New president Sandro Rosell has warned Arsenal that Barcelona will not pay over the odds for Cesc Fabregas.
The Spanish champions have already seen one bid for the Spain midfielder rejected by the north London club this summer.
Fabregas is reported to have told manager Arsene Wenger of his desire to leave the Gunners to rejoin his former club following seven years in the Premier League.
But following reports that Arsenal are holding out for a £40million fee for their unsettled captain, Rosell has issued a financial warning.
"We will never pay 50 or 60million (euros) for Cesc," he told Spanish radio."The whole world knows he wants to come and that we want to sign him.
"It's a topic that has become so public and that's the worst thing you can do with a transfer, because it makes the selling club raise their expectations and you end up paying over the odds."
Rosell's claim comes on the same day that he revealed that cash-flow problems were behind the sale of Dmytro Chygrynskiy back to former club Shakhtar Donetsk.
The 23-year-old defender has left the Camp Nou for a cut-price 15million euro fee just 11 months after joining Barcelona.
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"This operation is necessary for the club, above all to solve some short-term cash-flow problems," Rosell told the club's official website.
"The coaching staff have been very understanding which we greatly appreciate. The club's finances are a priority right now."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Barcelona midfielder Xavi has told Arsenal they are only "delaying the inevitable" when it comes to Cesc Fabregas returning to his former club.
Fabregas has been the subject of one unsuccessful bid from the Spanish champions earlier this summer and his future in north London continues to look uncertain.
Manager Arsene Wenger has vowed to fight to keep hold of his captain, who he signed as a raw teenager from Barca back in 2003.
However, Xavi has warned Wenger that he is wasting his time as Fabregas will eventually return to the Camp Nou.
"We know where Cesc wants to be this coming season, but perhaps there is not enough time for Barcelona and Arsenal to agree a deal," Xavi told the Daily Express.
"Arsenal need to understand they are only delaying the inevitable.
"If we don't manage to get his signature this season then Arsenal only really have him on loan for a year – because there is nothing they can do to stop him joining next summer.
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"I haven't given up on him joining us this season but, if he doesn't, it won't be more than a year before he is back home.
"His people will have a whole season to sort out the deal between the two clubs and it will happen at the very latest next summer."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Ricardo Carvalho has seemingly set his heart on joining his former Porto and Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid. The Portuguese defender has reportedly said he would go “swimming or running” to the Bernabeu should Mourinho make an offer for him. In my opinion, losing Carvalho to Real Madrid would be a huge loss given some of his heroic performances for the Blues.
Since arriving from Porto in 2004, Carvalho has been a key component in establishing Chelsea’s reputation as having the best defence in the league. In 2004/2005, Mourinho’s first season at the helm, Chelsea’s defence was positively miserly; only conceding a record 15 league goals on the way to securing a first league title since 1955. From his impressive first season in England, Carvalho has only gone from strength to strength.
Carvalho’s partnership with John Terry proved to be one of the strongest centre-back pairings of the Premier League era. While Terry is undoubtedly the face of Chelsea’s defence, Carvalho’s role should not be underestimated. Indeed, many people (myself included) are of the belief that Carvalho is better than the Chelsea skipper.
Carvalho possesses all of the defensive attributes that Terry has, along with greater pace. Without Carvalho, it may have taken people longer to decide that Terry wasn’t all that good as he frequently covered for Terry’s shortcomings.
But for me, Carvalho’s most endearing quality is his commitment. With Carvalho, you always knew what you were going to get from him. Whenever he put on the shirt, he gave his all on the pitch, doing whatever it takes to win. There is one moment that sticks out to me that encapsulates what Ricardo Carvalho is all about. It’s the 2005 Champions League second round match against Barcelona.
With the game hanging in the balance at 3-2 and Chelsea heading out on the away goals rule, Chelsea suddenly get a corner on the right hand side. Damien Duff steps up to whip in a left footed corner to the penalty spot. Out comes Victor Valdes, seemingly favourite to claim the Irishman’s corner, only for Ricardo Carvalho to give the Barcelona ‘keeper a slight nudge causing Valdes to miss the ball. This allowed John Terry to head the ball into the corner of the net to send the Bridge into delirium. Yes, it could have been called a foul but Carvalho was willing to do whatever it took to make sure that we won that game.
On the one hand, Carvalho’s Chelsea exit can be justified. In recent times, Carvalho has found himself behind Alex as first-choice partner for John Terry as Guus Hiddink and now Carlo Ancelotti have preferred the Brazilian in the centre of defence. Carvalho has also had his fair share of injury problems with an ankle injury keeping him sidelined towards the end of last season. In addition to Carvalho, Ancelotti has great depth at centre-back with Terry, Alex, Ivanovic, Mancienne and Bruma all fighting for a starting berth and with Carvalho’s advancing years, his best performances might be behind him.
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But if he does leave, I hope my fellow Chelsea fans don’t hold it against him. Carvalho has given his all for the club in his time at the Bridge and has been integral to our success. He should be allowed to go with his head held high.
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When Martin O’Neill resigned as manager of Aston Villa a number of names were linked with the job, Sven Goran Eriksson, Martin Jol, Bob Bradley, one who would certainly not have crossed many minds was that of Diego Maradona. In recent days though, the Argentinian has been heavily linked with the managers job at Villa Park. His agent Walter Soriano has been voicing this interest, the Sunday Mercury has quoted Soriano as stating;
“I think Diego would be very open to the idea of coming to England and managing Aston Villa.” He also said “If the owner Randy Lerner wants to make him a serious offer, I am sure he would get a very positive response.”
Maradona of course is still a huge outsider, this morning you could get 50/1 on him becoming the next Villa manager, with Kevin MacDonald the current favourite. There may be one or two backing Maradona at such odds and if it were to happen, it would be one of the most sensational managerial appointments in years. Maradona of course, is still a man who inpires mixed emotions in England. What is not in doubt is that he is a fascinating individual, and he was one of the most entertaining performers at the World Cup in South Africa.
The Sunday Mercury also quotes agent Walter Soriano as stating, “He is very attracted to English football and the way of life in your country and I know he will be very willing to move there. He loves the English countryside and your respect for privacy so he would be very happy there.”
Maradona would light up the Premier League if he was there, but questions might exist over how his team would perform. At the World Cup, Maradona seemed to have a fairly naïve grasp of tactics. Argentina played all out attacking football and made much of the early running in the tournament, but when they faced Germany they were dismantled as the lethal Teutonic counter-attacks cut through them with ease. Villa fans might be concerned that Maradona’s attacking style might not be hugely effective in the Premier League, but Villa have been one of the more adventurous sides in the league in recent years, and have the personnel to suit an attacking mindset. If Maradona did want to have a serious run in charge of Villa, it might be advisable for him to have an experienced Premier League assistant to help him with tactics and the defensive side of the game. Maradona himself despite his diminutive stature would be a towering presence in the dressing room, and would be a hugely inspirational figure for the players.
It is easy for someone who does not support Aston Villa to revel in the possible appointment of Diego Maradona. He would provide entertainment for the whole league but it is questionable whether one would want him at their own club. There would be plus points, Villa Park would certainly not be dull and Maradona might also be able to attract some good Argentinian players to the club, but there are also major drawbacks. Maradona’s managerial ability is still in question, and he plays an almost kamikaze style of football, for a club who have serious aspirations to improve it may not be the shrewdest move by Randy Lerner. It would be great to see Maradona in the Premiership one day, but he might have to hone his management style and gain greater experience before he can be a successful manager in England.
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Reports suggest Arsenal are close to agreeing a deal with Sevilla for their France international Sebastien Squillaci.
Spanish publication Marca reports that Gunners boss Arsene Wenger has indentified the centre-back as the man to help bolster his defensive options at the Emirates Stadium.
The 30-year-old has spent eight years playing top-flight football in his homeland with the likes of Monaco and Lyon.
It is believed that Squillaci asked to be removed from Sevilla's Champions League squad roster this week so that he will be able to represent the Gunners in European football's premier competition.
Sevilla director Ramon Rodriguez confirmed: "The player asked us not to play in this game due to an important offer from a team, although for the moment, we consider the bid to be inadequate and Squillaci remains a Sevilla player."
Squillaci is valued in the region of £8million but looks set to join Laurent Koscielny, Thomas Vermaelen and Johan Djourou as Wenger's central defensive options.
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Wenger has lost Philippe Senderos, William Gallas, Mikael Silvestre and Sol Campbell since the end of last season.Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Several things struck me during Manchester City’s 0-2 Europa League Group A win in Austria last night. Having spent the day messing around on my Twitter page making up facts about Austria (did you know, for example, that, due to an oddity in the country’s one-way system, every road in Austria is uphill? Or that Austria actually gets no rainfall, but that all of their precipitation is controlled by the government?) and the pope (he was the original choice to play Indianna Jones, but he turned the role down, y’know), I was in quite a jovial mood at kick off, despite having watched a frustrating City performance recently, at home against Blackburn.
A lot of City fans I know, after that Blackburn game, were none too happy with the tactics employed by Sam Allardyce in their visit to Eastlands – wasting time, long balls, sitting behind the ball, etc. – but that’s a viewpoint I can’t really subscribe to. Too often I heard the phrase “that’s not football” or “it’s anti-football” when the game was being discussed post-match, but when it comes down to it, I wouldn’t have expected Blackburn to go to a side that is aiming for a top four finish, not to play to their strengths and, instead, to try to beat them with possession football. It wasn’t as if City didn’t create chances – the worrying part of the game was the stat of 20 attempts on goal, but only one scored.
City didn’t play especially badly against Blackburn, they just failed to break their opposition down. Too often, the opportunity for a quick break was declined for a series of short passes in midfield or the opportunity for a first time pass was declined in favour of several touches. And that allowed Blackburn to get back behind the ball and regain their shape.
There were plenty of shots on goal from the home side, but it was frustrating to see them being largely, with one or two exceptions, of course, comfortable saves for Robinson or off target to begin with. It was doubly frustrating when it took so much work to get into a shooting position.
But then roll forward five days. What struck me in the game last night, albeit against different opposition with a different style of play, was that the Manchester City that turned up in Austria, as a weakened side, too, mark you, didn’t look the same Manchester City that passed and passed and passed the ball in front of Blackburn the weekend previous. There were penetrating runs, successful through balls, dangerous attacks, one-touch football, and two good goals to finish it all off.
The biggest reason I can see for this improvement was that David Silva was given his chance to start. From the kick off, he was involved in virtually everything positive that City did until he was substituted five minutes from time. His vision and work rate were as good as ever, but his ability to execute the right pass at the right time looked second to none.
For someone his size, he didn’t look too put off by a tough tackle here or there. He’s not the bulkiest of players, which does aid his agility, but he isn’t afraid to get stuck in, too. He showed flashes of this in his substitute appearance against Blackburn – in my personal opinion, he should have been introduced to the game much earlier than he was – and, last night, it helped him run the game.
It summed his entire night up when he broke his neck to support Tevez, who was battling his way into the Salzburg box, to end up with a shooting chance (though he did decide to cut back onto his left foot and consequently gave the goalkeeper time to adjust). Tevez, traditionally, isn’t the most selfless of players and will normally take a shot on if he can, so Silva bust a gut knowing he mightn’t have even gotten the chance to shoot. But he did and he should have scored.
Keeping our feet on the ground, for a moment, though, we should remember that Red Bull Salzburg aren’t Arsenal or Chelsea or Manchester United. But, equally, they’re not a poor side; last season, they won every one of their Europa League group stage games and were also the Austrian Bundesliga winners. Ok, so it’s not the English Premier League, but it’s hardly the Northwest Counties League, either.
The second thing that struck me was my parents’ ability to fall asleep at the drop of a hat. Not just a problem when hat shopping, but also a completely strange sight when, only seconds after the half time whistle had been blown, I was able to look across and see them snoozing away on the sofa, despite having been in full conversation with them virtually right up until the whistle.
Continued on Page TWO
Gareth Barry’s return to the starting line-up and subsequent influence on the match was the third thing that struck me. Looking back to the Blackburn match, with Milner and Yaya Touré struggling to find form and Vieira as the third, deeper, central midfielder, there was little service to Tevez (and later, Jo). And it was no coincidence that it was Barry’s introduction that made the home side more threatening.
I was genuinely quite worried for Barry at the start of the season, especially after he struggled, like most of the other England players, in the World Cup (though he was battling back from injury). With the midfield talent that Roberto Mancini brought in to City, Barry was one of the favourites among several fans to be starting more games on the bench than on the pitch, condemned to proving his worth in European or League Cup matches.
However, the man himself had no such thoughts of being a bit-part player. He’s been nothing short of outstanding so far this season and last night was just another example. It’s the hard work he does that goes unnoticed. He links the defence with the attack with simple passing and, in the case of creating one of Jo’s opportunities yesterday, superb vision and through ball execution.
He’s not a Nigel de Jong, who will break up play and protect the back four, while offering very little going forward – anyone who saw his miss (read: backpass) in City’s 1-2 victory at Fulham last season can testify for that: if the ball breaks free for a first time shot eight yards from goal, it’s not Nigel de Jong you want it to fall to.
It’s a popular misconception, especially amongst television pundits who don’t get to see matches in their entirety (yet are expected to comment on them perfectly), that when City start with Nigel de Jong and Gareth Barry that they are starting with two defensive midfielders. And it’s usually followed by a criticism, especially if City are at home.
While it may be true that de Jong won’t give the side much on the attack, the same cannot be said of Barry. He is the player responsible for finding Yaya Touré in advanced positions or moving the ball wide to Milner or chipping it in to Johnson or making the late drive into the box.
In fact, here’s me calling for Silva to join the starting eleven, but I can’t for the life of me decide who I would drop – personally, I’d like to see Nigel de Jong start, Gareth Barry start, Yaya Touré start, James Milner start, Adam Johnson start and David Silva start. Though, I’m not on the same contract as Roberto Mancini, so I’ll probably be left with that selection headache on Football Manager only.
I also wondered, during last night’s match, whether the captain’s armband was having something of a negative effect on the new club captain, Carlos Tevez. When it was announced that he would be club captain for the season, I could certainly see the reasons why – if your captain is chasing everything and working hard, it’s leading by example and, in theory at least, the rest of the team should be inspired by his efforts. But I also found it a somewhat strange decision, certainly with there being other, perhaps more natural, candidates in the squad. Personally, I had been expecting the armband to be wrapped around Vincent Kompany’s arm this season.
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It would be fair to say that Tevez hasn’t yet recaptured his form from last season – he’s started this season like a BBC Three sitcom: trying hard to do its job, but struggling and being taken off before the series is over. Then again, he was very involved in the World Cup (granted, any game that Tevez plays in he generally is very involved with) and he did start last season slowly, as he recovered from injury. And, while he doesn’t strike me as somebody who lets pressure get to him, I have wondered more than once this season if it is an extra burden he would play better without.
After all, it seems to have worked for Kolo Touré. Though, I suppose seven games into the season, one of which Tevez didn’t feature in and one of which he scored twice in, is a bit too early to judge. And certainly taking the captaincy off someone who’s only just been given it isn’t going to help his confidence.
Now, all that being said, City travel to Wigan this weekend. While not somewhere you would expect a team that has had great investment over the last couple of seasons to struggle, City have never actually won at the DW Stadium in the Premier League (three losses and two draws). I expect it will be a game in a similar ilk to that of the visit of Blackburn to Eastlands, so it’s going to need City to move the ball around as quickly and lethally as they did last night.
Five points from four Premier League games isn’t a great start and I think, like myself, every other City fan was expecting better. But it’s not panic stations, yet. And a victory at Wigan would be a nice kick-start to City’s season and could be the boost the side needs. City are due that kick-start. Especially after having kick-started so many other teams’ seasons over the years.
Chile international Jean Beausejour will miss Birmingham City's Premier League clash with Arsenal next weekend because of a knee ligament injury.
The 26-year-old, who impressed for his country at this summer's World Cup finals in South Africa, has made only one start for the Blues so far this season, the Carling Cup victory against MK Dons, because of a lack of match fitness.
The £3.3million summer signing is now struggling to recover from a knee ligament strain.
Boss Alex McLeish said:"Jean came to us half-fit and hadn't played many games and that is part of the problem when you sign players right at the end of the transfer window.
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"Now he's strained his medial ligament and we have to make sure we don't take any unnecessary risks with him. He needs to rest to make sure he is right and he won't be available next weekend."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson believes the Manchester derby is now as fierce as ever.
Ahead of Wednesday night's clash with Manchester City, Ferguson admits the showdown could be at its explosive best at Eastlands.
Although the Scot suggests the Red Devils' rivalry with Liverpool remains to be the bigger of the two, he does feel the media interest is bringing the cross-town connection closer with Citizens owner Sheikh Mansour's trying to turn the blue half of the city into a Premier League and European powerhouse.
"The Liverpool game is one of honour in terms of trophies won," said Ferguson.
"Liverpool edge it in European Cups, we edge it in FA Cups and World Championships. We are undoubtedly the two most successful clubs in British football.
"Now the meetings with City are ones of great intensity, which is built up by the media explosion around what they are doing and what they are trying to achieve.
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"The fact we are both in the same city means there is an incredible intensity in this derby game now, which was not there 10 or 15 years ago."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti has revealed that Didier Drogba will play against Fulham on Wednesday even though the Ivory Coast international has been diagnosed as suffering from malaria.
The striker was on the substitute's bench for Sunday's 2-0 defeat at Liverpool when it was claimed he was recovering from a virus.
"We found out (on Monday night) when blood tests showed he had malaria," confirmed Ancelotti."I don't know where he got it from.
"He had a problem. He has this virus and, obviously, he lost power and training.
"He lost his condition. He's had treatment and now he's OK. He'll come back immediately in the best condition.
"He suffered, obviously, because he wasn't 100 per cent but now, after treatment, he'll be better. He had malaria. He had the tests in the last day and they showed this kind of virus. Now he's good.
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"I don't know where he got it from. I gave him a few days off and he went on holiday for a few days and then he has malaria. But it's over now. He's OK."
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Fabio Capello has backed Newcastle United striker Andy Carroll to stay out of trouble and enjoy a long England career.
The Italian has included the volatile Geordie in his squad for Wednesday's friendly international against France even though Carroll is currently on bail after being charged with assaulting a former girlfriend.
Capello said of the 21-year-old:"Everybody makes mistakes when they are young.
"It is very important for him to be in the seniors because we have a lot of important players who can stay with him and speak with him about what happens outside the pitch. That is important.
"I haven't spoken to him but I talked to the FA, who have told me I can pick him. I also spoke with (England Under-21 manager) Stuart Pearce and he has no problems either. He is only young. He can change.
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"Carroll is a really interesting player. He is good in the air, has good movement without the ball and finds space. Technically he is very good and he is a fighter."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email