Chelsea Wants Rijkaard
Chelsea, which is set to appoint Henk ten Cate to its coaching team, wants to reunite him with Barcelona manager Frank Rijkaard at the end of the season, the Daily Mail said.
Rijkaard will quit Barcelona, where Ten Cate worked as his assistant before joining Ajax in 2006, to take charge at the west London team after five years in Spain, the newspaper said.
Avram Grant, appointed as Chelsea head coach on Sept. 20 after Jose Mourinho left the club, will revert to his role of director of football when Rijkaard arrives, the Mail said.
Ten Cate, 52, will be paid 40,000 pounds ($81,200) a week, doubling his salary at Ajax, which asked for compensation of around 1 million pounds, according to the Times.
CHELSEA TARGETS HUNTELAAR
Another Dutchman who may arrive at Chelsea is Ajax striker Klaas Jan Huntelaar, the scorer of 21 league goals last season, the Mail reported.
The 24-year-old, who rejected a 14 million-pound move to Manchester United to remain in the Netherlands for a further season, could join the Blues in January, the newspaper said.
OWEN TO DEFY ALLARDYCE
England striker Michael Owen said he will listen only to his surgeon and not anyone else about whether he is fit to play in European Championship qualifiers against Estonia and
Russia this month, the Sun said.
Sam Allardyce, Owen club manager at Newcastle, had said the players should listen to him and his coaching staff before playing. England plays Estonia on Oct. 13 and Russia four days later.
UNITED PLANS NEW CONTRACTS FOR SIX
Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson wants to offer contracts to six of his senior players, according to the Times.
Preliminary discussions have been held with goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar, 36, and Ryan Giggs, 33, about new one-year deals, while Wes Brown, Nemanja Vidic, Patrice Evra and Ben Foster will also be offered extensions, the newspaper said.
Van der Sar, Giggs and the 27-year-old Brown, who has spent all his career at United, are out of contract at the end of the season, the Times said.
ARSENAL CHINA WEB SITE
Premiership leader Arsenal launched a Chinese-language Web site in Beijing today to tap into support in the world most populous country.
You now have the largest population in the world and we would like to make them all Arsenal fans, Gunners manager Arsene Wenger said in a video message to the Web site launch ceremony in Beijing, according to Agence France-Presse.
Arsenal Managing Director Keith Edelman told reporters in Beijing that his club wants to double its China fan base of 4 million within two years, AFP said.
SPURS TARGET ARSHAVIN
Tottenham targeted Russia winger Andrei Arshavin, who criticized the club goalkeeper Paul Robinson before a 3-0 Euro 2008 qualifying defeat against England last month, the Sun reported.
Spurs sent scouts to watch the 26-year-old left-sided player in Zenit St. Petersburg UEFA Cup match against Standard Liege last week, the Sun said.
PELE TO WATCH BLADES
Pele, who helped Brazil win the World Cup three times an was voted one of soccer two top players of the 20th century, will be Sheffield United guest at its match against Ipswich
on Nov. 6, the Mirror said.
The former striker has been invited because of the club proposed link up with Brazil Sao Paulo, which will involve the teams exchanging players, the newspaper said.
WARNOCK FOR PALACE
Ex-Sheffield United manager Neil Warnock is set to join Crystal Palace this week after Peter Taylor was fired yesterday, according to the Mail and the Independent.
Warnock will become the joint-highest paid manager in the second-tier Championship, along with Charlton Alan Pardew, on around 500,000 pounds a year, the Mail added.
GUIDOLIN FAVORITE FOR QPR JOB
Former Palermo and Monaco coach Francesco Guidolin attended Queens Park Rangers 1-0 win against Norwich yesterday as a guest of new owner Flavio Briatore, and is the favorite to replace John Gregory, the Sun reported.
Tags: ajax, arsene wenger, avram grant, cate, champion, chelsea, dutchman, euro 2008, europe, frank rijkaard, henk, job, klaas jan huntelaar, manchester united, nemanja vidic, sam allardyce, target, ten cate