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Ribery set for new Bayern deal

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Bayern Munich are set to receive a major boost ahead of Saturday’s Champions League final against Inter Milan (Bayern 23/10, Inter 6/5, draw 9/4 – 90 Minutes) with the news Franck Ribery is to sign a new five-year contract.

The 27-year-old Frenchman’s current deal is due to expire in 12 months and that has resulted in reported interest from the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Chelsea. However, with Bayern now proving they are capable of reaching the final of a major tournament under Louis van Gaal this term, it appears that has been sufficient for Ribery to pledge himself to the Bavarian giants until 2015.

Ribery will miss Bayern’s bid to lift the Champions League trophy (7/5 Bayern – Outright Winner) due to suspension, but he was given permission to take a break from training with the France national side ahead of next month’s World Cup (France 16/1 – Outright), and he will fly to Madrid to watch the final.

German newspaper Bild claims that, following talks between his agents Alain Migliaccio and Jean-Pierre Bernes and Bayern bosses in the club’s Madrid hotel on Thursday, Ribery will put pen-to-paper on a new club-record salary on his arrival on Saturday.

If everything goes to plan Sport1 television understands Ribery will make a formal announcement from the balcony of Munich town hall on Sunday when the team parades its German Bundelisga title and possibly the Champions League trophy after a procession from the Allianz Arena.

Meanwhile, former Bayern coach Ottmar Hitzfeld, who won the tournament with them in 2001, feels the German side will come out on top against Jose Mourinho’s Inter on Saturday, while he feels they ‘will dominate European football in the coming years’.

Comparing his victorious side of nine years ago and Van Gaal’s current crop, 61-year-old Switzerland coach, Hitzfeld, told the Welt newspaper: “We had a great team spirit back then and that is the case today also.

“Nevertheless, the current team has a bit more substance to it and has players like Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery, who are two extraordinary players, among their ranks.

“They are world-class players who can create a lot of pressure down the wings.

“But also (Mark) van Bommel and (Bastian) Schweinsteiger are world class. For me, there is no better midfield in Europe at present than Bayern’s.”

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Hammers close in on Grant

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Avram Grant, who resigned as manager of relegated Portsmouth on Thursday, could be unveiled as the new West Ham boss in 12 days’ time, subject to a final interview (check out all ante-post and in-play football markets on totesport.com).

The 55-year-old is the favourite to take the Upton Park post having seen his Pompey side lose in their second FA Cup final in three seasons.

Grant said that leaving the troubled south-coast cloub was one of the most difficult decisions he has to take in his football career so far.

He said: “After a lot of soul searching and under the circumstances, I’m taking a different direction.”

“Portsmouth has given me a feeling of home away from home. I might be leaving Portsmouth physically, but you cannot take Portsmouth away from me and my heart,” he added.

If the Israeli does arrive in at the Boleyn he will take over a side that just avoided relegation last season under former manager Gianfranco Zola.

The Italian was sacked at Hammers manager on May 11 and since then the club, under the chairmanship of David Sullivan and David Gold, have been in the process of selecting a new boss.

Reacting to speculation about Grant, a club spokesman said: “West Ham United can confirm the club is making good progress in the search for a new manager and the appointment will be made by early June.

“The club is in the middle of a thorough selection process which could continue over the next 12 days before being finalised.

“The new manager will then have a month to prepare for the start of pre-season, with all at the club determined to improve on the previous campaign.”

Portsmouth are now in the process of finding a new manager with reports suggesting goalkeeper David James has said he would like the role.

The club’s administrator, Andrew Andronikou, has said that the England goalkeeper, who is likely to be on the plane to South Africa for this summer’s World Cup, has expressed an interest in becoming involved with management.

However, Andronikou did add that the club feel it may be a bit early for James, who will be asked for his input on the new manager, to be considering because he still is performing well on the pitch.

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Crouch tips King to rule

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Peter Crouch has backed his Spurs team-mate Ledley King to be one of the best defenders at the World Cup (6/1 England to win the World Cup).

Despite experiencing continual problems with a knee injury King managed to play a vital role in Spurs’ Champions League qualification and has been rewarded with a spot in Fabio Capello’s 30-man provisional squad (England 1/3 to win Group C).

Crouch has known King since they were trainees together at White Hart Lane and has always been convinced of his quality: “I’ve known Ledley since I was 13 in my first spell at Spurs.

“He was fantastic even then. Even then you knew he was going to be world class and he has proven that.

“As long as he can prove his fitness, he will be up there as one of the best centre-halfs at the World Cup.?

King has won 19 caps for England, but has not played for his country since Fabio Capello became manager.

The Italian selected the Tottenham star for his first England squad, only for King to withdraw due to injury. Capello then picked King again for the 2009 games against Slovakia and Ukraine, but he was removed from the squad after being assessed by England’s medical staff.

Crouch though, thinks that King can overcome his injury worries to cement his spot in the final squad: “He has proved his quality this season, hopefully he has proved his fitness.

“He played the last three games of the season, all for the 90 minutes, he came through those and trained this week with England as well.

“Ledley has to be managed a bit different to the rest of the players. He has to do his own thing and train when he feels capable of it.

“Without a doubt, the manager thinks it is worthwhile him coming and, on his day when he is fit, there are not many as good as him.”

King doesn’t train with the rest of the first team squad at Tottenham, as the club seek to manage the swelling on his knee after games.

The 29-year old rarely plays in more than game per week due to the swelling, but managed to play in all three of the games in Spurs’ vital last week of the season.

King has been tipped to play in a defensive midfield role for England at the World Cup, if Gareth Barry is unable to recover from injury, having previously performed in the position for both club and country.

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No contact from Barca – Gunners

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Arsenal have claimed Barcelona have not been in touch about the potential signing of the Spanish midfielder Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal 6/1 to win the Premier League outright).

The Gunners chairman Peter Hill-Wood has stated that he has heard nothing from Barcelona concerning their coveted player.

Barca have won La Liga this year and have already looked to strengthen their side for next season with the signing of Valencia striker David Villa.

Fabregas has stated that he would like to move to Barca at some point in his career and speculation has increased as to whether he may move in the summer before he flies to the World Cup in South Africa with the Spanish national team (Spain 4/1 to win the World Cup outright).

“You see your Spanish team-mates succeeding here at Barcelona and it is exciting because you have worked alongside them for so long,” said Fabregas.

“I think I would like to go to Barcelona, whether or not they want me is another thing.”

The Catalan club have clearly shown interest in the 23-year-old, who started his career in Barcelona’s academy.

Spanish team-mate and current Barca star Xavi has stated that he would love to play alongside the Arsenal player at club level.

He said: “It is criminal for a player of Cesc’s quality not to be winning the biggest prizes in football.

“He really has no choice but to leave. He is making the right decision and I hope Arsenal fans wish him well.”

The Spanish giants sporting director Txiki Begiristain has stated that the club will respect the current contract Fabregas has at Arsenal.

Begiristain has described the young midfielder as a “Barca (style) player” but admits that the player, who is key to future success at Arsenal, will be difficult to prise away from the London club.

Arsenal have gone yet another season without any silverware and manager Arsene Wenger is looking to bring in new faces whilst trying to hold on to his star players.

The Gunners boss has stated that conceding 40 goals last season was the reason his side could not win the Premier League title and that he is looking to sign one or two defensive players over the summer.

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Pressure weighing on Benitez

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Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez has admitted he will always be under pressure at Anfield until he finally delivers the Premier League title (Liverpool 10/1 to win 2010/11 Premier League).

Benitez came very close just over 12 months ago to securing the Reds’ first title success since 1990 when his side finished second, four points behind Manchester United at the top. But it all went wrong last season as Liverpool struggled both domestically and in Europe and ended up way off the pace, finally finishing seventh come the end of the campaign.

Benitez, whose future remains very much up in the air amid reported interest from Inter Milan, admits he feels the pressure and the high expectation levels on Merseyside.

“It is impossible to ignore the pressure until you have won the league title,” he said.

“You know you have a responsibility, there are demands on you and you have to get used to it. Every week you have to pass a test.”

The Spanish coach has remained coy about his future but insisted earlier this week he remains committed to the club and appears to be building for the future following the capture of Charlton teenager Jonjo Shelvey, while a deal for highly-rated Rangers full-back Danny Wilson is also expected to go through soon.

The Reds boss also hopes to land Standard Liege striker Milan Jovanovic on a free transfer, while he has other targets over the summer despite being unsure how much money he has to spend as he looks to improve his squad.

On his budget, Benitez added: “I have an idea and I think it’s important to wait and do the right thing at the right moment.”

However, with the World Cup looming (Spain 4/1 favourites), it appears the Liverpool manager has accepted he may not be able to sign anyone until after the summer’s showpiece event.

“Liverpool are working on our next signings,” he said.

“I have my ideas and I know what I want, but we have to wait, because now we have the difficulty that the World Cup always brings.”

While some new faces are expected at Anfield by the end of the summer, there remains considerable doubt over the future of several current first-team stars.

Fernando Torres, Steven Gerrard, Alberto Aquilani and Javier Mascherano are all thought to be weighing up whether to  move on if they feel the Reds, who are without Champions League  football for the first time since Benitez took over in 2004, are not moving in the right direction.

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Schwarzer admits Aussie concerns

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Australia goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer is nervously watching the clock as the fitness clouds hanging over the Socceroos (15/2 to win Group D) continue with three weeks to the World Cup.

Several players went into what is sure to be a gruelling pre-tournament training camp lacking full fitness – notably Harry Kewell and Tim Cahill.

Schwarzer admits the situation is a worry, and hopes that time will be a great healer.

“It’s always a concern when guys are injured heading into a big tournament,” Schwarzer said.

“You want to have as many of your players fit as possible, especially your experienced players.

“But we’ve still got three weeks or so until the beginning of the World Cup, so it still gives players the opportunity to find their fitness, to overcome any niggles or injuries they’ve had over the season.

“Hopefully come the first game they’ll all be fit.”

Kewell’s groin injury is the most talked-about fitness concern ahead of Australia’s World Cup opener against Germany in Durban on June 13.

He trained lightly with the team at their first training session at Melbourne’s AAMI Park.

But he is likely to be eased through as the intensity rises with double sessions each day in the lead-up to the friendly against New Zealand (12/1 to qualify from Group F) on Monday night.

Schwarzer and his teammates are expecting Pim Verbeek to employ the same sort of physically demanding training schedule previous coach Guus Hiddink used ahead of the 2006 tournament.

“It will be very intense – from last time I can tell you it will be a very intense situation,” Schwarzer said.

“The first week is usually a bit lighter because of the many commitments we have here in Australia.

“But once we knuckle down, get away from the outside world a little bit, and get down to concentrate on training it becomes quite intense.”

Meanwhile, Cahill believes Australia’s work ethic and experience from 2006 will be the keys to their performance in South Africa next month.

And he has also stressed the importance of Australia getting their first-choice players in peak condition to tackle the World Cup.

“First of all we have to keep players fit and then try to get the consistency,” Cahill said.

“If we prepare right and try and be as fit as we can for this World Cup like we were for the last World Cup, our natural talents will hopefully shine through.

“We’ve got great character, great work ethic within the team and a team that sticks together.”

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Chelsea chasing two big signings

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Chelsea celebrate FA Cup final winChelsea (13/9 2010/11 Premier League winners) will not be going mad in the transfer market this summer but Blues boss Carlo Ancelotti will be looking to add a couple of quality additions as he goes in search of more glory.

The Blues stole the show domestically last season when winning the double but it is European glory the club are craving and Roman Abramovich is ready to bankroll two major signings.

Ancelotti is delighted with his squad and is not thinking about wholesale changes but with Joe Cole and Michael Ballack expected to move on, the Italian needs replacements and he may have to spend big to get them.

“I have said that in every year there is some refreshing of the squad and maybe we can expect three or four in and three or four out,” chairman Bruce Buck revealed.

“But this year I think Carlo has said two or three in and two or three out and he is very satisfied with the current squad.

“We can expect a couple of changes but that is just the nature of football, you can’t have the jigsaw puzzle together and that is it forever.

“Let’s see how the summer pans out. Once we are really clear on the kind of vacancies we may have and what we want to fill, we will decide what kind of player we want.

Sergio Aguero, Franck Ribery and Alexandre Pato are names that refuse to go away and if Ancelotti could land two of those three then Chelsea will look almost unstoppable next season.

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson says he may only make one new signing this summer and that will not be enough if Chelsea land the two world-class players they are after.

Arsenal (6/1 to win the Premier League) could be weaker if Cesc Fabregas ups and leaves for Barcelona, while there are huge question marks over Liverpool (10/1) after they finished way down in seventh following an awful season.

Tottenham have broken into the top four this season but it could be a flash in the pan and they would have to spend big to get anywhere near the top two.

Manchester City could be the main challengers to Chelsea’s crown but even with all their millions they may struggle to attract the quality they need due to the fact their will be no Champions League football at Eastlands.

It is looking good for Chelsea again next season and if Ancelotti’s transfer plans pan out as he hopes then the Blues could be ready to add the European Cup to their trophy cabinet.

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Maradona makes suprise inclusion

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Colon defender Ariel Garce was the biggest surprise in Argentina’s (6/4 to be the top South American team) 23-man World Cup squad, which coach Diego Maradona released on Wednesday.

Garce, 30, has won just one cap for the national team and had been regarded as a surprise choice in the 30-man provisional squad named last week.

That appearance came in a 4-0 friendly win over Haiti two weeks ago, when Argentina fielded a side made up entirely of home-based players.

Garce was suspended for six months for doping in 2006 and plays for the Argentine club Colon. He was preferred to Inter Milan defender and captain Javier Zanetti.

The seven men cut from the provisional squad are Newcastle defender Fabricio Coloccini, Newell’s Old Boys defender Juan Manuel Insaurralde, Jose Sosa of Estudiantes, Olympiacos midfielder Jesus Datolo, Napoli forward Ezequiel Lavezzi, Lanus’ Sebastian Blanco and Juan Mercier of Argentinos Juniors.

The squad includes Lionel Messi (10/1 top goalscorer) and the country’s other big stars, which seems set to give the squad an abundance of talent up front, led by Messi, Carlos Tevez and Gonzalo Higuain.

Maradona, who presented a provisional 30-man squad last week, selected a group that includes three goalkeepers, seven defenders, seven at midfield and six forwards.

Maradona is likely to start Messi with Tevez or Higuain up front with a midfield anchored by Javier Mascherano, Juan Sebastian Veron, Jonas Gutierrez and Angel Di Maria. The four starters at the back are expected to be Nicolas Otamendi, Martin Demichelis, Walter Samuel and Gabriel Heinze.

The starting goalkeeper is almost sure to be Sergio Romero of Dutch club AZ Alkmaar.

Argentina struggled to reach the World Cup, qualifying fourth – the last automatic spot from South America.

Maradona has been in charge for 19 months but has failed to show the same great flair as a coach that he had as a player.

Argentina face Canada on Monday at River Plate’s stadium in Buenos Aires, in what is expected to be its last warm-up before the World Cup.

The 1978 and ‘86 champions open on June 12 in South Africa against Nigeria and also faces Greece and South Korea in Group B.

Argentine officials confirmed for the first time that the team will depart for South Africa on May 28.

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Sergio Romero (AZ Alkmaar), Mariano Andujar (Catania), Diego Pozo (Colon).

Defenders: Nicolas Otamendi (Velez Sarsfield), Martin Demichelis (Bayern Munich), Walter Samuel (Inter Milan), Gabriel Heinze (Marseille), Nicolas Burdisso (AS Roma), Ariel Garce (Colon), Clemente Rodriguez (Estudiantes).

Midfielders: Jonas Gutierrez (Newcastle), Juan Sebastian Veron (Estudiantes), Javier Mascherano (Liverpool), Angel Di Maria (Benfica), Javier Pastore (Palermo), Maxi Rodriguez (Liverpool), Mario Bolatti (Fiorentina).

Forwards: Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Gonzalo Higuain (Real Madrid), Carlos Tevez (Manchester City), Diego Milito (Inter Milan), Sergio Aguero (Atletico Madrid), Martin Palermo (Boca Juniors).

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Jones ready for pitch battle

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Dave JonesCardiff boss Dave Jones has warned his players they cannot use the much-criticised Wembley playing surface as an excuse if they struggle against Blackpool (Cardiff 13/10, Blackpool 21/10, draw 9/4 90 Minutes) in Saturday’s Championship play-off final.

The Bluebirds will hope to overcome Ian Holloway’s Seasiders and clinch a place in the Premier League (Cardiff 8/13 to gain promotion) for next season which brings with it a reported £90million cash windfall.

However, after Chelsea skipper John Terry became the latest big-name player to launch a scathing attack on the quality of the Wembley playing surface following Saturday’s FA Cup final, Jones is getting his players prepared for the worst.

“We can’t do anything about it so we’ll just have to get on with it,” said Jones.

“We won’t blame the surface.”

In fact Jones feels his players could even be at an advantage ahead of the game given that the Cardiff City Stadium’s surface has also been lambasted for its poor quality this past season so they will be used to playing on a difficult pitch.

“We had complaints about our ground but there was nothing we could do about it,” added Jones.

“The groundsman was pulling his hair out because he had been worried.”

In the meantime, Jones is just hoping his players can adapt well to the ‘massive occasion’ and end Cardiff’s 48-year exile from the top division.

He said: “We’ll have a look at the pitch but if the pitch is a mess what are we going to do? We’ve got to get on with it.”

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Benitez drops Spain hint

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Rafael Benitez has admitted that he would like the chance to coach the Spanish national team but pledged his immediate future to helping Liverpool secure some silverware (Liverpool 10/1 Premier League 2010/11 Outright) next season.

The 50-year-old has been heavily linked with a move away from Anfield this summer following a trophyless campaign in which the Reds missed out on a top-four Champions League place and lost out in the Europa League semi-finals to eventual winners Atletico Madrid.

However following reports linking him with Juventus, Inter Milan and AC Milan, Benitez revealed that he has no plans to quit Merseyside at least until the end of his current contract in 2014.

And, as far as his long-term future is concerned Benitez stressed that he would like an opportunity to coach Spain, who go into this summer’s World Cup fancied to take the title (Spain 4/1 Outright Winner) after their Euro 2008 success.

“Right now I have four years left in my contract with Liverpool and I am very happy there,” Benitez told www.as.com.

“But, of course, in a few years, once [Spain coach Vicente] Del Bosque ends his work, I would like to be Spain coach.

“All of the Spanish coaches would like in the future to become national team manager.”

Meanwhile, Benitez has hit back at his critics and suggested that he has become a victim of his own success having guided the Reds to Champions League, FA Cup, European Super Cup and Community Shield glory in his first two years.

He added: “We made a huge mistake, as we won four titles at the start. Then people ask you for more, when in reality in the Premier League it’s assumed that at the start a coach needs time to adapt.

“(Manchester United manager Sir Alex) Ferguson took seven years to win the Premier League.”

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