Tuesday's Transfer Round-Up

So there's now just one day left in the August transfer window and clubs are frantically trying to wrap up bids and contracts in order to get their men before the deadline of 11 o'clock tomorrow night.

So here is a round up of the rumours and deals being done in the Premiership as we go into the last 24 hours of whats been a very hectic August.

Arsenal have had a busy day today as they finalised deals for two of their top targets.

After ending their pursuit of Bolton defender Gary Cahill the Gunners set about trying to tempt Fiorentina star Juan Manuel Vargas to London. Wenger wasn't done there for the day as he completed deals for Monaco midfielder Park Chu-Young and Per Mertersacker, of Werder Bremen, splashing out an estimated £15 million for the pair.

Fenerbahçe defender André Santos also looks set to join Park and Mertersacker later tomorrow as he tries to finalise a deal with the Gunners tonight and/or tomorrow.

Armand Traore however is headed the other way today, leaving the Gunners for his new club Queens Park Rangers.

Spurs fans will be pleased tonight to hear that Scott Parker has officially handed in a transfer request to Hammers boss Sam Allardyce. Big Sam today confirmed they had completed the signing, of Parker replacement, Papa Bouba Diop on a one-year deal as Parker continues to try and finalize a deal over at White Hart Lane.

We also found out today that Spurs have been in talks with Bolton for their prize defender Gary Cahill.

After Arsenal's interests moved away from Cahill Tottenham, it seems, have seen an opportunity to move in and snag the Englishman for themselves. Although no official figure has been given to the press it is thought that any Tottenham offer will include Sebastian Bassong in an attempt to soften the blow for Owen Coyle and his back-four.

Redknapp also spoke out on the transfers of Peter Crouch and Alan Hutton this afternoon.

While Hutton's departure would just be a temporary one, as he looks likely to go North to Aston Villa for a season long loan, Crouch's move looks to be a more permanent one.

The arrival of Emanuel Adebayor on loan from Manchester City means that Redknapp is slightly over whelmed with striking options and with Crouch attracting attention from Sunderland and Stoke the Spurs boss is leaving the decision to go entirely to the striker.

“It's up to Crouchy. I have had Peter at a few clubs and he's a good player, great guy, but I suppose with Adebayor coming in it is an area that we are a little bit overloaded in and he is one that people want.

“There are few clubs that want him, but we'll have to wait and see with that one.”

Newcastle United, not wanting to be left behind, have also been making moves this afternoon. After losing Joey Barton last weekend to QPR and Jose Enrique earlier this month Alan Pardew has, at least now, picked up a replacement for one of his lost Magpies.

Inter Milan left-back Davide Santon has completed his move to Tyneside for an undisclosed fee and Pardew was quick to offer the Italian international a warm welcome.

“We are delighted to bring to Davide to Newcastle.

“He is a quality left-back and an established international who also gives us flexibility in defence.”

Pardew wasn't done there today as Newcastle completed their deal with Charlton for goalkeeper Rob Elliot, for an unknown fee, as well as making an enquiry to loan Manchester United striker Frederico Macheda for the remainder of the season.

Other rumours and deals from today area as follow.

Liverpool may have brought in all they need for the 2011/12 after completing the signing of Uruguayan centre-back Sebastian Coates this evening but it looks as though a few names may be on their way out of Anfield on deadline day. Joe Cole is in talks with Lille in regards to a season long loan with the French side while a price for Christian Poulsen has been agreed between the Reds and French side Evian.

Manchester City too saw departures through their front doors with Roque Santa Cruz and Vladimir Weiss both completing loan deals to Real Betis and Espanyol respectively.

But it does look as though free agent Owen Hargreaves will be on his way to City in the near future. Their keeper Joe Hart spoke about Hargreaves potential move today saying,

“He was a very important England player. If he can get back to that form, obviously he would be an asset.”

QPR are in taks with Sunderland tonight as they look to bring England Under-21 Anton Ferdinand to Loftus road. Ferdinand would join a new look Rangers defence that includes new signings Armand Troare and Luke Young.

Fulham tonight have agreed a £10.6 million pound fee with FC Twente for their Costa Rican star Bryan Ruiz in an attempt to find cover should American Clint Dempsey make a late move to Sevilla or Paris Saint-Germain.

Wigan boss Roberto Martinez is delighted to have finalised a deal for Albert Crusat form Almeria after he passed a medical on monday.

And finally, out of favour Everton striker, Yakubu has turned down a move to Blackburn Rovers this afternoon. The Nigerian, who spent much of last season on loan at Leicester, has returned to Everton but still remains out of favour with manager David Moyes. Even so a move to struggling Blackburn was not enough to tempt Yakubu away from his Merseyside nightmare.










If you like this have a look at what could be in store tomorrow for your Premiership club as The Mirror Football brings you their club by club guide. Here

Arsenal Look To Spend Big In Late Transfer Rush

With just under 36 hours to go before the transfer window shuts it looks like a flurry of moves across the Premier League are about to take place.

The padlock on the Asenal transfer budget looks set to be unlocked as the Gunners try to replenish their depleted squad.

Mertersacker could be a Gunner by Wednesday night

With Armand Traore set to move to QPR, Nicklas Bendtner still on the chopping block and Lille, Bordeaux and Paris Saint-Germain all sniffing around Marouane Chamakh, Wenger has been told he has a whopping £70 million budget to spend to turn round whats been a terrible August for the Gunners.

According to The Sun, on Tuesday morning, Arsenal have had a bid of £6 million accepted by Fenerbahçe for their Brazilian defender André Santos, while BBC Sport reported on Tuesday afternoon that the Gunners were in talks with Per Mertesacker (above) from German side Werder Bremen.

Others on the Gunners hit list are Gary Cahill from Bolton, free agent Owen Hargreaves, Sochaux midfielder Marvin Martin, South Korean captain Park Chu-Young and Rennes star Yann M'Vila although Rennes are refusing to budge on their £17.7 million asking price.

The most surprising rumours surrounding the Gunners late spending spree are Asene's enquiry into the availability of Chelsea winger Florent Malouda and their bid for Chelsea defender Alex.

Chelsea too are making some waves in the transfer market in the final days of the transfer window.

Benayoun could be off to either Liverpool
or French Side Lille

The Blues have reportedly placed a bid of £8 million and Yossi Benayoun (left) for Liverpool midfielder Raul Meireles however Liverpool aren't interested in re-signing the Israeli, who left Anfield just 12 months ago for £5 million and it looks more likely that Yossi will be heading to French side Lille inside the next 24 hours.

Chelsea still haven't given up their chase for Tottenham's Luka Modric with Abramovich as intent to conclude a deal for the highly touted midfielder as he is to leave his North London home before Wednesday's deadline.

Finally Mr Villas-Boas is looking to entice left-midfielder Alcaro Pereira away from his old club Porto. Pereira is keen to complete the move but Porto have already rejected a £17.7 million bid from the London club and are reportedly looking for suitors to meet Pereira's buy-out clause of €30 million.

Else where in London Harry Redknapp is trying to turn around his early season nightmare with the acquisition of both Scott Parker and Owen Hargreaves (bellow), while Stoke and Sunderland look to battle it out for Spurs' lanky striker Peter Crouch.

Stoke have already landed Wilson Palacios from Tottenham after a medical last Sunday while Sunderland hope to also bring United striker Federico Macheda on a season long loan to the Stadium of Light.

Alan Hutton could also be heading away from White Hart Lane for a year to Alex McLeish's Aston Villa.

Scott Dann is reportedly on his way to Blackburn after they agreed to a £5 million fee for the Birmingham City defender while rival bidders QPR are set to begin talks with Shaun Wright-Phillips.

Fulham could be facing a mini exodus with Leicester City making a £4 million bid for Striker Andy Johnson while Sevilla are reportedly lining up a bid for playmaker Clint Dempsey, although Martin Jol has said he will not accept anything less than £8 million for the American forward.

A run down of Tuesdays transfers will come this evening as we head into the final 24 hours of the August window.

Mancini's Men Give Five Star Performance.

“I'll never get beaten that heavily again.”

That was the closing statement from Harry Redknapp as he left his post-game press conference after being forced to watch his Tottenham side receive a 5-1 thumping from a visiting Manchester City.

“Today was disappointing,” said the Spurs boss. “But its how we go during the rest of the season.”

If his side can play the rest of the season in the same manner that they played the opening 25 minutes then a Champions League spot could still be a possibility.

Spurs were able to prise open the visitors defence early on. Rafael Van der Vaart forced City keeper Joe Hart into a pair of impressive saves, firstly firing on goal after turning away from Joleon Lescott in the City area and then whipping a free-kick from 25 yards towards Harts near post, the England keeper at full stretch to tip the ball away for a corner.

City too had managed to create their fair share of chances to keep Brad Friedel on his toes between the Tottenham posts. 

As City grew in confidence, Tottenham began to fade away. Van der Vaart and Lennon, who both started brightly, became ineffective while Bale, down the Spurs left flank, never really appeared in the game until his side went behind.

City on the other hand grew in confidence and creativity and it was no surprise to anyone when new signing Samir Nasri broke into the Tottenham box after a one-two with Sergio Aguero and picked out Dzeko who added the finishing touch to a fine City move.

The same two combined for City's second goal, this time Nasri's cross found Dzeko at the back post, the striker beating away Younes Kaboul, to head past Friedel four minutes before the break.

Dzeko had his hat-trick after the break, beating Michael Dawson to Yaya Toure's low cross and firing into an empty Spurs net for number three.

Aguero got his name on the score sheet after Nasri released him down the left, Dawson again failing to make the important challenge, allowing the Argentinean to fire his effort into the far corner of Freidel's net.

Tottenham did manage a conciliation goal but Kaboul's header from Van der Vaarts corner did little to lift the spirits of the home fans, or encourage more from his team mates, as he reduced Spurs deficit to three goals.

But it was Dzeko who added the exclamation mark to City's performance as he curled a first time strike from 18 yards into the far top corner in the final minutes of injury time.

“The pivotal moment is our second goal,” said City coach David Platt as he under took Mancini's post match duties.

“30 seconds earlier I thought the ball was going in the net from Peter Crouch and then we go up the other end and we score.”

The miss in question could have turned the game on its head. Had Crouch been able to direct his header just five inches to the left he surely would have pulled Spurs level just before the break. However Bale's volleyed cross went to waste as the England striker directed his free header just wide of Harts post. A minute later City had doubled their lead.

Platt was grinning with every question sent his way after the game, especially when given the opportunity to discuss his attacking foursome of Nasri, Dzeko, Aguero and David Silva.

“When he [Dzeko] came in through the door, just in training his movements were good. The way he manipulates the football, the way he gets into goal scoring positions. He scores with his head, scores with his left foot, scores dirty goals,” beamed Platt.

“Since he's come through the doors again this summer and pre-season he's been excellent.”

The City coach praised his foursome as a group and noted how well they were coming together already.

“ Aguero, Dzeko, they're two central strikers that appear in wide positions as well. David Silva just floats around in and around the box, and then we obviously knew the capability of Samir when he came in.

“They [Dzeko, Nasri, Aguero and Silva] move the ball around very very well. Nobody wants to keep hold of it too long. They'll shift it around and wait for the right moment to pass.”

While City return north for the international break Spurs will be keeping an eye, at least till Wednesday, on the transfer market for any last minute deals to try and add depth to an already injury hit squad.

“I think we'll get one or two in in the window.” was Redknapp's optimistic response, before adding “We're hoping to sign another player today,” leaving the whole room to guess just who will be coming to White Hart Lane in the next 72 hours.

City Hit Tottenham With 5-1 Thrashing.

Edin Dzeko's four goals helped hand Tottenham a 5-1 thrashing at the hands of Manchester City at White Hart Lane on Sunday.

After both sides traded chances for the opening 20 minutes City were able to break the deadlock thanks to some beautiful link up play from Samir Nasri, Sergio Aguero and Dezeko on 34 minutes.

Gail Clichy on the City left flank played the ball back to a waiting Nasri who, after a quick one-two with Aguero, clipped the ball across the six yard box where Dzeko pounced poking the ball past Spurs keepers Brad Friedel.

The Manchester side then doubled their lead before the break. David Silva lead the City attack across the half way line before feeding the ball out to Nasri, who again, was able to clip the ball across goal to find Dezko at the back post, beating Younes Kaboul in the air and, heading past the American keeper into the far side of the net.

Tottenham could have been ahead early on and were unlucky to be down by two at the interval. Rafael Van der Vaart twice tested City keeper Joe Hart, first with an effort on goal after turning Joleon Lescott in the City penalty area, before wipping in a free kick that the England International tipped wide of his near post.

Peter Crouch too should have levelled things before City scored their second but he was unable to convert a free header after Gareth Bale's exquisit volleyed cross seemed give the England striker an easy finish.

City didn't have to wait long to grab their third goal of the game as Dzeko completed his hat-rick ten minutes after the interval. Aguero and Yaya Toure passed their way around a helpless Benoit Assou-Ekotto before Toure drilled in a low cross that Dzeko tucked into the empty net.

Aguero added to the visitors lead on the hour, combining with Nasri at the half way line, before breaking away down the City left. The Argentinian was able to hold off Michael Dawson's challenge and smash his strike into the far post.

Spurs did try to get back in the tie, two long range efforts from Jermain Defoe forcing Hart into saves, but very little came towards City's defence that they couldn't handle.

A Younes Kaboul header from Van der Vaart's corner provided Spurs fans with a conciliation goal but Dzeko had the final say, linking a one-two with Gareth Barry, curling his strike from the edge of the box past Friedel and into the top corner.

A 5-1 defeat and a abrupt exit from the game for Van der Vaart, the dutch man walking off down the tunnel after 75 minutes with what appears to be another hamstring pull, see Spurs sat on the bottom of the Premier League with very little to sing about.

Spurs Handed Tasty Russian Tie.

Harry Redknapp will not be too happy about having to make a winter trip to Russia to face Rubin Kazan in the Europa League group stages.

Spurs were placed in Group A from the opening pot of the draw that took place midday Friday in Monaco. Pot two, from which Kazan were draw, contained big sides such as Lazio, Udinese and Athletic Bilbao, but Rubin Kazan will be no push over for the Londoners, especially when Spurs have travel to Russia to play in near Arctic temperatures.

Spurs will also face a trip to Greece to meet PAOK and a short journey across the Irish sea to play Shamrock Rovers in Dublin.

Former Europa League finalists Fulham, drawn from pot two, will face Dutch side Twente in group K as well as having trips to Denmark and Poland for ties against Odensk and Wisla Krakow.

Stoke and Birmingham were drawn from the third Pot, both sides looking to avoid Group D, containing Sporting Lisbon and Lazio, Group I, containing Atlético Madrid and Udinese, and Group F containing PSG and Athletic Bilbao

Stoke's group sees them play Dynamo Kiev, Turkish side Besiktas and Israeli side Maccabi Tel-Aviv in Group E, while Birmingham were placed in Group H to face last year's semi-finalists Braga, Club Brugge and Slovenian side MK Maribor.

Arguably the toughest Group in the draw will be Group I, where Atlético Madrid and Udinese were joined by French side Rennes and Swiss side Sion, although Sion could be replaced next week by Celtic if UEFA deems that the Swiss side fielded ineligible players due to a 12 month transfer ban placed on them in January.

Will the Departures of Nasri and Fábregas Begin a Arsenal Exodus

Samir Nasri has become the second major Arsenal playmaker to leave The Emirates this August.

The French midfielder will be heading north to join money bags Manchester City in a move estimated to be costing City around £22 million.

The departure of Nasri will have many Gunners fans scratching their heads and wondering who, in a young and inexperienced Arsenal squad, is going to be able to bring some silverware back to the Emirates trophy cabinet after a seven year drought.

What Arsenal fans should also be concerned about is 12 months time and asking the question, who at Arsenal could be off next.

Could It Happen?

It's a real possibility and should be a real worry for fans of the north London club.

If there's one thing that modern day football has lost its the players loyalty to their clubs. We've seen key figures such as William Gallas move from Chelsea, to Arsenal, to Spurs in consecutive transfers. We've seen players leave top quality European leagues to play in Russia and America for a fist full of Dollars (or rubles).

Money and trophies talk in 21^st Century football and the days of a players seeing out their career at one or two clubs are few and far between.

Those that do are in the minority as the players go in search of money, while the clubs throw it at them by the bucket load in order to maintain their incomes from league titles and Champions League television money. If the moneys good, players will take it.

Bad Timing

Arsenal's potential fall from glory (although things don't look good for the Gunners it's not all over yet) is coming at an awkward time for the London side. Andrei Arshavin's contract continues to run down to its final months,(the Russian still hasn't added an extension to the 12 months remaining on his current contract) while Robin Van Persie's deal at the Gunners is starting to reach a pivotal point.

Should Arsenal be unable to mount a respectable title challenge, fail to land a domestic trophy or both in 2011/12 Van Persie wil come to the end of the season with one year remaining on his contract and a big decision to make. Should I stay or should I go?

If the suitors are there from clubs of a higher pedigree the Dutch striker could be off to pastures new.

Another player who's deal at Arsenal is heading toward the latter stages is Theo Walcott. Although Mr Walcott's contract is rumoured to finish at the end of the 2013/14 season, he too could be swayed into a big money move away form the Emirates should Arshavin, Van Persie and others look likely to leave.

Walcott's departure is obviously dependant on other factors but should Arsenal fail to improve their squad sufficiently between now and next season, there will be a number of mangers who would love to have the 22 year-old in their squads, especially those looking to mount title runs of their own.

Aren't We Getting Ahead of Ourselves?

Yes and no. Looking at the transfer market 12 months down the line isn't something that you would expect to see. Especially when we still have 8 days left in the current transfer window, not to mention a January transfer window that always throws up a few mid-season surprises. Its almost impossible to predict the moves the Gunners could make to either add or detract from the strenght of their current squad, let alone predict how they will fair in league and cup competitions (this has been written before their 2^nd leg clash with Udinese so I can't say if they have or haven't crashed out of the Champions League in the qualifying stages).

What I will say is this. Arsenal, as of yet, haven't signed any big name or money players (Gervinho is untested and thanks to an opening day red card at Newcastle we are yet to see how well he fits in with either Arsenal or the Premiership), but they have lost two of their most influential players. With a difficult opening three games to the season and more key contracts needing to be sorted in the next twelve months, the Gunners need to be aware that a bad September and October could have disastrous effects on certain players futures at the club.

Its not as unlikely as Arsenal fans may think that in 12 months time they could be looking at two or three more key figures walking away and very little coming in the other way.

Juan Mata. Not The Man To Ignite Chelsea's Creative Spark

It was a quiet summer for Chelsea before the start of the Premier League season. The appointment of their fifth new manager in four years hasn't sparked the usual pre-season spending as the new boss looks to add his own personal touch to Chelsea's multi-million pound squad.

In fact Mourinho 2.0 (Andre Villas-Boas) has made very few ripples in the transfer market this summer, only the odd rumour of a Javier Pastore or Luka Modric deal distracting the press' watchful eyes away from the summer spenders of Liverpool and both Manchester clubs.

However after a disappointing draw against Stoke on the opening day of the season the old criticisms that surrounded Carlo Ancelotti's squad last year began to rain down on the former Porto manager.

There's no creativity! There's no consistency! What did we get for £50 million last January?

Answering Back

The Portuguese boss has tried to silence some of these critics in the last few days, firstly by signing promising striker Romelu Lukaku on Thursday, before agreeing to a fee for Valencia winger Juan Mata on Monday. But will either of these players do anything to silence the Chelsea critics? Will Mata and Lukaku lead Chelsea to a fourth Premier League.

Lukaku is a smart move on the part of Villas-Boas.

The Young Belgian has been tipped as the new Didier Drogba and is seen by many as the perfect replacement for Chelsea's number eleven once he becomes surplus to requirements at the club.

With Nicholas Anelka saying he wants to leave the Blues last week, Lukaku will be able to learn from Fernando Torres and Drogba while also gaining valuable playing time, allowing him to adapt to the pace and physicality of the English game quickly. Lukaku's purchase was a no brainer for the Chelsea.

The reasons behind Mata's arrival on the other hand, are not quite as clear.

Not An Essential Purchase

In a 4-3-2-1 formation you ideally want to have your three midfielders providing service either down the flanks or through the middle to your forward men.

What you don't want (and this is the problem Chelsea currently suffer from) is your midfield pushing forward, moving into the space your forwards have created for themselves, before becoming stationary in a now clustered final third.

Chelsea have a talented squad. But what they lack is not another attacking player that can get wide, provide crosses, or run at defenders like Mata does.

They need a playmaker in the centre of the park. A player who is willing to sit off the forwards, distribute and control the game and then, when opportunity arises, take the space going forward but use it effectively, either by making room for an effort on goal, or sliding the ball into the path of a striker.

Mata is not this player.

Signing the Spaniard is by no means a waste of money. Mata holds a European Championships and World Cup winners medal and there is no doubting his skill on and off the ball. He will start at Chelsea, flanking Torres with Malouda as a front three and (as long as he remains more consistent then Kalou and Malouda) he should produce goals and assists. What Mata will still need though is service from the middle of the park to give him the opportunity to work his magic. A problem that Chelsea need to solve before August is over.

Problems and Solutions

Lampard's age (33) and determination to try balls over the top makes his play frustrating to watch. A player on the decline Lampard doesn't seem to have the legs to keep moving and keep others moving in the centre of the field. He may be a Chelsea old boy but letting a younger face try to play his role could be what Chelsea need.

If you can't bare to see Lampard on the bench then either Mikel or Ramires need to take a seat. Neither player has the ability right now to be considered in the world’s elite and both lack consistency with the quality of their service to the strikers when pushing forward. Both also (like Lampard) tend to push forward and cramp the forwards as mentioned earlier.

What Chelsea really need to spend their money on is Luka Modric. Or someone like Modric. A Kaká, a Fábregas, a Xavi. A puppet master that pulls the strings, controls the game and gives others the time and space to work in. A fresh bid of £30 million (made on Monday) for Modric could force Tottenham to relinquish their prize possession. However should that fail Chelsea might want to look at Real Madrid's out of favour Brazilian midfielder.

Still only 29 Kaká has failed to make a big impression since landing in Madrid in 2009. With 39 league appearances under his belt in two seasons Kaká has been in and around the Spanish giants first team and is far from lacking match practice, yet he could be a cheaper option to Modric after being resigned to the subs bench for most of last season.

Either of these two would be a wise investment (or as one fan put it “worth a punt”) and could do more for Chelsea then another winger.

Is Juan Mata a great pick up for Chelsea? Yes

Is he worth the £23 million price tag? Yes

Will he solve Chelsea's lack of creativity and space going forward? Probably not. But he will be an exciting play to look out for in the near future at The Bridge.

Staying Cool At The Top

Mick McCarthy was quick to calm any talk of his Wolves side being top of the Premiership after a convincing 2-0 win at home to Fulham.

“Of course I'm delighted.” said the Wolves boss. “But we've only won two games. I know just how quickly this league can come back and bite you in the backside

“Suddenly you looking very very silly if you get carried away about it.”

McCarthy could be forgiven for being a little confident about his teams perfect start to the new season. However the Wolves boss didn't seem to care too much that his Wanderers were the first in 13 years to win their opening two games of the season.

“I couldn't tell you the ex-players or the teams. Its had no bearing on me at all”

Fulham and Wolves looked sloppy and a little wasteful in the opening half and hour but Wolves began to gain confidence in their play and take the challenge to the visitors.

“We grew into the game. I thought we were comfortable, I don't think either team did much to trouble.

“We got better and better.”

Fulham had had the best chance in the early going but Damien Duff couldn't convert with his right foot from close range.

With fifteen minutes remaining in the first half Wolves began press.

Kevin Doyle out muscled Brede Hangeland and rounded keeper Mark Schwarzer only to clip the ball, off balance, into the stand behind the Fulham goal.

Jamie O'Hara also tested the Fulham keeper with an effort from range, forcing a finger tip save from the Australian keeper.

Ten minutes later Wolves had their opener. Fulham failed to clear a Matt Jarvis cross from the edge of their six yard box. Doyle saw the opportunity and took it well firing the lose ball past Schwarzer into the roof of net.

Minutes later Wolves doubled their lead, Jarvis this time tucking a rebound into an empty net after Roger Johnson climbed above a flailing Schwarzer to head Stephen Hunt's cross against the foot of the post.

Fulham were out played for the majority of the match while Wolves went looking for a third early in the second half. Schwarzer was kept busy as he and his back four did their best to keep a rampant Wolves attack under wraps.

“I've really enjoyed watching my team play football against them today,” beamed McCarthy. “We gained this reputation last year for being a dirty team at Fulham by kicking them off the park which was so unjust, so wrong

“That incident last year really did us a disservice.”

“Lets be careful shall we.” said McCarthy in an attempt to calm the buzz around his sides perfect record.

“We've had two wins against Blackburn and Fulham

“I think that Fulham had a definite disadvantage playing Thursday night,”

“I'm happy with the 2-0.”

Wolves Maintain Perfection To Go Top

Wolves made it two wins from two on their return home to the Molineux thanks to goals from Kevin Doyle and Matt Jarvis, as Wanderers coasted past a flat footed Fulham.

Wolves took the lead in a first half that initially was dominated by silly mistakes and wasteful passing from both sides.

Kevin Doyle scored first for the home side just before the break. Latching onto a loose ball seven yards out after John Arne Riise and Pajtim Kasami failed to clear Matt Jarvis' low cross, the Irish man lashed the ball into the roof of Mark Schwarzer's net two minutes from the break.

The Midlanders doubled their lead just moments later. Stephen Hunt's curling cross was flicked past a flailing Schwarzer by Roger Johnson but the Wolves captain was denied by the post, leaving Jarvis to fire the rebound into an empty net from close range.

Wolves had begun to really test the Fulham defence after half an hour. Doyle scooped an effort over an empty net on the turn after out muscling Brede Hangeland and rounding Schwarzer, while Jamie O'Hara had the Fulham keeper at full stretch tipping his strike from range around the post.

Damien Duff could have turned the half on its head eleven minutes in but he squandered his chance to open the scoring, his right foot shot rolling neatly into the arms of Wayne Hennessey.

Duff had an opportunity to test Hennessey again early in the second half, mis-queuing his volley into the ground as it bounced wide and over the Wolves net.

Fulham's attempts on goal were beginning to dry up like a puddle in the Sahara.

Wolves on the other hand continued to flood Schwarzer's goal with strikes as they went looking for a third. Jarvis, O'Hara, Fletcher and Hunt all saw efforts flash past the woodwork or diverted away by the outstretched hands of the Australian keeper.

With ten minutes remaining Fulham finally kicked into 2^nd gear, Andy Johnson seeing his close range effort saved by Hennessey. Stephen Ward rescued his sides clean sheet, poking the rebound away from the outstretched toe of Clint Dempsey, denying the visitors a certain goal.

Fulham however failed to create more from their possession, allowing Wolves to coast to the finish line and become the first team to have a perfect record from their opening two games in the Premiership.

Chelsea Power Past Promising Baggies

West Brom finally succumbed late on to the unrelenting second half pressure of Chelsea after taking an early lead at Stamford Bridge, losing 2-1.

Shane Long caught a napping Alex in possession four minutes in, immediately breaking away from the chasing Chelsea back-four and slotting cooly past second string keeper Henrique Hilario to put an early dampener on Chelsea's return to Stamford Bridge.

The Baggies continued to take the game to their hosts early on, pressuring and holding Chelsea at the back waiting to strike on the break with Long and Somen Tchoyi.

Tchoyi should have doubled West Brom's lead after 25 minutes, Brunt's exquisite ball over the top releasing Long who could have laid the ball square on a plate, but the young Irish man's cross was off target and the waiting Tchoyi was unable to reach the poor cross.

Chelsea sparked back into life after the introduction of Florent Malouda, but even after switching from 4-3-3 to 4-4-2 Chelsea's pressure failed to produce an equaliser, only Ashley Cole and Alex efforts forced emphatic saves from Ben Foster in goal.

The pressure continued after the break and it wasn't long before the Blues managed to find an equaliser.


Nicholas Anelka played the ball into the path of a charging Frank Lampard but after being upended in the Baggies box, the lose ball returned to the feet of Anelka. The French international immediately moved into space to fire on goal, Jonas Olsson's deflection diverting the ball past Foster and into the bottom right hand corner.

West Brom's defence hardly had a chance to breath as Foster was called on to deny Anelka once more while Steven Reid and company flung their bodies in front of Malouda and Lampard's efforts on goal as Chelsea went in search of a winner.

Tchoyi forced a spectacular save from Hilario, after he turned and fired from the edge of the Chelsea penalty area but the Baggies chances were few and far between as Chelsea dominated the 2^nd period.

Chelsea's winner finally came just 7 minutes from time. Jose Bosingwa dashed between James Morrison and Nicky Shorey before crossing low across the West Brom box. Malouda arrived at the back post to neatly fire past Foster and give Chelsea a deserved lead.

Peter Odemwingie could have levelled the game late on but his volley from Reid's cross was straight at the waiting Hilario.

West Brom finish their opening two weeks of the season with no points but a pair of promising performances that Roy Hodgson's men can be proud of.

Campeones, Champions, Campions

Anyone that thought Cesc Fábregas might need a little time to feel at home with his new team mates in Barcelona were put to rest last night in the dying moments of Wednesday's Spanish Super Cup 2^nd leg.

24 year old Fábregas started on the bench but was brought on to face Real Madrid's Galácticos with nine minutes remaining as Barca looked to avoid a 2-2 draw and extra time.

Cesc answered the call and six minutes later began the move that led to Lionel Messi's 87 minute winner that silenced the visiting fans and sent the rest of the Camp Nou into a joyous frenzy.

Fábregas then became the centre of attention as the clock ticked away any chance of a Madrid comeback.

After Kaka was dispossessed on the Barcelona right Xavi flicked the ball to Fábregas who advanced forward before turning to avoid the challenge of Madrid's fuzzy haired left-back Marcelo, right in front of the two club's benches.

Marcelo had no intention of pulling out of the challenge, crunching Fábregas with both legs toppling him to the ground with a hefty thud.

It took just two seconds for the Barca bench to empty as they flocked to surround and defend their new team-mate as he lay on the ground.

As Cesc lay on the Camp Nou turf Barca officials, players and coaches began to start an all out brawl as tempers boiled over and another El Classico became a rumble in the jungle.

Fábregas looks right at home at Barca, and it didn't take long for his twitter account to post a picture of Cesc along side team-mates Nelson Piqué and Carlos Puyol holding the first of (what I'm sure will be) many trophies he'll get to hold aloft in a Barca shirt.

Shay Given's Post Match Interview (Audio)

Were you pleased with your debut?

Have you missed Premier League football?

Were you excited, nervous or both?

Did you feel unbeatable out there today?

Is Villa a step down from Manchester City?

What's a realistic target for Villa this season?

Internationally you've got big games against Slovakia and Russia in under a month. How important are these next few weeks?

And what's the confidence like in the Ireland camp at the moment?

"The Challenge Of My Life." Fábregas Lands in Barcelona

Cesc Fábregas was unveiled today at Barcelona's Camp Nou in front of fans and journalists alike.

After posing for the cameras dressed in his new club colours in the Catalan sunshine, the 24 year old fielded questions from both Spanish and English media.

“This is a very emotional day, a special day,” said a beaming Fábregas.

“I'm returning home”

A return to Barcelona, the club who trained him up until his move to the Gunners at the age of 16, has always been on the cards in Fábregas' mind and Barcelona will be very happy to see the return of their prodigal son.

“I knew one day, sooner or later, I wanted to come back here.”

But the return has been delayed over the last two years as Arsenal struggled to keep Barca at arms length from their most prized possession, however Fábregas still looks back on his time in London fondly and seems to hold no grudges with either the club or former manager Arsene Wenger

“Arsenal has been a terrific experience,

“I don't think Wenger has such a good image in Barcelona but I'm here largely because of him. I owe it to him that I am here.”

Fabregas could debut as quickly as Wednesday when Barca face rivals Real Madrid in the second leg of the Spanish Super Cup after drawing 2-2 on Sunday night.

“I didn't see the first leg last night as I was flying over,” he said “But physically I'm fine and ready for everything. It's not my decision whether to play or not. I'm going to work very hard as always and enjoy it. I will give everything to make this club better.”

Throughout the weekend Fabregas has tried to keep a very low profile with the media, even staying away from his twitter account as the saga began to come to an end.

“They have been three or four intense days and I've tried to keep away from it all as much as possible. Until I had permission from Arsenal to travel I was not going to do it. In the end it has all been worth it.”

The exodus from The Gunners this summer looks to continue as French midfielder Samir Nasri seeks a move to Manchester City while reports this morning suggest Emmanuel Eboue is on his way to Turkish club Galatasary