What you missed while crashing a satellite into the atmosphere…
- Rafael van der Vaart’s arrival at White Hart Lane means that there’s no place for Jonathan Woodgate on the 25-man squad.
- Ghanaian keeper Richard Kingson believes he has a point to prove in the Premier League after joining Blackpool.
- Arsene Wenger’s comments that Paul Scholes has “a dark side” don’t sit well with Emperor Palpatine Sir Alex Ferguson.
- Owen Hargreaves is in Manchester United’s 25-man squad. Alternative headline: Manchester United have named their 24-man squad.
- Alan Curbishley has been contacted (but not interviewed) by Aston Villa for their vacant managerial position.
- League Two club Shrewsbury Town will receive £500,000 from Manchester City if former youth product Joe Hart starts at keeper for England tomorrow.
- Alberto Aquilani, Fabio Quagliarella, and Gianlugi Buffon were left out of the Juventus Europa League squad.
- Lazio may sign Roque Santa Cruz in January, but they’re not interested in selling Mauro Zarate.
- Good news, Real Madrid: Jose Mourinho’s no longer obsessed with winning titles.
- FIFA is likely to rule Mikel Arteta ineligible for England because he played for Spain at the U-16 level.
- Vicente del Bosque is really worried that leaving Fernando Torres out of the Spain squad will hurt the world champions’ chances against Liechtenstein (pop. 35,000).
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I think with Arteta it’s not exactly that he played for Spain in the U-16, but he did so and wasn’t eligible for England at the time. If he’d always been able to be selected for England (English mother or something) and chose Spain at a lower level, he could switch, but not at this point.
Curbishley for Villa, eh? If it’s the Curbishley from Charlton, I think it could work out. If it’s the West Ham version, not so much. Then again, things at West Ham were a bit beyond his control.
Owen Hargreaves is just fragile. Even if he comes back, he’s been so nicked that I doubt it’d be long before he got hit again. I applaud Man U for sticking with him, but this time next year I sadly see retirement for him.
What is going on with Juventus? Have they completely lost the plot?
This year is the audition phase of Mourinho’s time at Madrid. Next year, that’s when we’ll see what he’s really got. I don’t think that squad will win the league, but they’ll be no fun for anyone to play against.
Are England so out of options that trying to draw in Arteta is a solution to *any* of their problems? You have a country full of talent and this is the best the FA and Capello could pull out of their ass? I’ll not complain about the Scots FA for at least a week after this deal.
I’ll have a bottle of whatever del Bosque is drinking.