Roberto Mancini has admitted he could pull the plug on a deal for Samir Nasri if he plays in the Champions League for Arsenal on Wednesday, the Guardian understands.
Nasri, who made a surprise start in the Gunners defeat to Liverpool on Saturday, is in line to start against Udinese in the play-off second leg, which would make him ineligible for City’s campaign in the competition.
Mancini has declared that if Arsene Wenger does play his £25 million target it could prove to be a deal-breaker leaving the midfielder stuck at the Emirates.
“If he plays in the Champions League [for Arsenal] it is a big problem. I don’t know [if we would still sign him]. I’m sure we can close the deal.” The Italian said.
“But it’s a problem because we have followed Nasri for 40 days and it’s important we take him. Also, for Nasri, I think it will be important [for him] to play in all the Champions League.”
Despite the threat of Nasri being unable to play in the Champions League and reports in France claiming the deal had broken down the City boss is confident of bringing the 24-year-old to the Etihad Stadium and believes an agreement will be reached soon.
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Spanish newspaper Marca are reporting that AC Milan are lining up an ambitious swap deal for Fernando Torres in an attempt to end his Chelsea nightmare.
Since signing for £50 million from Liverpool in January the Spanish hit man has been seen his form rapidly decline scoring only one goal in 22 games for the Blues.
The chances of him leaving Stamford Bridge increased after recent interview with the official La Liga website saw him criticise his teammates for being ‘too slow’.
Andre Villas-Boas has stated the matter has been resolved although it seems that the Portuguese coach has lost faith with the 27-year-old after another scoreless outing in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
Reports earlier in the week linked him with a move to Italy and now it seems the Serie A side are ready to firm up their interest by testing Chelsea’s resolve in January with a cash plus player bid.
It’s been suggested that Milan could offer Robinho as a makeweight with the Brazilian on the peripheral at the San Siro and a target for numerous Chelsea managers in the past.
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Whether Villas-Boas would be prepared to take on the former Manchester City misfit is another matter with six strikers vying for a place up front at the current time.
Arsenal attacker Robin van Persie has stressed to his team-mates the importance of staying positive, despite the London club’s shaky start to the season.
Arsene Wenger’s men have lost three out of their first five Premier League outings this term, and are already 11 points behind pace-setters Manchester United.
Regardless of the poor start, the Netherlands international feels his side must keep their heads held high.
“It is important that we stay positive – that can be hard because everyone is frustrated and we realise that this is our worst start in the league for a while, but we have to stay together, be strong and make sure not to hide or become introverted,” he told Sky Sports.
The Emirates team lost 4-3 against Blackburn last weekend at Ewood Park, and Van Persie is upset at the manner of the defeat.
“Games like Saturday’s happen, but we must not go into our shell. The facts are we went in front twice and didn’t defend well enough thereafter.
“It is strange because in earlier games, Udinese being a classic example, we had managed to do it – fighting for a good result and keeping it. Now we have to show people we can do it week in, week out.
“Yes, we were a bit unlucky at Ewood Park, but I am someone who believes you bring luck to yourselves – and scoring two own goals is not down to bad luck. We don’t blame individuals, but we have to look a bit more closely at things,” he concluded.
Arsenal host Bolton at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, with The Gunners fans eager for their team to secure three points.
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Pro Evolution Soccer v FIFA – a debate that has been raging for eternity – well, since the mid-1990s at least. Both have their unique advantages. If you want to play as Wayne Rooney and have the official player names, teams and competitions, then FIFA is for you. However, if you prefer some fast-paced football action, then Pro Evo is well worth a second look.
PES is often described as the ‘footballer’s football game’. The video game that devoted football fans play, although I’m sure that EA Sports would have something different to say. For over a decade the two have been going head-to-head, blow for blow; a bit like Manchester United and Arsenal in the late-1990s, or maybe Man City and United in the immediate future. However, unlike Sunday’s Manchester derby, there is scarcely a clear winner.
Pro Evo has continued to evolve, with little tweaks made every season and this year is no different. The newest instalment of the long-running series features ground-breaking innovations that give the user more control than any other football title. PES isn’t without big name backing either, as to add to the excitement Neymar, Santos’ main striker, is joining Cristiano Ronaldo as the player on the box for PES 2012.
As a youngster, Pro Evo was always the game for me. Ever since Adriano was on the cover, PES, or International Superstar Soccer as it was previously known, offered the best gameplay. Yes Ronaldo might have been called Ronald (or something similar), but that didn’t stop you from getting him to power his way through the opposition defence and smashing the ball into the back of the net. When it comes down to it, gameplay is what matters; everything else is just bells and whistles.
Pro Evolution Soccer 12: Forever evolving, forever uniting, forever football. As those in football say: form is temporary, class is permanent.
Visit http://facebook.com/pes for more info.
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Manchester City are the favourites to lift the Premier League trophy in May for the first time in their history, looking strong to turn their financial backing into further success after last year’s FA Cup triumph. The future may be looking rosy for the Citizens on the pitch but financial regulations will be enforced by UEFA in 2014-2015 that could scupper the fairytale story at the Etihad Stadium.
Last week City published their record-breaking losses of £194.9 million, fuelled by a massive annual wage bill of £174 million ending May 2011. Abu Dhabi owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan and his behind the scenes team have three years to reduce their debt dramatically otherwise suffer horrific consequences that could end their reign of power in England before it has even begun. One-off signings that will not need to be replaced for years to come, such as David Silva, Mario Balotelli and Yaya Toure make up a large quantity of the debt however, unwanted players will fetch some much needed income with the likes of Carlos Tevez leaving to remove of chunk of financial loss.
According to UEFA’s Financial Fair Play regulations, a club can post losses of no more than £38.5 million in 2014 otherwise face exclusion from playing in European competition; which makes up a large percentage of income. City claim however, that this is a one-off annual debt and that this figure will be nothing like future results due to their rapid acceleration investment strategy.
The published figure does not however take into account the summer signings of Sergio Aguero, Samir Nasri and Gael Clichy along with their added wages and so it is tough to see how the figure will decline substantially. The reports also do not take into account their recent deal with Etihad that could produce up to £50million a year with naming and kit rights, along with the much needed Champions League media money that could bring in almost £30million.
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With work needing to be done on the sustainability of City to enable them to fulfil their ambitions, it begs the question, what is the true cost of success?
Unstable owners and reckless spending have been the downfall of many a club in English football over the past 10-15 years, with Premier League clubs creating a loss of half a billion pounds last year altogether, despite record income.
The Glazer family’s ownership of Manchester United has cost the club around £350m in interest, fees and loans to the family themselves since 2005, and they have never put money into the club. In 2010, United paid £42m interest on the £500m loans the Glazer family originally took out to buy the club in the first place, and just refinancing that debt, replacing the loans with a bond, cost United a staggering £65m.
You can begin to see why a large portion of United fans protested against the Glazer’s ownership a few years back as they could see the possibility of this financial slump occurring. However the past six months have been refreshing for all parties interested in United’s finances as they felt the benefits of their £40 million deal with training kit sponsors DHL and increased media revenue in winning the Premier League and reaching the Champions League final. The finalisation of the Old Trafford quadrants also enabled them to see a rise in matchday income that has grown 9.6% in 12 months.
It is unlikely that the Red Devils will see another rise in profit in the near future with hefty transfer dealings in the summer and the possibility of not winning any silverware this season with rivals Manchester City dominating the Premier League. But their debt is now not along the lines of City’s and it will be a lot easier for the Champions to reduce debt in order to please UEFA.
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Roman Abramovich is owed £726million by Chelsea, a debt that he claimed was written off, but it is now thought that the Russian may want that money back one day and with a £25million interest according to the Guardian. The club is debt free but the parent company is not. While the loan is interest free, it is repayable should Abramovich choose to give 18 month’s notice. The Russian billionaire can still opt to get his money back if he decides to sell his shares or when the club is proving profitable.
But many financial experts believe that Chelsea will not have money to spend the way they have done since 2003 for very much longer. Abramovich might sell the club, which could result in the debt being thrown onto Chelsea and this is something that they will not be able to deal with. Their loss of £78million should not affect the club as the parent company takes all of the financial hits and leaves the club on a stable footing for now. A move away from Stamford Bridge will pose benefits for the West London club, but a stalemate over shares of the ground seems to be holding the club back.
Abramovich has also been involved in an ongoing court case that may well affect his long term financial state if he does not come out on top.
After becoming one of the best sides in Europe at the end of the 1990’s, Leeds United chairman Peter Ridsdale took out large loans to fund big name signings in the assumption that they would qualify for the Champions League and repay the debts in match day and media income. However, David O’Leary’s side narrowly failed to finish in the top four and thus had to find a way of paying off the ludicrous debts. This was the first sign that the mighty Leeds United were falling from grace.
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Wholesale departures including players and management left the club on the brink of relegation and after failing to beat the drop; the training ground and historic home Elland Road were also sold to keep the club afloat. Failure to return to the top flight immediately meant that manager after manager came in on a shoe-string budget and failed to impress before they were eventually relegated again, this time to the third tier of English football.
The club entered administration in 2007 and were deducted 15 league points, and Ken Bates’ arrival was a sign that the club may have to start from square one. It has taken the club 11 years to look like they may be a Premier League club again, something that can’t happen again. Such a rapid decline shows that owners have so much power of a club and that loans and heavy debts will eventually come to light, and it may take longer than expected to be sorted which will heavily affect the club.
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Leeds United are a prime example that things can end up as bad as first feared and should be used as a worst case scenario to all current and future football club owners.
One club that can be used as an example of business that runs successfully is Arsenal. When the Gunners moved to the Emirates Stadium in 2006, it was thought that the club would be financially restricted because of the multi-million pound building costs. But, the sale of Highbury and development of accommodation has proved a huge success and any revenue raised from the homes will be re-invested in the club. The financial gain has been dramatic, with matchday sales now at a all-time high in north London. The club were bankrolled to Stan Kroenke and the shareholders claimed a combined £243million last year without putting hardly any money into the club itself.
The sale of players has been a-money-making hit also, with Cesc Fabregas making the club £30million in the summer, something that a club with very little debt can re-invest in players immediately. Reaching the UEFA FFP should be simple for the Gunners and they should be looked at as a club that have used shrewd business acumen and youth development to its advantage.
Arsenal prove it is possible to run a steady, profitable business in football, but many have showed that it is harder said than done. Sometimes financial backing can produce success, but it needs to be reigned in to comply with UEFA rules and prevent the club falling from grace and losing what pride it has.
Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has admitted that it will be difficult for his side to finish the season without losing a game, but is happy with the way his team are currently playing.
A 3-1 win over Newcastle continued the Etihad Stadium outfit’s unbeaten start to the Premier League campaign, making it 11 wins and one draw from 12 games.
Despite the excellent form his side are currently experiencing, the Italian coach doubts that City will still be unbeaten in May.
“I hope we continue like this,” he told The Telegraph.
“But I think in the 26 games we have left, we will reach a time when we lose a game, I’m sure of it.
“I’m happy for the players, we’ve been playing well because of them and, at the moment, we have improved a lot.
“As players, as a team, we are very strong now but the season is long and there will be difficult moments ahead. For this reason, it’s important we know we can score goals and win games in a row,” he stated.
Mancini has a star-studded squad at his disposal, but singled out Mario Balotelli for special praise; the Italy international scored the opener against Newcastle from the penalty spot.
“It’s impossible that Mario will ever miss a penalty. Don’t ask me why!
“Mario is a very important player because he’s a great player, like all the players at Manchester City.
“He’s become better and better and I’m trying to help him. But he deserves all the praise because he’s doing all the work, I’m not doing it.
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“I’m just trying to help him not waste his talent and become the player he can become,” Mancini concluded.
City have an all-important trip to take on Napoli in San Paolo on Tuesday night, which will give Mancini an idea of his team’s chances of progression from Champions League Group A.
Sunderland’s impressive start to life under Martin O’Neill continued at the DW Stadium as they moved into the top half of the Premier League with victory over Wigan.
O’Neill has led the Black Cats away from the relegation zone with Sunday’s shock win over league leaders Manchester City their fourth in six matches since the departure of Steve Bruce. Any lingering relegation fears appear to have evaporated on Wearside as they ran the show in the North West putting the pressure firmly back on Roberto Martinez’s shoulders. The Latics’ good form during December put them in with a real chance of moving out of the bottom three but they fell back into old habits against Sunderland as they proved to be the architects of their own downfall on more than once occasion. Martinez will be extremely unhappy with this players and will see this defeat as a missed opportunity to move out of the bottom three as their insistence to try and adhere to his slick style of football cost them dear once again. Their attempts to play an elegant passing game is admirable but their vulnerabilities in midfield and defence were highlighted as the visitors broke at speed time and time again.
Two defeat in their last eight games had seen morale soar in the Wigan dressing room and their bright start indicated a side who were brimming with confidence. Steve Gohouri saw an early strike cleared off the line by Craig Gardner before they went onto hit the post twice in quick succession just after the half hour. Firstly David Jones struck the upright after he latched onto Albert Crusat’s pass before Ben Watson saw his stinging effort fly back off the upright. Sunderland slowly but surely started to get themselves into the game and took the lead four minutes into added on time at the end of the first half with Craig Gardner lashing a superb 30-yard-free kick past Ali Al Habsi to lay down an early contender for goal of the month. That goal gave the Black Cats a huge boost going into the break and it didn’t take them long to double their lead with young James McClean heading home at the second attempt after Al Habsi saved his initial effort. Martinez will be unhappy with midfielder Jones who cheaply gave the ball away in a dangerous area allowing David Vaughan to cross for the winger to score his first goal for the club.
Wigan’s heads didn’t drop and seven minutes they gave themselves hope of a comeback as James McCarthy found Hugo Rodallega who turned John O’Shea on the edge of the area and fired the ball past Simon Mignolet. But hopes of salvaging a point were dashed with 17 minutes to go as Nicklas Bendtner brushed aside Maynor Figueroa with ease before cross for Stephane Sessegnon who stretched to slide the ball into the net and put the game beyond doubt. It should have been four just minutes later only for Al Habsi to save smartly from McClean’s curler from 18-yards. Sunderland maintained their pressure as the clock wound down and Vaughan wrapped up the victory in style 10 minutes from time smashing the ball home to move the Black Cats into 10th.
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Terry Henry was a sensation at Arsenal . He remains a Gunners’ legend. But to sign him on loan for a couple of months would be a mistake. Yes, he scored goals for fun and spearheaded us to glory many times, not least of all during the season we went unbeaten in the Premier League. At no point am I denying he was one of the best players we have ever had.
But cast your minds back to his last season with us and his attitude when things weren’t going as he would have liked. The strops. The raised eyes. The gestures. Since then, of course, he went on to play for Barca but didn’t really reproduce the amazing ability he showed in our colours, although he did manage to be top scorer with 19 goals in his first season at the Nou Camp. And a move to NYRB in the US MLS tells its own story.
I know we will be without Mazza Chama and the Gervster for a bit while they take part in the African Cup of Nations. The former is merely a squad player but valuable back-up should, Lord forbid, owt happen to RVP. The G-man is a threat with his pace and directness but doesn’t score enough goals.
I’d prefer Arseen Wenger to shuffle the pack and give the Oxo Kid his chance as opposed to bringing back a player who is 34 and past his best.
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For the record, our leader said of his thoughts on re-hiring Tel: “I have to think about that. Short term is ideal for us, but I haven’t made any enquiry yet. Thierry is not here at the moment. It has never come up in conversation. January 1 is the vital date for us. We have seven days to make decisions on players.”
By all means honour the great man with a statue. But allow his golden days in red and white to remain untarnished by a return that would hinder the progress of our young guns.
Written by Carl Eldridge for Arsenal Insider
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There is an overriding feeling among many Arsenal fans that Arsene Wenger’s time at the club is up. Continued frustrations both on and off the pitch at the Emirates have certainly left much to be desired from a man who offered so much to the football club; and yet, the idea that Arsene Wenger is still highly coveted by almost every major club in Europe and could find a home at Real Madrid or PSG doesn’t quite sit well with Arsenal fans. There’s a sense of we don’t want him, but we don‘t anyone else to have him either. The irony being that every knows Wenger is still capable of pulling off equally impressive miracles at other clubs, much like he has done for Arsenal in the past.
In light of supporter unrest at both the Emirates and Real Madrid, there has, of course, been talk of Arsene Wenger replacing Jose Mourinho should the Madrid manager decide to leave at the end of the season. And despite the calls of “You don’t know what you’re doing” during Arsenal’s last game following an unpopular substitution, Arsenal fans immediately went on the defensive, hoping that Wenger won’t have has head turned by what’s on offer in Spain. For a lot of Arsenal fans there is still much faith in the Frenchman. Many feel he deserves to be given time to turn things around at the club and prove he is still the only man for the job. Yet the year-on-year frustration of a lack of trophies, watching the club’s best players walk out the door, and continued excuses for why the team are failing on the pitch has undoubtedly reached boiling point.
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It’s a feeling that most Arsenal fans, I’m sure, will admit, but turning on Arsene Wenger was never intended to be the way the story comes to and end. Many thought that eventually, following the success of the youth project and the number of trophies won with Cesc Fabregas still at the club, Wenger would simply call time on his managerial career, take up a seat in the boardroom at the Emirates and leave a lasting legacy for his successor to emulate what he has achieved on the pitch. But even at the age of 62, you sense that there is still a lot to be offered from Wenger—who continues to turn down advances from other clubs, particularly in his home country.
There would also be a bitterness from Arsenal fans if the unthinkable happened and he left for a club with endless riches and proceeded to splash the cash in a way we never thought possible. Well what of all the money that is apparently gathering dust deep in the vaults of the Emirates? Should fans blame Wenger for not wanting to strengthen the squad accordingly, or does the blame lie elsewhere at the club? Is Wenger solely responsible for not improving the quality of doctors and physios at the club to manage the worrying regularity of injury to key players? And what of the coaching staff who have seemingly out-stayed their welcome and offer nothing to the exposed frailties of the first-team. There are a number of questions that remain to be answered and Arsene Wenger is taking the full force of frustration from the fans.
It would be a tremendous shame if Arsene Wenger simply walked away at the end of the season with so much uncertainty surrounding the club. It would be equally heartbreaking if he went on to another club and found immediate success while Arsenal struggled to find it’s feet.
It is absolutely a time for change at the club, but I’d love to see what Arsene Wenger can offer the club with a boardroom who are a little more in-tune with what the fans want to see. A figure similar to that of David Dein would definitely not go amiss either; someone to just nudge Wenger in the direction that his sometimes admired stubbornness refuses to venture. Most will want to believe that the manager has still got it, but everyone wants to be shown that it is not him who is holding the club back.
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Daniel Agger is set to be sidelined for up to a month after suffering a broken rib against Cardiff in the Carling Cup final, with Liverpool ready to recall veteran defender Jamie Carragher in his place.
The Denmark international will need to spend time on the sidelines to recuperate and recover, with Carrager set to partner Martin Skrtel in the centre of The Reds’ defence against Arsenal this weekend.
Carragher was pleased with the Merseyside club’s Wembley success last weekend, and is now eyeing Champions League qualification.
“We have achieved something but there are still two targets to go for, the top four and FA Cup,” he told the club’s official website.
“The top four has been made more difficult by other results this weekend. But we want to come back here again. We want to play in the semi-final and the final.
“We should be looking to get into Europe every year through our league position rather than through winning the Carling Cup.
“It’s great that we have qualified for the Europa League, of course it is, but we want to do that through our league position. The next step is trying to get back into the Champions League,” he concluded.
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