Robbie Blake appears to have played his last game for Burnley after turning down the offer of a new contract to remain at Turf Moor.
Blake, 34, rejected a new one-year deal with the option for a further 12 months following talks with Clarets boss Brian Laws on Wednesday.
The forward has made more than 250 appearances during two spells at Turf Moor but now looks set to leave on a free transfer.
"Obviously I am disappointed that Robbie has turned down what we consider to be a very reasonable deal for a 34-year old," Laws told the club's official website.
"The offer is a 12-month deal with a further one-year option, but Robbie wanted two years and we just couldn't go down that road.
"We included the extended deal should Robbie play 20 games next season and I feel a fit Robbie would have easily achieved that.
"So naturally I am disappointed, but I would like to thank Robbie for all his magnificent service for the club.
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"I know he is a firm fans' favourite and he is rightly considered a legend here, who will never be forgotten.
"But I have told Robbie and his agent that we have left the door open and if he has a change of mind I would be more than happy to talk."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Palermo president Maurizio Zamparini has claimed that Tottenham Hotspur have launched a massive double bid to sign Denmark defender Simon Kjaer and Uruguay forward Edinson Cavani.
Twenty-one-year-old centre-back Kjaer was part of the Danish squad that failed to reach the knockout stages at the World Cup finals at South Africa.
He has also been linked with a number of top clubs across Europe, having denied rumours of a move to Bayern Munich in recent times.
Cavani, 23, is on the wanted list of German club Wolfsburg, but Spurs may be about to win the race for both players.
Zamparini told the Italian press:"The interest from Tottenham in Kjaer and Cavani is real.
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"Negotiations are ongoing, but the full price to sell both players will be around 35million euros. If the deal they guarantee us is satisfying, then we will accept."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Real Madrid midfielder Rafael Van Der Vaart has stated his desire for a move to the Premiership to secure first-team football, and it would appear Liverpool and Chelsea are at the front of the queue, but for the Merseyside club at least, a move for the Dutchman should remain low down on a list of priorities.
The ever-changing state of the future of star striker Fernando Torres remains the most pressing of issues, and should the striker depart, which sadly looks increasingly likely going off of what new manager Roy Hodgson came out and stated today, that the player is unsettled, going onto add that “his issues are with what has gone on in the past rather than the future. If he has problems with the club for things in the past, it is difficult for me to dismiss that” then replacing him is the main worry.
Of course, replacing a player of this magnitude will be difficult to say the least, but perhaps a lack of viable escape routes will keep him at Anfield for one more season at the very least. Some quotes from the player himself in late April this year seem to have been swept all rather too conveniently under the rug with regards to ongoing transfer rumours linking him with a move to another Premiership club.
Torres argued that “The Premier League is such a tough competition and I have always admired this championship and the players who are here. This is my third season and I’m still amazed to see Gerrard, Rooney and Lampard, players who have been here a long time, still playing at such a high level and with such impressive rhythm because the English league really wears down a player. I just can’t imagine what state I’ll be in within five or six years if I continue to play here – it could easily give me problems when I stop playing. The physical level is superior to all other countries.”
Well this would seem to rule out the two main players for his signature, Man City and Chelsea, for what would be the point in committing yourself to a new club in a league that you’ve openly described as being responsible for all of your injury troubles? A move to either of the aforementioned clubs would only be a short-term switch; such is Torres’s fear over the physical demands of the league, as highlighted by his decreased lack of playing time year on year, a move back to his native Spain remains his preferred choice.
It’s my contention at least, that Torres will stay one more season at Liverpool, until Barcelona can afford him, for that is his only viable alternative out of England, and most probably one that he would relish. His prior links with Atletico and his deep affection for his boyhood club should surely rule out any potential switch to Real.
Javier Mascherano looks set to leave the club this summer, with the only sticking point being the fee. He’s openly stated his desire to follow Benitez to his new club Inter Milan, he’s praised the club, described any potential move to the Serie A giants as ‘a dream’ and stated that he’s learning Italian, coupled with the fact that his wife has failed to settle, and a departure looks all but secure, so replacing the scrappy Argentine is of paramount importance also.
With Fabio Aurelio having left the club, a solid player whose potential was always blighted by the restrictions of his time on the treatment table and Emiliano Insua having been sold to Fiorentina, a left back is also important with the club lacking a recognised first choice player in that position.
Van Der Vaart plays best in the hole behind the front man, and can go missing in a four man midfield, lacking the physical gifts to present him with the platform to show off his technical abilities in certain games. The Bundesliga and Eredvisie are both quick tempo leagues, so the pace would not be a problem, but the physical nature which Torres attests to might.
With the arrival of Joe Cole, a player who looks to have moved to the North West, not only as the cynics will point to, for a bumper pay packet, but because of a guaranteed first-team slot, something he wasn’t guaranteed at Spurs, Van Der Vaart would have strong competition for a starting berth.Hodgson may have given Cole some firm reassurances that he’ll allow him to play in a more central role, something which would make sense given that he’s lost what yard of pace he once possessed.
Alberto Aquilani, a player who was rather ignorantly labelled as a like-for-like replacement for Xabi Alonso last season, despite the fact that he operates a full 15-20 yards further forward is also looking to prove himself after a stop start campaign last term, but when fit and even rarer, started, the Italian looked a lively and exceptional talent. This is not to even mention club Captain Steven Gerrard, whose dynamic partnership just behind Torres can be as destructive as anything else seen in world football when at its best.
Van Der Vaart stated that “I have heard of the interest from Liverpool and Chelsea – and that is very flattering. I expect the majority of transfers to be concluded in the next two weeks, and if Chelsea or Liverpool wanted to talk with me I would at the very least listen to what they have to say. They are both giants, and if they could offer first-team football it may prove impossible to turn down.”
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But while it’s nice to be linked with this sort of calibre of player still, Liverpool fans will probably realise that strengthening down the flanks and the issues of replacements for both Torres or Mascherano should they depart are much more salient issues.
There is also no guarantee that Hodgson is going to be given the majority of money recouped from the sales of any player this summer to spend on replacements, so signing the inventive Dutchman would most definitely show a lack of foresight and leave the squad lacking serious depth in certain areas. With Benayoun and Riera sold, it’s clear that a winger needs to be added to the squad too, as well as forward cover for Torres, a role that Ngog and Kuyt performed ably at times last campaign, yet neither of them can be relied upon to consistently provide the side with goals.
It’s unclear what the formation will be going into the new season, but Hodgson has a reputation for picking players in their best and most favoured positions, a novel idea given the Benitez era, but to sign Van Der Vaart, an area where the club is extremely well stocked, although undoubtedly a good acquisition, would make little sense in the grand scheme of things.
Van Der Vaart has been derided throughout his playing career for being a luxury player, a view that I’d reject, but perhaps in such pressing times as these, he represents a luxury Liverpool could do without.
Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed that he has been offered the opportunity to manage England twice in the past but rejected the chance on both occasions.
It is believed that Ferguson was considered as a replacement for Terry Venables in 1996 and was handed the chance to succeed Glenn Hoddle three years later.
Ferguson, speaking as his side prepared to begin their North American tour, said:"I was offered the chance to manage the England team on a couple of occasions but, of course, it was just out of the question.
"It's a poisoned chalice anyway. I think it's a terrible job, plus the fact that I would have had a tremendous handicap being Scottish. No matter which way you look it, that's important."
Meanwhile, the veteran Scot has reiterated his belief that England's dreadful displays during this summer's World Cup in South Africa were down to tiredness.
He added:"The English season is exhausting. Look at December, for instance, when we play eight or nine games even though it's the worst time of the year for the pitches, when they are heavier and the weather is at its worst.
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"In the second half of the season, you then find lots of players are carrying little strains and pulls. But because of the importance of the games they keep on playing and, when they get to the end of the season and there's an important tournament such as the World Cup, they are not 100 per cent.
"They can't be because they need that rest factor to bring the energy back into their system."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
To say the transfer window (so far) has been uneventful is tantamount to saying the Arctic is a bit nippy, as the majority of Premier League clubs are seemingly being careful with their finances. In some cases clubs simply have to sell before they can buy, much to the frustrations, no doubt, of many managers and supporters.
The lack of spending at the top of the Premier League has surprised many, especially given the open nature of last season’s title race. You would have thought the likes of United and Chelsea would have looked at a big outlay this summer, to ensure the also-rans remain at an arm’s length in their pursuits of the title. Only City have made substantial moves this summer, although you do feel that they may well struggle to strike a balance. This means this season’s race for the title, Champions League and Europa League places are very much as they were last year, unless we witness a major change in the transfer wind in the coming fortnight.
The media is predicting that a transfer storm is set to erupt, but it begs the question as to whether Arsenal really need to partake in some last minute shopping.
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Does Wenger need to bring any players in before the transfer window shuts in 4 days time and if so who would you like to see him bring in to the Emirates?
We Brits are obsessed with football. We live, breathe and sleep the beautiful game. Whether we travel across the country to see our team play home and away, make sure we have prime position in the pub to catch the game on the telly or have plonked our chair in front of a big screen to catch all the Premier League games in our living room, it’s a cardinal sin to miss a minute of action. Few of us are as big a football fan as Morris Keston, though, who is a friend to many a football star from the past and can truly be classed as a Superfan!
Morris Keston is arguably Tottenham Hotspur’s number one fan. He’s been going to watch Spurs at White Hart Lane since World War II, when he was lucky not to hit by German Luftwaffe’s bombs and even more fortunate not to become an Arsenal supporter! In the last 67 years Keston has incredibly seen close to 5,000 football matches and has become friends with some of the game’s greats. Bobby Moore and Geoff Hurst are just two he rubbed shoulders with when players were much more accessible to the public, but he came to know people outside of the world of football too, and it is these stories and anecdotes that form the basis of the book.
From the start of the book it soon becomes clear how highly regarded Morris is in British football. A foreword by former Tottenham and England Manager Terry Venables is followed by a tribute from Liverpool legend Graeme Souness who remembers the advice given to him by ‘Mr Spurs’. As a friend to the stars, the book is jam-packed with interesting stories about how Keston came to befriend Frank Sinatra, Muhammad Ali and a whole host of other stars from around the world, but it is his tales of meeting football’s biggest names that will be the most fascinating for fans of the beautiful game.
Morris often found himself on the team bus when Tottenham travelled to matches, sitting next to the Spurs legends of the day. When the 1966 World Cup came round Bobby Moore and Jimmy Greaves were even popping in for a cup of tea. Just imagine Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard coming round to yours these days! Keston even came close to becoming Tottenham Chairman in 1993, and with the help of Nick Hawkins, Morris has managed to pen all these amazing anecdotes in one book. With many stories of Keston meeting Tottenham, England and global superstars, you can get an insight into what it’s like to be a true Superfan!
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For a chance to get your hands on a copy of Superfan enter our Caption Competition now!
Tottenham Hotspur pulled off the most spectacular deal of the summer on transfer deadline day with the signing of Holland superstar Rafael van der Vaart from La Liga giants Real Madrid for £8m.
Spurs chairman Daniel Levy was informed of the Dutchman’s availability just two hours before the transfer window closed and worked frantically in a race against time to pull off the sensational deal. The Van der Vaart signing was however, unplanned, and the 27-year-old did not originally feature in manager Harry Redknapp’s blueprint for the future of Tottenham Hotspur.
Redknapp, of course, guided Spurs to Champions League qualification last season, a feat he ranks amongst his greatest achievements in 27 years of football management. Big money signings were expected at White Hart Lane this summer, as the club looked to build on last season’s progress. Instead Redknapp kept hitting a brick wall in his attempts to land his top targets. It reached a stage where the 63-year-old went on record suggesting new signings were needed, urging his chairman to deliver the big name players craved by the club’s supporters.
“This is a chance Tottenham really shouldn’t waste because we have got ourselves in a position, the best position since the Premier League started, and we have to build on that,” warned the former Portsmouth boss.
Spurs fans were also voicing their dissatisfaction and concerns over the club’s lack of spending. A quick glance at the Tottenham page on the BBC Sport 606 Forum as the transfer window drew to a close painted a picture of doom and gloom over the club’s summer transfer dealings. One post entitled ‘Standing still while others improve’ claimed Levy had not backed Redknapp in the transfer market, while another supporter wrote: ‘I just really hope Redknapp hasn’t missed the chance to take us to the next level.’
Redknapp watched on in dismay as moves for Sevilla’s Luis Fabiano and English duo Joe Cole and Scott Parker collapsed. Signing a striker was clearly a priority for Redknapp, as oppose to another attacking midfielder where Spurs have overwhelming options to choose from. Yet at a reasonable price, the playmaker remains a first-class signing who can make a huge difference.
Spurs did also manage to capture the experienced William Gallas from Arsenal on a free transfer for additional defensive cover and the highly-rated Brazilian youngster Sandro. Both players should prove to be sound additions to Redknapp’s squad. The manager was also able to keep all of his squad together and Spurs will benefit from this continuity and consistency this season. Fans should also be satisfied that after missing out on deals for a number of top targets that Redknapp did not simply sign sub-standard players to make up the numbers. Although it is always wise to have a Plan B.
Tottenham certainly haven’t been shy in terms of splashing the cash in recent seasons. The club hit the headlines last summer after figures revealed they had outspent the top four sides in the country over an 18 month period from January 2008, with an astounding £150m spree. The likes of Wilson Palacios, Peter Crouch, Sebastien Bassong and Niko Kranjcar were all brought in to reaffirm the club’s reputation for having vast strength in depth at their disposal.
In strikers Crouch, Robbie Keane, Roman Pavlyuchenko and Jermain Defoe they have one of the most potent attacking quartets in the Premier League. Luka Modric, Kranjcar and VDV have enough skill and ability to cause havoc and there are plenty of other alternatives including David Bentley and Aaron Lennon for the manager to call upon. Redknapp also has enough pedigree in defence to have confidence in his side’s capabilities at the back. Youngsters Danny Rose, John Bostock and Dean Parrett also point to a promising future.
The arrival of Van der Vaart was certainly a bonus for Spurs this summer and, despite concerns, Tottenham have a squad more than capable of challenging for the top honours. Redknapp and the club showed intelligence and diligence in the transfer market this summer and still managed to add three top quality players who could make the difference this season. Maybe other clubs should take note.
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Are you happy with Tottenham’s summer signings? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.
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Manchester City’s relentless pursuit of star names did not abate in the last transfer window. Roberto Mancini’s first summer transfer splurge totalled an estimated outlay of £120 million. Their transfer dealings may have been scoffed at by some but they have been cited as title contenders by old foe Gary Neville. Their latest acquisition though is a departure from their expected stance. Earlier this month reports circulated that the club had signed former Barcelona midfielder Gai Assulin on a free transfer. A new contract at the Camp Nou could not be agreed but a knee injury had scuppered a speedy summer switch to the Premier League. Mancini is purportedly satisfied with his fitness and an official announcement of his capture is imminent. As an attacking wide player sporting a shock of dark long hair he has been dubbed the ‘new Lionel Messi.’ The more pertinent question for City fans is whether this ex-Barcelona player will be more of a Cesc Fabregas than a Giovani Dos Santos.
The Israeli international spent seven years in the Catalan capital, progressing through the club’s youth and reserve sides. The player who had previously been of the books of Hapoel Haifa has earned Spanish citizenship, thereby negating the need for a work permit before coming to England. The 19-year old footballer’s contract expired this summer and his renowned agent Pini Zahavi commented, “the decision not to renew Gai’s contract was mutually taken by us and the club.” His progression had been curtailed by injury and accordingly the promising youngster never featured in a league or European match for the senior team.
However the midfielder, who previously had a £34 million release clause in his contract, appeared a natural candidate for promotion to the senior ranks. Assulin had periodically glistened in the 2007/08 season when FC Barcelona B won the Segunda División B. An inexperienced Josep Guardiola masterminded this triumph and the Israeli was a player expected to join him on the bigger stage. Yet in Guardiola’s inaugural season as first team manager Assulin was unavailable for the entire campaign after sustaining knee ligament damage. He returned to fitness last summer and made an appearance in a pre-season friendly against Tottenham at Wembley Stadium.
His stock had waned particularly when compared to fellow young prospects such as Pedro. He too had featured in that table topping youth side but is now a Spanish League, Spanish Cup, Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup and World Cup winning player. Assulin’s appearance and skills had invited comparisons with the team’s mercurial Argentinean superstar but having played alongside Pedro, he must have been cursing his luck. He was due to have a trial at Blackburn Rovers last month but failed to attend, wanting to hold out for a more ambitious team. He found that club in the same region.
Whether or not his grand label is befitting of his talents, what can the Eastlands crowd expect of this attack minded midfielder? The ambidextrous Assulin can play across the midfield and forward lines. Blessed with a natural skilfulness and pace, the young starlet’s Youtube highlights convey that he is adept at taking on defenders with an impressive close control. His formative development has been hampered by injury which arguably points to an adaptation period in City’s reserves before any first team chances arise. Assulin’s arrival has coincided with the club’s conciliatory reaction to UEFA’s financial fair play initiative. Assembling the best, young emerging talent at minimal cost could be a sign of things to come.
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After compiling the ‘worst Tottenham XI of my time’ last week, I decided it was only right to put together my best XI of the last twenty years I have been watching my beloved Spurs.
Now this isn’t quite as easy as it sounds but I have managed to put together a team who I think would definitely be title contenders. Now remember it is only from the last twenty years so before many of you write in disgusted at the omission of Glenn Hoddle, he left the club in 1987.
Is there any glaring omissions? Feel free to add them in the comments below
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Click on Jurgen Klinsmann below to see the greatest Tottenham XI I can remember seeing
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So there you have it my best Spurs XI of the last twenty years and I think that team would be amazing to watch. If we think our team at the moment are free scoring, imagine how many this team would get. The talent in that midfield and attack would frighten the life out of any team they lined up against.
Click here to see my Worst Spurs XI in recent memory
Experienced Stoke City defender Danny Higginbotham has signed a 12-month contract extension with the club.
The 31-year-old former Manchester United and Sunderland player will now remain at the Britannia Stadium until the end of the 2012-13 campaign.
"We wanted to cement Danny's future with the club because he is such a good professional and it is important we look after certain players who started all this off," Potters boss Tony Pulis told the club's official website.
"I've got a lot of time for Danny because he is one who falls into that category. He may not be in the side on a regular basis at the moment, but he still has a crucial role to play, as do a number of other players in a similar situation.
"The fabric of a club is made up of the whole cloth, not bits and pieces, so we are delighted Danny will remain a part of that."
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Higginbotham has scored 11 goals in 112 appearances for Stoke since making his debut for the club in August 2006.Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email