Drop Beckham, Robson urges Capello

Bobby Robson says England coach Fabio Capello must make a stand and drop David Beckham from his starting line-up ahead of their upcoming World Cup qualifying campaign.

With England due to face Andorra on September 6 ahead of a tough meeting with Euro 2008 qualifier nemeses Croatia former England boss Robson says Capello must be more decisive.

“Fabio is meant to lead but the only place we’ve gone so far is round in circles,” Robson said in his Mail on Sunday column.

“It is time for the real Capello to stand up and start dictating to the players and the public exactly what he wants. Then he’ll find people will get behind him.”

Sir Bobby believes there is now little room for Beckham if England, who last week struggled to draw with the Czech Republic in a Wembley friendly, are to unearth a coherent system.

“It means picking vibrant wide players rather than starting with David Beckham when he can’t get forward as he used to. It means banging Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard’s heads together and getting them to play as a unit. Because they can,” Robson insisted.

Only the qualifying group winners automatically qualify for the World Cup finals in South Africa.

That means the Croatians, who did the double over England in the Euro 2008 qualifiers, this time have to be sent packing.

Robson says Capello should have been more decisive in picking his skipper for the Czech encounter.

“The weeks of dithering about who should be England captain summed it up for me. I’m sure the intention was to give everyone a fair chance, but it made him look weak and indecisive.

“Steve McClaren could have told him two years ago that John Terry was the best man for the job.”

Sir Alex Ferguson makes final £25 million bid for Berbatov

Manchester United have made their final bid for the troubled Tottenham Hotspur and Bulgarian striker Dimitar Berbatov.

The bid is said to be ₤25 million which is higher than the previous one of ₤20 million last week but way short of the ₤30 million asked for by Spurs.

The deal could go through seeing that Berbatov has landed himself in deep water by not wanting to play against Sunderland at the weekend as he was not in the best of frames of mind.

Sir Alex would be keen to sign the player by the coming weekend to bolster his squad in view of the fact that his injury list is a long one.

Shevchenko to rejoin AC Milan

Chelsea striker Andriy Shevchenko will rejoin AC Milan subject to a medical, the Premier League club confirmed on Saturday.

Shevchenko has endured a miserable time at Stamford Bridge since his club record 30 million pounds (37 million euros) move from Milan in 2006 and had been repeatedly linked with a return to the San Siro.

Chelsea have been keen to cut their losses for several months and the Ukraine striker, who has scored just nine league goals for the club, is expected to complete an emotional return to Serie A next week.

“I'm happy,” Shevchenko told www.acmilan.com. “I have hoped for a return for a while and yesterday I began to believe that this deal could end well. For me it is as if I've won the Champions League.

“There were some complications, but now that everything is resolved I am really happy.”

A statement on Chelsea's website announced: “Chelsea FC have agreed terms for Andriy Shevchenko to return to AC Milan. Details of the agreement will remain confidential. The move is subject to a successful medical.”

Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani revealed the deal for Shevchenko should be concluded on Monday.

“After a series of frantic phone calls during the day today, we have reached an agreement with Chelsea,” he told Milan Channel.

“Andriy returns to the Rossoneri, tomorrow he will be in Milan, Monday he will undergo a medical, then he will sign a contract and from Tuesday he will be available to Carlo Ancelotti.

“We succeeded in bringing home the player who in the last 50 years has scored the most goals in our shirt.

“President (Silvio) Berlusconi and I am happy, as is our coach and I believe also our players.

“I believe that Milan are the only club in the world to have three European players of the year in our squad.”

Galliani added: “Andriy has returned home and I am happy about it. I am a Milan fan and I am very happy.

“I've spoken to Andriy 48 times in the past three hours…the terms of the agreement are very private.

“Between today and tomorrow Andriy will be at Milan and he will start again his life as a Milan player.

“Andriy made a mistake in leaving and I believe that in the past two years he has realised that this is his home.

“Now he has made his financial sacrifices but at this point the only thing that matters is that he returns to us.”

Chelsea close in on Robinho

Real Madrid are set to accept a bid for Brazilian winger Robinho from Chelsea, it is thought, after Peter Kenyon was spotted in Madrid this morning. According to a report The Daily Mail, the purpose of Kenyon’s trip to Madrid was so that he would finalize a deal for the Brazilian and he has done just that.

Earlier in the summer, Chelsea have had a £20 million offer for Robinho rejected and Real Madrid have made it clear that the player is not for sale. However an improved offer of £25 million is thought to have done the trick.

Robinho is set to join Portuguese duo Deco and Jose Bosingwa as a new arrival at Chelsea this summer, while Pizzaro and Shevchenko are leaving Stamford Bridge on loan deal. The signing of Robinho could be crucial to Chelsea who have reportedly been deprived of the services of Didier Drogba until October due to injury.

Scholes rejects talk of England return

Manchester United veteran midfielder Paul Scholes maintains he will not be making a return to the England side, four years after turning his back on the international game.

Following England's disjointed 2-2 draw at Wembley with the Czech Republic there have been calls in some quarters for the 33-year-old to consider a return to the fold, but Scholes says there is no chance of that, having previously turned down a plea to do so when Steve McClaren was in charge.

“When Steve McClaren was appointed he rang me and asked me to return. He also came down to training and asked if I fancied it,” Scholes told the Manchester Evening News.

“That meant a lot to me, but I don't think I was ever that close that I would have said yes.”

Asked if he would similarly turn down a request, were one to materialise, from McClaren's successor Fabio Capello, Scholes insisted: “Yes. It wasn't about thinking it was too much or I wasn't capable - it was just that when I was playing I was not enjoying it one little bit.”

Since hanging up his Three Lions shirt after the Euro 2004 finals Scholes has shrugged off a serious eye complaint to lift consecutive Premier League titles - he has won eight in all - and scored the goal against Barcelona that took United to last season's Champions League final.

He insisted he still had plenty of hunger at club level.

“I am 34 in November and hope to still be playing when I am 35.

“Anything after that will be a bonus. As long as I still feel I am contributing to United, I will carry on.”

Argentina 3-0 Brazil

The 2008 Olympic football final will be a replay of the 1996 edition, with Nigeria facing Argentina at Beijing’s National Stadium. The Argentinians beat arch rivals Brazil 3-0 in the semi final on Tuesday.

No goals were scored in the first half at Workers Stadium but Argentina made the difference after the break.

Sergio Aguero broke the deadlock after 52nd minute and netted a second goal just six minutes later.

Although initially stunned by the two goals, Brazil did try to do something back but other than a goal disallowed for off-side, Dunga’s men failed to threaten their opponents.

The decider came in the 76th minute when Argentina were given a chance to make it 3-0 from the penalty spot. Captain Juan Roman Riquelme stepped up and struck the ball right through the middle.

Brazil failed to keep their cool and will be missing both Lucas and Thiago Neves for the Bronze Medal match with Belgium. The two players were both sent off in the final phase.

Nigeria 4-1 Belgium

Nigeria are on their way to their second Olympic Gold following a clear 4-1 victory over Belgium in the semi finals on Tuesday.

The Africans needed seventeen minutes to open the score through Olubayo Adefemi and Chinedu Ogbuke Obasi made it 2-0 close to the hour mark.

Ogbuke Obasi went on to net another in the 72nd minute to end all Belgian hopes, and Chibuzor Okonkwo scored Nigeria’s fourth with twelve minutes to go.

The Belgians restored some of their pride with a goal from Laurent Ciman in the 88th minute.

Nigeria will face either Brazil or Argentina in the final. These two South American arch rivals face each other in the second semi final later today.

Real Madrid seem to have problems behind the scenes whilst all is well at Barcelona

I have often wondered just how much input the manager of Real Madrid has when it comes to deciding who he wants to buy for the club and play in his team.

The answer may have been given a few days, much to the annoyance of Ramon Calderon, by the present incumbent, Bernd Schuster.

Bernd Schuster has become pretty good at caused a stir at Real Madrid and he did so again by telling the press that he is the last to know about how the club’s transfer dealings are progressing.

The disgruntled German coach took a swipe at club president Ramon Calderon and sporting director Predrag Mijatovic, having already revealed the lack of communication between the trio on previous occasions.

Schuster said that he was not kept in the loop about the progress of transfer deals, or the lack of it.

“I am the last to find out anything,” he said. “At last I am content because the president has arrived and intends to speak to me and clear things up. We came up with some ideas some time ago that were quite clear. I do not now if they have changed, but it would be good to find out. I am not that bothered as I am used to be being more or less the last to find things out. Everyone else seems to know things before me. It is not great and nor is not being given any answers. I would like to know more.”

The outburst will no doubt see Schuster reprimanded again by Calderon after being reminded on several occasions last season to be more careful about his comments when speaking to the press.

The forty-eight year old German coach has often courted controversy and has a reputation for speaking his mind and not suffering fools gladly. As a player with Barcelona he achieved great things but managed to fall out with the club president and just every coach he played under. His move to Real Madrid was highly controversial due to his Barcelona past.

It seemed likely that he would lose his job as coach when Real were eliminated from last season’s Champions League, but he managed to hang on and took them to their thirty-first La Liga title with a record points haul.

What should have been a great summer with further top names coming to the Bernabau to further their European ambitions has gone a little sour.

The Real coach has grown frustrated by the actions of those above him in the club’s hierarchy after seeing so much energy exerted on the pursuit of Cristiano Ronaldo that he has been virtually unable to add to his squad at all.

As an outsider it is difficult to understand what goes on at Real Madrid. The title was won under Fabio Capello and he was relieved of his duties. It was true that the style adopted by Madrid that season was not the expansive and entertaining football with which Madrid are associated, but the preceding ‘Galacticos’ years had been notable by their lack of success.

Schuster came in, provided a more attacking and entertaining style of play and won the league and even his position it seems is always under threat.

Does Calderon only value success in Europe or is it that he cannot put up with a manager who has his own opinions and wants to play a part in the transfer process?

With Madrid looking something like their best towards the end of last season it would be a shame if the off-field squabbles and problems caused them to ‘take their eye off the ball’.

Their sworn enemies at Barcelona are undergoing a minor revolution under Pep Guardiola and they will be ready to pounce should Madrid show the slightest signs of slipping.

La Liga promises to be fascinating this season as the big two will probably battle it out again. Minor things like disagreements between the manager and the President can have a major knock on effect on the club, the players and the results.

At Barca, Guardiola is very much Laporta’s man. At Madrid, the support for the boss is not so obvious. After winning La Liga for two years in a row after suffering three fruitless seasons it really would be an ‘own goal’ to upset the nature of things at this time.

Schuster knows what he is doing, but he would have hoped to have strengthened his squad more than he has during the summer. He will be blaming those above him for that. That is not a healthy position whereas Guardiola seems to have been given free rein to go out and form his squad.

To an outsider it looks like Madrid are the team who had a poor season by their standards and Barcelona are the ones looking to carry on where they left off. Something is definitely not right.

Ballack out of Germany squad for Belgium friendly

Germany captain Michael Ballack is ruled out of his country's squad for their international friendly against Belgium on Wednesday, the German football federation (DFB) said on Monday.

The Chelsea midfielder had to exit the field in the English Premier League side's 4-0 win over Portsmouth on Sunday and is being treated for a bruise to his left foot, the DFB statement added.

Following the injury, Ballack contacted Germany coach Joachim Loew to say he would not be fit to play in Wednesday's match at Nuremburg.

Werder Bremen midfielder Torsten Frings also ruled himself out of the Belgium fixture, the 31-year-old is suffering from muscular strain after the match between his club and Bielefeld (2-2).

Others on the injury list are Germaine Jones of Schalke 04, suffering from an ankle problem and goalkeeper Rene Adler of Bayer Leverkusen.

Ferdinand to decide on Sunderland move

Anton Ferdinand will reportedly have to make a decision regarding his future today, as West Ham have accepted an offer for the English defender from Sunderland, according to The Independent.

The report mentions that Sunderland have matched West Ham’s £8 million evaluation of the player and will now try to convince the player to accept their terms.

Ferdinand is thought to be unfavoured at Upton Park as West Ham have accepted several offers for the player this summer, but Ferdinand himself is in no mood to leave as he has reportedly turned down the likes of Newcastle.

Sunderland manager, Roy Keane, will hope that the player is willing to join his team as he is without cover in the middle of defence. Keane has tried all summer to bring an additional central defender to The Stadium of Light, but has failed in bids for Manchester United’s Johnny Evans and Tottenham’s Younes Kaboul.

Berbatov pleads with Tottenham to accept Manchester United’s offer

Dimitar Berbatov has reportedly asked Tottenham to allow him to complete his dream move to Old Trafford, after Manchester United’s game against Newcastle United.

Many pundits seem to be convinced that Manchester United’s inability to overcome Newcastle might have been the result of an incapable attack line and Dimitar Berbatov has taken this time to make a public plea.

“I’m now in Tottenham, but no one can disagree with me wanting to follow my dream,” said Berbatov, according to The Times, before adding: “If I had been laughing when I was on the bench, people would say I was an idiot. Eric Cantona never smiled, but I don’t know if anyone ever asked him why he didn’t look happier,” when asked why he looked so gloomy while sitting on the bench during his side’s defeat at the hands of Middlesbrough on Saturday.

Del Piero says that Juventus can definitely compete with Inter Milan

Juventus captain Alessandro de Piero says that Juventus can now compete with the best in Italy if not Europe.

He added that without getting too carried away the Juventus squad has the beating of Inter Milan and the gap in the last year narrowed down considerably.

He also said that the winning of the Serie A was no longer a pipe dream but a reality.

Magical Messi praised as Olympic Brazil test awaits

Players and coaches heaped praise on Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi after he helped defending champions Argentina into a glamour Olympic semi-final against Brazil.

The influential 21-year-old, considered by many to be the best player in the business, was instrumental in helping his side come through a tough test against the Netherlands 2-1 in their quarter-final.

Messi, who almost didn't play here with his club wanting him back in Spain in time for the Champions League third qualifying round matches, scored the first goal and set up the second for Angel di Maria in extra-time.

“He is one of the best football players in the world,” said Argentina coach Sergio Batista.

“The whole team had a great performace in the match. We won the game because of the endeavour of the team.”

Even Dutch coach Foppe De Haan was full of praise, and tipped Argentina to beat Brazil on Tuesday.

“I like Messi, even though he's on the other team,” he said. “When he gets the ball he is unbelievable. Argentina are better than Brazil, they have a modern passing game.”

Like Argentina, Brazil needed extra-time to beat Cameroon 2-0 with Rafael Sobis chipping the goalkeeper to break the deadlock.

Real Madrid's Marcelo made it safe with the second goal four minutes later after leadup work by AC Milan's Ronaldinho and substitute Thiago Neves.

Brazil have won the World Cup five times but have never managed Olympic gold, something they are desperate to put right.

As they work on a plan to shatter Brazil's dreams once again, Argentina plan to consult the legendary Maradona on how best to approach the game.

He arrived in China on Saturday to get behind the team, watching from the VIP box as they beat the Netherlands.

“He came to meet the whole team on Saturday afternoon, he was very kind and cheered everyone up, encouraged everyone, and he told me how to play in this match, like not to make long passes,” said striker Sergio Aguero.

“I'll meet him later to talk about the Brazil game.”

Brazil have now scored 11 goals in four matches and have yet to concede a goal in the Beijing tournament, adding to Argentinian concerns.

In the other semi-final, Nigeria will play surprise package Belgium, who sent European powerhouse Italy packing 3-2.

Belgium played most of the match a man down after defender Thomas Vermaelen was red-carded early but still managed to go through, which pleased captain Maarten Martens.

“The team is always hard working, but also has some very good qualities,” he said.

“Most importantly we all want to achieve something. We won by giving 100 percent. It was really hard but everyone had a lot of belief during the game, even with a player being sent off early on.”

They face a tough task against Nigeria in their semi-final on Tuesday after the African giants proved too good for Ivory Coast, winning 2-0.

In the end it was Nigeria's inherited experience from six Olympics and one gold medal which paid off, and coach Samson Siasia said it was their best performance yet.

“Tactically we were very sound and we took our chances,” he said.

“Every team who has come to the Olympics wants a gold medal, but it is not easy. There are many obstacles but, of course, having come this far we want the gold now.

“The semi-final is going to be very tough, but it is possible.”

Torres gives lacklustre Liverpool a winning start

Liverpool were made to struggle before a late goal from Fernando Torres earned a 1-0 win for Rafael Benitez's team at Sunderland on Saturday.

Torres vowed to help Liverpool win the Premier League after making a vital contribution to Spain's success in the European Championships. And the striker backed up his words with a well-taken winner in the 83rd minute of a game when Sunderland pressed back Liverpool for long periods.

Liverpool were particularly stretched in the opening half, but exerted more pressure after the emergence of Xavi Alonso at the start of the second half.

These are early days, but this was not a performance to persuade neutrals that Liverpool are significantly better than last season.

Sunderland, however, looked a vastly improved side and the early exchanges were certainly encouraging for their manager Roy Keane, who fielded all their significant signings in Teemu Tainio, Steed Malbranque, El-Hadji Diouf and Pascal Chimbonda.

The quartet quickly settled into Keane's system and Diouf, booed throughout by the Liverpool supporters, could even have made a swift breakthrough.

Only five minutes had gone when the Senegal international collected the ball just inside the Liverpool area, but his first touch was poor and gave Sami Hyypia the chance to smother his belated effort.

Kieran Richardson was also allowed space to surge forward five minutes later before powering a shot wide.

Then Daryl Murphy should have done better in the 12th minute when he met Diouf's cross, but directed his header too close to keeper Pepe Reina from only eight yards.

Benitez was anxiously sending out instructions from the touchline with a quarter of an hour. But his words made little impact on the pattern of the match and Diouf again worried Liverpool when his 26th minute shot drifted wide.

Finally, though, Liverpool offered a glimpse of their class when Yossi Benayoun's control took him away from two challenges in the 33rd minute.

The Israeli international could have shot, but chose to set up Steven Gerrard, who uncharacteristically dragged his shot wide.

It typified a low-key first-half from the England international, who found space elusive as Sunderland closed him down quickly in the midfield.

Robbie Keane's Premier League debut for Liverpool was equally quiet before the break as he searched in vain for an understanding with the men around him.

But Keane was at least responsible for Liverpool's best opportunity of the half when his first-time shot went narrowly wide in the 43rd minute.

It was not enough to satisfy Benitez, though, who acted at half-time by sending on Alonso in place of Damien Plessis, who had been anonymous in midfield.

There was an extra urgency in the Liverpool approach and Gerrard adjusted his sight to go close with a 53rd minute effort.

But Liverpool should have been behind just seconds later when Murphy's cross found Diouf, who miscued his shot from only 12 yards.

It was to be Sunderland's last chance for some time as Liverpool began to peg them back in their own half and almost went ahead in the 72nd minute.

Kuyt, another who made little impression on the game, unleashed a shot that deflected off a defender before Gordon made a fine reaction. From the rebound Torres should have scored but Keane accidentally blocked his team-mate's shot.

Keane was taken off soon after but Liverpool kept pressing forward.

Alonso also went close with an ambitious attempt from 10 yards inside his own half before Torres earned Liverpool a victory they scarcely deserved, steering a low shot inside the post after accepting a pass from Gerrard.

Brazil, Argentina face semi-final showdown at Olympics

Tournament favourites Brazil and Argentina set themselves up for a semi-final showdown, while Nigeria will play Belgium after the Olympic men's football tournament quarter-finals were played Saturday.

The two South American powerhouses both needed extra time to remain in the tournament.

Brazil, looking for the first Olympic gold, eventually beat Cameroon 2-0 while Benfica midfielder Angel Di Maria scored in extra time to give defending champions Argentina a 2-1 victory over the Netherlands.

In an all-African derby Nigeria beat Ivory Coast 2-0 and 10-man Belgium sent Italy crashing out 3-2 in a bad-tempered match.

As football celebrates 100 years as an Olympic sport its showcase match is unlikely to be in the final as Argentina and Brazil have shown themselves a class above the rest.

But Brazil, five-time World Cup winners but never Olympic champions, were made to struggle through regulation time against Cameroon before the breakthrough came in the 11th minute of extra time Rafael Sobis chipped the 'keeper to break the deadlock.

Real Madrid's Marcelo made it safe with the second goal four minutes later after leadup work by AC Milan's Ronaldinho and substitute Thiago Neves.

With the legendary Diego Maradona watching from the stands, Barcelona superstar Lionel Messa gave Argentina an early lead against the Netherlands before Otman Bakkal drew the Dutch level 11 minutes before half-time.

Despite numerous chances to kill the game off, the score remained locked at 1-1 until Messi fed a pass through to di Maria in the 15th minute of extra-time and he slipped the ball under goalkeeper Kenneth Vermeer.

Belgium played most of their match against Italy a man down after defender Thomas Vermaelen was red-carded early but still managed to secure a 3-2 win.

Both of Italy's goals came from penalties as their opponents scrapped throughout the clash that also featured three yellow cards.

Italy did not concede a goal in the group stages but suffered defensive lapses in their first knockout match.

Villareal forward Guiseppe Rossi converted the penalty to put the Italians up 1-0 when Vermaelen was given his marching orders.

Belgium struck back when Italian midfielder Luca Cagarini had the misfortune to have a foot behind the line when he cleared a header from Moussa Dembele.

Mirallas then gave the Belgians an unlikely 2-1 lead with a goal seconds before halftime.

Rossi equalised with a penalty in the 74th minute and when the match appeared to be heading into extra time Demble scored the winner for Belgium.

Nigeria's 2-0 win over Ivory Coast was achieved from a first half goal by Peter Odemwingie and a penalty in the second half by Victor Obinna.

It was a fast-paced affair with both sides willing to attack at every opportunity but with a definite lack of finesse

In the end it was Nigeria's inherited experience from six Olympics and one gold medal which paid off against the Olympic newcomers.

Mourinho backs Liverpool for shot at title

Former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho believes Liverpool could be serious title challengers this season.

The new Inter Milan coach said Rafael Benitez has assembled a team which can now push Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal further in the title race.

“It is time for Liverpool to make their move in the Premier League,” Mourinho wrote in his column in the Daily Telegraph on Saturday.

“I honestly believe this could be Liverpool's year.

“Rafa Benitez arrived in England at the same time as I did and is beginning his fifth year at the club.

“It has been the same group of players and the same management structure for the past four years.

“Weaknesses are exposed in that time frame and dealt with.

“It is impossible to win the championship without a world-class goalkeeper and a world-class striker - and Liverpool have both.

“Last season, when the club bought Fernando Torres, the spine of the team was completed: Pepe Reina, Jamie Carragher, Steven Gerrard and Torres.”

Scolari is another Mourinho, says Terry

Chelsea skipper John Terry has hailed new manager Luiz Felipe Scolari as the man to emulate former boss Jose Mourinho at the Premier League club.

The Brazilian replaces Avram Grant who was sacked after the team missed out on the Premier League and Champions League titles to Manchester United.

And Terry believes Scolari is the right man to lead the Blues' challenge and follow in the footsteps of Mourinho who lead the club to two league titles.

The 27-year-old told the Daily Mail: “A top manager will always make a difference. And we've got a top manager again. A World Cup winner and a great football man.

“Tactically he is very aware and when he talks everyone listens. He has that aura about him.

“He doesn't speak very often but when he does he gets the attention of everyone. We needed that.

“He also has that fear factor. We haven't really seen that side of him yet but I'm sure we will.

“And when he occasionally raises his voice you think 'oh, there it is'.

“He also likes to have a joke and a laugh. He has that charisma Mourinho had.”

LA Galaxy set to name Arena as new coach

Former US national team coach Bruce Arena is set to be named the new head coach of the Los Angeles Galaxy, ESPN reported on Friday.

Arena met Thursday with Galaxy team owner Tim Leiweke, who recently called him the best candidate for the job, ESPN said.

The report also stated that Arena will bring in former Chicago Fire coach Dave Sarachan to be his top assistant.

It would be the third tenure in MLS for Arena, who resigned as coach of the New York Red Bulls in November after they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs for the second time in as many seasons.

Nothing is official but if the deal does going through Arena would replace Ruud Gullit who resigned earlier in the week.

After Gullit left, the Galaxy immediately fired GM Alexi Lalas.

The Galaxy are struggling at 6-8-6 this season and are winless in their last eight matches.

Park Ji-Sung expects United to chase the treble

South Korea winger Park Ji-Sung has warned the Premier League that Manchester United are confident of improving on last season's double triumph.

Park, 27, returned from a long spell on the sidelines to play a key role in United's Premier League and Champions League success last season.

Despite being linked strongly with the Tottenham striker Dimitar Berbatov, United have not made any close-season signings ahead of Sunday's Premier League opener against Newcastle at Old Trafford.

But Park believes that the fact that United manager Sir Alex Ferguson kept Cristiano Ronaldo out of Real Madrid's clutches is ominous for their rivals.

He said: “We missed out on the FA Cup final last season so this time we will try to win every trophy.

“We have the ability so we will try to develop and achieve even better results than we did last season.

“I believe we can do it because even though we have no new signings, we haven't lost any players either, which is the most important thing.”

Ferguson revealed he is pleased with the progress being made by Ronaldo in his return from a foot problem.

“He's doing very well. He's well ahead of schedule and the specialists were surprised with the condition that he's in,” Ferguson said.

“For the next three weeks he'll be on rehabilitation, then endurance work and serious running before he goes into the football side with us.”

Ferguson is predicting an entertaining encounter against Kevin Keegan's side as United start their title defence.

He added: “The new additions don't really matter because we know Kevin's style. Kevin always has a go and that's a great quality the lad's got and I think we'll find that on Sunday.”

Wayne Rooney is set to feature after a virus and Ferguson faces a dilemma over whether to use Wes Brown or Gary Neville at right-back.

Newcastle's new signing Fabricio Coloccini insists he can shackle his close friend Carlos Tevez as he looks forward to a baptism of fire at Old Trafford.

The 10 million pounds (12.6 million euros) defender is desperate to embark on his Premier League career after signing a five-year contract to seal a protracted move from Spanish side Deportivo La Coruna.

Despite not having figured in pre-season, Coloccini has told Keegan he is happy to be thrown in at the deep end.

And he claims his inside knowledge on fellow Argentina international Tevez will prove invaluable as his new club aims to pull off a huge opening weekend shock against Ferguson's European Champions.

He said: “I'm looking forward to the United match, I'm fit and ready to play and hopefully can make a real difference to the team. I can't wait to get started.

“I know Carlos very well and I know the way that he plays. I'm looking forward to trying to put one over on him on Sunday, it's an exciting prospect.

“For me personally I don't consider it a risk playing at Old Trafford because I've got to play my first match somewhere so why not Sunday?”

A calf injury rules out England striker Michael Owen, with Nigeria forward Obafemi Martins a doubt as well.

Jonas Gutierrez, another pre-season arrival, is also in line for his Newcastle debut after the Argentine international finally received clearance on his transfer from Real Mallorca.

The transfer circus continues: Lampard, Berbatov, Ronaldo, Arshavin and more

Since early afternoon, the Blues had lured the football world in to thinking something of true historical importance was about to come out of Stamford Bridge . A world record signing? Abramovich stepping down? Mourinho returning? Anything appeared possible. After all, Chelsea promised the world’s media a “major announcement”.

Cue the flashing yellow ‘Breaking News’ bar on Sky Sports News, the headline story position on the BBC’s website and the inundation of comments on Chelsea fans’ forums good and bad. The common consensus was that a new player had been signed discretely, away from the all-knowing glaze of Fleet Street. If that was the case, you had to hand in to the boys in SW6 for a cloak and dagger business transaction of MI5 proportions.

Was it Kaka? Robinho? Arshavin? Even Berbatov? The mystery intensified.

So the new signing (of sorts) was… Frank Lampard. The same Frank Lampard that has already played 247 games for Chelsea. The same Frank Lampard that scored for them in the Champions League Final three months ago. And the same Frank Lampard that new Blues boss Luiz Felipe Scolari said would be playing at Stamford Bridge this season only a few weeks ago.

For Chelsea fans, the news that their free-scoring midfielder had signed a five-year deal, all but ensuring he will finish his career in a blue shirt, was the best thing they had heard all summer. But for everyone else, just a case of ‘so what’. Not for a minute am I belittling Lampard’s worth to Chelsea - bar John Terry, he is the side’s most influential character. His goals, passing ability and stamina can motor the Blues to a title win this season.

But this wasn’t the “major announcement” the football world outside of west London had been expecting. More specifically, it wasn’t the news we wanted. We yearned for excitement, like the day Cantona signed for Manchester United, Shearer returned home to Newcastle or Spurs landed Villa and Ardiles. We wanted the kind of world shattering capture we are used to from Chelsea, like a Gullit or a Zola. Instead we got pictures from the club’s official TV channel, featuring a grinning Peter Kenyon and cliché packed Lampard spouting the usual ‘Chelsea through and through’, ‘just pleased to get in sorted’ type stuff.

Summer 2008 will be remembered more for the transfer deals that failed, more than the ones that were concluded.

Cristiano Ronaldo was widely expected to be the biggest move of the transfer window, with speculation beginning as far back as last year that the Portuguese star was off to Real Madrid. The Spaniards made public their desire to sign him this close season, much to Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United’s distain. The player made his feelings on the subject known, telling a Portuguese newspaper in June that a move to the Bernabeu would be “a dream” 32. English newspaper back page headlines later this summer and Ronaldo’s going nowhere. Real Madrid have found that money can’t buy anything, not in 2008 at least.

We also had the on-going Gareth Barry Villa-to-Liverpool saga, which had all the intrigue of a badly written soap. The Reds flashed their seductive Champions League flesh in front of Barry, who decided he fancied a bit of European action. He made his feelings for Liverpool known, hurting those around him (manager and fans). After one almighty tiff and a spell in the dog house (or should that be reserves), Villa and Barry kissed and made up, leaving everyone to wonder why they tuned in to watch this crap in the first place.

Spain proved much better viewing back in June, when they deservedly won Euro 2008. With England absent from the tournament, Premiership fans turned their attentions to identifying talent they wanted at their club this season. Top of most people’s list was the Valencia front man David Villa. Having finished tournament top scorer and shining throughout, it seemed quite a few managers wanted him too. On June 4th, Arsenal and Tottenham became the first clubs to be linked with his signing. The Daily Telegraph reported the north Londoners were about to battle it out for services, with Valencia holding out for a £17m bid. On the 11th June, the Daily Mirror said he was off to Barcelona, a day later the same paper changed its mind - he was Chelsea’s for £25m. Liverpool, Real Madrid and Manchester United all subsequently all got mentioned as potential suitors. But it looks like Euro 2008’s best player will just stay put.

Likely the second best player will stay with his current employers too. Andrei Arshavin capped a great season with Zenit St Petersberg, by dazzling the European Championships and Holland especially with a string of great performances. Before Euro 2008 had even kicked off, Manchester City were said to be on the brink of signing him for £12m. Newcastle was his next supposed destination, when the Daily Mirror linked the Russian with a move to Tyneside. On 22 June, Arsenal emerged as new favourites for him, three days later it was Chelsea and then Barcelona. The Nou Camp appeared his favoured option, with Arshavin quoted on June 25 as saying “I have supported Barcelona all my life. Barcelona are my dream”. But when that deal when dry, Andrei looked in his heart and discovered another club he had affections for.

Seems White Hart Lane was more to the Russian’s likings. “When Tottenham made their offer I was sceptical at first,” Arshavin told the Mirror on August 8.”But after Ramos called me personally and told me that that they were selling Robbie Keane and that he wanted me in his side, the situation changed,” he continued. “When a coach shows an interest in you, especially such a renowned and strong coach, then that is already half of the success of any move. I also like the way Tottenham play, so I’ve agreed in principle to join.” Zenit St Petersburg didn’t agree with Arshavin’s travel arrangements. They told Spurs to stump up £27m or forget signing their star man and kindly reminded the player of his forthcoming commitments in the Russian Premier League.

If Zenit are good at playing hard ball, so are Tottenham Hotspur. That’s why we’ve had to endure months and months of hearing about Dimitar Berbatov, to the point where we’ve developed bigger frowns that the Bulgarian. His move to Manchester United should finally be completed before the start of the Premiership season, with football fans worldwide rejoicing with the shared comment of ‘about bloody time’. ‘United signing a £27m world class striker,’ would sounded like a fascinating headline back in June, but not any more. And note to United - don’t do a Chelsea and pretend that you have made an amazing mystery signing on Friday. Because even Dimitar Berbatov knew months ago that you wanted to sign him.

One of the biggest bits of business West Ham United have concluded this summer cost £6m. But in true May-August 2008 fashion, they haven’t lured a top class international to Upton Park. They haven’t even renewed a player’s contract. £6m has been spent to buy out the contract of Freddie Ljungberg, to get him off the club’s books. The simple fact is West Ham can barely afford his £80k a week wage bill, let alone his terrible midfield showings last season, which were more wafer-thin than an IKEA wardrobe.

Talking of West Ham, Bobby Zamora has been sold to Fulham. The west Londoners have also signed Andy Johnson for £12m. Luke Young has moved from Middlesbrough to Aston Villa and Sunderland have signed El-Hadji Diouf… fallen asleep yet?

Of the few signings to generally arouse excitement this summer, we can look at Tottenham’s captures of Luka Modric, Giovanni dos Santos, David Bentley and Huerelho Gomes for inspiration. Also to Villa’s excellent purchase of Carlos Cuellar from Rangers, Deco’s move from Barcelona to Chelsea and Fabricio Coloccini’s arrival at Newcastle, for his hair style if nothing else. Jo should prove to be pretty handy for Manchester City and the prospects of watching Robbie Keane team up with Fernando Torres are pretty tasty.

Apart from that, shame on you Premiership clubs. You’ve served up one of the most boring and tedious transfer windows ever.

Woopie-doo, we’ve just got Tal Ben Haim on a free transfer. Yeeeeees, Anthony Gardner on loan from Spurs.

How could you even begin to make us feel like that.

Worse still, the transfers that could have been interesting - Berbatov to United, Barry to Liverpool. Ronaldo to Real Madrid…. Now we just don’t care.

Last one out turn off the lights. And more importantly, shut that damn window.

Argentina´s Coloccini signs for Newcastle

Argentina defender Fabricio Coloccini has signed for English Premiership club Newcastle on a five-year contract, media reports said Friday.

The transfer fee paid by Spanish first division club Deportivo La Coruna for the 26-year-old was not revealed however.

Coloccini has experience at big clubs, having first started out at Argentine club Boca Juniors 10 years ago before joining Italian giants AC Milan in 1999.

However he made just one appearance for the San Siro side and spent the rest of his five years with the Italians on loan at San Lorenzo, Alaves, Atletico Madrid and Villarreal before moving on to Deportivo in 2004.

Coloccini was part of the Argentina Under-20 side that won the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship as well as the 2004 Olympic gold medal-winning team alongside Javier Mascherano and Carlos Tevez.

He also appeared in the 2006 World Cup and was part of the side that went down to two late Michael Owen goals in the 3-2 friendly defeat by England in November 2005.

Tottenham interested in Kanoute

Sevilla striker Frederic Kanoute has been linked to a Tottenham Hotspur return by English newspaper Daily Mail.

The French born Malian represented the Spurs from 2003 to 2005, before joining Spanish side Sevilla. In Andalusia, he worked with Juande Ramos who would late take the reigns in London.

Kanoute could replace Bulgarian Dimitar Berbatov, who appears to be on his way out at White Hart Lane.

Freddie Ljungberg targeted in Italy

Former Arsenal and West Ham United midfielder Freddie Ljungberg could be on his way to Italy.

This is according to the Swedish international’s agent, fellow Swede, Klas Elefalk.

Elefalk revealed yesterday that he had been receiving calls every day about the availability of Ljungberg from interested Serie A sides that are very keen to buy him.

Elefalk added that there were at least five clubs who, at this stage, appeared extremely keen.

Barcelona make short work of poor Krakow

Barcelona, who have gone two seasons without a trophy, began their planned comeback in style by disposing of Wisla Krakow 4-0 Wednesday in their Champions League third qualifying round tie.

The team of new coach Josep Guardiola put the Polish team under pressure from the start, and the club's star striker Samuel Eto'o of Cameroon opened the scoring in the 18th minute.

Guardiola was again justified in reversing his decision in June to dispense with the Cameroonian when Eto'o doubled his tally in the 83rd minute.

The Catalan team picked up a second goal through Xavi Hernandez from a long-range kick in the 25th minute.

French striker Thierry Henry, who had not found the net once in the pre-season friendlies, got a confidence boost by scoring the third in the 50th minute.

Qualification for the group stages of football's richest and most prestigious club competition should be a formality for Barca following the second leg of the tie in Poland in a fortnight.

Juventus thrash Artmedia on European return

Juventus made a confident return to European action here on Wednesday, thrashing Slovak champions Artmedia Bratislava 4-0 in the first leg of their Champions League third qualifying round tie.

Mauro Camoranesi, Alessandro Del Piero, Giorgio Chiellini and Nicola Legrottaglie scored as the Turin giants ended a two-year absence from the competition they won in 1985 and 1996 after having earned promotion back to the top flight following relegation in 2006 for match-fixing and finishing third in Serie A last season to qualify.

“Scoring four goals was important, it was a European return, the lads cared about it, they played a good match,” Juventus coach Claudio Ranieri told Rai television.

They showed no signs of being rusty from the time away from Europe and Italy midfielder Camoranesi rifled home a loose ball in only the seventh minute after Zdenek Grygera's run in the box.

French striker David Trezeguet almost scored 10 minutes later when he slid in to direct a deflected Cristian Molinaro cross just past the near post.

Captain Del Piero doubled the advantage in style in the 26th, finding the net with a powerful right-footed shot from outside the area.

Juventus kept up the pressure and Vincenzo Iaquinta should have scored in the 33rd after Del Piero put him through on goal, but a moment of hesitancy allowed the Slovak defence to clear the danger.

Defender Chiellini, another Italy international, leaped high to head a Camoranesi freekick past oncoming Artmedia keeper Lubos Kamenár and make it 3-0 six minutes before half-time.

Denmark midfielder Christian Poulsen, making his competitive debut for Juventus after moving from Sevilla, forced a good one-handed save from Kamenar with a powerful shot just after the break and Del Piero fired just over the bar from a distance.

The visitors had their only serious chance in the 55th minute when substitute Branislav Obzera sprinted into the area, but Juventus keeper Gianluigi Buffon blocked the danger.

The action was soon at the other end again and Iaquinta hit the post with a low drive in the 62nd.

Defender Legrottaglie headed home in the closing stages to complete the rout and make the August 27 return leg in Bratislava a formality.

Nevertheless, Ranieri remains wary.

“We'll have to be focused when we go there because this team scored five goals against Celtic (in a preliminary round match in 2005),” he said. “We should remember this.”

Ranieri also praised Del Piero, Serie A's top scorer last season with 21 goals.

“Alessandro is going through a really great spell,” he said. “Last year he could not do the (pre-season) preparation so he suffered a lot. Instead (this year), I'm not saying he's 100 percent ready because no one is, but he's in good shape.”

Juventus will be especially pleased with the result as they went into the game without injured Croatia defender Dario Knezevic and midfielders Marco Marchionni and Cristiano Zanetti, both out for a month with thigh muscle problems.

Coach Claudio Ranieri was also unable to field Czech midfielder Pavel Nedved, who was suspended after being sent off in Juve's last Champions League game, a goalless draw with Arsenal that saw them go out 2-0 on aggregate at the quarter-final stage of the competition in April 2006.

Benitez sigh of footballing relief as Liverpool hang on

Liverpool can look forward to qualifying for the money-spinning group stages of the Champions League but it was a close-run thing after their exploits in Belgium.

Wednesday night's 0-0 draw at Standard Liege was thanks to an early missed penalty by Liege and then what looked like a goal minutes before not being given when it looked as though the ball had crossed the line.

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez admitted they could easily have let in a number of goals and that 0-0 was not a bad result in this third qualifying round, first leg tie.

“We were not surprised by the fine performance of the Liege side, we had seen enough of them to know they were a good, aggressive side,” Benitez said.

“The real surprise for me was the way Liverpool played. The only positive to take from the match was the fact that we did not concede a goal.

“We will have to be a lot better in the second leg at Anfield, much better.

“We have been playing well in pre-season, looking confident and passing the ball well.

“But we did not do any of those things. I did not want to bring Steven Gerrard on because the doctors had told me he was not fit enough to start the match.

“We waited until well into the second-half before using him, but we were not controlling the game and I had to bring him on.”

Key play Steven Gerrard did not start the match on doctors orders and when he came on late on did not look to be playing at his usual high standard.

Benitez added: “This game was far more difficult than we expected. And Jose Reina was the man of the match.”

He was delighted with keeper Reina who saved the penalty and had a good match.

Benitez said: “We know we can always rely on Pepe to stop penalties, but we have been told that the other effort may have been behind the line, but these things happen.”

Liege coach Laszlo Boloni said of the match: “Liverpool maybe came here asleep and not expecting this sort of game.

“Maybe, though, we have woken them up for the second-leg, which will me much harder for us.

“We felt that if we did not lose this first-leg, we would still be in with a chance. We know, though, that we still have to score and that could be the problem.

“But I want to praise my team. They attacked Liverpool from the start, and when their goalkeeper pulled the ball back from behind the line, maybe the referee was asleep too.”

Lilian Thuram - one of the greats

With one thing and another it hasn’t been possible until now to pay tribute to the career of one of the greatest defenders ever to grace our game. Former France defender Lilian Thuram has brought his illustrious playing career to an end after being diagnosed with a heart condition.

He has been an unsung hero for many years and as a defender hasn’t had the same type of adulation and praise that is afforded to the likes of Thierry Henry and Zinedine Zidane, although his contribution has been at least equally as important.

The thirty-six year old right back or centre half had been set to return to France to sign for Paris St Germain, so that he could end his career in his own country. He had struggled to maintain a regular first team place at Barcelona since he moved their 2006 and was looking forward to a few more years at senior level with PSG. He talked about wanting to be the Paolo Maldini of Paris Saint Germain.

Unfortunately for Thuram the move fell through after doctors diagnosed that he had a heart problem. Thuram’s brother had tragically died from a cardiac condition and whilst making the decision to retire was a difficult one, he found himself with little choice.

“It is difficult for me to continue. I would have liked to sign with PSG but I prefer not to take risks,” he said. “It’s sad to end a career like this.”

Lilian Thuram has been one of the most successful footballers in the history of the game. He has won trophies with four clubs in three countries and has won two international tournaments with his country. He was named as one of the top one hundred and twenty five living footballers by Pele in 2004 and in 2006, at the age of thirty-four, he was named in the FIFPro world XI.

Along with Paulo Maldini, the man who Thuram had wanted to emulate, and Fabio Cannavaro, he is certainly one of the best defenders to ever grace the game. His ability to read the game, his positional sense and his ability on the ball set him apart from most defenders. Add to that his pace, his ability to tackle and a real ability in the air, despite standing at under six feet and you had almost the perfect defender.

In club football Thuram won the French Cup with Monaco, the Uefa Cup, the Italian Cup and the Italian Super Cup with Parma, the Italian Super Cup and Serie A four times with Juventus (although two of those titles were stripped from them) and the Spanish Super Cup with Barcelona.

He is a veteran of well over six hundred senior appearances at the highest level and is renowned for achieving a level of consistency rarely seen from any player.

However, it is for his exploits as an international footballer that Thuram’s career will be best remembered. He made one hundred and forty two appearances for France, scoring just two goals. That number of appearances makes him France’s most capped player ever. He is some twenty-six caps ahead of his nearest challenger.

In Euro 2008 he became the player to have made the most appearances in Uefa European Championship finals with an astonishing sixteen games.

In the European Championships he reached the semi-finals once in 1996 and then famously won the tournament in 2000. At the end of that tournament he was selected in the all star representative side which contained seven of the French side.

Even greater than his achievements in the Euros, Thuram has been the losing finalist in the World Cup once in 2006 and the winner when the tournament was held in France in 1998.

The only two international goals he has ever scored came in the 1998 World Cup semi-final when France came back from 1-0 down to defeat Croatia 2-1. Not a bad time to break your duck!

At the end of that tournament Thuram was awarded the Bronze Ball as the third most valuable player in the tournament and selected as one of only four French players in the all star representative side. He was also named in the all-star team from the 2006 World Cup.

Thuram had already announced his retirement from the International stage after a disappointing Euro 2008 for France and for him personally.

It is a shame that the shambles that was France in that tournament was the last we will see of Lilian Thuram on the pitch, but that disaster cannot take away from the quite wonderful career the player from the French West Indies has had.

I hope Thuram stays in football because he is someone that should not be lost from the game.

Man Utd close in on Berbatov

Dimitar Berbatov's long-anticipated move from Tottenham to Manchester United could be completed in time for the Bulgarian striker to make his debut for the English champions on Saturday.

Reports in the British press on Wednesday suggest Spurs have finally agreed to sell their prize forward after United tabled a significantly improved offer now said to be in the region of 28 million pounds.

Spurs had turned down the original bid of 20m pounds saying they were not interested in letting Berbatov go for less than 30m.

The clubs remain in dispute over the manner in which Sir Alex Ferguson has pursued the striker with Spurs' chairman Daniel Levy making an official complaint.

The Premier League are due to discuss the 'tapping up' claim that has soured relations between the two sides in the next 48 hours but intermediaries including the player's agent Emil Dantchev were working on closing the deal late Tuesday, The Times reported.

A breakthrough is said to be imminent with Berbatov apparently now only waiting for permission to travel to Manchester to finalise personal terms and undergo a medical.

Most reports suggest he will be a United player in time for Saturday's Premier League opener against Newcastle.

Berbatov's departure which follows Robbie Keane's sale to Liverpool leaves Spurs searching for a new striker and could trigger the departure to AS Roma of United's France forward Louis Saha.

Robinho to stay at Real Madrid

Real Madrid forward, Robinho, has had a change of mind regarding a possible move Chelsea. It seemed in the past week that the player had become desperate to quit Santiago Bernabeu and was willing to do whatever it took.

Today, the story floating in The Telegraph is that the player is willing to consider staying in Spain as long as Real Madrid are willing to offer him a considerable pay-rise. The report states that Robinho would have his wages raised to the level of the club’s other stars - van Nisterlooy, Cannavaro and Raul.

Now with Robinho set to get his pay-rise and commit his future at the club, reports in Spain are starting to suggest that the Brazilian player used the interest from Chelsea to force Real Madrid into offering him a substantial pay-rise.

Fiorentina take control over Slavia Prague with 2-0 win

Strikers Adrian Mutu and Alberto Gilardino scored as Fiorentina took a big step towards the group stage of the Champions League here on Tuesday with a 2-0 win over Slavia Prague.

Fiorentina's non-conceding of an away goal augured well for the return leg of this third qualifying tie in Prague in two weeks' time.

“The spirit is right. The team responded well, as did the crowd, so I'm satisfied,” Fiorentina coach Cesare Prandelli told Rai television.

Romania international Mutu set the Stadio Artemio Franchi alight in the third minute when he curled a superb right-footed freekick into the top corner from 30 metres out.

Former AC Milan forward Gilardino, one of several new arrivals making their competitive debuts for the Florence club, put the hosts firmly in charge of the tie in the 57th minute when he headed home after the ball bounced around the penalty area from a corner.

The visitors tried to produce a quick reply to Mutu's opener, but Fiorentina's Danish defender Per Kroldrup, in the starting line-up for the injured Alessandro Gamberini, did well to steal possession from midfielder Dusan Svento at the edge of the penalty area to stop a dangerous move.

The hosts looked comfortable on the ball and the Czech title-holders, who knocked out Ajax in the preliminaries to make their debut appearance in the Champions League group stage last season, struggled to pose a threat.

Slavia defender Martin Latka had to climb high on the half hour mark to prevent a Zdravko Kuzmanovic cross finding the head of Gilardino, who was ready to pounce close to goal.

Serb midfielder Kuzmanovic came close with a powerful long-distance shot shortly after and Gilardino failed to take advantage of three inviting crosses into the penalty box as the Serie A side pressed hard towards the end of the first half.

Fiorentina, returning to the Champions League after an absence of over eight years, kept up the pressure after the break and Slavia keeper Martin Vaniak needed to make a fine save to repel a powerful freekick from Peruvian full back Juan Manuel Vargas.

Just as the Czechs showed some signs of coming into the match, Gilardino made up for his earlier mistakes with a goal, although television replays suggested there was a suspicion of offside.

Vaniak stopped his side falling three goals behind on several occasions, stopping two close-range shots in quick succession from Gilardino and Pablo Osvaldo, scooping a Mutu corner off the line and smothering the ball at the end of a goalmouth scramble.

Prandelli added: “We need (the two weeks of training before the second leg) because, as could be seen, we aren't continuously sharp yet. But we were also quite tidy today.”

Prandelli expressed his faith in Gilardino, who is trying to regain his best form and his place in the Italian national team after a couple of unimpressive seasons at Milan.

“There are no doubts about Gilardino,” Prandelli said of the striker, who had previously played under him during a stint together at Parma. “He is a serious lad who has always had a sense of goal.”

Tottenham accepting Berbatov fate

Tottenham have finally realized that they can have little hope of retaining the services of Dimitar Berbatov for the upcoming season, claims a report in The Independent.

The report mentions that neither Barcelona nor Henry have had any contact from Manchester United or related parties and that reports in yesterday’s press, claiming that the Frenchman was used as a decoy in the United’s pursuit of Berbatov, were not far off reality.

The report claims that Tottenham are ‘pessimistic’ about the possibility of holding off United in their pursuit of Berbatov and a deal could be done anytime soon.

Meanwhile, the Premier League will begin an investigation in United’s illegal approach for Dimitar Berbatov, according to The Times.

Monaco agree to sign AC Milan´s Simic

French first division side Monaco confirmed Monday they have reached agreement with AC Milan to sign Croatian international defender Dario Simic.

The 32-year-old will put pen to paper for a two-year deal on Wednesday after undergoing a medical, the club said in a statement.

Simic previously played for Dynamo Zagreb, Inter Milan and AC Milan.

He has 99 caps for Croatia but played just one match during this year's European championships.

Gullit resigns as Los Angeles Galaxy coach

Ruud Gullit resigned on Monday as coach of the struggling Los Angeles Galaxy who also fired general manager Alexi Lalas.

Los Angeles are in the midst of a seven-game winless streak (0-4-3) despite having a healthy David Beckman in the lineup.

Los Angeles were expected to contend for the Major League Soccer title this year but are fourth in the Western Conference with a 6-8-5 record.

Gullit cited “personal reasons” in his decision to resign.

“Both parties have agreed on mutually agreeable terms to part company,” said Tim Leiweke, president of the AEG Group that owns the Galaxy.

“It is an amicable arrangement and we appreciate and respect the issues that Ruud has highlighted with the club and are very grateful for all the hard work he has contributed while with the organization. Hopefully, he has laid the foundations for future success for the Los Angeles Galaxy,” Leiweke said.

Los Angeles could have waited until Lalas' contract expired at the end of the season but they chose to have him follow Gullit out the door.

“With Ruud moving on, we believe that this is the right time to make more sweeping changes throughout the organization,” Leiweke added.

Gullit took over as Galaxy coach in the offseason following the departure of Frank Yallop to the San Jose Earthquakes.

The former Holland international brought with him solid credentials as the former Newcastle and Feyenoord coach, but failed to turn around the fortunes of the Galaxy. He will replaced on an interim basis by assistant coach Cobi Jones.

Lalas joined the Galaxy's front office from New York in 2006 after playing for the Galaxy from 2001 to 2003.

Capello makes World Cup vow

Fabio Capello has guaranteed England will qualify for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Capello is in confident mood ahead of the World Cup qualifying campaign, which begins against Andorra on September 6, and the Italian believes England have more than enough quality to reach the finals.

The main obstacle to England’s progress will be Croatia, who stopped Steve McClaren’s team reaching Euro 2008 when they won 3-2 at Wembley last year.

But Capello isn’t concerned about any opponent and made the kind of bullish prediction that could come back to haunt him in two years time.

“We will qualify for the World Cup. We will be in South Africa. I am sure of it,” he said. “We are a very good team. It is always the same. For us, the opponent is not important. The important thing is what we do.”

England’s failure to qualify for Euro 2008 led to claims that Capello has taken over a squad lagging behind the rest of Europe in technical and tactical ability.

But the Italian watched most of the tournament, which finished with Spain’s final triumph over Germany, and saw nothing that made him think England were inferior.

“I watched some games live and saw the rest on TV,” he said. “Only Spain played in a different style. Only the characteristics of their play was different.

“But I have a lot of confidence in my team and I think we will be okay.”

Capello, who was speaking at the National Football Festival at Wembley which was organised by McDonalds, will name his squad for next Wednesday’s friendly against the Czech Republic after Saturday’s Premier League matches.

The former AC Milan and Real Madrid coach will then reveal his new captain on Tuesday.

Rio Ferdinand has been tipped as Capello’s favoured choice ahead of John Terry, Steven Gerrard and David Beckham and the England coach will give his chosen one the good news when the squad meet up next week.

“I will announce the captain two days before the game,” Capello said. “I will speak with the captain just a moment before I tell the rest of the squad, then everyone else will find out.”

Ferguson using Henry as a decoy

Reports in England on Sunday suggested that Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson was ready to pull the shock transfer of football history by bringing Arsenal legend Thierry Henry to Old Trafford. But, while the gaffer has refused to rule out a potential move for Henry, the press today reports that any move would be only used to force Tottenham into letting Berbatov go for a decent price.

The Independent reports that Ferguson pressed with the issue that he no longer considers the option of buying Berbatov by claiming that he is now looking ‘elsewhere’. When asked whether there was any truth in the reports linking him to Henry, he only commented that “there is a name every day,” according to Setanta Sports.

The Telegraph now reports that Berbatov might stay at Tottenham after all. According to that report, Juande Ramos has expressed his joy at the possibility of having Berbatov at White Hart Lane next season.

It would appear that Tottenham are in no rush to sell a player who has set his sights on another club and apparently, they are not willing to compromise on the transfer fee. Tottenham would probably not be willing to let Berbatov go for anything under £28 million, but Manchester United appear unwilling to pay that much money.

Chelsea set for Kaka swoop

Chelsea are set to swoop for AC Milan’s Brazilian international Kaka, the player’s personal assistant Diogo Kotscho claimed on Sunday.

Reports suggest a 100 million euro (150 million dollar) deal could be brokered before the closure of the transfer window at the end of the month.

And Kotscho told The Observer: “I spoke with Kaka yesterday (Saturday). We know that the clubs are talking about the transfer, although they have not reached a conclusion yet.

“I think an August transfer is still a possibility, though Kaka will only talk about that when they do a deal.

“He is waiting for a deal and then he will start to negotiate with Chelsea.

“Normally, Milan do not sell their best players. We think they like the proposal, but it is not so easy for them to accept it.

“For now we must just wait and see.”

The Brazilian has been linked with the Premier League outfit following the appointment of compatriot Luiz Felipe Scolari as manager.

Kaka, who is under contract at the San Siro until 2012, is said to be unhappy over Milan’s refusal to allow him to represent his country at the Olympic Games in Beijing.

Bordeaux delighted with impressive Gourcuff

Bordeaux's new signing Yoann Gourcuff demonstrated during the 2-1 win over Caen this weekend that their ambition to topple mighty Lyon from the top of the French league may not be an idle dream.

The 22-year-old Gourcuff, who arrived on loan from from AC Milan during the summer break, scored once and showed his quality as an on-field coordinator during Saturday's match at the Chaban-Delmas stadium in Bordeaux on the first day of the season.

The former Rennes player needed fifteen minutes to warm up after the kick-off, then delighted fans with his speed, high level of activity and accurate footwork.

Visitors Caen went ahead with Benjamin Nivet's shot in the 14th minute, but Gourcuff soon equalized. His powerful right foot shot deflected off defender Jeremy Sorbon and found the goal.

When Bordeaux got a free kick in the 79th minute, Gourcuff took charge and there were gasps of admiration as his ball skimmed on to Fernando Cavenaghi's head for the Argentine to nod into the net.

Gourcuff has had precious little time for training with his new club but the preparation seems to have been more than adequate. “We know each other better now,” he says.

“I try to serve the forwards in which ever way they want, whether it's at ground level or from a deep position. My primary aim is to create space and movement and to take the initiative with the other midfielders.”

“We could do better, if we could score early on, the games would become a lot easier,” the midfielder added.

Bordeaux Coach Laurent Blanc added: “In any team it is important to have a technical leader. We had one last year (Johan Micoud) and when he left we replaced him with Gourcuff who is an excellent technical player who can inspire the others to play well.

“You could also consider Fernando (Cavenaghi) in that category, so having two on the pitch is a considerable advantage.”

But the coach warned of risks of having such a dynamic duo: “We need to find a balance so our strike force doesn't paradoxically put us in danger.

“Right now they obviously get along, but over time we need to ensure that as Fernando and Gourcuff get to know each other better they will avoid treading on each other's toes,” he said.

Marseille and PSG fail to get winning starts

Marseille let slip a 3-1 lead to draw 4-4 at Rennes and Paris Saint Germain fell 1-0 at Monaco as France's high-profile clubs failed to get a winning start in the French league on Saturday.

Reigning seven-time champions Lyon host Toulouse on Sunday to open their 2008/09 campaign.

The new-look PSG under Charles Villeneuve was deservedly beaten by a young and spirited Monaco side thanks to a goal by Frederic Nimani in the 79th minute.

Marseille looked set fair to get their campaign off with a win while leading 3-1 at the interval but Eric Gerets' men did not count on the determination of their Brittany opponents in the eight-goal contest.

Man Utd stuck with Saha

Manchester United’s bid to offload injury-struck Louis Saha has been set back yet again. The French striker has recently aggravated a knee injury which has made his suitors think twice about buying him.

According to The Daily Mail, West Ham have postponed their approach for the Manchester United striker as they are not willing to sign a crocked striker.

According to the same report, The Hammers could be able to get Saha for around £3 million, but they may face competition from both Everton and Sunderland, who have also expressed an interest in the French striker.

Eto´o shines in pre-season as future remains unclear

Barcelona have deemed Samuel Eto'o's surplus but the Cameroon international stiker's impressive performance in the pre-season has led his teammates and some fans to ask the Spanish club to reconsider.

“The entire team backs him. He's one of the best in the world. I don't know what is going on with the club but he's very important to the team,” French striker Thierry Henry said Sunday after Barcelona beat Mexican side CD Guadalajara 5-2 in a friendly in Chicago.

Eto'o contributed two of the goals after coming on as a substitute in the second half, the first one just four minutes after he hit the pitch.

The 27-year-old, Barcelona's top scorer in the Spanish league last year with 16 goals, has scored three times in four pre-season matches.

Eto'o was one of three high-profile Barcelona layers - Deco and Ronaldinho being the others - told in June that he was not part of new coach Pep Guardiola's plans as the club seeks to rebuild following a second successive trophyless season.

Deco has since joined English side Chelsea while Ronaldinho has joined Italian side AC Milan but Eto'o's has so far failed to find a new home while Barcelona continues to search for a much-needed striker to replace him.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta said recently that the three-times African Player of the Year could stay at the club.

“In this world, nothing is unchanging. The decision is up to the technical staff. The sports dimension will always prevail. Samuel's attitude is good and I appreciate his bahaviour,” he said, adding Barcelona sports chief Txiki Begiristain would have the final word.

Begiristain, however, has insisted that Eto'o, who signed from Mallorca in 2004, is on the way out.

“The best solution for Eto'o would be if he was sold before the Champions League preliminary games. The market is about to close and we're considering many options with Pep Guardiola,” he said Tuesday.

If Eto'o were to play during Barcelona's third qualifying round of the Champions League next week he could not play in the tournament for his new team if he is transfered, which would complicate any deal.

Begiristain said Friday that at least “four or five big clubs” were interested in signing Eto'o but there had been no official offers yet, with the striker needing to agree terms with a club before negotiations can begin.

“We are waiting for this agreement. If he moves, it'll be to a big club, of course,” he told Britain's Sky Sports News.

Laporta has said talks had taken place with Inter Milan and AC Milan.

For his part Guardiola, who took over from Frank Rijkaard as Barcelona coach at the end of June, has also remained inflexible despite the striker's strong performances.

“My opinion has not changed. Eto'o is with us at the moment and as long as he is a Barcelona player we will try to get the best performance out of him,” he said.

Barcelona's players meanwhile keep singing Eto'o praises.

Midfielder Xavi Hernandez, voted Euro 2008's best player, has called him an “exceptional player” while Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi have called him “one of the three best strikers in the world”.

Like Henry, Barcelona captain Carlos Puyol has indicated he would like to see Eto'o stay at the club.

“He is one of the best in the world. Now he is just another member of the squad and is working like normal with a lot of desire and ambition. Things are like any other year,” he said at a press conference in New York.