Arsenal’s Marouane Chamakh considers Bordeaux return: ‘I will make a decision this spring’

Marouane Chamakh, Arsenal
The Morocco international has said that if he cannot play more at the Emirates Stadium, he will have to give serious thought to leaving

goal-us

Arsenal striker Marouane Chamakh has reiterated that he could return to former club Bordeaux after an unhappy spell in London, though he will not commit himself into making a decision during the January transfer window.

After initially impressing in Arsene Wenger’s side, the Morocco international suffered a severe drop in form and he now finds himself on the bench, firmly behind Robin van Persie in the pecking order. As a result, a move away from the Emirates Stadium has been touted, and the 27-year-old has confessed this is possible.

“I will weigh up the pros and cons,” he told Sud Ouest when discussing a potential return to the Stade Chaban-Delmas. “If I leave here, I’ll take that possibility into consideration.

“I always said if I had to return to France, it would be with Bordeaux.”

Even if Chamakh does not return to the nation of his birth, he has said that he will certainly toy with the idea of leaving Arsenal if he continues to find himself marginalized.

“I have the idea that I will finish the season at Arsenal,” he said. “But in May and June, I will see things differently. I cannot stay in this situation forever. I’m 27, I’m a competitor, I want to play, I accept many things here because it works. But I cannot live like this forever. I will make a decision this spring.”

Chamakh enjoyed terrific success during his first spell with les Girondins, with whom he signed as a 16-year-old, leading them to the French title, as well as a place in the quarterfinals of the Champions League. He joined Arsenal in summer 2010 on a free transfer but has failed to enjoy similar success in England.

betting lines Sports

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson insists eight-game ban for Liverpool striker Luis Suarez was ‘the right decision’

Alex Ferguson; Kenny Dalglish
The 69-year-old has fully backed Patrice Evra over the incident, and believes the issue is not about club ties, and that Kenny Dalglish’s side need to accept the FA’s decision

goal-us

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson maintains the FA made the correct decision in banning Liverpool striker Luis Suarez for eight games after being found guilty of racially abusing Patrice Evra.

Since the decision on Tuesday, which also saw the Uruguayan landed with a £40,000 fine, Liverpool have supported their player, issuing a number of statements whilst also allowing his teammates and manager, Kenny Dalglish, to wear t-shirts with Suarez’s image before Wednesday’s 0-0 draw against Wigan.

The 69-year-old has reiterated his backing for Evra over the incident and believes the issue should not be about club ties, and that Liverpool must now accept the FA’s conclusion and not dwell on the verdict.

“Our support of Patrice was obvious right from the word go and that’s still the same,” he toldThe Guardian. “The matter is over and I think we’re satisfied that they [the FA's independent commission] found the right decision.

“This wasn’t about Manchester United and Liverpool at all. It was nothing to do with that. This was an individual situation where one person was racially abused.”

Ferguson also discussed an incident involving Evra in 2008, in which the French fullback came to blows with Chelsea ground staff at Stamford Bridge after an alleged racist taunt was angled in his direction.

The former Monaco fullback received a four-game suspension for the incident, and whilst the United boss admits he was unable to understand the English football governing body’s decision at the time, there was no other choice but to accept their ruling.

“Patrice got that suspension for the incident down at Chelsea when no-one was there, just a groundsman and our fitness coach,” he said. “He got a four-match ban and we had to wait two weeks for the evidence to come through.

“We were quite astounded at that. A four-match ban? We thought it was well over the top for a trivial incident. But it happened and there’s nothing you can do about it, you know.”

betting lines Sports

Manchester City fullback Wayne Bridge slams Roberto Mancini over selection jibe

Wayne Bridge,Manchester City (Getty Images )
The left-back has been linked with a loan move to Arsenal, and the 31-year-old has suggested the Italian boss rarely speaks to him as he is frozen out at the club

goal-us

Wayne Bridge has hit out at Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini after the Italian had suggested the 31-year-old was only remaining at Eastlands to continue picking up his wages.

The left-back has been made aware that he was no future with the Premier League leaders, having joined the club in 2009 from Chelsea.

Bridge spent the second half of last season on loan at West Ham, and the former Southampton man has revealed that Mancini has made it clear he is not wanted at City, with the Italian hardly ever speaking to him.

“When I was at Chelsea I was playing for a team where Ashley Cole was the best in the world and I still got games,” Bridge told the Daily Mail. “It won’t happen at City. There has never been an explanation, but it’s obvious they don’t want me.”

Bridge has only played once this season, in September’s 2-0 League Cup victory over Birmingham City, and the player has compared his situation at the Etihad Stadium to that of Dutch defender Winston Bogarde at Chelsea, who made just nine Premier League appearances in four years at Stamford Bridge.

“Mancini doesn’t really speak to me, he doesn’t really speak to any of the players. The only time I’ve known a player isolated like this was Winston Bogarde at Chelsea. Usually you still train with the first team, even when they want you out,” he said.

The Blues already face a transfer dilemma over wantaway striker Carlos Tevez, but unlike the Argentine, Bridge insists he has never behaved negatively in order to force a move.

“I’ve never caused trouble, I’m not that kind of character,” he added. “There will be days when I’m frustrated – not depressed, but down. Training helps take my mind off the fact that I don’t play. If I kicked up a fuss I might have got out easier.”

betting lines Sports

Did you smash it, Jamie? – Goal.com’s quotes of the year

EPL,Mario Balotelli,Manchester United v Manchester City
Mario Balotelli, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Maradona and many more feature as we look back on some of the more eccentric moments in football during 2011

goal-us

Ah, Christmas. A time for reflection as we reach the end of the year. And even when a ball isn’t being kicked, somebody is saying something of interest to someone somewhere about football.

The modern day player has seemingly at times had most of the personality media-trained out of them. But fortunately for us, occasionally, a maverick – a renegade – goes ‘off message’ and delivers us a sumptuous piece of verbal pie.

The calendar year of 2011 had no shortage of these characters, and so, here is the pick of the bunch.

We begin at the start, in January, with the villains of our piece…

and with those four words, broadcaster Richard Keys, synonymous with the Premier League era, was dropped into the sexism row that had seen colleague Andy Gray lose his job. Off-air footage of Gray scoffing at the suggestion of a female assistant referee, and making inappropriate comments to fellow presenter Charlotte Jackson had earlier leaked.

Keys resigned and apologized, but claimed “dark forces” were at work in the leaking of the footage. The pair now present a talk radio show and have recently entered into the public speaking circuit.

betting lines Sports

Corinthians’ Adriano involved in shooting incident

Adriano - Corinthians (Nike Futebol/FLICKR)
The former Inter and Roma striker has been embroiled in a controversy in his homeland after a young lady was shot in the hand

goal-us

Corinthians striker Adriano was involved as a 20-year-old was shot in the hand in the early hours of Friday morning as they sat in a car following a party.

Adriane Cirilo dos Pintos was taken to the Barra D’Or hospital and given emergency attention. The young woman said that Adriano was playing with a .40-caliber pistol in the back seat of the vehicle when the gun had fired.

However, Adriano denies her version of events.

“I was in the front seat; the shooting was done in the back seat,” the striker was quoted in a statement reproduced on Globoesporte.

The woman is in stable condition at the hospital but must undergo further tests on Saturday and may need surgery because the bullet caused a fracture in her left hand.

Neither Adriano nor Corinthians have commented on the incident, and the player said he would not give evidence at the police station because of the possibility of an uproar caused by his presence.

betting lines Sports

Roma’s Francesco Totti: I would like to play under Real Madrid’s Jose Mourinho

Francesco Totti - Roma (Getty Images)
The 35-year-old attacker hailed the Portuguese coach’s professionalism and revealed that he holds the wish of working for the ex-Inter boss at some point

goal-us

Roma captain Francesco Totti has confessed that he would like to play under Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho.

The 48-year-old trainer plied his trade in the Serie A from 2008 to 2010 as he guided Inter to two league titles and one Champions League crown.

Totti said he is well familiar with Mourinho’s work and believes that working with the Portuguese coach would be an enriching experience.

“I would like to work with him,” he told Sky Sport Italia in an interview which will be aired on Christmas Day. “I know players who have worked with him and they told me is very professional.

“He is a coach one can learn a lot from.”

Earlier in the month, Totti insisted he would not leave Roma despite previously admitting he considered leaving his hometown club.

betting lines Sports

Report: AC Milan eyes loan deal for Chelsea’s Fernando Torres as alternative to Manchester City’s Carlos Tevez

EPL: Fernando Torres, Wigan  v Chelsea
The Rossoneri haven’t given up hopes of signing the Argentine just yet, but could turn their attention to the Spaniard if they fail to attain their first-choice target

goal-us

AC Milan is exploring the possibility of signing Chelsea striker Fernando Torres on a six-month loan deal in the event that it fails to recruit Carlos Tevez from Manchester City, La Gazzetta dello Sport reports.

The Rossoneri are keen to boost their attacking options in the second half of the season because of the lengthy absence of Antonio Cassano due to health problems, and they have earmarked Tevez as the perfect candidate to strengthen their squad.

However, Milan is only interested in signing the Argentina international on loan, while City wants to offload Tevez permanently.

As a result, the Serie A champions are reportedly looking at alternatives and they have now set their sights on Fernando Torres.

Milan is believed to be close to finalizing a deal with Catania for striker Maxi Lopez, but club owner Silvio Berlusconi is eager to acquire a high-profile player, and would rather sign Torres instead.

The Spain international has been unable to make an impact at Chelsea since joining the Blues from Liverpool in January 2010 for a fee of around 50 million pounds, and there has been plenty of speculation about his future in recent weeks.

It seems unlikely that Chelsea are open to farming the 27-year-old out on loan following recent comments from manager Andre Villas-Boas.

The Portuguese boss stressed last week that he still has confidence in Torres and declared the striker not for sale at any price.

betting lines Sports

Report: Inter joins Chelsea in race for Universidad de Chile’s Igor Lichnovsky

Inter celebrating (Getty Images)
The promising Chilean youngster has previously been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge, but has now also attracted the interest of the Nerazzurri.

goal-us

Promising youngster Igor Lichnovsky could be on his way out of Universidad de Chile in the January transfer window as Inter has shown an interest in signing the defender, La Gazzetta dello Sport reports.

The Nerazzurri are desperate to add some reinforcements to their defense this winter, and they reportedly see the 17-year-old Lichnovsky as the perfect addition to their aging squad.

Lichnovsky is a product of the Universidad de Chile youth academy and made his first-team debut earlier this year.

The center back is considered to be one of the brightest prospects in South America at present and has previously been linked with a move to Premier League giants Chelsea.

The towering defender has represented Chile at Under-17 level and featured at the South American Championships earlier this season.

 

betting lines Sports

Report: Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool & Manchester United eyeing Lille’s Eden Hazard

Eden Hazard - Belgium (Getty Images)
Scouts from the quartet of English clubs have apparently been in France to check on the highly rated midfielder, who is rated at around 40 million euros by his employers

goal-us

Four of English football’s biggest teams have been scouting Lille playmaker Eden Hazard as they eye up a move for one of world football’s best young talents.

According to The Evening Standard, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United all sent scouts to watch Hazard play against Paris Saint-Germain.

It is reported that Chelsea have sent scouts to watch him five times but with an alleged price tag of 40 million euros, it will have to dig deep into its pockets if it is to sign the Belgian international.

The 20-year-old is a hot prospect in Europe but agreed to stay in Lille this season after speculation about a move to most of the major clubs on the continent including Real Madrid and both Milan sides.

In his 18 appearances this season he has scored six goals and made five assists, although he failed to add to his tally in Sunday’s goalless draw at the Parc des Princes in Paris.

betting lines Sports

McCarthy’s Musings: Surveying the scene, part two: Eastern Conference

C.J. Sapong, Sporing Kansas City
In the second part of this three-part series scanning across the league during the close season, the Eastern Conference comes under the microscope.

goal-us

2011 in a sentence: A new stadium and a youthful squad propelled one of the league’s most ambitious clubs closer to its ultimate goal.

Offseason to date: Bobby Convey (trade with San Jose) and Paulo Nagamura (trade with Chivas USA) represent the most significant additions. Seth Sinovic’s temporary spell in Montréal didn’t produce much of an impact for all involved parties. Omar Bravo’s departure to Cruz Azul (Mexico) strips away some much needed guile, but his exit – plus the decisions to send Davy Arnaud to the Impact and ship Jéferson back to Brazil after his loan deal expired – should free up plenty of budget room for Peter Vermes to wheel and deal.

betting lines Sports