Wenger eyeing quality additions

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger remains confident of adding quality to his squad ahead of Monday night's transfer deadline - with a £40million bid for Real Madrid midfielder Mesut Ozil reportedly lodged following a 1-0 win over big-spending Tottenham.

Wenger's only purchases so far have been the free transfers of Yaya Sanogo and Mathieu Flamini, the latter making his second Arsenal debut when coming on as a substitute for Jack Wilshere, who was forced off with a stomach problem which is not expected to rule him out of England's World Cup qualifiers.

However, after making unsuccessful bids for Gonzalo Higuain, Luis Suarez and Yohan Cabaye earlier this summer, Wenger believes the 100million euro (£86.3million) switch of Gareth Bale to Madrid could now set in place a "domino" effect which would allow the likes of 24-year-old German international Ozil - who is also on Paris St-Germain's wanted list - to come onto the market at the 11th hour.

Arsenal have also been linked with his Real Madrid team-mates Karim Benzema and Angel di Maria and Palermo goalkeeper Emiliano Viviano.

Following the 1-0 north London derby win over Tottenham, secured by a first-half goal from France striker Olivier Giroud, Wenger again addressed the issue of getting in extra bodies - a problem highlighted by the inclusion of youngsters Serge Gnabry and Gedion Zelalem, only 16, on the bench.

Spurs, meanwhile, had £26million man Erik Lamela among their substitutes following his transfer from Roma.

''Tottenham got a lot of money for Bale, they have to invest it - I understand that," Wenger said. "The need is different for us, we need one or two super players and we will try to add that.

''It is a little bit like a domino game. Maybe something will happen in the last 24 hours, maybe not. It is very difficult to predict, but maybe we can surprise you."

Arsenal may be sitting on a £70million war chest, but Wenger insists the club will not be held to ransom as the last-gasp shopping dash begins.

''I am not against spending. I am ready to pay what we can afford, even if it is a bit over the market (value) and as long as it is not crazy,'' he said.

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Source : http://www.football.co.uk/arsenal/wenger_eyeing_quality_additions_rss4391808.shtml

Laudrup set to bolster forward line

Swansea boss Michael Laudrup saw his side pick up their first points of the Barclays Premier League season with a 2-0 win over West Brom, then confirmed he expects to unveil a new striker on Monday.

Goals from left-back Ben Davies and the influential Pablo Hernandez made up for back-to-back defeats, albeit to Manchester United and Tottenham, to get the Swans' season up and running.

That sent Laudrup into the international break with a smile on his face and by the time Swansea play again, at home to Liverpool on September 16, he hopes to have another option up front.

Speaking ahead of transfer deadline day, he said: "I've been asked about a lot of players and I've always said we want one more striker with different characteristics to Wilfried Bony and Michu," he said.

"We will add one tomorrow. We've had five, six, seven players linked and one will join, but not more than one.

"We have to go into the last day (of the window) having not done everything which is not ideal because it will be a crazy day, but hopefully we'll finish in time.

"I don't want to go into details but let's say we hope to finish it as quickly as possible."

Laudrup was delighted to be leaving The Hawthorns with three points in the bank, admitting that his side's tough opening fixtures had placed real significance on the result here.

"We knew it was very important for us to get something out of this game," he said. "When we saw the fixtures before start of the season - starting against the champions and then Tottenham away - we knew it was difficult. Then you look at squads in our league, as I call it, teams like West Brom and try to get something.

"It's not easy when you come here but it was a great win and great performance.

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Source : http://www.football.co.uk/swansea_city/laudrup_set_to_bolster_forward_line_rss4391776.shtml

Injury-hit England call for Caulker

Roy Hodgson has called Cardiff defender Steven Caulker into his squad for England's World Cup qualifiers with Moldova and Ukraine after Phil Jones and Glen Johnson joined Wayne Rooney in pulling out.

Manchester United manager David Moyes confirmed before Sunday afternoon's 1-0 defeat at Liverpool that Rooney would miss out after suffering a nasty head wound in training on Saturday.

Now it has been confirmed Jones and Johnson will also be unavailable after suffering ankle injuries during the Anfield encounter.

"England have called up Steven Caulker following the withdrawal of three players from Roy Hodgson's squad due to injury," said an FA statement.

"Manchester United pair Wayne Rooney and Phil Jones have both left the squad. Glen Johnson, the Liverpool defender, has also withdrawn following his side's win over Manchester United at Anfield."

Caulker has one England cap to his name, having started and scored against Sweden in Stockholm in November 2012.

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Source : http://www.football.co.uk/england/injury-hit_england_call_for_caulker_rss4391199.shtml

Giroud strike sends Spurs to defeat

Olivier Giroud fired Arsenal to a hard-earned 1-0 win as big-spending Tottenham's summer investment brought no reward in the north London derby.

At the Emirates Stadium there was cause for concern for England boss Roy Hodgson, ahead of the World Cup qualifiers against Moldova and Ukraine, as midfielder Jack Wilshere hobbled off before half-time.

But that worry was largely forgotten by the full-time whistle as home boss Arsene Wenger, yet to make a star signing in the transfer window, expressed his delight on the touchline.

Spurs may have been without Real Madrid-bound Gareth Bale, but their £100million-plus spending spree saw plenty of talent in Andre Villas-Boas' match-day squad, with £26million man Erik Lamela starting on the bench following his transfer from Roma that was finalised on Friday.

Arsenal, having so far brought in only two free transfers, earned the bragging rights after Giroud tucked home his fourth goal in five appearances to settle an entertaining, but also heated, contest.

There was a bright start by the hosts, and Santi Cazorla forced a fine early save from Hugo Lloris with a 20-yard curling free-kick.

The Spaniard then had another go from a more central position after Theo Walcott was upended by Mousa Dembele, and this time his low effort went under the wall, bobbling just wide.

Spurs settled and Roberto Soldado, the £26million striker signed from Valencia, had a close-range shot blocked by Per Mertesacker.

Arsenal, though, swept into the lead after 23 minutes, with a swift counter from Aaron Ramsey and Tomas Rosicky seeing the ball played out to Theo Walcott down the right.

The England forward cut a pass towards the six-yard box - where Giroud arrived ahead of Spurs captain Michael Dawson at the near post to convert a lovely left-footed finish.

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Source : http://www.football.co.uk/arsenal/giroud_strike_sends_spurs_to_defeat_rss4391047.shtml

Difficult day for Hodgson

England boss Roy Hodgson endured a disastrous day at Liverpool on Sunday, losing one player - and maybe three more - for crucial World Cup qualifiers, and also suffering an apparent snub at his former club.

Hodgson was unhappy upon his arrival at Anfield to discover he had not been offered the courtesy of a ticket to the directors' lounge, as would be customary for an England manager.

He was then less than impressed to discover his seat for the game was in a row he believed was reserved for scouts rather than in the main area of the directors' box.

Liverpool later claimed this was not the case and Fabio Capello had sat in exactly the same place when he visited Anfield.

However, they acknowledged a ticketing mistake, which a club official apologised to Hodgson directly for at half-time.

Evidently though, this did not appease the Three Lions chief, who opted to sit on his own in the main entrance area at half-time, then revised his post-match plan of meeting assistant Gary Neville, who had been commentating on the game, to leave five minutes early and head straight to St George's Park.

Clearly annoyed at what could be interpreted as disrespectful treatment towards the England manager, Hodgson did not wish to hang around for fear of what he might say to Liverpool staff.

His mood on the drive to Burton would not have been helped by a succession of injury problems that will hit plans to face Moldova and Ukraine in the coming days.

Wayne Rooney is definitely out after suffering a nasty gash to his head in an accidental training ground collision with Phil Jones on Saturday.

"It is bad," said Manchester United manager David Moyes.

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Source : http://www.football.co.uk/england/difficult_day_for_hodgson_rss4391009.shtml

Premier League: Davies and Hernandez help Swansea win 2-0 at West Brom

Ben Davies: Celebrates his opener for the visitors

Ben Davies and Pablo Hernandez scored in either half as Swansea earned a 2-0 Premier League victory over West Brom at The Hawthorns on Sunday afternoon.

Having lost to Manchester United and Tottenham, Michael Laudrup's Swans side were in need of a result to lift them off bottom spot and duly delivered with Hernandez teeing up Davies for the opener before applying the finishing touch in the 83rd minute.

Swansea had started lethargically, but West Brom failed to convert a lively start into goals and paid the price when Davies' second career goal left them chasing the game.

They could not find a way back into it as the game progressed and instead found themselves opened up at the back in the closing minutes.

While Swansea's campaign is now up and running, Albion head into the international break with one point from three matches.

The day had started with Steve Clarke confirming Nicolas Anelka's return to the fold, less than two weeks since his mooted retirement, by including the striker in his starting XI.

His name was the most notable on Clarke's team sheet but there was also a first league start for on-loan Manchester City winger Scott Sinclair, against his old club.

Swansea showed six changes from the side that took on Petrolul Ploiesti in Europa League qualifying, with a handful of senior men restored.

Wilfried Bony won a dangerous free-kick for Swansea after just two minutes, Jonjo Shelvey curling his effort over the crossbar from just outside the area.

But otherwise, the opening stages were all about West Brom.

After several early half chances, they came close to the opener when Sinclair's free-kick from the right was headed towards the bottom corner by James Morrison but struck his unwitting team-mate Shane Long and bounced clear.

Then, entirely against the run of play, Davies struck.

Hernandez was the provider, attacking the left of the West Brom defence and finding Davies at the second attempt, his first cross having been headed clear.

When the ball fell for the left-back, he met it with a crisp side-footed volley that left Boaz Myhill rooted.

The goal gave the visitors new confidence and a clever piece of footwork from Bony on the halfway line could have left West Brom exposed had Gareth McAuley not dragged the Ivorian down and earned a booking.

The closest the hosts came to levelling before the break came after 31 minutes when Shane Long fed Anelka and he just missed the target with a powerful low shot.

Morrison made way for Graham Dorrans at the break but with an hour gone, West Brom were still behind and hardly threatening.

Swansea's game plan appeared to be a conservative one if Shelvey's increasingly deep positioning was anything to go by.

With half-an-hour to go, Michu might have found himself in trouble with a fussier referee or a more dramatic opponent. The Spaniard took offence to a foul by Claudio Yacob and responded by pushing him in the chest, picking up nothing worse than a yellow card.

Mike Dean took Jonas Olsson's name next, the defender having tangled with Bony on the touchline.

It was Bony's final involvement before being replaced by Jonathan de Guzman, a swap that saw Michu move up front.

With 70 minutes gone, Wayne Routledge spurned a wonderful chance to make it 2-0, racing clear for what should have been a one-on-one with Myhill only to hesitate and allow McAuley to make a clinical blocking challenge.

McAuley's header at the other end was close to levelling the scores moments later but it was to get worse, not better for his side.

Hernandez, shortly after grazing the crossbar from 20 yards, was on hand when Michu unselfishly rolled the ball across the box from close range.

Michu might have shot from an awkward angle, but instead left his fellow Spaniard with a near open goal to power his shot into.

Source : http://www1.skysports.com/football/live/match/300343/report

Morrison blow for Scotland

James Morrison is a doubt for Scotland's World Cup qualifying double-header against Belgium and Macedonia after injuring his groin during West Brom's Barclays Premier League defeat to Swansea.

Morrison was substituted at half-time as the Baggies went down 2-0 at the Hawthorns and now seems unlikely to be available for his country's home match against Belgium on Friday night as well as the visit to Skopje four days later.

Albion manager Steve Clarke stopped short of ruling the midfielder out of the matches, but did not seem hopeful.

"He felt a pain in his groin just before half-time, the last couple of minutes in the first half," he said.

"The medical people will assess it but I would imagine he is doubtful for the Scotland trip."

Scotland lie fifth in Group A with five points from seven games.

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Source : http://www.football.co.uk/scotland/morrison_blow_for_scotland_rss4390927.shtml