Hiddink would consider offer

Hiddink is currently guiding Turkey through a Euro 2012 qualification campaign but has not dismissed out of hand a return to the role he filled on an interim basis after Luiz Felipe Scolari was dismissed early in 2009.

The 64-year-old Dutchman has already talked about his appetite for club football and a return to the Premier League club to work for owner Roman Abramovich would appeal having previously worked for him at Chelsea and indirectly for the Russian national team.

Abramovich supported Hiddink's dual role with both Chelsea and Russia through his financial support of the Russian team.

Consideration

But Hiddink is unlikely to break his contract with Turkey, who face a crucial qualifier with Belgium in Brussels on Friday, with the nation in contention to finish second in Group A and secure a November play-off ahead of the finals in Poland and Ukraine."If there was a concrete offer, then I would think about it," he commented on speculation linking him with Chelsea.

However, Hiddink would not commit to a possible return to take over from Carlo Ancelotti.

He added: "There's nothing concrete. You cannot go into all kind of speculation or rumours because there's nothing concrete. The moment things are concrete, I'll go to where I have to be, direct.

"First, get this game done next Friday, a difficult game, you know. Then we'll see."

Jose Mourinho 's*** himself' against Barcelona - Cesar Luis Menotti

Cesar Luis Menotti believes Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho is scared of Barcelona, and described him as a "chicken", while claiming he "shit himself" against the Catalans last season.

His assessment comes just 24 hours before the Blaugrana meet Manchester United at Wembley in the ChampionsLeague final, having beaten Madrid and Mourinho in the last four.

And Menotti, who won a World Cup with Argentina in 1978, feels the 'Special One' retreats into hiding when Barca appear.

"He got scared. You know what they say where I am from of Mourinho? That he is a chicken. And, to be more explicit, he shit himself," Menotti told press agencies DPA andAdnkronos.

"He left four attackers on the bench: [Emmanuel] Adebayor, [Gonzalo] Higuain, [Karim] Benzema and Kaka. How can you play without them?

"He played with three midfielders and just Cristiano Ronaldo up front [in the semi-finals]. He was scared. The 5-0 in la Liga killed him.

"That was his game and that's where he lost the Liga. Had he got a good result in the first game he would have been a God.

"But, not only did he lose, but it was the biggest loss in a Clasico. You can lose 2-1, but 5-0 was shameful."

On tomorrow's final, Menotti, who coached the Barca side which included Diego Maradona in 1984, added: "Manchester United are the only team who could create Barcelona problems."

Preview: Manchester United Vs Barcelona

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

Barcelona (4-3-3) Valdes; Dani Alves, Mascherano, Pique, Puyol; Xavi, Busquets, Iniesta; Pedro, Messi, Villa

Barca coach Pep Guardiola will be without the services of the injured Gabriel Milito and substitute goalkeeper Jose Pinto, who is suspended. Carles Puyol could deputise at full-back, with Javier Mascherano employed in the centre of defence.

Guardiola is expecting fireworks at Wembley and had nothing but praise for his opponents on Saturday, saying: "They are one of the best teams in the world, and not just this year. We are proud to be playing them. I think it will be a good final."

Manchester United (4-4-1-1) Van der Sar; Fabio, Vidic, Ferdinand, Evra; Valencia, Giggs, Carrick, Park; Rooney; Hernandez

Leading scorer Dimitar Berbatov will have to be content with a place on the bench while Michael Carrick will likely hold off Darren Fletcher for a berth in midfield. Fabio should receive the nod ahead of his twin brother at right-back.

United manager Alex Ferguson is keen to win the CL trophy on English soil and warned his side not be in awe of his opponents, saying: "It is not good tactics to go into how good Barcelona are and show trepidation or apprehension about it. I don’t think that is our way."

DID YOU KNOW?

• Barcelona have scored the most goals in this season's Champions League (27).

• The Catalans have faced Manchester United 10 times in European play. Their record against the English outfit is: W3 D4 L3.

• The Camp Nou giants have scored in their last 20 Champions League encounters. Rubin Kazan were the last team to shut them out back in November 2009.

• Lionel Messi is the CL's top scorer with 11 goals in the current campaign.

• Barcelona won the last European Cup final at Wembley in 1992 beating Sampdoria 1-0 after extra-time.

• Xavi and Sergio Busquets are the only two players to complete more than 1000 passes in the 2010-11 CL.

• Manchester United are riding a 12-game unbeaten streak in this year's edition of the Champions League.
  

• Edwin Van der Sar will make his 99th overall appearance in the competition on Saturday.

• The Red Devils have conceded only four goals in the tournament.

• Alex Ferguson's side have reached their third CL final in the last four years.

• United succumbed to a 2-0 defeat against Barca in the 2009 final at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.

• Manchester United's last loss in the CL came against Bayern Munich in March 2010.

Field Report

 Barcelona

 Man Utd.

Head to Head

UEFA Champions League ‎(UCL)‎

May 27, 2009

Barcelona 2 - Man Utd. 0

Last Five Matches

May 21, 2011	Malaga 1 - Barcelona 3	La L
May 15, 2011	Barcelona 0 - Deportivo 0	La L
May 11, 2011	Levante 1 - Barcelona 1	La L
May 8, 2011	Barcelona 2 - Espanyol 0	La L
May 3, 2011	Barcelona 1 - Real Madrid 1	UCL

May 22, 2011	Man Utd. 4 - Blackpool 2	EPL
May 14, 2011	Blackburn 1 - Man Utd. 1	EPL
May 8, 2011	Man Utd. 2 - Chelsea 1	EPL
May 4, 2011	Man Utd. 4 - Schalke 04 1	UCL
May 1, 2011	Arsenal 1 - Man Utd. 0	EPL

Glazers give Manchester United's manager green light for summer spree

From Theguardian.co.uk

Manchester United's owners have made it clear to Sir Alex Ferguson that he has a substantial transfer budget at his disposal for big-name targets during a summer in which the club's bank account is expected to swell to more than £160m.

The £17m signing of the Atlético Madrid goalkeeper David de Gea will not be the last big signing during a close season in which the club will spend more than in recent years, and Ferguson has been given the green light to target the best players in the world.

The Glazers have consistently maintained that the manager has funds to spend, but fans have questioned the club's ability to compete for the biggest names in recent years, amid concern at the club's debt levels and interest commitments.

Having smashed the pay ceiling to give Wayne Rooney a contract worth around £200,000 a week in the wake of his threat to leave, the owners are said to be relaxed about the prospect of Ferguson breaking the bank to sign a marquee name.

It was the sale of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid for £80m in 2009, followed by the departure of Carlos Tevez to Manchester City weeks later, that raised concerns among Manchester United fans worried that the demands of servicing the loans loaded on to the club had left it unable to compete for the best players.

Club insiders say that any acquisitions will have to fit the template followed by Manchester United under the Glazers, with an emphasis on younger players who will retain value. The club has bought one player in the past 14 years who was over 27 and cost more than £3m – Dimitar Berbatov for £31m.

According to Manchester United's most recent accounts, the club have £113m in the bank. That has fuelled suspicions that the owners will withdraw some of it in dividends but insiders claim it is there for transfers and to guard against unforeseen events.

That figure is expected to rise to more than £160m by the end of the summer, if it follows the pattern of previous seasons, once season-ticket revenue for the coming season is banked. Despite racking up a record pre-tax loss of £109m last year, much of that was attributable to one-off costs associated with a £500m bond issue.

The chief executive, David Gill, has repeatedly stated that the club will comfortably be able to pay the £45m annual interest on those bonds, especially as it bought back £26m itself, and still has about £60m in cash every year thanks to global growth in commercial and TV revenues.

Hungarian Viktor Kassai to referee Champions League final between Manchester United & Barcelona

Uefa has confirmed that Hungarian referee Viktor Kassai will be the man in charge at Wembley on Saturday for the Champions League final between Barcelona andManchester United.

The 35-year-old has previously officiated in the 2007 Fifa Under-20 World Cup, Euro 2008 and the Olympic Games that same year.

This season, he has been involved in one Europa League game and five Champions League matches, and has now been appointed to be in charge of the game at Wembley.

Kassai will be assisted by fellow Hungarians Gabor Eros and Gyorgy Ring, with Istvan Vad as the fourth official.

A fifth Hungarian, Robert Kispal, has been appointed as a reserve official.

A statement on Uefa's official website reads: "The Uefa Referees Committee today announced the referee for the 2010-11 Uefa Champions League final between FC Barcelona and Manchester United FC, to be played at Wembley Stadium on Saturday May 28 and kicking off at 20.45 CET.

"The match will be handled by 35-year-old Hungarian referee Viktor Kassai who made his international debut in 2001. He has officiated more than 60 Uefa matches in his refereeing career."

Kenny Dalglish hits back at Fulham’s Danny Murphy: There is always pressure at Liverpool

From Goal.com




Kenny Dalglish has told Fulham midfielder Danny Murphy that there is always pressure at Liverpool.

The 34-year-old spent seven years plying his trade on Merseyside, before moving on to Charlton Athletic, Tottenham and now Fulham.

The former Red had insisted that the resurgence after manager Roy Hodgson's exit did not mean that the club could mount a title challenge next season, pointing out after Liverpool's 5-2 victory over his side that the pressure to win may not have been as much as it is at the top.

According to The Guardian, Dalglish said: "He [Murphy] should know there is always pressure here. He played here long enough, didn't he? I just know that we played fantastic that night against Fulham and so does he.

"There's always a caveat in there somewhere, isn't there? There's always somebody that asks a question. But if you take any pride in your work, you are under pressure in any walk of life. It's not just exclusive to football. You worry about their ability to play first, and I'm sure the players can handle anything else that comes with it."

Now the Scot hopes that there is an improvement in the coming months and says everyone at the club can now look forward to next season.

"The expectation is for everybody to build on what has happened since January, have a good summer and go into every game with the same attitude and commitment as we have shown since January," said Dalglish. "If you put those things in place, then we aren't going to be too far away.

General manager Jorge Valdano parts company with Real Madrid

Real Madrid have announced that Jorge Valdano will no longer continue in his role as the club’s general manager.
In a quickly arranged press conference on Wednesday evening, the Spanish giants confirmed their decision not to allow the 55-year-old to carry on working at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The decision was taken during a meeting of the club’s board of directors, with reports in the Spanish media suggesting that Valdano and Madrid president Florentino Perez held a meeting this afternoon.
"We have decided to end the contractual relationship with Jorge Valdano," Perez said at the press conference. "I want to stress how painful the departure of Jorge Valdano is to me. We have traveled a long distance together.”
Valdano played for Madrid as a striker during the 1980s and also coached the first team in the 1990s, winning the Primera Division title in 1994-95. The former Argentina international was the club’s sporting director between 2000 and 2004 during Perez’s first spell as the president, and was appointed the general manager in June 2009.

Official: Juventus sign Reto Ziegler from Sampdoria

Juventus have completed the transfer of Switzerland international Reto Ziegler from Sampdoria on a Bosman move, with the left-back signing a contract until the summer of 2015.

Juve were eager to add a new full-back to their squad and they have now captured the defensive reinforcement they were looking for in the form of Ziegler, who underwent a medical on Wednesday and has now put pen to paper to complete the move.

"I am very happy with this transfer. This is a big step forward for me and I am honoured to have joined Juventus. I get the chance to play with great champions here and I am looking forward to proving my worth," the player said of the move.

Velez Sarsfield want to keep Arsenal target Ricky Alvarez but would deal at €14 million

Velez Sarsfield want to keep starlet Ricky Alvarez at the club through the summer but admit that an offer of €14 million could tempt them into selling their prized asset.

The club's hierarchy met on Tuesday night in order to discuss the player's future amid rumours that Arsenal were seeking a deal for the imposing attacker.

Speculation was rife last week that the 23-year-old had signed a pre-contract agreement with Arsene Wenger's side but those reports remain unsubstantiated.

Alvarez has three years left on his current deal at Velez and only a massive offer would see him move to Europe.

"Velez have no current intention to sell Alvarez,"

AC Milan & Roma could face points deduction over Marco Borriello

This will surely hurt my Italian Friends and Roma Supporters, Alex and Paolo.


Both teams could face a hefty fine or points penalty if they are found to have broken the rules.

La Gazzetta dello Sport reports the Covisoc found irregularities in the way the transfer was registered.

Milan and Roma agreed a loan deal with the capital club having the option to buy the striker for around €10 million in June 2011 after the expiry date of the previous arrangement.

But the commission found Roma appeared to have already paid the Rossoneri around €3.75m for part of the transfer last year when it was supposedly agreed as a loan with no exchange of cash.

Breaking News! Sergio Aguero wants to join Real Madrid

Tomas Ujfalusi has revealed to the Spanish media that Atletico Madrid team-mate Sergio Aguero wants to sign for Real Madrid next season.

The Argentinian frontman announced on his official website of his intention to leave the Vicente Calderon, while the player also requested that the club respect his wish to futher his career.

The Czech defender has stated that this is due to a desire from Aguero to move across the Spanish capital, telling Radio Sportiva. "For three or four months we [have] known he wanted to go. What is clear is [that] he has chosen to [go to] Real Madrid.

The 22-year-old has been at Atleti since joining from Independiente in 2006 and is the club's top scorer this season with 26 goals in all competitions.

The Transfer Zone

Courtesy of Goal.com

5/25/11	Mustafa Keçeli Defender		Mersin İdman Yurdu	Bursaspor	Free Transfer
5/25/11	Egemen Korkmaz Defender		Besiktas	Trabzonspor	Free Transfer
5/24/11	Andrea Pirlo Midfielder		Juventus	AC Milan	Full Ownership
5/24/11	Ousmane N'Diaye Defender		AC Arles	O. Lyon	Full Ownership
5/24/11	Barkero Midfielder		Levante	Numancia	Free Transfer
5/23/11	Gilberto Silva Midfielder		Gremio	Panathinaikos	Free Transfer
5/23/11	Adrián Luna Striker		Espanyol	Defensor Sporting	Full Ownership
5/23/11	Juan Ángel Albín Midfielder		Espanyol	Getafe	Full Ownership
5/23/11	Claudio Beauvue Striker		LB Châteauroux	ES Troyes Aube Champagne	Loan
5/23/11	Theo Janssen Midfielder		Ajax	Twente	Full Ownership
5/23/11	Callejón Striker		Real Madrid	Espanyol	Full Ownership
5/23/11	Jay Emmanuel-Thomas Striker		Arsenal	Cardiff City	End of Loan
5/23/11	Seyi Olofinjana Midfielder		Hull	Cardiff City	End of Loan
5/23/11	Jason Koumas Midfielder		Wigan Athletic	Cardiff City	End of Loan
5/23/11	Craig Bellamy Striker		Man City	Cardiff City	End of Loan
5/23/11	Gareth McAuley Defender		West Bromwich	Ipswich	Full Ownership
5/23/11	Piotr Trochowski Midfielder		Sevilla	Hamburg	Full Ownership
5/23/11	Manu Del Moral Striker		Sevilla	Getafe	Full Ownership
5/22/11	Lewis Holtby Midfielder		Schalke 04	Mainz	End of Loan
5/21/11	Andreas Ottl Midfielder		Hertha BSC	Bayern Munich	Free Transfer
5/20/11	Dentinho Midfielder		Shakhtar Donetsk	Corinthians	Full Ownership
5/19/11	Nils Petersen Striker		Bayern Munich	Cottbus	Full Ownership
5/19/11	Hamit Altintop Midfielder		Real Madrid	Bayern Munich	Full Ownership
5/19/11	Lorenzo Davids Midfielder		FC Augsburg	NEC	Free Transfer
5/19/11	Moreira Striker		Clermont Foot	Honved	Full Ownership
5/19/11	Simon Terodde Striker		Union Berlin	FC Köln	Loan
5/18/11	Mehmet Ekici Midfielder		Werder Bremen	Bayern Munich	Full Ownership
5/15/11	Mehmet Ekici Midfielder		Bayern Munich	Nürnberg	End of Loan
5/13/11	Alex Midfielder		Corinthians	Spartak	Full Ownership
5/12/11	Ibrahima Traore Midfielder		VfB Stuttgart	FC Augsburg	Free Transfer
5/11/11	Joe Dudgeon Defender		Hull	Man Utd.	Full Ownership
5/9/11	Thomas Kraft Goalkeeper		Hertha BSC	Bayern Munich	Free Transfer
5/9/11	Nuri Sahin Midfielder		Real Madrid	Borussia	Full Ownership
5/5/11	Ilkay Gündogan Midfielder		Borussia	Nürnberg	Full Ownership
5/5/11	Bruno César Midfielder		Benfica	Corinthians	Full Ownership
5/2/11	Ömer Toprak Defender		Leverkusen	SC Freiburg	Full Ownership
4/26/11	Santiago Prim Striker		Columbus Crew	San Lorenzo	Full Ownership
4/13/11	Ibrahima Striker		Osasuna	Atletico Madrid	Full Ownership
3/31/11	Cristóbal Midfielder		Elche	Villarreal	Loan
3/25/11	Adriano Striker		Corinthians	Roma	Free Transfer
3/25/11	Alex Horwath Goalkeeper		NY Red Bulls	San Jose Earthquakes	Full Ownership
3/24/11	Bongani Khumalo Defender		Preston	Tottenham	Loan
3/24/11	Bradley Jones Goalkeeper		Derby	Liverpool	Loan
3/24/11	Jake Livermore Midfielder		Leeds	Tottenham	Loan
3/21/11	Diomansy Kamara Striker		Leicester	Fulham	Loan
3/20/11	Guilherme Striker		Atlético Mineiro	Dynamo	Full Ownership
3/19/11	Brandao Striker		Cruzeiro	Marseille	Loan
3/18/11	Pablo Vázquez Striker		Quilmes	Atletico Tucuman	Free Transfer
3/17/11	Fabio Borini Striker		Swansea	Chelsea	Loan
3/16/11	Alejandro Javier Frezzotti Midfielder		Sporting Cristal	Gimnasia de La Plata	Free Transfer