Latest Premier League News

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POMPEY REJECT DISTIN BID

Portsmouth boss Paul Hart has confirmed a bid for Sylvain Distin has been rejected and insists the defender is staying at Fratton Park.

Distin is among a batch of players whose future had been uncertain in the lead-up to Sulaiman Al Fahim's takeover at the Premier League club.

Aston Villa have been linked with a bid for the centre-half, who has made over 90 appearances for Pompey since his arrival from Manchester City two years ago.

However, while Hart is resigned to losing Peter Crouch, he is not planning on letting French stopper Distin leave the club.

"We want Sylvain to remain at this football club and will be making sure he does," Hart told The News.

"We have only ever had one offer for him and I am not at liberty to say who from. But we told them we were not interested under any circumstances.

"At this moment in time, as far as we are concerned, Sylvain is staying. It's as simple as that."

Meanwhile, Hart has given former Nottingham Forest and Crewe Alexandra midfielder Eugen Bopp the chance to earn a contract at the club.

Bopp scored twice in a 2-2 friendly draw with Havant & Waterlooville and Hart is not ruling out a deal for the 25-year-old.

He added: "I brought Eugen over when I was Academy manager at Forest nine years ago and he's got an opportunity."

 

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BLUES DOWN FORMER BOSS JOSE

Slick Chelsea defeated former boss Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan 2-0 at the Rose Bowl to get their World Football Challenge campaign off to a winning start in Pasadena, California.

Goals from Didier Drogba in the 11th minute and a Frank Lampard penalty just after half-time gave Chelsea the victory over the Italian champions in front of 81,224 fans.

The impressive nature of the Blues' performance more than the scoreline, however, will have delighted new head coach Carlo Ancelotti, especially coming so soon into the ex-AC Milan chief's first pre-season campaign and against his former cross-city rivals.

Mourinho, facing the club he led to two Premier League titles during his three seasons at Stamford Bridge between 2004-07, had seen his Inter team open its campaign with a penalty shoot-out defeat to Mexico's Club America on Sunday. Chelsea, meanwhile, had warmed up with a 2-0 win over Major Seattle Sounders the previous day but had since lost German midfielder Michael Ballack to a broken toe.

Led once again by John Terry in central defence with Ricardo Carvalho, Chelsea fans at the Rose Bowl saw their African players start for the first time in pre-season, John Obi Mikel and Michael Essien returning to midfield with Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou in attack.

It was the central defenders, though, who had Chelsea's first sights on the Inter goal, Florent Malouda receiving a short corner on the left and crossing for Carvalho to head over the bar at the near post in the second minute and Terry heading from the resultant Malouda corner from the right.

Chelsea were dominant throughout the opening half and Drogba opened the lead in the 11th minute, receiving a short pass from Lampard with his back to goal, turning and shooting unimpeded from 20 yards, the ball bouncing over Inter Milan keeper Vid Belec's outstretched left hand and into the bottom corner of the goal.

The Londoners continued to play with purpose and fluency, highlighted in the 16th minute when Lampard and Branislav Ivanovic exchanged a one-two down the right, the Serbian full-back advancing to the byline and centering for Drogba whose shot was straight at a grateful Belec.

Trailing 1-0 at the break, Inter's first real chance came as Chelsea adjusted to the five changes made by Ancelotti at half-time.

With Carvalho making way for Alex in defence, the incoming centre-back gave the ball away to Mario Balotelli on halfway immediately following the restart and the through ball found Diego Milito who cut inside Terry but was blocked at his feet by Petr Cech, the Chelsea keeper making his first meaningful contribution of the game.

Daniel Sturridge, who scored on his debut at Seattle, and Nicolas Anelka had replaced Drogba and Kalou and they quickly caused problems. Deco, on for Malouda, sent Sturridge clear in the box in the 48th minute and when his cross from the left was blocked by Ivan Cordoba's hand, Lampard was given the chance to add to his goal scored against the Sounders, converting the penalty, right footed into the bottom corner.

Ancelotti made further changes in the 64th minute, taking off Cech, Essien and Ivanovic for Ross Turnbull, Juliano Belletti and Michael Mancienne, who was called straight into the action, blocking a Balotelli bicycle kick on the six-yard line after Inter sub Zlatan Ibrahimovic had crossed from the right.

Late substitute Franco Di Santo nearly added a third for the Londoners in stoppage time, taking a delicate Deco chip over the top on his chest and shooting right-footed over the bar.

 

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HAMMERS CONFIRM NOUBLE DEAL

West Ham have confirmed the signing of Frank Nouble from Premier League rivals Chelsea.

West Ham have been lining up a move for the teenager for the last few weeks after he rejected the offer of a professional contract at Chelsea.

Nouble has signed a five-year deal at Upton Park and he is looking forward to joining West Ham.

"It is a great day for me and my family," Nouble told the club's official website. "I am just excited now to get started at this club.

"I am really looking forward to showing what I can do. West Ham are renowned for bringing through young players and hopefully I can be in the next batch.

"This came out of the blue. The news came out that I rejected at Chelsea and obviously I thank them for what they have done for me but I am just happy that a club like West Ham came in for me.

"They showed their interest and for me it was a case of saying 'Yes' straight away. I am just happy to be here."

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West Ham chief executive Scott Duxbury was delighted to land the highly-rated attacker and revealed the club are looking to add more striking reinforcements to Gianfranco Zola's side.

"I am very pleased to be able to welcome Frank to West Ham where he will have the opportunity to compete for a place in Gianfranco's first-team squad," noted Duxbury. "He has a very bright future and we will give him every chance to succeed. This is an excellent signing for the club.

"I can also assure fans we are concentrating on adding more quality to our attack to complement those we already have.

"This is an extremely busy time of the year and Gianluca Nani and I are working hard to bring in the players that Gianfranco feels will improve his squad for the new season."

 

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WENGER HOPING FOR QUICK NASRI RETURN

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger hopes Samir Nasri will be out for as little as six weeks after breaking his leg.

The 22-year-old suffered the injury on Tuesday on the first day of Arsenal's pre-season training camp in Austria and was initially expected to miss up to three months.

But Wenger revealed the fracture to the Frenchman's fibula is a "simple one".

He told Arsenal TV Online: "Unfortunately he fractured his fibula and he will be out for six weeks.

"He accidentally nicked the ball away from somebody having a shot on goal. Unfortunately he got kicked and broke his fibula. It's not a complicated one, it's a simple one but it will take six weeks to heal."

There was good news for Wenger regarding Tomas Rosicky and Eduardo da Silva.

He added: "The options are Tomas Rosicky who is back. And in [those] two months Eduardo will be back as well. We do have offensive options but we don't want to lose important players before the season starts."

 

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BLACK CATS CLOSE IN ON CHAMAKH

Bordeaux striker Marouane Chamakh has revealed that he could join Sunderland after stating contact with the Premier League club is at an advanced stage.

The 25-year-old has been reported to be close to a move to England throughout the summer, with Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger confessing he has been tracking the Morocco star.

Fulham and Tottenham have also been credited with an interest in Chamakh but Sunderland, whose link was ridiculed by Bordeaux president Jean-Louis Triaud earlier in July, appear to be in pole position.

The forward could stay at Bordeaux but he has confessed that Sunderland, who are looking for a target man after ending a pursuit of Peter Crouch, have made significant efforts for his signature.

Chamakh said in L'Equipe: "Bordeaux have made me a more attractive proposition to stay.

"So contrary to what some people say, I don't want to leave for money but to experience a new challenge.

"In France, it is impossible that I could go anywhere else than Bordeaux, because that club will remain in my heart.

"However, I have made the wish to have a new adventure in England, and I would like that idea to happen.

"The contact which has reached advanced stages is with Sunderland.

"Maybe for some people it is not a great club, but it is fine to me. I know it can be a step forward and it is what I want."

 

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SPURS CAPTURE BLADES DUO

Tottenham have confirmed the signings of defenders Kyle Naughton and Kyle Walker from Sheffield United.

No fee was disclosed for either of the England youth internationals.

Naughton, 20, attracted the interest of several Barclays Premier League clubs after becoming a stand-out player for the Blades last season.

He began the season as the regular right-back, but can also play in midfield and eventually moved to the left-hand side of defence to accommodate his fellow United academy product Walker.

Naughton, a boyhood Blades fan, made his debut for the club in August, and went on to make 50 appearances for the club, earning recognition with a place in the PFA Championship Team of the Year.

Walker is the less experienced of the pair. The 19-year-old broke into the team at the back end of the season, with the England Under-19 defender making seven appearances, including all three of United's games in the Coca-Cola Championship play-offs.

Naughton had looked to be on the way to Everton when the Merseysiders agreed a fee with United last week, but Tottenham have succeeded with a late move by targeting both players.

 

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SPURS CAPTURE BLADES DUO

Tottenham have confirmed the signings of defenders Kyle Naughton and Kyle Walker from Sheffield United.

No fee was disclosed for either of the England youth internationals.

Naughton, 20, attracted the interest of several Barclays Premier League clubs after becoming a stand-out player for the Blades last season.

He began the season as the regular right-back, but can also play in midfield and eventually moved to the left-hand side of defence to accommodate his fellow United academy product Walker.

Naughton, a boyhood Blades fan, made his debut for the club in August, and went on to make 50 appearances for the club, earning recognition with a place in the PFA Championship Team of the Year.

Walker is the less experienced of the pair. The 19-year-old broke into the team at the back end of the season, with the England Under-19 defender making seven appearances, including all three of United's games in the Coca-Cola Championship play-offs.

Naughton had looked to be on the way to Everton when the Merseysiders agreed a fee with United last week, but Tottenham have succeeded with a late move by targeting both players.

 

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HART: NO NEW BIDS FOR CROUCH

Paul Hart has revealed that Sunderland are the only club to have lodged an acceptable offer for Peter Crouch.

The Black Cats had identified Crouch as one of their primary targets and held talks with the Portsmouth striker last week.

However, Steve Bruce announced earlier on Tuesday that Crouch would not be coming to the Stadium of Light as he wanted to stay in the south.

Bruce's comments fuelled speculation that Crouch could be set to join Fulham or Tottenham, but Hart insists Pompey have not accepted a bid from either London club.

The Portsmouth boss is nevertheless resigned to losing the England international, despite Sulaiman Al Fahim completing his takeover at Fratton Park.

Asked if confirmation of Al Fahim's appointment as chairman would make him try to keep Crouch, Hart told Sky Sports News: "I think not. I think Peter will leave."

Questioned about whether Crouch was now likely to join Fulham or Tottenham, Hart added: "I don't know.

"I think we have only accepted one bid and that is from Sunderland.

"Peter was fantastic during the three months that I was caretaker manager last season and we will be sorry to lose him.

"Everybody wants to keep their best players but we have to be realistic."

Hart has signed a two-year deal to remain as Portsmouth's manager on a permanent basis and he is confident he can take the club to a higher level.

He expects to be busy in the transfer market over the next few weeks but has told supporters that he will not be able to spend too heavily.

"I am pleased that I am still at the club and have been given the opportunity to take us forward," he explained.

"We are going to have to be sensible and look for players who are good characters.

"We targeted our players at the end of last season and it is the due diligence process that has slowed us down, but we can move that forward now."

 

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DROGBA: TERRY TO STAY AT BLUES

Didier Drogba scored in Chelsea's 2-0 victory over Inter Milan and declared captain John Terry was set to turn down Manchester City and stay with the Blues.

Drogba, making his first appearance in pre-season following an injury-hit season in 2008-09, helped his club open their World Football Challenge account as slick Chelsea dominated former boss Jose Mourinho's side in front of 81,224 fans at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.

And as Terry played the full 90 minutes for new head coach Carlo Ancelotti in California, despite Manchester City's concerted effort to coax him to Eastlands, Drogba said the England skipper was going nowhere.

"He's our captain and we need him and we know he's going to stay with us and win more trophies," Drogba told ESPN.

Of his side coming face to face with Mourinho, Drogba said: "It's always nice to see him, he was a big part of Chelsea's success and now we're moving on.

"We have a new manager now and we're all happy for him because he won his second game out of two, so it's all good.

"We're working hard, this is only the start and we want to be ready for the start of the season."

Goals from Drogba in the 11th minute and a Frank Lampard penalty just after half-time gave Chelsea the victory over the Italian champions.

The impressive nature of the Blues' performance more than the scoreline, however, will have delighted new head coach Ancelotti, especially coming so soon into the ex AC Milan chief's first pre-season campaign and against his former cross-city rivals.

Drogba's own future has been in question while the offer of a new three-year contract remains unsigned, but Ancelotti revealed the striker has indicated he will stay to form a key part of the Italian's new-look team.

"Drogba is a very important player for us and we want him to play for Chelsea," Ancelotti said.

"He's irreplaceable as no other striker in the world can do the same job. I've spoken with Drogba and know what he wants. He told me he's happy to stay."

However, Ancelotti offered less encouragement to Andriy Shevchenko, who made his name playing for him at AC Milan.

"I speak to Shevchenko every day and the situation is this: he's with us until August 31 and then we take a decision together. I don't know what will happen as the club has not received any offers."

 

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MASCH WANTS TO QUIT REDS - AGENT

Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano is keen to secure a move to Spain as he has grown "tired of life in England", according to his agent.

The Argentina international is a reported target of Real Madrid and Barcelona, but the enforcer remains part of Reds manager Rafa Benitez's plans.

However, Mascherano's representative, Walter Tamer, has claimed the 25-year-old has grown unsettled in the Premier League and is eager to move abroad.

Tamer is quoted by Infobae.com as saying: "Barcelona is the easiest deal to set up as Javier wants to go to Spain. He is tired of life in England.

"His wife has not been given a permanent visa. She has to go through an odyssey each time she wants to go.

"Liverpool refuse to sell, this can be overcome with an extraordinary offer."

 

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SPURS CAPTURE BLADES DUO

Tottenham have confirmed the signings of defenders Kyle Naughton and Kyle Walker from Sheffield United.

No fee was disclosed for either of the England youth internationals.

Naughton, 20, attracted the interest of several Barclays Premier League clubs after becoming a stand-out player for the Blades last season.

He began the season as the regular right-back, but can also play in midfield and eventually moved to the left-hand side of defence to accommodate his fellow United academy product Walker.

Naughton, a boyhood Blades fan, made his debut for the club in August, and went on to make 50 appearances for the club, earning recognition with a place in the PFA Championship Team of the Year.

Walker is the less experienced of the pair. The 19-year-old broke into the team at the back end of the season, with the England Under-19 defender making seven appearances, including all three of United's games in the Coca-Cola Championship play-offs.

Naughton had looked to be on the way to Everton when the Merseysiders agreed a fee with United last week, but Tottenham have succeeded with a late move by targeting both players.

 

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GERRARD IN 'HUFF' BEFORE ALLEGED ATTACK

England midfielder Steven Gerrard was in a "huff" before he attacked a man with a barrage of punches, a court heard on Wednesday.

Gerrard, 29, confronted Marcus McGee after he refused to give him control of a stereo at the Lounge Inn bar in Southport, Merseyside, last year.

The Liverpool captain was drinking in the early hours of December 29 with a throng of friends to celebrate his team's 5-1 drubbing of Newcastle.

He downed bottles of Budweiser and a Jammy Donut shot.

Gerrard - who said he was seven out of 10 on a drunkenness scale - returned to confront businessman Mr McGee and threw three punches at him, the player said.

On Wednesday, Liverpool Crown Court heard from barman Nathaniel Lockie who relived the attack and claimed Gerrard was in a "huff" after not getting his own way.

He said: "Gerrard grabbed the back of his jumper and pulled it over his head, pulled him down and started uppercutting him.

"While that happened I ran round to the other side of the bar trying to help and he (Gerrard) was dragged off into the restaurant."

Mr McGee, 34, said when he refused to hand over control of the music Gerrard asked him: "Who the f*** do you think you are?"

He said of the attack several minutes later: "I remember a barrage of punches coming in at my face but I didn't know who has done what.

"Having watched the CCTV it was obvious Steven Gerrard hit me a couple of times, maybe three times but I couldn't honestly say on the night.

"I didn't know who did what."

The first shot was actually thrown by Gerrard's friend John Doran, 29, of Huyton, Liverpool.

He and four other men have admitted affray, while a sixth man has admitted threatening behaviour.

The victim said the millionaire midfielder tried to grab a card controlling the stereo from him.

"I didn't give it to him, no," he said.

"It wasn't my permission to be giving it out to somebody else, it was my job so I didn't hand it over.

"He made a move to try to grab the card to take it away and I remember it slipped on the floor at one stage."

He denied punching back at Gerrard when they clashed violently.

But in a police interview read to court, Gerrard claimed it was the other way round.

The father-of-two said he had permission from manageress Sabrina Malik to pick some songs and Mr McGee was arrogant and rude to him.

He told detectives: "He grabbed my music menu off me and said 'You are not f****** deciding what music goes on in here'."

He added: "When he grabbed it I said 'What's your problem, why can't I change it?'

"He basically said to me 'I am not putting your music on.'

"It was quite aggressive, and I said 'What's the f****** problem, why can't I put my music on?

"He said 'Because you f****** can't, you're not allowed.

"I said 'I have permission to do it'."

The seven women and five men of the jury heard that Gerrard felt upset and "gutted" about what happened.

The player told detectives Mr McGee proceeded to stare at him through a gap in a partition wall.

Gerrard, married to model Alex Curran, wanted to sort the problem out so went back to discuss it with Mr McGee, he said.

"I didn't go over there intentionally to have another argument or start fighting," he said.

"I was having a good night but I was gutted and just wanted to straighten it out with him."

Gerrard said he believed Mr McGee was going to attack him.

"He stood up quite aggressively out of his stool and I thought to myself 'I am not going to be able to sort this out in the way I wanted'," Gerrard said.

"I thought he was going to give me a smack.

"He was shouting back and I didn't know what he was saying but he started arguing and I thought he was going to hit me so that's why I threw a punch."

Mr McGee lost a front tooth crown and suffered a cut face in the melee.

Gerrard's police interviews end with his solicitor, Richard Green, saying the star was "deeply apologetic" about what happened.

"He understands his obligations and responsibilities and this is completely out of character and out of the blue," he said.

"He is extremely remorseful for what actually happened and certainly there wasn't any intention for events to turn out that way."

The court heard that when arrested Gerrard was "totally co-operative" with police.

He is expected to go into the witness box on Thursday morning.

 

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NEW DEAL FOR MIKEL

Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel has committed his future to the club by signing a new five-year contract.

The 22-year-old, who moved to Stamford Bridge from Norwegian side Lyn Oslo is 2006, impressed in the holding role in the Blues midfield last term.

The Nigerian told the club's official website: "It was easy to commit to because I am happy here and when the opportunity came it was good to sign after speaking to the club."

Mikel already feels he will have an important role to play under new boss Carlo Ancelotti.

He added: "My future with the new manager will be bright, and I think we have a good working relationship already.

"All the managers I have played for here have their own type of systems they want us to play, and whoever comes in will want to change little bits and pieces.

"There is not much to change but they all bring in different views, and the new manager wants us to play in a certain formation which we need to get used to before the season starts."

Mikel, who started the 2-0 friendly win over Inter Milan in America as he looks to build-up to full fitness, is confident he will thrive in the 4-4-2 diamond formation Ancelotti has favoured so far.

He added: "It has been hard work getting back to fitness but we all want to be sharp for the start of the season. Training is hard work but we have to do it.

"The new formation doesn't make too much difference to me in defensive midfield, but perhaps it is a little harder as I have to cover more ground for the team, but I feel I am up to the task and I am sure I can do it."

 

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CARRA KEEN FOR ALONSO SAGA TO END

Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher is hoping for a swift resolution to the Xabi Alonso transfer saga, but is keen for the midfielder remain at the club.

Alonso's future on Merseyside has been the subject of intense speculation with Real Madrid reportedly interested in a £30million deal, while the Spaniard has also been linked with Chelsea and Manchester City among others.

Boss Rafael Benitez has so far sidestepped the issue during Liverpool's two-match tour of Asia, only going so far as to confirm the 27-year-old will remain a Red until after the game against a Singapore XI on July 26.

However, Carragher believes a decision on Alonso's future needs to be made sooner rather than later with the new Premier League season less than a month away.

"The feeling within the squad, he is a top player and you do not want to lose your top players and hopefully it can be sorted out as quickly as possible," he said.

"If the club thinks it is in the best interests of the club sometimes you have to do what is in the best interests of the club.

"But that's a personal matter for the manager and the club. We all go through these situations - well hopefully not me - and as I said, I just hope it gets sorted out sooner rather than later."

Alonso did not feature in Liverpool's 1-1 draw with Thailand in a pre-season friendly in Bangkok due to a slight ankle injury.

However fellow midfielder Javier Mascherano, another whose Liverpool future has been cast into doubt, did play although the Argentinian elected not to speak to the media following the game.

Ryan Babel, who has been tipped by Benitez to play a significant role this season, opened the scoring for the visitors with six minutes gone at the Rajamangala Stadium and spurned two further chances to add to his tally before Sutee Sumsomkit levelled in impressive fashion midway through the second period to leave the Reds still searching for their first pre-season victory.

There was a further setback when Martin Skrtel limped off 10 minutes after coming on at half-time and while Benitez said it was too early to tell how long the defender could be ruled out for, it was nevertheless an unwanted blow.

"I'm really disappointed because Martin has had a problem with his hamstring and a little bit with the ligaments in his knee, so we have to wait," he said.

Carragher echoed his manager's disappointment over his centre-back partner's exit.

"That's part and parcel of football. It's disappointing but hopefully he will be ready for the start of the season because he's a top player," he said.

Despite being held by Peter Reid's team and seeing his charges spurn a number of chances, Benitez was nevertheless pleased with Liverpool's performance.

"We had some chances, we were playing against a team that was well organised, and they play quick," the Spaniard said.

"So you come to a new continent and conditions are different, always more difficult, but I was pleased with the performance of some players.

"We knew that physically they are strong, they are quick, and then the pace of the other team is important. So we had to have some really good movement and I was really pleased with them."

Benitez, though, was reluctant to talk up his side's Premier League title chances this term following last season's impressive campaign.

"We have to keep working and try to be contenders," he added.

"I don't think that we need to put any pressure on anyone. So we just keep improving and then we can stay there."

 

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SOUTHGATE EXPECTING DUO TO LEAVE

Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate is expecting strikers Mido and Tuncay Sanli to leave the club within weeks.

Neither the Egyptian nor his Turkish team-mate were involved in Wednesday night's 5-0 friendly win at Dumbarton having been left behind on Teesside.

Mido is a fortnight behind the rest of the squad after failing to turn up for pre-season training until Monday this week, while Tuncay is nursing a back problem.

However, Southgate is resigned to seeing both follow Stewart Downing out of the door at the Riverside Stadium.

He told the Northern Echo after the game: "We know that Mido would like to move on in an ideal world - as would Tuncay - and I'm sure those deals will happen.

"But that doesn't take care of itself. It is something I have to deal with, but while I'm here, my focus is on the players who have come on this trip."

 

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SPURS CONFIRM HUNTELAAR INTEREST

Tottenham have confirmed their interest in Klaas-Jan Huntelaar after the striker appears to have shunned a switch to Stuttgart.

The Dutch star is surplus to requirements at Real Madrid, despite only joining the Spanish giants in January this year.

Spurs had looked as if they had missed out, as Stuttgart agreed a deal with Real Madrid worth around £15million - but now Huntelaar is heading back to Spain after talks with the Bundesliga side broke down.

That is now sure to signal a move from Spurs, after their boss Harry Redknapp confirmed that the 25-year-old was his top striking target.

"The lad is a very good goalscorer and I'm still interested in him," said Redknapp.

"I know of Stuttgart's involvement but I'm hoping we will still be able to do something.

"There's a lot of talk about who I may or may not be after but Huntelaar is the one I like."

 

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HULL CONFIRM RICKETTS BID

Hull City have confirmed they are considering a bid from an unnamed Premier League club, believed to be Portsmouth, for Sam Ricketts.

Both Pompey and Bolton are said to be keen on luring the Wales international full-back away from the KC Stadium.

Tigers boss Phil Brown has now revealed that a bid has been received and they are 'assessing' it, while he also confirmed another side have also expressed an interest.

"We're assessing it on its merits in a professional manner," said Brown.

"Sam has another year left on his contract and if the lad wants to stay he has to show it in the opening games of the season."

"It's a balancing act and he's getting on with pre-season in a professional manner.

"We've had one firm [offer] and another [club] showing interest."

 

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COLE: I HOPE CITY BETTER GUNNERS

Ashley Cole hopes Manchester City force his former club Arsenal out of the top four of the Premier League.

The Chelsea and England defender angered Gunners fans when he moved to their fierce capital rivals in 2006.

Cole has now admitted that he would rather see City, who have spent heavily on a host of stars over the summer, finish above his ex-employers.

"I have friends at City and I hope they do really well - and that they finish above Arsenal," said the full-back.

"I think it's going to be hard for City but they could do it. They may click straight away and it's magic. I hope they do."

 

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FERGIE HAS CASH TO SPEND - GLAZERS

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has upwards of £60million to spend on new players this summer, according to a spokesman for the Glazer family.

Fans have been unhappy the Red Devils have been relatively quiet in the transfer market despite the £80million exit of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez's decision not to stay beyond his two-year loan.

Old Trafford does have new faces in the shape of Antonio Valencia, Gabriel Obertan and Michael Owen, although the trio are believed to have cost around £22million with the latter a free transfer.

Ferguson has claimed that there will be no more new signings this summer, but that is not because there are no funds available for him to invest.

Although Glazer family spokesman Tehsin Nayani has conceded that United cough up interest payments of £43.3million a year to service the £750m loan used to buy the club, he insists their financial position remains healthy.

"We do have debt service and carry a significant amount of debt," confirmed Nayani.

"But our interest payments are around £43.3million a year while our operating profit was £80million topped by an extra £25m from transfer profits.

"So we are talking about a net amount of about £60m. That's cash that can be reinvested in the squad, doing up the toilets or new carpets.

"The point is there is money coming into United. One thing that is certain, because of globalisation and the growing middle classes in India and the Far East, the appeal of football is set to grow. We are part of that story."

United have been criticised over their failure to make a big summer signing while neighbours rivals Manchester City have been splashing the cash with a host of expensive new arrivals.

Nayani claims Ferguson is selective regarding his transfer policy and that he will not pay over-the-odds or fund excessive salaries.

"The truth is a lot more prosaic than that," Nayani continued.

"The delay is because the manager has not been able to locate the players that he believes fit into the Manchester United mindset, ones that are motivated to play for United.

"You don't want mercenaries, to pay over the odds for players not willing to give their all for the club."

 

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ALONSO REFUSES TO COMMIT TO REDS

The future of Liverpool's Xabi Alonso remains uncertain after the midfielder admitted he cannot give any guarantees regarding his career.

Former Real Sociedad star Alonso has been strongly linked with a return to Spain as Real Madrid make no secret of their desire to secure his signature.

The 27-year-old is reported to be unhappy at Anfield after Reds boss Rafa Benitez appeared prepared to sell him in order to raise funds in his unsuccessful pursuit of Gareth Barry.

Alonso has admitted he is flattered by Madrid's interest and he confesses that he is unable to say if he will remain with Liverpool for the long-term.

After the Reds' pre-season friendly draw with Thailand on Wednesday, he said in the Daily Mirror: "It's difficult to give any guarantees.

"For now, I'm just enjoying myself in Thailand."

Alonso was not a member of Liverpool's squad for the 1-1 draw in Bangkok as Ryan Babel's early goal was cancelled out by Sutee's equaliser.