Shorey happy to stay with Villa

Aston Villa full-back Nicky Shorey is happy with his decision to turn down a loan move to Portsmouth.

Shorey had been lined up for a season-long switch to Fratton Park on transfer deadline day, but opted again at joining the Barclays Premier League's bottom club.

The defender was offered the chance to join Pompey after Villa manager Martin O'Neill added Stephen Warnock to his squad, shunting Shorey on to the bench.

However, Shorey does not regret rejecting Portsmouth and explained that a move to Fratton Park did not feel "right".

"The interest from Portsmouth came really late in the window," Shorey said ahead of Villa's match with Pompey on Saturday.

"I didn't have a lot of time to think about it and I decided it wasn't the right thing for me to do.

"I'd come off the back of a few good wins and I was in the team playing well, I thought. I made that decision and I'm happy with it.

"At the end of the day I didn't feel it was the right move for me and that's the bottom line.

"I have no hard feelings, they are nice people down there and I wish them all the best, but I'm a Villa player."

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Senderos targets Gunners recall

Philippe Senderos wants to force his way back into the Arsenal team after almost leaving the club in the summer.

The Switzerland international spent last season on loan at AC Milan and Gunners manager Arsene Wenger admitted he could be prepared to sell the centre-half.

Everton held talks over a possible move for Senderos, but the transfer window closed with the 24-year-old still at Emirates Stadium.

Now fit again, Senderos is eager to prove to Wenger that he is capable of dislodging current partnership William Gallas and Thomas Vermaelen.

"For a while the club and myself decided that maybe it was the best to separate, but then in the end the best thing was for me to stay," Senderos said.

"Playing for Milan was a great experience for me, I have learned a lot and hopefully I can show it when I am on the pitch.

"But I am delighted to be back at Arsenal, it was always my goal to stay at the club and hopefully I can give my best for the team.

"I want to get back into the team and play as many games as possible."

He added: "I think we have started the season pretty well with a very good win and then the last two (Premier League) games we have lost, but hopefully we can get back into winning again.

"I hope this team comes back and I am sure we have got the quality to do it."

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Gerrard: Reds getting it together

Steven Gerrard has an ominous warning for rivals that Liverpool are beginning to get their act together.

The Reds travel to Upton Park on Saturday to face a West Ham United side against whom Gerrard scored twice last season in a convincing 3-0 win as Liverpool homed in on second spot in the Barclays Premier League.

He senses it is a lucky ground for Rafael Benitez's men, and says: "We got a really good win at West Ham last season, we were well organised and very dangerous on the counter-attack, and I am sure that will be the plan again at the weekend.

"The title race seems to be becoming a big six, and at the weekend we have the Manchester derby while Chelsea play Tottenham. So something will have to give.

"So hopefully we can get a good win at West Ham, concentrate on our own performance and pray the results will fall in our favour by the end of the weekend.

"We are slowly getting back to where we want to be with three wins on the spin and hopefully another at West Ham.

"The confidence is starting to come back into the squad now, losing those two early games (against Spurs and Aston Villa) close together was not good but we are building slowly back to the form we want.

"It takes a while to get back to your best, but we are happy with the reaction from everybody so now we aim to go and get a good win at West Ham on Saturday.

"It is still very early, but it was important that we recovered from that poor start. This is only the beginning for us.

"We have seen Manchester City, Tottenham and Chelsea start well, and some of the big teams without important players, so it is going to be an interesting fight this season."

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Champions League round-up - Weds 16th Sep

Arsenal and Liverpool both won their opening Champions League group matches.

Arsenal fought back from going 2-0 down inside five minutes to win their Group H match against Standard Liege in Belgium.

Eliaquim Mangala fired the hosts ahead before Milan Jovanovic netted from the penalty spot.

Arsenal, without goalkeeper Manuel Almunia and forward Robin van Persie, fought back through Nicklas Bendtner, with Thomas Vermaelen and Eduardo securing the victory.

Dirk Kuyt scored the only goal as Liverpool laboured to see off a determined Debrecen in Group E at Anfield.

The Holland striker stabbed home in first-half injury time after goalkeeper Vukasin Poleksic half-saved Fernando Torres' shot.

Steven Gerrard flashed a volley over the crossbar midway through the second half but it was a frustrating night against the Hungarian champions, making their debut in the group stages.

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Anelka hails captain Terry

Nicolas Anelka has paid tribute to the inspirational qualities of Chelsea captain John Terry.

The Blues ran out 1-0 winners against Portuguese side Porto in their opening Champions League group match on Tuesday night thanks to Anelka's strike early in the second half.

England international defender Terry was briefly knocked unconscious in the first half at Stamford Bridge before recovering to complete the 90 minutes.

"John is a warrior," said the Frenchman. "He can play when his leg is broken.

"He's our captain and wants to play every game. He gives us spirit to fight and we fight when we see him on the pitch."

Anelka believes it is a major boost for the Blues to have Joe Cole back from a long-term knee injury after the England midfielder was an unused substitute on Tuesday.

He said: "Joe was ready to play but I think the pitch was too heavy for him. He's going to train tomorrow and will be fully fit this weekend."

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Hammers swoop for Franco

West Ham United have signed Mexico striker Guillermo Franco on a free transfer.

Franco claimed last week he was close to securing a move to Upton Park and the Hammers have now sealed the switch.

Franco was due to sign for South American champions Estudiantes earlier this month, but the move fell through allowing West Ham to snap him up.

The 32-year-old is believed to have signed a one-year deal at Upton Park after seeing out his contract at Villarreal earlier this summer.

Hammers manager Gianfranco Zola has been looking to bolster his attacking options all summer with Dean Ashton still on the sidelines and Franco will provide cover and competition in attack.

important stage

The Mexico international could go straight into the squad for this weekend's match at home to Liverpool and he is delighted to make the move to England.

"I am really happy to sign for West Ham. It was my dream to come to the Premier League and I am proud to play for a club that has so much history," Franco told the club's official website.

"This is a very important stage in my career and I hope to score lots of goals for the club this season and then play at the World Cup.

"This is an important team with great players and a great manager. I know that the club are very ambitious and want to do well. I want to do my best to make that happen and I am excited about the challenge.

"The main motivation was to play in the Premier League. I love English football and I love the Premier League.

"I had the possibility of joining Estudiantes and two Spanish clubs, but it was the Premier League that drew me here. I can fulfil my desire with West Ham and I am very happy to be here."
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