Central defender Ricardo Carvalho has put the finishing touches to his move to Real Madrid from Chelsea by passing a medical at the Bernabeu.
The 32-year-old Portugal international had already agreed a two-year contract with the Spanish giants, with the two clubs involved having already agreed a fee in excess of £6million.
Carvalho joined Chelsea in the summer of 2004 from FC Porto and went on to make more than 200 appearances for the club in all competitions, but has now been allowed to move on to rejoin former Blues boss Jose Mourinho at Real.
The centre-back recently spoke of his desire to head to Madrid, telling the Spanish press:"If there was a possibility to sign with Real Madrid, I would go there right now swimming or running.
"It would be a dream to be able to play for Madrid, which I consider to be the best club in the world and follow the orders of the best coach in the history of football.
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"With Jose Mourinho I experienced two marvellous stages at Porto and Chelsea. To have the opportunity to win another Champions League with him at Real Madrid would be tremendous."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
The likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are not likely to be seen in the Premier League in the near future but the rest of Europe is certainly open to trading for the big guns in the English game and whether it be in January or the summer, there could be some more big names on the plane to the best league in the world.
The likes of Ronaldo, Robinho, David Silva, Carlos Tevez and Fernando Torres have graced the Premier League in recent years and that has turned the English game into the best in the world. Here is a list of players in Europe that are targets for Premier League clubs and could be seen here in the near future. Who would you like at your club?
Click on Ricardo Montolivo to unveil the top 10
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List compiled by Brad Pinard
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Lyon leapt back to third on the Ligue 1 table with a 2-0 win at Sochaux on Saturday, while Saint-Etienne and Toulouse broke losing runs.Lyon, who were temporarily displaced from the Champions League places by Marseille on Friday, saw off the French champions’ challenge through goals to Lisandro Lopez and Miralem Pjanic.The result ensures the enthralling battle for the league title is set to continue with just one point separating the top four on the Ligue 1 table, while Paris Saint-Germain are also still in the running a further four points back.Lopez needed just 22 minutes to find his 12th goal of the season for Lyon on Saturday, the prolific Argentinean side-footing a neat finish past Sochaux goalkeeper Pierrick Cros after being played through by Bafetimbi Gomis’ clever back-heel.Pjanic doubled Lyon’s lead in the 63rd minute, the Bosnia-Herzegovina midfielder powering a left-footed shot beyond Cros from Jeremy Pied’s pass. The win gives Lyon some welcome momentum ahead of their midweek Champions League trip to Spain to face Real Madrid, with the tie evenly poised at 1-1 after the first leg in France.Elsewhere, Saint-Etienne ended their four-game losing streak with a 2-0 win at home to lowly Brest, while Toulouse defeated Lens 1-0 to snap their own run of four straight losses.Bakary Sako put Saint-Etienne ahead from the penalty spot in the 35th minute, before Dimitri Payet ended a league goal drought stretching back to October with an 88th-minute strike.Paraguayan striker Federico Santander was the hero for Toulouse, finding the net in the 74th minute for his first league goal since late December.In other results, Lorient were held 3-3 at bottom-placed Arles, who fought back from a 3-1 deficit through goals to Yann Kermorgant (63) and Remy Cabella (80).Camel Meriem had put Arles up in the sixth minute, before Morgan Amalfitano (19), Sigamary Diarra (45) and Kevin Gameiro (52) piled on goals for the visitors.Nice triumphed 1-0 over Auxerre Eric Mouloungui’s 61st-minute winner, and Nancy defeated 10-man Caen 2-0 on goals to Landry N’Guemo (38) and Bakaye Traore (84).Caen’s Malines striker Sambou Yatabare was sent marching for a second caution in the 72nd minute.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is hoping his side can make an instant impact at the start of the Premier League campaign.
With a difficult opening game away at Liverpool on August 15, the Gunners then face Blackpool, Blackburn Rovers, Bolton Wanderers, Sunderland and West Bromwich Albion before an away day trip to Chelsea and Wenger wants the side to get a solid start in order to keep in touch at the summit.
"The aim is to continue to progress as we have been doing," Wenger told Arsenal's official magazine.
"We were very close last year – closer than the previous season – so we are heading in the right way. We hope we can continue that this season.
"It is important to start well, start strongly and get into a good position early on and to try to maintain the level."
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Arsenal go into Sunday’s game against Stoke in their 100th match at the Emirates Stadium looking to maintain their recent good form but will have to cure their European hangovers first.
The Gunners have lost all four games that have preceded a Champions League fixture and haven’t won a domestic game following a Europ
ean tie since last November. However they do look a better side than the one that started the season and have won their last three games at home. The much maligned defence is starting to tighten up and have conceded just five goals in their last six games. Per Mertesacker continues to adapt to the pace of the Premier League whilst Laurent Koscielny has improved tenfold this season. Arsene Wenger’s decision to sign Mikel Arteta from Everton looks a shrewd one but he will have concerns over Andriy Arshavin and Theo Walcott who continue to struggle on the wings. The pair have looked anything but clinical in the final third and it’s something Wenger needs to address. Once again though it’s likely Arsenal will rely on the goals of Robin Van Persie with the Dutchman going through a prolific streak. He’s hit 27 goals in his last 33 games in all competitions for the club including a game winning double against Sunderland last week with his 29 second opener the fastest goal of the season to date.
It’ll be a tough ask for Tony Pulis’ side to stop Van Persie but if there is anyone who can it’s the Potters. They’ve become one of the hardest teams to beat in the top flight and have adapted well to additional fixtures a Europa League brings. It’s likely Pulis will freshen things up after their midweek win in Europe with former Tottenham striker Peter Crouch likely to relishing a return to North London. The Potters are looking to end a torrid run in the capital having failed to beat Arsenal in 30 years and have yet to claim a point in their three visits to the Emirates.Their form away from the Britannia Stadium isn’t the best either and they’ve lost their last two on the road. Pulis’ back four will come in handy against the Gunners with the gambles on Jonathan Woodgate and Matthew Upson paying off considerably. Five years ago both players would have cost an arm and a leg but the fact the Stoke boss picked them up for nothing is testament to his ability to get the best out of players.
Key Players
Robin Van Persie – Arguably his impact and leadership as captain has been considerably more effective than Cesc Fabregas’ when he held the armband. Everything the Dutchman touches at the moment turns to goals and it’s good to see him finally scoring on a regular basis and staying free from injury.
Peter Crouch – Scored a hat trick for Liverpool against Arsenal in 2007 and will be hoping to repeat the trick this weekend. His aerial dual with Mertesacker will be one to watch and if he can get the better of the big German then Stoke will be confident of claiming their first win at the Emirates since their promotion in 2008.
Prediction: 2-0
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Robin van Persie scored his fourth and fifth game of the season last weekend. The Arsenal striker has been unlucky so far this season, and his return of 5 goals comes from 35 attempts at goal with 63% on target. By comparison, Rooney has scored 9 from 32 attempts with 59% on target. Van Persie’s goals lifted him 45 places to 23rd in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index, making him Arsenal’s highest ranked player Peter Crouch covered most distance in that game with 10.786km in a Stoke team that together covered 110.461km Jonathan Walters scored his second goal of the season against Fulham. The striker has had 10 attempts at goal this season, getting 50% of his shots on target
Struggling Championship club Coventry City have sacked manager Aidy Boothroyd just 10 months after his appointment.The Sky Blues have won just one of their past 16 league affairs, most recently being beaten 1-0 by Hull City at home, and sit seven points above the relegation zone.City released a statement on the club website confirming an overhaul in the coaching ranks at the Ricoh Arena.”The board of Coventry City Football Club has today relieved Aidy Boothroyd of his first-team duties with immediate effect,” the statement read.”Assistant manager Martin Pert has also been relieved of his duties. First-team coach Steve Harrison and chief scout Andy Thorn will be placed in temporary charge of team affairs.””We would like to place on record our thanks to Aidy and Martin for their efforts.”Coventry are now on the hunt for their 10th manager in the past decade since the departure of Gordon Strachan in 2001.
After that humiliating hiding from the old adversary, let’s salute one of England’s finest; the crisp wielding, overly tanned ringleader of football broadcasting, Gary Lineker.
His transition into presenting represents yet another triumph for Lineker, and he’s successfully been engrained into the British psyche in this guise. (Hence England games just aren’t quite right on ITV).
Certainly, broadcasting and the BBC has become such a natural habitat for Gary that, when watching MOTD with my girlfriend last season, my dearly beloved turned to me and innocently asked ‘was Gary Lineker actually a good player?’. I smiled at her sweet little face, explained that he was once a fine player indeed, and then softly sighed as my love and affection swiftly drained away, drifting into the cold night sky…
Anyway, one of England’s greatest strikers, and a Leicester City, Everton and Tottenham legend, Lineker deserves a succinct address:
We’ll eulogise about his talents in a moment – though it’s implicitly done just by noting his goal scoring record – but firstly let’s track his career. Born in Leicester (1960), Lineker proudly began his career representing his ‘home-town’ upon leaving school in 1977. (This was, however, after he received a school report asserting that ‘he must devote less of his time to sport if he wants to be a success’; Proof, if proof be needed, that all school kids should never, EVER, listen to their teachers, and should instead smash up the class-room, pillage the building, ruthlessly assault the head-teacher and run free with reckless abandon…perhaps).
He broke into the first-team at an early age and duly made a name for himself. During his time at Leicester he amassed a scoring ratio of nearly one goal every two games; scoring 95 goals in just under 200 appearances. His goals also helped the Foxes achieve promotion to the First Division in 1983. An all-time Leicester legend, by 1985 the big boys inevitably came knocking and Lineker eventually moved to defending League Champions Everton for £800,000.
At Goodison he continued to prosper. His potency in front of goal led to him to bagging 38 goals in 52 games, and finishing the league’s top scorer (a feat he also achieved at the Walkers Stadium). Personal achievement was almost accompanied by club success, but the old foe from across the Park put a double dent in that; Everton finishing second in the league and losing in the FA Cup final to double-winning Liverpool, during a decade largely Merseyside dominated. Lineker has subsequently stated ‘there’s no doubt at all that Everton was the best team I ever played in’.
After an impressive 1986 World Cup showing in Mexico, little Gary, the slender Leicester lad, was off to the glitz and the glamour of the Nou Camp. Signed for £2.2miilion by Terry Venables, Lineker predictably continued his prolific goal scoring record at Barcelona and must be commended for making the leap abroad – something very few English footballers attempt or successfully do. His first season saw him score 21goals in 41 games, including a memorable El Clásico hat-trick against the old nemesis Real Madrid, thus ensuring ‘fan-favourite’ status from the local Catalans. His time at Barca also entailed Spanish Cup and European Cup Winners Cup success, however Johan Cruyff pushed Lineker out of position and out-wide, and he was soon on a plane back to Blighty.
Reportedly spurning an offer from Alex Ferguson, Lineker instead headed to White Hart Lane in 1989. His time at Tottenham saw him at his zenith, scoring 67 goals from 105 games. He finished the leagues’ top scorer, again, in his first season – thus remarkably doing so for three different clubs – and helped Spurs win the FA Cup in 1991; the Gazza and Gary axis.
Finally, with the sun setting on his top-flight days, he ‘did one’ to the land of the rising sun in a surprise transfer to Nagoya Grampus Eight in 1992, before retiring in 1994. Famously he was never booked or sent off during his illustrious career; a ‘Mr Nice guy’, a gentlemen, a sportsman, a really sweetie pie.
The old adage is that Lineker was a great goal scorer rather than a scorer of great goals. This may well be true, but should certainly not be seen as detraction; putting the ball in the net is, notoriously, the hardest thing to do in football and he made it look easy. He was a true poacher, living and breathing goals…goals, goals, GOALS! Always in the right place at the right time, Lineker’s skills may not have been flashy but they were impressive nonetheless. With immaculate timing, instinct and composure, Lineker was deadly in the penalty area and, though sometimes criticised for doing little else, one should always take into account his shrewd off the ball movement. Lineker brilliantly exploited the talents he had; finding that little bit of space, losing his marker, working the defence and finishing with instinctive aplomb. This type of player is a dying breed in the modern game. Indeed, system shifts and the evolution of the striker means ‘the poacher’ is fading fast and is often not a viable option, however Lineker will go down in the annals of history as one of the greatest.
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These attributes, and his club form, were successfully transferred to the international scene. Indeed, he reliably delivered and represents the sort of luminary we would relish having now (though I’ve actually just said ‘system shifts and the evolution of the striker means ‘the poacher’ is fading fast and is often not a viable option’ so I’ve hideously contradicted myself in a few swift tip-taps of the keyboard). He boats a record of 48 goals from 80 England caps, putting him second behind Bobby Charlton (49 goals from 106 appearances) in the all-time top England goal scorers chart. Most memorably he hit a hat-trick past Poland to take England through to the knock-out stages at Mexico 1986, then bagged a brace against Paraguay, before notching a consolation strike in the ‘hand of god’ quarter-final defeat to Argentina. This was enough to secure Lineker the World Cup ‘Golden Boot’; the only English player ever to do so. Four years later, at Italia 90, he scored four goals as England reached the semi-final. Enter stage right, the Germans…exit stage left, England (but not before Gary pulled a strange face and did that infamous ‘keep an eye on him’ Gazza signal thingy).
Prolific goal scorer, a legend for club(s) and country, OBE, golden boot winner, crisp wielding maniac, presenter, the face of BBC sport and actively involved in charitable causes (most notably children’s cancer charity), raise a glass to one of England’s finest gentlemen; the ‘goal hanging’ Gary Winston Lineker.
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Everton midfielder Jack Rodwell’s red card in the Merseyside derby on Saturday has been rescinded, with the player now not having to serve a three-match ban.
The England under-21 star has dismissed in controversial circumstances in The Toffees’ 2-0 defeat against Liverpool at the weekend, a decision that David Moyes felt ultimately cost the home side the game.
In a forceful but seemingly legitimate tackle on Luis Suarez after 23 minutes of the contest, Rodwell appeared to win the ball cleanly before marginal contact with the Uruguayan striker.
Moyes feared that Rodwell would be suspended for upcoming games against Fulham and Chelsea, but the FA have confirmed that the verdict of wrongful dismissal has been upheld, and he will not have to serve the ban.
Everton travel to Stamford Bridge after the international break, and will know that their chances of picking up points will be helped by Rodwell’s inclusion.
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With the news that former managing director Christian Purslow has finally left the club after finishing his role as a special adviser to the new owners NESV, what legacy does the former Cambridge graduate leave behind him?
Well it’s fair to say that Purslow’s spell at the club coincided with a tumultuous period in Liverpool’s recent history. The problems off the field with former Chairmen George Gillett and Tom Hicks have been well documented, but thankfully Purslow’s reputation hasn’t been sullied by association with two of the worst Chairman’s in living memory.
During his time at the club Purslow was able to do a lot of good, despite the constraints and difficult conditions in which he worked under. He was instrumental in the club signing a hefty sponsorship deal with Standard Chartered Bank worth £80m over four years, a deal that by far eclipsed what the club were previously receiving from long-term sponsors Carlsberg. However, Purslow’s true day of triumph came in court on the 15th October last year, whereby Hicks and Gillett were finally ousted in favour of new ownership in the form of NESV.
Purslow, Ian Ayre and Martin Broughton will forever be immortalised in fans heart’s for going that extra mile in a bid to secure a change of ownership. The aforementioned trio out-voted the gruesome twosome of Hicks and Gillett in favour of NESV’s bid in the board room and lay the groundwork for their ousting.
The next step was most surprising, as Hicks and Gillett were said to have dismissed Ayre and Purslow for a breach of contract after voting against their continued ownership. It took a day in the High Court to finally put to bed the ownership issue and lift the cloud that had hung over Anfield while the deeply unpopular owners were in charge.
Purslow has also been at the forefront of the club’s continue growing presence in Asia. It is thought by many business experts that it is extremely difficult for a club to break the Asian market; Chelsea so far have struggled despite numerous attempts and pre-season tours to the area. But Liverpool were already a presence on the continent and credit must go to Purslow for trying to fully take advantage of the commercial gains and opportunities that could be achieved.
A major criticism of his predecessor in the role, Rick Parry, was that his dithering and indecisive nature had cost the club dearly in the long-haul as Man Utd leapfrogged them as the continent’s main Premier League attraction.
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Of course, it was not all smooth sailing for Purslow while at the club. He was instrumental in bringing Roy Hodgson to the club after dismissing Rafa Benitez at the end of last season.
On the surface, the move for Hodgson seemed to tick all of the boxes – he was an experienced hand on the tiller, capable of getting the best out of limited players and excellent at working with limited resources as he had just shown by leading Fulham to the Europa League final. He was forthright, likeable and honest.
However, Hodgson’s reign at the club was a complete and utter disaster. The man brought in to steady the ship did anything but, and it became clear that Hodgson and the club just weren’t a good fit as the manager struggled to shake-off the small-team mentality that he had garnered while at Fulham.
Purslow also had a fractious relationship with former boss Rafa Benitez and many fans even turned on him prior to his discovery of NESV’s interest, with many holding him responsible for the club’s failure to find any significant new investment.
To my knowledge at least, Purslow was responsible, along with Ian Ayre and to a lesser extent Martin Broughton, in an increased level of professionalism on behalf of the club in their commercial ventures. The club appears to be finally expanding as a global market presence, something which is long overdue considering the club’s fantastic history and Liverpool now seem in safe hands under NESV; something which Purslow must take great credit for that.
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He stepped down from his managing director role at the club shortly after NESV took full control of the club, but he initially stayed in a special advisor role on an ad hoc basis. New Liverpool Chairman Tom Werner had this to say of Purslow: “We will always be grateful to Christian for his vital contribution to the club during his time as managing director and latterly as a special adviser. He has played a fundamental role ins securing the future of the club and in the sale of LFC to new ownership.”
The club is now in undoubtedly better shape than when he first came to it, and you can’t ask for much more than that from a Managing Director. His spell at the club has been anything but easy at times, but his instrumental presence in securing the club new ownership and a huge sponsorship deal should ensure that his legacy will be viewed on favourably in the years to come.
Kenny Dalglish is desperate to return as Liverpool's new manager, according to his son Paul.
The club legend has been mentioned as a possible short-term successor to Rafael Benitez at Anfield with the Reds currently up for sale.
Dalglish, who managed Liverpool for six years between 1985-91, is currently employed as the club's academy boss and could step up to the first team at short notice.
That, according to Paul, is an appealing prospect for the 59-year-old Scot.
Liverpool are on the lookout for a new manager after parting company with Benitez by mutual consent on the back of a disappointing 2009-10 season.
"I just think that hopefully he does get it because I know how much he wants it," the former Liverpool reserves striker and now Tampa Bay Rowdies coach told the Liverpool Echo.
"To be honest with you it would be an unbelievable story for my dad to be going back.
"Some people say, well what happens if it doesn't work? He's been out of the game for 10 years.
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"My question is, what if it does work? What person loves Liverpool more than my dad?
"Who would Liverpool fans love to see have success more than my dad? Nothing could make my family more proud. I'd love to see it happen."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email