Thursday's B*ll*x (updated)
Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2011 12:34 amBreaking… Nasri Chooses City Over United €6M Wage Deal …Too Good To Ignore
According to RMCsport in France, Samir Nasri has rebuffed Sir Alex in favour of Bobby Manc.
Football fans will be unshaken by the news that it was all about the money. The transfer fee itself was €20M whether he went to Manchester United or Manchester City. However, United’s wage offer of €4M pa was topped by City who offered €6m pa.
So according to this French source the gun is well and truly against Arsene’s head. Mr Wenger has made it repeatedly clear on numerous occasions that he doesn’t wish the player to leave. But it’s Arsenal’s fault that this situation is loaded in favour of the player with just a year left on his contract. So if Arsenal want to keep the player they will need to effectively triple his wages to compete with market forces. The alternatives are equally unapetising. Sell him now for €20M, or lose him for nothing next time round. Either way …ouch.
From £2.50 a day to the new Diego: Aguero becomes City's new £35m man
Sergio Aguero will never forget the first time he played in England. Just three months after his 18th birthday, Aguero stood on the touchline at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium, waiting to make his Argentina debut as a second-half substitute against Brazil. The man he replaced? Carlos Tevez.
Five years on, Manchester City hope the £38million signing from Atletico Madrid, arriving in a deal
set to total £85m including wages and add-ons, is ready to step into the place of a captain desperate to leave.
Growing up less than 20 miles apart in slums on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, Aguero and Tevez share a back story of poverty, youthful promise and record-breaking transfers.
And, while every emerging Argentine forward is compared to Diego Maradona, the growth of City's new striker is intertwined with him.
Aguero made his professional debut, for Independiente, a month and three days after his 15th birthday.
It obliterated an Argentine Premier Division record held for 27 years by Maradona, who was 10 days short of his 16th birthday when making hi s bow for Argentinos.
Just as the country's most famous son was considered too young and snubbed for the 1978 World Cup, appeals for Jose Pekerman to take Aguero to Germany 2006 were equally ignored.
Both players went on to win the Under 20 World Cup a year after their disappointments, both winning the Golden Ball as his tournament's best player.
And, just for good measure, Aguero scored with his hand in a 2-1 win - for Atletico Madrid against Recreativo Huelva in October 2006.
So perhaps it was only natural that Aguero would split up with childhood sweetheart Gisele Gerard and start dating Maradona's daughter Giannina in 2008.
The couple are now married with a two year- old son Benjamin, who already kicks balls around the living room. Cesar Luis Menotti, the manager who denied Maradona a place in the 1978 World Cup-winning team, opts for a different parallel.
'He reminds me of the Grasshopper (the Argentine nickname for Romario),' said Menotti. At 5ft 7½in, Aguero is half an inch taller than Romario, but his close ball control coupled with quick and direct bursts towards goal have drawn plenty of comparisons with the Brazil goal machine.
As the second oldest of seven siblings, he honed his skills in Villa Itati, a neighbourhood with one football pitch, and would climb out of the kitchen window to join his friends.
His dad Leonel was under 18 and trying to break into football when Sergio was born, and drove taxis to make ends meet.
The family struggled on around £2.50 a day. When not kicking a ball around, the boy was glued to a Japanese cartoon called The Adventures of Kum Kum, which soon became corrupted to produce the nickname which has stuck through his career: Kun.
It was granddad Jorge who noticed the resemblance to the mischievous, pre-historic Dennis the Menace type of figure. When Sergio was just eight, Eduardo Gonzalez, a journalist who was Leonel's friend, told Independiente to give Aguero a trial.
They signed him on the spot. With 23 goals in 56 games and less than three years after his debut, he was soon attracting bigger clubs.
Brazilian giants Corinthians wanted him to team up with Tevez and Argent ina midf ielder Javier Mascherano.
Juventus and Villarreal had bids rejected. But it was Atletico Madrid who doubled the nearest best offer to sign him for an Argentine record £15.6m.
It enabled Independiente, then close to bankruptcy, to renovate their stadium. The first season in Spain was difficult as he struggled to adapt to the quicker pace and more physical defenders.
He leaned on strike partner Fernando Torres for help and the pair grew close. But Aguero thrived when Torres left for Liverpool in 2007 and has scored more than 20 goals in each of the four seasons since, helping Atletico beat Fulham in the Europa League final in 2010.
Yet he leaves Spain on bad terms. Just two days after reaching 101 club goals with a hat-trick on the last day of last season, Aguero angered fans by declaring he wanted to leave in a 500-word statement on his website.
This came less than five months after he had signed a contract to 2014 that maintained his position as one of the best-paid players in the world, but cut his release clause from £53m to the level which has attracted City.
Real Madrid To Offer Arsenal £25m Star Striker As Los Blancos Move For Carlos Tevez
Bernabeu club will sell star to finance deal for Etihad Stadium talisman.
Real Madrid will offer Arsenal striker Karim Benzema for £25million as they prepare their move for Manchester City captain Carlos Tevez.
Los Blancos boss Jose Mourinho has decided to move for the City talisman after losing out to the Blues in the race for Atletico Madrid striker Sergio Aguero.
Tevez, 27, has declared his intention to leave the Etihad Stadium this summer because he wants to be closer to his family.
The Argentinian has already seen one £40million bid from Corinthians fall through and has been trying to drum up interest from Inter Milan.
But the Serie A club cannot afford to buy him and pay his astronomical wages, leaving Real with a clear shot to Mourinho’s new number one target.
With Aguero moving to City, boss Roberto Mancini will be looking to offload Tevez so the club does not fall foul of the the new Financial Fair Play rules.
Real will hope to finance the deal by selling Frenchman Benzema to Arsenal for what would be a club record £25million.
The Gunners manager Arsene Wenger is a long-term admirer of the forward and could have plenty of disposable cash available if Cesc Fabregas completes a £40million move to Barcelona.
Mourinho has stated his desire of buying one striker this summer and would love the chance to link Tevez up with Cristiano Ronaldo again, following their days together at Manchester United.
Bellamy Deal Closer For Cardiff City
Cardiff City's hopes of securing a return for last season's captain Craig Bellamy took a step closer today following a meeting between Bellamy and Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini.
The pair fell out when the Italian joined the club, initially over training methods. Bellamy was left out of City's 25-man squad last year paving the way for a shock move to South Wales. Man City paid the vast majority of his £80k per week wages during the loan but were understood to prefer a permanent move this time around.
Today's meeting appears to have been productive with 'The Fourth Official' tweeting:
'Craig Bellamy has told Manchester City he wants to join Cardiff, the club will now look to sort out a deal.'
Transfer speculation in the newspapers and especially online is on the verge of farcical with rumours, guesswork and fabrication rife. However, this source retains credibility and can be relied upon to have some substance.
Bellamy's unwillingness to be away from his family has severely hampered his options with a host of Premiership clubs interested, as well as the likes of Feyenoord and Celtic. There remains a long way to go if any deal is to be done, but at least the wheels now appear to be in motion.
Life is tough for youngsters at Manchester City - Mee
Mee has represented England at U-19, U-20 and U-21 levels
Burnley's on-loan defender Ben Mee says being at Manchester City can be frustrating for younger players.
The England Under-21 international has joined the Clarets on a season-long loan in a bid for first-team football.
The 21-year-old told BBC Radio Lancashire: "It's a frustrating being around the first team but never getting the chance to show what you can do.
"I've got two more year's on my contract at City, but I don't know what's going to happen."
Mee, who became Burnley's first summer signing, added: "I'm going to be 22 by the time this season finishes and I've been at City a long time.
"It's up to them what they plan on doing but I don't think they're going to stop buying players anytime soon."
Mee captained Man City to the FA Youth Cup title in 2008 with a 4-2 aggregate win over Chelsea
Mee is a product of Manchester City's academy but has made just one senior appearance - against West Brom in the Carling Cup in 2010.
But he impressed during a loan spell at Leicester last season, making 15 appearances.
"It's been like that for a couple of years but you've got to take those knocks and come back stronger.
"You've got to try and do your best like I did last year and hopefully will do this year."
Mee has been joined by his Manchester City team-mate Kieran Trippier who has also agreed a 12- month loan move to Turf Moor.
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OTHER BOLLOX
The family and representatives of Arsenal target Juan Mata are in London to discuss the midfielder's £15m move from Valencia that could open the door for fellow Spain international Cesc Fabregas to be finally be sold to Barcelona. Daily Mirror
Chelsea have made an improved bid of £20m for 18-year-old Anderlecht forward Romelu Lukaku. Daily Mail
The Blues are also set to make a final take-it or leave-it £30m offer for Tottenham playmaker Luka Modric, 25. Daily Star
Manchester United chief executive David Gill has contradicted manager Sir Alex Ferguson by claiming the Premier League champions are still in the hunt to sign one more player in the summer transfer window. Metro
Italian side Juventus are considering a move for Manchester United's 30-year-old striker Dimitar Berbatov. Insidefutbol.com
Manchester United are considering a move for 26-year-old Wolfsburg midfielder Diego. Insidefutbol.com
West Brom are ready to improve their offer for West Ham keeper Robert Green, 31, to £4m. Insidefutbol.com
Bolton have pulled the plug on their £5m bid for Barcelona forward Jeffren Suarez - after waiting two weeks for the player to make up his mind about joining them. Daily Mirror
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is to approach Lille for their 20-year-old Belgian attacking midfielder Eden Hazard. footie-online.co.uk
Blackburn skipper Chris Samba, 27, has told his club that he wants to join Arsenal and play Champions League football. the Sun
However, Tottenham are to test Blackburn's resolve with a bid for the £15m-rated centre-back. Daily Mail
QPR are to offer Southampton £500,000 plus defender Kaspars Gorkss in an attempt to land winger Jason Puncheon. Daily Mirror
Blackburn are set make their first summer signing by paying Partizan Belgrade £3m for their Serbian midfielder Radosav Petrovic, 22. the Sun
Crisis-hit Birmingham face a player exodus because of the club's cash crisis. Ben Foster, Scott Dann, Cameron Jerome, Liam Ridgewell and Nikola Zigic are looking to go with the threat of administration looming. the Sun
The Premier League could be using goal-line technology at the start of the 2012-13 season. Fifa president Sepp Blatter said a final decision will be made in March, 2012. Daily Mirror
El-Hadji Diouf's international career appears to be over after the Senegal Football Federation banned him for five years from all football-related activity in his home country. The Blackburn striker, 30, claimed African football was "corrupt" on a French radio station. the Guardian
Former Arsenal striker John Hartson believes a top-four spot in the Premier League is the best the Gunners can hope for. talkSPORT
Winger Theo Walcott could miss Arsenal's opening games against Newcastle and Liverpool because of a troublesome ankle injury.Metro
Stoke boss Tony Pulis has tipped his new centre-back Jonathan Woodgate, 31, for an England recall. The 31-year-old is in the Potters squad for Thursday's Europa League qualifier against Hajduk Split. the Sun
Barcelona president Sandro Rossell forced Alexis Sanchez to change his shirt for his official unveiling - because the forward inadvertently turned up wearing Real Madrid's colours. Metro
BOLLOX BOLLOX
[youtube]FImNaUp46dA[/youtube]
According to RMCsport in France, Samir Nasri has rebuffed Sir Alex in favour of Bobby Manc.
Football fans will be unshaken by the news that it was all about the money. The transfer fee itself was €20M whether he went to Manchester United or Manchester City. However, United’s wage offer of €4M pa was topped by City who offered €6m pa.
So according to this French source the gun is well and truly against Arsene’s head. Mr Wenger has made it repeatedly clear on numerous occasions that he doesn’t wish the player to leave. But it’s Arsenal’s fault that this situation is loaded in favour of the player with just a year left on his contract. So if Arsenal want to keep the player they will need to effectively triple his wages to compete with market forces. The alternatives are equally unapetising. Sell him now for €20M, or lose him for nothing next time round. Either way …ouch.
From £2.50 a day to the new Diego: Aguero becomes City's new £35m man
Sergio Aguero will never forget the first time he played in England. Just three months after his 18th birthday, Aguero stood on the touchline at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium, waiting to make his Argentina debut as a second-half substitute against Brazil. The man he replaced? Carlos Tevez.
Five years on, Manchester City hope the £38million signing from Atletico Madrid, arriving in a deal
set to total £85m including wages and add-ons, is ready to step into the place of a captain desperate to leave.
Growing up less than 20 miles apart in slums on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, Aguero and Tevez share a back story of poverty, youthful promise and record-breaking transfers.
And, while every emerging Argentine forward is compared to Diego Maradona, the growth of City's new striker is intertwined with him.
Aguero made his professional debut, for Independiente, a month and three days after his 15th birthday.
It obliterated an Argentine Premier Division record held for 27 years by Maradona, who was 10 days short of his 16th birthday when making hi s bow for Argentinos.
Just as the country's most famous son was considered too young and snubbed for the 1978 World Cup, appeals for Jose Pekerman to take Aguero to Germany 2006 were equally ignored.
Both players went on to win the Under 20 World Cup a year after their disappointments, both winning the Golden Ball as his tournament's best player.
And, just for good measure, Aguero scored with his hand in a 2-1 win - for Atletico Madrid against Recreativo Huelva in October 2006.
So perhaps it was only natural that Aguero would split up with childhood sweetheart Gisele Gerard and start dating Maradona's daughter Giannina in 2008.
The couple are now married with a two year- old son Benjamin, who already kicks balls around the living room. Cesar Luis Menotti, the manager who denied Maradona a place in the 1978 World Cup-winning team, opts for a different parallel.
'He reminds me of the Grasshopper (the Argentine nickname for Romario),' said Menotti. At 5ft 7½in, Aguero is half an inch taller than Romario, but his close ball control coupled with quick and direct bursts towards goal have drawn plenty of comparisons with the Brazil goal machine.
As the second oldest of seven siblings, he honed his skills in Villa Itati, a neighbourhood with one football pitch, and would climb out of the kitchen window to join his friends.
His dad Leonel was under 18 and trying to break into football when Sergio was born, and drove taxis to make ends meet.
The family struggled on around £2.50 a day. When not kicking a ball around, the boy was glued to a Japanese cartoon called The Adventures of Kum Kum, which soon became corrupted to produce the nickname which has stuck through his career: Kun.
It was granddad Jorge who noticed the resemblance to the mischievous, pre-historic Dennis the Menace type of figure. When Sergio was just eight, Eduardo Gonzalez, a journalist who was Leonel's friend, told Independiente to give Aguero a trial.
They signed him on the spot. With 23 goals in 56 games and less than three years after his debut, he was soon attracting bigger clubs.
Brazilian giants Corinthians wanted him to team up with Tevez and Argent ina midf ielder Javier Mascherano.
Juventus and Villarreal had bids rejected. But it was Atletico Madrid who doubled the nearest best offer to sign him for an Argentine record £15.6m.
It enabled Independiente, then close to bankruptcy, to renovate their stadium. The first season in Spain was difficult as he struggled to adapt to the quicker pace and more physical defenders.
He leaned on strike partner Fernando Torres for help and the pair grew close. But Aguero thrived when Torres left for Liverpool in 2007 and has scored more than 20 goals in each of the four seasons since, helping Atletico beat Fulham in the Europa League final in 2010.
Yet he leaves Spain on bad terms. Just two days after reaching 101 club goals with a hat-trick on the last day of last season, Aguero angered fans by declaring he wanted to leave in a 500-word statement on his website.
This came less than five months after he had signed a contract to 2014 that maintained his position as one of the best-paid players in the world, but cut his release clause from £53m to the level which has attracted City.
Real Madrid To Offer Arsenal £25m Star Striker As Los Blancos Move For Carlos Tevez
Bernabeu club will sell star to finance deal for Etihad Stadium talisman.
Real Madrid will offer Arsenal striker Karim Benzema for £25million as they prepare their move for Manchester City captain Carlos Tevez.
Los Blancos boss Jose Mourinho has decided to move for the City talisman after losing out to the Blues in the race for Atletico Madrid striker Sergio Aguero.
Tevez, 27, has declared his intention to leave the Etihad Stadium this summer because he wants to be closer to his family.
The Argentinian has already seen one £40million bid from Corinthians fall through and has been trying to drum up interest from Inter Milan.
But the Serie A club cannot afford to buy him and pay his astronomical wages, leaving Real with a clear shot to Mourinho’s new number one target.
With Aguero moving to City, boss Roberto Mancini will be looking to offload Tevez so the club does not fall foul of the the new Financial Fair Play rules.
Real will hope to finance the deal by selling Frenchman Benzema to Arsenal for what would be a club record £25million.
The Gunners manager Arsene Wenger is a long-term admirer of the forward and could have plenty of disposable cash available if Cesc Fabregas completes a £40million move to Barcelona.
Mourinho has stated his desire of buying one striker this summer and would love the chance to link Tevez up with Cristiano Ronaldo again, following their days together at Manchester United.
Bellamy Deal Closer For Cardiff City
Cardiff City's hopes of securing a return for last season's captain Craig Bellamy took a step closer today following a meeting between Bellamy and Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini.
The pair fell out when the Italian joined the club, initially over training methods. Bellamy was left out of City's 25-man squad last year paving the way for a shock move to South Wales. Man City paid the vast majority of his £80k per week wages during the loan but were understood to prefer a permanent move this time around.
Today's meeting appears to have been productive with 'The Fourth Official' tweeting:
'Craig Bellamy has told Manchester City he wants to join Cardiff, the club will now look to sort out a deal.'
Transfer speculation in the newspapers and especially online is on the verge of farcical with rumours, guesswork and fabrication rife. However, this source retains credibility and can be relied upon to have some substance.
Bellamy's unwillingness to be away from his family has severely hampered his options with a host of Premiership clubs interested, as well as the likes of Feyenoord and Celtic. There remains a long way to go if any deal is to be done, but at least the wheels now appear to be in motion.
Life is tough for youngsters at Manchester City - Mee
Mee has represented England at U-19, U-20 and U-21 levels
Burnley's on-loan defender Ben Mee says being at Manchester City can be frustrating for younger players.
The England Under-21 international has joined the Clarets on a season-long loan in a bid for first-team football.
The 21-year-old told BBC Radio Lancashire: "It's a frustrating being around the first team but never getting the chance to show what you can do.
"I've got two more year's on my contract at City, but I don't know what's going to happen."
Mee, who became Burnley's first summer signing, added: "I'm going to be 22 by the time this season finishes and I've been at City a long time.
"It's up to them what they plan on doing but I don't think they're going to stop buying players anytime soon."
Mee captained Man City to the FA Youth Cup title in 2008 with a 4-2 aggregate win over Chelsea
Mee is a product of Manchester City's academy but has made just one senior appearance - against West Brom in the Carling Cup in 2010.
But he impressed during a loan spell at Leicester last season, making 15 appearances.
"It's been like that for a couple of years but you've got to take those knocks and come back stronger.
"You've got to try and do your best like I did last year and hopefully will do this year."
Mee has been joined by his Manchester City team-mate Kieran Trippier who has also agreed a 12- month loan move to Turf Moor.
[spoiler]
[/spoiler]OTHER BOLLOX
The family and representatives of Arsenal target Juan Mata are in London to discuss the midfielder's £15m move from Valencia that could open the door for fellow Spain international Cesc Fabregas to be finally be sold to Barcelona. Daily Mirror
Chelsea have made an improved bid of £20m for 18-year-old Anderlecht forward Romelu Lukaku. Daily Mail
The Blues are also set to make a final take-it or leave-it £30m offer for Tottenham playmaker Luka Modric, 25. Daily Star
Manchester United chief executive David Gill has contradicted manager Sir Alex Ferguson by claiming the Premier League champions are still in the hunt to sign one more player in the summer transfer window. Metro
Italian side Juventus are considering a move for Manchester United's 30-year-old striker Dimitar Berbatov. Insidefutbol.com
Manchester United are considering a move for 26-year-old Wolfsburg midfielder Diego. Insidefutbol.com
West Brom are ready to improve their offer for West Ham keeper Robert Green, 31, to £4m. Insidefutbol.com
Bolton have pulled the plug on their £5m bid for Barcelona forward Jeffren Suarez - after waiting two weeks for the player to make up his mind about joining them. Daily Mirror
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is to approach Lille for their 20-year-old Belgian attacking midfielder Eden Hazard. footie-online.co.uk
Blackburn skipper Chris Samba, 27, has told his club that he wants to join Arsenal and play Champions League football. the Sun
However, Tottenham are to test Blackburn's resolve with a bid for the £15m-rated centre-back. Daily Mail
QPR are to offer Southampton £500,000 plus defender Kaspars Gorkss in an attempt to land winger Jason Puncheon. Daily Mirror
Blackburn are set make their first summer signing by paying Partizan Belgrade £3m for their Serbian midfielder Radosav Petrovic, 22. the Sun
Crisis-hit Birmingham face a player exodus because of the club's cash crisis. Ben Foster, Scott Dann, Cameron Jerome, Liam Ridgewell and Nikola Zigic are looking to go with the threat of administration looming. the Sun
The Premier League could be using goal-line technology at the start of the 2012-13 season. Fifa president Sepp Blatter said a final decision will be made in March, 2012. Daily Mirror
El-Hadji Diouf's international career appears to be over after the Senegal Football Federation banned him for five years from all football-related activity in his home country. The Blackburn striker, 30, claimed African football was "corrupt" on a French radio station. the Guardian
Former Arsenal striker John Hartson believes a top-four spot in the Premier League is the best the Gunners can hope for. talkSPORT
Winger Theo Walcott could miss Arsenal's opening games against Newcastle and Liverpool because of a troublesome ankle injury.Metro
Stoke boss Tony Pulis has tipped his new centre-back Jonathan Woodgate, 31, for an England recall. The 31-year-old is in the Potters squad for Thursday's Europa League qualifier against Hajduk Split. the Sun
Barcelona president Sandro Rossell forced Alexis Sanchez to change his shirt for his official unveiling - because the forward inadvertently turned up wearing Real Madrid's colours. Metro
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[youtube]FImNaUp46dA[/youtube]
