Mancini Attempts to Sweeten Cheeky Deal to Sign Gerrard
Eastlands outfit try whole new way to tempt Anfield sale.
Manchester City are reportedly ready to offer midfielder Stephen Ireland in any potential deal to land Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard. Roberto Mancini has been linked with repeated hopeful attempts to land the Anfield hero and is now willing to offer players as part of any big money deal to sign the England captain.
Although any hope of signing the 29 year old midfielder seem doomed the Eastlands side are not ready to give up just yet and believe that offering talented Irish international Ireland into the bargain may tempt the Merseyside outfit to consider a sale.
Liverpool were thought to be interested in Ireland during Rafa Benitez’s reign but without a manager in place it seems even less likely that any deal would be accepted. Owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett are under immense pressure from the club’s fans after lumbering the club with massive debts and even though a sale would help repay some of the debt the ramifications of selling the talismanic player would surely be too much for the American pair to consider.
Barcelona's Dani Alves eyes up riches of a move to Manchester City
Eastlands looks tempting: City eyeing Dani Alves
Manchester City have lodged their interest in Barcelona right-back Dani Alves.
The brilliant Brazilian has yet to sort out a new contract with the Spanish champions and has had his head turned by the possibility of greater riches at Eastlands.
City are in the market for the best players in the world and Alves fits the bill either at right-back or right midfield.
They are willing to pay the money required for those targets and Barcelona know they will press strongly for a deal if 27-year-old Alves shows any interest in the move.
Barca do not want to sell but they paid a massive £36m in the deal to bring Alves from Sevilla just two years ago and would expect a significant profit if pushed into a corner.
Meanwhile, City are among a clutch of clubs monitoring Uruguay midfielder Nicolas Lodeiro who was the first man sent off in this year's World Cup.
The 21-year-old came on as a substitute against France but was sent off after an ugly lunge on Bacary Sagna.
However, he has earned rave reviews with Ajax this season and is earmarked as a star of the future.
Ajax only signed him from Nacional in January ahead of competition from cash-strapped Liverpool.
Weiss confident Slovakia can spring a surprise
At the age of 20, Manchester City wonderkid Vladimir Weiss is the baby of the Slovakia squad in South Africa, but he has already done a lot of growing up during his country's journey to their first World Cup finals.
Weiss is one of the stars of a talented young team that kick off their campaign against New Zealand in Rustenburg on 15 June. At the very least they have realistic hopes of progressing out of a group that also contains defending champions Italy and Paraguay but nobody seems quite sure exactly how good the Slovaks are.
The same can be said about Weiss. I'd heard a lot about him before I spoke to him a few days ago - but I have to admit I've seen an awful lot less.
I know he is a skilful right-winger with eight caps for his country but he has not had much chance to prove it at club level, with only four starts in all competitions to show from his time at City and a four-month loan spell at Bolton at the end of last season.
A series of sparkling international performances since winning his first cap against Iceland last August mean he is much better known in his homeland, but that was not always the case. The only reason he was a household name in Slovakia when he received that first call-up is because he shares his monicker with his dad, who is the national coach.
Weiss snr's decision to select his son was initially criticised
Weiss, who made an instant splash a couple of weeks after his debut with two assists in a vital qualifying win over Northern Ireland in Belfast, told me: "A lot of people back home were asking why I was being picked for my country if I wasn't playing for my club. But as soon as they saw me play, they were shocked and surprised at what I can do. Now they are saying 'why wasn't he picked earlier?'
"It wasn't easy for me, or for my dad to select me, because some people were always going to look at me as the manager's son. But I knew that situation doesn't just happen in football and I just tried to stick with it and show them what I can do. It's not a problem now."
Perseverance is something Weiss has had to show a lot of in his short career to date. He was a homesick teenager when he left hometown team Inter Bratislava to move to England (on his own) to join City's academy at 15. It must be difficult enough going to live in a different country at that age, but even more so when you consider he didn't speak a word of English.
"The first time I came over to England, it was very hard for me," Weiss explained. "To be honest, I didn't really want to stay. I was always crying because I was a bit of a mummy's boy and I wanted to go home.
"I was living in digs with a family but I was very lonely. It became easier when I started to speak a bit of English, then I got in the youth team and started talking with the other players more and more.
"But what made a massive difference was one of my mates, Filip Mentel, came over from Slovakia too. He was a youth team goalkeeper at City for three years before joining (Polish side) Legia Warsaw last year and it helped me a lot to have someone who was going through the same things as me, and who I could talk to about them."
Weiss, who was a teenage ice hockey star, looks a lot younger than his years but, from talking to him, he seems to have a wise head on his shoulders (if you pardon the pun) and it is clear he no longer has issues with language. He is friendly and chatty - speaking fluent English with a Mancunian twang to his Slovakian accent - and he told me he feels at home in north-west England too.
Things have not been quite so straightforward on the pitch, however. Weiss was a key member of City's 2008 FA Youth Cup-winning team and, with a reputation of being fast, skilful and having the ability to beat his man, he was touted as being the next young star to follow previous academy graduates such as Micah Richards and Stephen Ireland into the first team.
But he has had his path to the first team blocked by a seemingly never-ending influx of expensive signings following the club's takeover by oil-rich Arabs later in 2008, and is yet to start a Premier League game for City.
Weiss has made only three Premier League starts, all while on loan at Bolton
He fared little better during his short stint at the Reebok Stadium but his lack of club action does not seem to have dented his self-belief, or his enthusiasm - and he made it clear he is willing to wait for his chance at club level.
"I've not played as many games as I've wanted but that is football sometimes. I came to England for the experience, and I am getting it," Weiss said.
"I've not let it affect me - I can't. My game is definitely about confidence and I think that is the most important quality for any player at the top level to have. Anyway, I am only young and I know I have to be patient when it comes to playing time so, when I do play, I try not to worry about things like that.
"When I'm playing, I do like to run at people with the ball at my feet. Sometimes it's hard because if it doesn't work out the first couple of times in a game, it is very hard to go and try it again - but I know I have to."
Weiss will get a chance to showcase his skills to the planet during the next few weeks but he has plenty of other reasons to look forward to his World Cup getting under way. Slovakia's opening match will be a special moment for a young nation - the country has only existed since the division of Czechoslovakia in 1993 - and extra special for the Weiss family too.
Weiss's dad, who at 45 is the youngest coach in South Africa, was a midfielder who played 19 times for Czechoslovakia, including their game against hosts Italy at the 1990 World Cup, while his grandfather, now 70, won three caps as a centre-back in the mid-60s and picked up a silver medal at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.
"When we qualified by beating Poland, the feeling was incredible and I know it is something that might never happen again," Weiss explained. "For somebody my age to be here is amazing, and everybody in Slovakia is excited because it is our first time. I know my dad and grandad are very proud."
Weiss's relationship with his father intrigued me and what was notable during the interview was way he repeatedly referred to him as his 'manager' rather than 'dad'. They are definitely close - they speak to each other every day even when Weiss is in England - but, just as importantly, Weiss the manager encourages the kind of football that suits Weiss the player.
Before taking charge of Slovakia, Weiss Snr made his name as coach of Artmedia - another Bratislava club. He was in charge when they smashed five goals past Gordon Strachan's Celtic in a Champions League qualifier in 2005 and has a reputation for setting his side out to play free-flowing attacking football.
Will that approach pay off in South Africa? We will find out soon enough. While Slovakia might lack household names, they definitely have some players who can do some damage. Liverpool centre-back Martin Skrtel, who has recovered from a broken foot, is probably their best-known player in the UK but Weiss feels that might change during the course of this tournament if Napoli playmaker Marek Hamsik can produce his best form.
"Marek is a good friend and a great player and there has been a lot of speculation for a while now about him going to one of the really big clubs," Weiss said. "If he plays at his best, he could be one of the stars of tournament."
It's not impossible that Weiss could take that role himself. After all, every World Cup I've watched (since Mexico '86) has seen at least one player emerge, seemingly from nowhere, to make a name for himself on the biggest stage of all.
Why not Weiss? He admits he has considered that outcome, and would certainly welcome it but I got the feeling he would be just as happy if the surprise package turns out to be the Slovakian squad as a unit, rather than any of its individuals.
"There is always one team that causes a few shocks at a World Cup and I think it will be the same this year," he explained. "Can it be us? Well, we are an attacking team but we have to play with our brains too. If we can win our first game, and get something from the next two then we have a chance. Getting out of our group will be the first achievement, if we manage that then we will see what can happen next."
ANT'S WORLD CUP WAG OFF BOLLOX
http://www.wsn.com/blog/2010/06/07/wag- ... ina-shayk/
Italy - Cristina di Pin (Riccardo Montolivo)
http://images5.fotoalbum.virgilio.it/v/ ... 004-vi.jpg
Paraguay - Giselle Taravelli (RSC)
http://totalfootballmadness.com/wp-cont ... relli4.jpg
TRANSFER BOLLOX
Manchester United have been linked with a move for Real Madrid striker Raul, who may be allowed to leave the Spanish club on a free transfer this summer. Daily Mail
Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill is ready to take on Tottenham in a £12m battle for Everton's South Africa winger Steven Pienaar, who has only a year left on his contract and is stalling over an extension. Daily Mirror
Real Madrid meanwhile, are said to be unwilling to pay Liverpool's estimated asking price of £30m. IMScouting.com
Hamburg are set to battle Manchester United to the signing of former Chelsea midfielder Michael Ballack. IMScouting.com
Everton have been alerted after Benfica admitted that their £20m-rated Paraguayan international striker Oscar Cardozo can leave the club after a row over his fitness. Daily Mail
West Brom have put a £5m price tag on midfielder Borja Valero after rejecting a £2.5m bid from Sevilla. Daily Mirror
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is reportedly ready to swoop for highly rated Serbian international Neven Subotic this summer. The Borussia Dortmund player, who came on as a substitute in Sunday's World Cup defeat by Ghana, has also been linked with Bayern Munich and Arsenal.caughtoffside.com
Aston Villa full-back Nicky Shorey is a £2.5m target for Nottingham Forest after making nine loan appearances for the Championship club last season before ending the campaign on loan at Fulham. Daily Mail
Newly promoted Premier League side Blackpool's bid to sign Leicester City striker DJ Campbell has stalled in a dispute over the transfer fee, with the Foxes seeking up to £1.5m for the player. Daily Mail
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is considering making a double Ajax swoop this summer for young defensive pair Gregory Van der Wiel and Jan Vertonghen. caughtoffside.com
Birmingham are closing in on a £4.5m deal to sign Palermo's Italian striker Fabrizio Miccoli. Daily Mirror
Sunderland are set to renew their interest in Marseille's 25-year-old Nigerian left-back Taye Taiwo. Daily Mail
Bolton are considering an offer for 29-year-old Brazilian striker Ilan, who is a free agent after leaving West Ham at the end of the season. Daily Mail
Middlesbrough have re-entered the race to sign Rangers striker Kris Boyd. (Daily Record)
Sunderland's 27-year-old striker Daryl Murphy is set to become new Celtic manager Neil Lennon's first signing. (Daily Record)
OTHER BOLLOX
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has insisted midfielder Cesc Fabregas will not be sold - and claimed he will not even discuss his future. Daily Mirror
England striker Emile Heskey believes the Jabulani World Cup match ball contributed to his bad miss against the United States in Saturday's 1-1 draw. Daily Mail
Fellow England team-mate Ledley King's groin injury could lead to the defender being ruled out of the World Cup. King was replaced during half-time of England's 1-1 draw with the US on Saturday. Daily Star
England goalkeeper David James, meanwhile, is said to be fuming after being overlooked for selection against the US on Saturday. Daily Mail
Former MK Dons manager Paul Ince is in contention to replace Paul Mariner as boss of Plymouth, although the former Ipswich striker may stay on in some capacity. Daily Mirror
Angry residents have hit out at a Cambridge housing association after they were banned from flying England flags during the World Cup on the grounds they could be "offensive". Daily Mirror
Alan Green asked the listeners to vote on whether or not to get the engineers to remove the sound of the vuvuzelas from the live feed and has received a 100% response that they want to remove his commentary and keep the horns.
v Paraguay 
