Former Chelsea favourite Frank Lampard has raised more then a few eyebrows after it was announced last week that the Blues legend and former vice captain will be wearing Manchester City blue during a six month loan spell from New York City FC for whom he has recently signed. After making 429 appearances for the pensioners in which he scored a club record total of 211 goals, his move has come as a major shock to Chelsea fans. While former Chelsea winger Pat Nevin stated in a recent BBC article that Lampard’s move to a fellow title challenger wont damage…
Author: Staff Writer
Aston Villa legend Ian Taylor believes Ron Vlaar is the man to replace the recently departed Manchester United centre-back Nemanja Vidic in the new back-three defensive set up at Old Trafford. Taylor, who played as a Villa midfielder from 1994 to 2003, hailed the Dutch defender for his performances for the Netherlands national team in this summer’s World Cup tournament and said he would be good enough to play for United, should their coach Louis Van Gaal decide to make a move for his fellow countryman. “He’s definitely, on the world stage, shown he’s good enough,” Taylor told The…
James Rollo takes a unique look ahead to the Premier League season for Totenham Hotspur. As the dust settles on England’s early exit from the World Cup my overriding feeling is it could have all been quite different. Unlike recent tournaments, England had plenty of shots, the most in their group (38), allowed the opposition the fewest attempts (25) & had a more than credible pass completion rate of 85%. Stats do not show the full story as of course there was plenty to be disappointed about, but it does show they “weren’t that bad”. A bit more concentration here…
AC Milan striker Robinho is due to complete a move back to his homeland with Brazilian side Santos believed to have agreed to resign him on the basis he takes a considerable pay cut. The 30-year-old has spent nine years playing for top clubs this side of the Atlantic including Real Madrid, Manchester City and currently, AC Milan. He is understood to have been wishing to return home for a period of time owing to feeling unsettled after spending four years at the San Siro. In a bid to break free of his contract with Milan – which runs…
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has admitted that former team-mate Pepe Reina was at his peak five years ago. The Spain shot-stopper is leaving Anfield for Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich and ex-colleague Carragher praised the impact he made during his time on Merseyside. However, he also revealed his belief that Reina was at the height of his powers in 2009, after which he endured a difficult spell at the club before being loaned out to Serie A side Napoli last term. Carragher said on Twitter: “Good luck to @PReina25 top keeper and man. From 2006/09 one of the best in Europe.…
It has been a good start to the era of Louis van Gaal at Manchester United. After great success in the pre-season, the Dutchman is ready to offload players that have not done enough to impress him. The following are players considered likely candidates to be offloaded by Van Gaal: 1. Anderson The midfielder, who signed for Man United for £ 25m as a teenager by Sir Alex Ferguson, hasn’t had an impact on the United midfield since his arrival. Constantly injured or out of form, Anderson rarely had a string of games. Anderson was loaned out to Italian side…
Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentis has reportedly dashed head coach Rafael Benitez’s hopes of landing Manchester United midfielder Marouane Fellaini. According to Italian source La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Serie A outfit cannot afford to match the Red Devils’ asking price and have also struggled to meet the Belgium international’s salary expectations. He is said to have demanded almost £4million per year in wages, but Napoli are believed to be reluctant to jeopardise their salary structure. The report claims De Laurentis has now renewed his interest in Liverpool’s Lucas Leiva, and will intensify his efforts to lure him to the…
Former Liverpool striker John Aldridge has revealed his delight at referee Howard Webb’s decision to retire. The Yorkshireman, considered by many to be the best official in England, last appeared at this summer’s World Cup in Brazil but has decided not to continue next term. He has now been appointed technical director of Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) and will oversee the technical methods and guidelines for match officials. Ex-Republic of Ireland international Aldridge has made no secret of his dislike for Webb. Earlier this year he vented his anger on Twitter following the 43-year-old’s performance in Liverpool’s 2-1…
Former Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard has spoken out on his summer loan-move to Manchester City and views the temporary arrangement as the perfect stepping stone prior to his fresh start in the United States next year. Lampard, 36, who has completed a deal which will see him play on loan to the Premier League champions for five months prior to his move to sister club New York City FC in January, has vowed to work hard in Manchester in order to uphold his status as a top level midfielder and maintain optimum fitness for his upcoming American challenge. At…
Football Express News understands that Borussia Dortmund are ready to offer Marco Reus to Manchester United and Liverpool this summer. Marco Reus has been strongly linked with a move away from Bundesliga side Dortmund this summer, with the likes of Man United and Liverpool having been strongly linked. Despite, Dortmund’s desire to keep hold of the in-form winger, developments and a claim by Bayern Munich over his release clause has led to reports that they are now willing to sell the former Borussia Monchengladbach star. Bayern chief Karl-Heinze Rummenigge claimed last week that Reus’ asking price of £32.5m will lower…