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Surprisingly, Arsene Wenger is reportedly ready to splash out £30 million this summer to recruit new players as he prepares to launch yet another assault on the Premier League next season.

Wenger’s wish-list this summer consists of four players, Fulham’s veteran goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer, Everton’s Phil Jagielka, Chelsea’s Joe Cole and Lorient’s Laurent Koscielny, all of which are realistic targets. However, are they the correct players to be targeting with a £30 million transfer kitty? Personally, I don’t think so

Not to say Wenger doesn’t know what he is doing because in my opinion, the man is an Arsenal icon who has accomplished great things for the North London club since his arrival in 1996, but I, (maybe along with some other Arsenal fans reading this) feel that he is targeting the wrong players in the right positions. I for one am actually very surprised to hear that Wenger is willing to splash the cash, as he hasn’t done this in several years. Although, I sense that at least 2-3 player’s that Mr. Wenger has targeted this summer won’t adapt well into the Arsenal squad.

If I were in Wenger’s shoes as Arsenal boss, my aim would be to acquire at least four players with the £30 million transfer funds available (one of which is free) and Le Professeur has already expressed an interest in. Nevertheless, here is what I would spend the £30 million on this summer, enjoy:

Joe Hart (Manchester City)

My first protocol would be to acquire a young, talented and reliable goalkeeper and Joe Hart fits that description perfectly. He would be a definite transfer target for me without a doubt.

Arsenal suffered severely in this department last season and many will agree (along with me) that if the Gunners had a great keeper guarding the net, then they could have gone further than they did. Too many goals were conceded, and although people will say that the defence contributed to this (which evidently they did), however, its Manuel Almunia with the gloves on, and as such, needs to keep the ball out of his net…its what he’s paid for after all. Lukasz Fabianski is still young so I can’t really bad mouth the lad, but he proved with his performances last season that he lacks confidence and can’t handle pressure well, he is simply not ready.

With this all being said I would look to acquire Joe Hart from City this summer. The 23-year-old had a fantastic season on loan for Birmingham City, but is now back in Eastland’s after his long loan spell expired in May.

The shot-stopper’s future remains in the balance at City with Shay Given the obvious no.1. Hart is a great keeper who can only get better with time, and with his future unresolved, I would certainly look to buy the England international for sure. A bid of around £9 million would acquire his services, which is a real bargain in my opinion.

Cash Spent: £9 million

Total Funds Left: £21 million

Turn to page 2 to see the 3 other players on the list

Simon Kjaer (Palermo)

Having watched the 21-year-old Danish defender against the Netherlands the other day, I would certainly say that he is another player to obtain this summer. The Palermo youngster is a highly-rated centre-back in European football today, and as a result, has attracted a number of clubs in recent weeks.

Sol Campbell, William Gallas, Philippe Senderos and Mikael Silvestre seem to be all looking towards the exit doors of the Emirates, so a purchase of a top defender this summer is a must for the Gunners in my opinion.

I feel Arsenal need a young centre-back in their ranks, someone capable of playing for a big club and can handle pressure as well…all signs point to Kjaer. The defender would adapt well to the English game and would fit well into the current Arsenal squad without much hassle. Kjaer has great positional, aerial and tackling ability, attributes that need improving in the Arsenal back-line.

The defender has a release clause within his existing contract of £12 million, so if I were the Arsenal boss, I would certainly offer the amount in order to break the clause and discuss personal terms with the Danish international as soon as possible. Arsenal fans may think that they need a more experienced centre-back, they maybe right, but for a player of his age and ability, £12 million would go down as a great piece of business.

Cash Spent: £12 million

Total Funds Left: £9 million

Joe Cole (Chelsea)

I agree with Wenger’s pursuit of the out-of-favour Chelsea winger Joe Cole, although this would not affect my budget at all. Cole would be a great asset to Arsenal, as the North London club need some injection of English blood in their squad. The midfielder has great ability and trickery to suit the style of the Gunners and I’m sure many Arsenal fans will welcome the 28-year-old with open arms. Cole would sign on a free, and as a result would be a remarkable signing for the club. However, his salary demands may cost the club in the excess of £120,000-a-week, still he would require no transfer fee, so it’s all good in hindsight.

Cash Spent: £0

Total Funds Left: £9 million

John Heitinga (Everton)

£9 million left in the kitty, why not spend it on Everton’s John Heitinga? Wenger has shown interest in Heitinga’s Everton team-mate Phil Jagielka, but I feel, although Jagielka is a decent defender, the Englishman just doesn’t look the Arsenal type…John Heitinga on the other hand is.

The Dutchman is strong, quick and not afraid to get stuck in. Even more so, the Everton man can play in the centre-back position as well as sit in front of the back-line, so evidently, it would be like signing two players for the price of one. He already has Premiership experience, and if he were to play with Thomas Vermaelen next season, they would make one hell of a defensive partnership for the Gunners. Incidentally, Heitinga is valued at £9 million, which is what is left in my transfer budget.

Cash Spent: £9 million

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Total Funds Left: £0

£30 million spent, four new arrivals, job done.

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Click image below to see a gallery of all the Dutch babes:

The decision to select a GB football team for the 2012 Olympics has brought a mixed response within the game. Some players have welcomed the decision and suggested they would be keen to play, while managers and the football federations have questioned the fact it will impinge on their members preparations for their league programme. The very fact the Euro Championships will also be taking place some weeks earlier only goes to underline the worries that some football managers are likely to have and why they will be hesitant to release some of their players for the Olympics.

The ruling for the Olympic teams is the players must be 23 years of age or under; although three players over that age can also be included within the squad.

With that in mind I have included my Olympic XI for Team GB

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Click on the image below to see the GB XI

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Team compiled by Josh Sheridan

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PSV Eindhoven took the lead in the Dutch Eredivisie with a 4-1 win over NAC Breda on Sunday after Twente could only draw.PSV and defending champions Twente were level on 50 points ahead of their respective matches, but Fred Rutten’s PSV side are now out in front with 53 points.Visitors Breda got off to a bad start at the Philips Stadion when Nemanja Gudelj saw a straight red card after just 15 minutes.Balazs Dzsudzsak gave PSV the lead in the 25th minute. Anthony Lurling levelled for Breda on 64 minutes, but goals from Jeremain Lens, Ola Toivonen and Francisco Rodriguez wrapped up a comprehensive win for the hosts.Twente meanwhile were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw at home to NEC Nijmegen.Niki Zimling had NEC ahead after 17 minutes at De Grolsch Veste, but Emir Bajrami equalised. A point each leaves Twente second, two points behind PSV, while NEC are 10th.Mounir El Hamdaoui’s goal in the 11th minute at the Amsterdam Arena gave Ajax a 1-0 win over visitors VVV Venlo.Ajax are third, three points behind Twente and five behind PSV. Venlo, who finished with 10 men following the sending off of Ken Leemans in the 74th minute, are second from bottom, five points above last-placed Willem II. Two late goals saw ADO Den Haag snatch a point at home to Feyenoord.Visitors Feyenoord led through a first-half double from Luc Castaignos at the Het Zuiderpark and the strugglers looked on course to collect three valuable points, before Charlton Vicento pulled one back for the hosts in the 81st minute.Dmitry Bulykin then struck with five minutes remaining to ensure a share of the spoils for ADO.The draw leaves ADO fifth and Feyenoord 15th, just three points outside the relegation zone. Vitesse Arnhem climbed above Feyenoord and into 14th place following a 2-0 win at home to De Graafschap.Bonno Wilfried broke the deadlock for the home side 72 minutes in at the Gelredome and Serbian Nemanja Matic – on loan from English Premier League club Chelsea – doubled the lead with six minutes to go.The defeat leaves De Graafschap 12th, just a point better off than Vitesse and only four clear of the drop zone.

Rafael Benitez has agreed to become the new coach of Internazionale.

The former Liverpool boss, whose six-year reign at Anfield was ended by mutual consent last week, will replace Jose Mourinho at the helm of the Italian and European champions after holding talks with president Massimo Moratti.

Benitez, 50, won the Champions League with Liverpool in 2005 and the FA Cup the following year during his six-year stint and, prior to his move to England, led La Liga side Valencia to the Spanish title in 2002 and 2004 with the UEFA Cup arriving at the Mestalla in the same year.

Inter, who won the Serie A title as well as the Coppa Italia and the Champions League last season, have been searching for a successor to Mourinho after the Portuguese coach teamed up with Real Madrid recently and it looks like the Nerazzuri look to have found their new man.

Speaking to the club's official website, Moratti said:"We've got an agreement, we finalised the last details that in any case weren't important.

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"Tomorrow (Wednesday) we will say when Rafa Benitez will be presented."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

Manchester United have responded to claims from Owen Hargreaves that they mismanaged his knee injury during his time at Old Trafford, stating their disappointment at their former player’s comments.

The England midfielder had an injury plagued time at the Premier League champions, and following his free transfer move to Manchester City has blamed United for his time on the sidelines.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s team had initially declined to comment, but have defended themselves against the player’s criticism.

“Manchester Unitedis disappointed with Owen’s remarks after the game on Wednesday. The club gave him the best possible care for three years and is as disappointed as anyone he was not able to play a part in the team’s success at that time,” a statement on the club’s official website read.

“It has shared all the medical records with Manchester City and is comfortable with the actions taken by its medical staff at each step of his many attempts at rehabilitation.

“United does not acknowledge any validity in the comments Owen is alleged to have made. Manchester United has some of the best sports medical staff in world sport, who have made a significant contribution to United’s on-pitch success in recent seasons,” it concluded.

Hargreaves returned to first team football for City in the Carling Cup in midweek, scoring the first goal in a 2-0 victory over Birmingham in a man of the match performance.

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By all accounts, we had a fairly successful January window. We moved on a few players who, for a number of reasons, needed to be moved out of the club and brought in a substantial amount in return (moving Paul Konchesky on alone feels like we gained an extra £50 million). In return, we got our money’s worth and what – I believe – will be a great strike partnership to last us for many years. In many ways though, the summer window could prove to be pivotal for both the club and for the Kenny (let’s be honest, it’s the worst kept secret). In the summer, the club needs to show it is ready to take the next step and invest again in the squad. But given our activity in January, the indications are positive, so let’s look at areas that need to be looked at when the time comes.

Starting with the area touted as Liverpool’s weakest by so-called football experts this season: defence. Many have claimed that the Red’s back 3/4/5 has been poor because of the personnel; that the likes of Agger, Kyrgiakos, Johnson and Skrtel are simply not good enough and that Carragher is a fading force. And while the latter is true, to a certain extent, Jamie is not finished just yet; nor are our defenders individually lacking. For proof of this, you only have to look at the last four games: 4 clean sheets. Kenny has played about with our back line (stop sniggering at the back), given the likes of Agger and Kelly another chance and we haven’t let a goal in for 360 minutes or 6 hours. By anyone’s margins, that’s an impressive feat. The facts are simple: we have good defensive players, they showed on Sunday that they’re capable of shackling a frontline that included Anelka, Drogba and Torres – three of the best there is and not only that, they made it look easy. So you may be wondering why, if I’m so impressed with our defenders, have I even mentioned it. Well, we still need cover. We have good young central defenders waiting in the wings, in Wilson and Kelly but given that Kelly appears to have made right back his own now (and the sad reality that Carragher is a fading force)means we need at least one new CB. We also need a first choice left back. Aurelio is a top-quality footballer but his fitness cannot be guaranteed. Once Konchesky moves on permanently, there will be a hole that needs filling and that must be a top priority.

Into midfield, and you have to say that there’s a handful of players that need to be moved on, either for our sake or their own. Namely: Joe Cole, Christian Poulsen and Jay Spearing. Poulsen was unlucky in that he joined the club too late in his career; when a change in pace was too much for him. He is not a bad player, despite what some will have you believe.

As for Cole and Spearing, sadly, they’re just not as good as we hoped they were. Cole mixes the odd moment of brilliance with total mediocrity. As for Spearing, he has effort and willingness to spare but that alone is not enough. Moving these three on could see us recoup about 10 million, potentially. Which we can put toward an area we are most lacking in going forward: out wide. We need cover for Lucas and probably another squad player that can fill in in midfield – adequately – when needed but if we only strengthen one position in midfield over the summer months then it has to be a wide player. We have enough creativity going forward to cope during this ‘transitional’ period and Suarez can fill in as an attacking midfielder if we were to get totally desperate but we must see the acquisition of a winger as being high on our list of priorities. If for no other reason than to give us something different in attack; to give us an alternative to plan A. Whoever the player is he doesn’t need to cost 30 million. As long as he can beat a man, can cross a decent ball in and is quite fond of the touchline, then our radar should be picking him up.

As for the other two key areas – goalkeeper and up front – we’re not exactly lacking. The January window saw one great striker replaced by two very good (albeit potentially great) strikers. We also have David Ngog who, despite barely playing at all lately, is still one of our top scorers and has oodles of potential. I believe that promoting Dani Pacheco to the first team squad permanently next season would see us quite adequately covered going forward. As for goalkeepers, it is hard to see past Pepe Reina. Should he – God help us – succumb to injury then we’ll need cover. Peter Gulacsi looks a top prospect and I’d be more than happy for him to be number two. The fact that Kenny prefers him as such to Brad Jones speaks highly of the regard the Hungarian youngster is held in. However, two backup keepers are usually required so we might need to bring in a decent, experienced third choice.

We’re in a period of what can only be referred to as ‘transition’, at the moment so sweeping and all-encompassing changes aren’t going to happen overnight. Should we bring in a left back, a wide player and some stronger cover in goal before next season though, that will have marked a successful second step, as far as I’m concerned.

Article courtesy of the excellent Live4Liverpool

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Liverpool recorded a comfortable 3-0 victory over FC Gomel in the Europa League qualifiers on Thursday night.

First-half goals from Fabio Borini, Steven Gerrard and a second-half Glen Johnson strike made it an easy night at Anfield in Brendan Rodgers’ first competitive home fixture.

The Northern Irish manager picked Luis Suarez and Fabio Borini for specific praise after the victory.

“Luis is an incredible player. He has come back to us and looked great in training,” Rodgers confessed to Sky Sports.

“He is so creative in the box but he also presses very well when he doesn’t have the ball.

“He is the type of player I love. He is in love with football. He has such passion for the game.

“His combination work with Steven Gerrard and Fabio Borini was excellent.

“It is important for any striker to score because they are judged on their goals. But I brought Fabio here because I know he can score.

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“He is only 21 and has a lot of improvement left in him. But with his work-rate and his ability on the ball I think he will fit in very well to our team,” he concluded.

By Gareth McKnight

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Manchester City laid down their title credentials smashing five goals past Tottenham at White Hart Lane with Edin Dzeko scoring four to maintain their 100% start to the new campaign.

The Citizens stormed back to the top of the Premier League after another rampant performance and have now scored 17 goals in their first three games.

£27 million striker Dzeko was the stand out performer as he put the Spurs defence to the sword scoring four and proving to be a nuisance throughout. Samir Nasri, making his City debut, was also bang in form whilst David Silva and Sergio Aguero kept up their fine starts to the new campaign.

Despite the scoreline the first 25 minutes was rather close with the home side having several good opportunities to break he deadlock. Rafael Van der Vaart had a free kick saved by Joe Hart before Gareth Bale should have at least hit the target only to blaze a volley over from 10 yards.

Those scares kicked the visitors into gear and Dzeko opened the scoring in the 34th minute tapping in Nasri’s cross from the left before the same two players combined again six minutes later with the Bosnian looping a header across goal and into the bottom corner leaving Brad Friedel motionless.

The second half saw City continue in the same vein scoring two goals in quick succession. Dzeko completed his hat trick in the 54th minute tapping in from Yaya Toure’s ball before Aguero smashed home from inside the box after a mazy run through the Spurs defence.

Younes Kaboul pulled a goal back with 23 minutes to go but Dzeko wasn’t going to let the hosts have the last laugh curling in a sublime effort from the edge of the area two minutes into added on time.

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Sir Alex Ferguson heaped praise onto striker Dimitar Berbatov, whose hat-trick against Birmingham took his season tally to 17 for the season.

Ferguson’s men ran rampant at Old Trafford to post a 5-0 win, with Ryan Giggs and Nani adding to Berbatov’s treble.

And Ferguson said the Bulgarian’s game had been outstanding.

“It was marvellous,” Ferguson said. “He could have scored more and we were a bit wasteful at times with our finishing, but you can’t complain at that performance.”

“I think it helps when you score an early goal. When we scored they had to open up and I think we capitalised on that.”

The Scot also had kind words for Wayne Rooney who, despite not getting on the scoresheet, linked up well with Berbatov to turn supplier.

“The third goal was very, very exciting with the interchange between Berba and Rooney. It was right at half-time and it killed the match,” Ferguson said.

“Wayne showed fantastic control in the fourth goal to bring the ball from Edwin (van der Sar) out of the clouds.”

“The control of Rooney and setting up Ryan to square the ball for Berba – it was a fantastic goal.”

Birmingham boss Alex McLeish bemoaned some of his side’s defending in the encounter, and said his senior players were determined to make amends.

“You can’t come here and lose an early goal like we did. To lose a goal like that in the first minute was criminal,” McLeish said.

“I thought there was bit of apprehension. Coming to places like this is a lot about belief as much as anything and I thought we lacked that a little bit.”

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“It was a gift the second goal as well and was verging on the amateur.”

“You have to say we shot ourselves in the foot.”

“The feedback I’ve got from some of the senior players in the dressing room is that they are more angry than anything else. We have got to get the team right and the tactics right for the coming games.”

Tottenham midfielder Scott Parker is potentially set to miss the start of the 2012-13 Premier League season, with an operation in the offing according to The Daily Mail.

The veteran battler played in all four of England’s Euro 2012 games in Ukraine and Poland, but has been carrying an Achilles knock that has taken its toll over the summer.

Parker may well opt to go under the knife in the off-season to sort out the problem once and for all, and as such would miss the start of Spurs’ campaign.

Tottenham start next term against Newcastle, and will look to get off the mark with a positive result.

Meanwhile, The Daily Mail also indicate that Andre Villas Boas may well be winning the race to become Spurs boss.

The Portuguese trainer is supposedly in direct competition with Laurent Blanc for the vacant White Hart Lane hotseat, but is said to have impressed Daniel Levy and the Tottenham board in recent talks.

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By Gareth McKnight

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