Mark van Bommel has been attracting much interest from the Premier League in recent weeks and the Dutch international’s agent is claiming that Liverpool have made an offer for the Bayern Munich midfielder.
Van Bommel’s agent Mino Raiola has confirmed that the Anfield club has made a firm offer for the player, but also that the Reds face competition for his signature. Raiola told Germany’s Bild newspaper that “I know about Liverpool’s interest, but other offers are currently more interesting.” He went on to say “I have got to find Mark the perfect club and we still have enough time for that.”
So is Liverpool the perfect club for Mark van Bommel? Kenny Dalglish is seemingly keen to add some experience and quality to his squad and in those two respects van Bommel is an ideal signing. With the Dutchman’s contract expiring in the summer, the Reds should be able to get van Bommel on the cheap as well.
Mark van Bommel himself was not willing to shed any light on the situation. He said “you never know what the future brings. I am concentrating on Bayern while my agent takes care of all the rest.”
The 33-year-old looks almost certain to leave Bayern Munich in the summer, but he could yet stay in the Bundesliga and sign for Wolfsburg, or move to Italy where Serie A giants AC Milan have registered an interest. If the Bayern Munich captain was to join Liverpool, he would come to the Premier League with his tough tackling reputation and style of play that could well be perfect for the English game.
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Inter will offer central defender Andrea Ranocchia as part of a deal to try and sign Aleksandar Kolarov, according to The Sun.
The Serbian left-back has fallen out of favour at the Etihad Stadium since the arrival of Gael Clichy last summer, and as such he is keen to move clubs to find regular first-team football.
Juventus are reported to have made a loan move to sign the full-back this week, but Roberto Mancini’s men have rejected this as they look to sell the fringe player.
Inter are also interested in the eastern European defender, but are keen to reduce the transfer fee they would pay for Kolarov.
With Mancini looking to sign an extra central defender this summer as cover to Vincent Kompany and Joleon Lescott, Ranocchia has emerged as a potential target.
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The Serie A side are thought to be ready to offer Ranocchia as part of the deal to bring Kolarov to San Siro, and there have been initial discussion between the clubs over the swap deal.
New Roma signing Bojan Krkic wants to put his bitter departure from European champions Barcelona behind him.The Spain Under-21 international criticised Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola after signing for his new Serie A employers on Friday.
But Krkic says he has moved on and is focused on producing his best form for Luis Enrique’s team.
“Well, first of all I’m very happy to be here. I came from a big club, but I have moved to a big club and for me it is a dream to be here,” Krkic said on Monday.
“Regarding Guardiola and Barcelona, for me it is finished. I only want to think about Roma.”
“Coming here to work for Luis Enrique makes me think a lot of things. It was because of him that I made my decision to come here and I want to thank him for that.”
The 20-year-old is hopeful of taking inspiration from former Arsenal and Barcelona forward Thierry Henry after choosing to wear the number 14 jersey this season.
After his departure from La Liga, Krkic admitted he had not spoken to Guardiola since May’s UEFA Champions League final and said he did not think the Spaniard was the best coach in the world.
After defeat to Liverpool, and all that went with it, it was the first time Aston Villa fans vented their frustrations at Gerard Houllier. After showing too much respect for one of his former clubs and suffering a heavy defeat, Aston Villa fans have started to question their managers style of play and ability to move Aston Villa forward. Are Aston Villa fans right to question their manager’s capabilities?
After the job Martin O’Neill did at Aston Villa, it was always going to be a difficult job for anyone. The funds simply aren’t in place to compete with Tottenham and Manchester City and the squad is thin. Martin O’Neill took Aston Villa as far as he could – is Houllier the right man for Aston Villa? Sadly, it seems that his tactics and football philosophy are outdated and he hasn’t changed from his time at Liverpool. Of course Aston Villa fans will be disgruntled with the way he sets his teams out. Martin O’Neill was a manager who desired expressive and expansive play – Houllier will not allow his players this freedom.
It is unfair to judge Houllier against O’Neill because Villa are a work in progress. Come January, Villa could have a new look, but it seems they will loose players before they invest. Take the example of Ashley Young. Will he now see Villa as a declining club under Houllier, and look to move on come January? It would be a huge blow for Aston Villa and their fans. They way it is going at Villa Park at the moment, who would bet against it.
Aston Villa fans deserve better that what Houllier has offered so far. Houllier is a better manager than he is showing. There are problems at Aston Villa – and Houllier is shouldering a lot of the fans’ frustrations. They are frustrated about not being able to compete in the transfer market, loosing key players to teams challenging around them and the fear that they are declining. If Aston Villa continue to drop down the Premier League table, Houllier may find himself out of a job. Fans’ frustration is very powerful.
The best thing Gerard Houllier and Aston Villa can do is get on with the job. The win against West Brom on Saturday will have lifted the whole club – it could be the kick start their season needed. Aston Villa need accept that they have fallen behind clubs, but they can fight back. Does Houllier have the fight in him? Do Villa need another O’Neill character – passionate. If results get better it wont be an issue, but Houllier could be in trouble if Villa do not start climbing the table again.
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Earlier this week, Paul Jewell announced that Michael Chopra will be spending three weeks at a health farm in California as part of the striker’s pre-season preparations.
Jewell believes that this should help Chopra’s fitness and give him the best chance of starting next season in fine form. Views on Chopra vary amongst Ipswich fans and this was clear to see when hearing/reading how they reacted to this story.
Generally, the reaction was sensible and positive with most fans mentioning how they hope the health farm will help Chopra hit the ground running next season. However, a few fans aren’t as fond of the former Cardiff City striker and used the story as an opportunity to slate him for the problems he has had during his time at Ipswich. It is strange to hear that a clubs top goal scorer could be such an unpopular figure, especially as consistent goal scorers are so hard to come by in The Championship.
At the start of the season everyone at Ipswich considered the signing of Chopra fantastic news. It has been a long time since Ipswich have had a striker with a proven record at this level so it was great to see that the club had snatched a player who could potentially score 20 goals in a season.
Chopra’s popularity rose even higher when he scored twice in the opening game away at Bristol City but somewhere along the line this popularity plummeted. In October news came out that 28 year old striker had been suffering from a gambling addiction; admitting to losing up to £20,000 a day and probably having lost more than £2 million over a few years. Since then Chopra has been facing an uphill battle to win over the Ipswich fans and he took a while to get going again after this set back.
As the season progressed he had a few stints without scoring and a few bursts of form where he bagged plenty of goals, so it has been a mixed season for Chopra. Although, considering the problems he has had the Ipswich striker has had a good season as he has scored 14 goals with an inconsistent team behind him, also making him the clubs top goal scorer.
It is hard to label Chopra as either a hero or a villain for Ipswich. You could argue that the striker has been a massive burden on the club by bringing his problems into the dressing room and even needing the club to loan him money to pay his gambling debts.
The team’s performance this season was always going to depend a lot on Chopra’s form as he was being used as a lone striker; so the problems he had obviously had some affect on the team. However, the club and the management were all well aware of Chopra’s gambling problems before he was brought to the club so they knew what they were getting themselves in for.
You could even go as far to argue the exact opposite; that Chopra has been a hero for Ipswich this season as without his goals the club may have finished a lot closer to the relegation zone. Still, the most common assessment of Chopra that I have heard amongst Ipswich fans is that they feel he should have scored more this season and they hope he will next season once his gambling problems are further behind him. This is a fair assessment and one I think the Newcastle-born striker would be content with hearing.
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Nobody can deny that he has the potential to be the 20 goal a season man that Ipswich want him to be. Any negativity aimed towards Chopra from the fans has usually stemmed from the frustration that he hasn’t been that man so far.
The truth is that if he had scored 20-30 goals this season even the most negative Ipswich fan would have forgotten about Chopra’s gambling problems. The one certainty is that Chopra should be judged from now on by his performances on the pitch alone and if he can put his problems behind him then he will be a key player next season.
Manchester City have confirmed that they have reached a ten-year agreement with Etihad Airways to rename the City of Manchester Stadium. As reported yesterday, the Eastlands club arranged a press conference for Friday, and chief executive Gary Cook, along with his equivalent in the investors James Hogan, revealed the news to the press.
The Asian organisation already hold the shirt sponsorship of Roberto Mancini’s side, which is worth £2.3million a year and it is believed that the stadium rename will bring £10-12 million investment per season.
“We are delighted to be expanding our relationship with Etihad Airways through this comprehensive partnership agreement. The partnership will not only cover a shirt sponsorship extension, but also the Etihad Stadium,” Cook confirmed in the press conference.
“The wider area around the stadium will be known as the Etihad Campus. There are other elements, such as media, business and community co-operation. It could be one of the most important arrangements in the history of world football.
“Most importantly, in addition to delivering significant revenue at a key stage in the club’s evolution, the agreement creates exciting opportunities for our two organisations to co-operate more deeply commercially and on media and community initiatives in the future,” he continued.
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The club are expecting to be investigated by Uefa’s Financial Fair Play committee due to the close relationship between the investors and City’s owners. The deal has immediately sparked speculation of increased transfer activity, with Sergio Aguero and Samuel Eto’o linked with moves to the Etihad Stadium in The Daily Mail.
The decade is nearly over, ten years have swept by never to be reclaimed, kept purely in the recesses of the mind. Well that is if you don’t read lists such as this which have been complied to jog your memory about some of the greatest matches to have ever been played in the Premier League. There are a number of contenders, but there can only be ten in all, so without further ado let us list the matches worthy of our attention.
Manchester United 4-3 Manchester City (2009)
An enthralling Manchester Derby played out at Old Trafford, contrasted vastly against the mundane draw seen last night, if only they could be this entertaining. United went in front three times, only to let City reduce the deficit and equalize on all three occasions. Craig Bellamy looked to have secured a memorable draw, with an outstanding strike, until Michael Owen gave his most significant contribution to date, by scoring the winner in the 96 minute.
[youtube AP7Zpl4OFqc]
Arsenal 4-4 Tottenham (2008)
A London derby this time, which was full of drama, suspense and excitement. Tottenham went in front with a superb 40-yard volley from David Bentley; this only appeared to ignite Arsenal who then went to score three goals with Mikael Silvestre, William Gallas and Emmanuel Adebayor all contributing to a 3-1 lead. Darren Bent pulled one back, but Robin Van Persie replied, seemingly sealing Arsenal’s victory until Jermaine Jenas and Aaron Lennon provided the late show to earn a jubilant draw.
[youtube v0-P9srSyRQ]
More cracking Premier League matches on PAGE TWO…
Liverpool 4-4 Arsenal (2009)
A little Russian by the name of Andrey Arshavin stole all of the headlines in this eight goal thriller. Arsenal went ahead and went into the break leading, but Liverpool replied with intent in the second half with goals from Fernando Torres and Yossi Benayoun giving them the lead. Arshavin went on to claim his hat-trick, but Torres claimed his brace to level, not to be outdone Arshavin capped his incredible night with a fourth. Benayoun then managed to salvage a point in the dying minutes of stoppage time.
[youtube Tb_S2Cx6SL0]
Portsmouth 7-4 Reading (2007)
Who would have thought these two sides were such entertainers? Benjani scored twice, giving Portsmouth the lead, then Stephen Hunt pegged on back. The second half was to see 8 goals with Dave Kitson equalizing for Reading, Herman Hreidarsson made it 3-2 and then Reading capitulated with Bejani, Niko Krancjar, Sean Davis and a Sulley Muntari penalty giving a 7-3 score-line, as Shane Long had made it 5-3, netting after Krancjar. Nicky Shorey would provide only a consolation to this crushing defeat by scoring Reading’s fourth late on.
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More cracking Premier League matches on PAGE THREE…
Arsenal 5-3 Middlesbrough (2004)
Arsenal had to fight back from being 3-1 down whilst at home, with Thierry Henry leading the charge with his scoring prowess and netting two goals. This win saw Arsenal equal Nottingham Forest’s 42 game record of remaining undefeated, they eventually would proceed to amass 49 games without defeat and set a formidable record.
[youtube xMKR14pQJmk]
Newcastle 3-2 Sunderland (2005)
A five goal thriller ensued in one of the greatest North East derbies on record with both sides fiercely contesting every ball, as you would imagine. Newcastle went in front with Shola Ameobi, Liam Lawrence equalized and Ameobi scored again. Stephan Elliott made it 2-2 until Emre scored a free-kick to take all three points.
[youtube SNuzPDYypFg]
More cracking Premier League matches on PAGE FOUR…
Liverpool 1-4 Chelsea (2005)
Under Jose Mourinho, Chelsea would claim an emphatic win over their rivals. Frank Lampard opened the proceedings with a penalty and Steven Gerrard would equalize with Liverpool’s only goal. Damien Duff, Joe Cole and Geremi would then seal the win which saw Chelsea go nine points clear in the League and finish as eventual champions.
Fulham 3-3 Tottenham (2007)
Another London encounter saw Tottenham outplay their opponents and must have walked away from the game pondering how they had let the win slip. Younes Kaboul poked home to take the lead and it was doubled when Dimitar Berbatov smashed in. Fulham pulled one back through Clint Dempsey, but Gareth Bale made it 3-1 until Fulham staged a comeback with Alexey Smertin and an overhead kick in the 90th minute from Diomansy Kamara.
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More cracking Premier League matches on PAGE FIVE…
Everton 3-3 Manchester United (2010)
A brilliant late fight back saw Everton come from 3-1 down to secure a memorable draw with United squandering their dominance and lamenting the absence of Wayne Rooney who was dropped amidst rumours of his private life. Two injury time goals came from Tim Cahill and Mikel Arteta which gave rise to ecstatic celebrations from the home crowd.
West Ham 3-4 Tottenham (2007)
Tottenham found themselves 2-0 and 3-2 down at separate stages of the game, but managed to rectify these situations by finishing victors. They had Paul Stalteri to thank after an injury-time winner broke the hearts of West Ham fans who had to endure their fair share of worries throughout the season. Carlos Tevez scored in the game and became a cult hero who helped West Ham to secure their Premiership status.
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Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund are ready to start a bidding war to sign Manchester City forward Edin Dzeko, according to The Daily Mail.
The Bosnia international is said to be frustrated at being part of a squad rotation system at the Etihad Stadium, and with Mario Balotelli, Carlos Tevez and Sergio Aguero all competing for a place in attack, Dzeko is keen for more regular first-team football.
It is believed that Roberto Mancini would like to keep Dzeko, but is willing to listen to offers for the forward as he does not want to keep an unhappy player at the club.
Dzeko is well-known in Germany due to his spell with Wolfsburg, and the Bundesliga’s top two teams are set to battle it out for his signature.
Bayern are said to have the means to meet City’s £20 million price tag, but champions Dortmund are also keen.
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England winger Adam Johnson said the team is enjoying the lack of media scrutiny ahead of Saturday’s Euro 2012 qualifier with Switzerland.With the majority of the media spotlight focusing on the woes at FIFA, England have enjoyed a low-key build up to the Wembley match.
But Manchester City’s Johnson said the side will be out to put on an impressive showing against Switzerland – a country England have not lost to since 1947 – as they look to move clear of Montenegro on top of Group G.
England are level on 10 points with Montenegro but top the group on goal difference, and Johnson said the lack of attention was being enjoyed by the camp.
“I think it’s definitely suited the players,” Johnson said. “A lot of games before there has been a lot of pressure and build up on the team, on individuals as well which is sometimes not good.”
“Obviously it’s massive for us. It’s the last game of the season for a lot of the players – well, for all of the players. It’s one last big push before we get a break and everyone wants go into the break off the back of a big win and in a good position.”
“We are at home, at Wembley. We’ve got to win or try and win every single game we play at home in front of a big crowd. If we play like we did in Switzerland (a 3-1 win in Basel last September), we have got a good chance of winning the game.”
England goalkeeper and Johnson’s City team-mate Joe Hart said the lack of attention before the game did not bother the players at all.
“I don’t think anyone really cares whether the media spotlight is on us or not,” Hart said.
“It’s a massive game (and) it’s a massive three points for us to get that end goal of being in the European Championships.”
“England are expected to win every game. If we played against a team of 500 people, we would be expected to win at Wembley, so nothing changes there.”
“But we are just going to turn up and do our best and I think we have got enough to get those three points and go to the top of the group again.”
They say if you are going to win the title then sometimes you have to dig deep and Arsenal certainly did that today with a vitally important 3pts, courtesy of a late winner from the ever impressive Alex Song.
Arsenal was certainly the better team throughout and could have been two or three up prior to the goal, but found Green in incredible form who produced save after save. Even when he was beaten the Gunners found the woodwork coming to the visitors rescue.
Wenger won’t mind about the manner of the victory and will be absolutely delighted at not dropping vital points at home. Arsenal have a habit of leaving it late and it says a lot about the player’s mentality and their never say die attitude.
So how do Arsenal fans feel about their performance today and who deserves the man of the match award today?
[poll ]
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