Manchester City have emerged as the latest club interest in signing Internazionale defender Nicolas Burdisso.
The Argentina international spent the second half of last season on loan at Serie A rivals AS Roma and they are keen to re-sign the 29-year-old South American.
City are also in the hunt, according to the player's agent Fernando Hidalgo, and he expects a decision over the defender's future to be made soon.
Burdisso is currently away on World Cup duty in South Africa.
"Roma and Inter will meet on Monday," explained Hidalgo."The price fixed by Inter is very high and if there isn't agreement the player will return to Milan.
"But I don't know if there is place for him in Inter Milan. He wants to stay in Roma.
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"Manchester City? The Nerazzurri have told me of the interest of the British club, I didn't know it."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Ryan Giggs has played down suggestions that he could end his career with a spell in Major League Soccer.
The Manchester United veteran was reported to be considering following former Old Trafford team-mate David Beckham in moving to the United States when he finally decides to bring the curtain down on his record-breaking career with the Red Devils.
But unlike Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder Beckham, Giggs has suggested that when he decides to leave United it will probably be to hang up his boots.
"Becks is probably the biggest footballer worldwide and he's still playing for England's national team so it's hard not to respect the quality of MLS," he said from United's pre-season tour to North America in Chicago.
"Being in America you have a great lifestyle – good for raising a family – and the play is getting better.
"I still have a year left with Manchester United. After that maybe I'll be too old."
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Giggs has scored 155 goals in a club record 838 appearances for the Red Devils.
The 36-year-old midfielder will line up for his 18th season in the United first team next month.Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
With first choice goalkeeper Petr Cech touch and go to recover in time for Saturday’s opening day curtain raiser against West Brom, the focus is on the backup keepers in Chelsea’s squad and frankly, Hilario and Ross Turnbull haven’t done much to inspire confidence amongst Chelsea fans.
It seems that Carlo Ancelotti himself has been questioning the ability of his two backups as reports have been linking the Chelsea boss with a move for Stoke City’s Bosnian goalkeeper Asmir Begovic to ease his crisis of confidence and off the back of some of the pre-season performances, he would be right to be looking for new blood.
Hilario has had an unconvincing pre-season in between the sticks for Chelsea and was at fault for Eintract Frankfurt’s opening goal in Chelsea’s 2-1 defeat in Germany. Hilario collected a John Terry backpass but instead of putting his foot through it, the Portuguese keeper inexplicably tried to dribble round the onrushing attacker Partick Ochs who tackled the hapless Hilario and slotted the ball high into the roof of the empty net. Hilario’s decision making was called into question once again when in the second half, his attempted clearance was charged down only for his fellow Portuguese Ricardo Carvalho to clear a goal bound effort from Frankfurt forward Halil Altintop.
Like Hilario, Ross Turnbull has had his share of pre-season woes. In the previous friendly against Martin Jol’s Ajax, Turnbull had a game to forget after the former Middlesbrough man scored an own goal for Ajax’s opening goal and then dropped a massive howler to allow Siem de Jong the simple task of rolling the ball into the empty net for Ajax’s second.
Ajax’s Dutch keeper Maarten Stekelenburg sent a long clearance downfield which Turnbull rushed to collect on the edge of his penalty area. However, the Chelsea goalie misjudged the flight of the ball and proceeded to let go of the ball that he had collected to stop his momentum from carrying the ball outside of the penalty box. Ajax striker Siem de Jong collected the loose ball and finished probably the easiest chance he has had for a very long time.
Chelsea’s problem with their backup keepers is that they are exactly that: backup for Petr Cech. Hilario was brought in by Jose Mourinho as a third choice goalkeeper behind Cech and Carlo Cudicini and was given a run in the team following injuries to both. Similarly, Ross Turnbull was bought from Middlesbrough to perform the same function as he knows he isn’t as good as Petr Cech. Without pressure and competition for Cech’s starting spot in the Chelsea goal, there is little chance of Hilario and Turnbull improving as goalkeepers as they are content in their role as understudy. A solution to this problem would be for Ancelotti to either bring in an a more experienced goalkeeper who would be happy to back up Cech or else buy a young, up and coming goalkeeper that has the potential to genuinely challenge Cech for the starting job and keep the Czech Republic keeper at the top of his game.
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The row over the transfer of Peter Crouch to Tottenham Hotspur has highlighted the murky side of the game that operates behind the scenes of football transfers. Fulham are taking Premier League chairman Sir Dave Richards to the High Court believing that he played an integral part in Peter Crouch moving to White Hart Lane rather than Craven Cottage. Fulham have claimed Crouch was on the verge of an £11 million move to them from Portsmouth before he made a £9 million transfer to Spurs instead. Fulham claim the crucial factor that made Crouch opt for Spurs was the intervention of Sir Dave Richards at the behest of Portsmouth. It has been alleged that Portsmouth’s then chief executive Peter Storrie asked Richards to intervene in the transfer to help with the club’s crippling financial battles. Although Fulham had offered £2 million more for the England striker, Portsmouth allegedly wanted a one off up-front lump sum in order to help them avoid administration, something that Spurs £9 million bid offered. It is a fact that Richards did indeed speak to Peter Crouch, but whether he acted improperly or not is not yet fully clear. The Premier League did have an inquiry into the affair which concluded that Richards had not acted inappropriately, but Fulham have not accepted this verdict. Fulham are now pushing for Sir Dave Richards to be removed from his position as chairman of the Premier League, and at the least want him banned from any future involvement in player transfers.
The saga has succeeded in once again plumbing the gloomy depths of player transfers and all that goes with it, be it agent’s fees or tappings ups. Perhaps the most notable example of the tapping up of a player was Ashley Cole’s clandestine meeting with Jose Mourinho, which caused a huge amount of controversy and a bitter feud between Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho that many fans think the game could do without. In the Cole-gate incident fines were dished out, but when players, managers and clubs earn such vast amounts of money these fines are often immaterial. If Fulham get their wish and Sir Dave Richards loses his job for the unethical actions they allege he perpetrated, then it might send out a message to all those involved in transfers that such activity will not be tolerated, and will be met by more than just a fine that amounts to a drop in the ocean. In past years issues surrounding agent’s bungs and third party player ownership have also brought football into disrepute.
Another prime example of this side of the game was Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano’s unlikely stint at West Ham United. The Premier League fined West Ham over Tevez’ contract being in breach of the rules after issues with Media Sports Investments’ third-party ownership of the player. Sheffield United and Neil Warnock were livid with the decision, believing that West Ham should have been deducted points which would have relegated the London club. The issue over third party ownership has reared its head again this summer with regards to Brazilian midfielder Ramires’ proposed move to Chelsea. It is believed that ‘Super-Agents’ Kia Joorabchian and Pini Zahavi own certain percentages of the players rights which would mean the rumoured move to Chelsea would not be able to go ahead. These issues crop up time and again in football, and it often leaves a bad taste in the mouth. Football needs to try and eradicate these malpractices in order to clean up its image and maintain the integrity of the game; but it will take firmer action than fines to help achieve this.
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Winger Florent Malouda claims Chelsea do not receive the credit they deserve.
The Blues have started the defence of their Premier League title with back-to-back 6-0 routs of West Bromwich Albion and Wigan Athletic.
However, Malouda, who has himself scored three goals in the two games, is unhappy that title rivals Manchester United and Arsenal continue to take more plaudits for their styles of play.
"It is difficult to know why people still seem to think Arsenal and United play the best football," claimed the Frenchman.
"Even when we finished on top of Arsenal, people said they played better than us.
"If you want to win the league, you have to be efficient, but when you look at how many goals we are scoring, you surely have to recognise there is real quality about us.
"The manager has worked at making sure we control games and you are seeing an evolution in our play. We are keeping more clean sheets but also scoring a lot more goals.
"It is not enough for us now just to go 1-0 up. We have developed a killer instinct and want to finish teams off.
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"There are goals throughout this team and if there is an opportunity to kill a game off, we take it.
"We'll never go easy on teams and it is great for confidence to know just about everyone in the squad is capable of scoring goals."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Manchester United’s defeat, sorry draw against Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday was tagged as a shining example of the drama of the Premiership by some in the media. For many United fans however it merely underlined certain frailties that haven’t been addressed since the Fulham game and left a bad taste in the mouth. While following that disappointing result at Craven Cottage- from a United point of view, there were still some positives to be taken, it’s a little harder to keep your chin up when your side gives away a two-goal lead in stoppage time. It was so painful that I couldn’t put myself through it again on MOTD , me and a mate actually debating whether to watch a sky + recording of X-factor his missus had taped when we got home from the pub. Eventually though it was time for some honest reflection and while it still makes me feel slightly sick, it’s not time to buy a City shirt and sell my soul to the devil just yet. There are several lessons to be learned from Saturdays game and none of them involve Wayne Rooney- that’ll be the last time he gets mentioned in this article I assure you. Evra’s human and men approaching middle age get tired are among two of the things we learned from Saturdays game at Goodison.
1. Kill or be killed. While three goals is usually enough to see United beat even the strongest of attacking sides, there can be no denying that there was ample chance to put the game well and truly to bed before the final two minutes. Both Dimitar Berbatov and Nani- it’s him again- could have, well should have, done better with chances they had when the game was at 3-1. What’s particularly frustrating about it was that both players are capable of doing much better than they did with their final opportunities and it was a case of being far too lackadaisical and treating the game as though it was won. There’s no real excuse for not making sure. Berbatov has been on fine form of late and its seems harsh to apportion any of the blame for United’s failure to win at his door. It still grates though that what should have been a simple goal for Ryan Giggs or Nani had the Bulgarian squared the ball, ended with a rather timid shot that went wide. Nani’s decision making also again was called into question, as he also wasted a good chance at the end when he had better options.
2. Patrice Evra is human. It’s been a long, long time -in a galaxy far far away- that I can recall saying the words ‘Evra had a ‘mare’ but unfortunately on Saturday he did. Not since his debut against City can I remember my favourite United player looking so out of sorts. It was a strange sight to witness and not one I want to see again, but United’s left back gave the sort of performance that you’d associate with John O’Shea on a very bad day. It was totally out of character and hopefully not something we’ll see again soon. Why was Evra so bad? Well he’s had his fair share of bad press since the World Cup plus his appeal against his five match French ban was recently turned down so that may have affected him. Perhaps Fergie should have rested him for an extra week following the World Cup and he is actually suffering from a bit of fatigue. Either way United need all their top players performing to the best of their ability with some more tough games coming up. On Saturday Evra showed that he’s not infallible, let’s just hope it was a minor blip rather than any real problem the Frenchman is suffering from.
3. Rio’s return can‘t come quick enough. The name on almost every United fans lips at full time, was not Wayne..sorry I almost forgot, was not any missing striker, it was that of Mr Ferdinand, who’s return now seems to be more vital than ever. The freedom with which Cahill managed to score Everton’s second was slightly worrying, the fact that Mikel Arteta had enough time to make a brew before he banged in the equaliser was shocking. A few people pointed the finger at Jonny Evans for either -or both- goals and while I think it was a team -lack of- effort that contributed to them rather than one individual there’s no doubt that Rio’s return would help sort the defence out no end. The question is will Ferdinand be-in true Take That style- back for good? After all a man who last season was behind Ledley King in Premier League appearances can hardly be counted on to play the majority of games. In the past I’ve actually advocated giving Evans a chance even if Rio’s fit just because the Irish defender stays fit and would benefit from a stable run in the side. However, even I have to admit that it would be foolish not to put a fit Ferdinand back in the side. His organisational skills or ‘silks’ as he calls them on twitter, were sorely missed at Goodison. While were on the subject of changing the defence, is it not time to forget about playing Gary Neville in difficult games? That may sound harsh but I for the life of me can’t work out why Wes Brown has become a reserve team regular recently and also why he no longer seems a viable option at right back? People will say Rafael is too inexperienced but how is he going to gain big game experience if he doesn’t play in the big games. Like Evans It wasn’t Neville’s fault for the goals but is he really the best man for the job at right back? I think not.
4. United have a squad but they need to use it. Having three outfield players over 34 playing a full 90 minutes was a bit of a strange decision by Sir Alex Ferguson to say the least. Both Neville and Scholes looked a bit dead on their feet towards the end of the match, and had either or both been replaced then things may have been different. Neville gave the ball away for their third while Scholes failed to pick up Arteta, yet can we be surprised? Neville’s hardly had any match practice while Scholes has been ever-present this season. I can understand why Fergie took off Evra for Park, but I don’t see what harm it would have done to introduce Rafael or Darron Gibson- or both -for Scholes and Neville. Then there was Nani who seemed to disappear towards the end, leaving poor old Gary Neville totally exposed down the right hand side. Why Fergie was reluctant to change it, when there were obviously tired legs out there baffles me slightly.
5. Teams aren’t giving up anymore. In the past even away from home it’s not been unusual for certain teams to simply accept that they’ve lost the game when United are leading with only a couple of minutes left. I’m not claiming that teams cannot be bothered, just that some opposing players allow their heads to drop slightly in the closing minutes as they succumb to the idea that the game is now lost. However, this is no longer the case. As Fulham showed two weeks ago and now Everton have proven, teams are not going to roll over and die against United anymore. If United are to wrestle the title from Chelsea’s grasp- and for the record I’m not buying into the idea that it’s practically impossible after only four games and no defeats- then they’re going to have to prepare for battle. A result against United is still the premier scalp for many players, and the air of invincibility that Fergie’s men had a couple of seasons ago has long gone. Teams are willing to fight to the death- not literally , unless its Wolves if the press is to be believed- so it’s time for United to roll up their sleeves and get ready for 94-minute slogs. Last season many a United fan -myself included-laughed at the ‘noisy neighbours’ penchant for conceding late goals- well if their not careful that particular affliction could become one associated with the Red half of Manchester.
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Manchester United winger Ryan Giggs believes that the team spirit in the Red Devils’ dressing room will help Wayne Rooney recapture his form.
Team spirit has been a huge part of United’s recent success and Giggs is certain that this togetherness will allow Rooney to get back to very best.
Rooney has failed to replicate his scintillating form of last season which saw him score 35 times for United as they finished runners-up to Chelsea in the Premier League.
He endured a torrid World Cup campaign with England and has carried on his indifferent form into this season, scoring only once in 5 appearances.
His dip in form has coincided with lurid reports about his private life which have been dominating the headlines in recent weeks.
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The troubled striker is currently out injured with an ankle injury which will leave him sidelined for around three weeks.
Birmingham City manager Alex McLeish was left disappointed after seeing his side fight back from two goals down before losing 3-2 at Stoke City.
The Blues looked to have salvaged a point at the Britannia Stadium, before Dean Whitehead bundled home a scrappy winner five minutes from time.
McLeish commented:"It would have been a great point and I thought the way we were going at the time of the equaliser, the momentum was with us.
"We were right on top at two each and their third goal was a dog's breakfast of a goal. It was shocking.
"We have lost some uncharacteristic goals this season. The defenders have not been poor individually – we have still defended well and we saw Scott Dann and Roger Johnson battling tonight against two big centre-forwards, a good 50-50 battle.
"But to lose the goal the way we did was soft to say the least.
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"I have seen the goal about ten times and it is difficult to say whether there was a handball, but Kenwyne Jones got a touch, then Fuller got a touch.
"It was probably the only time our centre-halves lost out on a ball consecutively in the whole game."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Wayne Rooney left for the Nike Headquarters in America on Saturday, which clearly suggests that his Manchester United career is still hanging in the balance.
It has been well-documented that there is a virus going through the United squad, and it is very likely that the effected players are kept away from the rest of them to prevent it from becoming even worse.
Well, Rooney’s week’s vacation to the States is another way of getting quarantining the other virus that has hit Old Trafford recently, because since his intentions were revealed by Ferguson he has not spent much time with his teammates.
Before this little retreat, Rooney also spent a few days in sunny Dubai getting sun while his teammates combated the cold temperatures in England and Europe, but it ultimately kept him and his infectious behavior away from the United training ground.
So could this just part of Ferguson’s plan to offload him in either the winter or summer transfer windows?
The United supporters would be very foolish to think that Sir Alex has honestly revealed his cards before the final card was dealt, because that is something that the Gaffer has never done – and never would do!
This saga has gone very quiet – almost too quiet – and the United performances have reaped the benefits of that because they have reeled off five victories since the supposed conclusion of this debacle on Friday, October 22.
Like in life, the only thing in football that is certain is uncertainty, and one would be ill-advised if they though that United was liberated from this saying as well.
The players have done an admirable job coping with the stresses and pressures to extend their current unbeaten streak to 24 matches, but they do not have any off-the-field distractions to deal with anymore.
This is far from over, though.
Like it or not, Ferguson has been crossed, and the witty Scot has, and never will, forgive a player for doing what Rooney has done to him or the success and history he has built.
To question the ambition of the most successful managers in the history of the sport is not only disrespectful, but courageous to say the least.
Rooney has always been outspoken, which has often got him into trouble on the pitch, but his complete lack of respect has cost him dearly off of it now.
The total disregard for all of the adoring supporters, who have never once doubted him before Ferguson’s broke the news prior to the Bursaspor match on October 20 – even when an entire nation turned their backs on him following his disgraceful, unenthused performance at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Now, the sucker punch he gave those loyal supporters has knocked off their red-colored blinders, and they see Rooney for what he has always been – an egotistical, thoughtless punk.
Thankfully, United have a manager who cares enough about the club he works for to handle this situation with maturity and intelligence – which are two words that could ever be used to describe Rooney.
A lot of rumors must be circulating that the meeting between David Gill, Paul Stretford, Rooney and Ferguson could have been a sign-and-trade, so United can get top dollar for him.
It would not be at all surprising if there was personal terms already in place between Rooney and his potential employers, but Sir Alex more than likely said that it would be over his dead body before he would sell – unless United got his true worth in return.
This clearly meant that Rooney would have either have to sign a long-term deal with United, which he did by signing agreeing to a five-year deal, before Ferguson forced him to play in the Reserves for the next 20 months while letting his current contract run out.
The look on his face following the conclusion of the meetings did not sit well with some of the supporters, because he had a phony, half-wit smile on his face.
This sabbatical that he is probably enjoying at Nike HQs is more than likely because of a clause in the agreement that was to prevent him from playing against City – similar to the gentleman’s agreement with Tim Howard and Everton in 2006.
Carrington has similar, if not better, training facilities and physios than the corporate facility of Nike’s campus has, and to think that the top tabloids are not sending their media people there to spy is quite laughable.
The majority of the true supporters have already written him off as a Manchester United player, and it would take him an awful lot to regain their trust and respect, so Rooney might just be better off leaving for another club sooner rather than later.
The supporters stated and showed their disbelief and new-found hatred for their former talisman, by chanting “YSB!” and having different banners about his comments regarding the club that they love.
Ferguson said it was those two things that really woke his ignorant self up to how he was going to be received by the United supporters, but it should have never come to that, though.
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Rooney saw and heard first-hand just how much distaste they had for Carlos Tevez following his highly-discussed move across the city to Manchester City.
Unless he is completely disjointed from reality, which is what has been happening in the last couple of weeks by Ferguson, then those sights and sounds should have hit home and rung a bell in his thick skull so he would never think of doing such a thing.
The honest supporters know that Rooney, like most modern-day players, is very skillful, but lacks courtesy and common sense in these types of situations.
If this does happen, the supporters cannot be upset at Ferguson, because he has always acted with the best interest of the club at heart, and this circumstance is no different.
Conversely, Ferguson should be praised for putting this sham of a situation to an early bed, because it was not only effecting the team’s performances on the field, but for also holding City and Rooney ransom to get what he thinks is fair-market value for the out-of-sorts striker.
Hopefully this conspiracy theory is just that and not writing on the wall, because all of the implications and facts are there to make one believe that Wayne Rooney has played his last game for Manchester United.
Read more excellent blogs at ‘The United Religion’ website below
Roberto Mancini’s position at Manchester City was not even on the agenda at a club summit in Abu Dhabi a week ago. Roberto Mancini’s job is said to be safe for the rest of the season, and has been handed a reported £80m war chest for January.
Manchester City took the unusual step of revealing that substantial transfer funds – up to £80million – will be available again to chase primary targets Edin Dzeko, the Wolfsburg striker, and Benfica’s versatile Brazilian defender David Luiz.
How long can this go on for? Manchester City can’t keep adding players to the party and selling off players they don’t need. The squad needs continuity if they are ever to fulfil their ambitions. The Manchester City board and management need to give this squad a chance to both gel and show what it can do. If by the end of the season they haven’t met their goals, then of course there is a real reason to spend. To buy up to £80m worth of talent in January will only unsettle the squad and could have an adverse effect on a fragile team morale.
With the reports that Manchester City are set to sign Edin Dzeko and David Luiz, you think to yourself why? With the system that Manchester City play, where would Edin Dzeko fit in. He would not be the lone striker ahead of Tevez, nor would he play wide. With Emmanuel Adebayor and Mario Balotelli in reserve, it seems a waste of money on a player who has never proved himself on the top stage. In respect to David Luiz, he is a top player but again, is he needed. Vincent Kompany has been superb and Kolo Toure has looked a far better player without the captain’s armband. Is David Luiz better than the centre half’s Manchester City have already? Maybe, but it would disrupt the team ten-fold if either one was to be replaced in January.
Manchester City have to be patient. Along with being patient with Roberto Mancini’s management they need to wait and see what this team can do. The quality is their, without a doubt, and with a bit of tweaking the side could push on in the Premier League. The issue for Manchester City fans must be, can the management sit and wait for success. They will have to, Manchester City can’t run before they can walk. They need to get into the Champions League before they can really set their sights on winning the Premier League – it seems that Mancini knows this. Chelsea were different. When Roman Abramovich came to Chelsea, they were in the Champions League. City are different. It will take a little more time, but it will come. However, it will be a slower process if they keep changing the team around every six months.
Manchester City need continuity. They need to stick with both their manager and the team he has assembled. Sure, a few tweaks here and their but nothing to the tune of £80m. The squad is good enough to challenge and to get into the Champions League – and for now that has to be Manchester City’s primary aim. If Manchester City are patient and let this team grow then success isn’t far away. However, if they keep bringing players in and changing the dynamic of the squad every six months the process will take a lot longer. The madness has to end at some point.
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