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The coach appeared to poke fun at the Cameroon international's age earlier in the season and he has now slammed the Portuguese, with his contract at the club having expired
Samuel Eto'o has labelled Jose Mourinho a "fool" after the Chelsea boss questioned the veracity of his official age earlier in the season.
Mourinho was unwittingly caught on camera lamenting the quality of the strikers at his disposal at a sponsors' event in Switzerland in February, and jokingly suggested that Eto'o could be older than he claims to be.
The now-33-year-old appeared to react in jest by celebrating his next Chelsea goal by holding his back in false pain, aping the manner of a geriatric.
However, Eto'o - who is now out of contract at Stamford Bridge - has blasted Mourinho for his comments, while also insisting that he can continue playing at the highest level for the foreseeable future.
"Today, I am 33-years-old - and it is not because a fool called me an old man that you must believe it," the Cameroonian told africanfootball.com.
"And you may have noticed that the old man was better than the youngsters. Some believe I am going to retire in the United States or in the Middle East, but I have regained the joy of the Champions League and I am going to carry on playing in the Champions League.
"Where? I am not going to tell you."
Eto'o is set to feature at his fourth World Cup for Cameroon next month, and the four-time African Player of the Year feels he could go on and break Lothar Matthaus' and Antonio Carbajal's record of playing at five World Cups.
"I am going to carry on playing because physically and mentally I feel great," he added.
"So I am going to go to this World Cup and to the next one when I will be 37. Some did it at 42, so I can still play at two more World Cups."
The manager-to-be is keen not to distract his Netherlands squad ahead of Saturday's friendly with Ecuador, while his backroom staff at Old Trafford is still to be determined
Manchester United will delay announcing Louis van Gaal as their new manager until next week at the earliest.
The Premier League giants have agreed terms with the 62-year-old but are to postpone confirmation of his appointment to allow Van Gaal to prepare the Netherlands squad ahead of Saturday’s friendly with Ecuador without any distractions.
Van Gaal is still to determine the make-up of his backroom staff, but wants to work with interim boss Ryan Giggs, with Netherlands assistant Patrick Kluivert understood to have decided against moving to England.
Giggs has filled in as player-manager since the April sacking of David Moyes and Van Gaal sees the United legend as a useful asset, along with former goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar, who could return the club in a coaching capacity.
The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss is expected to oversee an overhaul of the United squad upon his arrival, with the likes of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic already having left and Patrice Evra, who is a target for Juventus, unlikely to extend his Old Trafford career.
Van Gaal has already outlined his summer targets, with Luke Shaw - already the subject of a £27 million bid - joining the likes of Mat Hummels, Kevin Strootman and Edison Cavani on the Dutchman's wishlist.
European absence to cost Man United 30 million pounds
By Keith Weir
LONDON Thu May 15, 2014 6:40pm BST
Manchester United Old Trafford stadium is pictured ahead of their English Premier League soccer match against Everton in Manchester, northern England, December 4, 2013 file photo. REUTERS/Nigel Roddis
(Reuters) - Missing out on European soccer over the coming year will cost Manchester United more than 30 million pounds, the club said on Thursday, while reassuring fans it still had the money to rejuvenate its squad after a poor showing last season.
There was no word from the club, owned by the American Glazer family, on the hotly discussed identity of a new manager after the departure of David Moyes last month following a failed first season in charge.
United, English champions a record 20 times, are expected to confirm Dutch national team coach Louis van Gaal as their new manager, according to media reports, after Moyes was ousted.
The appointment could be formalised after the Dutch play Ecuador in a warm-up match on Saturday ahead of the soccer World Cup, which starts next month in Brazil.
Speaking to financial analysts, Executive Vice Chairman Ed Woodward said only that the club would make an announcement in "due course" on the new manager and remained active in the transfer market.
That suggests that Woodward and Van Gaal have already discussed potential recruits to strengthen a team that finished only seventh in the 20-team Premier League in 2013-14.
"Our aim absolutely is to get back into the Champions League," said Woodward, stressing the need to ensure that the absence from the top European competition was a one-off. The top four finishers normally qualify for the lucrative contest.
Woodward added that United had generated record revenue and profit in the three months to the end of March, despite the problems on the pitch. "This puts us in a healthy financial position to continue to invest in the squad," he said.
United have already been linked with a multi-million pound move for 18-year old Southampton full-back Luke Shaw, whose form this year has just earned him a callup to the England national squad for the World Cup.
"We will be active in the transfer market. Deals are being done," said Woodward, without naming any names.
Revenue in the three months to March rose 26 percent to 115.5 million pounds and operating profit reached 40 million.
For the year as a whole, the club stuck to its forecast for revenue of between 420 and 430 million pounds and EBITDA (operating profit) of 128 to 133 million.
United shares, quoted on the New York Stock Exchange, added 0.8 percent to $16.75, having risen from $14 when they were floated in August 2012.
FAILED SEASON
The financial effects of a rare failed season will be felt in 2014-15, when United will not play in Europe for the first time in more than two decades.
Moyes had been picked by his predecessor Alex Ferguson, who had become the most successful manager in British soccer in his 26 years in charge, but his performance fell short and the club faces heavy spending on new players in coming months to compete better next season.
"We estimate that the isolated impact on fiscal year 2015's EBITDA from not qualifying for European football will be in the mid 30 millions of pounds," Woodward said.
United got a bigger share of European revenue in the current year because they won the Premier League in 2012-13.
The European blow will be cushioned by a new shirt sponsorship deal that will involve players wearing the logo of General Motors' Chevrolet marque on their famous red shirts from the start of next season.
United said Moyes would get a pay off in the "single digit" millions of pounds after his departure less than a year into a six-year contract.
United are also facing a major decision on a new retail partner as their current contract with Nike expires next year. "We continue to have very good discussions with a number of parties," Woodward said of the talks.
United welcomed the application of new rules from European soccer's governing body UEFA to force clubs designed to rein in their losses, known as Financial Fair Play (FFP).
Their local rivals Manchester City, who have just won the Premier League, and French champions Paris St Germain, are reported to be facing fines and curbs on their Champions League squad sizes under the rules.
"Recent news has indicated that UEFA are taking a strong line on clubs that breach FFP rules," said Woodward. "We continue to support FFP," he added, saying the reform should rein in the costs of players transfers and wages.
Van Gaal, Giggs would be 'fantastic' at United - Schmeichel
Fri May 16, 2014 2:42pm BST
Former soccer player Peter Schmeichel of Denmark holds the slip showing ''Scotland'' during the UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying draw in Nice, February 23, 2014. REUTERS/Jean-Paul Pelissier
(Reuters) - Former Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel believes a combination of the experienced Louis van Gaal and Old Trafford hero Ryan Giggs would be "fantastic" for the club, he said on Friday.
Netherlands manager Van Gaal again refused to confirm his intentions to reporters at the Dutch training headquarters on Friday but he is widely expected to take over at United after the World Cup.
Giggs, who finished the season as acting manager after David Moyes was sacked, could stay on as his assistant.
Former team mate Schmeichel, who played almost 400 games for United, and is now an ambassador for the club, told Sky Sports news: "What Manchester United need more than anything is someone with a clear direction.
"Van Gaal, everywhere he's been, has always had a clear direction.
"Some of the places he's been it's led to outright war.
"I don't think that's going to happen here."
The former Danish European Championship winner said Van Gaal had the required experience for a job that proved too much for Moyes but that Giggs's knowledge of the club would be invaluable to him.
"I think we have a certain way we want to be, Van Gaal has a certain way of playing and I think it's not far from each other," Schmeichel added.
"It's very important that we have someone who's extremely experienced with the best players in the world. If it's him and it looks like it, it's a good fit.
"Ryan Giggs has been mentioned as his number two and I think that would be a fantastic pairing.
"You've got the young prospect, who's been here all of his life, and the manager who's coming in with his own ideas and if you can combine those two things it's great.
"It's important there's someone next to him who understands what kind of football club this is."
The Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal reacts during a news conference in Hoenderloo May 13, 2014. REUTERS/Michael Kooren
(Reuters) - Dutchman Louis Van Gaal faces a series of challenges to restore Manchester United to the top of the English and European game if, as expected, he is confirmed as the club's new manager next week.
Here are 10 issues which should be at the top of his to-do list when he starts work at Carrington.
1. Win the dressing room: Unreserved faith and support from United’s senior players will be imperative for Van Gaal to work in the right kind of atmosphere at Old Trafford, something his predecessor David Moyes apparently lacked.
It will also help if he sees things eye-to-eye with his assistant Ryan Giggs, who should play a crucial role in bonding the dressing room with the iron-fisted Dutchman.
A healthy relationship between the coach and the players is the basic prerequisite for United to restore the Alex Ferguson-era confidence that was so palpably shattered by poor results under Moyes.
2. Quality signings: Luring top names to a club missing out on Champions League football is not an easy task but Van Gaal will quickly have to identify his transfer targets and splash out a considerable amount of money to sign them.
With United set to lose 30 million pounds ($50.4 million) in revenues after failing to qualify for the Champions League or even the second-tier Europa League, there is no room for flops such as Marouane Fellaini, who joined last year from Moyes's former club Everton.
3. Sort out the defence: United’s back four looked very fragile under Moyes, with ageing stalwarts Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic struggling to perform to their former capability.
With the latter off to Inter Milan and the former also on his way out of Old Trafford, Van Gaal may be forced to turn to Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Jonny Evans, none of whom has convinced at the heart of the backline.
In all probability, the coach’s first priority in the transfer market will be to find a top central defender who will shore up the leaks. Left back also appears to be a weak link with Patrice Evra uncertain about his United future and Alex Buttner short of experience and quality.
4. Midfield: Juan Mata will certainly add bite up front in an attacking midfield role but United are still craving for a playmaker who acts as a link between defence and the forwards.
While Michael Carrick has done a decent job as a holding midfielder protecting the back four, his limited mobility and lack of thrust was always a glaring chink in United’s engine room after Paul Scholes stopped pulling the strings.
Signing a top name in this department will be another challenge for Van Gaal, who will also have to make the best use of Mata and Shinji Kagawa while hoping that the much-criticised Tom Cleverley can make substantial progress.
5. Revert to attacking football: Van Gaal’s philosophy is a perfect match with United’s long-standing strategy of always taking the game to the opposition, even if it sometimes meant risky attacking.
This trait was lost in big games under Moyes, notably in the Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich and clashes with top Premier League rivals Manchester City and Liverpool.
United looked completely at sea in a cagey formation and reports that the players never came to terms with it fuelled Moyes’s abrupt departure after only 10 months in charge.
6. Decide where to use Wayne Rooney: Having secured Rooney’s long-term future at the club, United will hope that the 27-year old will fire on all cylinders next season as the club aims to climb back into the Premier League’s top four.
Van Gaal will need to decide whether to use him as a “number 10” or an out and out striker, as Rooney can operate effectively in both positions.
His finishing needs to be more clinical for a striker and he also lacks the subtlety of an Alessandro Del Piero or Francesco Totti in a deeper role.
But if he is used consistently in a single position instead of being moved across the front line, Rooney could deliver under Van Gaal.
7. Move out of Ferguson’s shadow: United’s most decorated manager made it no secret he wanted Ryan Giggs to succeed Moyes after his temporary four-match stint as interim manager but the board went for Van Gaal and his impressive track record.
While Moyes was always going to be in Ferguson’s shadow, not only for the fact that the fellow Glaswegian watched his plight from the directors box, a man of Van Gaal’s ego and principles will accept nothing less than being his own man in every way possible.
Hence he might want to make clear to the players, staff and perhaps even the power corridors that the unprecedented haul of silverware under Ferguson is a bygone era meaning and that United have it all to do if they are to restore the fear factor among their rivals.
8. Handle the media: Being a United manager can be one of the most unforgiving jobs in football as Moyes found out and his plight was partly rooted in a seemingly uncomfortable relationship with the media.
Much like Ferguson, Van Gaal has the uncanny ability to dominate the press room and when the going gets tough for him at Old Trafford, he will need this acquired skill to stand firm in the line of fire.
9. Be honest with the supporters: The United faithful were determined to back Moyes and answer Ferguson's appeal in his farewell speech to "do your job and support the new manager".
However, they became increasingly disillusioned not just by the poor performances and results but also Moyes's refusal to admit the shortcomings of his team. He frequently said in post-match interviews after defeats that he thought his side had played well and had simply been unlucky.
But the fans were not fooled and Van Gaal must be more honest in assessing the team's failings and convince the supporters quickly that he knows how to rectify them.
10. Be your own man: Moyes seemed constantly torn between respecting the attacking traditions of United as a club and his own more conservative and pragmatic style which had served him well at Everton.
He admitted he was reluctant to take off a clearly struggling Robin van Persie as United tried to overturn a 1-0 deficit at Old Trafford against Newcastle because off what the supporters would think.
Ferguson made many unpopular decisions during his reign and was usually proved right in the long-term. Van Gaal must do the same.
(Writing by Zoran Milosavljevic, editing by Ed Osmond)
Lehmann calls for director of football at Arsenal & admits he is 'not sure' about Wenger
May 16, 2014 11:14:00 PM
The former Gunners keeper says he is "not pleased" that the club failed to win the Premier League title again and believes the best way forward is to appoint a sporting director
By Julian Bennetts
Jens Lehmann believes Arsene Wenger must appoint a director of football if Arsenal are to win either the Premier League or Champions League again during his reign.
Arsenal are strong favourites to end their nine-year trophy drought on Saturday when they face Hull City in the FA Cup Final at Wembley.
But Lehmann believes the Arsenal "brand" has been seriously weakened by their lack of trophies and says he is "not sure" whether Wenger is still the man to restore Arsenal to the heady days of 2004, when they went an entire season unbeaten.
Lehmann was the goalkeeper in that side, and he is the first of the 'Invincibles' to break rank and publicly question Wenger's future at the club.
“Is Arsene still the man to make Arsenal successful? I'm not sure,” Lehmann told Goal.
“I think in the current conditions it will be very hard for them to win something. They have to make changes.
“Arsene represents the club as no other [manager in world football]. Sometimes the structure has to be not only on two shoulders, or one man, but sometimes you need to have a couple of people who define, control and monitor the progress of the club and the philosophy, particularly the clubs that are always growing and the demands on managers are growing.
“If you have to do that always by yourself I doubt you can be successful.
“I think [chief executive] Ivan Gazidis is doing a great job there. But Gazidis came in when the times had changed a little bit.
“David Dein was supporting Arsene in terms of football, his valuation of players. At the time Arsene had the advantage of knowing the French market fantastically well.
“The markets have changed – the supply chain has changed. A club like Arsenal, who is majorly dependent on Arsene's view on football and philosophy and detection of new players, that is not enough any more.
“He is doing great but he can't do everything. A little bit of support on the sporting side in terms of football knowledge outside the training pitch, in my opinion could be helpful.
“Do I want him to stay but with a sporting director alongside him? Yes. Somebody like that can be there as support.”
Lehmann, who made over 200 appearances for the club. also believes Arsenal's standing in world football has been hugely damaged by their long run without a trophy.
“The FA Cup final is very important,” he added. “It's important for the club, the manager and the players. They have to win.
“The Arsenal brand is still a good brand but it isn't considered to be among the best football brands in the world any more.
“When I was playing there it was one of the two or three top brands in the world. It is a little disappointing it is not there any more. They have to start winning something and that will start on Saturday.”
Lehmann has also taken aim at Mesut Ozil, telling the club record signing he must improve his fitness to be considered 'world-class'.
Ozil, who cost €52m from Real Madrid last summer, has played 39 games for his new club this season but missed almost six weeks with a hamstring injury suffered against Bayern Munich in March.
And Lehmann also insists he does not care Arsenal's squad now contains five Germans, claiming it doesn't matter who they are if they don't win anything.
“You are a world-class player first when you play most of the games,” said Lehmann when asked about Ozil.
“You can't be a world-class player when you aren't available.
“Am I happy there is a German influence at the club now? I would be more pleased if they won the championship this year.
“No matter if they were German or not. They could have won it, they haven't won it – again. So I am not pleased. And when you don't win it more is needed – in every department.”
It would be 'very wrong' to expect too much of Barkley - Martinez
By Dejan Kalinic
May 16, 2014 12:52:00 PM
The 20-year-old has been called up to England's World Cup squad, but his domestic manager feels fans must embrace his potential rather than demand top performances
Everton manager Roberto Martinez has urged fans to lower their expectations of England midfielder Ross Barkley at the World Cup.
Barkley, 20, was rewarded for his strong Premier League campaign at Everton with selection in Roy Hodgson's 23-man squad for the summer tournament.
But Martinez warned it would be dangerous to expect too much of Barkley, who joined the likes of Raheem Sterling, Luke Shaw and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in a youthful England squad.
"We shouldn't expect Ross Barkley, at the age of 20, to go into a World Cup and be someone who has to win games single-handedly. That would be very wrong," he told reporters.
"What is important is, as a nation, we have a responsibility to look after a young man who goes to the World Cup with the only intention of helping England be as good as they can.
"He is still young and we have to protect him. If we protect him well we are talking about a potential world-class talent.
"But it is down to us to allow him time and a little bit of a path to fulfil his potential with England.
"My message to every English fan and supporter in general is that we should embrace the younger generation - and it is phenomenal to have that - who have been called up by the England manager.
"But we have to understand we carry a responsibility of allowing the young players to have a positive experience, whatever that is."
Arsenal end trophy drought with thrilling FA Cup win
By Mike Collett
LONDON Sat May 17, 2014 10:54pm BST
Arsenal's goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski (L) and Per Mertesacker lift the trophy to celebrate their victory against Hull City in their FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium in London, May 17, 2014. REUTERS-Darren Staples
(Reuters) - Arsenal ended their nine-year wait for a major honour when they beat Hull City 3-2 after extra time in a pulsating FA Cup final on Saturday after a dreadful start when they conceded twice in the opening eight minutes.
They recovered with a first half free-kick from Santi Cazorla, a second half equaliser from Laurent Koscileny and a brilliantly taken extra-time winner from Aaron Ramsey who scored with the outside of his right foot.
After the final whistle jubilant manager Arsene Wenger, in charge of Arsenal since 1996, confirmed he was staying at the club to end speculation over his future.
Wenger, showing rare emotion after he was doused with water by his celebrating players, replied "yeah, yeah, yeah" when asked if he was signing a new contract.
Not only was this Arsenal's first major honour since their FA Cup win in 2005, they equalled Manchester United's record of 11 FA Cup wins.
Wenger equalled former United manager Alex Ferguson's record of five FA Cup wins by a manager and Arsenal became the first team since Everton beat Sheffield Wednesday 3-2 in 1966 to win the FA Cup after coming from two goals down.
Frenchman Wenger, beaming with satisfaction, said; "We wanted to make history and win the game. It was the turning point in the life span of this team.
"If we hadn't have come back it would have been terrible. I praised the spirit many times of this team. Congratulations to Hull they played very well. "I always said my future doesn't depend on this match but I wanted to wait to see how it all goes."
He might well have been saying "Non ! Non ! Non!" after the opening eight minutes when Hull, playing in the FA Cup final for the first time in their 110-year history and whose trophy drought has gone on ever since, blasted their way into a 2-0 lead with goals from two of their three centre-backs, James Chester and skipper Curtis Davies.
Chester scored when Arsenal failed to cut our a mis-hit pass from Tom Huddlestone with Chester planting the ball wide of Arsenal keeper Lukasz Fabianski to give his team a shock lead.
Worse was to follow for Arsenal four minutes later when they failed to clear from a set-piece and Davies scored from a narrow angle after Fabianski had palmed the ball on to a post.
In some ways, although Hull were delighted to be ahead, the goals came too early in the match for them.
Arsenal, better in every position, ended the league season in great form with five straight wins to secure fourth place while Hull staggered over the finish line and ended 16th.
Arsenal's superiority, with Cazorla the main midfield creator and Ramsey showing glimpses of the form he had at the start of the season before injury sidelined him for three months, complemented him superbly and helped Arsenal dominate possession for long periods.
Despite their early advantage, Hull could not build on it, but matters might have turned out very differently if they had gone three up after 12 minutes when a dipping header from Alex Bruce was cleared from under the Arsenal crossbar by Kieran Gibbs.
Gibbs was guilty of a staggering miss after 78 minutes which could have haunted him if Arsenal had lost when, with just a touch needed to score what would probably have been the winner, he failed to find the target.
GREAT RESOLVE
Despite going behind Arsenal showed great resolve in their fightback and got a lifeline when Cazorla scored with a brilliantly struck freekick from 25-metres out after 17 minutes.
His strike evoked memories of Paul Gascoigne's famous free-kick for Tottenham Hotspur against Arsenal in the 1991 FA Cup semi-final at Wembley as it soared into the upper left-hand corner of the goal.
Arsenal continued to press and attack from both left and right wings but with striker Olivier Giroud having minimal impact on the Hull defence, they had to wait until Koscielny benefited from two lucky deflections to turn and equalise from close range after 71 minutes.
Giroud had a great chance to settle it early in extra time when he thundered a header against McGregor's bar before Arsenal's sublime winner set up by Giroud's back-heel.
"It's such a great feeling right now, I'm quite emotional thinking about it," matchwinner Ramsey said.
"We have conceded early a few times this season but we showed great strength and character today.
"That's up there with the most important goals I've scored and hopefully this is the first of many to come."
(Reporting by Mike Collett; editing by Toby Davis and Justin Palmer)
Sherwood: Spurs unrealistic to aim for top four
Tottenham were unrealistic to expect a top-four finish this season, according to former boss Tim Sherwood.
Sunday 18th May 2014
Spurs ended their Premier League campaign in sixth place, once again missing out on the coveted Champions League places, and Sherwood, who had taken over from Andre Villas-Boas as manager in December, was sacked as a result.
However, Sherwood says, following the sale of top scorer and talisman Gareth Bale last summer, it was highly unlikely the club would finish in the top four this term and reckons Spurs actually had a good season, finishing just three points shy of their record tally.
"At the beginning of the season the aim was to be in the top four and it always is for Tottenham," he told Sky Sports' Goals on Sunday programme.
"But when you actually analyse the season, taking out Gareth Bale with 21 goals, Jermain Defoe with 10 Premier League goals, Clint Dempsey with seven and replacing it with a very good goalscorer in Roberto Soldado who has never played in the competition before and six other players who'd never played in the competition before, realistically the expectation of finishing in the top four was far too great.
"To actually finish on 69 points, just one win short of our record number of points of 72, which we finished with last season, without one of the best players in the world in Gareth Bale, it wasn't a bad season."
Despite perceiving the campaign to be a good one, Sherwood had some harsh words about the position the club put him in and the attitude of some of the Spurs players during his time in charge.
The former White Hart Lane midfielder signed an 18-month deal when he took over from Villas-Boas but throughout his tenure there was continued speculation about his future as Spurs boss, with Ajax claiming Tottenham had enquired about Frank de Boer as a replacement.
He says that affected the players and reckons his scathing remarks about the mentality of some of his squad members following the 4-0 thrashing at Chelsea highlighted the difficulties he was facing.
"To be fair I think we did get the respect but that was largely down to our personalities more than the situation. If we'd been lesser characters I think we'd have had more dissenting voices," he said.
"When I gave them bad news they probably thought 'you're not going to be here next year so I haven't got to worry' and bit their lip a little bit.
"We always worked in the best interests of the football club, though, and never criticised anyone publicly.
"The criticism I gave after the Chelsea game was needed because the capitulation wasn't for the first time. They'd been doing it prior to our management and I felt they needed to be outed and shown they weren't pulling in the correct direction for the football club.
"The only ones who took exception to it are the ones you don't want because they know I'm pointing it at them, even though I never named names.
"It galvanised the ones I wanted and the ones who weren't pulling their weight for the badge, which I can't tolerate, especially at a club like Tottenham, never played. Whether that was due to injuries or I left them out, I went with the players I felt were fighting for the cause all the time, not just when they fancied it.
"We had a lot of players talking about 'if we're not making the Champions League perhaps I have to look somewhere else'. Well, good luck going to find a Champions League club. You have to be performing for the club you're playing for and for anybody to think they've outgrown Tottenham football club is wrong in my opinion.
"Three or four players came to me and said the individuals I dug out needed it, well done. My reaction was 'why didn't you tell them?'"
Sherwood's assistant at Spurs, Les Ferdinand, was also on the show and he also had strong words about the mentality of some members of the squad.
The former Tottenham striker believes the feeling that Sherwood would be dismissed this summer had a negative effect on people in all departments at the club, from players to support staff.
"When we talk about top four, the problem with Tottenham at the moment isn't the players' abilities I think you're looking at the mentality," he said.
"You don't get beat fours and fives by people in the top four if it isn't about your mentality. When you go to those teams in the top four you need to have a bit of swagger about you. Tottenham need to find that.
"They also need some continuity. The difficult thing for us is that you're at the club and you've got five months to prove yourself but if people realise you're not going to be there at the end of those five months they no longer need to impress you. They're going to wait for the next manager and make sure they're right to impress the next manager.
"That goes to the support staff as well. I'm not saying anyone let us down but if your mentality is 'a new manager is coming in', whatever the current manager is shouting about you're not going to listen to him are you?"
Manchester City insist UEFA sanctions limiting spending on transfers next season to £49million will not have a major impact on their campaign.
Saturday 17th May 2014
The limit has been accepted by the club as part of wide-reaching sanctions for breaching UEFA's financial fair play rules.
The Premier League champions have agreed a settlement offer with UEFA which confirms a number of other sanctions including a 60million euro fine (£49million) - though 40million euros of that will not be imposed if the club meets new break-even limits - and City being handed a reduction in their Champions League squad for next season from 25 to 21 players.
The sanctions also includes a salary freeze on their Champions League squad for the next two seasons.
City said in a statement they had agreed to limit their net spending on new players to 60million euro (£49million).
The statement said: "The club's expenditure on new players for the upcoming summer transfer window, on top of income from players it might sell, will be limited to 60m euros. This will have no material impact on the club's planned transfer activity.
City said there had been "a fundamental disagreement" over the interpretation of the FFP regulations on players purchased before 2010 but that it had "decided to enter into a compromise agreement with UEFA".
French club Paris St Germain were handed virtually identical sanctions as City, while the other clubs to have failed FFP were revealed as Galatasaray, Trabzonspor and Bursaspor from Turkey, Russian sides Zenit St Petersburg, Anzhi Makhachkala and Rubin Kazan, plus Levski Sofia from Bulgaria.
City's statement added: "The MCFC Champions League squad for the 2014-15 competition will be limited to 21 players. In 2013-14 the club registered 23 players for the competition and used 21.
"The wage bill of the whole club (playing and non-playing staff) for 2014-15 will need to remain at the same level as that of 2013-14 season.
"The nature of conditions that will result in the lifting of sanctions means that the club expects to be operating without sanction or restriction at the commencement of the 2015-16 season."
City have agreed to the cut losses to a maximum of 20m euros (£16.3m) for the 2013-14 financial year and a 10m euros (£8.2m) loss for the 2014-15 season.
City's £400million, 10-year Etihad sponsorship deal was passed by UEFA but the club have agreed not to increase the value of two "second-tier commercial partnerships" with other parties related to their Abu Dhabi-based owners.
The club has also agreed that revenues from the sale of image rights to related parties will not be included in future break-even calculations.
However, UEFA has downgraded the value of PSG's 200million euro annual deal with the Qatar Tourism Authority and "a fair value, significantly below that submitted by the club, has been assigned", said the European body.
Milinkovic to join United
Manchester United have reached agreement with Serbian side FK Vojovdina to sign teenage keeper Vanja Milinkovic.
Sunday 18th May 2014
The 17-year-old will remain with his current club next season before making the move to England.
Milinkovic made six appearances for Serbia in the qualifying phase for the UEFA Under-17 Championship, keeping three clean sheets, but they just missed out on reaching the tournament.
He would follow in the footsteps of compatriots Nemanja Vidic and Zoran Tosic if he makes his way into the United first-team in the coming years.
The deal kicks off United's transfer business for the summer, although they remain without a permanent manager in the wake of David Moyes' dismissal last month - reports suggest Louis Van Gaal will be appointed early next week.
The Premier League has defended its working environment after the woman who blew the whistle on sexist emails sent by chief executive Richard Scudamore said she was "humiliated, belittled and disgusted" when reading the messages.
Sunday 18th May 2014
Rani Abraham, who worked as a temporary personal assistant for Scudamore, told the Sunday Mirror: "This is not the sort of thing that goes on in offices these days."
It comes after the Football Association's independent board member Heather Rabbatts, who will chair a meeting of its inclusion advisory board to discuss the case on Tuesday, issued a statement saying Scudamore should consider his position in light of "growing evidence of a closed culture of sexism" at the Premier League.
A Premier League statement said a review of the matter was under way ahead of a hearing by its audit and remuneration committee on Monday.
The statement said: "We do not recognise this characterisation of the working environment at the Premier League, nor do we believe that it can be supported by the facts.
"The chief executive has already apologised for any offence caused and a proper review of all the evidence is now under way within the Premier League's established and rigorous procedures.
"This process is not yet concluded and it is therefore not possible to offer comments in detail at this stage. However we will make a further statement in due course
"The Premier League continues to be fully committed to treating all staff fairly and on merit, regardless of gender."
The emails referred to women in a derogatory terms, contained sexual innuendos, and made jokes about "female irrationality".
Abraham felt she had a duty to speak out about the contents of emails between her boss and his lawyer friend.
"Mr Scudamore has a huge amount of influence and is paid a vast sum of money and has behaved wrongly," she said.
"Having witnessed that I felt I had a duty to speak out. If I didn't then I'd somehow be condoning his behaviour - just like the other people who saw those messages.
"Despite what some people have said since the Sunday Mirror printed the story last week, this is not the sort of thing that goes on in offices these days.
"And for those people who've attacked me for saying they were just 'jokes' I wonder how they would feel if their wife or girlfriend or daughter had to read messages like that.
"And how would they feel if those messages were written about their wife or girlfriend or daughter?"
Since the story broke a week ago, a number of England women internationals have expressed their outrage at the emails, and FA chairman Greg Dyke called them "totally inappropriate".
Sponsor Barclays has expressed also its disappointment to the league, which has raised the stakes ahead of Monday's meeting of the league's audit and remuneration committee, chaired by Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck.
Buck's involvement has also raised questions however, as he is known to be a friend and shooting partner of Scudamore's. The Premier League is reported to have brought in Milltown Partners public relations agency to advise it on handling the crisis, the PR company which also works for Chelsea.
Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore arrives for a Premier League panel hearing in central London April 27, 2007. REUTERS/Toby Melville
(Reuters) - The Football Association will take no action against Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore over sexist emails leaked by a former personal assistant, the governing body said on Tuesday.
Scudamore, 54, was forced to apologise after the comments, made in a private email, were leaked to a Sunday newspaper by the female employee who had a temporary job at the Premier League.
The Premier League announced yesterday that Scudamore would keep his job after acting on the findings of an inclusion advisory board that said there was no discrimination in its working environment.
Scudamore had faced heavy criticism, including from Sports Minister Helen Grant, who called the comments "completely unacceptable".
In a statement FA chairman Greg Dyke reiterated that as Scudamore was not an employee, the organisation could not take a position in terms of employment policy or take disciplinary action.
"We were of the view that was a matter for the Premier League and we asked them to keep us informed of the actions they were taking," he said.
"In terms of wider FA disciplinary action, it was advised that The FA does not as a matter of policy consider private communications sent with a legitimate expectation of privacy to amount to professional misconduct. The FA has applied this policy on an ongoing basis and in relation to numerous other cases."
Peter McCormick, the acting chairman of the Premier League, explained to Dyke how the investigation into Scudamore's comments was carried out.
"He assured me they had followed proper process under their own employment and disciplinary rules and had conducted a thorough investigation.
"We said last week that we considered the contents of the emails in question to be totally inappropriate and are still of that view, as is the Premier League.
"It is important to reiterate the significant focus The FA gives to equality, not least through the work of its Inclusion Advisory Board, and to tackling all forms of discrimination."
The statement added that FA board member Heather Rabbatts, who accused the Premier League of having a "closed culture of sexism" and said Scudamore should give "serious consideration" to his position, would follow up with the Premier League on how the organisations can work together on its inclusion agenda.
Scudamore has helped make the Premier League the most lucrative league in the world since taking over as chief executive in 1999. The competition now has a global TV rights deal worth more than three billion pounds.
Dutch soccer team manager Louis van Gaal smiles during a news conference in Tallinn September 5, 2013. REUTERS/Ints Kalnins/Files
(Reuters) - Louis van Gaal wants to put Manchester United back top of the English game as soon as possible, he said on Tuesday after being confirmed as the Premier League club's manager.
”My ambition is to have them back top where they were in the years of (Sir Alex) Ferguson,” he told reporters in Amsterdam as he flew out to Portugal with the Dutch national squad for training camp.
“I have always had a winning mentality and will find a system to make sure we are not beatable.
“They are hoping I can do it in my first season. I did it in Spain (with Barcelona) in my first season and I think I can do it in England too. I think it is a difficult task but a fantastic challenge.
“At such a big club it is always going to be difficult but I’m very happy to have the chance. I said last October that I’d like to coach in England but I never thought it would be with the biggest club in the world.”
The 62-year-old Van Gaal said he was already in deep discussion over new signings for next season but refused to confirm he had been handed a considerable budget to strengthen the team after a disappointing season.
“I’ve haven’t talked to them (the club) about money, only over the players that I would like to have and those that may leave," he said.
Asked whether his first signing might be Dutch midfielder Kevin Strootman, who will miss the World Cup because of a knee injury, he added: “That’s for you to ask and me to know.”
UNCONVINCING DENIALS
Van Gaal hinted at his frustrations over recent weeks as mass media speculation about his move to Old Trafford had to be met with unconvincing denials.
“It’s a process and I couldn’t tell what was happening. I found it frustrating because for several weeks I have had to peddle ‘no's’ when I am, in general, usually open-hearted,” he said.
The World Cup-bound coach, who last year announced his decision to quit the Dutch job after the tournament in Brazil, said the process of signing for Manchester United had been relatively quick.
“It didn’t take very long. I was approached directly after the sacking of (David) Moyes. I have negotiated much longer with other clubs.”
He said he had already had intensive discussions with his new club over his coaching staff, the playing squad, the pre-season preparations and the youth development set-up at the club.
“I have no agent but I had a friend who is a specialist in negotiating to do the deal for me. If you negotiate yourself it affects your relationship with those seeking to appoint you and I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
Van Gaal said he had sent a text message to family and friends 30 minutes before Monday’s announcement, including one to Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, his former assistant in Spain.
“He was the first who responded. He said he was jealous of the list of clubs that I have worked at,” said Van Gaal, who first coached Ajax Amsterdam and has worked at Barcelona twice, Bayern Munich and won the Dutch title with unfashionable AZ Alkmaar in 2009.
Allardyce to stay at West Ham but must entertain more
LONDON Tue May 20, 2014 3:53pm BST
West Ham United's manager Sam Allardyce reacts in front of Tottenham Hotspur's manager Tim Sherwood during their English Premier League soccer match at Upton Park in London, May 3, 2014. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth
(Reuters) - Sam Allardyce will remain as West Ham United manager next season, the Premier League club said on Tuesday, although he will be expected to deliver a more entertaining style of play.
The 59-year-old steered the east London side to 13th place in their second season back in the top flight, but came in for criticism from fans for the manner in which the team played.
The team was booed by supporters after a 2-1 league win over Hull City in March, having failed to dominate the opposition despite playing against ten men for over an hour.
They also faced jeers after defeat by West Bromwich Albion the following month, with Allardyce's supposed long ball tactics failing to satisfy those craving more eye-catching methods at a club once noted for its enterprising style.
"We have a very clear vision of how we want West Ham United to operate under our joint ownership," joint-chairmen David Sullivan and David Gold said in a statement on the club website (www.whufc.com), following lengthy talks with Allardyce.
"Although not everybody understands the West Ham way, we do and we respect it as we have been supporters all our lives. We believe this is about a philosophy that is not just about the style of play, but the whole ethos that surrounds the club.
"Sam was asked to give us a detailed presentation on his vision for next season and during this he assured us that he can deliver that ethos to West Ham United and we have agreed to support him with the resources that he needs."
The club will hire a new attacking coach and overhaul the scouting and recruitment operation. Funds will be available for investment in the squad.
Allardyce joined West Ham in June 2011 and guided them to promotion from the second-tier Championship before securing a 10th-place finish in the Premier League the next season.
They were hampered this season by a number of injuries, including a lengthy layoff to record signing Andy Carroll, and were in the relegation zone around the turn of the year.
They ultimately pulled away from the drop zone and Sullivan and Gold said they had to balance ensuring their Premier League survival with entertainment on the pitch ahead of a move to London's Olympic Stadium in 2016.
"I look forward to taking the club forward and improving the squad for next season to try and achieve the plans we have set out in our very productive meeting last week," former Bolton, Newcastle and Blackburn manager Allardyce said.
(Reuters) - English champions Manchester City have bought a stake in Japanese J-League club Yokohama F-Marinos, expanding their links with overseas soccer clubs.
City, owned by Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Mansour, have already bought Australian club Melbourne Heart and are launching the New York City Football Club next season as part of their commercial expansion from their base in northern England.
"We're thrilled to be able to play a role in investing and building on the ongoing success of YF Marinos," City chief executive Ferran Soriano said in a statement on Tuesday.
City are taking a stake of less than 20 percent in the Japanese club, which has long established ties with the Nissan car company who remain its main backer.
The Premier League club will provide support in areas like training methods, coaching and medical care to YF Marinos who have not won the J-League since 2004. In return City will get additional revenues and a chance to boost their brand in Japan.
The deal was described as the first significant foreign investment in a Japanese J-League team.
"The YF Marinos is an excellent soccer club with a rich history which has grown hand in hand with Nissan," said Carlos Ghosn, Nissan President and CEO.
"This partnership will contribute to the growth of the club, the club's hometown and Japanese soccer," he added.
City, English champions twice in the past three seasons, have been fined and had their Champions League squad size capped for next season after falling foul of Financial Fair Play rules.
The club say that they are on course to move into profit from next season after Sheikh Mansour ploughed hundreds of millions of pounds into creating a team capable of competing with the best in Europe.
(Writing by Keith Weir, 44 20 7542 8022; editing by Martyn Herman)
Southampton's Adam Lallana (R) celebrates scoring during their English Premier League soccer match against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane in London, England March 23, 2014. REUTERS/Andrew Winning
(Reuters) - Southampton's England stars Luke Shaw and Adam Lallana would be safely secured at the south coast Premier League club if former chairman Nicola Cortese were still at the helm, the Italian said on Wednesday.
"We created those talents - it was key to keep them," he said in an interview with the BBC, his first since quitting in January. "You don't produce them just to sell, otherwise you give away your ambition."
Left-back Shaw is believed to be the subject of a 27 million pounds offer from Manchester United, while Liverpool have targeted creative midfielder and Saints skipper Lallana with what is reported to be a 20 million pounds bid.
Cortese, who became chairman when Southampton were a League One (third division) club five years ago, said that he was confident the big names at the side would not have left during his watch, and that he had never feared losing players.
"I can tell you that I didn't have that fear to the last day I was at the club. I was confident about plenty of conversations I had with the players.
"I knew the players themselves wanted to stick together because this vision was something they believed in, too. I didn't see any reason for them to go.
"I didn't have written offers, but I obviously had phone calls. My answer was that it was not going to happen for at least the next two seasons. The other chairmen respected that. Until the day I left, there were no offers."
Shaw and Lallana's stock has risen considerably in the last six months, however - not least because the pair are in England manager Roy Hodgson's squad for the World Cup, along with team mate Rickie Lambert.
DEEPER POCKETS
Cortese cautioned Southampton's in-demand young manager Mauricio Pochettino from having his head turned by clubs with deeper pockets.
"When you plan a career, it is important to make the right decision at the right time. Often we have maybe seen people take too quick a step which ultimately backfires," he said.
Cortese appointed the 42-year-old in January 2013, and the former Argentine international led Saints to eighth place in the Premier League with a club record 56 points.
His stellar season has seen him become the bookmakers' favourite to take over at Tottenham Hotspur, following Spurs' sacking of Tim Sherwood last week.
Southampton are believed to have tabled an improved contract for the Argentine, but Pochettino has kept his counsel over the affair. His players are none the wiser, and are waiting to see how the situation resolves itself.
"It's up in the air and we're not too sure at the moment," Saints striker Jay Rodriguez told talkSPORT.
"He (Pochettino) is unbelievable. I think anyone will say what a great manager he is and what a good guy he is, to see how well he's done with the type of football we're playing."
The manager himself has proved enigmatic on the subject, and has said little to ease fans' fears he will leave the south coast for a club with deeper pockets.
"There is an owner of the club, there is a chairman of the club and I am just a football manager," he told local media earlier this month, eschewing an opportunity to pledge his future to Southampton.
Cortese said: "I don't know what has happened since I left, so it is difficult for me to judge whether he potentially wants to leave or whether the offer from another club is really that good. That is beyond my knowledge, but he is ambitious and rightly so."
(Writing by Ossian Shine; Editing by Patrick Johnston)
The Portuguese was caught making disparaging remarks about the Cameroon striker in February and the 33-year-old has now hit back, while insisting that he is still physically fit
Samuel Eto’o has reignited his war of words with Jose Mourinho, branding the Chelsea manager a “puppet” while insisting he remains capable of performing at the highest level.
Mourinho was caught on camera making disparaging remarks about the quality of the club's strikers at a sponsors' event in Switzerland in February, and suggested that Eto'o could be older than he claims to be.
The 33-year-old Cameroon international, who scored 14 times during what is likely to be a single season at Stamford Bridge, broke his silence on the matter last week - branding Mourinho a “fool” - and is refusing to let the matter lie.
Asked about the nature of his relationship with the Portuguese coach, Eto’o told Cafonline: "Contrary to what a puppet says about my age, I am still physically fit. At 33, I feel really good. I have proven that I can do better than the younger players.
"And I wish to also say that I am not going to the United States or to the Middle East. I will continue at the top level. I will continue to play the Champions League. My romance with this competition is far from over.
"I will not tell you where, but I will be at the top level. I am 33 and I have two World Cups to play. There are other players who went on until the age of 41 so there is no reason why I cannot continue."
Chelsea are in advanced talks with the Ligue 1 champions to sell the centre-back, who has fallen down the pecking order under Jose Mourinho, ahead of the World Cup
By Wayne Veysey | UK Correspondent
David Luiz is on the brink of sealing a sensational €49 million move to Paris Saint-Germain.
Chelsea are in advanced talks to sell the defender to the French big spenders and the deal is expected to be finalised before the World Cup.
PSG have swooped for the Brazil international to fend off interest in Luiz from Barcelona, who are now likely to turn their attention to his international colleague Marquinhos. The 20-year-old, who only joined from Roma last summer, is likely to leave Paris as a result of Luiz's imminent arrival.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has given the green light to the departure of Luiz, who was forced down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge following the arrival of the Portuguese, who preferred the John Terry-Gary Cahill partnership at the back.
A fee of approximately €49m has been agreed with the French champions, and Luiz, 27, is preparing to interrupt his World Cup preparations to fly to Paris to finalise terms and undertake a medical.
The deal represents a huge flexing of PSG's financial muscle, with the fee a world record for a defender, eclipsing the €43m the club paid AC Milan for Thiago Silva two years ago.
It is the third significant profit Chelsea have made on a player this year who has not been a first-team regular under Mourinho.
Juan Mata joined Manchester United for £37.1m in January, shortly after Kevin De Bruyne moved to Wolfsburg for €18.5m.
With Luiz also handing Chelsea a transfer profit of around €18.5m, the Londoners are well placed to fall in line with Uefa's Financial Fair Play regulations.
Money has also been freed up for Mourinho to purchase his primary targets, including striker Diego Costa.
A €43m deal for the Atletico Madrid star has already been agreed and is expected to be finalised shortly after the Spanish club's participation in Saturday's Champions League final.
The 33-year-old has clashed with Jose Mourinho and is keen on a move to China but is demanding a salary worth €10 million per season in order to join Marcello Lippi's side
Guangzhou Evergrande are in talks to sign Chelsea striker Samuel Eto’o, Goal understands.
The 33-year-old is set to leave Stamford Bridge as a free agent this summer and Marcello Lippi, who manages the Chinese club, has made the forward his priority signing.
The former Italy coach is keen to bolster his attacking options with a striker who possesses substantial international pedigree. But while Eto’o is willing to move to China, his wage demands of €10 million [£8.1m] per season have been the biggest drawback in the ongoing negotiations.
Eto’o scored 12 goals in 34 appearances for Chelsea but was angered by comments made by Jose Mourinho regarding the veracity of his age.
Earlier this season, the Chelsea manager was caught on camera suggesting that the Cameroon international was older than 33.
Eto’o has subsequently branded Mourinho a “puppet” and a “fool” in two separate interviews.
Guangzhou Evergrande are confident of securing a deal for Eto’o but are considering Alberto Gilardino as a back-up option. Genoa want €5m [£4m] for the 31-year-old.
Chelsea, meanwhile, have agreed a £35 million deal for Atletico Madrid striker Diego Costa. The 25-year-old has been handed a five-year contract worth £150,000 a week.
