After sensationally being cleared of tax evasion charges and the subsequent dismissal of Fabio Capello as England coach by the FA all in one day, Tottenham coach Harry Redknapp is now being considered as the prime choice to replace  the Italian. In fact, Tottenham are said to be bracing themselves for an approach by the FA.

However, sources at the club have labelled the sudden availability of the England job as a nightmare situation for the club. Redknapp has always insisted that coaching England would be a dream for him and with the opportunity presenting itself, turning it down would be impossible. Here is what Redknapp had to say in a previous interview about coaching England.

“If it came along it would – it would – it would be difficult to turn it down I think for any Englishman. You know I’ve said so many times it’s the pinnacle for any Englishman to want to manage their country… I would like to see an English manager manage England.  I would like to see that… when Fabio Capello finishes, I would like to see them give it to an Englishman.”

So is Redknapp the right person for the England job? With a win rate of 38% the 64 year old’s Premier League record is not too impressive. In all 569 matches that he has coached,  Redknapp has won 216 games, drawn 146 games and lost 207 games.

With no other clear coaches in the running to replace Capello, Redknapp’s first game as coach (if he is selected and agrees to the task) against Holland in Wembley on the 29th of this month, before taking on Norway in Oslo in May 26. before finishing it up with a game against France on June 11th.

However, in the meantime, the FA is set to ask u-21 coach Stuart Pierce to take charge of the team as a caretaker for the friendly against Holland on the 29th of this month. So what do you think, Is Redknapp the right man for the job?

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Audit and financial advisory firm Deloite & Touche released it’s football money league rich list yesterday with La Liga club Real Madrid topping the list for a seventh successive year. Closing following Madrid in second was fellow Spanish club Barcelona.

United came in third on the list, however, it is the dominance of English clubs in the top ten that has got people really talking. 6 of the 12 richest clubs on the list are all English with two from Spain and two from Italy and two from Germany.

Below is a list of the 10 richest clubs and their revenues for 2010/2011:

1. Real Madrid  £433m
2. Barcelona  £407m
3. Manchester United £331.4m
4. Bayern Munich £290.3m
5. Arsenal £226.8m
6. Chelsea £225.6m
7. Milan £212.3m
8. Inter  £190.9m
9. Liverpool  £183.6m
10. Schalke  £183.6m

United came in third on the list after their revenues grew by 16% to £331.4m in 2010-11 thanks to their multi-million pound shirt sponsorship with AON which sees them get £20m every season for the duration of their contract.

However, despite this impressive growth, United are expected to lose further ground on both Real and Barcelona when this year’s financials accounts are released next year after they failed to make it through to the knockout stages of the Champions League.

Their shock exist at the group stage of the competition is expected to cost them a whooping £80m. So English football has once again consolidated their place as the most dominant league in the world financially after the top 6 in the list remain unchanged from last year.

Champions League appearances contribute towards to huge chunk of the clubs revenues with Tottenham overtaking big spending Manchester City into 11th place after making their debut appearance in the tournament in the 2010/2011 season.

City dropped just one place to 12th but they are expected to break into the top ten next season should they qualify for the Champions League. Despite making it to third on the list, United still have massive debts of over £400m to contend with.

In fact most of the revenues United get go towards clearing the Glazer’s debt. So they could be making a lot of money but they are losing it as quickly as they get .

Another club with massive debt is Chelsea. The west London outfit are in excess of  £1 billion in debt though they still come in at number 6 on the list. Fellow London Club Arsenal remain fifth on the list despite a drop in their revenues.

photo Credit © kassch

The transfer window might be over but that is not stopping a number of clubs from actively pursuing summer targets. After an amazing 7-1 victory over Blackburn on Saturday, Arsenal manager has immediately turned his attention back to weightier issues stating that his interest for Lille player Eden Hazard has not waned.

The Belgian could be a top transfer target for Wenger this summer with the Gunners boss having expressed his desire for him in an interview with Belgian publication DH.

However, Hazard will not be bought on the cheap with Lille already having placed a £21 million price tag on his head.  At only 21, Hazard has a glittering record for both club and country, having scored 38 times in 174 appearances for Lille  and once in 25 outings for his national side.

It is this record that has a number of clubs seriously considering signing the attacker.

“I really like him [Hazard] and, for several reasons: it’s his creative power, his ability to mis-align the opponent, his vision of the game and his consummate skill to address the last pass which make him a very interesting player.” Wenger said in an interview with DH

The only question is whether Arsenal will be able to hold onto this success hungry lad. Wenger has a reputation for identifying and grooming bright stars only to sell them in the future and truth be said, his policy is just not working.

It is hard to imagine that this is the same club that went an entire season unbeaten. However, with the level of experience that was present at the time, it isn’t hard to see how.

Meanwhile, Arsenal’s on-loan striker, Thierry Henry, is set to extend his stay with the Gunners to make it possible to play against local rivals Tottenham, later on this month.

Henry is due back in the United States after Arsenal’s clash with 7 time European champions AC Milan in the first leg of the Champions League knockout stage next week.

As things stands, both clubs would to discuss modalties of Wenger’s request, something Henry has made very clear.

“They [Red Bulls] have been really good about it, so I can’t take advantage of them.”

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It is now emerging that Neymar will not be leaving Santos after all. Premier League club Chelsea have confirmed that they have ended their pursuit for the teen star after he committed his future to Santos until 2014.

Villas-Boas revealed that his side have failed in trying to sign Neymar and that he has already chosen his next destination which will most likely be Barcelona. Barcelona were linked with the striker last summer but failed talks fell through after Neymar signed a new contract.

“I think that the Neymar matter is closed and locked in a safe,” the Portuguese coach told reporters at the Laureus World Sports Awards ceremony. He has decided his future and no one knows where he will go. Unfortunately, he will not come to us. What I can say is that there is a lot of talent in Brazil and it is positive that these young players are staying in their country. There has been a change in the way that the Brazilian player perceives the Brasileirao and that is important for the growth of the competition. Neymar, Lucas and Ganso reflect that change.” Villas-Boas said these remarks to reporters after  the Laureus World Sports Awards.

Truth be said, Chelsea was never the perfect destination for Neymar – at least in my opinion – and i think his decision to stay at Santos until 2014 is very logical and beneficial to his future career.

Right now, Neymar is 19, by 2014, he will be 22 (still very young by any standards) however, he will have a wealth of experience that will be unmatchable for most of his peers.

Moreover, he stands a better chance of dominating the game then than if he made a European switch in the summer. Here is why, Barcelona star player. Lionel Messi is so good that he makes equally good players like Ronaldo fade into obscurity (and if you have seen Ronaldo play last and this season, you would know that it is not an easy feat).

Neymar as good as he is now, would have a hard time dealing with all the comparisons and publicity to the point of it affecting his game which would eventually lead him to earning the tag ‘the star that never was’.

We have seen it with Robinho and other highly talented players like Keirrison and Coutinho. Now it is clear to see why Pele is always keen on  protecting Neymar.

The only question is whether Neymar can continue improving on himself and live up to fans expectations when he finally leaves Brazil.

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Luis Suarez made his return from his eight-match suspension but their was no fairy tale ending as Liverpool and Spurs played to a goalless draw at Anfield.

Suarez started the game on the bench and he watched his teammates come flying out of the blocks with Gerrard slipping a delightful through ball to Andy Carroll only for Michael Dawson to make a goal-saving fifth-minute challenge. Parker’s reckless lunge on Glen Johnson a minute later presented Gerrard with a scoring opportunity from a free-kick, but it came to nothing and set the tone for a frustrating opening 45 minutes.

In a game punctured with misplaced passes by both sets of players, Niko Kranjcar forced the first save in the 32nd minute when his 25-yard effort was easily saved by Pepe Reina. With Craig Bellamy and Carroll struggling to trouble the Tottenham defence, it was left to midfielder Jay Spearing to go closest for Liverpool with a curling 25-yard effort which whistled narrowly wide of Brad Friedel’s post in the 34th minute.

The second half was much of the same. Liverpool with lots of possession, but never really testing Friedel. The closest Liverpool came to scoring was when Friedel denied Martin Kelly with a full-length dive to keep out the Liverpool defender’s angled drive.

With the game drifting towards a stalemate, Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish introduced Suarez. Suarez was on the pitch for four minutes when he got booked for kicking Scott Parker in the stomach while challenging for a ball inside the Spurs penalty box.

In the last 15 minutes the game finally opened up as both sides pressed for all three points. Carroll spurned a fine chance in the 74th minute when, unmarked, he blazed over the bar from a good position. And then Reina denied Bale, who was clean through on goal in the 85th minute.

The draw leaves Sputs 7 points behind leaders Man City in the table, but also 7 points ahead of fourth placed Chelsea. With the point, Liverpool stay in 7th place, 4 points behind Chelsea.

This post originally appeared on our Arsenal blog, but I thought it was worth covering here. There are some mind blowing quotes from Arsene Wenger in Tuesday’s Daily Mirror.

Arsene Wenger is quoted as talking about how much he likes Lille’s £30m-rated Eden Hazard, but he basically says that Hazard is too expensive for Arsenal.

“You should know that each season, it is imperative to show a profit of between fifteen and twenty million pounds. I would add that the purpose of a coach is to always buy at a price he sees fit” Wenger is quoted as saying. “I really like him (Hazard) and, for several reasons: it’s his creative power, his ability to mis-align the opponent, his vision of the game and his consummate skill to address the last pass which make him a very interesting player.”

Wenger’s comments brings up all sort of questions. Arsenal will reportedly announce record profits of up to £60m before the end of the season. What is the use of generating record profits if the team that caused those profits does not improve? And why does Arsenal need to generate £20m profits in the first place? The money stays in the bank. It’s not as it Kroenke or the other Arsenal shareholders are using the club to pay down debt (a la the Glazers) or pay themselves massive dividends.

And finally, the only way that Arsenal can consistently generate a £20m profit every year is if Arsenal FC is a selling club! Bring players into the club when they are young and unknown like Fabregas or Nasri and sell them on big money deals like Arsenal did this summer.

That does not bode well for the future of Robin van Persie or the likelihood of Arsenal being competitive and willing trophies in the coming years.

Thierry Henry’s short return to Arsenal apparently has been considered very useful for club’s manager, Arsene Wenger, as he is currently hoping that Henry’s loan could be extended for another two weeks.

Wenger revealed that the veteran striker brought plenty positive attitudes for the other players as they listen and learn lots of things from the Gunners’ legend, something that obviously helped the tactician’s job in improving his team’s performance.

“There is the possibility of two more weeks, but we will have to see. It has been very positive, everyone listens to his advice as he’s delivered here and they all want to deliver. He’s respected. He is still not away yet, normally until after the Milan game,” Wenger said.

However, should Henry’s current club, New York Red Buls from the Major League Soccer, aren’t willing to extend the veteran’s stay in London, Wenger already felt happy with the striker’s contribution so far. The club’s legend has not only becoming an influential figure in the dressing room but also still manage to contribute quite well on the pitch, as he already scored some goals for the Gunners in his current short spell, one of them arrived during Arsenal’s 7-1 victory over Blackburn Rovers.

If Arsenal failed to extend Henry’s loan deal, the French striker’s goal against Blackburn would be his final one at the Emirates, considering in the next few games, the Gunners won’t be playing in front of their home crowd. Obviously, Wenger is hoping that the club legend could really stay for two more weeks as it could further help his team continuing their recent massive victory against Blackburn, hoping that by the time the veteran finally returns back to MLS.

“With Thierry going back to the States he played, normally, his last game at the Emirates and in the last minute he scored his goal. That is really something special,” Wenger added.

Wenger’s hope in keeping Henry could very well related a lot with Arsenal’s Champions League clash with Milan, as the tactician might be using the veteran to provide at least some morale boost for some of the inexperienced players in the squad. The veteran striker could even give a massive contribution on the pitch as he might still has some tricks left on his sleeves that could work on a huge European match against top side like the Rossoneri.

photo credit: wonker

To anyone who follows the beautiful game, Anelka’s move to Chinese Super League club Shanghai Shenhua did not make sense. What is even more interesting is Anelka’s recent revelation that he snubbed PSG and a chance to re-unite with former coach Carlo Ancelotti for a little known Chinnese team.

We all know that Anelka and many other players who make such shocking moves do it for the money,  however, what is very interesting is the stories they normally give.

Many claim they do it for their families, others because it provides them with a fresh new challenge etc. So what is Anelka’s excuse? Here is what he said in an interview with Canal +:

“I was contacted by an intermediary of Qatar Investment Authority, i did not want to go to PSG because I had already played there. I know the French mentality. The people there would have worn me out. It did not interest me. Shanghai is Asia’s New York. I love the way they live. I often come here on vacation. This is my last contract.”

Yep there you have. Shanghai is Asia’s New York! Oh please! Though Shocking, Anelka seems content with the move. it is safe to say that his international career has come to an end.

However, having played for PSG between 1996 and 1997 and 2000 and 2002, his argument could be valid, however, not the Shanghai, New York part.

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So Newcastle‘s new signing Papiss Demba Cisse and fellow Senegalese team mate Demba Ba netted goals for the Magpies in their 2-1 home win over Aston Villa yesterday. However, whats funny is that the same two players could not do the same for Senegal in the Africa Cup of Nations.

And this is interesting because African players have a tendency to perform well for their clubs, but when it comes to their national sides, it is a different story. I have seen it now in the past 4 editions of the tournament and it makes me ask whether African players are really committed to the African game.

There really isn’t any excuse. A couple of years back we would have said, the pitch was bad or the players were tired from having to travel by bus for a long distance or even cases of teams being kicked out of hotels.

No the standard of the game on the continent has gone way up. I mean the stadiums for the tournament are not perfect, but they can compete with any other stadium inch for inch.

Money definitely cannot be the problem. We had Co-host Equatorial Guinea split $2 million between themselves for winning two of their 4 matches played. Plus each goal scorer received a $20,000 gift. So what is the problem?

Frankly speaking, i do not know? I mean despite the success of the tournament, the crowds have been pathetic in most games except maybe when the home team and the ‘big guns’ are playing.

It is a shame what is happening to the AFCON tournament. To date the most entertaining and exhilarating AFCON tournament for me was the 22nd edition co hosted by Ghana and Nigeria.

The final Nigeria v Cameroon was a masterpiece! After a hard fought out 2-2 draw in regulation time. Cameroon went on to win the match 3-4 on penalties. I can still remember Okocha’s goal.

There has never been a tournament like it at least that i can remember. So anyway back to Demba Cisse’s debut goal. I think Newcastle have in Demba Cisse and Demba Ba two great talents but it is also sad that they won’t be able to hold onto them for long.

Photo Credit © NewcastleUnited

Manchester United once again showed their “Never Die” attitude after successfully coming back from a three goals down to hold Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, providing a confidence boost despite the result creates a gap again with league leader Manchester City.

Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez once again acted as the Red Devils savior as the former bagged a brace, both from the spot kick, while the latter scored the decisive equalizer, which rescued important points for Sir Alex Ferguson’s side.

Playing after knowing that they’re already three points behind Man City, who won in previous day, Man United were actually trying to push for the victory right from the start, but Chelsea weren’t slacking off themselves. Andre Villas-Boas’ squad managed to actually have more of the ball possession, although the visitor did look more dangerous though when attacking, still that doesn’t stop the Blues from taking the lead.

The home team’s goal arrived around nine minutes before the break when Daniel Sturridge fine individual effort from Man United’s left flank resulted in a panic defending from the Red Devils’ defenders, mainly Johny Evans, who accidentally knocked the ball into his own net. The goal lifted the Blues’ confidence even more as they finally starting to look more dangerous and could have ended the first period two goals up should Sturridge’s shot wasn’t saved by David De Gea on United’s goal.

Trailing by a goal down, Man United were trying to push up even more after the break but they were immediately stunned just 26 seconds after the kick off when Juan Mata doubled Chelsea’s lead. The Spaniard blasted Fernando Torres’ perfect cross into De Gea’s net, beating the ex-Atletico Madrid without any chance of doing anything as it was a truly wonderful goal from Mata.

Things seemed to be going right into Chelsea’s plan as David Luiz’s deflected header ended up in the back of United’s net, not long after the second goal, taking the home team into seventh heaven indeed. However, the comfort and joy didn’t really lasted that long as Man United pulled a goal back from Rooney’s perfect spot kick, which was earned after Evra was bundled over by Sturridge inside the penalty area.

Things gets even more interesting 10 minutes after Rooney’s spot kick as the referee awarded another spot kick for Man United and it was a much more softer one indeed as replay suggested that Danny Wellbeck sort off hanged his foot into Branislav Ivanovic’s boot. Man United’s number 10 easily converted his second penalty and officially opened up his team’s hope in getting something from the match as there’s still more than enough time for the visitor to make their come back.

Eventually, Chelsea’s concern became reality as another clumsy defending by the home team resulted in the Red Devils’ equalizer, scored by Hernandez, who was ridiculously left alone inside the penalty area. The Mexican international jumped and headed Ryan Gigg’s cross comfortably as no one were marking him, a completely poor organization from Villas-Boas’ back-line, who extremely looked nervous right after Man United scored their second goal.

photo credit: gordonflood.com