Bolton Wanderers captain Kevin Davies is reportedly a transfer target for Bolton’s Lancashire rivals Blackburn Rovers.

Davies endured a (very) difficult season for the Rovers way back in 1998/99 after a £7.5million move from Southampton. In his spell with the Rovers Davies scored just once in 24 games and was promptly sent back to Saouthampton in the summer of 1999 in a player swap deal. Needless to say Davies isn’t particularly well liked at Ewood Park and it seems as if a move is fairly unlikely.

In contrast to his Rovers career Davies’ time at Bolton has been a huge success for the player and the club. He arrived in a free transfer in 2003 after being signed by Sam Allardyce, the man who now wants to take him to Blackburn, and quickly established himself in the Bolton first team.

Last season was arguably his most successful on a personal level. He forced his way into England contention, though didn’t make the final squad, and bagged an impressive 12 goals over the course of the campaign. Davies was also given the captain’s arm band after Kevin Nolan departed for Newcastle and has flourished in his new role.

To be perfectly honest, even if Blackburn do table an offer, I just can’t see Davies moving to Ewood Park. He has previously described his spell with Blackburn as one of the darkest times of his career and he certainly receives some stick from the Rovers fans whenever he lines up against them. His form at Bolton has been outstanding and he has been voted the club’s player of the season for the last two seasons and at 32-years-old you would have thought he would stay where he is guaranteed first-team football and the love of the fans.

Bolton resisted the attempts of Hull City last summer as Tigers boss Phil Brown, a former Bolton assistant, tried to persuade Davies to join and it would seem as if they’re ready to reject Blackburn’s advances as well. If they are to build on last season and move up the table they need to keep their key players, with Davies perhaps the most important. His work-rate and ability to hold the ball up are matched by few and if Bolton do let him go I doubt they’ll be able to find a suitable replacement easily.

Bolton boss Gary Megson had one of the smallest squads in the league at his disposal last season and I very much doubt he’ll be willing to let any of his first-team players leave without a fight. Reports have stated a deal for Portsmouth midfielder Sean Davis is all but done but Megson still needs at least five new faces to compete for places and make sure Bolton aren’t involved in the relegation dog-fight come May 2010. Sporting Lisbon’s Miguel Veloso, Liverpool youngster Adam Hammill and West Brom full-back Paul Robinson have all been linked with moves to the Reebok but for me it is more important that the Wanderers keep hold of Davies before focusing their attentions on new additions.

By Gareth Freeman, a sports writer who writes about Premier League betting for Betfair.

“Keeping Davies the key for Bolton” was originally published at footballlens.com – football news.

In a summer bereft of football, the release of fixture lists this week provide some form of respite for fans starved of action. Away trips are plotted, long weekends at some of the more far-flung fixtures are planned, and best mates are pleaded with not to hold their wedding on a certain date as it clashes with “the big one”.

But among all this, select fans from League One teams will also be studying the Conference fixture list, specifically AFC Wimbledon’s home games. This isn’t to do with loyalty to the London team, per se, but there are plenty of supporters who will object to visiting the MK Dons and will choose to visit Kingsmeadow when their team is away at the Stadium M:K.

Even though it’s now been seven years since the FA gave permission for Wimbledon FC to be moved to Milton Keynes, many fans still remain angry at the so-called franchising of the Dons and have never accepted the Pete Winkleman-owned vehicle.

But to observers from countries such as USA and Austrlia, where franchising is the norm, the fuss over one team (and not even a large team at that) relocating must seem somewhat confusing.

Not the first, maybe not the last

The MK Dons aren’t the first team to have upped sticks and moved in search of more money. The majority of teams who do this are often at non-league level, usually merging two teams to create an artificial club, as opposed to moving the club elsewhere. Rushden and Diamonds, Hayes and Yeading, and Dagenham and Redbridge (who themselves came from Redbridge Forest, another merged side) have all done this in the past.

But the actual uprooting of a club from one part of the country to another is still rare and, before the Dons, the most high profile move came back in 1913. Woolwich Arsenal from Plumstead were moved from south east London up north to Highbury, right by the tube station, and simply renamed The Arsenal.

At the heart of all this was, even back then, money. The club’s chairman, Henry Norris, also owned Fulham and had originally attempted to merge the two clubs. When that failed, Norris identified prime space in the capital in which to establish a football club and, despite protests from fans at the time, Arsenal moved north. The rest, as they say, is history.

Given that Arsenal were so successful in their relocation, it is fair enough to ask why more clubs didn’t simply move to a more profitable and accepting area if they were struggling for money.

The importance of community

First of all, it’s worth noting that Arsenal’s success didn’t just come about because of the relocation, although this did play a large part in their subsequent growth. Arguably, Norris’ feat of talking Arsenal into the First Division in 1915 had as much to do with fast-tracking them on the way to where they are today.

That year, Arsenal had finished 5th but, for no good reason and with more than a suggestion of dodgy dealing, were promoted at the expense of Wolves and Barnsley, both of whom finished above the Gunners. Norris, somehow, talked Arsenal into the top division.

But the idea that teams can be traded between cities, like players move between clubs, is one completely alien to the English game. Franchising just doesn’t enter the English mentality of football.

Many teams were started as works teams. Woolwich Arsenal was formed by workers at the munitions factory. Newton Heath (later to become Manchester United) was formed by workers on Lancashire and Yorkshire Railways. It doesn’t take a genius to guess at the origin of Horwich Railway Mechanics Institute, another team who relocated (to Leigh) in the belief it would help the club.

If it wasn’t workers looking for a kickabout, then often the church played a large part in forming teams. Aston Villa, Everton, Manchester City and Bolton, among others, were all formed around or by local churches. You wonder what the founders would have made of what the clubs have become today.

The majority of the clubs, then, were so rooted in their communities that it seemed inexpedient to move them to elsewhere. Even with some of the smaller league (and indeed non-league clubs) football was inextricably linked with the community. When the team was doing well, it often coincided with an upturn in the fortunes of the rest of the area.

Even in a short time the history and identity of the football club became interwoven with the history of the area. Rivalries were established, and football teams became badges of regionalistic pride. Liverpool v Manchester United, Swansea v Cardiff, Newcastle v Sunderland, even Exeter v Plymouth were all caught up in something that went beyond football. Franchising these teams and taking away the cultural identity would be unthinkable.

MK Dons mark 2

This may be a slightly simplistic way of explaining why franchising is so contrary to the principles of English football. The length of history and community roots means it would be seen as an abomination if somebody tried to uproot, say, Southampton to a place without a league club such as Cornwall.

It’s also why the football community reacted so strong to Wimbledon’s relocation. The Dons may not have been pulling in the same sort of crowds as other London Premier League clubs, but they had plenty of history, including their rise from non-league to FA Cup winners.

Moving the club to Milton Keynes left 3,000 displaced fans and, ever since the formation of AFC Wimbledon, both teams have argued that they have the rightful claim to the old Wimbledon’s history and trophies (although both, strictly speaking, are new teams).

There’s also a feeling that teams who are ‘franchised’ and take over a team’s league position are interlopers who haven’t earned the right to play at such a level.

It’s why the spectre of Methyr Tydfil moving to Bridgend was met with horror from both Methyr’s fans and the wider footballing community.

Owner Wyn Holloway, who’d taken the club to the brink of liquidation, raised the spectre of the club moving from the valleys to the Welsh town as he looked to offload the club. It wasn’t just the club that was for sale – it was the Martyrs entire place in the football pyramid.

Although Bridgend were in the League of Wales, Methyr, in the Southern Premier, would have been an interesting and attractive proposition for any side looking to break into the Conference or the League. Thankfully, the scheme came to nothing and the authorities appeared lukewarm at best to the idea.

Holloway and Bridgend are unlikely to be the last to try and relocate a club away from its spiritual home, as owners or ambitious businessmen look to do a quick one. Thankfully, the footballing authorities seem reluctant to view the Wimbledon situation as anything other than a one-off at this current point in time, although that’s no guarantee it won’t happen again.

Made in America

This all may come across as a criticism of the current American model of football. It isn’t meant to be. Indeed, if the MLS had tried to replicate the way English football was born, it would have probably died an unlamanted death a long time ago.

If you’re looking to establish a major football league in a country that hasn’t previously been known for its love of the game the franchise method is, at the moment, quite possibly the best way to go about it, as both the States and Australia’s A League are currently showing. It also makes more sense to implement a system that’s closer to what the public are used to with other sports.

And as the game grows and the clubs develop their own history, rivalries and even places in the community then that attachment to an area grows – just look at the current situation with DC United.

The MLS side are having issues over their stadium, raising the spectre that one of the MLS’ best-known teams could be forced to move, or franchised to another city. DC United fans, along with bloggers, are campaigning to keep the club in the capital.

There’s nothing wrong with franchising done in the right time and place. But that time and place isn’t the English game. Moving a club from its roots still feels wrong, and no matter how many years pass, AFC Wimbledon will no doubt continue to get “away” fans partaking in their own small ongoing personal protest against the creation of the MK Dons.

“Football “Franchises” – Right or Wrong?” was originally published at footballlens.com – football news.

We’re already in the middle of June, and though the signings haven’t been coming hard and fast just yet, that doesn’t mean that there’s a shortage of action thus far in the summer transfer window.

In this morning’s transfer news and rumors roundup, we’ve got tidbits from England, Spain, Italy, Germany, France, and Greece, with many big names and big clubs looking to spend, spend, spend. Some of the rumors are pretty concrete, while there is at least one in the bunch that, like Manchester United being linked with a move for Fernando Torres, are a little head-scratching, to say the least.

There are also a couple of signings to report, and remember, to keep up with all of the latest confirmed signings, check out our summer 2009 transfer lists.

England

Manchester United After Valencia Stars

There has been a great deal of speculation over the last few days about what Manchester United are going to do with the money they get from selling Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid, and it could be that a sizable chunk of those funds go towards signing Valencia stars David Villa and David Silva.

United are reportedly set to make a £45m bid for Villa (The Mirror). The competition could wide open between United, Barcelona (Sky Sports), and Chelsea for Villa, as his potential move to Real Madrid appears to have broken down (Daily Mail).

Meanwhile. Rafa Benitez might not like hearing about United making a concerted effort to land Silva, as the winger has been a target for Benitez for a while now but could be the subject of a £25m bid from United. (The Mirror)

Analysis: £25m looks to certainly be enough to land Silva, but even though they could outbid Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Chelsea for Villa, they could be out of luck if Villa prefers the chance to stay in Spain. Of course, if Barcelona land Villa, that’d all but free up the opportunity for a United move for Samuel Eto’o.

United and Boro In Downing Swap Deal?

Middlesbrough are heavily interested in Manchester United duo Paul Scholes and Gary Neville, and there are reports that they could offer Stewart Downing to United to try to make a deal happen. (The Mirror)

Analysis: Both Scholes and Neville could be reluctant for such a move, but even so, it’d seem like United would come out a lot better in this deal, especially if they didn’t have to spend much of that sizable transfer kitty on purchasing Downing.

Costa On Shortlist To Replace Ronaldo?

Along with the moves mentioned above, United could be set to swoop for Gremio starlet Douglas Costa. (Sky Sports)

Analysis: Brazil’s becoming more and more of a hotspot for United, and signing a prospect of Costa’s ability and potential would be worth the fee United may have to stump up. He’s only 18, so he’s more one for the future and wouldn’t be expected to step in and star right away. But as Ronaldo did when he arrived at United, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him earn first-team opportunities immediately.

Bolton Lead Race For Veloso?

Bolton are back in for Sporting Lisbon midfielder Miguel Veloso, and after refusing to overbid for Veloso in January, could be in with a £10.2m offer for the 23-year-old, who’s also been linked with Arsenal. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: £10.2m is still a little lower than Sporting might like to get for Veloso, but it could be a sign that Bolton are willing to fork out a little more in order to land him.

Bentley And Huddlestone To Sign For Villa?

It could only be a matter of time before Aston Villa seal the deal on a couple of new signings, as there are reports that they are close on Tottenham pair David Bentley (Goal.com) and Tom Huddlestone (Birmingham Mail).

Analysis: Considering their interest in Bentley, Huddlestone, and Jermaine Jenas, I’m surprised they haven’t been strongly linked with Darren Bent or Roman Pavlyuchenko, considering a forward should also be on their summer wishlist.

Several Sides Interested In Newcastle’s Martins

Arsenal, Aston Villa, and Everton are all interested in Newcastle striker Obafemi Martins (Tribal Football), but they could face competition from a mystery Bundesliga club (Tribal Football).

Analysis: Everton would be a great fit, considering the familiar faces that would await, but wages would likely be a stumbling block, and that could also be the case with Aston Villa. No telling what the situation could be with the Bundesliga club, but Arsenal may well be the best match financially – but that could all hinge on whether or not they sell Emmanuel Adebayor.

Fulham And West Ham Interested In Acquafresca

It’s a London battle for young Italian striker Robert Acquafresca, as Fulham and West Ham are both interested in the 21-year-old. Acquafresca was supposed to go to Genoa as part of the deal that brought Diego Milito and Thiago Motta to Inter, but he could yet move elsewhere, with even Juventus being linked with a move. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: I don’t have any doubts that Acquafresca could succeed in the Premier League, but if Juventus come in for him, that might be an opportunity that’s too hard to pass up.

Sunderland Bid For Cattermole

Sunderland have made a £7m bid for Wigan midfielder Lee Cattermole. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: Well they sure aren’t sitting on their money, are they? That’s certainly a tempting offer for Wigan, considering it’s double what they paid for Cattermole just last summer. I don’t know if Wigan will offload him right now though, unless he’s just that eager to be reunited with Steve Bruce. If someone’s willing to pay 7m for him right now, they could be in line to get a lot more if he continues to develop well over the next season or two. Besides, the sale of Antonio Valencia will net a nice amount of transfer funds for Roberto Martinez.

Wolves Sign Milijas

Wolves have completed the signing of Red Star Belgrade midfielder Nenad Milijas. (The Guardian)

Analysis: For a little while, the deal looked to be in some doubt, but in the end, Wolves fought off some pretty good competition to land the free-scoring midfielder.

Birmingham Bid For Gomez

Birmingham have made a £1.5m offer to Espanyol for midfielder Jordi Gomez, who starred on loan for Swansea last season. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: With Roberto Martinez set to complete his move from Swansea to Wigan anytime now, Birmingham could face some competition from Wigan for Gomez, so it might be in Birmingham’s best interests to try to get him signed, sealed, and delivered as soon as possible.

Spain

Real Madrid Offer Sneijder For Inter’s Maicon

Real Madrid could be set to offer Inter Milan €20m plus attacker Wesley Sneijder in a bid for right back Maicon. (Goal.com)

Analysis: Sounds like a reasonable deal. Sneijder’s someone that has been linked with Inter, and €20m + Sneijder would meet the €40m asking price that Inter have for Maicon.

Italy

AC Milan Sign Cissokho

AC Milan have completed the signing of Porto defender Aly Cissokho for €15m. (Sky Sports)

Analysis: This time last summer, Cissokho had just made the jump from France’s Ligue 2 to Portugal, joining Vitoria du Setubal, and now, he’s signed for AC Milan. Talk about a quick rise!

Inter Closing In On Double Swoop

Jose Mourinho could be close to being reunited with Deco and Ricardo Carvalho, as Inter Milan president Massimo Moratti spoke hopefully about being able to agree a deal with Chelsea for the duo. (Daily Mail)

Analysis: Seems to be only a formality, really.

Juventus To Swap Trezeguet For Rossi?

Juventus are prepared to offer striker David Trezeguet as part of a swap deal for Villarreal star Giuseppe Rossi. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: £15m + Trezeguet would fall a little short of Rossi’s buyout clause of £40m, but it could get Villarreal to bite, or at least think seriously about the offer. Trezeguet might turn down the chance though, considering the interest that he’s had from the likes of Inter, Real Madrid, and others.

Lazio In Talks For Barnetta

Lazio are in talks with Bayer Leverkusen over a move for Swiss midfielder Tranquillo Barnetta. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: Barnetta’s valuation is reportedly €10m, but even though Lazio don’t exactly have the room to break the bank on summer purchases, it shouldn’t be a problem to spend the right amount on a player who’s certainly worth it.

Germany

Wolfsburg Want Berbatov?

In one of the more interesting transfer rumors of the day, Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov is being linked with a loan move to VfL Wolfsburg. (Sofia Echo)

Analysis: Though things didn’t exactly go completely swimmingly at United last season, Berbatov’s not going anywhere.

Stuttgart Interested In Tottenham Striker

VfB Stuttgart could be targeting Tottenham striker Roman Pavlyuchenko. According to Stuttgart general manager Horst Heldt, the Russian striker has come up in discussions within the club. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: After selling Mario Gomez to Bayern Munich for €30m, Stuttgart have money to spend and a big void to fill up front. Replicating Gomez’s 33-goal output from this past season might be a little much to ask, but Pavlyuchenko does have the quality to succeed in the Bundesliga, even though his struggles at Tottenham last season might convince some otherwise.

France

Shevchenko Offered To French Trio

Chelsea have offered striker Andriy Shevchenko to Lyon, Marseille, and Monaco. Lyon have turned down the opportunity to sign the Ukrainian, but Marseille and Monaco are still considering the chance to snap him up. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: Safe to say then that Sheva doesn’t have a future at Chelsea, eh?

Coupet To Sign For PSG

Former Lyon goalkeeper Gregory Coupet could be set for a quick return to Ligue 1, as he has agreed personal terms over a move to Paris Saint-Germain. Coupet moved from Lyon to Atletico Madrid last summer, but after seeing little time last season, will be back on familiar soil if a fee can be agreed. (Goal.com)

Analysis: With current #1 Mickael Landreau looking to leave, PSG needed to swoop for a quality replacement, and Coupet, with his long history of success with Lyon, certainly fits the bill.

Greece

Panathinaikos Close On Drenthe?

Panathinaikos are going all out in their efforts to sign Real Madrid’s Royston Drenthe, as they could offer £11m in order to land the versatile Dutchman. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: That’s about the same amount Real spent to sign Drenthe from Feyenoord in the summer of 2007, so I don’t see them turning down an offer of that amount. Drenthe hasn’t exactly blossomed at Real, and he wouldn’t appear to have much of a future there, so the only holdup might be whether or not he wants to move to Greece or to a more elite league.

“Transfer Rumors (15 June 09): Man United after Valencia stars Villa and Silva, Aston Villa close on Tottenham duo, Berbatov and Pavlyuchenko linked with Bundesliga moves, and more” was originally published at footballlens.com – football news.

Today’s tittle-tattle is off to live in a floating duck house – because we deserve to be safe from foxes too

Forget Manchester United v Barcelona, The New Harry Potter Movie v The New Terminator Movie or Peter Andre and Katie Price v The Possibility That Newspapers Might Stop Writing About Them Soon, the real heavyweight clash of the summer is going to be an all-out three-way tussle between Cristiano Ronaldo, Carlos Tevez and Glen Johnson for the title of Interminable Transfer Story of the Year 2009.

Today’s updates in brief, because if we’re not sick of these yarns already we certainly will be soon:

1) Cristiano Ronaldo isn’t going anywhere – “at the moment I’m at United and I don’t care what happens in Madrid”.

2) Nobody could be arsed making up anything new about Carlos Tevez yesterday, except for the not entirely surprising revelation that he’s going to start next week’s Champions League final on the bench.

3) Harry Redknapp and Rafa Benítez are giving Glen Johnson a clear choice between cockerel and liver bird. Either way it looks like he’ll have some kind of avian lifeform on his chest next season.

Now, on with the other stuff.

Firstly, an excuse to point you in the direction of the undisputed goal of the season (alright, you can dispute it if you like, but it’s pretty popular here at the Mill): Swindon goal machine Simon Cox is favouring a £1.2m switch to Celtic over rival offers from West Brom, Bolton and Leicester.

Because a couple of them happen to be quite tall, today’s defensive rumours will be brought to you in order of the players’ height: Birmingham City want 6ft 6in Zat Knight to make the long trudge from Villa Park in order to create a dream defensive partnership with coming-on-a-free veteran Bobo Balde. Arsenal – for whom Emmanuel Adebayor looks to have played his last game – are ready to test Fulham’s resolve with a £15m bid for 6ft 5in Brede Hangeland (for that money, the only thing they’ll be testing is Mohamed Al Fayed’s resolve to agree gracefully, rather than dropping to his knees, drooling and crying “yes, yes, yes” repeatedly).

And Chelsea are lining up a sensational £22m swoop for Internazionale’s 6ft 1in Douglas Maicon, although Real Madrid are also interested. If this is true and the deal indeed goes through at this price, it would take Roman Abramovich’s spending on first-team right-backs alone to £57.5m, following the purchases of Jose Bosingwa (£16.3m), Paulo Ferreira (£13.2m) and our good friend, the Rumour Mill veteran Glen Johnson (£6m).

Back to Birmingham, who are vying with Villa for £8m-rated Argentinian midfield starlet Lucas Biglia, currently wowing Belgians with Anderlecht, and plotting a £6m double raid on Derby County for Kris Commons and Giles Barnes.

While Blues are planning for promotion, Newcastle are making contingency plans for relegation. If they do go down, Sébastien Bassong will be off sharpish. “You have to plan for your career and playing in the second division would be a step backwards,” he says in one paper. “I’m an ambitious boy and playing Championship football never crossed my mind – it would be a step backwards,” he adds in another. It’s all in the translation, you see. They would also be happy to loan Alan Smith for the season if they go down – perfect for any club that needs a £60,000-a-week adornment to their treatment room.

Talking of which, West Ham are open to offers for Dean Ashton – perfect for any club that meeds a £7m adornment to their treatment room.

And Sunderland want Hamburg’s former Tottenham manager Martin Jol to replace Ricky Sbragia. “He wants another chance in the Premier League, where he feels he has unfinished business,” says “a source”.

]]> http://www.latestfootballnews.net/football-transfer-rumours-brede-hangeland-to-arsenal/feed/ 0 http://www.latestfootballnews.net/top-of-the-flops-the-five-worst-premier-league-signings-of-the-season/ http://www.latestfootballnews.net/top-of-the-flops-the-five-worst-premier-league-signings-of-the-season/#comments Fri, 22 May 2009 10:30:03 +0000 admin http://www.latestfootballnews.net/football-news/top-of-the-flops-the-five-worst-premier-league-signings-of-the-season/

There’s nothing quite like the buzz and thrill of expectancy when your club announces a new signing. Let’s face it, it doesn’t matter if you follow a team in the lowest echelons of the Conference South or one of the European superpowers at completely the other end of the spectrum, you just can’t beat that feel-good feeling of a new recruit.

The problem is that there are invariably times when a manager’s faith in a new signing simply fails to come to fruition and we’ve certainly seen a fair few of them up and down the country this season. I can see you nodding your head now so without me blabbering on for too much longer I would like to welcome you to the not so wonderful world of the transfer flop. 2008/09 Premier League edition!

5. Deco

At £8 million it looked an inspired signing and with two goals and two assists coming in his first three matches, we were all guilty of jumping on the Deco bandwagon. It had looked like a stroke of genius from Scolari and yes I’ll be the first to admit it – I thought Deco was the man who completed Chelsea’s midfield.

Although the Portugal international’s season rapidly derailed thereafter to the point where he is rarely even considered a first-teamer at Stamford Bridge these days.

With just one goal against Bolton to add to those rousing first few displays in a Chelsea shirt, Deco has been one of the biggest disappointments of the season and I doubt he’ll be around too much longer to be given a chance to silence his critics.

4. Fabricio Coloccini

The frizzy haired former Deportivo central defender arrived in Newcastle with the weight of the world on his shoulders. Yes Coloccini would supposedly be the man to rejuvenate the Toon Army’s shoddy defence and he’s ultimately caved in under the pressure.

It would seem that Shearer can’t get rid of this £10.5million Argentine international quick enough and after a nightmarish season that has comprised of a bucket load of mistakes and an array of lacklustre defensive performances, you can’t really blame him can you?

3. Robbie Keane

What can you say about Robbie Keane and his time at Anfield? I mean was it simply Rafa’s fault for failing to play to his £20 million signing’s strengths or did Keane ultimately struggle to produce the goods when he was given a chance to impress?

You could debate what went wrong for the Irishman long into the night but at the end of the day Liverpool splashed the cash on a goal-scoring striker who was supposed to do exactly that. Score them goals. He didn’t, so that’s the fundamental reason why he’s on this list.

2. David Bentley

What on earth has happened to Bentley this season? He was supposed to be Beckham’s heir apparent on England’s right-hand-side but on the evidence of this Premier League campaign, he’d be lucky to get in the B team.

That goal aside, the £15 million signing from Blackburn has endured a frustrating start to life at White Hart Lane culminating in him having played just 18 minutes of first-team football since February.

The form of Aaron Lennon has hardly helped his cause but Spurs fans must have surely expected a whole lot more from Bentley and he could quite plausibly be the first casualty of Harry Redknapp’s summer clearout.

1. Dave Kitson

I don’t know whether Kitson failed to cope under the radiant limelight of being Stoke’s record signing but he has undoubtedly proved to be one of the only blemishes during what has been a terrific season for the Potters.

The 29-year-old failed to find the net in 16 Premier League outings this term and was quickly moved on to Reading in the January transfer window.

The good news for supporters at the Britannia Stadium? James Beattie came in and did a slightly better job for less than half the price. The bad news? Kitson looks set to return to the club this summer.

“Top of the flops: The five worst Premier League signings of the season!” was originally published at footballlens.com – football news.

The penultimate weekend of the season provoked plenty of Right Result activity at the top and bottom of the table.

Manchester United’s day just about went to plan as they secured their 11th Premier League title with a nil-nil draw against Arsenal. It wasn’t without a few jitters before the end of the game at Old Trafford, but such concerns should have been avoided. United had a second-half goal disallowed for offside, only for replays to show that Cristiano Ronaldo was played on by Bacary Sagna.

Liverpool may have to settle for runners-up spot, but they condemned West Bromwich Albion to relegation with a tricky encounter at The Hawthorns. The Baggies could have conceded a third goal as Albion’s woes seemed to get the better of defender Jonas Olsson. Late in the first-half, the Swede barged Steven Gerrard from behind with such force that it should have been a penalty.

The current Right Result table shows that West Brom are joined in the bottom three by Blackburn Rovers. They ‘conceded’ a significant third goal in the 0-2 defeat at Chelsea when stand-in right-back Keith Andrews pulled at Ashley Coles’ shirt. The resultant penalty means Rovers drop below Andrews’ old club Hull City on goal difference of one goal.

Back in the non-virtual world, Newcastle United are back in the relegation mire after a home defeat to Fulham. The Toon could have taken a vital point though as their second-half ‘goal’ by Mark Viduka was disallowed for an alleged foul by Kevin Nolan. However, the former Bolton Wanderers midfielder appeared to merely stand his ground and, if anything, was pushed by Fulham keeper Mark Schwarzer.

Elsewhere, in the safer waters of mid-table, Stoke City’s 2-0 win against Wigan Athletic should have been reduced to a one-goal margin. In the first-half, the Latics should have been awarded a penalty for Abdoulaye Faye’s foul on Paul Scharner.

See the full Right Result table here and previous Right Result archives here. To learn more about Right Result and to follow it every week, click here.

If you think the officials got a decision wrong on the weekend, something that would have resulted in a goal or prevented one, let us know in the comments below.

“Newcastle deserved a point, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United deserved an extra goal” was originally published at footballlens.com – football news.

West Brom are now mathematically relegated. Well, what did they accomplish? Did they enjoy their stay? And despite all the nice touches their midfielders have had, will we really miss them?

Every season one of the promoted clubs takes on their mantle; they will be the promoted side that will play “The Football.” Their manager will announce that they will be “sticking to their footballing philosophy” before popping across the Atlantic to sign a South American playmaker and using his African layover on the way home to pick up a couple of substandard five-cap freddies from somewhere like the Congo.

This approach will not pay off. It never has. It’s stupid, naive, and fantasist. It’s a defeatist approach to the Premiership and it’s a cowardly cop out. The teams who come up and take this approach are tourists who belong in the second division.

What did Mowbray honestly think would happen? That he could instill the spirit of Cruyff and Neeskens into his random exotic journeymen, charge gung-ho towards the snarling bulls of Chelsea or razor-sharp counter-punches of Manchester United, and come out smelling of roses? It’s utter lunacy and invites only one outcome. Comprehensive relegation.

But here’s the clever bit. Because they make nice shapes with the football in midfield, nobody will mind one bit. They’ll put together some nice moves, score a few goals while they’re at it and everyone will wish them well when they’re eventually relegated with a brutal goal difference. They might even get to sell some of their better players to a good team with ambition at the end of the season.

Never mind the fact that the most important parts of football happen in either penalty area. It’s what you do in the massive green bit in between that makes or loses friends. And WBA have made many. When the world is watching, put your best foot forward.

But, as we all know from experience, friendships fed by blazing sunlight do not survive the death of summer. In a years time we’ll have forgotten about how WBA tried to make nice shapes and play proper football, because other teams will be doing it in their place, and doing it better. So no more culture from Borja Valero or Felipe Teixeira on Match of the Day, but that’s okay, because Burnley will be doing it instead, throwing passes about like confetti, finding solace in a one touch move that doesn’t quite find the striker and collapsing like a house of cards as soon as Fernando Torres gets the ball to his feet.

What a contrast Stoke make. Simple, uncomplicated football. It’s what they’re good at, and they aren’t going to change for anyone. At least, thats what Tony Pulis would have you believe. Of course, they have changed from the team that won promotion by adding genuine, proven Premiership class, in Beattie and Etherington. Their combination of experience and hunger could only get them so far – their smart buys have taken them the rest of the way. But because they did no posturing or fancy-danning, were they relegated they would certainly have been forgotten. Credit to Pulis for having such faith, and not being vain enough to care what the pubic at large thought.

And because they’re such a tough team to beat and have such a strong identity, don’t be surprised to see their affair with the Premiership stretch for years. Nobody gave Bolton a hope when they first came up, but by staying unpretentious, they’ve carved out their niche in the elite. WBA, by contrast, were only ever going to be a fling, simply fun whilst it lasted, and forgotten when the next plucky outsider pops up.

And that is their ultimate failing. By playing pretentious, almost arrogant football, they’ve traded off any hope of survival before a ball has been kicked in exchange for the passing goodwill of the masses as they sink back to where they belong.

And this, really, is the crux of the matter. The Premiership has places for only 20 teams. Is there really space for one that isn’t there to win?

The author of this article, Ben Johnston, can also be read over at www.inbehind.com

“WBA Are The Latest Victims Of Football Fantasy” was originally published at footballlens.com – football news.

The more interesting story concerns Arsenal, with the News of the World claiming that the Gunners are considering cashing in on their niggle-friendly forward. He’s yet to sign a new £70,000-a-week contract at the Emirates and Monsieur Wenger could use that money to strengthen elsewhere – notably at the back!

The Sunday Mirror suggests Belgian defender Thomas Vermaelen is top of the hitlist.

And if you choose to believe the Mail on Sunday, then he’ll need to raise some cash as that paper claims Arsenal’s transfer kitty for the summer is just £13m.

There could be more offloading if you believe the Observer, as plans are afoot to limit Premier League squad sizes to 25.

So, I guess we’d better talk about Carlos Tevez. Well, over at the News of the World the paper is claiming that Manchester United fans are so angry about his apparent exit that they hurled bottles and sprayed beer (what a waste!) at the entrance to Old Trafford.

And the Sunday Express rehashes the predictable story that Rafa Benitez will come in to nab the striker, making him his top summer target. And the News of the World also says the Reds are set for a £350m financing deal.

The Sunday Mirror reveals that six Premier League clubs are chasing Tevez.

More from the Red Devils, and CR7 who is surely only a matter of hours away from “signing for Real Madrid”. He’s told the News of the World that he loves it in rain-filled Manchester.

On a lighter – and quite frankly more interesting – note, Federico Macheda was thrown out of United’s title party at the Living Room nightspot…. not for pulling his trousers down or anything stupid like that but because he’s only 17! And not old enough to be in such a sordid establishment… It’s in the News of the World.

Down the league now and with Ricky Sbragia likely to step down at Sunderland following next season’s finale the News of the World reckons Slaven Bilic will swap Croatia for the north east.

Let’s round up the News of the World’s transfer titbits:
Aston Villa want Stewart Downing
Bolton will pay £2m for Joey Barton
Fulham could pay £6m for Wigan’s Paul Scharner (£6m?!)
Mark Hughes targets two from Benfica
Lucas Neill could move to Olympiakos
Liverpool want Javi Martinez
The race is on to sign Joe Ledley
Sunderland target Stockport goalkeeper
Keane to take Healy to Ipswich

Now this would be fine if it was the type of ‘interesting’ usually reserved for that person on the bus with tin foil on his head, but quotes attributed to the Frenchman in the Guardian suggest that it might be more than a passing flirtation.

“With Florentino Pérez in charge, the project he has put forward would be ­interesting for any coach but I would prefer not to comment on this,” he said. Adding: “In general I usually stay until the end of my contract.”

Now, despite the fact that the Galacticos era goes against everything that Wenger has built up at Arsenal over the past decade, Le Prof appears to have his head turned. Could he really want a project as ‘interesting’ as the poison chalice of Madrid to win him that elusive Champions League title?

One boss who appears to be on his way is Milan’s Carlo Ancelotti. The Sun have taken great pride in their various EXCLUSIVE’s over the Italian’s move to Chelsea and today is no different. Carlo: I’ll go to Chelsea screams the headline, although there are no actual quotes from the man saying he’ll go anywhere.

Speaking of screaming. Jamie Carragher and Alvaro Arbeloa had a right go at each other at the Hawthorns this weekend as Carra gave the Spaniard the hairdryer treatment for not closing his man down quickly enough. Cue handbags and a few pushes (nothing Bowyer/Dyer related) and now the Daily Star reckon they’ve kissed and made up. Yuk.

Now everything is done and dusted some transfer news continues aplenty. Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp has already said he’s not happy with Roman Pavlyuchenko and has now targeted David Bentley for wasting everyone’s time and money after his move from Blackburn. The Daily Mirror say Bents can leave, along with a few others too.

The Daily Mail reckon a club actually want to sign Jermaine Pennant. It’s Wigan, but the main reason is probably the fact there is no danger of them losing him to a bigger club if he actually starts to perform.

The Mail also claim that £5m-rated Anderlecht defender Roland Juhasz has a host of clubs, including Aston Villa, Tottenham and Bolton interested. Although almost everyone else isn’t.

And finally, Steve ‘Wally with the Brolly’ McClaren needed no umbrella to watch his new side FC Twente lose the Dutch Cup final against Heerenveen. The former England boss has done very well in his first season in Holland and almost convinced everyone he wasn’t English with his newfound ability to speak in a Dutch accent… until his side lost on penalties that is.

Is it safe to say that striker receives more time in the transfer gossip pages from January to December than any other position? Several well-known strikers are in today’s transfer news and rumors, but the goal-getters aren’t the only men in the summer shop window. In today’s roundup, we’ve got tidbits from several of Europe’s top leagues, with several big names being linked with big clubs.

England

Chelsea After Adebayor and Young

It’s looking increasingly likely that Carlo Ancelotti will be Chelsea’s next manager, and two names he could look to in order to strength his attack could be Arsenal’s Emmanuel Adebayor and Aston Villa’s Ashley Young. (Daily Mail)

Analysis: Martin O’Neill’s not letting Young go anywhere anytime soon, so that one can be dismissed right off the bat. I don’t rate Adebayor’s chances of being at Arsenal next season that highly, but I don’t think Arsene would let him go to Chelsea, unless the money offered was something that absolutely couldn’t be refused.

Chelsea Interested in Wolfsburg Star Dzeko

Wolfsburg striker Edin Dzeko has confirmed Chelsea’s interest in him, and the Bosnian goal-getter also says that his future is up in the air, due to Felix Magath’s impending departure to Schalke 04. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: I’m sure Wolfsburg will bring in a solid replacement for Magath, but I think the chances of him remaining at Wolfsburg aren’t too high, especially with some top sides sure to come after him. He certainly won’t come on the cheap though, because he’s young and he’s proven his worth as a prolific scorer in a top league.

Tottenham to Pip Man City to Santa Cruz?

Harry Redknapp will likely be in the market for at least one new striker in the summer, and one of his prime targets looks to be Blackburn’s Roque Santa Cruz, who, in case we didn’t know already, wants to leave Ewood Park. In return for Santa Cruz, Blackburn could receive cash and striker Darren Bent. (Daily Mail)

Analysis: It seems like Manchester City’s interest in Santa Cruz waned in January, so he could be Harry’s to lose. Given his injury issues and a loss of form this season, his valuation takes a big hit, but cash plus a solid striker in Bent is a reasonable deal.

Newcastle Interested in Wigan’s Scharner

Defense will be one of Newcastle’s main issues to address in the summer if they remain in the Premier League, and one of the targets at the top of Alan Shearer’s wishlist is Wigan center back Paul Scharner. (Daily Mail)

Analysis: I find it a little strange that Newcastle are being linked with such transfers when their safety is anything but secured, but I digress. Steve Bruce wouldn’t want to see him leave, but the £6m is something that Newcastle could afford to pay if they do go after him.

Blackburn to Seal Permanent Givet Deal

Blackburn are set to shell out the 4m needed to make defender Gael Givet a permanent signing. The French defender has impressed since joining from Marseille on loan in January. (The Mirror)

Analysis: Defensive improvement over the last few months has been key towards Blackburn moving away from the relegation zone and securing their safety, and Givet has had a big hand in that, so making the deal permanent was the right move.

Bolton to Bid for Middlesbrough’s O’Neil

Bolton are set to make a £4m bid for Middlesbrough midfielder Gary O’Neil. (The Mirror)

Analysis: Middlesbrough rebuffed advances for O’Neil in January, but their potential relegation combined with his reported issues with settling in the area make his sale a realistic possibility. I’d have to favor Portsmouth over Bolton, however.

Spain

Barcelona to Swoop for Ibrahimovic?

According to Italian news reports, Inter Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has already agreed personal terms and signed a pre-contract with Barcelona. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: The knock on Ibrahimovic is his performances (or lack thereof, rather) in big games, but in a squad as talented as Barcelona, he’d have no reason not to do well in those situations. At the same time, he could get away with his disappearing act, with Messi, Henry, or Iniesta all too ready and raring to step up.

Italy

Inter Lead Race for Milito

Despite a bevy of interest from abroad, including the Premier League, it appears that Genoa striker Diego Milito could be set to remain in Italy,

Analysis: I was hoping to be able to see Milito in the Premier League next season, but it appears that Inter will be needing a replacement (not a partner, as Milito’s agent says) for Ibrahimovic, so they’re going to be hard to beat.

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,12876_5323530,00.html

AC Milan to Lure Toni Back to Italy?

AC Milan could try to use Yoann Gourcuff as bait to persuade Bayern Munich to sell striker Luca Toni. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: No disrespect to Toni, who’s a great striker and is by no means on the decline, but shouldn’t AC Milan be trying to inject a little more youth in their squad?

France

Bordeaux Step Up Interest in Kameni

Bordeaux manager Laurent Blanc sees Espanyol keeper Carlos Kameni as his ideal #1 for next season. But, he’ll have to face some competition from Benfica, who have already made an offer for the Cameroonian, who’ll be out of contract in June. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: Considering how much mention Kameni has gotten in the transfer pages in recent years, you’d think he’d have more than just the one offer from Benfica, but he’ll certainly land on his feet.

Scotland

Celtic Bid for Hamilton’s McCarthy

Celtic have made a bid for highly-rated Hamilton midfielder James McCarthy, but the club says that this offer, just as with Portsmouth’s recent offer, will be rejected. (Sky Sports)

Analysis: The interest is reciprocal, which is no surprise, but Hamilton aren’t about to be ripped off for their prized asset. There’s a good chance Celtic will come back at least another time or two in the summer, but I think he’ll remain at Hamilton for at least one more season, if not more.

Portugal

Benfica Linked with Quaresma

Inter are likely going to offload Ricardo Quaresma in the summer, and Benfica are closely watching any developments. The Portuguese winger is currently on loan at Chelsea, but with him seeing very little time on the pitch since Guus Hiddink’s arrival, a permanent deal at Stamford Bridge doesn’t look too likely. (Benfica Linked with Quaresma”>Sky Sports)

Analysis: His talent’s unquestioned, but he’s always played better in Portugal than he has anywhere else. His performances at Sporting and Porto have earned him moves to bigger clubs, so he might as well make the rounds to all of Portugal’s Big Three, earn a move back to Italy, Spain, or England in a couple of seasons, and hopefully stick.

“Transfer Rumors (14 May 09): Chelsea after Arsenal’s Adebayor and Villa’s Young, Tottenham want Santa Cruz, Barcelona to land Inter’s Ibrahimovic, and more” was originally published at footballlens.com – football news.