Morning all. Throughout January Soccerlens is going to be bringing you a daily round-up of the morning’s various goings-on. Be it juicy morsels of spurious transfer gossip or real, actual bona fide news, rest assured, we’ll have it covered.

Here’s this morning’s batch.

Eden Project…

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has confirmed that he is interested in bringing Lille prodigy Eden Hazard to the Emirates, but will only make a move for the 20-year-old starlet if and when he becomes ‘available’:

“He’s a player that I have followed for some time, but I do not want to unsettle Lille now.

When he is available for transfer, we will see if there is the possibility to sign him.”

An approach is expected to be forthcoming over the summer, as Wenger – sporting chap that he is – also promised that he wouldn’t do anything to derail Lille’s table-topping season.

Vela sets sail…

After starting just three Premier League games in three seasons, Arsenal pine-warmer Carlos Vela is close to wrapping up a loan move to Valencia after meeting representatives of Los Che in London yesterday to discuss a potential switch.

Several Spanish sources are also claiming that Valencia may have asked for a ‘first refusal’ clause to be factored into the loan contract, meaning that the club may be looking at securing a permanent deal for the Mexican international in six month’s time.

Chopper Nev…

The Daily Mirror seem fairly certain that ‘Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp will make renewed efforts to sign Everton captain Phil Neville at some point this week – despite being respectfully told to ‘stick your offer where the sun don’t shine’ by David Moyes the last time he came a-sniffin’.

The paper reckon that a ‘formal bid’ will be lodged before the weekend is out, with Spurs apparently hoping to use Steven Pienaar‘s recent move to White Hart Lane as a carrot with which to tempt the donkey (Neville) to North East London – though quite why that would be a deciding factor is beyond me.

Luiz control…

Depending on which national newspaper you read, Chelsea are either within a hair’s breadth of snapping up Benfica centre-back David Luiz or about to completely give up their pursuit – and everything between.

In short, no-one’s got a soddin’ clue what’s going on.

Both the Times and the Sun seem to think that the Blues are on the very cusp of completing the £25 million signing of Luiz, whereas the Mirror believe the deal is now off after negotiations hit yet another snag yesterday.

Stay tuned.

The best of the rest…

• Just days after Liverpool announced he would be staying at the club, a brief statement has been posted on their official website to confirm that Dutch winger Ryan Babel has agreed a move to Hoffenheim, and will fly out to Germany today to finalise the deal…

• Speaking of Liverpool, Dutch newspaper Het Parool is reporting this morning that their protracted pursuit of Ajax forward Luis Suarez is ‘dead in the water’, with the Amsterdam club refusing to settle for a penny less than £30 million.

• In even further Liverpool news, it seems as if they are also about to miss out on Blackpool’s Charlie Adam, who saw his transfer request rejected at Bloomfield Road yesterday afternoon…

• West Ham are on the verge of signing Hoffenheim striker Demba Ba and Middlesbrough midfielder Gary O’Neil (both on loan). Consider your season ‘saved’, Hammers fans…

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Morning all. Throughout January Soccerlens is going to be bringing you a daily round-up of the morning’s various goings-on. Be it juicy morsels of spurious transfer gossip or real, actual bona fide news, rest assured, we’ll have it covered.

Here’s this morning’s batch.

United set their sights on Coentrao…

According to the Daily Mail, Manchester United have stepped up their pursuit of Benfica left-back Fabio Coentrao after catching wind of whispers that the Portuguese side are currently busy trying to source a replacement for the seemingly outbound 22-year-old starlet.

Benfica are rumoured to be running their studious rule over Marseille’s Taye Taiwo and Copenhagen’s Oscar Wendt, and United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has asked the club’s board to be kept abreast of any developments and made it clear that he is perfectly willing to meet the Aguias‘ £20 million-valuation of Coentrao.

The Mail also suggest that Fergie may be diligently courting Coentrao as United’s current incumbent left-back, Patrice Evra, is hankering for a summer move elsewhere.

Are you quite mad?…

TalkSPORT‘s indefatigable Italian sources seem fairly certain that Inter Milan are lining up a £17 million summer bid for Gareth Barry (note: BARRY, not BALE), with the Manchester City plodder said to be heading the long list of transfer targets drawn up by the Nerazzurri‘s newly-instated manager, Leonardo.

Barry is under contract at Eastlands until 2014, with Inter aware that they may have to ‘go big’ in order to snare the 29-year-old. Therefore, it is further understood that the Serie A giants may also be prepared to up their opening offer – should £17 million not be enough to land their man.

It’s madness gone mad I tell thee.

West Ham to hand O’Neill the reigns…

The BBC Sport team are reporting that former Aston Villa boss Martin O’Neill is set to replace Avram Grant as West Ham manager after the Hammers’ Premier League tie with Arsenal later today.

Grant’s West Ham currently sit in the bottom slot of the top flight pile, having won only four games this campaign, though they have actually only lost one of their last seven games.

Everton accept Pienaar bid…

Everton manager David Moyes has confirmed that his superiors have accepted a bid for winger Steven Pienaar from a ‘major’, though as-yet anonymous, European club:

“We have had two offers and one of those offers has been accepted. We have allowed his representatives to speak to the other club, but whether it goes through or not I don’t know yet.”

Several sources are suggesting that the club in question is almost definitely Inter Milan, though the likes of Chelsea, Tottenham and Spanish cash-spunkers Malaga have also been mooted – though describing the latter as a ‘major’ club is surely a little on the tenuous side.

Brum keen to glean Keane…

After nearly a week of faffing around, Tottenham have announced that they have accepted Birmingham’s £6 million bid for striker Robbie Keane, who will now set about trying to hammer out his personal terms with the Alex McLeish‘s side.

Birmingham are currently the Premier League’s second lowest scorers, with Wigan the only team to have managed to tally less than the Blues’ 20 league goals so far this season and presumably, with Nikola Zigic, Kevin Phillips and Cameron Jerome contributing a paltry eight goals between themselves, Keane should have no problem muscling his way into the first-string should he eventually plump for St Andrews.

The best of the rest…

• Manchester United, Chelsea and Inter Milan are all vying to lure Udinese’s £15 million-rated winger Alexis Sanchez into their midst…

• Real Madrid have informed Karim Benzema that he won’t be allowed to leave the club this month, though a loan move for Emmanuel Adebayor is thought to still be on the cards…

• Paraguayan forward Roque Santa Cruz has completed his loan return to former club Blackburn, after enduring a fairly miserable 18-month stint at Manchester City…

• Spurs have abandoned their bid to sign David Beckham on loan, with manager Harry Redknapp calling LA Galaxy’s proposed four-week deal a ‘waste of time’…

• West Ham have confirmed that Wayne Bridge has officially completed his loan move from Manchester City to Upton Park, after the Hammers agreed to pay all of the left-back’s £70,000-a-week wages.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Morning all. Throughout January Soccerlens are going to be bringing you a daily round-up of the morning’s various goings-on. Be it juicy morsels of spurious transfer gossip or real, actual bona fide news, rest assured, we’ll have it covered.

Here’s this morning’s batch.

Wenger makes a case for the defense…

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has admitted that he may have to dip into the club’s swelling coffers to bring in defensive cover during January after learning that Belgian centre-back Thomas Vermaelen has suffered yet another ‘mystery setback’ in his bid to recover from the prolonged Achilles problem that he originally sustained whilst playing for his country way back in early September.

With Sebastien Squillaci also nursing a hamstring tweak, Wenger has begun feverishly beavering away in a bid to bring one of his top three transfer targets to the Emirates over the next few weeks – with Bolton’s Gary Cahill, Werder Bremen’s Per Mertesacker and Montpellier’s Emir Spahic said to be the three names on the Frenchman’s shortlist.

My money’s on the Bosnian.

Liverpool hot on the heels of the ‘new Walcott’…

At the behest of their footballing strategist Damien Comolli, Liverpool have thrown their hat into the ring and are ready to rival Arsenal in the race to sign Southampton’s £10 million-rated, 17-year-old tyro Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who has been dubbed, with a crushing inevitability, as the ‘new Theo Walcott’.

The young winger has notched seven goals in 17 starts for the Saints, a better ratio than Walcott had managed by the time he officially moved to Arsenal on his 17th birthday in March 2006.

Definitely one to watch.

Dutch destroyer…

According to a myriad of reports in the Italian press, AC Milan are now in ‘pole position’ to sign Bayern Munich bruiser Mark van Bommel, who – at a mere 33-years-old – will presumably be allowed to mature in the Rossoneri‘s youth system for a couple of years before making his full debut.

The veteran Dutchman’s contract with the German giants expires in the summer, meaning he is now free to talk with other clubs. Milan are reported to have scheduled a meeting with the player’s representatives for later this week, though both Spurs and Manchester City are rumoured to have done the same.

Balotelli out for another month…

On the day that Manchester City officially unveiled the latest big-money addition to their forward ranks, Edin Dzeko, came the news yesterday evening that surly summer signing Mario Balotelli will face a further month on the sidelines – with the troublesome knee injury which has already served to blight the first few months of his City career flaring up yet again.

So said a concerned Roberto Mancini…

“I’m worried because he can’t play for another three or four weeks at an important moment for us. To have an operation done and then to have another problem two months later is strange.

He may need surgery. We just don’t know. He must rest, then he will have treatment and work. Hopefully then he will be OK.”

Deary me.

The best of the rest…

• Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has confirmed that David Beckham will not be fit enough to play against his former club Manchester United on Sunday, even if he does sign on at Spurs in time for the game…

• Current England U21 coach Stuart Pearce is the ‘logical choice’ to manage Great Britain’s football team at the 2012 Olympics, according to the FA’s general secretary.

• Former Foreign Secretary David Milliband is in talks over being handed a non-executive, high-ranking role on the Sunderland board, which would apparently focus mainly on international and community work…

• West Ham hope to complete the loan signing of Wayne Bridge from Manchester City before the weekend, and are also exploring the possibility of bringing in Udinese striker Antonio Floro Flores before the transfer window closes…

• Genoa have taken Wigan’s misfiring record signing Mauro Boselli off the Latics’ hands by signing the Argentinian misfit on a six-month loan deal…

• Leicester City are now within spitting distance of completing a deal to sign Everton striker Yakubu on loan until the end of the season…

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Due to an increasingly obvious desire to once again saunter amidst the vivid hum of Premier League life, David Beckham (along with the legal suits at Tottenham Hotspur) is currently beavering away, exploring all the channels available to him in his joint bid to turn a brief training excursion/flagrant PR exercise into a full-bodied loan move.

Beckham was officially given the go-ahead to start training with the Tottenham first string after making it through a bout of routine fitness tests at the club’s Spurs Lodge training ground in Essex on Monday morning – though it seems that the LA Galaxy veteran is not content with his current lot, and will continue in his attempts to engineer a deal that will allow his to partake in first-team duties should he be required to.

Negotiations between Tottenham and the Galaxy are ongoing, with three distinct sticking points thought to be repeatedly coming to the fore.

Firstly comes the question of insurance, with the MLS side understandably keen to ensure that their $250 million investment doesn’t do himself a mischief akin to the ruptured Achilles that he suffered whilst on loan at AC Milan last season – an injury which duly forced Beckham to miss out on being held directly culpable for England’s World Cup dirge, lucky sod.

Beckham dodged England's World Cup misery due to injury

Secondly, the Galaxy execs have told Spurs that Beckham is to return to Los Angeles by 10th February – thus giving him plenty of time to reintegrate into their squad in time for their first game of the season against the Seattle Sounders on 15th March – though the Premier League side are hoping to persuade their American counterparts into letting them borrow their prize-asset for a few weeks longer.

Thirdly is the complicated nature of his £160 million (approx.) contract that Beckham has with the Galaxy, which is stuffed to the hilt with various top-ups, revenue percentage agreements and image rights stipulations – though it’s though that he is perfectly willing to waiver certain payments in order to smooth over any cracks that may occur.

Harry Redknapp is still hopeful a deal can be struck

As is, there is no official deal in place, meaning Beckham is free to come and go as he pleases, though Spurs manager Harry Redknapp hasn’t given up hope of coercing Galaxy into allowing the 35-year-old midfielder to pull on the famous Lilywhite shirt in anger (so to speak) at some point during the coming weeks:

“It’s great to have him here. We worked hard to get him here hoping that he could come and play.”

No-one could have worked harder than Daniel Levy, the chairman. They grafted away trying to get a deal done where he could play for us. It’s a bit complicated but you never know. We’ll see how it goes.

[The Spurs board] work on that side of it. I’ve got the easy part. I just identify people, say ‘I’d like to get David – I think he’d be good for us’. It’s up to them. They do the hard work and put the deals on.”

Redknapp was also full of praise for Beckham, praising his fitness levels despite being firmly fit for the knacker’s yard in footballing terms – though the Spurs boss once again insisted that it is still unclear as to whether the former England captain will be made available to him in terms of selection:

“[Beckham's] a fit lad, he looks like he’s in great condition, looks like he looks after himself.

He’s a model professional so that won’t be a problem. Whether a deal will be possible to pull off, I’m not sure.”

An intriguing sideline to the whole debacle is that, should Tottenham be able to tie up a deal by the weekend, Beckham could be in line to make his debut against his former club Manchester United (i.e. the only Premier League club he’d ever entertain thoughts of playing for again) at White Hart Lane on Sunday.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Morning all. Throughout January Soccerlens are going to be bringing you a daily round-up of the morning’s various goings-on. Be it juicy morsels of spurious transfer gossip or real, actual bona fide news, rest assured, we’ll have it covered.

Here’s this morning’s batch.

Duck hunting season opens at Chelsea…

Having staved off Roman’s wrath for the time being with a thumping 7-0 victory over rudderless Ipswich at the weekend, Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti is apparently about to be handed the necessary funds to finally land AC Milan starlet Alexandre Pato before the January transfer window ebbs to a close in three weeks’ time.

According to the German website, 4-4-2, the 21-year-old Brazilian striker is known to be keen on a move to the Bridge to reunite himself with Ancelotti (whom he served under for a year or so at the San Siro back in 2008/2009), though Chelsea will have to stump up around €30 million in order to even open a line of communication with the Serie A giants.

Ancelotti will also have to wait for Milan chief Adriano Galliani to return from Brazil, where he is currently trying desperately to flog his buck-toothed show-pony Ronaldinho to former club Gremio.

Third Gunners’ stint for Sol?…

Unhappy with his peripheral lot at Newcastle, veteran centre-back Sol Campbell is said to be pining for a third stint at Arsenal and may get his way as Arsene Wenger continues to source cheap, reliable defensive reinforcements.

Having witnessed current first-choice pairing Sebastien Squillaci (who also twanged a hamstring during the game) and Johan Djourou being systematically dismantled by the near-immobile Luciano Becchio over the weekend, you can’t really blame the Frenchman for his roving eye.

The Daily Express seem fairly certain that 36-year-old Campbell will be moving back to the Emirates on a five-month loan deal, similar to the one he signed with the Gunners at the tail-end of last season.

Where art thou Becks?…

In short, no-one knows what the hell is happening vis-a-vis David Beckham‘s protracted loan move to Tottenham, not even Spurs manager Harry Redknapp who now seems to think that ‘insurance issues’ may scupper any bid to sign the LA Galaxy man on a playing contract.

It seems likely that Becks will now be moving to North East London to train with Redknapp’s side until the MLS gets going again in a couple of months’ time, though if anyone knows their way around ‘insurance issues’, it’s old ‘Arry.

Birmingham line up ‘three-and-a-bit’ big name signings…

Brum are hoping to add the sum total of about 3.25 ‘big name’ signings to their roster over the course of the next week or two, with both Robbie Keane and David Bentley almost certain to join from Tottenham’s reserves and Kenny Miller and Pablo Mouche set to follow on shortly after, arriving from Rangers and Boca Juniors respectively.

All in all, it looks like Big Eck is going to be shelling out somewhere in the region of £8 million for the four new faces, two of which (Bentley and Mouche) will be joining on six-month loan deals.

El Diego claims Premier League interest…

Argentinian barmpot Diego Maradona has claimed that he will be travelling to England next month to hold talks with an as-yet anonymous club about taking over at the helm – with West Ham being touted by many as the most likely destination.

So said ‘El Diego’:

“In February I will be travelling to England to listening to a formal proposal from a team from there who wants to talk to me. If they convince me I might accept the position. I’m not desperate but I know that some day I’ll be the coach again of some team.”

What could possibly go wrong?

The best of the rest…

The agent of Manchester City striker Jo has claimed that he has received five bids for his client in the past two weeks. The Brazilian had been linked with a loan switch to Olympiakos, though it seems that the quintet of offers have emanated from France, Spain and Russia…

Fiorentina are trying to engineer a ‘pre-contract’ agreement with the agent of Bolton striker Johan Elmander, who’s current deal at the Reebok expires in the summer…

Aston Villa are ready to up the stakes in their bid to sign Newcastle bruiser Joey Barton by throwing midfielder Nigel Reo Coker into the deal as a like-for-like makeweight. Good luck with that one chaps…

Blackpool have rejected three £2 million bids for Charlie Adam, with Blackburn, Sunderland and Birmingham all thought to be courting the Scottish schemer…

West Ham are ready to sack Avram Grant and hand Sam Allardyce a six-month trial to save the club from relegation, i.e. should he succeed in avoiding the dreaded drop, Big Sam will get to keep the job on a full-time basis…

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

With the transfer window now ready and open for business Soccerlens looks at the possible comings and goings of all twenty Premier League clubs.

Arsenal

Manager Arsene Wenger has already confirmed that The Gunners have no intention of strengthening during the winter period but in all honesty even the club’s fans can concur with one another that they are in need of a centre-back. Laurent Koscielnyi and Sebastian Squillaci have been decent additions to the squad but even the dependability on the pair of them continuing on a consistent basis is beginning to strain due to a lack of Premier League experience as well as the question marks over the fitness of colossal Thomas Vermaelen. Johan Djourou is the only other recognised centre-back but lacks real pedigree – although talented –  to continue the teams title push.

Possible Targets:

Gary Cahill has blossomed into one of the country’s most promising centre-backs since his departure from Aston Villa to Bolton in 2008 and has been heavily linked with a move to The Emirates. Arsene Wenger has been a long term admirer and his addition would be welcomed by The Gunners faithful.

Possible Departures:

Goalkeeper Manuel Almunia may seek a move to his native Spain if he fails to reclaim the number one jersey.

Aston Villa

Manger Gerard Houllier has inherited a team that is seemingly drained of self belief and confidence. Although he has been blessed with a wealth of young talent at his disposal it is impossible for them to continue to play week in and week out without any real experience around them due to the influx of injuries at Villa Park. There are a number of unhappy campers at the club and it’s likely that Houllier will undergo a rather busy clearout before bringing in any newcomers – also due to Randy Lerner’s tighter purse strings. The Villains however are crying out for a goal-scorer.

Possible Targets:

Robbie Keane of Tottenham Hotspur is believed to be one of Villa’s prime targets. Spurs boss Harry Redknapp has already confirmed that the Irish centre forward is available this month and Villa look likely to be his destination. The club have held a long term interest and it is believed that the club are Keane’s first choice. Another Spurs man linked with a switch to Birmingham is the highly talented Niko Kranjcar. The Croatian has had limited chances at Spurs this season but his technical expertise would be a much welcomed addition at Villa who lack a genuine playmaker in the middle of the park.

Possible Departures:

Steve Sidwell looks all but set for a move to Upton Park with West Ham after having successful talks with the club and question marks continue to linger over newcomer Stephen Ireland who has had a nightmare start to his Aston Villa career – Fulham and Celtic are monitoring his situation.

Birmingham City

Although The Blues are embroiled in a relegation scrap their main concern lingers at the top of the pitch rather than at the back. Manager Alex Mcleish has created a team that is extremely difficult to beat but are in dire need of goals. A striker is his main priority this January and like their bitter rivals Aston Villa they have registered an interest in Robbie Keane.

Possible Targets:

Along with Keane, Cardiff City striker Jay Bothroyd has been linked with a move to St Andrews. David Bentley of Tottenham has also been linked with a move in the last few days but would only arrive on a short-term loan deal along with Liverpool’s Ryan Babel who came ever so close to making a switch to the Midlands last summer.

Possible Departures:

It is highly unlikely that Sebastian Larsson will depart the club this month but due to the continuous saga regarding a new contract the club may opt to cash in on the Swede now rather than lose him on a free come the summer.

Blackburn Rovers

With new owners working in full swing and already wielding the axe on former boss Sam Allardyce, new manager Steve Keane will be thoroughly assessed up until the end of the season. The money is there and should be a lot more than the £5million that was previously mentioned. The Rovers are eyeing up a new striker with talk of Wigan’s Hugo Rodallega making the move across Lancashire.

Possible Targets:

Along with Rodallega, Robbie Keane at Spurs has been touted for a possible move but would only arrive on a short-term loan basis. Interestingly Barcelona youngster Oriol Romeu who has bags of potential has also been linked with a move to Lancashire but with his parent club keen to aid his development it may just be on a short term loan.

Possible Departures:

Defender Chris Samba has been linked with a host of top-flight clubs including Liverpool in recent weeks and his desire to move elsewhere may just see the new owners’ cash in on him now. Pascal Chimbonda will be allowed to leave.

Blackpool

The seaside club have pulled up trees thus far in the Premier League with their continuous rise under the stewardship of manger Ian Holloway. The club who have a temporary stand and a lack of under soil heating will be highly unlikely to splash any sort of cash this month but instead opting for bargain purchases and loan arrangements. The dependability on Charlie Adam needs to be eased and his manger will be keeping his eyes peeled for yet another bargain.

Possible Targets:

The brother of goalkeeper Richard Kingston, Laryea, who has negotiated his release from Dutch club Vitesse has been in talks with The Tangerines. James Vaughan of Everton has also been linked.

Possible Departures:

The performances of Charlie Adam and Luke Varney have attracted the watchful eyes of the more established Premier League clubs. If Holloway can keep his star assets beyond the winter market then they have every chance of Premier League survival

Bolton Wanderers

The Trotters have been fantastic thus far under manager Owen Coyle and have played some of the most attractive football in the league. As it stands he has a well balanced side blessed with technical attributes and muscle combined but will be looking to strengthen the squad and continue their rise.

Possible Targets:

Jaime Ayovi has been heavily linked with a move to The Reebok Stadium and the Ecuador striker is one of the most talented up-comers in South America. He currently plays his trade in Mexico with Toluca but is believed to been on a move to Europe as soon as possible. Middlesbrough’s Seb Hines has also been linked due to the expiration of his contract come the summer.

Possible Departures:

Matt Taylor may been on his way out of the club as he has failed to consolidate his place in Coyle’s first eleven and it is believed that Craven Cottage may be his destination. Gary Cahill has been linked with a move away but it’s unlikely that he will be making a move anytime soon. Goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi may be allowed to join Wigan Athletic on a permanent deal.

Chelsea

The champions may have hit a dire run of form but it’s unclear if owner Roman Abramovich is ready to hand manager Carlo Ancelotti a substantial transfer kitty this month.  Ancelotti is keen to bolster his defence and if reports are true they have had a £17million offer turned down by Benfica for highly rated centre-back David Luiz. The fitness of Alex continues to be questioned and with Ricardo Carvalho departing last summer the Italian tactician has had to construct a makeshift back four at times with right-back Paulo Ferreira having to play in the middle. Ancelotti has stated though that he may look at British alternatives to bolster his defence.

Possible Targets:

David Luiz is high on Chelsea’s wish list but look as if they will have to stump up more than the £17million that had originally offered. Everton’s Phil Jagielka who has continued to blossom since his move to Goodison Park with Everton back in 2007 is also being courted by the champions.

Possible Departures:

Highly doubtful that anyone will be leaving Stamford Bridge this winter but Marseille are keen to sign talented youngster Gael Kakuta on loan to the end of the season. However his involvement in recent weeks may have Ancelotti thinking twice about letting him go.

Everton

The Toffees will have to sell in order to buy if they are to strengthen this month. David Moye’s side have been highly inconsistent this term despite keeping hold of their prized assets such as Mikel Arteta and Steven Pienaar. Moyes will be keen to bring in another striker but will have to look at short term loans similar to his masterstroke with Landon Donovan’s arrival last year – who has already dismissed speculation of a return to Merseyside.

Possible Targets:

Roque Santa Cruz would be a welcomed addition to Everton if his current employers Manchester City would allow him to leave on loan. However the Paraguayan may already have his heart set on a move to Serie A. Interestingly Almeria goalkeeper Diego Alves has been mooted for a possible move to the club.

Possible Departures:

Steven Pienaar’s failure to sign a new contract may see him leave this month with the club opting to cash in on him now rather than lose him for nothing in the summer. Leighton Baines continues to be linked with a move to Bayern Munich but the 26-year old has pledged his allegiance to the club.

Fulham

The Cottagers are a long way off from last season heroics in the Europa League where they agonisingly missed out on glory in the final to Atletico Madrid. Roy Hodgson’s departure to Liverpool saw the arrival of Mark Hughes but he has been unable to get a consistent run from his team. In fairness to Fulham they have dearly missed their talisman up top Bobby Zamora who broke his leg at the beginning of the season. It is unclear how much the club will have to spend and may have to look at possible loan targets.

Possible Targets:

Stephen Ireland who worked with Mark Hughes during their Manchester City days is one of the clubs prime targets. Although he has failed to show any of his potential at Villa he may see his fortunes revived under the stewardship of his former coach. David Bentley has also worked with Hughes during their days at Blackburn Rovers and a move to Craven Cottage would interest the wide-man. Matt Taylor of Bolton seems a more likely arrival.

Possible Departures:

Mark Schwarzer looked as if he may eventually make a move to Arsenal but the Aussie veteran quashed all speculation as he signed a new contract at the club. Clint Dempsey is continuously linked with a move to Liverpool to be reunited with Roy Hodgson but The Lilywhites have no intention of selling one of their star men.

Liverpool

Manger Roy Hodgson has been crying out for new investment and it will be interesting to see if he gets the backing of the new owners. In what is a sorry state of affairs for a club who is used to competing at the top of the table, it looks as if The Reds face an uphill struggle to finish in the top six. Hodgson must be shrewd with any money that he is given and spend it wisely. A striker is high on his list of priorities.

Possible Targets:

Long-term target Carlton Cole is again linked with a move to Anfield and may arrive for as little as £7million. Hodgson’s former star at Craven Cottage Clint Dempsey is believed to be a target and defenders Chris Samba and Robert Huth have also been linked with moves to Merseyside.

Possible Departures:

Danish centre-back Daniel Agger has been linked with a move away from the club as too Ryan Babel who again is continuously linked with a move to Birmingham City. Last summer’s arrival Milan Jovanovic has failed to settle in England and is contemplating a move abroad.

Manchester City

Another transfer window and another flurry of activity looks set to be embarked on by big spenders Manchester City who are looking to press their title credentials with one or two big name signings. Edin Dzeko looks set to finalise a £27milllion move to Eastlands and will provide more attacking prowess to the ever-growing talent in the club’s frontline department.  The Bosnian is one of the most sought after properties in Europe due to his heroics in The Bundesliga with Wolfsburg and it’s The Citizens who look to have won the race for his signature.  They – as always – have been linked with just about every up-and-coming and established names in the game.

Possible Targets:

Along with Dzeko, Brazilian striker Hulk has been linked with a move to the club after City’s chief scout Mike Rigg confirmed that he has been keeping tabs on the FC Porto star. Dani Alves of Barcelona is continuously linked with a multi-million pound move. Talented youngster Victor Ruiz of Espanyol and Bordeaux’s Alou Diarra have also been touted as possible arrivals.

Possible Departures:

It’s a foregone conclusion that Roque Santa Cruz will end his City nightmare as he seeks a move to Italy. Dzeko’s arrival may also spark the end for Emmanuel Adebayor. Shaun Wright-Phillips may also seek pastures new after having limited playing time this term.

Manchester United

The unbeaten league leaders will not be splashing the cash this transfer window their manager has confirmed. Sir Alex Ferguson has stated that The Red Devils will not spend unnecessary cash and is happy with his squad. However with goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar looking more and more likely to hang up his gloves come the end of the campaign the club may look to bring in a replacement sooner rather than later.

Possible Targets:

A goalkeeper is Sir Alex’s main priority but may opt to wait until the summer before making a decision. David De Gea of Atletico Madrid is being closely monitored by the club.

Possible Departures:

There may be a mass exodus of loan departures from Carrington headquarters with Federico Macheda, Gabriel Obertan, Darron Gibson and Bebe to name a few are all being linked with short term moves away from Old Trafford. Fiorentina in particular are monitoring Macheda with persistence.

Newcastle United

New manager Alan Pardew is relatively pleased with the squad he has inherited but will be keeping a beady eye out for a bargain or two due to the lack of funds at St James’s Park. In fact Pardew may have to sell in order to buy but will not be contemplating the sale of their star asset Andy Carroll who has been in scintillating form thus far for The Magpies.

Possible Targets:

Hatem Ben Arfa who arrived on an initial loan arrangement from Marseille is in talks with the club over a permanent switch. The Frenchman who had a bright start to his career in England was cut down in his tracks as he broke his leg during a game with Manchester City back in October. Alan Pardew also hinted after his sides defeat at Tottenham in the week that he may be seeking attacking based players in his recruitment.

Possible Departures:

Xisco and Peter Lovenkrands may make way in the January window but it seems highly unlikely that any names will be departing the club anytime soon.

Stoke City

Tony Pulis’s side look to be an established Premier League outfit and will now look to push on for a top 10 finish come the middle of May. The manager is keen to bolster his midfield and has already captured Jermaine Pennant on a permanent deal from Real Zaragoza.

Possible Targets:

Birmingham midfielder Sebastian Larsson has been linked with a move and Stoke may decide to test City’s resolves now during the expiration of his contract come the end of the season. Stephen Ireland has also been linked with a move to The Potters.

Possible Departures:

Fan favourite Tuncay may be on his way as he continues find himself on the fringes of the first team. The highly talented Turkish international has been linked with moves back home to the likes of Fenerbahce and Besiktas.

Sunderland

The Wearside club have been fantastic thus far and look well suited for a top six finish come the end of the season. Manager Steve Bruce will be keen to bring in one or two faces to continue their march on a Europa League spot and will be hoping to tie down Nedum Onuoha and Danny Welbeck on permanent contracts as both have impressed on loan. If Sunderland are to spend money it looks likely it will be on the two loanees.

Possible targets:

Manchester United seem reluctant to let Welbeck move on a permanent deal and looks likely to return to Manchester next season. Nedum Onuoha’s permanent switch from Manchester CIty is high on Steve Bruce’s list of priorities.

Possible Departures:

A host of fringe players including Andy Reid, Anton Ferdinand and George McCartney will all be allowed to leave if substantial offers are made.

Tottenham Hotspur

Manager Harry Redknapp is as sceptical as ever over his transfer dealings and insists he will only wheel and deal if he can entice the right player. Harry struck gold dust with the signing of Rafael van der Vaart on deadline day last summer and would love to bring in a similar calibre of player. The club is continuously linked with West Ham’s Scott Parker but a move looks unlikely due to the recent renewal of his contract at Upton Park. The club are getting ready to embark on an exciting 2011 with a sincere title challenge and a last-sixteen Champions League clash with Italian giants AC Milan on the horizon. Harry Redknapp may be one of the least busy top flight managers this month but then again how many times have we thought that?

Possible Targets:

Scott Parker’s name again has cropped up in recent weeks and it would take a large amount of money for West Ham to even flicker an interest in selling. David Beckham has also been linked after the former England captain admitted that he is seeking a short term loan move to a European club during the MLS off-season.

Possible Departures:

Robbie Keane is set to leave with a host of clubs hoping to capture his signature. David Bentley and Niko Kranjcar are also rumoured to be on their way out of White Hart Lane.

West Bromwich Albion

The Premier League’s yoyo team looks to have its best ever chance of top flight survival this term and their manager will be hoping to bring in one or two new faces to ensure its possibility. Roberto Di Matteo may be given a substantial transfer kitty to entice talent to the Hawthornes with Sean St Ledger of Preston and Cardiff’s Jay Bothroyd being mentioned.

Possible Targets:

Di Matteo is being cautious with his comments regarding transfers but would love to add one or two more faces. St Ledger remains one of his prime targets but Bothroyd arriving looks unlikely due to the money Cardiff City would expect to be coughed up – around £6million.

Possible Departures:

A host of names including Roman Bednar, Simon Cox, Luke Moore and Abdoulaye Meite are all available.

West Ham United

Owners David Gold and David Sullivan are keen for the club to drag itself out from the bottom three and bring in a number of additions. Money is available to manager Avram Grant and with Steve Sidwell being the first in from Aston Villa The Hammers are hoping to bring in a few more names.

Possible Targets:

Robbie Keane again linked with yet another club and The Hammers are believed to be preparing a loan move for the Tottenham man. Jaime O’Hara who worked with Grant at Portsmouth last season is another target. Manchester City left-back Wayne Bridge may arrive on a short-term loan deal if he is allowed to by City manager Roberto Mancini.

Possible Departures:

Carlton Cole may be on his way to Liverpool and the club may decide to cash in on their striker and use the money to utilise the squad.

Wigan Athletic

The club is embroiled in a real relegation dogfight and the lack of funds available to manager Roberto Martinez will concern the Wigan fans.

Possible Targets:

Martinez may have to make do with arranging loan deals and is eyeing Arsenal’s Jay Emmanuel-Thomas. The club are also keen to tie down on-loan goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi to a permanent deal and have been in talks with his parent club Bolton.

Possible Departures:

Star man Chalres N’Zogbia is being linked with a host of top European clubs including Juventus. The Frenchman has never hidden his desire to move to a bigger club and if the right offer came in then Wigan may have no choice but to sell.

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Manager Mick McCarthy will be cautious with his spending as he plots the clubs survival plan. Their win at Anfield has injected much needed belief into the Wolves camp and an addition of one or two into the squad may be just what the club needs.

Possible Targets:

McCarthey has revealed that the club failed in an attempt to sign Aston Villa’s Steve Sidwell but are monitoring another of their players in Curtis Davies who is currently on loan at Leicester City. Former fan favourite Robbie Keane has also been touted for a return back to the club.

Possible Departures:

Matt Jarvis has been linked with a move away from the club but McCarthey is keen to keep hold onto one of his star men. Steven Fletcher however may be allowed to leave after failing to live up to his billing.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Who will be the next manager to get the sack in the English Premier League? Are Avram Grant’s days numbered? Does Wenger have to win a trophy? Can Roy Hodgson turn Liverpool around?

You wait around all season for the first EPL manager to be sacked and then two happen within the space of a week.

Chris Hughton’s and Sam Allardyce’s removals were both strange to say the least, as neither man was doing what would normally be considered as a bad job.

Whichever way you look at it, the money is the owners at the end of the day and they have the right to decide upon who takes the key roles in their organisation.

In the end, they make their own beds and have to lie in them…

Here we take a look at the odds for each manager and assess whose job is safe, or not.

Arsenal: Arsene Wenger

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger

The Arsenal manager is almost as safe as his great rival Alex Ferguson, but not quite.

Over the past 24 months there has been a growing faction of unhappy fans at the library that is the Emirates and the great man is now under real pressure to bring home a trophy after five baron years.

The Carling Cup has never been so important to the Frenchman.

Next manager to be sacked odds: 66/1

Aston Villa: Gerard Houllier

Gerard Houllier

Never one to blow his own trumpet…The greatest… Liverpool manager of all time has made many friends in Birmingham by giving youth a chance.

However, Villa have started slipping towards the bottom of the table and the ex-Liverpool managers comments following the Reds 3-0 win over his new team went down like a lead balloon.

Considering that he is only in the job since September 8 and that he has already alienated players like Richard Dunne he is nowhere near as safe as he thinks.

Next manager to be sacked odds: 20/1

Birmingham City: Alex McLeish

Alex McLeish

Alex Ferguson’s number one student continues to do great work under a tight budget at Birmingham.

While they may only be two points above the drop zone at the moment, the Blues have proved a tough side to beat and their achilles heel is the lack of fire power up front. With players like Robbie Keane and Michael Owen available in January McLeish will almost definitely look to add some much needed quality.

Next manager to be sacked odds: 25/1

Blackburn Rovers: ???

Big Sam’s sacking has been one of the most controversial moves of the season. Quite what Rovers owners were thinking I’m not sure but the move leaves Blackburn in a very precarious position as we turn into the Festive season.

Venky’s have already suggested that the hunt for a new owner could take months, but in reality they don’t have that long. If Blackburn stand still in January they will be relegated.

Anuradha Desai, chairwoman of the club’s Venky Group owners, told the Lancashire Evening Telegraph amongst other things:

“We do not mean anything bad for Sam Allardyce but we feel that we need to take the club up in the league and grow.”

“We want Blackburn to be fourth or fifth in the league or even better. It is not about the Bolton match. It has been a long time in our minds.”

How Anuradha expects Rovers to challenge for the league is beyond conventional thinking but if she thinks she will get a manager to do a better job that Allardyce on the same budget she is in for a nasty surprise.

Blackpool: Ian Holloway

Ian Holloway

With Chris Hughton’s sacking Ian Holloway is now the lowest paid manager in the EPL. But don’t let that put you off.

Football wise, Holloway has done a very good job in his first season in the Premier League. Blackpool are still far from safe and the second half of the season may yet prove to be a few miles too far for Holloway’s entertaining side.

Next manager to be sacked odds: 25/1

Bolton Wanderers: Owen Coyle

On the up? Owen Coyle

Snoods do not figure in the Bolton managers vocabulary as he regulary takes to the bench in shorts as he urges his team on.

A tough no nonsense player in his day has turned into a tough no nonsense footballing manager whose philosophy on the game has made perhaps the biggest impact on the league so far this term.

Next manager to be sacked odds: 66/1

Chelsea: Carlo Ancelotti

Carlo Ancelotti

Having won the double in his first season one would almost think that Carlo Ancelotti would be one of the safest men in football.

Not so in Roman Abramovich’s strange world.

Rumor has it that the Oligarch has tried to engineer the resignation of his manager on numerous occasion over the last six months and it is widely believed that Ancelotti will not be in the hotseat at Stamford Bridge next season.

One thing to watch in Ancelotti’s frequent press conferences is his left eyebrow. Yes you read that right.

The Italian served time under the potential clusterbomb that is Silvio Berlusconi and gives the most politically correct answers in football.

However, his eyebrow often reveals more than he is actually saying…

Next manager to be sacked odds: 5/1

Everton: David Moyes

David Moyes

If there is any manager that can match Roy Keane for a 1,000 yard stare then it is Everton’s David Moyes.

The Toffees boss must wonder what is wrong with the club he manages as nobody has ever come forward to buy what are realistically the only sleeping giant outside the current top five.

He has always worked with reduced budgets and consistantly manages his team to better finishes than the clubs finances should allow.

Next manager to be sacked odds: 20/1

Fulham: Mark Hughes

Mark Hughes

Hughes’ short time at Craven Cottage has been the most enjoyable of experiences. Without Roy Hodgson’s scientific style of management Fulham’s players have struggled to come to terms with Hughes’ different philosophy.

At the moment the Cottagers are only outside the relegation zone thanks to goal difference and that is with West Ham and Wigan having possibly the worst defences ever seen in the EPL.

Hughes isn’t in direct danger of being sacked in the near future but the players he brings into the club in January will be under immediate pressure to perform.

Next manager to be sacked odds: 28/1

Liverpool: Roy Hodgson

Roy Hodgson: Goodbye to Anfield?

Hodgson has aged since he took over at Liverpool in July and the pressure is growing daily.

Since then the manager has found himself pushed to one side as NESV brought Damien Comolli in to oversee transfers and now in the recent turn against Hodgson, John Henry has branded the clubs form under him as “unacceptable.”

January will be a key month in Hodgson’s future. Quite simply, if he is given money to spend he will be safe but if he receives nothing then his days are numbered…

Next manager to be sacked odds: 3/1

Manchester City: Roberto Mancini

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini

Like his fellow Italian in the EPL, Carlo Ancelotti, Roberto Mancini’s future is on shaky ground. He has guided the club to third in the league but still boasts a very conservative outlook on the game.

The clubs ridiculous transfer policy is finally coming home to roost, which is really saying something when you consider that it only really started two years ago, as flakey players like Emmanuel Adebayor, Mario Balotelli, and now Carlos Tevez reek their havoc on the club.

In the end the manager will be the one to pay the price.

Next manager to be sacked odds: 10/1

Manchester United: Sir Alex Ferguson

Sir Alex Ferguson

The Scottish veteran is still one of the best managers in the game. There is not a situation that he does not know how to handle; from regularly besting Arsene Wenger to dealing with the Glazers to negotiating with Wayne Rooney, Ferguson’s vast experience allows him to handle any situation.

No chance of being sacked, retirement? Now that’s another question.

Next manager to be sacked odds: 100/1

Newcastle United: Alan Pardew

Alan Pardew

The only real shock about Chris Hughton’s sacking was that it took Mike Ashley so long to get around to removing the Irishman from the task that he had carried out so well.

In short, Hughton was not Ashley’s “cup of tea.” Around four months ago Hughton intimated that he wanted to bring in Brian Kerr as his Assistant Manager but Ashley vetoed the signing as Kerr was not high profile enough.

Now, if you believe everything you hear, he has brought in Pardew after meeting him out at a casino one night.

It is quite common for businessmen to become enthralled with sportsmen when they meet them and only time will tell whether this is the case with Ashley and Pardew or not.

Bookmakers would suggest “not.” Regardless of that piece of paper saying that Pardew has a job for five years says.

Next manager to be sacked odds: 16/1

Stoke City: Tony Pulis

Tony Pulis

The Potters haven’t enjoyed the best of starts to the season but they are always a tough proposition to play against. If anything, they have lost a little bit of that steel as Pulis looks to emulate Harry Redknapp and play two out and out wingers.

Pulis is looking to progress to the next step on the Premiership ladder with Stoke and is trying to make them less one dimensional through open play. They have gained going forward but have lost a little at the back and will rely heavily on not losing important players like Shawcross in January.

They won’t be relegated but may struggle to make mid-table.

Next manager to be sacked odds: 66/1

Sunderland: Steve Bruce

Steve Bruce

Niall Quinn must be delighted at having installed Steve Bruce as manager. Picking up the pieces after Roy Keane’s hasty exit was never going to be an easy task but the ex-United skipper has the Black Cats right up where they belong and chasing Europe.

No chance of Bruce seeing the exit door at the Stadium of Light and they look a very good bet for an FA Cup run if the draw is kind in January.

Next manager to be sacked odds: 50/1

Tottenham Hotspur: Harry Redknapp

Harry Redknapp

Next to Sir Alex Ferguson, Harry Redknapp is on the safest job in the Premier League. 20 months after taking over a Spurs side in freefall and the relegation zone, the Lilywhites are now one of the most exciting teams in Europe.

Spurs are going from strength to strength under Redknapp and Levy and it will be interesting see how the club reacts in January.

Next manager to be sacked odds: 100/1

West Ham: Avram Grant

Avram Grant

Irons’ fans must have thought they had slipped into an alternative reality when their new owners sacked the likeable Gianfranco Zola and replaced him with Avram Grant.

There is no two ways of looking at it but Grant definitely looks out of his depth as a manager in the EPL. He has been flirting with the sack for sometime now and with Sam Allardyce and Blackburn having parted ways it looks like Grant may be put out of his misery soon.

Next manager to be sacked odds: 5/4

West Brom: Roberto Di Matteo

Roberto Di Matteo

Sitting exactly in mid-table, West Brom, like Blackpool, have won many admirers with their attacking style of football. The ambition that the two promoted sides show is a breath of fresh air to the EPL with Di Matteo winning extra kudos for his calm management stylr and easy way he deals with the media.

Regardless of how the Baggies do this year, even if they are relegated, Di Matteo will not be sacked and the Birmingham side are getting closer to becoming a Premier League team every year rather than the yo-yo club they are at the moment.

Next manager to be sacked odds: 80/1

Wigan: Roberto Martinez

Roberto Martinez

The odds of a team beginning with “W” being relegated are very high. The odds of a manager of a “W” team being sacked is even higher.

Roberto Martinez’s team have shown an uncanny inability to defend and leak goals at a ferocious rate. The plus side is that they score a few goals too and are capable of upsetting teams as much as being hammered 8-0.

The ex-Swansea boss has to plug the holes in his defence soon or he will definitely find the locks at the JJB changed.

Next manager to be sacked odds: 14/1

Wolves: Mick McCarthy

Mick McCarthy

Last season Wolves used a defensive 4-5-1 style formation which proved very difficult to break down. This year he has utilised a 4-4-2 as they look to consolidate their position in the league but everything has conspired against them.

A lack of goals, injuries, bad luck, and most importantly; their rivals are far more ambitious than before. McCarthy has badly underestimated the likes of West Brom, Blackpool, Newcastle, and Bolton and they find themselves in real danger of being relegated.

The very thought of relegation is unthinkable for the Wolves board and McCarthy needs to pull out of this nose dive quickly or face the axe.

Next manager to be sacked odds: 6/1

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

With the date of his departure already set in stone, England manager Fabio Capello has already vowed that his £6 million-per-annum contract with the FA will be his last in football – a final appendix to his glistening 47-year career that is already looking more like a high-rolling pension than a swansong of any substance.

As his finite hours continues to wick away, it is only natural that an elderly gentleman’s thoughts should turn to running the rule over his younger, more vigorous and less world-weary successors – and 64-year-old Capello, of course, is no exception.

The veteran Italian has sounded out two potential junior candidates to take on his mantle in 2012, with spring-heeled Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp (who is 257 days younger) and relative neophyte Sam Allardyce of Blackburn Rovers (a yawning eight years Capello’s junior) both finding themselves shunted firmly into the frame by England’s incumbent.

Speaking at a Wembley ‘Grassroots’ launch conference yesterday, Capello told the assembled press:

“In this moment (Sam) Allardyce and (Harry) Redknapp are doing very well because they have different players, they have good style and get results with them.

It is important for a coach to understand which type of players they manage and find the best style.”

To be perfectly honest, Capello’s seemingly Anglo-centric recommendations are entirely biased and more than a little misrepresentational, as the original question posed to him concerned the ‘best performing English manager on current form’ not who he thought should replace him at the Three Lions’ helm

The fact that Allardyce was also present (in a ‘guest speaker’ role) at the launch of  the FA’s new football coaching manual may also have coloured Capello’s response somewhat – but hey-ho, such is life.

Is one of these men going to be the next England manager?

Taking his turn at the podium, Allardyce took the opportunity to begin listing his apparently numerous managerial flaws and short-comings which, in front of a simpering FA delegation, is possibly not the best job-interview strategy ever devised:

‘’I haven’t been an international manager so I don’t know if I’m capable of doing it. All I do know is that from all the international managers I have spoken to it’s a complete change from what I’m doing now.

Fabio (Capello) has talked about how he had to go from dealing with players on a day-to-day basis to having, all of a sudden, to deal with working with them now and again.”

Allardyce continued to effectively write himself off:

‘’Being an international manager is all about getting the best footballers available to you who are as fit as possible and putting those players in the best formation to get a result.

You’d have to work out the best positions for all the players and that would be very difficult I would think. I have not been there but the pressure that they experience is immense, far bigger than they experience at their own clubs.’’

The final word went to the FA’s Director of Football Development, Sir Trevor Brooking, who revealed that he and his organisation invited Allardyce to the conference in recognition of the forward-thinking reputation that the former Bolton and Newcastle boss has carved out for himself during his 20-year managerial career:

“Sam has always had a big team of support staff so he is very much into performance, video analysis, a lot of detailed backup which is really important as a coach. That’s the way the world is going.

You will perceive Sam as this, and other coaches as that, but we want to produce good quality players over a period of time and Sam has got some really good characteristics as a coach.”

Any takers? No, I thought not.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Last night, Harry Redknapp‘s gung-ho Tottenham side defied all expectations by securing a table-topping finish to their maiden Champions League group campaign by means of a pulsating 3-3 draw with Dutch also-rans FC Twente.

On their way through to the knock-out stages, Spurs have filed some ebullient performances, scoring a record number of goals (18) for a tournament debutant in the process – a total only two short of the overall record which was set by Manchester United during their victorious 1998/99 season.

United’s 98/99 vintage are also the only team in Champions League history to see more goals (for and against) scored in their six group games than Tottenham’s current line-up – with the former witnessing 31 strikes compared to the latter’s total of 29.

Speaking after the Twente game, Redknapp said:

“People look at us, especially our home record. We’re always dangerous at White Hart Lane and we’ve got players that can cause people problems.

With people like Rafael van der Vaart getting fit and coming back in as well and one or two others coming back from injury hopefully in the near future, we’ve got a good squad of players.

We can cause anybody problems and we’d give anybody a game, for sure. I’m not saying we’re going to win the Champions League but I think that whoever we draw, it’ll be an interesting game.

“Y’know, we’ve got every chance. It’s a great achievement to finish top of what for me was the toughest group of the lot. Werder Bremen are a good team, Twente are tough and Inter Milan as well.”

And you could hardly argue with him on that count. At the time of the draw, Group A looked potentially insurmountable from a Tottenham perspective though, four months later, here we all stand.

Spurs midfielder Wilson Palacios battles for possession against Twente

All-in-all, it’s been a pretty eventful few months for Redknapp and his rag-tag band of have-a-go-heroes (continentally speaking at least), but the Spurs manager sees no reason to temper his attacking tendencies in the ‘last 16′ phase of the tournament – insisting that he will stick with the formula that has served him so well so far and merely ‘have a go’.

Having finished up on top of Group A, Spurs are now certain to avoid big boys Barcelona and Real Madrid in the draw for the last 16, but Redknapp insists that he will not alter his ‘balls-to-the-wall’ approach whomever his side are eventually pitted against:

“It was important to win it because the teams that are going to finish top – the Barcelonas, the Real Madrids – they’ve won their groups.

We attack, we score goals, we go for it in every game. We play with two wide men and look to attack teams at every opportunity. We are open and we look to win. It’s just how we are.”

After seeing their group campaign culminate in yet another high-scoring affair, Spurs have ended the preliminary round having scored an average of three goals in every game.

However, they have also conceded an average of almost two goals per tie, though the statistical lapse doesn’t seem to phase Redknapp, who continued to defend his ‘Hollywood’ style:

“You can’t have it all ways. You either play [attacking football] or you play with one striker. We’ve gone for it, we have a go.

I feel we’ve got to play people who can score and people who can hurt teams and that’s how we’ve approached the games. And, at the end of the day, we’ve finished top of the group.

You can’t say, ‘Well they’ve conceded goals’ as we’ve scored more goals than anybody.

If you want us to shut up shop, we can do that and come away and be difficult to beat and stick five across midfield. But we don’t, we come away and have a go.”

And long may it continue. Nowhere in the current footballing sphere do you get more bang for your buck than at White Hart Lane.

I’m not suggesting for a split-second that Spurs are in any way primed to win this season’s Champions League – far from it – but if, by some freakish miracle they do make it through to Wembley on May 28th, you can rest assured that they’ll have made it through sheer, exhilarating gusto – and to that, I’ll doff my cap.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Word is filtering down from highly-prominent FA sources this morning that Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp is a leading contender to replace incumbent Fabio Capello as England manager when the Italian’s contract expires in 2012 – news which is, at best, another one in the eye for the gods of karmic retribution and, at worst, a harbinger for the impending apocalypse.

According to the FA’s secretary general Alex Horne, Redknapp’s name is almost certain to be on the association’s ‘long list’ of potential successors to Capello as and when it is finally drawn up.

Horne is quoted by all and sundry today as saying:

“Harry Redknapp is a great manager. Tottenham are playing great football and to qualify well for the Champions League (knockout stage) from a position of being fourth favourites in the group is huge testimony to that.

I would expect Harry to make a long list (for the England job). It may not be a very long long list.”

Horne also went on to insist that the FA haven’t yet decided on a policy or any specific criteria with which to identify Capello’s replacement, and remained decidedly non-committal on the issue of whether or not his organisation were prepared to appoint another foreign coach.

“[Capello's] there till 2012 which gives me 18, 19 months to prepare for that process. It is not a policy decision that [potential candidates] would have to be English. It is an absolute preference for certain individuals. It is not yet a board decision.

We thought about this long and hard when we got Fabio Capello. We got the right man for the job and that is what we will do again.  It is not a policy decision that they will definitely be English.

I will be finalising the selection process criteria during the first few months of next year for internal discussion.”

For the record, there are known to be a good number of dissenting voices within the FA’s upper echelons, who are adamant that an Englishman should be sworn into the role in Capello’s wake. What that means for Redknapp’s chances of landing the job is entirely up to you to fathom.

Current England manager Fabio Capello

Redknapp himself has systematically ‘flirted with’ and ‘laughed off’ speculation linking him with the England job for the past several years, speculation that has only been increased by his ongoing rejuvenation of Tottenham into a side capable of retina-searing majesty as well as tear-inducing ineptitude.

Tactically, Redknapp is a non-entity, instead relying on his considerable man-management and motivational skills to galvanise a squad – usually at the expense of any semblance of footballing discipline, a gung-ho approach that pays indubitable dividends just as efficiently as it exposes his lack of malleable nous.

That said, it is perfectly arguable that such convoluted tactical intricacies are a prominent factor in the England national side’s devolution – with players, already rendered cross-eyed by the overwrought marking-systems etc… forced upon them at club level, feeling further shackled by the dour positional doctrines being foisted on them by the current international set-up.

Maybe the emancipation afforded by a more instinctive, creative gestalt would serve to provide the fabled up-turn in footballing fortunes that the nation has now all-but collectively given up on witnessing during our respective lifetimes.

As is his want, I imagine the lure of capping a 27-year managerial career (which is currently somewhat unembellished by tangible success i.e. silverware) with a bout of high-profile international coaching would prove irresistible to Redknapp, as finally being entrusted with the England job would be a kind of ‘ultimate affirmation’ for a man who has consistent been put on the back-foot over his cavalier attitude to tactics/transfers/agents/scruples for the best part of three decades.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News