You’ll find the latest Premier League Transfers (January 2012) listed here. Archives for older transfer seasons are at the end of this page. For the latest transfer rumours and confirmed transfers for other leagues, see our football transfer lists page.

If you find a transfer not listed here let us know and we’ll add it.

Last Updated: 1 February 2012

Arsenal

In: Thierry Henry (loan, New York Red Bulls); Thomas Eisfeld (£600,000, Borussia Dortmund)

Out: Luke Freeman (undisclosed, Stevenage); Vito Mannone (loan, Hull City); Daniel Boateng (loan, Swindon Town); Gavin Hoyte (loan, AFC Wimbledon); Paulo Botelho (loan, Levante); Emmanuel Frimpong (loan, Wolverhampton Wanderers); Sanchez Watt (loan, Crawley Town); Wellington (loan, CD Alcoyano); Sead Hajrovic (loan, Barnet); Rhys Murphy (loan, Preston North End); Ryo Miyachi (loan, Bolton Wanderers)

Aston Villa

In: Enda Stevens (undisclosed, Shamrock Rovers); Robbie Keane (loan, Los Angeles Galaxy)

Out: Nathan Delfouneso (loan, Leicester City); Shane Lowry (undisclosed, Millwall); Fabian Delph (loan, Leeds United); Elliot Parish (undisclosed, Cardiff City)

Blackburn Rovers

In: Anthony Modeste (Bordeaux, loan), Bruno Ribeiro (Grêmio Barueri, free); Marcus Olsson (free, Halmstads BK); Bradley Orr (undisclosed, Queens Park Rangers)

Out: Jason Roberts (undisclosed, Reading); Keith Andrews (free, West Bromwich Albion); Ryan Nelsen (free, Tottenham)

Bolton Wanderers

In: Tim Ream (£2.5m, New York Red Bulls); Ryo Miyachi (Arsenal, loan); Marvin Sordell (£3m, Watford)

Out: Gary Cahill (£7m, Chelsea); Jack Sampson (loan, Southend United)

Chelsea

In: Gary Cahill (£7m, Bolton Wanderers); Kevin de Bruyne (£6.7m, Genk), Patrick Bamford (£1.5m, Nottingham Forest)

Out: Nicolas Anelka (undisclosed, Shanghai Shenhua); Alex (£4.5m, Paris Saint-Germain); Rhys Taylor (loan, Rotherham); Sam Walker (loan, Yeovil); Ben Gordon (loan, Kilmarnock); Patrick van Aanholt (loan, Vitesse Arnhem); Josh McEachran (loan, Swansea City); Gaël Kakuta (loan, Dijon)

Everton

In: Darron Gibson (£500,000, Manchester United); Landon Donovan (loan, Los Angeles Galaxy); Nikica Jelavic (£6m, Rangers); Steven Pienaar (loan, Tottenham)

Out: Diniyar Bilyaletdinov (£5m, Spartak Moscow); Aristote Nsiala (loan, Accrington Stanley); James Wallace (loan, Tranmere Rovers); Louis Saha (free, Tottenham)

Fulham

In: Jack Grimmer (£200,000, Aberdeen); Pavel Pogrebnyak (£3m, VfB Stuttgart); Ryan Williams (undisclosed, Portsmouth)

Out: Alex Kacaniklic (loan, Watford); Bobby Zamora (£6m, Queens Park Rangers)

Liverpool

In: Jordan Ibe (£500,000, Wycombe Wanderers); Danny Ward (undisclosed, Wrexham)

Out: Danny Wilson (loan, Blackpool); Martin Hansen (undisclosed, Viborg FF)

Manchester City

In: David Pizarro (loan, AS Roma)

Out: Nedum Onuoha (£3m, Queens Park Rangers); Ben Mee (undisclosed, Burnley); Kieran Trippier (undisclosed, Burnley); Harry Bunn (loan, Preston North End); Alex Nimely (loan, Coventry City); Chris Chantler (loan, Carlisle United); Wayne Bridge (loan, Sunderland), Frederic Veseli (undisclosed, Manchester United)

Manchester United

In: Frederic Veseli (undisclosed, Manchester City)

Out: Darron Gibson (£500,000, Everton); Daniel Drinkwater (undisclosed, Leicester City); Mame Biram Diouf (£1.5m, Hannover 96); Joshua King (loan, Hull City); Féderico Macheda (loan, Queens Park Rangers); Ravel Morrison (£650,000, West Ham United); Oliver Norwood (loan, Coventry City); Scott Wootton (loan, Nottingham Forest)

Newcastle United

In: Papiss Demba Cissé (£10m, SC Freiburg)

Out: Alan Smith (loan, MK Dons); Philip Airey (loan, Gateshead); James Tavernier (loan, MK Dons)

Norwich City

In: Jonny Howson (£2m, Leeds United); Ryan Bennett (undisclosed, Peterborough United)

Out: George Francomb (loan, Hibernian); Oli Johnson (loan, Oxford); Korey Smith (loan, Barnsley); Chris Martin (loan, Crystal Palace)

Queens Park Rangers

In: Nedum Onuoha (£3m, Manchester City); Taye Taiwo (loan, AC Milan); Féderico Macheda (loan, Manchester United); Samba Diakité (loan, AS Nancy Lorraine); Djibril Cisse (£4m, Lazio); Bobby Zamora (£6m, Fulham)

Out: Matt Connolly (loan, Reading), Bradley Orr (undisclosed, Blackburn Rovers)

Stoke City

In:

Out: Danny Pugh (undisclosed, Leeds United); Florent Cuvelier (loan, Walsall); Ben Marshall (loan, Sheffield Wednesday); Tom Soares (loan, Hibernian); Ryan Brunt (loan, Tranmere Rovers); Matthew Lund (loan, Bristol Rovers); Michael Tonge (loan, Barnsley); Danny Higginbotham (loan, Nottingham Forest); Ben Marshall (undisclosed, Leicester City)

Sunderland

In: Wayne Bridge (loan, Manchester City); Sotiris Kyrgiakos (loan, VfL Wolfsburg)

Out: Trevor Carson (loan, Hull City); Louis Laing (loan, Wycombe Wanderers); Blair Adams (loan, Northampton Town); John Egan (loan, Crystal Palace); Billy Knott (loan, AFC Wimbledon); Jordan Cook (loan, Carlisle United); Ryan Noble (loan, Derby County); Nyron Nosworthy (loan, Watford)

Swansea City

In: Darnel Situ (£250,000, Lens); Josh McEachran (loan, Chelsea); Gylfi Sigurdsson (loan, Hoffenheim); Curtis Obeng (undisclosed, Wrexham)

Out: Vangelis Moras (loan, Cesena); Lee Lucas (loan, Burton Albion)

Tottenham

In: Iago Falqué (undisclosed, Juventus); Ryan Nelsen (free, Blackburn Rovers); Louis Saha (free, Everton)

Out: David Button (loan, Doncaster Rovers); Dean Parrett (loan, Yeovil Town); Andros Townsend (loan, Leeds United); Iago Falqué (loan, Southampton); Harry Kane (loan, Millwall); John Bostock (loan, Sheffield Wednesday); Tom Carroll (loan, Derby County): Sebastien Bassong (loan, Wolverhampton Wanderers); Vedran Corluka (loan, Bayer Leverkusen); Roman Pavlyuchenko (£8m, Lokomotiv Moscow); Steven Pienaar (loan, Everton); Adam Smith (loan, Leeds United)

West Bromwich Albion

In: Scott Allan (£300,000, Dundee United); Keith Andrews (free, Blackburn Rovers); Liam Ridgewell (undisclosed, Birmingham City)

Out: Roman Bednar (free, Blackpool); James Hurst (loan, Chesterfield); Romaine Sawyers (loan, Shrewsbury Town); Lateef Elford-Alliyu (loan, Tranmere Rovers); Chris Wood (loan, Bristol City); Gonzalo Jara (loan, Brighton & Hove Albion); Joe Mattock (loan, Brighton & Hove Albion)

Wigan Athletic

In: Jean Beausejour (undisclosed, Birmingham City)

Out: Daniel Redmond (loan, Hamilton Academical); Nouha Dicko (loan, Blackpool); Jordan Mustoe (loan, Barnet)

Wolverhampton Wanderers

In: Eggert Jonsson (£250,000, Hearts); Emmanuel Frimpong (loan, Arsenal); Sebastien Bassong (loan, Tottenham)

Out: David Davis (loan, Chesterfield); Sam Winnall (loan, Inverness Caledonian Thistle); Jamie Reckord (loan, Scunthorpe United); Sam Vokes (loan, Brighton & Hove Albion); Adlène Guedioura (loan, Nottingham Forest); Matt Doherty (loan, Hibernian); Andy Keogh (undisclosed, Millwall)

Premier League Transfer Archives:

Summer 2006
January 2007
Summer 2007
January 2008
Summer 2008
January 2009
Summer 2009
January 2010
Summer 2010
January 2011
Summer 2011

For the latest transfer rumours and transfer lists for other leagues, see our transfer news section.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Premier League clubs are all set for Boxing Day showdown as 14 teams take to the field on Monday, with the remaining 6 playing on Tuesday. Here’s a look at the choicest fixtures from the next two days and the best betting odds for them.

Stoke City v Aston Villa

Stoke play host to Aston Villa in Sky’s televised match on Boxing Day (7.45pm KO) and the Potters look a terrific punt at 1.91 to maintain their terrific record against the Villans.

The Britannia has not been a happy hunting ground for Villa who have won only four times their in 26 attempts since World war II! Tony Pulis’ men have also won two of the three home meetings between the two sides since they got promoted back to the top flight in 2008, and really should prove too strong for a Villa side who have registered just one win on the road this season.

That victory came against lowly Bolton and shows just how hard they find life away from their own patch.

So given that Stoke have drawn with Chelsea and Man United and beaten Liverpool and Spurs at home this season this encounter should hold no fears for them whatsoever.

I think they are worthy favourites and at the 1.91 on offer with bet365, Betfred and Paddy Power they rate the best bet of the day.

Peter crouch is the type of player who could cause the Villa defence all sorts of problems, and at 6.5 with Paddy Power who looks the value bet to score first and fire Stoke to victory.

Manchester United v Wigan

Manchester United are beginning to bang in the goals again, and I can’t envisage anything other than a goal fest in their match against Wigan at old Trafford.

Bookmakers are not surprisingly offering a best price of just 1.17 about them after impressive victories over QPR and Fulham in their last two games and they simply cannot be opposed.

Victory at Craven Cottage meant that Sir Alex Ferguson’s side have now won all 8 games against bottom-half opposition this season, and they look certainties to make it nine in his one.

With Wayne Rooney back to his very best the Latics are likely to be in for a thrashing, and United’s talisman makes plenty of appeal at 3.75 with bet365 to open the scoring – and the floodgates.

I fancy United to put three or four past Wigan without reply, and you can get decent odds on both outcomes with Boylesports. The Irish firm go a standout 7.5 on 3-0 and are also top priced 10 about a 4-0 mauling.

Liverpool v Blackburn

Liverpool are 1.29 shots to take care of Blackburn in their clash at Anfield, and they really should stroll to victory against the Premiership whipping boys.

Rovers have actually scored more goals than the Reds, but they have also been leaking at an alarming rate and have let in 38 so far this season. Their defending has become horrific, and Kenny Dalglish’s men will surely take advantage and hammer home a comfortable wide margin win.

Luis Suarez has been making the headlines for all the wrong reasons, and the Uruguayan striker will surely be keen to put that right by getting on the score sheet. He is a 4 chance with Paddy Power to let his feet do the talking and score the opener, and that looks a cracking punt.

You can also get 1.67 with Betfred and Boylesports about him netting anytime during the 90 minutes, and that could be better value than backing Liverpool in the outright market at 1.29 if you like to play at odds-on.

Chelsea v Fulham

Chelsea are 1.3 shots to get back on the winning trail and beat Fulham, and if the stats are anything to go by then a comfortable home win looks on the cards.

After looking back to their best, AVB’s men have failed to maintain the momentum in their last two games – drawing  1-1 away at Wigan and Spurs.

However they haven’t lost any of their last 11 matches against the Cottagers, who have managed just four goals on their travels this season and come into this on the back of a 5-0 thrashing at home by Manchester united.

Martin Jol’s side have also failed to score in 11 away games, and simply don’t have enough backbone or fight to pose a threat to Chelsea.

It really should be a case of how many Chelsea win by, and I fancy them to keep a clean sheet in the process. They are even money (2) to do so with bet365 and Paddy Power and that looks a fair price given Fulham’s goal scoring record.

In the first goal scorer Frank Lampard looks worth a punt at a standout 7 with bet365.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Liverpool once again take centre stage this weekend when they play host to Premiership leaders Manchester City at Anfield on Sunday (4pm KO, Live on Sky Sports 1), and they look decent value at 2.63 with bet365 to emerge victorious.

Liverpool v Manchester City

Kenny Dalglish’s side continued their unbeaten run with a good solid performance to beat Chelsea 2-1 at Stamford Bridge last weekend and ran out easy 3-0 winners over the Citizens when the two sides met in this fixture back in April.

It was a tactical triumph for Dalglish at The Bridge, and Craig Bellamy, Maxi Rodriguez and Luis Suarez linked together well and always looked capable of scoring.

There must be a chance however that he will change things around a bit for this one and give Andy Carroll a start given that he netted two in the aforementioned 3-0 win over City. He is an 8.5 shot with Boylesports and Paddy Power to open the scoring and that looks a bit of value as does the 3.5 on offer with Boylesports for him to score anytime in the 90 minutes.

This does look like a game that has goals written all over it, and City are sure to be keen to bounce back from their 2-1 midweek defeat at Napoli in the Champions League where Roberto Mancini admitted they let in “two stupid goals”.

However for the first time this season they looked to run out of ideas when things didn’t go according to plan, and if Liverpool can keep it tight early doors and frustrate them a similar scenario could be on the cards.

Betfred go a standout 1.67 about both teams scoring and that looks a really solid bet for those that like to play odds-on.

Manchester United v Newcastle United

Manchester United have an unbelievable record against Newcastle, so it’s no surprise to see then chalked up at a top priced a top priced 1.4 to beat the magpies and bag another three points to keep the pressure on league leaders City.

The visitors have never won at Old Trafford in the English Premier League, losing 11 of their 17 visits.

It’s a similar story overall, with United having won 13 and lost none of their last 17 matches against Alan Pardew’s side.

Those are ominous stats indeed and makes Sir Alex’s side look a solid bet at the odds on offer despite the fact that the visitors have lost just on of their last 15 matches in the PL.

However for those that don’t like to play odds-on, Wayne Rooney makes plenty of appeal in the goals scorer markets.

He is due a goal and has scored 9 goals in 12 games against the Magpies. Paddy Power go a standout 4.5 about him netting first looks a massive price as does the 1.83 with the same firm about him scoring anytime.

Also, given the fact that Newcastle have scored just two goals and failed to score on five of their last seven visits to Old Trafford backing United to win to nil seems a logical punt.

bet365 and Paddy Power both offer 2.2 about that outcome and that looks a fair in my eyes.

Chelsea v Wolves

Chelsea desperately need a win to get their season back on track, and face the perfect opponents this weekend in the shape of woeful Wolves to do just that and land odds of 1.25.

The Blues may have lost their last two at the Bridge, but Mick McCarthy’s men are in total disarray and look cherry ripe for a thrashing by Andre Villas-Boas’ side.

Wolves 2-1 defeat against Everton last weekend was their fourth loss in six away games and they have scored less on their travels than either Bolton or Blackburn who currently sit in the bottom three.

They have also won just one of their last 10 Premier League matches and face a Chelsea side who will be desperate to give their under pressure manager a much needed boost and three vital points.

Bookmakers understandably make Chelsea worthy long-odds favs but rather than back them at 1.25 I would much rather play them at the 1.67 on offer with Paddy Power in the HT/FT market.

Wolves have only managed to keep one clean sheet in the opening 45 minutes in their last 8 league games, and Chelsea are sure to be quick out of the blocks and piling relentless pressure on the McCarthy’s men.

They also have a whole host of players capable of getting on the score sheet – most notably Drogba, Sturridge and Lampard to name but three.

Drogba looked much more like his old sharp, terrorising self when scoring in their midweek Champions League defeat at Bayer Leverkusen and makes plenty of appeal at the 5 on offer with bet365 to score first and fire his side to a comfortable wide margin win.

I am expecting plenty of goals in this encounter, so AVB’s men to win 3-0 or 4-0 is my idea of the outcome and split stakes on both score lines should hopefully net some decent profit.

The former can be backed at a top priced 8 with Boylesports and Paddy Power, while the latter is a juicy looking 12 shot with Paddy Power.

Arsenal v Fulham

Arsenal are long odds-on at 1.44 to maintain their fantastic run of form by beating Fulham at the Emirates this weekend, and the stats suggest that they will have little difficulty in disposing of their London rivals.

Fulham have never won away against Arsenal in any competition in 25 attempts, losing on 22 occasions, and the have won just one of their last nine PL games against the Gunners.

The Cottagers have also won just three out of 45 Premier League London derbies away from home and none of the last 34 since they beat Tottenham in August 2003.

No surprise then that Arsenal are considered bankers by the bookies to secure another 3 points and continue their ascent up the table.

It really is impossible to envisage anything other than a comfortable victory for Arsene Wenger’s men – particularly given the unbelievable form of Robin van Persie.

The Dutchman has done Arsenal plenty of favours in recent weeks thanks to his goal scoring exploits and has now scored 31 goals in 29 Premier League games in 2011 and seven in his last four appearances at the Emirates.

He has also scored in five of his seven Premier League starts against Fulham, and backing him to score anytime at 1.67 with bet365, Boylesports, Betfred and Paddy Power is arguably better value than backing the Gunners in the outright market.

I certainly wouldn’t want to desert a winning formula by not backing him to net, and also fancy a small punt on him to score first as well at a rather large looking 4 with bet365 and Paddy Power.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Tottenham Hotspur travel across Londonto face Fulham in the Premier League on Sunday, but the Cottagers are not the only familiar face they will encounter. Former boss Martin Jol, faces the task of trying to keep Harry Redknapp’s  free flowing Spurs team in check.

Just over 4 years ago as Spurs faced Getafe in a UEFA Cup tie; news of Martin Jol’s sacking spread like wildfire during the halftime break. The Dutch man, who had led Spurs to their two best finishes in 16 years, was deemed not good enough to take Spurs to the next level.

There is no doubt that this swift and brutal sacking by Chairman Daniel Levy, stalled Tottenham’s progress. Spurs under Jol’s stewardship were one lasagna meal away from the Champions League; instead that honour fell to Arsenal whose dominion over Spurs continued and only seems likely to end this year.

Before Jol took over the helm at Spurs, the North London club had endured over a decade of Premier League mediocrity. The previous incumbents of his position had signed mature or sub standard players in search of the Premier League Pound. Christian Gross, George Graham and Glen Hoddle had built teams which, when compared to their London neighbours, paled into insignificance.

Initially appointed as the right hand man to former French national manager Jacques Santini, Jol took sole charge only 13 games into Santini’s reign. The French man walked away citing personal reasons, but rumours spread it was due to a falling out with then Sporting Director Frank Arnesen, over the signing of Michael Carrick.

Under Jol Spurs ditched the “parking the bus” strategy that had earned them a point against Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea, and instead went in search of attacking football. Through good combinations in midfield and attack Tottenham started to live up to self acclaimed title of a good footballing team.

As manager, Jol built an incredible rapport with the Spurs faithful. His honest post match comments and a touch line confrontation with Arsenal boss, Arsene Wenger, helped win the hearts of the Spurs faithful. The Dutchman’s reputation was further enhanced by strong performances against the top teams, culminating in breakingChelsea’s 16 year jinx over Tottenham.

However, after suffering a mixed start to the 2007-2008 campaign, Levy’s head was turned. The Spurs board actively started sounding out Sevilla manager, Juande Ramos, who on the way to winning the 2007 UEFA Cup, had knocked Spurs out at the Quarter final stage. The writing was on the wall when club secretary John Alexander and Director Paul Kemsley were spotted meeting Ramos at a hotel in Seville.

Jol who has since coached Hamburg and AFC Ajax with some success, will claim not be seeking revenge this Sunday, but he will be determined to remind Spurs that he was the man who laid the foundations from which the current team shines.

The former West Brom and Coventry player has enjoyed a mixed start to his Fulham career. The Cottagers have made good progress in the Europa League; but their Premier League form has been suffering as a result. Fulham have collected 10 points with only 2 wins from the first 10 games.

The biggest issue for Jol is freshening up an ageing squad with relatively little money. Fulham’s best players are now all into their thirties and his big money signing Bryan Ruiz, has only scored one goal for the Cottagers.

Jol’s former club looks likely to have current supremo missing from the touchline on Sunday. Redknapp who didn’t travel to Russia for Tottenham’s Europa League defeat, is still recovering from a minor heart operation. Kevin Bond and Joe Jordan will be at the helm hoping to continue their impressive Premier League form. The north London club has taken 19 points from a possible 21 and is playing some vibrant attacking football.

Spurs were impressive last Sunday at home against QPR last Sunday, and I expect them to keep the same five man midfield behind Emmanuel Adebayor. One player who has come back into the team and has made an immediate difference is Aaron Lennon. The winger gives Spurs a natural balance and is better equipped to cover the rampaging Kyle Walker than Luka Modric.

Spurs enter this game as favourites, but they must be wary of Moussa Dembele’s unpredictability and Clint Dempsey late surges into the box. Tottenham will do well to remember the 4-0 hiding they suffered in the FA Cup at Craven Cottage last season.

Anthony Lombardi regularly contributes to Soccerlens. You can follow him on Twitter @arlombardi.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

The draw for the group stages of this season’s Europa League has thrown up a number of difficult and interesting challenges for England’s representatives, with qualification through to the knock-out stages far from assured. This term it will be up to Tottenham, Fulham, Stoke and Birmingham to do the nation proud, and test their wits against some cultured European opposition.

Tottenham were drawn in Group A, and have been given one opponent on their doorstep, and two on the other side of the continent. Shamrock Rovers, Rubin Kazan and PAOK FC will look to further frustrate Spurs fans after their slow start to the campaign, and will have taken comfort in Harry Redknapp’s men being outplayed and beaten by both Manchester clubs in the space of six days.

The Russians will provide the most difficult opponent, and were unlucky not to make the Champions League; Kurban Berdyev’s side lost out narrowly to Lyon in the qualifiers. The Tsentrainyi Stadion is a hostile environment to enter, and a host of Russian internationals and familiar face Obafemi Martins will make the away tie in particular increasingly difficult. PAOK are not the force of past decades, but, like the Russians will make the away leg uncomfortable. The Irish champions will be sure to put up a fight in the emerald isle, but may find similar treatment to that distributed to Hearts in the qualifying round forthcoming at White Hart Lane.

Stoke have arguably got the most difficult task in front of them, with their fans looking for all inclusive holidays in the far-fetched lands of Israel, Turkey and Ukraine; Maccabi Tel Aviv, Besiktas and Dinamo Kiev lie in wait. Tony Pulis will be happy he has Wilson Palacios and Peter Crouch at his disposal, in what should be a tricky campaign. The Turks have European calibre and experience, and will look to capitalise on Tony Pullis’ outfit’s lack of past action in the continent. Stoke’s direct style of play will be countered by a technically gifted midfield trio of ex-Real Madrid playmaker Guti and Portugal international duo Ricardo Quaresma and Simao Sabrosa.

Kiev are top of the Ukranian Premier League currently have attacking options that could be the downfall of the side from the Britannia, with Andriy Shevchenko and international team-mate Andriy Yarmolenko sure to cause Ryan Shawcorss and company problems. Tel Aviv meanwhile will be the least threatening member of the trio, but the distance to the away leg will ensure a win is not guaranteed.

Fulham have a mixed group comprising Twente, OB Odense and Wisla Krakow. The Dutch side crashed out of the Champions League qualifiers at the hands of Benfica, but have a strong team; despite this a deadline day move saw Bryan Ruiz swap De Grolsch Veste for Craven Cottage, which could be the difference between the sides. OB were unlucky not to make the group stage of the top tournament, as they were eliminated by Spaniards Villarreal, despite winning the first leg. Krakow offer up an unpredictable element, but should not be underestimated as they are Poland’s current champions.

Birmingham may find the going tough especially with a squad depleted after relegation and will most likely focus on their domestic fixtures in an attempt to make it back to the English top flight, rather than a European adventure. Club Brugge and last year’s defeated finalists Braga should be too strong for The Championship side, who will target the fixtures against Slovenian outfit Maribor as winnable games.

The English sides will travel to the four corners of the continent in this year’s group stage, have drawn difficult opponents, and will have to be at the top of their game if they are to progress.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

It’s been a strange summer. Given that last season saw the Premier League’s top teams treat first place like a hot potato, and given that Manchester United’s relatively turgid trudge over the finishing line ahead of a resurgent but technically limited Chelsea, a cautious-bordering-on-paranoid Manchester City and Arsenal’s theatre de l’absurd, one might have expected the world’s richest league to have buzzed with transfer activity.

Alas, the great yawn that is Barcelona’s yearly pursuit of Cesc Fabregas began in earnest way back in May and is still far from over. Like a besotted celebrity mistress, the Catalan club’s desperate overtures – to a player who would certainly count amongst their best subsitutes were he to finally nod a cheeky Hispanic acquiescience – have been systematic, repetitive and very, very public. It has made for excrutiatingly dull reading for neutrals but there simply hasn’t been much else to supplant it.

We could discuss the finer points of FIFA’s new financial fair play regulations and their effect on the spending habits of England’s richest clubs but that’d all be a bit boring for a Premier League season preview, so, in an effort to cut straight to the chase, here is my prediction for the Premier League table with a special focus on The Top Six:

1. Chelsea – No new playmaker to light up last year’s dull-as-dishwater midfield, but a return to the grinding, mechanical victories under Mourinho allied to the subtle and full integration of stars like David Luiz and Ramires.

2. Manchester United – A very close second, but David de Gea cannot be expected to replace Edwin van der Sar, nor can Tom Cleverley replace the vision of Paul Scholes. Ashley Young doesn’t seem to add much to an already strong front line.

3. Manchester City – The squad could compete for the title were Mancini to allow them just a little more freedom going forward. As it stands, they are now consistent enough to displace Arsenal, as they proved last season.

4. Liverpool – I’m basing this on the assumption that Kenny Dalglish is smart enough to know that Charlie Adam and Stewart Downing are great options for Fulham at home, less so for Chelsea away, where they’ll need their Lucases and Meireleses.

5. Arsenal – Didn’t sign any of the players they needed. Even if they keep Cesc, it’s hard to see them mounting a serious title challenge once those frosty December nights in Stoke kick in. A good bet to win one of the cups, though.

6. Tottenham - Fantastic team, not such a great squad. Little was done in the transfer window to boost the depth of the squad. Expect them either to fall away late on or have an inconsistent start.

7. Fulham - Martin Jol has a solid record of turning OK sides into decent ones. Expect the same this time around, though it’ll be a bumpy ride.

8. Stoke - Their consistency, physicality and inhospitable home ground are unchanged under Tony Pulis. They have the right ingredients to finish near the top of the mediocrity once again.

9. Everton – Expect the usual ‘David Moyes has taken them as far as he can’ comments around December, before the usual resurgence before the end of the season hoists them within touching distance of Europe before one or two other teams get their act together and they have to settle for top-half respect.

10. West Brom – Peter Odemwingie not leaving the club is already fantastic news and should ensure a full season (mostly) free of the stress which accompanied Roberto di Matteo’s reign.

11. Bolton – The usual dourness. Fabrice Muamba finally breaking into the England squad and the occasional superman performance from Kevin Davies will be about the most exciting things to happen here.

12. Sunderland – Expect the freebies from United to blend inconspicuously into an infuriatingly inconsistent side. Never a worry for relegation, but will never quite mount a challenge for Europe either.

13. QPR – The three promoted sides all play open, attractive football. QPR look the most likely to adapt to a more robust attitude when the situation requires it and should do quite well.

14. Newcastle – The usual ups and downs. The Alan Pardew era should be one of relative financial restraint, meaning less broken dreams, but perhaps less fun along the way too.

15. Blackburn – Just about strong enough to avoid a last-day battle like last season, but they will teeter.

16. Aston Villa - The loss of their star player, Young, and their star performer, Downing, has not ben offset by investment in a mediocre squad. They could really struggle, with the quality of youngsters like Marc Albrighton being enough to keep them up.

17. Wigan – They’ve lost Charles N’Zogbia and Tom Cleverly, but with Ali Al-Habsi and Hugo Rodallega remaining at either end of the field, they should have just enough to carry on in the Premiership for another year.

18. Wolves – Lucky to have stayed up last year, this time around they will probably be just edged out.

19. Swansea - It’s a fantastic achievement for them to even be here – there will be some great highs but ultimately we can expect another Blackpool here.

20. Norwich – As above, although relegation for a club which has the taste of Premier League football still relatively fresh on its lips might hurt more than for their Welsh companions from the Championship.

Analyzing The Top Six

• 1. Can Arsenal Survive In The Top Four?
• 2. Can Chelsea Topple Manchester United?
• 3. Liverpool Plot Return To Champions League
• 4. Manchester City can’t stop Manchester United or Chelsea
• 5. Are Manchester United Good Enough For The 20th League Title?
• 6. Another Disappointing Season For Tottenham?

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Last week we analysed the first half the 2011/2012 Premier League fixtures list, looking at the key clashes through August to December.

Here we look at the second half of the season and try to pick where the best action is likely to be.

Remember, you can watch the best of the 2011/2012 Premier League season with Sky Sports HD. Click here to find out more.

January 2012

Monday, 2nd January sees the final act of the holiday season fixtures, 10 matches scheduled a mere two days after the 10 for Saturday 31st. Villa’s pain lets up with a home game to Swansea but there’s no respite for Liverpool or Manchester United, who visit Manchester City and Newcastle United respectively. Arsenal and Chelsea are away from home as well.

With a weekend break devoted to FA Cup action, Premier League football returns mid-month with the headline fixture being Aston Villa v Everton and Chelsea v Sunderland (odds on a repeat from last season are astronomical, to say the least).

The third week sees Arsenal host Manchester United – it was a similar game two years ago that more or less decided (ended) Arsenal’s title challenge, and it could be a similarly decisive match this time around as well. Manchester City and Tottenham square off at the Etihad stadium as well.

FA Cup (and rescheduled fixtures) will decidedly take precedence this month, with the final set of fixtures on the 31st, the highlight being Chelsea’s trip to Swansea and United hosting Stoke.

Six To Watch: Manchester City v Liverpool (2nd), Newcastle United v Manchester United (2nd), Aston Villa v Everton (14th), Chelsea v Sunderland (14th), Arsenal v Manchester United (21st), Manchester City v Tottenham (21st).

February 2012

1st February sees Everton and Manchester City square off but all eyes will be firmly on Saturday, 4th February, when the two teams who have shared the last seven Premier League titles square off at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea and United are joined by Liverpool hosting Tottenham in making this a entertaining weekend, which is the second is a series of crucial games for Liverpool. After playing away to Wolves on 31st January, Liverpool host Tottenham on the 4th, play away to Manchester United on the 11th before playing hosts in the Merseyside derby on the 25th. Incidentally, that match is then followed by Arsenal’s visit to Anfield on 3rd March, before Liverpool are on the road to Sunderland the week after.

But while Liverpool at Old Trafford on the 11th of February, Chelsea are away to Everton, Manchester City away to Aston Villa and Arsenal away to Sunderland, while Tottenham host Newcastle. And on the same weekend as the Merseyside derby, we also see the North London derby as Arsenal host Tottenham.

Eight To Watch: Everton v Manchester City (1st), Chelsea v Manchester United (4th), Liverpool v Tottenham (4th), Manchester United v Liverpool (11th), Everton v Chelsea (11th), Aston Villa v Manchester City (11th), Liverpool v Everton (25th), Arsenal v Tottenham (25th).

March 2012

European commitments will start to take their toll on the top sides by March and April. With Liverpool hosting Arsenal on the 3rd, we also have Tottenham hosting Manchester United on the same date. The next weekend sees Everton v Tottenham and Norwich v Wigan as standout matches, while Everton host Arsenal and Manchester City host Chelsea on the 17th. The next two weeks have no ‘massive’ games but several tricky fixtures, with Arsenal v Aston Villa, Chelsea v Tottenham and Aston Villa v Chelsea the standouts.

Eight To Watch: Liverpool v Arsenal (3rd), Tottenham v Manchester United (3rd), Everton v Tottenham (10th), Everton v Arsenal (17th), Manchester City v Chelsea (17th), Arsenal v Aston Villa (24th), Chelsea v Tottenham (24th), Aston Villa v Chelsea (31st).

April 2012

As the jostling for league positions cranks up several gears, April kicks off with a few crackers. Arsenal host Manchester City, there’s a potential relegation 6-pointer between QPR and Swansea, United have an away trip to traditional whipping boys Wigan, Fulham host Chelsea, Chelsea and Manchester United host Newcastle and Aston Villa respectively.

The second half of April sees some crucial title-deciding matches – Arsenal v Chelsea and Manchester City v Manchester United, while Liverpool enjoy a relatively easy month with matches against Aston Villa (home), Blackburn (away), Fulham (home), West Brom (home) and Norwich (away). If Liverpool are going to serious contenders this season, for the champions league or for the title, these are 15 points they should be getting.

Five To Watch: Arsenal v Manchester City (7th), Liverpool v Aston Villa (7th), Manchester United v Aston Villa (14th), Arsenal v Chelsea (21st), Manchester City v Manchester United (28th).

May 2012

The last two gameweeks of the season (plus any rescheduled games thanks to domestic and continental cup commitments) could see the title decided if the contenders keep dropping points as they did last season. Aston Villa host Tottenham on the first weekend but that’s only a precursor to the big one, Liverpool v Chelsea at Anfield. On the same weekend Manchester City are also away to Newcastle United, while Arsenal and Manchester United enjoy home games against Norwich and Swansea respectively.

The final week sees some tough games, with Norwich hosting Aston Villa, Manchester United Reserves Sunderland hosting Manchester United and Swansea hosting Liverpool, while QPR are away to Manchester City and West Brom host the Arsenal.

Five To Watch: Aston Villa v Tottenham (5th), Liverpool v Chelsea (5th), Newcastle United v Manchester City (5th), Everton v Newcastle United (12th), Sunderland v Manchester United (12th).

Disclaimer: Please note that the fixtures are subject to change and Soccerlens is not responsible for any changes that may be made.

Watch Live Premier League Matches On Sky

This season Sky Sports will show 115 live Premier League fixtures with every match available in HD and selected matches in 3D. The confirmed TV listings are till end of November, with a guaranteed 39 live games.

ALL THE CLUBS: Every Barclays Premier League team will be shown live in the first set of Sky Sports HD fixtures with all three newly-promoted clubs shown live at least three times by the end of November.

BIG HEAD-TO-HEADS: Sky Sports will show 11 matches between last year’s top six teams, including Manchester United v Arsenal on August 28 and Manchester United v Chelsea on September 18.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SPECIAL: Sky Sports will offer more than 129 live matches from the UEFA Champions League on Sky Sports HD2, Sky Sports HD4 and via the red button, including live coverage of the final qualifying round in August. Throughout the tournament Sky Sports will show up to 15 live matches per week across the Group Stage including every match on Tuesday nights.

SKY GO: Sky Sports is also available to view via Sky Go, a service that allows Sky TV customers with Sky Sports access across a range of devices at no extra cost. Sky customers will be able to watch live streaming of every Sky Sports channel on laptops, computers, tablet and mobile devices with Sky Go (watch the Sky Go ad).

Get started with Sky Sports Football and watch the best of the 2011/2012 Premier League season in HD.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Watch the best of the 2011/2012 Premier League season with Sky Sports HD.

The 2011/2012 Premier League season kicks off with a bang – a Manchester derby in the FA Community Shield as the curtain raiser for a fast start to the season that sees Arsenal host Liverpool and United host Tottenham and Arsenal – and all of this just in August.

With Manchester United spending upwards of 50m to replace retiring players and to strengthen the squad for a 20th league title, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City are also strengthening their squads to catch up with the Premier League champions. And then you have Arsenal and Tottenham, both teams that are one or two signings (and some luck with injuries) away from a proper title challenge.

Here’s a look at the big league fixtures for the first half of the season and the matches that should be on your must-watch list. Part Two, looking at the second half of the season, can be found here.

August 2011

As teams wrap up their pre-season commitments (as much for commercial reasons as for preparing the players for consistently peak performance across 10 months), the season kicks off with the Premier League champions and the FA Cup winners in the Community Shield clash on 8th August. City have a sedate start to the season after that, with their toughest fixture coming at the end of the month away to Tottenham. City rivals United on the other hand start off with a tricky away trip to West Brom before back to back home games against Tottenham and Arsenal.

Chelsea have a relatively easy start to the season but the same can’t be said for Tottenham, who host Everton and Man City either side of the aforementioned trip to Old Trafford. Arsenal will be cursing the luck of the draw as they kick off with a trip to Newcastle (the scene of THAT 4-4 draw), host Liverpool and then go back up north to play Manchester United.

Six To Watch: Manchester City v Manchester United (8th), Stoke v Chelsea (14th), West Brom v Manchester United (14th), Arsenal v Liverpool (20th), Manchester United v Tottenham (22nd), Manchester United v Arsenal (28th).

September 2011

After a 10 day international break the Premier League is back with Swansea playing away at the Emirates and Chelsea against United’s Sunderland’s defence, but the pick of the first week’s matches is Everton v Aston Villa. The second week sees Manchester United host Chelsea and Tottenham host Liverpool, giving United 3 home games against top-6 opposition in the first 5 matches (the other two are away games).

Five To Watch: QPR v Newcastle (12th), Blackburn v Arsenal (17th), Tottenham v Liverpool (18th), Manchester United v Chelsea (18th), Manchester City v Liverpool (24th)

October 2011

October sees another international break but not before derby fever hits the league, with Everton v Liverpool and Tottenham v Arsenal the headliners of the first weekend.

Arsenal and United continue with their tough starts, United away to Liverpool right after the international break and hosting City the next weekend, while Arsenal, after hosting Sunderland and Stoke are at Stamford Bridge at the end of the month to play Chelsea. United are also away to Everton on the 29th, while QPR play city rivals Fulham, Tottenham and Chelsea all in October.

Seven To Watch: Everton v Liverpool (1st), Tottenham v Arsenal (2nd), Liverpool v Manchester United (15th), Manchester City v Aston Villa (16th), Newcastle v Tottenham (16th), Manchester United v Manchester City (23rd), Chelsea v Arsenal (29th).

November 2011

At this stage of the season, international breaks, early season blues, injuries and European football has started to show its’ effects and you can generally see which teams are NOT going to win the title. Given the number of heavyweight clashes at the start of the season it’s likely that one or more of the top six will be out of the running as early as November, but it doesn’t mean that they can’t recover in time.

Another international break can’t hide the tricky fixtures at the start of November, the highlights being Newcastle v Everton and Fulham v Tottenham, as well a homecoming party for Sunderland’s ex-United players as they visit Old Trafford.

Once the players are back though, club football takes all the focus for the next four months as teams navigate through domestic cup competitions, European competitions and tricky winter ties. Mid November sees Arsenal away to Norwich and United away to Swansea, before Chelsea host Liverpool on the 20th and Tottenham host Aston Villa the day after. The next weekend sees United host Newcastle and Liverpool host Man City.

Five To Watch: Newcastle v Everton (5th), Fulham v Tottenham (6th), Chelsea v Liverpool (20th), Tottenham v Aston Villa (21st), Liverpool v Manchester City (27th).

December 2011

December is heavy on fixtures (a potential 6 per team) and in separating the pretenders from the real title contenders. It’s around this time that Chelsea fell away last year.

The first matchweek sees United, Chelsea and Liverpool away to Villa, Newcastle and Fulham respectively, tough matches that the home teams will go in believing that they can win. It’s London v North again the next weekend as Arsenal host Everton and Chelsea host Man City, alongside QPR’s first trip of the season to Anfield and Stoke v Tottenham.

The second half of December sees Villa v Liverpool, City v Arsenal, Tottenham v Chelsea, Villa v Arsenal (not a good month for Villa) and for the final day of the year, Liverpool v Newcastle, Arsenal v QPR and Chelsea v Aston Villa (amongst others).

Aston Villa, in December, are scheduled to play: Man Utd (home), Bolton (away), Liverpool (home), Arsenal (home), Stoke (away) and Chelsea (away). Two tough away games plus four games against the old top 4. Their season may be decided by the transfer window and the replacements (or lack thereof) for Young and Downing), but if they are to succeed in their targets this season, December will be their sternest test.

Ten To Watch: Aston Villa v Manchester United (3rd), Newcastle v Chelsea (3rd), Arsenal v Everton (10th), Chelsea v Manchester City (10th), Aston Villa v Liverpool (17th), Manchester City v Arsenal (17th), Tottenham v Chelsea (20th), Aston Villa v Arsenal (21st), Liverpool v Newcastle (31st), Chelsea v Aston Villa (31st).

Disclaimer: Please note that the fixtures are subject to change based on domestic and continental cup commitments.

Watch Live Premier League Matches On Sky

This season Sky Sports will show 115 live Premier League fixtures with every match available in HD and selected matches in 3D. The confirmed TV listings are till end of November, with a guaranteed 39 live games.

ALL THE CLUBS: Every Barclays Premier League team will be shown live in the first set of Sky Sports HD fixtures with all three newly-promoted clubs shown live at least three times by the end of November.

BIG HEAD-TO-HEADS: Sky Sports will show 11 matches between last year’s top six teams, including Manchester United v Arsenal on August 28 and Manchester United v Chelsea on September 18.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SPECIAL: Sky Sports will offer more than 129 live matches from the UEFA Champions League on Sky Sports HD2, Sky Sports HD4 and via the red button, including live coverage of the final qualifying round in August. Throughout the tournament Sky Sports will show up to 15 live matches per week across the Group Stage including every match on Tuesday nights.

SKY GO: Sky Sports is also available to view via Sky Go, a service that allows Sky TV customers with Sky Sports access across a range of devices at no extra cost. Sky customers will be able to watch live streaming of every Sky Sports channel on laptops, computers, tablet and mobile devices with Sky Go (watch the Sky Go ad).

Get started with Sky Sports Football and watch the best of the 2011/2012 Premier League season in HD.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Football has always thrown up rivalries, mostly between two or more side’s that inhabit a city. Liverpool and Everton, Manchester United and City, Glasgow Rangers and Celtic all are at loggerheads with each other and are constantly looking for bragging rights in their individual battles. However there are also rivalries between cities, with the north and south of England seemingly having a divide and pride at stake.

In Scotland there is a friendly competition between Edinburgh and Glasgow, not only in sport but in life – but which is Britain’s most successful football city?

Below are the combined trophy hauls of the clubs from each of the major footballing cities in England and Scotland.

England

London

Number of teams: 14 in football league – five currently in Premier League – QPR, Fulham, Spurs, Arsenal and Chelsea
Domestic – League Titles – 19, FA Cups – 29, League Cups – 11, Total – 59
European – Champions League – 0, Europa League – 2 , Cup Winners Cup – 4, Total – 6
Combined – 67 trophies

Manchester

Number of teams: 2 in football league – two currently in Premier League – Manchester United and City
League Titles – 21, FA Cups – 16, League Cups – 6, Total – 43
European – Champions League / European Cup – 3, Europa League / UEFA Cup – 1 , Cup Winners Cup – 2, Total – 6
Combined – 49 trophies

Liverpool

Number of teams: 3 in football league, two currently in Premier League – Liverpool and Everton
League Titles: 27, FA Cups – 12, League Cups – 9, Total -48
European – Champions League / European Cup – 5, Europa League / UEFA Cup – 3 , Cup Winners Cup – 1, Total – 9
Combined – 57 trophies

The tallies show that London is England’s most successful city by number of trophies, with the additional number of teams ensuring dominance over Liverpool and Manchester, who only have two major teams each. The Merseyside city will be keen to exert superiority over it’s Mancunian neighbours, as the teams involved view each other as a local derby and travel insurance is need for away games. Liverpool also can claim to have been the dwelling place of the most top flight league wins, and the most European successes with travel money being splurged by the fans, but is ousted from the top of the list by their lower cup triumphs.

Scotland

Glasgow

Number of teams: 4 in football league, two currently in SPL – Rangers and Celtic
League Titles – 96, Scottish Cups – 68, League Cups – 41, Total – 205
European – Champions League / European Cup – 1, Europa League / UEFA Cup – 0  , Cup Winners Cup – 1, Total – 2
Combined trophies – 207

Edinburgh

Number of teams: 2 in football league, two currently in SPL – Hearts and Hibs
League Titles – 8, Scottish Cups – 9, League Cups – 7, Total – 24
European – Champions League – 0, Europa League – 0 , Cup Winners Cup – 0, Total – 0
Combined trophies – 24

Rangers and Celtic have dominated Scottish football since their inception, and their combined trophy cabinets are bulging at the seams. Their 208 combined victories totally outstrip Hearts and Hibs’ 24, and will be a source of pride for the west coast city.

The duo’s dominance also make Glasgow football most successful city, and with the stranglehold the sides have on the game north of the border, this is unlikely to change anytime soon.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

For the second season in succession, Fulham find themselves in the difficult situation of searching for a new manager through no volition of their own. Little more than eleven months after Roy Hodgson left the club for his ill-fated stint at the helm of Liverpool, Mark Hughes has decided to activate a clause in his contract meaning that he will depart at the end of the month. I think he’s made the wrong decision.

Yes, Fulham’s start to the season was fairly calamitous. Too many draws and not enough wins left the club in the lower reaches of the league at the turn of the year. However, once Hughes had got settled at Craven Cottage, and once their injury stricken strikeforce returned to fitness, their second half of the season was very impressive. 33 points from 20 games is a very good return for any side outside the top 4. Hughes was at the helm of a team who were starting to show that they could regularly challenge for the top eight. Fulham also have European football to look forward to next year. For a man who is still establishing himself in club management, this is a fantastic platform.

Remarkably, Hughes has gone and turned his back on this. So let’s have a look at his options. He has been heavily linked with the post at Aston Villa. I think there are two main issues here. Firstly, I think that Villa would be very dubious about hiring a man who has always got his eye on how to get further up the managerial food chain. Hughes has not shown that he is one to stick around at any club for long, and as managerial stability is crucial to the success of any team, Villa might be discouraged by his track record.

Secondly, I don’t believe that Aston Villa are in a much better position than Fulham. Both clubs will be aiming for the top eight next year, and Fulham have European football on offer. Villa’s star turns, Stewart Downing and Ashley Young, are being linked daily with moves away from Villa Park, and Brad Friedel has already left for pastures new. If Hughes wants to establish himself as a top manager, he could have achieved his aims just as easily at Fulham, keeping the spine of his side together. Besides, who knows if he’s on Villa’s managerial shortlist anyway?

If he’s pinning his hopes on getting the Chelsea job, I think he’s in for a massive disappointment. Roman Abramovich generally likes to appoint big name managers, and if Guus Hiddink is available and interested, I really don’t see Hughes being chosen over him.

Also, Hughes has already had a stint at a club with a huge budget chasing Champions League football, and his record at Manchester City was mixed at best. Results were poor, particularly away from home, and Abramovich would not be happy if his cash were to be frittered on expensive flops such as Jo and Roque Santa Cruz.

Even if Hughes were to get the post, he would have to succeed instantly. Trophies in the first season (and every season after that) are a must, and I doubt he would be able to deliver success quickly enough to avoid Abramovich’s twitchy trigger finger.

One of the strangest things is that it is a colossal gamble he did not need to take. For an up and coming manager, being in a job and being successful is the most likely way to attract attention from a bigger club, which is seemingly Hughes’ aim. At Fulham, he was in the perfect place to do just that. He was putting together a strong side, built on rocks such as Schwarzer and Hangeland. He was at no risk of being sacked, and could have continued to impress and forge a reputation that might attract the interest of the clubs of the ilk he wants to take charge of. Being in the managerial wilderness for any length of time means your managerial stock depreciates, especially for a manager who is not a proven name yet.

I think overambition has got the better of the man. I hope this is not the case, but at this point in time, it looks like Mark Hughes has got this decision wrong.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News