Gary Megson has taken over as manager of Premier League strugglers Bolton Wanderers, the club confirmed yesterday.

Megson, who quit as manager of second division Leicester City this week after a brief spell in charge, has signed a two-and-a-half year contract.

"We feel Gary is the right man to take Bolton forward," club chairman Phil Gartside said yesterday.

"He has demonstrated to me that he is prepared to roll his sleeves up and has the right temperament for a battle which this season is undoubtedly going to be."

Bolton, who are bottom of the Premier League with five points from 10 games, parted company with Sammy Lee earlier this month after he had taken over from long-serving Sam Allardyce, who moved to Newcastle.

Beckenbauer warns Lehmann

Former Germany coach Franz Beckenbauer has warned Jens Lehmann not to start a confrontation with Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger.

Lehmann spoke out against Wenger this week following his demotion to the substitutes' bench in recent weeks, complaining of his "humiliation".

Beckenbauer, however, has advised Lehmann to keep his counsel. "Lehmann must not make the mistake and start a confrontation with Wenger because he will not win it," he said.

"Wenger is a fair coach who does not immediately take out a player when he has a bad day. Jens Lehmann needs to be patient until he gets his chance, but he will get it."

Ballack made wrong move - Drogba

Chelsea striker Didier Drogba has claimed Michael Ballack made a huge mistake in joining the Premier League club.

Ballack joined Chelsea in 2006 on a free transfer from Bayern Munich, however, his first season was largely disappointing.

"It is hard for Ballack - Chelsea is special," he said. "I'm convinced he would have had an easier time at Manchester United or Arsenal.

"They benefit from a well-balanced team - he would have been a better fit there. Here, we depend on our individuals so maybe Chelsea is not the right club for Ballack."

Schmeichel set to join Cardiff

Manchester City goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel is on the brink of a one-month loan deal with Cardiff.

Cardiff confirmed the move is "95 per cent done" with just the final stages of paper work to be completed. The young Dane will go into the Bluebirds' squad for tomorrow's game against Scunthorpe.

"This does not mean Kasper has no future here, he just needs to get some games," said City boss Sven-Goran Eriksson.

Schmeichel had been due to join Coventry but that deal collapsed earlier this week amid the midlands outfit's current financial problems.

Inter's Vieira faces long lay-off

French midfielder Patrick Vieira is facing the prospect of a long spell on the sidelines after aggravating an injury in his right thigh during his team's 2-1 triumph in the Champions League match at CSKA Moscow on Tuesday.

The Frenchman only recently returned from a thigh problem that kept him out of action for almost a month.

"We are saddened by Vieira's latest injury," said coach Roberto Mancini. "But these things can happen when you come back from a long injury."

Reports in Italy claim the player could be sidelined until next year.

Lippi wants to coach in England

Marcello Lippi has indicated that he is ready to return to management and admitted a desire to work in England.

The former Italy coach has been working as a TV pundit since the World Cup triumph in Berlin, but has always insisted that he would return to the bench if the right job came along.

"I'm not thinking about any specific club, but I am ready to return to work," Lippi told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"I'd like to coach in England, but I can't speak the language and that is a big handicap in football as your job is to manage people."

Ivanovic on verge of Juve switch

Lokomotiv Moscow defender Branislav Ivanovic is on the verge of joining Juventus, his team-mate Ivan Pelizzoli revealed yesterday.

In recent months, the Serbian international has been strongly linked with a move to Turin as Juventus look to replace the injured Jorge Andrade.

"Over the last few days Branislav has been constantly asking me about Juventus," Pelizzoli said. "When I ask him why he wants to know he just smiles and won't reply. I think there must be something behind it.

"Juve will be getting a real bargain. He plays as a right wing-back for us, but for Serbia he is a centre-back and he can do both equally well."

Giuly struggling to adapt in Italy

Roma's winger Ludovic Giuly has admitted that adapting to life in Serie A is tough, but insists he has much more to give.

The diminutive 31-year-old is still settling in at the Rome club after his summer move from Barcelona. He has already scored twice for his new club but admitted he has yet to show his full potential.

"It has been tough because the preparation here is more demanding than I'm used to and I have been a bit tired," he said. "I'm yet to find my best position on the pitch for Roma, but I'm sure I will."

Arteta deserves Spain spot

Everton manager David Moyes believes Mikel Arteta deserves to be recognised by Spain. Arteta has yet to win a senior cap for his country despite being a former captain of their Under-21 team.

"He is a big player for us and we rely on him a lot," he said. "He deserves more as the last two seasons he has been good for the team.

"Perhaps the standard of the Spain squad makes it difficult for him to get in but he should be given a chance."

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.