Manchester United vs Arsenal

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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.

Fabregas tug of war - Barca and Real Madrid do battle for £40m Arsenal skipper Cesc

Real Madrid are ready to rival Barcelona with a move for Cesc Fabregas after being frustrated in the chase of Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso.

Madrid yesterday moved for Roma midfielder Daniele de Rossi but were immediately knocked back by the Italians, leaving them to turn to third-choice Fabregas.

And Barcelona president Joan Laporta last night said the Arsenal midfielder should not be ruled out as an alternative to Franck Ribery, the Barcelona star who increasingly looks to be beyond their financial reach.
It is only a fortnight since Arsenal skipper Fabregas publicly declared: 'I am wholeheartedly committed to Arsenal and my future lies with this great club.'
But that has not deterred Laporta, who recently said Barca was in Fabregas's DNA, or, it seems, Madrid.

Bernabeu sporting director Jorge Valdano has refused to completely rule out a move for Liverpool midfielder Alonso, but admitted they were nowhere near agreement with Rafa Benitez's valuation of the player.

Liverpool want £40m for the 27-year-old, according to reports in Spain, leading Madrid to make a £26m move for Rossi, but the Italians immediately ruled out the sale of their 25-year-old talisman.
Third choice is Fabregas, though Madrid have yet to make a bid and are also looking at Villarreal's 24-year-old Spain international Santi Cazorla.

Barcelona would love to sign Fabregas, who left the club for Arsenal when he was 16. Laporta yesterday said he hoped to sign a striker, left winger and midfielder.

Pep Guardiola would most likely team Fabregas with Xavi in central midfield, using Andres Iniesta in a more advanced role wide on the left.

The European champions are working on a restricted budget and would are hoping to push through the sale of Samuel Eto'o to Manchester City in a bid to boost their spending power above £60m.

Arsenal, who don't have the biggest budget themselves, may demand £40m for Fabregas, but Madrid believe they could get him cheaper and, at 22, he is better value for money than Alonso.

Fabregas, on holiday in New York, is frustrated by Arsenal's four-year run without a major trophy but is thought to be happy to stay at the Emirates for at least another season to see if there is an upturn in fortunes.

He is said to have an agreement with Sandro Rosell, who hopes to unseat Laporta as president in Barcelona elections next summer.

Lionel Messi warns Arsenal and Liverpool he hopes Cesc and Mascherano will join him at Barcelona

Lionel Messi has warned all-conquering Barcelona they must not stand still - and has pinpointed Liverpool's Javier Mascherano and Arsenal star Cesc Fabregas as perfect recruits.

The Spanish giants may have achieved an unprecedented Spanish League, Cup and European treble last season, but the Argentina star believes they can still get stronger.

'We were spectacular last season and we hope that this term, we will be able to do the same, or at least repeat a little of what we achieved,' Messi told Catalan newspaper Sport.
'We were surprised by what we did last season but if players such as those who have been mentioned in the press arrive at the club to strengthen the team, it would be even better because it is important to be stronger.
'I hope Mascherano can come and we can form a solid partnership. His qualities are always appreciated. The same goes for Fabregas. A good footballer like him who can contribute a lot is always welcome.'

Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola and technical secretary Txiki Begeristain have discussed recuiting both midfielders, though will be able to afford just one this summer.

The Spaniards would prefer Mascherano and have already spoken to his agent Walter Tamer, but Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez is determined to hold on to both the Argentina star and Real Madrid target Xabi Alonso.
The 25-year-old is thought to be keen on a move but has told Barca he won't force the issue with Benitez because the Spaniards are stalling on where to concentrate a fairly limited budget.

Barca may be prepared to pay up to £30m for Mascherano but are also desperate to add a new attacking option.

Like Chelsea and Real Madrid, they are ready to to have one final go at signing Franck Ribery from Bayern Munich, though their second option is to renew a bid for Fabregas.

Arsenal star Andrey Arshavin and Manchester City forward Robinho have both been mentioned as alternatives, as has Valencia players Juan Mata and David Silva, but Fabregas has plenty of support within the Nou Camp and is largely seen as someone who will rejoin them sooner or later.
Arsenal have consistently insisted their skipper is not for sale and the 22-year-old recently said he was 'whole-heartedly committed' to the Gunners, but that hasn't stopped reports that Barca are willing to pay £35m for him.

In that case, Fabregas would be paired with Xavi in central midfielder, with Andres Iniesta played in an advanced role on the left wing, which he has performed before.

The future of Manchester City target Samuel Eto'o is still uncertain, but goalkeeper Victor Valdes -linked to Manchester United - and midfielder Yaya Toure have agreed new contracts.

Bringing in players has been more difficult, though Messi insists they should not concern themselves with the spending spree at Real Madrid that has seen Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Raul Albiol go to the Bernabeu.
'I am with Barcelona and I worry only about my team,' said Messi. 'Kaka has a lot of quality, but he will have to adapt himself. I can also talk about Iniesta. Training with him is the best.

'But both Cristiano and Kaka are fantastic players who will give Madrid a lot of strength. "El Clasico" is going to be unbelievable when it comes time to play, and yes - Barcelona will win again.'

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.

Adebayor Named African Player Of The Year

Togo international Emmanuel Adebayor was Tuesday night named CAF African Player of the Year for 2008 at an elaborate awards ceremony in Lagos.

Adebayor beat Mohamed Aboutrika of Egypt and Ghana’s Michael Essien to win the prestigious award, which involved voting by the national team coaches of CAF’s member-nations.

“This is a special night for me. I dedicate this award to my mum, without her, I would be nothing. My father is no more but where ever he is, he will be proud of me,” said Adebayor, who was accompanied by his mother.

Adebayor took away a crystal trophy and a cash prize of $20,000.

This is the first time that a Togolese will be voted as Africa’s best player.

The Arsenal star's exploits of the past year were mainly with his English Premier League club. In the absence of France international Thierry Henry, who moved to Spanish club Barcelona, the Togo star stepped up to finish the season with an impressive tally of 30 goals.

The striker also inspired Togo to reach the final qualifying round for the 2010 World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations.

The awards night was graced by many dignitaries including FIFA president Joseph Blatter and CAF president Issa Hayatou.

Ahly’s Aboutrika got a consolation prize as the Inter-Club Player of the Year.

Several other Egyptians won various award categories. Egypt coach, Hassan Shehata was Africa’s Coach of the Year, and the team he led to successfully defend the Nations Cup in Accra last year were picked as the best national team on the continent.

Ahly were crowned Club of the Year ahead of Tunisia’s CS Sfaxien, who defended the CAF Confederation Cup, and beaten CAF Champions League finalists, Cotonsport from Cameroon.

Salomon Kalou of Ivory Coast and Chelsea was the CAF Young Player of the Year ahead of Cameroon’s Stephane Mbia and Nigerian forward Victor Obinna Nsofor.

The list of award winners:

CAF Player of the Year

Emmanuel Adebayor - Togo/Arsenal

CAF Young Player

Salomon Kalou - Ivory Coast/Chelsea

CAF Female Player

Alice Matlou - South Africa

National Team of the Year

Egypt

Coach of the Year

Hassan Shehata - Egypt

Best Club

Ahly - Egypt

Inter-Club Player of the Year

Mohamed Aboutrika - Al Ahly

African Legend

Christian Chukwu - Nigeria

Arsene Wenger 'Hopeful' Of Bringing Arshavin To Arsenal

Arsene Wenger has intimated that the attempt to bring Andrei Arshavin to North London is moving forward, but negotiations are at a delicate stage despite the Frenchman's optimism

When quizzed as to where the Gunners were on their quest to sign the Russian, Wenger responded: "Nowhere. That means we are not close to signing anybody.

"We know what we want to do, but we are not close to signing anybody today because I would tell you [if we were]. But I have no basic news."

The Frenchman also maintained a dignified front when questioned further as to the details of the offer made by Arsenal to Zenit St Petersburg for the Russian.

"Again, we are in negotiation - yes. But we want to respect our principles," he asserted.

Regarding whether Arsenal had returned to Zenit with an improved bid for Arshavin, Wenger was poker-faced. "Nothing to disclose on that front," was his stony response.

But as to whether he remained optimisitic that a deal could be done in the next few days, Wenger was upbeat.

"I'm very hopeful; days, yes," he continued, "because the transfer market closes on January 31 and I haven't crossed halfway so it will be days."

As for the recent frenzy surrounding the transfer window and the hysteria surrounding Kaka's possible move to the Premier League, Wenger remained aloof, claiming that what happened "on a football pitch" was of far more importance to him.

He also attempted to pull the focus away from acquiring new players, insisting that working with the players already at the club and improving them was key.

"We can improve with the players we have," he stated.

Arsenal Step Up Chase For Barcelona’s Toure

Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger is desperately searching for a central midfielder in the January transfer window after learning that influential captain Cesc Fabregas will be out of action for up to four months with a serious knee injury.

Barcelona-based daily, Sport believes that the Gunners are about to raid the Catalans again, although they are not looking for someone from their cantera (youth system) this time around.

Ivory Coast midfielder Toure Yaya has been strongly linked with Arsenal and Juventus over the past few months and it appears that the London-based outfit are finally preparing to make their move as they seek a replacement for Fabregas.

It is reported that the Blaugrana have set a price of around €8.5 million for the 25-year-old defensive midfielder, who is equally adept at attacking.

Wenger have also been keeping a close eye on Liverpool’s Xabi Alonso, Villarreal’s Marcos Senna and Udinese’s Gokhan Inler.

Top Ten African Players Of 2008

10. Jon Mikel Obi (Nigeria & Chelsea)

The young midfielder showed some battling qualities many thought he did not have at the Nations Cup, where the Super Eagles barely made it to the last eight. Many predicted that he would not have a future at Chelsea following the shock departure of Jose Mourinho, but Avram Grant kept faith with him and this season Luiz Felipe Scolari has given him even more responsibilities, which he has relished in the absence of the injured Michael Essien.

9. Mohamed Zidan (Egypt & Hamburger SV/Borussia Dortmund)

He was unsettled at German Bundesliga outfit Hamburg last season, but his switch to Borussia Dortmund has seen him prove his class. He has already matched his three-goal tally for Humburg last season at Dortmund in just seven games. He was outstanding in his Nations Cup debut in Ghana, showing what a clinical and classy finisher he is, with two superbly struck goals in Egypt's opening group game against mighty Cameroon.

8. Frederic Kanoute (Mali & Sevilla)

He was named Africa's top star for 2007 by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in Lome, Togo - only because Drogba failed to attend the awards, being just next door in Ghana with Ivory Coast participating in the Nations Cup. Mali partly owe Kanoute their comeback after they failed miserably in the qualifers for the 2006 World Cup and so did not feature at the 2006 Nations Cup in Egypt.

7. Sulley Muntari (Ghana & Portsmouth/Inter)

The Ghana midfielder is back the familiar terrain of Italy, after leaving Udinese for a season at Portsmouth, where he won an FA Cup winners' medal. He has settled down at star-studded Inter without too much trouble. Earlier in the year, he played a major part for his country, too, as Nations Cup hosts Ghana went as far as the semi-finals, despite losing the inspirational Stephen Appiah through injury before the competition had even begun.

6. Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast/Chelsea)

Injuries and controversies made sure that the big man failed to match his performance of the 2006/07 season, when he was far and away the best African player. He has yet to reach his high standards again but when he does, it will be to the benefit of both club and country. Still, performed well for Chelsea and proved an asset whenever he was in the team.

5. Michael Essien (Ghana & Chelsea)

The former Lyon midfielder came into his own last season at Stamford Bridge, as Chelsea reached their first-ever UEFA Champions League final. He was also the heart and soul of an average Ghana Black Stars side that exceeded many expectations to reach the last four of the Nations Cup they hosted in February.

4. Amr Zaki (Egypt & Zamalek/Wigan Athletic)

Egyptian players are not known to be great travellers, but this Zamalek centre-forward has already made a success of his second shot at glory in Europe with some cracking goals for modest Wigan in the English Premier League. It is little wonder that he has now been linked with some of Europe's top guns by the time his loan deal at Wigan runs out, though Steve Bruce is understandably eager to keep the goal machine at the JJB Stadium.

However, it was his five-star showing at the Nations Cup that really got the world to take notice. He scored thrice as well as taught an Ivorian back-four complete with Arsenal's Kolo Toure a football lesson in the semi-finals of the tournament. Egypt went on to claim their second Nations Cup in a row.

3. Emmanuel Adebayor (Togo & Arsenal)

Filled the goal-scoring void left by French legend Therry Henry at Arsenal last season by scoring 30 goals in all competitions. However, the Gunners failed to land any piece of silverware. He has also kept Togo in the reckoning for a second World Cup finals appearance after putting four goals past Swaziland.

2. Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon & Barcelona)

Barcelona did not win anything last term and even wanted to make the Cameroonian star one of the scapegoats for this, but the three-time African Player of the Year has since proved he still knows his way to goal, with an incredible 14 goals in La liga already. Last season he was hampered by injury and even came close to leaving Camp Nou this summer.

At the Nations Cup in Ghana, he put to rest the all-time scoring record of 14 goals set by Ivorian striker Laurent Pokou by scoring a total of 16 and counting.

1. Mohamed Aboutrika (Egypt & Al Ahly)

He was the continent's best player in 2008. He may still be playing his club football in Africa, but no one can doubt the quality of this attacking midfielder, who has made it a habit to score the important goals - whether for his club Al Ahly or the Egyptian national team.

He scored the goal that won the Pharaohs the Nations Cup in Accra for an unprecedented sixth time and has been the heart of an average Ahly team, as they also won an unprecedented sixth Champions trophy. Besides these accomplishments, this 30-year-old has shown great consistency at the top since 2005.

Scolari: Drogba & Anelka Aren't Gelling

Fitting Nicolas Anelka and Didier Drogba into the same Chelsea team was always going to be problematic. The two strikers both like to be the main man up front, with both preferring to operate as an out-and-out striker rather than in a supporting role or wide on the flanks. In addition, neither player particularly likes being benched.

Their styles as forwards do not necessarily complement each other either, and both Avram Grant and his successor as Chelsea boss Luiz Felipe Scolari have struggled to integrate them into the same line-up. Now Scolari has revealed that he has experimented using both strikers as a partnership, but has enjoyed limited success.

"It has been good sometimes but not good at other times," said Scolari, reflecting on the time spent in training on working on the partnership.

"It's 50-50. But this period has been better for the group. They are trying more than before to understand what positions I want them to be in. It has improved and evolved more in the last 15 days."

Anelka is reportedly keen to play in a 4-4-2 with Drogba, but Scolari doesn't feel that much has been gained from the training experiment, other than a slight increase in the flexibility of the side.

"They know more now. They have more confidence than before if they change (the formation) during the game," the Brazilian continued, before adding that more strikers does not necessarily mean more goals, and a lack of goals is often the coach's rather than the players' fault.

"Sometimes you put five players up front but the ball does not arrive there. If they make mistakes, it's my mistake because I give the orders. It's the same with left backs and right backs when they go forward, try to dribble and try to shoot," the Brazilian continued.

Time on the pitch as a partnership has been limited for Anelka and Drogba, amounting to little more than a handful of second-half minutes in five games. With Drogba's season so far shortened by injury and suspension, Anelka has gone about his business and become the Premier League's top goalscorer, netting 14 times in 17 appearances.

Drogba, meanwhile, is yet to score a league goal this season, and is regularly linked with moves away from Stamford Bridge, with the names of Inter Milan and Jose Mourinho cropping up regularly in the rumour mill..

"I am Mad"

Emmanuel Adebayor was sent off during Arsenal's 1-1 draw with Liverpool on Sunday for a second bookable offense, after raising his elbow and foot against the Reds' defender Alvaro Arbeloa.

The Spaniard fell, according to the Arsenal striker, as is someone had "put a knife in him", and Adebayor was clearly furious with both the Liverpool player and the referee after the game.

"The defender threw himself on the floor as if I put a knife in him. I hope when the referee goes home and watches it on the TV, he will see it was a foul but I didn’t deserve a card," the Togolese said.

"Of course I’m annoyed. I cannot say he cheated but what he did wasn’t fair play at all.

"It was a mistake by the ref. He said it was for the leg but if I don’t put my body in there I would never score a goal in this league."

His manager, Arsene Wenger, was in complete agreement with the player's views, and felt that referee Howard Webb had cost his team two valuable points.

"It was a very soft sending off," said the Arsenal boss.

"Today we had the ‘Be a Gooner, Be a Giver’ charity appeal — you cannot say the referee was a Gooner today but he was a giver because he gave us yellow cards we did not deserve.

"Every week I sit in front of you when we play away from home and you say ‘People get in your faces and you cannot cope with it’. Have you seen anybody sent off?

"Do you want me to show you our players and the damage done to them after the game? It’s a joke."

Meanwhile, Arsenal also have a massive injury worry over skipper Cesc Fabregas, who suffered medial ligament damage after tangling with Xabi Alonso during the game.

Africans In Europe - Nigerian Stars Banging the Goals Again

SPAIN

Samuel Eto'o starred in El Clasico, scoring the opening goal as Barcelona beat rivals Real Madrid 2-0. The Cameroonian's goal atoned for his penalty miss earlier in the game.

Barcelona are now eight points clear of second-placed Valencia with 38 points from 15 games.

Nigeria striker Ikechukwu Uche was also on target for his club Getafe in their 4-1 trouncing of Mallorca. It was his third goal of the season.

Morocco's Nabil Baha found the back of the net for Malaga in their 2-0 home win over Numancia. Malaga are the 10th on the table with 21 points from 15 matches.

ENGLAND

Newcastle United striker Obafemi Martins grabbed one of the goals as Newcastle beat Portsmouth 3-0 at Fratton Park.

The Nigeria international though appeared to have hurt his groin while scoring his club's second goal.

The victory took Newcastle further away from the drop zone.

Togo superstar Emmanuel Adebayor was on target for the second week runnning as Arsenal pulled a 1-1 draw at Middlesbrough. It was his seventh goal in the Premier League.

Arsenal are fifth in the standings with 30 points from 17 matches.

GERMANY

Nigerian striker Manasseh Ishiaku came on as a late substitute to net the winner for Cologne in their 2-1 win over Bochum. It was his first goal of the season after a long injury lay-off. Promoted Cologne are placed 11th in the 18-club Bundesliga.

Egypt's Mohamed Zidan opened scoring for Borussia Dortmund as they beat Borussia Mochengladbach 2-1.

FRANCE

Benin star Stephane Sessegnon hit a double for Paris Saint-Germain in their away win at Auxerre. It was the club's 10th win of the season, same number of victories they had achieved all through last season when they barely escaped relegation.

Underachieving PSG are now fourth in the standings with 32 points from 18 games.

Senegal's 21-year-old winger Issiar Dia netted one of the goals as his club AS Nancy beat Grenoble 2-0 at home as

Algerian midfielder Djemal Belmadi scored Valenciennes' second goal in a 3-1 victory over struggling Monaco.

Lorient continued their surge to the top rank with a 3-1 win on the road against Le Havre. Yazid Mansouri from Algeria got their go-ahead goal after 40 minutes.

NETHERLANDS

French-Algerian Karim Soltani scored for Ado Den Haag in a 1-1 draw with Roda while Dutch-Moroccan Rachid Bouaouzan ensured Nijmegen beat Willem II Tilburg 2-1 by scoring one of his team's goals.

DR Congo-born Swiss international Blaise Nkufo scored in FC Twente's 4-1 victory away at FC Groningen.

BELGIUM

Joachim Mununga from DR Congo scored for the second week running as Mechelen beat Germinal Beerschot 2-1. However, Mechelen had to play the last minutes of the game without their Ghanaian midfielder Abdul-Yakinu Iddi, who was given a straight red card late in the game.

Gambia's Mustapha Jarju Toubabo of RAEC Mons scored against AFC Tubize in a 2-1 loss while Senegal's Cheikhou Kouyate was on the mark for KV Kortrijk in a 1-1 draw with KAA Gent.

TURKEY

Cameroonian Herve Tum grabbed a brace as Sivasspor beat Hacettepe SK 2-1.

Samir Nasri Makes Arsenal Return

Arsenal could close the gap on league leaders Liverpool to just five points should they claim a win when 'Pool visit north London on Sunday.

So far though this season the Gunners have had to battle with numerous injuries to key personnel, but now they are slowly getting their pivotal players back.

Eduardo da Silva, for instance, made a comeback this week in a reserve game, but was taken off at half-time after pulling his hamstring. The Crozilian forward is now expected to be back at the turn of the year.

Nearing Full Fitness

Summer signing Samir Nasri, who made an instant impact on his debut by scoring a goal after three minutes against West Bromwich Albion on the opening day of the season, will likely make the squad for the Liverpool game, while Ivorian centre back Kolo Toure is a near-certainty to miss it.

"There is a 95 per cent chance that Nasri will be available against Liverpool and a five per cent chance that Kolo Toure will come back," manager Arsene Wenger told Arsenal TV Online on Thursday.

"We also have a problem with Nicklas Bendtner, who picked up a knee injury in training. But we don’t know 100 per cent on that."

Chiellini To Sign For Arsenal?

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Juventus could find it hard to hold onto Giorgio Chiellini in the summer as Arsenal are keen on the defender's services.

Reports in England and Italy have been rife with speculation, and Sportmediaset claims the Gunners are keeping a close eye on the Italian international.

Chiellini's consistency and age - he is just 24-years-old - have gone down well with Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger and a move at the end of the season could take off.

Although the north London side have laid eyes on the stopper, they may be disappointed as it was only on Monday that his brother Claudio Chiellini exclusively told Goal.com that no move is planned.

"Giorgio signed a renewal in July with Juventus and, even though I am not his agent, I can tell you that there is a difference between talking about a deal and actually doing one," Chiellini said.

"I think that a departure is just pure fantasy."

The former Fiorentina man has been outstanding for the Bianconeri, but it's unlikely Juve will consider selling him given their Scudetto and Champions League ambitions this season.

Eduardo Finally Returns From Injury

Eduardo hit the post on his return to action for Arsenal reserves last night.

The Brazilian-born Croatia striker played 45 minutes in a 2-0 win over Portsmouth reserves at Underhill in his first competitive match since his horrific leg and ankle injuries in February.

He headed one chance over the bar and then saw his shot tipped on to the post by Pompey keeper Asmir Begovic before going off at the break.

Eduardo said: "At the moment I am better and I feel very happy.

"I came off at half time because I felt something in my hamstring but I think it will be all right in two weeks.

"The situation with my injury is very hard for me but I have to forget everything bad in my life."

The Gunners won with goals from Mark Randall and Kieran Gibbs.

Arsene Wenger Remains Optimistic

"We believe that champions are people who go on when everybody else stops," Wenger said. "That's the way we can show it. Nobody believes in us but we can show we still believe and keep going. I believe at the moment my team needs encouragement more than anything."

Arsenal's display, particularly in the first half, was some way above the dismal midweek performance against Porto in the Champions League, which was hardly surprising with the likes of strikers Adebayor and Robin van Persie, captain Fabregas and first-choice full-backs Bacary Sagna and Clichy restored to the starting line-up. But still it was not the dominant Arsenal of old.

Van Persie was only inches away from giving the visitors an early lead after a fabulous one-touch passing move, the Dutchman seeing his shot go just past the left-hand upright.

Adebayor then unselfishly slid in Abou Diaby on the left-side of the penalty area, the midfielder moving the ball back on to his right foot and forcing Ross Turnbull to parry at his near post.

Arsenal took the lead from the ensuing corner. Robert Huth was attracted to the ball and when he missed his header it left Adebayor unmarked and with the simplest of tasks to head past Turnbull from six yards.

Tuncay saw a tame shot gathered by Manuel Almunia, before creating the home side's equaliser just before the half-hour. The Turkey international pounced on Clichy's charged-down clearance on the right and fizzed over a first-time cross. Aliadiere threw himself at the ball and his diving header was past Almunia almost before he even had chance to move.

Boro should have had a penalty when Clichy felled Johnson, though Van Persie missed an excellent chance to put the visitors ahead again six minutes before the break. Adebayor's cross was slightly behind the Dutchman, who tried a back-heeled effort from eight yards out that failed to trouble Turnbull.

The second half was much tighter, with the ineffective Stewart Downing forcing one save from Almunia and van Persie scuffing a shot across the face of goal for Arsenal.

Turnbull beat away a near-post shot from Gunners substitute Nicklas Bendtner two minutes from time to earn his side the draw.

Middlesbrough 1 - 1 Arsenal

Former Gunner Jeremie Aliadiere delivered another blow to Arsene Wenger's flickering Premier League title hopes by denying Arsenal three precious points in a 1-1 draw with Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium.

Aliadiere pounced with a fine glancing header in the 29th minute to cancel out Emmanuel Adebayor's 17th-minute opener and ultimately ensure Gareth Southgate's men a well-deserved share of the spoils.

Stewart Downing was denied a second-half winner by a fine save from Manuel Almunia but the Gunners also had their chances through Robin van Persie and substitute Nicklas Bendtner.

And at the final whistle there was little doubt which side was happier with the point with Wenger facing up to the prospect that his side would be even further adrift of the division's top three by the weekend's end.

Wenger had brought back his big guns after the dismal midweek Champions League loss in Porto with Emmanuel Eboue dropped to the bench - although he was given a cheer by Gunners fans when he warmed up on the touchline.

Boro, whose own form this season has been almost as topsy-turvy as their visitors, bristled with commitment and forced a succession of early corners, Adebayor heading one of them inches over his own bar.

And from another Boro set-piece, the ball eventually fell to Adam Johnson on the right side of the Gunners box but the midfielder blazed his shot high into the visiting fans behind the goal.

Almunia also had to race to the edge of his box to snatch a long ball away from Tuncay Sanli before Arsenal forced their first chance in the 11th minute, Abou Diaby setting up Van Persie who bobbled a low shot inches wide.

Wenger's men were slowly coming to life, largely thanks to the persistence of Adebayor who saw a goal-bound effort blocked by Robert Huth in the box before Ross Turnbull parried an effort from Abou Diaby.

But from the resulting 17th-minute corner the Gunners grabbed the lead when Adebayor stooped to meet captain Cesc Fabregas' set-piece in front of goal and sent a low header past Turnbull.

Tuncay tried a low long-range effort in the 25th minute that was easily gathered by Almunia down to his left while at the other end Diaby's effort from another Fabregas corner was gathered by Turnbull.

But French striker Aliadiere drew the home side level in the 29th minute with a superb glancing header from Tuncay's driven cross from the right which gave Almunia no chance.

Boro had a strong penalty appeal turned down in the 35th minute when McMahon claimed he had been tripped by Gael Clichy just inside the Boro box but referee Peter Walton waved play on.

Van Persie missed a golden chance to put his side back in front in the 38th minute when he mis-kicked completely in front of goal after Adebayor had crossed low from the right.

There was plenty more spirit coming from Southgate's men after the break as they continued to press without quite fashioning clear-cut chances, with the excellent Tuncay at the centre of everything.

And Boro came close to grabbing the lead on the hour when Stewart Downing out-paced Bacary Sagna chasing an Arca ball down the left before rifling a left-foot shot which struck Almunia's arm and went out for a corner.

Just when the Gunners were starting to look worryingly lightweight again, they had a fine chance of their own when Diaby sent through Van Persie who saw his left-foot shot slide across the face of goal from a tight angle.

Diaby sent in a long-range drive which was gathered by Turnbull much to the exasperation of Wenger, who was living every moment of a match his side needed to win on the edge of his technical area.

As the action began to tighten, Boro continued to hold the upper hand and Wenger sought to freshen things up in the 81st minute with the introduction of Nicklas Bendtner in place of Diaby.

And Bendtner almost made a big impression in the 86th minute when he sprang the Boro offside trap and hit a shot from the right side of the box which was well blocked by Turnbull in goal.

Southgate satisfiedMiddlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate was delighted to take ''a really good point'' from the 1-1 draw at home to Arsenal but lamented the decision not to award his side a first-half penalty.''We've played really well with a patched together back four and they were fantastic, the four of them. Their contribution was outstanding,'' Southgate told Sky Sports 1.''We created some good chances, Stewart Downing had a really good chance and I'm really pleased, the lads have given everything and it was a really good point for us.''Boro had a strong penalty appeal turned down in the 35th minute when Tony McMahon claimed he had been tripped by Gael Clichy just inside the Boro box but referee Peter Walton waved play on.Asked if he thought it was a penalty, Southgate said: ''Yes. We're not getting those decisions at the moment because we had one given against us at the other end against Hull last week. ''Hopefully it will turn for us.''Injury-plagued Boro defender Robert Huth, who was excellent for most of the game, admitted he was probably at fault for Adebayor's goal.''I think so, I just got dragged too far and it was probably bad positioning by myself,'' he told Sky Sports 1.The defender added: ''We had a plan from the start. It got a bit shattered when we went 1-0 down but we kept going, you could see Arsenal were struggling a bit and it was a great goal to get to 1-1.''

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