John Obi Mikel Will Be The Playmaker For Chelsea - Carlo Ancelotti

Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti feels that this season could be the campaign where midfielder Jon Obi Mikel steps forward and shows his qualities as a creative midfielder.


“I have a lot of trust in Mikel,” he told The Daily Mail. “I think he can be the playmaker of this team. He is a young player, but has great quality, both technical and tactical.


"For the present and for the future he is a very important player for us. We are very happy he has signed a new contract and I hope that he stays at Chelsea for a lot of years.


“I would like that he puts in his great quality for the team.”


Mikel was clearly pleased by his manager's praise, saying “It is a great honour that he sees something in me. He says I am a player with great qualities, but thinks I can be even better.”


“It is going to take a bit of time, but I am going to work very close with him to make it happen.”


"He likes the fact I am strong and can play with the ball, but says that I still need to add more things to my game — if I do that then he thinks I’m going to be fantastic.”


The Nigerian believes Ancelotti will finally bring a Champions League to Stamford Bridge, saying, “We have come close so many times and I think that is why the club have brought him here, to take us to that final step.”


"The way he has come in and the ideas he has as to how to set the team up, I think we can win everything."

John Mikel Obi commits future to Chelsea by signing new five-year deal

John Mikel Obi has become the latest Chelsea star to signed a new long-term contract with the club.

Former Blues boss Jose Mourinho had hoped to take Obi to Inter Milan and was prepared to pay the midfielder £60,000 a week, as revealed in Sportsmail in April.

But the 22-year-old Nigerian, who is thought to be on around £40,000 a week, will see his wages rise to around £70,000 a week after putting pen to paper on a five-year deal.

'It was easy to commit to because I am happy here and when the opportunity came it was good to sign after speaking to the club,' he said.

Chelsea have already secured Florent Malouda on a long contract this summer and Didier Drogba is expected to agree a new deal.

The Blues have also brought in Yuri Zhirkov, Daniel Sturridge and Ross Turnbull under new boss Carlo Ancelotti.

Joe Cole is also close to signing a fresh contract at Stamford Bridge.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1198080/John-Mikel-Obi-commits-future-Chelsea-agreeing-new-year-deal.html#ixzz0M0BaAAOS

Arsenal's Emmanuel Adebayor Passes Manchester City Medical

Arsenal stand to make a £22 million profit on Manchester City-bound Emmanuel Adebayor as the Togo striker made a further step towards a deal with the Citizens following a successful medical check at Eastlands, according to the BBC.

The player's mega-money move - he stands to pocket a tidy weekly wage of £170,000 - is riding on a work permit, which should be granted later today.

Adebayor spent three-and-half seasons at Arsenal following a £3 million switch from Monaco after he helped the Ligue 1 side make an unexpected appearance in the Champions League final in 2004 - a match they were to ultimately lose to Jose Mourinho's Porto.

Adebayor will be City's third striker signing this summer, and will join target-man Roque Santa Cruz and tireless forward Carlos Tevez, who received a hero's welcome following his two-year loan spell at city rivals Manchester United.

Mark Hughes' strengthening at City has now dented the squads of two members of England's top four, and the club's chances of breaking into the Champions League elite continue to increase.
Adebayor scored 62 goals in 142 Arsenal appearances.

Manchester City in talks with Arsenal over signing star striker Emmanuel Adebayor.

Manchester City are in discussions with Arsenal over signing their striker Emmanuel Adebayor.

The big-spending Eastlands club are keen to boost their squad further in what has already been a frantic summer in the transfer market.
City have already signed Gareth Barry from Aston Villa and Roque Santa Cruz from Blackburn, with Carlos Tevez set to cross town from Manchester United and join the revolution.

They are however keen to boost their attacking options further, having released a statement on Friday to say they were ending their interest in signing Barcelona star Samuel Eto'o.

Adebayor has reportedly been a target for European giants AC Milan and Barcelona.

His stock has fallen dramatically among Arsenal supporters after a string of disappointing performances.

Adebayor joined Arsenal in 2006, with his goals helping the Gunners to make a concerted challenge for the league title in 2007-08, before they fell away in the final two months of the season.

Manchester City tired of waiting for Eto'o and pull out of race to sign Barcelona star

Manchester City last night pulled out of the race to sign Samuel Eto’o after growing tired of the Barcelona striker’s failure to respond to their stunning offer of £180,000 a week after tax.

City expect to clinch a deal with Carlos Tevez in time to unveil him on Tuesday and are planning a further move for John Terry but have given up on Cameroon striker Eto’o.

Chief executive Garry Cook said: ‘Samuel Eto’o is undoubtedly a fine footballer but the circumstances surrounding him were such that the deal could not be completed.
'We now feel the time is right to pursue other avenues and we have a clear and strategic transfer plan, which we continue to follow.’

The news surrounding Tevez is far more positive for City fans, however. Sources at Eastlands are convinced they have beaten off interest for Tevez from Chelsea to
land the former West Ham and Manchester United striker for £25.5million.

And City are also quietly confident they can tie up a deal for Chelsea and England captain Terry before they fly to South Africa on a pre-season tour on Wednesday.

Chief executive Cook flies back to Manchester this weekend after attending Robinho’s wedding in Brazil and will spend Monday putting the finishing touches to the Tevez deal before turning his attention to Terry.

Chelsea themselves are keen to have Terry’s future resolved before they set off on a pre-season tour of the United States on Thursday.

He had brief discussions with owner Roman Abramovich’s closest aide, Eugene Tenenbaum, on his return to training on Thursday but more serious talks with either chief executive Peter Kenyon or even Ambramovich himself are planned for early next week.

It seems they will have plenty to discuss, with City poised to raise their bid for Terry to £35m and offer him £200,000 a week to join Mark Hughes’s squad.
The official line from Chelsea remains that they do not wish to sell Terry and that their skipper wants to stay. However, much could depend on whether they are prepared to increase the 28-year- old defender’s £130,000-a-week wage by around another £20,000.

Should Terry opt to stay at Chelsea, he is likely to appear at a press conference alongside his new manager Carlo Ancelotti before the trip to the States.

If not, then the possibility remains that Terry could be joining his new City teammates
in South Africa.

While Terry is tempted by the goings on at Eastlands, the same cannot be said for Eto’o.

According to reports in Spain the Cameroon striker has turned down the chance of a two -year contract extension at the Nou Camp and is ready to leave this summer rather than see out the remaining year of his current deal.

But it seems Eto’o would prefer to wait and see if an offer from the likes of Manchester United or AC Milan is forthcoming despite City having agreed a £25m fee with Barcelona.

Meanwhile, Robinho’s marriage to childhood sweetheart, Vivian Guglielmetti, in Guaruja, Brazil on Thursday afforded the City star the opportunity to reacquaint himself with his former employer, Santos president Marcelo Teixeira.

And although Robinho left the Brazilian side in acrimonious circumstances, Teixeira
wasted no time trying to talk the skilful forward into a return to the Sao Paulobased
club.

‘Now that he is married and calm, it will be easier for him to return to play at Santos,’
he said. ‘It is a plan that both he and I have. I wish he could return to the club as
soon as possible.’

Such claims were no doubt taken with a pinch of salt by Cook, who was joined by a
star-studded collection of Brazil stars at the ceremony, including Robinho’s Eastlands
team-mate Elano, £56m Real Madrid man Kaka , former Arsenal forward Julio Baptista and his national team boss Dunga.

Money issues aside, Terry is also understood to be concerned at the lack of serious
movement by Chelsea in the transfer market, with Yuri Zhirkov their only major
capture of the summer along with youngsters Ross Turnbull and Daniel Sturridge.
The fact that City are in the market for players of the calibre of Tevez and Eto’o,
having already landed Roque Santa Cruz and Gareth Barry, is certainly a statement of intent by their hugely wealthy Arab owners and may prove just as appealing to Terry as the cash on offer at Eastlands.

But given the difficulty in signing either Terry or Eto’o, and the debacle of City’s attempt to sign Kaka last January, it is clear their wealth is still not attracting the marquee names.

That would all change were they able to offer Champions League football, a situation that might well become reality next summer should Hughes be able to add more high-calibre players.

Hughes wants a sense of clarity about his squad. As long as Eto’o dithered, such a position was impossible to achieve, leading to last night’s statement.

Meanwhile it has emerged that City's England defender Micah Richards contracted swine flu during the summer while on holiday in Ayia Napa.

The illness was diagnosed and treated in Cyprus, but the star of Stuart Pearce’s successful Under 21 side was then kept in isolation when he returned home.

He has now fully recovered and is with City’s squad for their pre-season trip to Germany.

John Mikel Obi commits future to Chelsea by agreeing a new five-year deal

John Mikel Obi is ready to sign a new five-year contract with Chelsea.

Former Blues boss Jose Mourinho had hoped to take Obi to Inter Milan and was prepared to pay the midfielder £60,000 a week, as revealed in Sportsmail in April.

But the 22-year-old Nigerian, who is thought to be on around £40,000 a week, will see his wages rise to around £70,000 a week when he puts pen to paper at Stamford Bridge in the next few days.

Obi's agent John Shittu said: 'He will sign the deal early this week. Some of the club officials were away but they were expected back last weekend. As soon as everybody is in, we will sign the new contract.

'It is a very good deal for him and would put him on a par with some of the top earners in the club.'

Obi is due to report back for pre-season training next week but is expected to cut short his summer break by a few days to sign the new deal.

Chelsea have already secured Florent Malouda on a new contract and Ashley Cole, Didier Drogba, Joe Cole and Alex will follow soon.

The Blues have also confirmed they have agreed an £18million deal with CSKA Moscow for Yuri Zhirkov.

Bring me Tevez! Ancelotti demands Chelsea splash the cash to beat Manchester City to Carlos

Carlo Ancelotti has ordered Chelsea to go all out in their bid to sign Carlos Tevez.

The Argentina striker had been expected to complete his switch to Manchester City this week.

But new Blues boss Ancelotti has told owner Roman Abramovich to raise his offer for the club-less star after admitting a creative player was high on his wish list.
Tevez is available to buy at £25.5million after refusing to sign a long-term deal at champions Manchester United, where he spent the past two seasons.

Chelsea and City have both matched the asking price but Abramovich is unlikely to be able to offer the same astronomical wages available at Eastlands.

Mega-rich City, who have already splashed out £30m on Roque Santa Cruz and Gareth Barry, are believed to have put a five-year deal worth £130,000 per week on the table.
Yet, Ancelotti is refusing to give up hope that Chelsea can lure the former West Ham striker to Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea are also thought to be looking at Real Madrid midfielder Wesley Sneijder and haven't completely given up on France star Franck Ribery, but Ancelotti said: 'Ribery is for sure a great player, but Ribery I think stays in Bayern Munich.'
'I think Chelsea is a strong team, a great team, a physical team that plays very well and can be improved with some creative players. And we are looking for these players.

'But you can be creative not only with creative players. You can be creative with creative ideas and a creative organisation. You can change the idea of the team with the same players.

'I would like to have a team that plays well, plays good, creative football and naturally I would like to win. For a coach it is important to win but it is important to build a team with good characteristics, to play well, to play with organisation.'

They have already wrapped up deals for Yuri Zhirkov, Ross Turnbull and Daniel Sturridge, while Milan forward Alexandre Pato remains in their sights.

Ancelotti has ruled out selling skipper John Terry to ambitious City, although he is expected to trim his squad ahead of the new campaign.

Watch Ronaldo's Real Madrid Unveiling Live

LEEDS, England , July 5 /PRNewswire/ -- bwin.com, the official sponsor of Real Madrid, will be providing live and exclusive online streaming of Cristiano Ronaldo's official unveiling as a Real Madrid player on Monday 6th July.
bwin.com will be the only place where supporters will be able to see the live unveiling of the reigning FIFA World Player of the Year as he completes his world record GBP80m move from Manchester United to the Bernabeu.
Ronaldo, who scored an incredible 117 goals in 242 starts during his time at Old Trafford, become the world's most expensive player, eclipsing the GBP56million Real paid of Brazilian midfielder Kaka earlier this summer.
To view the live and exclusive online stream, visit www.bwin.com at 7:30pm (GMT) on Monday 6th July.
bwin.com is the official sponsor of Real Madrid, AC Milan and FC Bayern Munich.
This press release was issued through 24-7PressRelease.com. For further information, visit http://www.24-7pressrelease.com .

UPDATE: WATCH IT LIVE HERE:http://www.realmadrid.com/cs/Satellite?pagename=RealMadrid/Page/iframePromociones&cid=1202774982994&site=RealMadrid&language=en

Newcastle put Martins up for Sale

Obafemi Martins and Fabricio Coloccini are among the list of names Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley hopes to offload in a bid to slash the club's £65m annual wage bill and make the relegated club more attractive to sell.

Martins is one of the biggest earners at St James' Park and Ashley is desperate to get his £80,000-a-week wages off Newcastle's books as they prepare for life in the Championship.

The Guardian reports the 24-year-old Nigerian striker, who cost the Magpies £10m in 2006, has been linked with Wolfsburg, Sevilla and Lyon but he will reportedly not be offered anymore than £40,000-a-week at any of the three clubs.
Coloccini, 27, another £10m purchase, is on £70,000-a-week but after a disappointing season is unlikely to earn that anywhere else - although Galatasaray have made a £4m bid for the Argentina defender.

Newcastle has attracted interest from Malaysia, the US and the UK but the club remains unsold with concerns about their £65m annual wage a major stumbling block.

Should 'Jay Jay' Okocha Come Back To Super Eagles?

The sweet science of boxing is very much known for its many stories of comebacks - a former champion, either out of pocket or simply bored and missing the limelight and public adulation, comes out of retirement to fulfil some new expectations.

Football itself has had its own fair share of comebacks, none more notable than that of Cameroon's Roger Milla, who at 38 was called out of retirement by his country's president to go on to score four goals as the Indomitable Lions reached the last eight of the 1990 World Cup in Italy.

The man who made famous the Makosa goal celebration also, at the ripe old age of 42, scored against Russia at the 1994 World Cup in the United States of America, making him the oldest player ever to find the back of the net at this level.

Nigerian football is replete with its own international comebacks - the likes of Christain Chukwu, Rashidi Yekini, Peter Rufai and Ben Iroha all returned to the Eagles fold with various degrees of success.

Austin 'Jay Jay' Okocha has also flirted with retirement from the international scene.

He first announced he will no longer wear the green-white-green shirt after he skippered an experimental Nigerian team which crashed out in the very first round of the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan.

He would then be pressurised to return to the Super Eagles in time for the 2004 Nations Cup in Tunisia, where he emerged as one of the shinning lights of the tournament as Nigeria reached the semi-finals.

He again hung up his international football boots after the 2006 Nations Cup in Egypt, months after he had failed to lead the Eagles to the World Cup finals in Germany as an unfancied Angola beat Nigeria to the punch.

Since his bow, the Eagles have struggled and struggled for creativity in the middle of the park.

Nigeria coach Shuaibu Amodu is not willing to risk it and throw youngster Rabiu Ibrahim in at the deep end, while the likes of Christain Obodo, Kalu Uche, Wilson Oruma and even the now more defensive-minded Mikel have yet to assert themselves as the old-fashioned no.10 or playmaker.

In the team's last three World Cup qualifiers, the Eagles clearly missed a player like Okocha, who could dictate the pace of the game
as well as use his vision and dribbles to create chances for what on paper is one of the most feared strike forces in Africa.

In Maputo in March, strikers Ikechukwu Uche, Osaze Odemwingie, Obafemi Martins and Obinna Nsofor ran around the artificial pitch like some headless chickens, deprived of any service from the midfield.

In the home game against the Kenyans, not known for their midfield play, the Eagles engine-room again struggled so much so that it needed old war horse Nwankwo Kanu to get the Eagles flying again in the second half.

It is now very obvious that Mikel is not the new 'Jay Jay', and if at all he has to line up for Nigeria, it would be as a defensive midfielder, the role he now occupies with Chelsea.

Kalu Uche appeared to have settled in at central midfield in the previous round of the qualifiers, but as the competition has intensified in the final round, it looks like he is a lot happier playing a more offensive role than to carry the whole team as playmaker.

That may well explain why with his Spanish team, Almeria, he is played as a second striker.

'Jay Jay', on the other hand, is one of the top cheer leaders of the Eagles as a member of a Presidential Task Force mandated to ensure Nigeria's flag flies high at South Africa 2010.

In a recent interview, he told me that one of the happiest days of his life was the day he hung up his boots for good. But he also told me he still enjoys the occasional kickabout with friends.

Probably, it would be asking too much of his 35-year-old body to return for the crunch World Cup tie against Tunisia on September 6 in Abuja.

But who says that this crowd pleaser should not again be convinced to come back to star for the Eagles in time for next year's World Cup.

His boots have been too big for any of the younger pretenders to fill.

Michael Owen finally joins Manchester United

Michael Owen completed his shock move to Manchester United last night after being put through one of the most gruelling medical examinations in football history.

Determined to satisfy themselves that the injury-troubled 29-year-old will not spend more time in the treatment room than in training, the English champions sent him for two days of tests.

But after United's medical team gave the green light last night, the deal was confirmed.
United boss Sir Alex Ferguson said: 'Michael is a world-class forward with a proven goalscoring record at the highest level and that has never been in question.

'Coming to United with the expectations that we have is something Michael will relish.'

Owen said: 'I know there will be people out there saying maybe the manager shouldn't have signed me. But when the first game kicks off I can do my talking on the pitch and I want to start with a bang.

'A lot has been made out of my fitness but I certainly do not think I'm injury-prone. I'm 29 and have played over 500 games at the highest levels for clubs and at international level so I can't have been on the treatment table all the time.

'I had just begun talking to other clubs when out of the blue Sir Alex phoned me and invited me to have breakfast with him, during which he told me that he wanted to sign me.

'I agreed without a moment's thought. This is a fantastic opportunity for me and I intend to seize it with both hands. I want to thank Sir Alex for the faith he has shown in me and I will repay him with my goals and performances.'

It is understood Owen's troublesome knee was examined by a specialist in London on Thursday before he arrived in Manchester yesterday morning for yet more fitness checks.

Owen began the day at the club's state-of-the-art Carrington training complex before moving to a private hospital on the outskirts of the city for a further examination.

Owen has agreed a two-year deal, with an option for another season. If Owen can stay fit and even go close to rediscovering the kind of form that earned him the Ballon d'Or in 2001, he could become a sensational piece of business.
As well as arriving on a free, Owen has accepted a low basic wage that will only rise if he earns the performance-related bonuses.

The striker is desperate to prove his doubters wrong and silence those who think he is more interested in his horse racing stables than football.

He particularly wants to demonstrate to Fabio Capello that he can no longer be omitted from the England squad.

After four difficult years at Newcastle he has his heart set on boarding the plane to next summer's World Cup in South Africa.

Ferguson must be impressed by the player's willingness to drop his basic wage from £110,000 a week to nearer £20,000.

He will also see Owen as someone who could prove an effective partner in attack for Wayne Rooney, who has expressed a desire to be given a more central role now that Cristiano Ronaldo has moved to Real Madrid.

Ferguson has looked at other strikers, including Valencia's David Villa, but the striker wants to stay in Spain. In Owen, however, United might have someone just as prolific - for a fraction of the price.

Inter Boss Jose Mourinho Lands In Nigeria For Three Day Visit

Inter coach Jose Mourinho arrived in Lagos, Nigeria, on Friday for a three day visit as a guest of the Kwara Football Academy (KFA).

According to the BBC, Mourinho will be in the West African country from 3-5 July, seeking to encourage coaches and officials of the project, which is run by the Kwara state government.

The fans turned up to greet the former Chelsea boss and the rest of the delegation, despite the fact that he arrived two hours later than announced.

"It is a great landmark in the history of Nigerian football, as well as the KFA," Nkechi Obi, CEO of Premium Sports Marketing Services told BBC Sport.

"He is here with other coaches and trainers to conduct seminars and coaching clinics for indigenous coaches.

"We are positive that his presence will benefit the talented players in the academy and hopefully attract interest from international clubs throughout the world.

"Football fans, media and everyone involved with football will enjoy photograph and autograph sessions with the 'Special One' on this trip."

The trip, facilitated by DanJan Sports, is widely seen as an opportunity to expose the KFA to the rest of the world.

"The KFA epitomises what a perfect football academy truly is and Gestafute are happy to be associated with them," David Omigie of DanJan Sports explained. "We have seen what the visit of Manchester United and Portsmouth gave to Nigeria as a country in the past.

"The coming of Mourinho and KFA will bring a lot of positive attention to football in the country once again.”

Former Nigeria coach Clemence Westerhof is the director of the Kwara Football Academy, which is in Ilorin, the capital of Nigeria's Kwara State.

Chelsea snub £30million Manchester City bid for John Terry

Manchester City last night had a £30million bid for England captain John Terry rejected, as Chelsea told them he is not for sale at any price.

Stamford Bridge officials released a statement exclusively to Sportsmail after confirming that a bid had been made in person by City chief executive Garry Cook.
Cook asked to meet Peter Kenyon, the Stamford Bridge chief executive, yesterday to discuss Chelsea's pursuit of talented young striker Daniel Sturridge.
It was something that surprised Chelsea when they had already said they would be happy to let an independent tribunal set the size of the fee for the 19-year-old.

But an even bigger surprise followed when Cook suddenly presented a letter with a formal offer for Terry. Kenyon was understood to be stunned, not least because he had already made it clear to Cook last season that the club captain and the heartbeat of the Chelsea team was not available at any price.

A club statement issued last night said: 'Chelsea Football Club can confirm it has completely rejected an offer from Manchester City for John Terry.

'It was made clear to City, for the second time following another approach last season, that we would not entertain any conversation on the subject. At that time John also reiterated his total commitment to Chelsea. We would like to make clear, and will not do so again, that John is not for sale.'
That Cook offered such a derisory sum further amazed Chelsea. When Bayern Munich are demanding £65m for Franck Ribery and Cristiano Ronaldo has moved to Real Madrid for £80m, and when City are prepared to pay vast sums for players like Robinho and Samuel Eto'o, less than £30million for one of the world's best centre halves seems low.

But City have long had their eye on Terry and Chelsea suspect this amounts to the latest stage in a poker game designed to try to lure exactly the kind of inspirational figure Mark Hughes wants in his team at Eastlands.

When City tabled an offer last season, Terry expressed his loyalty to a club he has served with distinction his entire career.

But the money on offer could yet prove tempting when the richest club in England would be prepared to almost double his current £130,000-aweek wage. Terry is already the highest paid player at Stamford Bridge but City could take him into an elite occupied only by players such as Ronaldo and Kaka at Real Madrid.
City plan to make at least one major impact signing this summer. Not least because they were left so embarrassed over the Kaka debacle when Cook responded to missing out on the Brazilian by launching an astonishing verbal attack on AC Milan. The former Nike executive, relatively new to football at the time, branded the Italian giants 'bottlers'.

Right now Samuel Eto'o is still believed to be within their reach, although they feel they are being used by the striker in his pay dispute with Barcelona. Eto'o, who will cost around £25m, will be available on a free next summer but City have offered a staggering £10m a year, net, in an attempt to lure him to the Barclays Premier League this summer.

A more realistic target is Carlos Tevez, who is expected to join the club early next week - even though others are interested. City will not want to fail in their Tevez bid after missing out on Terry. Cook, whose transfer-market prowess is being monitored by City's backers, is under pressure to close deals.

One observer commented: 'City have a lot of clout in the transfer market because of their backing, but it's important they go about their business in the right manner also.'

Cook and his top team were pleased when Roque Santa Cruz eventually arrived from Blackburn to spearhead the attack, alongside Robinho and - hopefully - Tevez.

Mark Hughes, however, demanded a top centre back. Although City continue to monitor Arsenal's Kolo Toure, Terry was always first choice for Hughes, who sees him as the iron man to lead his team and stabilise a back four that often conceded soft goals last season.

City say they hope to break into the top four this season and moving for a player of Terry's standing would appear to support their claims. They mean business and, although they have failed with this audacious effort, there will be more money flowing from their coffers in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, Chelsea's imminent £18m recruit Yuri Zhirkov has been provided with personal armed bodyguards for the first time in a move seen in Moscow as a sign that his deal is agreed.

Zhirkov, 25, is expected to arrive in London on Monday and has a reputation for mixing freely with journalists and fans.

But now security men prevent access to him. 'All we can do now is watch Zhirkov from a distance,' said Sovetski Sport. 'His huge and extremely intimidating bodyguards who followed him everywhere did not let us ask him any questions about negotiations of his move to Chelsea and the date of his flight to London.'

Owen arrives for Manchester United medical ahead of shock free transfer to the champions

Michael Owen was today undergoing a stringent medical before completing his free transfer to Manchester United.

The former England striker, whose contract with Newcastle expired on Wednesday, is on the brink of a sensational move to United after accepting the terms of a pay-as-you-play one-year deal with the champions.

Talks were understood to have been continuing last night and the 29-year-old, who made his name playing for United's arch-rivals Liverpool, was pictured arriving at the champions' Carrington training complex this morning.
Ferguson believes the 29-year-old is a gamble worth taking if he can stay injury-free and return to the kind of goalscoring form that made him European Footballer of the Year in 2001.
It is believed Owen could be offered as little as £20,000 a week as a basic salary but with massive performance-related bonuses which could take him close to the £110,000 a week he was on at Newcastle United.

It has been a difficult time for Owen. Dropped from the England squad by Fabio Capello and the captain of the woeful Newcastle side who were relegated at the end of last season, he was ridiculed recently when his management company advertised his credentials in a brochure sent to a number of clubs.

There was thought to have been interest from Aston Villa and Everton, while Hull City manager Phil Brown made public his wish to lure Owen to the KC Stadium.

But agent Tony Stephens may have negotiated a dream move that could propel him back into the England squad in time for the World Cup.

The move would be a free transfer as Owen's Newcastle contract expired on Wednesday.
Neither United nor Owen's management company WMG would comment last night, but it is believed he is travelling to Manchester today for a medical, having
already undergone an assessment of his troublesome knee yesterday.

The move failed to impress United fans, particularly after the club said they had received £80million in a single payment from Real Madrid for Cristiano Ronaldo and they had been linked to the likes of Franck Ribery and Karim Benzema.

The Republik of Mancunia website, under the heading ‘God No, Not Michael
Owen’, lists 10 reasons why the club
should not sign him.

One fan wrote: ‘Not in a million years. I’d rather bring Bellion back . . . than have Michael “I’m a crocked scouse” Owen.’

But Owen has proved himself an excellent strike partner to Wayne Rooney with England and Ferguson clearly considers him a decent acquisition when the financial risk is so small. The United boss declined to move for Owen when the player left Real Madrid for Newcastle four years ago in a £16million deal.

His medical record will be a worry, however, having gone down with injury or illness 16 times during his time at Newcastle. Within his first four months at St James' Park, Owen pulled a hamstring, strained his groin and broke a metatarsal. Having signed for a club record £16m, he made only 58 Premier League starts.

Real Madrid Get Benzema

Karim Benzema is poised to become the latest big-name arrival at Real Madrid after Lyon accepted a bid from the Spanish side for the highly-rated France international.

Benzema: Not staying at Lyon after all...

The 21-year-old is set to join Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo in signing a six-year contract at the Bernabeu after his French employers agreed to a 35m euro (£29.7m) approach from Madrid, who with this deal will see their summer spending spree pass the 200m euro mark.

The fee could yet rise to 41m euros (£34.8m) dependent on performance clauses.

A statement posted on Madrid's official website this evening confirmed the deal, saying: ''Real Madrid C.F. and Olympique Lyonnais have reached an agreement for the transfer of Karim Benzema, contingent upon the player's medical examination and the signing of his contracts.

''The 21-year-old striker will sign a six-year contract with Real Madrid.''

Benzema will become Florentino Perez's fourth signing since returning to the Madrid presidency a month ago, following the arrivals of Kaka, Ronaldo and Raul Albiol.

Madrid and Manchester United had been vying for the services of Benzema but a deal appeared unlikely with Lyon continuing to insist before today that the player would remain at the Stade Gerland for at least one more season.

However, Les Gones announced the deal on their official website on Wednesday afternoon.

The statement on olweb.fr read: ''A few days ago Karim Benzema informed the club president Jean Michel Aulas of his desire to move to the Madrid club, which had always been his favourite club after Lyon, earlier than he had foreseen.

''The player wanted to seize the opportunity which Real Madrid offered him to be one of the major elements in their new ambitious project based around the greatest players of the world.

''Lyon accepted Karim Benzema's decision and negotiated the conditions of a transfer which satisfies all the different parties. The club wishes Karim the greatest success with Real Madrid.''

The France forward came through the ranks at Lyon and burst onto the scene in the 2007-08 season with 31 goals in 51 games, a streak that saw him named Ligue 1 player of the year as well as top the league's scoring charts.

The last campaign was less impressive for both club and player, as Lyon ended the season without the Ligue 1 title for the first time in eight years, but Benzema nevertheless scored 23 goals in all competitions - an average of a goal every other game.

Adebayor fights with a nigerian fan at the Lagos Airport

Striker Emmanuel Adebayor had a furious four-letter word bust-up with an Arsenal fan at Lagos airport who accused him of not pulling his weight for the club.

Tottenham midfielder Jermaine Jenas admits he was flattered by reports Inter Milan were interested in signing him during the January transfer window, but insists he is committed to Spurs, according to today's national papers.

Manchester United target Karim Benzema says he would rather move to Spain from Lyon than the Premier League.

Striker Robin van Persie says he will only sign a new contract at Arsenal if they can match his desire to win silverware.

Report: Arsenal Line-Up Real Madrid's Huntelaar To Replace Barcelona-Bound Emmanuel Adebayor

According to a report in the British tabloid The Daily Star, Spanish giants Barcelona are preparing an end-of-season offer for Arsenal forward Emmanuel Adebayor.

The 6ft 3in forward, who found the back of the net 30 times in all competitions for the Gunners last season, is wanted by La Blaugrana as both Samuel Eto'o and Thierry Henry could leave in the summer.

It is thought that Los Cules have also identified Arsenal's Robin van Persie as a possible arrival, but while manager Arsene Wenger would be prepared to sell Adebayor for around €22.7 million, he is eager to keep hold of the Dutch forward.

Apparently, Wenger already has a potential replacement in mind in the form of Real Madrid's Dutch international striker, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.

The 25-year-old only moved to the Bernabeu from Ajax in the January transfer window, for €20m, but it is claimed Los Blancos are already prepared to let him go in the summer, possibly for around €17m.

African Debate: CAF Bungles Awards Yet Again

How credible is the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Player of the Year Award?

Not very credible, and unless something drastic is done about this, it will soon become a scandal.

Before CAF took over this award in 1992, it was organised by France Football Magazine. Football Football began the awards in 1970 and over time, winners were mainly from Francophone countries or playing in the French league.

Nigeria's Austin 'Jay-Jay' Okocha was twice denied the award by CAF, in 1998 and 2004.

At the 1998 World Cup in France, Okocha caught the eye so much that Paris Saint-Germain promptly forked out a then record-breaking $17 million to prise the stylish midfielder from Fenerbahce in Turkey. Yet Morocco's Mustapha Hadji was preferred by CAF as the Player of the Year for 1998.

And in 2004, Okocha led an average Nigerian team to reach the last four at the Nations Cup in Tunisia, even scoring three goals to emerge as one of the tournament's leading scorers. Cameroon's Samuel Eto'o would later be preferred as Africa's Player of the Year.

In 2007, CAF gifted the gong to a surprised Frederic Kanoute of Mali.

Didier Drogba was far and away the stand-out player that year but his "undoing" was that he elected to stay back with his national team at the then ongoing Nations Cup, rather than break camp and fly out to pick up his prize in neighbouring Togo.

The truth was that the awards ceremony in Togo was ill-timed and once again showed how easily CAF can be manipulated by powerful sponsors, even beyond reason.

The 2007 award was a farce, and it went a long way in further reducing the value of what is supposed to be the continent's most prestigious individual accolade.

Following on the heels of this was the installation of Togo's Emmanuel Adebayor as Africa's top player for 2008.

No one doubts the talent of Adebayor or what he achieved at English club Arsenal last year. Yet, Arsenal did not win anything in the year under review and Togo failed to qualify for the 2008 Nations Cup.

Mohamed Aboutrika, on the other hand, played a pivotal role as Egypt won a record sixth Nations cup in Ghana. He scored four goals including the championship winner.

Aboutrika followed up on this months later by inspiring Al Ahly to land an unprecedented sixth CAF Champions League trophy.

The football in the English Premier League is on a higher level than what we have in Egypt or even the CAF Champions League, but it must also be argued that Adebayor netted 30 goals in 49 games playing alongside top-class players like Cesc Fabregas, Mathieu Flamini and Alexander Hleb.

By endorsing Adebayor's nomination, CAF has again acknowledged that football on the continent is many light years behind that in Europe. It was more a case of anything foreign, better than what we may ever have here.

To CAF's credit, they did what they could not dare do in 2007 - publish a detailed breakdown of how the voting went for the 2008 Player of the Year Award.

But even then, it is rather worrying that only 37 of the 53 national team coaches (less than 70%) thought it important to respond to this poll. Would the 16 other coaches not have made a difference in the final outcome?

Had CAF been offering these member-nations monetary grants, they would have been oversubscribed by these same countries.

CAF must therefore re-design its voting format to be more representative, as it is with the FIFA awards, where both national team coaches and their captains as well as representatives of FIFpro are involved in the voting.

If the Cairo-based association insist on bungling this award, it can only mean that organisers of rival such awards may soon be having the last laugh, because the CAF award will soon be a bad joke for football.

Drogba Hails Eto'o And Barcelona Improvements

Chelsea's Didier Drogba believes that Samuel Eto'o has matured in recent seasons, while revealing his admiration for the current Barcelona side that remind him of the team that won the Champions League three years ago.

The Chelsea forward was asked for his thoughts on Barcelona and their Cameroonian star Eto'o, who has yet to commit himself to a new contract at Camp Nou.

Last summer Drogba was one name put forward to replace Eto'o when it appeared that Pep Guardiola was preparing to sell the former Mallorca star and replace him.

"He has grown up with his behaviour. Two or three years ago he would have reacted badly to what happened last summer," Drogba told Sportsweek.

"Now he is much calmer. He is more mature."

Drogba has been impressed with Barcelona as well as Eto'o and thinks that they have a team that are reminiscent of the side that tasted European glory in 2006.

"The team is, quite frankly, impressive. The great players that they have are playing as a team and they are very effective," he continued.

"They remind me of the Barça side that won the Champions League in the Stade de France.

"[Lionel] Messi has replaced Ronaldinho and at present he is one of the best forwards in Europe, if not the best."

Former Everton Star Daniel Amokachi Leads Nigeria Coaching Shake-Up

In a planned massive re-organisation of coaches by Nigeria, former World Cup star Daniel Amokachi has been pencilled in to lead the country's team to the FIFA World Youth Championships in Egypt. Former Enyimba coach, Kadiri Ikhana, may be drafted to the Under-17 team.

The technical committee of the NFF (Nigeria Football Federation), headed by Taiwo Ogunjobi, has recommended that the Super Eagles assistant coach, Amokachi, replace under-fire Ladan Bosso as coach of the country's youth team.

Olympic team coach Samson Siasia was the NFF's prime target to replace Bosso, who has come under-fire from both the public and press after the Flying Eagles finished third at the African Youth Championship in Rwanda.
The NFF's search light has since settled on Amokachi. However, the former Everton man could only take the job on the understanding that he, along with other Eagles assistant coaches Fatai Amoo and Aloy Agu, takes charge of the Flying Eagles when the full international squad are not busy.
"I have not heard anything about this," Amokachi said.
The FIFA World Youth Championship will be staged by Egypt and will last from September 25 to October 16.

Many observers believe Bosso is not the right man to lead the Junior Eagles to the tournament and are advocating a fresh start for the team.

In the same vein, Kadiri Ikhana is being considered to take over the national Under-17 team, the Golden Eaglets. There are fears that the herculean task of grooming a formidable unit may be too overwhelming for the current coach, Henry Nwosu.

Nigeria are set to host the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in October.

The recommendations of the technical committee will soon be deliberated upon by the board of the NFF.