Wenger: ''Song Could Leave Arsenal''

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has admitted that Alex Song could be the next player to leave the club, with Barcelona set to seal a move for him.Wenger was unusually open about the possibility of further exits from the Emirates Stadium after Robin van Persie moved closer to completing a £24 million transfer to Manchester United. Pressed on the subject ahead of Saturday's season opener, Wenger replied: "Both could happen, but my focus is on the Sunderland game. This decision (on Song) is not made."Asked if the Gunners had received a bid, he replied: "No. I cannot tell you more."Wenger suggested he would be open to a sale, given the number of players at his disposal."Midfield is a different area because we have nine or ten midfielders of top-class quality," he said. "Just today we have six or seven midfielders available, plus Wilshere and Frimpong who are coming back. Diaby is available again, Arteta, Cazorla, Ramsey, Oxlade-Chamberlain now plays central midfield - this is an area we have much more freedom to make decisions."El Mundo Deportivo believes Arsenal are holding out for €25 million for Song, but Barcelona are only willing to offer €20 million. Even so, Adriano this week became the latest Barca player to speak positively about the prospect of his arrival."He is a very good player," Adriano said. "In our matches against them you could see he is a footballer with a lot of quality. He would be welcome here and well received."Real Madrid midfielder Nuri Sahin has been linked as a replacement for Song, and the Arsenal boss said he was considering his options."He [Sahin] is one of the players we are following," Wenger said."Anyway, I am happy with my midfield options whatever happens with Song. In fact, I feel we are better prepared this season than we have been for some time. We have so many options and even though we are all disappointed to lose Van Persie, the squad we have is strong in every department."Meanwhile, Thomas Vermaelen was appointed as the new Arsenal captain with Mikel Arteta handed the vice-captaincy."It is Vermaelen and Arteta," Wenger said. "Vermaelen was vice-captain, so it is a quick decision. I think we have many potential captains in the squad, but at the moment it will be like that."

''Striking options are now as great as 1999''says Fergie

Sir Alex Ferguson believes the signing of Robin van Persie will give him a strikeforce to compare with the prolific quartet who helped fire Manchester United to Champions League glory in 1999.United have had a £24 million bid accepted for Arsenal captain Van Persie, who is likely to complete his move to Old Trafford on Thursday.Ferguson expects the Dutchman to make his debut in Monday's match at Everton, where he could join Wayne Rooney in a partnership comprising the two top scorers in the Premier League last season."They are two fantastic players and it's great to have the both of them," Ferguson said. "It's great to have a player of Van Persie's qualities coming into the squad. He is on his way up from London, he will have a medical later this afternoon and we hope that goes according to plan."His agent is in talks with David [Gill]. Hopefully everything will be tied up by the end of the day. I am sure he will be available for Monday's game."Together with Danny Welbeck and Javier Hernandez, plus Shinji Kagawa, Ferguson feels he has a group of forwards to rival the class of 1999.Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke started the Champions League final win over Bayern Munich, while Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer came off the bench to score the goals.Ferguson added: "If you go back to 1999 season and we had Dwight and Andy and Teddy and Ole Gunnar - the four best strikers in Europe - and we are getting back towards that now."We have got Chicharito, we have got Wayne, we have got Robin, we have got Danny Welbeck and we have got Kagawa. That is a fantastic combination of players. Hopefully I pick the right combinations."Ferguson was speaking as Manchester United announced a three-year partnership with bwin, now the club's official gaming partner.

Bayern Munich: Possible Martinez-transfer EUR 40 million for whom, please?

Soon the football messiah landed in Munich - at least if one believes snapping breathing media.40 million euros to pay for the Bavarians Javier Martinez.Is it worth it?If the "confusion" exists for a transfer, it means: Someone has forged ahead and told journalists to internal arrangements, the business was perfect.The other side is still out details and denied.Vehemently.Just as the advisor to Javier Martinez, the Spaniard, who is nearing a move to Bayern Munich: "This is a complete lie," Antonio Sanz said in the "tz" on the report of the "image", according to the common ground of change already .EUR 40 million will be transferred to Bayern Athletic Bilbao, Martinez would be the most expensive transfer of Bundesliga history.Therefore, the Spaniard allegedly dispensed annually to two million euros in 2017 - makes ten million euro savings for Bayern, who originally wanted to pay no more than 40 million transfer fee.

• But Martinez, who is this anyway?

At age 23 he has already gained much experience.Martinez can play at the highest level in the holding midfield role, but also in central defense.At Athletic Bilbao, he was among the crowd favorites - was known to his alleged move to Bayern.In a test game the fans booed him recently.Since 2010, plays for Spain's Basque national team, winning the title at the 2010 World Cup and European Championship this year, he played one game.Previously, he had already won the Spain U19 and U21 European Championship title.to the Bavarians would arrive exhausted Martinez: After the European Championships, he was also one of Spain's Olympic team and retired at the Games in London in the first round.. After only two weeks of vacation he has entered is already back in the pre-season with Bilbaoprivate he is a rather quiet type, permits himself but his extravagance: He remodeled for example, for an underwear company, do not miss the female model at his side.

• Why pay so much money for the Bavarians him?

Both Matthias Sammer and Jupp Heynckes want him to have it.Sammer said shortly after his performance as the new CEO of Sport Bavaria, Martinez was "a very interesting player."According to Hoeness, the Bayern board the transfer has been approved. "I am aware of the things that run there, and would be delighted if it could work,"The 40 million, gets the Bilbao for him standing, but as a fixed transfer fee in his contract.The problem for the Munich-based: they had to act quickly, because other clubs including Real Madrid were interested in Martinez.In addition, his contract runs until 2016, Bilbao - would have to wait so not worth it.Even with paying the 30 million, offset by the Bavarians Martinez's salary sacrifice, is the club beyond the threshold of pain.And for a Spaniard, whom you know hardly anyone in this country. Behind the superstar Xavi, Sergi Busquets and Xabi Alonso, he must deal with the other bench players scrambling to use time in the national team.Unfortunately for Martinez that he meets the talented generation of Spanish football history.In Bilbao, he has shown in the last season that is especially internationally, why he is so popular: The spectacular victories against Manchester United or FC Schalke he shone with his technique and his ability to speed up the game.In Bilbao, the midfield lives primarily from its speed of action, the opponent will be pounced upon.This quality would be good for Bayern.

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• Who would force Martinez out of the Bayern team?

All in Munich hope that Bastian Schweinsteiger is as fast as possible to its former shape.Martinez will form next to the new center of the Bayern game, probably a little play before Schweinsteiger.Sammer said though, the transfer-Martinez was a "Can not Do", but Bayern is clear that neither Anatoli nor Timoschtschuk Luiz Gustavo have in the long run the quality to internationally and nationally attack Borussia Dortmund again to leave behind.Both would have on the bench, at least one must be well separated, the Bavarians.

Nadal's career is in danger after his crime in the U.S. Open?

It is still a bit early to be alarmed, but there is little chance of Rafael Nadal on court tennis before the end of the season. The third player in the world has scheduled a press conference Friday morning, without giving a reason. Two days after he announced his withdrawal of the U.S. Open, the seven-time winner of Roland Garros, a victim of recurring tendonitis in his left knee, should confirm that it will not come back on the track before the Australian Open 2013 if his health allows.

Stand up to the 2016

In any case the meaning of the words of his coach Toni Nadal, when asked about a Spanish radio as part of the show el Larguero Wednesday night. "We put patches on his knee over the years, now must Rafa stops and recovers once and for all. We will take steps to avoid the operation, but the idea is not to return until Rafa is competitive. "And to prove that the man with 10 Grand Slams have already had to stop for a few months regenerate tendons in 2009, but he did not want to do at the time "because the timing was not right." Beyond this season, should we worry about following the career of Nadal, as Andre Agassi, who had sounded the alarm dice 2005: "Rafa gets his health checks on his body will not be able to honor "? Not the least, ensures Toni Nadal, who even mentions the presence of his nephew Olympics 2016: "His career is not at risk, you just need to take care of the rest to his knees. The idea is to arrive until the Games in Rio. "But in what state?

Cincinnati: Serena in the quarter comfortably

SERENA OF THE MATCH - With a 6-4 6-3 result of ordinary administration files Serena Williams practicing Urszula Radwanska and can already look towards the quarter-finals of the women's tournament in Cincinnati. In the first set is already all too evident the physical prowess of Williams, who steals the service at 5-4 Radwanska, guilty of having sent out a couple of easy laps straight in the decisive game. The personality defect is the smaller of the Radwanska sisters. In the second set the polish until it runs on 3-0, but suffered the vehement reaction Serenona, able to slip a partial taking home the match 6-0.

OTHER RESULTS - The other Radwanska - Agnieszka, the number three ranking - must use the third set to win over Stephens (6-1/4-6/6-4). The Kvitova walks with Peng (Double 6-2); similar argument for Stosur (6-1/6-3 to Makarova). The quarter-final qualification also Kerber (6-4/7-6 to Hlavackova.