According to the Daily Mirror, Inter Milan have agreed a fee of £7 million to finally separate Lamps’ lips from his beloved Chelsea badge and bring him to the San Siro. For those of you wondering, that’s approximately 39 per cent of a Gareth Barry at today’s market value…
The Gareth Barry saga latest
Martin O’Neill has asked for a whopping £18 million, but Liverpool insist they won’t go beyond a pathetic £17 million. (That would be the same Liverpool who reportedly rejected a £9 million offer for Peter Crouch from Portsmouth as it was a million short of their demand.)
The Spoiler Truth-o-meter: If you’re willing to pay 17, why not go one more? It’s not like there’s a recession at the moment or anything…
Ronaldinho to Chelsea
If Lampard leaves then Chelsea will have to move quickly to fill their tubby quota. They will be delighted to hear that podgy Barca man Ronaldinho wants to work with Scolari again.
The Spoiler Truth-o-meter: He wants to go, but do Chelsea want him?
Robert Green to Aston Villa
Villa are moving lower down the
Is 2008 the year for The Gunner’s first European Cup?
As I predicted yesterday, Manchester United’s odds on winning the Champions League shortened this morning (from 9/2 to 7/2). If you didn’t get on yesterday’s price, then it’s well worth considering a punt on Arsenal to take the trophy - they are currently third favourites at 11/2.
My money is on Manchester United to take the title, but after seeing Fabregas ‘out-Kaka’ Kaka and Flamini ‘out-Gattuso’ Gattuso, I’m not so sure. What do you think?
The Gunners stroll past the current European Cup holders on their own turf
I’m not an Arsenal fan, but I actually cheered when Cesc Fabregas put away his cheeky 30-yard strike last night. And I didn’t even feel dirty afterwards. Arsenal deserved the win, and it was a pleasure to see streams of fans pouring out of the San Siro making stereotypical Italian hand gestures. Well done, boys.
Champions League First Round Second leg, 7.45pm, ITV4, bet here
When Iain Dowie took over as manager of Charlton in 2006, he described his team’s home game against Manchester United as “the ultimate test.” Considering that it came just two games into the season, pedants could be forgiven for carping about his choice of “ultimate”, but Mr Dowie wasn’t far wrong - he was kicked out the door just a few games later. Type “ultimate test” into Google, however, and three of the top ten answers refer to Arsenal’s near-Biblical contest in Milan this week - still not quite the battle at the end of the world between good and evil, but not so far off, because you can’t win the big one without disposing of Italians.
Since Milan were the last team to win the European Cup in consecutive seasons in 1990, there have only been two seasons in which there were no Italian teams in the quarter finals. In every other season, the Cup has either been won by an Italian team, or by the team who has beaten the last remaining Italian team, with just three exceptions. And in those years the cup was won by the team who beat the team who beat the last remaining Italian side. If this all sounds a bit begat and begot, have some more: in the last five seasons, the trophy has either been won by Milan (twice) the team who beat Milan (twice) or the team who beat the team who beat Milan (once). Moral being, Mr Wenger, if you want to be the ultimate anything, you’ve got to beat Milan. Good luck.
The statistics
* A Wenger-managed side has never led in Italy at half-time.
None of the English clubs will be going into the second leg of the Champions League last sixteen with a goal deficit to catch up on, but Arsenal will have the toughest job of all in scoring against Milan at the San Siro. On the basis of last night’s performance, can the Gunners do it?
The best sports programming on the telebox tonight
Milan will be taking part in some fancy pants cup competition, so Champions League Group D will be playing their sixth match a week early. After Celtic’s shock 2-1 win in Glasgow, can they get any kind of result at the San Siro tonight? Will Dida avoid any more horrific injuries? Have a bet here then tune in…
