Arsenal have strengthened their defensive ranks by signing Laurent Koscielny from French side Lorient for an undisclosed fee.
The 24-year-old, who joins on a long-term deal, shot to prominence last term as he made 40 appearances for the unfashionable outfit, helping them to a commendable seventh-placed finish in Ligue 1.
Born in France, Koscielny, who has been handed the number six jersey, qualifies for Poland as a result of his family roots and Gunners manager Arsene Wenger is delighted to have him on board.
Speaking to the club's official website, Wenger said:"Koscielny is a central defender with great ability who performed extremely well last season for Lorient.
"We identified him as a very strong centre half, who has made big progress very quickly.
"He has shown he is mentally strong, he's a fighter and a very strong competitor. Koscielny is a great addition to our squad."
Meanwhile, Koscielny has expressed his desire to shine in the Champions League and Premier League after making his big switch.
"I'm very excited to be joining Arsenal. They are one of the biggest teams in Europe with many great players," he said.
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"I'm really looking forward to playing in the English Premier League and the Champions League with my new club.
"Also, in Arsene Wenger, Arsenal has one of the best managers in the world and I can't wait to work with him and do my best for the Arsenal supporters."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
With the new Premier League season just under way and with no new signings to bolster the current front line, Tottenham Hotspur will have to make do with what is already available to them.
The first match against Manchester City showed what a strong force Spurs are when going forward with their frightening wingers Aaron Lennon and Gareth Bale plus Luka Modric heavily involved from central midfield. The fact the Lilywhites did not find was not down to bad finishing but due to an incredible performance from England goalkeeper Joe Hart.
Judging from Saturday’s game it seems Peter Crouch is slightly ahead in the pecking order to start alongside Jermain Defoe, who has an almost guaranteed starting place. But with a long season ahead it is still an open-game, Roman Pavlyuchenko, Robbie Keane and Giovani dos Santos will all feel they have an even chance of winning their place in Spurs’ attack.
Pavlyuchenko and Crouch impressed at different stages of last season. The Russian came from the wilderness to score five league goals since he was given his chance in late February while the England international chipped in with numerous assists and some vital goals, most memorably ‘that goal’ at Eastlands.
Keane and Giovani seemed destined to leave Spurs after both of them were sent out on loan in January but after an impressive pre-season from the pair, they look to have won over Redknapp at the perfect time.
So who does ‘Arry choose?
Peter Crouch
‘Crouchy’ has done a good job in his first season back at White Hart Lane, forcing his way into the starting line-up after some exceptional substitute appearances and with no disrespect, this is when he performs at his best. He is a great impact player who can change a game in the last 20 minutes but the team’s philosophy of quick passing football alters somewhat when he starts. His mere presence often cuts off creative thinking from the Tottenham defence when in possession who will prefer to lump it long to the big man rather than trying to build from the back. He scored eight league goals and made seven assists which helped Spurs finish in the ‘top 4’ which makes many believe “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it” but in football it is a false notion to have. You must be pro-active and read a situation before it unfolds, a goal record like Crouch’s is one that only a player of his style could get away with. Another season with him as a starter will make Spurs incredibly predictable.
Roman Pavlyuchenko
‘Super Pav’ showed true professionalism for giving his all when called upon after many months of being frozen out of the team. Spurs’ number 9 is a good finisher and comes alive in the box but does not have what it takes to play week in, week out. His inability to think quickly combined with his, at times, slack touch and lack of creativity make him unsuitable to compliment Defoe’s style.
Giovani dos Santos
After a dazzling World Cup performance followed by an impressive pre-season, Spurs fans have finally seen what all the fuss was about with whiz kid Giovani . The boy has the ability to become one of the best players in the world and as his boss recently said; “if he gets his head together” there is no reason why he can’t. He is a talent that should be weaned into the line-up; an incredible dribbler, good passer and extremely skillful, he would be ideal to have as a second striker, if not now then definitely in the near future.
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Robbie Keane
And lastly, the forgotten man, Robbie Keane. A Spurs legend until his unsuccessful move to Liverpool in the summer of 2008 and it is clear that many fans still hold a grudge with him because of it. However, the team is a lot more fluent with the Irishman in the team, as he showed at the beginning of last season in the thrashings of Hull (2-5 away) where he made three assists and against Burnley (5-0 home), scoring four. It was those small teams that Tottenham struggled to pick off since Crouch broke into the first team versus Stoke in late October last year. His ability to be a creative force and a goal scorer in addition to his influence and enthusiasm are what make Robbie Keane the most suitable partner for Jermain Defoe
In the wake of the Glazers takeover of Manchester United, many United fans have seemingly reached a crossroads. Should they stay and support their team despite the backlash against the club’s rising debt or should they join the revolution and desert their team in a season that may prove to be a defining one in the future of Manchester United football club.
Much has been said and written on the deepening financial crisis at Manchester United but I want to focus on what the Glazers debt means for the team and its supporters. Firstly, this off-season has seen Sir Alex Ferguson relatively quiet in his transfer dealings so far, spending £18 million on Chris Smalling and Javier Hernandez. Compare this to Ferguson’s previous dealings in the transfer market where he spent upwards of £30 million on Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov and you could make a case for Sir Alex feeling the pinch somewhat this season. Also, Ferguson has yet to see any return on the £80 million paid by Real Madrid for the services of Cristiano Ronaldo.
The reported £700 million debt saddled on the club has severely diminished United’s spending power in the transfer market. With their cross-town rivals spending money like it’s out of fashion, there is a lingering doubt as to whether this current squad of United players can challenge for honours this season.
If United aren’t able to mount a serious challenge in the upcoming season, their already diminishing fanbase will take another substantial hit. To curb the falling number of supporters attending games at Old Trafford, the Glazer family have launched an all-out PR offensive to drum up more ticket sales.
In order to encourage more people to buy season tickets, the club have offered fans a free prize draw incentive if they chose to renew their season tickets before the June 13th deadline. The club then launched an aggressive campaign to shift tickets when they bombarded official website members with emails about season ticket availability, urging fans to take the club up on their deal.
This brazen attempt by the club’s hierarchy to increase attendance at Old Trafford to lessen the club’s debt points to the perils of the commercialisation of football.
The commercialisation of football, although inevitable given the amount of money in the Premier League these days has threatened to suck the very lifeblood out of one of our country’s most famous teams. The Glazer’s reduction of United to a pure business venture is a huge disrespect to the fans that are the heartbeat of each and every one of our football clubs.
The animosity towards the Glazers ownership has caused many supporters to leave the club in droves with the splinter support group MUST (Manchester United Supporters’ Trust) gaining traction in the opposition against the club. So much so that a consortium representing MUST called The Red Knights have been considering putting in an offer to buy the club back from the Glazers and return it to the fans.
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The five years since Malcolm Glazer bought Manchester United have been turbulent to say the least. It has brought its fair share of success on the pitch but increasing turmoil off it. Manchester United fans have been put in an impossible dilemma.
Will you support United despite the Glazers’ ownership? Or have you turned your back on United as a result of it?
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Fabio Capello has confirmed that Wayne Rooney will play in Tuesday's Euro 2012 qualifier between England and Switzerland despite the Manchester United star's much-publicised off-field problems.
The 24-year-old has been the subject of intense scrutiny in his private life and there had been some speculation that he may not even fly to Switzerland. The News of the World and Sunday Mirror alleged he had slept with a prostitute while his wife Coleen was pregnant with their son.
However, Rooney boarded the flight on Monday morning and took part in a training session at St Jakob Park after landing in Switzerland.
"He was really good in training and he will be in a good situation on Tuesday," said Capello. "I hope his performance will be the same as at Wembley (against Bulgaria)."
The England coach will need to make sure his star man is in the right frame of mind though as his side look to build on Friday's 4-0 triumph over Bulgaria.
In total, Capello has 22 men available for the match. He decided not to bring in a replacement for ankle injury victim Michael Dawson as, in Phil Jagielka, Gary Cahill, Matthew Upson and Joleon Lescott, he already has four centre-halves.
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In addition, Watford's Scott Loach has made the journey as third-choice goalkeeper after Scott Carson was forced to withdraw from the squad due to a family bereavement.Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
The popularity of betting on sports events has really taken off in recent years and there are now many websites where you can have a flutter on the footy. Not only can you have a flutter and make an upcoming football match potentially even more exciting, but you can also take advantage of the free betting opportunities that are available that give you a chance to win big without even having to part with your hard-earned cash.
Betting on football is a great way to make sure that you’re glued to the match right up until the final whistle. There’s nothing worse than watching a bore-draw in which you’re not bothered about the result, and you can ensure that this is never the case by having a few quid on the result. You can say goodbye to the days where you used to fall asleep when watching certain footy matches on the TV when there would be more chance of a goal being scored if you were on the pitch yourself and welcome in fascinating footy.
You can bet on a wide range of matches, but the Premier League is where most money is bet. You can choose to go for some accumulators where you need a handful of football results to go your way over the weekend, or you can just bet on a one-off match; perhaps one you’re going to see or are planning to watch on the TV.
One tactic employed by many football fans, especially those who are of a pessimistic nature, is to bet against the team you support. This means that you cannot lose either way, but of course you’ll never be completely happy either. Instead why not back your team all the way so that not only will they go home with three points but you’ll go home with a bit of extra cash in your pocket as well.
Whatever football bets you plan to make, you can claim over three thousand pounds worth of free bets online. With just a couple of clicks of your mouse you can access free credit on a number of betting sites for you to bet with as you wish. With daily and monthly free bets featured on the Internet, you can make sure you don’t miss out on any of the great online deals and get plenty of free betting cash.
The free credit usually comes in the form of matched bets, so the online bookies will match the initial sum of money you bet on their site. This gives you two bites of the cherry if you like, and if your luck was out first time then maybe it will prove to be second time lucky. All you have to do is register on the betting websites featured online and then claim your free bets. You can even check out the latest news to see what matches are being shown on the box, which players are being favoured by the bookmakers to score in the next match and what football specials are available for you to bet on.
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By betting responsibly you can add a great deal of excitement to upcoming football matches. Depending on the bets you make you might find yourself supporting teams you’d never usually want to win on one-off occasions. Just make sure that if you back one of your rivals that you don’t cheer too loudly when the result goes your way and you have a winning bet as a result.
So next time you settle down on the sofa to watch a match from the Premier League on the TV you won’t be relying on the quality of football to entertain you. Instead, you can ensure that the match is exciting even if it’s a 0-0 draw by taking advantage of the free betting opportunities and staking money on the number of corners, yellow cards and much more.
Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp believes money is ruining the motivation of youngsters at top clubs.
Redknapp has spoken out on the state of the game following a turbulent week at Manchester United involving Wayne Rooney.
The England striker signed a new five-year contract on Friday after performing a dramatic U-turn.
The 24-year-old had initially requested to leave Old Trafford in a statement which sent shockwaves through world football.
The role Rooney's advisors played in the saga has been criticised and now Redknapp has had his say on the subject of agents.
"The biggest problem for me is the kids," he told The Mail on Sunday.
"They've all got agents, they've all got long contracts. When I began in the game, then after I became a manager, it was usual for a youngster to be given a one-year contract, at most two.
"At the end of the season, you went to see the manager and you either got a new deal or were released. Nowadays, kids at clubs like Tottenham and elsewhere get four or five-year contracts for crazy money.
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"They get their feet under the table, go and buy a big car and get a nice few grand a week. Where's the incentive for them to practice, work hard or dedicate themselves?
"They're on Easy Street. But they're stuck on long contracts for fear if they do become any good you could lose them. There are the odd ones who have the proper desire, but there is so much wastage."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Going into Sunday’s clash with the champions, Liverpool fans were feeling far from optimistic, and rightly so. The jubilation surrounding the club since the final whistle of an important victory is completely understandable. However, despite a suspicious amount of positivity coming out of Anfield in the last few weeks, there is still a long way to go before the gloom that has plagued England’s most decorated club over the last eighteen months is lifted.
There is a renewed air of optmisim surrounding Anfield since Liverpool fans are now waking up from the nightmare that was Hicks and Gilletts reign of terror, which has also coincided with Liverpool stringing together three consecutive Premier League wins and emerging from the unknown waters of the relegation zone. This must have undoubtedly breathed new life into fans and players alike, though the mess the club was left almost became irrepairable, and there isn’t going to be a quick fix. Liverpool’s rise up the table was in someway inevitable, given the talent at Hodgson’s disposal, and as Fernando Torres is beginning to look more and more like the player we all know he is, it would be a quite spectacular failure for the reds to stay floating around the bottom half of the table.
However, a little perspective is needed. The three wins Liverpool have accumulated in the last three weeks have come against weak Blackburn and Bolton sides, and a very much below par Chelsea lacking that bit of luck champions usually take with them to difficult away games like this. Along with their lack of luck, their starting line up was also lacking Frank Lampard, Michael Essien and Didier Drogba. Despite this, Liverpools first half performance was undeniably the best half of football the reds have seen since Hodgson’s arrival on Merseyside. And a Liverpool team with an on form Torres are capable of beating anybody, and that was proved Sunday with two expertly taken goals. Liverpool’s number nine has now scored six goals in five games against Chelsea, a remarkable record given the gulf in class between the two sides, and the strikers injury problems.
Regardless of the home sides first half display, it was the second half performance that should concern Liverpool fans. It was a reminder of Hodgson’s insistence on giving the opposition an undeserved amount of respect, and was remarkably similar to the manner in which Stoke or Wolves would cling on to a goalless draw at Old Trafford; not the Liverpool way. Although the majority of the nations football fans may see Liverpool fans as being spoilt, it won’t be acceptable for Liverpool to sit back in such timid and fearful fashion, especially given the wealth of attacking talent the squad boasts. With Maxi, Miereles, Gerrard, Torres and Lucas all having their best games in a red shirt for quite some time, it is worrying that much of their best work was done in their own half, instead of going for the jugular at the roaring Kop end, as Liverpool fans are maybe too used to.
Without taking anything away from a great victory, every point that Hodgson’s side earns, will give the wrong man that little bit more time.
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They say Premier League footballers are getting much lazier these days, but against Wolves Chelsea’s Didier Drogba took it to a whole new level. Chelsea have been cruising through their Premier League matches this season and their Ivorian striker decided it was time for a rest and a sit down. Much football news surrounding Drogba has been about his tendency for simulation, but this is a whole new matter. Here are Wolves defenders Jelle van Damme and Stephen Ward helping Drogba to his feet at Stamford Bridge last weekend, but is this the secret to his success?
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This week you can win a copy the new Sir Alex Ferguson biography.
Sir Alex Ferguson is the most controversial and compelling figure in football today. For many he ranks as the greatest manager of all time. He is certainly the most successful. His twenty-five year reign at Manchester United has seen him win every major footballing honour. And then win them again. Award-winning journalist Patrick Barclay has been pitch-side and spoken to all those who know Ferguson best: fellow managers, former players, colleagues and commentators. In Football – Bloody Hell! the game’s biggest living legend is finally laid bare.
Football – Bloody Hell!: the biography of Alex Ferguson is published by Yellow Jersey Press.
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Manchester United ace Wayne Rooney insists that his long-term future lies at Old Trafford, having recently put pen to paper on a new five-year contract after threatening to leave the club.
The 25-year-old England striker has had to live with suggestions that he only signed on to ensure that United would get a good price for him when he quits the Red Devils, but Rooney says that that is not the case.
He told the club's official website:"I read that I've agreed a new deal so that the club can agree a higher price with a different team somewhere down the line, which was a load of rubbish.
"I signed a new deal to stay here for the long-term future with United. I always made it clear I wanted to be at this club.
"I had my concerns and voiced my opinion, but at the end of the day I'm delighted that my long-term future is at United.
"I want to help the young players the way Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville and Paul Scholes have helped me. I want to be here and to continue to make this club successful.
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"I can understand fans' frustrations with the contract negotiations, obviously it happened in the public eye which made it difficult, but at the end of the day the main thing is for myself and the club was that we managed to agree that deal.
"I've signed a new deal to stay here and my long-term future is at United."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Whether or not Owen Coyle’s Bolton side can maintain their push for a Champions League place, the Trotters’ achievements thus far this season are not to be laughed at. They are this season’s surprise packet and their rise up the Premier League table has come as a result of a new footballing philosophy at the Reebok Stadium.
Ex-Bolton Boss Sam Allardyce imbued his players with toughness and a steel that brought Bolton years of success, but his tactics also brought with them complaints from opponents that his team was too ‘dirty’ or not a proper footballing side. I do not mean to belittle Allardyce’s achievements with the club, but if I had to pick between watching Sam’s Bolton or Owen’s Bolton, then it would be a no-brainer.
Bolton are an aesthetically pleasing team this season. Their passing and moving is a joy to watch and their focus on free-flowing attacking football is reaping dividends. That Coyle has managed to impart his own attacking philosophy unto the club in such a short period of time is nothing short of miraculous.
Coyle knows exactly how he wants his team to play and will no doubt be extremely proud of what his team has managed to achieve thus far. The old Bolton tended to focus too much on the physical side of the game. The new Bolton is tough, but they aren’t overly physical. This side is more likely to pass you off the pitch than kick you off the pitch.
Bet on Bolton at 6/1 to draw 1-1 at Manchester City
The atmosphere in Coyle’s dressing room also seems to be significantly more light-hearted than what you might expect in a dressing room patrolled by Sam Allardyce. Coyle has even gone so far as to suggest that the secret behind Bolton’s recent success is a dressing room prank. It turns out the Trotters pass time in the changing rooms with games of rock, paper, scissors. Who’d have thought?
Coyle told the Press that changing room antics like this were indicative of the “great spirit in this group.” He went on to say, “It is clear that the team are enjoying each other’s company, as this shows in their recent results.”
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There’s a real spirit and sense of unity about this Bolton side. Whilst players like Johan Elmander have stuck out this season, it’s their performances as a team that has seen them on their way to success this season. Bolton’s transformation has been remarkable and their style of play should be encouraged and respected.
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