Your whistle-stop guide to the latest Premier League arrivals Name: Yaya Sanogo Age: 20 Position: Striker Current club: Auxerre Fee: Free (with compensation) Did you know? Sanogo already has a cult following due to his propensity to turn into a virtual world-beater in the Football Manager computer game series.
The ex-Arsenal star Freddie Ljungberg has just retired from football at 35 years of age, and he has
taken the opportunity to celebrate his glory days at Arsenal, where he won two League titles and
three FA Cup Winners medals. But he remembers that Arsene Wenger used to buy in top stars every
year, and [.
There are evident fault lines developing between Nuri Sahin and Jose Mourinho even as it becomes
inevitable that he will leave Real Madrid on a loan move to the Premiership. The question is
where?
There is competition between Arsenal and Liverpool for his signature. Sahin prefers Arsenal as a
club where he believes he can prosper for a year under an avowed admirer in Arsene Wenger.
In a nightmare for Arsenal and its fans, Robin Van Persie declined to renew his contract leaving
the club with no alternative other than to sell him to the highest bidder although he still has
that final year of his contract to see out. This paves his path to the Etihad in a by now familiar
pattern of exits.
So the big news all over London today (besides emergency issues such as: "Which kebab joint
is coming up with a 3am special just for Michael Phelps?!" ) is the fact that Arsenal hero,
captain, all-round ambassador and 'Every Man', Robin van Persie, will not renew
his contract with the Gunners.
After one brilliant season atĀ ArsenalĀ in eight years, Robin van Persie has told Arsenal that
he will not sign a new contract with theĀ GunnersĀ as he disagrees with Arsene Wneger on the
direction and future of the club.
On his web site toiday, RVP write an open letter to Arsenal fans giving his reasons for not
signing a new deal with the club: Here is what he said:
"As announced earlier this year I had a meeting with the boss and Mr Gazidis after the
season.
With a statement on his official website, Arsenal captain and Premier League top scorer Robin
van Persie, announced that he will not renew his contract with the club. The timing and content of
the statement were both curious since Arsene Wenger had just said, "We want to keep Robin van
Persie at all costs, because we depend on him offensively.
A statement on the players own website, issued this evening, makes clear that he will not be
renewing his existing contract.
In a message to the fans, van Persie said:
"This is an update for the fans about my current situation. I have kept quiet all this time
out of respect and loyalty for the club and as agreed with Mr.
In news that most Gooners were dreading, their beloved captain RVP decided not to renew his
contract with the north Londoners. The Dutch striker released the following statement on his own
website:
"This is an update for the fans about my current situation.
After one brilliant season at Arsenal in eight years, Robin van Persie has told Arsenal that he
will not sign a new contract with the Gunners as he disagrees with Arsene Wneger on the direction
and future of the club.
On his web site toiday, RVP write an open letter to Arsenal fans giving his reasons for not
signing a new deal with the club: Here is what he said:
"As announced earlier this year I had a meeting with the boss and Mr Gazidis after the
season.
Coming soon to a small Eastern European hamlet you've never heard of before: Hoofing. Lots and
lots of hoofing. But also love and tears and wholesome family entertainment. And hoofing. But
before we get to that...
* Leading up to the League Cup final against Cardiff, there was talk of Jonjo Shelvey
heading out on loan.
While the new New York Cosmos continue their wait for a spot in MLS, they've decided to join the
latest iteration of the North American Soccer League, currently the U.S. second division, Ā and
field a team for the 2013 season. Of course, being a second division club means they won't be able
to sign the stars of the day as they did in their glory days when the likes of Pele, Franz
Beckenbauer, Giorgio Chinaglia and Carlos Alberto helped them to five NASL titles.
Fabio Capello has followed Barcelona's Pep Guardiola in publicly rejecting the prospect of managing
Chelsea.
The Italian, who quit as England manager in February over the Football Association's axing of his
captain, Chelsea's John Terry, is keen for a return to the Premier League.
But Capello said on Saturday that he would not be taking over from Roberto Di Matteo at Stamford
Bridge.
Everton loanee Royston Drenthe is ready to cross the city to join Liverpool this summer.
The 25-year-old Real Madrid winger is out of contract at the Santiago Bernabeu at the end of the
season, and sees his future away from Spain.
However, the Toffees' precarious financial situation means that they are unable to meet his
Ā£80,000-a-week wage demands so a permanent move to Goodison Park seems unlikely.
I know that this is your favorite soccer site named "Futfanatico", but what I am about to say
may blow your mind: this is not the exclusive place where you can read my writing. In the past few
weeks, I've penned some footy prose at some other great sites and for a Liverpool-based magazine.
The topic?
After failing to capture the League Cup against Nottingham Forest when they made it to the
finals for the first time in 1978, Liverpool would get their second chance three years later
against a West Ham United side who at the time were plying their trade in Division Two. Despite the
Hammers representing lower league opposition, they were hardly pushovers in a season that saw them
finish first to return to the top flight and make it to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup as
winners of the previous season's FA Cup.
On Tuesday evening, after a good few months of tortuous legal faffing, Kuwaiti businessblokesĀ
Fawaz, Abdulaziz and Omar Al-Hasawi finalised their takeover of Nottingham Forest after agreeing
terms to buy late chairman Nigel Doughty's controlling stake in the club.
Former Liverpool midfielder John Barnes has urged the club's fans to put their faith in new manager
Brendan Rodgers.
Rodgers was last month unveiled as the man chosen by Reds owners Fenway Sports Group (FSG) to take
the Anfield outfit forward, succeeding the sacked Kenny Dalglish, under whom the team had finished
the 2011-12 season in eighth place in the Barclays Premier League.
With the European Championships getting closer by the day, Reading full-back Ian Harte believes his
hopes of playing for the Republic of Ireland again are drifting away.
The 34-year-old has been a loyal servant to his country over the years, since his glory days with
Leeds United, playing football in the Champions League a decade ago.
Paul Mariner has paid his dues as a player and coach, so I was excited to learn on Thursday that
Toronto FC announced that Mariner will become the club's seventh head coach in franchise
history.
The longtime New England Revolution assistant Mariner now takes the reins, as TFC return to action
on June 16 at Sporting Kansas City before playing in Houston against the Dynamo on June 20.
As the only two remaining members from the old Revolution teams of glory days of yesteryear,
veterans Shalrie Joseph and Matt Reis are New England lifers, and so it made yesterday's 1-0
shutout win over Portland that much sweeter when both players reached career milestones as the
steady duo played a major part in the Revs' big win.
AlanĀ PardewĀ has today dedicated his Premier League Manager Of The Season Award to theĀ staff and
everyone associated with Newcastle. Alan Pardew after the game last Sunday That's not surprising
from a man who is anĀ expertĀ at man-management, and who is leadingĀ Newcastle back to the glory
days of the past.
Eight months ago, the top six was nailed on. You could bet your house on the fact that the usual
suspects ā the Manchester clubs, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and Spurs ā would all be up there,
fighting it out in their customary gloves-off style.
The Europa League has always been the unfancied uncle of football who longs for marriage but
never gets it. The uncle who changes his name āĀ okay, so it might not be your typical
uncleĀ ā for a "fresh start", or so he says (he used to be called the 'UEFA Cup', for those
unsure of where I'm going with this).
The Europa League has always been the unfancied uncle of football who longs for marriage but
never gets it. The uncle who changes his name āĀ okay, so it might not be your typical
uncleĀ ā for a "fresh start", or so he says (he used to be called the 'UEFA Cup', for those
unsure of where I'm going with this).
My first visit to White Hart Lane came in February 2001. It was an FA Cup Fifth Round tie
against Stockport County. My uncle had driven up from Southampton on the morning of the game and
surprised me with a ticket.
I fell in love with the stadium and the atmosphere. I loved being part of the crowd and watching
Spurs easily dispose of the opposition as they won 4-0.
The Malaysia Cup kicks off tonight and LionsX11 are enjoying some positive coverage in the local
papers. But it nearly refers to the heady days of 1994.
One reason Singapore football struggles to attract interest these days is because many folk are
still wrapped in the bubble of '94 and that includes teenagers who were not born yet.
That's right folks, after a year away from the limelight, I am back in your face like an unwanted
comeback from Steps with my expert analysis on all things Euro 2012. I will admit that like the
dancing popsters, it is very unlikely that I will be hitting the heights of the glory days but I
promise that at least I haven't become as fat as the the blonde one.
In the dying minutes of extra time Manchester City took the league title from United and then
Chelsea won the Champions League for the first time in a shocking and adrenaline pumping final.
2012 has seen some groundbreaking results and is already a year of football we won't forget. Now
it's time for the Euros and England and new boss Roy Hodgson will be hoping to fly through the
group stages with France, Sweden and Ukraine as our opponents.
Following confidence-building wins against Italy and Scotland, the U.S. lost their first match
of 2012 on Wednesday. Though the final score was 4-1, it was a friendly and against Brazil, so if
U.S. fans repeat those two facts over and over for several minutes it should be easy to resume
feelingĀ optimistic.
Andre Villas-Boas has told pals he has āno chance' of getting the Liverpool job.
The Portuguese coach, sacked by Chelsea in March, held talks with the Reds earlier this month about
replacing sacked Kenny Dalglish in the Anfield dugout.
But after being installed as the bookies' favourite to assume the Kop reins, Villas-Boas, 34, has
dropped down the pecking order in the last 24 hours.
Napoli ended a 22-year wait for silverware by beating Juventus 2-0 in the Coppa Italia final on
Sunday, a defeat which ruuned Juventus's shot at an unbeaten season and domestic double.
An Edinson Cavani penalty put Napoli ahead after 63 minutes, with Marek Hamsik ensuring victory
seven minutes from time at the Stadio Olimpico.
Scuba Steve Bould Ep.26 Wheeler Dealin' by Off The Post on Mixcloud Ah, the magic of the FA Cup. A
weekend when we all remember the glory days of football. Hazy, sepia-tinged days when plucky
minnows would score ludicrous own goals at Anfield and take it on the chin with good grace and a
cheeky [...]
