..::Football II::..

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Villa's future 'in Barcelona's hands', admits agent

David Villa’s future is in the hands of Barcelona, according to his agent Victor Onate.

The Spain international has been linked with a move to the Premier League, with Chelsea and Arsenal mooted as potential destinations for the ex-Valencia man, who has reportedly become tired of a bit-part role at Camp Nou.



But the managing director of VOS Marketing - which represents the forward - insist that Villa will respect the contract he has signed unless Barca allows him to leave.

"There is always speculation about David because he is a great forward, but his future is in the hands of Barcelona," Onate told Sky Sports.

"They have a contract and it is important to always respect such documents."The 31-year-old’s current deal runs until 2014 and it would still come as a surprise if coach Tito Vilanova sanctioned the departure of the striker in the January transfer window.

 

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Holtby confirms intention to leave Schalke

Schalke midfielder Lewis Holtby has confirmed his intention to leave the German club on a free transfer at the end of the season.

As exclusively revealed by Goal.com on Thursday, the 22-year-old has decided against renewing his current contract, which expires in the summer, after failing to reach an agreement with the Bundesliga outfit.The former Alemannia Aachen star had been locked in negotiations with his employers for a number of months but, after teammate and Holland international Klaas-Jan Huntelaar agreed a new deal earlier in December, the club feel they can afford to let the Liverpool and Arsenal target leave.The club's general manager, and former player, Horst Heldt, indicated that Schalke respect the German's personal decision but is confident that he can still play a vital role in the remainder of the team's season."We wished that Lewis [Holtby] saw his future at Schalke," he told their official website. "But like Klaas-Jan now he has made a personal decision that we respect.

He added, "We are sure that he will give [everything] up to the last day of the season to make the contribution of our team successful."
Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers is interested in the midfielder and now looks set to secure the services of Holtby in the summer, however the Reds are sure to face competition for the boyhood Everton fan.

A whole host of Europe's top teams are said to be interested including Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich, with Arsenal the other Premier League outfit reportedly linked with a move.

 

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Kagawa set to make Manchester United bench for West Brom clash

Shinji Kagawa is set to make the Manchester United bench for Saturday's match against West Brom.

The summer signing from Borussia Dortmund has been out since October 23 when he suffered a knee injury during a Champions League tie against Braga.

He was expected to only be out for four weeks but suffered a setback in his recovery and has not featured since. However, Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed he could make the bench for Saturday's game against West Brom.

"Shinji Kagawa wanted to do a warm-up and training on the pitch and he is getting close," Ferguson said at a press conference. "I'll see what he's like today and I could maybe put him on the bench tomorrow depending on who is available."

The 70-year-old also revealed that he expects both Danny Welbeck and Ashley Young to return on Saturday to give his side some needed fresh legs, although he did confirm striker Wayne Rooney still faces time on the sidelines while defender Phil Jones may miss out too.

"We're hoping maybe Young will be ready and Daniel Welbeck should be ready. He was ill on Tuesday night but I think he should be okay. At least that's a couple of bodies back fresh for us. We'll just assess the rest in terms of tiredness," He said.

"All the players are key now as we're picking up one or two injuries. Rooney is out for at least another two games. He was a bit better yesterday. We're going to assess Phil Jones but I don't think he'll be ready."

 

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Welcome back Kagawa

 

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Cavani: 55 million euro bid changes nothing

Edinson Cavani has insisted that nothing has changed for him after learning that Napoli rejected a 55 million euro bid for the striker.

The Uruguay international is one of the most prized attackers in Italy due to his consistent goalscoring at the highest level, and he has netted 13 times in Serie A, just one strike shy of the top scorer in the Italian league as of the winter break, Stephan El Shaarawy.

The huge offer from an unknown club has not perturbed the Partenopei striker, however, who insists that hard work has earned him that valuation.

"Nothing changes for me. [That value] is the result of many years of work and the fact that I have always given my best," Cavani told Uruguayan outlet Diario Salto, after playing in a friendly match in the country while on a trip home.

"For me, the objectives remain the same in 2013, to try to have the best chance for success in every competition."

Napoli currently sits fifth in the Italian top flight, behind Juventus, Fiorentina, Lazio and Inter.

The Partenopei will face Viktoria Plzen in the last 32 of the Europa League having successfully negotiated the group stage.

 

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Cech hails Luiz's effortless transition from defense to midfield

Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech has hailed David Luiz’s seamless transition from defense to midfield after putting in another impressive display during the Blues' 1-0 win over Norwich City.Luiz arrived from Benfica in 2011 for 36.5 million euros with the expectation of becoming a first choice center back, but with positional lapses commonplace, Rafa Benitez has since moved the Brazilian to a slightly more advanced position.

Against both Aston Villa and the Canaries, Luiz started in midfield, giving him plenty of license to roam forward as well as offer his tackling abilities as support at the back, and Cech has been impressed.

Speaking to reporters at Carrow Road on Wednesday, Cech said: “He is very good on the ball, and as well he is a central defender originally, so you can see how well he defends the space and can be a really good shield to the back four.“When he gets the ball he is very creative, as well as being very good on the ball. I have to say, so far he is been playing really well there.”

With Chelsea picking up consecutive Premier League wins since a disappointing performance at the Club World Cup, Cech highlighted the squad’s on-pitch improvements.

“We look better organized,” he noted. “We were conceding too many goals and playing too open, but suddenly we are defending as a team much better.“That’s the key because we weren’t defending very well as a team. Now we are difficult to score against which is a big help and have the players who can score a lot of goals.”

The win against Norwich saw Chelsea restrict the hosts to very few shots, none of which hit the target, and Cech feels that a solid 1-0 win was the perfect way to manage expectations after putting eight past Aston Villa at the weekend.He continued: “We were patient enough to score and then just control the game. It is never easy after you win 8-0. Suddenly everyone thinks, ‘another game for them, easy.’

“But it doesn’t always go as well. I think they [Norwich] played really well. They made it really difficult for us which is why I think three points and a clean sheet and the way we controlled the game was very positive.

“We have closed the gap to City. That’s another positive thing. We need to keep getting points to get as close as possible to Manchester United and City and hopefully we can get some more points against Everton which would be a really big win.”

 

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Wenger praises Arsenal's backroom staff over small injury list

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has praised his backroom staff for their hard work as he continues the festive period with an almost fully fit squad.


The Frenchman's side faces Newcastle this weekend and will have Olivier Giroud and Tomas Rosicky back fit after they both missed out at Wigan, with just Andre Santos and long-term absentees Abou Diaby, Lukasz Fabianski and Ignasi Miquel still sidelined.


The game against Alan Pardew’s side comes too soon for Diaby and Santos as they return from a thigh and abdominal injury respectively, but Wenger revealed that the pair are close to a return to first-team action.

Wenger told the club's official website: "We should not have any new injuries from our last game. Giroud and Rosicky should be available again. They were sick at Wigan.

"They should be coming back into training with the squad next week."

Wenger is delighted with the clean bill of health his squad, with Fabianski the only player yet to be handed a return date.

He added: "It is unusual, especially at this period of the season. It is down to the continuing good work we are doing behind the scenes at the club.

"We hope that it continues because it is important to go into January with a full squad and we will be losing Gervinho to the Africa Cup of Nations."

 

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Mancini: Manchester City cannot keep buying its way out of trouble

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini is putting faith in his goal-shy strikers after insisting the club cannot keep trying to buy its way out of trouble.


Carlos Tevez, Sergio Aguero, Mario Balotelli and Edin Dzeko have scored just three goals in their last eight games, including a blank in the 1-0 loss to Sunderland on Boxing Day.

City has been linked with, among other strikers, a move for Atletico Madrid's Falcao in the transfer window but Mancini is distancing himself from any bids this January and is confident he can get goals out of his players – even if it means playing without a recognized forward.

Mancini told Manchester Evening News: "We can't keep thinking of bringing players in. We have a good team, good strikers, but we need them to be strong when they get a chance."We still have a big problem that we don't score, and we need to change. Maybe we need to play without a striker, or with just one striker. We need to do something. If we want to win this championship we need to score like we did last year.

"We have top strikers, but maybe we are too soft when we get a chance because we think we have good players and maybe we feel we will score the next chance that comes along."We have four top strikers, and it is time that those top strikers started to score. That is what they are there for, to score goals."

 

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Liverpool boss Rodgers rules out January spending spree

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers has ruled out an extravagant spending spree in January, but admits that he will be looking to bring in some extra attacking options once the window opens.

The Reds have struggled for options up front this season after missing out on transfer target Clint Dempsey in the summer, before Fabio Borini’s foot injury left Luis Suarez as the only senior striker available at Anfield since October.

Moves for Daniel Sturridge and Thomas Ince have been mooted as possible solutions to their attacking dilemma, but Rodgers insists that he lacks the funds to vastly bolster the squad.

"We won't be overly busy in January but some reinforcements will be nice, just the addition of some firepower to help us at the top end of the field," he told reporters.

"There won't be a great deal of business done, we are probably just trying to get some of the business done which we hoped to do in the summer.

"The budget was going to be tight this year, for a number of reasons, but we will be doing something because it is the need of the group.

"From next season the purse strings should loosen a bit more but, in terms of this season, it was always on the understanding it was going to be tight in terms of finance."

Aside from financial constraints, Rodgers suggested that it is difficult to identify realistic targets mid-way through the season.

"We had hoped to do some business at the back end of August and we weren't able to do that," he said.

"The addition of a few faces in January can freshen up the group and allow us to kick on but it is all very well having absolute millions to spend if there is not the availability of players."

 

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Liverpool's Shelvey awarded West Ham match-winning goal

Liverpool midfielder Jonjo Shelvey has been awarded his side's winning goal in the recent 3-2 victory over West Ham by the FA's dubious goals committee.

The Reds' third goal in the Dec. 9 contest took a sizeable deflection off Hammers defender James Collins before looping over Jussi Jaaskelainen, with replays proving inconclusive as to whether Shelvey touched the ball beforehand.

The strike has now been credited to the 20-year-old, who was deployed in a 'false No. 9' role for the Merseyside outfit's visit to Upton Park. The former Charlton man has now scored five goals in 25 appearances for Brendan Rodgers' side this term, with all but the goal at West Ham coming in UEFA Europa League play.

 

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Galliani: Robinho could be sold to Santos

AC Milan vice president Adriano Galliani has revealed that Brazilian side Santos is leading the chase for Robinho.

The Rossoneri chief is currently in South America attempting to sort out a transfer for wantaway attacker Alexandre Pato, but his fellow native Brazilian is another that is likely to leave during the January transfer window.

Galliani confirmed there is interest in the former Real Madrid man, but he admitted that Flamengo is no longer a potential destination for Robinho, who began his career at Santos 10 years ago.

"There is the possibility of a sale to Santos," Galliani told Globo Esporte. "We haven’t been able to reach an agreement with Flamengo, though, while I still don’t know about Atletico Mineiro."

Pato's move back to his homeland looks set to be completed in early January, with Corinthians having shown concrete interest in sealing a deal. Robinho's destination, however, is a lot less certain, and Sao Paulo vice president Joao Paulo de Jesus Lopes has confirmed that his side has pulled out of the running for the 28-year-old forward.

"We have no interest in signing him," Lopes told ESPN Radio Estadao. "At one point there was an initial interest to understand how the business was, but internally we are convinced that, for a number of reasons, the athlete is not what we were looking."

 

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Newcastle boss Pardew hopeful on keeping Ba

Newcastle boss Alan Pardew is hopeful that striker Demba Ba will not leave the club during the January transfer window.

The Senegalese forward has a clause in his contract that would allow him to leave the Magpies should a 7 million pound bid for his services be tabled. Pardew believes the 27-year-old is likely to sign a new deal with the Tyneside outfit, though, should he remain beyond the end of the upcoming window.

"I think he will stay, but there's a possibility he could go because of the clause that's still in force," Pardew said. "Really and truly this window is the key, I think, because if Demba goes in this window, it will cause us a problem. We will either move Demba on or we will secure him in the summer. In the summer - I won't let it run until the summer. I'll do something about it."

Ba has 11 goals this Premier League campaign, which is just two behind league-leaders Michu and Robin van Persie.

 

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Chicharito: 'I have to prove, in one minute or 90, that I want to start'

Manchester United forward Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez is hoping to force his way into a regular role at Old Trafford after his last-gasp winner against Newcastle.


The Mexican striker netted in the 90th minute to give the Red Devils a massive victory over Newcastle on Boxing Day, which, with rivals Manchester City losing to Sunderland, puts them seven points clear at the top of the Premier League table.

The 24-year-old Hernandez was granted a first-team role with both Wayne Rooney (knee) and Danny Welbeck (illness) unavailable, but the match was only his fourth start in the league this season, with the striker not yet reaching 20 league starts in a full term.

The former Chivas Guadalajara man acknowledges that Sir Alex Ferguson has other high-quality options to select but is determined to prove his worth and eventually become a regular choice.

"Ask any player in the world and they will tell you they want to play every game," Chicharito told reporters. "But the competition here is incredible. It is the biggest club in the world. You need to be aware there are five strikers who want to be part of the games. I have to prove, in one minute or 90, that I want to start."

Though he did net the eventual winner late in the game, Hernandez wasted two golden opportunities to possibly seal the vital three points earlier in the day. He insisted that he never dwells on missed chances in order to stay focused for the next one, though, while stating the most important thing was that the club secured victory in the end.

"I didn't have those things in my mind," Chicharito said. "You cannot afford to regret every chance you miss, because if you do you, will never be concentrated for the next opportunity. You are never going to play the perfect game. You will never score five goals from five opportunities. That is the beauty of football. The most important thing was the win because here there are no heroes.

"It doesn't matter if I score in the last minute or we score four goals. We won and Manchester City lost. That is very good news."

 

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No truth to Tottenham-Sneijder link, insists representative

A representative of Wesley Sneijder has denied reports that his client is close to completing a January move from Inter Milan to Tottenham.


Recent speculation has suggested that the Netherlands midfielder is almost certain to leave the Italian outfit in the near future, even though his contract does not expire until 2014. Manchester United was heavily linked with a 25 million pound move for the 28-year-old last summer, but it Spurs have been the growing favorites to secure his signature this time around after Andre Villas-Boas' missed out on Portuguese international Joao Moutinho.

Reports over the Christmas period claimed that the deal with Sneijder was close to completion, but the Dutchman's camp has indicated that the rumors are false.

"There is nothing, absolutely nothing true about that," Sneijder's representative told Dutch publication Algemeen Dagblad.

Many critics of Villas-Boas' side have suggested that the team are in dire need of a playmaker, with Luka Modric and Rafael van der Vaart both departing from White Hart Lane in the summer.

Bundesliga side Schalke and rich Russian outfit Anzhi Makhachkala have also been touted as possible destinations for the out-of-favor Inter midfielder.

 

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Hamadamath wage Sneijder rumor nam Boring!

 

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Dzagoev: Playing for Zeman would be a dream

CSKA Moscow youngster Alan Dzagoev says he would like to play under Roma coach Zdenek Zeman at some point in his career.


The Russian was in impressive form for his nation during Euro 2012, and is eager to make the move to Serie A in the future.

"Roma have a great young team with a great future and I think it'd be a great opportunity for me," he told the Corriere dello Sport. "Just thinking about it seems like a dream. Everyone knows who Zeman is. They know he likes football, and his style would suit me as I'm an attacker.

"I like Italian football, I think I would fit in very well. I can play on both wings, I think I know how to combine technique and vision."

Russia is currently home to two Italian coaches, Luciano Spalletti of Zenit and Fabio Capello of the national team, and Dzagoev went on to voice his respect for both.

"Spalletti is a great coach. He has brought his wealth of experience and adapted well to our football," he said. "I've been working with [Capello] for four months. It soon became clear that he's a coach of the highest level."

 

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Anzhi rubbishes rumors of 250 million euro bid for Messi

Anzhi Makhachkala has rubbished rumors linking it with a staggering 250 million euro bid for Barcelona star Lionel Messi.



Reports in Mundo Deportivo had suggested that the Argentina international had rejected earning 30 million euros a season with the Russian club, after his buyout clause was allegedly met.

However, their marketing consultant German Tkachenko quashed the story as totally false, and insisted that the side do not operate that way in the transfer market.

"There isn't a shred of truth in it," he told Russian newspaper Sport-Express.
"Asking a question about this, let alone writing about it, shows a lack of understanding about how Anzhi's sporting model is designed and what its principles and priorities are."

Spanish media reported that Messi not only dismissed the Russian offer, but duly signed a new contract tying him to the club until 2018.

Former Camp Nou striker Samuel Eto’o, who played with Messi at Barca, made the switch from Spain to Russia, and is currently the highest paid footballer on the planet, on a reported 20 million euros per year.

 

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Maradona: Mourinho is one of the world's top coaches

Diego Maradona says he believes that Real Madrid’s Jose Mourinho is one of the world's top coaches.



The Portuguese guided the Blancos to the Liga title last season, and has also won the top-flight league trophy in Portugal, England and Italy, alongside two Champions League successes.

Maradona, whose coaching career has not been anywhere near as glittering as his playing days were, believes that the former Inter boss’ attention to every member of the squad has helped him thrive at the top.

"The results he has achieved speak volumes for his ability,” he told reporters at a sports conference in Dubai on Friday, where Mourinho was also speaking. I've seen him coaching and he's top. He devotes a lot of attention to all the players on the team, from first to last.

"I was a player who wanted to be known, but it's a fine thing when a coach isn't only concerned with you, but also with your teammates, because they are the ones who help you on the pitch. He's earned respect because he fields the team he wants to and a good coach knows all his players."

Maradona is currently on a coaching hiatus, having left his former club Al Wasl earlier in 2012.

His most notable position to date was coaching his native Argentina at the 2010 World Cup, where the South American side was knocked out by Germany in the quarterfinals.

 

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Norwich boss Hughton wary of strong Manchester City reaction after Sunderland loss

Norwich City manager Chris Hughton is wary of a strong reaction from Manchester City when the two sides meet on Saturday.



Adam Johnson’s second-half strike was enough for Sunderland to run out 1-0 victors over the Premier League champions on Boxing Day to mark City’s third defeat in its last five games in all competitions.

And while Hughton is expecting the Blues to be eager to return to winning ways as soon as possible, the Norwich boss highlighted his side’s valiant display against Chelsea as reasons for Roberto Mancini to be concerned.

“Man City will want a reaction and we want one here as well,” Hughton is quoted as saying by the Norfolk Eastern Daily Press. “The good thing about top players, we can speak about top players costing a lot of money, but they have great attitudes as well.

“I think most would have expected Man City to win that game. At the moment Sunderland are now picking up form and whether it was a deserved win or not the pendulum appears to have turned. Man City will want a reaction and so do we.

“We’re now two games without winning and we want to get back to getting some
points again. I don’t think we have to improve an awful lot. In the first half [against Chelsea] we were a little loose on the ball and we have been quite tight during our recent run - which gave Chelsea the opportunity to counter. If I look at our games against the Champions League sides at Carrow Road, it was a very similar one.”

Norwich finds itself sitting in 11th place with 25 points at the season’s midway point, one place worse but three points better off than at the same stage last season.

The Canaries racked up 47 points last season but the club missed out on a top-half finish on goal difference, but Hughton is cautious not to set any aim to better such a tally for this term.

“There is no points target. It is about producing what we have done in the first part of the season,” he added. “We started slowly, but we got a bit of momentum from a good run. We know what we have to do. It is a tough ask because of the quality of this division and the players and teams you are up against.

“We have to replicate more of that in the second part of the season. We have to try and match what we have done and we have to work just as hard because a lot of teams will be pushing. We want to make life as comfortable as we can for ourselves.

“I think if you had offered that to me at the start of the season then, yes, I would have taken that. You only have to look at this Premier League week in, week out and that probably emphasizes just what a good run it was that we went on.”

 

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Laudrup rejects claims Swansea will struggle without Michu

Swansea City manager Michael Laudrup has rejected claims that his squad will struggle in the absence of striker Michu.

The 2.44 million euro summer acquisition from Rayo Vallecano has netted 13 goals in just 18 games this term, which has put him joint top of the Premier League’s goalscoring charts alongside Robin van Persie.

The Spaniard suffered ankle ligament damage in the 0-0 draw with Reading on Boxing Day and will miss Saturday’s trip to Fulham, but Laudrup is hopeful of a return three days later for his side's fixture against Aston Villa.

"I think in a few days he could be ready but obviously for tomorrow's game he is ruled out," Laudrup told reporters. "But I hope with some good work from our physios he can be back on Tuesday [against Aston Villa]. If not he will be back for the week after when we have three games in six days.

"To say you don't miss your top scorer would be a lie but you can't count on one player for the whole season without him getting injured or suspended. I think he has played 10 or 11 games on four yellow cards. But now he is injured and out of the game tomorrow."