There Is Only One Sinnacle

Barcelona have invited Manchester City to make an offer for Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Full story: talkSPORT

Considering all the players Manchester City still have to ship out can’t see them bringing in Ibraminovic so late in the day.

Crystal Palace will attempt to lure former Ajax and Juventus midfielder Edgar Davids to Selhurst Park. The Dutchman, 37, has been without a club since 2008 but is keen to settle in London. Daily Mirror

This would be news 10 years ago. No denying Davids wasn’t a great player in his day.

Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti has fuelled speculation that he may be preparing a bid for Everton midfielder Jack Rodwell after he picked out the 19-year-old for praise. Daily Mail

Jack Rodwell is a very good young player but he isn’t better than Ramires yet the only way Chelsea could sign him is if they bid higher than 20 million.

The Blues are also planning a move for Real Madrid midfielder Rafael Van der Vaart. Caught Offside

Is Rafael Van der Vaart being brought in to fill the void on the bench Deco left behind? Can’t see this one happening.

Former England manager Steve McClaren will offer midfielder Ryan Babel a way out of Liverpool after lodging a £9m bid to take the Dutchman to German side Wolfsburg. Daily Mirror

If Diego doesn’t end up going to Wolfsburg than Ryan Babel would make a good plan B.

Liverpool could use Babel as part of a swap deal to land FC Twente’s Costa Rican striker Bryan Ruiz.
Full story: Caught Offside

Made mention a couple of times how I am a fan of Bryan Ruiz but there is no way FC Twente can afford to take on Ryan Babel’s contract nor do I think he’d be that excited to play in Holland.

Liverpool are to make a fresh bid for West Ham midfielder Scott Parker. Daily Mirror

The Reds are also interested in Fulham full-back Paul Konchesky and are preparing a £3m offer for the 29-year-old. Daily Mirror

Neither player I like all that much. Scott Parker is a good player but way over valued by West Ham.

Manchester United may bid for CSKA Moscow goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev as a long-term replacement for 39-year-old Edwin Van der Sar. Caught Offside

Not surprised to read about Igor Akinfeev rumours. I am surprised to still see him with CSKA Moscow.

Everton are close to sealing a £4m deal for Sporting Lisbon midfielder Marat Izmailov. Daily Mail

Sporting would do a jig if they got 4 million for Marat Izmailov. Not saying he is a bad player, just a numbers game currently with Sporting. He’ll be a fan favorite as he fights for every ball and has a good touch on it but he is tiny by EPL standards. If Marat Izmailov is banged up playing in Portugal, don’t even want to think about the punishment he’ll take in England.

Marseille are in line to sign Wigan winger Charles N’Zogbia, who has been told he can quit the Latics. Daily Mail

Marseille would be replacing one headache in Hatem Ben Arfa with another in N’Zogbia.

Sunderland centre-back Anton Ferdinand is set for a loan switch to Fiorentina after a deal to join Palermo fell through. Daily Mirror

Talk about being a fish out of water.

Tottenham are likely to make an offer on Wednesday for French striker Loic Remy, with Marseille also chasing the 23-year-old. imscouting

I’m getting tired of these Loic Remy rumours. Be it West Ham Liverpool Stoke City or Tottenham, there has been way too much talk and little action on the Loic Remy front.

Spurs are battling it out with West Ham for the signing of Paris St Germain midfielder Stephane Sessegnon. Daily Mail

Clearly this is a battle Spurs would win out on.

Newcastle are facing competition from AC Milan for Marseille winger Hatem Ben Arfa.
Full story: Daily Mirror

Arsenal are also interested in 23-year-old Ben Arfa, with Gunners manager Arsene Wenger set to make a £12m move for the 23-year-old. Caught Offside

And Werder Bremen are another club who are keen on Ben Arfa and have offered Marseille £6.5m for the Frenchman. (the Times)

You didn’t think Ben Arfa has created this fuss leaving Marseille to play for Newcastle did you?

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson admits that he had never seen new striker Bebe play before the £7.4m recruit arrived at the club’s Carrington training ground. Daily Mail

Somebody called Sandra Bullock and tell her she will be playing Bebe foster mother in “the blind pass”. If the kid even has some success at United you know someone will make a movie out of his life.

While Barcelona were running in a fruitless chase for Cesc Fabregas, Real Madrid has been stock piling talent in an effect to over throw Barcelona at the top of Spanish football.

The latest addition is German World Cup star Mesut Özil who has signed with Real Madrid from Werder Bremen who were willing to let him go before losing him for nothing at the end of his contract next summer.

What really interests me is how will Kaka work his way back into the Real Madrid starting lineup? Does Ozil coming in mean Kaka makes his way out next summer?

Tottenham midfielder Jermaine Jenas is set to sign for Juventus on loan for the season, with a view to a full-time £10m switch. Daily Mirror

But Turkish club Galatasaray hope to fight off Juventus, Sampdoria and AC Milan for England international Jenas, who did not feature in Spurs’ 0-0 draw with Manchester City on Saturday. the Sun

Jermaine Jenas should see the writting on the ball and hop, skip or jump to either of the Serie A sides on the list.

Liverpool still hope Javier Mascherano will stay at Anfield but admit they have a private agreement with the midfielder to allow him to leave if the right price is offered. talksport.co.uk

No denying Mascherano work rate but why keep a player if he isn’t happy? It would soon start to affect the rest of the locker rate. Sell him to Inter or Barcelona and move on.

Manchester City are hoping to sell Brazilian forward Robinho to German club Schalke 04 – and use the cash to make a new bid for Benfica defender David Luiz. Daily Mirror

Not that this would ever happen but Robinho would like life in Lisbon. Culture is perfectly suited to him. He would play in the Champions League. It’s still a long flight but travelling from Portugal to Brazil sure beats going from Germany to Brazil.

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has urged Manchester City striker Craig Bellamy not to throw away his career by dropping into the Championship to play for Cardiff. Daily Mail

Good for Craig Bellamy who has juse joined Cardiff on loan. Bellamy is still going to get paid his 90k a week and after hitting his head up against the wall with a few EPL clubs maybe he just wants to go to a place where he can enjoy football. How Cardiff are coming up with the 45k a week on there end to pay Bellamy I’ll never know.

Redknapp is hoping to bolster his squad by persuading Sevilla winger Diego Capel to join the White Hart Lane club. caughtoffside.com

Still love the story a couple of years ago how Tottenham under Ramos meet Capel’s release clause only for the President of Sevilla to say the release fee only applies to other Spanish clubs.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger wants to tie up a £2.5m deal for Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer in time for the visit of Blackpool on Saturday and it could pave the way for the Cottagers to move for Manchester City keeper Shay Given as his replacement. Daily Mirror

Makes perfect sense if Manchester City is willing to play ball with Fulham.

Current Arsenal keeper Manuel Almunia, meanwhile, will seek talks about his future if Wenger brings in another senior goalkeeper before the transfer window closes. London Evening Standard

This should be a short talk. All Wenger needs to say is you come up short in big games and make too many mistakes. Almunia has been given enough rope.

Stoke manager Tony Pulis is ready to smash the club’s transfer record again with a £9m swoop for Wigan striker Hugo Rodallega. Daily Mirror

Make sure Rodallega ankle is 100% before pulling the trigger on such a large transfer.

Aiden McGeady has revealed he had to leave Celtic because he feared for his safety in Glasgow. The winger, who joined Spartak Moscow in a £9.5m deal, says he received death threats and constant verbal abuse from members of the public. Daily Record

Each passing day I give up more and more on Scottish football.

Two football fans created a new record by driving to all 20 Premier League stadiums in just over 14 hours. Teacher Paul Cox and friend Luis Felipe completed the 572-mile trip in 14 hours, three minutes and 18 seconds, knocking 45 minutes off Cox’s previous unofficial record. (Daily Mirror)

Can’t do that in any North American sport league.

Manchester City are willing to offload striker Roque Santa Cruz to West Ham, who have offered £8.5m for the Paraguay international. Goal.com

After the beating West Ham took against Aston Villa it doesn’t shock me if West Ham work the phones this week trying to bring a new player in.

Manchester City striker Craig Bellamy could sign for Championship club Cardiff in a bid to end his Eastlands misery after he was given permission to train with his home-town club. Daily Mail

Wales international Bellamy has been told he is no longer welcome at City’s training ground. the Guardian

There must be a certain allure to playing for your hometown club. Maybe Bellamy is getting sick of his yo-yo career and wants to play week in and week out like he would with Cardiff. Don’t think he’ll end up joining Cardiff mind you.

Manchester City are considering a 25m Euro bid for Bordeaux’s France international midfielder Yoann Gourcuff. IM Scouting.com

I realize Manchester City has been busy throwing money away at other players but it’s pretty late in the day to try and wrap up a big transfer such as Yoann Gourcuff.

Marseille are lining up Tottenham’s Roman Pavlyuchenko after the French club’s bid for Sevilla striker Luis Fabiano failed. Inside Futbol.com

Tottenham would enjoy hearing this news. Pavlyuchenko proved in the second half of last year he can score in the EPL but with four strikers on the books one has to go.

Argentina legend Diego Maradona is lining up a move to become Aston Villa’s next manager following Martin O’Neill’s departure. Daily Mail

Someone is having a laugh. I do think Maradona did a decent job with Argentina but Aston Villa would never sign up for that sideshow.

Newcastle are ready to thwart Fulham’s bid for Algerian defender Rafik Halliche, although the 23-year-old is due at Craven Cottage for a medical ahead of a £1.3m move from Benfica. Daily Mail

Rafik Halliche did prove that he can defend against the best England has to offer in the World Cup.

Wigan will hit Charles N’Zogbia with a maximum £70,000 fine after he stormed out of training on Friday and missed Saturday’s opening day defeat by Blackpool. Daily Mirror

Frenchman N’Zogbia has since gone on strike, a decision that is likely to speed up his exit from the DW Stadium. Birmingham have tabled an £8m bid for the winger, although Wigan are holding out for more.
Full story: the Sun

I’d want to leave the sinking ship that is Wigan also.

Liverpool midfielder Joe Cole has been defended by manager Roy Hodgson and Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger after being sent off on his league debut for the Merseysiders against the Gunners. Daily Mirror

Took a certain joy out of the schedule maker matching up Liverpool vs Arsenal in the first week of the season. It was like he was trying to put one of these clubs behind the 8 ball right away. As for Joe Cole it was a silly tackle in an area of the pitch where little was going to come of it. It’s not the harshest red card I’ve seen worst and maybe the ref could of cut Joe Cole some slack as I’m sure he was running around out there trying to make a good impressive but I’m not going to say it was an awful call either.

Both teams can take something out of the match. Liverpool would of been happy with the point at halftime and Arsenal would be glad they didn’t drop three points but up a man for 45 minutes you’d think Arsenal could of done more.

I’m going to pat myself on the back for picking Chelsea in my EPL predictions last year when most people had Manchester United or Liverpool. Hopefully I can continue this trend. Truth be told I also remember the rest of my picks being off the mark but who cares when you get the winner right.

20th Blackpool

Blackpool punched above their weight the entire season in the Championship and managed to finished sixth. Come the playoff naturally the lowest seeded team would go on to win the lottery as Blackpool now sees themselves lavished with the riches of the Premier League.

Quite a nice turn around for one of the best quotes in the game Ian Holloway who two years ago was out of football after sending Leicester down to League One.

When you a small club like Blackpool you can do two things. Pretend your a big boy and spend beyond your means trying to stay up, knowing by doing soon it can cripple your club long term like Hull or you can pocket the 50 million or so in TV money then the parachute payments the years after when they go down. Can’t blame Blackpool to stay within their means and slowly open up the purse strings if they do stay up like Stoke City has done. Make no mistake however they will go down as this is a thin sqaud even with a rash of late signings and key players from last year like D. J. Campbell and Seamus Coleman returning to their parent club after successful loan spells.

Players in: Craig Cathcart (Man United, undisclosed), Ludovic Sylvestre (Mlada Boleslav, undisclosed), Eliot Grandin (CSKA Sofia, undisclosed), Malaury Martin (Monaco, free)

Players out: Daniel Nardiello (released), Hameur Bouazza (released), Al Bangura (released), Danny Mitchley (released), Joe Martin (released), Stephen McPhee (released), Ben Burgess (Notts County, free)

Key man: Charlie Adam

Odds to win league: 5,000-1

19th Wigan

After finishing 16th last year I’m tipping Wigan to slide even further down the table and out of the EPL. I can see what Roberto Martinez is tying to do in molding the club after his style of player but too many massive defeats leaves me questions if these Wigan players are going to buy into what Roberto Martinez is trying to sell. From a neutral point of view Wigan may be an entertaining team to watch with Mauro Boselli top scorer in the last Copa Libertadores partnering up with Hugo Rodallega up front. Add to that young players like Victor Moses and James McArthur Wigan may have something down the line but this squad is just too thin to especially at the back to predict a mid table finish.

Players in: Ronnie Stam (Twente, undisclosed), Mauro Boselli (Estudiantes, undisclosed), Antolin Alcaraz (Club Brugge, free), James McArthur (Hamilton, undisclosed), Ali Al-Habi (Bolton, loan)

Players out: Titus Bramble (Sunderland, undisclosed), Tomasz Cywka (Derby, free), Mario Melchiot (Umm Salal, free), Paul Scharner (released), Tomasz Kupisz (released), Jason Koumas (Cardiff, loan)

Key Man: Charles N’Zogbia

Odds to win the league: 3,000-1

18th West Brom

Picking West Brom to go down is usually a slam dunk when writting these previews as West Brom like Birmingham before them have been classic examples of yo-yo teams.

This time is will be Roberto Di Matteo who will try to keep West Brom up and much like many of these clubs on this list not a ton of money has been spent in the transfer market with former Villa man Nicky Shorey being the only player of note.

On the flip side West Brom return most of the team who got themselves automatically promoted last year. Keeping talented younger Graham Dorrans who had West Ham drooling for his services is a win onto itselt. I like the fact West Brom have kept the team who took them to the EPL. It’s a way of saying thanks and giving them confidence that they can have a go of it in the top flight. So while it wouldn’t shock me if they pulled a Birmingham and were safe the entire season I’m still picking them to be the last team sent down.

Players in: Boaz Myhill (Hull, undisclosed), Pablo Ibanez (Atletico Madrid, free), Gabriel Tamas (Auxerre, undisclosed), Steven Reid (Blackburn, free), Nicky Shorey (Aston Villa, undisclosed)

Players out: Andwele Slory (released), Robert Koren (released), Filipe Teixeira (released), Jonathan Greening (Fulham, undisclosed), Borja Valero (Villarreal, loan), Joss Labadie (Tranmere, free), Marcus Haber (St Johnstone, loan), Luke Daniels (Bristol Rovers, loan)

Key Player – Chris Wood (have always liked him from set pieces)

Odds to win the league: 3,500-1

17th Wolverhampton Wanderers

Could easily see Wolves and West Brom switch places as it could be Wolves who suffer from the dreaded sophomore slump. In order to stay up Mick McCarthy will need Marcus Hahnemann to stand on his head like he did last season.

One of the reasons I’ve picked Wolves to edge out West Brom is the fact Steven Fletcher and Kevin Doyle offer a decent front line, something West Brom couldn’t match up with. I’m actually a big fan of Steven Fletcher who could turn out to be one of the best buys of the season. He held his own last year with Burnley and liked him when he was at Hibs previously. Picking Stephen Hunt off the bone that is Hull is another wise signing. Hopefully for Wolves it won’t be three times unlikely as Hunt as gone done with Reading and Hull.

Players in: Jelle van Damme (Anderlecht, undisclosed), Steven Fletcher (Burnley undisclosed), Stephen Mouyokolo (Hull, undisclosed), Stephen Hunt (Hull, undisclosed), Adlene Guedioura (RSC Charleroi, free)

Players out: Jason Shackell (Barnsley, undisclosed), Mark Little (Peterborough, free), Daniel Jones (Sheff Wed, free), George Friend (Doncaster, free), Chris Iwelumo (Burnley, undisclosed), Andrew Surman (Norwich, undisclosed), Nathaniel Mendez-Laing (Peterborough, loan), Stefan Maierhofer (MSV Duisburg, loan), Sam Vokes (Bristol City, loan)

Key Player: Steven Fletcher

Odds to win the league: 3,000-1

16th Bolton

Owen Coyle had the summer to mold this team into his own image but going from Gary Megson to Owen Coyle is a complete 180 for these players who will now get to express themselves. Do they even have the skill set to do so? Nothing against Owen Coyle but he is still largely unproven in the top division. He had a decent run with Bolton to finish off the year but really there was little pressure on them from March onwards as Portsmouth, Hull and Burnley pretty much sealed their own faith.

Love the Martin Petrov and for this to work it will be Petrov who will lead the way with his set piece and crossing skills to the likes of Mr Bolton Kevin Davies and another free transfer Ivan Klasnic who will know Bolton will after spending the second half of the season on loan.

Another coup for Owen Coyle is keeping near England defender Gary Cahill. Sign of the times that teams are tightening there belt as in years past Gary Cahill would of been sold.

Players in: Martin Petrov (Manchester City, free), Robbie Blake (Burnley, free), Marcos Alonso (Real Madrid, undisclosed), Ivan Klasnic (Nantes, free)

Players out: Nicky Hunt (Bristol City, free), Ali Al-Habsi (Wigan, loan), Ricardo Vaz Te (released), Zoltan Harsanyi (released)

Key Player: Martin Petrov

Odds to win the league: 2,500-1

15th Newcastle

You can only kick someone when they are down for so long before you start to feel sorry for them. This sums up my feelings on Newcastle. It’s rare that I have said this in my life but give full credit to the Newcastle fans. They could of sulked last season being in the Championship but instead they were behind their team 100% filling up St James park week after week. Another postive was unlike Liverpool, ownership issues stayed behind closed doors last year.

Much like West Brom, Newcastle will give the core of their players the chance to prove themselves again at the top tier of English football after it was many of them who helped get Newcastle sent down to being with. This time it does appear these players have learned from that mistake and don’t take life in the EPL for granted which should help them stay up.

Players in: James Perch (Nottingham Forest, undisclosed), Dan Gosling (Everton, free), Sol Campbell (Arsenal, free)

Players out: Nicky Butt (released), Fabrice Pancrate (released)

Key man: Kevin Nolan

Odds to win the league: 1,000-1

14th Blackburn Rovers

If it wasn’t for Sam Allardyce somehow pulling a rabbit out of a hat I’d be ranking this team way down as there is little that I like about it.

Even today I still do a double take at the fact Blackburn finished 10th in last season. While it isn’t pretty to watch have to give credit to Sam Allardyce for getting the most out of his players. A running theme for many English clubs is the fact there has been little in the way of improvements thus far in the off season. Only Mame Biram Diouf coming over on loan from Manchester United being the only player of note.

Players in: Hugo Fernandez (Union Deportiva Cornella, undisclosed), Mame Biram Diouf (Man United, loan)

Players out: Steven Reid (West Brom, free), Marcus Marshall (Rotherham, free), Andy Howarth (Bury, free), Michael Hall (Accrington, free)

Key Player: Ryan Nelsen

Odds to win league: 1,000-1

13th Fulham

Dream season for Fulham last season making it to the Europa League finals and spending most of the season in the top half of the league until a late slide due to focusing on the Europa League found Fulham finishing in 12th place.

This season looks to be a cluture shock for both coach Mark Hughes who goes from running a club with billionanire Arab owner to running a club with a multi millionanire Arab owner. Also working against Mark Hughes is the fact it took quite long for Fulham to appoint him as there head coach. Not having a full pre season will set this club back some. Fulham seaosn has already gotten off to a horrible start with Philippe Senderos missing most of the upcoming year with a blown knee. Hopefully this isn’t an omen for the reason of Fulham’s season.

Players in: Philippe Senderos (Arsenal, undisclosed), Jonathan Greening (West Brom, undisclosed)

Players out: Chris Smalling (Manchester United, undisclosed), Erik Nevland (Viking, free), Elliot Omozusi (Leyton Orient, free), Stefan Payne (Gillingham, free), Christopher Buchtmann (Cologne, undisclosed), Wayne Brown (Bristol Rovers, free), Toni Kallio (released), Andranik Teymourian (released)

Key Player : Clint Dempsey

Odds to win the league: 750-1

12th Birmingham

Don’t expect a sophomore slump from Birmingham who suprised everyone by finishing 9th last season. On the flip side don’t except Birmingham to improve on last year’s 9th place finish. This Birmingham team remains me of Sunderland last season where bigger things where expected of them only to have an average season.

The key to Birmingham’s fortunes will be Ben Foster who comes over from manchester United. How will Ben Foster replace Joe Hart who had a fine season with Birmingham last year. If Foster can stay fit and play up to the standard of Joe Hart Birmingham should finish mid table or higher. If not it could be a season to forgot for Alex McLeish’s men.

Players in: Enric Valles (NAC Breda, free), Ben Foster (Manchester United, £6m), Nikola Zigic (Valencia, £6m)

Players out: Gary McSheffrey (Coventry, free), Gregory Vignal (released), Jared Wilson (released), Lee Carsley (Coventry, free), Artur Krysiak (Exeter, free), Robin Shroot (Cheltenham, loan), Franck Queudrue (Panionios, free), Colin Doyle (Coventry, loan)

Key Player – Nikola Žigić

Odds to win the league: 750-1

11th Stoke City

When Tony Pulis is done coaching he should offer advice on how to take a club which isn’t a massive club and lead them to not only survive in the EPL but also thrive all things considered. Piece by piece Tony Pulis has built a team able to complete in the EPL. Pulis has also not spent money like there is a hole in his pocket. Pulis has waited to the right player at the right price and Pulis must feel he found the right player in Kenwyne Jones who on his day can be a terror in the box. That works out quite well when you have throwing machines Rory Delap feeding you balls in the box.

Players in: Florent Cuvelier (Portsmouth, undisclosed) Kenwyne Jones

Players out: Andy Griffin (Reading, undisclosed), Steve Simonsen (Sheffield United, free), Amdy Faye (released), Diego Arismendi (Barnsley, loan), Ibrahima Sonko (Portsmouth, loan), Nathaniel Wedderburn (Northampton, free), Louis Moult (Bradford, loan)

Key Player – Kenwyne Jones

Odds to win the league: 1,000-1

10th West Ham

Have to give credit to West Ham for being active all summer long in trying to improve themselves. The first order of business was hiring Avram Grant who was basically sold a bill of goods in Porsmouth and did the best he could. It may not be Chelsea but Grant will get to call the shots and signing former German international Thomas Hitzlsperger to go along with players he knows well in Frederic Piquionne and Tal Ben-Haim are good start.

West Ham is another example of a team who gained by not losing as paper. After rumours all summer it does look like Scott Parker will contiune to be the face of this team going forward.

Players in: Winston Reid (FC Midtjylland, undisclosed), Thomas Hitzlsperger (Lazio, free), Pablo Barrera (UNAM, £4m), Frederic Piquionne (Lyon, undisclosed), Tal Ben-Haim (Portsmouth, loan), Winston Reid, (FC Midtjylland, £4m)

Players out: Guillermo Franco (released), Ilan (released), Josh Payne (Doncaster, free), Bondz N’Gala (Plymouth, free), Matthew Fry (Charlton, loan)

Odds to win the league: 1,250-1

9th Sunderland

Sunderland will benefit by not having the expectations placed upon them like last year but make no mistakes there will be heat on Steve Bruce to make things right after a season where Sunderland went winnless for three months.

After a season of disappointment somebody is going to pay the price which happened to Kewyne Jones as he was sold to Stoke. Now even more so it will be up to Darren Bent to bag in the goals but can he repeat his career year of last season? To help in that regard Danny Welbeck has been sent on loan from Manchester United but the biggest improvement for Sunderland should be in there backline. After a rough first season Michael Turner will have Titus Bramble to go along with loan signings John Mensah and Nedum Onuoha shore up the back four.

Players in: Titus Bramble (Wigan, undisclosed), Cristian Riveros (Cruz Azul, free), Marcos Angeleri (Estudiantes, undisclosed), Simon Mignolet (Sint Truidense, undisclosed), Ahmed Al-Muhammadi (ENPPI, loan), John Mensah (Lyon, loan)

Players out: Daryl Murphy (Celtic, undisclosed), Jamie Chandler (Darlington, free) Roy O’Donovan (Coventry, undisclosed), Marton Fulop (Ipswich, undisclosed), Lorik Cana (Galatasaray, £5m), Nyron Nosworthy (Sheffield United, loan), Conor Hourihane (Ipswich, undisclosed), Oumare Tounkare (Oldham, loan), Michael Liddle (Leyton Orient, loan), Jean Yves Mvoto Owono (Oldham, loan)

Key man: Darren Bent

Odds to win the league: 750-1

8th Aston Villa

One of two things can happen here. Either the remaining Aston Villa players will rally around themselves to show up Martin O’Neill who left on the eve of the season or O’Neill’s departure will cause a tailspin to mid table.

Even without James Milner still believe there is enough talent for Villa to stay in the top half of the talent. The service out wide should still be good with Ashley Young and Stewart Downing now it’s up to Gabriel Agbonlahor to take the next step and maybe Nathan Delfouneso can start to fulfill his promise this season.

Players in: None

Players out: Wilfred Bouma (released), Marlon Harewood (released), Stephen O’Halloran (Coventry, free), Andy Marshall (released), Jack Dyer (Burton, free), Nicky Shorey (West Brom, undisclosed)

Key man: Ashley Young

Odds to win the league: 200-1

7th Tottenham

The good news I do think Tottenham will make the Champions League after knocking on the door for many years. On the flip side I do think it will come at the hands of their place in the league. Champions League football is a different beast. It isn’t the Europa League where you can gloss over it. These mid week games will mean something and when you have a team with the likes of Ledley King and Jonathan Woodgate it’s going to leave the likes of Michael Dawson to carry the load. For Tottenham to compete in Champions League football next year, forget about signing a midfielder or striker a defender or two is what’s needed.

Players in: Sandro (Internacional, £6m)

Players out: Jimmy Walker (released), Sam Cox (Barnet, free), Lee Butcher (Leyton Orient, free), David Button (Plymouth, loan), Oscar Jansson (Northampton, loan), Adel Taarabt (QPR, undisclosed), John Bostock (Hull, loan)

Key Player – Jermain Defoe

Odds to win the league: 28-1

6th Everton

Never pictured myself saying this but one of the key reasons Everton is yet again going to finish outside the top four is the fact it looks likely Landon Donovan won’t be back. The good news is Mikel Arteta has resigned for an extra five years and unlike last year they don’t have to deal with the Joleon Lescott rumours heading into this season.

With no new signings of note it’s hard to get excited for this team but David Moyes knows how to get the best out of every single player. It just won’t be enough to lead them into the Champions League.

Players in: Joao Silva (Desportivo Das Aves, £500,000), Jan Mucha (Legia Warsaw, free), Jermaine Beckford (Leeds, free), Magaye Gueye (Strasbourg, undisclosed)

Players out: John Ruddy (Norwich, free), Dan Gosling (Newcastle, free), Carlo Nash (Stoke, free), Lucas Jutkiewicz (Coventry, undisclosed)

Key Player -Mikel Arteta

Odds to win the league: 150-1

5th Manchester United

Go big or go home and I’ve found myself dropping Manchester United out of the Champions League spots. In short between 2007-2009 those Manchester United teams had an identity. This Manchester United I’m still not comfortable with Wayne Rooney being the centrepiece of this team.

New boy Javier Hernandez has been a head turner thus far but the true test will come this winter. How will Javier Hernandez be able to handle the cold winters England has to offer? Most likely going to look like a fool at the end of the year but sometimes you have to hit rock botton before you come up again. For Manchester United finishing 5th would be rock botton.

Players in: Chris Smalling (Fulham, undisclosed), Javier Hernandez (Guadalajara, undisc)

Players out: Ben Foster (Birmingham, undisclosed), Zoran Tosic (CSKA Moscow, undisclosed), David Gray (Preston, free), Craig Cathcart (Blackpool, undisclosed), Cameron Stewart (Yeovil, loan), Matthew James (Preston, loan), Ron-Robert Zieler (Hannover, free), Tom Heaton (Cardiff, free), Mame Biram Diouf (Blackburn, loan), James Chester (Carlisle, loan), Daniel Drinkwater (Cardiff, loan), Joshua King (Preson, loan)

Key man: Wayne Rooney

Odds to win the league: 2-1

4th Manchester City

On the bright side Manchester City can say they finished ahead of Manchester United in the standings but don’t see them fighting for a title.

Too many chefs in the kitchen is the term which comes to mind when thinking about Manchester City. Sometimes less and more, add in distractions from highly paid players who are wasting away on the bench and Roberto Mancini has an impossible job on his hands. Too many players from too many parts of the world will cause City to not fulfill their potential.

Players in: Yaya Toure (Barcelona, undisclosed), Jerome Boateng (Hamburg, undisclosed), David Silva (Valencia, undisclosed), Alex Henshall (Swindon, undisclosed), Aleksandar Kolarov (Lazio, undisclosed), Albert Rusnak (Kosice, undisclosed)

Players out: Valeri Bojinov (Parma, undisclosed), Javier Garrido (Lazio, £2.5m) Martin Petrov (Bolton, free), Benjani Mwaruwari (released), Sylvinho (released), Robert Mak (Nurnberg, £500,000), Gunnar Nielsen (Tranmere, loan), Filip Mentel (Dundee United, free), Ryan McGivern (Walsall, loan), David Ball (Swindon, loan), Paul Marshall (Walsall, free), Kieran Trippier (Barnsley, loan), Adam Clayton (Leeds, loan), Andrew Tutte (Rochdale, loan)

Key Player – Robinho (joking) No clue to be honest who will stand out for Manchester City.

Odds to win the league: 11-2

3rd Arsenal

It could easily be Arsenal and Manchester United flip flopping between 3rd and 5th place. It still annoys me that Wenger refuses to make a splash on the transfer market. To Wenger’s credit the transfer market is pretty weird this summer thanks to years of spending finally catching up to terms. You can’t picture Wenger spending 25 million for David Luiz. For that money there want a sure thing and those are hard to find these days with Manchester City driving up the price. Wenger also had to deal with Barcelona trying every trick in the boot to sign Cesc Fàbregas. Credit to Wenger for standing up to Barcelona and credit to Fabregas who everyone knows wants to play for Barcelona but won’t turn his back on Arsenal to do so.

Players in: Marouane Chamakh (Bordeaux, free), Laurent Koscielny (Lorient, £10m), Kyle Ebecilio (Feyenoord, free)

Players out: Eduardo (Shakhtar Donetsk, £6m), Philippe Senderos (Fulham, undisclosed), Fran Merida (Atletico Madrid, free), Luke Ayling (Yeovil, free), Mikael Silvestre (released), William Gallas (released), Francis Coquelin (Lorient, loan), Luke Freeman (Yeovil, loan), Sol Campbell (released), Sanchez Watt (Leeds, loan), Kyle Bartley (Sheff Utd, loan)

Key Player – Cesc Fàbregas

Odds to win the league: 6-1

2nd place – Liverpool

What I like about Liverpool is the fact there is little pressure on them this season. Most people yet again except Liverpool to stay outside of the top four. Unlike last year Liverpool won’t have to deal with the pressure o title or nothing.

Personally I loved seeing Rafa Benitez fail. There was something about it I enjoyed. How he would never completely taking the blame for his teams poor play. It was either injuries or bad ownership. Both had something to do with it but so did Rafa’s tactis and man management.

In comes Roy Hodgson and you have a person few can knock. I can’t even imagine Sir Alex Ferguson playing mind games with Hodgson. You have to respect his love for the game and the job he did at Fulham. I also think unlike Rafa, Roy Hodgson is going to let his players do what they are best doing. Rafa always had his players doing what he wanted them to do, be it if they were comfortable or not doing it.

Players in: Joe Cole (Chelsea, free), Jonjo Shelvey (Charlton, £1.7m), Milan Jovanovic (Standard Liege, free), Danny Wilson (Rangers, £2m), Fabio Aurelio (re-signed)

Players out: Yossi Benayoun (Chelsea, undisclosed), Albert Riera (Olympiakos, undisclosed), David Martin (MK Dons, free), Mikel San Jose (Athletic Bilbao, undisclosed), Fabio Aurelio (released), Robbie Threlfall (Bradford, free), James Ellison (Burton, free), Philipp Degen (Stuttgart, loan)

Key man: Fernando Torres

Odds to win the league: 14-1

1st Chelsea

I was actually thinking of picking Liverpool to win the league but I just love the Ramires signing. He is the perfect player for that team who with his pace and skill will burst open EPL midfields. Also love how Carlo Ancelotti handles egos on the field and in the boardroom. He has a way to keep everyone happy and more importantly on the same page. It also doesn’t hurt Chelsea that they can count on Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba for 50 goals between them in a season. Look for Carlo Ancelotti to build upon his success from last year with a deeper run in the Champions League as well.

Players in: Yossi Benayoun (Liverpool, £5m), Matej Delac (Inter Zapresic, £2.7m)

Players out: Joe Cole (Liverpool, free), Michael Ballack (Bayer Leverkusen, free), Scott Sinclair (Swansea, £500,000), Juliano Belletti (Fluminense, free), Deco (Fluminense, undisclosed), Miroslav Stoch (Fenerbahce, £2.5m), Tomas Kalas (Sigma Olomouc, loan), Liam Bridcutt (released), Seth Nana Ofori-Twumasi (Peterborough, free), Rhys Taylor (Crewe, loan), Danny Philliskirk (Oxford, loan), Ryan Bertrand (Nottm Forest, loan), Ben Gordon (Kilmarnock, loan)

Key man: Frank Lampard

Odds to win the league: 13-8

Bob Bradley has quit his job with the United States national team and is set to be named the new manager of Aston Villa. talksport.co.uk

Bob Bradley is a one trick pony as a coach and it’s not even that good of a trick. Wonder how soon it will take Bob Bradley if this rumour was true to want to bring in his son Michael Bradley into the fold. You’ll soon be seeing every American player short of Freddy Adu who no one wants linked to Aston Villa.

Marseille midfielder Hatem Ben Arfa, who has reportedly gone on strike, has failed to attend a scheduled meeting with coach Didier Deschamps on Friday as he continues to push for a move to Newcastle. (French newspaper L’Equipe)

Hatem Ben Arfa must really hate life with Marseille if he is pushing for a move to Newcastle.

Winger Ashley Young, who is being linking to Tottenham, will wait to discover the identity of Aston Villa’s new manager before deciding on his long-term future. (Press Association)

If Ashley Young watches any US games I don’t think he’d be too excited about having Bob Bradley as his coach.

Inter Milan striker Mario Balotelli is close to sealing his move to Manchester City, according to the player’s agent. Daily Mail

Aston Villa midfielder James Milner is expected to complete his £26m move to Manchester City before the start of the new Premier League football season on Saturday. Daily Express

Too late in the day for either of these transfers to not take place.

Manchester City are beating Chelsea in the race to land Benfica’s £27m-rated Brazilian defender David Luiz. Daily Mirror

Don’t want to hear about Benfica being in debt for the next five years with all the money coming in to them this summer.

Manchester City have entered into negotiations with two unnamed clubs about a £20m-plus deal to sell forward Robinho. the Guardian

Nice to see Manchester City trying to create a market that isn’t there for Robinho.

Tottenham are to step up their £25m double swoop for Aston Villa winger Ashley Young and Manchester City forward Craig Bellamy with Spurs striker Peter Crouch set to join Sunderland. Daily Star

Kenwyne Jones for Peter Crouch would be a nice step up for Sunderland.

Celtic are still keen on Bellamy but the Welshman would have to take a £70,000 a week pay cut to join the Scottish side. Daily Mirror

Manchester City will not allow Craig Bellamy to join Tottenham with Fulham, Everton and Newcastle United expected to make approaches for the forward. (The Times)

In order words Manchester City will have to pay off Craig Bellamy if he is to join Celtic.

Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez has admitted falling out of love with life in England and is looking forward to the day he returns to Argentina. Daily Mail

Carlos Tevez should of left England then when he had the chance last year.

Chelsea have been accused of “harassment” by Brazilian club Santos over their attempted signing of teenager Neymar, with Santos threatening to report the Blues to Fifa. Daily Mirror

Loved these reports yesterday saying Chelsea and Neymar had a deal. Of course Chelsea and Neymar would have a deal. Neymar makes nothing with Santos compared to what he could make with Chelsea. This is only news once Santos and Chelsea agree to a deal.

Theo Walcott has revealed that David Beckham helped him to get over the disappointment of being left out of Fabio Capello’s World Cup squad with a stream of phone calls and emails. Daily Mirror

David Beckham is a nice guy. Been meaning to touch on Fabio Capello retiring David Beckham to the press before telling Beckham himself. Right off the bat it’s a dumb move for Fabio Capello with the way he handled it. He could of waited a couple of months cause of his injuries and if his England teams play well in the meantime he could of easily said there was no more for Beckham problem solved.

While some may say David Beckham should do the right thing and make way for younger players that is easier said than done. Playing for ones country is a honour and I don’t blame David Beckham one bit for wanting to fight for that shirt.

Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson is considering making a £14m offer for two Aston Villa players, with England defender Stephen Warnock, 28, and Bulgaria midfielder Stiliyan Petrov, 31, his targets.
Full story: caughtoffside.com

While I’m surprised rumours of other clubs wanting to pick the bone off of Aston Villa I’d be shocked if Liverpool decide to make a move for Stiliyan Petrov considering Christian Poulsen is now in the fold.

Manchester City midfielder Stephen Ireland is putting his proposed move to Aston Villa – as part of a swap deal with Villa’s James Milner – on hold as he waits to see whether Tottenham will make a late bid.
Full story: Daily Mirror

Even without a coach Stephen Ireland should run to Aston Villa. Ireland’s doesn’t have a future with Manchester City.

Aston Villa are preparing to bring Arsenal goalkeeper Manuel Almunia to Villa Park as part of a triangle of moves, with Fulham keeper Mark Schwarzer joining Arsenal and Villa’s Brad Friedel moving to Craven Cottage. Daily Mirror

I realize Manuel Almunia is younger than both Schwarzer and Friedel but he is also the worst of the bunch.

Tottenham are looking to offload striker Peter Crouch. The England player was offered to West Ham as part of an unsuccessful proposed swap deal for Scott Parker but Liverpool and Everton could be interested. Daily Mirror

Liverpool should come calling again.

New Fulham boss Mark Hughes wants Manchester City striker Roque Santa Cruz to spearhead his attack. The 28-year-old player fears he could miss out on Roberto Mancini’s 25-man squad and would be keen to link up with the manager who originally brought him to England from Bayern Munich.
Full story: Daily Mail

Manchester City could start letting players go anyday now. Nedum Onuoha left yesterday on loan to Sunderland. Hopefully this is a start of some more player movement.

Manchester United are interested in signing £9m-rated Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku, 17, from Anderlecht. caughtoffide.com

A lot of teams are interested in Romelu Lukaku but it appears he’ll remain with Anderlecht for another season.

West Ham manager Avram Grant is looking to snap up Manchester City’s Brazilian striker Jo, 23, should he lose the services of English forward Carlton Cole. caughtoffide.com

Attitude issues aside, Avram Grant would be smart to sell high on Carlton Cole and then sigh Jo on the cheap.

Stoke striker James Beattie is in Glasgow for talks with Rangers and looks set to seal a £1.5m switch to the Scottish Premier League champions. Daily Record

With Kenwyne Jones coming to Stoke James Beattie must now that he needs to go. He would be a good signing for Rangers.

Inter Milan striker Mario Balotelli is not revealing anything about his proposed move to Manchester City. “I already know what will happen but I cannot tell,” he told the Italian Corriere Dello Sport newspaper.
Full story: imscouting.com

A drama queen to the bitter end.

Former England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson is so eager to take over the vacant managerial role at Aston Villa that he is willing to lower his high salary demands. Daily Mirror

Maybe his failed stints with Mexico and the Ivory Coast have something to do with Sven lowering his salary demands?

No, not Pepe the Real Madrid defender but Bebe a 20 year midfielder who played with 3rd division side Estrela Amadora in Portugal last year.

After I rolled my eyes when Manchester United signed Javier Hernandez earlier this year I’ll now reserve judgement on Manchester United signing a player few even in Portugal knew about.

With a rumoured fee of £7.4m this is a great piece of business for Vitoria Guimaraes who just signed Bebe five weeks ago on a free transfer after Estrela Amadora failed to pay his wages. Either this signing will turn out to be Carlos Queiroz tipping Sir Alex Ferguson on a diamond in the rough or be an expensive swing and miss.

Not a lot of video on Bebe but enjoy. (On the plus side good to know Vitoria Guimaraes has an official youtube channel.)

Everton boss David Moyes says he has no interest in the Aston Villa managerial vacancy. “I’m happy at Everton and that’s where I am this season,” said the Scot. Talksport

Aston Villa is a good job but it isn’t any better than the job David Moyes has now. Moyes would be shooting himself in the foot if he would to leave Everton where he spent so long building him for Aston Villa.

Arsenal are ready to spend up to £18m on Lyon goalkeeper Hugo Lloris to end their pre-season goalkeeping doubts. caughtoffside.com

I’ll believe it when I see it. Hugo Llories would be a great buy for Arsenal even at that price.

Fulham deny goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer has handed in a transfer request. “Mark is under contract with us until the summer of 2011 and the manager has underlined his commitment to keep hold of his best players,” said a club statement. (Press Association)

In other words Schwarzer wants to flee Fulham ASAP. Fulham should of cashed in on him sooner. Tough to replace the backbone of your team so close to the transfer deadline.

West Brom boss Roberto di Matteo is still hopeful of signing Liverpool’s French striker David Ngog. “He is a player we’ve been linked with and we are working on that one,” said the Italian. (Press Association)

Roberto di Matteo must of hated seeing David Ngog fill up the net during this pre season.

Tottenham are looking to sign former Arsenal defender William Gallas. The 33-year-old France international is a free agent after being released by the Gunners at the end of last season.
Full story: Daily Telegraph

However, Gallas’s demand for a two-year deal could scupper any attempt to join the White Hart Lane outfit.
Full story: Daily Mail

This would be one way to get back at Arsenal if Gallas so choses. With Ledley King often injured it makes perfect sense from a Tottenham point of view too.

Spurs have opened talks with Aston Villa’s Ashley Young over a potential £20m move that would see £11m-rated Robbie Keane move in the opposite direction. Full story: Goal.com

Why do the Spurs need Ashley Young? Why do Villa really need Robbie Keane? The only way this works is if Aaron Lennon is used as a makeweight instead.

Much like most of Bob Bradley’s time in charge of the US national team a game which had some promise to it turned into a disappointment in front of 77000 fans at the meadowlands.

Bob Bradley coaching this team against Brazil was really nothing more than a marriage of convenience until the United States finds a new head coach closer to the end of the year. The timing wasn’t perfect coming off the World Cup and right before the start of a new season but it was the new look Brazilian team who looked hungry and was out to control the game. The United States just looked flat and couldn’t rise to the occasion in a game which could of been much worst if it wasn’t for some fine saves made by Brad Guzan in the second half.

In the dawning of a new chapter in Brazilian football new coach Mano Menezes couldn’t of wished for a better start. His youthful Brazilian setup showed the flare of Brazilian teams of old with Neymar and Pato each getting on the score sheet.

In the closing of a chapter, if the United States Football Federation wasn’t convinced as to whether or not to replace Bob Bradley they would be after another flat performance in which his tactics were outmatched by his coaching counterpart.