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On Tuesday and Wednesday, the British press writes about the never-ending battles for the position of England's national team coach, the white flag raised by Barcelona in the fight for Frank Lampard, the thoughts of Arsenal's president on the acquisition of David Beckham, the fearless Fulham head coach, the "rude" Roman Abramovich, and the continuation of the story of Chelsea and Ashley Cole.
Reliable sources claim that Barcelona is unlikely to try to acquire Frank Lampard. ("Daily Telegraph")
In the battles for the position of the England national team coach, the British trio - Sam Allardyce, Alan Curbishley, and Stuart Pearce - outperformed Martin O'Neil, who was previously considered the top favorite. ("Daily Express")
Manchester City head coach Stuart Pearce is prepared to speak with the Football Association about the job of England national team coach. ("The Guardian")
In the summer, Manchester United will offer Ruud van Nistelrooy a new three-year contract with a £10,000 per week increase. ("Daily Mirror")
Birmingham chairman David Gold hinted that Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is a "chubby and uncontrollable man." ("Daily Mirror")
Tottenham is ready to compete with Celtic for 19-year-old Clyde defender Craig Bryson. ("The Guardian")
Frank Lampard defended Chelsea head coach Jose Mourinho and stated that many teams envy the "Blues" current success. ("The Sun")
Arsenal president Peter Hill-Wood described talks about a possible acquisition of David Beckham as "absolute nonsense." ("Daily Star")
Fulham head coach Chris Coleman hinted to "friends" that he is not afraid of being kicked out of the club. ("The Sun")
Celtic intends to request permission for all players to wear shirts marked with the number seven in this Sunday's Scottish League Cup final match to honor Jimmy Johnstone. ("Daily Record")
Despite last year's history between Chelsea and Ashley Cole, in the near future, the "Blues" are planning to make an official offer for the acquisition of the Arsenal star. ("The Sun")
Ruud van Nistelrooy is preparing to leave Old Trafford, and the most likely candidates to acquire the Manchester United forward are Tottenham, Milan, and Roma. ("The Sun")
It is speculated that the Football Association has decided that England's national team will be coached by a duo - Alan Curbishley and Stuart Pearce. ("Daily Express")
Barcelona and Mexican national team defender Rafael Marquez categorically rejected the possibility of transferring to Chelsea. ("The Independent")
At the end of the season, Roy Keane plans to retire from senior football. ("Daily Mirror")
Chelsea is planning to offer £25 million for Juventus forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic. ("Daily Mirror")
At the top of the London club's target list are also Corinthians and Argentine national team forward Carlos Tevez. ("The Times")
Tottenham is willing to pay £3 million for 19-year-old Marseille defender Samir Nasri. ("The Sun")
In Saturday's match between Arsenal and Charlton, Sol Campbell and Robin van Persie will be on the field. ("The Guardian")
Quotes of the week
"Each year we bet fifty pounds on who will score more goals. This is the fourth season, and I won the first three, so he still owes me 150 pounds. He never repays debts, but this year he is closer to me than ever, so I think he will start talking about bets again." (Chelsea defender John Terry on his teammate William Gallas' goal against Tottenham and their old bets).
"Every time Willie scores a similar goal in training, he talks about it for two weeks without stopping. Now he probably won't stop for at least a month." (J. Terry keeps talking about it - it seems W. Gallas won't stop either).
"I read the headline saying that Arsenal was the only team representing England in the Champions League, and I was amazed where you see the Englishness in their squad." (West Ham head coach Alan Pardew on Arsenal's match against Real Madrid, where there was not a single English player in the Gunners team).
"Why should Man City pay me money for not coaching the team? I am happy because as a coach, I receive a fantastic salary. So I don't see any reason why I should argue with the general manager over a few pounds. It's true, my wife thinks I'm an idiot, but that's my attitude." (Manchester City head coach Stuart Pearce on why he refused compensation if he were to be fired).
"Honestly, it reminded me a lot of the old times playing against France. I did not notice him, and in such a situation, you least want to give the ball to the best footballer in the world." (Steven Gerrard on passing directly to Thierry Henry in Arsenal's match against Liverpool).
"Messi can take my crown, but he will never outgrow me." (Diego Maradona on the new Argentine super talent Lionel Messi).
"It is so accurate that it is completely untrue." (Ally McCoist commenting on whether Arsenal should lead after playing the first half against Madrid Real).
"If anyone dared to do that in Europe, the referee would give him a card!" (Andy Gray about the Chelsea and Barcelona game, forgetting that England and Spain are also in Europe).
