected to challenge for a Champions League spot after a summer of big spending.

However, Spurs lie bottom of the Barclays Premier League table after they slumped to their third loss of the campaign against Aston Villa on Monday.

Bent concedes the squad needs time to settle, but has warned his team-mates they are in danger of falling too far off the pace to allow them the chance to save their season.

He said: "We've signed a lot of new players and it takes time for them to gel.

"But we need to get it sorted sooner rather than later because if we carry on as we are, we're going to be in big trouble.

expecting results

"It's early days and I'm sure we'll get it right. But we need to do it quickly. We are bottom of the Premier League with one point and people are expecting results now."

Bent started alongside forward Roman Pavlyuchenko, who joined Spurs from Spartak Moscow this summer, for the first time against Villa, and the 24-year-old is hopeful they can soon form a potent partnership.

He added: "Everyone saw what he was capable of in the Euros and, hopefully, he can bring his energy and passion for the game to Tottenham.

"We've not really had time to get to know each other. We've only trained together for a few days because of the international break.

"We've got plenty of time now to work on our partnership and there are some positive signs. He speaks no English, but it's not a problem because football is a universal language and he knows what he's doing."

Terry red card rescinded

2008-09-17T04:26:00.000-07:00

Chelsea captain John Terry has won an appeal against the red card he picked up at Manchester City.

Terry was dismissed at Eastlands on Saturday after bringing down City striker Jo as the Brazilian threatened in the 77th minute.

Referee Mark Halsey deemed it a professional foul and showed Terry the red card, but Chelsea protested, and submitted a claim for wrongful dismissal.

Chelsea's claim

Jo still had a long way to go to goal when the foul came in from Terry, whose fellow defender Ricardo Carvalho was in close attendance.

An independent regulatory commission heard the appeal on Tuesday and the Football Association revealed they upheld Chelsea's claim, meaning England captain Terry must no longer serve a three-match ban.

He is now free to face Manchester United in the Barclays Premier League on Sunday.

Liverpool and Chelsea triumph

2008-09-17T04:24:00.000-07:00

It was a winning night for Barclays Premier League sides Liverpool and Chelsea in the Champions League.

Steven Gerrard ensured Liverpool got their Champions League campaign off to the best possible start with both goals in a 2-1 win at Marseille.

Liverpool are also paired with PSV and Atletico Madrid in Group D so manager Rafa Benitez will be delighted to have seen them open up with a victory at the Stade Velodrome.

on target

Marseille actually took the lead through a fine goal from Lorik Cana in the 23rd minute but Gerrard curled home a sensational equaliser three minutes later before putting the Reds ahead from the penalty spot just after the half-hour mark.

And the Reds were unfortunate not to add a third in the second half, Ryan Babel particularly unlucky, as they dominated proceedings in France.

Frank Lampard opened the scoring as Chelsea began their Champions League campaign with an emphatic 4-0 home win over Bordeaux in Group A. England star Lampard headed home early on while Joe Cole, Florent Malouda and Nicolas Anelka were all on target in a comfortable victory for the Blues at Stamford Bridge.

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Mourinho Insults The Premier League

2008-09-13T04:44:00.000-07:00

The coach spent three years at the helm of Chelsea where he won a number of trophies including back to back league titles.

The ‘Special One’ was always making the headlines in England and he is likely to do the same now as he laughs at the Premier League.

Mourinho has jumped to Italy’s defence after Calcio was criticised this week by a number English papers.

“The English said that Serie A is retirement ground? Do you want to know what I think? I thought the Italians would give me an answer,” Mourinho told Il Giornale.

“However, if you want me to wave the Italian flag I will, I am with Italy on this one.

“It’s not difficult to respond to the English, all you have to do is watch a Premier League game with a little concentration and you’ll have the answer.”

Mourinho has already caused some controversy with the Italian media when he turned against everyone.

However it seems as if he is trying to make amends by defending Serie A.

The Nerazzurri clash with Sampdoria later this evening and the coach is hoping for three points as he aims to start Inter's Scudetto defence with a win.

Ronaldinho and Robinho top football summer transfers

2008-09-04T20:46:00.001-07:00

Ronaldinho, who left Barcelona for AC Milan, and Manchester City-bound Robinho were the two top names in football to have completed transfers during the summer.

Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo and Andrei Arshavin of Zenit St Petersburg had been tipped for big-money moves but they came to nothing.

The transfer deadline passed at midnight on September 1, meaning players cannot now move clubs till the winter transfer window opens in January.

Ronaldinho's move meant he could leave his wretched season at Barcelona behind him, where he was accused of showing more interest in night-time partying than what he was doing on the Nou Camp pitch.

However AC Milan's 20-million-euro purchase of the 2005 European Footballer of the Year could prove a rebirth in the career of Ronaldinho, who teams up with Brazilian compatriots Kaka and Pato at the San Siro.

Andrei Shevchenko has also returned to AC Milan from Chelsea and the club looks set for an upswing in fortunes following a poor 2007/08 season.

Manchester City signed Robinho from Real Madrid for a fee of around 42 million euros, the English Premier League club confirmed on Tuesday.

Brazilian international Robinho agreed a four-year contract with Mark Hughes's side shortly before the close of the transfer window.

Juventus contented themselves with the 22.8 million-euro capture of Brazilian striker Amauri from Palermo as their top signing.

Coach Jose Mourinho was the big investment by Inter Milan who brought him in as a replacement to Roberto Mancini and their major signing of the season was made on Monday when they took on board FC Porto winger Ricardo Quaresma for around 17 million euros.

Inter also landed Roma's Brazilian midfielder Mancini and Ghana midfielder Sulley Muntari.

In Spain, Real Madrid purchased striker Dutch midfielder Rafael van der Vaart from Hamburg, joining up with fellow Dutchmen Ruud van Nistelrooy, Arjen Robben, Royston Drenthe and Wesley Sneijder at the Santiago-Bernabeu stadium.

Van der Vaart's inclusion no doubted consoled the Meringues somewhat having failed to prise Euro 2008 top scorer David Villa from Valencia.

Barcelona opened their wallet wide to pay for the incoming players of Daniel Alves, Alexander Hleb and Seydou Keita.

Though the top Spanish clubs often get the players they want, Ronaldo did not move to Madrid although they offered Manchester United a reported 85 million euros for the player who scored 42 goals on the way to the English Premiership and Champions League titles.

He was involved in a tug-of-war between the clubs with daily updates throughout the summer though early last month he finally decided to stay with the Red Devils for at least another year, adding he would still like to play for Madrid at some point in his career.

Just after losing in the quarter-finals of Euro 2008 with Portugal, Ronaldo had made clear his desire to move to Madrid although he had a contract linking him with Manchester till 2012.

Sir Alex Ferguson got his way however and hanging on to Ronaldo was the major task, as far as his squad was concerned, during the summer.

However United beat the transfer deadline to complete a 37.7 million-euro deal for Tottenham striker Dimitar Berbatov. Berbatov, 27, agreed a four-year contract with United and Tottenham confirmed the deal on their website 45 minutes after the transfer window shut.

Manchester City had tried to lure Berbatov to Eastlands after having an offer accepted for the Bulgarian, but he opted to join the European champions following talks with Ferguson at the club's Carrington training ground.

Arsenal's Arsene Wenger brought in Marseille's midfield maestro Sami Nasri, sometimes touted as the new Zinedine Zidane, and defender Mikael Silvestre, also of France, from Manchester United.

Liverpool however splashed out 24 million euros to buy Tottenham striker Roy Keane to create a new strike partnership at Anfield with Fernando Torres.

Chelsea's new coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, who led Brazil to their fifth World Cup title in 2002, brought in midfielder playmaker Deco from Brazil.

Tottenham, very active in the transfer market this season, failed to land their sought-after target of Andrei Arshavin from Zenit St Petersburg.

Arshavin's superb showing for Russia, as they cruised to the Euro 2008 semi-finals, put him nicely in the shop window but St Petersburg's 25 million-euro plus price tag proved too much for the north Londoners.

Top ten transfer cops and flops

2008-09-04T20:43:00.000-07:00

It may be hard to believe but the door has finally closed on what has been one of the biggest, most exciting and not to mention expensive summer transfer season in football history.

ONE Sport's Sarah Williams looks at the top ten cops and flops of the summer transfer season 2008.

1. Deco: Barcelona to Chelsea

Former Barcelona striker Deco became one of the first and biggest signings of the summer transfer season and was of course, the first player to enter Big Phil Scolari's 'new look' Chelsea.

Barcelona had no problems selling the Portuguese playmaker, whom the La Liga club referred to as 'surplus to requirements' making one wonder if the pint-sized 31-year-old could cut the mustard in the Premier League - one couldn't have been more wrong.

Since making his Chelsea debut, Deco, with his pace and space finding ability has slipped into the Chelsea side like he has always been there and with his two goals in two games has proved all the doubters wrong.

Deco was an absolute bargain for Chelsea at just 8million quid and might well just be the ingredient needed to help Samba Scolari make Chelsea sexy, well, maybe just the ingredient needed for the Blues to have a shot at winning the Premier League or the Champions League instead.

2. Sami Nasri: Olympique Marseille to Arsenal

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger didn't make too much of a splash in the 2008 summer transfer market but he did make one great buy in the form of French international Sami Nasri.

Nasri came into Arsenal as a 12.5million replacement for Barcelona bound Alexander Hleb and just like Deco, the former Ligue One Young Player of the Year is a pint sized fire cracker.

21-year-old Nasri is confident, young, fast and is not afraid to get stuck in - traits that have even seen Wenger compare him to former Arsenal winger, Robert Pires, after he scored the winner just four-minutes into his debut Premier League game against West Brom.

Definitely one to watch this season.

3. Dimitar Berbatov: Tottenham to Manchester United

Oh Dimi, just when we thought all the transfer sagas were nearing the end, you had to come and start it all over again.

Yes, Tottenham Hotspurs Dimitar Berbatov had made his intentions of leaving the club, where his 42 goals in 102 games had made him a hero to Spurs fans, by hilariously signing a Man U shirt for a fan while he was still at Spurs and looking miserable while sitting on the bench during Tottenham's opening Premier League games.

Apparently Dimi had, had enough of playing in non-Champions League top four Premier League football so United came calling - and after weeks of speculation Alex Ferguson finally got his man just minutes before the end of a high drama transfer deadline day.

After a lot of messing about Tottenham finally accepted 30.75million for the Bulgarian even though Manchester City had tried to hijack their bid just hours before the transfer window closed after having a 34million-pound bid excepted, and now Berbatov can actually sign fans shirts for real. Hurrah!

4. Robinho: Real Madrid to Manchester City

Just writing those words makes you want to go back and check your facts, Robinho to Manchester City? Is that right? Was it all just a bad dream??? Does Robinho know what the hell he's let himself in for? Does Robinho even know where Manchester is?

Er, apparently not. After signing for Manchester City for a British record transfer fee of 32.5million the Brazilian told reporters he was happy to be at City because he knew they were a "very big club."

But, even though Robinho might not know what he has let himself in for, one can safely say that after being taken over by one of the richest companies in the world, it is top ten finishing Manchester City who pulled off the biggest and most shocking transfer cop of them all.

Robinho had been Big Phil Scolari's number one transfer target all season, and even though Chelsea desperately put in a last ditch attempt to lure the playmaker to Stamford Bridge, it was Manchester City who beat them in the end, and its not often you can say that!

But it doesn't stop there, apparently City's manager Mark Hughes has been told he can bid 80million pounds each for some of the worlds biggest stars including; Messi, Kaka, Torres and Fabregas, with a renewed bid of 60 million for Berbatov - yes the world has gone mad!

5: Robbie Keane: Tottenham to Liverpool

This may be an odd choice for the top transfer cop list, after all the former Tottenham striker has failed to light since his recent 20million-pound move to Liverpool.

But all good things come to those who wait - and Liverpool know there is hope for this proven goal scorer, who had a Kop song penned for him five minutes after he signed for the Reds.

And with Torres and possibly Gerrard out, Keane's debut goal could just be brewing to make all the difference in a little game to be played on the 13th of September.

Top five transfer flops

1. Cristiano Ronaldo: Manchester United to Real Madrid

Without a question of a doubt, the biggest and most talked about transfer saga of the season award, like so many others, goes to one Cristiano Ronaldo.

For months on end all we heard about was the will he, won't he, transfer saga of Ron and his 'dream move' to Real Madrid.

Real wanted him, Ron wanted them, and Ferguson wanted to throw a footie boot at someone's head, probably.

But it was just a four-year-contract and a damaged ankle that stood in the way of Ronaldo turning his back on his loyal fans and realising his boyhood dream of pulling on a Real Madrid shirt in the Spanish sun.

It was a shame for him, a shame for Madrid and a shame for everyone who isn't a Manchester United fan, but there is always January, and believe me, this transfer saga is far from over.

2. Gareth Barry: Aston Villa to Liverpool

Ah, Gareth Barry was yet another transfer headache that refused to go away.

After ten years of service to Aston Villa the 27-year-old skipper wanted to realise his very own dream of playing at Anfield.

Many supporters thought the partnership formed between Barry and Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard during recent England games was enough to warrant Barry's move to Merseyside, and of all the flopped transfers, this one was the biggest heartbreaker.

For months the Gareth Barry saga rolled on, with a clear end seemingly in sight.

Barry publicly said he wanted to leave, and the fans wanted him to go too, making it clear when they booed him for an hour during one of Villa's pre-season friendlies, but in the end it was the stubborn bosses of the respective teams that caused this one to fall on its arse.

Villa wanted 18million, Liverpool wanted to pay 16 and offload one of their unwanted players to boot.

Martin O'Neill didn't fancy having Voronin on his bench and Benitez wouldn't or couldn't pay and that was the end of that.

3. David Villa: Valencia to anyone

After impressing so much at Euro 2008 it was only a matter of time before the Golden Boot winner became the No.1 target of Premier League clubs all over the land.

Liverpool thought they might have a go, Tottenham, and Arsenal too, but after such an impressive tournament with eventual winners Spain, it was only a matter of time before Valencia slapped a 20million and over price-tag on the 27-year-old.

Only Chelsea could afford him, they didn't need him, so Villa signed a further contract that will see him finish his career with the La Liga club, shame.

4. Ronaldinho: Barcelona to Manchester City

After getting a belly to match his teeth, former Brazilian bucktooth hero Ronaldinho also became 'surplus to requirements' at Barcelona and so the chase began.

On hearing this news Manchester City boss Mark Hughes made the World Cup winner one of his No.1 targets of the transfer season, even flying to Spain in a last ditch attempt to bring him to Eastlands - but we all knew it was never going to happen.

Instead Ronaldinho ditched the grey skies and mince pies of Manchester in favour of Italians and garlic bread, signing for AC Milan instead.

How fun it would have been to see the World Cup winner running around the muddy fields of Manchester though.

5. Robinho: Real Madrid to Chelsea

Robinho's move from Real Madrid to Chelsea was a transfer that EVEYONE thought was a done deal, so much so that Chelsea even started advertising the Brazilian's name on the back of their new away shirts before anything had even been signed, but that was before a pesky group of cashed-up Arabs came and ruined the whole damn thing!

Yes, Robinho had been Scolari's numero uno choice of the transfer season, and would have been the last piece in the 'make Chelsea play sexy football' jigsaw - but alas, Real thought they would sell the striker to a team who couldn't challenge them on the European stage, yet.

Time will only tell what the fall out of this failed transfer will be, what will be interesting is that the world class Brazilians first game in a Manchester City shirt (that still just sounds so wrong) will be against Chelsea at Eastlands - can't wait to watch those fireworks!

League TABLE

2008-09-03T05:36:00.000-07:00

2008/2009 English Premiership
		Overall						Home					Away
		GP	W	D	L	GS	GA	W	D	L	GS	GA	W	D	L	GS	GA	GD	P
1	Chelsea	3	2	1	0	6	1	1	1	0	5	1	1	0	0	1	0	5	7
2	Liverpool	3	2	1	0	3	1	1	0	0	2	1	1	1	0	1	0	2	7
3	Man City	3	2	0	1	8	4	1	0	0	3	0	1	0	1	5	4	4	6
4	Arsenal	3	2	0	1	4	1	2	0	0	4	0	0	0	1	0	1	3	6
5	West Ham	3	2	0	1	6	5	2	0	0	6	2	0	0	1	0	3	1	6
6	Middlesbrough	3	2	0	1	5	4	2	0	0	4	2	0	0	1	1	2	1	6
7	Aston Villa	3	1	1	1	6	5	1	1	0	4	2	0	0	1	2	3	1	4
8	Bolton	3	1	1	1	3	2	1	1	0	3	1	0	0	1	0	1	1	4
9	Man Utd	2	1	1	0	2	1	0	1	0	1	1	1	0	0	1	0	1	4
10	Blackburn	3	1	1	1	5	7	0	1	0	1	1	1	0	1	4	6	-2	4
11	Newcastle	3	1	1	1	2	4	1	0	0	1	0	0	1	1	1	4	-2	4
12	Hull	3	1	1	1	3	7	1	0	1	2	6	0	1	0	1	1	-4	4
13	Wigan	3	1	0	2	6	3	0	0	1	0	1	1	0	1	6	2	3	3
14	Fulham	2	1	0	1	2	2	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	1	2	0	3
15	Stoke	3	1	0	2	5	7	1	0	0	3	2	0	0	2	2	5	-2	3
16	Portsmouth	3	1	0	2	3	5	0	0	1	0	1	1	0	1	3	4	-2	3
17	Everton	3	1	0	2	4	7	0	0	2	2	6	1	0	0	2	1	-3	3
18	Sunderland	3	1	0	2	2	5	0	0	2	0	4	1	0	0	2	1	-3	3
19	Tottenham	3	0	1	2	3	5	0	0	1	1	2	0	1	1	2	3	-2	1
20	West Brom	3	0	1	2	1	3	0	0	1	1	2	0	1	1	0	1	-2	1

The most expensive transfers La Liga (2008-09)

2008-09-03T05:35:00.002-07:00

date	player	to	from	m€
Jun '08	Daniel Alves	Barcelona	Sevilla	29.5
Jun '08	Martin Caceres	Barcelona	Villarreal	16.5
Jul '08	Aliaksandr Hleb	Barcelona	Arsenal London	15
May '08	Seydou Keita	Barcelona	Sevilla	14
Aug '08	Rafael van der Vaart	Real Madrid	Hamburger	13

Major transfers in Spanish Primera Liga (2008-09)

2008-09-03T05:35:00.001-07:00

Almeria

Defender Chico from Cadiz; Argentinean defender Hernan Pellerano from Velez Sarsfield for a fee of €3m; Goalkeeper Esteban on a free transfer from Celta Vigo; Midfielder Miguel Angel Nieto from Real Madrid Castilla; Forward Julio Alvarez from Numancia; Argentinean forward Esteban Solari from Pumas for a fee of €3.8m; Argentinean forward Pablo Piatti from Pumas for a fee of €7m; Brazilian defender Michel from Flamengo.

Athletic Bilbao

Forward Inigo Velez from Murcia; Midfielder Gaizka Toquero from Sestao River; Midfielder Joseba del Olmo from Eibar for a fee of €0.3m; Goalkeeper Inaki Lafuente (loan return) from Espanyol.

Atletico Madrid

Argentinean midfielder Ever Banega on loan from Valencia; Brazilian midfielder Paulo Assuncao from Porto; French forward Florent Sinama-Pongolle (permanent signing) from Recreativo Huelva; French goalkeeper Gregory Coupet from Lyon for a fee of €1.5m; Dutch defender John Heitinga from Ajax Amsterdam for a fee of €10m; Czech defender Tomas Ujfalusi on a free transfer from Fiorentina.

Barcelona

Belarussian midfielder Aliaksandr Hleb from Arsenal London for a fee of €15m; Brazilian defender Henrique Adriano Buss from Palmeiras for a fee of €10m; Brazilian midfielder Daniel Alves from Sevilla for a fee of €29.5m; Uruguayan defender Martin Caceres from Villarreal for a fee of €16.5m; Goalkeeper Jose Manuel Pinto (permanent signing) from Celta Vigo; Defender Gerard Pique from Manchester United for a fee of €5m; Malian midfielder Seydou Keita from Sevilla for a fee of €14m.

Betis

Forward Sergio Garcia from Zaragoza for a fee of €10m; Portuguese defender Nelson from Benfica Lisbon; Midfielder Juanma from Levante; Cameroonian midfielder Achille Emana Edzimi from Toulouse; Turkish midfielder Mehmet Aurelio on a free transfer from Fenerbahce.

Deportivo La Coruna

Argentinean defender Diego Colotto from Atlas for a fee of €2.5m; Goalkeeper Aranzubia from Athletic Bilbao; Portuguese defender Ze Castro on loan from Atletico Madrid; Forward Mista on a free transfer from Atletico Madrid.

Espanyol

Midfielder Nene on loan from Monaco; Irish defender Steve Finnan from Liverpool for a fee of €1m; Argentinean defender Nicolas Pareja from Anderlecht for a fee of €5m; Argentinean midfielder Roman Martinez from Arsenal Sarandi; Forward Jose Callejon from Real Madrid Castilla for a fee of €1.2m; Argentinean goalkeeper Cristian Alvarez from Rosario Central; French defender Gregory Beranger from Numancia for a fee of €1.5m.

Getafe

Goalkeeper Jacobo Sanz on loan from Valladolid; Forward Roberto Soldado from Real Madrid for a fee of €6m; Ecuadorian forward Joffre Guerron from LDU Quito for a fee of €4m; Midfielder Esteban Granero (permanent signing) from Real Madrid; Defender Rafa Lopez from Valladolid; Midfielder Adrian Gonzalez from Real Madrid; German midfielder Eugen Polanski from Borussia Monchengladbach; Turkish defender Ibrahim Kas on a free transfer from Besiktas.

Gijon

Dutch defender Jurgen Colin from Ajax Amsterdam; Midfielder Diego Camacho from Levante; Forward Carmelo from Levante; Forward Maldonado from Betis; Goalkeeper Ivan Cuellar from Atletico Madrid.

Malaga

Portuguese midfielder Duda on loan from Sevilla; Midfielder Miguel Angel Lozano from Betis; Defender Manolo from Levante; Defender Lolo on loan from Sevilla; Midfielder Nacho on loan from Getafe; Defender Ivan Cuadrado from Murcia; Midfielder Pere Marti from Elche; Forward Fernando Escribano from Betis; Brazilian defender Weligton from Grasshoppers Zurich for a fee of €0.5m.

Mallorca

Forward Aduriz from Athletic Bilbao; Brazilian midfielder Cleber Santana from Atletico Madrid; Defender Corrales from Osasuna; Defender Ayoze Diaz on a free transfer from Racing Santander; Defender Josemi from Villarreal; Midfielder Jurado on loan from Atletico Madrid; Midfielder Oscar Diaz on a free transfer from Elche; Midfielder Mario Suarez from Atletico Madrid for a fee of €0.8m; Guinean forward Alhassane Keita from Al Ittihad; Midfielder Marti from Sevilla.

Numancia

Forward Guayre from Celta Vigo; Midfielder Alberto Montejo from Zaragoza; Defender Domingo Cisma on loan from Almeria; Forward Roberto Platero from Racing Santander; Goalkeeper Juan Pablo from Tenerife; Midfielder Dimas Delgado from Barcelona B; Midfielder Jose Barkero on a free transfer from Albacete.

Ossasuna

Hungarian midfielder Krisztian Vadocz from Nijmegen for a fee of €1m; Portuguese midfielder Tiago Gomes on loan from Benfica Lisbon; Forward Ezquerro from Barcelona; Defender Inaki Astiz from Legia Warsaw; Midfielder Sunny on loan from Valencia; Iranian midfielder Masoud Shojaei on a free transfer from Al Sharjah; Goalkeeper Roberto Fernandez from Gijon.

Racing Santander

Portuguese forward Jorge Goncalves from Leixoes; Defender Juan Valera on loan from Atletico Madrid; French midfielder Peter Luccin from Zaragoza; French midfielder Mehdi Lacen from Alaves; Romanian defender Laszlo Sepsi on loan from Benfica Lisbon; Forward Jonathan Pereira on loan from Villarreal; Portuguese defender Ze Antonio on a free transfer from Borussia Monchengladbach; Argentinean defender Ezequiel Garay on loan from Real Madrid.

Real Madrid

Dutch midfielder Rafael van der Vaart from Hamburger for a fee of €13m; Midfielder Javi Garcia from Osasuna for a fee of €4m; Midfielder Ruben de la Red from Getafe for a fee of €4.7m.

Recreativo

Ivory Coast midfielder Kanga Akale on loan from Lens; Midfielder Javi Fuego from Levante; Goalkeeper Riesgo on loan from Real Sociedad; Midfielder Sisi from Valencia; Defender Casado on loan from Sevilla; South African defender Nasief Morris from Panathinaikos; Forward Adrian Colunga from Las Palmas for a fee of €2.8m; Defender Cesar Arzo from Murcia; Goalkeeper Roberto Jimenez from Atletico Madrid; Argentinean midfielder Sebastian Nayar from Boca Juniors.

Sevilla

Argentinean midfielder Aldo Duscher from Racing Santander; French defender Sebastien Squillaci from Lyon for a fee of €6.5m; Ivory Coast midfielder Koffi Ndri Romaric from Le Mans for a fee of €8m; French midfielder Abdoulay Konko from Genoa for a fee of €8.5m; Defender Fernando Navarro from Mallorca for a fee of €4.7m; Argentinean midfielder Lautaro Acosta from Lanus for a fee of €7m.

Valencia

Brazilian goalkeeper Renan Brito Soares from Internacional; Forward Pablo Hernandez from Getafe for a fee of €1m.

Valladolid

Defender Nano on loan from Betis; Midfielder Pedro Leon from Levante; Dutch midfielder Haris Medunjanin from AZ Alkmaar; Uruguayan midfielder Fabian Canobbio from Celta Vigo; Argentinean midfielder Damian Escudero on loan from Villarreal; Swedish forward Henok Goitom on loan from Murcia; Defender Luis Prieto on a free transfer from Athletic Bilbao; Goalkeeper Jacobo Sanz from Numancia; Paraguayan goalkeeper Justo Villar from Newells Old Boys.

Villarreal

Argentinean midfielder Damian Escudero from Velez Sarsfield; American forward Jozy Altidore from New York Red Bulls for a fee of €7.5m; Uruguayan forward Robert Flores from River Plate; Uruguayan midfielder Roberto Flores from River Plate; Argentinean midfielder Ariel Ibagaza from Mallorca for a fee of €1.5m; Forward Joseba Llorente from Valladolid; Uruguayan midfielder Sebastian Eguren (permanent signing) from Hammarby; Brazilian midfielder Edmilson from Barcelona.

Transfer News-La liga

2008-09-03T05:33:00.001-07:00

Deportivo 2.9 : Deportivo La Coruna have secured the services of defender Diego Colotto from Mexican side Atlas. The 27-year-old centre-back has put pen to paper on a four-year contract after Deportivo paid €2.5m to bring him to the Primera Division. Colotto was part of the Argentina team that won the 2001 FIFA U-20 World Cup.

Betis 2.9 : Betis have strengthened their attacking options by signing forward Sergio Garcia from Zaragoza on a five-year contract for a fee believed to be over €10m. The 25-year-old former Barcelona youth team player had reportedly attracted interest from Tottenham Hotspur, but decided to join Betis. Part of the Spain squad that triumphed at EURO 2008, Sergio Garcia's sole appearance in Austria and Switzerland was also his second overall for his country.

Racing 2.9 : Racing Santander have added three new players to their squad shortly before the summer transfer window deadline. Portuguese forward Jorge Goncalves, 24, arrives from Leixoes on a four-year contract for an undisclosed fee. Midfielder Peter Luccin, 29, comes in from Zaragoza, while right-back Juan Valera, 23, joins Racing on a 12-month loan from Atletico Madrid.

Espanyol 2.9 : Espanyol have signed Ireland defender Steve Finnan on a two-year contract from Liverpool. The Spanish team reportedly paid about €1m for the 32-year-old right-back, who is expected to replace the Manchester City-bound Pablo Zabaleta. Espanyol completed a hectic day's business by recruiting Anderlecht's 24-year-old centre-back Nicolas Pareja on a four-year contract and for a €5m fee, as well as Monaco midfielder Nene on a season-long loan with the option of a permanent switch.

Valencia 28.8 : Valencia have signed Brazilian goalkeeper Renan Brito Soares to replace Santiago Canizares, following the veteran's summer retirement. The 23-year-old arrives on a four-year deal from Internacional and will provide stiff competition for German goalkeeper Timo Hildebrand. No details have been released regarding the transfer fee for Renan, who helped Brazil win a bronze medal at the recent Olympic football tournament in Beijing.

Real M. 28.8 : Real Madrid's hopes of signing Valencia's David Villa were dashed on Wednesday when the Spain striker signed a new contract with his club. The 26-year-old has agreed a one-year extension to his contract, tying him to the Mestalla club until 2014. With Brazil forward Robinho close to joining Chelsea, Real had reportedly aimed to strengthen their attack with Villa, who was the top scorer in the EURO 2008 with four goals and helped Spain win the tournament. However, Valencia reportedly rejected a €47m offer from the Spanish champions. Midfielder Santi Cazorla has also put an end to speculation linking him with a move to Real Madrid by signing a new six-year contract with Villarreal.

Atletico M 28.8 : Atletico Madrid have moved to strengthen their squad ahead of the UEFA Champions League group stage by signing defensive midfielder Ever Banega on a season-long loan from Valencia. The 20-year-old, who helped Argentina win gold at the Beijing Olympics, moved to Valencia from Boca Juniors for a reported fee of €18m in January. Valencia's first acquisition under then coach Ronald Koeman, Banega found his first-team chances limited after the Dutchman was fired in April.

Ossas. 12.8 : Osasuna have completed the transfer of Hungary midfielder Krisztian Vadocz from NEC Nijmegan for a reported fee of around €1m. Terms of the agreement were not mentioned. The Spanish club also landed Portuguese Under-21 international defender Tiago Gomes from Benfica on a one-year deal with an option for three more years after that.

Racing 12.8 : Racing Santander have taken Romania defender Laszlo Sepsi on a one-year loan from Benfica with an option of a permanent transfer at the end of the season. The 22-year-old left-back made seven league appearances for the Lisbon club last term after joining from Gloria Bistrita in January. Sepsi is Racing's third summer recruit following the arrivals of Ze Antonio and Jonathan Pereira.

Sevilla 9.8 : Sevilla have signed Argentinian midfielder Aldo Duscher from Real Racing Club Santander. The 29-year-old has agreed a three-year contract with the Andalusian side. Duscher, capped three times by Argentina, scored five goals in 34 league games for Racing last season.

Real M. 5.8 : Rafael van der Vaart has agreed a move from Hamburg to Real Madrid on a five-year contract. Neither club gave financial details of the deal but news reports said Real will pay €13m for the Dutch international midfielder, who joins his compatriots Ruud van Nistelrooy, Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder and Royston Drenthe. Van der Vaart, 25, whose mother is Spanish, ends a three-year spell at Hamburg, having struck 29 goals from 74 Bundesliga games.

Van der Vaart's arrival will help Real Madrid cover for the loss of Wesley Sneijder, who sustained a knee injury in Sunday's match with Arsenal. Sneijder will be out of action for three months, a relief to the player and club who had feared a longer absence. Tests showed that the 24-year-old midfielder did not tear ligaments when he was challenged clumsily by Arsenal's Abou Diaby in a preseason friendly game at Emirates Stadium.

Getafe 1.8 : Getafe have announced the transfer of striker Roberto Soldado from Real Madrid in a deal that could reportedly rise to €6m. The 23-year-old will sign a four-year contract. Soldado, who spent 2006/07 on loan at Osasuna where he scored eleven times in 30 league games, has decided to leave Real due to limited first-team opportunities. Getafe, under new coach Victor Munoz, have already signed Soldado's former team-mate Esteban Granero as well as Adrian Gonzalez, Eugen Polanski, Ibrahim Kas, Joffre Guerron, Rafa Lopez and Jaime Gavilan.

Barcelona 23.7 : Barcelona's new signing Henrique will be loaned out to Bayer Leverkusen, where the Brazilian defender will spend the first of the five seasons he has agreed to stay at Camp Nou. The 21-year-old, whose full name is Henrique Adriano Buss, arrived from Palmeiras for an initial fee of €8m. Henrique is Barcelona's sixth signing, taking the club's offseason spending to nearly €88m. Meanwhile, the Catalan club have agreed to sell defender Oleguer Presas to Ajax for an initial fee of €3m.

Racing 19.7 : Racing Santander have signed Portuguese centre-back Ze Antonio from Borussia Monchengladbach on a two-year deal. The 31-year-old spent the latter half of last season on loan at Turkish side Manisaspor . "Little by little I hope to help my new team when the new season starts soon," the defender said.

Sevilla 18.7 : Sevilla have acquired the services of French international defender Sebastien Squillaci from Lyon for a fee reported to be in the region of €6.5m. The 27-year-old center back, who spent two seasons with the French champions after four years at Monaco, was part of the France squad that was eliminated in the first round of last month's European Championship. Squillaci, who has agreed a four-year contract, joins up with fellow summer signings Koffi N'Dri Romaric, Fernando Navarro, Lautaro Acosta and Abdoulay Konko at Sevilla.

The most expensive transfers-Serie A (2008-09)

2008-09-03T05:32:00.000-07:00

date	player	to	from	m€
Jul '08	Ronaldinho	Milan	Barcelona	21
Sep '08	Ricardo Quaresma	Inter	Porto	18.6
Jun '08	Amauri	Juventus	Palermo	15.3
Jul '08	Ali Sulley Muntari	Inter	Portsmouth	14
May '08	Alberto Gilardino	Fiorentina	Milan	14

Final transfers list of Italian Serie A (2008-09)

2008-09-03T05:31:00.000-07:00

Atalanta

Forward Alessio Cerci on loan from Roma; Midfielder Luca Cigarini from Parma; Forward Christian Vieri from Fiorentina; Forward Christian Tiboni from Udinese; Midfielder Jaime Zapata from Lecce; Defender Michele Rinaldi from Udinese; Portuguese midfielder Vidigal on a free transfer from Livorno.

Bologna

Midfielder Davide Marchini on loan from Triestina; Forward Marco Di Vaio on loan from Genoa; Defender Salvatore Lanna from Torino; Belgian midfielder Gaby Mudingayi from Lazio for a fee of €6m; Forward Marco Bernacci from Ascoli; Uruguayan defender Miguel Angel Britos from Montevideo Wanderers for a fee of €4m; Defender Cristiano Zenoni from Sampdoria; Brazilian defender Coehlo from Corinthians for a fee of €2.5m; Uruguayan midfielder Diego Rodriguez on loan from Penarol; Midfielder Sergio Volpi from Sampdoria.

Cagliari

Argentinean defender Carlos Javier Matheu from Independiente; Forward Robert Acquafresca on loan from Inter Milan.

Catania

Romanian forward Nicolae Dica from Steaua for a fee of €2.5m; Forward Michele Paolucci on loan from Udinese; Argentinean midfielder Ezequiel Alejo Carboni on a free transfer from Red Bull Salzburg.

Chievo Verona

Brazilian forward Kerlon from Cruzeiro; Argentinean defender Santiago Morero from Tigre; Forward Mauro Esposito on loan from Roma; Romanian midfielder Bogdan Patrascu from Piacenza; Midfielder Simone Grippo from Bellinzona; Goalkeeper Stefano Sorrentino on a free transfer from AEK Athens; French defender Nicholas Sebastian Frey from Modena; Swiss defender Philippe Montandon from St. Gallen.

Fiorentina

Argentinean midfielder Sergio Bernardo Almiron on loan from Juventus; Defender Luciano Zauri on loan from Lazio; Goalkeeper Marco Storari on loan from Milan; Defender Gianluca Comotto from Torino; Brazilian midfielder Felipe Melo from Almeria for a fee of €12m; Brazilian forward Jefferson Siqueira on a free transfer from Parana; Peruvian midfielder Juan Vargas from Catania Calcio for a fee of €12m; Montenegrin midfielder Stevan Jovetic from Partizan Belgrade for a fee of €8m; Forward Alberto Gilardino from Milan for a fee of €14m.

Genoa

Serbian midfielder Bosko Jankovic on loan from Palermo; Defender Davide Brivio on loan from Vicenza Calcio; Argentinean forward Diego Milito on loan from Zaragoza; Defender Matteo Ferrari from Roma; Greek defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos from AEK Athens; Uruguayan midfielder Ruben Olivera on loan from Juventus; Defender Alessandro Potenza from Fiorentina; Defender Francesco Modesto from Reggina; Midfielder Andrea Gasbarroni from Parma for a fee of €4.5m.

Inter

Portuguese midfielder Ricardo Quaresma from Porto for a fee of €18.6m; Ghanaian midfielder Ali Sulley Muntari from Portsmouth for a fee of €14m; Brazilian midfielder Amantino Mancini from Roma for a fee of €12.5m; Romanian midfielder Cristian Daminuta from Poli Timisoara; Forward Riccardo Bocalon from Treviso.

Juventus

Spanish midfielder Falque Silva Yago from Barcelona; Austrian goalkeeper Alexander Manninger from Udinese for a fee of €1m; Danish midfielder Christian Poulsen from Sevilla for a fee of €9.8m; Croatian defender Dario Knezevic on loan from Livorno; Swedish defender Olof Mellberg on a free transfer from Aston Villa; Brazilian forward Amauri from Palermo for a fee of €15.3m.

Lazio

Midfielder Christian Brocchi from Milan; Brazilian midfielder Francelinho Matuzalem on loan from Real Zaragoza; Swiss defender Stephan Lichtsteiner from Lille; Argentinean forward Mauro Zarate on loan from Al-Sadd; Romanian defender Cosmin Iosif Moti on loan from Dinamo Bucuresti; Argentinean goalkeeper Juan Pablo Carrizo from River Plate for a fee of €7.5m; Forward Nicola Amoruso from Reggina; Romanian defender Stefan Andrei Radu from Dinamo Bucuresti for a fee of €4m; Czech defender David Rozehnal (permanent signing) from Newcastle United for a fee of €4m.

Lecce

Serbian midfielder Dusan Basta from Red Star Belgrade; Swiss midfielder Gianluca Frontino on loan from Grasshoppers Zurich; Defender Guglielmo Stendardo on loan from Lazio; Brazilian midfielder Eduardo Costa from Espanyol; Argentinean forward Jose Ignacio Castillo from Pisa; Midfielder Fabio Caserta from Palermo; Portuguese defender Vitorino Antunes on loan from Roma; Forward Daniele Cacia from Piacenza.

Milan

Swiss defender Philippe Senderos on loan from Arsenal London; Ukrainian forward Andriy Shevchenko from Chelsea; Uruguayan midfielder Mathias Cardaccio from Nacional Montevideo; Uruguayan forward Tabare Viudez from Defensor; Brazilian midfielder Ronaldinho from Barcelona for a fee of €21m; Midfielder Luca Antonini from Empoli; Defender Gianluca Zambrotta from Barcelona for a fee of €9m; Forward Marco Borriello from Genoa for a fee of €7m; French midfielder Mathieu Flamini on a free transfer from Arsenal London.

Napoli

Defender Salvatore Aronica from Reggina for a fee of €3m; Forward Andrea Russotto on loan from Bellinzona; Defender Christian Maggio from Sampdoria for a fee of €8m; Defender Leandro Rinaudo from Palermo for a fee of €6.5m.

Palermo

Brazilian forward Tulio on a free transfer from Le Mans; Danish defender Simon Kjaer from Midtjylland; Defender Andrea Raggi from Empoli; Forward Davide Lanzafame from Juventus; Croatian forward Igor Budan from Parma; Defender Moris Carrozzieri from Atalanta Bergamo for a fee of €4m; Defender Cesare Bovo from Genoa for a fee of €4.5m; Midfielder Fabio Liverani from Fiorentina; Goalkeeper Marco Amelia from Livorno for a fee of €6m; Midfielder Antonio Nocerino from Juventus for a fee of €7.5m.

Reggina

Serbian forward Djordje Rakic on loan from Red Bull Salzburg; Forward Bernardo Corradi from Manchester City; Chilean midfielder Carlos Carmona from O'Higgins; Midfielder Giandomenico Mesto from Udinese; Brazilian midfielder Fabiano on loan from Genoa; Brazilian defender Gleison from Genoa.

Roma

French forward Jeremy Menez from Monaco for a fee of €10.5m; Brazilian forward Julio Baptista from Real Madrid for a fee of €9m; Brazilian goalkeeper Arthur from Siena; Defender Simone Loria from Siena; Norwegian defender John Arne Riise from Liverpool for a fee of €5m.

Sampdoria

Serbian midfielder Nenad Krsticic from OFK Belgrade; Argentinean defender Jonathan Pablo Bottinelli from San Lorenzo; Uruguayan forward Bruno Fornaroli from Nacional for a fee of €3m; Midfielder Daniele Dessena from Parma for a fee of €4.3m; Lithuanian defender Marius Stankevicius from Brescia; Forward Antonio Cassano (permanent signing) from Real Madrid.

Siena

Romanian defender Cosmin Moti from Dinamo Bucarest; Midfielder Cristiano Del Grosso from Cagliari; Colombian defender Juan Zuniga from Atletico Nacional; Ghanaian midfielder Ahmed Apimah on loan from Roma; Goalkeeper Gianluca Curci from Roma; Midfielder Antonio Zito from Taranto; Midfielder Manuel Mancini from Taranto; Portuguese defender Goncalo Brandao on a free transfer from Belenenses.

Torino

Swiss midfielder Blerim Dzemaili on loan from Bolton Wanderers; Forward Rolando Bianchi from Manchester City; Midfielder Francesco Pratali from Empoli; Austrian midfielder Jurgen Saumel from Sturm Graz; Forward Marco Moro from Messina.

Udinese

Defender Maurizio Domizzi from Napoli; Defender Luigi Sala on a free transfer from Sampdoria; Montenegrin defender Nikola Vujadinovic from CSKA Sofia; Goalkeeper Emanuele Belardi on loan from Juventus; South African midfielder Fernando Damian Tissone from Atalanta; Forward Antonio Langella from Atalanta Bergamo; Forward Daniel Bradaschia from Treviso; Defender Giovanni Pasquale from Livorno.

Transfer News- Serie A

2008-09-03T05:29:00.000-07:00

Udinese 2.9 : Udinese have signed defender Maurizio Domizzi from league rivals Napoli, who have replaced him by acquiring Salvatore Aronica from Reggina for a reported €3m fee. No details for the Domizzi transfer have been released. The 28-year-old centre-back, who scored eight goals last season, six from the penalty spot, joins Udinese after two campaigns with Napoli. Meanwhile, 30-year-old Aronica arrives at Napoli on a four-year contract.

Genoa 2.9 : Argentinian international forward Diego Milito has returned to Genoa on a season-long loan from Zaragoza, as one of three signings made by the Serie A club on transfer deadline day. The 29-year-old, who scored 33 goals in 59 second-division appearances for Genoa between 2003 and 2005, rejoins the Italian team after three seasons with Zaragoza in Spain. Meanwhile, Serbia playmaker Bosko Jankovic, 24, arrives on loan from Palermo, while Vicenza left-back Davide Brivio, 20, is Genoa's third loan recruit.

Inter 1.9 : Porto winger Ricardo Quaresma is set to put pen to paper on a five-year contract at Inter after the two clubs came to an agreement on Sunday. Porto said in a statement the fee was made up of €18.6m plus the transfer of Portuguese midfielder Pele from Inter to Porto, valued at €6m. Quaresma, 24, who has been linked with a move to Jose Mourinho's team all summer, joined Porto in 2004 after a season at Barcelona and won three titles in a row with the club.

31.8 : Gennaro Delvecchio earned Sampdoria a 1-1 draw to deny new Inter coach Jose Mourinho a winning start in the Italian top flight A. Francesco Valiani scored a stunning goal as promoted Bologna beat Milan 2-1 at the San Siro to spoil Ronaldinho's Serie A debut. Last year's runners-up Roma drew 1-1 with Napoli, as well as Juventus at Fiorentina, which meant none of Italy's big four made a winning start.

Lazio went behind 1-0 and then scored four goals in the last 30 minutes to beat Cagliari 4-1. Torino were also three-goal winners over Lecce. Antonio Di Natale scored twice to help Udinese defeat Palermo 3-1. Chievo beat Reggina 2-1 with a goal in the 88th after the teams traded penalty kicks to make it 1-1. Atalanta picked up a home win over Siena, while Catania edged Genoa by the same result.

Roma 28.8 : Roma have announced the signing of French forward Jeremy Menez from Monaco for an initial €10.5m fee. The 21-year-old will sign a four-year contract with the Italian side. Menez leaves Monaco after three seasons in which he scored 14 goals in 57 league games. He has scored two goals in eight appearances with the France Under-21 team, but remains uncapped at senior level.

Milan 27.8 : Milan have secured the services of Switzerland defender Philippe Senderos on a one-year loan from Arsenal. After joining the Gunners in 2003, the 23-year-old played 115 games without ever becoming an automatic choice. Senderos will link up with former Arsenal midfielder Mathieu Flamini at the Italian giants. Meanwhile, Ukraine striker Andriy Shevchenko passed a medical examination at the Milan's training camp to complete his transfer from Chelsea. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Torino 25.8 : Manchester City striker Rolando Bianchi has joined Serie A team Torino on a five-year contract. Financial terms were not disclosed. The 25-year-old leaves the Premiership club after just 12 months. Bianchi joined Manchester City from Reggina in 2007 and scored on his debut at West Ham, but made just 19 appearances before he was loaned to Lazio in January.

Milan 24.8 : Andriy Shevchenko's miserable spell at Chelsea is nearing an end after Milan agreed to re-sign the striker if he passes a medical examination. No details of the fee or the length of contract for the 31-year-old have been revealed. Shevchenko returns to the Italian giants after failing to live up to expectations during two injury-plagued campaigns in England. In seven seasons with Milan, the Ukraine international scored 127 times in 208 Serie A appearances, but registered just 9 goals in 47 games for Chelsea after an English Premier League record transfer of €45.5m in the 2006 offseason.

transfers news EPL

2008-09-03T05:27:00.000-07:00

Tottenh. 2.9 : Croatian defender Vedran Corluka will link up with international team-mate Luka Modric at Tottenham Hotspur after joining the London club from Manchester City. No details have been revealed of Corluka's contract though unofficial sources suggest that a fee of around €10.5m has been paid for the 22-year-old right-back. Corluka scored once in 38 Premier League games for City since arriving from Dinamo Zagreb at the start of last term. Tottenham also announced that Russia striker Roman Pavlyuchenko has signed a five-year deal after completing his €17m transfer from Spartak Moscow at the weekend.

Portsm. 2.9 : Nadir Belhadj has joined Portsmouth on a season-long loan from French side Lens, with the 26-year-old looking to earn a permanent move across the Channel at the end of the campaign. The Algerian international will probably compete for a place in the team with Armand Traore, who is on a yearlong loan from Arsenal. Belhadj has played for Gueugnon, Sedan and Lyon, from whom he joined Lens last season.

Everton 2.9 : Belgium midfielder Marouane Fellaini has left Standard to sign for Everton in a transfer worth an initial €18.5m. Fellaini has agreed a five-year deal, becoming the English side's record signing. His capture also brings relief to manager David Moyes after a day in which Nigeria winger Victor Obinna was denied a work permit to join Everton on loan from Inter Milan. Everton also took goalkeeper Carlo Nash, 34, from Wigan Athletic for a minimal fee on deadline day. Meanwhile, Standard have allowed midfielder Gregory Dufer, 26, to join fellow top-flight club Tubize on loan for the season.

Liverpool 2.9 : Liverpool have completed the signing of Spain winger Albert Riera from Espanyol while allowing defender Steve Finnan to make the opposite move and loaning forward Andrej Voronin to Hertha Berlin. Riera, 26, has signed a four-year deal after arriving at Anfield for an undisclosed fee. He is one of three players recruited by Liverpool on the final day of the summer transfer window. Brazilian striker Vitor Flora, 18, arives from Botafogo on a free transfer subject to international clearance, while 18-year-old Hungarian goalkeeper Peter Gulecsi's loan from MTK Budapest has been made permanent.

Man. Utd. 2.9 : Manchester United have completed the signing of Dimitar Berbatov from Tottenham Hotspur on the final day of English football's summer transfer window. The Bulgaria striker has signed a four-year contract with the English champions, with United paying an undisclosed fee, thought to be around €38m. Berbatov will wear the No. 9 shirt that was freed after United sold Louis Saha to Everton.

As part of the deal, 20-year-old United striker Fraizer Campbell will spend the rest of the campaign with Tottenham. Berbatov, who joined the Spurs from Bayer Leverkusen in 2006, scored 23 goals in 52 appearances last season. With the transfer window now closed, 27-year-old Berbatov was the only major addition to a squad that won last season's UEFA Champions League and Premier League.

Man. City 2.9 : Manchester City beat Chelsea to the signing of Brazil striker Robinho by agreeing to pay Real Madrid a British-record €40m transfer fee. On a remarkable day at Eastlands, City also confirmed that owner Thaksin Shinawatra had agreed to sell the club to the Abu Dhabi United Group. The takeover fee is believed to be worth up to €247m. Robinho has signed a four-year contract with Manchester City after the Spanish champions rejected Chelsea's initial €32m bid.

Robinho had repeatedly spoken of his desire to leave Real Madrid for Chelsea, but City, boosted by a windfall from an imminent takeover by a United Arab Emirates business group, made a huge offer for the 24-year-old. Spanish media reported that that City will pay Robinho €6m per season, about three times what he reportedly earned in Madrid. Robinho had spent the last three years with Real, making 101 Primera Division appearances and scoring 25 times.

Newcast. 2.9 : Valencia have signed Uruguayan international midfielder Ignacio "Nacho" Gonzalez from Danubio and immediately loaned the player to Newcastle United. So, Gonzalez, who has put pen to paper on a four-year deal with the Spanish club, will spend the 2008/09 campaign in England's Premier League. Newcastle have also landed striker Xisco in a reported €7m transfer from Deportivo La Coruna. The 22-year-old has accepted a five-year contract with the Premiership club.

Tottenh. 31.8 : Tottenham Hotspur have completed the signing of Russia striker Roman Pavlyuchenko from Spartak Moscow for a fee reported to be in the region of €17m. Further contract details for the 26-year-old have not been released. Pavlyuchenko should provide a significant boost to Tottenham, who have struggled in the opening weeks of the season following the sale of Robbie Keane to Liverpool and a lengthy impasse over Dimitar Berbatov's likely transfer to Manchester United. Pavlyuchenko scored 69 goals in 141 league games for Spartak.

Man. City 31.8 : Manchester City added two South American defenders to their squad, signing Pablo Zabaleta and Glauber Berti for undisclosed fees. Argentinian international Zabaleta, 23, who can also play in midfield, has agreed a five-year deal after spending three seasons at Spanish side Espanyol. Brazilian centre-back Glauber, 25, arrives from Greman club Nurnberg and has signed a one-year contract at City.

Ast. Villa 30.8 : Midfielder James Milner, 22, from Newcastle has returned to Aston Villa. He has signed a four-year deal for a reported €12.4 million. Milner made his Premier League debut for Leeds when he was 16. Leeds was relegated in 2004 and Milner joined Newcastle, but was sent to Aston Villa on loan for the 2005/06 season. "James has got a great spirit about him and I definitely think his best years are in front of him," Villa manager Martin O'Neill said. "It was disappointing two years ago not to sign him when we thought the deal was done and dusted but it is nice to have got it all sorted this time."

Everton 30.8 : Everton have signed French international striker Louis Saha from Manchester United for an undisclosed fee. the 30-year-old has agreed a two-year contract with the option of a further season, subject to a medical. Saha scored 42 goals in 124 appearances for United since joining from Fulham in 2003, but has struggled with injuries in the past two season. He has scored 106 goals in 278 appearances in English football.

Man. City 29.8 : Shaun Wright-Phillips has left Chelsea to rejoin Manchester City on a four-year contrcat. The 26-year-old England winger is looking for a fresh start after three faltering years at Stamford Bridge. After switching to the London club in 2005, Wright-Phillips struggled to command a place in the team, starting just 43 matches. Chelsea, who signed him for €30.5m, is thought to have recouped less than half that amount, although financial terms were not disclosed.

Everton 28.8 : Everton have secured the services of Ecuador defensive midfielder Segundo Castillo on a season-long loan from Red Star Belgrade. Everton hope they will receive international clearance for the 26-year-old to play on Saturday against Portsmouth. Castillo and Danish defender Lars Christian Jacobsen were the English Premier League club's only offseason signings.

Blackburn 28.8 : Blackburn Rovers have signed Australia midfielder Vince Grella from Torino on a five-year contract. The 28-year-old arrives at Ewood Park in a deal worth in the region of €5.5m. Grella made 28 Serie A appearances last season as the side staved off the threat of relegation. He joins Australia teammate Brett Emerton at Blackburn.

Portsm. 28.8 : Midfielder Niko Kranjcar will be out of action for at least two months after undergoing ankle surgery. The 24-year-old sustained a knock in Croatia's friendly with Slovenia last week and had an operation to repair a ruptured ankle ligament. Kranjcar will be unable to put any weight on the injured leg for three weeks before beginning rehabilitation work, ruling him out of a crucial period for club and country.

The most expensive transfers of EPL (2008-09)

2008-09-03T05:26:00.000-07:00

date	player	to	from	m€
Sep '08	Robinho	Manchester City	Real Madrid	40
Sep '08	Dimitar Berbatov	Manchester United	Tottenham Hotspur	38
Jul '08	Robbie Keane	Liverpool	Tottenham Hotspur	25
Jun '08	Jo	Manchester City	CSKA Moscow	24
Apr '08	Luka Modric	Tottenham	Dinamo Zagreb	21

Major transfers in English Premier League

2008-09-03T05:24:00.000-07:00

Arsenal

French defender Mickael Silvestre from Manchester United; French midfielder Amaury Bischoff from Werder Bremen; French midfielder Samir Nasri from Marseille for a fee of €14.5m; Wales midfielder Aaron Ramsey from Cardiff City; Mexican forward Carlos Vela (loan return) from Osasuna.

Aston Villa

Midfielder James Milner from Newcastle United for a fee of €12.5m; Spanish defender Carlos Cuellar from Glasgow Rangers for a fee of €10m; Defender Luke Young from Middlesbrough for a fee of €6.4m; Defender Nicky Shorey from Reading for a fee of €4.4m; American goalkeeper Brad Friedel from Blackburn Rovers for a fee of €2.5m; American goalkeeper Brad Guzan from CD Chivas for a fee of €1m; Midfielder Steve Sidwell from Chelsea for a fee of €6.2m; Defender Curtis Davies from West Brom for a fee of €10m.

Blackburn

Goalkeeper Mark Bunn from Northampton; Australian midfielder Vince Grella from Torino for a fee of €5.5m; Defender Danny Simpson on loan from Manchester United; Paraguayan forward Julio Santa Cruz from Cerro Porteno; Chilean midfielder Carlos Villanueva on loan from Audax Italiano; Chilean midfielder Carlos Villanueva from Audax Italiano for a fee of €1m; Forward Robbie Fowler on a free transfer from Cardiff City; Goalkeeper Paul Robinson from Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of €4.4m.

Bolton

Polish forward Ebi Smolarek on loan from Racing Santander; Nigerian defender Daniel Shittu from Watford; Dutch forward Mustapha Riga from Levante; Swedish forward Johan Elmander from Toulouse for a fee of €12.6m; Midfielder Fabrice Muamba from Birmingham City for a fee of €6.5m.

Chelsea

Portuguese midfielder Deco from Barcelona for a fee of €10m; Portuguese midfielder Bosingwa from Porto for a fee of €20m.

Everton

Goalkeeper Carlo Nash from Wigan Athletic; Belgian midfielder Marouane Fellaini from Standard for a fee of €18.5m; French forward Louis Saha from Manchester United; Ecuadorian midfielder Segundo Castillo on loan from Red Star Belgrade; Danish defender Lars Jacobsen on a free transfer from Nurnberg; South African midfielder Steven Pienaar (permanent signing) from Borussia Dortmund for a fee of €2.6m.

Fulham

Midfielder Julian Gray on loan from Coventry City; Nigerian midfielder Dickson Etuhu from Sunderland; Forward Andy Johnson from Everton for a fee of €13.2m; Forward Andy Johnson from Everton; Swedish defender Fredrik Stoor from Rosenborg; Swiss goalkeeper Pascal Zuberbuhler on a free transfer from Xamax; Forward Bobby Zamora from West Ham United for a fee of €4.1m; Ghanaian defender John Paintsil from West Ham United for a fee of €3.8m; Iranian midfielder Andranik Teymourian on a free transfer from Bolton Wanderers; Hungarian forward Zoltan Gera from West Bromwich Albion; Goalkeeper David Stockdale from Darlington; Australian goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer on a free transfer from Middlesbrough.

Hull City

Gabon forward Daniel Cousin from Glasgow Rangers; Jamaican forward Marlon King on loan from Wigan Athletic; Goalkeeper Mark Oxley from Rotherham United; Defender Anthony Gardner (permanent signing) from Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of €3.1m; Hungarian midfielder Peter Halmosi from Plymouth; Goalkeeper Tony Warner on a free transfer from Fulham; French defender Bernard Mendy on a free transfer from Paris St. Germain; Dutch midfielder George Boateng from Middlesbrough for a fee of €1.3m; Brazilian midfielder Geovanni from Manchester City; Forward Craig Fagan (permanent signing) from Derby County.

Liverpool

Spanish midfielder Albert Riera from Espanyol; Hungarian goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi (permanent signing) from MTK Budapest; Brazilian forward Vitor Flora on a free transfer from Botafogo; Irish forward Robbie Keane from Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of €25m; French forward David Ngog from Paris St. Germain for a fee of €1.5m; Brazilian goalkeeper Diego Cavalieri from Palmeiras for a fee of €4.4m; Danish forward Nikola Saric from Herfolge; Italian defender Andrea Dossena from Udinese for a fee of €9m; Swiss defender Philipp Degen from Borussia Dortmund.

Manchester City

Brazilian forward Robinho from Real Madrid for a fee of €40m; Brazilian defender Glauber Berti from Nurnberg; Argentinean midfielder Zabaleta from Espanyol; Midfielder Shaun Wright-Phillips from Chelsea; Belgian defender Vincent Kompany from Hamburger; Israeli defender Tal Ben Haim from Chelsea for a fee of €6.4m; Brazilian forward Jo from CSKA Moscow for a fee of €24m.

Manchester United

Bulgarian forward Dimitar Berbatov from Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of €38m; Angolan forward Manucho (loan return) from Panathinaikos Athens.

Middlesbrough

Defender Justin Hoyte from Arsenal London for a fee of €3.8m; Dutch forward Marvin Emnes from Sparta Rotterdam for a fee of €4m; French forward Didier Digard from Paris St. Germain for a fee of €5m.

Newcastle

Uruguayan midfielder Ignacio Gonzalez on loan from Valencia; Spanish forward Xisco from Deportivo La Coruna for a fee of €7m; Argentinean defender Fabricio Coloccini from Deportivo La Coruna for a fee of €13m; Midfielder Danny Guthrie from Liverpool for a fee of €4.3m; Argentinean midfielder Jonas Gutierrez from Mallorca for a fee of €6.3m.

Portsmouth

Algerian defender Nadir Belhadj on loan from Lens; French defender Armand Traore on loan from Arsenal; Midfielder Jerome Thomas (permanent signing) from Charlton Athletic; Midfielder Jerome Thomas on loan from Charlton Athletic; French defender Younes Kaboul from Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of €7.7m; Forward Peter Crouch from Liverpool for a fee of €13.8m; Israeli forward Ben Sahar on loan from Chelsea; Midfielder Glen Little on a free transfer from Reading.

Stoke City

Defender Danny Higginbotham from Sunderland; Midfielder Michael Tonge from Sheffield United for a fee of €2.5m; Midfielder Tom Soares from Crystal Palace for a fee of €1.5m; Senegalese defender Ibrahima Sonko from Reading; Ghanaian midfielder Haminu Dramani on loan from Lokomotiv Moscow; Danish goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen from Aston Villa; Midfielder Seyi Olofinjana from Wolves for a fee of €3.8m; Forward Dave Kitson from Reading for a fee of €7m.

Sunderland

North Ireland defender George McCartney from West Ham United; Defender Anton Ferdinand from West Ham United for a fee of €11m; North Ireland defender David Healy from Fulham; French forward Djibril Cisse on loan from Marseille; French midfielder Steed Malbranque from Tottenham Hotspur; Midfielder David Meyler from Cork City; Senegalese forward El-Hadji Diouf from Bolton Wanderers for a fee of €3m; Goalkeeper Nick Colgan on a free transfer from Ipswich; French defender Pascal Chimbonda from Tottenham Hotspur; Finnish midfielder Teemu Tainio from Tottenham Hotspur.

Tottenham

Forward Fraizer Campbell on loan from Manchester United; Croatian defender Vedran Corluka from Manchester City for a fee of €10.5m; Spanish goalkeeper Cesar from Zaragoza; Forward David Bentley from Blackburn Rovers for a fee of €19m; Brazilian goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes from PSV Eindhoven; Brazilian defender Giovani dos Santos from Barcelona for a fee of €6m; Croatian midfielder Luka Modric from Dinamo Zagreb for a fee of €21m.

West Brom

Swedish defender Jonas Olsson from Nijmegen for a fee of €1m; Dutch defender Ryan Donk on loan from AZ Alkmaar; Spanish midfielder Borja Valero from Mallorca for a fee of €6m; Ivory Coast defender Abdoulaye Meite from Bolton for a fee of €2.5m; Goalkeeper Scott Carson from Liverpool for a fee of €4.1m; Slovakian defender Marek Cech from Porto for a fee of €1.8m; Scottish forward Graham Dorrans from Livingston; Dutch defender Gianni Zuiverloon from Heerenveen for a fee of €4m; South Korean midfielder Do-Heon Kim from Seongnam Ilhwa.

West Ham

Czech goalkeeper Jan Lastuvka on loan from Shakhtar Donetsk; Swiss midfielder Valon Behrami from Lazio for a fee of €6m.

Wigan

Midfielder Lee Cattermole from Middlesbrough for a fee of €4.5m; French midfielder Olivier Kapo from Birmingham City; Egyptian forward Amr Zaky on loan from Zamalek; Dutch midfielder Daniel De Ridder on a free transfer from Birmingham City.

Barclays Premier League Results: 31 August 2008

2008-09-02T21:19:00.000-07:00

Chelsea 1 - 1 Tottenham

Chelsea and Tottenham shared the spoils in an evenly contested London derby at Stamford Bridge. Brazilian defender Balletti put Chelsea ahead when Darren Bent's miss kicked clearance fell to him after a Deco corner. It was a deserved goal for the Blues who were looking very good going forward. Chelsea had the better of the first half but were caught out just before half time when Darren Bent latched on to a miss placed pass from Lampard to slip the ball through Chec's legs.

Chelsea went in search for the winning goal but Spurs stood strong to hold on for a valuable away point at Stamford Bridge.

Aston Villa 0 - 0 Liverpool

Liverpool and Aston Villa played out a cagey goalless draw at Villa Park.

John Carew was denied by the feet of Pepe Reina, while David Ngog shot just over the bar after being set up by Robbie Keane in a dour first half.

Keane was put clean through by Javier Mascherano in the second half but scuffed his shot wide in front of goal.

Substitute James Milner had a late chances to wrap up all three points on his return to the club, but Reds keeper Pepe Reina saved comfortably.

Sunderland 0 - 3 Manchester City

Shaun Wright-Phillips marked his return to Manchester City with a man of the match performance that helped Mark Hughe's team to a very impressive 3 - 0 victory at the Stadium of Light. Wright-Phillips who returned from Chelsea last week scored a brace as City cruised to victory. Stephen Ireland opened the scoring for City when he side footed a deflected cross past Craig Gordon.

EPL Results: 3rd Week (Saturday)

2008-09-02T21:18:00.000-07:00

Arsenal 3 - 0 Newcastle UnitedArsenal cruised to a comfortable 3-0 victory over Newcastle United at the Emirates stadium in London, with a double from Robin Van Persie (18' and 41'), and another goal from Denilson of Brazil in the 59th minute. Arsenal is back on track, after a disappointing defeat against Fulham last weekend.

Hull City 0-5 Wigan Athletic

Wigan picked up their first win of the season in a 5-0 thrashing of Hull City at the KC Stadium. Wigan went into the half-time break with a two-goal advantage courtesy of an own goal from Sam Ricketts (5') and another from Antonio Valencia (13'). After the break they scored three more goals, two from Amr Zaki (63' and 81') and the other from Emile Heskey.

Everton 0-3 Portsmouth

Jermaine Defoe scored twice as Portsmouth cruised to a comfortable 3-0 victory over Everton. Defoe netted Portsmouth's first goal in the twelfth minute, then provided the assist for Glen Johnson to double their lead five minutes before half-time. Defoe sealed the victory for Portsmouth in the 69th minute with a superb finish.

Bolton Wanderers 0 - 0 West Bromwich Albion

Although the match ended in a goalless draw, it was action packed, with both teams creating several opportunities to break the deadlock, particularly towards the end of the match. Do-Heon Kim hit the bar late on, and that was the closest each of the two sides came to winning the three points.

Middlesbrough 2 - 1 Stoke City

Middlesbrough edged Stoke City 2-1 with a winner from Tuncay Sanli five minutes from full-time. Brazilian striker Alfonso Alves put the home team ahead in the 37th minute, but a Justin Hoyte effort in the 71st minute drew both teams level, before Tuncay's late winner.

West Ham United 4 - 1 Blackburn Rovers

West Ham United thrashed Blackburn Rovers 4-1 in a match that they dominated from the start to the finish at Upton Park. Goals from Calum Davenport (12'), an own goal from Chris Samba (20'), and others from Craig Bellamy (90') and Carlton Cole (90') gave West Ham a well deserved win. Jason Roberts scored Blackburn's only goal of the match and also failed to convert a penalty.

English Premier League Results

August 30 (Saturday)

Bolton Wanderers 0 - 0 West Bromwich Albion

Everton 0 - 3 Portsmouth

Hull City 0 - 5 Wigan Athletic

Middlesbrough 2 - 1 Stoke City

West Ham United 4 - 1 Blackburn Rovers

Arsenal 3 - 0 Newcastle United

EPL UPCOMNG MATCHES

2008-08-25T21:31:00.000-07:00

Saturday, 30 August 2008
Arsenal v Newcastle, 17:30
Bolton v West Brom, 15:00
Everton v Portsmouth, 15:00
Hull v Wigan, 15:00
Man Utd OFF Fulham, 15:00
Middlesbrough v Stoke, 15:00
West Ham v Blackburn, 15:00

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Sunday, 31 August 2008
Aston Villa v Liverpool, 16:00
Chelsea v Tottenham, 13:30
Sunderland v Man City, 15:00

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Saturday, 13 September 2008
Blackburn v Arsenal, 15:00
Fulham v Bolton, 15:00
Liverpool v Man Utd, 12:45
Man City v Chelsea, 17:30
Newcastle v Hull, 15:00
Portsmouth v Middlesbrough, 15:00
West Brom v West Ham, 15:00
Wigan v Sunderland, 15:00

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday, 14 September 2008
Stoke v Everton, 13:30

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Monday, 15 September 2008
Tottenham v Aston Villa, 20:00

EPL Results of the Weekend

2008-08-25T21:07:00.000-07:00

Monday 25th August 2008
	Portsmouth 0-1		Manchester United

Sunday 24th August 2008

Manchester City 3-0 West Ham United

Wigan Athletic

0-1 Chelsea

Saturday 23rd August 2008

Blackburn Rovers

1-1 Hull City

Fulham

1-0 Arsenal

Liverpool

2-1 Middlesbrough

Newcastle United

1-0 Bolton Wanderers

Stoke City

3-2 Aston Villa

Tottenham Hotspurs

1-2 Sunderland

West Bromwich Albion

1-2 Everton

EPL League Table

2008-08-25T21:04:00.000-07:00

Pos	Name	P	W	D	L	F	A	W	D	L	F	A	GD	PTS
1	Chelsea	2	1	0	0	4	0	1	0	0	1	0	+5	6
2	Liverpool	2	1	0	0	2	1	1	0	0	1	0	+2	6
3	Blackburn	2	0	1	0	1	1	1	0	0	3	2	+1	4
4	Hull City	2	1	0	0	2	1	0	1	0	1	1	+1	4
5	Man Utd	2	0	1	0	1	1	1	0	0	1	0	+1	4
6	Newcastle	2	1	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	1	1	+1	4
7	Aston Villa	2	1	0	0	4	2	0	0	1	2	3	+1	3
8	Manchester City	2	1	0	0	3	0	0	0	1	2	4	+1	3
9	Bolton	2	1	0	0	3	1	0	0	1	0	1	+1	3
10	Everton	2	0	0	1	2	3	1	0	0	2	1	0	3
11	Middlesbrough	2	1	0	0	2	1	0	0	1	1	2	0	3
12	Fulham	2	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	1	2	0	3
13	Sunderland	2	0	0	1	0	1	1	0	0	2	1	0	3
14	Arsenal	2	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	3
15	Stoke City	2	1	0	0	3	2	0	0	1	1	3	-1	3
16	West Ham Utd	2	1	0	0	2	1	0	0	1	0	3	-2	3
17	Tottenham	2	0	0	1	1	2	0	0	1	1	2	-2	0
18	WBA	2	0	0	1	1	2	0	0	1	0	1	-2	0
19	Wigan Athletic	2	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	1	1	2	-2	0
20	Portsmouth	2	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	1	0	4	-5	0

Portsmouth 0 Manchester United 1

2008-08-25T21:00:00.000-07:00

Fletcher struck just after the half-hour mark in a game of few chances at Fratton Park in which United dominated most of the play and Pompey struggled to create many opportunities.

After both sides enjoyed some good possession in the early exchanges without really creating any clear cut chances, Paul Scholes finally tested David James on 19 minutes. Wayne Rooney rolled a free kick to him 25 yards out and his effort was parried by the Portsmouth keeper before he grabbed it at the second attempt.

Peter Crouch almost got in at the other end on 25 minutes when Jermain Defoe's low cross from the left deflected off Patrice Evra into his path. However, after Edwin van der Sar saved his first effort, Evra recovered to knock the rebound behind for a corner.

United went in front on 32 minutes after some patient build up play which ended with Evra whipping in a low cross from the left for Fletcher to get in front of Sol Campbell and convert from a few yards out which Sylvain Distin tried and failed to keep out of the net.

United continued to press for a second goal and went close on 41 minutes when Anderson played in Rooney, who turned Younes Kaboul before drilling a low effort just wide of James' upright.

Rooney had the ball in the net on 50 minutes but was wrongly denied a first goal of the new campaign by an offside flag.

The closest Portsmouth got to equalising were long range efforts from Jerome Thomas and Papa Bouba Diop which were punched away by Van der Sar as United comfortably played out the second half without really needing to add to their tally.

Tottenham 1 Sunderland 2

2008-08-25T20:58:00.000-07:00

Sunderland`s new signing Djibril Cisse scored his first goal for the club to secure all the points for his new club.

Sunderland had failed to win at White Hart Lane for 30 years before this two one victory.

Manager Roy Keane made two changes to the team that faced Liverpool at the Stadium of Light with Whitehead and Higginbotham coming in for Tainio and Chimbonda.

Both teams started brightly with some slick passing but no real chances. Spurs tended to waste some good corners put over from Bentley.

The only real chances in the first half went Sunderland`s way with Steed Malbranque almost coming back to haunt Spurs. His delightful shot from outside the area cannoned off the foot of the post, Diouf`s follow up went narrowly over for a goal kick.

After the break Spurs failed to capitalise from another dangerous corner as Bale`s unmarked header went well over the bar.

Sunderland managed to hit Spurs on the break when Diouf hanged a lovely ball up only for Murphy to volley straight at the keeper.

Sunderland then broke the dead lock when Richardson took advantage of spurs failure to clear.

On the edge of the area Richardson tussled with Jenas for the ball to break just in front of Richardson who clinically despatch`s a peach of a shot past the despairing keeper.

Spurs then had a couple of close chances as they looked for an equalizer.

Sunderland eventually succumbed to the pressure as Spurs replied back with a goal from Jenas, Modric`s shot was saved well but Jenas was on hand to tap in the rebound.

Sunderland then put themselves back in front when Djibril Cisse scored the winner seven minutes for time. Cisse met a good cross from Murphy to head home his first goal for Sunderland.

Liverpool 2 Middlesbrough 1

2008-08-25T20:55:00.000-07:00

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard fired a stunning stoppage-time winner to floor Middlesbrough after they threatened an Anfield shock.

England head coach Fabio Capello suggested in midweek that Gerrard is not fully fit, but he was still going strong late in the game against Boro as Liverpool came from behind to claim three points.

Boro had not won in the league at Anfield since 1976, and when Mido came off the bench to put them ahead with 20 minutes left that record looked likely to be consigned to history.

But Jamie Carragher saw a 20-yard cross-shot deflect home off Emanuel Pogatetz for an own goal with five minutes of regulation time remaining, and then Gerrard rifled home a 20-yard winner deep into injury-time.

Liverpool replaced the injured Sami Hyypia with Martin Skrtel in defence for the match, while Gerrard shrugged off worries over a groin problem to start in a match which saw Robbie Keane and Andrea Dossena make their home league debuts.

Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate initially named the side which beat Tottenham last week, with new signing Justin Hoyte on the bench.

But a pre-match injury to goalkeeper Brad Jones meant Ross Turnbull was thrust into action at the last moment.

He was put under immediate pressure by Liverpool. After three minutes Fernando Torres surged towards the penalty area and fed Dirk Kuyt whose fierce drive was turned aside at full stretch by Turnbull.

Then Dossena fired over a swirling cross-shot which Turnbull pushed behind.

Torres saw a flicked header go wide before there was a lengthy delay when Dossena and Jeremie Aliadiere clashed heads, both leaving the field.

Boro's French forward returned with his head heavily bandaged, while Dossena needed a stitch before being allowed back into the fray.

It then took a fine flying save from Jose Reina to touch over an 18-yard shot from Boro's Andrew Taylor.

Tuncay and Afonso Alves gave Liverpool central defenders Carragher and Skrtel plenty to think about before Gerrard almost scored at the other end when his dipping drive flashed just over, following neat build-up play between Torres and Kuyt.

Middlesbrough's England winger Stewart Downing, a possible target for Liverpool, cut inside two defenders from the left before sending a shot just wide of the far post.

The pace barely dropped, and only fine defending by David Wheater twice stopped Torres in the box, the second time after the Spaniard had been put clear by Kuyt.

Torres should then have given Liverpool a half-time lead but his shot was deflected wide by Emanuel Pogatetz.

Boro sent out Turnbull for a half-time warm-up in front of the Kop, the goal the visitors were due to defend in the second period.

But despite having the majority of possession, Liverpool were not making clear chances.

All the effort in the world was there from Keane and Kuyt, but Boro's defence was standing firm.

Liverpool's set-plays were weak and ineffective, and corners in particular were repeatedly wasted.

Boro sent on Mido for Alves on the hour mark, the Teesside club clearly believing they could get something out of the game.

And they almost took the lead after 62 minutes when Mido crossed from the left and Tuncay produced a clever turn and flick before forcing Reina into a sharp save.

Liverpool sent on Ryan Babel, fresh from his Olympic campaign with Holland, in place of Yossi Benayoun after 65 minutes.

Torres immediately went close with a 25-yard strike, but it was Boro who grabbed the lead after 70 minutes.

Xabi Alonso conceded possession and the ball was switched from Aliadiere to Mido, some 30 yards out. His fierce, low drive beat Reina and found the bottom right corner.

Liverpool replaced Dossena with Fabio Aurelio, with Boro sending on Hoyte for Taylor.

Keane was booked for dissent after Liverpool were denied a penalty when Gerrard's fierce drive was deflected wide, seemingly off a Middlesbrough player's arm.

Then Mido found his way into referee Mike Riley's book for time-wasting.

Liverpool sent on Nabil El Zhar for Arbeloa with seven minutes left and they finally managed to pile on the pressure.

They drew level when Carragher made the most of Riley playing an advantage after a shot from Alonso hit Gary O'Neil's arm.

Amid loud appeals for a spot-kick, Carragher unleashed a shot which looked to be going off target but deflected past the unlucky Turnbull off Pogatetz.

Turnbull made a fine save from a Gerrard free-kick in injury-time. But in the fourth minute of added time, Liverpool's talisman smashed home the winner, driving the ball into the right corner of the net from the edge of the penalty area after Wheater's poor defensive header.

MAN CITY 3 WEST HAM 0

2008-08-25T20:51:00.001-07:00

After a disappointing loss to Aston Villa in the first week of the Premier League, Manchester City fought back with an impressive 3-0 victory over West Ham United in the City of Manchester Stadium.

West Ham never looked threatening for the home side and when midfielder Mark Noble was sent off in 39th minute for getting two yellow cards, they were only waiting for final whistle to go up.

Two goals were scored by Brazilian Elano and one by Petrov, as City had the away side on the mat in the second half with a string of attacks. They gave full pressure on the hammers goalie Robert Green and never allowed him to have a breather in most parts of the second half.

The only worry on the day for City and English supporter was to see the England International Micah Richards sent off the ground, when he collided with his teammate Tal Ben Haim only a minute into the second half of the game.

Richards was treated for 8 minutes on the pitch. However, his condition could not improve and hence, he was taken to dressing room by medics.

Now, everyone will have their fingers crossed for the player’s recovery, as he has an important role in the success of the club.

Meanwhile at JJB stadium, Chelsea continued their winning run with a goal from their new draftee Deco, which took them past Wigan Athletic 1-0. It was a second goal for the Portuguese midfielder in as many games.

Wigan Athletic 0 Chelsea 1

2008-08-25T20:46:00.000-07:00

Luiz Felipe Scolari had known this was coming. In the build-up to his Premier League debut, the Brazilian had warned that Wigan Athletic would cause his team "big problems" in his second game in charge. The sight of Chelsea's manager punching the air at the final whistle on Sunday was a telling indication that an awkward hurdle had been cleared.

Where Portsmouth had been dismissed with scintillating ease on the first day of the season, Wigan were held at arm's length, though never with any sense of comfort. Deco conjured the game's decisive goal, but that free-kick, curled gloriously in from distance after only four minutes, was as swashbuckling as Chelsea could muster. Thereafter, this became a test of resilience.

Alex Ferguson has often claimed London sides find life difficult in the wilds of the north-west of England. That may be an urban myth but this was Scolari's first time north of the capital, and, even early in his reign, a small psychological blow has been inflicted.

Nothing, as yet, has fazed him about the English game. "I've never been 'north' but I'm at Chelsea for two seasons, so I must get used to Bolton, Manchester United, Manchester City …" said Scolari in the aftermath. "What I expected, I saw today. It was difficult. Winning 1-0 away from home in England is the same as winning 10-0 elsewhere. Wigan played better than Portsmouth and had players who are healthy, have power and pressured us. I know we didn't play as well as we did last week, but I understand the reasons why."

The visitors pointed to the lack of fitness of Michael Essien, Michael Ballack and Frank Lampard, and to the absence of the injured Mikel John Obi. He also lost Ashley Cole to a dead leg but, in truth, the visitors were winded less by their own ailments and more by Wigan's aggressive energy.

Latics coach Steve Bruce had seen his players fan out to various corners of the globe for midweek internationals - his Hondurans Wilson Palacios and Maynor Figueroa were in Mexico, his Egyptian, Amr Zaki, in Sudan - but they tore into this contest unperturbed.

Zaki twice forced Petr Cech to claw away rasping drives. The substitute Olivier Kapo did likewise in the final exchanges.

Chelsea rode their luck and scored a blistering goal from an individual flash of brilliance. Wigan merited more but were sloppy from their own dead-ball delivery. "Appalling," said Bruce of his side's free-kicks. "It didn't matter who took them, they kept doing the same frigging thing."

Blackburn Rovers 1 Hull City 1 :

2008-08-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

Resilience rather than brilliance gives Hull the Bolton look

If the first imperative for survival in your first season in the top flight is becoming hard to beat, then Hull City are on the way to establishing their credentials.

For the second time in their first two Premier League games, the Tigers fell behind at Blackburn. For the second time, they showed the resilience needed to get something out of the game – in this case a creditable draw that could easily have been a second victory.

The Rovers manager, Paul Ince, paid Phil Brown's side the ultimate compliment of comparing them to the Bolton teams with which Brown was associated and which not only survived but made camp in the top half of the table. He stopped short of saying that they were a delight to the eye, but for now "hard to beat" will do.

On this early showing, Hull do have a few things going for them. They looked nice and solid at the back, where Michael Turner and Anthony Gardner stood up well to Rovers' examination.

Dean Marney was a tireless worker in midfield, they have plenty of experience on the bench – a little too much experience if you look closely at the birth certificates of Dean Windass and Nicky Barmby – and they have a dash of pace from the likes of Craig Fagan and Richard Garcia.

It was Garcia, the Australian previously with West Ham and Colchester, who nailed Hull's equaliser with a looping header. Ince absolved Paul Robinson from any blame for that, but it still brought back a few uncomfortable memories of the England goalkeeper's misadventures.

For Blackburn, in general, this was rather an anticlimax after the opening-day victory at Everton. Their vice-captain, David Dunn, said in midweek that it would be "a tragedy for the fans" if Roque Santa Cruz or Benni McCarthy were allowed to leave, but it was the striker that he omitted to mention who could have won the game for Rovers.

Jason Roberts scored a fine opening goal and led the line with considerable skill. "I'm delighted for him," said Ince. "He deserved that goal because he's been awesome in everything he's done since I've been here."

Perhaps inevitably, Santa Cruz – whose new, four-year contract saw him greeted more rapturously than ever when he trotted out at Ewood – had one of his quieter games. He could still have decided it with one glorious turn on to Tugay's pass, but fired just too high.

The other good signs for Blackburn included the way that Steven Reid slotted into the role vacated by David Bentley on the right. It was his immaculate pass that sprang the Hull offside trap for Roberts's goal and he averted a danger at the end with a well-timed tackle on Bernard Mendy.

Rovers might have maintained more momentum if Dunn had not had to go off at half-time with an Achilles injury. With him or without him, however, they were not going to have an easy ride – not against a Hull side buoyant with all that early-season effort and optimism.

Goals: Roberts (38) 1-0; Garcia (40).

Blackburn Rovers (4-4-2): Robinson; Ooijer, Samba, Nelsen, Warnock; Reid, Mokoena (Tugay, 65), Dunn (Emerton, h-t), Pedersen; Santa Cruz, Roberts (McCarthy, 82). Substitutes not used: J Brown (gk), Simpson, Treacy, Derbyshire.

Hull City (4-4-1-1): Myhill; Ricketts, Turner, Gardner, Dawson (Mendy, 58); Fagan, Marney, Ashbee, Garcia (Barmby, 80); Geovanni (Folan, 64); King. Substitutes not used: Duke (gk), W Brown, Windass, Halmosi.

Referee: S Attwell (Warwickshire).

Booked: Hull Ashbee.

Man of the match: Reid.

Attendance: 23,439.

Fulham 1 Arsenal 0

2008-08-25T06:57:00.001-07:00

Arsenal losing at Fulham is a blip. The Premier League campaign has a long way to go.

There is no need to doubt their chances already. Let us not talk about a crisis at the Gunners

Well, we do not have to. Arsene Wenger and Emmanuel Adebayor are doing it for us.

Arsenal’s boss slated his defence and admitted this defeat could be significant in their season.

Meanwhile, their main hope of winning matches, Adebayor, conceded the alarm bells are already ringing and the team is lacking confidence.

He said: “Of course, we cannot afford to lose another game. As players, as a club playing for the title, we don’t want to lose a single game. But we have lost, the defeat is there. We cannot change that.

“We just have to keep on going, try to be focused a little better and achieve things. Now the title becomes a bit difficult, as we have lost the second game of the season.”

And if Arsenal fans think that is pessimistic, their top striker is already talking about wake-up calls.

He added: “I think losing here is going to be the best warning we can be given. We can’t think we are untouchable.”

Certainly, on this evidence, no one is likely to think any such thing. Fulham were quite simply the better team in every department.

From Brede Hangeland and Aaron Hughes’ heroics in defence through to the dynamic and assured central midfield of Danny Murphy and Jimmy Bullard.

Had those four players been in Arsenal shirts, the result undoubtedly would have been reversed.

Kolo Toure’s malaria continues to make him sluggish, while William Gallas is just playing like a snail. His meandering concentration and dead-slow reaction were to blame for Hangeland’s winner from Bullard’s precise corner routine with Murphy.

In the absence of Cesc Fabregas, who should return to face FC Twente on Wednesday, Wenger played Denilson and Emmanuel Eboue in central midfield.

He might as well have fielded a couple of cardboard cut-outs.

Both players were worse than anonymous. They misplaced passes and mistimed tackles. For most of the match, Arsenal were effectively two men short. Memories of Gilberto and Mathieu Flamini must have been painful for Wenger to bear, as he tore his hair out on the touchline.

Even worse was the way Bullard and Murphy were allowed to run the match without being made to work for it.

And to pile on the misery, there were the antics of Captain Comedy at the back.

Wenger’s already sunken brow was lower than ever as he passed verdict on the way they conceded the goal.

He said: “I feel the kind of mistake we made on the corner is not excusable.

“You can be beaten on the ball in the air by somebody who jumps higher than you but you cannot concede a goal in the middle of the goal, on the six-yard line. That’s where I feel we were guilty.

“It can happen that you are dominated in one half. I knew we would come back into the game but we must not make this kind of mistake.”

Roy Hodgson’s side will enjoy many similar days this season if they can reproduce the kind of commitment and industry they showed here.

Their workrate was typified by the terrier-like display of Bullard, who admitted just how close he came to retiring after a succession of injuries — the latest being an horrific dislocated kneecap.

He said: “I went through horrible times. But now I’m playing again I’m just enjoying every minute.

“I know how close I was to not making it, so every time I step on that pitch I just try and enjoy 90 minutes of football

“At one point, it was another op or hang-up-your-boots time.

“It was my decision. I wasn’t sure how it was going to go.

“But I stuck in there, did the rehab properly when it was bloody hard graft and stuck with the main surgeon, Dr Steadman, who I really cannot thank enough.

“He got my leg back to where it is, if not stronger.

“Days like these are special. That’s what you play footie for, to be honest, turning over Arsenal on your own patch.”

Newcastle 1 Bolton 0

2008-08-25T06:52:00.000-07:00

Michael Owen gave England's World Cup qualifying hopes a massive boost with a match-winning goal just 19 minutes into his latest comeback.

And Owen also staked a huge claim for a new contract when boss Kevin Keegan goes to London on Wednesday to present his case to owner Mike Ashley.

Newcastle's £17million striker came off the bench to head home the winner on 71 minutes from substitute Geremi's left-wing cross, giving the Magpies a win they barely deserved.

And that is great news for England boss Fabio Capello going into next month's double-header against Andorra and Croatia.

But the man Newcastle had to thank most was fit-again keeper Shay Given, who made a a fabulous penalty save from Kevin Nolan that dramatically changed the game.

Ashley and Keegan will have plenty to discuss before they get to the thorny issue of Owen's contract.

Keegan wants three new players before the transfer deadline closes, and on this evidence he badly needs them.

His problems were compounded when Obafemi Martins limped off on 52 minutes to be replaced by Owen.

Keegan believes the Nigerian will be out for up to three weeks with a groin injury.

But Keegan was delighted with the way Given and Owen came back from injury to put in match-winning displays.

The manager said: "The turning point was Shay Given's penalty save. Bolton had made it very difficult for us in the first half and if they had gone ahead we would have been in big trouble.

"Shay's save was like getting a goal because it set the crowd alight. It was every bit as important as Owen's goal."

Keegan is hoping that his meeting with Ashley will sort out the Owen contract issue, but he was coy about the board's attitude. He added: "You will have to ask them. But his display today has done his case no harm."

A cautious Bolton side had clearly come to play on the break and Newcastle simply didn't have the craft or guile in the first half to break the visitors down.

But Newcastle needed Given to prevent the visitors going ahead on 59 minutes. A cross from Gretar Steinsson was headed on by Joey O'Brien only for Toon centre back Steven Taylor to play the ball with his right arm. Bolton skipper Nolan stroked the ball low to Given's left, but the keeper went down smartly to scramble the ball away.

Bolton boss Gary Megson felt his side threw it away in the second half.

He said: "It was frustrating. We are angry with ourselves for not getting something from the match."

Martins had scorned a great chance to put Newcastle ahead when he got goal-side of Gary Cahill to get on the end of Geremi's cross. But Martins' header travelled across the face of goal without troubling Jussi Jaaskelainen.

That failed attempt signalled the end of Martins' contribution as he limped off. Owen came on - and the game turned on its head.

DID YOU KNOW?

This game was 0-0 last season, but Bolton won the previous meeting at St James' Park 2-1 with a double strike from Diouf.

HOW THEY RATED

NEWCASTLE

Given 9, Beye 6, Taylor 8, Coloccini 7, N'Zogbia 7, Milner 7, Butt 6, Guthrie 6, Gutierrez 6, Martins 6 (Owen 8), Duff 5 (Geremi 8).

Mark Schwarzer (Middlesbrough - Fulham) Free Transfer
David Stockdale (Darlington FC - Fulham) Undisclosed Fee
Zoltan Gera (West Brom - Fulham) Free Transfer
Andranik Teymourian (Bolton Wnderers - Fulham) Free Transfer
Toni Kallio (BSC Young Boys - Fulham) Free Transfer
John Paintsil (West Ham - Fulham) Combined Transfer Fee w/Zamora £6.3m
Bobby Zamora (West Ham - Fulham) Combined Transfer Fee w/Paintsil £6.3m
Fredrik Stoor (Rosenborg BK - Fulham) Undisclosed Fee
Pascal Zuberbuhler (Neuchatel Xamax - Fulham) Free Transfer
Andrew Johnson (Everton - Fulham) Undisclosed Fee

Players Out:

Brian McBride - Released
Philippe Christanval - Released
Tony Warner (Fulham - Hull City) Free Transfer
Dejan Stefanovic (Fulham - Norwich City) Undisclosed Fee
Elliot Omozusi (Fulham - Norwich City) Season Long Loan Deal
Nathan Ashton (Fulham - Wycombe) Undisclosed Fee
Hameur Bouazza (Fulham - Charlton Athletic) Loan Deal

Everton Transfers

2008-08-13T08:21:00.000-07:00

Everton Transfers:

Players In:

Players Out:

Mathieu Flamini (Arsenal - AC Milan) Free Transfer
Jens Lehmann (Arsenal - VfB Stuttgart) Free Transfer
Kerrea Gilbert (Arsenal - Leicester City) Season Long Loan
Gilberto Silva (Arsenal - Panathinaikos) Undisclosed Fee
Aliaksandr Hleb (Arsenal - Barcelona) £11.9million

What will Thaksin expect of Hughes this season?

2008-08-11T09:02:00.001-07:00

Last season was classed as a success for Man City by most people but not their owner Thaksin Shinawatra who sacked Sven Goran Eriksson despite their best finish in recent years. Sven was in the process of building a strong squad and things were looking promising for the future but Shinawatra didnt want to have to wait for success so got rid of Sven.

Hes now been replaced by Mark Hughes who did a good job at Blackburn but again Shinawatra will probably want instant success. He's been given plenty of financial backing and backed to sign Ronaldinho so again Shinawatra will have high hopes this season.

So what will Mark Hughes have to do this season to keep his boss happy? Will he be given more time or will he be expected to immediately break into the top four?

Can Liverpool challenge for the Title this season?

2008-08-11T08:58:00.001-07:00

: Can Liverpool challenge for the Title this season?

It has been nearly 20 years since Liverpool were last crowned the champions of the English League. This season however, the Scouse faithful are as enthusiastic as ever. In 2005, their dreams come true when Liverpool landed the European Cup, however for Liverpool fans, they want to be crowned League Champions once again.

So can Liverpool challenge for the title this season, or will they suffer another disappointing league campaign?

Is Carlos Tevez worth £35m?

2008-08-11T08:55:00.002-07:00

: Is Carlos Tevez worth £35m?

Manchester United are looking to break the British transfer record by securing the signature of Argentinian striker Carlos Tevez. Tevez has already become a fan favourite at Old Trafford, and is eager to remain at Manchester United.

So do you think it is vital for Manchester United to secure Carlos Tevez at Old Trafford? Is he worth £35m or would the money be better spent elsewhere?

Rumours Galore–

2008-08-11T08:55:00.001-07:00

Kaka to Chelsea–
If anyone has read Kaka's fourfourtwo.co.uk interview, you will know he sets himself goals and usually gets them done. He has accomplished all his goals EXCEPT play at the olympics for his country. And now with the Court of Arbitration ruling in favour of clubs and the clubs STILL letting their star players leave or stay, Kaka is a little peeved. However a deal is still a long way off.
if Chelsea do get Kaka, Milan will buy Diego from Werder Bremen.

KJ Huntelaar to ?–
Manchester United, he wants a move to Old Trafford and is expected to be the most cheapest option on Sir Alex's list. However, Sir Alex is eager to bring in a player who wouldn't mind playing second fiddle to Rooney and Tevez and still perform when brought in. Huntelaar In

Rafinha to Middlesborough??–
A reason why Southgate hasn't moved in for a RB yet is because he is having a look at the olympics and is looking for a young, quick RB.
Rafinha is fitting the bill and is seen only behind Daniel Alves for the National Squad.
HOWEVER a deal is way off because Fc Schalke rate hime very highly and his price will be very very inflated.

Scholari Wants All Four!

2008-08-11T08:54:00.001-07:00

: Big Phil - We want all four

Big Phil Scolari, Chelsea's new Brazilian manager, believes he has the squad at his disposal to win all four trophies this season. With and endless amount of financial backing and an array of superstars that most managers could only dream of, can he turn this team of superstars into a superstar team (if not one already in your eyes) to be remembered for the ages during the 08/09 season?

Chelsea failed to win a trophy last season - with the additions of Deco and Bosingwa, can they overcome the pressure, and the small matter of Manchester United, to take a strangehold on England and Europe and conquer all in front of them?

Newcastle to Sign Senderos

2008-08-11T08:51:00.000-07:00

Newcastle will sign Senderos in a deal which will include Given or NZogbia. Most likely, this will be Given as Newcastle are lining up his replacement, this being Rangers keeper Allan McGregor. Rangers fans be happy as Newcastle were prepared to push hard for Cuellar. Alan Smith will leave for Everton, to the fools that booed, he tried hard but we should never have paid so much for him in the first place. There are too many charlatons in the stands these days. Coloccini is a certainty. Rumours of a meeting with the Valencia hierachy regarding the purchase/loan of Zigic have yet to be officially confirmed. As stated before Jonas is gonna be a big hit so the next purchase may very well be Madrids Ruben de la Red or Udinese's Inler this will be settled during the Senderos deal as Arsenal are the front runners on both. An improved bid for Balckburns Warnock will be submitted and excepted. Whilst Enrique looks to be in great shape as well as form, he still is the only TRUE left back at the club.

Milan issue hands-off warning

2008-07-19T11:20:00.000-07:00

AC Milan insist Kaka is not for sale despite reports linking the Brazilian with a move to Chelsea this summer. The Serie A side released a statement in response to comments from Kaka's personal assistant Diogo Kotscho, who claimed on Saturday the player had set his heart on move to Stamford Bridge.
"Real Madrid offered 90 million euros last summer and Milan did not even think about the bid," Kotscho was quoted as saying in English newspaper The Guardian.
"This time is different. This is the first time we feel that a deal will definitely happen.
"Because of the situation Milan are in at the moment, the deal is good for all parties involved.
"The move would represent a significant increase in Kaka's salary, on top of the 10% transfer fee that goes straight to the player anyway - some 15 million euros.
"Chelsea are the club to be at right now. They are building a team to win everything."
But although Milan vice president Adriano Galliani revealed earlier this year the Premier League side had made an astronomical bid to sign the 26-year-old, the Rossoneri have again ruled out selling their most prized asset.
An Milan statement on Saturday read: "Regarding the comments published in today's "The Guardian" newspaper, Milan director of communications Vittorio Mentana reiterates that Kaka is absolutely not for sale."
The Brazil international is under contract with the Italian giants until June 2013.

IOC warns Barca over Messi

2008-07-19T11:19:00.000-07:00

Barcelona star Lionel Messi could be suspended if the club prevents him from playing in the Beijing Olympics.
The Argentinian Football Association (AFA) announced their squad at the beginning of July and included the forward.
However, the Games clash with the dates of the Champions League preliminary round and Barca have insisted they will do everything in their power to hold onto the 21-year-old.
But the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and FIFA have threatened to ban Messi from playing football for the duration of the Games, should the Catalan club fail to release him.
"FIFA have just reminded clubs that they must release their players," IOC president Jacques Rogge told Spain's Sport newspaper.
"The law indicates that if a team don't release a player, the footballer will be suspended during the period of the Games.
"That means that if the player doesn't go to Beijing, he won't be able to play for his club."
This has further narrowed Barca's already slim chances of preventing Messi from playing in Beijing.
Messi has said he wants to represent his country, while FIFA have reiterated that their rules stipulate players under the age of 23 must be released by their clubs for the Olympics

AC Milan -WHO WILL WEAR JERSY NO.10

2008-07-19T11:15:00.000-07:00

Leonardo wants to convince Clarence Seedorf to renounce at the number 10 jersey, wanted by the newcomer Ronaldinho

Kaka to Chelsea?

2008-07-19T11:14:00.000-07:00

According to the Guardian ( English newspaper ) , Chelsea are set to sign AC Milan's world player-of-the- year Kaka for a world-record fee of €100m (£79.2m).

African Players on a Move

2008-07-19T11:12:00.000-07:00

Three African star players could soon change clubs : Didier Drogba, Emanuel Adebayor and Samuel Eto'o. Until recently, AC Milan tracked all of them, but later decided to sign Ronaldinho. Now the three Africans are still wanted by other top European clubs and their possible departures could trigger some sort of domino effect in a "three-way dance". Latest rumours suggest that Adebayor could be the first to move. He is tracked by Barcelona, who are willing to offload Eto'o (he is on Guardiola's black list). With Adebayor joining Barcelona, Eto'o could move to Chelsea (since Scolari is keen on him and knows about Drogba's wish to quit Chelsea) and this could lead Drogba to sign for Real Madrid (who are seeking a short-term replacement for the aging Van Nistelrooy and who are feeling confident they can offer more money than Inter, despite Mourinho's bond with Drogba). Whatever will happen, some interesting developments are expected in the coming days.

Seria A Transfers

2008-07-18T19:34:00.000-07:00

AC Milan
In: Mathieu Flamini (free, Arsenal), Gianluca Zambrotta (€8.5 million, Barcelona), Marco Borriello (€10 + Davide Di Gennaro, Genoa), Christian Abbiati (loan return, Atletico Madrid), Ronaldinho (€25m, Barcelona)
Out: Alberto Gilardino (€13 million, Fiorentina), Yoann Gourcuff (loan, Bordeaux), Ricardo Oliveira (€10 mil, Real Zaragoza), Luca Antonelli (co-ownership, Parma), Davide Di Gennaro (part of Marco Borriello deal, Genoa), Cafu (released), Serginho (retired), Ibrahim Ba (retired), Valerio Flori (retired)
Atalanta
In: Jaime Valdes (undisclosed, Lecce), Christian Vieri (free, Fiorentina), Luca Cigarini (co-ownership, Parma)
Out: Antonio Langella (undisclosed, Udinese), Fernando Tissone (undisclosed, Udinese), Andrea Lazzari (co-ownership, Cagliari)
Bologna
In: Sergio Volpi (free, Sampdoria), Marco Bernacci (undisclosed, Ascoli), Christian Zenoni (undisclosed, Sampdoria), Diego Manuel Rodriguez (loan, Penarol), Coelho (loan, Corinthians)
Out: Riccardo Bonetto (loan, Livorno)
Cagliari
In: Federico Marchetti (undisclosed, Albinoleffe), Andrea Lazzari (co-ownership, Atalanta)
Out:
Catania
In: Tomas Kosicky (undisclosed, Inter Bratislava), Julian Di Cosmo (undisclosed, Igea Virtus), Ezequiel Alejo Carboni (undisclosed, Red Bull Salzburg), Pablo Ledesma (undisclosed, Boca Juniors), Nicolae Dica (€2m, Steaua), Giuseppe Colucci (undisclosed, Verona)
Out: Juan Manuel Vargas (undisclosed, Fiorentina)
Chievo
In: Stefano Sorrentino (free, AEK Athens)
Out: Matteo Alberti (undisclosed, QPR)
Fiorentina
In: Alberto Gilardino (€13 million, AC Milan), Stevan Jovetic (€8 million, Partizan Belgrade), Felipe Melo (€13m, Almeria), Gianluca Comotto (undisclosed, Torino), Juan Manuel Vargas (undisclosed, Catania), Jefferson (free, Parana)
Out: Tomas Ujfalusi (free, Atletico Madrid), Fabio Liverani (undisclosed, Palermo), Christian Vieri (released), Daniele Cacia (undisclosed, Piacenza)
Genoa
In: Abdelkader Ghezzal (undisclosed, Crotone), Davide Di Gennaro (part of Marco Borriello deal, AC Milan), Francesco Modesto (Reggina), Andrea Gasbarroni (undisclosed, Parma), Salvatore Bocchetti (co-ownership, Frosinone), Giuseppe Biava (undisclosed, Palermo), Steve Pinau (undisclosed, Monaco)
Out: Marco Borriello (€10 million + Davide Di Gennaro, AC Milan), Abdoulay Konko (undisclosed, Sevilla), Leon (undisclosed, Parma)
Inter
In: Stefano Giacomelli (loan, Foligno), Luis Antonio Jimenez (permanent deal, Ternana)
Out:
Juventus
In: Olof Mellberg (free, Aston Villa), Amauri (€22.7 million, Palermo), Albin Ekdal (€600,000, Brommapojkarna), Paolo De Ceglie (€3.5 mil, Siena), Giovinco (loan return, Empoli), Dario Knezevic (loan, Livorno), Christian Poulsen (€9.75m, Sevilla)
Out: Manuele Blasi (undisclosed, Napoli), Antonio Nocerino (€7.4 million, Palermo), Davide Lanzafame (€5m, Palermo), Antonio Mirante (co-ownership, Sampdoria), Raffaele Palladino (co-ownership, Genoa), Domenico Criscito (loan, Genoa), Lorenzo Del Prete (co-ownership, Siena)
Lazio
In: Juan Pablo Carrizo (€8 million, River Plate), David Rozenhal (undisclosed, Newcastle), Mauro Zarate (loan, Al Sadd), Stephan Lichtsteiner (€1.8m, Lille)
Out:
Lecce
In: Frank Feltscher (undisclosed, Grasshopper)
Out: Jaime Valdes (undisclosed, Atalanta), Elvis Abruscatto (undisclosed, Torino)
Napoli
In: Manuele Blasi (€2.6 mil, Juventus), Christian Maggio (undisclosed, Sampdoria), Leandro Rinaudo (€6 mil, Palermo)
Out: Roberto Sosa (free, Gimnasia La Plata), Andrea Cupi (free, Empoli)
Palermo
In: Antonio Nocerino (€7.4 million, Palermo), Marco Amelia (€6.5 million, Palermo), Fabio Liverani (undisclosed, Fiorentina), Simon Kjaer (undisclosed, FC Midtjylland), Tulio de Melo (free, Le Mans UC72), Igor Budan (€5m, Parma), Davide Lanzafame (€5m, Juventus)
Out: Amauri (€22.7 million, Juventus), Leandro Rinaudo (€6 mil, Napoli), Giuseppe Biava (undisclosed, Genoa), Christian Zaccaro (undisclosed, Wolfsburg), Andrea Barzagli (undisclosed, Wolfsburg)
Reggina
In: Giandomenico Mesto (undisclosed, Udinese)
Out: Francesco Modesto (undisclosed, Genoa), Kris Staadsgaard (undisclosed, Rosenborg), Nicola Amoruso (undisclosed, Torino), Ivan Castiglia (loan, Cittadella)
Roma
In: John Arne Riise (€5 mil, Liverpool)
Out: Ahmed Barusso (loan, Siena), Gianluca Curci (co-ownership, Siena)
Sampdoria
In: Antonio Cassano (undisclosed, Real Madrid), Paulo Sammarco (full ownership, AC Milan), Antonio Mirante (co-ownership, Juventus), Marius Stankevicius (undisclosed, Brescia), Marco Padalino (undisclosed, Piacenza), Daniele Dessena (co-ownership, Parma)
Out: Christian Maggio (undisclosed, Napoli), Sergio Volpi (free, Bologna), Fabrizio Cacciatore (loan, Triestina), Christian Zenoni (undisclosed, Bologna)
Siena
In: Ahmed Barusso (loan, Roma), Gianluca Curci (co-ownership, Roma), Lorenzo Del Prete (co-ownership, Juventus)
Out: Paolo De Ceglie (€3.5 mil, Juventus)
Torino
In: Sasa Bjelanovic (full ownership, Ascoli), Elvis Abruscatto (undisclosed, Lecce), Nicola Amoruso (undisclosed, Reggina)
Out: Gianluca Comotto (undisclosed, Fiorentina)
Udinese
In: Antonio Langella (undisclosed, Atalanta), Alexis Sanchez (undisclosed, River Plate), Fernando Tissone (undisclosed, Atalanta)
Out: Andrea Dossena (€8.8 million, Liverpool), Tomas Sivok (€4.7 mil, Besiktas), Giandomenico Mesto (undisclosed, Reggina), Tomas Zapotocny (undisclosed, Besiktas), Asamoah Gyan (€7.5m, Rennes)

Confirmed Transfer Rumours (till 17 july)

2008-07-18T19:28:00.000-07:00

Arsenal
In: Carlos Vela (returning from loan, work permit approved), Aaron Ramsey (£5m, Cardiff), Samir Nasri (£11m, Marseille)
Out: Mathieu Flamini (free, AC Milan), Jens Lehmann (free, Stuttgart), Alexander Hleb (£12m, Barcelona)
Aston Villa
In: Curtis Davies (undisclosed, West Brom), Steve Sidwell (£5m, Chelsea)
Out: Luke Moore (£3m, West Brom), Thomas Sorensen (released), Olof Mellberg (free, Juventus), Patrick Berger (free, Sparta Prague)
Blackburn Rovers
In: None
Out: Peter Enckelman (released), Stephane Henchoz (released), Bruno Berner (released), Raffaele De Vita (free, Livingston)
Bolton Wanderers
In: Fabrice Muamba (£5 mil, Birmingham), Johan Elmander (£11m, Toulouse)
Out: Ivan Campo (released), Stelios Giannakopoulos (released), Andranik Teimourian (free, Fulham), Daniel Braaten (exchange for Elmander, Toulouse), Kevin Wolze (left club, Vfl Wolfsburg)
Chelsea
In: Jose Bosingwa (£16.2m, Porto), Deco (£7m, Barcelona)
Out: Harry Worley (free, Leicester), Ben Sahar (loan, Portsmouth), Jimmy Smith (loan, Sheffield Wednesday), Hernan Crespo (released), Ryan Bertrand (loan, Norwich), Slobodan Rajkovic (loan, FC Twente), Steve Sidwell (£5m, Aston Villa)
Everton
In: None
Out: Lee Carsley (free, Birmingham City), Thomas Gravesen (released), Stefan Wessels (released), Darren Dennehy (free to Cardiff)
Fulham
In: Mark Schwarzer (free, Middlesbrough), David Stockdale (undiclosed, Darlington), Zoltan Gera (free, West Brom), Andranik Teimourian (free, Bolton), Toni Kallio (free, BSC Young Boys), Bobby Zamora & John Paintsil (£6.3m, West Ham)
Out: Carlos Bocanegra (released), Jari Litmanen (released), Philippe Christanval (released), Simon Elliott (released), Ian Pearce (released), Michael Timlin (released), Ismael Ehui (released), Bjorn Runstrom (released), Brian McBride (released), Tony Warner (free, Hull)
Hull City
In: Craig Fagan (£750k, Derby), Geovanni (free, Manchester City), Bernard Mendy (free, PSG), George Boateng (undisclosed, Middlesbrough), Peter Halmosi (undisclosed, Plymouth), Tony Warner (free, Fulham)
Out: Jay-Jay Okocha (released), David Livermore (released)
Liverpool
In: Philipp Degen (free, Borussia Dortmund), Andrea Dossena (undisclosed, Udinese), Vincent Lucas Weijl (undisclosed, AZ Alkmaar, Diego Cavalieri (undisclosed, Palmeiras)
Out: Harry Kewell (released), John Arne Riise (£4m, Roma), Anthony La Tallec (free, Le Mans), Peter Crouch (£11m, Portsmouth), Danny Guthrie (undisclosed, Newcastle)
Manchester City
In: Jo (£19m, CSKA Moscow)
Out: Ashley Grimes (undisclosed, Millwall), Andres Isaksson (undisclosed, PSV Eindhoven), Garry Breen (undisclosed, Hereford United), Sun Jihai (free, Sheffield United), Geovanni (released), Emile Mpenza (released), Paul Dickov (released).
Manchester United
In: Davide Petrucci (£200k, Roma)
Out: Kieran Lee (free, Oldham), Gerard Pique (£6m, Barcelona)
Middlesbrough
In:Didier Digard (£4m, PSG), Marvin Emnes (£3.2m, Sparta Rotterdam)
Out: Steve Thompson (free, Port Vale), Mark Schwarzer (free, Fulham), Jason Kennedy (free, Darlington), Fabio Rochemback (released), Gaizka Mendieta (released), Dong Gook Lee (released), George Boateng (undisclosed, Hull)
Newcastle United
In: Jonas Gutierrez (undisclosed, Real Mallorca), Danny Guthrie (undisclosed, Liverpool)
Out: Peter Ramage (free, QPR), Stephen Carr (released), David Rozenhal (£2.9m, Lazio)
Portsmouth
In: Glenn Little (free, Reading), Ben Sahar (loan, Chelsea), Peter Crouch (£11m, Liverpool)
Out: None
Stoke City
In: None
Out: Dominic Matteo (released), Russell Hoult (released), Marlon Broomes (released), Adam Garrett (released)
Sunderland
In: None
Out: Andy Cole (released), Ian Harte (released), Stanislav Varga (released), Stephen Wright (released), Greg Halford (loan, Sheffield United)
Tottenham
In: Luka Modric (£16.5m, waiting for work permit, Dinamo Zagreb), Giovani Dos Santos (initial £4.7m, upto £8.6m, Barcelona), Paul-Jose Mpoku (undisclosed, Standard Liege), Mirko Ranieri (undisclosed, Perugia), John Bostock (initial £700k, rising to £1.25m, Crystal Palace)
Out: Radek Cerny (released, QPR), Leigh Mills (loan, Brentford), Simon Dawkins (loan, Leyton Orient), Joe Martin (undisclosed, Blackpool), Tommy Forecast (undisclosed, Southampton)
West Brom
In: Luke Moore (£3m, Aston Villa), Do-heon Kim (£500k, Seongnam Ilhwa Shunma), Roman Bednar (£2.5m, Hearts), Gianni Zuiverloon (£2.3m, Heerenveen), Graham Dorrans (£100k, Livingston), Marek Cech (£1.4m, Porto)
Out: Luke Steele (free, Barnsley), Zoltan Gera (free, Fulham), Martin Albrechtsen (free, Derby), Curtis Davies (undisclosed, Aston Villa), Kevin Phillips (free, Birmingham)
West Ham
In:Orn Eyjolfsson (undisclosed, HK Kopavogur)
Out: Nolberto Solano (released), Bobby Zamora & John Paintsil (£6.3m, Fulham)
Wigan
In: Daniel De Ridder (free, Birmingham), Olivier Kapo (£2.5m, Birmingham)
Out: Josip Skoko (released), Salomon Olembe (released), Julius Aghahowa (undisclosed, Kayserispor), Andreas Granqvist (undisclosed, FC Groningen)

Ronaldinho Completes Transfer to AC Milan

2008-07-18T18:26:00.000-07:00

Brazilian soccer star Ronaldinho has moved from Barcelona to AC Milan in a deal reported to be worth almost 30 million dollars. It has been reported that AC Milan will pay Barcelona 18.5 million Euros (29.5 million dollars) for Ronaldinho. "I am very happy, after so much time I am eventually here. I am overjoyed to have arrived at Milan and hope to be able to give everyone so much to cheer about.” Ronaldinho said.

.AC Milan now has a number of stars that should give them a good chance in Serie A action this year. Ronaldinho joins Ricky Kaka, Alexandre Pato and Nelson Dida. "It's very pleasing to find so many Brazilians here but also a lot of champions wear the Milan shirt." Ronaldinho said.Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti is happy to have Ronaldinho with the team and is looking forward to improving the team from last year’s disappointing fifth place finish in Serie A. "The important thing is to have quality players and Ronaldinho is without doubt one of those," Ancelotti said. The combination of Ronaldinho with Kaka should make AC Milan very potent upfront. "We will play with a 4-3-2-1 formation. It's a model that has worked well for us and brought us great satisfaction. It's our trademark and it will be again this year, with or without Ronaldinho. Our only objective is to win playing good football. This is Milan," he added. AC Milan is not used to missing out on the Champions League and fans wanted immediate action. "We start the season wanting to improve; being out of the Soccer Betting Champions League is hard to take, therefore we will do everything to return there as soon as possible." Ancelotti said.Fans of AC Milan have reacted positively to the arrival of Ronaldinho. The club’s website has reported they have received 10 times more activity than normal. Over 5,000 season tickets were sold on Wednesday when Ronaldinho arrived in Milan. About 4,000 fans greeted Ronaldinho when he arrived in Milan.Ronaldinho will also be allowed by Milan to play for Brazil in the upcoming Olympics. "We respect the commitment he took before coming to Milan. If he had already been a Rossoneri he would not have gone but he will become ours during the week so we will let him go to the Olympics," Milan chief executive Adriano Galliani said.

Latest Transfer rumours

2008-07-17T08:16:00.000-07:00

ANDREI Arshavin has not ruled out a move to London with either Arsenal or Tottenham the likely candidates, Portsmouth would love to sign Chelsea winger Shaun Wright-Phillips and Robbie Keane is a priority for Liverpool rather than Aston Villa captain Gareth Barry.
TRANSFER RUMOURSZenit St Petersburg's attacking midfielder Andrei Arshavin has not ruled out a move to a London-based Premier League club this summer after he distanced himself from Real Madrid and with a transfer to Barcelona looking less likely by the day. - AFPContact between Arsenal and Barcelona regarding the Gunners' Emmanuel Adebayor appears to have 'broken' down as the La Liga side turn their attentions to Tottenham's Bulgarian striker Dimitar Berbatov. - MarcaPremier League sides Portsmouth and Blackburn along with Championship Ipswich are all interested in signing former Manchester United and Bolton midfielder Quinton Fortune, according to the South African player. - Sky SportsPortsmouth manager Harry Redknapp has admitted he would love to sign Chelsea's England winger Shaun Wright-Phillips for the FA Cup winners. - Sky Sports Real Madrid manager Bernd Schuster wants to sign Dutchman Rafael van der Vaart from Hamburg to partner him in the La Liga champions' midfield alongside his countryman Wesley Sneijder. - MarcaTottenham's Robbie Keane is now a priority signing for Liverpool, who will submit a new offer for the player after putting the Republic of Ireland striker ahead of Aston Villa captain Gareth Barry in their list of transfer targets. - VariousInter Milan manager Jose Mourinho have been told the Serie A champions must stump up £20m if they want to sign England midfielder Frank Lampard from Chelsea. - Daily StarBut the San Siro club are expected to wait until the final day of the transfer window before trying to secure Lampard's signature. - Daily MirrorChelsea's France midfielder Claude Makelele is expected to be the first high profile player to leave Stamford Bridge, with Paris St germain a possible destination. - The SunReal Madrid and Holland midfielder Wesley Sneijder has said the Spanish champions do not need Cristiano Ronaldo as he will "disrupt" the squad. He also accused the Portuguese winger of going missing in big games and said his wages will cause a dressing room revolt at the Bernabeu. - VariousSevilla winger Diego Capel has admitted he would consider leaving the Spanish club to join Tottenham who have been linked with a £12.5m bid for 20-year-old. - VariousTottenham full-back Pascal Chimbonda has been priced at £4m as Newcastle and Everton take a look at the former Wigan player. - The SunNewcastle United have missed out on signing Argentine midfielder Pablo Aimar, who has opted to join Benfica from Spanis club Real Zaragoza. - VariousMagpies boss Kevin Keegan has also had a £3m bid for Blackburn's former Liverpool full-back Stephen Warnock turned down by the Ewood Park club. - The TimesNewcastle manager Kevin Keegan will now turn his attentions to Steaua Bucharest's £2.5m-rated defender Dorin Goian, who is also wanted by Sunderland and Dynamo Kiev. - Daily StarCameroon midfielder Stephane M'Bia is set to become Everton's first signing of the summer in a £4m deal from Rennes. - Daily MirrorWigan have completed a £1m loan deal for Egyptian striker Amr Zaki with a view to a permanent move. - Daily MailLatics manager Steve Bruce has also lodged a £3m bid for Middlesbrough midfielder Lee Cattermole. - Daily MailFenerbache goalkeeper Volkan Demirel has been linked with a move to Manchester City. - The TimesBlackburn have taken Red Star Belgrade and Ecuador midfielder Segundo Castillo on trial and he may feature on the club's tour to Germany. - Daily MirrorRovers boss Paul Ince is also keen to take Keith Andrews, his captain while at MK Dons, to Ewood Park. - Daily MirrorInce has made a late bid to hijack Scott Carson's move to Stoke as Brad Friedel looks set to complete a move to Aston Villa. - Daily MailRobbie Savage's Derby career looks to be over after just six months at Pride Park as Paul Jewell looks to get the Welshman off the wage bill. - Daily MirrorFulham are ready to spend £3.5m to land Middlesbrough right-back Luke Young. - The SunBirmingham are in talks with Derby County for Scotland midfielder Stephen Pearson. - The TimesWolves have made a £1,75m bid for Sheffield Wednesday defender Mark Beevers. - Daily MirrorLuton Town, who will start life in League Two with a 30 point deduction, have put their entire playing staff up for sale. - Daily MirrorFOOTBALL GOSSIPEngland manager Fabio Capello has said he aims to meet all Premier League managers for a post match drink in order to build good relationships. - Daily ExpressManchester City manager Mark Hughes insists the £25m the club planned to spend on Ronaldinho will not go to waste. - Daily StarThe Premier League has appointed the Metropolitan Police's Commander charged with reducing violent crime, Barry Norman. His job will be to deflect youngsters into sport and football and away from knife, gun and gang crime. - Daily ExpressAND THE RESTManchester City are turning to feng shui in a bid to help them become successful on teh pitch. Magic crystals have been buried under the Eastlands turf and reception areas, offices and the club shop have been filled with lucky fortune trees, three-legged monkey toads and buddhas. - Daily MirrorA Group of Man City fans who hired a trawler to take them to watch their side's Uefa Cup qualifying game in the Faroe Islands had to abandon their trip due to stormy seas. After an eight drive to Aberdeen, followed by an overnight ferry to the Shetland Islands, the group were forced to turn around as the eight-foot Atlantic waves got the better of them. - VariousWest Ham's players are said to be angry after being forced to fly economy class in two separate planes for a friendly in Canada against MLS team Columbus Crew. The MLS had told West Ham they would be flown business class but the travel firm they were using went bust. - The SunPortsmouth have been granted permission for a new £15m training ground - as long as they help pay for the upkeep of local badgers. - Daily Star

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar to Move to England

2008-07-06T18:12:00.000-07:00

Ajax and Netherlands star Klaas-Jan Huntelaar has spoken of his love of Manchester United, with the striker expected to leave his homeland this summer.
The 24-year-old recently rejected the offer of a new contract from the Amsterdam club and seems certain to move on, with a number of clubs across the continent monitoring the situation.
"I love clubs with great history like Ajax, I also love Manchester United," Huntelaar told the Dutch media. "It's a club that makes me dream, especially as Ruud van Nistelrooy played there and did great things with them.
"I know certain English clubs are following me, like Manchester United, who are very interested in me."
Huntelaar, who is also being tracked by Real Madrid, has also been strongly linked with United's Premier League rival Arsenal.
A source close to the player told the News of the World: "Arsenal are keen on Huntelaar and he has confirmed he would be keen to discuss a move.
"Klaas-Jan is an out and out goalscorer, just the sort Arsenal have needed for many seasons.
"He might not have the silky skills you associate with an Arsene Wenger team, but he has an amazing knack for putting the ball in the net."
(Courtesy of sportbox.tv)

Chelsea make 'massive' Kaka offer

2008-07-06T18:00:00.001-07:00

AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani says Chelsea have made an "astronomical" bid for Kaka.
The Blues have long been linked with a move for 26-year-old World Player of the Year and their boss is now ex-Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari.
Galliani told Italian newspaper La Stampa: "We received an astronomical offer from Chelsea for Kaka."
Galliani did not say how much or when the offer was made for Kaka, who helped Milan win the Champions League in 2007.
The AC Milan vice-president also revealed the club have had interest in 29-year-old Italy midfielder Andrea Pirlo.
Pirlo's agent has been reported as saying in the Italian press he wants his client to be given the same wage as Kaka.
Chelsea_AlanBut Galliani added: "For Pirlo, there have been many requests. But neither Pirlo nor his agent have come into my office and asked me for an improvement in salary."
Galliani says selling Kaka and Pirlo would immediately stabilise Milan's finances, with the club having missed out on a place in next season's Champions League.
"All we would need to do in order to wipe out our debts is sell Kaka and Pirlo," he said.
AC Milan technical director Leonardo told BBC Sport last month it was "impossible" for Chelsea to sign Kaka.
Kaka himself revealed to BBC Sport in April he would not rule out the possibility of one day playing for one of the big clubs in the Premier League.

LAMPARD TO STAY AT CHELSEA

2008-07-04T19:37:00.000-07:00

Inter Milan boss Jose Mourinho says he does not expect to sign Frank Lampard this summer - but is "100% sure" he will rejoin him in Italy in a year.

The 30-year-old midfielder is a top target for his ex-Chelsea boss after Deco's £8m arrival at Stamford Bridge.
But Mourinho hinted Lampard may see out the last year of his deal.
He said: "For the next season it will be easier for him to join me at Inter. I'm 100% sure in 2009/2010 he will be playing here."
Mourinho believes Chelsea will resist any moves for Lampard from Inter this summer as new boss Luiz Felipe Scolari prepares to take charge.
"This season? I don't think so. Why won't he? Well, it's not because we don't want him to but I'm sure Chelsea officials and Chelsea and don't want to sell him," stated Mourinho.
Lampard is into the final 12 months of his contract at Chelsea and he is yet to commit his future to the club after reports that talks on a four-year deal had stalled.
And, despite Mourinho's downbeat message, BBC Radio 5 Live football correspondent Jonathan Legard still believes a deal to take Lampard to Serie A is on the cards.
He said: "Deco's arrival looks like hastening the departure of Frank Lampard, who has done little to quell long-term speculation that he is bound for a reunion with Jose Mourinho at Inter Milan.
"Barring a last-minute change of heart on both sides, it's a question of when he signs in Italy, not if."

CRESPO'S CONTRACT EXPIRES

2008-07-04T19:32:00.000-07:00

Striker Hernan Crespo has officially left Chelsea after the Argentine's contract at Stamford Bridge expired.
Crespo, 33 on Saturday, joined Chelsea in 2003 and scored 10 league goals in his first season for the Blues.
But he never settled at the London club and was loaned to Italian side AC Milan a year later.
Crespo returned to win the Premier League title in 2005/06 but was soon back in Italy and has spent the past two seasons on loan at Inter Milan.
Crespo is now a free agent and following former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho's appointment as Inter coach, he is reportedly keen to sign a permanent deal with the Italian champions.
Crespo was one of the first signings made by Claudio Ranieri after Roman Abramovich bought the club in 2003.
"We thank Hernan for his efforts in a Chelsea shirt, and wish him well in the future," said a Chelsea statement.

Latest Transfer Rumours

2008-07-04T19:21:00.000-07:00

Liverpool will not pay the £18m Aston Villa want for Gareth Barry but will include add-on clauses to the £15m bid for the midfielder. (The Sun)
Villa boss Martin O'Neill will use the Barry cash to help fund moves for David Bentley, Steve Sidwell and Anton Ferdinand as well as a keeper. (Daily Star)
606: DEBATE
Arsenal have been given a 'take-it-or-leave-it' £30m offer by Barcelona for striker Emmanuel Adebayor. (Various)
The Gunners are prepared to sell the Togo international and have targeted Blackburn's Roque Santa Cruz as his replacement. (Guardian)
The Gunners' hopes of capturing Spain's holding midfielder Marcos Senna have suffered a setback after Villarreal slapped a £25m price tag on him. (Daily Star)
Real Madrid say they will allow Manchester United a clear run at luring Tottenham striker Dimitar Berbatov if they are allowed to sign Cristiano Ronaldo from the Old Trafford outfit. (Various)
Ronaldo has not helped his relationship with the Red Devils by telling Portugal to appoint United assistant Carlos Queiroz as their national team boss. (Daily Mail)
But winger Ronaldo will stay at United and not move to the Bernabeu, according to his big sister Elma Aveiro. (The Sun)
Real Madrid will not give up their chase for Ronaldo and also want Chelsea striker Didier Drogba. (Daily Mirror)
Sunderland boss Roy Keane is preparing to lodge a £10m bid with Reading for midfielder Stephen Hunt and striker Kevin Doyle. (Various)
Everton are keen on France Under-21 international Sebastien Bassong and could get him for £2m from Metz as he has one year left on his contract. (Daily Mirror)
The Goodison Park outfit are also in the hunt to sign Turkey midfielder Mehmet Aurelio as his move to Real Betis appears to have fallen through. (Daily Telegraph)
Hull City's attempts to sign a striker will lead them to former Dutch international Roy Makaay, who is rated at £1.5m and currently at Feyenoord. (Daily Mirror)
Newcastle boss Kevin Keegan was impressed by Switzerland midfielder Gokhan Inler at Euro 2008 and wants to sign him from Udinese. (Daily Mirror)
Tottenham have had a £10m bid for Spartak Moscow striker Roman Pavlyuchenko rejected by the Russian side. (Daily Mirror)
Manchester City want an answer from Ronaldinho about whether he wants to move to the club. (Various)
Celtic are lining up a loan deal for Roma left-back Vitorino Gabriel Antunes. (Various)
John Robertson has offered to return to former club Hearts and manage them for free. (Various)
Hungarian coach Laszlo Csaba, currently in charge of Uganda, is a target for managerless Hearts. (Daily Record)
Rangers have withdrawn from the race for unsettled Aston Villa midfielder Shaun Maloney. (Mirror)
Albion Rovers want former Celtic and West Ham striker Frank McAvennie to take the manager's post at Cliftonhill. (Daily Record)
Walsall want to sign freed Aberdeen striker Steve Lovell. (Daily Expess)
Ipswich want Greece and Nuremburg striker Angelo Charisteas. (The Sun)

Dimitar Berbatov to Man Utd/Real Madrid

2008-07-04T19:13:00.000-07:00

UNITED could be about to walk into another fight with Real Madrid.And this time, the Reds could also be up against Barcelona.Spain's big two have emerged as Sir Alex Ferguson's biggest rivals in the race for Dimitar Berbatov. Tottenham's Bulgarian strike ace is top of the United boss's summer wish list - but the Londoners are reluctant to sell to a Premier League opponent.That stance has left the way open for Real - already at loggerheads with the Reds over their pursuit of Cristiano Ronaldo - and Barcelona, with Spurs willing to let their prize asset go abroad for less than the estimated £30m he could cost United.Berbatov, 27, has spoken openly of his admiration for the double winners' attacking approach, saying: "Giggs, Scholes and Rooney are all fantastic players and Ronaldo plays football from another planet."Fergie has already indicated he will probably make just one signing this summer with Berbatov his clear favourite.Should his way be blocked, he could then switch his attention to Blackburn's Roque Santa Cruz, who is also a target of City and new boss Mark Hughes, who has recently moved to the Blues from Rovers.Decision United, meanwhile, are insisting that no decision has yet been made as to whether Ronaldo will need surgery on his right ankle. Reports emerging from the Portuguese medical team suggested the wing sensation would have an operation in the next few days.But United issued their own statement about the injury, saying: "Procedures are in place to seek specialist advice, in order to finalise the treatment plan as soon as possible."United's medical staff met with the medical team from the Portuguese FA and Ronaldo."As a result, further specialist advice is being sought and an announcement will be made on any action in due course."Should it be decided an operation is required, which is likely, it could have a major impact over the Madeira-born winger's fitness for the start of the new season. And that may determine the pace of Real's bid to lure him to the Bernabeu.Ronaldo is not due back at Carrington for another fortnight and Fergie is yet to speak to him about Madrid's interest. He refused to comment on his future when he returned to Portugal after a headline- grabbing holiday in Sardinia."I can only say that I will spend the period of my recovery in my house in Sintra but regarding my future I cannot say anything," Ronaldo said.One hush-hush compromise to the saga could be Ronaldo staying at United for another season, while a deal with Real is thrashed out for his departure in 2009.

ROBINHO TO MOVE TO ENGLAND

2008-07-04T19:03:00.000-07:00

The Brazilian star, who moved to the Spanish capital club from Santos in 2005, still has two years left in his contract with the Merengues.However, Robinho is understood to be unhappy at Santiago Bernabéu ever since Real Madrid considered him for a player-plus-clash deal for Manchester United's in-demand Cristiano Ronaldo.And Robinho, who is being courted by Chelsea new boss, Luiz Felipe Scolari, may well terminate his contract with Real Madrid without just clause under the Webster ruling.According to Article 17 of FIFA's transfer regulations, any player who signs a deal when aged under 28 is able to unilaterally break that contract after just three years.Marca believes that, should Robinho terminate his contract with Real Madrid, a compensation of just €10 million will have to be paid to the club.Earlier this summer, FC Porto midfielder Paulo Assunção decided to break his contract with the Portuguese Champions and he is now on the verge of completing a move to Atletico Madrid.

Worst Five Transfer Rumours

2008-07-04T18:52:00.000-07:00

Lionel Messi to Zenit

It now looks like Andrei Arshavin will sign for Chelsea after being targetted by compatriot Roman Abramovich to join his team, but he was strongly linked with a move to the club he supported as a boy, Barcelona. According to the Russian press, Zenit were willing to let their star striker go to Camp Nou, but only if Lionel Messi went in the other direction. But that was not all because they also wanted €20m as well. That was more than enough to show that Barça had little chance of landing him and Joan Laporta and his board looked to have decided to turn their attention elsewhere.
Ronaldinho to LA Galaxy

It took Ronaldinho's brother and agent, Roberto de Assis, to finally deny that the player would be talking to the Los Angeles Galaxy because the money being talked about made this rumour a possibility. According to the English media, the MLS side had prepared a mega contract for the Brazilian to line him up alongside David Beckham. Around €18m-a-year were said to be on offer to lure the former PSG star to Hollywood. "My brother has five or six more years at the top of the game, so Galaxy is not an option," De Assis said, ending the American team's hopes in one fell swoop.
Marcos Senna to Genoa

Quite why Marcos Senna would consider joining a mid-table Serie A club after seeing his stock rise so considerably after a very strong display throughout the European Championships is a mystery, but Genoa were not to be peturbed. Juventus and Arsenal have also shown an interest, but even they have been knocked back by Villarreal. It may have only been a rumour, but it is believed that Genoa did send a fax to El Madrigal offering between €5m and €6m for the Brazilian-born midfielder. Can You imagine Fernando Roig's face when he read it?
Hernán Crespo to América

It is no secret that the big Mexican sides have large budgets and are accustomed to tempting Argentinian stars, but surely they cannot have expected to tempt Crespo from the glamour of Serie A to play in their league. How realistic was the proposition? Well, if one is to listen to the player's agent, Fernanod Hidalgo, it was not as far fetched as it may at first seem. "I do not know what could happen, but the reality is that there was contact, yes," he confirmed. "I know that they want to speak to Inter, to Hernán and to me. Ramón Díaz is also the new coach of América, so it could be interesting." Maybe we could in fact see the former Chelsea and AC Milan star strutting his stuff in Mexico after all.
Hakan Yakin to Hyundai Motors

The Swiss international may not be a superstar of world football and maybe 31 now, but he is still highly unlikely to head to the Far East just yet, despite the rumours of a lucrative move to Hyundai Motors. The Young Boys star scord three goals in Euro 2008 and has attracted interest from some big European sides and that has meant Hyundai's hopes are dashed. "It would have been better for us had he done nothing at the championships," a spokesman for the South Korean club said. "Now his price has been increased five or six times."Let us know if you think that there have been even more outrageous rumours and stories this summer, but remember to give your reasons why you think the new was completely made up or just could not happen.

Adebayor to Barcelona

2008-07-03T19:54:00.000-07:00

Barcelona lead the way in the chase for Emmanuel Adebayor after AC Milan withdrew their interest in the Arsenal striker. Milan had been pursuing Adebayor all summer, but baulked at the price-tag the Gunners placed on him, and vice president Adriano Galliani announced on Wednesday that they had given up. "I will not spend 45m euros on a player," he said. "The figures just aren't compatible with what the Italian clubs can afford. If the price goes down then a deal could be reached." Arsenal apparently rejected a bid from Barcelona for Adebayor on Wednesday, while his agent Stephane Courbis has insisted that money is not the issue for his client. "It is vital that Arsenal show their motivation to keep him," Courbis said in the Daily Star. "There has been a love story between Adebayor and Arsenal and his relationship with Arsene Wenger is based on trust and respect."

Chelsea Enter in Arshavin Race

2008-07-03T19:18:00.000-07:00

Chelsea have emerged as leading contenders to sign Zenit St Petersburg and Russia star Andrei Arshavin. The 27-year-old is a target for several of Europe's top clubs, having made known his desire to leave his homeland after impressing at Euro 2008, with Barcelona his preferred destination. However, Zenit officials have confirmed that the Blues could step in to land Arshavin. Spokesman Konstantin Sarsania told the Daily Star: "On Thursday, players from the national team return to our training camp. Arshavin and his agent, Pavel Andreev, are to clarify their position with us then. We do not want to sell Arshavin. That's exactly why we need Andrei to meet the bosses of the club, to understand that he is really after. My understanding was that he would like to go and play abroad, but he isn't only interested in moving to Barcelona. There's also Chelsea. Andrei never rejected the idea of moving there. The Chelsea bosses know the situation and have already talked to his agent."

La Liga Transfer List

2008-07-03T19:11:00.000-07:00

Almeria
In: Esteban Solari (undisclosed, Pumas), Pablo Piatti (undisclosed, Estudiantes La Plata), Michel (undisclosed, Flamengo), David Moreno (undisclosed, Real Madrid)
Out: Felipe Melo (€13m, Fiorentina)
Athletic Bilbao
In: Jose Garcia Del Olmo (undisclosed, Eibar)
Out: Asier Del Horno (loan return, Valencia)
Atletico Madrid
In: Tomas Ujfalusi (free, Fiorentina), Johnny Heitinga (€10m, Ajax)
Out: Falcon (free, Celta), Mista (free, Deportivo), Braulio Nobrega (undisclosed, Zaragoza), Cuellar (free, Murcia)
Barcelona
In: Seydou Keita (€14 mil, Sevilla), Daniel Alves (€32 mil, Sevilla), Martin Caceres (€16.5 mil, Villareal), Jose Manuel Pinto (€500k, Celta)
Out: Edmilson (free, Villareal), Giovani Dos Santos (£4.7m initially, Tottenham), Gianluca Zambrotta (undisclosed, AC MIlan), Dimas (free, Numancia), Deco (£7m, Chelsea)
Deportivo La Coruna
In: Filipe Luis Kasmirski (€2.2m, Rentistas), Oscar Bravo (free, Guadalajara), Mista (free, Atletico Madrid)
Out:
Espanyol
In: Jose Maria Callejon (€1.2m, Real Madrid), Gregory Beranger (undisclosed, Numancia), Cristian Dario Alvarez (undisclosed, Rosario Central)
Out: Jordi Gomez (loan, Swansea), Federico Bessone (free, Swansea)
Getafe
In: Eugen Polanski (free, Borussia M’Gladbach), Ibrahim Kas (free, Besiktas), Adrian Gonzalez (
Out: Pablo Hernandez (undisclosed, Valencia), Ruben de la Red (undisclosed, Real Madrid), Esteban Granero (loan return, Real Madrid)
Malaga
In:
Out:
Mallorca
In:
Out: Fernando Navarro (undisclosed, Sevilla)
Numancia
In: Dimas (free, Barcelona)
Out: Gregory Beranger (undisclosed, Espanyol)
Osasuna
In: Roberto (undisclosed, Sporting de Gijon), Nikolay Dimitrov (€1.5m, Levski Sofia), Inaki Astiz Ventura (loan return, Legia Warsaw), Sunny (loan, Valencia0
Out: Javi Garcia (€4 mil, Real Madrid)
Racing Santander
In:
Out: Ezequiel Garay (€10 mil, Real Madrid)
Real Betis
In:
Out:
Real Madrid
In: Ezequiel Garay (€10 mil, Racing Santander), Ruben de la Red (undisclosed, Getafe), Esteban Granero (loan return, Getafe), Javi Garcia (€4 mil, Osasuna)
Out: Antonio Cassano (undisclosed, Sampdoria), Jose Maria Callejon (€1.2m, Espanyol), David Moreno (undisclosed, Almeria), Javier Balboa (undisclosed, Benfica)
Recreativo Huelva
In: Marco Ruben (loan, Recreativo)
Out: Edu Moya (free, Celta), Carlos Martins (€3m, Benfica)
Sevilla
In: Lautaro Acosta (€7 mil, Lanus), Fernando Navarro (undisclosed, Mallorca), Abdoulay Konko (undisclosed, Genoa), Romaric (€8m, Le Mans)
Out: Seydou Keita (€14 mil, Barcelona), Daniel Alves (€32 mil, Barcelona)
Sporting de Gijon
In:
Out: Roberto (undisclosed, Sporting de Gijon)
Valencia
In: Pablo Hernandez (undisclosed, Getafe), Asier Del Horno (loan return, Athletic Bilbao)
Out: Lillo (loan, Murcia), Montoro (loan, Murcia), Marco Caneira (€1.5m, Sporting Lisbon), Sunny (loan, Osasuna)
Valladolid
In:
Out: Joseba Llorente (undisclosed, Villareal)
Villareal
In: Edmilson (free, Barcelona), Joseba Llorente (undisclosed, Valladolid), Jozy Altidore (€6.4 mil, New York Red Bulls), Robert Flores (undisclosed, River Plate), Sebastien Eguren (€1.3m, Hammarby)
Out: Martin Caceres (€16.5 mil, Barcelona), David Fuster (free, Elche), Rio Mavuba (€7m, Lille), Marco Ruben (loan, Recreativo)

EPL Fixtures

2008-07-03T18:56:00.000-07:00

Saturday, 16 August 2008

Arsenal vs West Brom

Aston Villa vs Man City

Bolton vs Stoke

Chelsea vs Portsmouth

Everton vs Blackburn

Hull City vs Fulham

Man Utd vs Newcastle

Middlesbrough vs Tottenham

Sunderland vs Liverpool

West Ham vs Wigan

C.RONALDO TRANSFER SPECULATIONS INTENSIFY

2008-07-03T18:25:00.000-07:00

According to radio station Onda Cero, Real Madrid have reached a "principle of agreement" with Manchester United over the Portuguese star, who has been under the radar of the Merengues following a topnotch season at Old Trafford.Although Manchester United are reluctant to part with Ronaldo, they prefer doing business for the 23-year-old rather than having one of their valuable pieces unhappy in their ranks.It is understood that Ronaldo's transfer to Santiago Bernabéu will be officialized in the next few days and will involve a fee in the region of 90 million euros, thus becoming the most expensive transfer fee in football history, if confirmed.The 2007/08 European Golden Shoe award winner, who joined Manchester United from Sporting CP in 2003 for a fee of €15 million, scored a total of 42 goals for The Red Devils last season.

FIFA WORLD RANKINGS

2008-07-03T17:50:00.000-07:00

FIFA Rankings (July 2008):
(previous position in brackets)
1. (4) Spain

2. (3) Italy

3. (5) Germany

4. (2) Brazil

5. (10) Netherlands

6. (1) Argentina

7. (15) Croatia

8. (6) Czech Republic

9. (11) Portugal

10. (7) France

11. (24) Russia

12. (12) Romania

13. (13) Cameroon

14. (20) Turkey

15. (9) England

16. (17) Scotland

17. (18) Bulgaria

18. (8) Greece

19. (14) Mexico

20 (16) Ghana

2008-07-03T17:43:00.000-07:00

The official Euro 2008 team of the tournament:
Goalkeepers:

Gianluigi Buffon (Italy),

Iker Casillas (Spain),

Edwin van der Sar (Netherlands).
Defenders:

Bosingwa (Portugal),

Philipp Lahm (Germany),

Carlos Marchena (Spain),

Pepe (Portugal),

Carles Puyol (Spain),

Yuri Zhirkov (Russia).
Midfielders:

Hamit Altintop (Turkey),

Luka Modric (Croatia),

Marcos Senna (Spain),

Xavi Hernández (Spain),

Konstantin Zyryanov (Russia),

Michael Ballack (Germany),

Cesc Fàbregas (Spain),

Andrés Iniesta (Spain),

Lukas Podolski (Germany),

Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands).
Forwards:

Andrei Arshavin (Russia),

Roman Pavlyuchenko (Russia),

Fernando Torres (Spain),

David Villa (Spain).

Xavi Hernandes (Spain) wins the Player of the Tournament award.

EPL confirmed transfers (1st july)

2008-07-01T18:54:00.000-07:00

All Premier League transfers going through in the summer of 2008 are on this page. For our transfer rumours column see our transfer news section.
This page is updated frequently, so if you find a transfer not listed here put it in the comments and we’ll add it. This page lists Premier League clubs only, and confirmed transfers only.Last Updated: 1 July 2008
Arsenal
In: Carlos Vela (returning from loan, work permit approved), Aaron Ramsey (£5m, Cardiff)
Out: Mathieu Flamini (free, AC Milan), Jens Lehmann (free, Stuttgart)
Aston Villa
In: None
Out: Luke Moore (£3m, West Brom), Thomas Sorensen (released), Olof Mellberg (free, Juventus), Patrick Berger (free, Sparta Prague)
Blackburn Rovers
In: None
Out: Peter Enckelman (released), Stephane Henchoz (released), Bruno Berner (released)
Bolton Wanderers
In: Fabrice Muamba (£5 mil, Birmingham), Johan Elmander (£11m, Toulouse)
Out: Ivan Campo (released), Stelios Giannakopoulos (released), Andranik Teimourian (free, Fulham), Daniel Braaten (exchange for Elmander, Toulouse)
Chelsea
In: Jose Bosingwa (£16.2m, Porto), Deco (£7m, Barcelona)
Out: Harry Worley (free, Leicester)
Everton
In: None
Out: Lee Carsley (free, Birmingham City), Thomas Gravesen (released), Stefan Wessels (released), Darren Dennehy (free to Cardiff)
Fulham
In: Mark Schwarzer (free, Middlesbrough), David Stockdale (undiclosed, Darlington), Zoltan Gera (free, West Brom), Andranik Teimourian (free, Bolton).
Out: Carlos Bocanegra (released), Jari Litmanen (released), Philippe Christanval (released), Simon Elliott (released), Ian Pearce (released), Michael Timlin (released), Ismael Ehui (released), Bjorn Runstrom (released), Brian McBride (released)
Hull City
In: None
Out: Jay-Jay Okocha (released), David Livermore (released)
Liverpool
In: Philipp Degen (free, Borussia Dortmund)
Out: Harry Kewell (released), John Arne Riise (£4m, Roma), Anthony La Tallec (free, Le Mans)
.Manchester City
In: None
Out: Ashley Grimes (undisclosed, Millwall)
Manchester United
In: None
Out: Kieran Lee (free, Oldham), Gerard Pique (£6m, Barcelona)
Middlesbrough
In: None
Out: Steve Thompson (free, Port Vale), Mark Schwarzer (free, Fulham), Jason Kennedy (free, Darlington), Fabio Rochemback (released), Gaizka Mendieta (released), Dong Gook Lee (released)
Newcastle United
In: None
Out: Peter Ramage (free, QPR), Stephen Carr (released), David Rozenhal (£2.9m, Lazio)Portsmouth
In: Glenn Little (free, Reading)
Out: None
Stoke City
In: None
Out: Dominic Matteo (released), Russell Hoult (released), Marlon Broomes (released), Adam Garrett (released)
Sunderland
In: None
Out: Andy Cole (released), Ian Harte (released), Stanislav Varga (released), Stephen Wright (released)
Tottenham
In: Luka Modric (£16.5m, waiting for work permit, Dinamo Zagreb), Giovani Dos Santos (initial £4.7m, upto £8.6m, Barcelona), Paul-Jose Mpoku (undisclosed, Standard Liege)
Out: Radek Cerny (released, QPR), Leigh Mills (loan, Brentford)
West Brom
In: Luke Moore (£3m, Aston Villa), Do-heon Kim (£500k, Seongnam Ilhwa Shunma), Roman Bednar (£2.5m, Hearts)
Out: Luke Steele (free, Barnsley), Zoltan Gera (free, Fulham), Martin Albrechtsen (free, Derby)West Ham
In: None
Out: Nolberto Solano (released)WiganIn: Daniel De Ridder (free, Birmingham)Out: Josip Skoko (released), Salomon Olembe (released), Julius Aghahowa (Kayserispor)

Spain win Euro 2008

2008-07-01T18:48:00.000-07:00

Fernando Torres' clinical finish gave Spain their first trophy win for 44 years.The Liverpool striker did superbly to latch on to a Xavi pass, skip past the challenge of Philipp Lahm and dink the ball over Jens Lehmann to give Spain a 33rd minute lead.Jubilant: Spanish players celebrate defeating Germany thanks to Fernando Torres' goalThe impressive Torres had also earlier hit the post with a header as Spain recovered from a slow start to take control of the match.Spanish coach Luis Aragones opted for a 4-1-4-1 formation this evening with Cesc Fabregas the closest line of support to Fernando Torres up front. Germany named Michael Ballack and Torsten Frings as fit and manager Joachim Low once again fielded the 4-5-1 formation.Miroslav Klose led the Germans up front and it was him that opened the attacking opportunities following a defensive mistake by Sergio Ramos. Spain's Carles Puyol did just enough to put the German's strike off target. For the opening ten minutes the game was all Germany, they looked a far more assured side to that which faced Turkey last week. Before Spain even got a look in their goalkeeper Carles Puyol had seen most of the action.Spain then found their forma dominated the rest of the first half. The German's did not learn from their mistakes and time after time Spain were getting in their fast runs down the wings and getting in behind their defenders around goal. A superb pass by Xavi put Andres Iniesta in behind full-back Arne Friedrich and the Barcelona man's subsequent low cross was deflected goalwards by Metzelder, and it needed a finger-tip save from Jens Lehmann to keep the ball out. Torres had the next chance which to Jens Lehmann's relief hit the outside of his post after the Liverpool player headed Ramos' cross in the German's direction.advertisementIn a brief break-out by Germany, screams for a penalty were ignored as Ballack's Ballack's shot was blocked by Ramos - but replays showed the ball hit the defender's midriff.On 33 minutes Torres had his moment. Xavi threaded the ball through and the Liverpool man did superbly to escape the attentions of Philipp Lahm before clipping the ball over the outward running Lehmann and into the net. Minutes later Spain could have made it 2-0 but David Silva's attempt from Iniesta's volley shot to the back row of the stadium.Germany subsequently went down to 10 men while Ballack received treatment to a facial injury. As the half approached Germany were being out-run by Spain who cruising along didn't look like they wanted the half to end.Loew made a change during the break bringing Marcell Jansen for his Bayern Munich team-mate Lahm. In spite of the change Spain still looked the more threatening side with Torres almost scoring an exact replica of his first goal, Lehmann made a fantastic save to keep his side in with a chance.Germany began to look brighter and Ballack almost pulled it back level after 60 minutes when his shot went painfully close to the bottom left corner.Tensions started to mount in the 65th minute when Silva and Lukas Podolski went head-to-head, and Germany players raged that Silva had made contact with Podolski's face – the Valencia player was lucky to get away without a booking.The Spanish attack came back at the Germans again and again. Their defence poor only Lehmann was ensuring the score line was not doubled. Ramos had a header punched off the line by Lehmann – German defender Marcell Jansen did very little to help his goalkeeper.Fernando Torres was taken off after 80 minutes, a change that did not alter the Spanish performance. Germany;s second half showed constant glimpses of chances which amounted to nothingAs the final whistle was blown the Spanish squad stormed on to the pitch to celebrate becoming Euopean Champions 2008.

Didier Drogba to Real Madrid

2008-05-04T19:10:00.000-07:00

Chelsea striker Didier Drogba would consider a move to Real Madrid this summer, according to his agent. The Ivory Coast international has been tipped to leave Stamford Bridge during the close season with a switch to Internazionale - where he would link up again with former Blues boss Jose Mourinho - reported to be his preferred choice. But Drogba's agent, Pierre Frelot, has suggested a move to Spain with Real would also be an attractive proposition. The 30-year-old former Marseille hitman has scored 80 goals during four seasons with the Stamford Bridge club. When asked whether a move to Madrid would interest his client, Frelot replied: "Why not? Didier is calm because he is at a great club like Chelsea, but Real Madrid are also a great club."