Premier League side Fulham are showing interest in Schalke forward Raul, Daily Mail has revealed.
The veteran striker’s contract at Veltins Arena is set to expire at the end of the season, meaning that he will be free to speak to interested clubs in January.
Schalke are ready to offer the Spaniard a new one-year deal, but Raul would prefer a longer contract.
According to Daily Mail, Fulham are looking to take advantage of the situation and they could make an official bid in January.
Blackburn Rovers have also shown interest in the former Real Madrid captain, but they would not be able to afford Raul’s €7 million yearly wage.
Aston Villa boss Alex McLeish has today felt the need to state that he doesn’t believe star striker Darren Bent will leave the club in the January transfer.
This seems like a strange statement considering he hasn’t really been linked with a move to another team.
Confident
Asked if he would find it difficult to keep Bent at Villa Park McLeish told the press: “I don’t think so. I’ve not heard anything. As far as I’m concerned, he’s here for the long run.
“We need him. He’s a terrific finisher. Sometimes he only needs one chance. That’s the value of someone like Darren Bent. If we can create one or two sniffs (of a goal), then Darren will be in there.”
Prolific
Bent is that rare breed, a striker who guarantees you goals. The amount of money teams have spent on him already throughout his career suggests that he has a rare talent. He isn’t the most technically gifted player but he has the ability to be in the right place at the right time.
Darren Bent is a goal poacher in the truest meaning of the term. However the striker is often criticised for not much more than scoring goals, for not contributing enough to the build up of attacks. I believe that’s why people have questioned his place in the England team.
Regular
Darren Bent has to be playing regular first team football to find his best form. He has achieved regular first team football at Villa and before that at Sunderland. However when he was at Tottenham he struggled to get into the team.
There were also accusations that the striker couldn’t handle being at a bigger club after playing at smaller clubs like Ipswich and Charlton. Bent has matured a lot since his days warming the Tottenham bench though.
If he moved to a bigger club than Aston Villa he could again find himself sitting on the bench and not seeing the playing time he desires. The 27 year-old has to be playing regular first team football if he is to retain his place in the England team for next summers European Championship.
The striker has gained a regular place in the England team by playing and scoring regularly at club level. If Bent loses that by moving elsewhere then I don’t think he would still be considered a regular for the national team.
Service
Darren Bent is the sort of striker that needs good service to score his goals. He isn’t a striker that will routinely beat players and find the net, he’s more of an instinctive striker. His goalscoring record this season isn’t bad, he has found the net five times in 12 Premier League appearances.
The Villa midfield isn’t the most creative and sometimes he has to feed on scraps. Last season wingers Stewart Downing and Ashley Young supplied the striker with superb service. With the pair now departed from Villa Park Bent definitely isn’t getting the same service.
One positive that has came out of the sale of Young and Downing is the fact that Bent has had to work harder on his weaknesses. This will only benefit the player, his club and the national side. Even at 27 years of age there is still more to learn and I do think he has became a better player this season.
Unlikely
I agree with Alex McLeish that Darren Bent won’t be leaving Villa Park in January. The England striker has regular first team football at Aston Villa and that’s exactly what he needs ahead of the European Championships next summer.
Darren Bent may move after the European Championships but for now I don’t think it would be in his best interests to move away from Aston Villa.
Will Darren Bent leave Aston Villa in the January transfer window?
Chelsea forward Nicolas Anelka claims that he already knows where he will play his football in 2012.
Chelsea have just revealed that they had accepted the player’s transfer request, meaning that he will be allowed to leave in January.
Tottenham Hotspur and Chinese side Shanghai Shenshu have been showing interest in the Frenchman, and the player admits he already knows his next destination.
“I`ve known for a little while where I`ll be on January 2,” Anelka was quoted as saying on his official website.
The player added that he understood Chelsea’s decision to sell him in January.
“The club, which is going through a difficult time, has decided to work with Chelsea’s players of the future and, as I am a good professional, I have accepted this.”
Fulham are pondering a loan move for Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov, according to People.
The 30-year-old is reportedly fed up with waiting for his chance at Old Trafford and he is looking to leave in January.
Fulham boss Martin Jol, who worked with the Bulgarian at Tottenham, is planning a loan move for the player as the Cottagers cannot afford to sign Berbatov outright.
Manchester United would rather sell their prized asset, but should they fail to find a buyer, any loan bids will also be taken into consideration.
Fulham currently have a wealth of attacking options in Bobby Zamora, Moussa Dembele and Andy Johnson, but at least one of the trio is expected to leave the club in January.
Newcastle manager Alan Pardew has hailed the form of goalkeeper Tim Krul, who has let through just 15 Premier League goals all season.
The Dutch international made several saves in Saturday’s 3-0 defeat at home to Chelsea, winning many one-on-one duels and stopping a Frank Lampard penalty after 13 minutes, in a match where the Magpies should arguably have been a man up after David Luiz brought down Demba Ba as he was through on goal.
“I think Tim probably feels absolutely brilliant, the way he’s played,” Pardew said.
“But to have three goals conceded against his name, blimey, that must hurt, too. So part of him will be hurting and part of him should be very proud. He was our best player.”
Krul appears to have won the battle for the place as first-choice goalkeeper ahead of Steve Harper, who appeared in parts during last season but has yet to feature this term.
“He’s had to back up the judgment we made on him at the start of the season, but he’s done it. He’s been brilliant,” Pardew said.
The goalkeeper’s form is one of the few positives in defence ahead of the Magpies’ next match away to Norwich, with Steven Taylor having suffered a potentially season-ending Achilles injury at the weekend, and Fabricio Coloccini unlikely to recover from a thigh strain in time.
“The injuries are our biggest concern now as we look ahead. Steven’s is a bit of a worry, Colo has a thigh strain, we hope it doesn’t tear, so obviously we’ll have to scan them to find out how serious they are,” he said.
The Argentine defender was replaced by James Perch on Saturday, but with Mike Willliamson still recovering from an ankle injury, the team are desperately short at centre back. Cheick Tiote’s effective performances shielding the defence from midfield may also be missed as he is out injured.
However, Pardew drew some positives from the tough run of three matches his side have now completed, which has included trips away to both Manchester clubs.
“We’ve been a bit unfortunate in these three games, we’ve not had our best squad to pick, and yet I still look at my team and they’re competitive,” he said.
Of Saturday’s game against Chelsea, he added: “There’s a big feeling of disappointment about this game. I felt there were a lot of positives to come out of it, with the team we ended up with at the end. We are really short (of players).”
‘We go to Norwich and the next three games are winnable for us. We’ve got to approach those, with the players we’ve got available and try and win them.”
“And if we try and win them we could find ourselves back in the top four and that’s what we want to try and do.”
Chelsea are prepared to sell up to six players in January, according to a report in Daily Mail.
The Blues are looking to rejuvenate their squad and several experienced players will be allowed to leave.
Didier Drogba is the most notable player who will be available for sale, whereas Salomon Kalou, Jose Bosingwa and Paulo Ferreira are the others.
Nicolas Anelka and Alex have already had their transfer requests accepted, meaning that Andre Villas-Boas plans to do some major rebuilding in the winter.
Drogba is still considered a first team regular and he has been preferred to Fernando Torres of late, but with his contract expiring at the end of the season, the Blues are eager to cash in on him in January.
Kalou, Bosingwa and Ferreira, on the other hand, have been on the fringes for quite a while now and they are unlikely to be missed at Stamford Bridge.
Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish could seek reinforcements in the transfer window if his team continue to suffer injury problems.
Goalkeeper Shay Given and midfielder Jermaine Jenas needed to be substituted after picking up hamstring and Achilles injuries respectively in Saturday’s 1-0 Premier League defeat to Manchester United.
Jenas’ injury in particular could prove serious, with the former England international potentially missing the rest of the season should scans determine that he requires surgery.
The midfielder’s absence adds to a list of recent problems in the Villa midfield, which led to the selection of the inexperienced Chris Herd at the weekend.
Regular captain Stiliyan Petrov and Stephen Ireland were named on the bench while recovering from hamstring and foot injuries respectively, while Charles N’Zogbia missed the match after a breach of club discipline.
With Jean Makoun away on loan to Olympiakos, the young trio of Fabian Delph, Barry Bannan and Marc Albrighton comprise Villa’s remaining options in midfield, and McLeish is now contemplating reinforcements in the transfer window.
McLeish told The Mirror: “We’ve got to try and trade carefully. But if we have emergencies we have to seriously consider that (buying players) as a club.”
Villa are believed to be attempting to reduce their wage bill, and will reportedly listen to offers for centre-back Carlos Cuellar among others in the transfer window.
In my view Bolton boss Owen Coyle is one of the brightest coaches in the Premier League.
He is a straightforward guy who tells it like it is but he is also one of the games thinkers.
However his Bolton side have been on a terrible run of form recently and currently find themselves in 19th in the Premier League.
Luck
Bolton have had terrible luck in recent weeks and the officials haven’t helped them either. For the past two weekends the Trotters have had players sent-off in questionable circumstances. The worse luck they have had however is with injuries.
Two of their star players from last season midfielders Stuart Holden and Chung-Yong Lee are both long-term casualties. Both of those players have shown themselves to be well worthy of the Premier League and were outstanding for Wanderers last season.
Any team would struggle if they lost arguably their two best players. It’s not like Owen Coyle has a massive squad to replace the pair either, so he has to carry on and try to ground out results.
Basics
The team need to get back to the basics that made Bolton so strong under Sam Allardyce. Owen Coyle brought in more of an expansive style of football at Bolton last season but the loss of Holden, Lee and to a certain extent Johan Elmander in the summer means they can’t currently play that way.
The players the Scot has left are not as good on the ball as the two injured stars and that means Coyle will need to adapt Bolton’s playing style to the players available. Coyle seems like he doesn’t want to adapt the style of play though and that could be his downfall at the Reebok Stadium.
Backing
Coyle has received the backing of Bolton chairman Phil Gartside, who via Twitter asked the fans to get behind Coyle and their team. The Wanderers chairman also said it wasn’t a vote of confidence. Usually when chairmen come out in support of a manager with a dreaded vote of confidence he is sacked soon afterwards.
Sunderland chairman Ellis Short recently came out and backed Steve Bruce before sacking him just a few days later. However I like Owen Coyle and I believe he is trying to play the right way with a club who were famed for their physical approach to the game.
A lot of the Wanderers fans are blaming the board and chairman for the clubs slump this season because Coyle hasn’t been given funds to strengthen his very small squad. I think that’s quite a fair point of view to be honest. Coyle lost Elmander, who was just hitting form, for nothing in the summer and wasn’t given any money to replace him.
If the Bolton want Coyle to be successful they need to start backing in the transfer market. He has been quite shrewd in the transfer market bringing in the likes of Nigel Reo-Coker and Stuart Holden both on free transfer.
However you can’t build a successful Premier League team on free transfers anymore. You need financial muscle behind you. Unfortunately it seems that Bolton are unable or unwilling to provide Coyle with funds, which is sad for Coyle and the club.
Survival
I have to say some Bolton fans are acting like the club is bottom of the Premier League table and cut adrift. Bolton are second from bottom but they are just two points away from safety. I think Owen Coyle should be allowed a bit more time in charge of the club to try to turn things around.
If the results don’t improve then I think the club will probably dispense with his services. However if they do sack Coyle I’m sure there will be a line of clubs waiting to appoint him. He won’t be out of a job for long and I believe he will be successful in the future.
Should Bolton Wanderers sack Owen Coyle?
Yakubu has called on Blackburn fans to give manager Steve Kean a chance as the club to resurrect their season.
The Nigerian international scored all four goals in a 4-2 home victory over Swansea that saw the team climb off the bottom of the league table to 18th, but fans continued their protests against the club’s owners and manager Kean, with boos heard around the ground.
The former Everton man says he has never experienced such an atmosphere and urged fans to get behind the team.
“It’s a shame to see that reaction of the fans. It was not good but maybe we can change their minds after winning more games,” Yakubu told The Times.
“There’s always pressure when you’re not winning. There’s pressure on the players, pressure on the manager. The manager has been there with us, we’ve stuck together.”
“We just need to get out on the pitch and do our jobs, and hopefully we’ll be fine. I’ve never experienced anything like this before. It’s not nice but what can you do?”
“When you listen to all that, you are not going to perform. When you look at the way we played, we fight as a team. It’s a shame to see it even when we’re winning.”
Asked if he had a message for supporters, Yakubu was clear: “They should give (Kean) a chance. We won this match and that’s an unbelievable feeling. We’re going to stay in the league. We know it’s a long way to go. But we have experienced players and I think we’ll be fine.”
“The manager told us to go out on the pitch and believe in ourselves. We have to forget about what’s going on behind the scenes and just focus. And we did it.”
The experienced striker has scored consistently in the Premier League while at Portsmouth, Middlesbrough and Everton, and his four goals on Saturday took him to nine in total so far this season.
“It’s unbelievable to get four goals in the Premier League,” he added. “But I always believe I can score goals and my team-mates have given me the opportunity to do that here.”
“We just need to start winning. To get three points is really crucial.”
“It’s been a shame because we’ve been playing so well. The luck is not on our side. Look at the way we are playing. We are not just kicking it long. A couple of months ago we were struggling, losing games late on.”
Partizan Belgrade’s Lazar Markovic says he would love to join Chelsea following speculation linking him with a move to the Premier League.
Markovic is regarded as one of the most exciting prospects in Europe, with number of clubs reportedly interested in the 17-year-old striker, who is valued at 10 million pounds.
The Serbian, however, has revealed he is intent on a move to England, with a switch to Stamford Bridge his “dream”.
“I really hope I can go to Chelsea, it’s my dream,” Markovic told The Sun. “I’m told there were 20 scouts from all over Europe in the VIP box when we beat Red Star.”
“But Chelsea is the place I want to play. I had all the pictures of the team on my wall at home back to when they had Gianfranco Zola.”
“And any time they are on TV I try to watch them. For me Chelsea are the best.”
“I want to go to the Premier League. It is the best league in the world.”
Markovic has scored six goals for Partizan this season, with Aleksandar Stanojevic’s holding a seven point lead at the top of the Serbian Super Liga.
Juventus moved back to the top of the Serie A after a 2-0 win over Cesena on Sunday.
Milan’s 2-0 win at Genoa on Friday had momentarily sent them to the top but Antonio Conte’s side quickly reclaimed the lead with victory over the second-bottom Cesena.
Juventus did not have it easy though and after an hour, the match was still goalless.
It took Chilean Arturo Vidal and Italian Claudio Marchisio – two of Juve’s best players this season – to combine for the opener with 18 minutes to play, with the former laying on the assist for Marchisio to finish.
With nine minutes left, Cesena had goalkeeper Francesco Antonioli sent off after he received a straight red card and just moments later Vidal scored from the spot to seal victory for the hosts.
Roma finished with eight men as they were defeated 3-0 by Fiorentina in Florence.
Brazilian defender Juan was sent off after 16 minutes with the resultant penalty tucked away by Stevan Jovetic before Alessandro Gamberini doubled the hosts’ lead just before half-time.
Argentine Fernando Gago received a second yellow card with 14 minutes to play before Spaniard Bojan copped a straight red card in the dying stages, which led to another penalty.
That spot-kick was converted by Santiago Silva as Roma lost their fifth match in their last eight.
In other results, Victor Ibarbo’s second-half goal gave Cagliari a 1-0 win at Catania, Marco di Vaio scored the only goal of the game as Bologna toppled Siena 1-0 and Chievo and Atalanta played out a goalless draw.
Midfielder Arturo Vidal believes Juventus are in championship form after beating Cesena 2-0 in the Serie A on Sunday.
The Chile international assisted Claudio Marchisio’s opener in the 72nd minute, and later on put the match to bed with a well-taken penalty.
The win sends Juve two points clear of AC Milan and Udinese at the top of the table, and Vidal believes they are starting to build some momentum heading into the second half of the season.
“I’m very happy about the three points and the hard-fought victory. It was important to break the deadlock somehow, and we managed to do it,” Vidal told Juventus’ official website.
“We’re continuing our spectacular championship form, and a win in this manner will help us to go on in the same vein.”
Vidal then went on to express his satisfaction with the way he’s adapted to life at his new club since his summer move from Bayer Leverkusen.
“We’re a great group and my team-mates have made me feel indispensable. I couldn’t have settled in any better,” he said.
Following their win over Cesena, Juventus sit at the summit of the Serie A table with 29 points from 13 games.
Edy Reja feels his Lazio team are acquitting themselves well in Serie A despite the injuries affecting squad selection.
Lazio have been without the services of several first-team players at times this season.
Midfielders Cristian Brocchi, Simone Del Nero, Stefano Mauri and Matuzalem are all on the injury list, while defender Andre Dias is also sidelined.
Lazio are without a win from their last three matches in all competitions, but they remain fourth on the table, seven points back from league leaders Juventus.
“The team are doing well at the moment,” Reja said.
“I understand we need to improve. Lazio must always try to get the best result possible, but you also have to take into consideration that the same players have always been playing.”
“Nobody has paid too much attention to Mauri, Brocchi and Matuzalem’s absence.”
“They are midfielders and I could easily make some substitutions with them at my disposal, because when you play every three days, you cannot always play with the same intensity.”
“There are natural drops in their performances.”
“I have to ask for further sacrifices from those who have been playing recently, and ask them to contribute once again, because I cannot substitute anyone.”
“I cannot let anyone rest for a match, in particular those who play in midfield.”
While the league’s other teams have all played this week, Lazio are at home to promoted club Novara on Monday.
And Reja hopes the additional day of rest will allow his players to produce their best at the Stadio Olimpico.
“We had one day more to rest, therefore I hope they will be ready (Monday) so that they can play this match with great determination and with the belief that we can make it and win the match,” he said.
“We can certainly win the game.”
Antonio Conte was satisfied with the dominance of his Juventus team in their 2-0 victory over Cesena on Sunday.
Serie A leaders Juve emerged 2-0 winners from the match in Turin, thanks to a goal from Claudio Marchisio and Arturo Vidal’s penalty.
The margin of victory could have been greater against Cesena, who had goalkeeper Francesco Antonioli sent off with 10 minutes to go.
But Conte felt his team were justified in taking three points after dominating possession, and offering a greater threat throughout the contest.
“It was a tough game because their goalkeeper played very well and their full-backs too, and we lacked precision,” Conte said.
“But I have to say I have nothing but positives for my team, when you see we had 70 percent of ball possession against their 30 percent and 21 shots on goal by us and only one by them, it makes you realise we played our game.”
“Maybe Cesena didn’t come here with such a defensive attitude, but we gave them no other choice but to have to play defensively.”
A strong season from Marchisio has seen the midfielder likened to former Juve favourite Marco Tardelli, who helped Italy win the 1982 World Cup.
Conte sought to lower expectations of Marchisio’s contribution, but agrees the 25-year-old is beginning to play an important role.
“I don’t think it’s fair to compare Claudio to anyone, he has to write his own story,” Conte said.
“As I said at the beginning of the season, he’s the kind of good player with all the qualities to become a champion.”
“It’s up to me to get the maximum from him and it’s up to Claudio to give his all. We are on the right track, with him and with some of his teammates too.”
Lecce have confirmed the appointment of Serse Cosmi, after sacking Eusebio Di Francesco.
A statement posted on the club’s website on Sunday revealed the trainer, who has had coaching stints at Perugia, Udinese and Palermo in Serie A, will take charge immediately.
“US Lecce announces that it has resolved today the partnership with Eusebio Di Francesco who want to express, together with his staff, our heartfelt gratitude for the work carried out so far with total dedication and professional competence,” read a statement on the club’s official website on Sunday.
“US Lecce have also announced that it has reached an agreement with Serse Cosmi for the technical operation of the first team.”
Di Francesco, a former Italy international, had previously enjoyed a positive spell in Serie B with Pescara before arriving at Lecce in June.
But he lost nine of his 13 games in charge, with Lecce’s three-straight losses plunging the side to the bottom of the table at the time of his dismissal.
Di Francesco becomes the seventh managerial casualty in Serie A this season, following Roberto Donadoni, Massimo Ficcadenti, Gian Piero Gasperini, Pierpaolo Bisoli, Marco Giampaolo and Sinisa Mihajlovic.
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