We're not saying that Manchester City players are on big money... but it appears Samir Nasri has hired Marouane Chamakh as his bodyguard. The former Arsenal team-mates went to watch yesterday's match between the Gunners and City at the Emirates, with Nasri out suspended. But there were ugly scenes outside the ground as angry Arsenal [.
More proof that Alex Song's departure was not because he was a disruptive locker room presence
but governed by an economic imperative. And it comes from Bacary Sagna, probably one of the calmest
presences in the Arsenal locker room and not given to hyperbole. In an interview with L'Equipe:
" Everyone was expecting Robin van Persie to leave, but Alex Song, that was a
surprise.
as I write there are just over 36 hours until the transfer window shuts and as yet there has
been little movement in any direction from Arsenal. Henri Lansbury has joined Nottingham Forest but
we're no clearer about the future of any of the players I mentioned in Tuesday's blog.
The first thing to know about the Sagna Conundrum is that it does not involve Bacary Sagna.
The Sagna Conundrum is a problem created not by his presence, but by his absence, and it comes
down to this: when our super-consistent French right back is not available, who should take his
place?
The first thing to know about the Sagna Conundrum is that it does not involve Bacary Sagna.
The Sagna Conundrum is a problem created not by his presence, but by his absence, and it comes
down to this: when our super-consistent French right back is not available, who should take his
place?
Liverpool are being linked with a surprise swoop for Arsenal star Theo Walcott, after it was
claimed that Brendan Rodgers wants to bring the winger to Anfield this summer.
According to reports in The Sun, Rodgers wants to add more natural width to his inherited Liverpool
side, as he looks to replicate the set-up he enjoyed at Swansea last season, with Scott Sinclair
and Nathan Dyer operating on the flanks.
BENDTNER'S DECISION by AH Nicklas Bendtner, otherwise known as ‘the greatest striker in the
world' according to him, looks set to leave Arsenal this summer, with 5 clubs already interested in
him. The man from Denmark certainly has a presence and although people label him negatively, he
honestly isn't that bad.
The New York Red Bulls latest Designated Player, Tim Cahill, has been outspoken about his
transition into Major League Soccer but what does his new partner Dax McCarty think?
The 25-year-old veteran of the American top flight has found a solid form all season long while
teaming with a plethora of different options in the middle.
The Vancouver Whitecaps might have one of the better defenses in MLS, but that has not stopped
head coach Martin Rennie from further strengthening that part of his team.
The Whitecaps announced Wednesday that they have signed veteran centerback Andy O'Brien, who has
spent the last decade-and-a-half playing in England.
The LA Galaxy have known for months that they would have to find a way to get Chad Barrett off
their payroll in order to fit all the salaries they had compiled on their roster for 2012, and on
Monday it appears they have finally found a way to make that move happen.
The Galaxy have sent Barrett on loan to Valarenga for the remainder of the 2012 MLS season,
Galaxy writer Adam Serrano confirmed on Monday night.
Saer Sene was brought to the New England Revolution to do one thing: score goals. Halfway though
his first MLS season, it's mission accomplished.
The 25-year-old French striker and former Bayern Munich reserve has bagged eight goals in 15
appearances for the Revolution, providing a physically imposing presence for Jay Heaps' squad up
top.
The Chicago Fire enjoyed an outstanding month of June and one of the key contributors was one of
the team's younger players.
Rookie centerback Austin Berry was a force in central defense for the Fire, establishing himself
as a rugged defender and poised presence on a Chicago side that finished June with a 3-1 record,
including three straight victories to finish out the month.
So we would have had two weeks since Chelsea's last game against Atletico Madrid by the time we are
ready to face QPR on Saturday. We all know what happened in Monaco and have our concerns with the
way we were ripped apart defensively.
I just want to know what you people think is Chelsea's strongest back four now at the club and for
the hostile atmosphere this weekend at Loftus Road?
ROCK HILL, S.C. (July 29, 2012) - The remaining 2012 US Youth Soccer National
Champions were crowned today at Manchester Meadows, in Rock Hill, S.C., where the country's the top
teams in the Under-16 through Under-18 Boys and Under-16 through Under-19 Girls age groups met to
conclude the final stage of the 2012 US Youth Soccer National Championship Series, presented by the
National Guard.
Liverpool FC supporters union Spirit of Shankly has released a statement calling for American
owners Fenway Sports Group to increase their presence on Merseyside and appoint a Liverpool-based
chief executive.
The club face playing half the season with only two senior strikers after failing to replace
loaned-out Andy Carroll before the end of the transfer window and principal owner John Henry
yesterday wrote an open letter to supporters explaining the club's transfer policy and admitting to
'mistakes' made in the owners' first 23 months in charge.
This is starting to get really messy. A day after Liverpool owner John Henry penned a letter
trying to pacify the criticism of Liverpool's summer transfer dealings, the Supporters' group
Spirit of Shankly have fired back, calling for Liverpool chairman Tom Werner to be held accountable
for the way the club is being run.
Brendan Rodgers has revealed Andy Carroll missed Liverpool's Europa League win over Hearts with a
hamstring problem.
Carroll failed to make the squad for the play-off first leg in Edinburgh - despite his presence at
the stadium - with the £35million striker linked with a return to Newcastle.
However, Rodgers says the forward was set to start against Hearts and he remains hopeful he will be
fit for Sunday's Premier League visit of champions Manchester City.
The name of Gaston Ramirez has appeared already on this site but it seems that the race to sign
the 21 year old has gathered momentum in the last 24 hours.
It's now being reported that Spurs have made a firm offer to Bologna for the player's services
but claims are that the bid has been rejected as Ramirez may be holding out for a move to Liverpool
where the big appeal must lie in the presence of his national team mates Luis Suarez and Sebastian
Coates.
Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers has penned a letter of thanks to the club's travelling fans who
watched them beat FC Gomel in the Europa League on Thursday.
A small contingent of Reds fans made the 1,500 mile journey to Belarus to support their team in
Rodgers' first competitive game as manager of the Merseysiders.
Fabio Borini admits he is 'desperate to get started' at Liverpool after cutting short his summer
break to settle into new surroundings.
The Italy international became Brendan Rodgers' first signing as Reds boss when he completed a
switch from Roma.
He has worked with Rodgers before at Chelsea and Swansea, but appreciates that it will take time to
get to know his new team-mates and the intricacies of their game.
Paris Saint-Germain's latest signing, Thiago Silva, enjoyed a mini 'reunion' of
sorts with his former fellow AC Milan teammate Zlatan Ibrahimovic at the Camp des
Loges training center in the outskirts of Paris today. It's a case of same face, different
circumstances for the new recruits of the Qatari-owned club and although this has happened in
football, it is admittedly rare!
We've joked about the relief Milan players must feel now that Zlatan Ibrahimovic and his
teammate-kicking ways have moved on to PSG, but Stephan El Shaarawy reveals that it might be more
true than first thought.
From Football Italia:
Ibrahimovic took on the teacher role of sorts for El Shaarawy, often spotted shouting at him
during games.
It is done and dusted. Zlatan Ibrahimovic has officially signed for Paris Saint-Germain. He may not
have been the most popular player among Milan fans, but, his presence will be certainly missed on
the pitch. It may have only been two years, but, for all this time he was one of Milan's most
important players, [.
David Beckham confirmed he will have a role in the opening ceremony of the Olympics
after he met sporting great Muhammad Ali at the Beyond Sport summit in London on Tuesday night (the
boxing legend's presence appeared to enhance the chances of the 70-year-old playing a part in
Friday's curtain-raiser at the Olympic Stadium).
Wigan Athletic midfielder James McCarthy has been threatened with violence by Republic of Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni if he cannot shake off his shyness. Trapattoni wants the former Hamilton youngster to come out of his shell and make his presence felt on the international stage. And if he doesn't, his national team manager will punch [.
Everyone loves an animal pitch invader and last weekend's Swiss Super League match between FC Zurich and FC Thun was brightened up by the presence of a pine marten on the field of play. A pine marten with a penchant for the Benny Hill theme tune. The cheeky chap ran rings around the players and [...]
During the last meeting with Chivas USA the Seattle Sounders had trouble defending them within
the 18. That problem did not occur Saturday, in fact the defense held the Goats to just six shots
and or passes in the penalty area. That defensive improvement held Chivas to just one goal. What
may have gone unnoticed is that in the previous match with six goals for the Sounders they had 11
Key Passes plus Assists.
Two-time A-League champion Sydney FC has pulled off the
biggest transfer coup in the competition's eight-year history, signing former Juventus legend
Alessandro Del Piero.
The 37-year-old has signed a two-year deal worth $A2 million per season, making him the highest
paid player in any of Australia's four domestic football codes.
Sir Alex Ferguson watched his team secure victory in his 1000th league game as Manchester United
manager in typical fashion for us, leaving it until the last few minutes to turn a 2-1 defeat in to
a 3-2 win.
"We never give up," he told MUTV. "Of course, it's in the history books.
1. So there we go, this season starts in the same fashion that last season ended. Not playing
very well, some nice moments, no defenders and disappointment. In the newsletter ahead of the game
I said dropping points at Everton wasn't the end of the world. I imagined we could draw there, with
a defeat a possibility, so a 1-0 defeat isn't a big shock.
At one point or other, I think we've all been there. We've been lost on ESPNSoccernet.com. Or was
it ESPN.com? No, wait a minute, maybe it was ESPN.co.uk? Regardless, the path to navigate our way
through ESPN's online soccer presence ...
This is a content summary. Visit http://www.epltalk.
Javier Mascherano signed a new deal today which will keep him at Barcelona till the end of June,
2016. The club has raised his buyout clause to 100 million Euros, which may be an indication of how
important he has become in the scheme of things at Barca.
The Philadelphia Union will have more of a presence as the MLS All-Star Game's host team after
all.
Midfielder Michael Farfan was added to the MLS roster by Ben Olsen Tuesday, joining Union
captain Carlos Valdes as All-Star members from the host team. Farfan is not replacing anybody on
the roster, but is instead increasing the number of players on the matchday roster to 19.
The media attention hasn't been too heavy up in Glasgow so far, but the U.S. players have been
doing interviews everyday and the Scottish media (like most media around the world) have found the
players well-spoken, charming and interesting.
