After beating Arsenal last weekend, Aston Villa manager Martin O’Neill will be aiming to get the better of Arsene Wenger once again with the signing of Belgian starlet Steven Defour in January. The two clubs look set to enter a bidding war for the young playmaker though they may well not be alone as at least 9 Premier League clubs are reported to be tracking the Belgian international.

(more…)

The next exciting teen to emerge at the Camp Nou is the Israeli teenage winger Gai Assulin. The 17-year-old’s performances for the Barcelona B side has attracted the attention of numerous Premier League clubs including Manchester Utd, Man City, Spurs, Arsenal, Chelsea and Portsmouth.

(more…)

Former Arsenal and Chelsea star Lassana Diarra is attracting plenty of interest from Premier League clubs Tottenham and Man City in the run up to the January transfer window after impressive displays for Portsmouth. The French international played a key part in Pompey’s FA Cup win and proved to be an absolute steal at the mere £5.5million he cost from the Gunners. However, rumours still persist that the 23-year-old will be on the move in the New Year with Eastlands looking the most likely destination.

(more…)

We have a break from the thrills and spills of the Premier League this week with another round of World Cup qualifiers. Now a lot has been made of Fabio Capello’s decision to exclude Michael Owen again from the squad but for me it’s hardly surprising.

(more…)

I must start by congratulating Tottenham fan Tony Morris from Harrow for his £100K jackpot win on Premier 10 last week. This was quite a feat when you consider some of the results including Bolton and Middlesbrough winning away, so well done to you. As Tony is a Tottenham fan, I’m sure it was hard for him to back Hull to win at White Hart Lane but I’m sure the cash will cheer him up after Spurs dismal start to the season. 

(more…)

At least 9 Premier League clubs are reported to be tracking Belgian international playmaker Steve Defour at the moment as the 20-year continues to impress for Standard Liege. The youngster put himself in the shop window with his European displays against Merseyside giants Liverpool and Everton and has not declared he is ready to leave Standard in January.

(more…)

Portsmouth host Stoke for the first time since the 2002/03 season this weekend since both clubs were in the Championship. The South Coast club have actually won their last 3 home League encounters with the Potters without conceding a goal but the clubs have changed so much in this time it’s a statistic that should have no bearing on this match.

(more…)

Tottenham may be rock bottom of the Premier League and the only team without a win but they may well fancy their chances at Fratton Park. After all, Spurs have won 6 and drawn one of the last 7 encounters with the South-Coast side. However, they’ll be facing a number of their former players determined to rub salt into the White Hart Lane wounds.

(more…)

The first Merseyside derby of the season kicks off at Goodison this weekend which brings back many memories for me. Personally I didn’t like playing in these games that much. I think I played in about 32 of them in my time at Liverpool but these were not games I enjoyed at all. The pressure was always so intense, there was not a lot of football played and if you were unfortunate enough to lose then you have to wait a long time till the next derby which makes you suffer all the more.

(more…)

I must start by congratulating Martin O’Neill for putting together a team that at the moment looks the best bet of all the sides to break into the top four alongside Manchester City. O’Neill has built a team full of pace, power and technical ability that surely has delighted fans of my old club.Villa are a physically big side that are extremely hard to play against with the likes of John Carew, Gabriel Agbonlahor and Ashley Young always a threat. I find it amazing that Fulham failed to sign Carew 5 years ago because of a problem with his medical when I see him performing like this. Their loss is definitely Villa’s gain.

(more…)