Football news, match reports and fixtures | theguardian.com

Branislav Ivanovic reminded of Arjen Robben by Chelsea's Mohamed Salah
John Guidetti angry at lack of action with Stoke City after loan move
Eden Hazard pleased with his progress under José Mourinho at Chelsea
Liverpool's Brendan Rodgers regrets Chelsea's capture of Mohamed Salah
David Moyes hopes Juan Mata can inspire a Manchester United revival | Daniel Taylor
Steven Gerrard out to avoid the lingering pain of losing to Everton
Roberto Martínez: Leighton Baines backs Everton for Champions League
Moyes warns no one is safe as he rebuilds Manchester United
Essien 'very happy' to make Milan move
Yohan Cabaye could yet join Paris St-Germain from Newcastle United
Liverpool supporters' group asks Arsenal to cut FA Cup ticket prices
Anelka to play for West Brom at Aston Villa
A-League tactics: Diamond helps Sydney FC thrash Melbourne Victory
Solskjaer to live 'unrealistic dream'
'Humane' homes for migrant workers delayed by planning system in Qatar
Top four prepare to clash in the FA Cup
Sunderland consider Di Canio action
Juan Mata unveiled as a Manchester United player – video
The Fiver | A friendly labrador pup anyone would be glad to have around | Barry Glendenning
Arsène Wenger rejects José Mourinho's criticism of Arsenal – video
How Neymar's arrival turned from triumph to disaster for Sandro Rosell| Sid Lowe
Liverpool seal training kit deal with airline Garuda Indonesia
Wenger set to sign new Arsenal deal
Arsène Wenger claims Arsenal get 'less rest than any other top team'
Sam Allardyce hopes West Ham's new Italian signings can adapt to Premier League – video

Branislav Ivanovic reminded of Arjen Robben by Chelsea's Mohamed Salah

Posted: 27 Jan 2014 03:14 PM PST

• Scored three goals in four games for Basel against Chelsea
• 'With the ball he is very quick, very smart with his movement'

Branislav Ivanovic has likened Chelsea's latest signing, Mohamed Salah, to Arjen Robben, having suffered at the hands of the Egypt winger's searing pace in the London club's recent European brushes with Basel.

Salah, who scored three goals in his four Champions League and Europa League meetings with Chelsea, completed his transfer from the Swiss club for an initial £12m on Sunday. He has signed a contract that stretches to 2019 and may be involved in the match-day squad for Wednesday's visit of West Ham United to Stamford Bridge as José Mourinho's side seek an eighth successive victory in all competitions.

The 21-year-old had unsettled both Ashley Cole and Ivanovic as Basel won both their group games against Chelsea, his burst beyond the Serb to score the only goal in Switzerland in November having briefly given the hosts hope of qualifying for the knockout stage.

"With the ball he is very quick, very smart with his movement, the kind of player that we need in the squad," Ivanovic said of his new team-mate. "He reminds me of Robben, the way he plays always going from the right wing but going inside left-footed. He is a great player, one we know because we've played against him in the last two years. He is young and has time and it's maybe good for him to step up. I hope he is going to be important for us."

The Serbia international welcomed his compatriot Nemanja Matic's impressive full debut for Chelsea in Sunday's FA Cup fourth-round victory over Stoke City – the midfielder's four previous appearances, including his previous spell with the club, had been as a substitute – with his assured display offering a taster of the £20.75m signing's capabilities. "He can still improve a lot but he has improved massively from the last time he was here," Ivanovic said. "Nemanja asks for the ball, goes forward but can also play defensively.

"His future is here and, step by step, he'll become important for us. He has a different confidence now after two great years in Portugal, with a different attitude. He is now a proper player. He came back bigger and stronger. This comes when you play every game, and you feel confidence, and you have the motivation to improve. This happened to him. He was my best mate the last time he was here. Now, for me, he is like my brother. It is a pleasure to have him here."

Dominic Fifield

John Guidetti angry at lack of action with Stoke City after loan move

Posted: 27 Jan 2014 03:02 PM PST

• Manchester City striker on bench in Chelsea Cup defeat
• 'You are a bit angry' at not playing, he tells Swedish paper

John Guidetti, on loan from Manchester City to Stoke City, has expressed frustration about his lack of football under Mark Hughes and said the club will "have a problem" if he is left out of their next game, at Sunderland on Wednesday.

Guidetti, desperate to resurrect his career after a freakish illness ruled him out for the best part of two years, admitted being angry he had been an unused substitute in Stoke's FA Cup defeat at Chelsea on Sunday.

The 21-year-old Swede was a 79th-minute substitute in their game at Crystal Palace the previous weekend and told the Swedish newspaper Expressen: "It's been two games and we haven't scored. What is the worst that can happen [if I came on], that I don't score, or … ? We have to see what it is like for the next game, otherwise we have a problem."

Guidetti had missed training towards the end of last week because of a stomach complaint but said he was ready to play. "You are a bit angry [when you are left out]. I feel really good and the training sessions have been as good as they could have been. I had a stomach bug, I woke up on the Thursday with something to do with my stomach. So I hadn't trained since Thursday. But still, I travelled [to Stamford Bridge].

"I know what's in his [Hughes's] mind, that it is about the stomach, that I haven't trained. I can understand that a little bit. But I got a lot of positive feedback after the last game. That felt good. I had minutes against Crystal Palace and everyone thought I did bloody well. Then you think you are going to get the chance again. If we'd been banging in the goals you maybe could understand it.

"It is a cup tie. It doesn't matter if we concede another goal. I thought it was a little … you're angry, I don't really understand it. I feel really good otherwise, training has been going really well. Then it is difficult to do anything when you don't get to play."

Daniel Taylor

Eden Hazard pleased with his progress under José Mourinho at Chelsea

Posted: 27 Jan 2014 02:34 PM PST

• Belgian hoping to reach same level as Ronaldo and Messi
• 'Since I'm at Chelsea, I've become more aware of my qualities'

Eden Hazard has acknowledged the rapid progress he has made under José Mourinho this season and has set himself the target of rising to the same level as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, who have claimed the Ballon d'Or between them in each of the last six years.

The Belgium international is Chelsea's leading scorer this term, having bought into Mourinho's philosophy and approach, contributing industry at each end of the pitch. Indeed, his continued excellence, as well as that of Oscar as the team's designated No10, persuaded the club's hierarchy that they had the cover in attacking midfield to sanction Juan Mata's £37.1m transfer to Manchester United.

"I realise that I can compete with Messi and Ronaldo in the near future, if I put in some more effort," said Hazard. "I don't know if I will ever reach their level. It'll be hard, they have incredible stats, but I accept the challenge. Of course I want to be the best in the world. Previously I was more worried about the game itself: football was just a game for me, I wanted to amuse myself and didn't bother what the people thought about me. But since I'm here at Chelsea I've become more aware of my qualities, I guess. Before I knew I was a good player but not one of the better players in the world."

Hazard, a £32m signing from Lille in the summer of 2012, had enjoyed periods of fine form over his first season at Stamford Bridge, though Mourinho has coaxed consistency from the 23-year-old. "I've matured," he added in an interview with the Belgian newspaper, Het Laatste Nieuws. "On the pitch I haven't changed much. I'm still the same but I realised that, if I want to be among the best in the world, I'll have to perform consistently, game in, game out.

"I'm now important for the team, I give good passes, I score more goals and Chelsea is performing well. Everyone expects more from me. I hear it every day. Maybe I need these little comments, too. When a manager always says, 'Eden, you're doing great', there is a threat that you can snooze. As a professional you have to challenge yourself every day. Put yourself in front of a mirror. The manager is close to his players but when he has something to say, he does to your face, in a friendly way. And he knows how to challenge his players.

"At Lille, in France, I sometimes played on a high level too but I was more focused on the beauty of the game and how I could entertain the audience. I still try to do that but I've become more efficient now and have become a real team player. I have the image of someone who doesn't care. But I've been playing professional football for five seasons now, I rarely was injured, I follow a strict diet, I sleep well, I rest and I'm always on time. No one can ever accuse me of not living for my job, because I do."

Dominic Fifield

Liverpool's Brendan Rodgers regrets Chelsea's capture of Mohamed Salah

Posted: 27 Jan 2014 02:30 PM PST

• José Mourinho's side gazumped Liverpool for Egyptian
• 'It is difficult to take but you've got to look forward'

Brendan Rodgers has said Chelsea's capture of Mohamed Salah was "difficult to take" and he will be disappointed should Liverpool fail to strengthen their Champions League-chasing squad before the transfer deadline.

The Anfield club have not added to their ranks in the January window and lost out on their main transfer target when Chelsea gazumped an offer for the Basel winger Salah. The Egypt international joined José Mourinho's side for an initial £12m, with Liverpool, who had held extensive talks over the 21-year-old, refusing to increase their valuation of the player. Willian also joined Chelsea this season after Liverpool had moved first for the Brazilian forward.

Rodgers has kept Liverpool in Champions League contention all season but stressed a need for reinforcements plus concern at the impact of injury on qualification hopes before the transfer window opened. Those fears are being realised with Lucas Leiva, Glen Johnson, Daniel Agger, Mamadou Sakho and José Enrique all ruled out of the Merseyside derby against Everton on Tuesday and Joe Allen a major doubt.

The Liverpool manager is part of a transfer committee that the owners, Fenway Sports Group, installed at Anfield and said on Salah: "The club did everything they felt they possibly could to get a deal but it wasn't to be." Asked how Liverpool decided on their valuation of the winger, Rodgers replied: "That's for the money guys to say that. It's the construction of the whole deal, not only with the player and the agent but also Basel as a football club. It was deemed in this case that we couldn't do a deal and Chelsea could. So the boy has gone there."

He added: "That's something that is out of my control. We can identify the players that we want to bring in and we hope we can get them in. If we can the club will do everything possible to match the value of the player. If they end up going to another club that is difficult to take. But you can't worry about it, you've just got to keep looking forward."

Rodgers' explanation partly contradicted that offered by Ian Ayre, the managing director, as to why Liverpool missed out on the Egyptian. Speaking earlier at the launch of a two-year commercial deal with airline Garuda Indonesia, who will sponsor Liverpool's training kit and remain the club's official airline partner for £16m per year, Ayre said: "We haven't been held back from concluding a deal, it would be wrong to say that. The player decided he didn't want to come to Liverpool.

"We know what the value of the player is and how far we were prepared to go. That is something myself, Brendan and the others involved in the process discuss openly. We won't overpay. In every transfer window you win some and lose some."

Rodgers claimed "there's certainly nothing imminent" ahead of Friday's deadline and will reserve judgment on Liverpool's transfer business until after the window. "We will see where we are at when the window shuts," he said. "Of course I wanted to strengthen the team that was already here. If we are unable to do that it would be disappointing, but there's nothing you can do about it. If we don't get them in then as a coach I'll work with what I've got. I am very optimistic and will rinse everything out of the players we have.

"The owners feel like that as well [that Liverpool need to strengthen]. They feel like that and the people in the club see where we are at. We've shown up until now that we can really challenge at the top end of the table. We've wanted to bring in players who could help us and players of quality. Let's hope we can do that between now and the end of the window."

Andy Hunter

David Moyes hopes Juan Mata can inspire a Manchester United revival | Daniel Taylor

Posted: 27 Jan 2014 02:30 PM PST

The manager believes the £37.1m signing from Chelsea could have a similar effect at Old Trafford to that of Robin van Persie

When Juan Mata walked out in front of all the waiting cameras he was clutching his Manchester United shirt in his hand and it took a little while before he held it up to reveal that he has not actually been given the coveted No7 after all. Which raised the question about why United had held it back or, perhaps more relevantly, who was it being kept for? "Youse work that out for yourself," a smiling David Moyes volunteered after Mata had left the stage.

Two and two can make five sometimes – or in this case, seven – and nobody should be rushing out to put a bet on Cristiano Ronaldo. Not yet anyway, when the club's manager is talking openly about being in the early parts of a "rebuilding process". Unless, of course, Moyes simply meant Adnan Januzaj would be an ideal wearer of the number Eric Cantona, Bryan Robson, David Beckham and George Best have all graced.

First things first, of course, and United's priority is for Mata's signing to resuscitate their season. At Arsenal, it is known as "the Özil effect", the ability for one man to invigorate an entire club. Robin van Persie did the same for United two summers ago. Mata can fall into the same category. "I've seen it already," Moyes said. "I've seen what it's done to the other players in the 24 hours since his arrival. One or two of them have said to me already: 'What a great signing, we can't wait to play with him.' And from what I've seen of him in training … it's been only a couple of days, but I'm really pleased we've got him."

Mata has certainly made a good first impression, from the moment he stepped off the helicopter, dressed more for Ocean's Eleven than a Carrington XI. "He's a real gentleman," Moyes said. "He arrived on Saturday, extremely smart, well turned-out, incredibly polite, did all the right things, said all the right things. All the messages I've had tell me he's a great lad to work with."

Mata had spoken with his usual dignity, striking the balance just right between expressing his "difficult six months" at Chelsea, the excitement at joining a club of United's stature and always making sure to show respect to his former colleagues.

Another footballer who had won his club's player of the year award for two successive seasons then been ostracised because of a change of manager might have used the occasion to let out some pent-up frustration. Mata charmed his way through the questions. He called José Mourinho by his first name and smiled politely when he was asked how a player could fall out of favour so dramatically.

"It is football. Everything is possible. The first two seasons in Chelsea for me were amazing. I settled down so quickly, the fans were unbelievable, the club too. So the last six months were difficult because I didn't play as much as I wanted. But I respect that. José is a very big, very good manager. I tried my best in training and in every game, with the minutes that I had, but when Manchester United came it was a great option for me.

"I just wanted to go to a place where I feel happy and I am now. Looking at the last six months I wasn't playing a lot. It's like a new challenge for me. Sometimes in your career you need to clear your mind and to take the chance."

Moyes was asked whether Mata's signing could ultimately be as important to the club as Van Persie's. "The difference with Juan is that he's young. We've got Juan for a long period. We hope, all things being well, he will be coming into his best period in the next four or five years, so that's what we've got to look forward to. I see his maturity, the way he talks and the way he handles himself, but the biggest thing for me is that we need people to make more goals. We're looking for his productivity."

They need it quickly, too, given that the team are seventh in the league, 14 points off the top and already out of the domestic cup competitions. But would Chelsea come to regret giving one of their old rivals such a helping hand? "José has to pick his team and go the way he wants," Moyes said. "Chelsea have several players of his [Mata's] type. We didn't. Plus I think there will be more clubs selling to each other [in this kind of deal] in the future. A lot of the main players are at the big clubs now, and because of that I think there will be more transfers from big club to big club."

It was a diplomatic answer, designed to avoid any banner headlines. Yet it is also worth pointing out that in an interview with the club's own television station Moyes admitted being "surprised" that Chelsea had allowed Mata to join another English club, in complete contrast with United's position over Wayne Rooney. "Shocked" would probably have been a more accurate description, and Moyes's first words at the unveiling of his new No8 expressed as much. "I never really believed we would pull it off," he said.

He could even laugh when one questioner pointed out – after a few seconds of trying to find the right word – that his demeanour over the past few weeks had been, well, "grim". This was as ebullient as Moyes has been for a long time, a long way removed from the wrought figure that has glared down questions at previous media events. "I'm thrilled," he said.

Daniel Taylor

Steven Gerrard out to avoid the lingering pain of losing to Everton

Posted: 27 Jan 2014 02:30 PM PST

Liverpool's captain has gut-wrenching memories of being sent off when the club last lost a Merseyside derby at Anfield in 1999

Liverpool have not lost a Merseyside derby at Anfield for more than 14 years but memories of that September night in 1999 still burn in Steven Gerrard. That is hardly surprising, given he collected the game's third red card for a thigh-high foul on Kevin Campbell and was later confronted in a restaurant toilet by an angry Everton striker with his trousers around his ankles.

"I had a gut-wrenching pain in my stomach after that defeat. It took a long time to go," the Liverpool captain recalls of a Campbell-inflicted 1-0 reverse. "We'd lost, I'd been sent off but I'd booked a meal at the Albert Dock for afterwards thinking we were going to win the game. I really didn't want to go but at the same time I don't like letting people down so I went with a face on me and the first person I bumped into in the toilet was Kevin Campbell.

"He dropped his kecks and showed me the stud-marks I'd left on his thigh. When you're 19 and there's a man-mountain stood in front of you with a cob-on there's only one thing you can do so I apologised for the tackle and shook his hand."

Gerrard can laugh about the incident now, having played a pivotal role in Liverpool's unbeaten record over the past 13 Anfield derbies. The chance to make it 14 arrives on Tuesday when the Merseyside rivals meet in a 222nd derby loaded with Champions League significance.

For the midfielder it will be the most important league derby since April 2001, when Liverpool needed to win at Goodison Park to strengthen their grip on the top four and Gary McAllister obliged for the 10-man visitors with a long-range free-kick in injury time. The stakes may be higher than recent years, youthful rashness may have evaporated with age but the 33-year-old will approach this derby like any other.

"I've had fear going into every derby," Gerrard says. "The fear of losing, it is not nerves or a butterfly feeling, but it is there in the days leading up to the game. It can be energy sapping. You can be lying in bed or driving the car and your mind wonders 'what if?' The proof is in the pudding with my performances against Everton and the important thing is that you don't get too worked up for these games and let emotion beat you on the day.

"It is going to be a tough game, a big game. People are talking about a six-pointer but for me it's bigger than that in a way because if either of the sides were to win it's a huge springboard for the rest of the season as far as confidence and belief is concerned. It is that big a game. Parking Everton aside, just this run to finish in the top four is so big for this club anyway. So to have Everton breathing down your neck makes it even more challenging. With Tottenham and Manchester United as well, I think the run-in for the top-four places is harder than ever."

Everton's trip across Stanley Park is timely on a personal level. The Liverpool captain recently gave £96,000 to the Hillsborough Family Support Group – not through his charitable foundation but via a personal donation – having decided that a Merseyside derby one month before fresh inquests open into the 96 deaths at Hillsborough, and with two investigations into the disaster continuing, was an opportune moment to give added support to the campaign. It must be borne in mind that Gerrard's 10-year-old cousin Jon-Paul Gilhooley died at the 1989 FA Cup semi-final.

"With my own family's connection to Hillsborough it is something I've wanted to do for a while," he says. "I think the timing is right to send another message out about how we want justice. Alongside the gesture I am making, I and every other Liverpool fan can only thank Evertonians for their support. I'm not saying that to try to get in any Everton fan's good books because I understand my own personal rivalry with them. But it's there for everyone to see, the support they've given us is very touching."

There is also a different emphasis on this derby for Gerrard tactically. His shift to a deep-lying midfielder has been accentuated since returning on New Year's Day from a hamstring injury, along with scrutiny on how the England captain will adjust with a World Cup on the horizon. Brendan Rodgers claimed Gerrard could achieve Andrea Pirlo and Javier Zanetti levels of influence from that position before the recent 2-2 draw against Aston Villa but did not help his captain's cause by removing the protection of Lucas Leiva to the bench.

The Brazilian is sidelined for up to two months with a knee injury suffered against Villa, when Gerrard was restored to his advanced role in the second half and gave a far more effective performance. He insists the spotlight on the change and the change itself have come as no surprise.

"I knew there would be a time in my career when I'd drop a bit deeper and I knew when that time came other people would be talking about it more than myself," Gerrard says. "I also expected it because of the first conversation I had with Brendan when he became the manager.

"This is not something that myself and Brendan just decided to do over the last few weeks. He told me this would be happening when we first spoke. He didn't pinpoint the week or month but he said he still saw me as an attacking midfielder and further down the line there was a role in his system that I would be able to play really well, and I'd still be able to contribute until my mid-30s. That's what we are trying to do now. It suits me perfect."

Gerrard adds: "I want to play for this club for as long as I can so to have a manager who believes in me and wants me around for a few more years is a great compliment, but it's one of those things were we have to see how it's going."

Gerrard concedes that his own mentality has to change to make the tactical adjustment succeed. "With experience you realise you can't be unbelievable in every game," he says. "I do have to get my head around it too but I think I can make the adaptation really quickly. It's more about people understanding that I'm not going to be the Steven Gerrard I've been for the last 15 years and going from goalline to goalline. It's going to be more of a controlled performance and a role that can help the team win games, rather than trying to rescue games on my own."

The Liverpool captain is the sole survivor from the club's last home derby defeat. "Thanks for pointing that out," he says, and senses "there is tension everywhere" in the crowded pursuit of Champions League qualification.

He adds pointedly: "This is the tension we want. I've sat here too many times when we've been nowhere near a top-four race in December and January and this is the pressure you want to be under as a player. If you don't like and revel in this pressure and tension you're at the wrong football club."

Andy Hunter

Roberto Martínez: Leighton Baines backs Everton for Champions League

Posted: 27 Jan 2014 02:30 PM PST

• 'Baines signed contract because we're ready to kick on'
• Phil Jagielka among 11 Everton doubts for Liverpool derby

Roberto Martínez has described Leighton Baines' decision to sign a four-year contract at Everton as a mark of confidence in the club's Champions League prospects. He could be without 11 first-team players when trying to enhance those top four claims at Liverpool on Tuesday, however.

Baines has drawn a line under Manchester United's pursuit of the England international by committing his future to Goodison Park until 2018. The 29-year-old had only 17 months remaining on his deal and talks on an extension had dragged from last summer amid David Moyes' interest in a reunion with the left-back at Old Trafford.

Martínez announced the agreement to give Everton a pre-Merseyside derby lift following the loss of Bryan Oviedo to a broken leg in the FA Cup win at Stevenage on Saturday. The Everton manager is facing a severe injury crisis at Anfield, particularly in defence, but believes the Champions League potential of his team was instrumental in convincing Baines to stay.

"As a manager, you want players who want to play Champions League, we don't just want a group of players who are happy to play in the league, so for Leighton to commit himself to Everton and give us the best years of his career is very significant in that respect," Martínez said. "It's a massive boost to the fans but internally it's even more important because everyone who wants to play with Leighton knows we're all going to need to step up to try to achieve the targets that other clubs could offer him.

"I feel Leighton understands that, as a club, we're ready to kick on and challenge for big things. You look at the points tally and it'll give you a clear indication that we're not far off and that makes it something worth committing to. I think Leighton is a very intelligent man but he's also an old-fashioned footballer who wants to be loyal. He doesn't get moved around by the new trend in football; he wants to be the best he can and play in the best competitions but if he can do that with Everton he feels a lot stronger and those values are needed in the game. They are certainly very important to us."

Oviedo underwent surgery on a double fracture of his left leg on Monday yet Martínez claimed the World Cup remains a target for the Costa Rica international. "There is a broad timescale on his recovery but it could be five to six months depending on how the operation goes and whether there are any complications," Martínez said. "I think Bryan could make it in less than that and it would be an incredible boost for Bryan to make the World Cup. If not, he will be back with us for pre-season."

Oviedo joined Darron Gibson and Arouna Koné as long-term absences, while Phil Jagielka, Sylvain Distin, Seamus Coleman, Antolín Alcaraz, Steven Pienaar and Ross Barkley are doubtful for the 222nd Merseyside derby. Gerard Deulofeu is out until Saturday and the new loan signing Lacina Traoré will only be considered for the bench at Anfield providing he has fully recovered from a recent hamstring injury.

Jagielka, the Everton captain, had a scan on his hamstring problem on Monday and Martínez said: "Phil is the one that concerns me the most because he played at the weekend and his injury is fresh. The others we always expected it would be difficult for them to make the derby so if we get any positive news it will be a bonus. We could maybe give Ross an injection (in a broken toe) but what we can't afford is to lose him for a longer period. The Merseyside derby is a really important game but if you give me the opportunity to fight for the next nine points or just three points in a derby, the answer is clear."

Martínez will not block John Heitinga's proposed departure despite Everton's injury problems. The Holland international has received offers from clubs in Italy and Turkey, understood to be Roma and Galatasaray, and will be allowed to leave to improve his World Cup prospects.

Andy Hunter

Moyes warns no one is safe as he rebuilds Manchester United

Posted: 27 Jan 2014 02:30 PM PST

• Juan Mata is the start of a new era for the manager
• Joy for Moyes as Rooney and Van Persie train again

David Moyes has warned his failing Manchester United players he has run out of patience and will move them out of the club if they continue to underachieve between now and the end of the season.

In his strongest warning yet that he is not going to tolerate any more underperforming Moyes said: "I am not going to accept it. I am disappointed we are not in a much stronger position. I am disappointed with how we have played. I, ultimately, take the rap for that. But what I will do is make it right. I am going to get better players in. Unfortunately I don't think there will be more in January. But it will change."

Moyes has agreed to loan Wilfried Zaha to Cardiff City after repeatedly clashing with the former Crystal Palace player. Fábio da Silva is also joining Cardiff, United's opponents on Tuesday night for Juan Mata's debut, and there will be an overhaul of the squad at the end of the season. Rio Ferdinand is among those who will probably be let go.

Moyes added: "I have given every player the opportunity to play and show what they can do. We have had a pretty good chance to have a look at it. The players have to perform. If they want to be here and making sure they have a jersey, they have to show it in the games. Undoubtedly this club wants to be at the top. We want to be challenging. At this moment in time we have failed to do that. We want to do something about it."

He also warned that the "rebuilding process" is still only in its early stages despite Mata's arrival from Chelsea.

"The message this sends, as I said in the summer, is that we're going for all the best players in the world. Juan is one of those players. He's a top Spanish player, a top Premier League player and I think if you asked any supporter, no matter what club they support, they would be an admirer.

"There will be more players like Juan in the future, no doubt about that. He plays for Spain, he's played in big games already for club and country. I do see him fitting in and, hopefully, it doesn't take him much time. But I also still think coming to Manchester United is a big change, for any player or any manager. It's a big thing and he can't solve everything.

"I've got a big job to do here and a couple of new signings isn't all that is needed. I think there's a bigger job to be done but you have to start somewhere. If you asked me what I needed most, I would have said a central midfielder. I could do with a left-back, too, but sometimes you don't always get the pieces of the jigsaw at the time. It's all part of a rebuilding process."

Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie have resumed full training after their recent injury issues and that means United will potentially have a new-look attack on the night when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer returns to Old Trafford for the first time as a manager.

"Juan has come to play three positions – off the right, off the left and behind the striker," Moyes said. "He gives me a lot of flexibility. I have been without Wayne for about a month, Robin for two months, and I think if I'd had Juan in that period, I'd more than likely have had better results. Juan will play in different positions, and we could have done with him in the last month or two."

United are six points behind the top four and Champions League qualification but now have a run of games, against Cardiff, Stoke City and Fulham, that presents the opportunity to make up some lost ground before they take on the leaders, Arsenal, at the Emirates on 12 February.

"Yes, we've definitely got an opportunity," Moyes said. "But I've been saying that since October and it's not quite happened for us. I don't know [if we can reach the top four]. It sounds like the stock answer but I'm probably going to have to win all of our remaining games. The only way you can start that kind of run is by winning the next one, then see where you go from there. But I've got to think, now that I'm getting players back, if we can get them match-fit, we have a chance."

The alternative would make Moyes' job of attracting his top targets considerably harder in the summer. "It's imperative," he said.

Daniel Taylor

Essien 'very happy' to make Milan move

Posted: 27 Jan 2014 02:22 PM PST

• Michael Essien is excited by move to Milan
• Lionel Messi is not for sale, say Barcelona

Essien to Milan

Michael Essien is looking forward to starting the next stage of his career after completing his move to Milan from Chelsea. The 31-year-old Ghana international tweeted after agreeing a deal to June 2015: "I have just signed my contract with one of the best clubs in the world. Im very happy and looking forward to winning with the team."

Essien joins a Milan side who have fallen on hard times, with their only major trophy success in the past six years being the 2010-11 Serie A title. This season they are in ninth place, 28 points behind the league leaders Juventus, and were knocked out of the Coppa Italia quarter-finals at home by Udinese last week.

Nevertheless, Essien is excited to be joining such a "great club". He said: "I hope to achieve something important and give my best for Milan."

Essien joined Chelsea from Lyon in 2005 for £24.4m but has found first-team opportunities limited since returning from last season's loan spell at Real Madrid.

Ngog to Swansea City

Swansea have signed the striker David Ngog from Bolton Wanderers for an undisclosed fee. The 24-year-old former Liverpool player, whose contract at the Reebok Stadium was due to expire in the summer, has joined until the end of the season.

Swansea's manager, Michael Laudrup, has been keen to ease the burden on Wilfried Bony with last season's top scorer, Michu, sidelined by an ankle problem. Ngog, who scored three goals in his final four Bolton games, could be followed to Swansea by Tom Ince, who is set to hold talks over an initial loan move from Blackpool.

Messi

The new Barcelona president, Josep Maria Bartomeu, has stated that Lionel Messi is not for sale and says the club intend to hold negotiations with the Argentinian over a new contract. Messi signed a two-year extension to June 2018 last February.

Bartomeu, who took over the Barça presidency on Thursday night after Sandro Rosell's resignation, warned potential suitors that Messi is not on the market amid reports of interest from Paris Saint-Germain.

Speaking to the Catalan radio station RAC1, Bartomeu said: "Messi is not for sale. We want to sit down, without any rush, with his father and his agent because we want to ensure he's the best-paid player like he deserves. It won't be anything imminent because the players right now are focused on competition."

Yohan Cabaye could yet join Paris St-Germain from Newcastle United

Posted: 27 Jan 2014 01:59 PM PST

• French international is determined to leave St James' Park
• Newcastle have already rejected £14m offer from PSG

Yohan Cabaye has told Alan Pardew he wants to leave Newcastle United this month and, providing the right price can be agreed, the France midfielder is expected to be a Paris Saint-Germain player by the end of the week.

Although Cabaye was named in the Newcastle squad that flew to Norwich on Monday for Tuesday night's game at Carrow Road it will be a surprise if he features.

Mike Ashley, Newcastle's owner, rejected a £14m bid for the playmaker over the weekend but negotiations with PSG are continuing. Pardew has made it clear that he wants any deal concluded by Thursday at the latest, leaving him time to recruit a replacement before the transfer window's closure on Friday evening.

Much depends on how payments might be structured – and whether Manchester United make a late bid – but Ashley is hoping to secure around £20m for Cabaye. It is thought highly unlikely that, were the move to collapse, the 28-year-old, who arrived from Lille for £4.3m in 2011, would stage a repeat of his strike last August when he refused to play for Newcastle in the hope of forcing through a mooted move to Arsenal.

"I'm not confident of keeping Yohan," Pardew admitted. "You are talking to someone who lost Andy Carroll with eight hours of the January 2011 transfer window remaining. I don't think any team not in a Champions League position or fighting for a Champions League spot could be confident. We know we have got a club interested in Cabaye, a very wealthy club and a powerful club, and we are conscious of that."

Cabaye has flourished since being shifted from a deeper role to a more classic No10 position in the centre of the attacking midfield element of a 4-2-3-1 formation. His stellar passing skills, set piece execution and touch of aggression have long been much admired by Laurent Blanc. Indeed during Blanc's time as France coach, Cabaye proved one of his favourites, starting regularly for the national side.

Replacing such an influential figure in a largely Francophone dressing room at St James' Park will not be easy and Pardew concedes Cabaye's departure could leave Newcastle "vulnerable" to a slide down the table from their position of eighth.

"Our team is centred around Yohan and he plays a vital role for us," he said. "If you take him out, you leave us vulnerable. We need to bring someone in for sure. You can't lose a player of that quality and not replace him. But we are going to need some time to do that. We have informed the club that's interested and his agent of this."

The manager's fear must be that Ashley will not deem signing a replacement as imperative. Nonetheless Newcastle are understood to be lining up moves for two midfielders: Montpellier's Rémy Cabella and Lyon's Clément Grenier.

Pardew is also in the market for a striker and hopes to see a loan deal completed for the Netherlands striker Luuk de Jong by Friday. Negotiations with Borussia Mönchengladbach, De Jong's present club, are thought to be at an advanced stage. "We're a little closer to that," Newcastle's manager said.

Louise Taylor

Liverpool supporters' group asks Arsenal to cut FA Cup ticket prices

Posted: 27 Jan 2014 01:51 PM PST

• Tickets for Emirates fifth-round tie could cost up to £93
• Spirit of Shankly has written to both clubs voicing fears

The Liverpool supporters' group Spirit of Shankly has urged Arsenal to consider reducing ticket prices when the sides meet in the FA Cup next month, amid concerns that away fans will have to pay up to £93.

When Liverpool played Arsenal at the Emirates in the Premier League in November, visiting supporters paid £62 for a ticket. However, given that the Cup allows for a greater away allocation, there are fears that, if the fixture is selected as a "Category A" match, the prices could rise.

Arsenal are understood to be monitoring the situation and will make a decision on the fixture categorisation in the coming days. The Spirit of Shankly chairman, James McKenna, wrote to both clubs after the fifth-round draw on Sunday asking for tickets to be priced at the same level as Arsenal's fourth-round game at home to Coventry, when away fans paid £25.50.

McKenna wrote: "The league game saw Liverpool fans charged £62 per ticket for a fixture played on a Saturday evening. The cost of the match along with the late kick-off saw many fans priced out and for those who went there were many difficulties using public transport to get home.

"We have been informed by Arsenal supporters that, if we receive a 9,000-ticket allocation at Category A prices, this would mean that ticket prices could range from £62 to £93 for Liverpool supporters.

"Liverpool fans have already been charged 72% more than Everton for the league matches that have been played this season and we believe that this is completely unreasonable.

"Coventry's FA Cup tickets were priced at £25.50 and we would request that tickets are priced in the same manner. Similarly, in the event that this match ends up being replayed at Anfield, that a similar arrangement is reached with our ticket prices."

Spirit of Shankly also requested that the game not be moved to a kick-off time that would cause difficulties for away fans getting home via public transport.

James Riach

Anelka to play for West Brom at Aston Villa

Posted: 27 Jan 2014 01:38 PM PST

• Wednesday's game first since striker charged over quenelle
• Manager Pepe Mel says chances of his playing are 99%

Pepe Mel has indicated that he will select Nicolas Anelka for West Bromwich Albion's game at Aston Villa on Wednesday, the club's first since the striker was charged by the Football Association over his controversial quenelle goal celebration. Anelka, who has denied the charge and requested a personal hearing, faces a minimum five-match ban if found guilty of making an abusive, indecent, insulting or improper gesture.

The former France international said on Monday that he wants to see out the season with Albion, despite stating that Lazio are among clubs keen to sign him this month. He started West Brom's most recent match, at home to Everton, the night before his FA charge and Mel has all but confirmed that Anelka will also begin the Premier League game against Villa.

"He has a 99% chance, yes," the head coach said. "I have already spoken with Anelka and the only thing he wants to do is help the team beat Aston Villa. I think he showed against Everton that he has absolutely no problem. The most important thing for me as the head coach is his performance on the pitch.

"Stéphane Sessègnon [who is injured] is the only player who is not available – everyone else is available and Anelka, for me, played well against Everton."

West Brom's shirt sponsor, Zoopla, is ending its association with the club in light of Anelka's gesture, which is widely regarded as antisemitic. Lord Ouseley, the chairman of the anti-discrimination group Kick It Out, has criticised Albion over their handling of the affair.

Mel said: "I think the club must be respectful towards the decision taken by the FA and look towards the best for Nicolas Anelka and for the club."

Anelka has made it clear that he does not want to leave Albion this month. He wrote on Twitter: "Thanks to Lazio & all the others clubs who wanted to sign me this last days. See you this summer if I decide to continue...

"But the question is why should I leave my club & England? I'm happy here & I did nothing wrong... So now it's time to stay focus on my football with my club & I will try my best on the pitch like I always do!"

Anelka joined West Brom on a one-year deal, with a further year's option in the club's favour, last summer.

A-League tactics: Diamond helps Sydney FC thrash Melbourne Victory

Posted: 27 Jan 2014 12:43 PM PST

Kate Cohen: Sydney FC forced Melbourne Victory to play through midfield, where they were hopelessly undermanned

Kate Cohen

Solskjaer to live 'unrealistic dream'

Posted: 27 Jan 2014 10:34 AM PST

• Manchester United legend set for hero's welcome
• Solskjaer expects his Cardiff side to play with pride

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will live an "unrealistic dream" when he returns to Old Trafford as the manager of Cardiff City to take on Manchester United on Tuesday evening.

The Norwegian enjoys legendary status at United having scored the winner in the Champions League final in 1999 against Bayern Munich in the dying seconds.

Solskjaer, who spent 11 years at the club before leaving in 2007, is expected to receive a hero's welcome on his return. "It has not been an ambition but it has been sort of an unrealistic dream," the 40-year-old said. "You never know one day you might end up there. The former manager [Sir Alex Ferguson] just always instilled into us 'dream big', and maybe unrealistic, because you never know it might happen. For me to play at Man United was never in my wildest dreams. So now I'm there as a manager. It just comes by coincidence. You just end up there."

United's manager, David Moyes, believes Solskjaer is worthy of the reception he will get. "He deserves it because of what he has done here," the Scot said. "He won the Champions League and was a great ambassador for Manchester United."

Beyond the emotion Solskjaer knows Cardiff have to start winning as the club stand bottom and have not claimed a league victory for six games. "The position is the worst it can be in the Premier League but then again it is six points up to tenth so we hope to get our FA Cup form into the league games now," he said. "We won two games and lost the two league games I've been here. I'm not too concerned about the performances. If we stay in this position for too long it will be a mental test."

Asked what victory would mean, Solskjaer said: "Three points, of course. We can't say that we are going to win, we are going to go there and put a performance on that we will be proud of, come back home with no regrets. You go out there to perform on the pitch and, as long as you give it your all, you can come back from places like this with pride."

Despite United's poor league form that has left Moyes' side six points from a Champions League place, Solskjaer says that they are still a formidable proposition. "Of course the fear factor is still there. You're going to the biggest club in the world," he said. "I can remember many bad defeats that you react to. That's Man United, they always bounce back."

Solskjaer also stated that the signings of United's Fabio da Silva and Stoke City's Kenwyne Jones are near to completion. "Fabio and Kenwyne will join training today [Monday]. I have just met them and that is more or less done."

Wilfried Zaha's loan move from United is also impending. "Everything is not complete so we cannot confirm that. We hope to get that done in the next 24 hours or so, so he can be ready for the weekend," said Solskjaer. "You never know with ins and outs but I think that is me concluded."

Jamie Jackson

'Humane' homes for migrant workers delayed by planning system in Qatar

Posted: 27 Jan 2014 09:56 AM PST

Overcrowded conditions are thought to be contributing to high death toll among workers building 2022 World Cup facilities

A new generation of "humane" homes for more than 50,000 migrant workers building Qatar's 2022 football World Cup facilities has been delayed in the Gulf state's planning system, the Guardian has learned.

British consultants have been working with a US developer to build improved accommodation with health centres, shops, recreational areas and even psychologists' consulting rooms as an alternative to squalid and overcrowded conditions which are believed to contribute to a high death toll among migrant labourers.

The project was due to open its first beds in April but that is not likely to happen now until at least July as the Qatar authorities have failed to agree a streamlined planning process to speed through delivery. The delay has been attributed locally to the emirate's slow bureaucracy.

It comes after the Guardian revealed on Friday that 185 workers from Nepal had died in Qatar in 2013, sparking complaints from workers' rights groups that Qatar was failing to follow through on its pledges to take action.

It has also emerged that football's governing body Fifa has asked human rights groups to submit practical proposals to improve working conditions.

Human Rights Watch (HRW), Amnesty International and the International Trade Union Confederation will provide advice. Fifa said over the weekend that "fair working conditions with a lasting effect must be introduced quickly, consistently and on a sustained basis in Qatar".

The Nepalese make up about a sixth of Qatar's 2 million migrant workers. Death rates among those from India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are yet to emerge and thousands of workers continue to endure overcrowded and insanitary living conditions in labour camps where rooms accommodate a dozen people. The new housing is based on three-bedroom homes with a limit of four workers to a room.

Simon Trafford, director of Quantex Qatar, which is working on the project, said there had been no commitment from the authorities on a streamlined planning system. "One would like to think this will improve because things can be quite prolonged," he said.

Trade unions have warned that the death toll could reach 4,000 by the time the first ball is kicked. Amnesty's general secretary, Salil Shetty, last year complained that some workers were being "ruthlessly exploited, deprived of their pay and left struggling to survive".

Hassan al-Thawadi, head of the 2022 organising committee, pledged last year to work to stop the death toll and said the "kefala" system, which ties workers to their employers, was being reformed. "For us, any number [of deaths] above zero is unacceptable and we are working to make sure that stays that way," he said.

Trafford, who is based in the Qatari capital Doha, said that despite the delay there was evidence the government was taking the issue of human rights seriously.

He said the ministry of municipality and urban planning, which has the task of procuring new labour camps for tens of thousands of new migrant workers, has been co-ordinating with the Qatar Foundation, a government-linked not-for-profit organisation that has drawn up welfare standards for the humane treatment of migrant workers.

It issued a tender last month for a 28,000-person labour camp in 7,000-bed "villages". The document for the "permanent male integrated workers' community" says the workers will be accommodated on a single site in seven 4,000-strong compounds each "self-sufficient in operational assets such as food provision and consumption, laundry, general cleaning, parking areas, open areas, shops, recreation and cultural facilities as required by labour, health, environment and other authorities".

It does not specify living standards but says further information will be provided later in the procurement process.

HRW said references to "worker welfare" in the document were too vague.

"The Guardian's revelations on worker deaths in 2013 confirm yet again the often tragic effect on young men of a highly exploitative labour system and a construction sector beset by a culture of impunity," said Nicholas McGeehan, a gulf researcher at HRW.

"Better housing is a must and we support projects aimed at housing workers in a manner that affords them their basic dignity, but it won't protect migrant workers from exploitation. Indeed, if initiatives to improve housing are not accompanied by key labour reforms, their effect will simply be to make people less uncomfortable about workers' exploitation."

Robert Booth

Owen Gibson

Top four prepare to clash in the FA Cup

Posted: 27 Jan 2014 08:44 AM PST

On today's Football Weekly, AC Jimbo has Barry Glendenning, Jacob Steinberg and John Ashdown in the pod to look back on the mud, the misses and the magic - such as it was - of the FA Cup fourth round, and gaze ahead to the return of the Premier League. Who will emerge victorious in the injury-ravaged Merseyside derby? Will Spurs get some revenge for their 6-0 spanking at the hands of Manchester City when the two sides meet again? And can Juan Mata make the difference at Manchester United when Cardiff come to town?

Questions, questions - and after swatting them aside, we get stuck into the action around Europe, including the return of the Bundesliga and Clarence Seedorf's second league win in charge of Milan, while Sid Lowe tells us about the tighter-than-tight title race in La Liga.

Amy Lawrence and Rafa Honigstein will be joining us on Thursday. Hopefully you will too.

Sunderland consider Di Canio action

Posted: 27 Jan 2014 08:37 AM PST

• Former manager hit out at players and called club 'weak'
• Club now consulting lawyers over next move

Sunderland are consulting lawyers in the wake of the verbal volley Paolo Di Canio aimed at the club and certain players over the weekend.

The Italian, sacked as Sunderland's manager in September, dubbed his former employers "weak" and some first-teamers "cowards" before singling out individuals for special criticism. While Lee Cattermole and Phil Bardsley were described as "rotten" by Di Canio, Gus Poyet's predecessor said John O'Shea, the side's captain, was "two-faced".

Unhappy that the club's board bowed to a revolt by squad members following a defeat at West Bromwich Albion, Di Canio maintains he should have received greater backing from Ellis Short, Sunderland's owner, and Margaret Byrne, the chief executive.

Short and Byrne see things somewhat differently. In a club statement released on Monday afternoon they answered back. "Sunderland AFC would like to express its disappointment in relation to the disparaging comments made recently by Paolo Di Canio regarding the club and its players," it said.

"The club is immensely proud of its players for the dignified and restrained manner in which they have conducted themselves publicly since Mr Di Canio's departure, and it is particularly disappointing to read such comments when there are legal obligations in place to ensure such behaviour does not occur. The club is now considering its position with its legal representatives.

"Having reached a cup final for the first time in 22 years, whilst also enjoying a run of only one loss in 12 games, we want to focus on what is a positive time for the football club and we would hope it is possible to draw a line under this matter quickly and that there will be no repetition.

"Neither the club, head coach Gus Poyet nor the players will be making any further comment on the situation. We are looking forward, not back and are focusing on the vital games we have ahead of us."

It did not go down well when, during his weekend interviews, Di Canio suggested he was "too good" for Sunderland before claiming it is his "destiny" to manager West Ham United.

The former West Ham striker and Swindon manager also said he was partly undone by the 14 summer signings made by Sunderland's former director of football Roberto De Fanti, none of whom he claims were players he had asked to be recruited.

He left his most scathing critism for Bardsley and Cattermole, however.

"Those two players [Cattermole and Bardsley] were rotten," he said. "The most unprofessional players I ever worked with. What Bardsley has done in the last year speaks volumes. Photos of him lying on the floor in a casino covered by £50 notes and laughing at the team losing on the opening day, that's public. It's no surprise these players were kicked out of my plans. The reason Sunderland stayed up at the end of last season was because Cattermole was injured and Bardsley played very little."

Poyet is close to completing a £3m, two-and-a-half-year deal for the Argentina striker, left winger or attacking midfielder Iganacio Scocco from Brazil's Internacional.

If, as expected, the 28-year-old – who also interests Cardiff – signs for Sunderland by the end of the week he will become Poyet's third Argentinian recruit this month, joining Oscar Ustari and Santiago Vergini at the Stadium of Light.

Sunderland have also acquired Marcos Alonso, a Spanish left-back on loan from Fiorentina, and their Uruguayan manager will be delighted to increase his Spanish speaking contingent by ending Scocco's unhappy stint with Internacional.

Louise Taylor

Juan Mata unveiled as a Manchester United player – video

Posted: 27 Jan 2014 08:23 AM PST

Juan Mata holds his first press conference as a Manchester United player

The Fiver | A friendly labrador pup anyone would be glad to have around | Barry Glendenning

Posted: 27 Jan 2014 08:15 AM PST

Click here to have the Fiver sent to your inbox every weekday at 5pm, or if your usual copy has stopped arriving

A BIG SHIRT TO FILL

Widespread was the bemusement that greeted Chelsea's decision to sell Juan Mata to Manchester United and watching the Spaniard's unveiling as a Manchester United player this afternoon, the Fiver could understand why. Good looking, utterly charming and exuding the warmth of 10,000 suns, the Spanish midfielder seems like a friendly labrador pup anyone would be glad to have around, even if he isn't quite as hard-working as the Brazilian mastiff known for its superior tracking ability, aggressiveness and unforgiving impetuous temperament that you keep picking to go on walks instead of it. Indeed, so infectious was Mata's obvious delight at being a Manchester United player, that he even managed to bring a beaming grin to the face of David Moyes, a man whose countenance has recently looked more haunted than the house that ends up being sucked into a different dimension at the end of Poltergeist.

The pair began their press conference by posing for photographers with the No8 jersey recently vacated by Anderson, prompting monotonously predictable jokes about the garment being covered in gravy stains and being a very big shirt to fill. It was not the first time United's latest acquisition has posed with a shirt since arriving at Old Trafford by helicopter on Saturday and he is clearly beside himself with delight at the prospect of becoming a regular first-choice selection for a manager, presumably starting against Cardiff City at Old Trafford tomorrow night.

"I just wanted to go to a place where I would feel happy," he said, suggesting he may originally have been lured into the United whirlybird on the promise of a trip to EuroDisney. "It's a new challenge for me. This one was a massive challenge for me. What I like the most about this club is the character. I think if another club were in this position in the league, I think it would be very difficult to come back and take first position, but this club can do it. This is the real image I have from Man United, always fighting to win titles, always coming back from difficult moments."

A model of diplomacy throughout his launch party, even when mischievous hacks were teeing him up with one opportunity after another to take pot-shots at his former manager José Mourinho, Mata said he'd happily go "anywhere" upon being asked which position in the United line-up he'd most like to occupy. In the wake of David De Gea's howler in Manchester United's most recent defeat, the Fiver can think of one berth that could be up for grabs.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"I expected him to come to me in a flashy car, but I ended up driving him about in my old blue Fiesta and I was left to pay and display. Then he said he was taking me to Nando's – my face fell" – Turns out Adnan Januzaj was right not to take Melissa McKenzie to a more expensive restaurant, given she immediately went to a tabloid and whinged about it.

FIVER LETTERS

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"Mike Wilner's question about types of steam other than 'hot' (Friday's letters). What about the stuff that comes out of your freezer?" – Daniel Doody (and 1,056 other steam-obsessed pedants).

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BITS AND BOBS

Arsène Wenger is to sign a new contract at Arsenal. "Arsène will be extending [his contract] with us and at the right time we will make that announcement," cheered Ivan Gazidis, the second part of his sentence seemingly blissfully unaware of the first. Puma have also agreed to give the Gunners £150m to make their kit for them.

Liverpool used a Bill Shankly quote – "If you're part of a club, you're part of a big society" – at their big launch today. A deal with local schools? A new scheme to tackle youth crime in the area? Plans to work with underprivileged children? Nope – the unveiling of Indonesian airline Garuda as the club's first official training kit sponsor. Grave. Spinning. In. His. (And Farnborough FC got there first in any case).

Leighton Baines has signed a four-year contract with Everton. "It is a great boost internally," said manager Roberto Martínez, making his left-back sound like a probiotic yoghurt.

Beancounters at West Ham say the club's debt has risen to £77m, a figure slightly higher than the GDP of Montserrat.

Milan have signed Michael Essien from Chelsea.

Evo-Stik South side Goole have parted company with manager David Holdsworth, less than 48 hours after defender Karl Colley stomped into the stands to confront visiting supporters during the match against Coalville. Former professional boxer Curtis Woodhouse has been placed in caretaker charge. Obviously.

After a confusing final weekend at Oxford (chairman says manager has resigned, manager's agent says manager has not resigned, club put out statement confirming manager has indeed resigned), Chris Wilder has been appointed as manager of Northampton.

Swansea have signed David Ngog from Bolton. For some reason.

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You might think Emile Heskey has no place in a goals of the week blog … and you'd be right: because while everyone else is banging them in, here he is missing a sitter.

Edward Woodward is now such a transfer expert, he managed to prise Juan Mata from Chelsea without even bothering to speak to the London club, writes Daniel Taylor.

Now Manchester United have proved they can locate their wallet, Jamie Jackson invites them to open it again for three other players.

Lazio might have a miserable pessimist up front, but they're not letting that bother them, reckons Paolo Bandini.

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar scores when he wants (if he's playing HSV), writes Raphael Honigstein.

How a small town pharmacist brought down the president of Barcelona. Sid Lowe gets his blog on.

Fans of discussions on railway junctions will be disappointed to learn that our Talking Points blog is actually on the weekend's FA Cup ties.

Oh, and if it's your thing, you can follow Big Website on Big Social FaceSpace.

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THIS ONE'S FOR YOU WIDDICOMBE

Barry Glendenning

Arsène Wenger rejects José Mourinho's criticism of Arsenal – video

Posted: 27 Jan 2014 08:10 AM PST

Arsène Wenger rejects José Mourinho's assertion that Arsenal get more rest between fixtures

How Neymar's arrival turned from triumph to disaster for Sandro Rosell| Sid Lowe

Posted: 27 Jan 2014 07:59 AM PST

Barcelona's president resigned having been undone by silence and complex sums concerning the Brazil striker's signing

Pride goes before destruction. Signing Neymar should have been Sandro Rosell's greatest triumph; instead it has been his downfall. The arrival of the Brazil striker will indeed define his presidency at Barcelona, just not in the way that he wanted. "We're proud of signing Neymar but now it seems as if we have to apologise for it," the new Barcelona president, Josep Maria Bartomeu, said on Monday morning. No one has apologised for it but Rosell did resign, walking away defeated and damaged, his departure largely unlamented. In three and am half years he never truly emerged from the shadows. He could not escape familiar foes, familiar fears and familiar phobias. He could not escape himself.

Under Rosell, Barcelona won the league, the Copa del Rey and the World Club Cup. They won the European Cup, too, the fourth in their history but somehow those trophies didn't feel like they were his. Neymar was. The Brazilian arrived from Santos the undisputed star of the Confederations Cup and thousands gathered at the Camp Nou to watch him be presented. Real Madrid's president, Florentino Pérez, admitted that he had tried to sign Neymar but here he was in Barcelona. The glossy dossier Madrid prepared made no difference and nor did the salary. Barcelona's victory was all the more complete for the identity of the vanquished.

Rosell had moved fast. He is close to Ricardo Teixeira, the former president of the Brazilian FA, and Rosell's contacts in Brazil had proved decisive. Neymar had been his from the start. This was his moment. The day after the signing was made official, the cover and the first seven pages of one paper carried headlines that essentially said the same thing: "Triple goal against Madrid," "Sandro Rosell's success is another defeat for Florentino," and: "Rosell whacks one into the top corner of Florentino's net." And that was in Sport. Over at El Mundo Deportivo, where Rosell's greatest allies reside, they celebrated even more effusively. Their man had done it.

At €57.1m, Neymar was cheap too. The problem was that it turned out that he was not cheap at all. It also turned out, of course, that he might not have been €57.1m either. Victory became defeat, and fast. Back in the summer, Rosell was presented as the winner in the Madrid newspaper AS. Galácticos no longer go to Madrid, Alfredo Relaño wrote; this was a "stain on Florentino's suit". It proved to be a stain on Rosell's. It need not have been such a big one but his attempts to wash it off, when he tried at all, were so clumsy that they made it grow, bigger and bigger and bigger until the suit could barely be seen, just the stain.

The real cost, the newspaper El Mundo insisted last week, was €95m. By then, the public prosecutor had written a report saying there were grounds to suspect "simulated contracts", and the judge had accepted his request to take on the case.

The more they asked, the bigger the stain grew. On Monday, Rosell was asked again and again and evaded the question again and again. Eventually, he snapped. "The cost was €57.1m, y punto."€57.1m, full stop. On Friday, Barcelona's new president laid out the figures. The total cost, if not the actual transfer fee, was more than €86.2m. For Rosell, it was too late; he'd resigned the day before, citing "unfair attacks". He mentioned, too, the threats, from phone calls to air rifles. Maybe if he had talked about the full cost instead, he might never have reached this point. That he didn't was an eloquent comment on the communication breakdown that has characterised his presidency. It was about the only eloquent comment there has been.

Rosell departed bemoaning the "jealousy" of Barcelona's rivals; now Bartomeu talks about a public prosecutor that's "not one of ours" and that the "campaign from Madrid" is the stock-in-trade of the media.

Just because you're paranoid does not mean they're not out to get you. El Mundo's piece was written by Eduardo Inda, the former editor or Marca whose exposé forced the resignation of the former president Ramón Calderón and pathed the way for Pérez to return at Real. There was something a little convenient in their calculations reaching €95m and something more than a little forced in the declaration that Neymar was in fact the most expensive transfer in history, applying a broad definition of "transfer fee" which included agents' fees, signing-on bonuses and other payments not normally considered part of the transfer fee itself.

Equally, while Barcelona's claim that the €57.1m was analysed, it did not escape the attention of Barcelona fans that Real have not offered up an official fee for Gareth Bale and the figures they have filtered (£78m, conveniently £2m less than was paid for Cristiano Ronaldo) differ from those that other well-placed sources insist on.

Yet this did not start with Madrid; it started with a pharmacist from Esparreguera, a Barcelona soci by the name of Jordi Cases who demanded that the club clarify where the €57.1m had really gone, and there are doubts about the way the money has been spent. There are doubts about Rosell. Rivals might have seen their chance to help topple him but those rivals were not just in the capital but in Catalonia, too. And Rosell put it on a plate for them. His downfall is of his making.

According to Barcelona, they paid €57.1m in transfer fee, €17.1m to Santos and €40m to a company called N&N, owned by Neymar's father who held the player's economic rights. It was that money that Cases wanted clarified. In Barcelona's accounts, the €40m is registered as a "penalty clause" between the parties, one that refers to an undertaking that they would sign Neymar rather than that they had, even if it essentially amounts to the same thing; the total was be payable on completion.

The €17.1m was the money paid to Santos to sign Neymar, whose contract was due to expire in 2014 anyway. Of that money, Santos were due to receive 55%, while two other companies, SONDA and TEISA, would receive 40% and 5% respectively. Then there were other payments, which Barcelona have now outlined in the wake of Rosell's departure: a further €2m payable to Santos if Neymar made the Ballon d'Or podium, €2.6m in agent's commission, €10m signing on fee, €7.9m on a collaboration with Santos (an option on Santos players), €4m in marketing for Neymar's father in seeking out sponsors etc over five years, €2.5m to Neymar's charitable foundation and two friendlies which Barcelona say have a value of zero but El Mundo claimed were worth €9m. Then there's €44m in salary, at €8,8m a year – not an especially huge figure.

Not including salary, Barcelona admitted to the €86.2m total cost.

It is not unusual to break up a contract but this is especially complex. There are doubts and huge questions. Such as: What does the collaboration with Santos entail? How realistic is €7.9m for that collaboration? What are the friendlies for? What will Neymar Sr's marketing and scouting role entail? And what about the agent fee? And are those payments separate from the Neymar deal? Does the €40m to N&N go directly and solely to Neymar's father? Is he really going to get as much from this deal as the player? Or is this a way of indirectly paying Neymar more, without his salary formally challenging that of Lionel Messi? Or instead a way of indirectly paying him more without being taxed at 56%? Where is the money paid to N&N taxed and at what rate? Why is it defined as a penalty, not a transfer fee? It is here that the public prosecutor expressed doubts at the definition of the payments.

Who stands to benefit from a deal that is fragmented? Because Santos did not own 100% of Neymar's rights, the money they received then had to be divided up among their Brazilian partners. Does that explain why it suits them to be paid for a separate collaboration rather than receiving a bigger transfer fee? A collaboration would not be shared; a transfer fee would. Just as any profit from a friendly would be entirely theirs, not shared among those who owned Neymar's rights.

€57.1m is a bit over half of what Real paid for Bale. Is that the point? Did Barcelona want to make their victory greater? Did Rosell? Did the idea of some kind of moral superiority seduce them? Tata Martino had described the fee for Bale as a "lack of respect to the world". That position would have been harder to maintain had they said €86.2m. "One cost 50 or so, the other 100," Martino said recently.

Unless the court finds otherwise, unless the judge declares that some of the other payments in fact amount to hidden transfer fees (or hidden wages), Barcelona can continue to insist on a €57.1m fee. They maintain that here is nothing illegal about the transfer and, looking at the figures, that stance looks reasonably sound. But why not explain before? Andoni Zubizarreta, the sporting director, had a point when he said it is rare for any club to outline a transfer like this and it will be hard to demonstrate that the other payments are not, as they insist, for different things. "Negotiating engineering", as Rosell called it, is not unusual. But the wait, the evasive responses, the talk of confidentiality clauses, has cost him his presidency.

Cases has now withdrawn his complaint and Barcelona have outlined the costs but it is too late. The courts will proceed and Rosell has gone. The doubts have not. Reports have also linked him to a corruption scandal in Brazil. Had Barcelona responded to Cases in the first place, it may never have got this far. He went to the courts because the club ignored him. Now a pharmacist from a small town has brought down the president. A pharmacist from a small town who – and there is something commendable about this – wanted to know the truth. A pharmacist from a small town, and it is hard not to suspect – and there may be something a little less commendable about this – who was encouraged to keep up the pursuit.

In the end, Cases caught his prey. "My work is done," he said. Many were pleased. Ultimately, Rosell will not be missed. He was the most voted-for president in Barcelona's history but somehow he didn't convince. He had four directors of communication but rarely communicated well. There was something that just didn't sit right – rigid, cold, unnatural, he didn't inspire confidence or transmit feeling; the good was forgotten, the bad lingered.

Rosell's Barcelona credentials are unquestionable: he had been a club ballboy and his father was a director, the man who smashed the obligatory bust of Franco on the day the dictator died, but he never quite seemed to "get" Barcelona. He will be remembered as the man who sold Eric Abidal and sold the shirt to Qatar Airways. The man who fell out with Johan Cruyff, Pep Guardiola and even Messi. He was a man who lacked the charisma and charm, the approachability and popularity of Joan Laporta, the former president and his rival who he so resented and whose shadow he could never escape.

When at last he did, he did so by signing Neymar. It was supposed to be the start of Rosell's era. It was the end. It cost him more than he could ever imagine and more than he would ever say.

Talking points

• "We can talk about football ... for a moment at least," grinned Barcelona's sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta after his side defeated Málaga. OK, then, for a moment. Barcelona were slick, incisive and intense. It finished 3-0. It could have been more but for Wilfredo Caballero. "Willy" was enormous. Etc and so on.

• Cristiano Ronaldo was handed the Ballon d'Or before Real Madrid's 2-0 win over Granada and shared it with his team-mates and the club's veteran match-day delegate Herrerín. He then swiftly set about reaching his next target: Hugo Sánchez overhead kicks. He connected with one that would have been a stunning goal, but Roberto made a great save. "He didn't look at me with love on his face, no," the goalkeeper joked. Ronaldo, who admitted in an interview that he would love to score the kind of goals that Sánchez was famous for, has been trying rather a lot of overhead kicks recently, almost to the point of obsession, and he is getting closer. This was his sixth attempt this season.

• Ander Herrera's assist in Athletic Bilbao's 5-1 win at Osasuna was class. And so, in fact, were Athletic. They're getting better and better.

• The mistakes keep on coming and the mistakes keep on costing them. Rayo conceded four more against Atlético Madrid to take them to 51 goals conceded this season. If they don't go down it will be a miracle.

Results: Celta Vigo 4-2 Real Betis, Real Madrid 2-0 Granada, Valladolid 1-0 Villarreal, Valencia 2-2 Espanyol, Sevilla 2-3 Levante, Almería 1-0 Getafe, Osasuna 1-5 Athletic Bilbao, Rayo 2-4 Atlético Madrid, Barcelona 3-0 Málaga. Tonight: Real Sociedad v Elche

La Liga table

Sid Lowe

Liverpool seal training kit deal with airline Garuda Indonesia

Posted: 27 Jan 2014 07:39 AM PST

• Indonesian airline's logo to feature on club's training gear
• Deal to last for two seasons and start in the summer

Liverpool have agreed a two-year deal with the airline Garuda Indonesia for the sponsorship of their training kit which will run from June this year.

Garuda became the club's airline partner in 2012 and has now decided to strengthen its links with the club.

The deal follows the recent partnership with Dunkin' Donuts as Liverpool try to compete with rival clubs financially.

Liverpool dropped out of the Deloitte Money League top 10 recently but were the highest-placed club not in the Champions League.

Wenger set to sign new Arsenal deal

Posted: 27 Jan 2014 06:51 AM PST

• Manager 'will be extending contract in summer'
• Puma deal is biggest in English football history

Arsène Wenger will agree a new contract with Arsenal in the near future and is set to be significantly backed in the summer transfer window after the club announced on Monday a record £150m kit deal with Puma, which lasts until 2019.

Wenger has hinted in recent weeks that a contract extension is not far off, despite admitting last summer that his future was not 100% certain, and the Arsenal chief executive, Ivan Gazidis, said on Monday that he was convinced that the Frenchman would commit to the club.

Gazidis, speaking at the Emirates Stadium during the unveiling of a lucrative kit deal with Puma worth £30m a season for the next five years, said Wenger would remain at the helm and be supported in the transfer window as Arsenal strive to compete with the top clubs in Europe.

"We've always supported Arsène and Arsène has always been committed to this football club," Gazidis said. "Arsène will be extending with us and at the right time we will make that announcement.

"He's always been completely committed to this football club, it's the football club of his life so we're convinced at the right time we'll quietly make an announcement and he's the right person to see us forward. I'm convinced of that."

Puma have required the rights to produce Arsenal-branded merchandise, as well as the club's training and first-team kits, in a deal that ends the club's 20-year affiliation with Nike, whose current contract expires at the end of the season.

Though direct comparisons can be difficult due to the fine print of deals, Arsenal's Puma deal eclipses Liverpool's £25m-a-year contract with Warrior. Real Madrid's contract with the German brand Adidas is worth £31m a year while Barcelona's deal with Nike earns them £27m per annum.

On the kit deal, Gazidis added: "The money from this deal will be available to the club from this summer. This represents another important step forward in Arsenal's progression on and off the pitch.

"It's a validation of the things we're doing right. Our club has walked an independent path of standing on our own two feet and thinking long term about our progression. It's to be able to invest in our squad and it's a very important step for our progression on the pitch.

"We have a vision to be competing at the top of the world's game. We're not where we want to be yet but we want to be competing with the best clubs in the world. We're doing it our way, without relying on any single individual."

Following a lengthy period of criticism for not spending large sums on major signings, Wenger broke Arsenal's transfer record last summer with a £42.5m deal for the Germany attacker Mesut Özil. Schalke's Julian Draxler, another Germany forward, has been heavily linked with a £37m move during the January window.

Arsenal, who hold a one-point lead over Manchester City at the top of the Premier League, play Southampton at St Mary's on Tuesday evening but are set to be without Jack Wilshere who is carrying an ankle injury.

In recent seasons February has proved a tough month for the north London club, when chances of silverware have been dashed by exits in various cup competitions, and the next few weeks provide a number of serious challenges for Wenger's side.

Next month Arsenal play Liverpool in the league and FA Cup, Manchester United in the league and Bayern Munich in the last 16 of the Champions League. Wenger is confident that his side can withstand the tough spell without wilting as they have done in the past, although he questioned the role of TV companies when contributing to the buildup of games in quick succession.

He said: "In one week you can go out of everything. We went to Barça [in 2011] and went out on away goals, three days later we lost to Man United in the FA Cup because we had the disappointment of Barça. That's part of it.

"In the other leagues they do help teams. I've already suggested in Uefa meetings to make sure that in Champions League competitions that the teams have the same amount of rest. In some championships, for example in Portugal, they cancel the [domestic] games. The game before the Champions League, they cancel the game.

"It is the television today who decides, I cannot even blame the Premier League because it's the television who has the last word. If they say we want Arsenal v Liverpool on Sunday, it will be on Sunday. I can understand the television, but the question you can ask is the way it is sold, sometimes you [could] take £50m less and keep the command."

James Riach

Arsène Wenger claims Arsenal get 'less rest than any other top team'

Posted: 27 Jan 2014 06:31 AM PST

• 'I don't live with opinions, I live with facts,' says manager
• Wenger hits back at Chelsea's José Mourinho

Arsène Wenger has hit back at José Mourinho by saying Arsenal do not get an easy ride over fixtures. Mourinho said last week that Arsenal get a certain "influence" when it came to their schedule, something Wenger is eager to refute.

"It is simple – look at the fixtures and analyse it. I trust you will give an objective view," the Arsenal manager said. "You will see Arsenal are behind all the other teams. In the last five years all the objective studies that have been made show Arsenal had less rest than any other team in the top four.

"That is fact. It has nothing to do with my opinion. It is an independent company that made [the study] that shows Arsenal had less rest than any other team in the top level."

It is understood the study Wenger was referring to was internal analysis of Arsenal's fixture programme.

Wenger cited his side's hectic schedule just before Christmas when they played at Manchester City on a Saturday lunchtime following a midweek European trip to Napoli, both of which ended in defeat.

Mourinho's comments about Arsenal fixtures came in response to criticism from Wenger about Chelsea's decision to sell Juan Mata to Manchester United.

Wenger insisted the war of words was not part of any mind games on his part, with his team one point ahead of Manchester City and two clear of Chelsea going into the midweek Premier League programme. Arsenal travel to Southampton on Tuesday night.

"It is not mind games. It is opinions," Wenger said, "but I don't live with opinions, I live with facts and the facts don't depend on me or Mourinho.

"It is depending on objective analysis. A day is 24 hours and you count how many times you have rest between games. I didn't make the study, it was made by an independent company. I cannot influence that."

The thorny matter of fixture congestion will raise its head again after Arsenal were drawn against Liverpool in the FA Cup, with the tie likely to be selected for live television coverage.

That tie, to be played on the weekend of 15 and 16 February, will come just days before Arsenal's Champions League first-leg match with Bayern Munich at the Emirates Stadium and after vital Premier League games against Liverpool away and Manchester United at home.

Such testing periods have broken Arsenal in the past but Wenger has told his players to absorb the occasion and pressure this time around.

"It is an interesting [FA Cup] draw and a difficult one; we have a little advantage by playing at home," he said. "Overall it's a great difficulty and we will try to absorb it and come out in a positive way.

"[There are] plenty of big games. It means the squad will need to be highly focused, [it is] a massive challenge and we are confident we can do that."

Arsenal head to Southampton with a doubt over Jack Wilshere's ankle but Mikel Arteta (calf), Aaron Ramsey (thigh) and Thomas Vermaelen (knee) are all back in training, so should all travel.

Sam Allardyce hopes West Ham's new Italian signings can adapt to Premier League – video

Posted: 27 Jan 2014 06:27 AM PST

Sam Allardyce hopes new signings Marco Borriello and Antonio Nocerino can make an instant impact

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Tuesday, 28 January 2014

Football news, match reports and fixtures | theguardian.com

07:41

Football news, match reports and fixtures | theguardian.com

Essien to Milan

Ngog to Swansea City

Messi

A BIG SHIRT TO FILL

QUOTE OF THE DAY

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Tuesday, 28 January 2014

Football news, match reports and fixtures | theguardian.com

07:41

Football news, match reports and fixtures | theguardian.com

Essien to Milan

Ngog to Swansea City

Messi

A BIG SHIRT TO FILL

QUOTE OF THE DAY

FIVER LETTERS

JOIN GUARDIAN SOULMATES

BITS AND BOBS

STILL WANT MORE?

SIGN UP TO THE FIVER

THIS ONE'S FOR YOU WIDDICOMBE

Talking points

Written by TBMU Admin

0 comments :

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

Follow TBMU FBook/Twitter

Popular on TBMU

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