Is Chelsea Out of the Premier League Race?

It is a question many Chelsea fans are now asking themselves. After 26 matches, the West London club is 12-point behind leader Manchester United and is currently placed at the 5^th position of the point table. There are only 12 matches left before the end of the Premier League season and it seems Chelsea’s mission of defending the title has almost come to an end.

The Blues got off to a very good start to the season and most importantly their scoring rate was so convincing that at one stage it looked they would easily defend their title this season. However, following a run of poor performances towards the end of the first half saw them falling down in the point table.

At the beginning of the New Year, they looked to be back on the right track, but then again they started to suffer slip ups of which the last came at Fulham on Monday as they managed a goalless draw. In fact, Chelsea could have lost the match if their goalkeeper had not saved a penalty towards the end of the match.

Chelsea splashed out cash to sign Spanish striker Fernando Torres and Brazilian left back David Luiz in the January transfer window, but their fate has not changed yet. So, it is pretty much clear that Chelsea needs a miracle to defend their title.

Real Madrid in Search of a New Striker

Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho is now reportedly looking for a new striker before the summer transfer window closes. The former Inter Milan and Chelsea boss has already strengthened his midfield by signing some quality players like Mesut Ozil, Sami Khedira and winger Angel di Maria.

Now, Mourinho has turned to bolster his attack by signing a quality striker who could be an effective partner or reserve for Gonzalo Higuain. Reports available in the media suggest that Mourinho is keen on Chelsea strike Didier Drogba and Manchester City’s Emmanuel Adebayor.

Signing Drogba would really be difficult for the Portuguese because the Blues, in the first place, would not like to let someone go who was instrumental behind the team’s Premier League triumph last season. Secondly, even if Drogba is convinced to join his former boss at Madrid, Chelsea would expectedly put a huge price tag on the Ivory Coast international.

Comparatively, Adebayor could be an easier bargain for Real. The Togo international is said to have fallen down in the City’s pecking order following the arrival of Italian youngster Mario Balotelli recently. Moreover, manager Mancini handed the captaincy to Carlos Tevez- meaning Adebayor’s first team opportunities could be limited this season. The player is reportedly considering a move away from City this summer.

However, Real Madrid general director, Jorge Valdano, seems to have no intention of buying any new player; rather he wants to off-load some players from the midfield which has already been crowded. The players who could be sold this summer are Fernando Gago, Rafael van der Vaart, Lassana Diarra and Mahamadou Diarra.

However, Mourinho looks less interested to off-load all these midfielders. Specially, he wants to keep Lassana Diarra. Now, it would be interesting to see if Real Madrid officials arrange the necessary fund for Mourinho to land a new striker.

Barcelona Tracking Manchester City Striker Robinho

Manchester City striker Robinho has found himself in a tough position this summer following a satisfactory performance with Brazil national team at the World Cup. The 26-year-old is still in the dark about his imminent club future with the City manager showing no sign of including the Brazilian in his 25-men Premier League squad.

Robinho had a successful loan stint at Santos last season, but City did not extend the loan deal putting Robinho’s club future into jeopardy. He wanted to stay at Santos for another season.

City already has a number of strikers including Emmanuel Adebayor, Carlos Tévez, Roque Santa Cruz and new signing Mario Balotelli in its squad and it seems less likely that Mancini would include Robinho in his Premier League squad.

Now, Spanish champion Barcelona is reportedly tracking Robinho, even though the club officials dismissed the reports suggesting a swap deal with City involving Robinho and Barcelona striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Ibrahimovic, who joined Barcelona from Inter Milan last summer, had a poor debut season in La Liga and has reportedly been out of favor of manager Pep Guardiola. Moreover, a number of clubs including Italian giants AC Milan and Juventus are interested in the Sweden international.

Reports out in the media suggest that Barcelona started considering Robinho as a possible replacement of Ibrahimovic whose future at Barcelona looks bleak. However, it is not yet confirmed if Guardiola would like to have someone like Robinho who failed to live up to the expectation at Real Madrid and Manchester City.

James Milner Close to Joining Manchester City for £24m

Aston Villa midfielder James Milner is now on the verge of signing for Manchester City for a transfer fee of £24 million. City and Villa have reportedly come to an agreement, by which Villa would pay £16 million in cash and City midfielder Stephen Ireland, valued at £8 million, would move to the opposite direction.

England international James Milner has been a target of City manager Roberto Mancini throughout the summer. However, the asking price of Villa and the pay-off demand of Ireland delayed the deal.

James Milner was instrumental behind Villa’s top six finish in the Premier League last season. The 24-year-old can play at various positions in the midfield. City manager is delighted to have the box-to-box midfielder in his squad and has said that the deal would be completed in a day or two.

It is believed that James Milner would be City’s last big-money signing this summer. They have already spent around £100 million to land the players like Jerome Boateng, David Silva, Yaya Youre, Aleksandar Kolarov and Mario Balotelli. Milner’s signing would take their total summer spending to over £120 million.

Meanwhile, Craig Bellamy, another out-of-favor City player, has surprisingly joined his home-town club Cardiff City with the hopes of helping the club achieve a promotion to Premier League this season.

James Milner joined Aston Villa in 2008 and has been a central figure at the club over the last two years. He played his last match for Villa last Saturday when he scored a goal in his side’s 3-0 win over West Ham United.

Mesut Ozil Joins Real Madrid for £12.5m

German youngster Mesut Ozil has been Jose Mourinho’s first major signing after taking over as the Real Madrid manager earlier this summer. German club Werder Bremen has revealed that they have agreed a deal worth £12.5 million with Real Madrid for the 21-year-old attacking midfielder.

Following his elegant performance for Germany at the World Cup in South Africa, the 21-year-old became a hot property in the summer transfer market. Ozil attracted the clubs like Manchester United, Barcelona, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Arsenal.

Arsenal was reportedly interested in Ozil even before the completion of the World Cup, while Barcelona turned their sight to Ozil after failing to secure the service of Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas. Chelsea was also reportedly in the race.

However, Real Madrid faced the toughest competition from Manchester United as United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was considering the talented midfielder as the possible replacement of the veterans like Ryan Giggs or Paul Scholes.

At Real Madrid, Mesut Ozil would find his German teammate Sami Khedira, who recently joined the Spanish giants from VfB Stuttgart. Ozil was instrumental behind Germany’s progress to the semi final at this Summer’s World Cup in South Africa.

Mesut Ozil’s contract with Werder Bremen would have been expired at the end of this season and become a free agent. So, Bremen, though initially reluctant, became ready to accept offers for Ozil after failing to convince him to stay for an extended period by signing a new contract.

Is Arsenal Tracking Shay Given?

Shay Given has finally lost the no. 1 place at Manchester City as Joe Hart started in goal in City’s Premier League opener against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday. It was clear that City manager Mancini would have to make a tough call as both Given and Hart were fierce competitors for the starting role between the sticks.

While this should strengthen Hart’s position at the England national team, Ireland no. 1 Given is now expected to seriously consider his future. At 34, he does not have many years left in his career and being an understudy of Hart could jeopardize his place at Ireland national team.

Even earlier this week, Shay Given indicated that he could leave Eastlands, if he found himself on the bench. Now, there is a possibility Arsenal could consider a move for the Ireland international.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has been in search of a new goalkeeper and has already had a £2 million bid rejected by Fulham for the Australian keeper Mark Schwarzer. With Fulham showing no sign of interest in letting Schwarzer move, Wenger is expected to be considering other options and there are all the possibilities he could turn his attention to Given.

It seems that Shay Given would talk to the City officials very soon to know if he is in Mancini’s plan this season. As of now, a move to Arsenal seems less likely for the Irish, but anything could happen as there are 2 weeks left in the summer transfer window.

Aston Villa Defeated West Ham United 3-0

Aston Villa got off to a winning start to their new Premier League campaign as they defeated West London side West Ham United 3-0 in their opening fixture on Saturday.

Villa dominated over the Hammers throughout the match and West Ham looked out of shape from the beginning. If Martin O’Neil’s shock departure was a blow to Villa then their performance against West Ham United showed they had already overcome it.

West Ham experienced waves of attacks from Aston Villa right from the beginning of the game and the winning margin could have been bigger unless the likes of Richard Dunne, John Carew and James Milner had not squandered off a number of scoring opportunities.

Stewart Downing opened scoring in the 14^th minute when Green pushed the ball onto Downing’s way and the winger successfully shot past Green. The lead was doubled through a Stiliyan Petrov strike in the 39^th minute and Villa was 2-0 ahead at the half time.

The home side continued their dominance in the second half too with Manchester City-bound James Milner scored 20 minutes into the second half. It was perhaps Milner’s last strike for Villa as City is reportedly closing in on a deal for the England international.

West Ham United created only a few opportunities, but those were not enough to save the match against a surging Villa. No doubt, it was a very tough start for new Hammers boss Avram Grant.

Tottenham Manager Harry Redknapp Eyeing on William Gallas

Former Arsenal captain William Gallas has been linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur. The 32-year-old French centre back is now a free agent following the expiration of his contract with Arsenal. Now, he is considering a move to Arsenal’s North London rival Tottenham.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp has recently revealed his interest in Gallas, despite sensing a possible opposition from the Suprs fans who may not like to welcome someone who played for arch-rivals Arsenal.

William Gallas joined the Gunners in 2006 from Chelsea and has had a successful stint at the Emirates Stadium. Arsenal was even interested to extend his contract, but the club could not agree with his personal terms including a weekly salary around £80,000 and a new two-year deal.

However, Redknapp is pretty much interested in the 32-year-old who could bolster his defense. Redknapp recently said to the media, “I like Gallas. I think he's a great free transfer. It is a possibility. His people have rung up and we spoke about it. He is an experienced player. He has played at the top level, he won championships with Chelsea.”

It is a true that Gallas would definitely add experience to the Spurs if signed, but whether his contribution at Tottenham would be as effective as it was at Chelsea and Arsenal is an entirely different issue.

Liverpool vs Arsenal Live in ESPN TV channel: EPL 2010-11

English Premier League fans are going to experience a high-profile match between Liverpool and Arsenal in the opening week of the new season. The match will take place at Anfield on 15 August.

Both sides would be looking for a winning start in the new season. Liverpool is on a mission of revival following a poor last season, while Arsenal would go into another season with the hopes of winning silverware. In fact, it seems to be the most-awaited Premier League match of this week.

Live on ESPN TV Channel

Football fans in South Asia can watch this much-anticipated match live on ESPN television channel. Football may not be the biggest sports throughout South Asia, but there are millions of football fans who follow European football, especially English Premier League.

ESPN along with Star Sports has also been covering Premier League in this region for a number of years now. ESPN has a group of football experts who would be sharing their expertise with the fans during the match. So, football fans can expect a quality coverage of this match from ESPN.

Liverpool had a disappointing last season as they failed to clinch a top-four finish and lost their Champions League place. To add to their misery, manager Rafael Benitez also left the club earlier this summer. However, new manager Roy Hodgson has done pretty well so far. He convinced captain Steven Gerrard and star striker Fernando Torres to stay, while signed free agent Joe Cole and Christian Paulsen to strengthen the squad.

Arsenal has also signed a striker and central defender in the Summer and is now gearing up to start another mission of putting an end to their title draught. The Gunners last won a silverware back in 2005 when they won the FA Cup title.

Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester City Time & Live Score: EPL 2010-11

Two highly ambitious clubs, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City, are going to start their new Premier League season on 14 August when they will take on each other at the White Hart Lane, Tottenham in London.

Time

The match starts at 11:45 GMT and 12:45 BST (local time). As per USA time, the match begins at 07:45 (New York time) and at 04:45 (California time).

Live Score

Football fans can get the live updates of the match by visiting the following link:

http://www.soccerstand.com/soccer/en/results/country/2/England

Tottenham Hotspur cinched a Champions League spot last season as they finished in the top four over Manchester City. City was just 3 points behind the North London club to miss out on a Champions League spot. Now, following another high-spending Summer City is expected to be stronger this season and could be a force for a top four finish.

Manchester City has already spent around £80 million to sign the quality players like David Silva, Yaya Toure, Jerome Boateng and Aleksandar Kolarov. With Mario Balotelli all set to arriving at the Eastlands, City’s total Summer spending would easily go over £100 million.

It is expected that most of City’s notable summer signings would have their Premier League debut at the White Hart Lane on Saturday. Boateng and Kolarov are expected to occupy the two full back positions, while Yaya Toure and Silva could feature in the midfield.

If City’s spending spree is their biggest strength, then team unity is that of Tottenham Hotspur. Team unity was what counted a lot for Tottenham last season and manager Harry Redknapp would expect the same from his players this time too. The likes of Gareth Bale, Aaron Lennon and Jermain Defoe could give the new-look City defense a tough challenge.

However, Redknapp has some injury worries as the players like David Bentley, Jamie O'Hara and Jonathan Woodgate are missing the fixture through injuries. Danny Rose is also uncertain, but veteran Ledley King is expected to be available for the showdown.

Manchester City has no major injury problem, but manager Roberto Mancini has a selection dilemma. He has to choose between goalkeepers Shay Given and Joe Hart, both of whom are currently the no. 1 choices of their countries. So, both the keepers would only hate to warm the bench.

Overall, Mancini would be sweating over selecting his first eleven from a pool of talented players. This would definitely indicate City’s squad strength.

On the other hand, Tottenham squad is pretty much same as they did not lose any influential player in the Summer and their only signing Sandro is not yet available for selection. So, the Suprs would just like to continue their impressive last season form that earned them a Champions League place.

Time and Venue of Liverpool vs Arsenal 2010-11 Match

Liverpool and Arsenal are going to face each other in their opening match of the Premier League 2010-11 season on 15 August 2010. With the new season starting from Saturday, this match has become the center of much attention as this is going to the first big-four face-off this season.

Time

The match kicks off at 15:00 GMT and 16:00 BST (British Summer Time). According to USA time, the match starts in New York time at 11:00 and California time at 08:00.

Venue

The match would take place at the Anfield stadium in Liverpool. So, the Reds would have home advantage in the match, but given their performance last season, it seems they would face it tough to break the Gunners. Anfield ground was built in 1884 and its four stands can accommodate 45,276 fans in total.

Liverpool players may relish their home advantage, but they can not be relaxed knowing that Arsenal defeated Liverpool 2-1 in the corresponding fixture last season. Liverpool also lost their home match to Chelsea, but their 2-0 victory over Manchester United at Anfield last season would definitely inspire them this time.

Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson would love to feature his best eleven at the start of the season and it would be interesting to see who he plays against Arsenal. A number of Liverpool players have already left and Hodgson is still without a quality left back.

The former Fulham boss, however, has done his best since taking over as the Reds boss and added necessary reinforcements in the form of Joe Cole and Christian Paulsen. He has also convinced the star players like Gerrard and Torres to stay and be part of Liverpool’s revival mission.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is sweating over a quality goalkeeper. Following last season’s blunders by Manuel Almunia and Łukasz Fabiański, he is now on the lookout for a new keeper and has been heavily linked with Fulham keeper Mark Schwarzer.

Other than the goalkeeping problem, Wenger has nothing to worry about as he has signed a central defender in Laurent Koscielny and striker Marouane Chamakh. Most importantly, the Frenchman has successfully kept his hold on influential midfielder Cesc Fabregas.

Christian Poulsen on the Verge of £4.5m Move to Liverpool

Juventus midfielder Christian Poulsen is now very close to joining Liverpool as his Italian employer has recently agreed a fee worth £4.5 million for his transfer to the Merseyside club.

Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson would consider the Denmark international as a replacement of Inter Milan-bound defensive midfielder Javier Mascherano. His arrival would provide more ground to the departure of Mascherano who has been a target of Inter Milan and Barcelona throughout the summer.

Inter Milan manager Rafael Benitez wants to reunite with Mascherano at San Siro, while Barcelona is considering the Argentina captain as the replacement of Yaya Toure who joined Manchester City recently.

However, both Inter and Barcelona are reluctant to meet Liverpool’s £25 million demand for the 26-year-old who has been with the Reds since 2007.

Christian Poulsen, at 30, has huge experience which would be useful for the Premier League side. Poulsen may not have previous experience of playing in the Premier League, but he has the experience of representing the clubs like Schalke 04, Sevilla and Juventus. Moreover, he has also represented Denmark in 77 international matches so far.

Time will say whether Christian Poulsen has been a shrewd signing by Hodgson who is going through a tough time since taking over as the Reds boss following the departure of Benitez. Cash-trapped Liverpool can not spend a lot, but needs to add reinforcement to retain their Champions League spot this season.

Arsenal: Who is Next to Join?

Arsenal has already signed a striker in Marouane Chamakh for free and a central defender in Laurent Koscielny for £10 million in the ongoing Summer transfer market. Now, manager Arsene Wenger is reportedly in the transfer market looking for a goalkeeper, one or even two more central defenders and most probably an attacking midfielder.

Goalkeeper

It is pretty much certain that Wenger would bring in a new goalkeeper this summer following some costly errors by his existing goalkeepers last season. At the moment, there are at least two keepers Wenger is eyeing on with Fulham’s Mark Schwarzer being favorite to join the Gunners. Arsenal has already had a £2 million bid rejected by Fulham for the 37-year-old Australian stopper. Fulham is asking £4 million, but there is a possibility the deal could be agreed on £3 million.

Gunners boss is also reportedly interested in Udinese goalkeeper Samir Handanovic who has had a very good World Cup campaign with Slovenia. Unlike Schwarzer, the 26-year-old Slovenia international could be a long time solution for Arsenal. The €10 million-rated keeper has another suitor in Juventus.

Center Back

The arrival of one more center back seems imminent now, given that Mikael Silvestre and William Gallas are all set to leave and Sol Campbell is yet to decide his future. So, there is even possibility Wenger could bring in even two more central defenders this summer. Wenger is currently linked with at least three players including Udinese defender Cristián Zapata, Everton defender Phil Jagielka and Werder Bremen’s German international Per Mertesacker.

The 23-year-old Colombian keeper Zapata is a versatile player who can play in any position in the back line. The player is also reportedly looking for a bigger club like Arsenal. Everton’s Phil Jagielka is a proven performer and Wenger is even reportedly ready to spend £18 million, but it seems less likely to happen given Wenger’s spending nature.

It is also clear that Werder Bremen’s Per Mertesacker has already attracted the attention of Wenger and the player is also in search of a new destination.

Attacking Midfielder

With Cesc Fabregas unsettled, Wenger may like to bring in a creative midfielder too. He was initially linked with Werder Bremen’s Mesut Ozil, but now it would be hard to land the Germany international as a number of big spenders like Chelsea, Real Madrid and Manchester City have joined in the race. However, Wenger has a very good option in Juventus attacking midfielder Sebastian Giovinco who has also been a target of Bari.

Everton’s Mikel Arteta has been one of the most consistent midfielders in Premier League over the last few years and Arsenal would face competition from Sevilla to secure the Spaniard’s service.

Real Madrid: Kaka Out, Ibrahimovic In?

Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho is now reportedly planning a swap deal with Barcelona involving Madrid midfielder Kaka and Barca striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Both the players arrived in Spain last summer and have had a poor debut season at their new destinations.

Kaka, plagued by injury and poor form last season, has reportedly been out of favor of new Madrid boss, while Ibrahimovic, following his poor run last season, has already been linked with a move to Manchester City. However, Barcelona and Ibrahimovic both have recently rejected any possibility of switching clubs this summer.

Real Madrid and Barcelona are two rivals in Spanish league and it would be interesting to see if they come to an agreement to swap their out-of-favor players. Though nothing has been revealed by either of the two clubs, there is a possibility Mourinho would like to reunite with Ibrahimovic at Madrid.

Sweden international Zlatan Ibrahimovic has had his best time at Inter Milan before his move to Barcelona last season when Mourinho was at the helm of the Serie A club. So, the 28-year-old player could be fascinated to join his former mentor and get his rhythm back next season.

Earlier, reports out in the media suggested that Ibrahimovic would join City, if the Premier League side offered him a record weekly salary. However, now it seems less likely that the Swedish star would join City.

Well, it also seems less likely that Barcelona could be tempted to bring in another attacking midfielder in Kaka as they already have plenty of attacking options in hand including Xavi, Iniesta and David Villa. However, they might be tempted to secure Kaka’s service in order to get rid of underperformed Ibrahimovic after the arrival of Spanish striker David Villa from Valencia.

Real Madrid is currently looking to strengthen its attacking line up and Mourinho has already indicated that long-time captain Raul and attacking midfielder Guti are not part of his plan next season.

Overall, it looks imminent Real Madrid would add a quality striker like Ibrahimovic and an attacking midfielder like Mesut Ozil to their squad this summer.

Schedule of Emirates Cup 2010

Emirates Cup 2010 gets underway from 31 July with all of the four matches being scheduled to take place at the Emirates Stadium, London in England. This year four teams including host Arsenal is going to participate in the tournament. The other teams of the two-day-long tournament are Scottish giant Celtic, Italian Serie A club AC Milan and French club Olympique Lyonnais.

Organized by Arsenal, Emirates Cup has been taking place every year since 2007 during the off-season. It may not be a very prestigious tournament compared to national league or Champions League, but it is a very significant for the purpose of preparation of the competing teams ahead of the next season.

Four teams took part in each of the last three tournaments, but except Arsenal, no other teams played in all of the previous tournaments. Only Paris Saint-Germain appeared twice in the tournament; first was in 2007 and then in 2009. Overall, nine different clubs participated in the previous three Emirates Cup tournaments.

Defending champion Arsenal won the title twice including last year’s success and they are currently the most successful team of Emirates Cup. Moreover, as a host and the reigning champion Arsenal is favorite for the upcoming tournament too.

Here is the Emirates Cup 2010 schedule:

31 July 2010 – Celtic vs Olympique Lyon – 13:00 GMT – Emirates Stadium

31 July 2010 – Arsenal vs AC Milan – 15:20 GMT – Emirates Stadium

1 August 2010 – AC Milan vs Olympique Lyon – 13:00 GMT – Emirates Stadium

1 August 2010 – Arsenal vs Celtic – 15:20 GMT – Emirates Stadium

The main objective of participating in a pre-season tournament like Emirates Cup is nothing but having a good preparation before the national league kicks off. Managers can have a final look over their squads, while fans can get to see new signings who can also get fair share of match time to adapt to their new clubs. Fringe players intend to give their best to impress the managers to secure a regular spot in the starting line up.

Though the focus is on preparation, all the competing teams would like to win the Emirates Cup title as it would boost up their confidence level before the beginning of the next season.

Manchester United vs Philadelphia Union Time and Live Score: North America Tour 2010

Manchester United heads into their second pre-season friendly match against MLS club Philadelphia Union on 21 July at the Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, USA. This is going to be the Premier League side’s second match on their North America tour.

Time

The match kicks off at 23:30 GMT. According to USA time, the match starts at 19:30 (New York time), 16:30 (California time) and 18:30 (Central Daylight time).

Live Score

Live updates of the match can be found at the following website:

http://www.scorespro.com/soccer/

Manchester United defeated Celtic 3-1 in their first match on the tour in Toronto, Canada with Dimitar Berbatov showing an impressive display of football. The most important thing is that the young players are looking for their opportunities in the friendly matches to prove themselves before the Premier League kicks off.

The squad Manchester United is carrying in North America includes a number of young talented players. The good side of it is that they can learn a lot from the experienced members like Edwin van der Sar, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes, while they can take inspiration from the fellow young players like Nani who have already settled in United first eleven.

Performance of Dimitar Berbatov against Celtic definitely came as a big relief for manager Sir Alex Ferguson who was even reportedly planning to offload him this Summer following the Bulgarian’s poor shows over the last couple of seasons since his move from Tottenham Hotspur in 2008. Now, Untied fans and Ferguson would expected Berbatov to continue his fine from against Philadelphia Union too.

Winger Nani, who missed the World Cup 2010 due to injury, would most probably return in action with the Philadelphia match. Nani was impressive during the second half of the last season and his presence in the United squad is now more important after the departure of his fellow countryman Cristiano Ronaldo. So, Nani’s return to action is another relieving factor for Manchester United fans.

Philadelphia Union may not start as favorite, but their players could put on some inspirational display knowing that they are playing one of the best European clubs. They have some very good players like Danny Califf, Fred, Stefani Miglioranzi and Sébastien Le Toux, who has been in excellent form recently.

Manchester United is clearly favorite and is expected to win the affair easily, but Philadelphia Union could come up with an upset by capitalizing on the slightest of lapses from United.

Danny Wilson Joined Liverpool from Rangers

Liverpool has signed Scottish center back Danny Wilson from Rangers for a reported fee of around £5 million. The 18-year-old defender is said to be highly talented and has so far represented Scotland in various age levels including U-17, U-19 and U-21.

Wilson went through a medical on Wednesday, followed by the official announcement of his arrival at the Merseyside club.

Martin Bain, the chief executive of Rangers, revealed through the club’s official website, “We have agreed a deal in principle with Liverpool for the transfer of Danny Wilson. Liverpool's offer will see the club receive £2m up front with add-ons linked to games played, taking the total value of the deal to £5m.”

Danny Wilson signed his first professional contract with Rangers in 2007 at the age of just 15 and a number of clubs were interested in him at that time. However, Wilson got the breakthrough last season making total 24 appearances for Rangers.

Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson has been trying to add quality players to his squad to convince his star players like Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres to stay at Anfield. He has recently signed Joe Cole for free after handing him an offer of weekly salary around £90,000.

Liverpool has also signed free agent Milan Jovanovic and spent £1.7 million to bring in Jonjo Shelvey from Charlton. Now, Wilson has joined the Liverpool roster.

Well, except Joe Cole, none of Liverpool’s signings can be said to be high profile. However, it is pretty much understandable because the club is currently going through a financial problem.

Real Madrid Star Raul: Going Where?

Former Spain captain Raul may be at 33 now, but there has been no lack of suitors for the Real Madrid striker. He is now in search of a new club to gain more first team football after seeing his appearance in the Madrid starting line up being vastly reduced since the arrival of a new pool of Galacticos last summer.

Raul has become a legend for both Spain and Real Madrid where he has spent his whole career so far. During his illustrious career, he has already earned many accolades. Scoring 44 goals in 102 international matches, Raul is currently Spain’s all time highest scorer. He also holds the records for leading goal scorer and most appearance for Real Madrid. The striker is also the leading scorer of Champions League.

So, it is not a surprise that a number of European clubs are interested in him. Moreover, at 33, he is still capable of netting descent amount of goals, given his scoring prowess. Now, the question is where he would finally arrive this summer.

Initially, Manchester United was favorite to be Raul’s next destination, but Ferguson’s interest has not been consistent. From Germany, Schalke 04 and Wolfsburg both are keen to secure his service, but the player has reportedly revealed his desire to end his career in England.

In England, there are at least three Premier League clubs who have made their interest known, besides Manchester United. They are Tottenham Hotspur, Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United, who has earned promotion last season.

However, Tottenham Hotspur now seems to be favorite to sign him as the player is reportedly interested to stay in London. Spurs can also offer Raul Champions League football. Suprs manager Harry Redknapp is also reportedly keen to add top class and experienced striker this summer ahead of their Champions League campaign.

So, it seems Tottenham is more likely to be Raul’s next destination at club level, but his agent has also said that Real Madrid has not yet given their consent over the issue.

Tottenham Targets Armindo Bangna Bruma

Tottenham Hotspur has revealed their interest in Sporting Lisbon’s 15-year-old winger Armindo Bangna Brum who is currently thought to be the new Cristiano Ronaldo in the making. The North London club is interested to involve Bruma in the loan deal for Russian striker Roman Pavlyuchenko.

Armindo Bangna Bruma has already impressed at the Sporting Lisbon youth side. His eye-catching performance for Portugal U-17 squad has earned him an interest from Chelsea too. His pace and ball controlling abilities have led many to believe Portugal has got another future star.

Portuguese side Sporting is highly interested to bring in Pavlyuchenko on a loan deal from Tottenham, but his agent Tomas Zorn is doubtful about Sporting’s financial ability to pay his client’s salary that he is currently being paid at Tottenham.

Roman Pavlyuchenko joined the Suprs in 2008 from Spartak Moscow, but is yet to secure a regular place in Tottenham’s starting eleven. Robbie Keane may leave the Suprs this summer, but still it is less likely that Pavlyuchenko would be able to push himself up the pecking order. Rather, Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp is now in the lookout for a quality striker who could help them in the Champions League.

Sevilla’s Luis Fabiano, Nice striker Loic Remy and Real Madrid veteran Raul are reportedly in the target list of Redknapp.

Arsenal Striker Eduardo Signed for Shakhtar Donetsk for £6m

Arsenal’s Brazil-born Croatian striker Eduardo has finally completed his £6m move to Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk. His transfer to Shakhtar looked imminent over the last few days as it was earlier revealed that the two clubs agreed on a £6 million deal.

Eduardo joined Arsenal in 2007 in a move away from Dinamo Zagreb for £7.5 million. He just started showing his quality during the 2007-08 season, but a horrific leg injury in February 2008 left him in the sideline for around a year.

Eduardo returned in action in 2009, but could not regain his form throughout the last season. As a result, he fell down the pecking order, and the arrival of Marouane Chamakh this summer meant that his possibility of getting back a regular place in the Arsenal starting line up would have been subsided.

Arsenal’s current front line strikers are Robin van Persie, Arshavin, Chamakh and Nicklas Bendtnern and there is a possibility Arsene Wenger may bring in Nice striker Loic Remy whose recent form has attracted a number of European clubs. Liverpool, West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur are all currently in the race to secure the French striker’s service.

After the signing of Lorient Koscielny, however, Arsenal’s priority now is to sign another central defender as well as goalkeeper, while the arrival of a creative midfielder is also a possibility.