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WENGER FUTURE IN DOUBT

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The future of Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has been thrown into doubt after their own supporters have urged the club to not consider offering the manager a new contract. Arsenal Supporters’ Trust (AST) has said that they are extremely disappointed with the transfer activity of the club, and they have laid the blame on manager Wenger. Arsenal have yet to sign any major player in this transfer window, but they have been linked with several names. They have lost the ability to bring any stellar names after failing to win any trophy last eight years.

Manager Wenger has admitted on several occasions that the club has money to spend in the summer, but he has been unwilling to splash the cash and close the deal. The likes of Gonzalo Higuain and Luiz Gustavo have not joined Arsenal due to several reasons. AST has estimated that the club has around £ 70-£ 150 million in cash reserve. They have questioned why the club has not utilise this money to strengthen the team. The club has lost several players in various areas of the pitch, but they are yet to sign replacements. This has made their squad look threadbare.

North London rivals Tottenham have strengthened substantially during this summer.

“A decision on whether to offer an extension to the manager’s contract which ends in May 2014 should only be taken following the closing of the transfer window and assessment of the team’s performances in the weeks ahead. Considerable improvement must be shown for us to be convinced this should happen, and we believe that other senior football appointments must come first,” said AST in a statement. Wenger could choose to walk away from the club since he has just one year left on his contract. It ends in the summer of 2014.

MAZZARRI ARRIVES

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Inter Milan recently appointed former Napoli manager Walter Mazzarri as their new head coach. Immediately after taking over, it was expected that Mazzarri will be making few changes to the first-team in order to make them competitive once again. Inter are coming on the back of a very disappointing campaign in which they finished close to the bottom half of the table. They will be without any form of European games this season, which Mazzarri reckons will be a blessing in disguise for the team because they can concentrate on the league.

Mazzarri has taken a look at the squad up until now and he is extremely happy with the players at his disposal. He will also be able to call upon the services of players like Diego Milito and Javier Zanetti, who are nursing long-term injuries. He has promised that Inter fans can look forward to some attacking and pulsating football this season after a couple of years of drab football. Inter Milan have strengthened their forward line up by bringing in the likes of Ishak Belfodil and Mauro Icardi.

Even though Mazzarri arriving at the club has raised expectations that Inter Milan will finally be able to get back into European football, the manager has not promised anything as of yet.

“I want a team that people enjoy watching, with a soul, that never gives up. And I can promise you that. People are free to assess the potential of the team, but it’s my job to convince the players that we can win every game. I haven’t had individual chats with all the lads yet but they’ve exceeded my expectations. They’re determined to bounce back. I prefer actions to words. And I get the impression these players are going to give me everything they’ve got,” said Mazzarri.

THIRD TIME LUCKY

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Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery has said that he hopes to get third time lucky in the Champions League final when his club take on Borussia Dortmund on May 25 at Wembley. This will be the third Champions League final for the club in the last four seasons, but they have lost the previous two encounters. The first Champions League loss against Inter Milan was followed by the defeat on penalties against Chelsea last season. Ribery, who has been part of the team on both occasions, has said that the Champions League is the only medal that he has failed to win since joining Bayern Munich several years ago.

He has already won three league titles with the German club, that this would be his first Champions League medal. Ribery has acknowledged that winning the competition is not straightforward because Borussia Dortmund are an extremely good team, but given the fact that they know their German archrivals much better than anyone else, they are well prepared. Ribery has claimed that he knows the Dortmund team inside out. A number of crucial players are expected to be missing for Dortmund including Gotze, who will join Munich in the summer.

This will be the second Champions League final for Ribery after he missed the match against Inter Milan due to a suspension.

“I have won everything with Bayern, only this title is missing. We have to win for this club, these fans, this team. That was hard, if you don’t play you are sad. That hurt. That was a shock for all of us. We know what it feels like to be in the final. That is nothing new for us. Jupp Heynckes was important for me, for my self-belief, my happiness, my enjoyment on the pitch,” said Ribery ahead of the match.

UNDER PRESSURE

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The Inter Milan manager Andrea Stramaccioni is currently under a lot of pressure after recent results in all competitions, which has left him facing the sack. Inter Milan have not only fallen behind the likes of AC Milan in the race for the top three positions, but they are also on the verge of being eliminated from the Europa league as well. The 3-0 defeat against Tottenham in the first leg of the Europa league encounter between the two teams has all but confirmed the exit from the competition. The return leg will be taking place at the San Siro, but not many are giving the 2010 Champions League winners hope.

The 37-year-old has always enjoyed a special relationship with the Inter Milan President Massimo Moratti. The team has managed just three wins in the last 12 league matches. This abysmal run of form has meant that they have not only been caught up by their arch rivals AC Milan, but Massimiliano Allegri’s men have also overtaken them as well. Inter are currently in the fifth position – five points behind the rivals Milan, who occupy the third position. Inter Milan were set the objective of finishing in the top three in the qualify for the Champions League season. There have been rumours that Stramaccioni might lose his job, but the 37-year-old has said that he does not worry about it.

“I think that my work will be judged at the end of the season and not now. I’ve always had the president’s (Massimo Moratti) backing, but he is in charge and can make whatever decisions he wants. My future will be decided by the results at the end of the campaign, not by one game. I never give up, I’m focused and giving everything that I have,” said the former youth team manager.

INTER AIM FOR TOP 3

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The Inter Milan manager Andrea Stramaccioni has expressed his confidence that his team will be able to finish in the top three positions the season. Inter Milan are currently fighting to get back into the Champions League after missing out on this prestigious European competition this season. The team has been undergoing several changes since winning the Champions league title in 2010. Stramaccioni has been given the task of getting the team back into the top three, but Inter Milan are a few places below from achieving their objectives for this season. They are a few places below the top three with just more than half of the season played.

Due to the fact that there are several games remaining in the season, Stramaccioni has expressed his confident that the team will be able to achieve Champions league qualification at the end of the season. Even though the team has managed just one victory in the last five matches, Inter Milan are only three points below the third placed Lazio. Stramaccioni has said that despite not having the best of starts to the season, he is pleased by the good form shown by the team both domestically and in European competitions. He has confirmed that his team will remain fighting mode till the end of the season.

“I don’t think we had a positive start to the campaign. We struggled to gel due to so many changes in personnel, but from week five onwards we laid the tactical foundations which brought us a run of good results both in Italy and in Europe. Then our results tailed off, but I strongly believe we are a good side who had a bad run, rather than an average team that had a good one. I think my Inter side will be in there fighting until the end of the season. Our results will ultimately determine that,” said Stramaccioni.

INTER WANT SNEIJDER BACK

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The Inter Milan manager Andrea Stramaccioni has said that he wants the return of the midfielder Wesley Sneijder to the team. The future of the Dutch midfielder Wesley Sneijder has been under a huge cloud of doubt after falling out with the club over the signing of a new contract. The 28-year-old has only two seasons left on his current deal, but the Italian club is extremely keen on tying him on a new deal on a much lower pay scale. Sneijder is one of the highest earning players within the Inter Milan squad. Due to the contract dispute, he has been linked with major clubs like Manchester City and Paris St Germain.

The Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas is also thought to be keen on the player, who only recently helped Inter Milan to a famous treble in 2010. The player is widely expected to leave the club in January, but the manager disagrees by saying that he is very much looking forward to the return of the Dutchman. In his absence, Inter Milan have struggled in recent weeks and their title challenge has been faltering as well. After a brief return to the second spot in the table, Inter Milan have fallen to the fourth position in the table after just two wins in the last five matches.

“As far as Sneijder is concerned, he knows that when a player gives their all, I give them mine in return. If I was a player, I’d try to think about what my manager was thinking. I’m sure that Wesley can make me change my mind,” said the Inter Milan manager Andrea Stramaccioni in a recent interview. Juventus are among the favourites for the title in Italy after they have opened a massive eight point advantage between them and the second placed Lazio.

BRANCA NOT DECIDED

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The Inter Milan sporting director Marco Branca has said that the club have decided not to utilise the services of the midfielder Wesley Sneijder until a solution is found to his contract situation. The 28-year-old midfielder is one of the stars of the Inter Milan team. However, the club is undergoing major changes to the whole structure. In the hope of winning the Champions League under the reign of José Mourinho, the club signed numerous players on high wages. They have been looking to trim the wage bill more than anything else in recent seasons. Wesley Sneijder is one of the high earning members of the squad.

The Dutchman has not been involved in the squad since suffering an injury back in September. However, he has just started training with the first team, but he will not be included in the first time according to the sporting director of club. Due to the fact that Wesley Sneijder has been recently looking forward to move to another club, people are interested in enquiring the Dutch midfielder for potential transfer in the January transfer window. Manchester United were linked with him for a move in the past, but it never materialised due to the talks never becoming official.

“We’re patient and calm as we wait for the situation to evolve. The situation with Wes, who is part of the history of this club and a player we all care about, is that we’ve been discussing a possible – and for us necessary – adjustment to his contract for a while. We want to give the player and his entourage all the time they need to consider the terms of our proposal carefully, so the coach and the club have decided not to use the player in this period until things are clearer,” said the Inter Milan sporting director.

JUVE WANTED RVP

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Juventus have admitted that they were left disappointed not to get the Arsenal striker Robin van Persie, with whom they were heavily linked during the summer. The 29-year-old Dutchman has been linked with a move to the Italian champions throughout the summer, but he decided to join the Premier league rivals Manchester United instead. Juventus came extremely close to securing the signature and were the front-runners at one stage. However, they simply baulked at the pricetag put up by Arsenal for the player according to the Chief Executive of the club, Giuseppe Marotta. Giuseppe Marotta has said that Robin van Persie’s value was extremely over the top at £ 24 million.

It is thought that Arsenal demanded around € 30 million for the player, which Juventus were unwilling to pay. Manchester United then seized to the opportunity to sign the player. Even more astonishing for Giuseppe Marotta is the fact that Manchester United have agreed to offer the player around £ 250,000 per week in wages, thus making the Dutchman one of the highest paid players in the world. Due to the fact that van Persie has only one season left on his deal, Giuseppe Marotta thought that the player could be signed for a lesser amount.

“I have regrets about Van Perise, but it would have been a bad choice for the club if we had paid €30million for a player who would have seen his contract expire next year. We are happy with the business we were able to carry out. We hit our targets with the acquisition of good, young players with reasonable salaries – (Kwadwo) Asamoah, (Mauricio) Isla and (Sebastian) Giovinco. There is another fact which must not be overlooked, the fact that we kept (Claudio) Marchisio and (Arturo) Vidal, who were wanted by Bayern Munich,” Marotta told Tuttosport.

BABEL LINKED TO VIOLA

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The former Liverpool winger Ryan Babel could soon be playing for the Italian club Fiorentina after his agent revealed that he has completed negotiations with the Italian club. It is expected that the free transfer from the Bundesliga club Hoffenheim should be a mere formality because the Hoffenheim has already revealed that he is ready to let the Dutch winger leave the club. Ryan Babel was a £ 7 million signing from Liverpool a few seasons ago, but he has not impressed in his first season with the German club. After making 46 appearances in the season, he managed to score just five goals.

There has been rumours that Hoffenheim are looking to sell the player because if he plays another five matches for the club, then he will be eligible for a contract extension that will see his wages increased double fold. However, the Hoffenheim manager ruled out this aspect of the transfer by saying that he is prepared to sell the player only because he has not been good enough for the club. Hence, he will not be able to guarantee him regular first team football in the coming season. It was not long ago that Ryan Babel was regarded as one of the next big things from Dutch football.

“My decision is down to sporting issues only. I don’t care about what a player earns. The contracts are signed. When someone is better than the other it is his time to play. But that is not the case with Ryan,” said the Hoffenheim manager Markus Babbel. “You can’t be more honest with a player. I have told him several times what I expect from him,” said the agent of the player in a recent interview. Ryan Babel has been constantly in trouble with his social media account on Twitter even in Germany.

BARCA COMPLETE SONG DEAL

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Barcelona have completed the signing of the highly rated Arsenal midfielder Alex Song in a deal worth about £ 15 million. The 24-year-old Cameroon international has not been appreciated much at the Emirates stadium, but he contributed immensely to the team last season with 14 assists. He was playing as a defensive midfielder for the club, which made the statistic even more impressive. However, the Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger recently conceded that he would be interested in letting the midfielder leave the club due to his immense options in midfield. Arsenal have already lost star striker Robin van Persie in the transfer window to Manchester United for £ 24 million.

Even though Arsenal have made a few signings in the transfer window up until now, this comes as a major blow for the team due to the fact that Alex Song has just about matured into a great player. The Cameroon international was £ 2.75 million signing for the club many seasons ago. The 24-year-old has said that he is extremely happy to join a club like Barcelona. He is very much looking forward to winning most of the major trophies with his new club. Song has completed his medical and is expected to make his debut this weekend.

“(I am) very happy to be here, this is the best team in the world, playing at a club like Barca is something I wanted when I was young. I hope the team will continue to win, this is a winning team. They win everything. I will give my best on training and when I get the chance to play I will do it,” said the midfielder after sealing his £ 15 million move to the camp Nou. The player has signed a five-year contract with the Catalan club.