David Beckham will lead England out as captain for the first time since the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ in Sunday's friendly against Trinidad and Tobago, the BBC reported on Saturday.
The 33-year-old Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder was dropped from the squad by former coach Steve McClaren having made a tearful FIFA World Cup exit, going off injured in the quarter-final loss to Portugal.
But McClaren's successor Fabio Capello has brought back his former Real Madrid colleague and he will lead the team out in Port of Spain on Sunday night as Capello mulls over John Terry or centre-back partner Rio Ferdinand as his favoured long-term choices for the skipper's armband.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Eriksson To Be Named Mexico Boss
Manchester City boss Sven Goran Eriksson is to be named as the new manager of the Mexican national side, according to Justino Compean, the president of the Mexican Football Federation.
According to Compean the Swede has beaten off competition from Portugal manager Luiz Felipe Scolari and will be named Mexico’s new manager on Tuesday.
According to Compean the Swede has beaten off competition from Portugal manager Luiz Felipe Scolari and will be named Mexico’s new manager on Tuesday.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Chelsea To Appoint Rijkaard
Spanish daily Sport suggests that Frank Rijkaard has emerged as a target to occupy the managerial role at Stamford Bridge.
Arsenal have agreed a deal for Olympique Marseille midfielder Samir Nasri.
The Mirror says Wenger last night clinched an £11m deal with Marseille for Nasri - and paved the way for Alexander Hleb to join Inter Milan.
Nasri, 20, has undergone a medical, agreed a four-year contract and will be announced an Arsenal player once he is released from a France training camp to put pen to paper.
Last night a source close to Marseille said: "The deal has been agreed. The medical took place on Wednesday, he agreed to sign on Thursday and the only hold up is that he is with the French squad at the moment."
Arsenal have agreed a deal for Olympique Marseille midfielder Samir Nasri.
The Mirror says Wenger last night clinched an £11m deal with Marseille for Nasri - and paved the way for Alexander Hleb to join Inter Milan.
Nasri, 20, has undergone a medical, agreed a four-year contract and will be announced an Arsenal player once he is released from a France training camp to put pen to paper.
Last night a source close to Marseille said: "The deal has been agreed. The medical took place on Wednesday, he agreed to sign on Thursday and the only hold up is that he is with the French squad at the moment."
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Manchester United looking at several strikers
Man Utd are lining up a move for Brazilian striker Luis Fabiano who has scored 33 goals in 38 games for Sevilla this season. They are also reportedly weighing up a sensational summer swoop for Newcastle striker Michael Owen.
Chelsea striker Didier Drogba has agreed a three-year deal with AC Milan to link up with boss Jose Mourinho, who is likely to replace Carlo Ancelotti next season. They are also ready to bid £20m to take striker Dimitar Berbatov from Tottenham.
Arsène Wenger has also agreed a £16m deal to land Lyon winger Hatem Ben Arfa, beating Liverpool and Manchester United to his signature.
LA Galaxy is looking at the possibility of signing FC Barcelona midfielder Deco.
Sunderland manager Roy Keane will have £50m to spend in the summer and is lining up bids for Atletico Madrid striker Diego Forlan, Celtic's Aiden McGeady and Manchester City captain Richard Dunne
Chelsea striker Didier Drogba has agreed a three-year deal with AC Milan to link up with boss Jose Mourinho, who is likely to replace Carlo Ancelotti next season. They are also ready to bid £20m to take striker Dimitar Berbatov from Tottenham.
Arsène Wenger has also agreed a £16m deal to land Lyon winger Hatem Ben Arfa, beating Liverpool and Manchester United to his signature.
LA Galaxy is looking at the possibility of signing FC Barcelona midfielder Deco.
Sunderland manager Roy Keane will have £50m to spend in the summer and is lining up bids for Atletico Madrid striker Diego Forlan, Celtic's Aiden McGeady and Manchester City captain Richard Dunne
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Don't be Shocked
Don't be shocked to see Manchester United calling FC Barcelona for the services of Ronaldinho and signing the Brazilian-born playmaker for 10m € and Gérard Piqué.
And also Daniel Alves from Sevilla FC.
Chelsea are interested in signing Samuel Eto'o and Lionel Messi from FC Barcelona.
Portsmouth will offer Liverpool striker Peter Crouch a £4m annual salary and will pay a transfer fee of £8m for the England player. But Newcastle, Manchester City and Middlesbrough are also keen and keeping an eye on developments.
Real Madrid have reportedly held talks with Chelsea defender Ricardo Carvalho over a summer move to the Spanish giants.
Liverpool have checked on Barcelona's French left-back Frank Abidal and are also pursuing Borussia Dortmund's Phillip Degen.
Midfielder Barry is set to turn down a record pay offer from Villa in order to seal a move to Anfield.
And also Daniel Alves from Sevilla FC.
Chelsea are interested in signing Samuel Eto'o and Lionel Messi from FC Barcelona.
Portsmouth will offer Liverpool striker Peter Crouch a £4m annual salary and will pay a transfer fee of £8m for the England player. But Newcastle, Manchester City and Middlesbrough are also keen and keeping an eye on developments.
Real Madrid have reportedly held talks with Chelsea defender Ricardo Carvalho over a summer move to the Spanish giants.
Liverpool have checked on Barcelona's French left-back Frank Abidal and are also pursuing Borussia Dortmund's Phillip Degen.
Midfielder Barry is set to turn down a record pay offer from Villa in order to seal a move to Anfield.
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Milan face battle to land Drogba
AC Milan have opened talks over the summer transfer of Didier Drogba from Chelsea. The Italian club's sports general manager, Ariedo Braida, met two of Drogba's representatives in a Paris hotel on Tuesday to discuss Milan's reinforcement plans. But any transfer could depend on whether the Italian club qualify for next season's Champions League.
Braida informed them that Milan intended to buy Ronaldinho from Barcelona, bring Andriy Shevchenko back from Chelsea and sign Drogba as a principle centre-forward. Salary was not discussed, although Milan are expected at least to match the Ivorian's current weekly wage of around £90,000.
However, Milan are two points outside the Champions League places, a gap that would be increased to five with two games left were they to lose today's home derby with leaders Inter while Fiorentina won at struggling Cagliari.
Milan, who were last season's European champions, were eliminated from this year's tournament by Arsenal. They face a trip to mid-table Napoli and a home game against Udinese - who are chasing a Uefa Cup spot - in their last two matches. Fiorentina face games against two more teams battling relegation, at home to Parma then away to Torino on the last day of the campaign.
Drogba, who scored twice in last week's Champions League semi-final defeat of Liverpool, resolved to leave Chelsea after their dismissal of José Mourinho in September. He has told friends that he believes he will be permitted to join another club and has allowed some of his feelings for current manager Avram Grant to become clear. The striker opened a recent column for French magazine Sport with the words: 'Don't ask me what I think of Grant. It's better for everybody if I keep quiet.'
Two other sides who have definitely qualified for next season's Champions League are in the running to sign the 30-year-old: Spanish league leaders Real Madrid and Inter, provided Mourinho agrees to replace Roberto Mancini as the Serie A club's coach.
Grant has been unable to guarantee Drogba's presence at the club next season. On Friday the Chelsea manager said: 'There are a lot of rumours about everybody. Didier can only play for one club, but he's been linked to six or seven. He's at the club. Sometimes he has good days, sometimes he has bad days. Most of the time, you have to give answers to questions like this on the pitch. In the semi-finals, he was good.'
Meanwhile, despite Avram Grant's disclosure that Roman Abramovich called to congratulate him following Chelsea's defeat of Liverpool in last week's Champions League semi-final his job is still not safe, according to a Stamford Bridge executive.
The source also claimed that the Russian billionaire had been absent from many of Chelsea's recent games because he was 'unhappy with the club's results'. 'He is happier now, of course,' the source said. 'But it is still unclear what will happen regarding Grant's future. Mr Abramovich was not present on Wednesday for two reasons. The first is because he was in Moscow due to the changing political situation. But he has also been unhappy at the form of the team.' Grant created history by leading Chelsea to their first European Cup final, but even if the club were to win the competition and the Premier League, his future could still be in doubt, the source said.
Sven-Göran Eriksson, who has been told by Manchester City owner Thaksin Shinawatra that he will be sacked at the end of the season, is one candidate to replace Grant if he were to leave, with the Israeli a possible mover in the opposite direction. 'The club would be interested in Grant. The owner likes him very much,' a City insider said. West Ham are also thought to be monitoring Grant if they decided to replace manager Alan Curbishley in the summer.
Braida informed them that Milan intended to buy Ronaldinho from Barcelona, bring Andriy Shevchenko back from Chelsea and sign Drogba as a principle centre-forward. Salary was not discussed, although Milan are expected at least to match the Ivorian's current weekly wage of around £90,000.
However, Milan are two points outside the Champions League places, a gap that would be increased to five with two games left were they to lose today's home derby with leaders Inter while Fiorentina won at struggling Cagliari.
Milan, who were last season's European champions, were eliminated from this year's tournament by Arsenal. They face a trip to mid-table Napoli and a home game against Udinese - who are chasing a Uefa Cup spot - in their last two matches. Fiorentina face games against two more teams battling relegation, at home to Parma then away to Torino on the last day of the campaign.
Drogba, who scored twice in last week's Champions League semi-final defeat of Liverpool, resolved to leave Chelsea after their dismissal of José Mourinho in September. He has told friends that he believes he will be permitted to join another club and has allowed some of his feelings for current manager Avram Grant to become clear. The striker opened a recent column for French magazine Sport with the words: 'Don't ask me what I think of Grant. It's better for everybody if I keep quiet.'
Two other sides who have definitely qualified for next season's Champions League are in the running to sign the 30-year-old: Spanish league leaders Real Madrid and Inter, provided Mourinho agrees to replace Roberto Mancini as the Serie A club's coach.
Grant has been unable to guarantee Drogba's presence at the club next season. On Friday the Chelsea manager said: 'There are a lot of rumours about everybody. Didier can only play for one club, but he's been linked to six or seven. He's at the club. Sometimes he has good days, sometimes he has bad days. Most of the time, you have to give answers to questions like this on the pitch. In the semi-finals, he was good.'
Meanwhile, despite Avram Grant's disclosure that Roman Abramovich called to congratulate him following Chelsea's defeat of Liverpool in last week's Champions League semi-final his job is still not safe, according to a Stamford Bridge executive.
The source also claimed that the Russian billionaire had been absent from many of Chelsea's recent games because he was 'unhappy with the club's results'. 'He is happier now, of course,' the source said. 'But it is still unclear what will happen regarding Grant's future. Mr Abramovich was not present on Wednesday for two reasons. The first is because he was in Moscow due to the changing political situation. But he has also been unhappy at the form of the team.' Grant created history by leading Chelsea to their first European Cup final, but even if the club were to win the competition and the Premier League, his future could still be in doubt, the source said.
Sven-Göran Eriksson, who has been told by Manchester City owner Thaksin Shinawatra that he will be sacked at the end of the season, is one candidate to replace Grant if he were to leave, with the Israeli a possible mover in the opposite direction. 'The club would be interested in Grant. The owner likes him very much,' a City insider said. West Ham are also thought to be monitoring Grant if they decided to replace manager Alan Curbishley in the summer.
Friday, May 2, 2008
Luiz Felipe Scolari gets Manchester City job
Luiz Felipe Scolari has agreed to become the new manager of Manchester City.
City's Thai supremo Thaksin Shinawatra targeted 'Big Phil' after making it clear Sven Goran Eriksson will be axed at the end of the season. Brazilian Scolari, 59, who had said he will quit as Portugal boss after Euro 2008, will then take charge at Eastlands after flying to England for talks with Shinawatra on Wednesday. It also means that several big name players might follow Scolari to Eastland including Ronaldinho and several other Portuguese and Brazilians.
Paul Ince could make a comeback as a player for League Two champions MK Dons - at the age of 40. Ince is considering playing in the final game of the season against Morecambe tomorrow, after losing eight players through injury.
MLS is preparing a new designated player in the near future.
City's Thai supremo Thaksin Shinawatra targeted 'Big Phil' after making it clear Sven Goran Eriksson will be axed at the end of the season. Brazilian Scolari, 59, who had said he will quit as Portugal boss after Euro 2008, will then take charge at Eastlands after flying to England for talks with Shinawatra on Wednesday. It also means that several big name players might follow Scolari to Eastland including Ronaldinho and several other Portuguese and Brazilians.
Paul Ince could make a comeback as a player for League Two champions MK Dons - at the age of 40. Ince is considering playing in the final game of the season against Morecambe tomorrow, after losing eight players through injury.
MLS is preparing a new designated player in the near future.
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