TOP 100 SOCCER SITES
| |||
|
| |||
| |||
|
| |||
| Christmas football on television Don't miss a kick of the action with our guide to busy Christmas period. telegraph.co.uk |
Sunderland prepare for Jones auction • Birmingham City willing to pay £11m for Trinidadian• Centre-forward also being looked at by Stoke and SpursSunderland are prepared to sell Kenwyne Jones this month but will not part with the striker until they have signed a replacement. In the interim, they hope to provoke an auction.Birmingham City are willing to pay up to £11m for the Trinidadian but, with Stoke City keen on a centre-forward who is once again being eyed by Tottenham Hotspur, their manager, Alex McLeish, is likely to be kept waiting for an answer.Much may depend on Sunderland's proposed signing of Kevin Kurányi, the former Germany striker. The 27-year-old Schalke 04 forward, who will be out of contract in the summer, is close to a £3.5m move to the Stadium of Light after being tracked by Steve Bruce for some time.Kurányi, who was born in Brazil and has Panamanian and German-Hungarian parentage, scored 19 goals in 52 appearances for Germany before falling out with the national coach, Joachim Löw in 2008.Regarded as "talented but temperamental" in Germany, the 6ft 3in Kurányi, fluent in five languages, is said to want to join Sunderland but his £70,000-a-week wage demands could yet prove a stumbling block.Selling Jones, who signed a lucrative long-term contract last January after Sunderland rejected a £12m bid from Spurs, would represent a considerable gamble on Bruce's part. Although the striker, recruited from Southampton by Roy Keane, can be virtually unplayable on his day, Sunderland's latest manager has been unimpressed by his attitude this season.While Jones is believed to be interested in relocating to Birmingham, the prospect of joining Stoke is thought to be less appealing. Bruce is enticed by the prospect of taking one or more of Tony Pulis's players in part-exchange, particularly if the Turkey international Tuncay Sanli were part of any deal.Sunderland's manager explored the possibility of signing Tuncay from Middlesbrough last summer and remains a big admirer of a forward who has experienced mixed fortunes at Stoke.Should Jones move to Birmingham, Teemu Tainio, the midfielder on a year-long loan at St Andrew's from the Stadium of Light, would almost certainly have that agreement cut short and return to Wearside. Bruce has been light in central midfield at times this season but Tainio is sidelined after undergoing knee surgery in November.The Sunderland manager, meanwhile, is stepping up a long-standing pursuit of Maynor Figueroa, the Wigan Athletic left-back but the board are reluctant to meet Wigan's current £7m asking price.Transfer windowSunderlandBirmingham CityStoke CityPremier LeagueLouise Taylorguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Bus Attack Highlights Security Concerns in SAfrica LONDON (AP) -- The gun attack on Togo's national soccer team in Angola has again highlighted the security issues facing South Africa as it prepares to host the World Cup in five months. feeds.nytimes.com |
Manchester United captain Gary Neville to escape FA action following obscene gesture Gary Neville set to escape Football Association punishment following alleged obscene gesture in Manchester United's defeat at Eastlands. telegraph.co.uk |
Rafael BenÃtez declines to commit to Liverpool and rule out Juventus move • BenÃtez cagey on his future following dour draw with Wolves• Juventus ready to present him with manager's contractRafael BenÃtez last night declined the chance to commit his future to Liverpool after it emerged Juventus are drawing up an official contract document for the Spaniard in an attempt to demonstrate the seriousness of their interest.BenÃtez had the opportunity to reaffirm his allegiance to Anfield when asked about Juventus's pursuit of him following a dour goalless draw at Molineux that did nothing to enhance Liverpool's hopes of salvaging a top-four finish. But he refused to address the subject, adding to the uncertainty over his position at Anfield."I prefer to talk about the game," said the manager, who insisted reports about his future before last night's match had not been a distraction. "I was really focused today trying to do the right thing to try to win the game."Guus Hiddink is also on Juventus's radar. The Dutchman's wage demands, and the likelihood of BenÃtez remaining in situ until the end of this season, present the Italians with the problem of having to appoint an interim manager should Ciro Ferrara pay the price for falling 16 points adrift of Internazionale in Serie A. But they hope confirmation of the terms on offer at Stadio delle Alpi will convince BenÃtez, who signed a five-year contract at Liverpool in March last year, to leave behind the internal problems at Anfield.The Liverpool manager's agent, Manuel Garcia Quilon, denied that he had received an approach from Juventus. "I have had no contact with Juventus or with any other Italian club regarding an interest on Rafa BenÃtez," he said. Juventus, however, registered their interest directly with BenÃtez, and did not go through Quilon, when deciding the Spaniard met their criteria for a new manager several days ago.Rafael BenÃtezLiverpoolPremier LeagueJuventusSerie AStuart JamesAndy Hunterguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |