There Is Only One Sinnacle

French Football Supporters: Lisandro Lopez Is Better Than Karim Benzema

Olympique Lyonnais may have lost Karim Benzema to Real Madrid in the summer but French football fans have been impressed with the impact that Lisandro Lopez has made so far this season. In fact, in a poll conducted by Football365, fans actually voted the Argentine ace superior to the burgeoning Frenchman.

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While early Lyon have received good value for their buck with the summer signing of Lisandro Lopez who comes into the weekend already having two goals to his name. It’s still the honeymoon stage and I doubt twelve months from now this poll would produce the same results. Despite it being early you’d be hard pressed not to enjoy having a striker like Lisandro Lopez on your team. Unlike many strikers Lopez is far from selfish with a great work place. What impressed me the most about Lopez is the fact he was never the most hyped striker. Lopez made his way into Europe under the radar and through hard work has made himself an Argentina international.

Champions League will net record $1.55 billion

The payouts will be matched for two more seasons after the European governing body signed global television and sponsorship deals – including top-tier partners Ford, Heineken, MasterCard, PlayStation, Sony and UniCredit – through 2012.

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Great little article on the financial muscle that is the Champions League. Basic break down of what teams make from being in this competition and why it’s so important for many clubs to make the Champions League. Do yourself a favour and read the break down on how the pool of money is broken down. Another reason why there will not be a break away European league anytime soon as it would be foolish for Manchester United to walk away from the 50 million they earned in Champions League revenue last season.

Porto Striker Hulk Pens New Deal With €100m Release Clause

Hulk, who was sent off in Porto’s opening league match with Nacional, is now tied to the club until 2014 and his old buy-out clause of €40 million has been replaced by a new one of €100 million.

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Good move for the club and player. Considering he came from Japan it’s unlikely his original contract was paying him a ton of money. Good on Porto’s part to pay a player who has out played his contract and in doing so tied him up to a longer term and upped his release clause.

Ferdinand out “for three to four weeks”

Ferdinand suffered a slight tear in his thigh during training last week ahead of the Premier League opener against Birmingham.

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Evans will need operation

“At some point my ankle will need surgery,” said the 22-year-old.

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Be it bad luck or a bad omen either way it’s not a good sign when you have so many players banged up to start the season. Regarding Evans if his ankle was bugging him since Christmas why in the world didn’t he get it looked after in the summer?

Wenger Slams Spanish Clubs For Transfer Tactics Involving Arsenal’s Fabregas

The Arsenal boss has reacted to the reports in the press that Barcelona have an arrangement to bring ‘Cesc’ back to the Camp Nou.

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Wenger is right about this. Barcelona keeps dropping the Fabregas hint but never pull the trigger on an offer. Either make your move or focus on your own players. At some point Barcelona will make an offer for Fabregas but with Xavi and Iniesta running things the timing isn’t right.

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp is making a new £2m bid to bring Portsmouth goalkeeper David James to White Hart Lane.
Full story: Daily Mirror

Another player leaving Portsmouth could be defender Sylvain Distin, who is attracting interest from Everton. (Daily Mirror)

It’s a good time to be a Portsmouth youth player. If all these departures are to be believed Portsmouth would have no other option but to count on their youth setup this season.

Pompey are in talks to sign Bolton centre-back Danny Shittu and midfielder Gavin McCann. The Sun

Or it’s a good time to be Danny Shittu and Gavin McCann. Portsmouth isn’t exactly the place to be right now but at least they would be playing week in and week out.

Everton have agreed a £6m deal with Newcastle for centre-half Steven Taylor but the England Under-21 international’s wage demands could be a stumbling block. (Daily Mirror)

Can’t picture Taylor staying put at Newcastle if the two clubs are agreed on a transfer fee. I’m sure a case of give and take by both parties would get a deal done.

The Hammers are trying to rush through the sale of Collins to Villa and the signing of Bordeaux striker Marouane Chamakh before Sunday’s game against Tottenham. Daily Mirror

West Ham are confident of agreeing a deal to sign Chamakh after raising their offer to about £7m plus a 20% sell-on clause. The Times

Don’t get why West Ham would be interested in Chamakh. He is a good player but just not the right fit for West Ham. You already have England international Carlton Cole up front. In the last transfer window West Ham spent 9 million on Savio Nsereko and at some point Dean Ashton may come back fit for a week or two.

Hull boss Phil Brown will bid £4m for Portsmouth striker David Nugent after being snubbed by Real Madrid forward Alvaro Negredo. The Sun

Brown is aiming to make Lokomotiv Moscow striker Haminu Draman his fifth signing this summer, with the Ghanaian likely to cost around £3m. The Independent

David Nugent is a big drop off from Negredo and Portsmouth would love to sell him at the price quoted. Between Nugent and Draman I’d take my chances with the Ghanaian.

Birmingham manager Alex McLeish is ready to release forwards Marcus Bent and Gary McSheffrey. The Sun

Marcus Bent must have one impressive jersey collection. Bent barely stays in one place for longer than a season.

Chelsea left-back Ashley Cole has signed a new four-year contract to make him the world’s highest-paid full-back on £120,000 a week. The Sun

That should keep him happy for a week or two. Should also make Patrice Evra’s agent happy down the road when it comes time to talk contract with Manchester United.

Adriano Recalled By Dunga’s Brazil For Argentina & Chile Qualifiers

The Emperor has returned to the Selecao after a five-month period out of the coach’s plans…

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On his day Adriano is one of the best strikers in the world but should any coach trust him? Yes Adriano seems happy at Flamingo topping the scoring charts but counting on him to deliver the goods against a team desperate for a win like Argentina is a tall order. Don’t see how Adriano is worth the distraction considering the form Luis Fabiano has displayed for the national team it’s likely Adriano would be coming off the bench.

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Julio Cesar (Inter Milan), Victor (Gremio);

Defenders: Andre Santos (Fenerbahce), Daniel Alves (Barcelona), Maicon (Inter), Filipe (Deportivo La Coruna), Lucio (Inter), Luisao (Benfica), Miranda (Sao Paulo), Juan (AS Roma);

Midfielders: Elano (Galatasaray), Felipe Melo (Juventus), Gilberto Silva (Panathinaikos), Josue (VfL Wolfsburg), Ramires (Benfica), Julio Baptista (AS Roma), Kaka (Real Madrid), Lucas (Liverpool);

Forwards: Luis Fabiano (Sevilla), Nilmar (Villarreal), Robinho (Manchester City), Adriano (Flamengo).

Nothing says a start to a new season then Jose Mourinho getting into a war of words with another manager. Last year it was then Juventus coach Claudio Ranieri who Mourinho went after saying this about Ranieri. “At the age of 70 (Ranieri was only 57 at the time) he has won a Super Cup and another small cup. He is too old to change his frame of mind.”

This year Mourinho has decided to take it up a notch going after Italian head coach Marcello Lippi after he gave a prediction that Juventus would win the Scudetto this year. Innocent enough on the surface and really considering the history between Lippi and Juventus he would be hard pressed to pick another club but this set Mourinho off.

The special one has a point in saying the likes of Fabio Capello and Vincent del Bosque would never be drawn into such a debate yet Lippi has no problem showing favoritism towards Juventus and giving a compliment towards Inter would be like pulling teeth. What Mourinho should now recognize if he hasn’t beforehand is whatever he does in Italian football it will always be meet with second guessing. Italian football is a closed society if you are not Italian you will never get your proper credit be it as a player or coach. The Italian media as we speak are licking their lips hoping Mourinho and Inter fall this season. Even if Inter do win for a fifth straight year some flaw will be pointed out and obsessed upon. Unlike in England when Mourinho left he was treated like a hero when the time comes for Mourinho and Inter to go their separate ways the Italian media will be saying good riddance finding any flaw in Mourinho in their attempt to downplay his success as a coach.

Real Madrid’s Wesley Sneijder Does Not Know What He Wants – Agent

However, Lerby added that Sneijder is still yet to be convinced that Inter are the right club for him, and that he was mulling over his options.

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Anything could happen in the world of football but a lot of things would need to go wrong for Real Madrid be it injures or lack of form in order for Wesley Sneijder to see regular playing time as he is buried on the depth chart. A change would do Sneijder some good but playing for Mourinho will be a big change from playing for the likes of Real Madrid and Ajax who each prefer to play a free flowing offensive style.

Bordeaux boosted after Chamakh stays

French champions Girondins Bordeaux should be able to count on Ligue 1 top scorer Marouane Chamakh for one more season after he shelved his Premier League dreams.

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Loved this quote from the article.

“I had said I would leave once I had won the French title with Bordeaux. Well, I will leave after winning two,” local media quoted Chamakh as saying this week.

Talk about a player who can’t leave quick enough once his contact expires. It still wouldn’t shock me if a club swoops in during the final days and wraps up a deal for Chamakh before Bordeaux lose him for nothing come next summer.

Aston Villa boss Martin O’Neill is stepping up his bid to bolster his side’s defence with Portsmouth’s Sylvain Distin, James Collins of West Ham and Blackburn’s Stephen Warnock top of his shortlist. (Press Association)

Despite signing Habib Beye from Newcastle last week Aston Villa could still use another player or two. After West Ham accepted Stoke 5 million pound bid only for Collins to turn down the move it would be natural to peak Villa’s interest since they already know what West Ham would be looking for in the 25 year old Welsh international.

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez is ready to make a £10m offer for Real Madrid’s Dutch midfielder Rafael van der Vaart. The Times

Hopefully Liverpool still has that much money to spend in the transfer market. If van der Vaart can co-exist with Gerrard in Liverpool’s midfield the former Hamburg player could shine in English football.

Aston Villa have told West Ham they will offer £12m for centre-back Matthew Upson, 30, if the Hammers decide to sell. Daily Mirror

You saw it last year when West Ham sold Anton Ferdinand and George McCartney at the deadline that West Ham have no problem cashing in on a player provided the money is right.

Everton boss David Moyes will demand £30m from Manchester City for defender Joleon Lescott. Daily Mail

This world would of gone mad if Joleon Lescott is worth £30 million.

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp is ready to play hardball with Celtic as the Glasgow club hold out for a £10m fee for midfielder Scott Brown. (Scottish Daily Mail)

However, Redknapp is ready to switch targets and is poised to make a £5m-plus offer for Celtic winger Aiden McGeady. (Scottish Sun)

With Celtic likely to not make the Champions League it wouldn’t shock me if they sell a player to make up the 25 million short fall for failing to qualify. It would unlikely to be the highly regarded McGeady however and it surely would not be for only £5m up front.

Blackburn’s latest recruit, Spanish defender Michel Salgado, 33, has finally got his dream move to the Premier League – five years after turning down a switch to Chelsea. (The Sun)

Salgado was starting for Real Madrid back then. Few players would trade Real Madrid for Chelsea or any other football club especially if you are Spanish.

- What a first half by Lyon has they have all but wrapped up their Champions League spot with a 5-1 trashing of Anderlecht. 19 year old Miralem Pjanić opened Lyon’s goal tally with a free kick Juninho Pernambucano would be proud of. From there Lyon have to be happy with new comers Lisandro Lopez and Bafétimbi Gomis chipping in with three of Lyon’s five goals on the day.

- Panathinaikos started off the second half well with Salpingidis scoring from a chip shot but Atletico Madrid have too much offensive firepower for Panathinaikos. Even in an hostile environment and Sergio Agüero being kicked around out there Atletico replied back to the all important second and then third away goals before former Liverpool player Sebastian Leto pulled Panathinaikos back one heading into the second leg in Spain.

- Wonder how Panathinaikos and Celtic are feeling right now knowing that three of the following six clubs will book their ticket to the Champions League group stage? Levski Sofia, Debrecen, RB Salzburg, Maccabi Haifa, Ventspils and Zurich.

- How quickly things change from week to mid week in this case is the first thing which comes to mind when looking back on the last couple of days.

- Owen Coyle seems to have the magic touch against the big four. After beating Chelsea and Arsenal last year in cup ties Coyle has already one upped himself leading his Burnley team to a 1-0 victory over defending champions Manchester United. Robbie Blake goal may grab the headlines but it was Brian Jensen aptly named the breast who stood out in this game. Jensen kept everything well organized at the back and saved the day by stopping a Michael Carrick penalty.

- Safe to say the papers will run with the story that Manchester United just isn’t the same without Ronaldo out there and now there is some proof to back up that statement. United’s 1-0 win against Birmingham on the weekend wasn’t something to behold and against Burnley just weren’t able to convert chances into goals.

- It’s games against Burnley where Ronaldo’s departure will be felt the most this season. Messi is the best player in the world but no player punishes weaker opposition like Ronaldo whose pace is the same in the first minute as the 90th minute. Granted anything could happen but you’d lean strongly on Ronaldo making the penalty Carrick missed which would of turned this game on it’s head going into halftime. Instead it gave Burnley even more confidence to push forward with the belief they could earn the three points.

- Again it’s only two games but Manchester United remind me on a frying pan full of oil with nothing around to ignite it. No offence to Ryan Giggs but something is wrong when he is your best player out considering all the money United have spent to acquire players from all over the world.

- Liverpool fans must be loving this result just as much if not more than United fans who were full of glee when Liverpool were defeated on the weekend. Reds fans can at least say it’s no shame to lose at Tottenham given their form right now.

- Stoke City just provided Liverpool the tonic for what ales them. After losing on the weekend these Liverpool players must of been happy to get another kick at the can mid week instead of waiting the entire week. Just a perfect result for Liverpool today against Stoke. Fernando Torres gets off the mark with his 4th minute goal, Glen Johnson continues to justify his transfer fee. What impressed me the most however was 18 year old defender Daniel Ayala getting his first start as a replacement for Martin Škrtel and helped Liverpool keep a clean sheet.

- How lucky has Harry Redknapp been these last two years? Two years ago he turned down the Newcastle job avoiding that sinking ship nicely. A year later after leading Portsmouth to an FA Cup Redknapp packed up his bags and moved back north to Tottenham. Now Portsmouth are a shadow of their former selfs and Tottenham are off to a flying start.

- Jermain Defoe’s two goals against Holland while on England duty must of done his confidence a world of good as he ripped open Hull’s back line in Tottenham’s 5-1 victory.

- Eight goals against in Hull’s first two games isn’t how Phil Brown wanted to start the season. Hope they don’t ask Jozy Altidore to play defence.

- Always painful to lose on a last minute penalty. First Bobby Zomara fluke goal now Birmingham winning 1-0 on a James McFadden penalty must have these Portsmouth players thinking they are snake bitten.

- Wigan came crashing down to earth with Wolves walking into the newly named DW Stadium and coming away with a vital 1-0 away win. It has to be frustrating for a coach to watch his team play as well as Wigan did against Aston Villa then lay an egg like they did at home against Wolves.

- Chelsea can’t be happy giving up the first goal in both their games this season. That is just about the only thing Chelsea must not be happy about. Chelsea gave Sunderland a master class in the second half with Ballack, Lampard and Deco controlling play. Carlo Ancelotti has been able to right the wrongs on the fly during the game and I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before Chelsea get it right from the start of play.