Tottenham have agreed to sign Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor on loan, The Sun understands.
It’s been reported that the Togolese international will undergo a medical at White Hart Lane today.
Spurs boss Harry Redknapp has been chasing the ex-Arsenal striker all summer with complications over payment of the players wage holding up the deal.
However an agreement has now been reached which will see the North London club pay a larger percentage of Adebayor’s £170,000-a-week-wage than they had originally planned.
Redknapp admitted he needed to add a new striker to his side after watching them lose comprehensively to champions Manchester United on Monday.
The 27-year-olds temporary move to Spurs will certainly add some European pedigree that has been missing from the White Hart Lane attack.
Signed for £25 million two years ago Adebayor has dropped way down the pecking order at the Etihad Stadium after numerous fallouts with boss Roberto Mancini.
He’ll have to wait for his Spurs debut though as they face his parent club on Sunday.
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Question marks will now hang over the future of Peter Crouch with the England international not in Redknapp’s plans. He could move to Fulham or QPR who are both interested.
Liverpool are ready to go head-to-head with Tottenham in the battle to sign £22 million rated Internacional striker Leandro Damiao, according to the Daily Mail.
Reds boss Kenny Dalglish is prepared to dip his toes into the transfer market yet again to sign the highly rated 22-year-old as he looks to strengthen his attacking options.
Despite already having Luis Suarez, Andy Carroll, Craig Bellamy and Dirk Kuyt at his disposal, the Scot is determined to add more firepower to his side and has earmarked Damiao as a potential signing.
And although Damiao is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury, Anfield scouts have already watched the forward in action and are expected to keep tabs on him until the transfer window re-opens.
Dalglish will have a fight on his hands to land the Brazilian, with Spurs boss Harry Redknapp also eager to secure his services despite seeing his £15 million bid knocked back in the summer.
Redknapp eventually brought Emmanuel Adebayor to White Hart Lane on loan from Manchester City but has never taken his eye off Damiao and is likely to make a new bid to bring him to North London in January.
Both clubs will have to be wary of getting caught up in a bidding war with each other, with Internacional likely to try and get the best possible fee for their prized asset.
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Real Madrid are weighing up a stunning bid to bring Carlos Tevez to the Bernabeu in January putting an end to his Manchester nightmare the Mirror reports.
Los Merengues boss Jose Mourinho has earmarked the Argentinian striker as the man to help the club end Barcelona’s La Liga superiority and take the club back to the pinnacle of Spanish football.
The 27-year-old’s career at the Etihad Stadium is effectively over after his refusal to come off the bench in last months Champions League draw with Bayern Munich saw the club suspend him for two weeks.
Roberto Mancini has admitted he won’t consider Tevez for selection even though his suspension ends on Thursday with City ready to announce what action they will take after an internal investigation into his act of mutiny.
Despite the strikers temperament it hasn’t dampened Madrid’s interest and the Spaniards are preparing to test the Premier League big spenders with an offer as soon as the transfer window opens.
There is, however, a few complications that could scupper the deal with City demanding £35 million for their former captain whilst his wage demands could prove to be too excessive.
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Whilst the fee shouldn’t pose too much of a problem Tevez’s wage demands of £250,000-a-week, which surpass that of Madrid’s highest earner Cristiano Ronaldo on £200,000-per-week, could put the brakes on any potential deal.
Wolves boss Mick McCarthy has slated the section of the club’s fans who chanted for him to be sacked in the 2-2 draw with Swansea at the weekend, and has stated that their abuse had nothing to do with the Molineux side coming back from 2-0 down.
Disgruntled fans sung “you’re getting sacked in the morning” at the Wolves manager and also singled out specific players for criticism after the second Swansea goal, but McCarthy has hit back at the sceptical supporters.
“Let me clear something up. It (the negative support) doesn’t help. Let’s not give them any credit,” he told Sky Sports.
“Let’s not give any of the dissenting voices, the mindless idiots that do it, any credit whether it’s aimed at me, Karl Henry, Andy Keogh or Stephen Ward.
“Do not give them any credence or any credit for getting us playing well or getting a result. They don’t deserve any of that. There was no credit given to any of them at all for the 2-2 draw.
“I’m taking the credit, getting Jamie O’Hara further up the pitch, the players that went on and the attitude they had.
“We’ve a great spirit amongst us but I always worry in saying that, in giving them (the fans) some sort of back-handed compliment that they have generated a good team spirit and a siege mentality.
“They haven’t. All they do is destroy it. It is destructive and no good to me or anyone else,” he concluded.
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Wolves have been in a poor run of form and have only recorded two victories so far this season; their task will not get any easier at the weekend as they travel to take on Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
Chelsea manager Andre Villas Boas has stated that he will not change his tactics despite being beaten 5-3 by Arsenal at home on Saturday, and will continue with his attacking mentality.
The Stamford Bridge club were guilty of some very substandard defending in the defeat, but regardless of this the Portuguese coach has vowed to send people forward in coming games.
“The philosophy is a personal value and a club value,” the ex-Porto trainer told Sky Sports.
“It is something that makes us all proud and we will stick to this philosophy throughout this league. It is our way of playing, we are proud of the way we play and we just have to correct things to get a positive result.”
Chelsea battled back to 3-3 before two late Gunners goals broke the home side’s hearts, but Villas Boas has stood up for his defenders in the wake of the defeat.
“We fought hard to get to 3-3, the emotions were behind us and it could have gone either way. If we can recall, there was a 3-1 result at Old Trafford, Man United thought they could swing it and they lost 6-1. We were punished in that sense.
“You have to take the last two goals out of the situation, because one is a slip from a player [John Terry] to leave the other player [Robin van Persie] one against one so is nothing to do with defensive organisation and the other is when you are trying to do something with three minutes on the clock.
“Before this we were one of the three best defences in the Premier League. We committed mistakes that we will try to evolve and maybe we can improve them for the game against Blackburn,” he concluded.
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Chelsea face Belgian champions Racing Genk in Europe on Tuesday at the Cristal Arena, and will look to get back to winning ways after back-to-back defeats.
AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani has admitted that if the Serie A giants do make a move for Carlos Tevez in January it will only be on loan.
The Manchester City striker’s time in England seems to be drawing to a close after repeated indiscretions and disciplinary proceedings, with the South American returning to Argentina recently without permission of the club.
The Etihad Stadium outfit are thought to be looking for a January buyer for the attacker, and the Scudetto holders were earmarked as a potential suitor.
Massimiliano Allegri’s men are thought to be in the market for a forward due to Antonio Cassano’s health problems, and a £25 million move in the new year has been speculated in the British press.
Despite this, the Giuseppe Meazza chief has stated that the Italian side are only interested in a temporary deal.
“Whoever comes to Milan in January will be on loan for free, with an option to make that stay permanent,” he told Gazzetta dello Sport.
“Tevez? We will see, there’s time. Probably if we had not had [Antonio] Cassano’s situation, we would remain as we are.”
The news will come to a blow for City, as potential destinations for Tevez are becoming limited; Juventus recently ruled themselves out of a move for him come the new year.
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Sir Alex Ferguson says Luis Suarez’s eight-game ban was the right decision and feels Liverpool should just accept the punishment and move on. The United manager cited a similar situation faced them a few years back when Evra was banned for four games based on the testimony of a groundsman at Stamford Bridge and Fergie believes that there was little point in contesting it, given the potential ramifications of it and the extending the ban.
Elsewhere in the news Wenger considers Henry return; King hails Spurs side, while Wayne Bridge confesses his need to quit Manchester City.
Ferguson says Suárez’s eight-game ban was ‘right decision’ – Guardian
Wenger considers Henry return – Guardian
Dalglish demands FA protection for Suarez – Daily Telegraph
Yakubu: ‘Shocking’ fan abuse is hurting us – Independent
Chelsea set to beat Spurs to Cahill signing – Mirror
King: this is best Spurs team I’ve been in – Daily Telegraph
Wayne Bridge: ‘I have to get out of City’ – Independent
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Aston Villa manager McLeish gets shirty with goal celebrations – Daily Mail
Sunderland prepare raid for Villa defender – Mirror
Newcastle midfielder Yohan Cabaye’s appeal against the FA charge of violent conduct has been dismissed, and he will now serve a three-match ban.
The France international appeared to catch Brighton defender Adam El-Abd in the face with a boot in the Tyneside club’s 1-0 exit from the FA Cup on Saturday, but referee Lee Probert missed the incident.
The FA heard Cabaye’s appeal against their charge on Wednesday, but ruled against him, with the news confirmed on the governing body’s official website.
“At a Regulatory Commission hearing today, Newcastle United midfielder Yohan Cabaye was given a three-match suspension for violent conduct,” the statement reads.
“Cabaye was charged following an incident in Newcastle’s FA Cup Fourth Round tie against Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday 28 January.
“The suspension will commence with immediate effect.”
Cabaye sat out Newcastle’s game against Blackburn on Wednesday night, and is also now set to miss Premier League games against Aston Villa and Tottenham.
His unavailability will be a frustration to Alan Pardew, who is already without midfield enforcer Cheik Tiote due to Ivory Coast’s progression in the African Cup of Nations.
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Since his dismissal as Chelsea assistant manager, Ray Wilkins has joined the Sky Sports team. Love him or hate him, he’s on your telly most weekends and he’s got a few commentary habits that you can’t help but notice. Here are a few of our favourites, translated to help you fully understand Ray the next time you’re watching the football and he just won’t stop talking:
“My Word”
Ray’s most common catchphrase and his number one choice for verbal exclamation. Any piece of skill, powerful shot, big tackle or sharp reaction save is likely to be met in the commentators box by the immediate cry of “My word!” It’s not difficult to imagine Ray sitting at home, watching a particularly exciting game of football on the telly, rocking back and forth in his chair and muttering “my word” repeatedly for 90 minutes. Still, I suppose it’s better than him using a phrase like “F*****g hell” and getting kicked off our screens altogether. Or is it?
“Very Pleasant”
This is Ray’s preferred phrase when describing a bit of football that was easy on the eye. Examples may include, “Some of City’s play today has been very pleasant”, “Van Persie’s shooting technique is very pleasant” or even, “In those shorts Frank’s arse is very pleasant”. The latter is a combination of this Wilkins-ism and his affinity with the Chelsea squad and insistence on referring to them by their first names, just in case we forgot he knows them all personally.
“Well done young fella”
Ray is a big fan of congratulating a particularly pleasant piece of football by referring to the player in question as a “young fella”. It appears as though there are no real age restrictions on being a “young fella”, as Ray is happy to attribute the nickname to just about anyone. I wouldn’t be surprised if a heroic save by the 40-year old Brad Friedel was met by Ray with a shout of “well done young fella!”
“Pull the trigger”
Not exclusively a Wilkins cliché, but one he uses in abundance nonetheless. The common definition of “pull the trigger” in a footballing circumstance is “take a shot at goal” and Ray doesn’t use it any differently. You just feel as though he might occasionally actually use the words “shoot” or “shot at goal”, as opposed to constantly urging players to “pull the trigger”.
“You’d have to say”
This is Ray’s ingenious way of convincing people his opinions are correct. In a very Derren Brown-esque way, Ray will put forward a particular opinion, preceded by the words “you’d have to say” in the hope that those who disagree with his judgement may be mind controlled into thinking otherwise. For example, “You’d have to say, Fernando has been an excellent signing for Chelsea”. Judging by public opinion on Twitter during Sunday’s game at Loftus Road, the technique isn’t really working.
“Stay on your feet”
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Possibly Ray’s most famous catchphrase. In a world full of divers and cheats (Seb Larsson, Hamit Altintop and Luis Suarez to name a few), Ray won’t stand for it and can be heard constantly urging a young fella to “stay on your feet”. You’d have to say, football would be a very pleasant game to watch if players would stay on their feet; they’d probably even create more chances to pull the trigger. My word…
The task of replacing Britain’s greatest ever manager is daunting enough for anybody, but would having Sir Alex still at the club, make that task a little bit more impossible?
In theory, the idea of having Sir Alex working at the club after he retires from management is a nice idea. Sir Alex is Manchester United, and perhaps if Sir Alex had groomed a younger manager to be his replacement then it would work. In reality, a new manager will want to be seen as boss, but with Sir Alex around the training ground and at Old Trafford on match days, who do you think the players will go to when they have a problem?
In his first BBC interview since 2004, Sir Alex said: “I will remain active. I think there will be a role for me at United after I finish,
“I think you always want to go out on a winning note. Hopefully we can do that. I don’t know how long I can last now but if my health stays up I don’t think another two or three years would harm me.”
It’s happened in the past when great managers have cast a shadow on their clubs after they left, the greatest English manager England never had in Brian Clough lasted only 44 days at Leeds United before the ghost of Don Revie forced him out of Eland Road. Chelsea have had little success since Jose Mourinho left the club and his untouchables are still reportedly in contact with the special one, undermining current manager Andre Villas-Boas.
It’s Mourinho who is widely tipped to take over at Old Trafford, would Mourinho, the biggest ego in world football be happy with Sir Alex still being in constant contact with his players? It would end in complete disaster, and with Manchester City getting stronger year after year, United can’t afford to give them an inch in the title race.
You can just imagine it happening, Sir Alex bowing out with the Premier League or Champions League title, then the new manager comes in and United find themselves, out of the cups and a million miles away from neighbours City. How long would it take until United fans are calling for Sir Alex to return to the Old Trafford dug out? I think we know the answer.
Have your say by leaving a comment or tweet me @deanmears.
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