by Chinners » Sun Nov 19, 2017 5:52 am
THE BOLLOXReal Madrid could make €60M move for Man City ace should Arsenal star make switch to Premier League giants
Real Madrid are reportedly eyeing up a €60M move for Manchester City star Sergio Aguero, however the move depends on whether Arsenal star Alexis Sanchez joins Pep Guardiola’s side from the Gunners.
This is being reported by Don Balon, who say that Los Blancos president Florentino has been keen on signing the Argentinian international ever since his days at rivals Atletico Madrid.
Since his arrival in England from Spain in 2011, Sergio Aguero has seen himself become a legend with Pep Guardiola’s side.
In 265 appearances for the Citizens, the former Atleti frontman has managed to score an astonishing 179 goals, as well as managing to contribute 54 assists in that time as well.
Last season, Aguero thrived under Guardiola, as the forward managed to score 33 goals in 45 appearances, a very impressive record considering the player’s injury troubles.
This season, the 29-year-old has been able to amass a record of 10 goals in 12 appearances in all competitions, a feat not to be sniffed at considering the player isn’t playing up front on his own anymore.
Manchester City join Leon Goretzka transfer chase
The Schalke midfielder, 22, is out of contract at the end of the season and has already attracted interest from Bayern Munich, Juventus, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea.
There have been claims in Spain that he has told Barcelona that he is bound for Anfield as replacement for his international team-mate Emre Can.
But City have now joined the race to land a player regarded as one of the hottest properties in the Bundesliga.
The Blues want fresh midfield talent, with Yaya Toure set to leave next year and Fernandinho turning 33.
Goretzka can play as a defensive midfielder, but it’s his ability to play in a variety of positions that impresses manager Pep Guardiola.
Schalke are likely to look to cash in on the German international in January.
That could prompt City to move in the New Year as they look to link Goretzka with international team-mates Leroy Sane and Ilkay Gundogen.
OLD SKOOL ADVATARS & BANNERSlets all have a disco
"Been SWIGGING swagga juice since day one"
We are El City
Manchester City defender Stones 'out for six weeks': Guardiola
Manchester City defender John Stones is likely to be out for the rest of the year after injuring his hamstring in the 2-0 victory over Leicester City, manager Pep Guardiola said on Saturday.
The central defender was substituted midway through the first half at the King Power stadium after pulling up clutching his leg.
“John Stones, we are going to miss him for a long time, maybe six weeks off,” said Guardiola after the game.
The 23-year-old has been one of City’s standout players this season, also establishing himself as one of England’s premier central defenders in the lead-up to the World Cup.
Guardiola cited his two recent appearances for England as a contributory factor in the injury.
”He was in a good, good condition. He was perfect leading the back four and has the personality to play not only with the ball but also without it.
”But that has happened with this amazing FIFA and UEFA calendar – at the end the players go down.
”You play 90 minutes, 90 minutes, 90 minutes and then go to your international team and play two 90 minutes that don’t count for anything in terms of points.
“At the end, these kind of things happen. That’s why I will rotate the team because, if not, many players will go out.”
City face a logjam of 13 fixtures into the new year -- just over one game every three days -- as they seek to consolidate their lead in the Premier League, reach the League Cup semi-finals and complete their Champions League group games.
“It is tough because the calendar is so demanding,” said Guardiola. “We don’t have many central defenders and they will suffer but we will find a solution.”
That is likely to revolve around Vincent Kompany, who started Saturday’s game alongside Stones in central defence after more than two months out with a calf injury.
Kompany completed 90 minutes, although was fortunate to escape an early red card after scything down Jamie Vardy after three minutes.
That moment aside, Guardiola was delighted with his captain’s return and said he is looking for the 31-year-old Belgian to stay fit after years blighted by injury.
“I am really impressed because after more than two months injured and (having had) one game at international against Gibraltar and to play at that level shows how strong he is in his mind,” said Guardiola.
“At the last part of last season he came in and helped us a lot. Vince is a little mystery and hopefully he can be fit for the coming games.”
Stones’s absence will be further cushioned by the return from suspension of another central defender Nicolas Otamendi against Feyenoord on Tuesday, a game City will be keen to win in order to qualify as Group F winners ahead of the Champions League knockout draw.
Joe Hart expected to leave Manchester City this summer 
JOE HART is expected to make a cut-price departure from Manchester City in the summer.
The England goalkeeper will have only a year remaining on his contract at the end of the season.
City, therefore, would rather cash in then, rather than see Hart leave as a free agent a year later.
They could accept an offer of between £3m and £6m for Hart, 30.
He is currently on loan at West Ham – who play at Watford today in David Moyes’ first match in charge of the Hammers – and there appears to be no way back for him at City under boss Pep Guardiola.
Brazilian Ederson, 24, is now firmly established as title-chasing Manchester City’s No.1 keeper.
Hart joined City in 2006 from Shrewsbury Town and went on loan to Tranmere Rovers, Blackpool and Birmingham before being established as the starting keeper in 2010.
The 30-year-old has made 348 appearances for the club and spent last season on loan to Torino.
He has collected 75 caps for England since his debut in 2008.
FLAGITIOUS
fləˈdʒɪʃəs
adjective formal
(of a person or their actions) criminal; villainous.
"Wenger is a flagitious frog-eater, who should be hanged, drawn and quartered for his comments regarding Sterling."color]
Was Vincent Kompany lucky to escape without a red card?
Vincent Kompany picked up a yellow card after just two minutes for a tackle on Jamie Vardy, but should it have been a sending off?
The Man City captain made his first Premier League start since August 26 in the 2-0 victory against Leicester on Saturday, but it could have lasted mere seconds.
As a long ball was played to Vardy, the striker started a darting run towards the box but a sliding tackle from Kompany saw him wipe out the England international, catching him around the ankles.
There were big shouts from the home crowd for Kompany's dismissal as players from both sides went to referee Graham Scott to plead their respective cases, but he only produced a yellow card for the foul.
After the game, Leicester manager Claude Puel said he believed it was a red card, which was echoed by the pundits on Soccer Saturday.
OLD SKOOL ADVATARS & BANNERS
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RAG LOVE-IN BOLLOX
Manchester City are capable of winning the Premier League and going all season in the league unbeaten, according to Phil Neville.
City equalled their best ever start to a league campaign on Saturday when they recorded their 11th win of the season.
Gabriel Jesus and Kevin de Bruyne both struck as Pep Guardiola's side won 2-0 away at Leicester City.
Former Manchester United defender Neville, who was appearing as a pundit on BBC's Match of the Day programme, said Guardiola's men could go all term without defeat.
He said: 'I think they can go all season undefeated I really. They're that good of a team and I can't see how this moment in time anyone can take points off them.'
Alan Shearer, who was sat alongside Neville, disagreed.
The former Newcastle striker thinks City will face defeat when they start to rotate their first team to cope with the demands of other competitions such as the Champions League.
Shearer added: 'Alan Shearer: 'I think that's a big ask because when you get further into the season and with the Champions League games and the latter stages.'
Meanwhile his former partner Rio 'where's the camera' Ferdinand says we are sublime to watch, the most surprising part of this being that he understands the correct meaning of the word!!!
http://sport.bt.com/sport-hurts/rio-man ... 4230062722
Benjamin Mendy sent the nicest message to Gary Lineker as Man City destroy Leicester
You often see headlines about celebrities “destroying” or “owning” people on Twitter.
But it’s nice to see people being polite to each other.
As happens most match days, Gary Lineker was tweeting along with Leicester City’s game on Saturday afternoon. And as they were playing in-form Manchester City, it didn't go very well for the Foxes.
As Man City went 2-0 at the start of the second half, Lineker tweeted:
This caught the attention of Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy, who is currently out with a long-term injury. Mendy, being a lovely person, took it apologise for Lineker’s hurt feelings.
Lineker seemed non-plussed by the message.
It’s nice to see footballers being nice to each other.
OLD SKOOL ADVATARS & BANNERSGabriel Jesus can become next Brazilian Ronaldo
Manchester City chief coach Pep Guardiola has heaped praise on his club’s key forward Gabriel Jesus and said he has the potential to be like the next Brazilian legend Ronaldo Nazario.
The Brazilian national, who joined Manchester City in 2017 last season, has scored 14 goals in 20 appearances for the side and proved himself as a vital player in the Guardiola-managed side.
“I keep thinking that he runs too much with the ball,” the Spaniard was quoted as saying by Spanish website Marca on Friday.
“When he runs less with the ball, he’ll become a player like Ronaldo,” Guardiola added.
The 46-years-old also said Jesus reminds him of former Barcelona star Samuel Eto’o when he is pressing the ball.
“He reminds of Eto’o and helps us when pressing like nobody, in the area he is a goalscorer,” Guardiola said.
OTHER BOLLOXManchester United are lining up a £136m double swoop for Real Madrid's Wales forward Gareth Bale, 28, and Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann, 26. (The Sun)
But Real Madrid may pursue France forward Griezmann if Bale is sold. (Don Balon, via Express)
And Bale's former club Tottenham could use a clause in the Welshman's contract that gives them the chance to match any offers Real receive from the Premier League. (Express)
Jose Mourinho is set to stay at Manchester United until at least 2020. Mourinho has another 18 months to run on his current contract - plus the option of a further year. (Star)
Big-spending Paris St-Germain are thought to want Mourinho - but would have to pay £30m in compensation to prize him away from Old Trafford. (Mirror)
Chelsea midfielder Willian, 29, could also be set for Old Trafford - if the Blues complete their move for Paris St Germain's Brazil winger Lucas Moura, 25. (CalcioMercato, via Star)
Manchester United will make a January offer of £40m for England full-back Danny Rose, 27, who was left out of the Tottenham squad for the north London derby defeat - and offer former Southampton defender Luke Shaw, 22, as part of the deal. (Mirror)
Arsene Wenger is convinced Sanchez, 28, and Germany playmaker Mesut Ozil, 29, want to stay at Arsenal, despite neither appearing closer to agreeing new contracts. (London Evening Standard)
Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo, 32, may not be interested in a move from Real Madrid to America's MLS because long-term rival Lionel Messi, 30, is also not keen on a move from Barcelona to the States. (Don Balon)
Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool are monitoring Shakhtar Donetsk's Brazil winger Bernard, 25, who is out of contract this summer. (UOL Sport, via Metro)
Manchester United have renewed their interest in West Ham teenager Domingos Quina, with scouts watching the 17-year-old score for Portugal Under-19s against Spain this week. (ESPN)
Former Arsenal striker turned TV pundit Thierry Henry is a surprise candidate to replace Chris Coleman as Wales coach. (Mirror)
West Brom boss Tony Pulis admits his future at the Hawthorns is out of his hands following the 4-0 home thrashing by Chelsea, which leaves the Baggies without a win in 10 Premier League games and one place above the relegation zone. (Goal)
Manchester United defender Chris Smalling jokes he could become a prolific goalscorer after he netted for the first time this season in the 4-1 victory over Newcastle at Old Trafford.
Manager Mauricio Pochettino claims he would not swap Arsenal's three recent FA Cup triumphs for his achievements so far at Tottenham. (The Times)
Former Liverpool forward Harry Kewell, now manager at League Two Crawley, was held back by security and his own players after he confronted fans who were hurling abuse at him following the 4-0 defeat at Wycombe.(Sun)
A 'Wenger Out' banner was spotted at a political rally against the Mugabe regime in Zimbabwe. (Mirror)
Newcastle manager Rafael Benitez admits his team find it difficult to compete with the higher spenders in the Premier League. (Newcastle Chronicle)
Bournemouth's Callum Wilson, fit again after overcoming two long-term cruciate knee ligament injuries, savours his hat-trick for the Cherries against Huddersfield.
Brighton boss Chris Hughton is unconvinced about the merits of a winter break - but wants the number of matches over the festive period cut from three to two. (Argus)
Burnley boss Sean Dyche, who has been linked with a move to Everton, wants all connected with the Clarets to enjoy victories such as Saturday's 2-0 win over Swansea and insists the main target for the club remains securing 40 league points. (Lancashire Telegraph)
Mark Hughes has assured Stoke fans that France defender Kurt Zouma, 23, on loan from Chelsea for the season, will not be leaving the club in January. (Stoke Sentinel)
Everton caretaker boss David Unsworth has backed Farhad Moshiri and Bill Kenwright to make the "right decision" when it comes to appointing the club's new manager. (Liverpool Echo)
Tommy Block, the 17-year-old midfielder from National League South outfit Bognor Regis Town who has been linked with a trial at Championship Sunderland, keeps his focus on the Rocks, who gain their first league win since August with a 2-1 victory at St Albans.
Manchester United will try to sign Real Madrid's 28-year-old forward Gareth Bale next summer. (Daily Mirror)
United believe they can help Wales international Bale overcome his fitness issues and are not put off by the series of injuries he has recently suffered. (Guardian)
Chelsea will have scouts at Inter Milan's match against Atalanta on Sunday to watch centre-back Milan Skriniar, 22, and 30-year-old midfielder Antonio Candreva. (FC Internews)
Juventus midfielder Stefano Sturaro is not close to moving to Newcastle United despite reports suggesting otherwise, the 24-year-old's agent says. (Evening Chronicle)
GOLDEN BOLLOX
On this day 19 Nov 2013Agüero at double as Argentina overpower Bosnians
Argentina 2-0 Bosnia and Herzegovina
Manchester City FC's Sergio Agüero scored twice in St Louis as Safet Sušić's side struggled to cope with Argentina's wealth of attacking talent.
Manchester City FC's Sergio Agüero scored twice as Argentina beat fellow 2014 FIFA World Cup finalists Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 in St Louis, United States.
Agüero, wearing the No10 shirt in absence of injured captain Lionel Messi, broke the deadlock five minutes before half-time. He doubled the advantage midway through the second half and could have had a hat-trick but blasted the ball over the bar on 75 minutes after goalkeeper Asmir Begović had parried a shot from Rodrigo Palacio.
Substitute Erik Lamela also had two good opportunities in the dying minutes and the scoreline could have been more one-sided, but Bosnia and Herzegovina, too, had chances. Safet Sušić's team, for who FC Schalke 04's Sead Kolasinac made his debut, might have taken an early lead as Vedad Ibišević and Edin Džeko went close.
Yet an estimated 30,000 Bosnian fans would be disappointed in Missouri as Argentina took control. Ángel Di María was pulling the strings and it was his headed pass into the box that led to the first goal on 40 minutes. Begović managed to deny the onrushing Palacio but Agüero was on hand to steer the ball between two defenders and into the net.
The Bosnians rallied, with Edin Višća and Ibišević having sighters, before Agüero struck again as he applied a left-footed volley to Maxi Rodríguez's fine through ball from deep. It could have got worse though Džeko almost pulled one back after escaping his marker but his stinging shot was beaten away.
Guidetti hints at City exit
John Guidetti has revealed that he could look to depart Manchester City in the January transfer window for some first-team football.
The 21-year-old Sweden international has been at the Etihad Stadium since being signed up as a youngster in 2008 but he has yet to play for the first team over the years.
Guidetti enjoyed a successful loan spell at Dutch side Feyenoord in 2011-12, where he scored 20 goals in 23 games, before being ruled out of last term because of illness and injuries.
However, he is now fit and raring to play some first-team football but his path to the City side is being blocked by Sergio Aguero, Alvaro Negredo, Steven Jovetic and Edin Dzeko.
As a result, Guidetti has said that he will look to secure a move away from City in January so he can get some regular action under his belt.
"I want to play football," he told TV 4. "If it's with Manchester City or somewhere else I do not know, but right now I train, train, train. From January onwards then I'll show what I can do."
German giants join Arsenal in race to sign Man City ace
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger may have to make some quick moves if he wishes to see Manchester City forward Edin Dzeko plying his trade at the Emirates this winter. According to reports in The Daily Star, Bundesliga heavyweights Borussia Dortmund have entered the race for the Bosnian’s signature, which may make it difficult for the Gunners to bag him this January.
Dzeko has been linked with a winter move to Arsenal, following reports of his unsettlement at the Etihad Stadium. The north Londoners are in desperate need of offensive reinforcements and it is believed that Wenger views the 27 year old to be the perfect addition to his attacking third.
However, the Gunners face competition from Signal Iduna Park now, with Borussia Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp also keen to land him to replace striker Robert Lewandowski, who is almost certain to bid adieu to the club for free next summer. It is also believed that Die Schwarz Gelben are offering to offload the Pole for a fee of around £7m in January, to salvage something out of his move, and the Citizens may make the situation work in their favour by proposing a swap between the two players.
Man City Set for Galatasaray Raid as Roberto Mancini Targets Duo
Mancini will look to land wide-man Aleksandar Kolarov and veteran midfielder Gareth Barry.
Manuel Pellegrini may well be open to allowing Kolarov to leave as he is apparently not convinced by the efforts displayed by both Serbian and French left-back Gael Clichy and the Man City boss could be tempted by offers of around £5m.
A move for England veteran Barry would cost Mancini nothing as the 32 year old is out of contract in the summer and is currently impressing during a season long loan spell at Everton.
A Man City insider is quoted as saying:
“Aleks is settled here but he is in and out of the side, just as he was under Roberto.
“If Aleks has his way he will stay here and battle for a regular place in the team, but the new manager is still shaping his squad and an offer from Galatasaray or one of the Italian clubs who have been watching him could make a move happen.
“He had a good working relationship with Roberto, as did Gareth who was pretty much the first name on the teamsheet back then. Gareth is keeping an open mind with regards to his future, but it almost certainly won’t be at City.”
Barcelona, Man City and Chelsea all keen on PSG ace
Barcelona have joined Manchester City and Chelsea in the hunt to land Paris Saint-Germain ace Blaise Matuidi.
The highly-rated 26-year-old is out of contract next summer and is yet to agree a new deal with the French club.
Matuidi, formerly of Saint-Etienne, played an integral role as PSG romped to the Ligue 1 title last term and he has featured prominently again this season.
But Europe’s biggest clubs are keen to lure him away from the French capital, with sources in Spain claiming Barcelona have identified him as the man to add steel to their midfield.
Jose Mourinho still needs to add a defensive midfielder to his squad at Stamford Bridge and Matuidi is among his targets.
However, the Special One will have to act fast to secure the France international’s signature, as Premier League rivals City are also monitoring his situation.
Vieira regrets not signing "extraordinary" Pogba for City
Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba could have left the club for a much closer home than Juventus if Patrick Vieira had his way.
Manchester City have been linked with former Red Paul Pogba - but they could have had him already.
The French midfielder left Manchester United in the summer of 2012 to join Juventus and impressed as the Turin club took the Serie A title last season.
His performances have kept Europe's best clubs on alert but City's EDS manager Patrick Vieira says they could have already had him.
In an interview with French newspaper L'Equipe, the former Arsenal and City player said: "He's a player I really like.
"I saw him play for Manchester United and to not have signed him when he left that club was a mistake because he is an extraordinary player.
"Many tell me that [he plays like I do]. I think he is more attacking than me and perhaps more technically skilled."
Pogba has been in good form for Juventus this season, scoring five goals so far
Jan Vertonghen: 'Manchester City are best team in Premier League'
Tottenham Hotspur defender Jan Vertonghen has described Manchester City as the best team in the Premier League.
Spurs visit the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, looking to bounce back from their shock 1-0 home loss to Newcastle United earlier this month.
The North London club currently sit one place above City in the table, but Vertonghen believes that the bookmakers are right to make Manuel Pellegrini's men the favourites to win the title.
"It's really crazy," Vertonghen told Sky Sports News. "I think if we'd won against Newcastle, we'd be joint second now - but we're seventh.
"It's unbelievable how we play City and United next. It's very hard this year. Vincent Kompany already said it will be the toughest league in years to finish top. We have to be at our best to finish in the top four."
Vertonghen added: "City I think is the best team in the league. Arsenal are doing very well of course. But especially in home games, City is the team to beat."
City have won each of their last three home games against Spurs by a margin of one goal.
Man City & Social Media: Management, Moderation & Innovation
Posted on19 November 2013.
Last month I had the opportunity to see, via a livestream rather than in person, a very interesting event put on by the BBC on ‘Sport, Social Media and ROI with Audiences’. It was part of their #SocialMediaWhatsTrending series and brought together a top line up of speakers.
The panel session was led by the BBC’s Ben Gallop (BBC Sport, Head of Interactive) and included another BBC employee, the Football Focus presenter Dan Walker, the EMEA VP of Never.no, Scott Davies and Manchester City’s Social Media Exec, Chris Nield.
For the purpose of this article I wanted to concentrate on the contribution to the session made by Chris and the presentation element he made during it. He ran through some of what he has been doing at the club since joining in 2009, which for a football club shows how early they were onto the social media scene, and their plans for the future (very topline).
We’ve known Chris since 2010 and an interview we did with him was one of the first articles ever published on the site (there are over 500 now!). Together with firstly Richard Ayers, and now Russell Stopford, he has helped push the club to the forefront of the digital sport industry.
In the presentation below you can see where social media sits within the club. Some of the main points include;
◦His role with players in verifying accounts and dealing with fake ones
◦Setting the clubs tone as being friendly and authentic
◦How they have recently launched 10 new language specific accounts (only English before)
◦And showed their Harlem Shake, which included all the first team players and has been viewed some 8.7m times!
The future for social media in the club is an interesting one. Just as we approach the time of year where we look ahead to 2014 (quick event plug for 9th Dec), the club are also looking at what’s next for them. Areas such as; stadium wifi (hot topic at the moment), expanding onto new networks, mobile integration, website integration with Facebook Connect and more targeted posts to fans are all in the pipeline.
It’s an exciting time for the club on and off the pitch, but the competition for fans time and attention is getting hotter. All clubs are involved at some level and with greater emphasis on ROI and social media fatigue. This means new challenges will arise that will also bring about new innovations. I’m sure Man City will be continue to lead on many of them.
As well as the presentation on its own, you can hear Chris present it in the video below. If you skip onto around 22min 30sec you will hear Chris taking you through these points (volume level is not great so may need to listen closely).
The overall panel session is just under 1 hour in length and offers some interesting insights from people with very different perspectives; the TV presenter who is looking at new ways to engage with fans during programmes and building his own profile at the same time, the technology expert who works within the live TV/social media space and sees what they are doing as just the start, and the football club social media exec who is always looking for new ways to engage with fans and build the brand.
Fan 'completes' 1996 Premier League sticker album
A man who was missing six stickers from a 1990s football album has tracked down the players in question so he could complete his collection.
Adam Carroll-Smith, a Portsmouth fan who lives in the city, found the 1996 Merlin Premier League album in his attic.
It took him six months to trace the missing players, visit them and take their photos for his album.
Mr Carroll- Smith said: "They were all fantastic, really accommodating guys."
He described how he always thought he had completed the 1996 album but had a "gut punch" when he opened it 16 years later to discover six spaces remained.
He immediately decided "a great wrong had to be righted" and started an internet search for former Southampton and Blackburn winger Stuart Ripley.
Now a solicitor, Ripley invited Mr Carroll-Smith to Manchester to take his picture.
Finding the two foreign stars he was missing in his album proved more problematic.
After two cross-channel trips, Mr Carroll-Smith found Newcastle United's Philippe Albert was working in the fruit and vegetable trade in his native Belgium.
Blackburn's Norwegian midfielder Lars Bohinen, meanwhile, was taking part in a Scandinavian version of Strictly Come Dancing.
The rest of the six players were tracked down through internet searching, social media conversations and word-of-mouth contacts through networks of football fans.
'More innocent era'
For the lifelong Pompey fan, the album represented a "really interesting period" in the game.
"International stars like Dennis Bergkamp were just coming in but most Premier League players were still English," Mr Carroll-Smith said.
"It was on the cusp of the big money wages. Most players from that more innocent era were on good money, but many still had to have jobs after their football careers and are rooted in the real world.
The missing stickers
Gary Penrice - QPR
Lars Bohinen - Blackburn Rovers
Keith Curle - Manchester City
Philippe Albert - Newcastle
Scott Minto - Chelsea
Stuart Ripley - Blackburn Rovers
"No matter how modern the game gets, football stickers will always have a nostalgic quality."
But despite his efforts to track down the players and complete the album, Mr Carroll-Smith then made a surprising decision.
Instead of keeping the album he decided to throw it in the Solent at Southsea.
"It was a cathartic experience," said Mr Carroll-Smith, who has written a book about the experience.
"My wife and I have just had our first child, so this was a symbolic way of showing I'd grown up.
"The sticker album was then and this is now."
ENGLAND V GERMANY BOLLOX
Germany boss Joachim Low has dismissed suggestions his decision to rest several key players for Tuesday's friendly against England is in any way disrespectful and the 53-year-old was generous of his praise for his opposite number Roy Hodgson. Daily Telegraph
Tottenham midfielder Andros Townsend, 22, has been marked out by Germany as England's danger man ahead of the friendly, with Low describing England's wide players as "very impressive". Sun
But former Germany and Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamann has mocked the way Townsend has emerged from relative obscurity to become England's new "saviour". Daily Express
England boss Roy Hodgson, 66, has said learning abut his players is more important than beating Germany. Daily Mirror
England captain Steven Gerrard is hoping a series of special back injections will extend his career for at least two seasons after crediting the procedure for his return to top form. Daily Telegraph
Barcelona are considering a surprise January bid for Fulham striker Dimitar Berbatov. The Spanish champions want the ex-Manchester United man, 32, to provide experienced cover for the injured Lionel Messi. Daily Express
Newcastle must fight off six other top-flight clubs to land Manchester United's Wilfried Zaha, 21, on loan. Sun
Belgium forward Eden Hazard has told Chelsea team-mate and compatriot Kevin De Bruyne, 22, to quit Stamford Bridge to save his World Cup dream. Daily Star
Galatasaray boss Roberto Mancini is thought to have dropped his interest in Chelsea captain John Terry after learning the 32-year-old has no intention of leaving Stamford Bridge in January. Metro
Arsenal are closely monitoring Croatian starlet Alen Halilovic, 17, after Tottenham were unable to seal a deal for the Dinamo Zagreb attacking midfielder. Daily Express
Fulham are interested in signing Brazilian midfielder Anderson, 25, on loan from Manchester United when the January transfer window opens. Manchester Evening News
Liverpool believe they have won the race for Derby County midfielder Will Hughes. It is thought the Championship club would allow the England Under-21 international, 18, to leave Pride Park for about £12m. Metro
Manchester United, Arsenal, Tottenham and Liverpool are interested in Torino winger Alessio Cerci. The Italy international, 26, has scored eight goals in 12 Serie A games this season. TalkSHIT
Liverpool owner John W Henry is sending his own private jet to Montevideo in order to ensure Uruguay international Luis Suarez returns to Merseyside in peak condition for Saturday's derby against Everton. Daily Mirror
England midfielder Michael Carrick, 32, has agreed a two-and-a-half-year contract extension at Manchester United as he looks to end his career at Old Trafford. DSSC
Former Chelsea and Sheffield Wednesday defender Dan Petrescu is keen to be named as Crystal Palace's new manager. The Romanian, 45, impressed the Premier League club's hierarchy during talks in Russia, where he currently manages Dinamo Moscow. London Evening Standard
However, Petrescu's appointment is far from complete as the two parties are yet to agree on the terms of the deal. Daily Mirror
Chelsea midfielder Oscar, 22, says he almost signed for Real Madrid - then managed by current Blues boss Jose Mourinho - in 2012 before moving to Stamford Bridge. Daily Star
Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas fears midfielder Christian Eriksen will miss three months with an ankle injury sustained on international duty with Denmark. DSSC
Germany's players and staff surprised London Underground travellers by taking the Tube to their Wembley training session for Tuesday's international match against England. Metro
OLD SKOOL ADVATARS & BANNERSThe Man in Blue
