"I hope that Robinho, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Nedum Onuoha will recover for the Carling Cup semi-final tie against Manchester United in the week," he said. "Micah Richards also has a problem, but I hope he will be OK. "I am excited by the FA Cup but I have to forget about this and just looked ahead to the United game. "There is talk of transfers and new players may come in soon but it more important that we get players like Joleon Lescott and Wayne Bridge fit again. "We have a big problem with injuries at the moment so that is why I didn't risk Craig Bellamy, Carlos Tevez and Gareth Barry from the start of the match." Mancini paid tribute to matchwinner Benjani, even though the Zimbabwean is unlikely to have a long-term future at Eastlands.
"Benjani is a good player and we told him three days ago he was in," the City chief added. "He played very well and scored a goal - which is most important." "I believe it is his first for the club in a while." Meanwhile, Middlesbrough manager Gordon Strachan bemoaned the loss of key man Adam Johnson through injury in wintry conditions in the North East. "Adam Johnson is our best player and to lose him was a bit of a body blow," the Boro boss confessed. "Look at our results and you see what an important player he is. "Until he went off, we looked comfortable and there was no threat from Manchester City. "City looked strong and comfortable but didn't look like getting a goal. It is a recurrence of his hamstring and it was a pity. Just before that he went past two City players like they weren't there."
Fernando Torres will become the world's most expensive footballer if he leaves Liverpool in the summer. Manchester City and Chelsea have made Torres their number one target but would have to splash out more than £140m in transfer fees and wages to land the Spanish superstar.
Not only has Torres' value eclipsed the £80m Real Madrid paid for Cristiano Ronaldo, he can anticipate a salary offer of around £15m a year given the current inflated levels for the most wanted players.
It would require the biggest financial package in football history to secure a deal
City offered Brazilian Kaka a staggering £280k a week in their ill-fated bid a year ago, and Torres would comfortably match that.
Liverpool have made it clear they won't listen to any offers for their star striker and manager Rafa Benitez recently insisted he'd resign if the player was sold against his will.
But Liverpool also know matters will be out of their hands unless the club attracts investment and finish in the top four.
After years fighting against the financial troubles caused by the American ownership, the next six months will finally bring matters to a head at Anfield one way or the other. If Liverpool don't sort themselves out off the pitch, their rivals intend to capitalise and are now openly targeting their most prized assets. New City boss Roberto Mancini was appointed partly because his Arab owners believe he can assist in luring the top names to Eastlands. They didn't believe Mark Hughes had the same clout when it came to attracting a player of Torres' calibre.
They think the Italian has the aura required to tempt such a player, but realise only by ousting Liverpool from the top four will they have any hope of doing business. Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has also been pursing Torres for the last two seasons and believes Liverpool will be more vulnerable than ever unless Americans Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr get out of the Merseyside club.
Torres became the quickest Liverpool player to reach 50 goals earlier this week as he kick-started his club's bid to retain its Champions League status. Sport of the World revealed last weekend how the striker's ongoing commitment to the Merseyside giants is conditional on the club proving it can continue to match his ambitions. Kop fans have been reassured by the Spaniard's determination to help Liverpool recover their position and make interest in him irrelevant. But the only way they can do that longer-term is by securing massive investment to ensure next season the target is winning the Premier League rather than 'managing the debt,' as Benitez recently suggested. Benitez has 'guaranteed' Liverpool will finish in the top four. His confidence is geared at reassuring his star striker that this season's onfield problems are a one-off and warning Manchester City and Chelsea to keep their hands in their pockets.
Roberto Mancini has been urged by a Manchester City insider to sign Stoke City centre-back Ryan Shawcross.
The Italian manager has drawn up a list of potential targets to reinforce his depleted defensive options.
They include Inter Milan’s Ivan Cordoba, Juventus’ Giorgio Chiellini and West Ham’s Matthew Upson.
With Joleon Lescott injured and Kolo Toure on African Cup of Nations duty, Mancini could even bring in Sol Campbell as a short-term solution.The former England man is now a free agent and available after his ill-fated stint at Notts County.
However, a City insider believes the club need a no-nonsense defender for the long haul and reckons Manchester United discard Shawcross, 22, fits the bill.The insider said: “We’ve been linked with several players, but we should be looking for somebody who can defend and get his head on the ball.“Ryan Shawcross is that type of player.”Shawcross was the shock selection when he was named in the Sunday Mirror Team of the Year by former West Ham star Tony Gale.
Gale said: “Ryan’s a revelation. He’s quick and reads the game extremely well.”
Roberto Mancini, is keen to renew his relationship with Patrick Vieira, whom he coached at Inter Milan to two Serie A titles. Vieira, who will be 34 in June, is desperate to play for France at the World Cup and is still highly sought-after, having been linked with moves back to the Premier League with Tottenham and his former club, Arsenal.
But sources in Italy revealed last night that it is Mancini who is closest to clinching the Frenchman's return to England, initially in a loan deal. Mancini signed Vieira at Inter from Juventus in 2006 for £8m, creating a winning partnership until the manager was sacked and replaced by Jose Mourinho, who has used the midfielder sparingly.
ROBERTO MANCINI is closing in on his first Manchester City signing - Rubin Kazan's £6million-rated defender Cristian Ansaldi.
The Eastlands boss has quickly identified the full-back positions as problem areas for a side that has conceded more goals than any other of the teams battling for a place in Europe. Ansaldi is rated at £6million by his Russian club and was part of the side that shocked Barcelona at the Nou Camp by beating them in this season's Champions League group stage. He made his debut for Argentina in a friendly in Spain in November and has a good chance of being named in Diego Maradona's World Cup squad. The former Newell's Old Boys defender, 23, has been quickly targeted by Mancini as a left-back who can also play on the wing and he will be expected to compete with Wayne Bridge, who has struggled for form and fitness in recent months. The move underlines City's aims to target squad players in this window instead of going for superstar names like Brazilian ace Kaka.
Mancini spoke this week of the problems he would have persuading top players to leave clubs who are still involved in the Champions League. The Italian believes the current squad is in need of some fine tuning but does not have to be overhauled if they are to make the top four. City also do not expect to make any marquee signings in the summer. The club has distanced itself from Inter defensive pair Ivan Cordoba and Maicon, who were previously strongly linked with a move to City. They have also indicated that an offer for Barcelona striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who only arrived at the Nou Camp last summer, is not on their agenda. West Ham's Matthew Upson was an option for former boss Mark Hughes last summer if the deal for Joleon Lescott had fallen through but is no longer a target.
Manchester City and Aston Villa are ready to lock horns over West Brom’s highly-rated young defender Paul Downing this month.
Downing, 18, who is noted for his composure on the ball, is captain of the club’s youth and reserve sides and is equally adept at the centre of defence or midfield. Both City and Villa are keen to swell their ranks with the best young British talent available and have been monitoring the Baggies’ starlet for several months.
TRANSFER BOLLOX
Inter Milan manager Jose Mourinho is trying to pull off a shock £40m move for Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard. The former Chelsea boss is hoping Gerrard may want a move if the Reds fail to qualify for next season's Champions League. Sunday Express
Manchester United are weighing up a £20m move for Porto's Brazilian striker Hulk. The 23-year-old, whose real name is Givanildo Vieira de Souza, is also highly rated by Arsenal. He is called Hulk because he looks like the 1970s Incredible Hulk actor Lou Ferrigno (Kids, ask your dad). News of the World
Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti is lining up a £4m bid for Aston Villa striker Emile Heskey as a replacement for Didier Drogba, who will be absent for four weeks at the Africa Cup of Nations. The Mail on Sunday
However, the Blues have told Bayern Munich midfielder Franck Ribery that they will not break their pay structure to sign him. Chelsea are prepared to pay a £45m transfer fee, but will cap his wages at only £150,000-a-week. (The People)
Arsenal target Marouane Chamakh, 25, has said the Gunners are "pressurising" him to join them - but he will ignore them to stay with Bordeaux. The Morocco striker says five other Premier League clubs have approached him - Chelsea, Tottenham, Liverpool, Everton and Sunderland. The People
Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez is now unlikely to move for Holland striker Ruud van Nistelrooy, 33, in the transfer window, with the striker's recent injury record counting against him. News of the World
Benitez is instead keen to bring Emile Heskey back to Anfield, although Aston Villa's price tag of at least £5m could be beyond what Liverpool can afford.The Mail on Sunday
Portsmouth will listen to offers for all of their players as the club lurches deeper into crisis. And goalkeeper David James will be the first to go, reuniting with former boss Harry Redknapp, for a nominal fee, at Tottenham. News of the World
Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce is keen to sign Eidur Gudjohnsen. The 31-year-old Iceland international, who is currently at Monaco, played for Allardyce at Bolton 10 years ago. News of the World
Hull City are plotting an ambitious £1.5m swoop for American striker Freddy Adu. The 20-year-old was sent out on loan by Benfica to fellow Portuguese club Belenenses but he has been axed him from their squad. News of the World
Wigan boss Roberto Martinez intends to offer Leicester £3m for Matty Fryatt. Martinez knows the striker, 23, from their time together at Walsall a few years ago. News of the World
Sunderland manager Steve Bruce is prepared to wait until the summer to sign Middlesbrough's England Under-21 winger Adam Johnson. Sunday Mirror
Crystal Palace remain hopeful that their £3m-rated winger Victor Moses will be sold in the transfer window to stop the club going bust. Barcelona, Wigan and Tottenham have been tracking the England Under-19 international. (Sunday Express)
WAG OF THE DAY
http://www.thespoiler.co.uk/index.php/2 ... ea-montijo
OTHER BOLLOX
Fulham boss Roy Hodgson is being lined up to succeed Fabio Capello as England manager after this year's World Cup in South Africa. The People
Burnley boss Owen Coyle was spotted in the tunnel 45 minutes after the Clarets' 2-1 FA Cup third round win at MK Dons, fuelling speculation that he is set to take over succeed Gary Megson as Bolton manager. Coyle had missed the post-match press conference with his club saying he had to leave early to catch a flight to Scotland. The Mail on Sunday
Bolton will make a formal approach for Coyle on Sunday but Burnley will demand £4m compensation. News of the World
The Clarets meanwhile, are poised to report Bolton to the Premier League for tapping up Coyle. Sunday Mirror
Alan Curbishley will hold talks with Bolton chairman Phil Gartside about taking over as manager at the Reebok Stadium. The 52-year-old has been out of work since leaving West Ham in 2008.
(Sunday Express)
Former Birmingham owners David Sullivan and David Gold are on the brink of gaining control at West Ham after the club's Icelandic owners agreed to sell a 50% stake in the Premier League side. The £50m deal is still subject to formal ratification. Sunday Mirror
The 25 Premier League footballers who are set to play in the Africa Cup of Nations later this month will be given 24-hour protection by armed guards to protect them from gun gangs in Angola. Sunday Express
Manchester United owners, the Glazer family, have asked banks to help them raise £600m in a bid to cut the massive debts they owe financial institutions. The Mail on Sunday
Carlo Ancelotti has pleaded with Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich to stick with him as coach for the long haul and give him chance to build a dynasty to match Sir Alex Ferguson's at Manchester United. Sunday Express
Liverpool are lining up Ian Rush for a shock return to the club as a striker coach. Rush has held talks over the position he previously held under Gerard Houllier. News of the World
FINAL BOLLOX
ROBERTO Mancini has a priest who supports rivals United to thank for his flying start as Manchester City boss.
The Italian attended a Christmas church service with his coaching staff before his first game in charge. Mancini, 45, sat in a pew used in the past by legendary United boss Sir Matt Busby and current manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
And he was blessed by Father Paddy McMahon, of Our Lady and St John’s Church in Chorlton, Manchester, who is an avid United fan.
The 66-year-old priest said: “Mr Mancini and about five or six of his coaching staff came for the carol service and the midnight mass on Christmas Eve. “A buzz went round the congregation when he came into the church. “When I welcomed him, he gave me a wave and I saw he was in the area where Sir Alex usually sits. The congregation were delighted by the occasion and it gave the City fans a little extra Christmas cheer. “And to prove I’m not biased we welcomed Mr Mancini from the altar and gave him a big round of applause. Well, he has won every game since and maybe he will continue on with us. “I shook hands with him after mass and he seemed a lovely man. He wasn’t flamboyant – just a nice fellow who seemed very devout.” Yesterday’s 1-0 win for City at Middlesbrough in the FA Cup means that Mancini’s first three games as Blues boss have been won without a single goal conceded. Father McMahon, known for reading out the footie results from the pulpit after mass on Saturday evenings, said: “I hope he does well for the City but not too well. “He is very welcome in the church, as he knows but I won’t be changing my allegiance. “We play them on Wednesday in the League Cup and I won’t be praying for them that day!”
