Yaya Toure's agent says he expects the Barcelona midfielder to join his brother Kolo at Manchester City "very soon". The Guardian
Micah Richards has been continually linked with a move to White Hart Lane in recent weeks, as question marks remain over the City star’s long term future at Eastlands. A move to Tottenham could be the kickstart the 21-year-old defender needs, so he can fulfil his undoubted potential.
It’s fair to say that Richards career has curtailed somewhat recently, after making his debut for England aged just 18, and in the process becoming the nation’s youngest ever defender and he hasn’t hit the heights as quickly as people expected. Injuries and some off-field issues may have contributed to his loss of form and his fall from the international set-up.
Should he join Spurs then it could be a chance for him to carry on where he left off and get himself back into the England set-up. Looking at the forums the general consensus amongst Spurs fans is that he would be a good addition to the squad as he would offer some much needed pace, strength and aerial ability. Equally there are some fans that worry about his attitude and believe that he isn’t consistent enough, however he is still only 21-years-old and those problems can be overcome with good management.
It could be that he has been mis-managed at City as they have gone through a number of managers during his time there, and constant changes like that can’t be good for a young player’s development. Richards also famously launched a touch-line tirade at Stuart Pearce when he was in charge of City. Pearce was the man who gave Richards his City debut and it is possible that his attitude problem didn’t get sorted out there and then, and has developed and held him back. Harry Redknapp is an excellent man-manager and as he has shown throughout his managerial career that he knows how to get the best out of young players and help shape their careers. Aaron Lennon, Tom Huddlestone and Gareth Bale are prime examples and you do wonder if he could work his magic with Richards as well.
However another question must be asked which is would Richards want to leave Manchester City, given the clubs’s massive ambitions? It remains to be seen whether Roberto Mancini truly rates him as he has been at the club for only six months and has yet to properly make his own stamp on the team. Interestingly City have recently signed German defender Jerome Boateng from Hamburg and he is a very similar player to Micah Richards so it could be that Mancini already has plans to move Richards on in the summer. Should he be deemed surplus to requirements then Tottenham would be a decent move for Micah and White Hart Lane could be a place where he finally can get his once promising career back on track.
WAG OF THE DAY
http://www.anorak.co.uk/250042/celebrit ... phans.html
TRANSFER BOLLOX
New Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho is preparing a £15m offer for Liverpool defender Glen Johnson. The Sun
Bolton and Celtic are pursuing Brazilian striker Ilan, who is a free agent after leaving West Ham at the end of the season. Daily Mirror
Argentina star Lionel Messi has revealed that he has sent text messages to Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas to try to persuade him to join Barcelona. Daily Mirror
Arsenal defender Mikael Silvestre has yet to decide on an offer from CSKA Moscow after being offered a £4m-a-year deal by Abu Dhabi-based club Al Jazira. Daily Mail
Aston Villa are set to make a £6m bid for Fiorentina goalkeeper Sebastien Frey. The Sun
Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn has been in Germany to secure a deal for Schalke defender Heiko Westermann. Daily Mail
Birmingham hope to take former Wolves and Coventry striker Robbie Keane back to the West Midlands from Tottenham, seeing off interest from local rivals Aston Villa. Daily Mirror
St Etienne have joined Rangers in the race to take Manchester United's French winger Gabriel Obertan on loan, and the Ligue 1 side also want Stoke defender Ibrahima Sonko. Daily Mail
OTHER BOLLOX
Former Real Madrid boss Manuel Pellegrini is being lined up as a possible replacement for Rafael Benitez at Liverpool.
Pellegrini has held talks with Liverpool but Fulham's Roy Hodgson remains favourite to take over at Anfield. The Guardian
Blackpool are to make a second contract offer to manager Ian Holloway after he rejected their opening bid. Daily Mirror
England missed out on the chance to practice with the controversial Jabulani World Cup ball after a consignment sent to the Football Association in February went missing. Daily Mirror
Former Crystal Palace boss Paul Hart will be confirmed as Phil Brown's successor as Hull manager in the next few days. Daily Mirror
German side Borussia Dortmund have banned vuvuzelas from their stadium. "These horrid things will be forbidden from the Westfalenstadion," said general manager Hans-Joachim Watzke. Guardian