Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood says there is "absolutely no chance" captain Cesc Fabregas will leave the Emirates Stadium this summer. The 22-year-old is under contract with the Gunners until 2014 but his future has once again been the subject of much speculation this close-season, with AC Milan having emerged as the latest big-name club to target the Spain midfielder. However, Hill-Wood does not expect Fabregas to be following Emmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Toure out of the north London club's exit door. He said: "There is absolutely no chance of us selling Cesc and all this talk is just fabrication. This sort of thing crops up from time to time and it is something we are perfectly used to. Cesc is happy at Arsenal, as far as I am aware."
Aston Villa
Brad Guzan has thanked Brad Friedel for helping to improve him as a goalkeeper at Aston Villa as he revealed his desire to challenge for a first-team spot. Guzan was given the chance to show his capabilities in the Peace Cup and helped Villa defeat Juventus on penalties in the final after the match finished goalless. But Guzan, who saved two spot-kicks in the shoot-out, has still to make a Barclays Premier League appearance since making a £2m move from Chivas USA 12 months ago. Guzan said: "Everyone sees the level Brad is at. It is not just a year here and there that he does the business. It is consistent year in and year out and that is what you want out of a top goalkeeper game in and game out and to help the team. The Premier League is the best in the world with the best players in the world. So, when you are around it in training day in and day out, you are going to get better and for me it is no different and I've learnt a lot from Brad."
Birmingham City
Alex McLeish has confirmed that Ecuadorian striker Christian Benitez will begin full training with his new team-mates over the next few days. Blues' record signing, who only arrived at the club last week after receiving his visa, has been recovering from a shoulder operation. But following assessments with the club's medical and sports science department, Benitez has been given the go-ahead to join the main Blues squad. And as long as the 23-year-old international suffers no set-backs, McLeish says he may even be available for Blues' season opener against Manchester United. McLeish said: "Christian's shoulder injury has not necessarily ruled him out for the start of the season. We'll have to look at him in training over the next couple of days. I think the time is up now in terms of the repair of his injury. He's just a little bit weak in one or two of the exercises and he has to work with some weights to strengthen his shoulder, but he's ready to train and I think he's ready to join the group. It will be great to see him in action and I wouldn't rule him out for Manchester United because we could certainly be doing with a bit of inspiration."
Blackburn have appointed Steve Kean as first-team coach and promoted assistant chief scout Martyn Glover to the position of head of player recruitment. Manager Sam Allardyce has moved to bolster his staff after coach Karl Robinson left the club last month to be reunited with former Rovers manager Paul Ince at MK Dons. Kean has previously worked as assistant manager under Chris Coleman at Fulham, Real Sociedad and, most recently, Coventry City. Glover has been with Blackburn for 11 years, holding a number of positions in recruitment and development with the academy and at the senior training centre.
Goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen is donating the proceeds of his testimonial year to charity. The events kick off on Saturday with a match against Hibernian at the Reebok Stadium. That will be followed by a celebrity dinner with all monies raised going to three local charities - Paws, Nooks Riding School and Birtenshaw Hall. A Bolton Wanderers spokesman said: "They are also close to Jussi's heart and he will not be taking a penny from his testimonial year."
Burnley
Burnley and Aircelle have announced a record-breaking sponsorship of the Jimmy McIlroy Stand at Turf Moor. Burnley-based Aircelle, a global supplier for the aircraft industry and part of the Safran Group, have signed a three-year rolling deal to have their name associated with the stand bearing the name of a Clarets legend. Anthony Fairclough, Director of Commercial Affairs at Burnley Football Club, said: "This is wonderful news for Burnley Football Club and I am delighted to be able to extend our existing partnership with a company that has its roots planted firmly in the heart of the community. This is the first time in history that the Jimmy McIlroy Stand will be sponsored. However we are sensitive to the fact that Jimmy is widely regarded as a living legend and so our sponsors have kindly agreed to brand the deal as 'The Jimmy McIlroy Family Stand partnered by Aircelle', as both parties were keen to retain our greatest ever player's name on the stand."
Chelsea have warned they are not willing to sell Joe Cole after the England midfielder was linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs manager Harry Redknapp is a long-time admirer of the former West Ham United player, but Chelsea moved swiftly to quash suggestions Cole could leave Stamford Bridge this summer. A statement from Chelsea read: "Contrary to media reports Chelsea is not, and will not be, considering any offers for Joe Cole. Our sole focus, as is Joe's, is to complete his rehab and get him fit as soon as possible so that he can play a major part in the new season." Cole missed the last four months of last season with knee ligament damage and suffered a minor setback during pre-season which forced him to miss Chelsea's trip to the United States.
Phil Neville is keen to avoid a repeat of the form which saw Everton make a stuttering start to last season. David Moyes' side won just two of their first nine Barclays Premier League matches but picked up around the turn of the year and eventually finished fifth. Neville said: "We started the season slowly and fortunately enough we recovered. How many times we can keep doing that I don't know, but one thing is that we must make sure we start the season well, make sure we're mentally tough, we're solid and we do the things that Everton does best."
Roy Hodgson is closing in on the signing of South Africa midfielder Kagiso "KG" Dikgacoi. The Cottagers have agreed a fee with Golden Arrows and are awaiting a tribunal before Dikgacoi is granted a work permit. "We reached an agreement with the club," said Hodgson. "But it will have to go to a tribunal because we have to apply for a work permit."
Tickets for the Dean Windass benefit match between Hull City and Aberdeen will remain on sale until 12:00 on Saturday. The Tigers host the Scottish Premier League side on Sunday 9th August and fans who have not bought tickets in advance will be able to pay at the turnstiles on the day of the match. Tickets are priced £15 adults and £10 concessions. For further information call the KC Stadium Ticket Office on 01482 505600. Please note that the West Stand Upper Tier will not be open for this fixture and that all seats are unreserved, exceptt for the West Stand Lower Tier which will be reserved seating.
Dirk Kuyt believes Liverpool are hitting form at just the right time as they step up their preparations for the 2009/10 season. The Dutch forward feels the 2-0 triumph over FC Lyn was the perfect response to their surprise reversal in Espanyol and is more than confident Rafael Benitez's charges will be ready in time for the big kick-off against Tottenham on 16th August. He told the official club website: "We are happy with the result after the defeat against Espanyol. It's always good to have another game come up quickly and we won 2-0. Maybe it could have been a little bit more but at the end of the day it was a clean sheet and a good performance. Sometimes you lose to a team like Espanyol and you just have to get over it. There's still a week and a half to go until we play Spurs and that's the most important game for us. If we win against them then we've had a good pre-season - if we lose, we've had a bad pre-season."
Manchester City winger Shaun Wright-Phillips has no concerns over competition for first-team football at Eastlands. The 27-year-old returned to his old club last season after being frozen out at Chelsea, and will be hoping that the current influx of new players does not leave him sidelined once more. Carlos Tevez, Emmanuel Adebayor and Roque Santa Cruz have all made the move to the City of Manchester Stadium, but Wright-Phillips is not experiencing any déjà vu. He said: "The only thing Chelsea and Manchester City have in common is the fact that both clubs have a lot of money. Apart from that there are no similarities. I left for Chelsea to learn new things, at a new club with new players. At City I went back there on the basis of playing for manager Mark Hughes. It was a club I knew well already and it still feels like home to me. Most of the staff are the same. The place feels the same. There are just new players around and that is exciting."
Sir Alex Ferguson hailed the impact Antonio Valencia has made at Manchester United after the Old Trafford new boy set up both goals in the 2-0 win over Valencia. At £17m, Valencia has been Ferguson's most expensive recruit during a relatively quiet summer and his introduction to United ranks was delayed due to work permit problems. But the former Wigan Athletic man is making up for lost time in his quest to fill the void created by the world-record exit of Cristiano Ronaldo. Ferguson said: "It was a very exciting performance. It was a real winger's effort. He showed great speed, power and balance. Coming to our club he has immediately taken on the challenge and we are very pleased with what we have seen from him so far."
Sulaiman Al Fahim has reiterated his commitment to buying the club from Alexandre Gaydamak. A statement on the official club website read: "In response to recent media coverage, the chairman of the board of Portsmouth Football Club, Sulaiman Al Fahim, would like to stress that he remains committed to completing the acquisition of Portsmouth FC as soon as possible, in keeping with the agreement outlined in the Terms Sheet signed in July. I have always said that we would complete the due diligence process in the course of July and that I would submit to the Premier League my application under the Premier League's 'fit and proper person test' immediately after the completion of the due diligence. I have duly met both deadlines. The current owner and I have agreed and signed the Terms sheet document, with which the terms of the transaction have been finalised. now we are in the final stages of the transaction and I will exercise every effort to complete it as soon as possible in the interest of both the club and the supporters who are showing an extraordinary level of loyalty to this great club."
Manager Tony Pulis has wished Seyi Olofinjana well in his move to Hull City. Pulis is aware he is helping to strengthen a Barclays Premier League rival, but believes he could not deny Olofinjana the chance to move to Hull. Pulis said: "Although we will be giving him to another club that will be fighting for their lives again, I don't think you can cut across the career and livelihood of a good professional such as Seyi. If it's a good move for the kid, then you have to be fair and honest to them, especially if they have been really good in their time with the club and not been any problem whatsoever. Seyi really is one of the nicest players I've come across in football, a real gentleman, so he goes with our best wishes. We both understand each other's situation and that's why there is plenty of good feeling on both sides with this one. He goes to Hull with our very best wishes, but I've told him he'd better have a hamstring injury when they play us!"
Ipswich Town have signed Sunderland midfielder Jack Colback on loan until January. The 19-year-old has yet to make his debut for the Barclays Premier League side but was included in several squads by Roy Keane when he was in charge at the Stadium Of Light. Colback is in contention to make his debut against Coventry City on Sunday.
Tottenham Hotspur
Kyle Walker has joined Sheffield United on a season-long loan deal. The England Under-19 defender joined Spurs from the Championship club last month but will now return to Bramall Lane where he appeared on seven occasions last term.
Zavon Hines hopes to break into the West Ham first-team after netting in the 2-0 win over Beijing Guoan. The 20-year-old scored five times in six pre-season matches last term before suffering injury but reckons his strike against the hosts in the Barclays Asia Trophy can push him into Gianfranco Zola's thoughts for this campaign. Hines told the club's official website: "It has been a good tournament to play in. The conditions were hard, but you just have to work harder to get through it all and I am sure this will show well for us come the new season. Last year, I had a good pre-season and then got the injury, but hopefully I can carry on this year and get through the season with no injuries and be involved as much as I can with the first team. I want to show the manager what I can do."
Manager Roberto Martinez says the side he fields in Saturday's final friendly against St Mirren is unlikely to look much like his first XI for the opening match of the Barclays Premier League season at Aston Villa. International matches mean he will be without a number of players, with Honduras internationals Maynor Figueroa and new signing Hendry Thomas facing a long trip to play Costa Rica in an important World Cup qualifier. Martinez said: "We will be missing some players who will be away on international duty the week after, like Hendry and Maynor. But it gives me an opportunity to assess the other players so close to the first league game, and that will give me some great information. The partnerships and the understanding between the players is also starting to appear, and that takes time when you are dealing with a new squad with new players. We need to carry on working on our fitness, but there will be more emphasis now on sharpening things up and making sure the tactical concepts are clear and getting the players ready for that first game."
Striker Sylvan Ebanks-Blake's absence from a pre-season friendly should not prevent him from taking part in the start of the new Barclays Premier League season. Ebanks-Blake played no part in Wolves' 4-2 win at Scunthorpe United due to a sore toe but should be available for their match against Real Valladolid at the weekend. The top flight newcomers begin their campaign at home to West Ham United on 15th August.
0 comments:
Post a Comment