Van der Sar close to pen improved contract

February 8, 2010

Edwin van der Sar is set to sign a new deal at Manchester United. The Dutch goalkeeper will pen a new, £90,000-a-week contract this week, according to the Daily Express.

Van der Sar’s current contract is due to expire this summer. The 39-year-old shot stopper had delayed agreeing to the fresh deal while he monitored the health of his wife Annemarie, who suffered a brain haemorrhage two days before Christmas.

But Annemarie is well on the way to a full recovery back in Holland and Van der Sar can now turn to his own future at Manchester United.

Last month, Sir Alex Ferguson said he hoped that Van der Sar would extend his stay at Old Trafford.

“Edwin makes a big difference, it is not just his saves, it is his composure and use of the ball.

“I know there are a few young keepers out there doing very well but Edwin is the best in the league just now.”

The Daily Express reports that Van der Sar is close to committing himself to United for another 12 months by signing a new £4.7million contract.

Van der Sar joined the Red Devils in 2005 from Fulham.

Tags: alex ferguson, annemarie, brain haemorrhage, Christmas, composure, daily express, days before christmas, Edwin, Edwin van der, edwin van der sar, Express, fulham, Goalkeeper, health, Holland, Manchester, manchester united, new deal, red devils, sir alex ferguson, Trafford, Van der, van der sar

Rangers striker Boyd out with groin injury

January 12, 2010

In-form Rangers striker Kris Boyd is facing a lengthy lay-off after sustaining a groin injury in the cup match against Hamilton, manager Walter Smith said.

The 26-year-old Boyd is to see a specialist and could under go a hernia operation that would keep him out for up to six weeks.

Smith told the Scottish Daily Express: “Boyd will undergo an operation as soon as possible.

“He will be out for up to six weeks and we will just have to cope accordingly.”

The striker, who has been in top goal-scoring form of late, now faces a race to be fit for the Old Firm clash against Celtic at Ibrox on February 28.

GLASGOW (AFP)

Tags: Boyd, celtic, clash, daily express, Express, Glasgow, groin injury, Hamilton, hernia operation, Ibrox, match, rangers, Scottish, six weeks, specialist, walter smith

Taylor commits to Newcastle

August 31, 2009

Newcastle defender Steven Taylor says he is committed to helping the Championship side climb back up into the Premier League.

The highly-rated 23-year-old defender has been linked with a move away from St James’ Park during the close season following the Magpies’ relegation last term, with Everton and Aston Villa among the reported interested parties.

But Taylor told the Daily Express on Monday: “I was part of the team which was involved in taking Newcastle down and out of the Premier League and I want to put it right by being part of the side that takes us back where we belong, in our rightful place in the top flight.

“I have never swayed from that aim. There has been interest but I want to make very clear that I have always wanted to lead Newcastle back to the Premier League. That has always been my main wish.”

Newcastle have already lost key players in Sebastien Bassong, Michael Owen, Damien Duff and Habib Beye since slipping out of the Premier League but can claim top spot in the Championship standings by beating Leicester later Monday.

LONDON (AFP)

Tags: aim, aston villa, daily express, Damien Duff, everton, habib beye, interested parties, james park, leicester, london, magpies, michael owen, NEWCASTLE, premier league, Sebastien Bassong, St James, st james park, steven taylor, top flight

18/07/09: Transfer Rumors

July 18, 2009

‘Liverpool will intensify their efforts to sign Valencia striker David Villa.’ – The Times

‘Portsmouth striker Peter Couch will decide over the weekend whether to join Sunderland or Fulham as both clubs have bid £12m for the England international.’ – Daily Star

‘Pompey may also allow full-back Sylvain Distin leave the club, with Aston Villa poised to bid about £3m.’ – The Independent

‘Liverpool could get Dutch International Wesley Sneijder, if Alonso transfer to Real Madrid does take place.’ – L’Equippe

‘Meanwhile, Liverpool FC Steven Gerrard has said that he does not see Xabi Alonso at Liverpool next season ‘ – Marca

‘Manchester City’s hopes of completing a deal for Emmanuel Adebayor are in the balance as the Arsenal striker is keen on a move to Chelsea.’ – The Times

‘FC Dynamo Kyiv’s Pape Diakhate is one transfer target Bordeaux have not given up, according to the player’ – L’Equippe

‘Arsenal want Blaise Matuidi and could soon make an offer to St-Etienne, who could ask for 10M to 12M Euros.’ – Le Parisien

‘Manchester City are set to make an improved offer for Everton defender Joleon Lescott after having a £15m bid rejected.’ – The Times

‘Everton would be considering West Ham’s Matthew Upson as a replacement for Lescott, should he leave Goodison Park.’ – The Times

‘Hull are ready to offer Newcastle £3m over three years to sign midfielder Joey Barton.’ – The Sun

‘Sunderland have made an enquiry about Tottenham defender Alan Hutton.’ – The Times

‘And Spurs could sell another defender, Pascal Chimbonda, to Blackburn.’ -The Times

‘AS Nancy Lorraine are in contact with Bordeaux for a possible swoop of it’s three players Ayité Floyd, Sheikh Diabaté and Florian Marange’ – L’Equippe

‘Aston Villa have made Leeds a ‘take it or leave it’ offer of £4m plus add-ons for midfielder Fabian Delph.’ – Daily Mirror

‘Tottenham are also ready to join the bidding for Delph.’ – Daily Express

‘Meanwhile, Spurs have been given until the start of next week to agree a fee with Real Madrid for striker Klass-Jan Huntelaar.’ – Daily Express

‘Stoke midfielder Seyi Olifinjana is in talks to join French club Monaco.’ – Daily Star

‘Lorik Cana could be in the Bundesliga next year with Werder Bremen and Hamburg both keeping an eye for the player. Shakhtar Donetsk and Fenerbahce are also interested.’ – Le Parisien.

‘Wigan are hopeful of signing Espanyol centre-back Roman Golobart on a free transfer.’ – The Sun

‘Portsmouth boss Paul Hart is giving a trial to Zimbabwe left-back Onismor Bhasera.’ – Daily Star

‘Wolves are optimistic they can beat Celtic and Wigan to the signature of Hamilton midfielder James McCarthy.’ – Daily Star.

By: Abhimanyu Rajput

Tags: Alan Hutton, Alonso, aston villa, blaise matuidi, Bordeaux, Bremen, Bundesliga, CHELSEA, daily express, daily mirror, DAVID VILLA, dutch international, dynamo kyiv, emmanuel adebayor, England, england international, English Premier League, Eredivisie, Fabian Delph, florian marange, Floyd, fulham, Goodison Park, Hamburg, Hamilton, james mccarthy, Jan Huntelaar, joey barton, l equippe, LA Liga, le parisien, LEEDS, LigaBwin, Ligue 1, Liverpool, liverpool fc, M Euros, MADRID, manchester city, matthew upson, Monaco, Nancy, nancy lorraine, NEWCASTLE, Pascal Chimbonda, paul hart, Peter Couch, Portsmouth, real madrid, Serie A, st etienne, Steven Gerrard, Sunderland, target, Valencia, Wesley Sneijder, west ham, xabi alonso, Zimbabwe

Saturday’s Transfer Rumors

July 11, 2009

‘After pulling the plug on a deal to bring Samuel Eto’o to the club, Manchester City are also set to miss out on Carlos Tevez, who is in no rush to finalise his future with Chelsea reportedly also interested in the Argentine striker.’ – Daily Star

‘Alternatively, City will tie up a deal for Tevez before jetting out on their pre-season tour of South Africa on Wednesday.’ – The Sun

‘City will sign Tevez and are also set to increase the stakes in their pursuit of Chelsea defender and captain John Terry with a third bid worth £40m.’ – Daily Express

‘City captain Richard Dunne is determined not to leave Eastlands and is prepared to see out another season despite Stoke and Sunderland have each having £4m offers for the centre-back accepted.’ – Daily Express

‘Manchester United have targeted Atletico Madrid forward Sergio Aguero and are willing to offer £30m plus Portuguese winger Nani to land the Argentine.’ – Daily Mirror

‘Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez has laughed off rumours linking the club with a move for French international midfielder Franck Ribery.’ – The Sun

‘However, Benitez is interested in Wigan midfielder Lee Cattermole – the subject of a failed £5m bid from Sunderland on Friday – as a possible replacement for Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano, who have been linked with moves away from Anfield.’ – Independent

‘Arsenal can rest easy this summer after Russian forward Andrey Arshavin denied any interest in a move to Champions League holders Barcelona, and big-spending Real Madrid insisted they are not pursuing midfielder Cesc Fabregas.’ – Daily Express

‘Tottenham are set to make a last-ditch attempt to hijack Everton’s plans to sign Sheffield United’s England Under-21 right-back Kyle Naughton.’ – The Sun

‘Spurs boss Harry Redknapp wants Sunderland striker Kenwyne Jones to be part of any deal that sees forward Darren Bent join the Black Cats.’ – Daily Mirror

‘Everton have launched a £12m bid for Standard Liege captain Stephen Defour, formerly the midfield partner of Toffees’ record signing Marouane Fellaini at the Belgian club.’ – The Sun

‘Fulham are closing in on an £11m deal for Portsmouth and England striker Peter Crouch after agreeing to sell forward Bobby Zamora to Hull.’ – Daily Mail

‘Sunderland are also chasing Crouch but may have to raise their bid to £15m in order to land the striker after having an £11m offer rejected by Pompey.’ – The Times

‘Former Liverpool and Middlesbrough midfielder Boudewijn Zenden – currently with Marseille – claims Fulham want to bring him back to England to add experience to their forthcoming European campaign.’ – Daily Mirror

‘Sunderland have won the £6m fight to sign Manchester United striker Fraizer Campbell, who was also a target for Hull, West Ham and Newcastle.’ – The Sun

‘Stoke are reeling after being snubbed by Rennes midfielder Stephane M’Bia, who has agreed to join Marseille in a £10m deal instead.’ – Daily Mirror

‘Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate has given the green light to Aston Villa’s £18m double swoop for Boro’s attacking duo Stewart Downing and Tuncay.’ – The Sun

‘Arsenal’s French defender Mikael Silvestre is a target for French champions Bordeaux.’ – Daily Mirror

‘Bolton want to sign Real Betis midfielder Achille Emana but are struggling to meet the £11m asking price.’ – The Sun

‘Wolves boss Mick McCarthy is set to join the the chase for Aston Villa centre-back Zat Knight, who is also wanted by Bolton.’ – Daily Mirror

‘Burnley manager Owen Coyle is ready to clinch a £600,000 deal for Hamilton’s Scottish Under-21 defender Brian Easton, who has expressed an interest in a move to the Premier League.’ – Daily Mirror

By: Abhimanyu Rajput

Tags: aguero, Bent, black cats, Bordeaux, Brian Easton, Campbell, captain John Terry, captain richard, captain Richard Dunne, captain stephen, captain Stephen Defour, carlos tevez, cesc fabregas, CHELSEA, CITY, club manchester, daily express, daily mirror, Eastlands, England, English Premier League, french international, fulham, gareth southgate, Hamilton, Harry Redknapp, HULL, Javier, Javier Mascherano, Jones, LA Liga, last ditch attempt, Lee Cattermole, Ligue 1, Liverpool, MADRID, manchester city, Marseille, mick mccarthy, middlesbrough, Mikael Silvestre, nani, NEWCASTLE, Owen Coyle, peter crouch, Portsmouth, rafa benitez, Rennes, richard dunne, samuel eto, samuel eto o, Scottish Premier League, Sergio, Sheffield, sheffield united, South Africa, standard liege, stewart downing, Stoke, Sunderland, west ham, xabi alonso

Newcastle striker Owen denies quit rumours

May 15, 2009

LONDON (AFP) – England and Newcastle striker Michael Owen has strenuously denied he is set to retire at the end of the season.

Owen, 29, has not scored since January and was substituted against Middlesbrough last week with the score at 1-1 before Newcastle ran out 3-1 winners to move out the Premier League’s bottom three.

Earlier Friday the Daily Express newspaper reported that Owen was set to quit the game in the summer and become a full-time racehorse trainer and owner.

Owen is out of contract at St James’ Park at the end of the season and the club’s temporary manager, Alan Shearer, has admitted he does not know where the striker will be playing next season.

Meanwhile Owen was quick to refute the newspaper’s claims.

“Any suggestion or unfounded speculation that Michael Owen has any intention of quitting football is totally untrue and wrong,” said a statement from Owen’s management company Wasserman Media Group.

“Michael remains as committed to his football career as he ever has been and is deeply and professionally offended that anyone should suggest otherwise.”

The statement continued: “Michael Owen has instructed lawyers and will take action against any publication which he feels inaccurately or unfairly suggested he is quitting football and is damaging to his professional reputation.”

The Daily Express subsequently changed their later-edition back pages to lead on how Owen is keen to continue.

Tags: alan shearer, back pages, daily express, England, English Premier League, football career, full time, intention, james park, lawyers, london, management company, Michael, michael owen, middlesbrough, NEWCASTLE, Owen, premier league, professional reputation, racehorse trainer, speculation, St James, st james park, striker, temporary manager

Smith pessimistic over Old Firm proposal

April 25, 2009

LONDON (AFP) – Rangers boss Walter Smith believes English clubs would block Bolton chairman Phil Gartside’s proposal for the Old Firm to join the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea in the Premier League.

Gartside has suggested a two-tier English Premier League featuring Scotland’s biggest clubs Rangers and Celtic.

But Smith doubts whether Gartside could gain enough support for his plan because other teams would feel threatened by the Glasgow giants.

He told Saturday’s Daily Express: “It has been a big talking point but, personally, I’m not sure the English clubs would want Rangers and Celtic there.

“There is a realisation we have two huge clubs and if we went into the Premier League, with the finance there, we would be among some of the top clubs.

“I don’t think that would please a huge number of clubs in the Premier League or English Championship, which is where we would have to start.

“So I’m not sure that is something that would come off. It would be fantastic for both clubs if it was to happen, but I just don’t think the English clubs would allow it to.”

Gartside’s proposal is the latest in a long line of schemes which have raised the possibility of Celtic and Rangers quitting the Scottish Premier League.

Tags: Bolton, boss, celtic, CHELSEA, daily express, doubts, english clubs, English Premier League, finance, gartside, giants, Glasgow, london, Manchester, manchester united, Phil Gartside, proposal, rangers, scotland, Scottish Premier League, top clubs, walter smith

Nakamura set for grand finale at Celtic

February 18, 2009

GLASGOW (AFP) – Japanese midfield star Shunsuke Nakamura has vowed to end his stint at Celtic by helping them see off the challenge from Old Firm rivals for the Scottish Premier League title.

The 30-year crowd favourite started Sunday’s goalless draw with Rangers just four days after playing in Japan’s vital World Cup qualifier against Australia in Yokohama.

He has also been dogged by niggling injuries this season, but is determined to leave Parkhead in the summer to play for Yokohama Marinos having helped Gordon Strachan’s team claim a fourth successive Premier League title.

"We’ve played lots of games this season so far, but I am going to be prepared for the end of the season," he told the Scottish Daily Express

"We played well in the first half (against Rangers) but they dominated the second half. We just couldn’t pass the ball around well enough.

"Everyone has to move more during the game. The first half was fine but we just didn’t keep things tight enough in the second half and we have to modify that."

Celtic and Rangers are both on course for a domestic treble, with next month’s League Cup final set to decide which of them is eliminated from that particular race.

Celtic’s Dutch striker Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink cannot wait for the all-Old Firm affair.

"I’ve been told there hasn’t been a cup final between Celtic and Rangers for six years," he said..

"Everyone tells me that it will be a special atmosphere for this one and I can’t wait. There will be a good build-up to the game and I’m looking forward to taking it all in.

"I have played in one final for Celtic already, but never against Rangers. It is a one-off match with a trophy at stake and I hope we can make a little bit of history."

Written by: AFP