ARSENAL BOLLOX - ON THIS DAY 1966
1966...Striker Joe Baker was sold to Forest for £65,000. Joe scored 100 goals for the Gunners.
Man City have the finances to buy Messi & Ronaldo - Fernandinho
The Brazilian midfielder believes that the club's project is not just about being able to spend big money on new signings
Fernandinho believes Manchester City have the financial might to sign Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, but he does not feel such superstars fit into the club’s philosophy.
City spent over £200 million in the summer transfer window, signing the likes of Kyle Walker from Tottenham, Bernardo Silva and Benjamin Mendy from Monaco and goalkeeper Ederson from Benfica.
Brazilian midfielder Fernandinho, who moved to the Etihad Stadium from Shakhtar Donetsk for a reported £34 million in 2013, knows that such sums being spent prove City’s ability to secure the very best players in the transfer market.
However, he doubts that either Real Madrid superstar Ronaldo or Barcelona’s maestro Messi would be pursued by the Premier League leaders.
“Could we sign Messi or Ronaldo? I guess so, but then you have to consider the club’s priorities first. We have the financial power, everyone knows that, but there’s the priority issue that must be considered," Fernandinho told Goal.
“Are we aiming to sign one player or to assemble a strong, competitive team to achieve our goals? Sometimes people mistake some things regarding that, thinking just one player would make up for the needs of an entire club. Maybe it’s not supposed to be like that.
“City have been working throughout the years to mount competitive teams and pursue titles. Of course, the club made some big and strong investments in the beginning, with top-level and well-known players, but the project itself is based on having a strong team, on developing a top academy structure to reveal new players.
“The City project is much more than about signing a single player with a strong name, that would eventually cost a lot more.”
One example of such an investment is 20-year-old Gabriel Jesus, who cost the club a fee of £27m in 2016.
Jesus has since gone on to score a total of 11 goals in 16 Premier League appearances, and is widely regarded as one of the finest young strikers in the world.
“With the market we’re facing nowadays, not only regarding the Neymar deal but also the players that arrived in England this season, a market well-known for spending huge sums… for what Gabriel has shown back in Brazil and what he’s been doing so far, I think he ended up being a real bargain for us,” Fernandinho said of his compatriot.
“We are happy with that, because the club managed to pay little for a wonderful player with a huge future ahead of him, whose perspectives are the best possible.
“Somehow, Gabriel managed to be ‘left out’ of this transfer market madness we are all seeing nowadays.”
Raheem Sterling in the mood to win frustrated England fans over, insists boss Gareth Southgate
Manchester City wideman needs to bring club form to the international stage to get terrace boo-boys off his back
Gareth Southgate has a new plan to make England's Raheem Sterling as good as the Manchester City version
Gareth Southgate has backed Raheem Sterling to win the hearts of England fans against Slovenia.
The Manchester City winger, outstanding for his club so far with six goals in nine games, will play in the No.10 position at Wembley on Thursday night.
He has been savaged, however, for his recent displays in a Three Lions shirt.
Southgate, whose men will qualify for the World Cup with a win, said: “Raheem is a tough lad.
“Thats one of the attributes I really like about him. He bounces back from disappointments and he goes again. He is ready for tomorrow.
World Cup permutations: Who's through, who's out and who needs what to stay in contention?
“We want the crowd to be excited with what they’re watching. He’s a player who can do that.
“He can beat people, his goal-scoring record is improving - which is important - and he works hard for the team, chasing back and tackling. He is not just a winger.”
Sterling was substituted at half-time away to Malta last month as England struggled to break the minnows down.
...yet at club level he's got six goals in nine appearances this season
Manchester City interested in Lorenzo Pellegrini
Manchester City are interested in signing Roma's 21-year-old midfielder Lorenzo Pellegrini, according to Sky in Italy.
City officials are understood to have watched the forward play against Verona on September 16, after he returned to Roma in the summer following two seasons at Sassuolo.
Pellegrini began his career at Roma before being sold in 2015 for around £1m to Sassuolo, for whom he scored nine Serie A goals in nearly 50 appearances. The deal included a buy-back clause.
He has one cap for Italy - gained against San Marino in a friendly earlier this year - and 11 caps and four goals for the under-21s.
City have invested heavily in recruiting some of the world's best youth prospects, with the intent of creating an academy similar to Barcelona's La Masia - but they have so far been unable to graduate any of these youths into the first team.
No player who has played a first-team game for City this season has come from their youth academy, and 14 youngsters are out on loan either in the Championship or abroad.
ARSENAL BOLLOX - ON THIS DAY 1954
Arsenal played Dinamo Moscow, becoming the first English League club to play in Russia.
OTHER BOLLOX
Tottenham striker Harry Kane, 24, says he could "never rule out" leaving for a Spanish club, such as Real Madrid. (Express)
Spurs will again compete with Chelsea in January to sign Everton's 23-year-old midfielder Ross Barkley. (Mirror)
Bayern Munich will appoint Jupp Heynckes, the 72-year-old who led them to the treble in 2013, as their new manager. (Bild - in German)
Fenerbahce's 34-year-old forward Robin van Persie will return to Feyenoord, the Dutch club where he began his career. (Aksam- in Turkish)
Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi, 24, is determined to succeed at the club after Eden Hazard advised him to stay with the side in the summer. (DH.BE, via ESPN)
Forward Ben Woodburn, 17, and Roberto Firmino, 26, are set to sign new long-term contracts at Liverpool. (Liverpool Echo)
Manchester United are close to agreeing a new contract with midfielder Marouane Fellaini, 29. (Transfermarketweb)
Chelsea and Liverpool are interested in Paris St-Germain midfielder Javier Pastore. The 28-year-old has been told he can leave the French club in January. (El Gol, via Talksport)
Crystal Palace and Fulham are interested in 18-year-old defender Lex Allan, who plays for Bostik League South team Sittingbourne and has recently been training with Championship side Millwall. (Kent Online)
Inter Milan are considering signing Arsenal winger Theo Walcott in January. The 28-year-old has been with the Premier League side since 2006. (Calciomercato)
Dulwich Hamlet have promised to donate money from their league's new sponsorship deal with a betting company to charities tackling gambling addiction. (Guardian)
Wales and Real Madrid striker Gareth Bale is having a replica of the 17th hole at golf club Sawgrass built in his back garden. (Sun)
Manchester United defender Victor Lindelof says he has a "good dialogue" with manager Jose Mourinho, despite not having yet made his Premier League debut. (Expressen - in Swedish)
Facebook has not ruled out bidding for the right to stream Premier League matches. (Guardian)
Tottenham's Hugo Lloris has jokingly warned his France team-mate and Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud that there's a "new striker in town". (Instagram)
The World Cup 2018 venue in Ekaterinburg, Russia, will feature temporary stands outside the stadium so it can meet Fifa's capacity requirements. (Guardian)
Arsenal shareholder Alisher Usmanov says he will not be selling his 30% stake to majority owner Stan Kroenke, but he could be open to offers from another investor who shares his vision. (Telegraph)
Belgium manager Roberto Martinez says he will not take any unnecessary risks with the fitness of 24-year-old striker Romelu Lukaku of Manchester United.(Telegraph)
Liverpool's anger over a proposed Christmas Eve trip to Arsenal could see Sky Sports compromise over the kick-off time. (Daily Star)
GOLDEN BOLLOX
On this day - 2014
Manchester City to consider Yaya Toure's future in January and could line up Paul Pogba or Cheick Tiote to replace the Ivorian
Manchester City believe that Yaya Toure could agitate for a move to PSG in January
Manchester City will consider the future of Yaya Toure in the January transfer window.
Toure has had a poor start to the season in the wake of the bizarre spat he had with the club at the end of last season and has caused consternation at the Etihad.
There are those at the club who think Toure has his heart set on one final big move and bumper pay day by moving to French champions PSG.
Mid-season moves between the top clubs, especially those in the Champions League, rarely happen.
And of course City will also be losing Frank Lampard after his short-term deal comes to an end and he goes to New York City FC.
But the Toure situation may spur City into making a plunge into the transfer market and splashing out the £60million Juventus want for former Manchester United youth team player Paul Pogba.
Arsenal will face a battle with Manchester City for the services of Cheick Tiote.
Tiote is the sort of tough midfielder he wants to underpin his team's attacking strengths.
And Tiote has indicated he wants to leave Newcastle in January.
Tiote is rated at £15million. But City, who will need to replace on-loan Lampard and possibly Yaya Toure, could well move in.
Manchester City ready to splash the cash for Juventus midfielder
Manchester City are readying a big money move for Juventus and France midfielder Paul Pogba.
The Citizens are looking to throw a huge offer of around €75 million at the Bianconeri in an attempt to lure the French youngster back to the Premier League.
According to The DSSC, City see Pogba as an option for a direct replacement for midfielder and vice-captain Yaya Toure should the Ivorian choose to leave Etihad Stadium at the end of the season.
Pogba has been a big part of Juventus’ midfield since joining in 2012 and still has a key roll in coach Massimiliano Allegri’s plans for the future. However, an offer like the one put on the table by City will be very difficult for the Agnelli family to pass up.
The French youngster has won back to back Scudetto’s with the Old Lady since joining from City rivals Manchester United in the summer of 2012.
Manchester City Set To Announce £50m Deal In Coming Weeks
In terms of bringing in commercial revenue, the English Premier League title holders Manchester City are not known to be in the league of clubs with such acumen but now, reports have revealed that in the coming weeks, the fortune of the Billionaire-owned club is poised for a turn around. A sponsorship deal worth about £50m-a-year is expected to be announced in a couple of weeks which would really boost their financial standings this year. Manchester City is reportedly tying loose ends in the construction of their £200m Football Academy training facility, which they plan to move into by next week.
The facility is an 80 acre state-of-the-art site with 7,000 seats. It also has its central performance centre and footbridge linking to the Etihad Stadium. The idea of this sponsorship deal is to attract sponsors whose names and brands would be attached to sections of the facility and talks with a number of major global companies like Nissan are said to be in high levels now. With their Etihad shirt and stadium sponsorship deal alone, City earns about £40m-a-year and a string of other sponsorship deal such as the one to be announced soon, is said to be in the offing. It seems Manchester City is remodelling their mode of generating revenues and finances due to an adaptation conferred on them by the UEFA Financial Fair Play Rules. They were hit with a record £50m fine for breaching the rule this summer, a repeat of which they are not likely to want.
UEFA has been a big complainer about overspending from especially Billionaire-owned football clubs in England and around Europe but in a bid to avoid the hammer imposed by UEFA for flouting the Financial Fair Play rule, football clubs at such risks are likely to device ways to bypass the rule or device means of generating revenue to survive. Recently, Manchester City and Paris Saint Germain, bankrolled by Middle East Investors, appeared to have broken UEFA’s FFP regulations and were thought to be on the brink of being punished as a result of their relentless quest to permanent members of European football’s affluent elite. UEFA, the European football’s governing body, has made its first rulings based on club accounts from the past two seasons – 2011/2012 and 2012/2013, and clubs are expected under this monitoring period to have at most €45m in losses as long as club owners could cover such amounts.
Manchester City, who have franchises in both the United States and Australia, posted combined losses of €149m for the last two seasons and may just somehow, be trying to survive the murky waters of doing business outside the self-financing concept proposed by the governing body. Before now, the Abu Dhabi owners of the club were known for financing player signings from funds other than ones generated from football activities and they as a result have in their possession many top rated stars like Yaya Toure, Samir Nasri, Sergio Aguero, Stevan Jovetic, Vincent Kompany and the likes. They currently are defending their English Premier League title this season and a lot still needs to be done on and off the pitch to ensure a successful season.
Lampard coy over City stay
Frank Lampard has not ruled out extending his stay at Manchester City after making an impressive impact for the Premier League champions.
The 36-year-old former England international has scored four goals in six appearances since joining City on a loan deal.
Lampard is due to link up with MLS side New York City FC at the beginning of January, following his temporary stint at the Etihad Stadium, but it has been reported that he may prolong his stay with Manuel Pellegrini's side.
The midfielder stressed that he is not looking that far ahead as he attempts to maintain his fine form.
"The temptation is to not get ahead of myself in my career. I am here until January 1, basically, so I will focus on that and see what happens then." Lampard is quoted as saying by the Manchester Evening News.
"There has been a lot said about when the season starts, but the only thing that can decide my future is how well I am playing. They will be kicking me out in January if I don't play very well!
"I am just looking game to game and trying to play as well as I can."
The former Chelsea man is encouraged by the manner in which he has adapted to life at City and is particularly satisfied with his goal tally so far.
"That's good," he said. "I have scored a few goals and I hope they can see my desire. I haven't come here just to train and make up numbers in the squad.
"People might have thought that was the case but it's not.
"I want to perform – I have always done it throughout my career, and if people see that I am giving my all the fans will get behind me."
Manchester City Set To Trigger £20m Release Clause Of German
Not all players are prolific in several areas of the playing field. Some have mastered two areas of the field but few could match the quality and ability which Marco Reus of Borussia Dortmund could bring into play on the football pitch.
He can play as a central midfielder behind the striker because of his ability to use both feets effectively on the ball. He can also play on the left wing of the pitch as well as the right wing. His quality and prolificacy as made him the toast of the big clubs in the top leagues of the globe.
The wranglings concerning his contract renewal at Borussia Dortmund as gotten to a crescendo following his refusal to renew his contract. This as put the top clubs on alert. Real Madrid, Barcelona, Arsenal, Manchester United and Manchester City to name a few have all expressed interest in the player. His reported £20m release clause which comes into effect next summer seems not to be helping matters.
Manchester City in its bid to cement its status as an elite playing football club has been linked with him. Taking a peek into their English Premier League conquering team of the 2013/2014 season will reveal the efficacy and influence of Yaya Toure the current African footballer of the year. But, in the present 2014/2015 season, he looks every inch a shadow of his former self which he has received a lot of stick for in the games which he has featured for Manchester City so far. This as affected the effectiveness and deadliness of the team.
If they could acquire the services of Marco Reus, then definitely they would be acquiring a star which will arouse the envy of the opposition. His signature will be an eye-catching event which will generate a lot of attention. This will bring about an increase in their firepower which would signal an intention of purpose. It will also reduce the burden on Yaya Toure and now seemingly injury prone Aguero.
Acquiring his services will also cement the club’s desire to be ranked among the elite clubs in world football. It gives Manuel Pellegrini, a lot of options regarding the style of play which stems from the ability of Reus to play in different positions on the field. It also gives them a player who is hungry and desirous for success and who can do whatever it requires to achieve his desire.
His signature also means that they will be effectively acquiring the services of a match changer who can come up with the goods when required. At 25, they are also acquiring a young man who still has the ability to develop as a footballer, in effect his good days are still ahead.
The club will be purchasing the services of a young man who Bloomberg ranked as the fourth best footballer in Europe in 2013. Capturing him might be a tug of war between the top clubs of Europe, but if Manchester City can purchase him, it is worth it.
This is a player who have the ability to dictate the trends of a game. He has the energy, strength, vision, intelligence and desire to change a game in an instant. These and many more are what he will bring to the club if they could convince him to cross over to the blue side of the Manchester based clubs seeking his services. Definitely, he is a good buy.
Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers is "adamant" that forward Raheem Sterling, 19, will stay at the club despite reported interest from Real Madrid and Paris St-Germain. (DSSC)
Sterling is set to sign a contract extension with the Reds which will see him earn around £100,000-a-week. (Daily Mirror)
Real Madrid's 27-year-old midfielder Sami Khedira, whose contract with the Spanish club runs out next summer, is keen to complete a move to Arsenal in January. (Daily Star)
Manchester United will offer injured midfielder Michael Carrick, 33, a new contract, keeping him at the Old Trafford club until 2016. (Daily Express)
Liverpool may move for Roma striker Keita Balde Diao, 19, after he indicated he is ready to quit the Serie A club. (Daily Mirror)
Tottenham are lining up a bid for £4m Anderlecht winger Andy Najar after the 21-year-old impressed for Honduras in the World Cup in Brazil. (Daily Star)
Sunderland manager Gus Poyet has revealed he dropped striker Steven Fletcher, 27, a few weeks ago to fire him up. The Scot scored his first goals in 10 months as the Wearsiders beat Stoke to win their first league game of the season on Saturday. (Guardian)
England legend Alan Shearer says that midfielder Adam Lallana, 26, has proved he is good enough for Liverpool and he must prove he is good enough for England, too. (Sun )
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has warned £16m summer signing Mario Balotelli to forget his ego or the striker's short career at Liverpool will be over. (Daily Mirror)
Chelsea have defended their medical team after claims that they did not carry out sufficient checks in allowing Thibaut Courtois, 22, to play on for 13 minutes against Arsenal before the goalkeeper was sent to hospital following a head injury. (Daily Telegraph)
New Manchester United signing Angel Di Maria, 26, says that leaving Real Madrid for Old Trafford this summer has been a boost to his career. (Goal.com)
Manchester United were stupid for ever appointing David Moyes as manager, says Netherlands legend Johan Cruyff. (Daily Telegraph)
Manchester United defender Luke Shaw, 19, thanked goalkeeper David De Gea on Twitter after his goalkeeper bailed him out with a penalty save after the defender fouled Everton's Tony Hibbert in the box during United's 2-1 win at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Former Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba says that he has seen the footage of his collapse at White Hart Lane only once, declaring: "For now once is enough." He suffered a cardiac arrest during an FA Cup match between the Trotters and Tottenham two years ago . (Birmingham Mail)
The other day Gale was talking his price up bigger than Neymar, today he won’t rule out a move, next up: Spurs find his successor who is even better 
