Barca cast doubt on Fabregas deal with debt pledge June 9, 2011 BARCELONA have cast fresh doubt on the future of Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas by insisting their summer transfer budget is strictly limited to £40m. In a highly unusual step, the European champions announced the size of their kitty and vowed to tighten their belts with the aim of clearing a £430m debt pile in just [...]
Soaring wages endangering football clubs, Deloitte warns June 8, 2011 ENGLAND’S leading clubs are jeopardising their futures by spending increasingly dangerous sums on player wages, one of the country’s most prominent football finance experts warned last night. Premier League teams forked out a record 68 per cent of their income on pay packets during the 2009-10 season, according to research published today by Deloitte’s Sports [...]
RISKY GAME: WAGES NEAR DANGER LEVEL June 8, 2011 Top-flight clubs have never had it so good but are splashing more than ever on salaries, says Deloitte THE SYMPTOMS have not been hard to spot. First Yaya Toure, an effective if unspectacular journeyman midfielder, charmed Manchester City into lining his pockets to the tune of £185,000 a week. Then some expert brinkmanship from Wayne [...]
Urgent action needed in dire Championship as TV revenue shows signs of drying up June 8, 2011 AS WORRYING as the situation in the top flight is, it is far worse in the Championship, where £4 is spent for every £3 earned. Financial results for England’s second tier worsened for the sixth successive year in 2009-10, according to Deloitte, while the average wages-to-turnover ratio is an eye-watering 88 per cent. It could [...]
Man United pip Arsenal to Jones signing June 8, 2011 MANCHESTER UNITED kick-started their summer spending spree by snatching Blackburn centre-half Phil Jones from the clutches of Premier League rivals Arsenal and Liverpool. Jones, 19, underwent a medical at Old Trafford yesterday ahead of a £17m move. His transfer represents the second time in a year that Sir Alex Ferguson has stolen a march on [...]
Fulham have made good appointment in Jol, says World Cup winner Cohen June 7, 2011 Craven Cottage hero believes Dutchman has attributes to pick up where Hughes left off FULHAM great George Cohen has backed Martin Jol’s appointment as manager after the Cottagers moved quickly to hire the Dutchman as a replacement for Mark Hughes. Former Tottenham boss Jol has signed a two-year contract thought to be worth £1.5m a [...]
FAN’S VIEW June 7, 2011 This is good news for all Fulham fans everywhere. You never know what’s around the corner – we weren’t exactly going ballistic when we got Roy Hodgson but that proved a perfect appointment, and on the face of it this seems to be another one. The quality of the last three managers indicates the way [...]
HARTSON: YOUNG BOSS BETTER FOR WEST HAM June 6, 2011 Ex- Hammers striker insists club should have hired an up-and-coming manager instead of Allardyce FORMER West Ham star John Hartson believes the east London club have made a mistake in appointing Sam Allardyce as boss, insisting they should have put their faith in a young up-and-coming manager. Barcelona gambled on the inexperienced Pep Guardiola three [...]
Arsenal star Nasri leaves the door open for shock transfer to rivals Man United June 5, 2011 ARSENAL midfielder Samir Nasri admits he could be willing to sever ties with the north London club and would consider a controversial move to Manchester United should the reigning Premier League champions make a “concrete” offer. The former Marseille star, who joined Arsenal in the summer of 2008 for £15.8m, has one year left on [...]
Parker ready to tell Allardyce: I want to quit West Ham June 5, 2011 WEST HAM captain Scott Parker has confirmed he intends to tell new manager Sam Allardyce that he wants to quit the club for a return to the Premier League. The midfielder, 30, has only a few seasons left and is not prepared to wait and see whether Allardyce can guide the Hammers back into the [...]