Chelsea are lining up a move for Liverpool midfielder Raul Meireles, the Daily Mail reports.
The Portuguese international was voted the PFA Fans Player of the Year for his superb debut season at Anfield but isn’t in Kenny Dalglish’s plans.
An influx of midfielders at Anfield has pushed Meireles down the pecking order and now Chelsea could swoop to bring him to Stamford Bridge.
Andre Villas-Boas is desperate to add a creative midfielder to his squad and has now put the 28-year-old alongside Tottenham midfielder Luka Modric as his top targets.
The Chelsea boss knows him well from their time together at Porto and is convinced that a partnering the two in midfield will add an extra dimension to the Blues attack.
He see’s Meireles as the perfect foil for the Croatian international and is prepared to pay £12 million to bring him to West London.
Dalglish needs to sell to balance the books after a £100 million spending spree which has seen Charlie Adam, Stewart Downing and Jordan Henderson brought in at inflated prices.
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News of Chelsea’s interest and potential for Champions League football is sure to sway Meireles who knows he won’t see much game time at Anfield in the new campaign.
Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has praised Luka Modric and Emmanuel Adebayor, after the duo starred in the London club’s 4-0 victory over Liverpool at White Hart Lane on Sunday.
Modric scored the first goal of the rout, with Adebayor grabbing a brace, in what was Spurs’ first home win of the season.
The Croatian midfielder was the subject of a number of transfer bids from Chelsea over the summer, but Redknapp now believes that his playmaker is back focussing on his football again.
“Luka is fine now, he’s just getting on with it,” he told Sky Sports.
“I think the chairman will sit down with him now and discuss his contract. That’s what I’d like to happen. It was a great strike today. That’s why we were offered £40million because he’s a top player.”
Meanwhile former Arsenal striker Adebayor has had an impressive start to his time at White Hart Lane, scoring three goals in his first two appearances, and Redknapp applauded the African’s qualities.
“I asked William Gallas about him, who came to us from Arsenal, of course, and he told me he was a fantastic player. Gallas won our fans over – he was close to being player of the year last season – and this is a great chance for Adebayor.
“At Wolves last week, he held the ball up, brought people into play, scored, and looked a real handful. He’s got to prove that just because it didn’t work out for him at Manchester City, he’s still a top drawer striker. It’s great chance for him – and a no-brainer for me to take him on loan.
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“He has been flying in training. You think he’s going to run out of petrol but he doesn’t. He trains like someone’s wound him up. He always has a smile on his face. Let’s hope it continues,” he concluded.
‘Some people believe football is a matter of life and death, I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.’
Everyone knows the above quote is from the mouth of the great Bill Shankly, one of the best managers to grace the game and someone with whom the self-styled Special One, Jose Mourinho draws a huge amount of comparisons to – and both of whom share a similar ‘win at all costs’ attitude to football.
On more than one occasion, both overstepped the line and went too far either during or after a game because of their intensity and desire to win – in fact, name me a top manager who hasn’t at one time or another lost control due to a game of football. Even players get in on the act; crying or getting overwrought on the field, or even getting a little bit emotional off it and showing exactly what winning does mean to them.
As fans obviously we can understand this, as our hearts and emotions are tied so deeply to our teams that we get frustrated when we think they are making the wrong decision (think Arsenal fans with the Arshavin sub) and get emotional if a game goes the wrong way. More than one of you reading this will have been in tears at one point due to a failure in a massive competition and get elated and beyond words when a huge trophy is won – Liverpool fans in Istanbul for me take the plaudits here, yet just how much does football really matter and is it really ok to genuinely use the mantra of winning at all costs?
Of course this totally depends on how far you take the ‘at all costs part.’ If this means throwing everything including the kitchen sink at a game in order to get the goal and go all out to win – literally having nothing left at the end of the game, then of course this should be the case in every single game, not just cup finals or derby matches, but week in week out.
There is nothing a fan dislikes more than a player who cannot be bothered and is half hearted in his attempts to change a game. Likewise with a negative manager who would rather go for the draw or lose by a single goal than really go for it and risk conceding more.
However, should the ‘at all costs’ bit become more than that, then there is a problem. Even as an ardent supporter of Mourinho, I would struggle to defend his conduct at certain times, none more so than in El Clasico when poking Tito Vilanova in the eye – something that Mourinho may have done in the heat of the moment and in the desire to win, yet is still not acceptable.
A certain amount of mind games is a given, yet lines can be crossed and this is something that should not really be allowed to happen. Managers like Fergie who are renowned for their passion and will to win have often crossed the line, and at times fined accordingly.
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On occasion however, they can lose sight of the fact that football is at the end of the day just a game. A fantastic one don’t get me wrong, but just a game, and there are ways to win – and crossing the line is not necessarily one of them.
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Tottenham travel to the Black Country after defeats in both of their games thus far to face an in-form Wolves side who remain undefeated after picking up two wins and a draw in their opening three games.
Mick McCarthy, who will be delighted with his side’s positive start, named an unchanged team for the recent draw against Aston Villa and there are again only expected to be one or two enforced changes for Saturday. Winger Matt Jarvis is a huge doubt after picking up an ankle injury in training and Sylvain Ebanks-Blake will continue to sit out with a knee injury. The good news for Mick is that Adlene Guedioura could be in line to make his return to the first-team after missing most of pre-season through injury and he is expected to make the bench on Saturday.
Tottenham have a long list of injuries with Aaron Lennon, Ledley King, William Gallas, Niko Kranjcar, Rafael van der Vaart and Steven Pienaar all unavailable for selection for the game at Molineux. However the good news is that new signings Emmanuel Adebayor and Scott Parker are likely to go straight into the first team to make their respective debuts. Spurs fans will also be interested to see how Luca Modric gets on after Levy forced him to stay at the club until at least January.
Wolves look a strong attacking team this season and have a deadly duo up-front in Doyle and Fletcher who can both provide goals but they may miss the productivity of Matt Jarvis. Harry will hope that Spurs can kick on with their season and I think if Adebayor can find some debut form we could be looking at an entertaining score draw similar to last year.
Key Men
Steven Fletcher – The Scottish international has formed a formidable partnership with the excellent Kevin Doyle and the in-form striker will be a real menace to the Tottenham defence again this weekend.
Jermain Defoe – Defoe netted twice at Molineux last season in their exciting 3-3 draw and with Van der Vaart out for a long period of time, he now has the perfect chance to show his worth to Redknapp and guarantee a place in the first eleven, starting on Saturday.
Verdict: 2-2
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Asian football chief Mohamed Bin Hammam has been banned for life by FIFA after being found guilty of corruption allegations.Bin Hammam, the president of the Asian Football Confederation since 2002, had been accused of trying to bribe Caribbean football officials ahead of last month’s FIFA presidential election.
The ban was announced on Saturday by Petrus Damaseb, deputy chairman of FIFA’s ethics committee, after a two-day hearing in Switzerland.
Damaseb told reporters: “Bin Hammam is hereby banned from taking part in any kind of football-related activity at national and international level for life.”
The 62-year-old Bin Hammam, who did not attend the hearing, has pledged his innocence since being suspended from football-related activities on May 29.
He said through a statement on Friday that he expected a guilty verdict and that he would appeal.
Following the verdict, a spokesman of the Qatari said: “He (Bin Hammam) maintains his innocence. He will continue to fight his case through the legal routes that are open to him.”
John Terry has admitted it is his ambition to captain England at a major tournament, as his nation are on the verge of qualifying for Euro 2012.
The Chelsea defender will lead his side out against Montenegro on Friday night in Podgorica, knowing that a draw will ensure The Three Lions’ participation in Ukraine and Poland next year.
With the centre half having missed out on leading the team at the World Cup in 2010 due to allegations about his private life, he is hoping he can skipper his nation in the upcoming European Championships.
“It is obviously my dream to take the England side into a big and major tournament,” he stated to Sky Sports News.
“Personally that is my aim, but collectively the team is the priority and whether that is a draw or a win we have to do the right thing, we are full of confidence and top of the group but we have to get over the line.
“It brings back memories of the Turkey game a few years ago when we needed a draw in Istanbul to go through to Euro 2004. The manager has got us in the right frame of mind for the game,” he stated.
England suffered a poor World Cup campaign in South Africa last year, but Terry believes the team have put the disappointment behind them.
“We have come back and taken a look at ourselves and we have come together collectively, we are very pleased with how things have gone and make sure we put ourselves in the Euros,” he concluded.
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In Rio Ferdinand’s absence either Gary Cahill or Phil Jones is likely to partner Terry in the centre of the visitors’ rearguard, and the Chelsea man’s experience will be vital in nullifying Montenegro’s able forwards Mirko Vucinic and Stevan Jovetic.
Porto manager Andre Villas-Boas does not want the credit should his side make him the youngest coach to win a major European title.Villas-Boas, 33, can create history if Porto wins the all-Portuguese Europa League final against Sporting Braga on Wednesday, which they are strongly favoured to do.
Porto went undefeated on their way to the Liga Sagres title, and can claim a treble if they triumph in the Europa League and the Taca de Portugal final against Vitoria Setubal on Sunday. But speaking on Tuesday, the highly rated manager said the club’s exploits are not about him.
“People focus a lot on the work of the manager and I don’t see it that way,” Villas-Boas said.
“I don’t see myself as a one-man show. Football isn’t won by one person but by collective competence. It is the quality of the players and the structure of the club.”
“I just want to make my players give their most. I give them room to express themselves because that’s how they develop. I promote their talent and let them make their own decisions. There are no dictators.”
“We don’t see the game as a tactical game. If you are a dictator of choices, players won’t be able to explore their possibilities to the full. You have to be able to free them.”
Villas-Boas is a former assistant to Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho, but said the reason he left his role under his countryman at Inter Milan – after also working with him at Porto and Chelsea – was to further his own managerial ambition.
Villas-Boas joined Liga Sagres side Academica and guided them free of relegation trouble, before his appointment as Jesualdo Ferreira’s replacement at Porto in June 2010.
”The position I had with him was a position he needed some help on. I understood my role from the beginning and tried to fulfil it with maximum professionalism,” Villas-Boas said.
“When I left him, he took on another person who I hope gives him the same level. Regarding why I left Inter, it was because I wanted the extra edge to fulfil my ambitions as a professional coach, so I took the risk to find my own job at Academica.”
Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech has admitted that his side have not been happy with the results they have been picking up of late, but feels the Stamford Bridge outfit can still challenge for the Premier League title.
Andre Villas Boas’ men have been beaten in their last two domestic fixtures, and disappointingly drew 1-1 against Genk in midweek in the Champions League.
Despite the dip in form, the Czech Republic international feels his team are capable of finishing top of the pile this season.
“We have had two results that we didn’t wish, the last two results, against Arsenal and the Genk draw, but the best way to forget about this is to win games,” the stopper told Mirror Football.
“Obviously, we cannot afford to drop many more points in the Premier League, because we are already behind. There is a long way to go and everything can happen, especially in the Premier League.
“At the moment our opponents have an advantage. Obviously we have to keep working, get the wins and then see what will happen,” he stated.
The London outfit take on Blackburn at Ewood Park this weekend, but Cech has league leaders Manchester City in his sights.
“The Blackburn game could be a turning point for us, because it’s a difficult place to go. Let’s see.
“City have been doing very well, and that’s why they are where they are but there is a long way to go. We play them twice.
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“We can’t forget that, last year, we had a brilliant start and then a difficult period and then we had a brilliant finish and could have won the title,” he concluded.
Manchester United are well known and celebrated as the most famous team in all of
English Premier League football betting but what has not been so celebrated has been the other local EPL team, Manchester City, who are leading the EPL standings with a 2 point advantage over Manchester United.
Manchester City rather than Manchester United have been the most dominant team in English Premier League football action this season with a perfect record of 12-0 at home and a +44 goal differential based in large part on a defence that had allowed just 19 goals in 24 games. That goals allowed mark was the best in the EPL but Manchester City was also the highest scoring team in the league with 63 goals.
Sergio Aguero has been the scoring machine for Manchester City as he had a team best 15 goals to go along with 5 assists. Edin Dzeko has also been a valuable asset with 11 goals and 4 assists. Joe Hart has been the stingy heartless goalkeeper with a 0.83 goals against average and 9 shutouts. Aguero hails from Argentina and at age 23 had become one of the world’s deadliest and most feared strikers. This is his first season in the Premier League after playing for Atletico Madrid in La Liga.
Manchester City are coming off a strong 3-0 win over Fulham at home that followed a surprising 0-1 loss to Everton. Perhaps the loss at Everton should not have been a surprise as Manchester City had just 1 win in their previous 13 visits to Everton. Aguero got Manchester City back on track though against Fulham as he had a goal and an assist.
Manchester United have been in good form as of late with 3 wins and a draw in their last 4 games to stay within striking distance of Manchester City. Wayne Rooney, who is often in the news for the wrong reasons, was atop the team stats with 13 goals in Premier League action. Manchester United are coming off a thrilling 3-3 draw with Chelsea as Rooney had 2 goals in the effort. Chelsea outshot Manchester United 20-16 in that contest.
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Speaking of contenders, Chelsea was in 4th place behind Tottenham with a record of 12 wins, 7 draws, and 5 losses while Tottenham had 15 wins, 4 draws, and 4 losses.
The quality of play and amount of good teams has made the EPL season an excellent one with the two Manchester teams battling for the top spot.
Whilst many of us would dream of being paid to play football week-in week out for our clubs, for a number of the world’s top footballers this is not the only passion or, for some, the only career path that they have shown an interest in. We are not taling about things like playing golf, or partaking in other common sports, but genuine hobbies or interests outside of the world of sport that these footballers find the time to pursue seriously. I have compiled a selection of 10 footballers with ‘another life’, most of whom I am confident are relatively unknown to the general public, though one or two are certainly familiar.
Click on Daniel Agger to see the 10 players and their secret second lives
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