I need to know: Lescott's appeal about his Manchester City future
Manuel Pellegrini has made it clear that Lescott is part of his plans – but he’s keen to go to the World Cup in Brazil next summer and is aware that he must be playing regularly for City
Joleon Lescott will seek assurances about his first-team chances next season before signing a new deal at City.
Manuel Pellegrini has made it clear that Lescott is part of his plans and the club are ready to extend his contract beyond 2014, when his current deal expires. The 30-year-old has also said that he wants to stay.
But he’s keen to go to the World Cup in Brazil next summer and is aware that he must be playing regularly for City – who are still chasing Real Madrid defender Pepe – if he wants to force his way into Roy Hodgson’s squad should they qualify.
And Everton, Aston Villa, Newcastle and Stoke are ready to pounce if Lescott decides his future lies away from the Etihad Stadium.
Micah Richards, meanwhile, has ruled out a move away from City.
An injury-hit 12 months, and the form of Pablo Zabaleta, had increased speculation that the 25-year-old could leave.
But he insists he’s happy to share the responsibilities at right-back with Argentinian.
Richards said: “Manchester City is my club and I’ve never considered playing anywhere else. I think there has been speculation because I’ve got two years left on my contract and Pablo Zabaleta had a fantastic season.
“He’s outstanding but that’s what you expect at top teams, you expect competition. The season before we won the Premier League and I had a good year but now I’m just happy to be back fit. Last season was a bit of a nightmare with injuries. I picked up the ankle problem at the Olympics and came back from that and then tore my cartilage.
“The main thing is to be playing. I know there are a lot of games and I don’t expect to play every game but the season we won the title me and Zaba rotated really well together so if we can do that this season I’ll be happy.
“People think you just need a good starting eleven, but you need a strong squad to challenge for places and come in and compete when necessary.
“Last season we were a bit short on numbers and in the end it showed with the massive gap with United. Their squad has become amazing now and they’ve got just as good a side as us now so it’ll be tough this year but we’re looking forward to the challenge.”
Spurs consider Dzeko bid
Tottenham Hotspur are considering a bid for Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko, according to SportsDirect News.
Dzeko has been cited as one of Spurs' alternative strike targets if their bid for Roberto Soldado fails. The north London club have had a £22million bid plus add-ons turned down for the Spaniard, with Valencia insisting Spurs meet his release clause of £26 million.
The Bosnian striker could be surplus to requirements after his current club Manchester City signed two new strikers - Stevan Jovetic from Fiorentina and Alvaro Negredo from Sevilla. The Citizens also have Sergio Aguero on the books.
New Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini recently said Dzeko would be in his plans for the upcoming season.
However, it remains to be seen if the Bosnian will get the first team football he craves with four strikers currently at the club and Pellegrini's preference at previous clubs to play with only one striker.
Dzeko joined Manchester City from Wolfsburg for £27million and has since scored 40 goals in 106 appearances. Many appearances were from the bench though.
The 27-year-old could in-fact be a more expensive and more difficult signing to accomplish than Soldado. City may refuse to sell to a rival like Spurs, and they may prefer to sell the striker abroad. Dzeko has been linked to many European clubs in the past.
Dzeko is proven Premier League quality and may be seen as less of a risk than signing Soldado, but the attempt to sign the Bosnian may have more complications than Spurs may envisage.
Manuel Pellegrini: My Manchester City strikers are in a league of their own
MANUEL PELLEGRINI refused to rise to Jose Mourinho’s bait but did agree with the Chelsea manager over one thing: Manchester City definitely have the best strike force in the Premier League.
Chelsea boss Mourinho has cranked up the mind games by claiming City will be under the most pressure in the coming season because of their £90million spending spree.
But they could recoup a small fraction of that outlay if they decide to sell winger Scott Sinclair, who has attracted a formal inquiry from West Brom, with Everton also showing some interest in taking him on loan.
After two defeats in South Africa, Pellegrini was happy to record his first win as City boss, thanks to an Edin Dzeko goal that was enough to beat South China in the Asia Trophy tournament here.
It was uninspiring stuff on a waterlogged pitch but Pellegrini is licking his lips in anticipation of the goals output in the coming season from his £120m stable of strikers.
City struggled for goals in certain matches last season when they finished 11 points behind Manchester United in the title race, but Pellegrini believes he has solved the problem.
Alvaro Negredo, who impressed in a half-hour substitute cameo yesterday, and fellow new signing Stevan Jovetic have joined Dzeko and Sergio Aguero to give Pellegrini all sorts of options.
And when asked if he had the strongest attack in the Premier League, Pellegrini had little hesitation in answering: “I think so yes, very strong. That’s correct.
“We have four very good strikers and that’s very necessary if we want to play in the Premier League and Champions League as a competitive team. Dzeko and Negredo can play together or we can play one of them with Jovetic or Aguero.
“I know Negredo very well from the Spanish league, so it was not a surprise to me the way he played when he came on.”
He declined the invitation to respond to Mourinho, who replaced him as Real Madrid manager in 2009, insisting: “I don’t have an opinion about what Mourinho says.”
But he did warn City’s title rivals that his side will not crack under the burden of expectations as they did last season with Roberto Mancini at the helm.
“A big club like Manchester City always has a lot of pressure,” he said. “It’s very important to play under pressure. The players play better under pressure, so we’re not scared by that.”
Manuel Pellegrini has praised City's strikeforce ahead of the new season
Pellegrini, who missed City’s second game in South Africa following the death of his mother in his native Chile, insists pre-season results are not important and it is all about being ready to hit the ground running when the serious business starts on August 17.
He was delighted at the improvement that his players displayed on a difficult pitch against moderate opposition.
“We didn’t play against South China, we played against us,” he said. “We improved on what we did in the matches in South Africa and that was very important. If we drew or lost it wasn’t important. We must be ready from the start of the first match against Newcastle and the team must play as we want. We must work very hard, but I’m sure that we will arrive at the first match in the way I want.
“Before today’s match, I had some doubts that we could play on this pitch, but we played normally with no problem.”
Pellegrini could give Aguero, Jovetic and David Silva their first pre-season run-outs against Sunderland in Saturday’s final. Dzeko was expected to leave City this summer after voicing frustration about his lack of starts under Mancini.
But Pellegrini has reassured the Bosnian he is a big part of his plans, while for his part, Dzeko insists he is not threatened by the arrivals of Negredo and Jovetic.
“It’s easier for the striker when you’ve got players like that around you,” he said. “I don’t see why I couldn’t play alongside Negredo but it’s not my decision, it’s the manager’s. We now have four top strikers and all of us want to play.”
Yaya Toure backs 'unbelievable' Pellegrini
Influential midfielder Yaya Toure on Thursday backed new manager Manuel Pellegrini to bring silverware to Manchester City, describing him as "unbelievable".
The former Malaga coach got his first victory as City boss in a 1-0 win over South China in Hong Kong on Wednesday, having only arrived in the region a day earlier after the death of his mother.
Toure said he hopes the Chilean, who replaced the sacked Roberto Mancini, can bring trophies to the Etihad after rivals Manchester United romped to the Premier League title last season.
"Last year, we have to be honest, United were much better than us," said the former Barcelona man, 30.
"We are working and trying to understand and learn from the new manager, who had a fantastic record in the past in Spain."
He added of Pellegrini: "Unbelievable, great things, his ability to manage is unbelievable and he's doing fantastically well. We are all focused on him and trying to understand what he wants us to deliver and what he wants us to do on the pitch.
"He's an unbelievable guy, a very good guy, and dedicated to his work, and you can see his commitment. He's a very good choice for Man City and I hope he's going to bring a lot of trophies to Man City.
"When you change mangers, sometimes it is quite hard because you need to adapt to the new formation. But with the new signings I think it is going to be very exciting."
City have been the biggest spenders over the summer as they attempt to wrestle the Premier League crown back from Old Trafford, shelving out 83 million pounds ($126 million, 96 million euros) on new players.
They have brought in strikers Alvaro Negredo from Sevilla and Stevan Jovetic from Fiorentina, as well as Spanish midfielder Jesus Navas and Brazil midfielder Fernandinho from Shakhtar Donetsk.
"They are amazing, amazing. I already know them because some of them have come from Spain... They are great players and we welcome them to Man City.
"I hope the fans will enjoy them and they will help the club lift a couple of trophies this year."
Alvaro Negredo is ‘overwhelmed’ at welcome
Alvaro Negredo revealed he was delighted to make his City debut after coming on as a second-half substitute against South China.
The 27-year-old striker sealed his move from Sevilla last week and, after jetting to Hong Kong on Monday, got his first taste of action for his new club in yesterday’s Asia Trophy semi-final.
He played the last 25 minutes after replacing Yaya Toure and almost marked the occasion with a goal, volleying just over the bar.
Negredo said: “I’m very happy. It was good to get going and get some time playing with the lads. The opposition weren’t very difficult but I got some minutes and I really enjoyed it.
“I was close to scoring but the result is not important, it’s more important to get fit for the start of the Premier League. The pitch wasn’t in great condition but that’s something we can’t control.”
Negredo only met up with his new team-mates this week after arriving on City’s pre-season tour with Jesus Navas, Stevan Jovetic and David Silva, who was given an extended break after taking part in the Confederations Cup with Spain.
Negredo already knows Navas from their time together at Sevilla as well as Spain team-mate Silva. But he revealed he has been ‘overwhelmed’ at the welcome from other members of the squad.
He added: “I’m very happy, overwhelmed. It’s a team with a lot of top players and they’ve been extremely friendly to me. I’m happy to be here as part of the team.”
City manager Manuel Pellegrini was impressed with Negredo’s debut, during which fellow striker Edin Dzeko scored the only goal of the game.
Pellegrini said: “I know Alvaro from the Spanish league and he is a very good striker. It will be a good compliment with Dzeko and with Aguero. He played 25 minutes today and you saw how well he did.”
Manchester City not prepared to budge over £6m asking price for Aleksandar Kolarov
MANCHESTER CITY are set to hold firm over full-back Aleksandar Kolarov, as they are not willing to sell him for less than £6m.
Serie A giants Juventus and Inter Milan were credited with an interest in him, although have yet to follow up on that.
The 27-year-old was largely underused last season, who admitted he could leave in search of regular first-team football.
"I am happy at City but I want to play regularly, as I said to Roberto Mancini," Kolarov said recently.
Aleksandar Kolarov failed to get regular game time when Roberto Mancini was in charge
City are keen to trim their wage bill and offloading Kolarov, who is currently on £90,000-a-week would certainly help them achieve their aim.
However, Galatasaray have emerged as the frontrunners for his signature.
Despite signing him for £16m, City are prepared to take a hit on the Serbian and will hold out for a £6m asking price.
Aleksandar Kolarov is currently one of City's highest earners
Kolarov's potential departure could see him become the seventh player to leave the Etihad this summer, with the likes of Carlos Tevez, Maicon and Kolo Toure amongst others having already departed.
Kolarov managed just 11 Premier League appearances for City last season.
Baggies to get in Sinc
WEST BROM have made the first move to end Scott Sinclair’s Manchester City nightmare.
The Baggies have made an official inquiry about taking the winger, 24, to the Hawthorns on a season-long loan.
City are considering it — although they also believe there is interest from new Everton boss Roberto Martinez who worked with Sinclair at Wigan.
The Team GB star was never given a chance at City after signing from Swansea for £6million in August last year.
He played only a handful of games and ended the season on the sidelines following a blood clot on his arm.
City have now signed wide man Jesus Navas so Sinclair’s chances are again likely to be limited.
SNUB COUNT: 351
GOLDEN BOLLOX 25-7-2010
MANCINI'S SALE OF CENTURY
ROBERTO MANCINI needs a frantic five-week fire sale to offload up to £130million worth of stars and comply with Premier League rules.
The Manchester City manager has 37 first-team players but has just over a month to meet the new requirement for a maximum 25-man squad.
It means the likes of Craig Bellamy, who has been linked with Spurs, Nigel De Jong, bought for £16m, and the unsettled Stephen Ireland could all leave for knockdown prices before the squad list is submitted to the Premier League on September 1.
And with Mancini, who has assessed his playing staff during City's pre-season tour of the United States, set to conclude a deal for Aston Villa's James Milner, he is desperate to get the bulk of those players out of the door at Eastlands within 20 days.
He said: "I know that we must sell some players because in 20 days we must have a list with 25 players. I am disappointed because some players must change teams now. It is difficult for them to play for us.
"When you play in four competitions you must have a large squad because if not you have difficulties. For this it's important we have 25 players."
The new rule is that each club must register a squad of 25 players with the Premier League - eight of which must be 'home grown'.
To qualify as 'home grown', players must have played for at least three seasons before reaching 21 with a club affiliated to either the English or Welsh FA.
Once registered, only these 25 players can feature in Premier League games until the next transfer window, although players who are still under 21 do not have to be registered and can still play.
City have bought mainly experienced players as they attempt to gatecrash the Premier League elite. Now they have a list of around a dozen players for whom they would listen to offers.
Bellamy, a £14m buy from West Ham, is rated at only £4m, while Ireland made it clear at the end of last season that he wanted out.
He is valued at between £12-15m and has attracted interest from Aston Villa as well as admiring glances from Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United.
Wayne Bridge's position has also come under threat following this week's £17m signing of left-back Alexsander Kolarov from Lazio. The former Chelsea and England defender was signed for £10m in January 2009 but will not be happy at being second choice.
Brazilian superstar Robinho, bought from Real Madrid for a record £32.5m on the day of the Abu Dhabi Group's takeover in August 2008, is still out on loan at Santos and has no intention of rejoining City before finding a new club. City could be looking at taking a hit of up to £15m if, as expected, they sell him for less than £20m.
The squad is overstocked in the defensive midfield position, which has led to talk that Dutch World Cup hero De Jong may move on. The player was signed from Hamburg in January 2009 but must now compete with new signing Yaya Toure, England international Gareth Barry and even Patrick Vieira for a place in Mancini's starting side.
Pablo Zabaleta and Vincent Kompany were also bought as defensive midfielders when they arrived at Eastlands just weeks before the takeover.
England winger Shaun Wright-Phillips, not a regular starter under Mancini, is another tipped for a possible departure after the breakdown of his contract talks. Wright-Phillips is two years through a four-year deal and has turned down an extension worth £70,000 a week after initially demanding £100,000 a week.
Academy graduate Nedum Onuoha and former England prodigy Micah Richards are also likely to leave before the season kicks off at Spurs on August 14.
Onuoha said at the end of last season that he doesn't think Mancini appreciates him, while Richards has not shown the form in the past two years that propelled him into Steve McClaren's England side at just 17.
Sunderland, Spurs, Everton and Aston Villa have shown interest in the pair and City would be happy to receive around £12m for both.
Not all the players on the list will leave and Mancini will try to trim his squad by sending young fringe players such as Vladimir Weiss, Kelvin Etuhu, Greg Cunningham and the talented Michael Johnson out on loan to gain first-team experience.
Brazilian striker Jo, a disastrous £18m signing in the weeks leading up to the Abu Dhabi buyout, is not wanted and City will be lucky to recoup a fraction of their outlay. Ecuadorian striker Felipe Caicedo has also been told to find another club.
The expected losses, which could top £40m, emphasise the club's lack of awareness in the transfer market during the first 18 months of the takeover.
As well as Robinho, it is widely accepted they paid over the odds for Joleon Lescott, at £24m, Roque Santa Cruz, who cost £17.5m, and Kolo Toure, who did not impress in his first season after leaving Arsenal for £16m.
The jury is still out on Emmanuel Adebayor, who also arrived from the Emirates last summer - for £25m - after he scored just 14 goals last term.
NEW PARTNERS BOLLOX
Manchester City sign Hays to three-year deal
Premier League side Manchester City have announced a new global partnership with recruitment specialists Hays.
The new three-year deal sees Hays, a FTSE 230 company, become City’s official recruitment partner
Over the course of the agreement Hays, which employs nearly 8,000 people in 245 offices across 33 countries, will initiate a global marketing programme using City’s crest, player imagery and brand messaging with a focus on digital and social media.
Company branding will also be integrated into match-day LED advertising at City’s Etihad Stadium and on media interview backdrops as part of the deal.
Commenting on the new partnership, Tom Glick, City’s chief commercial and operating officer, said: “It’s a privilege to welcome Hays on board as a valued member of our stable of global partners.
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“Hays has established themselves as a truly international brand, with a wealth of experience attracting the best talent and expertise in the workplace.”
Sholto Douglas-Home, Hays Group’s marketing sirector, added: “Manchester City is the ideal partner for Hays. They are a brand that is passionate about getting the right professionals to build winning teams both on and off the pitch.
“The English Premier League is by far the most popular league in the world and we see this partnership as an exciting platform to help us take our brand and our message to a broader global audience.”
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[/spoiler]Tottenham are worried that Real Madrid's attempts to sign forward Gareth Bale, 24, are unsettling him. Daily Mirror
Midfielder Thiago Alcantara, 22, almost signed for Manchester United before he joined Bayern Munich from Barcelona, according to his father Mazinho. Metro
Valencia will not let defender Adil Rami, 27, leave for anything less than £7.75m. The Frenchman is wanted by both Manchester City and Arsenal. Marca
Liverpool face competition to land top target Christian Atsu, 21, with Benfica and Sporting Lisbon also interested in the Porto winger. talkSHIT
Stoke are interested in signing Queens Park Rangers midfielder Adel Taarabt, 24, on loan but the Championship side would prefer a permanent deal. DSSC
Middlesbrough are re-signing 28-year-old goalkeeper Ross Turnbull following his release by Chelsea. Sun
Stoke manager Mark Hughes wants his scouts to check on Guadalajara midfielder Marco Fabian, 24. Times
Fulham are trying to sign Roma striker Pablo Osvaldo, 27, in an £8.6m deal. Daily Star
Manchester United boss David Moyes has been labelled a "dinosaur" after striker Robin van Persie, 29, was injured in only his second pre-season appearance. Daily Telegraph
Midfielders Joey Barton and Karl Henry, both 30, have ended their long-standing feud after Henry joined Queens Park Rangers from Wolves. Daily Mirror
Former England striker Michael Owen, 33, has set up a business representing young players and wants to "make them aware of what's around the corner". DSSC
Swindon are being sued for £143,200 plus interest and costs by former defender Alberto Comazzi, 34, - who is now serving a four-year ban for match fixing in Italy - over the terms of a compromise payment following his release by the Robins in 2012. Daily Star
Valencia will not let defender Adil Rami, 27, leave for anything less than £7.75m. The Frenchman is on the radar of several European clubs, including Manchester City and Arsenal. Marca
Former Argentine international striker Javier Saviola, 31, has joined Olympiakos from Malaga. Eleftherotypia
Former Manchester United and Aston Villa midfielder Eric Djemba Djemba, 32, is to leave Israeli side Hapoel Tel Aviv for the champions of Serbia, Partizan Belgrade, on a two-year deal. Vecernje Novosti
Pep Guardiola guided new club Bayern Munich to a 2-0 win over former club Barcelona at the Allianz Arena. Daily Star
GOLDEN BOLLOX 25-7-2011
Manchester City set to land Sergio Aguero in £40m deal
Roberto Mancini is hoping to complete the £40m signing this week
City top target Sergio Aguero could be signed for £40m by the end of the week.
And he may even line up with Carlos Tevez in an all-Argentine strikeforce against United in the Community Shield at Wembley on August 7.
City boss Roberto Mancini now expects Tevez, who has a £50m price on his head and has been unable to fulfil his wish to quit the Blues, to report for new season training on August 4.
Mancini said: “Sergio played in the Copa America and if we close the deal I need to speak with him to know his opinions as he needs to recover.
“Carlos will be back and if his condition is good he has a chance to play as well.
“The last I heard the club were talking to Atletico Madrid but maybe in four or five days, before the next game. Maybe this week we can close the deal.”
Agero’s pending arrival will increase the pressure on Mario Balotelli, whose failed circus-trick antics in front of goal during City’s friendly with LA Galaxy in California clearly infuriated Mancini – although publicly he’s taken a sympathetic stance.
Balotelli, who continues to divide opinion among the City faithful, has gone out of his way to say he can take over the goal-scoring mantle from wantaway Tevez.
And he has been backed by Italian compatriot Mancini who said: “Mario is young and sometimes makes mistakes. He needs to play every game the same way he played against Stoke and Manchester United in the FA Cup.”
Balotelli, 20, had already put City ahead from the spot after Micah Richards had been fouled before the bizarre incident which involved him attempting to score with a complicated pivot, followed by a backheel which rolled wide.
Mancini, who was involved in a heated touchline row with the striker, said: “I hope this is a lesson for him. In football you always need to be professional, always serious and in this moment he wasn’t professional.
“If you are serious, you can play 90 minutes. If not, you can come and sit by me on the bench.
“He needs to understand his behaviour has to be good in every game – not just in a final or a semi-final but every game.
“He knows he made a mistake. Football should always be serious and if you have a chance to score, you should score.”
Balotelli’s actions add to growing crime sheet since he joined City just 12 months ago, although Mancini was keen to draw a line under the incident.
“Mario is young, I want to help him and that is the end of it,” he added.
Asked what Balotelli had said to him, he replied: “It was in Italian. In English I would find it difficult to give you the translation. But Mario is streetwise, he knows he was not offside.”
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[/spoiler]Tevez brushes aside Fergie’s claim he’ll quit within four years
LONDON: Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez has slammed Alex Ferguson’s claim that he was not offered a new contract at Manchester United because he was planning to retire within four years.
Tevez quit United to sign for bitter rivals Manchester City in a controversial transfer in 2009 and Ferguson insisted during United’s current tour of America that the move was allowed to go through only because the Argentine told him he didn’t plan to stay in the game for long.
“He told us at the time of negotiations that he was only going to play for four more years, so if we had signed him on a five-year contract knowing that he was going to quit in four years’ time, there is no re-sale value for us,” said Ferguson.
The United manager’s comments have led to renewed speculation that Tevez may decide to retire rather than return to City if he doesn’t get his wish to leave Eastlands.
Tevez wants a transfer after growing unhappy following his family’s failure to settle in Manchester and their subsequent return to Argentina.
The 27-year-old has already seen a potential move to Brazilian club Corinthians come to nothing and few clubs seem willing to meet his huge wage demands.
However, Tevez has distanced himself from Ferguson’s claims and his spokesman suggested he will continue his career for another eight years.
“At no time did he discuss retiring with the Manchester United management and Mr Ferguson has not mentioned this at any time before,” a spokesman for Tevez said.
“In fact Carlos feels he is capable of playing for a further eight years and though he has been in the form of his life, he feels he is only going to get better in the coming years.” — AFP
MORE BOLLOX SOON
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