Steven Fletcher grabbed the hosts a late equaliser as Wolves and Tottenham shared an action-packed six-goal thriller at Molineux on Sunday.The substitute headed home in the 87th minute just when it seemed two highly controversial refereeing decisions would deprive the strugglers of a share of the spoils after Roman Pavlyuchenko and a Jermain Defoe double had canceled out Kevin Doyle’s brace for Wanderers.Prior to kick-off, both sets of supporters honoured former Wolves and Spurs defender Dean Richards with one minute’s applause, as representatives of each of Richards’ former clubs joined his family and the players out on the pitch to celebrate the 36-year-old, who died last week.And the 90 minutes that followed would have delighted the talented England Under-21 international as both sides set out with the sole intention of claiming a vital win. Wolves’ wing play set out to expose Heurelho Gomes’ vulnerability at claiming crosses, and sure enough, on 20 minutes, Spurs fell behind to just such a move as Doyle found a yard of space between the Tottenham goalkeeper and his defence to flick home Nenad Milijas’ pinpoint cross from the right.Tottenham showed their class by weathering the storm to hit back with two pieces of clinical finishing from Defoe.First, the England striker curled a sumptuous shot beyond a full-stretched Wayne Hennessey to level matters and bettered it soon after with a top corner finish from 25 yards out.That lead evaporated within five minutes as Doyle sent Gomes the wrong way with a penalty after Alan Hutton had tugged the arm of Milijas in the area.With many debating whether Hutton’s yellow card warranted more severe punishment, Spurs made Wolves pay by regaining the lead just three minutes after the restart as some hesitant defending allowed Pavlyuchenko time to slam home another impressive long-range finish. Milijas and Defoe both hit the woodwork in an absorbing finale that saw Richard Stearman’s header controversially ruled out for an apparent foul on Gomes before Fletcher climbed highest to claim the draw that both teams had earned.
Tottenham defender William Gallas is likely to see out his playing days in England after agreeing to a new two-year-deal with the club.Gallas, 33, initially joined Tottenham on a one-year deal at the end of last season from arch-rivals Arsenal but has impressed in his 28 appearances this season.
He has also formed an important defensive partnership with Michael Dawson as Spurs reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
“The club is delighted to announce that William Gallas has signed a two-year contract extension which runs until 2013,” a statement on the club’s website said.
“The experienced France defender has impressed at the heart of our defence since joining the Club in the summer following the expiration of his contract at Arsenal at the end of the 2009/10 campaign.”
“A two-time Premier League title winner with Chelsea, William has made 28 appearances in our colours to date as well as captaining the side on occasions in both the Premier League and Champions League this season.”
The Premier League season is approaching its final hurdle and the races for the title, European qualification and survival are as tight as ever. Most managers are already thinking about next season and have identified targets they believe will improve their playing staff.
Before they start splashing the cash, Arsene Wenger, Harry Redknapp, Ian Holloway and Co. should take a look at the summer bargains soon to be available when the transfer window reopens. A lot of teams are looking to offload their spare parts in an attempt to improve on disappointing campaigns and some exciting talent could be snapped up on the cheap. Here is a collection of the Premier League’s hottest property whose value represents good business for buying clubs…
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Click on Drogba below to see the Top 10 Summer Bargains
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Mirror Football is claiming today that Real Madrid may test Sir Alex Ferguson’s resolve with a bid for Nani. The Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport claims Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has his eye of the Portuguese wide player and will use his super agent Jorge Mendes to push through the deal.
Mendes has done many deals with Portuguese based players and with Manchester United; these include the deals that first brought Ronaldo, Nani and Anderson to Old Trafford. Mendes also engineered Ronaldo’s record £80m switch to Real from Manchester United in 2009 and Mourinho is now hoping he can capture Nani for him.
24 year old Nani arrived at Manchester United in 2007 for a fee of around £22m but struggled to establish himself in the United’s first-team in those early days. However, since Ronaldo has left Nani has blossomed and has been in superb form this season; contributing 9 goals and 18 assists in 30 Premier League games. His performances have led him to be nominated for the PFA Young Player of the Year award – that was won by Jack Wilshere and his was named in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year for the first time.
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There is no debate that QPR have been the best team in the Championship this season and rightfully finished up as champions. But it doesn’t always hold true that the team that wins the Championship performs best in the Premier League and I certainly think there is an argument that Norwich City are better prepared for the top flight.
Now people will rightfully look at the rich owners at QPR and suggest that they have greater resources. But I’m not convinced the manager will get backed and there can be no guarantees that Neil Warnock will even be QPR’s manager next season, and the man himself has admitted he can’t be sure of his job.
At Norwich there are no such uncertainties and it’s obvious the board will back Paul Lambert as much as they possibly can to ensure Norwich remains in the Premier League. And there are certainly no doubts on the credentials of Paul Lambert. After the job Lambert has done over the last two years he can expect to have a job at Norwich for life.
The QPR squad if full of players that have been around the Championship for many years, but never looked likely to perform in the Premier League; there is no doubt the squad will need a big overhaul next season and they will need to hope their stars like Taarabt can get them through. Now admittedly there isn’t a lot of Premier League experience in the Norwich squad either and players will need to come in. But you get a sense that the players that are there are hungry and ready to test themselves in the top league. QPR probably have a few players in their squad that feel they have some sort of divine right to play in the Premier League; most notably Taarabt but also Routledge (if he joins the club full time). Therefore, I can see QPR having more of a problem with egos.
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If Norwich is going to have a secret weapon in the Premier League next season it will be the fans. Thousands will go to away games and I would be surprised if every home game isn’t sold out. Carrow Road currently holds around 27,000 fans and the club will look to squeeze in any extra seats anyway they can. This season in the Championship the club has had the third best average attendance at 25,386. QPR’s stadium is somewhat restrictive and only currently has a capacity of 18,360 and future plans suggest it would be hard to expand significantly. Certainly too small if the club want to become a regular fixture in the Premier League.
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Finally I have to look at the style of play. Norwich have not only finished second but done it with a level of style with neat passing football – which will not look out of place in the Premier League. QPR like to get on the attack quickly and don’t play with the same level of patience. It has worked for them in the Championship but they may need to adjust their style a little bit for the Premier League because otherwise they will invite a lot of pressure. I also think that QPR will need a striker or two because teams that struggle typically don’t have one. Norwich have Grant Holt and Simeon Jackson however it remains to be seen if these players will make the step up to the Premier League, I do think Norwich are perhaps better prepared for it though.
Join the conversation on Twitter and tell me which team will perform better in the Premier League next season.
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Palermo have progressed to the final of the Coppa Italia by defeating AC Milan 2-1 in the second leg of their semi-final on Tuesday.Midfielder Giulio Migliaccio and defender Cesare Bovo scored the goals for Palermo, while Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s stoppage-time strike made little difference for Milan as both teams ended an exciting match with 10 men.
After a 2-2 draw in the opening leg at San Siro on April 20, Palermo started brightly as they looked to progress to their first Coppa Italia final since 1979.
Argentine Javier Pastore and midfielder Armin Bacinovic squandered first-half chances for the home side, while Brazilian Robinho wasted AC Milan’s best opportunity at the other end when he shot over with only the goalkeeper to beat.
The game came to life just after the hour mark, as Palermo’s pressure led to a corner and Migliaccio evaded the defence to score.
That advantage was doubled 10 minutes later when Bovo scored from the penalty spot after Milan’s Dutch midfielder Mark van Bommel was adjudged to have brought down Slovenian Josip Ilicic in the box.
Van Bommel was shown a straight red card for the clumsy challenge, but Palermo’s numerical advantage did not last long as Bovo was given his marching orders on 75 minutes for a bad foul on young striker Alexandre Pato.
Ibrahimovic pulled a goal back for AC Milan deep into stoppage time, but it was too late for the newly crowned Serie A champions as Palermo clinched a 4-3 aggregate victory.
West Ham’s season has lurched to another low after reports of a brawl at the relegated club’s end-of-season gala awards on Monday.Police were called to Grosvenors House Hotel in Park Lane in London after tables were reportedly overturned, a vase smashed and chairs thrown, with security allegedly pursuing a group of fans as they fled the premises.
It has been suggested the trouble began when striker Demba Ba refused to sign an autograph for a fan.
West Ham are reporting that Ba was racially abused.
The brawl capped a dark few days for the Hammers, whose relegation from the English Premier League was confirmed on Sunday after a 3-2 loss at Wigan.
The result led to the immediately sacking of manager Avram Grant, with West Ham hosting Sunderland in their final game of the season on Sunday.
Captain Scott Parker followed his Football Writers’ Association footballer-of-the-year win with the player, supporters’ player and goal of the season awards at the Hammers’ gala event.
The race for second place in Euro 2012 qualifying Group E will be on in earnest on Tuesday, with Sweden, Finland and Hungary all in action.The Netherlands have a six-point lead in the group, with six wins from six matches, with Sweden the next best on 12 points.
Hungary are third with nine points ahead of their trip to minnows San Marino, and Finland are fourth with six, desperately in need of full points from their trip to Sweden to keep their hopes alive.
Sweden coach Erik Hamren certainly has no worries up front before the Finland match, even without suspended superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
In their last match the Swedes had no trouble accounting for Moldova 4-1, with Bolton striker Johan Elmander bagging a brace and PSV Eindhoven front man Ola Toivonen was also on the scoresheet.
Elsewhere on Tuesday, Germany could increase their lead on top of Group A to 10 points with a win in Azerbaijan.
In Group C, Estonia will look to keep their slim chances of finishing second intact – and bounce back from their 3-0 loss in Italy on Friday – when they visit bottom side the Faroe Islands.
Second-placed Belarus will be trying to keep the pressure on Group D leaders France when they play host to cellar dwellers Luxembourg while Bosnia and Herzegovina can keep their push for second place going when they welcome Albania.
It looks increasingly likely that Wenger will make Gervinho his first major signing of the summer, and much has already been written about this Ivorian striker/winger.
Not wanting to cover the same ground necessarily, but wanting to add to the debate, I would like to add some musings and a question or two that I hope you Gooners out there will have a few answers to them.
Whilst I have made my own preference for a returning 4-4-2 system known in previous articles, it would appear that the signing of Gervinho makes this less likely.
He would appear to be a starter for the Ivory Coast, playing on the left of a three man attack with Drogba and Kalou, scoring twice in their most recent African Nations qualifier against Benin.
For Lille, he and Hazard have played either side of Sow in a genuine 4-3-3, which concerns me slightly. My concern stems from the fact that Lille have played with both Gervinho and Hazard as out and out wingers, with three more defensively minded midfielders behind them.
With Arsenal playing Cesc in a more advanced role in the three and expecting the two wide players to defend more, I have no knowledge of Gervinho’s capacity to get back and support the full back.
The question is therefore would be – will he play like Nasri, who tracks back, or will he play like Arshavin, who genuinely has attack on his mind?
If he can play the wide left role in big games, in what effectively becomes a five man midfield, it will be a real bonus for Arsenal – think of the work-rate of Walcott and Nasri in the Chelsea match as a perfect example. If he can do this then I believe he will be an amazing signing as his dribbling ability at speed, his assist ratio, and an obvious eye for goal, easily match that of the frustrating Russian.
The Gervinho signing therefore may suggest the exit door for Arshavin, and one would hope that we might still get enough of a fee to fund most if not all of the deal for the Ivorian.
So accepting I have a fairly warm feeling for this signing, it does still leave a few questions in my mind. If the new boy is a guaranteed starter in the left berth of the attacking three, will Walcott or Nasri play first choice on the right? This of course assuming that Fabregas will stay as our talisman and skipper next season, and that he will play at the fulcrum of the midfield, not Nasri.
Jack Wilshere will certainly play and Song/Frimpong or another signing will also play. Again, this is not what I would opt for, but this is highly likely if Wenger sticks with the formation of the past three years.
My other query will come from leftfield to some of you, but it has been troubling me for the past month since the link to Gervinho first was touted. It surrounds the complete silence of Emmanuel Eboue on the subject.
Now given that Eboue is hardly the shy, retiring type and is always ready with a quote of a supportive comment for team-mates, why has there been no word from him on the potential signing of his classy international team-mate?
They have played close to 30 games together for the Ivory Coast and spent the summer of 2010 at the World Cup in close company in South Africa, so why are the press fishing for the odd snippet from Djourou or Sagna, who saw him play in the French league three years ago? I am not sure if they overlapped, but Eboue and Gervinho were also both at Beveren in 2005.
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Maybe I am being a little paranoid and Eboue has probably taken a long summer break away from civilisation, but is it only me that thinks this is a bit odd, that the person within Arsenal best qualified to comment on this big potential signing has not uttered a word?
I am very hopeful that Wenger will make this signing a reality, and remain positive about the impact that the Ivorian could have on us next season.
Article courtesy of David Seager from Gunnersphere
AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliano has moved to quash speculation that owner Silvio Berlusconi is set to walk away from the club.Berlusconi’s company Fininvest was handed a fine of 560 million euros by a Milan court on July 9 after an investigation into the firm uncovered corrupt activities dating back to 1991.
The Italian prime minister is a major investor in Serie A club Milan and fans are now worried that his latest financial setback could affect the club’s transfer policy.
But Galliano has hosed down speculation that Berlusconi’s legal troubles could affect his role at the reigning Italian champions.
“I’d like to reassure AC Milan supporters that Silvio Berlusconi hasn’t changed his feelings towards AC Milan: he is the leader of this club,” Galliano said.
“Nothing has changed and nothing is going to change. There hasn’t been any special meeting, this is the truth. There has only been the budget presentation, which has taken place in Arcore with owner Berlusconi and Cannatelli and Pellegrino of Fininvest and AC Milan managers. There wasn’t anything unexpected, neither any urgent meeting.”
Milan have been linked with moves for a number of high-profile players after veteran midfielder Andrea Pirlo opted to join Serie A rivals Juventus.
Manager Massimiliano Allegri fielded several questions from reporters on who he may be targeting, including Sao Paulo’s Lucas, Riccardo Montolivo of Fiorentina and highly rated Santos 20-year-old Ganso.
“(Lucas) is an excellent player, but many names will surely be made from now till August 31,” Allegri said.
“We should only be focused on working with the available players and I’m very satisfied with them. In this moment the team has all necessary players. Of course, Andrea Pirlo has left the team and we should replace him, but he should be replaced with an important player.”
“Two minutes ago you told me Lucas, now Montolivo,” Allegri responded to reporters. “Ganso, then there has been Fabregas. Other names as well have been made: Pastore as well. And the list could go on forever. I’ve known most of the players since more than a year.”