West Ham United have completed the signing of defender Lars Jacobsen from Blackburn Rovers following Premier League ratification.
The Hammers agreed a deal to sign the Denmark international ahead of Tuesday's transfer deadline and Jacobsen has now been given permission to join the Upton Park club.
The 30-year-old full-back spent just one season at Ewood Park following a similar short stint at Everton the year before.
Meanwhile, the Hammers have also announced the signing of Belgian goalkeeper Ruud Boffin.
The 22-year-old has arrived from Dutch outfit MVV Maastricht on a two-year contract.
"We have combined youth with experience this window and are pleased with the work we have done, even in these challenging times for the club," chairman David Sullivan told the club's official website.
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"Half of our eight signings are 23 or under and we are confident they can become major players for the club, while the other four have a wealth of international experience."
Thomas Hitzlsperger, Tal Ben Haim, Winston Reid, Pablo Barrera, Frederic Piquionne and Victor Obinna were the other players to arrive at Upton Park during the summer transfer window.Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
When Wenger bought Arteta in the final hours of the summer transfer window it was met with mixed feelings from the majority of Arsenal fans. A good signing yes, but to be signed for £10m at the age of twenty-nine when he had a history of injury problems, and signed without a medical. It wasn’t ideal by any stretch of the imagination. In fact for many fans that wanted more of a marquee signing it was somewhat of a disappointment. However there aren’t many on the red side of north London who aren’t now grateful for the presence of the uncapped Spaniard in their side.
Arteta has been praised for his consistently decent performances and the air of calm that he has brought to a team that was floundering a little when he arrived. Clearly Arsenal fans are warming to Mikel, why wouldn’t they after performances like his against City at (middle)Eastlands last weekend. I must admit however that until recently I hadn’t realised quite how good he has been for Arsenal. The role he plays is an unassuming one, a role where only truly exceptional performances will be noticed and much of his good work will go largely unnoticed.
For example, his role in midfield seems to be largely to keep the ball ticking over, to provide an outlet for the defenders and provide a link between the defensive side to the team and the more attacking element; bearing this in mind consider the fact that he has only been caught in possession fourteen times all season. The level of consistency this would be an asset for any team, but particularly for Arsenal who can become nervy towards the end of their games when their lead is narrow.
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The Spaniard also has the highest average number of passes per game out of all midfielders in the Premier League with over 79.2 per game and a pass completion rate of 89%, a figure that very few can even come close to. Obviously if his role was purely to set up other, more creative players then this would not necessarily be an impressive feat but frankly Arteta does attempt more complex, defence splitting passes and can even get himself on the score sheet.
On top of this he provides competition for all of Arsenal’s young and developing central midfielders; something that is necessary if Arsenal are to get the best out of players like Ramsey and Wilshere. Another issue that was clear before Arteta’s arrival was the huge amount of pressure on Aaron Ramsey to pick up where Fabregas left off. Let’s face it, that was always going to be a monumental task, but the fact that he has Arteta to share the burden can only be beneficial for him. Ramsey already has the pressure of being an international captain; it is essential that he has a team mate in a similar mould to help him out at Arsenal whilst Wilshere is injured.
One of the criticisms that some Arsenal players in the latter years of the careers, such as Arshavin and Rosicky, have faced recently is that they seem to lack the desire to perform when they play for Arsenal. This is not a criticism that can be levelled at Arteta. Despite being closer to the end of his career than the beginning this is the first real time he has had the chance to play at a big club and only his second ever time in the Champions League. It really is a case of now or never for Mikel, and it shows in his performances. Against Man City he was everywhere, helping in defence before joining in with the counter attacks. He shows a level of desire that not all have at Arsenal, and it is refreshing. Often you feel as though the signings your club makes don’t always appreciate the pride involved in playing for your club, especially one as historic as Arsenal, but Arteta has come in from day one and given his all, and it has been more than good enough. It has been exceptional. Fans talk about how Song is underrated, how Vermaelen has stabilised the defence, but to underplay the role that the former Everton man has played in providing stability and consistency to Arsenal since September would be a display of ignorance that is insulting to the efforts of Arteta since he moved to London.
For more Arsenal news and views follow me on Twitter @H_Mackay
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Dwayne De Rosario could not quite inspire New York Red Bulls to a win on his debut, while Portland picked up their first-ever MLS point.Dane Richards handed visitors New York a 47th-minute lead after getting on the end of De Rosario’s pass – his first touch for his new club – but the game was to finish 1-1 when Cam Weaver equalised just three minutes later.
Canadian international De Rosario joined the Red Bulls on Friday from Eastern Conference rivals Toronto FC and was only afforded a spot on the bench for his new side’s trip to Houston Dynamo on Saturday.
He watched an often dour first half from the sidelines, but was involved immediately after his injection for Moroccan midfielder Mehdi Ballouchy.
Recruited to fill the playmaker role in New York’s midfield, the 32-year-old instantly endeared himself to his new club’s fans by providing the defence-splitting pass for Jamaica striker Richards to score.
The advantage lasted just three minutes, however, when Weaver’s deft chip beat Red Bulls goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul.
It stayed that way for the remainder of the game, despite Richards, Luke Rodgers and designated player Thierry Henry going close for New York and Brad Davis shooting wide for Houston.
In other matches, Vancouver Whitecaps came from 3-0 down to draw 3-3 at home Kansas City.
Forward Teal Bunbury struck a brace early in the second half and Sierra Leone striker Kei Kamara also netted to put visitors Kansas 3-0 up by the 63rd minute.
Atiba Harris pulled one back on 72 minutes for the Whitecaps, but they still looked destined for defeat before two stoppage-time strikes from Brazilian forward Camilo Sanvezzo salvaged an improbable point.
The Portland Timbers gained their first point in Major League Soccer with a 1-1 draw away to the New England Revolution.
Rookie Stephen McCarthy put the Revolution ahead with his first goal in MLS, before Jack Jewsbury levelled on 38 minutes to earn a draw for the Timbers.
Toronto FC drew 1-1 at home to Chivas USA, with Alan Gordon equalising for the hosts after Alejandro Moreno put Chivas ahead after just two minutes.
Two years ago Newcastle earned an impressive draw on the opening weekend of the Premier League season at Manchester United. The result and notable performance of debutant, Jonas Gutierrez fuelled predictions of a resurgence under Kevin Keegan. The following month saw the resignation of Keegan which left the club in disarray. Newcastle fans will know that this time round, the Magpies face Manchester United on Monday, the result will not dictate the trajectory of their season. After defying the critics and returning swiftly back to the top flight, is survival the aim or do fans harbour more lofty ambitions? Will Chris Hughton, once the loyal caretaker, be able to deliver what so many high profile managerial appointments couldn’t?
Hughton argues that a season in the Championship, despite being hugely successful, has tempered the usual pre-season optimism which permeates the Newcastle faithful. The manager is confident of Premier League survival and flatly rebukes those who question the lack of summer spending at St James’ Park. Similarly to other clubs there is a requirement to reduce a substantial wage bill and search for value in the transfer market. Accordingly he has acted shrewdly, signing the resourceful James Perch from Nottingham Forest and swooping for Dan Gosling and Sol Campbell on free transfers. The seemingly rotund Campbell appears a smart signing as the veteran centre back showed he was still capable of operating at this level for Arsenal last season and will bestow knowledge and experience to his team-mates. The other acquisitions together will the possible loan signings of Hatem Ben Arfa and Tom Cleverley suggest the club is looking for a youthful, attacking zeal in midfield which may surprise and unsettle opponents.
A year in the wilderness has had a rehabilitative effect on many of Newcastle’s most prominent players. The Argentine duo of, Gutierrez and Fabricio Coloccini have started to justify their considerable price tags. Coloccini was named in the Championship Team of the Year and the ‘Spiderman’ developed an excellent understanding with Jose Enrique on the left flank. Kevin Nolan and Alan Smith both flourished last year, displaying their battling qualities and commitment to the cause. The Liverpool born midfielder scored 17 goals from midfield last season and will be considered along with Smith to inherit the captaincy following Nicky Butt’s retirement.
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The continued efforts of these senior campaigners will serve the Magpies well next season but goals from midfield will be harder to come by against Premier League defences. Andy Carroll emerged as a powerful, burly centre forward who can score goals and formed an effective partnership with Peter Lovenkrands. A tally of 19 goals last season aroused the attention of Fabio Capello who may call up the player for England’s Euro 2012 qualifiers. Should injuries or suspensions disrupt Newcastle’s attack, fans will be unenthusiastic at the prospect of relying on Xisco or Shola Ameobi. Nile Ranger has been tipped for a bright future as a tall and fast forward but is still just 19-years old. The old adage that a goal-scoring centre forward can propel a team up the league still stands.
A mixture of youthful, raw talent, seasoned professionals and veterans should guide Newcastle to Premier League safety this term. Naturally fans will demand more than this but should be mindful of the new financially responsible approach adopted by the club. Further loan signings may be imminent as Newcastle seek to add creativity to their midfield. A decent cup run and taking the spoils in the Tyne-Wear derby would be a welcome bonus. If come next May the club finish above Steve Bruce’s Sunderland and secure survival it would be a good start back to life in the Premier League.
Marouane Fellaini may have arrived in England as an unknown, signing for Everton for a club record £15 million from Standard Liege, but he has quickly developed a cult-like status among Everton fans.
The Belgian has been one of David Moyes’ star players in recent seasons, attracting interest from Europe’s big guns including Manchester United and Real Madrid.
His size, versatility and technical ability means Fellaini has a lot to offer Moyes’ side who have seen their fair share of injuries.
He’s also hard to miss in and around the city of Liverpool. And along with him is on-off girlfriend is Lara Binet.
Binet, who is also from Belgium, is a beauty queen and former Miss Belgium contestant.
Click on the image below to see Ms Binet in all her glory
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Queens Park Rangers extended their lead in the Championship after Swansea were the only team in the chasing pack to win on Saturday.Hogan Ephraim’s 46th-minute goal at the Keepmoat Stadium gave QPR a 1-0 win away to Doncaster Rovers.Neil Warnock’s team are now nine points clear of second-placed Norwich after they could only draw 1-1 away to Hull City.Zak Whitbread put Norwich ahead 26 minutes in at the KC Stadium, but veteran Nick Barmby equalised for Hull in the 72nd minute.Swansea City are one point behind Norwich after their 3-2 win at home to fellow top-six side Nottingham Forest.Scott Sinclair’s opener and a brace from Fabio Borini guaranteed all three points for Swansea, with Kris Boyd’s effort and a late consolation from Paul Anderson not enough to salvage a draw for the visitors, who remain sixth.Leeds United, one point above Forest in fifth, suffered a surprise 2-0 loss away to third bottom Sheffield United. Cardiff City in fourth place also dropped points with a 3-3 draw away to Millwall – Steve Morison’s 87th-minute equaliser snatching a share of the spoils for the hosts at the New Den.Nathan Ellington struck the winner four minutes into injury time as bottom side Preston North End beat Coventry City 2-1 while second-from-bottom Scunthorpe United went down 2-0 away to Ipswich.Crystal Palace twice came from behind to draw 2-2 at home to Derby County, while Middlesbrough also fought back from a goal down to beat visitors Watford 2-1. David Nugent’s first-half goal proved to be the winner as Portsmouth beat Leicester City 2-1 away from home.Brett Pitman and Nicky Maynard were on target as Bristol City saw off the visit of Burnley 2-0, while Mathieu Manset scored the only goal of the game in Reading’s 1-0 win away to Barnsley.
Martin O'Neill is unsure where James Milner will be playing his football this season as reports suggest Manchester City are ready to launch another bid to sign the Aston Villa star.
Milner said last month that he was keen to join City who have already had one offer for the England international rejected by O'Neill.
Villa have put a £30million price-tag on the former Leeds and Newcastle star's head, while O'Neill has confirmed he has spoken with chief executive Paul Faulkner about the matter.
"I only had a brief conversation with Paul today, and it was the briefest of briefs," O'Neill told Sky Sports News."I don't think there's any more news to tell.
"I don't really know if Milner will stay. I don't think at this stage I'd be in a position to give you a definitive answer. Naturally I've said before that, almost everyone to a man, would want James to stay at the football club."
Milner has injured his back in training and O'Neill continued:"It's a problem really because we've been unable to get it sorted out for these couple of days.
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"He had some back spasms, but he didn't have those when he arrived here, it was just in training the other day, so it was best not to have him involved."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Newcastle boss Alan Pardew has applauded his backline for their performances so far this season, and feels his defenders and goalkeeper have been a major reason behind the Tyneside club’s excellent start to the campaign.
The St James’ Park club are one of only two unbeaten sides in the English top flight this season, and currently sit in third place after winning seven of their first eleven games.
Similarly, the Geordies have the best defensive record in the league, conceding only eight goals this term, and Pardew is full of praise for his rearguard.
“There have been a lot of goals in the Premier League. There are some fantastic players and sometimes, as much as you can defend and have all your disciplines in place, someone can produce a bit of quality to unlock it,” he told Mirror Football.
“Fortunately for us, for whatever reason, that hasn’t happened too often – and long may that continue.
“Our resilience and defensive quality are getting us over the line,” he concluded.
Newcastle have a difficult run of fixtures coming up over the next month that will really test their ambitions this season, starting with a trip to take on league leaders Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium after the international break.
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Newcastle United’s finances for the year ending June 2010 have been released and following their season in the Championship, unsurprisingly Newcastle’s revenues took a major hit and in turn losses increased. While the figures that were submitted to Companies House are interesting, especially those that show more that one million people visited St James’ Park, what has stood out to me is the money that owner Mike Ashley has invested into the club. In those 12 months alone, Ashley injected £42 million into Newcastle United, so is it time that Newcastle fans gave him the benefit of the doubt and appreciate the financial stability that he has brought to the club?
I know this won’t be a stance that many Newcastle fans will be willing to take given some of the decisions he has made during his time at the club. I for one have been continually frustrated by the good work Ashley has been doing being ruined time and time again by, in my opinion, needless errors – the replacing of Chris Hughton with Alan Pardew the latest example of this. However, there is no disputing that Mike Ashley has made a huge financial commitment to the club and has used some of his business acumen to ensure that, at the very least, the financial future of Newcastle United is looking more rosy.
You only need to look at the examples of Leeds United and more recently Portsmouth to see the problems posed by relegation from the Premier League and how precarious some club’s financial position can be. There is no doubt, that while Freddy Shepherd’s time at the club brought much excitement to the north east, spending millions on players season after season clearly wasn’t financially viable in the long term and when Mike Ashley took control of the club they were in a mess and on the road to financial ruin. Ashley has turned this around and while the journey hasn’t been a smooth one, Newcastle are in a better position because of the steps he has taken.
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Newcastle chairman Derek Llambias has outlined the position the club found themselves in 18 months ago. Llambias has said that “Relegation presented a considerable challenge for us financially,” which is something of an understatement. He went on to say that “It has been a significant achievement to keep our overall loss at a level similar to the year before despite the impact of relegation, and our ability to do this has been helped immeasurably by the continued financial support of Ashley” and while this might sound like they’re blowing their own trumpets, I believe that they’re entitled to do so.
In total, Mike Ashley has lent Newcastle £139.8 million in the form of an interest-free loan. In the 12 months in question alone, he reduced bank borrowings by £25 million and thus lowered the amount of money effectively being thrown away each and every month in the form of interest on the loan. He is also on the way to changing the whole ethos at the club, from spending big money on players and paying extortionate wages to searching out young talent on the cheap and developing those starlets.
Then we come on to the Andy Carroll issue. This has been discussed extensively already so I don’t want to go over old ground but I just have one point to make – as much as I’d have loved to keep Carroll, selling him for £35m plus a percentage of any further fees was the right business decision to make, however frustrating it was to not be able to bring in a replacement before the January window slammed shut. I don’t expect Newcastle to spend all that money in the summer and don’t think it’s necessary either, as long as a couple of decent players are brought in then I’ll be relatively happy, and the signs look relatively promising given the money already spent on scouting missions.
I think we should give Mike Ashley the benefit of the doubt and cut him some slack. While I won’t make any excuses for some of the ill-advised decisions he’s made, he’s put his money where his mouth is and has ensured Newcastle are on a solid financial footing. Newcastle should now be in a position where they don’t need to sell the likes of Cheik Tiote and Jose Enrique this summer unless astronomical bids come in and it would thus be foolish not to take the money. Granted, Ashley hasn’t made things easy for himself, but his financial achievements should be recognised and not just glossed over in favour of the Ashley bashing that has popular backing.
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I want to finish with another Llambias quote about Ashley: “Quite honestly, Newcastle United would not be here without him, it is as simple as that.” I’m not sure about that and it definitely isn’t that clear cut, but the guy deserves some credit, even if you give it to him through gritted teeth!
Sheffield Wednesday have moved quickly to allay fears that they are about to plunge into administration even though they have been served with a winding-up order by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC).
The Owls, who have still to pay a PAYE balance of £550,000, will appear at the High Court on 11 August.
However, the League One club have played down the threat, issuing a statement that read:"Sheffield Wednesday would like to inform supporters that their club is not about to be wound up, nor is it about to enter into administration.
"We have been involved in dialogue with HMRC for a number of weeks. As such we have been somewhat surprised and disappointed by their decision to seek a winding-up order at this time.
"We understand that HMRC is taking a tougher line in general with football clubs, but feel their actions are disproportionate and will raise unnecessary speculation as to the financial position of the club.
"We can inform supporters that the club, working in partnership with the Co-operative Bank and their advisors, will seek to settle this matter as soon as is practical.
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"Furthermore, during a period of change this summer, the bank has been an integral partner for Sheffield Wednesday.
"We will continue to work together to create the best environment possible for the club to move forward, including ongoing dialogue with potential investors that will seek to secure the long-term financial health of the club."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email