Robinho set for Fenerbahce talks
Robinho is set to meet with officials from Fenerbahce in Manchester on Tuesday in a bid to seal a move from Manchester City before the Aug 31 transfer deadline.
The Brazilian forward, whose £32.5m arrival from Real Madrid on Sept 1 2008 heralded the beginning of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al Nahyan’s mammoth spending spree at Eastlands, has been told he can leave the club after expressing a desire to end his unsuccessful spell in the Premier League.
Turkish giants Besiktas had appeared to be in pole position to sign the 26-year-old last week after agreeing a £16m fee with City for the player.
Robinho wants to extend Santos deal But their failure to secure a sponsor to help fund the deal has now opened the door for Istanbul rivals Fenerbahce to lure Robinho to Turkey.
French club Lyon are also monitoring Robinho’s situation and would be interested in pursuing a loan move, but Manchester City are currently happy for Besiktas and Fenerbahce to battle it out for the player’s signature.
A Fenerbahce delegation is due to arrive in Manchester in the morning and they expect to hold talks with both Robinho and City as they attempt to thwart Besiktas attempts to sign the forward, whose last outing for City, prior to his loan move to Santos, came in the FA Cup victory at Scunthorpe in January.
City are remaining tight-lipped over Robinho’s suitors, but the club are confident that a deal can be done for the British record signing before the transfer deadline.
West Ham miss out on Man City starlet after admin gaffe
Avram Grant is set to miss out on a bargain loan deal for Manchester City starlet Felipe Caicedo because of an admin gaffe.
The West Ham boss is desperate to take the 21-year-old Ecuador international - bought for £7.1million two seasons ago - on a season long loan as he remains convinced Caicedo has what it takes to succeed in the Premier League.
The striker had agreed personal terms of £10,000-a-week, passed a medical and looked set to complete the move with an option to seal a permanent move next summer for just £1million.
But Grant is also desperate to sign another right-back - Genoa's Anthony Vanden Borre, whom he had at Portsmouth, on a season long loan.
And The West Ham boss has found he only allowed one of the two players because he already has defender Tal Ben Haim on loan.
Grant had believed players from the Championship did not count as Premier League loans.
Manchester City are now keen to looking elsewhere to broker a deal as a number of rival clubs have expressed an interest.
TRANSFER BOLLOX
Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho rules out moves for Chelsea striker Didier Drogba and Manchester City's Emmanuel Adebayor. Asked about Drogba, he said: "Again, no chance." Sky Sports News
Liverpool have told Barcelona that they want £24.5m in cash for Javier Mascherano after rejecting an offer of £18.8m, plus Alexander Hleb for the 26-year-old Argentine. goal.com
Juventus have set up a £15m option to purchase former Roma midfielder Alberto Aquilani, who they are set to sign from Liverpool on an initial loan. insidefutbol.com
Birmingham are set to make an improved £9m offer for Wigan's Charles N'Zogbia and are also keen on £2m PSV Eindhoven left-back Carlos Salcido. Daily Mail
Sunderland are interested in West Ham striker Carlton Cole after being rebuffed in their efforts to sign Ghana's Asamoah Gyan from Rennes. Daily Mail
Everton manager David Moyes is leading the chase for Peter Crouch - and will let Tottenham have contract rebel Steven Pienaar in exchange for the England striker.Daily Mirror
West Ham have made an £8m bid for Lorient striker Kevin Gameiro, who bagged 17 league goals in the French league last season and caught the eye of several major European clubs. the Sun
Ian Holloway is set for a swoop on Newcastle's Leon Best and Swansea's Stephen Dobbie after conceding that Blackpool need six more signings for a chance of Premier League survival. Daily Star
Striker Alessandro Diamanti looks set to quit West Ham for Brescia after holding talks about a return to Italy. Daily Star
Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp wants to sign another former Arsenal player - Real Madrid midfielder Lassana Diarra. Daily Mirror
Out-of-contract Arsenal defender Mikael Silvestre has turned down a move to Turkish club Kayserispor. The 33-year-old is believed to eyeing a move to the United States to join compatriot Thierry Henry at Red Bull New York. imscouting.com
OTHER BOLLOX
Manchester United will pay £60,000 in fines for manager Alex Ferguson as he carries on his ban of speaking to the BBC. the Sun
Arsenal's French manager Arsene Wenger believes England deserve to host the World Cup in 2018. "Nowhere else in the world can you travel into the centre of a town or city and find the football stadium squeezed between the streets where people live their lives," he said. Daily Mail
Liverpool youngster Chris Mavinga has expressed his disappointment at his lack of opportunities he is being given by new manager Roy Hodgson, who he claims prefers English players, and says he wants to leave the club. imscouting.com
Paul Scholes could yet be offered a return to the England set-up after it emerged that Fabio Capello is to ask the Manchester United midfielder to clarify his publicly expressed sense of regret at having declined a late invitation to be included in the World Cup squad. the Guardian
Sunderland manager Steve Bruce has been tuning in to BBC Radio 2 - listening to DJs such as Chris Evans, Ken Bruce and Steve Wright - to avoid the abuse he gets on football phone-ins from fans. Daily Mirror
FINAL BLOG BOLLOX
Man City turn on style for Sheikh
Eastlands
Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al Nahyan may have taken two years to visit his Eastlands empire - but Manchester City ensured the wait was worthwhile as they showed an impressive return on his vast investment.
He has chosen to view his £350m outlay from afar since changing English football's landscape with his riches, but will return to Abu Dhabi pleased with the progress of his pet project if City's dismissal of abject Liverpool proves an accurate measure.
Sheikh Mansour's presence lifted spirits inside Eastlands even before a City side containing six England internationals delivered a performance fit for their affluent ruler.
And as he took the adulation of City's adoring fans, there was bitter irony for their Liverpool counterparts as they suffer the current power vacuum created by Tom Hicks and George Gillett and looked every inch the poor relations on and off the pitch.
Man City celebrate as Liverpool's Steven Gerrard looks dejected
Two games into a season is no time to be making definitive judgements on any team's prospects for the entire campaign, but there is no question that this was a powerful statement of intent by Roberto Mancini's side.
Manchester City still have plenty of convincing to do, as has Mancini himself, but the verve and sheer power that, in the best footballing sense, bullied Liverpool out of this game was impressive to behold.
Tougher tests will lie ahead than the one presented by a lame Liverpool, but City and Mancini can take nothing but confidence from the emphatic manner of their victory.
The fact that it was achieved with Emmanuel Adebayor and David Silva on the bench, and with Mario Balotelli missing with a knee injury, provided a graphic illustration of the resources at Mancini's disposal.
How he manages those resources could hold the key to much of City's hopes this season, but all the vital signs were good - with Mancini also deserving of praise.
At first glance, his decision to play Yaya Toure as his most advanced central midfield players looked like another example of the Italian's tactical eccentricity. But Toure, officially a very big unit, cut an imposing figure and his deft footwork in dangerous areas helped James Milner mark an impressive debut by setting up Gareth Barry's early goal.
Milner's work ethic, not to mention his ability, makes him a potentially crucial addition. The reported £26m price tag (including Stephen Ireland in a swap-deal) is excessive, but Sheikh Mansour's appreciative smile as he watched his latest gift to City's expectant supporters flourish suggested he regarded it as worthwhile.
And for Fabio Capello's right-hand man Franco Baldini, there was good news to report back to his boss ahead of the start of the Euro 2012 qualifying campaign.
Adam Johnson, direct and powerful, could rival Theo Walcott for a place on England's right while goalkeeper Joe Hart demonstrated exactly why Mancini felt compelled to choose him ahead of the excellent Shay Given.
After Carlos Tevez gave City a two-goal lead, Hart produced two stops of the highest quality within seconds to prevent David Ngog and Fernando Torres throwing Liverpool a lifeline their display did not deserve.
Tevez's penalty, awarded after Martin Skrtel felled Johnson, added an extra gloss to City's performance - although the history of this club tells us it is too early to be taking anything for granted, no matter how strong the squad assembled at Eastlands.
But there was a power and cohesion about City that hinted at bright times ahead, which clearly came as a relief to Mancini as he admitted it was vital (especially for him no doubt) that his team was on their best behaviour on the night the main man was in town.
City felt so assured in the final stages there was even time for an appearance by Jo - the man Eastlands thought, some might even say hoped, it had forgotten.
For Liverpool and new manager Roy Hodgson, this was a desperate night, but he has been around too long to be plunged into despair by one defeat. If City should not be talked up as definite title contenders on the back of one win, we must not dismiss Liverpool's season on the strength of one defeat.
Liverpool's preparations were not helped by the latest episode in the long-running Javier Mascherano saga with the Argentine midfield man, according to Hodgson, "not in the right frame of mind" to play after an offer from Barcelona.
Hodgson rightly took the defiant stance that Mascherano goes nowhere unless Liverpool receive an acceptable bid, but the flip side is that it is now almost impossible to see him playing for the club again after the latest turn of events.
It is a disruption Hodgson can do without as he takes the first steps in his Anfield tenure - and his mood would not have been helped by Liverpool's performance.
Hodgson's decision to play a 4-4-2 formation was bold, but was exposed swiftly with Fernando Torres well off the pace and David Ngog peripheral. And rarely can a midfield containing Steven Gerrard have looked so flimsy in the physical exchanges as City outmuscled and outclassed them at various intervals.
The lack of creativity from Liverpool was in stark contrast to City, although Hodgson may point to the absence of the suspended Joe Cole as a contributory factor to that obvious flaw.
And Torres, who rarely slipped through the gears apart from a moment of trademark pace that left Joleon Lescott trailing, will be a greater influence the more time he spends on the pitch.
Liverpool's manager tried to apply a positive gloss to proceedings, but they were well beaten. It was a sobering evening that outlined the scale of the task that has to be undertaken by this most sensible and mature of managers. He will not be daunted but it is not something that can be achieved overnight.
Hodgson's reshaping and rejuvenation will not get under way in earnest until he has new Anfield owners to provide a stable background and serious financial support. Liverpool's hierarchy is currently in that process. The sooner the divisive Hicks and Gillett reign is brought to a close, the better it will be for Hodgson.
No such problems for Manchester City as Eastlands showed its appreciation for Sheikh Mansour. If this was the effect his presence has, he will be welcome every week.
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