Sports Category
Sports news, commentary and scores with wit and added value. We compare and contrast the best and worst sports reporting in the mainstream press, blogs, TV and online. We love the English Premier League (Arsenal, Liverpool, Spurs, Manchester United and Manchester City) and all things football but we cover cricket, rugby, the Olympics, tennis, golf, F1 and highlights of the sporting year.
World Cup Balls: Oliver Holt fails his own test for misogynists and the fools
“Why are so many trying to belittle the women’s game?” asks Oliver Holt in the Daily Mail. Holt is on the side of the righteous in his look at the FIFA Women’s World Cup (not boycoted by anyone).
The misogynists and the fools came crashing through England’s hedgerows like a herd of T-rex that hadn’t been fed for a while. Some of the reaction to the start of a football tournament eagerly awaited by so many was sad, ignorant, arrogant and really rather stupid.
Like all tournament sport, the play is mixed: some games are decent; some dire. But Holt is keen to make a point that comparing the men’s game with the women’s is irrelevant and dumb.
Those of us with daughters, what should we do? Tell our kids not to take up football because they’ll never kick it as far as boys? Tell them never to play tennis because they’ll never serve as fast as boys? Tell them not to try athletics because they’ll never run as quickly as boys? Don’t insult us with that kind of garbage.
Holt will not compare the sexes. He will take each game and play on its individual merits. Right. Er, wrong because after reminding us how good Serena Williams is at tennis, he says:
I sat in a sports bar packed with football fans in Moncton on Thursday night, watching China vs Holland, then Ivory Coast vs Thailand, then Canada vs New Zealand and each one had thrilling moments. The 30-yard pass that led to China’s injury-time winner? Let’s just say Steven Gerrard would have been proud of it.
Steven Gerrard is a man.
Such are the facts.
Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish in tabloid photo shaming
The tabloids fill the hiatus between Premier League seasons with transfer balls and news of footballers on holiday. The Sun brings news of Aston Villa star Jack Grealish’s “hol shame as he’s ‘found lying in gutter’”.
Shame?
FOOTIE starlet Jack Grealish appears to lie slumped in the road at 8am after a night out on a Tenerife holiday. The Aston Villa midfielder, 19, was pictured with a cigarette packet beside his head outside a hotel in Costa Adeje.
Read the rest of this entry »
Transfer Balls: Raheem Liverpool’s Sterling is exclsuive to Manchester City
In an “EXCLUSIVE” the Daily Express says “Arsenal and Real Madrid join Man City in race for Liverpool’s Raheem Sterling”.
But they don’t. They haven’t. The only bids for Sterling have some from Manchester United (an unofficial enquiry about buying the player for £25m) and Manchester City (£25m plus £5m if he turns out to be any good for them).
John Richardson’s exclusive hangs on not a single fact. All he writes is:
Liverpool are expecting the first official move from the Spanish giants in the next few days while Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is a confirmed admirer of the winger.
Bids from Madrid and Arsenal for Sterling: none.
Such are the facts.
Posted: 15th, June 2015 | In: Liverpool, Manchester City, Sports | Comment
Manchester City’s Yaya Toure and Sandra Ntonya in Sainsbury’s sex shocker
Manchester City’s Yaya Toure is the subject of the Sun’s story that he has been allegedly seeing a “£140-an-hour hooker”. The story begins with this tremedous line:
Sandra Ntonya, 34, told last night how she exchanged a string of texts with Man City star’s mobile to meet near a Sainsbury’s car park.
Product placement is everything. You can imagine the Sainsbury’s marketing team working out how to milk claims that a £200,000-a-week footballer knows the way to their shop.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: 14th, June 2015 | In: Manchester City, Reviews, Sports | Comment
Transfer Balls: Manchester City to offer £60m and £86m for Paul Pogba
Transfer Balls – a look at shonky reporting in the newspapers.
The Sun says Manchester City are readying a £60m bid for Juventus and France player Paul Pogba. They will offer Pogba £225,000-a-week to play for them.
Also, having seen their £30m bid for Liverpool’s Raheem Sterling knocked back, the Sun says City are to offer £40m for the wantaway England player.
How the Sun knows any of this is not made known. The story contains not a single source.
The Daily Mail says City will offer an “audacious” £58m for Pogba.
The Mirror says the story of Pogba to City for £60-odd millions is rooted in a report in Italy’s La Gazzetta dello Sport. We learn – and this thanks to Google translate:
It is not yet 100 million assumed by his agent Mino Raiola, but now close enough. Paul Pogba is the wet dream of the most prestigious clubs in Europe and yesterday one of the suitors came forward with an offer…: we are talking about Manchester City, who is willing to spend 80 million Euros…
Sources cited: none.
Mention of Pogba’s agent: yes.
And hold on a moment. The Daily Express trumps everyone by noting:
“Manchester City are ready to break the world transfer record fee to sign Chelsea target Paul Pogba… City are willing to pay over £86m to get the Frenchman ahead of other interested clubs including Manchester United.”
Wow, indeed. Three different bids from City for Pogba in a single day.
Such are the facts.
Posted: 13th, June 2015 | In: Manchester City, Sports | Comment
Transfer Balls: Manchester United chase Spurs Harry Kane in every decreasing ciricles
Transfer Balls: time to cacth up with what has been busy transfer window for Spurs and England’s Harry Kane. Sky News has all the scoops:
May 15: “Harry Kane is not a summer transfer target for Manchester United, according to Sky Sports News HQ reporter James Cooper.”
May 26: “Harry Kane has reaffirmed his commitment to Tottenham after reports of interest from Manchester United.”
June 12: “BREAKING: Sky sources: Manchester Utd interested in signing Tottenham’s Harry Kane.”
It’s going to be a long summer of Harry Kane.
Posted: 12th, June 2015 | In: manchester united, Sports, Spurs | Comment
Transfer Balls: El Shaarawy no Arsenal bid and Clement Grenier no Arsenal link
Transfer Balls: Utter drivel in the Daily Express, which yells: “Arsenal Transfer News: Italian WANTS move, striker deal AGREED, midfielder DONE DEAL”
The Italian is AC Milan’s Stephan El Shaarawy.
“A move for El Shaarway? There have been several teams interested, Stephan is a player who lots of teams like,” Manuel El Shaarawy said. “We can’t rule anything out, the transfer market is always the transfer market.”
Mentions of Arsenal: nil. Although in the Daily Star that line is proof that that player “WANTS Arsenal move”.
The stiker is Joel Campbell, who “has reportedly agreed to join Fenerbahce ahead of the transfer window.”
That’s Campbell who, reportedly, wants to play for Real Sociedad.
And the ‘done deal‘ is for Clement Grenier who has agreed a “three-year deal at Lyon”.
Mentions of Arsenal: nil.
Such are no news facts in the dire Express.
Transfer Balls: Liverpool reject Manchester City’s £30m bid for Raheem Sterling
Raheem Sterling will not be leaving Liverpool to join Manchester City. Well, not yet. Liverpool have rejected City’s £30m offer for the England player.
The bid – 25 million, plus £5 million in potential future payments – falls well short of the £50m Liverpool wants for Sterling, whose contract ends in June 2017.
Should City offer more for Sterling, who favours a return to London?
Posted: 12th, June 2015 | In: Liverpool, Manchester City, Sports | Comment
Transfer Balls: Higuain loves Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United and topless Chiara, if she’d let him (photos)
Transfer Balls: The Daily Express’ Ben Jefferson tells us “The REAL reason Gonzalo Higuain wants Arsenal, Chelsea or Man Utd move”.
Higuain plays for Napoli. Sun readers think he plays for Arsenal – the Sun declared that Arsenal bought the player for £23m in 2013. You might suppose the “real” reason Higuain wants to play for Arsenal, Chelsea or Manchester United is because:
a) He loves all three clubs with all this heart
b) He can earn a fortune
c) They are the only three Premier League clubs he’s heard of
d) He thinks Manchester is in London
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: 11th, June 2015 | In: Arsenal, manchester united, Reviews, Sports | Comment
Transfer Balls: Real Madrid pay Casillas to go and make way for Manchester United’s David De Gea
Transfer Balls: who will be in goal for Arsenal next season? The Evening Standard reports that Arsenal are watching Real Madrid’s Iker Casillas.
The Times says Casillas will leave Real giants this summer after 25 years with the club – he’s been there since he was nine.
And that means Real getting a clearer run at Manchester United’s David De Gea.
Indeed, so keen are Real to get rid of Casillas they will top up whatever pay he earns at a new club to match his curent earnings.
De Gea is on his way.
Posted: 11th, June 2015 | In: Arsenal, manchester united, Sports | Comment
Transfer Balls: Manchester City’s £160m for Pogba, Sterling and de Bruyne is not fine with FFP
The Sun says Manchester City manager Manuel Pelligrini will be given a “blank cheque” to make his team Champion League winners. But very quickly into the story that blank cheque features a figure:
…owner Sheikh Mansour is ready to bankroll bids for the likes of Paul Pogba, Kevin de Bruyne and Raheem Sterling — worth £160million.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: 11th, June 2015 | In: Manchester City, Reviews, Sports | Comment
Transfer Balls: Manchester United agree to buy Chelsea’s Nicolas Otamendi from Valencia
Transfer Balls – a look at dire football reporting. The Daily Express says Manchester United have “BID” for Nicolas Otamendi.
The story of the Valencia player begins:
Manchester United are readying a £35million bid to sign Nicolas Otamendi, according to the Daily Mirror.
To the Mirror, then, where David Anderson has news:
We learn:
Otamendi is understood to have told Valencia of his desire to leave, with the Spanish club determined to receive their full valuation for the centre-back.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: 10th, June 2015 | In: manchester united, Reviews, Sports | Comment
Arsena Balls: Dan Smith never saw red for the tackle that ended Abou Diaby’s career but you might
Arsenal have said farewell to their French midfielder Abou Diaby, who has been released into the wild by the club. The French international Diaby made a single appearance in Arsenal’s starting XI this season, and that was in the Capital One Cup. That was an improvement on his tally for the previous season, where he came on once as a substitute. In season 2012-13 season he played 15 times.
For such a talented player, his lack of action is a travesty. Many will trace the 29-year-old’s stalled career to a horrible tackle from Sunderland’s Dan Smith in 2006. Arsene Wenger, the Arsenal said Diaby “was the victim of an assassin’s tackle that went unpunished.”
Smith never saw red for that “studs up” “petulant” tackle. He got only a yellow card.
Sunderland lost the game 0-3. And Diaby was forced to miss Arsenal’s UEFA Champions League final clash with Barcelona.
Read the rest of this entry »
Who Ate All The Pies: Manchester United Offer XXXXL Sizes Of New Kit
As of next season, Manchester United shirts are available in XXXXL.
The complaints were first made about United’s less-than-generous shirts while Nike were in power in Old Trafford, but the company believed there wouldn’t be enough demand for super-sized shirts and therefore refused to put them into production.
However, Adidas have since taken up the reigns and have agreed to produce a limited run of 4XL versions of their new 2015/16 shirt on a trial basis to test the waters.
As a result, a set number of 4XL jerseys will be available to order from the Old Trafford megastore when the kit officially goes on sale in August/September.
United will then monitor the sales and, if the demand is there, the shirts will become a permanent fixture in the range.
As it happens, United will become only the third Premier League club of offer shirts in size 4XL along with Newcastle and Tottenham, with the latter going one better and announcing that their new 2015/16 home shirt will be available in sizes right up to 5XL.
Here is said Spurs shirt, just to give you an idea of scale…
Anyway, we kind of sympathise with the United fans on this one.
Football shirt sizings have definitely become increasingly stingy over the past 10 years or so, with ever-thinning material and a misguided propensity for ‘athletic’ cuts also not playing into the hands of the average lumpy football fan (a category we most definitely fall in to).
Posted: 10th, June 2015 | In: manchester united, Sports | Comment
Transfer Balls: Manchester United tricked by The Metro and Daily Star’s Ronaldo, Bale, Benzema Bilge
Transfer Balls – a look at the twilight world for football journalism. Today The Metro says that Manchester United were “in transfer talks for Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Raphael Varane”.
Wow! Would Real Madrid really sell four of their players to Manchester United?
Writes Jamie Sanderson:
United have significant cash to spend this summer and the Daily Star claims contact has been made with Madrid for Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Raphael Varane.
Over to the Daily Star, then, where we learn:
Manchester United in contact with Real Madrid over AMAZING QUADRUPLE raid – MANCHESTER UNITED have made contact with Real Madrid for FOUR of their world-class stars.
Colin Harvey writes:
Spanish paper AS report that the Red Devils have spoken to Real over potential moves for Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Raphael Varane.
Over on AS we are told by Tomas Roncero:
Manchester United are looking to rebuild after finishing fourth in the Premier League, behind, Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal. According to information that AS has secured, United officials have requested contractual details of a number of current Real Madrid players including Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Cristiano, along with French defender, Raphael Varane.
The answer from the Bernabéu has been a resounding negative on all four cases.
About those transfer talks, Jamie…
Posted: 9th, June 2015 | In: manchester united, Reviews, Sports | Comment
Transfer Balls: Danny Ings Agrees to Play For Liverpool As Burnley Sell Him To Spurs
Transfer Balls time. News on the official Liverpool FC website is that Danny Ings “completes Anfield switch”.
Former Liverpool players lined up to welcome the Burnley player:
The Liverpool website went into full PR mode, informing fans of the 1o things they need to know about Ings.
Playing for Liverpool would be the pinnacle of Ings’ career:
But it’s all wrong becasue Burnley have formally accepted a late £12million bid from Tottenham for the 22-year-old striker.
This from the Independent:
Brendan Rodgers’ side have been very confident since January that [Ings] would sign for them but Tottenham’s late bid for the player will be taken into consideration if a tribunal meets to decide the fee.
Though Ings has no interest in joining Spurs, Burnley can cite the higher offer, as well as the player’s contribution for them, as relevant factors for consideration if the case comes before a Professional Football Compensation Committee (PFCC).
It’s also being reported that Burnley are holding out for £7-8million despite Ings being out of contract.
Liverpool are now attempting to hammer out a club-to-club agreement with the Clarets in an effort to avoid the wrangling going to a tribunal.
Football, eh…
Harry Redknapp has yet to make a spelling mistake on twitter
Former Spurs, Bournemouth, Portsmouth, QPR and Southampton manager Harry Redknpapp is on twitter. He’s yet to make a single typo.
Back in January 2012 Redknapp told City of London police on the matter of allegations of tax evasion, of which he was cleared in court:
“I can’t write … so I don’t keep anything … I can’t work a computer, I don’t know what an email is … I’ve never sent a fax and I’ve never sent a text message. I’ve never wrote a letter in my life. I couldn’t write a letter, I write like a two-year-old and I can’t spell. You talk to anybody at the football club, I don’t write. I couldn’t even fill a team sheet in”
In October 2014, he talked about twitter:
“I don’t read Twitter, I don’t even know what it is, I wouldn’t know how to read it and it doesn’t interest me one little bit”
And on 8 June 2015 Harry was a man reborn, telling the world via his Twitter account:
“Let’s see what this is all about then”
Look out for Redknapp championing the Government’s life-long learning schemes.
Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere is a rare glimpse of personality in a barren landscape
Jack Wilshere thinks the FA have behaved badly towards him. The FA say Wilshere brought football into disrepute by leading a chant inviting Arsenal fans to describe Tottenham Hotspur as “sh*t” and replying to “his old man”who told him to be a Tottenham fan with the line “sh*t, f*ck, bollo**s you’re a c**t”. Arsenal fans gleefully joined in.
The FA then saw the footage, read the media’s shock and horror and ordered Wishere to put some money in their swearbox.
“What do we think of the FA?” Wilshere should ask all football fans. The reply should be monosyllabic.
Wilshere, who looked a tad merry as he led a chant among what he saw as friends and like minds, thinks he’s been hard done by. He is, after all, being fined for swearing. WTF? He says:
“Apologies if I offended or upset any of u with my celebrations… Learning a lesson is one way of looking at it, but at the same time people have been giving me a lot of stick for having some fun and enjoying myself at the end of a successful season. We’ve worked hard all year as a group of players and we’ve won a trophy. That’s the best feeling in the world. No matter what job you do, if at the end of the year you get a promotion and a bonus, you’re going to go out and celebrate. I think criticism for that side of things was a bit harsh.
“I only found out when I reported for England duty. One of the press officers told me. It was a surprise. I didn’t know I’d been charged so I was like, ‘What?’ I don’t think I’m in a position to comment about it any further at the moment. It’s being dealt with by the FA and my club. What will be, will be.”
Adding:
“I am quite proud of my relationship with the fans. I’ve always had that bond with the Arsenal fans since I was young because I came through the club. I grew up at Arsenal and I love the fans, but believe it or not I’ve actually got family who are Tottenham fans, so it’s nothing personal against them. It was just a bit of fun.”
Of course it was bit of fun. He was inviting the fans to join him in mocking the local rivals. They knew the routine and joined in. Wilshere is one of their own. And what fan of any club can take offence at a homegrown player sharing their passion?
What do think of the FA, Jack? As FA Chairman Greg Dyke might put it: “F*** off. I never liked you anyway.”
Posted: 9th, June 2015 | In: Arsenal, Reviews, Sports | Comment
Oakland Athletics field MLB’s first ‘amphibious’ pitcher
We regret the error: Pat Vendiette is not the NBA’s first ‘amphibious’ pitcher. But the Oakland Atheltics is an equal opportunities employer.
Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere is rated the second worse player in England and Ireland
How football reporting works, with Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere and the Daily Mail team. Following a dire 0-0 friendly draw with Republic of Ireland, the writers got to work.
Neil Ashton: “Thank the lord for small mercies because at times Jack Wilshere shimmered on the ball, making the type of purposeful, driving runs that brought back memories of Paul Gascoigne striding through England’s midfield.”
Riath Al-Samarrai: “Jack Wilshere is almost alone in showing initiative… he is still the dynamic force in this team. A team performance that could not have been more subdued was at least partially lifted by Wilshere probing and searching from deep.”
John Downes: [Paul] Scholes’ praise of Wilshere continued after the game by stating that the Gunner was the only one in the England team who played well.
‘I think he (Wilshere) was the only one,’ Scholes added.
And now for the scores.
Rob Draper: “5/10. Previously thrived in this position but looked out of sorts. Too much was ineffective, epitomised by the awful first-half free kick routine with Lallana.”
That score marks Wilshere out as the second worst player on pitch. Of the 33 players who appeared for both sides only Chris Smalling (4.5) scored a lower mark than the Arsenal man.
As the player himself might ask, ‘What do you think of that?’
Posted: 8th, June 2015 | In: Arsenal, Reviews, Sports | Comment
Liverpool Balls: Raheem Sterling is thin-skinned, dusty and broken
In a game so dull it made you understand why FIFA settled on playing the World Cup on red-hot sand in Qatar, Ireland and England’s draw was remarkable for one thing: a few fans jeered and booed Liverpool’s Raheem Sterling.
“I think he’s going through a bad time publicly,” said England manager Roy Hodgson said. “You can’t expect people just to shrug off the criticism he has been receiving, not least from the local media in Liverpool. That becomes national pretty quickly. He does ever so well and tries well to shrug it off, to let his football do the talking. He needed this game to realise that, if he is going to get it out of his system, he’s going to have to work harder still and get a thicker skin than he has at the moment.
We only took him off today to give others a game, to air the squad.”
If Sterling is letting his football do the talking for him, right now he’s in whisper mode. And we do like the bit about airing the squad, as you would a mattress, cellar or attic. Sterling made way for Andros Townsend, who could have enlivened the moribund affair had he appeared dressed as Miss Havisham or a dusty bottle of wine.
So. Is Sterling going to play for England in Slovenia on Sunday?
“I have no reservations about playing him in Slovenia,” says Hodgson. “I trust Sterling, but players are not robots. He’s done some fantastic things for us, but today he didn’t hit those heights. It’ll take a lot before I and the English national team sway from Raheem Sterling.”
In the meantime, enough with the jering and the booing. Can fans not think up a decent chant to hail Raheem?
Watch FIFA wonk Ismail Bhamjee reveal the ‘rigged vote’ for World Cup 2010
The Sunday Times has a cracking story on FIFA troughing. The paper says back in October 2010 it showed FIFA a video of leading FIFA officials talking about bribery. Reporters gained access by posing as lobbyists.
The allegations are that the vote to host the 2010 World Cup was rigged in South Africa’s favour – and that Morocco was the actual winner.
Allegations are:
* The vote by 24 the Fifa executive committee (Exco) was rigged. At the final count South Africa (14) defeated Morroco (10) and Egypt (0).
* Ismail Bhamjee, an Exco member from Botswana, says: “After talking with everybody . . . Whose votes went where? We’re all colleagues, you know. And then we found out that actually Morocco won by two votes.” He says Exco members conferred after the vote and realised Morocco had won. Although Bhamjee says some some Exco members could have lied about their votes.
* The ballots were counted behind closed doors. Were they deliberately miscounted?
* It’s alleged FIFA suppressed the Sunday Times’ tapes and failed to investigate claims of bribery.
* It’s alleged members took bribes from Morocco and South Africa.
* Ahongalu Fusimalohi, the former Fifa Exco member from Tonga, says Morocco had offered him a $150,000 bribe for his vote. He did not take any money. But did others?
* It’s alleged that members Jack Warner, the former Fifa vice-president, took over $1m in bungs from both sides. Bhamjee is cited as having said: “I know they gave Jack Warner personally a lot of money for the Concacaf [Warner’s north America confederation]. But please, this is confidential.”
Michel Bacchini, a former Fifa director of competitions told the undercover reporters: “But Jack, they [the Moroccans] were paying him and at the end when they were voting here in Zurich, you know, he was making a big scene, he was running out of the hotel complaining that somebody was cheating. He was the guy who cheated, he was making a big scenario out of it. I know a hundred hundred per cent that he was voting for the South Africans and pretended to vote for the Moroccans. I always said you never have to pay any money upfront.”
FIFA has responded thus:
“It cannot have escaped even The Sunday Times’s attention that these matters are being investigated by the proper authorities, ie, government agencies, not newspapers. And Fifa is fully co-operating with these investigations.
Such are the facts.
Posted: 7th, June 2015 | In: Key Posts, Sports | Comment (1)
Transfer Balls: Manchester United lost £50m in Pogba, Morgan Schneiderlin and Ilkay Gundogen horror show
The Metro’s Jamie Sanderson has news that Manchester United and Morgan Schneiderlin have reached an agreement.
The inference is surely that Southampton’s French star is leaving the Saints for Old Trafford, Ilkay Gundogen is on his way and United are bidding for Pogba, a player who has already left them for a great career at Juventus.
Says Sanderson:
Manchester United are set to be one of the busiest clubs in the transfer market this summer. The club have £100million to splash on new players, and, after confirming the signing of Memphis Depay, are looking for other options.
£100m. But just one earlier the Metro told us that Manchester United had £150 in the kitty:
That budget is falling fast in The Metro.
Untroubled by reporting in his own apper, Sanderson ploughs on.
And if these rumours are true, it won’t be long before new players join him.
IF!
Schneiderlin is believed to have agreed terms with United despite strong links with Arsenal this summer.
Believed by whom?
IF!
United were reported two weeks ago to have finalised an agreement to bring in Gundogan from Borrusia Dortmund.
But they didn’t. Those reports were wrong.
IF!
United have made no secret of the fact they’re keen to bring Pogba back to Old Trafford. And they’re now doing something about it, with claims suggesting a £60.6million bid is about to go in to get him signed up.
Or as The Metro put it one day ago:
Such are the facts in The Metro, now rivalling the Daily Express and Daily Star as the biggest sources of utter Transfer Balls in the game.
Posted: 5th, June 2015 | In: manchester united, Sports | Comment
Transfer Balls: Paulo Dybala Joins Juventus For Less Than Arsenal ‘Bought’ Him For
Juventus have invested £24million in Paulo Dybala on a five-year deal. But it was not so long age that the Daily Star said the Palermo player was on his way to Arsenal. In fact, the deal had been agreed for £31m:
The Express agreed:
The Week said Dybala was off to Barcelona.
“Would I be open to a move to Barcelona? I would swim to Barcelona if they came knocking,” declared Dybala. “I wouldn’t even have to change into my swimming gear.”
That was all utter balls.
Transfer Balls: Raheem Sterling Is Off To Manchester United For £15m Less Than Manchester City Bid
Transfer Balls spots the rumours that Raheem Sterling is leaving Liverpool for Manchester United. The Daily Mirror says United will offer £25m for the England player. How it knows this is left unsaid. But, you know, “sources”.
ESPN says Liverpool would rather sell Sterling to Arsenal. The fee? Lots of money plus Theo Walcott and Kieran Gibbs.
The Star says Manchester City have £40m reserved for Sterling.
Not too long ago (‘hours’ – ed) Sterling was surely heading to Real Madrid, where he’d link up with former Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez.
Newly sat in the Real Madrid ejector seat, Benitez was very quickly reading aloud from the Real Madrid Big Book Of Transfers:
“We admire [Raheem], that’s no secret – but he is not one of our players so I can’t really comment on him.”
A Real Madrid comment is in actual fact a huge comment that Real want to buy Sterling.
As it is the lad’s gone nowhere.
