Sergio Aguero: Man City boss Pellegrini hails striker's return
Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini stressed the importance of Sergio Aguero after the striker scored on his return from a calf injury to help beat Blackburn in their FA Cup replay.
The 25-year-old Argentine has been out since 14 December but came off the bench to score as City won 5-0 to book a fourth-round tie at home to Watford.
Pellegrini said: "It's important that Sergio came back and scored, which he did with his first touch.
"We have so many games at this stage."
The Chilean boss added: "Also to play 25 minutes will be important for him because he is fit after injury but he must be working on his fitness again."
City face a crucial three weeks in the Premier League and domestic cup competitions as Pellegrini pursues a quadruple in his first season in England.
After hosting struggling Cardiff in the league on Saturday, they face West Ham in the second leg of their Capital One Cup semi-final - albeit with a 6-0 lead from the first leg.
Following Watford's visit in the FA Cup, Pellegrini's side travel to sixth-placed Tottenham in the Premier League before hosting title contenders Chelsea on 3 February, with Jose Mourinho's side currently a point behind them in the league table.
City return to European competition on 18 February when they host Barcelona in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.
Their latest rout saw them chalk up their 99th goal in all competitions this season, with Alvaro Negredo and Edin Dzeko both scoring twice against Championship side Blackburn.
Negredo, who joined City in the summer from Sevilla for £20m, is now the club's top scorer this season on 21 goals, with Aguero on 20 and Dzeko 15.
And Pellegrini said he wanted his side to continue in the same vein as they look set to break goalscoring records this term.
"It's an important amount of goals," he said.
"I repeat when I arrived here it was important to try and win a trophy but in the way this team must play and it's important for the fans to come here and know that we are going to try and score the most amount of goals we can."
He added: "This is a good moment of the season. I do not know if it is the best - we have another three months and how we end it is very important. And the best way to do it is to try to play every game like a final."
Aguero said on Twitter: "I want to thank City's fans for the warm welcome. And also all of the physicians and therapists of Manchester City that helped me recover."
Chelsea lead Arsenal, United and City in race for Luke Shaw
CHELSEA are first in line to snap up Southampton star Luke Shaw following the resignation of chairman Nicola Cortese.
Cortese's departure could lead to Saints boss Mauricio Pochettino following him out of the club, having said last May he would quit were the Italian to leave St Mary's.
And fears over an exodus of top talent are growing, led by England Under-21 left-back Shaw.
Shaw - who supports Chelsea and had a trial at the club's development centre aged eight - is wanted by a host of Premier League sides.
Jose Mourinho wants the 18-year-old to be the long-term replacement for Ashley Cole at Stamford Bridge and has already seen a £21million offer rejected.
Express Sport understands Chelsea's bid of £15m cash plus £6m-rates Ryan Bertrand was rejected, but they are likely to up their offer as they bid to take advantage of the chaos at the South Coast club.
However, Arsenal and both Manchester United and City are monitoring Shaw's situation.
Arsenal And Man City Target To Snub Interest And Stay In Scotland
Celtic defender Virgil Van Dijk it set to snub speculation linking him with a move to England by admitting he is not looking to leave the Scottish Premier League champions, Sky Sports reports.
Both Arsenal and Manchester City have been keeping tabs on the 22-year-old this season and have been linked with making bids for him after earning rave reviews on both sides of the border since joining the club from Eredivise side FC Groningen in the summer.
However, despite being linked to such sides the Dutch under-21 international has admitted that he is not looking to leave the Bhoys anytime soon, though he is flattered by the interest coming from the Premier League.
“It’s fantastic that such top teams are being linked to you,” he told Dutch magazine Voetbal International.
“I haven’t spoken with anyone yet, but it’s always a good sign, but I am enjoying it here at Celtic. The first six months were fantastic.”
The defender has refused to completely rule out a winter move though, and added: “It’s a cliche, but in football everything is possible.
“What I know is that I am in a good place here at Celtic and that feels excellent.”
BITTER BOLLOX
Arsenal Executive: “We Can’t Compete Against a (Nation State Like Man City)”
An Arsenal executive took a shot at Manchester City on Wednesday by saying that the club can’t compete against Manchester City because they have the financial resources of a nation state.
Manchester City are owned by Sheikh Mansour, who is a member of the ruling family of Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. Mansour has poured more than £1.5billion into the club since he acquired Manchester City five years ago.
While City is owned by Sheikh Mansour, Arsenal’s majority share holder is American billionaire Stan Kroenke. The American’s riches are not trivial by any means (he has a $5.3billion net worth) but they do pale in comparison to the wealth of Mansour and his family.
Arsenal chief commercial officer Tom Fox said:
“You can’t compete against that. We’re a football club in London and we are a global brand, but we would never try to compete against the financial resources of a country.
“I just don’t think that’s a very realistic thing for us to do … trying to chase those types of owners. Obviously it’s just not possible.
“We are competing against oligarchs (Roman Abramovich at Chelsea), we are competing against nation states, we are competing against clubs all across Europe that have sources of funding that are significant, that make it very difficult for us to compete.”
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[/spoiler]After failing in a bid to sign John Obi Mikel, 26, Napoli boss Rafael Benitez hopes to sign another Chelsea midfielder, 31-year-old Michael Essien. Sun
Everton Ribeiro, the 24-year-old attacking midfielder heavily linked with Manchester United, has been the subject of an unsuccessful transfer offer from an unnamed English club, the player's agent has confirmed. Daily Star
West Ham are in further talks to sign £7m Southampton striker Rickie Lambert, 31. DSSC
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is set to block Schalke's move for Lewis Holtby, 23, because he does not want to help Arsenal land Julian Draxler by providing the Germans with the midfielder's replacement. Daily Mirror
Meanwhile, Nacer Chadli's agent has said the 24-year-old Belgian winger may have to leave Tottenham to secure his place at the World Cup, after failing to impress in his first season at White Hart Lane. Daily Star
Tiago Ilori will be allowed to leave Liverpool on loan in January with Spanish sides Valencia and Granada interested in signing the 20-year-old defender. Liverpool Echo
Chairman Nicola Cortese's departure from Southampton could open the door for Chelsea to make a renewed bid for 18-year-old left-back Luke Shaw. Express
West Ham and Stoke are set to battle it out to land former Sunderland striker Asamoah Gyan, 28, on loan from Al Ain in the United Arab Emirates. Sky's TalkSHIT
Manchester United are monitoring Napoli forward Marek Hamsik, 26. Daily Star
Meanwhile, manager David Moyes watched Paris St-Germain's 21-year-old forward Lucas Moura this week with a view to landing the £30m-rated Brazilian . Daily Star
Borussia Dortmund midfielder Ilkay Gundogan, 23, will decide between moves to Real Madrid or Manchester United in the summer. Metro
Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney, 28, is likely to miss this weekend's big match against Chelsea despite being sent to Egypt for a spell of warm weather recuperation. DSSC
Meanwhile, United defender Rio Ferdinand, 35, sees himself as a Premier League manager within five years. Express
Mateja Kezman insists his former Serbia team-mate Nemanja Vidic is happy at Manchester United and believes the 32-year-old defender will sign a new deal. Sky's TalkSHIT
Fulham have been told they will have to double their previous offer to £8m if they want to land West Ham midfielder Ravel Morrison, 20. Daily Mirror
West Brom midfielder Youssouf Mulumbu, 26, says being unable to speak English fluently will not hinder new manager Pepe Mel at the club. Express & Star
Chelsea forward Eden Hazard, 23, believes he can emulate Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo and win Fifa's Ballon d'Or. Evening Standard
Forward Cristiano Ronaldo, 28, will return to play in England before the end of his career, according to former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon. Evening Standard
Norwich boss Chris Hughton has been told relegation is a fate "worse than death", by the club's chief executive David McNally. DSSC
Striker Fabio Borini says he will not stay at Sunderland past the end of his loan deal as the 22-year-old hopes to impress ahead of returning to parent club Liverpool. Daily Star
Juventus midfielders Arturo Vidal, 26, and Paul Pogba, 20, are on Manchester United manager David Moyes's shopping list. Pogba is also being courted by Real Madrid and French side Paris St-Germain. L'Equipe
French side St Etienne would be interested in signing of Arsenal's 21 year-old Ghanaian midfielder Emmanuel Frimpong. Lefigaro
Meanwhile, Juventus's pursuit of Real Madrid's 21 year-old forward Alvaro Morata could face a stiff resistance from rivals Inter Milan. Tuttosport
Germany's Borussia Dortmund and Italy's Juventus are keeping a close eye on Real Madrid's 26 year-old striker Karim Benzema. Lefigaro
Lukas Podolski, 28, has delighted Arsenal fans on Twitter after saying he'd rather retire than join Spurs in a Q and A session. Metro
more bollox soon
