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The recent comments by Gavin Law of Liverpool’s shirt sponsor, Standard Chartered, have caused some concern over the possibility of the Reds signing token players in the summer rather than what’s needed on the pitch.

The banking company’s Mr Law; head of corporate affairs, expressed the desire for Liverpool to sign players of nationality where their bank operates, like Japan and China. He mentioned how the likes of Manchester United’s Ji-Sung Park has massively increased coverage and revenue in Korea and how Liverpool want to do the same, by saying:

“Liverpool are more aware than most other clubs we’ve spoken to of the commercial opportunity for them. If they can sell a million shirts with another Mr Park on the back, why wouldn’t you?”

So could we see a few Asian players sign for Liverpool in the summer? Or should Liverpool’s main concerns be to sign quality on the pitch, before commercial interests are considered? After all, they’ve just announced a pre-season tour of Asia this Summer.

Fortunately for Reds fans, the club has responded to the desires of their shirt sponsors. Fenway Sports Group have said they will not be signing players to sell shirts and new arrivals will be signed on the basis of their football talent before any commercial advantage is considered.

However, there are a number of Asian players that could match Liverpool’s summer transfer targets. Monaco’s Park Chu-Young is already said to be a target of Liverpool and the winger has been impressing in the French league this season. Or, the Reds could go for a player with Premier League experience in Bolton’s right sided midfielder, Lee Chung Yong, who has shown some class since joining the Trotters in 2009.

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The comments made by Liverpool’s £20-million-a-year sponsor have only created more scrutiny on what is already a much-debated subject. When Arsenal signed Japanese international Junichi Inamoto in 2001, it was criticised in regards to Arsenal cashing in on the Asian market, as sales of Arsenal shirts increased and tourists from Japan were visiting Highbury.

Inamoto wasn’t a huge star in his own country at the time, unlike Hidetoshi Nakata, who moved to the Serie A in Italy in 1998. The player had commercial success but was also rather successful in Italy playing for the likes of Roma, Parma and Fiorentina.

The accusation of Arsenal signing the player for commercial reasons was not helped after he was released a year later having never made a Premier League appearance for the Gunners, only getting games in the League Cup and Champions League. The player did go on to have successful spells with Fulham and West Brom, however.

Commercial interests are very important to Liverpool, who want to financially match the likes of the current top four and the signing of a talented player from Asia would be a smart move on the pitch as well as off it.

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It’d be worrying for Liverpool fans if they did sign an Asian player, who would only a fringe player in the squad at best. However, if they are to sign someone similar to the ability of United’s Park, then it would be successful in both avenues and you can’t argue against that.

Can Liverpool get the better of Man City at Anfield tonight? You can back them at 6/4 for the win!

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West Ham United manager Avram Grant is as confident as his club’s owners that midfielder Scott Parker will remain with the Irons this summer.

Spurs have been rebuffed in a £7million bid for the 29-year-old England international, with Hammers co-owner David Sullivan maintaining his stance that Parker is not for sale at any price.

That view was backed up by Grant following his side’s 2-0 pre-season win at MK Dons.

He told Sky Sports News: “From my side there is no news.

“We have ambitions at this club, we want to progress and we want to go forward. We have a plan for the next few years, not only for one year and Scott Parker is a big part of these plans.

“I am happy for him. He is a good player and he is a good lad. He is good for the vision of the club.

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“He is professional. He knows that he is a very important part of our ambitions to progress and to be a very good team.”

Wigan boss Roberto Martinez has confirmed that referees chief Mike Riley phoned him to apologises for the mistake that cost them three points in the recent Premier League game with Blackburn.

Official Andre Marriner allowed Morten Gamst Pedersen to take a short corner to himself in injury time in the 3-3 draw, that saw Rovers grab a late equaliser.

The Spanish coach was livid with the decision, and has admitted that he received a call from Riley.

“Mike Riley rang and explained his view. He was very supportive and that shows we have the right man in charge,” Martinez told Mirror Football.

“His view was that the referee got it wrong.

“The decision has a big influence on us. Dropping two points for us at the moment is a matter of live or death in the Premier League,” he stated.

Marriner has not been assigned a game to officiate this weekend in a move that looks like a disciplinary measure against the under-fire referee, but Martinez does not want him to be overly punished for the mistake.

“I would rather Andre refereed and try to get himself sharper. It will not get us the points back. To see him not referee is not giving us any comfort,” he concluded.

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Wigan face Sunderland on Saturday, and will look to get points to get them off the bottom of the Premier League.

By Gareth McKnight

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Craig Moore, chairman of the FA Commission that recently punished Manchester United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, with a five game touchline ban for criticising referee Martin Atkinson, has this week stated that the Scottish manager’s comments “undermined the FA’s Respect Campaign”.

Moore further suggested that Ferguson’s failure to officially apologise to Atkinson was a “serious aggravating” factor for his punishment, and his reluctance to retract the comments “undermined the attempts by the FA, through its Respect Campaign, to encourage higher standards of behaviour within the game.”

Whilst the content of Ferguson’s comments justified a severe punishment – he claimed an absence of a “fair or strong” referee in United’s 2-1 Premier League defeat by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on March 1st – the intrinsic nature of the discussion was flawed.

The Respect Campaign was launched at the start of the 2008/2009 Premier League season as an attempt to promote better behaviour towards referees. However, the initiative was immediately undermined by a series of outbursts from managers, notably Joe Kinnear, then manager of Newcastle, claiming a “Mickey Mouse referee” had overseen his side’s 2-1 defeat to Fulham. The man in black that day was, you guessed it, Martin Atkinson.

Instead of clearing the lines of communication between referees and managers or awarding referees a voice of their own, the Respect campaign simply attempted to provide a deterrent to managers and players for speaking about the officials. Unfortunately, the incentive to refrain from complaining about referees was not, and is not, strong enough.

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We are all aware that referees face a tough task in trying to make the correct decision every time, but their jobs are made much more arduous as a result of a lack of accountability. Had Atkinson been granted a few minutes to publicly explain his decisions, within say an hour following full-time, and with the aid of televised replays, then at least Ferguson would have had grounds to complain based on Atkinson’s reassessment.

If all referees were obliged, as managers are, to participate in a post-match analysis, then managers, players and fans would better understand the methods employed by referees to reach a conclusion on decisions that have to be made in the blink of an eye. Officials should be afforded the opportunity to clarify their in-match judgments and conclude whether they were correct or not. By providing a reexamination of events, referees could afford managers a platform for discussion where all parties share a voice.

Currently, managers can only assume that muted officials defend every glaringly erroneous decision they make. In the current managerial climate, each refereeing decision could be the difference between achieving the targets set by the chairman or instructing your agent to look for available coaching positions in the Championship. In this regard, it is understandable that managers vent their fury at inaccurate refereeing, as the pressure on them to produce results is so high.

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Respecting referees and the demanding task they continually face is of fundamental importance, especially as a way of setting an example to youngsters who imitate their heroes behaviour in Sunday-league matches. The problem is the FA has been attempting to encourage others to respect officials whilst at the same time neglecting their duty to do so. Suspending and charging managers for speaking out against decisions is only legitimised within the framework the FA has developed. It is time, and has been for a while, for the FA to grant referees and their assistants the capacity to reevaluate their decisions, thereby providing managers with a more concrete platform for debate and an enhanced respect for those in charge.

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When the subject of playing the ‘Tottenham way’ comes up the same names are always mentioned. Hoddle, Gazza, Ginola, Lennon – the breed of player who has a special place in the heart of Tottenham fans. They are the entertainers who play according to the history of the club. They have the skill, creativity and flair that keep the paying public entertained and have the ability to change a game with a little touch of class.

So when news that Joe Cole was to become a free agent, well, it just seemed to make sense. The fans would love him, the manager already loves him and Defoe and Bale, who have urged Levy to seal the deal, are just two of the players who love him. For a footballer who just wants to feel loved, he couldn’t ask for much more. He is, as John Terry verified, an Englishman who is one of the few who can ‘break down a defence’ and would get his wish of not having leave London if he opted to change blue to white. He’s even saying the right things. He has criticised English teams for playing too much ‘kick and rush’ football and for always looking to hit the front men too early, believing they should instead favour a more fluid passing approach. Music to my ears.

So Joe Cole is a good fit for Tottenham. But where does Joe Cole fit if he arrives?

On the basis that Cole does sign our squad will consist of an embarrassment of riches when it comes to midfield talent. Even presuming that the likes of Bentley, O’Hara and Jenas move onto pastures new it still raises the question of who should miss out when the starting XI is announced on game day.

Cole has the benefit of being a versatile player, so could play anywhere across the middle. But he has said that when he finds a new club he would prefer to adopt the central creative role which he began his career with at West Ham. So if Cole gets his way, our midfield four could read: Bale and Lennon on the flanks and Palacios and Cole in the middle, but what of Modric, Huddlestone, Kranjcar and new signing Sandro? Alternatively he could play on the left, but how could Bale be dropped after his explosion onto the scene last year? Moving Bale to left-back is an option, but a risky one considering that he has showed that his abilities in defence can be exposed by top sides. It’ll be tough to get a balance and keep everybody happy, and with the new squad regulations imposed by the FA a few more players could be shown the door.

With Champions League football beckoning, and the hope that a new set of fixtures will be added to the calendar, a deeper squad in terms of talent was going to be needed. But other than a new striker and maybe a defender, Tottenham don’t need a whole host of new players.

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Cole would be a great addition to the squad if a deal can be done, there can be no doubt, both in terms of his ability and experience, but in place of whom? Over to you, Harry Redknapp.

Written By Karl Sears

According to recent reports, Leeds United have sold a minority stake to 49ers Enterprises, an investment arm of the San Francisco 49ers. The shareholding will be around 10 per cent, and 49ers Enterprises president Paraag Marathe will serve on the board alongside Leeds owner Andrea Radrizzani, Angus Kinnear, Andre Tegner and Ivan Bravo.

Though the 49ers haven’t won a Super Bowl since Steve Young was chucking touchdowns to Jerry Rice in 1994, San Francisco is one of the historically successful franchises of the NFL, boasting five Super Bowl championships and 19 division titles since 1970.

The 49ers were ranked last year as the fifth most valuable NFL franchise at $3.05 billion, and there is reason to believe their new stake in Leeds United will facilitate the Yorkshire outfit’s first return to the Premier League since relegation in 2004.

Below are three reasons to believe the new investment will be good for Leeds:

Paraag Marathe brings expertise to the board

Marathe’s career ascended quickly after he acquired his MBA from Stanford’s business school in 2001. A staple in the 49ers’ organization since then, Marathe is known to be a numbers guy with fascination with how finances and statistics fit into an NFL team.

Currently serving as San Francisco’s Executive Vice President of Football Operations and the president of 49ers Enterprises, Marathe has played a key role serving as CEO Jed York’s right-hand man. Together they built a roster that won an NFC championship and reached the Super Bowl in 2012. Marathe also was critical in the development and construction of Levi Stadium, the 49ers home stadium since 2014.

Marathe has been garnering front-office experience since before he could legally drink, and he will bring his dynamic influence and mindset to a club that could surely use it.

The minority stake will provide Leeds with the means to make key moves

Leeds United have fallen on hard times since being relegated from the Premier League in 2004. The Whites have been floating in mediocracy in the Championship, falling outside the top six teams in each year since 2010.

Leeds clearly need not only a change in talent but also a change in culture. A big part of that includes new signings with different mindsets and the 49ers’ new stake will provide the Whites with a push for players like Abel Hernandez and Kyle Bartley – who will be in demand amongst second-tier clubs this summer.

Foreign investments have proven successful for Championship teams

As Leeds fight year after year with other clubs to climb out of the Championship and back into the Premier League, it’s clear they view the 49ers’ investment as a way to gain extra footing. When considering other clubs that have ascended out of the second-tier, it looks like a smart move.

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The two first-place finishers in the Championship this season — the teams that will reap the benefits of playing in the Premier League next season — were Wolverhampton Wanderers and Cardiff City. Both are controlled by outside ownership. Fosun International, a Chinese group, bought the Wolves in 2016 for £45million, and Cardiff City is owned by a Malaysian businessman Vincent Tan.

Moreover, the two clubs — Aston Villa and Fulham — who will compete for the last promotion spot on Saturday both have foreign ownership. Attracting investments from outside players has worked for other teams in their bids for Premier League status, and if Leeds play it right, it could work for them too.

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According to reports in the Daily Mail, Southampton are one of a number Premier League clubs interested in signing £16m-rated Lille defender Ibrahim Amadou during the January transfer window.

The Daily Mail says that Saints have shown an interest in the 24-year-old recently, with Crystal Palace keen on a deal and Stoke City, Newcastle United and Watford all also credited with an interest in the versatile Frenchman, who can play as a centre-back or defensive midfielder.

The south coast outfit certainly have money to strengthen their squad this month following the £75m sale of Virgil van Dijk to Liverpool, and it looks to be something that they need to do as they currently only lie outside the English top flight relegation zone on goal difference following a poor campaign.

Manager Mauricio Pellegrino may well be looking for a replacement for van Dijk, and while the Daily Mail says there is interest in Amadou, they may be better off looking at his Lille teammate Adama Soumaoro instead.

The 25-year-old has been an impressive performer in the Ligue 1 outfit’s backline in recent seasons, and he could prove to be a shrewd addition to a leaky Saints backline.

Here are three reasons Southampton forget about Amadou and sign teammate Soumaoro instead…

They need a new central defender

The departure of van Dijk to Liverpool means that Saints need a new centre-back, especially with Maya Yoshida and Jack Stephens showing in recent weeks that they aren’t necessarily good enough to start every game.

While Amadou is capable of playing as a centre-back or defensive midfielder, Southampton would probably be better off signing an out-and-out centre-half given they already have the likes of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Oriol Romeu and Mario Lemina in front of the defence.

Soumaoro certainly fits the bill in that regard, and the Frenchman would have plenty to offer to the south coast outfit’s backline.

His qualities

In the absence of the departed van Dijk and Wesley Hoedt because of concussion in the home defeat against Crystal Palace on Tuesday night, Yoshida and Stephens weren’t very dominant in the air and that is a trait that Pellegrino may be looking for in a potential new centre-back.

Soumaoro certainly fits the bill and even though he has only played six Ligue 1 games this season because of an Achilles injury that kept him on the sidelines earlier in the campaign, according to Squawka he has won seven of the nine aerial duels he has faced, adding to the 61 he won in 27 French top flight matches last term.

His ability in the air isn’t his only strength though, and he has made 19 clearances, eight interceptions and eight blocks this season, while he is comfortable in possession and has a passing accuracy of 93%.

In that respect he could be the perfect van Dijk replacement, and Southampton should undoubtedly look to bring him to St Mary’s this month.

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Price tag

According to reports in the Daily Mail on December 14, the Lille centre-back is rated at around £20m, and given the fact that the is 25 years of age and looks to be ideally suited to the Premier League, it could prove to be a bargain fee.

Bringing the Frenchman to St Mary’s for that amount would represent a club-record deal for Southampton, but in the current volatile transfer market it isn’t much at all for a defender that has plenty of qualities and potential and could make a huge difference for the south coast outfit in the second-half of the campaign.

Do you agree, Saints fans? Let us know below.

It wasn’t long ago that Arsenal fans were desperately clamouring for that world class signing. There was a revolutionary feel to the summer as player after player slipped the net, to leave much of the Arsenal faithful in a state of despondency.

Fast-forward two and a bit months on and some might wonder what all the fuss was about. Sitting pretty at the summit of the Premier League, with top-level continental football on the horizon after Christmas, Arsenal fans must be in dreamland.

Last nights victory over Borussia Dortmund at the intimidating Westfalenstadion was the first by an English club and capped off an impressive start to the campaign for the gunners. Wenger’s men may have been largely on the back foot throughout, but Arsenal showed a degree of resilience that perhaps wasn’t there a few seasons ago. At the forefront of everything good about the gunners these days is the previously maligned Aaron Ramsey, and few would have been surprised to see him pop up with the winner last night.

The career revival of the young Welshman has been meteoric. He was always rated highly from a young age, but an infamous leg break cause by a tackle from Ryan Shawcross put pay to much of his early development. Indeed loss of form after his recovery left many questioning whether the youngster would ever be able to realise his undoubted potential. On the periphery of what is an immense Arsenal midfield it was perhaps difficult to see him ever having an impact in North London.

Arsenal fans yearned for that big money signing, but in Aaron Ramsey they may just feel like they got a cheap alternative.

The Welshman has spearheaded Arsenal’s rise to the summit, eleven goals already to go with an impressive haul of assists and it is unsurprising that many have branded him player of the season so far. An industrious attacking force, Ramsey adds direction and forward thrust to a midfield often criticised for being a little tentative. Comfortable in possession deep, or playing in and around the frontman, Ramsey is the kind of asset that Arsenal looked for in the summer. A pass completion of 86% to go with thirteen chances created in the league, his ability to involve others is equally as impressive as his goal scoring return.

For Arsene Wenger this return to form was not so much a surprise, more an eventual inevitability. Speaking after last night’s win he had the following to say about the Welsh midfielder:

“Ramsey just shows how difficult it is to have assessment on any player. One year ago everyone said he can’t score. He’s in the box in right positions but he can’t score. This season he scores in game after game.”

“I was always positive with him. When you watch his games he was always in situations where he could be dangerous. This season he has the confidence and he has an unbelievable engine to get from box to box. His ability makes him a dangerous player.”

Naturally football is a confidence driven game, but considering how quick we are to castigate Wenger for Arsenal’s shortcomings it is perhaps time to commend him on the way he has got the very best out of his players this term. Ramsey was a player going nowhere last season, on the transfer market I doubt you would have got more than £10m for someone that appeared bereft of any real spark. Now Wenger has somehow got the Welshman’s confidence back and he is beginning to flourish for it.

You only have to listen to the midfielder speak to realise that not only is assured about his performances, but that he is genuinely enjoying life in North London:

“I’m enjoying myself at the moment and everything seems to be going in. I’m delighted with the way I’m playing and the goals I’m scoring but it was a great team effort and we are delighted with that.

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“It was a proper away performance, defending well and going on the counter-attack. They are no mugs, they got the final last year and were unlucky, they are a very strong team and we had to do our defensive work really well. We’re delighted with that.”

Maybe the old adage, ‘form is temporary class is permanent’ applies here. No one ever doubted Ramsey’s ability, more the chance that he would ever live up to it once more.

A player brought back from the brink, is the revival of Ramsey as good as a new signing for Arsenal?

With the season nearly here and the summer transfer window in full swing, people are more obsessed by footballers than ever, both on and off the field than ever. Whilst we can tell exactly who they are on the field (mainly due to the name on the back of their shirt), off the field, should they wish to do so, it is entirely possible to lead a gossip and drama-free life – as players such as Paul Scholes and Gary Neville have shown us.

However, with more and more young footballers being pictured more often than not in the front pages as opposed to the back ones, people are hungrier than ever for gossip about players. They would have you believe that a modern day footballer is the very portrait of excess, what with the flashy cars and excessive bling on show. Whilst this does seem a tad unfair, it cannot be denied that there are a good few things we now link to footballers and could spot them a mile off if they are exhibiting more than a couple of them. Let’s take a look at the top ten signs that you are in the company of a Premier League footballer…

Click on Ireland’s Tattoo below to see the Top TEN

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Newcastle United produced an outstanding display to demolish last season’s champions Chelsea 3-0 at St James’ Park on the final day of the English Premier League.

It was a case of saving the best for last from Rafa Benitez’s outfit, who ended the Blues’ hopes of qualifying for next year’s UEFA Champions League.

A Dwight Gayle opener and a second half double from Ayoze Perez was enough for the victory, helping the Magpies secure a top half of the table finish in their first season back in the top-flight.

Fans were absolutely delight with the result and performance, singling out Perez for particular praise after his excellent display.

The attacking midfielder has scored 10 goals assisted five times for his side this season, producing excellent form since the turn of the year particularly.

Can he replicate that next term as Benitez looks to build on what turn out to be a very solid season for the club?

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Supporters took to Twitter to share their thoughts…

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