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The Gunners have been linked with a number of marquee players, including Real Madrid's Sami Khedira, but the Frenchman played down suggestions of any imminent arrivals
Arsene Wenger claims Arsenal are not set to sign anyone in the coming days, following their 0-0 Champions League draw with Besiktas on Tuesday evening.
The Gunners have spent over €62 million on Alexis Sanchez, Calum Chambers, David Ospina and Mathieu Debuchy this summer, but continue to be linked with the likes of Real Madrid midfielder Sami Khedira and Sporting Lisbon star William Carvalho.
Yet Wenger has now revealed that the club are not actively attempting to finalise any deals.
“Not at the moment, no,” he told the Gunners’ official website when asked if a transfer was close. “I have nothing special to add on that at the moment. Honestly, we are not close to signing anybody.”
Wenger admits the club are “short” in defence but hopes to be able to field World Cup winning centre-back Per Mertesacker - along with compatriots Mesut Ozil and Lukas Podolski - in this weekend’s Premier League clash with Everton.
"We are a bit short at the back, yes you're right," he added. "But we should have [Per] Mertesacker and [Mesut] Ozil and [Lukas] Podolski available again at the weekend. Let's hope they are in good shape when we go home."
Hull midfielder Robert Snodgrass has been ruled out for six months with a dislocated kneecap.
Wednesday 20th August 2014
Tigers manager Steve Bruce revealed the extent of the injury to Snodgrass ahead of the club's Europa League qualifier against Lokeren in Belgium on Thursday, a club spokesman confirmed.
And it could get worse for Snodgrass who is due to undergo scans to investigate possible ligament damage.
Snodgrass was one of Bruce's big summer signings after his £7million move from Norwich.
The 26-year-old pulled up with a suspected twisted knee in the first half of his side's 1-0 Barclays Premier League win at QPR on Saturday.
Snodgrass wrote on Twitter: "Gutted ....!!! But I will work as hard as I can to come back fitter and stronger."
Malky Mackay is expected to beat Tim Sherwood to the vacant Crystal Palace
Wednesday 20th August 2014
The former Cardiff boss is now the clear front-runner to succeed Tony Pulis at the south London club, but Palace have remained tight-lipped on the situation.
Selhurst Park bosses are believed to be close to finalising a three-year contract for Mackay, with bookies suspending bets on his appointment.
Former Tottenham bosses Sherwood and Martin Jol had been under serious consideration by the Palace board, but Mackay's close relationship with sporting director Iain Moody should tip the balance in his favour.
The duo worked in tandem at Cardiff, before Mackay was sacked in December.
Former Watford boss Mackay could be in place to lead Palace in Saturday's Barclays Premier League clash with one of his former clubs, West Ham.
Pulis walked out on Palace on the eve of the league season after disagreements with co-chairman Steve Parish over transfer strategy.
The ex-Stoke boss landed the manager of the year award for steering Palace from the depths of a relegation battle to an impressive 11th-place finish last term.
His forthright style clashed with Parish and Moody across pre-season, leading to his departure.
Now Palace look prepared to reunite Mackay and Moody, while also retaining the remainder of the backroom staff that worked under Pulis.
Sherwood had been understood to favour a reshuffle of the behind-the-scenes coaching roster, while Palace are aiming to keep what semblance of continuity possible in the wake of Pulis' surprise exit.
Palace have signed just Fraizer Campbell, Brede Hangeland and Martin Kelly so far during the transfer window, with the board intent on adding at least three more recruits.
Caretaker coach Keith Millen assumed control for Palace's opening league fixture, the 2-1 defeat at Arsenal.
Selhurst Park chiefs remain hopeful Pulis' replacement can be installed in time for the weekend's West Ham clash.
Louis van Gaal has made a breakthrough in his mission to reinforce Manchester United's defence after a deal was struck to bring Marcos Rojo to Old Trafford
Marcos Rojo of Argentina challenges Thomas Mueller of Germany during the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazi
Wednesday 20th August 2014
Sporting Lisbon on Tuesday night sanctioned the sale of the Argentina international to United, with Portuguese winger Nani returning to his former club as part of the deal.
Centre-back Rojo, 24, will become a United player should he pass a medical and agree personal terms, the Barclays Premier League club announced through their official Twitter feed.
Sporting welcomed Nani back to the Estadio Jose Alvalade and revealed that they will use nine million euros (£7.2m) from the reported £16m fee for Rojo towards the construction of their new indoor arena, the Pavilhao.
Rojo is equally comfortable at centre-back as he is at left-back and played all 120 minutes of July's World Cup final as Argentina lost to Germany after extra-time in Rio de Janeiro.
In an interview with the radio station Continental in his homeland, quoted in several national newspapers, he said: "It's a dream to play at Manchester United and I am very proud of having the chance of working with Van Gaal.
"I spoke with Juan Sebastian Veron about Manchester United when we were at Estudiantes. I have always liked English football, and I should adapt to this new playing style easily."
United's move for Rojo had been complicated by a row between Sporting and a third-party ownership group, while the player upset his employers by initially refusing to train in a bid to push through the deal, although he later apologised and returned to work.
"There was a misunderstanding, I never wanted to do something wrong at Sporting as I have always been very thankful to that team that gave me many chances for playing in Europe," Rojo said.
"If I made a mistake, I have already apologised because I didn't want to hurt the feelings of anyone at the club."
The 27-year-old Nani, who moved to Manchester seven years ago, is understood to have joined the Lions on a season-long loan, but neither club has released details pertaining to the winger's move.
The Cape Verde-born player spent four years as a Sporting player after leaving Real Massama in 2003.
He has made 228 appearances in all competitions for United, scoring 40 goals.
Wenger hints at move for defender & defensive midfielder
By George Ankers
Aug 21, 2014 10:34:00
The Arsenal boss admits that he will have to "be creative" if captain Mikel Arteta is out for a lengthy spell but backs Calum Chambers to continue performing well at centre-back
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger admits that he is open to bringing in both a defensive midfielder and defensive cover before the transfer window closes, though the club will not panic into making new signings.
The Gunners have had a €25 million bid for Sporting Lisbon midfielder William Carvalho rejected but are close to securing Greece international defender Kostas Manolas after the Olympiakos man underwent a medical.
When asked about the possibility of signing a defensive midfielder, Wenger told the press: "We are not against that, no.
"If it's a long-term injury [for Mikel Arteta] that puts us in a position where we have to be creative."
The Gunners are also light at the back following Thomas Vermaelen's transfer to Barcelona, with teenager Calum Chambers filling in at centre-back while Per Mertesacker returns to full fitness after his World Cup exploits.
Despite the former Southampton defender's success in the heart of the defence, Wenger remains on the lookout for signings to bolster his back line but is confident that Chambers can deal with any challenges in the mean time.
"We are not in an emergency case but we are open to any opportunity to strengthen our defensive department," revealed the Frenchman ahead of his side's clash with Everton.
"It is a big test [for Chambers against Romelu Lukaku] but it was also a test against Demba Ba [against Besiktas]."
No regrets over Fabregas joining Chelsea, insists Wenger
By George Ankers
Aug 21, 2014 12:09:00
The Gunners manager is still sad that he was unable to prevent the midfielder from leaving north London in 2011 but does not begrudge him his move to Stamford Bridge
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is adamant that there are no hard feelings over former captain Cesc Fabregas's move to Chelsea this summer.
The one-time Gunners hero departed north London to rejoin boyhood team Barcelona in 2011 but struggled to nail down a first-team place before being sold to the Blues in July.
Fabregas played his first competitive match for Jose Mourinho's side on Monday, setting up two goals in a 3-1 Premier League victory over Burnley, but the Frenchman insists he does not regret missing out on his old player.
"I have no regrets that Fabregas [joined Chelsea]," Wenger told reporters.
"My only regret is that he left us in the first place."
Arsenal have a well-stocked midfield even without Fabregas, with few players in the top flight drawing as much praise as Aaron Ramsey over the past 12 months, and Wenger is excited about the Welshman's progress.
"Aaron Ramsey has a different style to Fabregas but he has huge potential," the Gunners boss enthused of the 23-year-old, who was sent off against Besiktas on Tuesday.
Roberto Martinez is cautiously optimistic about the midfielder's recovery and says that he will consider the fitness of also-injured Arouna Kone and Bryan Oviedo before buying
Everton manager Roberto Martinez remain unsure as to for how long Ross Barkley will be out with a knee injury.
Having picked up the problem in training on Friday, the young England international's start to the new season has been disrupted – though the Toffees boss has dismissed suggestions that he could miss as much as five months of action.
Martinez told reporters at Everton's training ground: "It's a little bit too early to know how long he's going to be out but the reports about the five months ... where was that comment from?
"We all know it's a partial tear and that could take a very different time depending on the player and I'm sure, with Ross Barkley, it will take a little time - possibly between seven, eight, nine weeks."
The Spaniard believes that a player Barkley's physique can often recover from an injury quicker than most is pleased with his early efforts in recovery.
"You would expect with such a physically strong boy that he has recovered a lot quicker in the first few days," Martinez added. "At the moment we are very, very pleased with his progress, he's got his knee in a brace and at the moment every day is a day we are getting a lot of benefit in his recovery."
Though Barkley's injury could provoke a rush to find cover in the transfer window, the Everton boss is keen to be careful and weigh up how other injured stars like Bryan Oviedo and Arouna Kone are getting on before reinforcing further.
"There's going to be many links [but] there's a long time left in the window," he added. "We are more focused than ever to see how strong we are internally.
"It depends on how the injured players progress. We're keeping a close eye on Oviedo and Kone [and] if they're going to be immediately involved or take a little while. It's true over the next two weeks we need to take that into consideration as then the transfer window closes."
However, Martinez feels that his current squad are versatile enough to cope as they are, explaining: "We are a team that needs to be flexible in how we approach games because we have players who can adapt and be real thinkers on the pitch.
"We've never been a rigid team and you want to be able to adjust. We want to be flexible and we'll always try to have individuals who can cope with that.
"I'm delighted with the squad we have [but] we need to be a little bit open-minded with what we do in the window."
Cameron Jerome has become the third striker to join Norwich this summer after moving from Stoke for an undisclosed fee.
John Mousinho of Burton in action with Cameron Jerome (R) of Stoke during the Pre Season Friendly match
Thursday 21st August 2014
After the acquisitions of Lewis Grabban and Kyle Lafferty, Jerome has further bolstered Neil Adams' attacking options by signing a three-year deal.
It was a busy day for the Canaries in the transfer market with Leroy Fer moving to QPR for a club-record fee while free agent defender Carlos Cuellar was brought in and Michael Turner signed a new deal.
"t's a massive club and from my point of view, where I am in my career, I just need to be playing regularly and Norwich have made me feel very welcome," Jerome said in quotes published on the club's official website.
"Once I spoke with the manager and a few other people here it was a no-brainer. The ambition of the club matches my ambition as a player and I'm looking forward to getting stuck into training and hopefully being involved at the weekend."
Jerome made 30 appearances in the Barclays Premier League last season but only one of them came for Stoke as he spent the majority of the campaign at Tony Pulis' Crystal Palace.
The former Birmingham and Cardiff striker, 27, scored just twice while with the Eagles, though.
Adams added: "He's someone I've been looking at for a long while and I'm delighted he became available to us. He gives us that brute strength as well as power, but he's got much more than that too.
"He works really hard for the team and he gives us that strength in depth that we'll need over a tough season."
Crystal Palace appear to have pressed pause on a move for Malky Mackay to take over at Selhurst Park.
Thursday 21st August 2014
Betting was suspended on Tuesday evening as former Cardiff boss Mackay appeared destined to replace Tony Pulis as manager at Palace.
But, despite constant links, the 42-year-old was not appointed on Wednesday - and reports last night suggested there was unlikely to be any change in the situation.
With Glenn Hoddle and Tim Sherwood other favourites to take over at the club, Palace do still have options after seemingly deciding against Mackay, but chairman Steve Parish will be keen to appoint someone soon having stressed he wanted a quick resolution to the club's managerial post.
Millen, who oversaw the narrow 2-1 defeat at Arsenal on the opening day of the new Barclays Premier League season, is likely to be in charge for the visit of London rivals West Ham on Saturday.
The club confirmed on Wednesday that Millen will front up to the media on Thursday afternoon and, even if a permanent successor to Pulis is found before 3pm on Saturday, Millen now seems certain to be in charge of first-team affairs for the Hammers' clash.
Pulis left after a breakdown in his relationship with Parish after he took charge in November, with Palace the heavy favourites to fall out of the division.
The former Stoke manager took the Eagles on a great run which saw them finish 11th and remain in the Premier League for more than a single season for the first time.
Rifts caused over a lack of transfers and a clash over the type of players they wanted to recruit is believed to be at the heart of Pulis' exit although, when appointed, the new manager will be hopeful of spending some money to add to the signings of Chris Kettings, Fraizer Campbell, Brede Hangeland and Martin Kelly.
Former Tottenham head coach Sherwood is now the favourite to take over at the Palace helm, with Martin Jol and Steve Clarke also believed to be in the running for the post.
FA investigation prompts Crystal Palace sporting director to resign
By Ewan Roberts
Aug 21, 2014 13:48:00
Both the sporting director and manager Malky Mackay, who worked together at Cardiff City and had been close to a reunion at Selhurst Park, are set to be investigated by the FA
Crystal Palace sporting director Iain Moody has resigned from his post with the south London club after the Football Association (FA) opened an investigation on him and Malky Mackay.
Reports emerged on Wednesday that both Moody and the former Cardiff City, who worked together at the Welsh club, had allegedly shared racist, sexist and homophobic texts, which the FA will now look into.
And Moody, who had been involved in Palace's search for a new manager following Tony Pulis's sudden departure just before the start of the season, has now decided to step down from his position at the club amid the controversy.
"In light of the events of yesterday, sporting director Iain Moody has tendered his resignation and it has been accepted with immediate effect," read a statement on the club's official website.
"There will be no further comment from the club on this matter."
Mackay had been a frontrunner to succeed Pulis at Selhurt Park but the allegations, coupled with Moody's resignation, mean that Palace will now look elsewhere in their search for a new manager.
Moody joined the Eagles in November 2013 after being axed by controversial Cardiff owner Vincent Tan, who infamously replaced the head of recruitment with 23-year-old Kazakh Alisher Apsalyamov.
The two clubs have endured strained relationships since, with Cardiff accusing Moody of obtaining their starting XI prior to a Premier League encounter which the Eagles won 3-0, with the Premier League eventually fining Palace €30,000.
Balotelli arrives at Liverpool training ground ahead of €20m move
By Harry Sherlock
Aug 22, 2014 18:56:00
The Italy international is expected to complete his €20 million move from AC Milan to Anfield over the weekend
Mario Balotelli has arrived at Liverpool’s training ground to complete his €20 million move to Anfield.
Liverpool have agreed a deal with AC Milan to sign the Italy international, who said goodbye to his team-mates after Thursday's training session.
Balotelli, who scored 18 goals in all competitions last season, is expected to finalise his switch over the weekend and Brendan Rodgers revealed on Friday that he had no qualms about acquiring a player with such a chequered history.
"Sometimes you have to take a risk with people, but a lot of the time if you take that risk you get a reward for it," said the Liverpool manager.
"No player would come into here if I felt it couldn’t work. If I can help the person, then it’s something I will look at too.
"People who know me well will tell you I look to try and develop the player and the person. Thankfully we have that culture here.
"I’ve shown before that as long as players care and want to learn, we can give them the opportunity to develop."
Balotelli's move could be swiftly followed by the acquisition of Samuel Eto'o, who has snubbed interest from Everton to sign a one-year contract with Liverpool.
The 33-year-old had attracted interest from Everton, but is excited by the prospect of working under Brendan Rodgers
EXCLUSIVE
By David Craddock
Samuel Eto'o has opted to join Liverpool and is undergoing a medical on Friday ahead of signing a one-year deal, Goal understands.
Everton's late interest in the 33-year-old had threatened to derail Liverpool's move, with Roberto Martinez's side ready to offer a two-year contract, but the striker is excited by the prospect of working under Brendan Rodgers.
The Cameroon international's medical is taking place outside of the UK, while the deal could be finalised before Liverpool face Manchester City on Monday evening.
Eto'o is available on a free transfer having left Chelsea at the end of last season and had held talks with Ajax earlier this summer before the Dutch club pulled out of negotiations.
Eto'o scored 12 goals in 34 appearances for Chelsea last season but hit out at Jose Mourinho after the 51-year-old joked about not knowing the striker’s real age.
Liverpool are also poised to complete the signing of Mario Balotelli in a €20 million deal from AC Milan.
The Italy international has said goodbye to his team-mates at the Serie A club and has travelled to England for a medical.
The 32-year-old has attracted interest from Paris Saint-Germain, Monaco and Real Madrid and has been privately encouraged to find a new club
Jose Mourinho admits Petr Cech is unhappy at Chelsea after losing his place to Thibaut Courtois.
The Belgium international was handed his first start for Chelsea on Monday as Mourinho's men sealed a 3-1 win against Burnley.
It is understood that Paris Saint-Germain are prepared to make the first move for Cech, while Real Madrid and Monaco are also monitoring the 32-year-old, who has been encouraged by Chelsea to find a new club before the transfer window closes.
"[He is a] top professional, working as always, being a group man as always, being a Chelsea man as always," Mourinho said on Friday.
"I don’t believe he is completely happy as is everyone that didn’t start the game. They clearly feel that some are playing [ahead of them].
"With one match per week in August some are not playing but Petr’s behaviour has been fantastic and that’s important."
Mourinho insists Chelsea will work with Cech to find a solution but maintains the interests of the club will always be the priority.
"We have to think about the players and the players deserve respect and the players deserve cooperation from the club but the club is the most important thing," said Mourinho.
"For me football is about club, team, players, managers - so I am the last one - but the club is the most important thing. We cannot give players things and put the players in front of the team, in front of the club. It must be always the other way.
"Every decision, the first thing we think is about the club and the team. If you can make it good for the club, the team and the players, that’s the perfect situation."
Mourinho also reiterated that Chelsea are unlikely to make any more signings following the arrivals of Diego Costa, Filipe Luis, Cesc Fabregas and Didier Drogba this summer.
"We are very calm, my club did a fantastic job not just because we got what we need but because we did it in a record time for us," he added.
"We’d have been happy if the market closed by the 31st of July instead the end of August."
Van Persie returns but Herrera & Rojo will miss Manchester United clash with Sunderland
By Chris Davie
Aug 22, 2014 18:35:00
The Dutch striker is poised to return from his extended World Cup break, but Marouane Fellaini and Jesse Lingard are also sidelined for Louis van Gaal's side
Robin van Persie is set to return for Manchester United’s clash with Sunderland on Sunday but Louis van Gaal will be without Ander Herrera and Marcos Rojo.
The striker missed United's 2-1 defeat to Swansea City last Saturday as he was short of match fitness having been granted an extended break following the World Cup.
Herrera, who made his United debut at Old Trafford last weekend, has been ruled out by Van Gaal, while Rojo, who joined the club from Sporting in a €20 million deal on Wednesday, has not yet been granted a work permit and will miss the trip to the Stadium of Light.
Jesse Lingard was handed a start by Van Gaal on the right flank against Swansea but was forced off after 23 minutes with a knee injury. Marouane Fellaini suffered an ankle injury during training earlier this week and joins Michael Carrick on the sidelines.
"Robin is ready to play, so that's a big benefit to the team. I'm very pleased that he is able to play," Van Gaal told MUTV.
"In theory [Rooney and Van Persie] could be a very good couple, they can score a lot of goals and I hope they can show that."
"Carrick from the beginning, but now also Herrera and Fellaini and Lingard. These four midfielders are injured, so we are thin in midfield now.
"Last week we have nine injuries, now we have seven. It is much too much. I think I never have had this as a manager, it's the first time but we have to live with this."
Everton boss Roberto Martinez expects his summer's work to be put to the test as Arsenal visit Goodison Park this weekend.
Saturday 23rd August 2014
Martinez's side, who finished fifth in the Barclays Premier League last season, opened their new campaign with a 2-2 draw at Leicester last weekend.
Although frustrated to be held to a point, Martinez was pleased with many aspects of the performance and is encouraged for the year ahead.
But he accepts that FA Cup winners Arsenal, who are hoping to mount a stronger title challenge this season, will provide a greater yardstick for his side's position.
The intensity will not drop next week either, with Chelsea travelling to the blue half of Merseyside.
Martinez said: "You need to face this sort of opposition.
"What we saw last weekend is that we are really fluid in possession. The thing we need to change is that mentality to keep going forward and keep scoring goals. We didn't get that cushion that could have given us three points.
"But if you look at the positives of the first half - I am really excited looking at this game.
"It is true that until you play against sides like Arsenal and Chelsea you don't have the answers on the pitch.
"As a team we are ready. I feel pre-season was perfect, a real success.
"Now we have to make sure we are as strong a team as we can be. You can only see that when you face opposition like we are going to face at the weekend."
With a month of last season remaining, Everton sat above Arsenal in fourth place but they faltered and eventually finished seven points behind the Gunners.
This term they hope to sustain a longer challenge for a Champions League spot but Martinez expects the competition to be tighter.
He said: "The league is going to be a lot more open than people think.
"I see five teams with equal chances of winning the title and I think it is going to go come down to small margins. I expect this competition to be the tightest we have ever seen."
Arsenal were involved in midweek action having travelled to Turkey for a Champions League play-off against Besiktas.
Martinez does not think that will affect the Gunners negatively and, having also played in the Community Shield, they may even boast greater match-fitness.
He said: "They have got a big enough squad and the mentality to cope.
"It can be a positive as you can get rid of that rustiness and into a competitive frame of mind straight away.
"Clearly when you are involved in such an important game like in Turkey you see them reaching full levels very quickly and that could be a negative for us.
"It is going to rely heavily on how well we can play."
Wenger praises Arsenal's belief after Everton draw The Gunners boss says his side fully deserved their point on Merseyside after coming back from 2-0 down thanks to goals from Aaron Ramsey and Olivier Giroud
Manchester United plan Smalling contract talks The Old Trafford club want the England international, who had attracted interest from Premier League rivals Arsenal, to commit to a long-term deal worth £70,000-a-week
Everton draw shows Arsenal have learnt lessons, says Flamini The midfielder praised the Gunners' spirit after striking twice in the last 10 minutes to salvage a point at Goodison Park against Roberto Martinez's side
Manchester United make breakthrough in Di Maria chase The Argentine winger is keen on a switch to Old Trafford to link up with Louis van Gaal as the Red Devils prepare to launch a bid in excess of €60 million to get their man
Everton 2-2 Arsenal: Ramsey & Giroud rescue point for Gunners The home side took a 2-0 lead into half-time, with Seamus Coleman and Steven Naismith on the scoresheet, but the Gunners hit back with two late goals to earn a point
Mourinho rules out Torres exit The Chelsea boss insists he needs three strikers in his squad for the upcoming season and will not be allowing the Spaniard to leave, despite speculation linking him with a move
Crystal Palace 1-3 West Ham: Zarate on target as managerless Eagles well beaten Caretaker boss Keith Millen was unable to rouse enough resistance from his side at Selhurst Park, with Stewart Downing and Carlton Cole scoring for the visitors
Chelsea 2-0 Leicester City: Costa strikes again as Hazard seals victory The Spain international continued a fine start up front for the Blues while Didier Drogba came on to make his return to the club in a comfortable win at Stamford Bridge
Swansea 1-0 Burnley: Dyer secures win as dream start continues for Monk's men The Liberty Stadium side defeated Manchester United in their opening fixture and continued their winning form with a battling win over Sean Dyche's newly-promoted men
Southampton 0-0 West Brom: Koeman still searching for first win The Saints were impressive in defeat as they lost to Liverpool on the opening weekend but they could not build on that fine performance, drawing a blank against the Baggies
Aston Villa 0-0 Newcastle: Williamson sent off in goalless draw New Magpies signing Remy Cabella fluffed his lines in a busy but low-quality stalemate at Villa Park, with the central defender given his marching orders at the death
Irwin backs Van Gaal to succeed at Manchester United The Red Devils got off to a poor start to their Premier League season - losing 2-1 to Swansea - but the former left-back believes the Dutchman will get it right at Old Trafford
Van Gaal: Manchester United may buy more players The Old Trafford giants have already acquired Ander Herrera, Luke Shaw and Marcos Rojo this summer but the Dutchman has hinted that further signings could yet be made
Balotelli cannot afford to flop at Liverpool, says Raiola The Italy international is set to complete his €20 million move to Anfield but his representative says he has little room for error after a controversial career to date
Steve Bruce hopes Hull can emulate Sunday's opponents Stoke by remaining in the Barclays Premier League for years to come.
Sunday 24th August 2014
Both sides were promoted to the Premier League in 2008 but, while the Potters have remained in England's top tier ever since, Hull's stay lasted only two seasons and they only returned to the Premier League last year after three Championship campaigns.
Speaking ahead of Sunday's encounter with Mark Hughes' side at the KC Stadium, Bruce hopes to achieve similar success to that enjoyed at the Britannia Stadium in recent years.
"This club went up with Stoke in 2008, and they've been there ever since," he told the Tigers' official website.
"That shows how they've progressed and what they've done in those years. That has to be my aim, to copy something like Stoke.
"They have a nucleus of some very good players. Mark Hughes is changing the way they want to play and they are a good side."
The game comes three days after Hull lost the first leg of their Europa League qualifying play-off tie 1-0 against Lokeren in Belgium.
Bruce is confident that the Tigers will shrug off that disappointment and avoid a Europa League hangover that has afflicted many English sides competing in the competition in past campaigns.
He added: "Stoke have had all week to prepare and that is an advantage. We haven't had the chance to do any preparation work. We recovered from Thursday on Friday and we'll do some preparation on Saturday.
"I made nine changes on Thursday night, so hopefully we'll be fresh enough to get the three points that we need."
Goalkeeper Allan McGregor, whose error led to Lokeren's winner on Thursday, is the Tigers' only fitness concern for Sunday's encounter after he picked up a shoulder injury.
"McGregor is a bit of a worry as he has hurt his shoulder," said Bruce, who is also without the suspended Yannick Sagbo.
"But everybody else is okay. We made nine changes the other night so hopefully we'll be fresh enough. To win a game in the Premier League your performance has to reach a certain intensity, so we have to be fresh enough to reach that.
"To get back-to-back wins in the Premier League would be great. I don't think we've done that for about a year so it shows how hard it is."
Hull's forwards drew a blank on Thursday and the club's attempts to sign Blackburn striker Jordan Rhodes have been dealt a blow after the Sky Bet Championship club insisted he was not for sale.
Blackburn released a statement on their website on Saturday morning declaring that Rhodes, a Scotland international, would not be leaving Ewood Park.
It said: "We have recently received two official bids for the services of Jordan Rhodes from Hull City FC. Both have been respectfully and categorically rejected.
"The owners of Blackburn Rovers wish to reassure fans that their intention is not to sell Jordan Rhodes as they, along with the manager and board of directors, feel that he is integral to our bid to gain promotion back to the Premier League."
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho felt his side had been "lazy" before recovering to beat Leicester 2-0 at Stamford Bridge.
Sunday 24th August 2014
The Blues, who opened the Barclays Premier League season with a 3-1 win at Burnley, laboured through the first half against the promoted Foxes, back in the top flight after a decade.
After David Nugent was put clean through only to be denied by a smart save from Thibaut Courtois, again picked ahead of Petr Cech, Chelsea eventually made the breakthrough with a well-taken goal from £32million striker Diego Costa.
Eden Hazard stroked in a second on 77 minutes to maintain Chelsea's 100% opening to the new domestic campaign.
Mourinho, though, was not happy with the slow start.
He said: "I prefer to train in the morning, but this week I trained in the afternoon because this is not the best weather to play football, you get lazy.
"This weather pushes players to be a bit lazy, to lose a bit of tension, a bit of sharpness in your body, after that you pass slow, you do not react to the second balls, the time goes on and on, then when you wake up, it is half-time.
"In the first half, the team was lazy, and I did not like that.
"But they improved in the second half and they won, which is the most important thing.
"At half-time, we had to be a bit emotional with them. I told them the way we were playing was not good enough to win the game and that we were at risk.
"It is impossible to play football if you do not win one second ball, it was basic but important things."
Mourinho continued: "I told them if you have the same feeling and vision I have, we are not in trouble, because we change, but if you do not agree, we are in trouble and do not win the game.
"In the second half, it was better we were a positive and enthusiastic, so we were too strong for them.
"But let's not forget that they had a one-on-one situation against Courtois."
Mourinho had made another big selection call in leaving striker Fernando Torres out of the match-day squad, which included Didier Drogba who received a warm welcome on his return to Stamford Bridge.
Torres has been linked with a move to Italy, but Mourinho has no intentions of off-loading the Spaniard.
"The reason is I decided to keep the same team, to have a bench with a complete balance. Sometimes I can have two strikers on the bench, sometimes I cant," he said.
"I want three strikers in the team. Sometimes I play with two, one on the bench, sometimes someone will be injured or suspended.
"I cannot do a season without three strikers.
"I want him (to stay).
"He will play and score goals, to be very useful for us, he is a fantastic guy, a fantastic professional, so there is no problem."
Costa, signed from Atletico Madrid, opened his account at Burnley, and Mourinho has been impressed by the speed of the Brazil-born forward's transition.
"I got the feeling in pre-season that his adaptation would not be a big deal, he is an easy guy," said Mourinho.
"His style of play has adapted to our needs, so it has not been a problem."
Leicester could count themselves somewhat unfortunate not to have pushed Chelsea harder given their efforts up to the hour mark.
Foxes boss Nigel Pearson feels his side, who drew 2-2 against Everton on the opening weekend, should not be too downhearted.
"The players are disappointed we were unable to convert an encouraging performance with the reward of points, but there are a lot of positives from today," he said.
"The good thing is we created chances throughout the game and we wanted to be positive.
"For the most part, we played very well today, but as always it is going to be about how efficient you are in both penalty areas and we did not quite find the right way today."
Pearson, meanwhile, confirmed there was no further progress on a proposed transfer for Argentina midfielder Esteban Cambiasso, but wants to bring fresh faces in ahead of the September 1 deadline.
The Leicester manager said: "It is not that we have not been trying. It is clear we do need one or two more players, and we will endeavour to add to the squad."
Stoke boss Mark Hughes has encountered the first injury setback of the new season for his squad, with midfielder Stephen Ireland having sustained a chest problem in training.
Sunday 24th August 2014
Hughes had a full group to select from for the Potters' Barclays Premier League campaign-opening clash with Aston Villa last weekend, which they lost 1-0 at home.
But he will be without Ireland when his side take on Hull at the KC Stadium on Sunday after the Irishman pulled a muscle in his rib cage which is set to keep him sidelined for "a couple of weeks at least".
Hughes said ahead of the Hull fixture: "We have a problem with Stephen Ireland unfortunately, who has pulled a muscle in his rib cage.
"It's a disappointment to us because he is a good player and somebody we would prefer to have available to us.
"It looks like he will be out for a couple of weeks at least, or until the pain has gone to allow him to move around the pitch comfortably."
Hughes is confident Robert Huth will be available, despite the defender feeling a slight twinge in his knee while over-stretching.
The manager is also weighing up whether it will be too soon, given his lack of game time in pre-season, to hand Victor Moses his Stoke debut following the Nigeria forward's campaign-long loan move from Chelsea, which was announced just prior to the Villa match.
United States defender Geoff Cameron and Nigeria striker Peter Odemwingie, who like Moses both played in the knockout stages of this summer's World Cup, are poised to come into the squad after sitting the Villa contest out.
The likes of Dionatan Teixeira, Andy Wilkinson, Ryan Shotton, Wilson Palacios and Brek Shea were also absent from the matchday 18 last week and it remains to be seen if any of them are involved this weekend.
It would appear unlikely in the case of the latter pair, who seem destined to depart the club before the end of the transfer window.
Midfielder Palacios had looked set for a move to Qatar earlier this summer, only for it to fall through.
He has subsequently been linked with Villa, but regarding that, Hughes - quoted by The Sentinel - said: "I'm not aware of that interest.
"It's been difficult for Wilson. He obviously had an opportunity to go to Qatar, which was a good opportunity for him and ourselves, but that fell through.
"Wilson we like as a guy and as a player, but the squad is a little bit top heavy and some guys need to move on."
Meanwhile, regarding talk of Sky Bet Championship side Derby being keen on Shotton, Hughes said: "I think an interest has been shown.
"If it's Derby I would encourage it because they are a good club looking to get back into the Premier League, which Ryan would want to do himself."
The Chelsea boss insists he needs three strikers in his squad for the upcoming season and will not be allowing the Spaniard to leave, despite speculation linking him with a move
Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho says he has no intention of letting Fernando Torres leave Stamford Bridge this summer.
The Spain international has been a maligned figure since joining the Blues and was not even part of Mourinho's squad to face Leicester City on Saturday, where Diego Costa bagged his second Premier League goal and Didier Drogba made a short cameo in the 2-0 win.
The 30-year-old striker has been linked with a transfer before the window closes, but, despite his lack of involvement at the start of the campaign, Mourinho is keen to keep him.
When asked if Torres would be leaving, the Portuguese replied: "No. I want three strikers in the team and I can’t do the season without three."
Mourinho was then asked what Torres would need to do to in order to earn a place in the first team, to which he replied: "He has to score more goals than the first [striker]."
Torres watched on as compatriot Costa, who also usurped him in the Spanish national team, struck his second goal in English football's top-flight, a tally it took Torres 17 games to reach.
Despite his struggles, the former Liverpool forward had been linked with a return to Atletico Madrid and, more recently, as a potential replacement for Anfield-bound Mario Balotelli.
Mourinho, though, only has three strikers at his disposal after purging his squad of the forwards he criticised last season, with Romelu Lukaku joining Everton for €36 million, Demba Ba leaving for Besiktas and Samuel Eto'o departing on a free transfer.
