Premier League clubs join Huntelaar pursuit

January 23, 2010

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar’s agent, Arnold Oosterveer, has revealed that Premier League clubs are keen on signing the Milan striker, amid reports Everton have opened talks with Serie A giants.

The Dutch international has expressed a wish to leave the San Siro on loan in order to boost his prospects of securing a spot in his country’s World Cup squad as he has struggled to make an impact at Milan.

Huntelaar arrived at San Siro from Real Madrid last summer and is now being linked with a move to England.

West Ham United are reported to have turned to the former Ajax ace after failing to persuade his compatriot Ruud van Nistelrooy to move to Upton Park from Real.

However, reports in Holland claim that Everton are ready to open talks with Milan regarding a deal to take Huntelaar to Goodison Park for the rest of the season.

Oosterveer did not wish to name the clubs keen on the 26-year-old, but acknowledged there is English interest in the forward.

“It is right that there are several English clubs interested in the player,” Oosterveer told De Telegraaf.

“For the respect of the club I don’t want to mention any names.”

Tags: Arnold, Arnold Oosterveer, compatriot, de telegraaf, dutch international, England, english clubs, giants, Goodison Park, Holland, klaas jan huntelaar, MADRID, Milan, premier league, premier league clubs, prospects, real madrid, ruud van nistelrooy, San, san siro, striker, upton park, west ham, west ham united, world cup squad

Gunners seek Euro tonic ahead of Chelsea showdown

November 23, 2009

Arsene Wenger has told his Arsenal stars to forget about a looming showdown with Chelsea and the absence of injured striker Robin van Persie as they look to book their place in the knockout stage of the Champions League.

A point at home to Standard Liege on Tuesday will ensure the Gunners of progression to the last 16 while victory over the Belgian champions would guarantee them top spot in group H.

That outcome would provide a welcome tonic five days ahead of Chelsea’s visit to the Emirates for an encounter that looks like being pivotal to Arsenal’s prospects of sustaining their Premier League challenge.

An unexpected defeat at Sunderland on Saturday has inevitably been interpreted as a sign of trouble along the road for Arsenal following the loss of top goalscorer van Persie to an ankle injury that will keep the Dutchman sidelined for up to six weeks.

It has also significantly increased the stakes involved in the meeting with Chelsea, who will kick off with an eight-point advantage over their London rivals.

“We have to forget about Chelsea,” Wenger said. “It’s important to win our next game and that is in the Champions League.

“Against Sunderland, I don’t think we missed anybody especially. We lost a game where we can only fault ourselves because we didn?t score, some players were not at their best and we gave a goal away on the only situation where Sunderland could score, a set piece.”

The defeat at Sunderland was Arsenal’s first in 14 matches but centreback Thomas Vermaelen does not believe it will seriously reduce the momentum the squad have established this season.

“It is important to stay focused, there are a lot of important games coming up,” the Belgian defender said.

Czech midfielder Tomas Rosicky drew a line under 18 months of injury agony when he made his first start for Arsenal since January 2008 in the opening match in the group, a 3-2 win in Liege.

And the 29-year-old has warned the Belgians that he will pose a much greater threat to them on Tuesday than he did on that night, when Arsenal had to fight back to take all the points after leaking two early goals.

“Fitness wise I have definitely improved in recent weeks,” Rosicky said. “I do not feel exhausted after the games or anything like that.

“In the matches I have started, I have not felt tired out even if the boss has decided to take me off, so I clearly have a good base of fitness to work with.

“I know there are some aspects I need to improve on, and they will get better as I play more and more so I am not worried about that.

“For example, a bit of explosiveness is something that I am still missing a little, but I know it will improve as I play more and will arrive naturally.”

LONDON (AFP)

Tags: agony, ankle injury, belgians, champions league, CHELSEA, dutchman, gunners, knockout stage, midfielder, momentum, point advantage, premier league, prospects, rivals, six weeks, standard liege, Sunderland, tomas rosicky, tonic, Wenger

Dossena’s Napoli transfer put on hold

July 30, 2009

European giants Liverpool FC’s defender Andrea Dossena’s proposed £4million transfer back to Italy with Napoli has been delayed due to the player’s wage demands.

The Reds have accepted a £4million offer for the Italy international, who failed to make an impact in his debut campaign in England.

Napoli sporting director Pierpaolo Marino insists there will be further talks with the full-back, but his £2million-a-year salary at Anfield is a problem.

Marino said: “Dossena? We have taken a break in order to reflect on this. The move is therefore on hold.

“There are no immediate prospects. The president [Aurelio De Laurentiis] has spoken to [Rafa] Benitez, but there is some distance with the player.”

By: Abhimanyu Rajput

Tags: Andrea, Andrea Dossena, anfield, aurelio, Benitez, de laurentiis, debut, England, giants, Italy, liverpool fc, napoli, president, prospects, reds, salary

Moscow heartache the spur for Park

May 21, 2009

MANCHESTER (AFP) – Park Ji-Sung has admitted that missing out on last season’s Champions League final was more painful than either of the two serious knee injuries he has suffered in his career.

And the Korean ace is desperate to make up for it by ensuring he is on Sir Alex Ferguson’s team-sheet for this year’s final, against Barcelona in Rome next week.

Ferguson has described the decision to leave Park out of the 18-man matchday squad for last season’s final win over Chelsea in Moscow as one of the hardest he has made in more than three decades as a manager.

But Park has continued to perform consistently for United this season and has been regularly involved in key games for the Old Trafford club.

Earlier in the season, Ferguson insisted that Park would be in his starting line-up if United reached the Champions League final again.

And even though Park remains cautious about his prospects of facing Barcelona in Rome, he feels stronger for the misery of being left out last time around.

He said: “Nobody knows until the first whistle so I’m just concentrating on the training and waiting to see how it goes. If I play I’ll do my best.”

Reflecting on last season’s bitter let down, he recalled: “I was very disappointed because all players want to be involved in games like the Champions League final. If they have a chance and then don’t play, it hurts and it’s heart-breaking.

“But our team won the title so I’m happy because I’m part of the team but not being in the squad was quite heart-breaking for me.

“That has helped motivate me for this season and after that I believe that Manchester United can reach the final again then I want to be there.

“I’ve worked hard and believed that and finally I have another chance so this time is different.

“It was probably the biggest disappointment. I also had cruciate ligament injuries but they’re two different kinds of things for me.”

Park has struck up a close friendship with Carlos Tevez and hopes the Argentina forward remains at Old Trafford for next season.

Tevez’s two-year loan deal with United expires at the end of the season and the striker admits he may have to leave.

But Park feels that Tevez has made a major impact for United and would be badly missed.

He added: “It’s very difficult for everyone involved at Manchester United because he’s the best player so we need him.

“It’s his decision but hopefully he will stay. This season he’s scored a lot of goals, helped the team and saved the team. He works hard and scores a lot of goals.”

Park admits he can not explain his incredible fitness levels but thinks that the likes of Wayne Rooney and Darren Fletcher rival him for work-rate.

He joked: “Maybe it’s the Korean food. Some players can run as well like Fletcher or Rooney as well. It’s not just me.”

The midfielder enjoys a quiet life away from football and accepts that unlike in South Korea, he is not a major star in the Premier League.

But he insists that he is unconcerned that he does not rival Cristiano Ronaldo and Rooney in the celebrity stakes.

He said: “The cultures are different and Asian fans chase me and shout at me and it’s different in England. When I go back to Korea then maybe I can’t walk in the street.

“I don’t want to be a famous or popular guy, I just want to be a good player. I just like to be calm off the pitch.”

Park feels he has made major improvements since joining United in 2005.

There has been speculation about a contract extension for the former PSV Eindhoven player and he wants to stay at Old Trafford for as long as possible.

He said: “I’m not sure because no-one knows the future but I want to be here longer and as long as I can.

“The manager is always encouraging to me because I can do certain things and even if I don’t score a lot he believed in me and he’s helped me.”

Tags: alex ferguson, Argentina, Barcelona, carlos tevez, champions league final, CHELSEA, cruciate ligament injuries, darren fletcher, different kinds, disappointment, Eindhoven, England, English Premier League, Ferguson, Fletcher, ji sung, key games, knee injuries, LA Liga, last time, Manchester, manchester united, misery, more than three decades, Moscow, park ji sung, prospects, ROME, ronaldo, sir alex ferguson, south korea, starting line, Sung, UEFA Champions League, wayne rooney, whistle

For Sale: Thousands of nearly new Arsenal flags

May 6, 2009

Don’t be surprised if you see this message on eBay in the next few days: “FOR SALE: 57,000 red and white flags as good as new — only waved for eight minutes. Apply Arsenal FC, Emirates Stadium, North London.”

For Arsenal’s fans not only stopped waving their freebie flags after eight minutes, but they also stopped believing in their side after an hour as thousands of them trooped away from the stadium no longer able to watch as Manchester United demolished their young team.

It ended 3-1 as United reached the Champions League final for the second successive season 4-1 aggregate.

What was fascinating about Tuesday was what was going on off the pitch as well as what happened on it.

Arsenal fans have never exactly been noted as the most vociferous in the country, earning their old ground Highbury the nickname of “The Library” because it was often so quiet.

But on Tuesday, Arsenal, trailing 1-0 from the first leg, needed all the help they could get and the club left thousands of free flags on every home seat in the stadium to help create an atmosphere that manager Arsene Wenger believed would help intimidate United and boost the confidence of Arsenal’s youngsters.

Wenger had been talking up Arsenal’s prospects of victory all week, and they started the match like a whirlwind with the fans creating a frenzy of noise and colour.

But it went very quiet indeed after eight minutes when Park Ji-sung put United 1-0 ahead and what hopes Arsenal still harboured were detonated three minutes later with an explosive freekick from World and European Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo which made it 2-0, leaving Arsenal needing four goals to win.

United wrapped the match up with one of the goals of the season after an hour when Park, Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney all exchanged passes in a sweeping counter-attack move that went from one end of the pitch to the other in 13 seconds culminating in Ronaldo making it 3-0 and completing what Wenger called, “the worst night of my career”.

In some ways United’s two early goals ruined what was a hugely anticipated contest between two of England’s biggest clubs, because as Wenger also said: “The match was over before it really started.”

United were delighted and marched on imperiously to the final. Most Arsenal fans were long gone by the time it ended, but many who did stay to the painful finish had the grace to clap United off the field.

They could do that quite easily as their flags had long been put to one side.

PHOTO: Arsenal fans wave flags ahead of their second leg Champions League semi-final soccer match against Manchester United at the Emirates stadium in London May 5, 2009. REUTERS/Eddie Keogh

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Tags: aggregate, arsenal fans, arsenal fc, champions league, Don, ebay, Eddie Keogh, emirates, Emirates Stadium, England, european player of the year, free flags, freekick, frenzy, ji sung, Manchester, manchester united, north London, pitch, prospects, ronaldo, three minutes, UEFA Champions League, Wayne, wayne rooney, whirlwind, white flags, youngsters

Time on Wenger´s side as Arsenal close gap

March 22, 2009

NEWCASTLE, England, (AFP) – Arsene Wenger believes time is on Arsenal’s side after a 3-1 victory over a Newcastle team who now languish in the bottom three in the Premier League.

Wenger interrupted his pre-match preparations to glance at a TV screen that showed Manchester United and Chelsea had both suffered shock defeats on Saturday.

If his young team required any more incentive, it came with the knowledge that they could close the gap on two of the teams above them in the table.

Arsenal completed a win that puts Chelsea and Liverpool in their sights with Wenger still not writing off their chances of overhauling the current leaders from Old Trafford, although he admitted: "It’s a billion to one."

Wenger said: "I saw the other results and thought it was a good opportunity for us to take advantage and close on the top of the table.

"Now we want to fight on and finish as close as we can to the team that finishes top.

"We have a very, very young side and they are improving from game to game. The spirit is great and we showed today that the quality is there.

"People don’t realise how young we are. Here we had six or seven players who are aged between 20 and 22 and we feel we can go forward from game to game."

Even if they fail to break into the top three, Arsenal have vastly improved their prospects of finishing fourth ahead of Aston Villa.

Wenger said: "It is in our hands now. We could have been eight points behind them two weeks ago, but now it all depends on how well we play. We don’t have to focus as much on Aston Villa."

Newcastle equalled Arsenal for nearly an hour before succumbing in a ten-minute spell which produced goals for Nicklas Bendtner, Adou Diaby and Samir Nasri midway through the second-half.

Even Wenger accepted that the outcome could have been very different if his goalkeeper Manuel Almunia had not saved a first-half penalty by Ryan Taylor, who was handed the task in the absence of Michael Owen, who was dropped to the bench in a surprise move by Newcastle’s caretaker-manager Chris Hughton.

The Arsenal manager admitted: "The penalty save was a very important moment in the game."

Newcastle are in deep trouble, but the purpose and determination displayed throughout the first-half offers some hope they can get out of trouble in their final eight games of the season.

Wenger offered some encouragement, saying: "Newcastle had a very good first half and put us under pressure. There were chances for both sides and they could have been in front

"But we kept the tempo very high in the second half and finally won in a very convincing way.

"I thought Newcastle were a bit unfortunate because they lost players like Sebastien Bassong and Steven Taylor with injuries at the wrong period of the game."

Hughton was dismayed at the way his players folded.

He said: It’s tough to take. Their second goal was the pivotal moment and from then on we saw Arsenal’s quality.

"We’re in trouble and it’s going to be a dog fight to end of the season. We are well aware of the position."

The concerns within St James’ Park about the threat of relegation were reflected when chairman Mike Ashley was quick to arrange a meeting with Hughton after the game.

Hughton said: "The chairman came down to see the staff after the game, but that’s normal."

There are suggestions that Ashley will bring in an experienced figure to take control until manager Joe Kinnear completes his recovery from heart surgery, although Hughton insisted: "I’ve had no indication that anything will change."

Written by: AFP