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Spurs challenge Arsenal with ??22m bid for Valencia's Mata

??? Arsenal yet to bid but remain favourites to sign Spaniard??? Valencia obliged to sell if bid of ???21m received before 1 AugustTottenham Hotspur last night sought to beat Arsenal to the signing of the Valencia forward Juan Mata by tabling a bid worth close to ???25m (??22m). Arsenal, whose...

Aston Villa's Alex McLeish concerned by 'three-tier' Premier League

??? Top six are too rich and too good, says Villa manager??? Manchester City's spending at a 'phenomenal' levelThe Aston Villa manager, Alex McLeish, has said a chasm has opened up in the Premier League between the top six clubs and the rest, which has rendered it near impossible for those outside...

Arsenal can survive without Cesc F??bregas, says Thierry Henry

??? Club is always bigger than one player, says returning striker??? Wenger refuses to be drawn over Jagielka and Mata interestThierry Henry has told Arsenal they should not be concerned if Cesc F??bregas leaves for Barcelona, as the club should always be about the team, rather than any individual...

United hopes fade on Sneijder and Nasri

??? Deals for Wesley Sneijder and Samir Nasri 'dead'??? No more signings this summer, says chief executiveManchester United are close to tying Javier Hern??ndez and Antonio Valencia to new contracts but increasingly losing hope when it comes to bringing a top central midfielder to Old Trafford,...

McEachran sees Chelsea stature rise

??? 'Expectation has been hard, but Chelsea are supportive'??? Villas-Boas says teenager's midfield flexibility is importantJosh McEachran has passed his latest test. Perhaps for the first time since being clad in the kit of a Chelsea first-team player, the teenager had appeared uneasy in the...

FA needs urgent reform, warns report

??? Report to require new fit and proper person test??? Club licensing and ownership should be a priorityAn influential parliamentary committee has called for "urgent reform" of the Football Association to enable it to take on the task of overseeing a new club licensing system, including a new and...

Familiar failings at the FA ??? this time they must act | Owen Gibson

The parliamentary report has underlined once more the need for reform at football's governing body, it cannot be ignored againSame Old Song by the Four Tops would be appropriate music to accompany the latest report into football's failings.Its call for fundamental FA reform echoes back down the...

Michael Carrick: I need to have more influence at Manchester United

??? Carrick will not change his style in absence of Paul Scholes??? Hopes that Sir Alex Ferguson will sign a midfielder fadingMichael Carrick has accepted he will need to take more responsibility at Manchester United this season if Sir Alex Ferguson is unsuccessful in his attempts to bring another...