Manchester City have reportedly rejected a 35 million-pound bid from Brazilian side Corinthians for captain Carlos Tevez.Tevez, 27, has publicly stated his desire to leave City after five seasons in the English Premier League.
The striker claims to be unhappy away from his daughters, who live in Argentina.
Former club Corinthians emerged as a potential destination, but their initial bid has reportedly been rejected 24 hours after it was lodged as Corinthians president Andres Sanchez confirmed a proposal had been made.
“The player wants to come to South America, he doesn’t want to hear from European clubs. He wants to come here. Now it depends on Manchester City agreeing ,” Sanchez said.
“The proposal has been made.”
“I spoke with his representatives with Tevez over the telephone.”
“He is interested in coming back to South America.”
“Corinthians have made a different proposal than it is used to, but which is very common among many clubs.”
“We will commit 20 to 25 percent of our television rights in the next four years if Manchester City accepts the bid.”
Corinthians, one of Brazil’s most popular clubs, receive more than 45 million euros each year in TV rights.
City are believed to value their leading goalscorer last season at around 50 million pounds.
Any potential deal with Corinthians will need to be concluded quickly, with the Brazilian transfer window set to shut on July 20.
Real Madrid and Inter Milan have also been linked with moves for Tevez, who played for Corinthians between 2004 and 2006.
After arriving in England with West Ham in August 2006, Tevez joined Manchester United a year later before switching to local rivals City in July 2009.
The season of goodwill is upon us, and in the footballing world that signals only two things; watching Boxing Day matches in the freezing cold with the obligatory poultry-saturated hangover, and the January Transfer Window is just around the corner. As with your high street New Year sales, you have to see which shops are offering the best merchandise at the lowest possible price, and you must say, it seems as if Eastlands could see a flurry of interest in the early moments of 2011.
As with all teams with cash to burn and an insatiable appetite for quick success, Manchester City have spent fast and loose since Sheikh Mansour purchased the club. This means one of two things; either the new players will fit into the team, meaning others that were previously pivotal to the starting eleven will become surplus to requirements (for example Stephen Ireland). Or those that have been bought will not gel with the squad, perhaps seeking pastures new. Either way, clubs will certainly be keeping a close eye on proceedings at Eastlands over January as there will be a few top-class players looking for first-team football;
Shay Given
The Republic of Ireland goalkeeper was a star acquisition when he was purchased from Newcastle in 2009. With his rival for the number 1 shirt at Eastlands, Joe Hart, going out on loan to Birmingham for all of last season it seemed his place was safe. But with Hart impressing hugely this season for City, Given may well be looking for the exit, with many sides interested.
Shaun Wright-Phillips
Returning to City in 2008 having been surplus to requirements at Chelsea, Wright-Phillips looked to be settling in nicely. But with Roberto Mancini coming in as manager, and the likes of Adam Johnson and James Milner taking his place in the City side, the England international may be looking to re-ignite his career elsewhere.
Emmanuel Adebayor
After whinging his way out of Arsenal in the summer of 2009, the Togolese striker is discontented once more, this time with life at Eastlands. A lack of opportunities in the City first team has left the 26 year-old unhappy and wanting away from the blue half of Manchester,
With City reported willing to listen to offers for many other players, including Roque Santa-Cruz, Jo and Wayne Bridge and the club looking to streamline its squad, Eastlands could be a hotbed of activity over January, with most of it involving exports.
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“Don’t panic!” cried Ledley King as he hobbled across the pitch, desperately trying to rally his stuttering team-mates as the unfamiliar sound of boos echoed around White Hart Lane. The club had suffered yet another setback, this time with defeat at the hands of Norwich, leading many to announce that the wheels are rapidly falling off the Tottenham bandwagon. If only Harry was a wheeler-dealer.
If we cast our minds back to February 11, Spurs had just run riot against a seemingly formidable Newcastle side and sat just five points off the top of the Premier League. New signing Louis Saha had bagged a brace on his home debut as things continued to look rosy for Harry Redknapp. The Lilywhites were riding the crest of a very impressive wave but now with the wind firmly out of their sails, the club is in real danger of drifting past those desirable European shores.
The January transfer window was to an extent a missed opportunity, as hoards of journalists eagerly awaited the next inspired acquisition from Harry Redknapp. Instead they were greeted by Louis Saha and Ryan Nelsen, two players who had long since celebrated their 30th birthdays and who shared a history of troublesome injuries that would arguably see them spend more time on the treatment table than on the pitch. However, morale was high and with Harry somewhat distracted elsewhere, the decision to purchase experience over youthful exuberance was hailed as a wise move.
Saha, through no fault of his own, has unfortunately created more problems than he has solved. Redknapp appeared desperate to justify his latest purchase and set about altering the successful formula of 4-5-1 to the untested and largely old-fashioned 4-4-2. Despite his double against the Toon Army, the Frenchman has only found the net once in his following eight appearances. Nelsen on the other hand was brought in to provide cover for the team’s ailing backline. However, with Dawson out for the season and King’s knee constantly surrounded by scaffolding, the New Zealander has found himself thrust into the first-team and he too has struggled with the intensity of life at the top.
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Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but many would argue that Tottenham could have signalled their intent with a high profile signing. Lille sensation Eden Hazard has previously confirmed his interest in joining the North London club, perhaps his arrival in January would have been the perfect source of motivation to enable the club to progress. Other potential targets included Villarreal’s Giuseppe Rossi and Marseille’s Loic Remy who could have revitalised a strike force that was shrouded in mystery regarding the future of both Emmanuel Adebayor and Jermain Defoe.
The current ‘crisis’ at Spurs is not simply down to the lack of transfer activity but rather Redknapp’s reliance or perhaps defiance over his ‘winning eleven’. His conversion to the new formation only further exposed a lack of squad depth, epitomised by the lack of competition and indeed cover for both his marauding full-backs. It’s no great mystery that Spurs rely on Van Der Vaart to implement their preferred 4-5-1 system effectively and seriously struggle for width in Lennon’s absence and when Bale inexplicably decides to go walkabout. The fact that eight players have started 27 league games or more highlights Redknapp’s much-publicised favouritism towards certain players, with the likes of Sandro and Livermore exhibiting a deficiency in match practice whenever they’ve been called upon.
Aside from the growing physical demands of their league and cup campaigns, Spurs have certainly struggled to overcome psychological barriers in recent weeks. The club were deemed heavy favourites for third place when their run-in revealed teams decorating the bottom half of the league. But complacency has borrowed its way into the mindset and suddenly their upcoming games against QPR, Blackburn and Bolton, three teams that are fighting relegation, look anything but a certainty.
Forgive me for dipping into the world of football clichés but it’s evident that this weekend’s FA Cup semi-final provides a much-needed ‘distraction’. In my personal view the momentum has swung back in Chelsea’s favour given their revitalisation under Roberto Di Matteo. Is that a sign of just how far Spurs have come, given that they could ever be described as favourites against a team like Chelsea, or does it show just how much far they’ve fallen from grace?
Find me on Twitter @theunusedsub where I’ll probably be having my roast dinner in front of the television given Sunday’s inconvenient kick-off time.
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The managerial shuffle in Spain continued on Tuesday as Marcelino Garcia Toral was appointed coach of Sevilla and Luis Garcia left Levante.Garcia Toral walked away from Racing Santander after a spat with owner Ahsan Ali Syed at the end of last season, a move that has yet to be confirmed by his former club.
Nevertheless, Sevilla have taken the opportunity to spruik their new manager in a press conference on Tuesday, welcoming the 45-year-old as the successor to Gregorio Manzano.
“I believe we have a coach for the long term. It’s the first time I have drawn up a contract like Marcelino’s,” club president Jose Maria del Nido said.
“He is signing for one season with an option for two more depending on results.”
Manzano was let go by the club at the conclusion of the last campaign, which saw Sevilla finish fifth on the table and miss out on a Champions League berth by four points.
Meanwhile, Luis Garcia has rescinded his contract after three seasons with Levante, freeing him up for a rumoured move to Getafe.
Garcia led Levante back to the top-flight for the first time in three years in 2009/10, and earned plaudits for keeping the club aloft in the most recent campaign.
Now, the 38-year-old has reportedly agreed to pay Levante one million euro so he can defect to Getafe, who sacked Michel after narrowly avoiding relegation.
“Luis Garcia, coach of Levante the past three seasons, has today cut his ties with our club,” said a statement on Levante’s website.
Getafe President Angel Torres told Spanish media: “We are going to offer him (Garcia) a three-year contract. He is a young coach with character and he done things very well at Levante.”
In another jam and pickle packed plastic lunchbox of a Premiership week, Mario Balotelli introduces English football to his funky footwork, Owen Coyle revels in his crowning achievement and an endangered species is spotted at Old Trafford.
Morecambe away and Port Vale at home, these next two games are going to be the biggest two games of the season without a doubt; six points and we will get promoted.
Quite a bold statement to make I’m aware and yes every game at the moment seems to be the biggest game of our season, however I genuinely believe what I have just said.
We travel to Morecambe away this Saturday in what promises to be a very difficult encounter (we haven’t won at Morecambe since their return to the football league) whereas Southend travel away to Bristol Rovers and Torquay host Vale.
If Bristol Rovers can do us a huge favour and take points of Paul Sturrock’s men and if an in-form Port Vale side can do the same at Plainmoor then a win for us would be massive in our quest for automatic promotion.
What makes winning at Morecambe even more important is the pending game with Vale the Tuesday after. Our original game with Port Vale was called back at the start of February and this game will could make or break our season.
Shrews fans have been living safe in the knowledge that we have a game in hand and if we win that game we will be well within our rights to start getting excited about promotion. Well on Tuesday it’s do or die time, we either take three points and move ourselves above Torquay (working under the idea we at least match their result Saturday) and move ourselves at the very least four points clear of the play off places or we bottle it all together.
This match is is made all the more special by the fact that we have just set a new club record of 27 matches unbeaten in all competitions and so Graham Turner’s men will now be hoping to maintain this incredible record to bolster our promotion chances.
If Southend lose on Saturday and we can pick up two victories, this will put seven points clear of fourth place. I’m not going to get too excited but this will be a very promising position with only seven games of the season left to play.
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Birmingham City were condemned to relegation from the top flight yesterday after defeat to Spurs at White Hart Lane left them consigned to a season in the Championship next year. But for all their effort, Birmingham’s time in the Premier League was marred by dull, dreary football and most neutral fans won’t be sad to see the back of them.
The club’s failure to expand and build on last season’s heady 9th place finish is at the root of their downfall. Last season Birmingham built their platform on a string of strong defensive performances and a decent home record. It has to be said that they still struggled to score goals but the nucleus for a solid mid-table side in the years to come was there for all to see.
However, in the summer manager Alex McLeish found it difficult to bring in the players that he wanted and despite Birmingham still being difficult to break down, the lack of pace and penetration up top has cost them dearly this term.
Cameron Jerome has all the attributes to trouble a centre half – pace, power, strength – but he lacks composure in front of goal and the intelligence to exploit space when it’s granted to him and he‘s been without a league goal for a shocking 6 months. He finished last term with 10 league goals to his name, whereas this term a chronic lack of confidence in front of goal, a trait that you could assign to most of his beleaguered team mates, has seen him strike just 3 times in the league the whole campaign.
Beyond Jerome, the club’s attacking options are threadbare, which is the crux of the issue behind their relegation. Nikola Zigic sometimes leaves you wondering how he ever became a professional footballer. Baring his height, he offers very little. Jean Beausejour was a bright spark in Chile’s World Cup effort last summer but his form has been erratic. The likes of Alexander Hleb and Obafemi Martins have struggled with injuries and to adapt to Birmingham’s style of play. The less said about Matt Derbyshire and David Bentley, however, the better.
It would seem odd to criticise a manager that has led the club to a domestic trophy this season and with it European football next season, but the blame for the club’s relegation lies firmly at the feet of manager Alex McLeish.
The club have been beyond poor since their Carling Cup triumph over Arsenal back in February and they’ve scored just 37 league goals all season – the problems evident last season when the side put away just 38 league goals have not been rectified and the lack of development on the pitch and a regression to dour, outdated tactics has cost the club dear. A run of just 2 wins in 12 sucked them from mid-table obscurity into a relegation dogfight, one in which they’ve ultimately proved unsuccessful in staving off.
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You simply can’t expect to stay in the Premier League year after year averaging less than a goal a game. Granted, McLeish missed out on his preferred targets in the summer, but he had money to invest and he’s invested it poorly. Injuries haven’t helped a threadbare squad, but the inherent defensiveness of the manager is the root of the problem here. Under a different manager, Birmingham may have stayed up.
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When sides around them threw caution to the wind in an attempt to stay up, Birmingham burnt out and became even more defensive, if that was at all possible. Their Premier League status was built upon the premise that they were difficult to beat, but this season they’ve been anything but.
They’ve been impotent in front of goal and the injury to Scott Dann back in January has proved to be more of a turning point in their campaign than previously anticipated. McLeish must shoulder the blame, for while Blackpool went down with a fight, Birmingham went down with a whimper. While it would be reckless to play extravagant football without the players necessary to do so, the sheer lack of ambition and attacking intent shown by them throughout the duration of the campaign has seen them deservedly punished with relegation.
“Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti has ruled out buying any new players in the January transfer window unless injuries force him to ask owner Roman Abramovich to open his cheque book” Chelsea currently sit top of the English Premier League and also top of group F in the Champions League, which would suggest that there is little need for any new signings.
With Ancelotti’s experience, gained through the years at the very top of the game, who are we to question his judgement? However, I do consider his position something of a gamble. Chelsea only have 3 proven strikers in Didier Drogba, Nicolas Anelka and Salomon Kalou and if injury were to strike two of the three I’m not sure that Daniel Sturridge or Gael Kakuta could step up to the plate and provide the goals.
For those who agree with me, we can still take heart in the fact that the Italian’s strike-force has already scored 27 goals this season, five more than any other Premier League team. It would seem therefore that my fears are unfounded and that Chelsea are indeed well enough equipped to score goals even in the absence of some of his first choice strikers. Since Carlo Ancelotti has proven he can manage some of Europe’s top teams arguably he deserves our trust.
The Chelsea manager is not alone in his unwillingness to trade in January market. Sir Alex Ferguson says: “We won’t be buying in January, definitely not. If you want someone to play in Europe, you are limited right away in January. There are hundreds of players cup-tied for Europe. By January we will have five months left of the season. I will have Antonio Valencia back hopefully towards the end of February which is a new player coming back.”
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The United ‘gaffer’ touches upon two points here which seem relevant to Chelsea’s situation. Chelsea will, in the near future, welcome Frank Lampard back to the fold who will give added impetus to Chelsea’s push for the title and their pursuit of the Champions’ League. He also highlights the fact that buying in January is never sensible. With inflated prices and most of the best players cup-tied maybe Ancelotti’s reluctance to delve into the transfer market has a point.
Furthermore, Ancelotti is showing confidence in his present squad of players, always a good psychological boost to a winning side, which he may feel is the best way to prepare his players for the challenges ahead. Taking all of this into account maybe the Chelsea boss is indeed making the correct decision to wait until the Summer before he further strengthens his squad. Finally, Ancelotti states that “they can be competitive in all competitions.” He adds “that the most important thing is to avoid injury, when possible.”I If Chelsea therefore, can steer clear of long term injury to and they can carry on with the form they are currently showing, then there is little reason for Ancelotti to spend in January.
Is he wrong in his optimism?
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Samuel Inkoom is one of the most promising full backs to come out of Africa and is currently plying his trade in Ukraine for Dnipro, having started his career at FC Basel.
The Ghanaian international is your old school type of full back, who knows how get stuck in and is very calm on the ball. Inkoom was recently linked with a move to Liverpool and although the move may not materialise, be sure to keep an eye out for him in the near future.
[youtube FWRxRZVku2I]
4. André Ayew
The 21 year old is a 1st team regular for his club Marseille and country Ghana. The son of Ghanaian Legend Abedi Pele, Ayew was recently voted African player of the year so there is no doubt that Andre is one for the future.
With 52 league appearances for the French outfit and 17 goals to his name, the young left winger is making a real name for himself. Ayew’s versatility and creativity on the ball would make him a handful for any Premier League full back. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him move to England within the coming years.
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3. Ahmed Musa
At only 19 years of age the young Nigerian is playing for one of the best teams in Russia, CSKA Moscow, and is known for his small stature and lightening pace.
Musa has already represented his country as a substitute for John Obi Mikel against Kenya in which he scored. Still a raw talent, Ahmed has bags of potential and worries the opposition with his quick feet and trickery on the ball.
Musa probably isn’t ready for the Premier League just yet, but with a little more experience and the right managerial guidance he can make the step up soon.
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2. Knowledge Musona – The 21 year old from Zimbabwe currently plies his trade in the Bundesliga. After a successful spell with South African giants the Kaizer Chiefs, where he won the golden boot, he earned a move to Hoffenheim in Germany’s top tier. As you can see from the video he has a real eye for the goal and few would bet against him following in the footsteps of Demba Ba, who plotted his move from the German side to the Premier League.
[youtube GYRQmVUo1Uk]
1. Joel Obi
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Joel Obi is one of the hottest young talents to come out of Inter Milan in years.
Extremely versatile, Obi has the ability to operate in central midfield or either flank and has already started to make an impression at the San Siro in the past two seasons. Obi is as strong as an ox, but has quick feet that enables him to get away from the opposition with relative ease. Obi has all the physical attributes for the Premier League, but whether Inter will allow him to move on remains an entire different question altogether.
Four Chelsea stars have fought an almighty battle against an army of giant Alien Invaders. But Blues fans need not worry too much, as their heroes were only taking part in a shoot for the latest 3D projection viral from 188BET.
188BET, the official betting partner of the London club, challenged David Luiz, Branislav Ivanovic, Paulo Ferreira and Nicolas Anelka to play Alien Invaders, a huge interactive video game beamed on to a 90-foot wall in a warehouse in Battersea, south-west London.
The players had to destroy the Alien Invaders by kicking footballs at the giant screen, with 50 points awarded for hitting a single alien and a bonus 188 points on offer for hitting the Alien Invaders ‘mothership’.
After some intense action, striker Anelka was the sharpest shooter with a score of 2088. The Frenchman’s exceptional accuracy was rewarded with a special 188BET Alien Invaders trophy and, more importantly, a donation by 188BET of £1,500 to charity of his choice.
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This latest viral from the online gaming company follows on from their hugely popular video created to help promote London Wasps’ St George’s Day game that saw London Wasps players ‘slay’ a 50-foot dragon projected on to the side of Twickenham.
“It was a funny game, a good game to play and I hope one day I can have a garden big enough for this kind of game,” Anelka joked. “The four of us enjoyed it and we were trying to help each other out getting the footballs back but I am happy that I won. The trophy will now sit next to the Premier League medal and all my other trophies!”
Jeff Baker, Head of Marketing Services at 188BET, said: “188BET is always trying to think of new and innovative ways to activate its relationships with its partner clubs. For this video, we combined the latest in 3D projection technology with the skill of Premier League footballers, to create what we hope will be an original, fun and engaging video.”
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To help mark the launch, 188BET is offering fans around the world a chance to win a series of money-can’t-buy prizes, details of which can be found at www.188promo.com/invaders.