Monday 30 June 2008

Barton admits team-mate assault

Idiot Premier League footballer Joey Barton has admitted assaulting a former team-mate in a training ground row.

The Newcastle United midfielder changed his plea ahead of a trial and admitted assaulting Ousmane Dabo during a training ground row on 1 May last year.

The 25-year-old Idiot repeatedly punched Dabo as he lay dazed on the ground, Manchester Minshull Crown Court heard.

The idiot ex-Manchester City player is currently serving a six-month jail term for an attack in Liverpool.

Sunday 22 June 2008

Premier league gossip

27th Friday Jume 2008

Manchester City have agreed a £19m fee for CSKA Moscow's Brazilian striker Jo. (Sky Sports, 1650 BST)

Middlesbrough chief executive Keith Lamb has told Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez to forget about signing Stewart Downing, saying: "We believe he is happy and settled here." (Daily Mail, 1540 BST)

Cardiff are close to completing a deal for Everton defender Darren Dennehy after City held talks with the Premier League club earlier this week. (Various, 1550 BST)

Everton boss David Moyes has insisted England striker Andrew Johnson is not for sale. (Everton club website, 1115 BST)

Johnson not for sale, says Moyes

Paul Robinson has revealed his desire to resurrect his career at Aston Villa according to sources close to the out-of-favour Tottenham goalkeeper. (Press Association 1001 BST)

Manchester United assistant boss Carlos Queiroz raised the prospect of winger Cristiano Ronaldo leaving by claiming contracts mean nothing in modern-day football. (Daily Mirror)

Real Madrid are happy to be "passive spectators" and wait and see how things play out between the Portugal winger and United, according to the club's president Ramon Calderon. (The Guardian)

Brazil playmaker Ronaldinho will reject a move to Manchester City as the 28-year-old wants to stay at Barcelona. (Daily Mirror)

Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate is ready to fight Liverpool to keep £12m England winger Stewart Downing. (Various)

Former Chelsea boss Avram Grant has revealed the Blues are tracking Russia midfielder Yuri Zhirkov. (Daily Star)

Midfielder Claude Makelele is staying at Chelsea after agreeing a one-year extension that will keep him at Stamford Bridge until 2010. (Daily Star)

But the England winger reportedly had a meeting with manager Paul Ince on Thursday and told the former MK Dons boss that he wants Rovers to sell him. (The Independent)

Everton will reluctantly sell £10m-rated striker Andy Johnson in a bid to generate urgently-needed transfer funds. Sunderland, West Ham, Wigan, Aston Villa, Manchester City and Middlesbrough are interested in the 27-year-old. (Daily Mail)

Arsenal have made an approach for Portugal midfielder Miguel Veloso, according to the Sporting Lisbon player's agent. (Various)

Liverpool have told Portsmouth that they need to change the fee structure of their £9m bid for Peter Crouch if they are to agree a deal for the England striker. (The Times)

Stoke boss Tony Pulis is keen to sign Celtic midfielder Thomas Gravesen, who will be allowed to leave the Glasgow club for free - but his wage demands may prove to be a stumbling block. (Daily Mirror)

Ajax have joined Tottenham and Portsmouth in trying to sign Liverpool's Yossi Benayoun by bidding £5m for the Israel midfielder. (Daily Mail)

Everton are set to launch a £2m raid on relegated Leicester for teenage left-back Joe Mattock. (Various)

Striker Kanu is refusing to sign a new one-year contract with Portsmouth as he insists they owe him a better deal. (The Sun)

West Ham have asked about taking Palermo striker Edison Cavani on loan. (The Times)

Croatia central defender Josip Simunic has told Fulham they must wait at least two weeks before he decides whether to join them. (Daily Express)

Stoke City are poised to make a bid for Rangers midfielder Lee McCulloch. (Daily Mail/The Sun)

Former Chelsea midfielder Craig Rocastle could be given the chance to kick start his career at Kilmarnock. (Daily Express/Daily Star)



24th Tuesday June 2008

Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez is demanding £50m to secure the transfers of David Villa, Daniel Alves, David Silva and Gareth Barry. (The Mirror)

Jose Mourinho has cut short his summer holiday to personally take charge of Inter Milan's pursuit of Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard. (The Sun)

AC Milan are ready to call off their pursuit of Emmanuel Adebayor after Arsenal rejected the move. (The Star)

Arsenal could move for Valencia midfielder David Silva if as expected Alexander Hleb moves to Barcelona. (The Sun)

Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp has failed with a £9m bid for Liverpool striker Peter Crouch. (Daily Star)

Tottenham defender Michael Dawson is a £4m target for Newcastle. (Daily Mirror)

Spurs are targeting PSV Eindhoven keeper Heurelho Gomes who would cost around £10m. (Guardian)

Tottenham could also bid £9.6m for Brescia keeper Emiliano Viviano as they look to replace Paul Robinson. (The Times)

Also at White Hart Lane, winger Aaron Lennon may swap Tottenham for Newcastle. (The Guardian )

Spurs manager Juande Ramos will pay £8m for Seville winger Diego Capel. (The Independent)

Fulham could trade midfielder Jimmy Bullard for Middlesbrough defender Luke Young. (The Times)

Boss Roy Hodgson is also keen on bringing Liverpool defender Steve Finnan back to Craven Cottage. (The Times)

Newcastle's Shola Ameobi is expected to move to West Bromwich Albion for £2.5m. (The Times)

Aston Villa are keen on out-of-favour Everton striker Andy Johnson and are ready to table a £7m bid. (Daily Star)

Bolton manager Gary Megson is ready to smash the club's transfer record with the signing of Toulouse striker Johan Elmander. (The Sun)

Liverpool midfielder Yossi Benayoun could be on his way out of Anfield, with Portsmouth keen on the Israeli. (The Sun)

Steve Sidwell is demanding a Chelsea pay-off before joining Aston Villa. (Daily Mirror)

Premier League new boys Stoke are lining up a bid of £2m for Morocco striker Bouchaib El-Moubarki. (Daily Mirror)

New Blackburn Rovers manager Paul Ince could raid his old club MK Dons to sign captain Keith Andrews. (Daily Mirror)

Aston Villa have had a £15m bid for David Bentley rejected by Blackburn Rovers. (Daily Mail)

Poland midfielder Mariusz Lewandowski has given Celtic the green light to fight it out with Everton and Fulham for his signature. (Various)


Cristiano Ronaldo will this week demand Manchester United sell him to Real Madrid - as a reward for his loyalty. (News of the World).

A source close to the player says that he does not want to leave United under a cloud. (News of the World)

Real have told the winger that he should attempt to force United into selling him or to formally demand a transfer. (Sunday Telegraph)

Ronaldo's agent, Jorge Mendes, stands to earn an astonishing £10m if he can engineer a world record £70m move to Real. (The Mail on Sunday)

Manchester United may risk losing Carlos Tevez unless they offer him a new deal before the end of the year. (News of the World)

Dutch forward Rafael van der Vaart will trigger a £15m scrap for his services between Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool. (News of the World)

Arsene Wenger will authorise the £25m sale of Emmanuel Adebayor later this month - while seeking to buy Roque Santa Cruz from Blackburn. (The Mail on Sunday)

Manchester City and Everton head the race to sign £8m-rated Dejan Stankovic from Inter Milan. (Various)

Newcastle boss Kevin Keegan is preparing a £6m swoop for Tottenham's out-of-favour winger Aaron Lennon. (News of the World)

The Magpies boss will also fight it out with rivals Sunderland for the £10m transfer of Celtic's Aiden McGeady. (News of the World)

Everton and Newcastle are still in the hunt for Orlando Engelaar, the Dutch international midfielder. (Sunday Times)

Milan Baros tops Bolton's wanted list, with the Trotters set to spend £4.5m on Lyon's Czech striker. (News of the World)

Tottenham are stepping up their interest in Real Zaragoza's £10m-rated striker Diego Milito. (The Observer)

Aston Villa and Middlesbrough are interested in Spurs keeper Paul Robinson. (The Observer)

Hull City are ready to challenge Cardiff for Rangers hitman Kris Boyd with a £3m bid for the Scotland international. (News of the World)

Celtic have put Chelsea's Dutch defender Khalid Boulahrouz at the top of their summer shopping list. (News of the World)

Stoke City will this week launch a renewed £1.5m bid to try and lure Lee McCulloch from Rangers. (News of the World)

Arsenal are poised to offer £10m for Zenit St Petersburg's wantaway star Andrei Arshavin. (The People)

Wednesday 18 June 2008

Premier League Transfer news and gossip

18th June 2008

AC Milan star Kaka has ruled out a move to Chelsea and said he will only leave the club if they want to sell him. "I appreciate Chelsea's reported interest. Thank you, but I don't have any desire to leave Milan," he said. (Corriere dello Sport, 1115)

Aston Villa have agreed a £5.5m fee with Chelsea for midfielder Steve Sidwell. (AFP, 1044 BST)

Frank Lampard, who has been linked with a move to Inter Milan, will have face-to-face talks with new Chelsea boss Luiz Felipe Scolari before deciding his future. (Various)

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has sanctioned a £24m move for Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor in a bid to beat off competition from AC Milan. (Daily Mail)

Manchester City's bid to sign CSKA Moscow's Brazilian star Jo has been blocked by the Premier League over fears he is owned by MSI, the same company who owned Carlos Tevez's registration. (Various)

Manchester United's owners have again come out and said Cristiano Ronaldo is not for sale at any price, despite Real Madrid being prepared to pay up to £70m for the Portuguese star. (The Sun)

But Real Madrid will pay any fines Ronaldo picks up if he stays away from Old Trafford when the United players report back for pre-season training in a bid to lure him to Bernabeu. (Daily Express)

Everton are targeting Blackburn winger David Bentley as a replacement for Mikel Arteta if he leaves for Atletico Madrid. (Daily Mail)

Dutch midfielder Orlando Engelaar is also a £6m target for Everton boss David Moyes. (Daily Mirror)

Roma are ready to take Louis Saha on loan with a view to signing the Manchester United striker on a permanent deal. (Daily Mail)

Portsmouth are set to launch a £10m bid for Liverpool striker Peter Crouch this week. (Daily Telegraph)

The Fratton Park club are also interested in signing Argentine striker Mauro Zarate who spent the end of last season on-loan at Birmingham. (Various)

Celtic are preparing a bid to take Tottenham's £16m striker Darren Bent on loan next season. (Daily Record)

Lyon striker Milan Baros, who was on-loan at Portsmouth last season, is a target for Premier League new boys West Brom. (Daily Mirror)

Hull are planning a £2m swoop for Fenerbahce striker Colin Kazim-Richards. (Various)

Portsmouth set for move



Portsmouth are set to leave Fratton Park and move to a new 36,000-capacity stadium overlooking Portsmouth harbour.

If the FA Cup holders receive the necessary planning consent, work will start on the new ground next year.

The new stadium, designed by the firm responsible for Beijing's Olympic Stadium, will be on an ex-landfill site by the M275 and M27 motorway junction.

"We only have one word to describe this stadium - perfection," said Portsmouth chief executive Peter Storrie.

"The club will be playing a big part in the regeneration of the city and our fans will have the very best in terms of facilities and amenities, as well as an excellent viewing experience.
Portsmouth Football Club has moved into a new era with the backing of owner Alexandre Gaydamak and these are very exciting times for the club, both on and off the field."

The development would include an indoor exhibition centre/arena with a 10,000 capacity, a new diving training facility for the Royal Navy and a residential, retail and leisure complex.

The scheme is being designed by Swiss-based architects Herzog & de Meuron.

In addition to the Olympic Stadium, commonly known as the "Bird's Nest", they also designed the Allianz Arena football stadium in Munich.

Tuesday 17 June 2008

Latest Premier League transfer gossip and news

Cristiano Ronaldo is ready to say he is leaving Manchester United after Euro 2008, according to "a close friend". (Daily Mirror)

Manchester City are negotiating with Ronaldinho's sponsors, Nike, over signing the Brazilian. (Daily Express)

Frank Lampard is at the centre of a "tug-of-war" between former manager Jose Mourinho at Inter Milan and incoming Chelsea boss Luiz Felipe Scolari. (The Sun)

Liverpool's John Arne Riise is expected to complete a £5m move to Roma this week. (Daily Mail)

Sunderland are ready to smash their transfer record with a £10m swoop for Celtic's Aiden McGeady. (The Sun)

Wigan are close to signing Croatia striker Ivan Klasnic on a free transfer from Werder Bremen. (Daily Mirror)

Aston Villa have made the first move to sign Blackburn's want-away midfielder David Bentley. (Daily Express)

Tottenham are hoping to offload right-back Pascal Chimbonda to Aston Villa and defender Younes Kaboul to Portsmouth. (Daily Mirror)

Hull are planning to hijack centre-back Anthony Gardner's move from Tottenham to Stoke. (Daily Mirror)

Arsenal want Spain and Valencia's Raul Albiol, who can play at centre-back or in defensive midfield. (Daily Express)

Aston Villa are set to buy misfit Chelsea midfielder Steve Sidwell for £5m. (Daily Mail)

Oliver Kapo could be on his way out of Birmingham City, with Wigan and Newcastle both interested in signing the midfielder. (The Times)

Manchester City's Swedish goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson is wanted by Spanish side Atletico Madrid. (Daily Mirror)

Portsmouth will make an opening bid of £10m for Liverpool striker Peter Crouch this week. (The Independent)

Middlesbrough and Newcastle want to sign Fulham striker Steven Davis, who would prefer to make his loan period at Rangers permanent. (The Times)

Sunderland are monitoring striker Carlton Cole's position at Premier League rivals West Ham. (The Times)

Newcastle have told Liverpool and Aston Villa they want £9m for winger James Milner. (Daily Mirror)

West Brom will bid £4m for Newcastle striker Shola Ameobi after his talks with Stoke stalled. (Daily Mirror)

Celtic are being linked with moves for Russia striker Roman Pavlychencko and Spurs forward Darren Bent. (Various)

Tuesday 10 June 2008

Latest transfer gossip and news

Sat 14th June

Chelsea striker Didier Drogba has played down speculation he is headed for the Stamford Bridge exit door. "I have a contract with Chelsea until 2010, so I am still a Chelsea player," the striker told skysports.com.

Reports in Italy have claim new Inter Milan boss Jose Mourinho has identified Arsenal forward Robin van Persie as one of his summer targets (Corriere dello Sport, 1442 BST)

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is expected to tie up a £13m deal for long-time target Samir Nasri, the Marseille midfielder, after Euro 2008. Ivory Coast international Gervinho also claims the Gunners have made inquiries to Le Mans about his availability. (PA Sport, 0635 BST)

Real Madrid star Robinho is the shock new name at the top of new Chelsea boss Phil Scolari's shopping list. (Daily Star)

Chelsea are aiming to take advantage of a cash crisis at AC Milan by luring Brazilian midfielder Kaka from the San Siro. (Daily Mail)

Frank Lampard has edged nearer the Stamford Bridge exit door with Portugal playmaker Deco set to arrive for £15m from Barcelona. (Daily Mirror)

Chelsea will battle with Manchester City to capture Brazil star Ronaldinho, who Scolari managed at the 2002 World Cup. (Sun)

Barcelona's Samuel Eto'o is another possible target for Scolari, although they could face a battle with AC Milan. (Daily Telegraph).

Real Madrid plan to outflank Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United by lodging a world-record £75m bid directly to the Glazer family in their latest attempt to sign Cristiano Ronaldo. (Daily Express)

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is ready to go back to Tottenham with a £25m bid for striker Dimitar Berbatov. (Sun)

Barcelona have agreed to sell Italy winger Gianluca Zambrotta to AC Milan. (Daily Mail)

Manchester City will offer Ronaldinho £120,000 a week to come to Eastlands. (Sun)

QPR are to snap-up West Ham striker Bobby Zamora and Crystal Palace midfielder Ben Watson for a combined £5m. (Sun)

Boss Mark Hughes believes he has convinced skipper Richard Dunne to stay at Manchester City with a new £50,000-a-week deal. (Daily Mirror)

Newcastle have moved for Zenit St Petersburg's Russia striker Andrei Arshavin, who is available at £11m. (Daily Mirror)

Bolton manager Gary Megson is set to sign Birmingham midfielder Fabrice Muamba for £5m. (Sun)

Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate has lost interest in Tottenham keeper Paul Robinson. (Daily Star)

Manchester City boss Mark Hughes is ready to raid his old club for giant Congo defender Christopher Samba. (Sun)

Manchester United are hoping to sign Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos. (Times)

Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso's expected move to Juventus is likely to go ahead now a fee of £14m has been settled. (Daily Telegraph).

Wigan boss Steve Bruce is ready to use Antoine Sibierski to try and land Olivier Kapo from Birmingham (Daily Mirror).

John Arne Riise's agent has rejected reports that Roma are tracking the left-sided wing-back. (Daily Telegraph)

Highly-rated Le Mans striker Gervinho, 21, claims Arsenal are trying to sign him. (Times)

Liverpool will bide their time in their attempt to sign Aston Villa's England midfielder Gareth Barry, despite the rejection of a £13m bid. (Daily Mail)

Former Hearts striker Andrius Velicka will hold signing talks with Rangers this weekend as he aims to seal a £1m move from Viking Stravanger. (Various)

Portsmouth have ruled out a move for Celtic left-back Lee Naylor. (Daily Record)


Fri 13th June

Liverpool and Juventus have finally agreed a £14m deal which will see Xabi Alonso head to Italy. (Il Corriere Dello Sport 1529 BST)

Newcastle striker Shola Ameobi's proposed move to Ipswich could fall through as he waits for a Premier League lifeline. (Press Association 1435 BST)

Middlesbrough target Didier Digard has admitted he does not yet know whether he will join the club. (Le Parisien 1249 BST)

Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos is flattered by reported interest from Manchester United and admitted he would "see what happens" following Euro 2008. (Press Association 1155 BST)

Chelsea defender Khalid Boulahrouz, who has spent the season on loan at Sevilla, is a target for Marseille. "He's a player who interests us," said coach Eric Gerets. (PA Sport, 1405)

Barcelona striker Samuel Eto'o has ruled out a move to Spurs - and hinted that Inter Milan remain an option. "Tottenham, and I hope the English fans will forgive me, are a club in mid-table and I need more," said Eto'o. (Fox Sports, 1220)

Lyon forward Karim Benzema has admitted he would prefer a move to Real Madrid over Manchester United in the future. "I think that I need to get more experience and I'd like to help Lyon be a European champion," he said. "Then, in the future, we'll see what happens." (Marca, 1130)


Chelsea have alrea

Real Madrid will tempt Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo to the Bernabeu by offering him £182,000-a-week. (Daily Telegraph)

Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor is eager for a move away from the Emirates Stadium with AC Milan his preferred destination. (Daily Telegraph)

606: DEBATE

Tottenham are targeting PSV Eindhoven's Brazilian keeper Heurelho Gomes as a solution to their goalkeeping problems. (Daily Mirror)

Sunderland are eyeing up a bid for Tottenham striker Darren Bent. (The Sun)

Arsenal's hopes of signing Marseille playmaker Samir Nasri could be hijacked by Atletico Madrid. (Daily Mirror)

Manchester City have renewed their interest in Espanyol defender Pablo Zabaleta. (Daily Mail)

Portsmouth are keen on Barcelona striker Eidur Gudjohnsen who would cost around £4m. (Daily Mirror)

Bolton look set to land Birmingham midfielder Fabrice Muamba for £3.5m. (Daily Mail)

Manchester City have been given a week to sign Zenit St Petersburg playmaker Andrei Arshavin. (The Sun)

Aston Villa are to hold out for around £20m for Gareth Barry after rejecting a second bid from Liverpool. (Daily Star)

Hull lead the chase to sign £3m-rated Charlton striker Marcus Bent. (The Sun)

Middlesbrough are proposing a swap deal involving winger Gary O'Neil and Fulham midfielder Jimmy Bullard. (Daily Mail)

Derby's Kenny Miller looks set to leave the club with Rangers favourite to land the £1.9m-rated striker. (Daily Star)

Everton have joined West Brom in the chase for Rangers midfielder Kevin Thomson. (Daily Record)

Rangers are lining up a £1.75m move for Sporting Lisbon striker Milan Purovic. (Daily Express)

Aston Villa are hopeful of signing Sheffield Wednesday defender Frank Simek for £2m. (The Times)

Xabi Alonso's proposed move to Juventus could be off with the Italian club unwilling to meet Liverpool's £15m valuation. (Daily Express)

Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool have all been linked with Inter Milan striker Mario Balotelli. (The Times)

Olivier Kapo, Garry O'Connor and Daniel De Ridder are all expected to quit Birmingham City. (Daily Mirror)

Swansea look set to sign Southend winger Mark Gower after he rejected the chance to stay at the club. (Daily Star)

Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp is still keen on Liverpool striker Peter Crouch, but is unwilling to pay the £10m asking price. (Daily

The club's Russian owner Roman Abramovich has enlisted the services of Vlado Lemic, a controversial Serbian agent, to help in Chelsea's search for a new manager. (The Times)

Andriy Shevchenko has been acting as an 'adviser' to his close friend Roman Abramovich in the search for a new manager with his ex-boss at AC Milan Carlo Ancelotti top of his recommendations. (Daily Express)

Fenerbahce have parted company with coach Zico - freeing him up for a possible move to Chelsea. (Various)

Arsenal have won the £5m race for Cardiff star Aaron Ramsey ahead of Manchester United and Everton, with boss Arsene Wenger proving influential for the 17-year-old. (The Sun)

AC Milan are trying to hijack Manchester City's £18m bid for CSKA Moscow's Brazilian striker Jo. (Daily Star)

Real Madrid are preparing a world-record £60m offer for Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo. (The Times)

Portsmouth chief executive Peter Storrie is adamant French midfielder Lassana Diarra will not leave the club, despite rumoured interest from Tottenham in the £10m-rated player. (Daily Telegraph)

Aston Villa's Gareth Barry has demanded that boss Martin O'Neill lets him leave the club to sign for Liverpool. (The Sun)

Liverpool have opened negotiations with Roma over the possible £5m sale of attacking left-back John Arne Riise. (The Independent)

And the Anfield club, frustrated in their attempt to sign Espanyol winger Albert Riera, could now seek to seal a £12m deal for Middlesbrough wide-man Stewart Downing. (Daily Mirror)

Brazilian midfielder Marcelo Mattos could be one of Harry Redknapp's first signings for Portsmouth this summer if he attempts to trigger a £6m release clause in the Panathinaikos man's contract. (Daily Express)

Everton hope to offload Dutch winger Andy van der Meyde to Austrian outfit Red Bull Salzburg. (Various)


And Goodison Park boss David Moyes is planning a daring raid on Sporting Lisbon to snatch Portugal's £16m-rated Joao Moutinho from under the noses of Manchester United and Arsenal. (The Sun)

Zoltan Gera will join Fulham after rejecting another contract with Premier League new boys West Brom. (Various)

But West Brom manager Tony Mowbray wants Arsene Wenger to do him a favour by loaning him Arsenal defender Alexandre Song for the season. (Daily Star)

Chelsea are facing a £10m tug-of-war with old boss Jose Mourinho - now manager at Inter Milan - for Barcelona's Portugal midfielder Deco. (The Sun)

Newcastle have stepped up their pursuit of St Etienne and France forward Bafetimbi Gomis by lodging a £10m offer. Arsenal and Bolton are also interested. (The Times)

Newcastle are holding out for £7m from Liverpool for the services of nippy wide midfielder James Milner. (The Times)

With boss Steve Bruce struggling to sign Egyptian hitman Amr Zaki, Wigan have been sounded out by Marseille about bringing former Liverpool striker Djibril Cisse back to the Premier League. (Daily Mail)

New Manchester City boss Mark Hughes is planning to raid his old club Blackburn Rovers for giant defender Christopher Samba. (Daily Mail)

Andrius Velicka has admitted his is desperate to sign for Rangers as the Ibrox club stepped up their efforts to sign the Lithuanian from Viking Stavanger in a £1m deal. (Daily Record)




Wednesday 4 June 2008

Mark Hughes takes over at Man city on 3 year deal

Mark Hughes has been appointed as the new manager of Manchester City after signing a three-year contract.

Hughes held talks with the City hierarchy in London on Tuesday evening and agreed to leave Blackburn after a second round of talks.

City's only concern was a late move by Chelsea, Hughes was never a serious contender.

And City owner Thaksin Shinawatra has now landed his top target after Sven-Goran Eriksson's departure.

Shinawatra said: "He's an outstanding manager who has achieved many things with Blackburn.

Premier League gossip and transfer news

Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp has admitted he is interested in signing Liverpool striker Peter Crouch, but only if the Anfield club drop their £15m asking price. "If the price is right something could happen. If they wanted £10m it would certainly be more interesting. We do need another front man," he said. (The Portsmouth News)

Liverpool are on the brink of completing the £7m signing of Udinese's Italian full-back Andrea Dossena. The 26-year-old is reported to be in Liverpool having a medical. (Press Association, 1249 BST)

Portsmouth are interested in signing West Brom winger Zoltan Gera who is out of contract at the end of this month. (The Portsmouth News)

Roma manager Luciano Spalletti and Fiorentina boss Cesare Prandelli are the latest Italian names to be linked with the vacant manager's job at Chelsea after Carlo Ancelotti committed his future to AC Milan. (Various)

Jose Mourinho has made Chelsea full-back Ashley Cole his top target after becoming the new manager at Inter Milan. (Daily Star)

Portugal winger Cristiano Ronaldo has said that he will quit Manchester United within a year to realise his dream of becoming a Real Madrid player. (Various)



Arsenal and Tottenham will do battle over Valencia striker David Villa, who has been made available for around £17m. (Daily Telegraph)

Striker Dean Ashton is set to sign a new five-year, £50,000 a week contract with West Ham. (The Sun)

Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill has told Liverpool they will need to pay £8m, plus striker Peter Crouch in exchange for midfielder Gareth Barry. (Daily Mirror)

Reds boss Rafael Benitez will make an improved offer worth around £15m for the England midfielder. (Daily Mail)

Turkey midfielder Arda Turkan is a £7m target for Newcastle. (Daily Mirror)

Bolton are ready to battle it out with Newcastle and Aston Villa for Tottenham's £4m-rated defender Michael Dawson. (Various)

Honduran striker Carlo Costly is a £2m target for Wigan. (Daily Mirror)

Paul Scharner looks set to leave the JJB Stadium with Sunderland joining Fulham in a £3m race for the Austrian. (Daily Star)

Sean Davis is close to agreeing a £2m move from Portsmouth to Middlesbrough. (Daily Mail)

Hull City want Fulham goalkeeper Antti Niemi and have offered £1.2m for the Finn. (Various)

Premier League new boys Hull and Stoke are both chasing highly-rated Danish defender Magnus Troest. (Daily Star)


Mark Hughes has agreed a three-year contract worth £9m to take over as manager of Manchester City. (Various)

Rick Parry's position as Liverpool chief executive could be under threat after co-owner Tom Hicks approached Man City's Alistair Mackintosh about taking over at the Anfield club. (Various)

Arsene Wenger has said Arsenal can win "everything" next season. (Daily Express)

West Ham and former Arsenal midfielder Freddie Ljungberg has launched a scathing attack on Wenger, accusing the Gunners boss of making him play while injured and likened his approach to that of the army. (Various)



Sunday 1 June 2008

Stadium Pictures

you can save your favorite Premier League stadium from here and keep it as a screen saver


Arsenal, Emirates Stadium; Capacity 60,355


Aston Villa, Villa Park ; Capacity 42,640



Blackburn , Ewood Park; Capacity 31,367



Bolton , Reebok Stadium; Capacity 28,723


Chelsea, Stamford Bridge; Capacity 42,055



Everton, Goodison Park; capacity 40,569



Fulham, Craven Cottage; capacity 26,600


Hull, KC Stadium; capacity 25,404


Liverpool, Anfiled; capacity 45,362



Man City, Eastlands(city of manchester stadium)
Capacity 47,726



Man Utd, Old Trafford,; capacity 76,212



Middlesbrough, Riverside Stadium; capacity 35,100




Newcastle, St James Park; capacity 52,387


Portsmouth, Fratton Park; capacity 20,688


Tottenham ,White Hart Lane; capacity 36,240


Stoke, Britannia Stadium : capacity 28,383


Sunderland, Stadium of Light; capacity 49,000



West Brom, The Hawthrons; capacity 28,003


West Ham, Boleyn Gound (Upton Park)
capacity 35,303



Wigan, JJB Stadium; capacity 25,135

The colour of money in the top flight

ever wondered how much money really gets spent in the premier league?
These are some stats I have found.

THE PAYROLL: WHAT PREMIER LEAGUE CLUBS PAY STAFF: SEASON 2006/2007

Club Wage rank 2006/07 League position 2006/07
Total wages 2006/07 £m Total wages 2005/06 £m % increase
Chelsea 1 2
132.8 114.0 17%
Manchester United 2 1
92.3 85.4 8%
Arsenal 3 4
89.7 83.0 8%
Liverpool 4 3
77.6 68.9 13%
Newcastle United 5 13
62.5 52.2 20%
Premier League average 5.5 10.5
48.5 42.7 13%
West Ham United 6 15
44.2 31.2 41%
Tottenham Hotspur 7 5
43.8 40.7 8%
Aston Villa 8 11
43.2 38.3 13%
Everton 9 6
38.4 37.0 4%
Middlesbrough 10 12
38.3 n/a n/a
Portsmouth 11 9
36.9 24.8 49%
Blackburn Rovers 12 10
36.7 33.4 10%
Manchester City 13 14
36.4 34.3 6%
Fulham 14 16
35.2 30.1 17%
Charlton Athletic 15 19
34.3 34.2 0%
Bolton Wanderers 16 7
30.7 28.5 8%
Reading 17 8
29.8 14.2 109%
Wigan Athletic 18 17
27.5 20.6 34%
Sheffield United 19 18
22.4 15.2 48%
Watford 20 20
17.6 10.0 76%


A study of The 'Big Five' European leagues has found that football is in good shape, though each competition has its own financial characteristics.

graph of wage costs

Well if that wasnt enough take a look at some of these clubs and what they spend and earn.


Who costs the most to run?

TOP PREMIER LEAGUE WAGE BILLS 2006/7
Chelsea - £132.8m (£114m)
Manchester Utd - £92.3m (£85.4m)
Arsenal - £89.7m (£82.9m)
Liverpool - £77.6m (£68.9m)
Newcastle Utd - £62.4m (£52.2m)
(2005/6 wages in brackets)

WORLD'S WEALTHIEST CLUBS BY REVENUE

1) Real Madrid: £236.2m
2) Man Utd: £212.1m
3) Barcelona: £195.3m
4) Chelsea: £190.5m
5) Arsenal: £177.6m
6) AC Milan: £153m
7) Bayern Munich: £150.3m
8) Liverpool: £133.9m
9) Inter Milan: £131.3m
10) AS Roma: £106.1m


Who's got the biggest debt in the Premier League?

PREMIER LEAGUE TEAMS WITH MOST DEBT 2006/7
Chelsea - (£620m)
Manchester Utd (£605m)
Arsenal - (£268m)
Fulham - (£182m)
West Ham Utd (£142m)
Figures are total debt at end of 2006/7 season

Varouse Facts


2006/7 SEASON
Arsenal's matchday revenue grew 105% to £91m in its first season at the Emirates Stadium

Premier League gross spending on transfers was £492m

The top four spenders in the Championship (Sunderland, Birmingham City, West Bromwich Albion and Derby County) occupied the top four league spots

So it wont be long before we see the £200,000 per week player