TOP 100 SOCCER SITES
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| Zola admits Hammers may have to sell best players • Financial concerns leave Italian in an uncertain position• Rob Green and Matthew Upson among those that could leaveGianfranco Zola has admitted he cannot be sure that he will be able to keep hold of West Ham's leading players during next month's transfer window.The manager is desperate to retain key men such as Rob Green, Matthew Upson, Scott Parker and Carlton Cole, but acknowledged that their future is out of his hands because of West Ham's financial predicament."You know, we want to keep the best players. I don't know what's going to happen next month," said Zola. "The only thing I know for sure is that before then we have three games coming up that are very, very important and I want to focus on them. That's the main thing, the rest is out of my control."CB Holdings, the company formed by creditors to run West Ham, had its position strengthened this month when Straumur, its leading shareholder, was granted a moratorium on its debts until September. Zola prefers to focus on a festive programme which starts against bottom-placed Portsmouth on Saturday and is followed by games against Tottenham, also in the Premier League, and Arsenal, in the FA Cup."The first step is to get through this game on Saturday, which is vital, and let's do it all together and then we'll see what happens [in January]," Zola said.Upson is wanted by Tottenham, though their manager, Harry Redknapp, will need to offload players – most likely David Bentley or Roman Pavlyuchenko – to generate the necessary funds.West Ham UnitedTransfer windowPremier LeagueDominic Fifieldguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
West Ham linked with Adrian Mutu Gianfranco Zola considering making a move for former Chelsea striker Adrian Mutu, according to reports. telegraph.co.uk |
Arsene Wenger: Everton draw a point gained for Arsenal Arsene Wenger accepts Arsenal lacked cutting edge against Everton, but believes 2-2 draw was point gained at Emirates. telegraph.co.uk |
Blackburn Rovers v Aston Villa - live! Bash refresh or utilise our auto-refesher for the latest updates and send your musings to rob.bagchi@guardian.co.ukRob will be here with all the action from 7.30pm. In the meantime, here's Andy Hunter's preview:Sam Allardyce has denied tomorrow's Carling Cup semi-final against Aston Villa will influence his future as Blackburn Rovers manager as he attempts to arrest an alarming run of form.Blackburn have not won since beating Chelsea in the Carling Cup quarter-finals on penalties last month, a sequence of eight matches in all competitions, and their current league record stands at nine games without a victory.Monday's anaemic display at Manchester City, which resulted in a 4-1 defeat, prompted an angry exchange at Eastlands between Allardyce and senior players and there has been growing unrest among supporters at the tactics the manager has employed since his return from heart surgery.Blackburn have so far sold only around 11,500 tickets for the rearranged semi-final at Ewood Park although, with more than 5,000 Villa fans expected, the club are hopeful of a crowd in excess of 20,000 for the first leg. But Allardyce is adamant his position is not under threat only 13 months after he replaced Paul Ince, before ensuring Rovers' Premier League survival."You are always going to get rumours in the Premier League. Never a day goes by without a positive or a negative story," he said. "You are bound to get some negative scenarios going around when you have not won in a while. You just get on with your job and that is what I will do. I have no great concerns at all."Article continues here ...Carling CupBlackburn RoversAston VillaRob Bagchiguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Mannone extends Arsenal stay Vito Mannone aims to become Arsenal's first choice goalkeeper after signing for another four years with the Barclays Premier League club. foxsports.com.au |