According to reports this morning, the ex-Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez is expected to be unveiled as the new coach at Inter Milan this week, and his first move will be to ask Dirk Kuyt and Javier Mascherano to join him in Italy.
The Ivory Coast are devastated today as it has been revealed that their star and captain Didier Drogba will miss the World Cup through injury.
Many pundits thought the the Ivory Coast were the African team most likely to cause a shock in South Africa, but their chances have been dealt a severe blow.
Drogba was injured in a clash with Tulio Tanaka during the friendly warm-up match against Japan. He was immediately taken off the pitch nursing his elbow.
The Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien may have missed quite a lot of last season through injury, but he still did enough to convince Carlo Ancelotti that he is worth holding on to for the rest of his career.
The 27-year old has signed a new three year extension to his contract, which means he will be 32 when it finishes, effectively signing him up for the rest of his playing life.
The Chelsea and England midfielder Frank Lampard admits that the two warm-up games against Mexico and Japan were not the best performances ever, but he believes that they are just another important part of England’s preparation.
He said: “These were tough games against two teams going to the World Cup finals.
“So we had been working hard, training hard and you also have to remember we were not playing settled teams. A lot of people, a lot of things were being tried out.
The Chelsea assistant manager Ray Wilkins believes that Daniel Sturridge can make a step closer to becoming a regular starter for the Blues next season.
Sturridge arrived from Man City last summer on a free transfer, and with a big reputation as a star of the future, but is finding limited chances behind Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka.
Rafael Benitez has had many years at Liverpool without winning the Premiership trophy, but now it seems he is going to be given the chance to win a title with Inter Milan.
Jose Mourinho left the Italian giants for Real Madrid this week, and Inter director Gabriele Oriali believes that Benitez is the right man to take the helm and try and emulate the Special One, and he says that Benitez is keen to do it.
With Robert Mancini aiming to make the Man City team his own after inheriting all his players from Mark Hughes, we can expect a hell of a lot of transfer activity at the Eastlands this summer.
Todays papers are full of Man City transfer news, starting with the revelation from Sport that City have made a derisory bid of 35m euros for the Barcelona striker Zlatan Ibrahamovich. The Swedish striker cost Barca 70m last summer, and although they are willing to take a loss on him, they won’t entertain offers under 50m for now.
The Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard says that the Man Utd striker Wayne Rooney is the live-wire in the England camp, and will stop the rest of the team from being bored in their hotel rooms in-between matches in South Africa.
He said: “Wayne Rooney is full of energy and not just on the pitch.
“Some players go back to their rooms and watch films all day, but Rooney is never in his room!
It seems that the Celtic manager Neil Lennon has managed to win the signature of his top summer target, the Hull midfielder Jimmy Bullard.
Hull were keen to get Bullard’s £45,000 a week wages cut from their wage bill as they try to reduce their crippling debt, and the news that he has agreed a 12 month contract with the Scottish giants will be a welcome relief for them.
The World Player of the Year Lionel Messi believes that England have a very good chance of reaching the later stages of the World Cup, and believes that the Man Utd striker Wayne Rooney could be the key to their chances.
The Barcelona striker said: “England are always a tough team to play against because they have a lot of spirit and they fight to the end.
