The transfer rumor mill is in full force once again, and almost all of the rumors revolve around some up and coming Spanish club that goes by the name of Real Madrid (surely a rip-off of the MLS side Real Salt Lake). This time the rumors concern Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy, who has a rumored price tag of just £1.

This weekend's headlines were stolen by Emmauel Adebayor even before a ball was kicked. Saturday morning, Adebayor finally lashed out at his former club Arsenal, moments before the Gunners kicked-off a challenging visit to the Eastlands.

If there is one team that is secretly thriving in a summer of high-profile transfers, it is Birmingham City. As mentioned by my fellow Premiership Talk writer, Brian Lofrumento, the newly promoted outfit is reportedly pursuing former Arsenal captain Patrick Viera, which is in addition to a handful of other acquisitions made recently.

Football FanCast columnist Mike Harvey feels that technology in football is not the answer.

Officiating in football is headline news these days. The past few weeks left a sour taste in the mouths of many fans. FIFA is at a crossroads and how they choose to handle this problem will affect the game for years.

There have been many occasions in recent years where the genius of Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has been brought into question. After all, the trophy cabinet has been empty for four years and everyone, from skipper Cesc Fabregas to that little child in the upper tier at the Emirates, is becoming increasingly restless with the club's underachievements.

Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Carlos Tevez, and Emmanuel Adebayor! Such is the caliber of each of these players that their involvement in this summer's transfer market has left no spotlight for the lesser-known talent. Such is the nature of the market right now that none of the European giants can be bothered with a move for the hidden gems.

There is no denying that Liverpool F.C. is the form team in the Barclays Premier League at the moment. Rafa's Reds have defied all odds to overcome a frustrating start to the campaign and surprisingly, the Steven Gerrard - Fernando Torres pairing isn't exclusively responsible for leading the revival.

With the Ballon d'Or nominations finally releasing this weekend, the headlines have mostly been devoted to the fact that world champions Italy have no representation whatsoever. But why blame the press for paying excessive attention to an irrelevant detail? After all, the award itself is destined to be heading Lionel Messi's way, which means very little is there to be talked about in terms of debating the winner, right?

A capacity crowd of more than 78,000 was in attendance at the CONCACAF Gold Cup final on Sunday. At the full time whistle, Giants Stadium appeared to be a sight of gross injustice more than anything else. After resiliently fighting with their third-string side for the entire tournament, the Americans finally fell to their bitter regional rivals, Mexico, albeit very harshly.

Last week's biggest headline was the announcement that Chelsea have been handed a transfer ban. The Blues are accused of illegally tapping up former Lens youngster Gael Kakuta, and the ruling has sparked controversy all around the world of football. Manchester United appear to be the next club on the chopping block as French club Le Havre are accusing the Premiership champions of tapping up 16 year old Paul Pogba.

While Emmanuel Adebayor's infamous lack of sportsmanship this past weekend has overshadowed Manchester City's emphatic 4-2 victory over his former club Arsenal, it is impossible to overlook the strong impact he has made at the Eastlands already.

Rewind back to 2003 and you'll see that Jonathan Woodgate had everything. From critical acclaim to a huge fan following, he had all the essentials required to go down in the Newcastle folklore as one of the very best defenders of all time. However, the only obstacle that could stop him injuries came into play very early into his career at St.

Barcelona may be the treble winners last season. In addition, they may also be the side with arguably the most potent attack in Europe, comprising of the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Thierry Henry, Bojan Krkic, and FIFA World Player of the Year hopeful Lionel Messi. On top of that, they also possess one of the most powerful midfield combinations in the continent in the form of Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez.

Manchester City really missed the boat on this one. Jo certainly made sure that he would be missed by the fans at the City of Manchester Stadium. Everton, meanwhile, are pleased to have Jo on their side. In his first match playing for Everton, Jo was able to find the back of the net not once, but twice.

The Carling Cup final is just around the corner. Does it matter?

Burnley may have stolen quite a few headlines yesterday after securing a long-awaited promotion to the Barclays Premier League. However, Burnley's promotion really shouldn't be a newsflash to anyone, as the former Championship outfit already impressed big time during a dream run in the Carling Cup, which saw them eliminate Chelsea and Arsenal en route to a thrilling semifinal against Tottenham.

This coming season promises to be the most exciting in years. Of course, every coming season promises to be the most exciting in years. This is one of the many truisms of English Football. Last season we gaped open mouthed as Manchester City clumsily wooed Global Franchise Entities with the promise of dreams and Ferrero Rocher.

Seldom has a talented football nation witnessed the kind of humiliation that the Czech Republic has suffered in the entire last year. In a World Cup qualification campaign where they were placed in perhaps the most competitive of groups alongside Slovakia, Slovenia, Poland, and Northern Ireland, perfection was almost always essential for the Czechs.

Arsenal striker Eduardo, who has recently been a frequent victim of jeering from rival fans around the nation, has finally been vindicated over a diving accusation that marred his reputation of a sincere and hardworking striker. The Croatia international, who was banned for an attempt to deceive the officials by going down without any contact during Arsenal's Champions League clash against Celtic last month, was exempted from blame on the grounds of a lack of clear evidence.

Jose Mourinho has continued his special ways as he announced his Inter Milan starting eleven an entire day before his side's crucial Champions League fixture against Barcelona. The former Chelsea manager was never afraid to pull this stunt during his time in the Premier League, and his latest display raises the question: is the special one arrogant or intelligent?

How would you feel if your team was to play its Champions League first knock-out round tie in Italy and you couldn't travel to the game due to security concerns? Such is the dilemma of fans of three of the Big Four teams in England, as a series of bizarre co-incidences in the Round of 16 draw back in December witnessed Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester United paired up with AS Roma, Juventus, and Inter Milan respectively.

With security concerns running rampant, who will win?

Less than two weeks remain until Wembley Stadium witnesses Carling Cup holders Tottenham Hotspur's title defense against reigning Premier League and European Champions Manchester United. Unsurprisingly, fans across the world are actively debating the importance of this Cup final. Unlike the FA Cup, which is universally acclaimed as arguably the most prestigious club cup competition, the League Cup has earned itself the notorious nickname of "The Mickey Mouse Cup," referring to its minor, if any, importance in many circles of football.

Another season of the Premier League is now in the books, and Premiership Talk today celebrates its first birthday! On June 7, 2008, Premiership Talk was founded, and a year later the site stands lightyears ahead of its basic roots...although we're still talking about the same things today that we were a year ago (the Cristiano Ronaldo transfer saga was the very first post on Premiership Talk).