It is being reported in Mirror Football that Scott Parker will be allowed to leave West Ham United in the summer – if the club is relegated and Manchester City and Spurs are likely to head the queue for his services.
Parker does not have an official clause written into his four-year contract – but there is believed to be a verbal agreement, should West Ham be relegated that Parker can move to a Premier League club. Spurs would not look to increase his £60,000 per week wages and it’s now looking unlikely that they would be able to offer Champions League football. Manchester City on the other hand could offer to treble Parker’s current wages and are now looking likely to be able to offer Champions League football.
The interest in Parker is not much of a surprise because he has been in superb form this season. He has been a standout player for West Ham that has led him to be voted the FWA Footballer of the Year and also appeared in England squads. Parker has represented England twice this season and played 30 Premier League games for West Ham and even managing to score 5 Premier League goals.
However, Parker may choose to remain in London for personal reasons. His father recently passed away and at this time Parker is reluctant to leave his mother.
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Sir Alex Ferguson was named the League Manager Association’s Manager of the Year on Monday.It is the third time the Scot has collected the award and is a double as he also won the Premier League’s Manager of the Year prize, after leading Manchester United to the English title and a Champions League final.
Ferguson, speaking via video link at the awards ceremony in London, said he was honoured to bag the award.
“It’s a wonderful honour. It has been a fantastic season for us in the most difficult league in the world,” the Scot said.
It was United’s 19th Premiership title – a record in the English top flight – while they also went through the season unbeaten at their Old Trafford home.
Ferguson will be hoping to collect the Champions League trophy for the third time as United take on Barcelona in the final at Wembley on Saturday.
Norwich boss Paul Lambert was named Championship manager of the year after his side earned promotion to the Premier League by finishing second to Queens Park Rangers.
Brighton manager Gus Poyet and Chesterfield’s John Sheridan claimed the League One and League Two honours respectively.
CONCACAF general secretary Chuck Blazer claims suspended FIFA vice-president Jack Warner has violated the terms of his ban.On Tuesday, Warner urged members of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) to vote for current FIFA president Sepp Blatter in Wednesday’s election.
But with Trinidadian Warner suspended from all football-related activity after being implicated in a bribery scandal with Asian Football confederation president Mohamed Bin Hammam, Blazer sees the move as a breach of that suspension.
Warner and Bin Hammam – the latter of who was originally slated to contest the election against incumbent Blatter – are alleged to have paid cash to CFU officials in return for them voting for Bin Hammam in the June 1 poll.
Qatari Bin Hammam pulled out of the election on Sunday, and later that day the pair were suspended from all football activity.
“We have clear evidence of a violation of his (Warner’s) suspension and we have reported that to the FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke,” Blazer said.
“He has also been meeting with (CONCACAF) members, which is against the rules of the suspension.”
Warner’s letter urged CFU members to vote for Blatter in Wednesday’s poll and implored them not to use the FIFA Congress to stage a protest.
“At our last meeting we agreed as a union to support the incumbent Joseph ‘Sepp’ Blatter in his quest to regain the presidency,” Warner wrote.
“I wish to assure you nothing has changed. Our mandate was set then and despite it all we must fulfil it.”
Warner was also adamant that there should be no protest on his behalf on Wednesday.
“I, Jack Warner, a servant and believer in the principles of this beautiful game do humbly besiege (sic) you, my brothers and sisters from the Caribbean Football Union to desist from initiating any protest action at tomorrow’s FIFA Congress,” he wrote.
Meanwhile, CONCACAF interim president Lisle Austin – appointed to the role on Monday after Warner’s suspension – has asked Blazer to explain his decision to engage Chicago law firm Collins and Collins to investigate Warner, leading to his suspension.
Austin also asked Blazer to cease working with Collins and Collins.
Barcelona vice-president Josep Bartomeu yesterday announced that there was “no rush” to sign Cesc Fabregas, and that the club would be willing to wait until the last minute of the transfer window should they need to in order to gain the services of the Arsenal skipper. Speculation surrounding Fabregas’ future has dominated the headlines for two summer transfer windows now, and the Spaniard has made no secret of his desire to return to his boyhood club despite the protests of Arsene Wenger and the Arsenal board. Last season Arsenal rejected two bids from Barcelona believed to be in the region of £30m, however their valuation of the midfielder appears to have dropped this year and in their most recent attempt to lure Fabregas to the Nou Camp, the European champions were only willing to offer around £27m.
We are led to believe that at the right price, Arsenal would reluctantly allow Fabregas to leave the club, and it had been expected that Barcelona would return with an improved offer that the two clubs would agree on. However Arsenal cannot afford to wait until the last day of the transfer window to decide whether or not the offer on the table is good enough for their talisman. A player of Fabregas’ calibre would need to be replaced, and a sufficient replacement will take time to locate and almost certainly come at a hefty price. For the sake of Arsenal’s progress in the transfer window then, Wenger must obtain the funds from Fabregas’ sale sooner rather than later. Arsenal must emphasise to Barcelona that if they wish to sign Cesc Fabregas then an offer needs to be made relatively soon – Bartomeu’s plan to hold out until the last day of the transfer window is simply not an option.
Cesc Fabregas is not the only player who has been linked with a move away from the Emirates this season, and with Gael Clichy already completing his £7m move to Manchester City, and an alleged interest in Samir Nasri from all of the other ‘top four’ clubs, the Arsenal board must surely have some targets or potential replacements in mind should they lose two of their top players. Wenger has often been criticised for his refusal to spend big sums of money in the transfer market, however the sale of either Fabregas or Nasri would provide the Frenchman with the kind of money that he has been short of, particularly since the club moved to the Emirates stadium in 2006 – a project costing almost £400m.
Arsenal are rumoured to be interested in a number of big names this season which would suggest that Wenger is willing to dig a little deeper into his pockets in order to strengthen his side. The signing of French forward Gervinho from Lille was considered a signal of intent from the Arsenal board, however the sale of Gael Clichy emphasises that the club must be willing to sell in order to buy. Whilst Gael Clichy may be seen as a player that is ‘easily replaceable’ by some Arsenal fans, the likes of Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas would undoubtedly be missed, and would ultimately be incredibly difficult to replace.
The likes of Juan Mata and Eden Hazard are just two of the names that Wenger is rumoured to be interested in bringing to the Emirates and despite their youth, these players are likely to be valued at over £20m. Arsenal are also likely to be looking for a goalkeeper that they can rely on, as well as defenders that know how to defend. The likes of Gary Cahill and Christopher Samba have been linked with a move to the club throughout this transfer window, but again these kind of players will come at a price for Arsene Wenger; a price that is likely to need funding through the departure of one or two key players.
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With regards to Cesc Fabregas, there seems to be two options available. Wenger can either allow Barcelona to bide their time and make an offer when it suits them, or he can give them a deadline or a time frame within which an agreement would need to be made between the two clubs. Opting for the former would mean that, come August 31st, should Barcelona meet their valuation of Cesc Fabregas, Wenger would have little option but to allow his captain to leave – without replacement. Of course this offer could still be rejected, but then the club would be holding Fabregas against his will and this, as we have learned through the likes of Dimitar Berbatov and Fernando Torres, will almost certainly have negative repercussions on both player and club.
It seems clear that in order to benefit in any way from the sale of Cesc Fabregas, Arsenal must insist on a deal being agreed well before the closing of the transfer window. Although the process of identifying a suitable replacement for their playmaker is sure to be underway, Arsenal cannot afford to hold out as long as Barcelona are willing to. Should Fabregas stay at Arsenal, Barcelona know that they have the likes of Iniesta, Xavi and Mascherano to fall back on. Should he leave, Arsenal know that they do not have players of this ability to step in. Arsenal must make it clear that any plans to bide time over signing Cesc Fabregas can be forgotten; Barcelona must make an offer soon, or not make an offer at all.
There is a rare beast in North London, a creature seen so scarcely its very existence has been questioned. Its name is the Tottenham Hotspur home-grown player. First team sightings are so few they can be counted on the fingers of one hand in recent years.
We are not talking here about players who fit the new home-grown criteria set to be introduced for the next premiership season, players like Dawson, Huddlestone and Lennon for example. We are talking about products of the Academy, the Spurs youth setup, brought in as youngsters and turned into top quality, valuable players.
According to the Spurs website, their ethos is: ‘to recruit the best potential which can be developed by the best coaches, working in the best facilities..’ but the results have been pitiful. They currently have Ledley King and Peter Crouch (even though the latter failed to make an appearance for the club as a youngster) representing the academy, before that we are harking back to such club legends as Luke Young, Dean Marney and Jamie O’Hara. There is no haul here, no golden era, not even close to a steady trickle.
The failure of youth team players to make it into the first team has been a problem for the past 20 years, and whilst the current crop of youth players look highly promising, it will be interesting to see how many actually make it.
During Tottenham’s many years of disappointment, Arsenal, West Ham, Manchester City and Manchester United have all nurtured top premiership talents. The recent approach at Spurs lodge has been to buy this young talent, developed elsewhere, before it gets too expensive. Whilst this policy has proved successful with the likes of Huddlestone, Lennon and even Bale, it is an acknowledgement of the failure of the club’s own development programme and also a nod to the need for instant success at this level.
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However, with the need for a new stadium looming, and the prospect of a severe belt tightening with it. The financial need of developing at least some home-grown talent will become apparent. Buying young players from other more successful academies to cover up the inadequacies of the youth programme is a short-term solution and an unsustainable one.
Harry Redknapp’s involvement at West Ham during the period in the 90’s that saw them bring through, Ferdinand, Cole, Lampard, Carrick and Defoe should encourage as surely he understands the importance of the youth system, but Spurs have a lot of catching up to do.
Roma stars Francesco Totti and Simone Perrotta are excited with the plans set in place by new manager, Luis Enrique.The legendary midfielder, who starred for Barcelona and Real Madrid throughout a terrific career, took over from caretaker Vincenzo Montella, who initially replaced Claudio Ranieri, who resigned in February.
The permanent appointment has kickstarted a new era at Roma, with the players pleased with the coach’s new tactics.
“The system and methods proposed by the coach are new, interesting and above all very stimulating,” Totti told the club’s official website.
“The sessions began in earnest today at Riscone di Brunico. We are only at the start: day by day we will discover new things and settle into this different reality.”
“Everything depends on us and it’ll be our duty to put in the maximum effort right from now.”
Enrique is keen to implement a new style of football at the club, focusing on possession, something that had pleased Perrotta.
“The squad working here in pre-season is pretty much the same as in previous years, but everyone likes this new style of football,” Perrotta said.
“The coach wants us to keep possession of the ball a great deal, whereas in Italy we’re accustomed to seeking cross-field passes immediately to get it closer to the goal.”
“The coach has made it clear he does not want long balls.”
Newly promoted QPR haven’t had the best of pre-seasons ahead of their first Premier League campaign in 15 years. The optimism around Loftus Road has quickly turned to sheer misery with very little transfer activity and the revelation that captain and talisman Adel Taarabt wants to leave. Manager Neil Warnock hasn’t let it get him down although he has had to scrape the bottom of the bargain bin to strengthen his squad. Striker Jay Bothroyd and the injury prone former West Ham pairing of Kieron Dyer and Daniel Gabbidon have joined on free transfers. DJ Campbell will be hoping to replicate his 13 goal haul for Blackpool last season after signing for £1.25 million. But the squad still looks threadbare and missing some quality in vital areas.
Bolton boss Owen Coyle has been very busy in the transfer market bringing in free agents Nigel Reo-Coker and Darren Pratley to boost his midfield. Burnley pair Chris Eagles and Tyrone Mears also moved to the Reebok Stadium although the latter broke his leg just a few days after signing. The same injury also struck down Chung Yong-Lee with the influential Korean winger out for the season. Coyle will be looking for his charges to improve on a disappointing 14th place finish after looking set to end the season in the top half. The 5-1 hammering from Stoke City in the FA Cup semi final sparked the downward spiral and the Wanderers boss will hope that the squad have shaken that off come the first whilst on Saturday. Still light in the striking department it’s likely that Coyle will dip his toes into the market again for a frontman to fire them into European contention.
It’s going to be a tough season for QPR and I’m afraid it’s going to start at home against Bolton on Saturday who will provide a rather harsh welcome back.
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Verdict: 0-2
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One of the most positive results of this year’s transfer deadline day was Tottenham Hotspur managing to keep hold of Croatian playmaker Luka Modric. To many this can be seen as a victory for football and evidence that player power doesn’t always win.
The Croat had previously admitted his desire to leave the North London club earlier this summer but his request was met with a firm response from Chairman Daniel Levy , the player would not be sold. Chelsea made no secret of the fact that they wished to sign him and had three separate bids rejected by Spurs.
The final bid, according to manager Harry Redknapp , came on the 30th of August and it is believed to have been worth £40m, £30m cash plus Blues defender Alex as part of the deal. Spurs stood firm and again rejected the advances of their London rivals.
Modric made a number of attempts to seal his exit from White Hart Lane and met with Levy more than once to discuss his future. Although the message from the club was clear a number of people, from the media especially thought it near impossible for them to hold on to an unhappy player.
The Croat’s exit seemed even more likely when he asked to be left out of the Spurs squad that travelled north to face champions Manchester United and even Redknapp made comments that indicated his departure could be likely.
More evidence to suggest Modric would be sold was the fact that Spurs had been in a similar situation in August 2008, when Bulgarian striker Dimitar Berbatov sparked a similar sequence of events in an effort to secure his eventual transfer to United. Levy had at first taken the same hard line stance and insisted the player would not leave, but on deadline day he completed a £31m transfer.
Though it seems both Chairman and club have learnt from this and were determined not to lose arguably their best player, and especially not to one of their biggest rivals. The player stated he wanted to play Champions League football, but as manager Redknapp suggested keeping players like Modric will help get them back into Europe’s premier competition.
Similar again to this was Carlos Tevez’s situation at Manchester City, like Modric he had only recently signed a new contract but decided he now wanted to leave the club and yet again most expected him to do so. Like Spurs City stood firm and both players remain at their respective clubs.
Although many will argue that you can’t keep unhappy players this has to be seen as a victory for football as a whole. Players have for too long have been seen as the ones holding the power in the game but the situation of both Modric and Tevez demonstrates that this is not always the case.
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Though it remains to be seen how dedicated they will be to the cause this year but for now both clubs have managed to hang on to two of their most prized assets.
Article courtesy of Patrick Giffney from This is Futbol
A London derby at Craven Cottage see’s Fulham host neighbours QPR in their first top flight meeting with the hosts continuing their search a first Premier League win of the season.
The Cottagers have been brilliant in the Europa League and recorded a fantastic 2-0 win on Thursday night away at Danish side Odense BK. Despite their successes in Europe manager Martin Jol has failed to transport that form into their league campaign seeing his side pick up only four points from their first six games. Hovering just above the relegation zone in 17th place wasn’t the start most Fulham fans envisaged when the season kicked off in August but the truth his the Cottagers have struggled. Despite signing Bryan Ruiz for £10 million from Twente on deadline day goalscoring remains a serious issue with Bobby Zamora, Moussa Dembele and Andy Johnson also struggling to find the net. New Costa Rican signing Ruiz has begun his career in England at a startlingly slow pace but had the chance to make himself a hero in last Saturday’s 0-0 draw away at West Brom but contrived to stab the ball off the post and wide with a few minutes left on the clock. Jol, who was revered for the attacking philosophy he adopted at Tottenham, needs to get his players motivated and focused on making what do in the final third count. Aaron Hughes is an injury doubt with a knee problem and will require a fitness test with fellow defender Matthew Briggs also a worry.
Goalscoring is also a problem for Neil Warnock with his QPR strikers also coming across as shot shy after last week’s draw against Aston Villa at Loftus Road. Jay Bothroyd and DJ Campbell both failed to find the net with Richard Dunne’s late own goal giving the R’s a point they didn’t deserve. A week earlier they had brushed aside a tame Wolves side with Joey Barton and Alejandro Faurlin suppling the goals from midfield. Campbell also got on the scoresheet at Molineux and will be hoping to start at Craven Cottage on Sunday after recovering from injury. Warnocks side are unbeaten since his deadline day splurge and look a lot healthier after the addition of a few experienced Premier League heads. Their know how on the road has certainly come to good use with the Rangers claiming six of their eight points away from home. They’ve won both games in which they’ve taken the lead so victory should be assured against Fulham who have yet to open the scoring in any of their league fixtures this season. Armand Traore misses the game after his sending off last week with fellow defender Daniel Gabbidon also out through injury.
Key Players
Danny Murphy – The Fulham skipper has been in inspired form in the last few weeks rolling back the years with some commanding displays in the middle of midfield. They’ll need his experience and guile if they are to win their first Premier League game of the season.
Adel Taarabt – A glittering performance from the Moroccan in last week’s draw with Villa highlighted that he can mix it with the Premier Leagues best. Admittedly he did fade in the second period but is always a threat with the ball at his feet.
Verdict: 0-1
Fuham’s Danny Murphy is the highest ranked player from either club in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index in 21st place, while Alejandro Faurlin is QPR’s top ranked player in 62nd place Murphy has anchored the Fulham midfield this season, winning 85% of tackles entered into and making 10 interceptions. He has also put in ten crosses, while team mate Damien Duff stays top of the ranking for crosses with 30 this season. QPR are also due some goals. Taarabt is the player in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index with the most shots on target without scoring (14) Faurlin and Taarabt also both occupy places in the top passers in the league, in 9th and 13th places respectively and above internationals stars such as Frank Lampard and Ashley Young
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Chelsea kept within three points of leaders Manchester City at the top of the Premier League with a commanding 3-1 win over Everton at Stamford Bridge.
John Terry and Daniel Sturridge gave the Blues a 2-0 lead before the half time whistle with Ramires adding a third in the second period before Apostolos Velios pulled one back for the visitors late on. It also kept up Andre Villas-Boas sides 100% at home this season barely having to break a sweat against the Toffees. After losing the Merseyside derby two weeks ago David Moyes’ side were desperate to bounce back but were comfortably beaten and have lost their last three slipping back into the bottom half of the table in the process. It was always going to be an uphill struggle for the Merseysiders with Chelsea riding high after trouncing Bolton 6-0 at the Reebok Stadium a fortnight ago and were full of confidence going into the game.
They were made to work in the opening stages though as Everton attempted to stifle their attacking threat closing down Juan Mata and Frank Lampard afforded little or no space in the centre of the park. Ramires did find some space though as Didier Drogba, partnered with Sturridge up front, released the midfielder only for Sylvain Distin to make a crucial interception as he bore down on goal. The visitors were swift on the counter attack and Louis Saha should have done better than to just fire straight at Petr Cech from close range. Chelsea were crying out for some inspiration and they found it in the 31st minute. Mata finally found some space in midfield with the Spaniard releasing the galloping Ashley Cole down the left and the full back’s first time cross was headed home by Sturridge.
Despite looking like they could force an equaliser the visitors were undone once again in first half stoppage time when Terry beat Tim Howard in the air to bundle home Lampards free kick. Everton came out strongly in the second period and Leon Osman almost halved the deficit shaving the outside of the post with a sweet effort. With a two-goal lead in the favour Chelsea soon started to exert their influence putting together some wonderful passing play and it was no surprise when they made it 3-0 on the hour mark.
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Mata was central to it all again exchanging passes with Drogba before sending an inch perfect cross in towards Ramires who slid in to poke the ball past Howard. The Brazilian appeared to hurt himself after getting in-between two defenders to get to the ball and was replaced by Florent Malouda. Chelsea were in cruise control now and that let Everton back in with substitute Velios snatching a late consolation. The Greek striker sliding home Royston Drenthe’s cross but it didn’t take the gloss off another comfortable performance from a Chelsea side slowly coming into their own under Villas-Boas.