Football news

Le Tallec regrets leaving Liverpool

Anthony Le Tallec believes he could have done better had he not wasted the opportunity he had as a young striker at Liverpool.

Le Tallec, 28, moved to Liverpool, from Le Havre in 2001. But he told L’Equipe that he regretted having asked the then-Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez to leave in 2004 when he was only 20. He now plays for Valenciennes.

“I had an agent who kept telling me Benitez was recruiting Spanish players. I told myself I would not have my chance. It hurts when, after Liverpool, you play in smaller clubs,” he said.

“I did not realise that I was in a great club... I have regrets.”

Sampdoria set for stadium move

Sampdoria chief Riccardo Garrone revealed this week that his club are planning to move to a new stadium.

The Blucerchiati have been sharing the Stadio Luigi Ferraris with their city rivals Genoa since 1946 but Garrone now believes it was time for Samp to have their own home ground.

He said: “We have carefully put together this proposal as we are confident of having our new stadium. The next stage now is to get everything cleared legally. Once that’s done, we can then proceed.”

It is believed the new site will also be in Genova.

Arsenal pen £150m Emirates deal

Arsenal have agreed a £150 million extension of their shirt sponsorship agreement with Emirates Airlines, the London club announced yesterday.

The lucrative new contract, which runs until the end of the 2018-19 season, will be worth £30 million a year to Arsenal.

“This agreement is a testimony to Arsenal’s approach and to the capabilities we have developed in recent years,” said chief executive Ivan Gazidis.

Under the terms of the deal, the Emirati company will continue to hold naming rights for Arsenal’s north London stadium until 2028.

Forrest in doubt

Celtic winger James Forrest only has an outside chance of making the Champions League decider against Spartak Moscow, according to manager Neil Lennon.

Forrest has not played since a 2-0 defeat by Kilmarnock on October 27 and faces a race against time to make the visit of the Russians on December 5.

“Celtic must better Benfica’s result away to Barcelona in the final group game to qualify for the last 16.

Lennon said: “James Forrest had a scan and it showed that he has got a tendon problem in the hamstring area. It always seems to be a complication with James, none of his injuries seem to be straightforward.

“We hope, and it’s an outside chance, he’ll be fit for Spartak.”

QPR sack Hughes, want Redknapp

Queens Park Rangers have opened talks with Harry Redknapp about replacing Mark Hughes (picture) as manager, Redknapp’s management company revealed yesterday.

“Contact has been made between QPR and us as Harry Redknapp’s representatives,” said a spokesman from Triple S Sports and Entertainment.

“Talks will be beginning soon.”

Hughes was dismissed as QPR head coach earlier in the day, with the club bottom of the Premier League table after failing to win any of their first 12 matches of the season.

In fact, QPR are the only club in the English league system yet to have won a game.

AVB wants quick UEFA action

Andre Villas-Boas has urged UEFA to take action against Lazio if their fans are found guilty of chanting anti-Semitic songs at Tottenham during Thursday’s Europa League draw at the Stadio Olimpico.

UEFA fined Lazio £32,500 for their fans’ monkey chanting at Spurs players during the reverse fixture in September, and Villas-Boas hopes UEFA move swiftly to establish facts.

“It will take another investigation,” the Tottenham manager said yesterday.

“It happened last time and it was acted upon quickly by UEFA. We will have to wait and see if there is anything to act upon. If there is, UEFA have to act.”

English officials to be recorded

Top level English officials will now have their match day communications recorded in the wake of the Mark Clattenburg case.

Referee chiefs are looking to avoid a repeat of the incident, with Clattenburg being cleared by the English FA on Thursday of racially abusing Chelsea’s Nigerian midfielder John Obi Mikel after a lengthy probe failed to find evidence of wrongdoing.

“To reduce the risk of an episode of this nature being repeated PGMOL will introduce recording of the referees’ communication system on a private basis,” Mike Riley, general manager of the Professional Game Match Officials Limited which administers top level English referees, said.