Manchester City ruthless in purging rejects

As the new recruits begin to show their undoubted talent at Manchester City, the club is slowly but surely rooting out, and removing, all the players who are considered expendable.

Despite being one of City’s players of the year in recent times, Stephen Ireland has been sent to Aston Villa. It is a prime example of the ruthlessness that is becoming part of the Manchester City cleanout, with players who are anything less than world class being shipped out. After all, high ambition requires a high quality of player, particularly if City are to realise the dreams of their owner and shorten for silverware in the football betting.

With Benjani the latest to exit the revolving door at Eastlands, one thing that has been notable in the departure of these players is the limited amount of money that City have managed to recoup from their transfer dealings.

With players such as Benjani signing for relatively hefty fees, their departures for nothing (or in the case of Stephen Ireland, as part of a deal to bring another player to the club), City could fall foul of UEFA’s new financial rules.

Should the club fail to secure better rates for departing players, even if they are forced to sell them to clubs which may be rivals for the positions City aim to occupy, the Eastlands outfit may find itself winning the Premier League but crashing out of Europe on a technicality.

With deals like the loan departure of Craig Bellamy likely to be ones that are pushed through at great cost to the club, and with limited interest for the majority of highly paid players at City, the club is aware that it will need to have a serious rethink of its outgoing transfer policy in future transfer windows. If they don’t, the football odds which suggest they could win silverware in the future will be seen as somewhat premature.

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Redknapp confident of Champions League success

After coming through the tie with Young Boys last night, Tottenham can now look ahead to competing in the Champions League for the first time.

A Peter Crouch hat-trick helped Spurs to a 4-0 victory against the Swiss side, meaning they won the tie 6-3 on aggregate. There will now be at least three more European nights at White Hart Lane this season and this is exciting for everyone concerned.

Just how competitive can Spurs do in the ultimate club competition though? Well, Harry Redknapp believes that his side will be a match for anybody they come up against.

The Tottenham boss said: "We'll take on anybody now. We'll give anyone a good game here. We are a good side with good players and it will be a great experience for us."

The former Portsmouth man is certainly right about one thing. Not many teams will enjoy coming to White Hart Lane on a European night. The place will be rocking and you would back Spurs to beat almost anyone if they are on form.
The problem might come on the road. They showed they are vulnerable on the road against Young Boys last week and you have to question how many points they could pick up away from home. You can follow their campaign with Bets Player.

Redknapp isn't worrying about this at the moment though and he will always back his team to succeed. They have, after all, got an excellent squad full of extremely talented players.

The draw for the group stages of the Champions League takes place later today, so perhaps more assessment on Spurs chances can be made then.

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Sevilla lose Squillaci

Sevilla have sold their French defender Sebastien Squillaci to Arsenal for a fee of around £6million. The fee is the same amount that Sevilla paid Lyon two years ago for him.

After spending eight years with Monaco, in a spell which included over 100 games, Squillaci moved to Lyon. In his two years at Lyon, Squillaci won two Ligue 1 titles, playing over 50 games during that time, before moving to Southern Spain. His last season in Spain was interrupted by injury, with the 30 year old only starting 14 games in the league as his side finished fourth in La Liga.

Arsenal have signed a consistently quality defender who has made over 20 appearances for France in his career so far. However, he has been unlucky to have been around at the same time as a number of quality French defenders. While he has been around the French squad since making his debut in 2004, Squillaci has never managed to cement a place in the first 11.

Sevilla are reportedly looking at Argentinean centre back Martin Demichelis as a replacement for Squillaci. Bayern Munich could be willing to sell Demichelis after the experienced defender had a bust up with his coach Louis Van Gaal.

If Sevilla are to improve on their fourth-placed finish last term – and to be amongst the sides with favourite odds to win La Liga – then they will need to make a new signing. However, crashing out of the Champions League qualifying stages 5-3 against Braga in midweek has made this significantly harder.

Meanwhile, Bayern made a perfect start to their defence of the Bundesliga title on Friday by beating Steve McClaren’s Wolfsburg 2-1. They are one of eight teams to have taken a maximum three points from the opening weekend’s fixtures. Check out the latest Bundesliga betting prices to see if Bayern are tipped to continue this form.

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City show they are the real deal

It may only be the second week of the season but the clash between Manchester City and Liverpool told us a lot about where the two clubs are at.

City's meteoric rise from mid-table battlers to genuine title contenders has coincided with Liverpool's decline and the clash at Eastlands looked every bit like a matchup between two sides going in opposite directions.

City looked slick, exciting and inventive, while Liverpool looked sluggish and lacking in ideas. The online football betting suggests the Merseysiders could struggle this year.

It may not have been too difficult considering the money he has had available but Roberto Mancini has assembled an exciting front line of Adam Johnson, Carlos Tevez and James Milner, all of whom can play with either foot and so bamboozle defenders with their movement.

Behind them the defensive wall of Nigel De Jong, Gareth Barry and Yaya Toure is a formidable looking wall and one that will ensure clean sheets a plenty for Joe Hart this year.

Liverpool, meanwhile, continued their stuttering form from last season. Too reliant on Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres, who were successfully harried out of the game, as well as missing the suspended Joe Cole, they lacked ideas and never really looked like getting back into the game once City took the lead. The Premier League title odds now suggest they are in with a real chance of glory.

With a week to go before the transfer window closes Reds boss Roy Hodgson needs to find some creativity from somewhere to ease the burden on his star pair, with the expected departure of Javier Mascherano set to fund any move.
City have no such problems, with both first choice full backs unavailable, the like of Shay Given, Emmanuel Adebayor and David Silva on the bench and Mario Boletelli unavailable, they still strolled to victory - Mancini has a wealth of riches to choose from.

In fact things are so good owner Sheikh Mansour even turned up for his first City game. If their performance in this game is anything to go by it won't be long before he returns.

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Promoted side face battle to stay up

The three teams promoted from Serie B will all find this season a struggle in Italy’s top flight according to the latest Serie A odds. Brescia, Cesena and Lecce will be up against it if they are to survive this season. All three teams looked good last season in gaining promotion, Lecce finishing top ahead of Cesena in second, with third place Brescia winning the play-offs.

Lecce are the classic yo-yo team, they suffered relegation two seasons ago only to bounce straight back up. Experienced manager Luigi De Canio had a brief spell in England with QPR before returning to Italy to take the Lecce job. Di Canio is renowned for getting the best out of his players and has recruited a number of promising youngsters. Davide Brivio, Simone Sini, and Giulio Donat have all joined on season long loans. Lecce have also managed to sign 24 year old Norwegian defender Tore Reginiussen from Schalke on loan. The clubs biggest signing has been that of ex Juventus midfielder Ruben Olivera, the Uruguayan has joined on a three year deal from Penarol.

Cesena were last year’s surprise package, returning to Serie A after a 20 year absence. Although favourites to go straight back down again, they shouldn’t be written off just yet. They have some promising young players like Ezequiel Schelotto and Dominique Malonga mixed with experienced players like Francesco Antonioli, Stephen Appiah, and Giuseppe Colucci. The appointment of inexperienced manager Massimo Ficcadenti is a risk however.

Online Betting suggests that Brescia could be the team to really struggle this season. The club have been very quiet in the transfer market bringing in only one new face, that of experienced keeper Matteo Sereni. Coach Giuseppe Iachini has a squad who have many who were in the Brescia squad when the club were relegated five years ago.

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Hughes is a good fit for Fulham

He may not have been first choice but the appointment of Mark Hughes as Fulham manager is a fantastic move by the London club.

Sven Goran Eriksson and Martin Jol were first considered for the role - with the latter formally approached and offered a deal.

But when that move collapsed Hughes seemed the natural choice - especially as he worked with Fulham chief executive Alastair Mackintosh at Manchester City.
His budget will be considerably smaller at Craven Cottage than at Eastlands but that could actually work in his favour.

I believe the takeover at City worked against Hughes as he struggled to deal with the increased expectations - the online odds never suggested he would break the top four, but that's what his bosses seemed to think would happen. He was also an uneasy fit with the owners, who you always felt preferred a glamorous continental manager rather than the Welsh grit offered by Sparky.

There will be no such pressure at Fulham, with chairman Mohammed Al-Fayed backing his man 100 per cent.

On the pitch you can argue that Hughes is in a bit of a no-win situation, joining a club that has just enjoyed two of its best ever seasons - finishing seventh and then reaching the Europa League final - and many would argue the only way is down. The Premier League football odds certainly suggest that is the case.

But luckily for the Cottagers the nucleus of their side remains intact and with a few shrewd additions there is no reason why they can't break the top ten again and maybe even set up another European adventure for the following season.

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Becchio takes centre stage

Since signing for Leeds two years ago, Luciano Becchio has played second fiddle to Jermaine Beckford for much of the time. With Beckford now at Everton, Becchio is now his team’s number one striker going into the new season. Early signs look good for the Argentinean. He has just scored four goals in two pre-season games. He followed up his double against Hartlepool with another brace against Norwegian side SK Brann.

Becchio has been a hit with the Elland Road faithful, since signing from Spanish side Merida. In his first two seasons in English football, Becchio has scored 37 goals. His scoring record along with his tireless work-rate has made the former Boca Juniors player has become a cult hero in Yorkshire. After being used as more of a supporting striker in League One, Simon Grayson is looking for Becchio to become more of an out and out goal scorer in the Champioship. Leeds are still looking to bring another forward in before the season starts.

The club have already added Billy Paynter to their playing staff. The former Swindon striker scored 26 goals in League One last season and will be a useful addition to the squad as they look to prove themselves as one of the favourites to win the championship.

Leeds are weighing up some possible loan signings from the Premiership. Aston Villa’s young forward Nathan Delfouneso has been mentioned as a possible Beckford replacement.

If Leeds make a couple more signings before the season starts, then they will be confident of challenging for promotion this season. Along with a new striker, Grayson should be looking at another centre back and a holding midfielder. The club has almost everything needed to be a top Premier League club. Grayson will be hoping to put the finishing touches this season so that come the next campaign, they are one.

They will want to take it a game at a time though and will aim to take three points from their opening game against Derby County. Then, most will be placing a Carling cup bet on them to defeat Lincoln City in their first round tie.

Beyond that, who knows what the season will bring.

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Wolves striker aims to his prove worth

Sylvan Ebanks-Blake has been challenged by his manager Mick McCarthy to prove he can cut it in the Premier League.

The striker scored 25 league goals in the 2008/09 season as Wolves gained promotion, but he failed to carry that form into last season's campaign.
He only scored only twice in the Premier League as Wolves finished 15th.
It was expected Ebanks-Blake would be sold this summer, with rumours linking him with a move back down to the Championship where he has a prolific record.

But, although Premier League new boys Blackpool are apparently considering a move for the striker, it looks as though McCarthy will give him another chance. However, it's unlikely those who bet Premier League money will back him to be top scorer.

Ebanks-Blake through the Manchester United youth set-up but failed to break into the first team at Old Trafford and was transferred to Plymouth.
At Home Park he scored 23 goals in his 66 appearances and that form prompted Wolves to trigger a buy-out clause in the player's contract with £1.5million bid.

In his first season at Molineux, Ebanks-Blake scored 23 goals to win the Championship Golden Boot. He retained that award the following season with his 25 goals to help Wolves secure promotion.

It may be that the 24-year-old is one of those players who just aren't good enough to cut it in the top flight. There are no doubt those who bet Championship football is about his level. Other players, Jason Scotland, Michael Chopra and David Nugent to name but three, have had the same problem. Still, Wolves will be hoping he rediscovers his scoring form this year as they look to improve on last season.

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League Two player to watch

Picking a League Two player to watch might mean picking a player involved in Championship or League One betting for the moment. Due to their often perilous financial situation clubs in the bottom tier of the league system are vulnerable to raids for their best players from bigger clubs, so the star men who start the season could soon find themselves in higher divisions.

This is particularly true for clubs whose top players showed their worth last season. One such hot transfer target is Rotherham United’s Adam le Fondre, who plundered 27 league goals for a team that missed out in the play-offs.

League Two betting pundits note that the Millers are unlikely to hang onto their hottest property for long, as le Fondre is rumoured to have a clause in his contract that permits him to speak with clubs who bid for him from a higher division. Leicester City and Derby County are rumoured to be interested, so spectators at the Don Valley stadium should enjoy their star man while they can.

A prolific scorer for Stockport County and Rochdale, le Fondre has taken his marksmanship to new levels at Rotherham. He is an electric presence in the box, regularly pouncing on half-chances thanks to his speed and agility.

Le Fondre is more than just a poacher, as he has the skill and creative eye that marks him out from other useful lower league strikers. His ability to create a yard of space for himself and others suggests he can prosper in higher divisions and the inevitable quick start to the season – he scored on his league debut for each of his three clubs – means bids for him will soon start rolling in.

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Manchester City's squad is fit to burst

Like a relentless monster always hunting for its latest feed, no sooner had Man City completed one multi-million pound deal they turned their attentions to another this week.

Aleksandar Kolarov completed a £17 million move from Lazio as the club's spending passed the £80 million mark this summer alone following the arrivals of Yaya Toure, David Silva and Jerome Boateng. Now there is talk of a huge £70 million offer for Fernando Torres, a £24 million deal for James Milner and a £26 million bid for Mario Balotelli.

Kolarov's arrival already brings Roberto Mancini's squad to a rather bloated 36. But new Premier League rulings coming in this season will force managers to name a squad of just 25.

You don't have to be a mathematician to work out that this will be a problem for Man City. Players such as Stephen Ireland, Micah Richards, Nedum Onuha and Michael Johnson, the jewels of the club's blossoming youth academy just a few years ago, have been sidelined by City's expensive imports and are already being nudged towards the exit door.

Now, with Mancini looking to lift the club up another level this year, players like Craig Bellamy and Joleon Lescott - big money buys last season - may be sacrificed in City's relentless quest for improvement. The Premier League betting odds suggest City will do well this season, but some at Eastlands will be frozen out.

Of course, the Europa League betting makes the side among the favourites for that tournament, and it could be Mancini uses it as an opportunity to give others a run out, although that's still unlikely to keep everyone happy.

However, getting rid of some of these players will be harder than perhaps thought, with the main reason being their extortionate wages. Bellamy is currently on £90,000 a week for example while Lescott takes home in excess of £100,000.

These players will not be willing to take a drop in pay just to play a bit more football, and if they think other clubs should pay them a similar amount they clearly haven't been watching the news for the past two years.

In these tough times, the burst Premier League bubble has forced clubs to take stock and make cutbacks. A modicum of normality is returning into transfer dealings, expect of course at City where all sense of financial reality will be thrown out of the window.

Of course, the cost of keeping players on the wage bill who aren't in the squad won't be an issue for the club's owners, but the corrosive effect of having unhappy players in the camp could harm City.

Mancini will need to do some serious juggling if he is to keep the egos happy in his expensively assembled dressing room and fulfil Sheikh Mansour's ambitions for silverware.

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O'Neill speaks highly of McGeady

Martin O'Neill had an extremely successful spell as manager of Celtic and clearly still holds the club very close to his heart. At the moment, there is one player at the club he is particularly fond of - Aiden McGeady.

The Aston Villa boss - who is preparing to sell James Milner this summer - has revealed his admiration for the Celtic midfielder. He believes that McGeady "has the ability to play in the Premier League".

O'Neill refused to comment on whether this would be at Villa Park, but he did say he is "trying to recruit some players" before the season commences.

It isn't just McGeady that Aston Villa are being linked with though. His fellow Republic of Ireland internationals Robbie Keane and Stephen Ireland have also been mentioned as potential signings.

However, O'Neill isn't fazed by these rumours saying that he expects such reports "because we are a top quality Premier League side".

As for McGeady, there is probably more to this transfer story than most. Not only has O'Neill admitted that he rates the player highly, but Celtic manager Neil Lennon has admitted that he expects the midfielder to move on from the Scottish Premier League.

Lennon - who is attempting to build a squad capable of challenging Rangers this season - said the player has intimated he is ready to move on from the Bhoys. You can track the progress of any deal with Bets Player.

At the moment, Aston Villa would be considered as the front runner for his signature, but with O'Neill admitting that the club have to "sell to buy", it could be some time before a deal is confirmed.

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Hodgson determined to keep hold of duo

Roy Hodgson has a number of challenges ahead of him during his time at Liverpool manager. The first of them is possibly the most important though.

The new Liverpool boss must do everything in his power to keep hold of Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres. Not only are they the two best players at the club, but should either of them depart Anfield, the fans would be devastated about the direction in which the club is heading.

So, where does Hodgson stand on the future of these two?

Not for sale. That is the overwhelming message from the former Fulham boss when asked about the possibility of either of them moving on.

Hodgson has reportedly held talks which each player in recent days and said "Steven Gerrard is not for sale", something which has been made clear to the man in question.

As for Torres, Hodgson stated that the club "don't welcome any offers" for the Spaniard because everybody involved at the club "wants to keep him".
The 62-year-old then revealed more about his brief chat with Torres. He said that "as far as we are concerned, he is a Liverpool player" and this remains to be the case. In what will be music to Liverpool fans, Hodgson added he is "looking forward to working with him".

As things stand, it is clear Hodgson is determined to hold on to Gerrard and Torres. He will be aware of how important they are to him being successful at the club.

There have been many rumours regarding players leaving Anfield, but Hodgson has quashed these by saying that he will stick to the policy "that we don't want to sell our best players and have to start building again".

Liverpool fans will rest slightly easier when they hear the names they want to in the team for the opening game at home to Arsenal. A lot can happen between now and then and despite Hodgson's positive comments, it could still be a very interesting summer on Merseyside.

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Premier League relegation beckons for new boys and old hands

The old cliche has it that it's tough at the top, but I imagine Blackpool fans will be claiming it's even tougher at the bottom come the end of next season.

Ian Holloway's men defied the football odds last term and, after a fantastic play-off win, secured their spot in the Premier League. However, unless The Seasiders are capable of working miracles, it seems highly likely their stay will be a short one.

Let's not be under any illusions just how short on resources the club are - they've had to switch their first game of the season to an away match to ensure Bloomfield Road is up to Premier League standards by the time it plays host a top flight side for the first time in 39 years.

So if the Seasiders look destined to sink without trace, then who should those placing online football bets expect to be slipping down to the Championship with them?

Well, if previous seasons are anything to go by it could be any two of about ten teams. The quality at the bottom of the Premier League has dropped off so dramatically in recent years that just 31 points would have been enough for a side to survive.

The usual candidates will be knocking around and the likes of West Ham, Wigan, Wolves, Bolton, Newcastle and West Brom will all be glancing over their shoulders at some point.

If Sunderland can avoid a repeat of last term's mid-season slump they should avoid being caught up in the mix again, but there's no guarantee they will be safe.

Even Fulham could be in danger. Their end of season form was terrible and although this was because the side were focusing on the Europa Cup, they have since lost talismanic manager Roy Hodgson and they are likely to struggle without him.

Whatever happens, it will be tight down the bottom and even Blackpool are unlikely to be cut adrift. A tense season awaits many fans.

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Norwich snap up Simeon

After another impressive season, Simeon Jackson has been signed by Norwich before the start of the new Championship season.

The striker, who scored 35 goals in two seasons at Gillingham, has signed a two year contract with the newly promoted Canaries.

The striker has a prolific record in the lower leagues. He scored 48 goals in 89 games for Rushden and Diamonds in League Two. That record caught Gillingham’s eye and he carried on that form into League One. Norwich manager Paul Lambert has now given Jackson the chance to prove he can perform at the Championship level.

Lambert will have bought Jackson with one eye on the future. At 23, Jackson is still learning his craft. Norwich weren’t short of goals last season, as they clinched the League One title. Grant Holt and Chris Martin scored 41 league goals between them but Lambert will need strength in depth if Norwich are to compete this year.

Championship betting suggests that as many as fifteen teams will be backing themselves to finish in the top six this season. Norwich will come into the campaign full of confidence after storming to the title last year. Despite a little wobble towards the end, Norwich were the best team in the league over the season. That was shown by their nine point lead over second place Leeds. All that after a 7-1 opening day defeat leading to Bryan Gunn being sacked.

With Holt, Martin, Wes Hoolahan and now Simeon Jackson, Norwich will have enough attacking threat to compete in this season’s Championship and possibly have an impact on Carling Cup betting in the early rounds too.

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Mexican international defender Efrain Juarez off to Scotland to join Celtic FC

SPL giant Celtic added Mexican right-back Efrain Juarez from UNAM Pumas after the defender enjoyed a strong 2010 World Cup for Mexico. The 22-year-old made three appearances for El Tri in South Africa.

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