Southampton will be more motivated than ever to stay “miserly” at the back after losing England goalkeeper Fraser Forster to a knee injury for the rest of the season.
Still pushing for an improbable Champions League spot, the loss of Forster is a major blow to the south coast club.
“No one will be any sadder than Kelvin Davis, who did an outstanding job replacing Fraser in such circumstances,” director of football Les Reed said of the 38-year-old.
“I am sure the team will now be even more motivated to ensure we stay miserly in front of our goal and ruthless at the other end.”
I always give my best – Podolski
Lukas Podolski has hit back at his critics after securing Germany a 2-2 draw against Australia on Wednesday night.
The Arsenal forward, who is on loan at Inter until the end of the season, has found himself in the firing line in the Italian media for his performances in Serie A.
Podolski has yet to open his account for Inter since joining them in January and has been labelled the Nerazzurri’s worst signing by the Corriere dello Sport, but the 29-year-old insists he is far from past his best.
“Should I just dig myself into the ground and give up playing football?” he said.
“Things keep getting carried over from the Italian media.”
EPL clubs back in the black
English Premier League’s clubs have recorded the first combined pre-tax profit for 15 years thanks to the soaring value of TV deals and a slowdown in players’ salaries.
While on-field performances of England’s top teams against Europe’s elite have regressed in the Champions League and Europa League, their bank accounts are bulging, according to business advisory firm Deloitte.
In 2013-14, Premier League clubs generated a combined pre-tax profit of £190 million − four times greater than the previous record of £49 million in 1997-98.
The figures are in sharp contrast to the previous decade when EPL clubs accumulated combined pre-tax losses of £2.6 billion.
Copa final stadium delights Iniesta
Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta is delighted that his team will play the Copa del Rey final in their own stadium.
The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) voted in favour of the domestic cup final between Barca and Athletic Bilbao on May 30 to be played at the Nou Camp after the two clubs had failed to reach an agreement on a neutral venue.
“I like the choice,” Iniesta said. “It’s a very good venue.
“The important thing is that we will be playing in the final.
“The Copa final is a very special day and we hope that it will be an extraordinary time for both Barca and Athletic fans.”
Anderson settled at Lazio – agent
Brazilian forward Felipe Anderson has no plans leave Lazio in the near future.
There has been growing interest in Anderson from Premier League clubs, with Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City all reportedly sending scouts to watch the 21-year-old in action.
“We recently signed a contract extension with Lazio and he is really happy in Rome,” Anderson’s agent Stefano Castagna said. “The player still had three and a half years left in his contract and there was no rush to sign a new deal.
“However, we are happy that they have given the player this trust and given him the possibility to continue with this project.”
No rift with Wenger – Walcott
Arsenal forward Theo Walcott has denied reports of a disagreement with manager Arsene Wenger and that an impasse has been reached over a new contract.
The 26-year-old England international is out of contract at the end of the 2015-16 season and speculation has already begun over his future.
He admits talks are still to begin on a new contract, but, after nine months out with a knee injury, his focus is on performing for the Gunners as they bid to secure a place in the top four.
Walcott wrote on Twitter: “I don’t normally comment on false stories about myself but reports about contract demands & bust-ups with the boss are complete nonsense...
“There have been no contract talks as yet.”
Piatti keen to stay at Valencia
Pablo Piatti revealed he is in talks with Valencia about extending his contract at the Mestalla.
The Argentinian midfielder’s current contract expires in June 2016 and Los Che are keen to tie the 25-year-old to a longer-term contract.
“I’m very happy,” Piatti said. “Both parts (the club and his agents) are working on a contract extension and we hope that negotiations will be satisfactory.
“A contract extension takes time and we are working towards soon reaching an agreement.”