Football news

West Ham manager Avram Grant insisted sought-after midfielder Scott Parker will remain his Hammers’ heartbeat. On Wednesday, Tottenham had a bid for Parker – reportedly valued at £7m – swept angrily off the table by West Ham chairman David Sullivan.

And Grant said: “We want to plan to improve for the next few seasons and Scott Parker is a big part of this process. He is a very good player and has a good influence on the young players.

“I’m sure if he was for sale that other teams would want him as well. But we are a team with ambition and we want to progress.”

Injury blow for Newcastle defender

Newcastle defender Steven Taylor is expected to be sidelined for the first three months of the new season. The 24-year-old has undergone surgery after dislocating his left shoulder in a pre-season friendly at Carlisle on July 17.

The Magpies confirmed on their website: “After further assessment on the injury over the past week, the medical bulletin is that it will be a three-month period of rehabilitation.”

The latest setback happened on the former England U-21 captain’s first appearance since suffering a knee injury in January.

His absence makes this week’s signing of Sol Campbell all the more timely.

Raul excited by Bundesliga debut

New Schalke striker Raul cannot wait to make his Bundesliga debut after joining the Royal Blues on a two-year deal in midweek.

Raul ended 16 years with Real Madrid to start a new chapter in his career in Germany.

“An era in Madrid is over and my new life with Schalke begins now,” he said.

“My aim is clear: to celebrate huge successes with this club and these fantastic fans. I felt from the very beginning that Schalke really wanted me and that impressed me.”

Raul is understood to have rejected offers from the Premier League to join the Royal Blues while he even turned down new Real coach Jose Mourinho, who tried to convince him to stay.

Mainz mull over Adiyiah move

Mainz are still considering the transfer of Ghana international Dominic Adiyiah from Milan after reaching an agreement both with the player and club.

The striker is waiting for a call from Mainz, but the Bundesliga club’s coach Thomas Tuchel is still not fully convinced he is precisely the player he is looking for.

“We are not putting ourselves under any pressure,” explained the club’s general manager Christian Heidel.

“He is one of several options. We still have to consider whether we want to sign a young striker or rather an experienced player.”

Adiyiah is 20 and spent much of last season in Milan’s reserve team.

Khedira closes in on Real move

Stuttgart midfielder Sami Khedira is closing in on a move to Spanish club Real Madrid, the club’s sporting director Fredi Bobic confirmed yesterday.

“It’s not often we receive such an offer from Real Madrid,” Bobic said.

“It’s up to Real and us now to reach agreement.”

Khedira was one of the revelations of the 2010 World Cup where Germany finished third, and is under contract with Stuttgart until 2011.

According to media reports Stuttgart are ready to let the 23-year-old leave for €15 million, while Real are ready to pay between eight and 10 million euros.

Mallorca players write to Platini

Real Mallorca players protested to UEFA president Michel Platini over the decision to ban the cash-strapped Spanish side from this season’s Europa League.

“It’s certain that our club has some problems, but who today doesn’t have them? You know about the situation facing all clubs,” said the letter.

“This team had a fantastic season and put in a lot of hard work. We led our team into Europe.”

UEFA said last week the decision had been taken after Mallorca, who finished in seventh spot in La Liga last season, fell foul of strict financial regulations.

In May, the club went into voluntary administration with debts estimated at between 50 and 60 million euros.

Puma benefit little from World Cup

The world’s third biggest sports equipment maker, Puma, yesterday posted a modest increase in quarterly sales despite the World Cup in South Africa, sending its shares plunging.

Puma shares lost 4.92 per cent in midday trade to mark the biggest loss on the MDax index of mid-cap companies, which was 0.35 per cent lower overall.

Puma, which is majority owned by the French group PPR, said sales gained a mere 2.5 per cent in the second quarter compared with the same period a year earlier, to €615.4 million.

Puma’s German rival Adidas said last week that its second-quarter sales gained an impressive 19 per cent, thanks to the World Cup. Puma sponsored seven of the 32 World Cup teams, including four from Africa, but did not reap much benefit.