Morning all. It's a fine day for football. My Under 8's are 2-0 to start the season with a +14 goal difference so far, so that's going well. And on top of that, since the disaster at Fulham, Arsenal have looked good too. We need that to continue tonight in Ukraine against Dynamo Kiev.

Injury news for Arsenal is as follows: Mikael Silvestre is out, along with Samir Nasri. Click to continue reading...

Arsenal depart for Kiev today and we're still somewhat in the dark regarding injuries. Some reports say Nasri will be fit, others say he won't.

There's no news about Eboue but it's believed Gael Clichy has declared himself 'A-OK, Hunky Dory' and 'Right as rain' for tomorrow's match. Which is good news but I suppose we have to wait until a bit later until the squad is announced before we get too overjoyed.

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Hello there, hope you had a fine weekend and aren't too grumpified this Monday morning.

The weekend's Premier League games have been interesting, I have to say. We quietly and efficiently got on with the job of beating Blackburn and left all the drama to the others. United were hapless against Liverpool and had Vidic sent off eventually - I thought his first challenge was a straight red, as was his second as he had no intention of playing the ball.

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Like yesterday, these are just the players from my time supporting Spurs. I'm sure there are some shockers I've omitted from further back!

5. Dean Austin and Justin Edinburgh - I just couldn't split them! For years we were stuck with these two at full back, it amazes me how many games the pair of them played. Click to continue reading...

Crikey, as we say in England. The reasons why Robinho was willing to relocate to Manchester suddenly become clear:

The 24-year-old has agreed a four-year contract that makes him the highest-paid footballer in the history of the game, with a weekly salary of £160,000.

For those of you not used to the quaint habit that British newspapers have of expressing multi-million pound salaries in a working-class "weekly wage" fashion, let's put it this way: that amounts to about $15 million a year. Click to continue reading...

Hands down the goal of the week goes to Francesco Valiani of Bologna FC for the winner against AC Milan at the San Siro. (AC Milan 1 - 2 Bologna FC) Goalscorers - Di Vaio 18 (B), Ambrosini 42 (M), Valiani 79 (B) Line Ups Milan: Abbiati; Zambrotta, Maldini, Kaladze, Jankulovski (Shevchenko 46); Flamini, Pirlo, Ambrosini (Emerson 85); Seedorf, Ronaldinho; Inzaghi [. Click to continue reading...

By way of a complement to our weekly look at German football called Bundesbag, we're going to be regularly updating you on the other leagues vying for your attention around Europe and indeed the world at large.

This week, we're checking out the first weekend of action in Serie A, and we begin with reigning champions Inter who were playing away to Sampdoria on Saturday. Click to continue reading...

Serie A Talk readers have probably noticed the headline change but I've changed more than that. After some deliberation I trashed the first post on 'Shevchenko's Triumphant Return' as Andriy hasn't been triumphant since leaving Milan and it looked likely he wasn't going to find an opening to return or showed a desire to do so [. Click to continue reading...

 Here are several photos made available by the AC Milan official website,                                                                                                                                      Sheva's Airport arrival             Sheva's Airport arrival Milan tifosi cheering Ole Ole Ole Shevchenko. Click to continue reading...

Something to read while you reflect on the worst robbery attempt ever... Starting a new blog with some bad news (Boca Juniors Offside) Does Shevchenko Pave the Way for Kaka (Buzzin' Football Blog) Look out for online hooligans (EPL Talk) Birds and badges (Just Football) Football and your health (SoccerLens) Reflections on Olympic football (Unprofessional Foul) Altidore and Rossi BFF (USA WCB) Click to continue reading...

This week's Top 25 is delayed because we wanted to wait for the outcome of the Manchester United - Portsmouth game. It's largely more of the same, though (which can be expected at this early stage of the season). But because we know how badly you want it, we're going to give it to you now rather than withhold gratification any longer:

1. Click to continue reading...

In the years when the first Italian imports began to flock to England - with Gianluca Vialli, Roberto Di Matteo and Gianfranco Zola blazing a trail towards Stamford Bridge while Fabrizio Ravanelli, improbably, beat a path to the Riverside - their compatriots would dismiss the Premier League as a retirement home for ageing footballers or a get-rich-quick scheme for those who lacked ambition. Click to continue reading...

Önce Flamini sonra Shevchenko şimdi de Senderos Milan'da. Üçü de Premier Lig'den, üçü de Londra'dan... Senderos 1 yıllık kiralık, ancak satın alma opsiyonu var. Bu transfer sonrası aklıma bazı sorular takıldı. İtalyanlar Senderos'a ne kadar dayanabilecekler? Nedense tutmadığım bir adam, İtalya gibi savunması ön planda olan bir ülkede nasıl tutmuşlar onu anlamadım. Click to continue reading...

Luciano Spalletti in conferenza stampa

Si riparte dall'Inter, come arriva la Roma a questa sfida?
"E' un bel ripartire. Se stiamo a giocarci una coppa con l'Inter è segno che abbiamo fatto molto bene nella stagione passata. Meritiamo questo tipo di serate. Nonostante le difficoltà all'inizio di preparazione la Roma è pronta per il confronto". Click to continue reading...

You might be forgiven for thinking that the Blues have enough attacking options, especially when Didier Drogba recovers from injury. Along with Anelka, Shevchenko and Kalou, Chelsea have a formidable set of forwards, while the likes of Deco, Lampard, Ballack and Cole all 'know where the goal is'. However, the . Click to continue reading...

I guess transfer news is better than 'you suck' news.

I hope this season-long loan deal goes through so we can stop talking about this guy.

This is via AC Milan director Silvano Ramaccioni:

'Shevchenko in the Rossoneri shirt? There really isn't much more to be done,' he told Radio Goal.

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I've already heard about Chelsea desire to move Shevchenko out of London but it seems that negotiations are now being made and the move will be made by the end of the week.  I read this story about what Chelsea is willing to do to get Shevchenko to Milan.  The offer, cash! One of the most storied goal scorers at Milan came over to Chelsea about 2 years ago and has been a complete bust. Click to continue reading...

Shevchenko will apparently return to AC Milan on a loan for at least a season, a move which would probably suit all parties involved (especially Milan). The Shevchenko rumours have been persistant ever since the Ukranian arrived at Chelsea, and its about time that he went back to Italy as it just wasn't working out [. Click to continue reading...

Every year sees an influx of foreign players hailing from a wide variety of countries into the Premier league, whether its Africa, South America or Europe. This year has been no exception, and Premiership Talk look into what the top new foreign players have to offer this coming season.


Luka Modric
After a lengthy pursuit for the 22 year olds signature, Tottenham came out victorious, having splashed out a massive £16. Click to continue reading...

"Further to media reports, Chelsea Football Club can confirm we have made an offer to Real Madrid today (Thursday, August 7) for the transfer of Robinho."

Says a statement on the official Chelsea FC website. Short and sweet, eh? This ordeal, however, is certain to be anything but.

So we finally lodged a bid for the pint-sized Brazilian so true to Uncle Phil's heart.

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Didier Drogba is set to miss the start of the season after failing to return from a knee problem. This is not too big a loss for Chelsea with Scolari claiming that the Ivorian will only miss the opening two fixtures against Wigan and Portsmouth but there is howerver little other competition for places at Stamford Bridge with Salomon Kalou at the olympics and Shevchenko seemingly out of "Big Phil's" plans. Click to continue reading...

Lokomotiv Moscow 1, Chelsea 1 (Lokomotiv 5-4 on penalties)

Moscow was a nightmare once again for the Blues. So, too, were penalty shoots for one Andriy Shevchenko. Sheva's penalty miss cost us the match, one we largely dominated. Michael Essien continued his strong preseason, handing us the lead in the 27th minute.

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Robbie Keane has completed his move from Tottenham to Liverpool, much to the dismay of Spurs fans. His move now pushes Darren Bent back into contention as a starter alongside Berbatov, and at £7.5 million he looks promising for another large season.

Whilst pre-season games are not always a true indicator of who will make the starting line-ups come August 16th, Darren Bent has had a successful run so far and is in the kind of form that will make the coach pay attention. Click to continue reading...

Carlos Tevez sta per diventare ufficialmente un giocatore del Manchester United a tutti gli effetti. L'attaccante argentino è stato sì protagonista nell'ultima stagione con la maglia dei Red Devils, ma lo ha fatto da giocatore in prestito. Il suo cartellino, infatti, è di proprietà della MSI, una compagnia di investimenti sportivi, ma Alex Ferguson sembra pronto ad offrire 32 milioni di sterline, cifra record per il calcio britannico, per rilevarlo. Click to continue reading...

Is Carlos Tevez really worth the supposed £35 million transfer fee as reported in the London Times? Manchester United seem to think so, but I think thats a bit much. It would break the British transfer record of £30 million that Chelsea paid for Andrei Shevchenko. Is Tevez really the best forward in Britain? Click to continue reading...

A new era in Chelsea football begins tomorrow. Uncle Phil, Deco, The Bos Jose Bosingwa if you must make their Blues debuts, along with the rest of the crew, in the club's first preseason match, against Guangzhou Pharmaceutical.

What a crazy club name. Anyway, it'll give us fans at least those with Chelsea TV a chance to see how the club is being shaped under the new regime.

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Michael Essien (the second most expensive transfer in the history at Stamford Bridge, 24m pounds, after Shevchenko, 30m pounds) has signed a new contract with Chelsea extending until 2013.

Being a key member of the central axle along with Cech, Terry, Lampard, Ballack and Drogba, Big Phil will surely be happy to know that Essien isn't going anywhere. Click to continue reading...

There's plenty to report on in today's roundup, so without giving you much of an intro, I'll get right to the good stuff. Enjoy! "Transfer Rumors (14 July 08): Manchester City make offer for Ronaldinho, Berbatov out, Santa Cruz in at Tottenham, Shevchenko to Sampdoria, and more" was originally published at Soccerlens. Click to continue reading...

Sepp Blatter, the FIFA president, has added more fuel to the fire of the Cristiano Ronaldo saga. With seemingly everything solved and most parties satisfied, Blatter has brought back uncertainty to Ronaldo's future.

Since Ronaldo's surgery last week, there has been little speculation about his future. Click to continue reading...

We all know the situation...your clubs signs a 'gem' of a player that is set to take the season by storm. Excitement builds as the season gets going and your new signing takes to the field. But a lot of the time, the hype is far too much and a 'proven' goalscorer becomes a fat, overrated waste of money. Click to continue reading...

I know economics is supposed to be all rational and whatnot, but the just-compiled league table of top-earning footballers calls the dismal science into question. Or, at least, points to a paradox: a striking number of the top boys are totally past their prime as players. I'm not saying D. Becks or old Henry don't still offer some value on the field, because they obviously do. Click to continue reading...

Andrei Arshavin is already 27. Did you realize that? That's just two years younger than Henry when he transferred to Purgatory and Shevchenko when he transferred to his little three-legged stool behind the Chelsea bench. I've enjoyed watching Arshavin as much as everyone else during the two games he's played at Euro 2008, but I [. Click to continue reading...

David Villa has been one of the best strikers in Europe during the last few seasons, and after Valencia's disastrous season in La Liga he is very much on the market. In the shop-window or not, his performances so far at the Euros have caught the attention of a fair few prospective buyers.

Crucially, he seems to quite like us. Click to continue reading...

He could be the Blues best forward.

Drogba? Shevchenko? Anelka? Psh!

Seen over at Who Ate All the Pies? Click to continue reading...

We still don't have a manager. So we really don't know which megalomaniacs will be staying, leaving or coming to the club. However, that doesn't mean we can't speculate on who will be earning 100K somewhere else next season. Really, these are the guys who should be gone. Immediately. Bye.

Didier Drogba
The Ivorian schizophrenic has no clue what he wants, where he would like to be or who to slap next.

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