Nothing will happen here i guess... He will appeal and it will be reduce to a small token... or nothing at all...

Players' union backs Mutu

Beck : 82 per cent of fans backed him to be their Manager

LA GALAXY fans want David Beckham to become their new MANAGER.

Ex-Chelsea boss Ruud Gullit quit the crisis club last week, with former player Cobi Jones taking over on a temporary basis.

Galaxy officials have started their search for a new chief but Becks has emerged as the supporters' favourite.

An incredible 82 per cent of fans backed the England ace for the role in a poll.

David Cordillo of Galaxy fans' group The Riot Squad said: "He's the only one with the experience, strength and knowledge to save us from sinking."

The MLS side have gone eight matches without a win and have slipped to fifth in the Western Conference.

Reserved for Tv schedule :

Calderón: No More Signings

There’s still two weeks to go before the transfer market shuts, but Real Madrid president Ramón Calderón has confirmed that the club’s own transfer activities are over.

Speaking to Marca just moments before his side’s kick-off against Valencia in the Supercopa at the Mestalla, Los Blancos chief, Ramón Calderón stressed that the club will not engage in any more transfer activities this season and further reiterated that Robinho will be staying at the Spanish capital.

“I have said before that our project to strengthen the squad is complete and I am sure this season will be one where we consolidate our position,” he explained. “We have a very complete and balanced squad and today (against Valencia), we will see if this is the case. 

The president might have to rethink his decision after watching the defending La Liga champions surrender a one-goal lead to lose 3-2 at the Mestalla on Sunday evening in the first leg of the Supercopa.

One encouraging sign, however, is that Robinho did start and play a majority of the game and Calderón again repeated that the Brazilian will be playing in the white shirt this campaign.

“I’m absolutely sure he will stay with Real Madrid. I have seen him looking happy and animated in the hotel,” he revealed. Even the coach has said to me that he is training well and the fact that he will be a key player in the team today proves that,” concluded Calderón emphatically.

In terms of actually completing a signing, Real Madrid have been surprisingly quiet this season in the transfer market by their standards, bringing in only Rafael van der Vaart, former players Rubén de la Red and Javi García and Ezequiel Garay, who looks set to remain on loan with Racing Santander for a season.

Robinho Makes Up With Mijatovic - Report

According to Madrid-based daily Marca, Robinho has apparently cleared the air with the Real Madrid hierarchy, opening the door for his taking part in the first leg of the Spanish Supercopa this evening...

Earlier this week the mercurial winger was said to be on the verge of sitting out of his side's meeting with Valencia in the Super Cup first leg.

However coach Bernd Schuster stated yesterday that the Brazilian was feeling fine and training normally, with further reports from today backing this up.

Yesterday Robinho allegedly met up with sporting director Pedja Mijatovic in the dressing room at Madrid's 'Sport City' in Valdebebas.

Here Mijatovic reassured the player that he was not in any way surplus to requirements at the Bernabéu and was in fact integral to the manager's plans.

He further requested of Robinho that he give the Supercopa his maximum concentration, contrary to earlier reports.

Robinho, for his part, apparently stated that he would take part in tonight's match with all due professionalism, pledging a two-goal haul if he is able to play.

With no direct quotes Marca's words cannot instantly be taken as fact, but with all voices at Madrid seemingly confirming that Robinho will play tonight it does seem likely that his problems - for now, at least - are over.

Wad's that in your wallet? £151,000-a-week footballer Frank Lampard steps out

It's clear from this snap that the credit crunch hasn't hit footballer Frank Lampard. The Chelsea star had loadsamoney in his wallet as he headed out for the day from his West London home.

Mind you, the midfielder has just signed a five-year, £151,000-a-week contract - so he can afford to stuff the odd £10,000 in his back pocket.

You can only wonder what he needed all those £50 notes for: the shopping? Or perhaps a gift for his lovely partner Elena Rivas?

The 30-year-old has spent the summer in drawn-out negotiations with Roman Abramovich's club over his future. He was even rumoured to be joining ex-Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho at Inter Milan.

But now that his contract has been confirmed, making him the highest paid player in the Premier League, he is clearly ready to get spending.

Robinho Could Face Sanction

Robinho’s refusal to play against Valencia on Sunday in the Supercopa might pressure the capital giants to finally let him go, but it is also a dangerous double-edged sword for the player.

The Robinho transfer saga continues to escalate without a resolution in sight. Reports from Spain yesterday alleged that the Brazilian refused to travel with the squad to Valencia to face the Copa del Rey champions in the Spanish Supercup, in an attempt to force Real Madrid’s hand to allow him to join Chelsea.

In an effort to cool down the controversy, the reigning La Liga champions immediately offered the player a new, improved contract believed to be worth around €5 million per season for five years, more than double what he currently earns.

But according to Catalan-based daily, Sport, the 24 year old has rejected the latest offer and he remains adamant not to play in for the Whites in Sunday’s game. And things are expected to turn very ugly if both parties fail to reach a common ground come kick-off.

Should Madrid coach Bernd Schuster summon Robinho to take to the Mestalla pitch and he blatantly refuses to do so, the capital club could report him to FIFA for a breach of contract. And should he be sanctioned by the governing body, he could be banned from playing for up to two years.

But there could be an escape route for the former Santos wunderkind. Such has been the stress on the player that Marca reports that he has now gone three nights without sleep. If he is deemed psychologically unfit to play, then the club will have no choice but to exclude him.

The only glimmering light for Los Merengues is that they could use Robinho as a pawn to sign Didier Drogba. The Ivory Coast striker has verbally pledged his future to the Blues but contractually, there hasn’t been any new agreement between player and club to extend his stay.

Real Madrid are currently in the hunt for a proven, world-class goalscorer and Drogba has been a player that they have previously shown interest in.

I don't think Real Madrid are really interested on Huntelaar... just another rumour i feel... Unless Robinho goes... else they won't need another striker.

Huntelaar’s agent has played down the rumours. Arnold Oosterveer declared to fcupdate.nl: “Nothing is going on at the moment - the rumours are pure nonsense.”

I think its not approve yet... If it was, they would have reported it already... Assigning him a shirt number only doesn't mean anything... They can still sell or loan him out just like Campbell who may go if a top striker arrive... Anyway, not sure if he is EPL standard yet also and if application fail, they can always loan him out to another club in Europe...

'I could spend £30m but I don't need to,' claims Wenger

Wenger insisted he could spend £30m on a striker if he wanted to, but he did not need to.

After another parsimonious summer Arsène Wenger yesterday insisted he could spend £30m on a striker if he wanted to, but he did not need to. Wenger has spent a net £3.2m pre-season, most of it on Samir Nasri who should be fit to make his debut against West Bromwich Albion this lunchtime. He admitted he is likely to buy again, but the probable target is a midfielder, and it will not break the club's £11m transfer record set when Sylvain Wiltord joined from Bordeaux in 2000.

<!--proximic_content_off-->

<!--proximic_content_on-->

"I would spend £30m on one player," Wenger said, "but I have the quality. I have [Robin] Van Persie, [Emmanuel] Adebayor, [Nicklas] Bendtner – who I have been patiently building up to be at the level I want him to be. I have Carlos Vela, Eduardo Da Silva."

Wenger partially contradicted himself when he said: "I am able to make signings at very high prices but you have to have the cohesion in the way you buy. Man United is in the bracket of £20m-£30m, Chelsea is in the unlimited bracket. We have to be in our bracket, we have to be very shrewd. When we bought Adebayor, who was thinking Adebayor was a great player? We bought him at the time at €4.5m(£3.5m). It is not just the price of the player, it is about how good he becomes.

"I have the money available to buy the players but we go into the competition with the target of balancing the budget, which I think every manager should do. Three or four years ago we embarked on a different policy. We have opted for stability with young players who have the spirit of our game, the spirit of our club. I believe we can show we are more united, that should be one of the advantages we have.

"The quality of a manager is spotting players when they are not necessarily stars. Big signings reassure [fans], but good performances are better."

Nasri should replace Emmanuel Eboué on the flank but with Cesc Fabregas and Abou Diaby injured Wenger is likely to retain the midfield pairing of Aaron Ramsey and Denilson.

Albion will, said manager Tony Mowbray, seek victory. "You have to have a belief that you can win. Otherwise, why bother turning up?"

Arsenal are without a trophy since lifting the 2005 FA Cup but Wenger said: "Every season is the season you have to win something."

<!--proximic_content_off--><!-- Proximic Link -->

I think its very hard to sell him cos Chelsea always sign players even average ones on high salaries and it makes it very difficult for them to sell them off to another club who are not willing to take over their remainding contract on the same salary... The only option is to loan them out until their contract expire with them... In some cases, they even have to pay part of the loan out players weekly salaries as the club that loan the player can't afford the full weekly sum... Veron, Crespo...

Yeah... Putting in a transfer request means he is no longer entitle to a cut on the transfer sum liao... Now Spurs bo pian must sell liao...  

I even get blamed for global warming

RAFA BENITEZ launched the new season with a vintage rant, insisting the Gareth Barry transfer fiasco was not his fault. The Liverpool boss claimed the on-off saga was nothing to do with him — and said he was fed up with being blamed for all the sins of the world.

He roared: “Some people will blame me for everything — global warming, rises in petrol prices, everything. “In this case, I want to be clear. Since I talked with Martin O’Neill in April, I didn’t talk with anyone else at Aston Villa.

“All the talks have been between Rick Parry and the owner and chief executive of Aston Villa — and they have been pretty good. "If someone wants to talk about Barry, they will have to talk to the owner or chief executive of Aston Villa, or Rick Parry.

“I was not doing the talks about Barry, and I was not doing the talks about Xabi Alonso and Arsenal. “If you want to talk about players, you have to talk to Rick Parry. If you want to talk about football, talk to me.”

Benitez seemed irritated by the statement issued by Anfield chief executive Parry over the Barry affair. Parry said he and owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett did not question Benitez’s judgement, but they felt Villa’s £18million price tag was too high.

The Reds manager refused to accept the deal was dead after Barry played for Villa in the UEFA Cup this week. He is still desperate to land the England midfielder but said any new initiatives would not come from him. He said: “I don’t have any problem with the owners. It’s just that I will always try to improve the squad.

“The squad is better and that was my idea. But we do have some problems on the left because we have lost John Arne Riise, Harry Kewell and Sebastian Leto.” Benitez does not usually lose his cool this quickly — it normally happens AFTER he slips out of the title race. But Reds fans are steeling themselves for disappointment even before today’s Premier League opener at Sunderland.

Liverpool looked sluggish in their midweek Champions League tie and Benitez said: “We have one or two players who are not playing very well, but I am very optimistic for the Sunderland game.”

PHIL SCOLARI is a big man with a big reputation in a big job at Chelsea. But does it really make a huge difference who picks the team at a club like that? 

Scolari — or Big Phil as he is known — is clearly a good manager. He is a World Cup winner with Brazil and his accomplishments over time have landed him one of football’s plum jobs.

And on his debut as a Premier League boss tomorrow against my Portsmouth team, he will be walking into a dressing room with standing room only for all the world-class players on the payroll.

It is almost impossible for him to fail. No manager has a magic wand that can turn water into wine, or vice-versa. Last season, Chelsea were a late goal and a couple of inches away from being the Premier League champions and Champions League winners. And their boss Avram Grant got the sack.

If Scolari had come to England three weeks ago and taken over at Hull, everyone would be saying he will do a fantastic job just keeping them in the Premier League. And it isn’t because he is a fantastic manager. It would be the same if he took over at West Brom.

Take Paul Jewell, for example. He did great stuff at Bradford and Wigan. Yet he goes to Derby and what happens? He couldn’t win a game — because the players weren’t up to it. Don’t misunderstand me, I have enormous respect for Scolari. He is taking on one of the biggest clubs in Europe where the pressure is intense. He has talent and worked hard to get himself to the position where Chelsea went after him, so he must have earned it.

But the top four teams in the Premier League have the best players. That is why I think it will be between Chelsea and Manchester United again for the title. But, yet again, Arsenal and Liverpool will be strong. Sure, all us managers can coach and can cock it up. But the simple equation in football has not changed since my first day as a professional.

The best teams with the best players generally win. The simplicity of football is its beauty. For me, it is not a question of if Chelsea win a trophy this season but how many. Big Phil has bought well in Jose Bosingwa. He is a lightning-quick right-back and I looked at him myself a couple of years back. And he cost £16million.

Deco is a fabulous player, my favourite type. He will be a superb asset, dropping off behind a striker like Didier Drogba with the two wide players I expect Scolari to employ. What was his price? £8m? They are also trying to sign Robinho and Kaka is another name linked with the club. It’s not only what Chelsea can spend but just how much they can afford not to save, too. If my nephew Frank Lampard had been at any other club, he would have left for Inter Milan this summer.

Other clubs would have been ordered to sell to recoup money to balance the books. As it is, Frank was handed a new five-year deal at Chelsea on Wednesday but only they could have afforded to write off £8m and keep him for the final year of his contract in the full realisation that he could easily walk away for nothing on a free transfer next May. It is awesome, unrivalled financial power.

The ammunition is waiting there for Big Phil from tomorrow. In addition he has John Terry, Ricardo Carvalho, Petr Cech, Michael Essien and the captain of bloody Germany, Michael Ballack. It is a dressing room full of experienced, international, class players with a winning mentality. And with very hurt pride after going so close last season.

Scolari knows Bosingwa and Deco from Portugal. And only a foolish manager buys players he has worked with already if he is not sure they are made of the right stuff. I am in the same position with Peter Crouch. I know what a great lad and a great player he is. An honest worker and a fine striker. In your love life they say never go back but managers rarely let their hearts rule their heads.

I don’t know Scolari at all. The only time we have met was briefly at half-time during a Champions League match between Chelsea and Liverpool last season. It was just a polite ‘Hello’ and a few words. No insight into his character or personality, although Frank tells me he is extremely popular with the players already.

We may collide in the tunnel before the game on Sunday but that is not the time to roll out the red carpet and welcome him to England and the Premier League. Perhaps afterwards we shall have a drink but each manager is different. Not all of them like to sit down and have a glass of wine and reveal their trade secrets . . . we shall just have to wait and see.

I have been a Premier League manager for 13 years. In my first season as boss at West Ham our new man was Joey Beauchamp. He cost us £800,000 from Oxford and broke down in tears on his way to training on his first day because he was homesick. He wasn’t my signing but how the league has moved on since then.

I remember way back when I was Bournemouth manager, our first game of the season was at home to Chelsea in the old Division Two. I think we drew and the old Chelsea chairman Ken Bates was so p****d off at their performance he stomped down and sat in the dugout for the second half.

When asked if I would like that from my chairman I said ‘Not likely’. The next thing I know, I received a letter from fiery old Ken asking me ‘What the bleedin’ ’ell it had to do with me!’. We became pals after that. But I certainly wouldn’t fancy Roman Abramovich and his pals sidling up to me during a game, that’s for sure.

HARRY REDKNAPP was talking to ANDREW DILLON

Berbatov: Let me go

DIMITAR BERBATOV last night handed Tottenham a transfer request in a bid to force his dream move to Manchester United. And the striker will be on the bench at Middlesbrough today. 

A close pal of the Bulgarian said: “Dimi’s decided to put in a transfer request. "He can’t wait to go to Old Trafford and play for United. “He feels he behaved professionally throughout this period. "He has never spoken publicly on the situation out of respect for Tottenham. "But he does not want to miss out on the start of United’s season and he feels that was his only option left.”

However, the Lilywhites are reluctant to strengthen their Premier League rivals and are supposedly entertaining the option of selling to Barcelona instead.

Berbatov, 27, took action as his move to Old Trafford has stalled over the transfer fee. Spurs want £30million but United have offered £20m. 

Fergie said last night: “You might be surprised at what’s going to happen over the next two days.” Tottenham are thinking of bringing Seville striker Fredi Kanoute back to White Hart Lane. But they are baulking at a £12m fee for a 30-year-old.

Frank Lampard pledged to give Chelsea “the best five years of my career” last night after signing a £33million five-year contract that makes him the highest-paid 30-year-old in domestic history.

The Chelsea midfield player should achieve his wish of finishing his career at Stamford Bridge thanks to an innovative deal in which his wages will continue to rise from their present level of £121,000 a week to a peak of £140,000 in the third year of his contract, before being reduced in the final two years.

Lampard's contract negotiations have been ongoing for more than 2 years, although the delay has not proved too costly because, having turned 30 in June, it is the most lucrative deal signed by a Premier League player of his age. Talks reached an impasse this summer over the length of the contract, as revealed by The Times, but a solution was reached this week after compromise on both sides, with Lampard being given an extra year on reduced terms.

John Terry's £135,000 a week remains the highest at the club, but Lampard's contract has an equivalent value over its full term.

“I wanted to sign a five-year deal because, having just turned 30, I feel I've got more than five years left in me,” he said. “I pride myself on my fitness and my training and I feel these will be the best five years of my career to come.

“I set out to improve every year as a player. I feel as fit as I've ever felt and I train as hard as I've ever trained. This contract will take me to 34 and if you look around there are a lot of top professionals playing, like Ryan Giggs, offering a lot to their club both on the pitch and off it. And I certainly feel that I can do that in a big way.”

Lampard has spoken of a desire to play abroad - he was tempted with the idea of a reunion with José Mourinho at Inter Milan - but credited his team-mates for convincing him to stay, particularly the support shown to him after the death of his mother in April. Chelsea's determination to keep him also played its part, with the club rejecting two bids, one of about £9.5million, from Inter last month.

“I think it helped coming back, training at Chelsea, seeing my team-mates, seeing the manager, feeling comfortable among the lads,” Lampard said. “The Man United game and what they did there was a big thing. I sat and watched that game with my family and when they removed their shirts [dedicating the victory to his mother] it was a very emotional moment. I will never forget it. I can't speak highly enough of the lads and what they did. John [Terry] as a captain creates that kind of spirit and the others follow because they are all great lads.

“When you go to your mum's funeral, you don't expect all the players to go there; you might expect a representative from the club. I had all the lads there. And that's something that goes beyond football and shows you what real friendships are.”

Peter Kenyon, the chief executive, hailed Lampard's deal, but warned Didier Drogba and Joe Cole that they would have to wait until next year for new contracts. “It could well be our best signing this summer,” Kenyon said. “I think it's important because it makes a statement about us keeping our best players.

“Didier and Joe Cole have two years to go. Both those contracts and discussions have been put on the shelf and will be revisited next year.”

<!-- End of pagination -->

If Fergie didn't let RVN go, maybe... just maybe they wouldn't have won the last 2 Premier League and Champions League title... ?

I say just pay the $28m and get it over with... Berbatov is an experience and "class" striker...

Robinho - still wanted by Chelsea.

CHELSEA REFUSE TO DROP ROBINHO CHASE

Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon is still hopeful of getting Robinho to sign at Stamford Bridge. Real Madrid have turned down an offer from Chelsea for 24-year-old Robinho but Kenyon believes they can still sign him before the end of the transfer window.

The Brazil forward would bolster the options of boss Luiz Felipe Scolari, who can now be certain of Lampard being in his midfield after 18 months of contract stalemate ended in the England international signing a five-year deal.

On the possibility of signing Robinho, Kenyon said: "It is continuing. Hopefully not for as long as the speculation about Frank. "We've still got a few days left of the window and hopefully we'll get a result."

Earlier Real Madrid boss Bernd Schuster insists Robinho will not be sold. Schuster is adamant Robinho, who scored in Tuesday's pre-season draw with Eintracht Frankfurt, is going nowhere and is happy at the club.

"We are not contemplating his departure - Robi will continue with us," Schuster told Marca. "Robinho is happy as always."

1/6 of footballers, are losing their jobs every season

Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on your affiliations, there is only one Cristiano Ronaldo. For most players, negotiations over multi-million pound transfers have never been mooted, let alone turned into a summer-long pantomime.

In a see-saw transfer tale which has dominated the back pages, the Manchester United winger had looked set for a world record move to Real Madrid until, this week, the 23-year-old declared he would be staying at Old Trafford for "at least one more season".

The likes of Ronaldo, Gareth Barry and Emmanuel Adebayor may have spent the close season outrageously flirting with various clubs in a manner which would have put Jessica Rabbit to shame. For those blessed with a little less magic in their boots, or whose prowess on the pitch has been withered away by Old Father Time, the summer has consisted of seemingly endless trials and hopeful phone calls to chairmen, managers and old team-mates in a bid to find a new club.

High-profile casualties include Freddie Ljungberg, Ivan Campo and Patrik Berger, but mixed with those illustrious names are veteran journeymen, aspiring teenagers and twenty-somethings desperately trying to make a living.

Julian Joachim was released by Darlington at the end of last season and according to the 33-year-old former Aston Villa and Leicester City striker the search for a new club gets more difficult with age.

Joachim, who just over 10 years ago moved from Filbert Street to Villa Park in a £1.5m deal, told BBC Sport: "At the end of the season you want to relax and switch off, but you've got to be fresh, go on trials and try to prove you're good enough.

"It gets harder and harder as the years go by, especially around the smaller clubs." The League Two club had a year's option on his contract, but Joachim was told he had no future at the Arena and is now preparing to ply his trade on a part-time basis in the Blue Square North with King's Lynn.

"Basically, the budget at Darlington had been slashed by half and they took me into the office to tell me they couldn't keep me because they hadn't got the funds," explained Joachim. "They talked to me about their situation; I talked to them about my situation and it was best for both parties that I got out. I knew King's Lynn were interested and the club is in an ideal location as it's near home in Boston."

The average footballer, according to Mick McGuire, primary deputy chief executive of the Professional Footballers Association (PFA), leads a "precarious existence". Around 500 players were released from their clubs at the end of last season, and McGuire told BBC Sport: "About 15 to 20%, that's 1/6 of footballers, are losing their jobs at the end of every season.

"If you or I were in an industry with a turnover that high then we'd be seriously worried. Adding to the insecurities players face, they are also increasingly being given short-term contracts, and not two-year contracts like they used to."

To help players get back on football's conveyor belt, the PFA keeps a register of available players called the Player Transfer Directory. It is a bit like a dating service for managers looking for that special someone. In fact, the directory outshines the average matchmaking website.

Not only does the directory provide the customary picture profile, age, height and nationality, but it provides information on the players' favourite positions and a brief history on their previous dalliances: seven clubs in five seasons (possible commitment issues); season-long loan (strangely given permission to play away).

Walsall manager Jimmy Mullen believes the directory is invaluable for clubs working on a shoe-string budget in a sport where money no longer talks but deafens. "If you look at the standard of League One and League Two, it's becoming higher and higher," the former Sheffield Wednesday and Cardiff City player told BBC Sport. "You've got clubs like Shrewsbury spending £170,000 on players so it's becoming tougher to get the right calibre of player."

While Mullen sympathises with those players who face an uncertain future, the beautiful game has, according to the League One boss, become an unsentimental rat race, with clubs scurrying around to cobble together a promotion-winning squad. Mullen said: "Telling a player he is no longer wanted is something that you get used to. I think the player usually has an idea so it's not that difficult. When it catches a player by surprise then it's a case of explaining why, but life goes on.

"It is not a nice thing to tell people but it is a necessity. You've got to do it because football is a rat race. It is a results-orientated business. "If a manager doesn't get results then he gets the sack, so if a player does not do his job then he has to go and someone else has got to come in. It is a vicious circle, but, unfortunately, that's the way football is."

Some decide to step out of the circle, but others persevere. Former Wales and Cardiff City defender Jason Perry believes players need to be "mentally tough" if they are to stay in the game. Perry, who for the last four years has been running a football academy in South Wales, focusing on educating youngsters as well as honing their football skills, said: "Nearly 99% of boys want to become footballers so when they walk through our doors you've got to tell them the truth: not everybody makes it.

"You've got the be in the right place at the right time. The boys come in and they're very negative in the way they play because they worry too much about making mistakes. It's a case of changing their thought process. "Football is about opinions, someone else's opinion might be different so you've got to be mentally tough and stay positive."

Standard Liege 0-0 Liverpool

Liverpool escaped with a draw after being dominated by Standard Liege in the first leg of their Champions League third qualifying round tie.

Liege's Marouane Fellaini had an early header which hit the inside of the post but was deemed not to have crossed the line before keeper Pepe Reina cleared.

Reina then saved a Dante Bonfim penalty as Liege spurned another chance.

The Reds were poor and Igor De Camargo put a free header wide as Liege were left to rue their profligacy. <!-- E SF -->

In contrast, Liverpool will have breathed a collective sigh of relief after the game as they looked rusty and clearly struggled to make the step up from pre-season to a competitive game.

FC Twente 0-2 Arsenal

A scrappy goal from William Gallas and a late Emmanuel Adebayor tap-in put Arsenal in control of their Champions League qualifier with FC Twente.

Arsenal were second best for much of a poor game in the Netherlands and both Marko Arnautovic and Romano Denneboom had chances to put FC Twente ahead.

But Arsenal got a break when Robin van Persie's free-kick deceived the home defence and Gallas bundled home.

Theo Walcott squared for Adebayor to put them firmly in control of the tie. <!-- E SF -->

The two goals and a clean sheet should be enough to see Arsene Wenger's men through their second leg at the Emirates in a couple of weeks and into the lucrative group stages of the competition.

CHELSEA have made Frank Lampard the Premier League’s highest-paid player with an incredible £39.2million contract. The Blues did a U-turn by giving him a £151,000- a-week, five-year deal. And Chelsea will today find out whether their £24.5m bid for Robinho will be successful. 

Blues chief executive Peter Kenyon had insisted he would not budge from a four-year offer for midfielder Lamps before giving in yesterday. Lampard, 30, said: “We can both gain from this deal. I am determined to win the title again and hopefully the Champions League. 

“Having tasted the bitter disappointment of losing, I believe we can win it in the future. “We have a fantastic squad of players and a great manager. This is a very exciting time at Chelsea and I’m happy to be part of it.” 

Kenyon admitted “He could be our best signing of the summer. It makes a statement about us keeping our best players. “He’s fit, he’s committed and in the modern game you will see top players carrying on longer in their careers.” 

Meanwhile, Robinho, 24, will demand a move to Stamford Bridge if he fails to agree a new deal with Real Madrid. Kenyon, in talks with the striker’s representative, last night said: “That situation is ongoing and may happen.”

Yeah correct correct... Channel 22 at 3am... But strange, normally CL on espn and starsports... Now go to 22... Looks like they have taken away the CL from espn as well now...

I want to see how McClown handle Arsenal...

No... Maybe this season no more Champions League on tv for us unless you subscribe meow tv...