Soccer News

Aston Villa have completed the signing of

veteran American keeper Brad Friedel from

Blackburn for an undisclosed fee - thought

to be about £2m.

The 37-year-old has signed a three-year deal

following successful talks with Villa manager Martin O’Neill.

Rovers gave the move the green light after they signed Paul Robinson from Tottenham as a replacement.

Friedel made 287 appearances for Blackburn and was one of their outstanding performers last season.

Manchester City are thought to have made a late bid to sign the United States international but Friedel opted to join compatriot and fellow keeper Brad Guzan at Villa Park.

Villa have agreed a deal with Chivas USA for 23-year-old Guzan, subject to a work permit hearing on Friday.

Scott Carson kept goal for Villa last season but O’Neill decided against signing the England keeper on a permanent basis from Liverpool and the 22-year-old has since moved to West Brom.

Friedel joined Blackburn from Liverpool in 2000 and although the club were reluctant to let him leave, they gave way to his request in recognition of his long service.

The move did not go through in time for the keeper to make his debut in Saturday’s Intertoto Cup tie against Odense.

Barcelona are believed to be searching the market for an available world class striker, according to a report in The Guardian. According to the report the two strikers which would interest new Barcelona boss Guardiola most are Arsenal’s Emmanuel Adebayor and Chelsea’s Didier Drogba. One of the two players, both of which are believed to be keen to leave their respective clubs this summer, would act as replacements for outgoing striker Samuel Eto’o.

Pep Guardiola has confirmed earlier this summer that Eto’o, Deco and Ronaldinho had become surplus    to requirements  t Camp Nou. The latter two have already  left Barcelona, while Eto’o is the subject of interest from the likes of Real Madrid, according to Spanish newspaper AS.

A report in The Sun also linked the Catalan club Tottenham’s Dimitar Berbatov yesterday, but they would face stiff competition from Manchester United and AC Milan for the signature of the Bulgarian.

England had been rocked this summer by transfer        

speculations. However two of the biggest stories

which seemed to have a similar beginning now

appear as though they will have a similar ending.

Gareth Barry’s proposed move to Liverpool and

Frank Lampard’s move to Inter both began with

the players requesting their moves to the proposed

targets. All summer long these players have created

quite a stir at both their clubs and it was always a

coin toss away from whether or not their moves would        

materialize.

However recent reports carried on Foxsports.com

suggest that both England international midfielders

look set to stay put.

On Thursday Aston Villa manager Martin O’Neill said he was likely to start Barry in an Intertoto Cup match on the weekend increasing speculation that O’Neill now appears to be including the player in his plans for the coming season.

“We haven’t heard back from Liverpool for some time and we’re not exactly sure where we all stand,” O’Neill said.

“My preference - and hopefully I’m speaking for a lot of Villa fans, if not all of them - is that we would like Gareth to stay at the football club. That would be great because it will be hard to replace him.”

Meanwhile over at Stamford Bridge Luiz Scolari is confident that Lampard will begin the new season with the Blues.

Scolari has said he feels the Chelsea star’s involvement in the pre-season tour is evidence of his commitment to the London club as he said, “I have said before, Frank is here, he is with us training and playing very well, he is an important player for us,”

According to a report on Setantasports.com England manager Fabio Capello has voiced his support for Lampard’s stay at the Bridge. As the national team coach, it is a safe assumption that his words would be highly influential in helping the London-based club hold on to the midfielder.

“As England coach I would prefer it if Lampard remained in England. He would have less travelling to do that way,” Capello told Italian newspaper La Repubblica.

Tottenham Hotspur’s attempts to sign                            

Russia playmaker Andrei Arshavin from

Zenit St Petersburg hinge on the north

London club being able to offload players

to fund the bid.

The 27-year-old, who impressed for his

country at Euro 2008, had been linked with

Barcelona and Arsenal earlier this summer, but now Spurs have emerged as favourites to land Arshavin.

Arshavin’s agent, Dennis Lachter, told The Daily Mirror: “The price is very high, as are the personal terms.

“Let us see what happens in the future. It may need English clubs to sell some players first.”

Zenit sporting director Konstantin Sarsaniya had earlier stated: “With Tottenham we have contacts.

“This English club is really interested in acquiring Andrei but, as I understand it 27million euros is too high a price for them.

“For Spurs, it is unacceptable. Tottenham are ready to pay in the region of 20million euros for Arshavin.”

Spurs may soon be cash-rich if strike duo Dimitar Berbatov and Robbie Keane leave the club, with the pair linked with Manchester United and Liverpool respectively.

Tottenham have also been linked with Arshavin’s international colleague AS Roman Pavlyuchenko, who plays for Spartak Moscow.

Portsmouth midfielder Sulley Muntari has

confirmed that he is on the verge of sealing

a big-money move to join Italian champions

Internazionale.

The 23-year-old Ghana international only

joined Pompey a year ago, arriving for

£7million from Udinese and went on to

score five goals in 33 appearances for the

South Coast club.

However, Muntari says he cannot turn down the chance to link up with Inter, having previously seen a possible move to Manchester United fall through.

He told Sky Sports: “There are teams when they come to you, you need to listen to them.

“Harry has developed my game, he has been a father figure to me. I love him and also the Portsmouth fans, but when Inter call you need to listen.

“I have already missed a chance to play for a super team, this time I need to seize it.”

Pompey boss Harry Redknapp had earlier said that he was unwilling to allow Muntari to leave Fratton Park, but has now accepted that the lure of the San Siro was too much to resist.

He told The News: “Sulley is a terrific player but, like everything, you have to look at it again if you get a very good offer.

“I want to keep him and would be sorry to lose him but every player has his price. Sometimes an offer is too good to turn down, no matter who the player is.

“I like Sulley, he’s a good player. You have got to be a good player to have Inter Milan interested in you, but that’s how it is.”

Blackburn Rovers have completed

the signing of Tottenham goalkeeper

Paul Robinson for a ?3.5million fee.

The England international has agreed personal

terms on a five-year deal after productive talks

with Rovers boss Paul Ince.

Robinson becomes Ince’s first signing since

swapping MK Dons for Ewood Park in the summer,

after being informed he was surplus to requirements

at White Hart Lane by Spurs boss Juande Ramos.

The 28-year-old began his career at Leeds before a move to the capital in 2004, where he went on to make 137 appearances for the North London outfit.

Robinson’s arrival will almost certainly signal the departure of Brad Friedel.

The American has been in talks with Aston Villa over a ?2million switch, which Rovers insisted would only be completed once they had signed a replacement for the 37-year-old.