The transfer window report from business advisory firm Deloitte calculates that Premier League clubs spent around £60m, a decline of 70 per cent on the record level of £225m in January 2011 (admittedly something of an aberration).

Dan Jones, a partner in the Sports Business Group at Deloitte, saw Uefa's financial fair play rules as a factor in the comparative restraint of clubs and a more sober level of spending among Premier League clubs.

Football's a simple game. If you score more or concede less than the other side, you win the match. So I thought it would be worth taking a look at which teams have been doing better than their opponents. The simplest way of doing just that is to calculate differentials for the stuff that matters most - goals - and the stuff without which - shots - the stuff that matters most usually doesn't happen.

Liverpool and Queens Park Rangers have been alerted to the availability of former Arsenal midfielder Alexander Hleb, with Barcelona ready to make the out-of-favour Belarusian a free agent, after talks over cancelling his contract.
The move comes two weeks after Hleb returned to Barcelona following a failed loan spell with Bundesliga outfit Wolfsburg, who had asked to terminate his season-long agreement six months early, after the 30-year-old struggled with form and fitness, making just four appearances this term.

The modern football fan has access to statistics that would have seemed unthinkable only five or six years ago. Sites such as the marvellous whoscored.com offer the casual fan a site from which they can drag figures to prove or disprove their assertions on their side. Are we missing a lot of chances?

Owen Coyle felt Bolton Wanderers ran out deserved winners following their emphatic 3-1 success over Liverpool at the Reebok.
Bolton came into the game having lost 10 straight in league action to the Reds, a record that ended in style on Saturday.
Mark Davies fired the home side ahead early on with Nigel Reo-Coker doubling their advantage in the 29th minute.

Liverpool have been offered Serbia winger Milos Krasic by Juventus.
Krasic is not wanted by new Juve coach Antonio Conte and the Serie A giants have approached Liverpool because ex-boss Rafa Benitez showed interest in him.
Juventus have told the Reds they can have Krasic for the £12million they paid CSKA Moscow for him in 2010.

D.C. United announced the teams latest signing, Brazilian forward and MLS veteran Maicon Santos.
Official D.C. United Press Release:
Washington, D.C. (January 18, 2012) – D.C. United announced today the team has acquired forward Maicon Santos.

[W]ith the fallout from recent incidents involving Luis Suarez and Patrice Evra, and John Terry and Anton Ferdinand, dominating the back pages, racism in English football is once again a hot topic. An opportune time, then, to ask Stan Horne about (among other things) his experiences as the first ever black player for a trio of current Premier League clubs: Villa, Fulham and his beloved Man City.

One emerging problem with the "benefactor model" of club ownership is "what happens next?" Blackburn Rovers have struggled with this problem since their 1990s benefactor, steel magnate Jack Walker, died in 2000. And current owners Venky's are not, yet anyway, the solution. Walker, who famously took Rovers to/bought the 1995 Premier League title, made some post-benefactor plans, forming the "Jack Walker Settlement" (JWS), a trust based in the Jersey tax haven, where he lived from 1974, when his riches attracted taxes which the great benefactor was.

It's easy for casual observers to shrug off or dismiss the Evertonians calls for Bill Kenwright and the rest of the board to get the hell out of the club. It's easy to say, it's just another group of fans whining because times are a little tough, but this situation cannot be easily tossed in to that traditional mold of the displeased football supporter.

Sky: Hunt on for Pirates starlet

Sky Sports understands a host of Premier League clubs are hoping to snap up Bristol Rovers starlet Shaquille Hunter.

View the full story here: Sky Sports

A news article on 2012-01-10 11:34:03 from: Sky Sports

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Now that the transfer window is open, I thought it was time to take a quick look at how Premier League clubs have been performing on various dimensions. Let's start with offense for today. Which clubs have been doing exceptionally well, and which ones seem to need some help, perhaps by finding a player or two?

Mail: Spain's 56 per cent tax for top football earners

Fans of Barclays Premier League clubs could receive a huge boost as the Spanish government plans to introduce a 56 per cent tax band for top earners.

View the full story here: The Mail

A news article on 2012-01-09 07:05:15 from: The Mail

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Guardian: Race question seems likely to haunt Liverpool for rest of season

Liverpool may be regretting their stance on the Luis Suárez racial abuse controversy after Friday's incident involving Oldham's Tom Adeyemi The Luis Suárez T-shirts Liverpool wore at Wigan were always a bad idea, quite the worst attitude struck in a solidarity campaign that brought the club's decision-making into question if not disrepute, and the sight of supporters wearing them at the next home game at Anfield came with a queasy sense of foreboding.

Infographic - If Premier League clubs were countries

Chances are, your beloved Premier League club has accumulated a decent amount of wealth. Instead of comparing Aston Villa to Werder Bremen or Liverpool to PSG, this infographic puts things into a completely new perspective.

Liverpool is making progress on establishing grounds to negotiate a deal for Birmingham City winger Nathan Redmond, who is being valued at £10 million by the midlands club.
Redmond has 2 years remaining on his current deal at St. Andrew's, but has recently attracted interest from Manchester City and other Premier League clubs.

Good look at how it works, usage and abusage, here.

My thought (and comment) is that if Premier League clubs were to be restricted to a fixed number of professional players, as per baseball (where it's known as a 40 man roster), part of the problem would disappear.

Player A is a Liverpool reserve they bought from Crystal Palace when he was 17 because they thought he might one day be good.

Good look at how it works, usage and abusage, here.

My thought (and comment) is that if Premier League clubs were to be restricted to a fixed number of professional players, as per baseball (where it's known as a 40 man roster), part of the problem would disappear.

Player A is a Liverpool reserve they bought from Crystal Palace when he was 17 because they thought he might one day be good.

Top Premier League clubs including Tottenham, Liverpool and Sunderland have...

An anaemic economy, nostalgic fans and onerous planning laws are all proving tough obstacles for soccer clubs hoping to increase income with new state-of-the-art stadiums. A trio of London-based Premier League clubs formed more than 100 years ago - Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and Queens Park Rangers - are among those with plans for new homes.

Next a terrific guest contribution from Nick Johnson, who you'll remember from his articles in the Fulham Review.

For most Premier League clubs mere survival is the name of the game. While all but a select few know that sooner or later the axe will fall, the risk is generally higher for newly promoted teams.

Here is what the Premier League clubs are wishing for in 2012: Arsenal: Gunner fans are wishing that scoring machine Robin van Persie continues his torrid streak. Aston Villa: That Alex McLeish has a method to his "managerial tactic" madness. ...
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With the Europa League out of the way, Spurs manager Harry Redknapp is free to loan some of his fringe players from the squad and Jake Livermore in particular is attracting interest from elsewhere in the Premiership.

"We're not going to let any of the players that we want to keep go in January, but I'm going to let some lads go out on loan," said Redknapp.

Not even one of the faces of African soccer is immune to punishment of the harshest kind.

The Cameroonian Football Federation banned captain and star forward Samuel Eto'o 15 matches for his role in a players' strike last month. Eto'o can appeal the punishment over the course of the next two weeks, but if it is upheld, the ban could signal the end of the 30-year-old Eto'o's international career, considering the length of the ban and the bad blood between player and federation.

West Ham are the latest club to be linked with a move for Crystal Palace's in-demand forward Wilfried Zaha, who has also been linked with a move to Liverpool in recent weeks.
The teenage forward caught the attention last season when he burst into the Palace first team and this season has once again proved his quality with a string of impressive performances.

David Villa broken leg: Barcelona striker suffers in Club World Cup semi-final

Premier League clubs Chelsea and Liverpool have been forced to call off their pursuit of Barcelona and Spain striker David Villa after the striker suffered a broken leg.

View the full story here: The Mail

A news article on 2011-12-15 15:58:21 from: The Mail

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David Villa suffers broken leg for Barcelona

Premier League clubs Chelsea and Liverpool have been forced to call off their pursuit of Barcelona man David Villa after the striker suffered a suspected broken leg.

View the full story here: The Mail

A news article on 2011-12-15 12:12:25 from: The Mail

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

With the African Cup of Nations set to begin in about a months time, many Premier League clubs are already starting to prepare for the departure of their players, however, one club Manchester City are delaying the departure of Ivorian duo Yaya Toure and his brother Kolo.

According to the club, they have been granted a special allowance to delay the Toure's departure so that they can take part in the the FA Cup fixture against United and the First leg tie of the League Cup against Liverpool.

Skysports.com understands Liverpool is in pole position to sign Wycombe Wanderers starlet Jordan Ibe.
The 16-year-old is regarded as one of the brightest young prospects in England and has attracted the interest of a host of Premier League clubs.
Ibe shot to fame with a superb goal against Sheffield Wednesday at the end of October in his first professional start, following a series of impressive substitute appearances.

Liverpool Manager Kenny Dalglish surprisingly opened a can of worms at his press-conference on Thursday when he questioned the reduction of Man Utd's Wayne Rooney getting a three-game ban reduced to two games for next year's Euro Finals.
Kenny Dalglish was quizzed about his views on the FA's successful appeal that means Wayne Rooney's England ban has been reduced two-matches.

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Hampton and Richmond striker Dan Thompson's proposed move to Portsmouth has fallen through, with a host of Premier League clubs circling, according to The Daily Star.
The non-league forward has been heavily linked with a move to the south coast, however Stoke City have also reportedly lodged a bid.

Today is a massive day for several Premier League clubs. Chelsea must win today against Newcastle United to keep the pressure off Andre Villas-Boas leading up to Tuesday's must-win game against Valencia. Villas-Boas claims there's no pressure on him...
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Liverpool is ready to up their interest in Crystal Palace youngster Wilfried Zaha after watching the striker put in a fantastic display against Manchester United.
The Reds have been linked with a move for the youngster for a number of months and in recent weeks have seen a host of clubs also register their interest.

• Kop That: Savage dedicates Strictly performance to tragic Speed http://t.co/RIuGU2nb 23:26:53, 2011-12-01
• Kop That: Crystal Palace pair Nathaniel Clyne and Wilfried Zaha being tracked by Premier League clubs http://t.co/e95iwkvq 23:10:34, 2011-12-01
• Kop That: Guest blog: Deputy PM Nick Clegg backs the Mirror's Open Goal campaign for racial equality in football http://t.

Crystal Palace pair Nathaniel Clyne and Wilfried Zaha being tracked by Premier League clubs

Crystal Palace's heroic night at Old Trafford has left the club fighting to keep two of their hottest prospects. Nathaniel Clyne and Wilfried Zaha were both watched by a string of scouts.

Sending young players out on loan to build experience is standard practice at top Premier League clubs, and Liverpool is no exception. However, Reserve team coach Rodolfo Borrell is worried that some loan moves can be counter-productive, and he argues that this has been the case for promising young striker Nathan Eccleston.

Manchester United stars in frame for FIFA World XI of 2011

Manchester United's stars are leading the way among Barclays Premier League clubs for places among the FIFA FIFPro World XI for 2011, after six of their players were nominated.

View the full story here: The Mail

A news article on 2011-12-01 11:53:19 from: The Mail

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The wave of young MLS players heading to train in England continues to grow, with New York Red Bulls striker Juan Agudelo the latest to take the trip across the pond.

Agudelo will spend two weeks training with Liverpool FC. Ron Waxman, Agudelo's New York-based agent, confirmed the training stint on Wednesday.

Premier League clubs spend £71.8m on agent fees

Manchester City, Tottenham and Liverpool were the top-spenders on agents' fees last year as the top-flight clubs shelled out a total of £71.8m, latest figures have revealed.

View the full story here: The Mail

A news article on 2011-11-30 18:40:18 from: The Mail

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.