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Toure is Hughes' City gent for £15m as defender quits Arsenal
Manchester City moved on from the disappointment of missing out on England captain John Terry by striking a £15million deal for Arsenal defender Kolo Toure.
The 28-year-old has agreed personal terms of around £120,000 per week — doubling his wages at Arsenal. He is expected to be unveiled later this week and could even figure in Saturday’s friendly at Barnsley.
His signing ends a nine-month pursuit by City manager Mark Hughes who first earmarked the Ivory Coast centre half back in November. Toure is one of three defenders Hughes wants to bring in as he re-assesses his targets following Terry’s decision to stay at Chelsea.
https://i.media.goal.com/g/44505_news.jpg
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1202611/Kolo-Toure-quits-Arsenal-15million-Manchester-City-defender-capture-Mark-Hughes--EXCLUSIVE.html#ixzz0MW3ZN0FK

[img]http://4.bp..com/_n_W_lsX98Ks/ST5_MTTC56I/AAAAAAAAAQQ/lM43PkiNBKs/s320/champions-league-logo1.jpg[/img]

UEFA Champions League group stage


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Group A
[table]
[tr][td]Clubs[/td][td] Pld [/td][td] W [/td][td] D [/td][td] L [/td][td] GF [/td][td] GA [/td][td] Pts [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]FC Bayern München (GER)[/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Juventus (ITA)[/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][/tr]
[tr][td]FC Girondins de Bordeaux (FRA)[/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Maccabi Haifa FC (ISR)[/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][/tr]
[/table]


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Group B
[table]
[tr][td]Clubs[/td][td] Pld [/td][td] W [/td][td] D [/td][td] L [/td][td] GF [/td][td] GA [/td][td] Pts [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Manchester United FC (ENG)[/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][/tr]
[tr][td]PFC CSKA Moskva (RUS)[/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Beşiktaş JK (TUR)[/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][/tr]
[tr][td]VfL Wolfsburg (GER)[/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][/tr]
[/table]


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Group C
[table]
[tr][td]Clubs[/td][td] Pld [/td][td] W [/td][td] D [/td][td] L [/td][td] GF [/td][td] GA [/td][td] Pts [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]AC Milan (ITA)[/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Real Madrid CF (ESP)[/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Olympique de Marseille (FRA)[/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][/tr]
[tr][td]FC Zürich (SUI)[/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][/tr]
[/table]


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Group D
[table]
[tr][td]Clubs[/td][td] Pld [/td][td] W [/td][td] D [/td][td] L [/td][td] GF [/td][td] GA [/td][td] Pts [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Chelsea FC (ENG)[/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][/tr]
[tr][td]FC Porto (POR)[/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Club Atlético de Madrid (ESP)[/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][/tr]
[tr][td]APOEL FC (CYP)[/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][/tr]
[/table]


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Group E
[table]
[tr][td]Clubs[/td][td] Pld [/td][td] W [/td][td] D [/td][td] L [/td][td] GF [/td][td] GA [/td][td] Pts [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Liverpool FC (ENG)[/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Olympique Lyonnais (FRA)[/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][/tr]
[tr][td]ACF Fiorentina (ITA)[/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Debreceni VSC (HUN)[/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][/tr]
[/table]


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Group F
[table]
[tr][td]Clubs[/td][td] Pld [/td][td] W [/td][td] D [/td][td] L [/td][td] GF [/td][td] GA [/td][td] Pts [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]FC Barcelona (ESP)[/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][/tr]
[tr][td]FC Internazionale Milano (ITA)[/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][/tr]
[tr][td]FC Dynamo Kyiv (UKR)[/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][/tr]
[tr][td]FC Rubin Kazan (RUS)[/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][/tr]
[/table]


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Group G
[table]
[tr][td]Clubs[/td][td] Pld [/td][td] W [/td][td] D [/td][td] L [/td][td] GF [/td][td] GA [/td][td] Pts [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Sevilla FC (ESP)[/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Rangers FC (SCO)[/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][/tr]
[tr][td]VfB Stuttgart (GER)[/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][/tr]
[tr][td]AFC Unirea Urziceni (ROU)[/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][/tr]
[/table]


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Group H
[table]
[tr][td]Clubs[/td][td] Pld [/td][td] W [/td][td] D [/td][td] L [/td][td] GF [/td][td] GA [/td][td] Pts [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Arsenal FC (ENG)[/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][/tr]
[tr][td]AZ Alkmaar (NED)[/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Olympiacos FC (GRE)[/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][/tr]
[tr][td]R. Standard de Liège (BEL)[/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][td][/td][/tr]
[/table]


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debosky:
Your analysis is flawed biina - how can they need ANOTHER DM with Busquets already showing such promise? 

So Busquets is going to be starting DM for two months? and who is the backup DM? Busquets is a card magnet who got 9 YC in 16 starts
Those two months will include games against Villareal, Sevilla and Atletico Madrid.

How can they lose their only 'outright goal threat' when Thierry Henry who scored over 20 goals is still at the club?  Krkic? Gudjonsen? Kerrison? Messi? Strikers are sufficient - they don't need any more.

who has been Barca top scorer for the past? Have you watched Barca with and without eto'o? How many games has Kirkic played? and please forget Gudjonsen who couldnt manage more than 3 goals in 30+ appearances. or Kerrison who has never played at the top level and was until a year ago in the lower division of brazil.
Yet Henry and Messi are injury risks.

CB? Marquez, Milito, Puyol, Pique. . .I'm sure there's someone in the academy waiting to take up one more spot if needed, how can anyone say they are not deep at CB with such players?  Do you now need 10 CBs to show 'depth'? 

Milito is coming off a year out with ACL and there is no guarantee he would hold up, while Marquez injury problems are well documented. They are so thin at CB that Yaya played there for the CL final.

If you watched their youth team play at the Wembley Cup you'll know they have enough talent coming through not to need any further signings.

Maybe they need something at RB, but that aside, they have more than ample supply everywhere else.

Firstly, La liga has a squad limit of 25, so there is no room for trials. Each spot should count. Do not extrapolate youth performance to first team abilities or have we all not seen the boy wonders flop on the big stage

Outside of their starting 11, Barcelona lacks quality. Take a look at their roster before you jump to conclusions

Its clear that Inter got the best of the deal, and only a Barca fan would think otherwise.

Inter lost their one man army Ibrahimovic, in exchange for a proven world class goal scorer in eto and a good ball handler/creative player in Hleb, both in addition to 45 million euros. Even if eto and hleb were both to flop (which is quite unlikey), they have 45m euros to buy the world class AM/playmaker that they need, and can now join the pursuit of the likes of Ribery, Hamsik etc or even cheap signing like VDV.

Barca on the other hand have lost their single outright goal threat, a good rotation player in Hleb and are 45M short in the bank. What they have gotten is a talented striker who has often failed to deliver on the big stage. He could possibly turn out to be a great signing, but cannot make Barca any better than they were with eto. Add the fact that they have failed to add the needed depth in key areas:
- upfront where the injury prone Messi and Henry need quality backups (they had to play iniesta upfront when either were injured),
- in central defence where the lack of depth was evident in the CL final (Marquez is injury prone,  mIlito is coming back after a year out with ACL and Caceres is joining Juve)
- in DM where Keita and Toure will both be gone for the ACN in January february
- at RB where there is no quality sub for Dani Alves
Some of these I hope they correct before the end of the window.
They still have a world class first 11,  but they lack the quality depth expected at the top level.

Ibrahimovic passes Barca medical
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has passed a medical with Barcelona to move a step nearer the completion of his transfer from Internazionale.
Barca pointed out the Swedish striker had fractured a bone in his left hand during Inter's recent friendly against Chelsea, and that treatment would be necessary.
Ibrahimovic is set to sign a five-year contract and to be presented in the Nou Camp on Monday evening, completing a complicated swap deal which involves Cameroon forward Samuel Eto'o going in the opposite direction.
Eto'o flew to Milan earlier in the day to take his medical.
Barca are also reported to be paying fee of around 45 million euros (£38.8m) and loaning Belarus midfielder Aleksandr Hleb to the Serie A side.
https://d.yimg.com/i//ng/sp/eurosport/20090727/25/60b6d1558c9b61e2593c4417e24aeb76.jpg

I never said being the biggest means the best, but being one of the biggest is a key criterion.
You cannot tell me a small 30K stadium is the best in the world simply because it looks good.
Allianz Arena, with a UEFA approved capacity of 66k does not qualify.
Outside of the lighted foil, what other criteria did you use in picking AA over the other stadiums with higher caoacity?

ahonohai:
Stats don't lie!

yet they dont tell the full story, else going by the stats, one could say denilson is better than Alonso or Mascherano

Kaka, Ramos, Casillas and Albiol just got in today and are not match fit. To try playing them in the peace cup is to risk them getting injured.

You cant judge a stadium simply on aesthetics. Nou Camp is almost 1.5x Allianz. For me Allianz is too small to be the best stadium in europe and I doubt it has features like the slide out pitch at Veltins.
The top criterion should be capacity before anything else, and that puts Nou Camp and Wembley at the top of the list. I would rule out any stadium that is below 80k

The game was alright with the team showing better cohesion than against shamrock but still lacking the fitness to maintain constant pressure.
Surprisingly, I was a bit disappointed in Lass Diarra, as I felt he kept going upfront and got caught out of position too often. We really need a DM that would stay at home and not one that feels he is a CM.
Everybody seems interested in the CM spot and it hampered the flow of the game.
If those Saudi boyz just had a decent finisher, they would have won the game.
Anyways will see what MP has for us on Tuesday. Still have a month to get things right, with Kaka Casillas, Ranos and Albiol getting in today.

davidylan:
not really. He's not better than Senderos or djourou.

Thats BS. Then why is he your starting center back?
or is it not same senderos and djouroun that were so good that you sent them out on loan
He is your best CB IMO, and can only be second to gallas.

Whats up with all the kolo toure rumors?
Losing toure will seriously dent your squad in terms of depth and experience

City to net £14m Kolo
ARSENAL have been warned they are in danger of slipping out of the Premier League's top four.
Centre-half Kolo Toure is the latest big name set to be leaving The Emirates this summer.
Manchester City are believed to be close to signing the Ivory Coast ace, 28, for £14million - just a week after City lured hitman Emmanuel Adebayor from the Gunners in a £25m deal.
Now an adviser of Arsenal shareholder Alisher Usmanov reckons the club's lack of new signings could damage their hopes of making the Champions League.
Farhad Moshiri, an associate of billionaire Russian Usmanov said: "There is no question that Arsene Wenger has a talented squad but there have been limited additions and you cannot help but feel that there is still not enough depth to that squad.
"Adebayor averaged 20 goals a season so, unless we replace him with a striker of that talent, we'll be weaker going forward.
"That is the most worrying thing because Man City, with their enormous firepower, are one of the challengers for the fourth spot. I'd have felt better if he had been sold to any club other than Man City."
SunSport revealed on Saturday that City had sounded out the Gunners about Toure. Those talks gathered pace over the weekend as John Terry decided to stay at Chelsea.
City have also eyed Everton's Joleon Lescott but reckon Everton's £25m asking price is too high.
https://img.thesun.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00853/Kolo_Toure_280x390_853779a.jpg
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/2555869/City-set-to-sign-Kolo-Toure.html

Malaga (Fernando 79') 1 - 0 Aston Villa

Lyon (Kallstrom 69') 1-1 Besiktas ( Nobre 85')

asha 80:
Azteca stadium in mexico has more capacity than these two.

and mexico is in Europe?
Shame on your geography teacher

I dont think the world cup argument applies, as I don't see the player threatening his spot on the national team.

debosky:
So because they have many more players they won't struggle?  

How can Hughes be 'familiar' with a team that will be a shadow of what it was last season? The changes are SO MANY he will be repeating the learning process all over again. (unless of course Tevez, Ade and Santa Cruz will be on the bench for Vassell and Mwaruwari  ) so I don't see the difference in that regard.

Granted not playing in Europe is a good thing, but with the 'improved' squad, they will focus on competing further in the cups so i don't anticipate a significant difference in the number of games. Even with all the permutations, the best they can achieve is top 6 and no further.

Weakest yes, but still far above the chasing pack - last season was an aberration and will not repeat itself.  

Not just more players, they have better players.
The point about familiarity is that Hughes now has a system that he is buying players to play in. He know which areas he feels need to be overhauled or simply strengthened, and the kind of players he would like to have.
But don't worry, I understand your optimism as an Arsenal fan. August 15 is not too far off.

debosky:
Based on what?  

Even with the expenditure last season, they didn't finish any better than they did BEFORE the massive cash infusion (one place lower) and you think one season they will scale the distance from 10th to 4th?  

It won't happen - you can't cobble a team in that manner and achieve that type of positioning, not in one season.

You cant compare the Man City team of last season to the current squad.
They have quality and depth in 2/3 of the field (midfield & upfront) which is far above what they had last season and they will likely sign at least one of (if not two) quality CBs.
Add the fact that they are not playing in europe and that Hughes is more familiar with the team after a year, and 75+ pts is a realistic target.
It will no longer be like last season when they needed Robinho for every match.

Right now Arsenal is the weakest of the top four, but that can easily change if Liverpool's financial woes force them into selling some key players starting with Alonso or Chelsea eventually lose Terry to city.

City will not challenge for the title, but they would most likely than not, get that CL spot.

Just put a poll.
But answer is obvious Kaka.

Everyone, including Beckenbauer, knew the kind of player Ribery was. Bayern did not mind his antics when those antics helped them land him, but now that he is using same antics against them, they are now crying blue murder! Simply arrant hypocrisy.
You are free to hold on to a player till his contract expires, but do not expect a player like Ribery to give his best when he is being held against his wishes (ask Marseille).
To think that his actions at Gala and Marseille do not count is being hypocritical as Gala is no less a club to Marseille, as Marseille is to Bayern and Bayern is to Madrid. Each move has been to a bigger club.
Ribery will leave Bayern next summer, if not this year. Till then, he will just be a cancer in the dressing room and Van Gaal will rather not have him around.
Ballack left Bayern at 30, Ribery will leave before he is 28, the loss is different.
Players like Ribery should be auctioned to the highest bidder and the money put to better use in reinforcing the team.
Forcefully holding on to him is just pure arrogance on the part of Bayern and they will pay the cost on the pitch.

Nobody has tapped up your player. Madrid expressed their interest, you named your price and we declined to meet it.
Or should we then accuse you of tapping up the player, since after Marseille denied your initial enquiry in 2006, Ribery demanded a transfer to force it? A saga that continued for the rest of the season.
Your negotiations you referred to were in 2007 after he had demanded a move.
The problem is with you and your management who think Madrid is behind all of Ribery's recent antics, when the clear truth is that this is par for Ribery.
Franz is criticizing Ribery like if this is unprecedented for the guy, when Ribery terminated his contract at Glatasaray (though justly so) and forced his way out of marseille even though he was contracted till 2010. The guy is a mercenary and franz should take his medicine like a good boy

dayokanu:
Why dont you just allow Ruben De La red to go back to Getafe where he can realise his talent

Where have you been? The poor guy collapsed on the field.
He has health problems and would likely never play football again.
If he was healthy , we wouldnt be chasing Alonso.

Ribery move demand rocks Marseille
French World Cup star Franck Ribery said Friday that he was determined to leave Marseille, dealing a devastating blow to the club's management on the eve of the new season.
In his most forthright comments to date concerning his future, Ribery said he wanted to join a club that could give him the promise of trophies and Champions League football.
"My wish is to leave Marseille," Ribery told French broadcaster TF1.
"I want to leave because I want to win things. I want to play in the Champions League, I want to continue to develop, I want to be around big players. For me, that's important."
The 23-year-old -- a key figure in France's run to the World Cup final in Germany -- did not give any information about his future destination.
"The directors at Marseille know where I want to go, and the club that I want to sign for knows as well. Now it's up to them to reach an agreement."
Ribery's existing deal with Marseille runs until 2010 but privately the club concede there is no chance of holding the player to that agreement.
Marseille president Pape Diouf however insisted Friday that Ribery must stay at the Stade Velodrome for at least one more season.
"It's all just talk. Nothing has changed," said Diouf. "Ribery is under contract until 2010. He will respect his contract this season whether he likes it or not."
Ribery -- who has been linked to Bayern Munich, Arsenal, Real Madrid and Lyon -- said there could be no going back on his desire to leave.
"My mind is made up and I'm not looking back," Ribery said. "But I'm not forgetting that Marseille is my club. I love this club, I love the fans -- they are the best in France."
"I hope people will understand my decision. I know the fans will be a bit disappointed but I'm young, and I want to do something else."
http://edition.cnn.com/2006/SPORT/football/08/04/france.ribery/

Marseille did not want to sell Ribery. Ribery forced his way out.
Madrid has not tapped up your player. We contacted you, you named your price, and we decided against it.
Your problem is with the player who seem bent on leaving, and that was same thing he did to marseille to allow him join Bayern.
So Franz should be hyocritical and criticize Ribery now, when he didnt criticize him 2yrs ago when bayern were beneficiary of same actions

proudly9ja:
At least we get 25million from Ade lovers.lol

By the way, Im glad you are interested in our left back. So Madrid can actually be interested in a player from Arsenal? and here I am, thinking we no get top quality players!

Of course you have selected players that are better than other selected players in selected clubs.
Clichy is currently better than our options at left back, but then he is not the best left back in the world.
I am sure if arsenal come calling for hunte, madrid would want cash or ask for clichy to lower their asking price. There are no cheap players for sale at Madrid

OFFICIAL: Getafe Sign Dani Parejo From Real Madrid
Parejo is the latest Blanco boy to move across town to Los Azulones
Dani Parejo has completed his transfer from Real Madrid to Getafe.
Parejo has been involved in negotiations with Los Azulones in recent days, and the club have now officially confirmed his signature.
The deal will cost €3 million, and includes a buy-back option for Los Merengues, which must be exercised within the next two years.
The 20-year-old spent the first half of last season on loan at Queens Park Rangers, before being recalled to the Bernabeu in December.
He will be presented at 13:00 on Monday, at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez.                                                                                                                                  
https://i.media.goal.com/g/40671_news.jpg


Has nice potential and played real well against shamrock. He should get more minutes at Getafe and hopefully, like Granero, should be back in the next two seasons.

Huntelaar joining arsenal? una no get the money
Though if you offer clichy, we might be interested

Seems the Ribery saga is not yet over.
But all these Bayern officials are hypocrites, talking like if they have amnesia.
Was Franz not alive when Ribery was forcing his way out of marseille to join Bayern? Now that they are getting a dose of the same medicine from madrid he is crying foul.
Simply hilarious. They should sell the guy and use the money to buy replacements instead of ending up with peanuts next summer or nothing at all.
If the guy really wants to go, I doubt he would be putting in top performances every week.

Beckenbauer blasts Ribery
Bayern Munich president Franz Beckenbauer has questioned the motives of French star Franck Ribery.
In a scathing attack, the Bayern supremo has blasted the winger for displaying a selfish attitude.
Ribery has been strongly linked with a move to Spanish giants Real Madrid this summer, and has hinted that he would welcome such a switch.
Beckenbauer has been left disappointed by the 26-year-old's actions, believing the France international is attempting to use Bayern as a tool to further his own career.
"Ribery only came here to make a name for himself," he is quoted as saying in Bild.
"He doesn't give a damn about Munich."
Bayern have so far resisted the advances of Real, despite reports of big money offers, keen to retain the services of their talismanic playmaker.
They appreciate, however, that Ribery could walk away next summer for a reduced fee, as Fifa article 17 allows any player under the age of 28 to leave a club after three years of their contract.
Ribery penned a four-year deal with Bayern upon joining from Marseille in 2007, but Beckenbauer believes the Frenchman never intended to see out that deal.
"Why would I sign a four-year contract if I only want to stay for three?" he said.
https://img.skysports.com/09/06/218x298/Franck-Ribery-1_2317441.jpg
http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11890_5454503,00.html

In terms of capacity, Camp Nou and Wembley would be top of the list

bollingjoe:
Allianz is the best stadium followed by the camp nou

and based on what criteria? definitely not capacity.