New Inter Milan manager Leonardo has made Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez his number one transfer target. talksport
Malaga have also made an audacious attempt to land Adebayor on loan after Real Madrid cooled their interest in the forward. Daily Mirror
It’s Spurs v Kop for Adebayor
MANU ADEBAYOR is in the middle of another tussle - between Liverpool and Tottenham.
The want-away Manchester City striker, who had a training ground bust-up with Kolo Toure on Tuesday, is a loan target for both clubs.
City do not want to let him go to Spurs, who could end up battling them in the race for the title or Champions League places.
But they would send the Togo hitman to Liverpool for the rest of the season - as long as the Kop pay his entire £160,000-a-week wages.
Adebayor, 26, cannot understand why City rarely pick him - but they remain worried he could be a huge hit at Tottenham.
The Eastlands outfit paid Arsenal £25million for the player 18 months ago and would accept half that to be shot of him permanently.
Liverpool are also ready to rescue Stephen Ireland from Aston Villa.
The midfielder, frozen out by Villa boss Gerard Houllier, would cost around £4m.
And Stephen Warnock is also headed for the Villa Park exit, with Fulham leading the race for the England left-back.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger blasts Manchester City's defensive approach during Emirates clash.
The Gunners could only manage a 0-0 draw against Roberto Mancini's expertly devised Citizens bunker.
Arsenal's French manager Arsene Wenger was left frustrated after his side failed to break the deadlock during the match against Manchester City last night.
In a post-match interview, Wenger blamed opposition manager Roberto Mancini for coming to the Emirates with the intention of squeezing the life out of the game.
“They came for a 0-0 and they got what they wanted. We played for long periods against 10 men, even Carlos Tevez, I never seen him so deep.
"But I wasn't surprised, they came here last year set up to play for a 0-0.”, he said.
A glance at the post-match statistics goes a long way to confirm that City were in fact not overly concerned with scoring goals.
Mancini's side did not manage a single shot on target, while Arsenal registered eight shots at Joe Hart's goal.
The solitary point obtained by Arsenal and City, along with the losses of Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea, sees Manchester United extending their lead at the top of the Premier League table after recording a victory against Stoke City on Tuesday.
And the Frenchman realizes that his side dropped two costly points in the race for the title, while accepting that it will not always come easy for the title contenders.
"We always try to win our games always. Maybe it was their way to try to win, to defend deep and catch us on the break,"
"We have to respect that and sort out the problems we face. Even if a team defends deep we have to find a way to score.", he commented.
Sky Blues’ masterclass in negativity gets them booed off by Arsenal fans
Arsenal 0 Manchester City 0. It had been billed as one of the games of the season but a spineless showing from Manchester City ensured their goalless draw with Arsenal will go down as one of the most shameful encounters in the history of the Premier League.
The Sky Blues, second in the table going into the game, arrived at the Emirates with nothing on their minds other than to return home with a point. And for 90 minutes the world's richest club side gave a masterclass in negativity, not registering a single shot on target while gradually suffocating the life out of Arsenal.
The visitors' display enraged the Arsenal fans who booed City as the full-time whistle sounded, though the Gunners' manager Arsene Wenger was more philosophical in his assessment of City's tactics. "They looked to me like they were set up not to lose, if you look at the number of times the goalkeeper took time on the goal kicks and the number of times they went down and tried to gain time," said Wenger. "I think they were happy with a nil nil. I don't criticise them for that because they defended well."
Wenger's frustration was eased by results from elsewhere in the league, particularly the defeat of Tottenham at Everton and Wolves's 1-0 win against Chelsea, and he declared himself "happy" with the point, adding: "The team is on a strong run, there is a fantastic spirit, fantastic quality. I think there are more positives than negatives tonight, you have seen tonight that everyone can lose everywhere."
Nonetheless, Wenger will know City were there for the taking and but for the woodwork, and two outstanding saves from Joe Hart, Arsenal would have claimed the three points and closed the gap on Manchester United, who now have a two-point lead at the top over City with two games in hand. Arsenal are third, a further two points behind having played a game more than United, and Alex Ferguson must be grinning like a Cheshire cat this morning.
As early as the second minute Arsenal had carved open the City defence but Jack Wilshere's cross across the face of the goal was agonisingly out of reach of Robin Van Persie. Later in the first-half Cesc Fabregas and Van Persie – who looked sharp throughout – hit the post with fierce strikes, while a low drive from Wilshere forced a great save from Hart.
In the second half Arsenal were less threatening with Van Persie coming closest to scoring with a thunderous drive from the edge of the box that again produced a wonderful stop from Hart, this time leaping high to his right.
But other than the City goalkeeper's athleticism, the visitors were a disgrace to the good name of football and the match ended in ignominy with Bacary Sagna and Pablo Zabaleta dismissed for clashing heads after a touchline altercation.
Both managers condemned referee Mike Jones' decision to brandish the red card, but in Roberto Mancini's case it was nothing more than an attempt to deflect attention from his side's woeful tactics. Asked if he felt embarrassed with his side's display, the City manager tried to blame the performance on injuries, saying: "I think if we had David Silva and Mario Balotelli and all the players were 100 per cent it would be another game."
As it was, Mancini was pleased with the night's work and said the game has to be taken in the context of the entire season. "This is football. Not all teams can play like Arsenal. I think Arsenal also have won some games they don't deserve to win. In the first half they had the chances to score... We are in a good position, like Arsenal and like United. I think the season is very long. Also Chelsea and Tottenham have lost tonight but both can finish near the top."
The defeat of Chelsea was a stunning reverse for the reigning champions – the Blues have now won just one of their last nine matches - and for the first time manager Carlo Ancelotti talked of the possibility of losing his job.
"I'm under pressure because the team didn't reach the result we wanted," he said after a Jose Boswinga own goal in the sixth minute helped Wolves move off the bottom of the table. "I think it's obvious we are not good enough in this moment. I hope I can continue this job, because I would like to stay here and I have a good relationship with the players and with the club."
Bollox updates
Blackburn defender Christopher Samba is to opt for Arsenal over London rivals Tottenham and Chelsea as he seeks a move away from Ewood Park. Metro
Eden Hazard's agent has suggested that Arsenal are leading the chase for the Lille attacker. sport.co.uk
Chelsea may be tempted to launch a fresh bid for Atletico Madrid's Sergio Aguero with the playmaker's buyout clause reducing to around £38m in his new contract with the Spanish club. IMScouting
OTHER BOLLOX
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is interested in Liverpool defender Daniel Agger, who is unhappy at not being guaranteed first-team football. caughtoffside
West Ham midfielder Valon Behrami is set to move to Italian side Fiorentina. the Sun
Tottenham will use the funds from striker Robbie Keane's proposed switch to Birmingham to buy the £500,000 insurance necessary to convince Los Angeles Galaxy to release midfielder David Beckham on loan. the Sun
Birmingham City may be thwarted in their attempts to sign Tottenham's Keane as Spurs boss Harry Redknapp struggles to persuade Newcastle United to part with striker Andy Carroll. Daily Mail
Liverpool are being linked with Newcastle United winger Wayne Routledge. caughtoffside
AC Milan are ready to offer forward Alexandre Pato to Manchester City to convince them to part with striker Mario Balotelli. caughtoffside
Midfielder Lassana Diarra has opened the door to a move to Manchester United after telling Real Madrid he wants to leave. talksport
Arsenal striker Carlos Vela is wanted on loan by Spanish side Valencia, with a view to a £2m permanent deal in the summer. the Sun
Barcelona defender Gabriel Milito could move to Blackburn on loan after he was offered to Rovers and West Ham. Daily Mirror
West Ham are on the verge of missing out on Steve Sidwell, with fellow relegation battlers Wolves waiting in the wings to snap up the Aston Villa midfielder. talksport
Blackpool will bid £500,000 for Plymouth striker Bradley Wright-Phillips after Barnsley winger Adam Hammill's wage demands priced him out of a move to Bloomfield Road. the Sun
Championship leaders QPR are keen to take forward Benni McCarthy on loan from West Ham. Daily Mail
Blackburn manager Steve Kean is ready to let transfer-seeking Chris Samba go to Aston Villa in a multi-million swap deal involving fellow defender James Collins. Daily Mirror
Celtic are close to agreeing a £1m deal for Brann Bergen's Norway international striker Erik Huseklepp. (Daily Record)
Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson and West Ham manager Avram Grant moved closer to losing their jobs after humiliating defeats on Wednesday. Daily Mail
Manchester United's latest goalscoring sensation Javier Hernandez has revealed that the power of prayer is behind his dramatic rise to fame. Daily Mirror
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson intends to allow goalkeepers Edwin van der Sar and Tomasz Kuszczak, defenders Wes Brown and Gary Neville, midfielder Owen Hargreaves and striker Michael Owen to leave Old Trafford in the summer. The Scot will then build his side around midfielder Anderson and right-back Rafael. (Daily Telegraph)
Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe is poised to fill the managerial vacancy at Championship strugglers Crystal Palace. the Sun
Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp and Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder David Beckham are being lined up as England's new managerial 'dream team'. Daily Mirror
Sacked Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce wants to manage World Cup 2022 hosts Qatar. the Sun
more 'proper' bollox later ... I'm late!
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