Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp admitted he would love to sign Emmanuel Adebayor on a permanent basis after the on-loan striker inspired Spurs to a 2-1 win at Wigan.
Adebayor was instrumental in his side’s blistering start to the game, setting up Rafael van der Vaart’s third-minute opener before Gareth Bale headed the second after 23 minutes.
Adebayor continued hunting for a goal of his own until the final whistle, despite Mohamed Diame reducing the deficit for Wigan.
Redknapp said: “If he keeps going like he’s going I’d love to keep him around. He’s been excellent so far.
“But the wages will be the problem because he’s not cheap.”
Owen: I’d jump at England recall
Michael Owen, 31, has accepted he is not part of Fabio Capello’s England plans but insists he will never turn his back on his country.
The Man. United striker fell out of favour when Capello took over in 2008, with injuries also undermining his chances of a recall.
Owen – who has 89 caps and 40 goals – said: “I was in every squad for over a decade and all of a sudden it stopped one day. I would never turn my back on it, but obviously there’s a scar there that still hurts a bit.
“If I got a call-up I’d be there within five minutes. Capello picked his first squad and I was on the bench. I thought: ‘This might be a sign that he doesn’t fancy me’.
“The next time I wasn’t in the squad, and that’s just been that.”
Ferguson blasts ‘fouler’ Crouch
Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson blasted Peter Crouch as a persistent fouler after the striker rescued a point for Stoke in a 1-1 draw against the champions.
Crouch equalised for the home side cancelling out a first-half strike from Nani as United dropped points for the first time this season. But Ferguson claimed that the 6ft 7in forward is a persistent fouler.
“Crouch fouls all the time... he jumps on top of defenders all the time,” said Ferguson.
“He has been doing that for years, referees know that. He maybe caught Phil Jones for the goal but he is a definitely a handful in the air.”
Heynckes shocked by Breno arrest
Bayern Munich coach Jupp Heynckes admitted he and his squad were shocked to hear defender Breno, 21, had been arrested in connection with a fire at his home last week.
The Brazilian defender was taken to hospital after inhaling smoke when his home in one of Munich’s most affluent districts was destroyed by the blaze but he has since been taken into custody on suspicion of deliberately starting the fire.
“We were all very surprised, of course,” said Heynckes.
“But anything that is said about the issue at the moment is speculation and we must first wait for all facts before being able to comment.”
Milito dedicates win to Gasperini
Claudio Ranieri made a successful start to his stint as Inter coach on Saturday when leading the Nerazzurri to a 3-1 win away at Bologna in a league match.
Among the scorers for Inter was striker Diego Milito who made it 2-1 from a penalty late on. The Argentine dedicated the victory to former coach GianPiero Gas-perini who was sacked last week after a poor start to the season.
Milito said: “It was a very important game for us and some crucial points.
“There is always great enthu-siasm when a new coach comes along, but I dedicate this win to Gasperini. He gave us so much without being able to enjoy the results.”
Hutton hits out at Spurs boss
Former Tottenham right-back Alan Hutton has hit out at Spurs boss Harry Redknapp following his exit from White Hart Lane. The Scot joined Aston Villa in summer to bring an end to an unhappy spell which saw him frozen out of the first-team picture at Spurs.
Hutton is now embracing the chance to play under Villa manager Alex McLeish and put his recent disappointments behind him.
He said: “The last time I spoke to Redknapp, he told me ‘I don’t want you to train with us any more, I want you to train with the kids’.
“So many people there feel unwanted. I’ve never experienced anything like that anywhere I’ve been. Is that a good reputation? I don’t know.”
Barcelona approve Qatar shirt deal
Barcelona have approved by a wide margin a contested shirt sponsorship deal with the non-profit Qatar Foundation, worth €171 million, at a general assembly.
The club signed the five-and-a-half year deal, touted as the largest shirt sponsorship deal in football history, in December but the decision to collect money for the first time in their history to display a logo on jerseys did not go down well.
Barca’s former coach Johan Cruyff has blasted the endorsement deal as “vulgar” and thousands of fans signed a petition to demand that the agreement be revoked.
Despite their success on the field, Barcelona are struggling financially.
The Catalan side posted a loss of €79.6 million last season – their first in seven years – and they have debts of €442 million.