Man City's Kolo Toure looks to inspire the next Ivorian generation News that Kolo Toure had arrived home in Ivory Coast's biggest city, Abidjan, didn't take long to spread.
Within two hours of Toure's arrival, for a visit to a local school to help the fight against childhood malnutrition, around 300 people gathered with "Kolo Toure Fan Club" signs, singing his name and jostling to catch a glimpse of one of Africa's star names.
The presence of the crowd gave Toure pause for thought.
In a week in which the behaviour of some of the Premier League's biggest stars has, once again, been under scrutiny, Toure believes it's time for the top players in the Premier League to live up to their responsibilities.
"There are fantastic players but they don't have the right education," he says. "They don't respect. And that's really bad for the kids, because they want to be like them."
Toure on Man City
"I want to stay, I want to fight for my place. It's difficult, I was a key player. I've done everything but that will not change the manager's decision"
Toure, talking to BBC Sport while visiting Niangon Sud Sicogi primary school on the outskirts of Abidjan as an ambassador for Save The Children, wants his Premier League peers to think more about their actions.
"Sometimes we don't know how important we are. We are role models. The way I behave is the way they will want to be. If I use bad words, they will use bad words."
Following a period of political and social unrest over the previous two years, Ivory Coast is returning to stability.
With that peace comes a chance to take action on the issues that contribute to 300 children dying every hour, every day, on the African continent due largely to preventable diseases.
And with chronic malnutrition affecting a third of all children in Ivory Coast, Toure is determined to help bring about change.
"It's so important that kids have the right food, especially in Africa," he adds. "We have everything to make the food better, to make the kids happy but no education.
"Children often don't know which food to eat - foods to give you the power to live, the power to be happy, the power to grow. It's very important to educate them and it's a key thing in Africa."
Standing in a neat, ordered classroom the Manchester City defender reminisces about moving to Abidjan when he was nine years old and the hours he spent playing football with brothers Yaya and Ibrahim when lessons were over for the day.
Kolo Toure
•Born : 31 March 1981
•2000 : Makes international debut for Ivory Coast
•2002 : Joins Arsenal from ASEC Mimosas
•2004 : Part of Arsenal's unbeaten "Invincibles" that wins Premier League
•2009 : Joins Man City
•2010 : Brother Yaya joins City from Barcelona
•2011 : Banned for six months after failing a drugs test
•2012 : Helps City to Premier League title after return from ban
Toure left in 2002 to join Arsenal - an "unbelievable thing" as he describes it - for £150,000. He still refers to the man who signed him for the Gunners as "Mr Wenger".
And, in swapping west Africa for north London, Toure believes he forged the way for a host of Ivorian players, such as Didier Drogba, Emmanuel Eboue, Didier Zokora and more recently Cheick Tiote, to join Premier League teams in the following years.
With a picture of the Ivory Coast team hanging on the classroom wall, Toure points to a group of boys busy consulting their textbooks. He hopes they will be inspired by his footballing generation.
He says: "By seeing us, they know that they can make it as well. That's really important.
"In those boys we could find the president of the country, or an engineer."
Toure is currently fourth-choice centre-back at Manchester City and, driving to see his personal trainer in a quieter suburb of Abidjan, Toure ponders the question of life after his football career is over.
He says: "I love football. I know I will stay in football, even if it's not coaching the first team. I love to train kids. They are natural.
"There are a lot of kids that love football but they don't know how hard it is to make it. They think about money first. They don't love the game. To make it you need to love the game.
"Sometimes I see kids and the first question they have is "which car do you have?" They are eight years old, 10 years old. That's not right to me. Football isn't all about money. It's about the passion."
But the lack of black coaches and managers at the top of the game also troubles Toure.
He says: "I would love to be involved in that and try to help with that as a black man, as a black manager. There are not that many black managers in the football world. We should have much more. I'm one of the contenders!"
For now, Toure's focus remains on helping Ivory Coast reach this winter's Africa Cup of Nations.
If they beat Senegal in the second leg of a play-off this weekend - no easy task given the combined firepower of Newcastle United's Papiss Cisse and Demba Ba - Toure will travel to South Africa for the tournament.
He adds: "The fans love us but we haven't won the African Nations for them. The day that we do that will be massive. I won the Premier League. Didier Drogba and Yaya Toure have won the Champions League.
"But one thing is missing - this Africa Cup of Nations. By winning that it's like giving a gift to the country. They love us so much. But we hope that God will give us that power to bring back this African Nations to them."
MANCHESTER CITY STAR MARIO BALOTELLI LABELLED 'MEDIOCRE' BY ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC
MANCHESTER CITY star Mario Balotelli has been labelled as 'mediocre' by PSG ace Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
The Sweden striker, who recently moved to the French capital in a £31million move, was team-mates with Balotelli at Inter Milan.
But the Italian doesn't seem to have struck a good impression with Ibrahimovic on the training pitch during that time.
Commented on reports linking Balotelli with a move to Real Madrid, the 31-year-old said: "Balotelli to Madrid? I don't see it."
"Barcelona fits him better. A mediocre team, a mediocre player."
Manchester City make Isco top January target ahead of Falcao & Jovetic
The Premier League champions have prioritised a move for the Malaga playmaker after learning that the Spanish club will offload him if his £16.9 million release clause is triggered
Manchester City have made Malaga playmaker Isco their No.1 January target ahead of Radamel Falcao and Stevan Jovetic, Goal.com has learned.
Isco, who has a £16.9 million release clause in his contract, has climbed to the top of City’s target list after they received encouragement from the Spanish club that he could be available when the window re-opens.
Manager Roberto Mancini travelled to the Spanish capital to watch the 20-year-old in action for his club in a league match against Atletico Madrid last Sunday after receiving glowing bulletins from scouts in the early weeks of the season.
Falcao, the prolific Colombian striker, also played in the match but Atletico are adamant that the long-time City target will not be sold before next summer.
City have faced a similar brick wall in their pursuit of Jovetic from Fiorentina. It is understood that the Serie A club have come to an agreement with the £25m-rated forward that he can be sold next year, although this is most likely to be at the end of the season.
The champions view Isco, who made his debut for Spain earlier this year before failing to make the final cut for the 23-man squad that went on to win Euro 2012, as a perfect alternative to Eden Hazard, who they missed out on in the summer.
The attacking midfielder has been a central figure in the Malaga team that have climbed to third in La Liga following the sale of Santi Cazorla to Arsenal, starting all seven of the club’s league games and scoring twice in their 3-0 Champions League victory over Zenit St Petersburg.
Isco is a product of Valencia’s youth team and has been highly recommended to Etihad Stadium staff by David Silva, another star academy graduate and current City high flyer.
Malaga sporting director Mario Armando Husillos admitted in an interview this week that the cash-strapped club would have no option but to offload Isco if his £16.9m (€21m) buy-out clause is triggered.
"Isco is our player and is a very important member of the team,” Husillos said. “He's not for sale. We want to keep him here, but everyone knows that players have a release clause. So, if a club meets this clause, it will be out of our hands.”
Northampton Town boss plays down expectations on Manchester City starlet Huws
New loan signing Emyr Huws looks set to play some part against Exeter City on Saturday, but Northampton Town boss Aidy Boothroyd has warned not to expect the Manchester City youngster to come in and start taking League Two by storm.
The 19 year old joined the Cobblers this week on a loan deal until January and is expected to be pitched straight into the team to face Exeter City on Saturday. But Boothroyd is keen to play down expectations placed on the Wales youth international.
"I don't want to build the kid up too much - he's not Pele, yet, but what he is, he's a good young player like all of the others we have got here and he's not here for a holiday,” Boothroyd said.
“He's here to improve himself along with all of the other players and straight away he comes into the squad for Saturday.
“Straight away there is a little lift in the dressing room because the players know that it is another good young player coming in to challenge for a place and push everybody else. Competition for places is the most important thing."
Huws certainly has a good pedigree. He began his career in Swansea City’s youth set-up before moving to the blue half of Manchester in 2009 and has been working under the guidance of Mark Allen, the head of City’s Academy.
"He's a good passer, he's confident on the ball, he's got good tenacity and an air of authority about him," Allen said. "Injuries stunted his progress in his early days but he's over that now and is a very focussed young man."
Huws is not the only Premier League youngster on loan at Northampton. Lee Nicholls (Wigan Athletic), Kemar Roofe (West Bromwich Albion) and Henoc Mukendi (Liverpool) are all gaining experience at Sixfields. Boothroyd exploited the loan market particularly well during his time at Watford and is now using it to benefit the Cobblers.
“When you've got the system as it is at the moment with the EPP and young players coming through and the Under-21 league, sometimes I think players play against teams and in games that will benefit them,” Boothroyd said.
“But sometimes they need a little bit of real life British football with intensity where it counts and matters - just like it does at any first team level.
"Man City are a club that in recent years are really serious about dominating British football and they want to be up there with the other Manchester club. They've become a top four team, a top two team and now they are the top team because they are the current champions.
“We are lucky to have him because they don't let many players out, but they've let him come here for a reason because they know that we will look after him, rough him up a little bit and when he eventually does go back there he will be a better player because he has had men's football.”
With Ben Harding and Luke Guttridge currently out injured, Boothroyd had originally hoped to have Huws with the club in time for last weekend’s league trip away to Bristol Rovers but the move was delayed.
"The delay was for a number of reasons,” Boothroyd said. “One, he has got to fit with the club coming out and making sure everything was in place.
“Secondly, it was making sure that the time was right because when you take a young player, sometimes you want them for a longer period of time and sometimes you need a quick fix.
“This wasn't a quick fix, I wanted to make it a more permanent one because he is a good player and it's important from Man City's view that they have got a player out and settled.
"There is no real secret to it or anything going on behind the scenes, and it was just a matter of getting everything right before we did it."
Phew ...
Roque Santa Cruz tells BBC's World Service that he does not intend to return to Manchester City when his loan deal with Spanish club Malaga expires at the end of the season. The 31-year-old Paraguayan striker says he is settled in Spain but may consider a return to his native South America.
City plan striker swap for €60m Chelsea transfer target
Manchester City could be ready to offer Atletico Madrid Edin Dzeko plus cash for Chelsea transfer target Radamel Falcao.
Reports in Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, and quoted on news site tuttomercado.com, suggest Roberto Mancini is prepared to offload the Bosnian striker to sweeten the deal for the La Liga side.
Falcao has been a long-term target for Chelsea, and the Stamford Bridge side were linked with a prospective £45m bid for the Colombian international when the window reopens in January.
But, Mancini travelled to Spain last weekend reportedly to scout Falcao, who scored as Atletico beat Malaga 2-1.
The 26-year-old has eight La Liga goals already this season, the same amount as Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi and Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo, and the Colombia international wants to beat the two Ballon d'Or contenders to the Pichichi this year.
Chelsea are thought to be leading the chase to sign the striker, and Roberto Di Matteo is believed to be considering his options before making a January bid.
The Atletico chairman said earlier this week Falcao could be sold for €60m, a fee that would help to reduce the club's debts.
Chelsea and Manchester City are one of the few clubs in the world that would be able to afford such a price, along with French side Paris St Germain.
Manchester City have also been linked with Fiorentina striker Stevan Jovetic, and Serie 'A' champions Juventus have recently pulled out of the race to sign the Montenegrin, paving the way for a possible City bid in January.
But according to the Italian reports, City will look to use Dzeko as bait to try and beat Chelsea to the signing of one of football's most in-form strikers.
I'm alright, Jack! Man City ace Rodwell relishing challenge after injury nightmare
Jack Rodwell is ready to lead England Under-21s charge for Euro 2013 after recovering from the most demoralising spell of his fledgling career.
The 21-year-old will partner Liverpool's Jordan Henderson in England's engine room at Carrow Road, as Stuart Pearce's side bid to build up an priceless first leg lead in their play-off clash with Serbia.
Should they clinch a trip to Israel, it would be England's fourth consecutive appearance at an Under-21 European Championships.
That Rodwell, who moved to Manchester City from Everton this summer in a deal that could eventually rise to £15million, is fighting fit and ready for the challenge offers proof that the fitness issues that decimated his last 12 months have been consigned to the past.
After making an impressive debut for England's seniors last November in the Wembley friendlies against Spain and Sweden, Rodwell was touted as being a contender to go to the European Championships but a hamstring injury that could not be shifted scuppered those ambitions.
So puzzling was the injury that Everton sent Rodwell to see renowned specialist Hans Muller-Wolfhart and the doctor who has been credited with changing the careers of so many sportsmen worked the oracle.
'I hardly kicked a ball after the Sweden game,' said Rodwell. 'I got a lot of unlucky injuries. I had the hamstring problem about five or six times. I'd think I was fit then I would break down again. After the third time, I started to ask some serious questions. I knew there was a deeper problem. But it kept happening. It wasn't as if it was a major tear; it was just tiny grade ones, they just kept reoccurring and kept me out for three or four weeks at a time. I went to Germany and saw Muller-Wolfhart.
'He has got such a great camp there, loads of different people. He sends you in these different rooms where you will be scanned and have x-rays. I saw the chiropractor he uses. I must have had 40 injections. I saw him twice and he was confident he would fix me.
'Ever since then, touch wood it has been okay. I do extra work after training, such as strengthening, but I am fully fit now and can just get on with things. I haven't felt a thing at all since.'
Recovering from injury hasn't been the only thing on Rodwell's mind. Getting used to a new club has been an added stress and finding a niche for himself amongst City's title winners has proven easier said than done, as he has only started three games so far.
There is absolutely no sense, though, that he regrets making the jump. Former City winger Adam Johnson may have claimed that young English players would be wise not to move to the Etihad but Rodwell, whose last Under-21 appearance was in Iceland last October, begs to differ.
'It has been hard to adjust,' he said. 'I was at Everton from the age seven. So being 14 years at the one place meant any move was going to be big. I am still young and I have moved to the league champions, so it is great. The methods and styles are very different.
'The respective managers are very different. IT has taken a lot of adjusting but I feel as if I am improving as a player. The level of training standard is amazing. It's a brilliant atmosphere to be around.
'I have not got a bad word to say about the club. If Manchester City want you and they sign you, then they have got intent for you. Young players have got a choice then and if they go, they will be managed in the right direction. You can't turn the league champions down.'
Farewell to Umbro: End of an era for Three Lions
The company has provided shirts for the most iconic England moments of the last 60 years – but not for much longer. Sam Wallace details how a declining national institution was eased out by Nike
In the impressive, light-filled atrium of the new football centre at St George's Park, 150 mannequin torsos, each wearing an Umbro-designed jersey, hang on the walls to commemorate the Football Association's 150th anniversary next year. Some are adorned with classic Umbro strips, others feature famous moments, or great characters, from the history of the England team.
Within a few weeks, they will all be taken down. In a corporate putsch, Nike is to replace Umbro as the kit supplier to the national team and the old British brand, created 88 years ago in the back room of a pub in Wilmslow in Cheshire, has been politely instructed to step aside to make room for its all-conquering American parent company.
A British sporting institution, Umbro is fighting for its survival. Nike announced its intention to sell it in May and its most likely future is as a brand sold on licence. Instead of it being controlled by its creative hub, and in spite of all the experience and know-how in its UK headquarters, manufacturers will pay to sell products under the Umbro brand, eking out the last value from a company that has lost so many of its assets.
Created by the Humphrey brothers, Harold and Wallace, in 1924, Umbro has a remarkable history. Over the years it has made the kits of Brazil in their World Cup-winning year of 1962, Celtic in 1967, Liverpool in 1977, Manchester United in 1999 and, most famous of all, England in 1966. The brand is most closely associated with the England team, who began wearing Umbro kits in 1954, and have done so since then in all but 10 years from 1974 to 1984.
Duncan Edwards made his England debut in an Umbro shirt. Bobby Moore lifted the Jules Rimet trophy in one. Terry Butcher bled on one. Paul Gascoigne cried in one. David Beckham was sent off in one. Now, it is the Swoosh which will adorn the shirt, and the first Nike message was evident in the hall where Prince William opened St George's Park on Tuesday, boldly proclaiming, "English football. The future".
But what of its past? Umbro's decline has at its root a complicated set of factors. Its acquisition by Nike for £377m in 2008 was not a success. Sources close to the company say that Nike tried to impose its own manufacturing and sales logistics on the much smaller, niche company. Traditionally, Umbro had to be more tactical when negotiating smaller product orders with factories and developing close relationships with retailers.
Nike, a company so big it needs to do little more than ask a retailer what quantity it wants of a product, found Umbro a different kind of beast. Nike's record in acquiring smaller brands has been mixed. Bauer, an ice hockey concern, was bought and then sold. There has been more success with Converse. But it was not only the relationship with the parent company that affected Umbro.
Between 2004 and 2006 Umbro sold approximately three million replica England home and away shirts. In 2009 it negotiated a nine-year kit deal with the FA but by then the popularity of England shirts had tailed off badly with the failure to qualify for Euro 2008. Competition between Sports Direct and JJB Sports that had forced the price of replica shirts down eased. The worsening economic situation played a part.
Umbro was left with an expensive contract with the FA, thought to be around £20m a year, that it could not make pay. It is this deal that Nike has taken over, without any protest on the FA's part, and from next year the England team will begin the changeover to Nike shirts.
The powerhouses of global sports brands, Nike and Adidas, can afford to write off a loss on a kit deal as a marketing expense. Nike had originally focused on what the commercial men call "performance" products and bought Umbro in order to break into the "football lifestyle" or "fanware" market. The two businesses were not meant to overlap, but gradually Nike has filleted Umbro of its greatest assets.
The other jewel in Umbro's crown, the shirt contract with Manchester City, will also pass to Nike next season. Those who notice such things point out that the Umbro pitch-side branding at the Etihad stadium has already switched to Nike. Joe Hart, one of the few star names who still wear Umbro boots, will surely be in Nike soon. Darren Bent, Andy Carroll and Michael Owen remain Umbro endorsees. John Terry's deal ran out in June, although he still wears Umbro boots.
A brand that once made the kits of some of the biggest clubs and international teams in the world, not to mention pioneering the first children's replica kits, will, next year have just Nottingham Forest, Huddersfield Town and Blackburn Rovers on its English roster.
Umbro's headquarters in Cheadle, south of Manchester and just a few miles from the Humphreys' hometown of Wilmslow, is the workplace of around 200 employees where the company took on extra office space when it was acquired by Nike. It was described by one source recently as a "ghost town" as Umbro workers wait to learn the future of their brand.
In a globalised world, does it matter that England will no longer wear a shirt manufactured by a company that, at very least, has its roots in English soil? France, after all, wear Nike, not Le Coq Sportif. The big national teams of Spain, Brazil, Argentina, the Netherlands have been signed by either Adidas or Nike. Nevertheless, it would be hard to imagine Germany wearing anything other than German brands Adidas or Puma.
No one can deny Umbro its place in football heritage, from the 1994 World Cup-winning Brazil team's shirt to the boots Roberto Carlos was wearing when he scored that famous free-kick for his country against France in 1997. It permeated popular culture too: Liam Gallagher wore one of Umbro's loud touchline overcoats, in City colours, to perform on Top of the Pops in 1995.
At the 1966 World Cup finals, 15 out of 16 teams wore Umbro-manufactured kits. In recent years, it has become collateral in the battle for global supremacy between Nike and Adidas. The company still hopes there will be a place for it in the market but it has lost the great prize of the England team shirt and history suggests it will never regain it.
Admiral's time at the helm
England's period in the wilderness during the 1970s coincided with the kit being made by Admiral, who, with the help of new manager Don Revie, secured a deal with the FA in 1974. They created the first commercially available England kit to feature a logo but it failed to grace a World Cup till 1982 and the FA reverted to Umbro in 1984.
[spoiler]
[/spoiler]Hillsborough police crime probe
The IPCC will probe allegations that Sir Norman Bettison provided misleading information
The biggest ever independent investigation into police wrongdoing is to be carried out following damning reports into the Hillsborough disaster.
The IPCC police watchdog and director of public prosecutions have announced they will both launch inquiries into possible crimes committed by police.
The IPCC said both serving and former officers would be investigated over the deaths of 96 Liverpool fans in 1989.
They will consider if individuals or corporate bodies should be charged.
A "large number" of current and former officers now face investigation over claims made in a report on the Hillsborough disaster, the IPCC said.
The Hillsborough Independent Panel last month revealed 164 police statements were altered - 116 of them to remove or change negative comments about the policing of the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at the Sheffield stadium.
'Potential criminal offences'
Deputy chair of the IPCC Deborah Glass said "without a shadow of a doubt" it would be the biggest ever investigation carried out into police behaviour in the UK.
There's never been an independent police investigation in the UK into multiple forces, in which the key allegations include perverting the course of justice - one of the most serious crimes that could be committed by a sworn officer.
What's not clear at the moment is how many officers, serving and former, will come under investigation and how long it will take.
The second key issue will be whether, after all these years, investigators will be able to build cases that will reach the criminal standard of proof required for prosecutions.
This is just the first step on the long legal road to justice in the wake of the Hillsborough Panel Report.
The next important decision will come from the attorney general.
He will decide whether to ask the high court to reopen the inquests.
Sir Norman Bettison, currently Chief Constable of West Yorkshire, has been referred to the IPCC over allegations that he provided misleading information after the tragedy.
It has also been revealed that he is also under investigation for allegations that he "attempted to influence the decision-making process of the West Yorkshire Police Authority in connection with the referral that they had made", Ms Glass said.
She added: "The potential criminal and misconduct offences disclosed by the panel's report fall into two broad categories.
"They are the allegations that go to the heart of what happened at Hillsborough in April 1989 and individuals and institutions may be culpable for the deaths, and there are allegations about what happened after the disaster, that evidence was fabricated and misinformation was spread in an attempt to shift blame."
West Yorkshire Police said Sir Norman was "keen to co-operate with the IPCC enquiry".
Allegations that statements were altered and that misleading information was passed to the media and MPs will be investigated and could lead to police misconduct and criminal charges, Ms Glass said.
Claims that officers questioned bereaved next of kin about their loved ones' alcohol consumption, carried out alcohol testing and checked the police national computer to find information about the dead and injured could also lead to charges.
Anne Williams, mother of 15-year-old Kevin Williams who died at Hillsborough, said: "This is really good news. Good news that they are moving quickly to save us any more heartache.
"I welcome it and I know it's going to be a long process, but at least they are getting the ball moving."
A West Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: "Sir Norman Bettison has consistently made the point since 15 September, three days after the report was published, that these were matters that needed to be investigated formally and fairly by the IPCC.
"At the time, he immediately welcomed the police authority's decision to refer this matter.
"He is on record as saying he is keen to co-operate with the IPCC enquiry, but now that has been launched, he has nothing further to add."
Chief Constable of West Midlands Police, Chris Sims, said: "I welcome today's decision by the IPCC to look into the role of West Midlands Police following the tragedy at Hillsborough in 1989.
"As chief constable I read the Hillsborough Independent Panel Report and immediately referred West Midlands Police to the IPCC.
"Today, the IPCC have accepted that referral and West Midlands Police will give their full support to the IPCC investigation."
Edgar Davids joins League Two Barnet as joint head coach
Former Dutch midfielder Edgar Davids has joined League Two side Barnet as joint head coach with a view to also resuming his playing career.
The 39-year-old, who played for Ajax, Juventus and Barcelona in a glittering career, will assist Mark Robson at the Football League's bottom club.
Davids tweeted: "Happy to say I will join my local football club Barnet as a player/coach."
A Barnet statement said he could make his debut within a fortnight.
The Bees director of football Paul Fairclough added: "The capture of Davids is a statement of intent by our club to improve results and lay further foundations for the future.
"Edgar is a world-renowned footballer and will be a great example to all our young players."
Davids said: "I'm happy to explore my possibilities and share my knowledge and experience with Barnet.
"I am very excited about the challenge ahead."
Barnet are yet to win a game this season and have just three points from their opening 11 fixtures.
Davids, who came out of retirement to play six games for Championship side Crystal Palace in 2010, also spent a couple of seasons at Tottenham between 2005-07.
He won 76 international caps and helped Ajax win the Champions League, Uefa Cup and three Eredivisie titles
In Italy, he picked up three Serie A championships with Juventus and the Coppa Italia with Inter Milan.
Major League Soccer boss Dan Garber says Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard, 34, would be a welcome addition to the MLS if he wanted to follow in David Beckham's footsteps by ending his career in the United States. Daily Mirror
Tottenham are ready to battle Italians Inter Milan for £7.5m-rated Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Patrick Herrmann, 21. Sun
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers is looking to bolster his forward line by making a move for Galatasaray's 27-year-old striker Burak Yilmaz, reportedly also a target for West Ham and Tottenham. talkSHIT
Barnsley right-back John Stones, 18, is being targeted by Everton, Manchester City and Chelsea. Sun
Manchester United are ready to reward the rapid progress of midfielder Tom Cleverley, 23, by doubling his wages just one year into his current contract. Cleverley played for Great Britain at the London Olympics Daily Mirror
Michael Owen, 32, has angrily refuted suggestions he dived to win a penalty for England against Argentina at the 1998 World Cup, despite admitting he went down without needing to. Metro
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer pulled out of a speaking engagement at the Leaders In Football conference amid speculation linking the former Manchester United striker, 39, with the vacant manager's position at Bolton. DC
Swansea City chairman Huw Jenkins has leapt to the defence of Michael Laudrup after reports of player unrest three months after the Dane's arrival as manager at the Liberty Stadium. Wales Online
Liverpool midfielder Suso, 20, says he is close to signing a new contract with the club following the Spaniard's breakthrough into the first team this season. Liverpool Echo
Former Juventus striker Alessandro Del Piero says he turned down the chance to join Liverpool before moving to Sydney FC this year out of respect to the Italian fans who died at the Heysel disaster in 1985. DC
Chelsea full-back Ryan Bertrand, 23, will escape with a warning from the FA after swearing on Twitter. Daily Mirror
The 2022 World Cup should be moved to winter to help fans and players to enjoy the tournament in Qatar, bid ambassador Ronald de Boer says. Daily Telegraph
The Uruguay Football Association are to complain about comments made by Britain's Fifa representative Jim Boyce, who feels that Liverpool striker Luis Suarez, 25, dived in last Sunday's game against Stoke. London Evening Standard
more bolox later ...
