EPL Super Saturday LIVE Commentary:

93 days of waiting: The 2012-13 EPL season will begin today.

Hello and welcome to my LIVE Commentary and Analysis from all the matches today in the EPL.

There will be 6 3oclock matches on show for you all today, with Newcastle vs Tottenham being the evening fixture.

First, before the live coverage starts, I will give you all the latest EPL transfer news and rumours (paper talk)  

Transfer Talk and EPL News:

Chelsea are set to complete the £7.9million signing of Marseille right-back Cesar Azpilicueta early next week.

Almost a done deal: Right-back and Spainish international Cesar Azpilicueta is almost a Chelsea player (right)

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is having talks with winger Theo Walcott over a contract extension.

Stoke City and Everton are both interested in signing Liverpool midfielder Charlie Adam for around £5million. He will struggle to get a starting 11 place every week, and both teams want a midfielder who can be a tough tackler at times. 

Olympiakos striker Kevin Mirallas is set to undergo a medical this weekend at Everton, after a fee of around £5.5million has been agreed by the two clubs.

Toulouse defender Cheikh M'Bengue has revealed that Arsenal have shown a lot of interest in signing him.

Tottenham have entered the race with Sunderland and Everton to sign Manchester City winger Adam Johnson.

Johnson has admitted that he needs more first-team action at City, and if he does not get it, then he may leave.

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has said that City have made an approach for Athletic Bilbao midfielder Javi Martinez.

Tough competition: Athletic Bilbao midfielder Javi Martinez is wanted by Bayern Munich and Manchester City.

Wigan have said to Chelsea that winger Victor Moses will not leave the club 'on the cheap'. 

Uncertainty: Wigan forward Victor Moses will play against Chelsea tomorrow - his apparent club?

Russian side Zenit St. Petersburg are very interested in signing Manchester United winger Nani, and have admitted that they may make a formal offer in the next few days.

Manchester City are ready to make Roma a £28million offer for midfielder Daniele De Rossi. 

£28million bid: Manchester City are interested in Roma and Italy regular Daniele De Rossi.

Spainish club Valencia have told Swansea that they want £5.5million for winger Pablo Hernandez.

Creative spark: Pablo Hernandez is almost a Swansea player. Valencia want £5.5million for him though.

Here are a quick recap of the fixtures being played today:

Arsenal vs Sunderland

Teams:

Arsenal: Szczesny, Jenkinson, Mertesacker, Vermaelen, Gibbs, Diaby, Arteta, Cazorla, Walcott, Gervinho, Podolski.
Subs: Mannone, Andre Santos, Giroud, Ramsey, Djourou, Coquelin, Arshavin.

Santi Cazorla and Lukas Podolski both start for The Gunners.

Major news is that Alex Song is out of the squad due to transfer speculation linking him to Barcelona.

Sunderland: Mignolet, Gardner, Cuellar, O'Shea, Richardson, Larsson, Colback, Cattermole, McClean, Sessegnon, Campbell.
Subs: Westwood, Wickham, Kilgallon, Meyler, Bramble, Saha, Elmohamady.

Former Manchester United striker Louis Saha will not start, on the bench.
Stephane Sessegnon and Fraizer Campbell will be the front two.

QPR vs Swansea City:

Teams: 

QPR: Green, Onuoha, Ferdinand, Hill, Da Silva, Taarabt, Park, Diakite, Hoilett, Mackie, Cisse.
Subs: Murphy, Derry, Johnson, Wright-Phillips, Nelsen, Dyer, Zamora.

Manchester United full-back Fabio Da Silva (on-loan), Ji-Sung Park, Junior Holiett and Samba Diakite all start on the debuts for QPR. 

New captain is Ji-Sung Park for QPR, after Joey Barton was stripped of the captaincy after what happened on the last day of the season against Manchester City.

Swansea: Vorm, Rangel, Williams, Chico, Taylor, de Guzman, Michu, Britton, Dyer, Graham, Routledge.
Subs: Cornell, Tate, Moore, Agustien, Gower, Richards, Tremmel.

Michu starts for Swansea today, can he make an impression for The Swans.

Reading vs Stoke City

Teams:
 
Reading: Federici, Gunter, Pearce, Gorkss, Harte, Leigertwood, Robson-Kanu, Guthrie, McAnuff, Le Fondre, Pogrebnyak.
Subs: McCarthy, Mariappa, Hunt, McCleary, Tabb, Church, Cummings.

Stoke: Begovic, Huth, Wilkinson, Whelan, Wilson, Shawcross, Kightly, Whitehead, Etherington, Walters, Crouch.
Subs: Sorensen, Jones, Ness, Delap, Shotton, Jerome, Palacios.


West Brom vs Liverpool 

Teams:
 
West Brom: Foster, Reid, McAuley, Olsson, Ridgewell, Morrison, Yacob, Mulumbu, Odemwingie, Long, Gera.
Subs: Myhill, El Ghanassy, Brunt, Jara Reyes, Lukaku, Dawson, Fortune.

Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku starts from the bench today, while Peter Odemwingie and Shane Long lead the attack for West Brom.

Liverpool: Reina, Kelly, Skrtel, Agger, Johnson, Lucas, Allen, Gerrard, Downing, Suarez, Borini.
Subs: Jones, Carroll, Cole, Henderson, Carragher, Adam, Shelvey.

Strong Liverpool side today, with striker Fabio Borini making his debut along with midfielder Joe Allen.

Fulham vs Norwich

Teams:

Fulham: Schwarzer, Riether, Hangeland, Hughes, Riise, Duff, Diarra, Dembele, Kacaniklic, Ruiz, Petric.
Subs: Stockdale, Kelly, Baird, Sidwell, Kasami, Rodallega, Halliche.

Norwich: Ruddy, Russell Martin, Ryan Bennett, Turner, Tierney, Pilkington, Howson, Johnson, Surman, Snodgrass, Holt.
Subs: Rudd, Hoolahan, Morison, Elliott Bennett, Vaughan, Barnett, Lappin.

West Ham United vs Aston Villa

Teams:

West Ham: Jaaskelainen, Demel, Reid, Collins, McCartney, Noble, Diame, Nolan, Vaz Te, Cole, Taylor.
Subs: Henderson, Tomkins, Maynard, Maiga, O'Brien, Diarra, O'Neil.

Aston Villa: Given, Lowton, Vlaar, Clark, Baker, Holman, El Ahmadi, Delph, N'Zogbia, Ireland, Bent.
Subs: Guzan, Bannan, Weimann, Lichaj, Herd, Burke, Gardner.


Newcastle United vs Tottenham Hotspur: Team line-ups from 17:00pm



15:00: The 6 matches have all started on the hottest day of the year in England. 

15:05:

Arsenal vs Sunderland:

Arsenal midfielder Santi Cazorla has had a long shot from 25 yards out, but it was parried away by goalkeeper Simon Mignolet.

15:08: GOAL

QPR vs Swansea:

The visitors have scored against QPR! New signing Miguel Michu has broken the deadlock for Swansea on his debut for The Swans.

That's why they signed me: New Swansea signing Miguel Michu celebreats scoring against QPR on his debut.

Poor goalkeeping by Robert Green though, and you will here about it for a few days to come, especially on Match of the Day tonight!

15:15: 

Arsenal vs Sunderland:

Sunderland have had two chances, but Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny has been equal to them. Arsenal dominating the play though with precise passing.

15:18:

Reading vs Stoke: 

Stoke City midfielder Dean Whitehead has been given the first yellow card of the EPL season. He has to be careful for the rest of the match, because he can get sent off.

Tough tussle: Striker Peter Crouch tries to keep the ball away from a Reading defender.

15:23:

Reading vs Stoke:

Goalkeeper Asmir Begovic has gone down on the floor. He looks like he has been knocked down here and some cream is being rubbed into his face.

Interesting as all of the players have gone to take a drink of water. So hot today.


15:25:

Arsenal vs Sunderland:

Lukas Podolski and Santi Cazorla have been given Sunderland a lot of pressure so far... and Arsenal are pressing for the opening goal.

15:27:

GOAL

Fulham vs Norwich:
 
Midfielder Damien Duff has broken the deadlock at Craven Cottage!
He beats the offside trap before tucking the ball past goalkeeper John Ruddy. Unlucky on Ruddy's part but Fulham deserve the goal, and have played well so far in the match.

80th career goal: Fulham midfielder Damien Duff breaks the deadlock at Craven Cottage against Norwich.

15:29:

Arsenal vs Sunderland:

Midfielder Abou Diaby has had a shot well saved by goalkeeper Simon Mignolet. Close and Arsenal are giving Sunderland the shakes.

15:30:

West Brom vs Liverpool:

I have just heard word that striker Luis Suarez has missed a sitter from 3 yards out. Still 0-0. 

15:35:

Reading vs Stoke:

GOAL

Stoke's new midfield signing Michael Kightly opens the scoring for the away side at The Madejski Stadium.

New signing: Stoke City midfielder Michael Kightly breaks the deadlock against Reading in the 35th minute.

Poor goalkeeping again, this time from Adam Federci as the ball trickles underneath him, 1-0 to Stoke and it may be hard for Reading to get back into the match.

15:42:

West Brom vs Liverpool:

Midfielder Zoltan Gera volleys the ball from a long way out past goalkeeper Pepe Reina who did not move whatsoever.

1-0 to West Brom at The Hawthorns, and Liverpool are shocked.

What a clean volley, you have to watch that on MOTD tonight!


West Ham vs Aston Villa:

GOAL

Midfielder Kevin Nolan has scored for West Ham to give them the lead against Aston Villa.   

Controversy: West Ham midfielder Kevin Nolan celebretaes scoring against Aston Villa - but was it a goal?

Fulham 2 Norwich 0
New signing Mladen Petric has scored to double Fulham's lead.

Heads we win: Mladen Petric heads the ball past the defenders to score on his debut for Fulham against Norwich.

Team talk: EPL teams will be going into half-time, with their manager talking to them with 45 minutes left to play.

 

HALF-TIME SCORES:

Fulham 2 Norwich City 0

Arsenal 0 Sunderland 0

West Ham 1 Aston Villa 0

QPR 0 Swansea 1

West Brom 1 Liverpool 0

Reading 0 Stoke City 1 

FACT: Fulham are currently top of the table on goal difference. 

16:04:
The 3oclock matches have all restarted!

FACT: 6 yellow cards already today, and 6 goals also.

16:12:

Fulham vs Norwich:

GOAL

New signing Mladen Petric runs on to the ball, before taken a left-footed strike towards goal.
The ball took a deflection but goalkeeper John Ruddy was nowhere near the ball.

3-0 to Fulham, and surely there is no way back for Norwich today.

16:13:

QPR vs Swansea:

GOAL:

A goal from nothing by Swansea.
Midfielder Wayne Routldege ran into space before crossing the ball from the wing into the box for Miguel Michu who cooly slots the ball into the top corner..

2-0 to Swansea and two goals for new signing Michu.


16:15:

West Brom vs Liverpool:

PENALTY

Liverpool defender Daniel Agger has taken down West Brom striker Shane Long inside the box. The referee points to the spot, and now Agger has been given a red card!

Liverpool are making a substitution:

Jamie Carragher ON
Stewart Downing OFF

Shane Long steps up to take the penalty.... MISS!
Poor penalty by Long, and Liverpool are given a lifeline.


16:21:

West Brom vs Liverpool:

Another penalty for West Brom!! Defender Martin Skrtel has fouled Long, and West Brom have another chance to close the match.

Long has moved far away from the penalty spot, with Nigerian striker Peter Odemwingie stepping up to take the penalty.

He shoots, GOAL!!!!! West Brom have doubled their lead, and Liverpool are surely out of this match now.


16:24:

QPR vs Swansea: 

Winger Nathan Dyer has scored here for Swansea. Game wrapped up.

Game wrapped up: Winger Nathan Dyer slots the ball past goalkeeper Robert Green to make it 3-0 against QPR.

3-0 to the away side, and QPR are in shock with a loss at home on the cards here. 


16:26: 

GOAL

Fulham vs Norwich:

Alex Kacaniklic gives Fulham their 4th goal at home against Norwich. If there was not any doubt, the game is over now.

16:31: 

GOAL

QPR vs Swansea:

First it was Michu who scored twice, and now Nathan Dyer has scored two for Swansea. 4-0 to The Swans and QPR are remembering last season when they lost 4-0 to Bolton on the first day.

16:37:

West Brom vs Liverpool:

Three points in the bag for West Brom now. On-loan striker Romelu Lukaku scores on his debut, and heads West Brom into a comfortable 3-0 lead against 10-men Liverpool.

Deadly header: Striker Romelu Lukaku heads West Brom into a 3-0 lead against Liverpool at The Hawthorns.

Lukaku wheels away to celebrate his goal on his West Brom debut on-loan from Chelsea.

16:39:

GOAL

QPR vs Swansea:

New signing Michu cuts out a poor pass by QPR before looking up and finding Scott Sinclair on the run, who easily puts the ball at the back of the net.
5-0 to the away side, and Sinclair who wants to leave the club, has just come on and scored.


16:45:

Fulham vs Norwich:

Have you ever heard of damage limitation? Because Norwich are not doing a great job of it at Craven Cottage. 

Fulham have been awarded with a penalty, and midfielder Steve Sidwell has scored. 5-0 to Fulham.

16:49:

Reading vs Stoke City:

Penalty given to Reading with Stoke midfielder Dean Whitehead being given a second yellow card before being shown the red card in the 89th minute.

Adam Le Fondre steps up to take it... GOAL!!!

Lucky goal or what: Adam Le Fondre scores for Reading in the 89th minute to make the score 1-1 against Stoke.

Reading are given a 'get out of jail free card' here against a Stoke side who have been playing well throughout but could not put them to the sword. 

FULL-TIME SCORES: 

Arsenal 0 Sunderland 0

Reading 1 Stoke City 1

West Brom 3 Liverpool 0

Fulham 5 Norwich City 0

West Ham 1 Aston Villa 0

QPR 0 Swansea City 5 

Tottenham vs Newcastle: LIVE at 17:30pm

Team Line-ups: 

Tottenham: Friedel, Walker, Gallas, Kaboul, Assou-Ekotto, Livermore, Sandro, Lennon, Sigurdsson, Bale, Defoe. 
Subs: Cudicini, Naughton, Vertonghen, Jenas, Townsend, Van der Vaart and Kane.

New signing Gylfi Sigurdsson starts, alongisde Gareth Bale and Jermain Defoe in attack.
New defender Jan Vertonghen is on the bench, along with winger Rafael Van Der Vaart.

Newcastle: Krul, Simpson, S Taylor, Perch, Santon, Ben Arfa, Tiote, Cabaye, Gutierrez, Ba, Cisse.
Subs: Harper, R Taylor, Williamson, Anita, Gosling, Obertan, S Ameobi.

Strong Newcastle squad, but they will be missing their captain Fabricio Coloccini after being ruled out with a thigh strain.

New signing Vurnon Anita on the bench for the home side.

17:20: Ten minutes left until kick-off here. 

FACT: There have been 16 goals so far today, in 6 matches.

17:23: BREAKING NEWS:

Arsenal have confirmed that they have agreed terms with Spainish club Barcelona over the transfer of defensive midfielder Alex Song.  

This is disappointing news for Arsenal fans, including me.

First Robin Van Persie, now Song. Arsenal have lost two of their best players at the club, and they wonder why they have not won anything for 7 years.

They will struggle without these two, and will struggle to fight for a top 4 place.

After their performance today, struggling to beat SUNDERLAND!

Expect a Arsenal fuelled rant from me again in the next few weeks.

17:35:
I am off. 
I will speak to you all tomorrow in the EPL Super Sunday LIVE Commentary, where Wigan face Chelsea and Manchester City host Southampton. 

I will recap the Newcastle vs Tottenham match tomorrow also.
Thank you for following me and reading my EPL Blog.

EPL Transfer News and Community Shield Preview:

Hello and welcome to my EPL Transfer News Update and Community Shield Preview:

EPL Transfer News Update:

Manchester City have told midfielder Nigel De Jong that he can leave the club if he wants to.

Wanted: Nigel De Jong can leave Manchester City this summer. Inter Milan are among the clubs interested in him.

Tottenham, Bayern Munich and Italian clubs Inter Milan and Roma are all interested in the defensive midfielder.

De Jong's international team-mate Wesley Sneijder has said to his club that it is vital that they sign De Jong and they are reportedly readyt to make City an offer for him. 

West Ham have confirmed the £2million signing of 31-year-old midfielder Alou Diarra from French club Marseille. 

Liverpool forward Craig Bellamy has joined Championship club Cardiff on a two-year-deal and a free transfer after passing a medical in Wales this morning.

Back in Wales: Winger Craig Bellamy has left Liverpool to move back to Welsh club Cardiff on a free transfer.

 

Inter Milan goalkeeper Julio Cesar has had talks with Tottenham over a possible move there, as they are looking to buy a new goalkeeper.

EPL News: 

Aston Villa have some new fresh injury problems after winger Marc Albrighton has been ruled out of action for at least 6 weeks because of a broken metatarsal.

Out of action: Aston Villa winger Marc Albrighton is out of action for at least two months with a broken metatarsal.

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has admitted that he is disappointed at the fact that City have not signed anyone in the transfer window yet.

He is interested in Liverpool defender Daniel Agger and Arsenal captain Robin Van Persie to name a few players. 

Chelsea young striker is close to signing on-loan at a EPL club, but will NOT join Fulham for next season.

A lot of Barcelona players (including midfielder Andres Iniesta and defender Gerard Pique) have been praising Arsenal defensive midfielder Alex Song after reports claim that Barca are ready to make a £15million offer for him.

Wanted: Arsenal defensive midfielder Alex Song is being scouted by Spainish giants Barcelona.

England manager Roy Hodgson has named his 23-man squad for the upcoming friendly match against Euro 2012 finalists Italy on Wednesday 15th of August in Switzerland.

The squad is:
 

Goalkeepers:

Jack Butland (Birmingham), Joe Hart (Man City) and John Ruddy (Norwich)

Defenders:
Steven Caulker and Kyle Walker (both Tottenham), Ryan Bertrand and Gary Cahill (both Chelsea), Leighton Baines and Phil Jagielka (both Everton)

Midfielders:

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal), Adam Johnson and James Milner (Man City), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Jake Livermore (Tottenham), Jack Rodwell (Everton); Ashley Young, Tom Cleverley and Michael Carrick (all Man United)

Forwards:

Andy Carroll (Liverpool), Theo Walcott (Arsenal), Jermain Defoe (Tottenham) and Daniel Sturridge (Chelsea)

Notable absences include Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard, Chelsea defenders John Terry and Ashley Cole, and Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney.

Comebacks include Tottenham defender Steven Caulker, Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick, Chelsea striker Daniel Sturridge and Tottenham midfielder Jake Livermore.

Europa League Qualification 3rd Round Second Leg:

Liverpool 3 FC Gomel 0 (Aggregate 4-0)

Liverpool have sealed their place into the Europa League Play-Off Round after beating FC Gomel the second time in one week.

£10million signing Fabio Borini opened the scoring with a piledriver goal after a solo run by striker Luis Suarez was parried away by the goalkeeper, straight to Borini who blasted the ball into the bottom corner of the net.

Piledriver: New £10million signing Fabio Borini breaks the deadlock to make it 2-0 on aggregate against Gomel.

Hungry for more: Striker Fabio Borini celebrates his first goal on his debut at Anfield.

Another nice solo run past three defenders by Suarez before enticing the keeper to come out before smartly passing the ball straight to captain Gerrard who tapped the ball into an empty net to make it 2-0.

Record breaking: Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard celebrates his 150th goal for The Reds against FC Gomel.

Liverpool right-back Glen Johnson made it 3-0 in the 70th minute after a sweet half-volley flew past the goalkeeper into the net.

Swansea midfielder Joe Allen was spotted in the crowd at Anfield, while a £15million deal is complete for him to move to Liverpool.

2nd signing of the transfer window: Liverpool midfielder Joe Allen has signed from Swansea for £15million.

On the way: Swansea midfielder Joe Allen was spotted at Anfield last night, hours after making a transfer request.

UEFA Europa League Play-Off Draw - EPL Ties:

Hearts vs Liverpool

Liverpool face Scottish club Hearts in their Play-off match.

Atromitos vs Newcastle United

While Newcastle face Greek club Atromitos who is quite un-heard of as a football club.

First leg to be played on Thursday the 23rd of August

Second leg to be played on Thursday the 30th of August 

Community Shield Preview 

Manchester City vs Chelsea:

LIVE on ITV from 13:30pm

EPL Champions Manchester City face a tough test against FA Cup winners Chelsea on Sunday afternoon.

Chelsea have strengthened their squad since their Champions League final win against Bayern Munich by signing Marko Marin, Oscar, Eden and Thorgan Hazard.

City however have surprisingly not signed any players yet though so their team on Sunday will be players who will be desperate to show their worth ahead of the new season.

Both teams stuggled to win their respective titles and it was close shaves for City and Chelsea.

This match will be EPIC with lots of talent on show for both teams including Eden Hazard, Sergio Aguero, Frank Lampard, Vincent Kompany and much more.

Plus, the two BEST goalkeepers in the EPL will go head-to-head.

Therefore you know that the players will have to do their best to get past the keepers.

Potential Battles on Sunday: 

Petr Cech vs Sergio Aguero

Champions League winner: Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech kept his side in the CL final against Bayern Munich.

30 goals for Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero last season. Can he score again in the CS on Sunday?

30 goals last season for Aguero.

10 clean sheets and 84 saves in 3060 minutes last season for Petr Cech.

Can Aguero score on Sunday and win the Community Shield for City?

Can Cech prove his worth to Chelsea yet again and stop Aguero and co for his team?

Eden Hazard vs Vincent Kompany 

Huge price tag: Belgian winger Eden Hazard cost Chelsea £32million in the TW and has to prove his worth to his team on Sunday.

Defender of the season: Vincent Kompany holds the EPL trophy up aloft after a great season at City.

Belgium team-mates against each other.

Does not get closer than this,

£32million winger from Lille versus the best defender in the EPL last season.

Joe Hart vs Fernando Torres

Form of his life: Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart has been unstoppable in goal. Can he stop Chelsea?

Golden Glove last season for Joe Hart.

17 clean sheets in 3420 minutes. 

Torres:
15 goals from 53 appearances (11 for Chelsea, 4 for Spain)

Fernando Torres had the best-worst season ever last season.
At the start, did not score for 3 months, was missing open goals and getting sent off.
 
Won the FA Cup and Champions League along with the Euro 2012 with Spain at the end of the season.

Can he kick-start it on Sunday?

Drama, goals, controversy and a preview of what is to come next season on Sunday.

Do not miss my LIVE Commentary on Sunday for the match.

Thursday EPL Transfer Update with News and the LATEST from the Olympic Football Tournament:

Hello and welcome to my Thursday EPL Transfer Update with a few extras including News and the LATEST from the Olympic Football Tournament.

With 9 days until arguably the best league in the world starts on Saturday August 18th, all the teams are still preparing for the new season with pre-season friendlies to get fit and purchasing new players to bolster their squads. 


Let me begin with the LATEST EPL transfer talk:


Former Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp who was sacked at the end of the season has said that he agreed a fee with Luka Modric to leave the club.
He has told Spurs fans to brace themselves for a move to Real Madrid. 


Liverpool striker Luis Suarez has signed a new long-term contract extension deal with Liverpool. 

He has been linked with transfer moves to French 'moneybags' PSG and Italian champions Juventus over the past year after some unsettled news being reporteed after the Evra saga. 

This will kill interest, at least for now.

I am back: Liverpool striker Luis Suarez returns from Olympic duty to train at Melwood with the rest of the squad.

He is eyeing Champions League qualification now with The Reds.

He single-handedly carried Liverpool to the Europa League last season, so he will be expecting more with his team this season.

I have a feeling that if they do not qualify for the CL in the next two years, he will go to PSG or Juventus because they will offer him more money, and they both have Champions League football.


Arsenal forward Andrey Arshavin is reportedly wanted by Turkish side Galatasaray and they are lining up a £4million bid for him.

Arsenal have confirmed the £16.5million signing of Malaga winger Santi Cazorla on a three-year contract deal.

It's official: Malaga winger Santi Cazorla becomes Arsenal's 3rd transfer signing of the window.

Pre-season training: Cazorla has being training with Arsenal in Germany since Monday.

Arsene Wenger said this:

'Santi Cazorla is a great signing for us. He's a player who will add significant quality to our squad. 
Santi has good experience at both club and international level and is a versatile, attacking midfield player who can play comfortably on either side of the pitch or centrally.
He has good pace, is technically gifted and will be a huge asset to us'.



Cazorla said this:

'I am so happy to be joining Arsenal. This is a club with great players, a fantastic stadium and huge support.

The club has one of the best managers in football and their style of play is recognised and admired all over the world.
I'm so excited to be joining one of the greatest teams in Europe and to be playing in the English Premier League.
I will do my best to help Arsenal challenge for trophies and make all the supporters happy'

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has admitted that forward Craig Bellamy is on his way to Cardiff.

Flying high: Liverpool winger Craig Bellamy was impressive during the Olympic Football Tournament for Team GB.

West Ham have agreed a £2million fee with French club Marseille for Alou Diarra. 

Marseille defensive midfielder Alou Diarra (left) was impressive for France during Euro 2012 and will move to West Ham.

Liverpool are set to complete their second summer signing after meeting Swansea's £15million asking price for midfielder Joe Allen.

£15million man: Swansea midfielder Joe Allen is set to join his former manager at Liverpool in the next few days.

International debut: Allen has now made 5 appearances for Team GB after playing at the Olympics.

He will now hold formal talks with Liverpool and more importantly his former manager Brendan Rodgers who he reportedly wants to join up with again.

Barcelona are ready to make a £15million offer for Arsenal's defensive midfielder Alex Song.

Men's Olympic Football Tournament:

Quarter-Finals:

Japan 3 Egypt 0

Mexico 4 Senegal 2

Brazil 3 Honduras 2

Team GB 1 (a.e.t.) South Korea 1 

Sunderland striker Ji Dong-Won broke the deadlock in the 29th minute for South Korea to give them a 1-0 lead.

Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey equalised for Team GB in the 36th minute from the penalty spot. 

Goal from the spot: Aaron Ramsey slots the ball into the net to equalise for Team GB in the 36th minute.

Saturday FA Cup and EPL Special LIVE:

Saturday FA Cup and EPL Special LIVE:

The quarter-finals of the FA Cup and Round 30th of this season's EPL, merged into a Super Saturday!

FA Cup:

Sunderland vs Everton: LIVE

Defender Phil Bardsley put the home side in-front after only 12 minutes, after a short free-kick was hit by him from 25 yards out into the net.

Phil Bardsley and Sunderland celebrate taking the lead against Everton after 12 minutes at The Stadium of Light.

Midfielder Tim Cahill equalised for The Toffees after taking a shot after Nikica Jelavic's header fell to him into the net from a corner - to score his second goal in 41 matches for Everton!

Midfielder Tim Cahill scores an equaliser for Everton in the 23rd minute to keep the away side in the FA Cup tie.

Halfway through the second half (65 mins), 1-1.

Tottenham Hotspur vs Bolton Wanderers: LIVE from 17:30pm

Team news from White Hart Lane at 17:00pm...

EPL:

Fulham vs Swansea City: LIVE at 15:00pm

10th placed Fulham host 11th placed Swansea in a mid-table battle at Craven Cottage. If either team wins, they could move up to 8th place. 

Swansea will have high morale after their 1-0 home win against 2nd placed Manchester City last Sunday, while Fulham lost late on at Villa Park against Aston Villa.

Wigan Athletic vs West Bromwich Albion: LIVE at 15:00pm

Bottom club Wigan host 14th placed WBA at the DW Stadium.

Wigan will be looking to push out of the relegation zone today provided that they win, while West Brom could be 8th at the end of the day (if the result at Craven Cottage goes their way).

The Stadium of Light,

FA Cup Quarter-Final,

Sunderland vs Everton:

Team line-ups:

Everton: Howard, Neville, Heitinga, Distin, Baines, Coleman,Fellaini, Osman, Drenthe, Cahill, Jelavic. Subs: Hahnemann, Hibbert, Jagielka, Stracqualursi, McFadden, Gueye, Anichebe.

Sunderland: Mignolet, Bardsley, O'Shea, Turner, Bridge, Larsson, Colback, Gardner, McClean, Campbell, Bendtner. Subs: Gordon, Wickham, Kilgallon, Vaughan, Meyler, Kyrgiakos, Elmohamady.

70: Header by striker Nikica Jelavic from 12 yards out..... COMFORTABLE SAVE!! by Simon Mignolet...

72:

Everton SUB:

Seamus Coleman OFF

Magaye Gueye ON

73:

Sunderland SUB:

Fraizer Campbell OFF

David Vaughan ON

79: 5 yellow cards in this match, 27 fouls...... Dangerous and stuck-in game. I predicted that it would either be a slender win or a replay. I should (but won't) be a betting man... :)

Let's digress for a few minutes, and look at some news:.

Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov is reportedly on his way back to Germany due to a lack of first-team action, with Hannover 96 leading the race.

Berbatov is actually under-rated at United... They need to give him a chance because every match he has played for them this season, he has at least scored once....

Dimitar Berbatov: Lack of first team action for the striker at Manchester United, means that he WILL leave in the Summer.

Anderlecht want Arsenal flop Chu-Young Park to join them to boost their strikeforce.

Chu Young Park: Leaving Arsenal after only one season at The Gunners?

£2million is in the works...

Harry Redknapp has confirmed Tottenham are ready to smash their record transfer fee to land £35million Lille wonderkid Eden Hazard.

Eden Hazard: The Lille winger is wanted by up to 6 different EPL clubs.... including Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Manchester United.

Sunderland have a big fight on their hands to hang onto key midfielder Stephane Sessegnon, who is struggling to settle in the North-West.

Should I stay or should I go? Sessegnon is wanted by PSG and Arsenal....

EPL LIVE Line-ups:

Wigan v West Brom:

Wigan: Al Habsi, Alcaraz, Caldwell, Figueroa, Boyce, McCarthy, McArthur, Beausejour, Moses, Di Santo, Maloney. Subs: Kirkland, Crusat, Ben Watson, Gomez, McManaman, Diame, Stam.

West Brom: Foster, Jones, McAuley, Ridgewell, Shorey, Thomas, Morrison, Mulumbu, Scharner, Brunt, Long. Subs: Daniels, Andrews, Dorrans, Dawson, Tamas, Cox, Fortune.

Fulham v Swansea City:

Fulham: Schwarzer, Kelly, Senderos, Hangeland, John Arne Riise, Ruiz, Dembele, Diarra, Dempsey, Johnson, Pogrebnyak. Subs: Stockdale, Baird, Murphy, Duff, Hughes, Etuhu, Frei.

Clint Dempsey and Pavel Pogrebnyak both start for the home side, along with Bryan Ruiz and Moussa Dembele.

Very strong Fulham side....

FACT: Mahamadou Diarra is going to start his first match for Fulham since moving from a free agent when he left Real Madrid last Summer.

Swansea: Vorm, Rangel, Caulker, Monk, Taylor, Allen, Britton, Sigurdsson, Routledge, Graham, Sinclair. Subs: Tremmel, Tate, McEachran, Lita, Moore, Gower, Richards.

Danny Graham and Scott Sinclair both start in strike for The Swans along with in-form goalkeeper Michel Vorm and striker Gylfi Sigurdsson. 

Michel Vorm: Has to be on top-form to prevent players such as Clint Dempsey and Pogrebnyak from scoring at Craven Cottage this afternoon...

FULL-TIME:

Sunderland 1 Everton 1

This means that the quarter-final, will go to a replay.

Replay will be played on the 27th of March at 19:45pm.

15:00:

The two 3oclock EPL kick-offs have started at Craven Cottage and the DW Stadium...

15:10:

DW Stadium,

Wigan vs West Brom:

Wigan have had four shots at goal, and it is still goaless.... 

This is the difference between relegation and mid-table....

Although I give them credit for coming out of the starting blocks quick against a tough WBA side.

15:13:

Craven Cottage,

Fulham vs Swansea City:

Full-back/midfielder John Arne Riise takes a shot from 20 yards out.... OVER THE BAR!!

Unlucky by Riise, who used to score from over 20 yards a LOT in his Liverpool days... still looking for his first Fulham goal since moving last Summer.

Goals clip at Liverpool:

15:16:

DW Stadium,

Wigan vs WBA:

Defender Emmerson Boyce takes a shot from 6 yards out... HITS THE POST!

Cleared away by the WBA defence...

Wigan are really pushing for the first goal here... That is their 5th shot of the game.

15:27:

Craven Cottage,

Fulham vs Swansea:

Midfielder Clint Dempsey takes a shot from 25 yards out... MISS!!!

15:29:

Craven Cottage:

Fulham vs Swansea:

Gylfi Sigurdsson takes a shot from 18 yards out... MISS!!

Fulham vs Swansea:

30: Cross by Riise to Bryan Ruiz who takes a shot from 25 yards out... SAVED! by Michel Vorm.

31: Shot by Swansea striker Scott Sinclair from 6 yards out... PARRIED OUT!! by Mark Schwarzer!

36: Cross delivered into the box by Scott Sinclair, finds Sigurdsson who takes a header from 6 yards out... GOAL!! 

Swansea are ahead at Craven Cottage!

Striker Gylfi Sigurdsson heads Swansea ahead at Craven Cottage against Fulham after 36 minutes.

Swansea celebrate their opening goal of the match against Fulham, courtesy of striker Gylfi Sigurdsson.

15:49:

HALF-TIME:

Fulham 0 Swansea 1

Gylfi Sigurdsson scored his 4th goal in 8 matches for the away team to put The Swans ahead at Craven Cottage. Fulham have to step up in the second half if they want to win this match against a tough Swansea side.

Wigan 0 WBA 0

10 chances for Wigan, to West Brom's 4 but no-one has been able to convert so far in this match-up.

Surely this will not be the final scoreline?

16:02:

The second halves have started in the EPL....

No substitutions at Craven Cottage or the DW.

16:08:

DW Stadium,

Wigan vs West Brom:

Striker Shaun Maloney takes a shot from 25 yards out.... SAVE (caught)!! by goalkeeper Ben Foster...

Still goalless...

16:14:
DW Stadium,
Wigan vs WBA:
The deadlock has finally been broken here!
Midfielder James McCarthur scores for the home side with a sweet finish from 6 yards out after winger Victor Moses crossed the ball to him. 1-0.

Scrappy goal: Midfielder James McCarthur puts Wigan in-front against West Brom.

As it stands: Wigan are out of the bottom three, into 17th place.
You cannot say that this was not coming... Wigan have been pressing since the first whistle...


16:17:
Craven Cottage,
Fulham vs Swansea:
Fulham SUB:
Bryan Ruiz OFF
Damien Duff ON


16:23:
DW Stadium,
Wigan vs West Brom:
Corner whipped into the box by Chris Brunt, finds defender Paul Scharner who heads the ball goalwards from 6 yards out.... GOAL!! Scharner equalises for WBA, against his old club Wigan. 1-1.

Sign of respect: Defender Paul Scharner equalises for West Brom against Wigan, but refuses to celebrate against his old club.

16:25:
DW Stadium,
Wigan vs WBA:
There has been a heated argument between both sets of players here, after a late tackle by Wigan midfielder James McCarthur on West Brom's Youssouf Mulumbu. 
Mulumbu, Jerome Thomas and Emmerson Boyce have all been booked for descent and their part in the argument. 


16:26:
Craven Cottage,
Fulham vs Swansea City:
Winger Wayne Routledge finds striker Gylfi Sigurdsson with a precise pass who shoots from 12 yards out... GOAL!!  Sigurdsson doubles Swansea's lead and his tally for the afternoon!


16:39:
Craven Cottage,
Fulham vs Swansea:
Scott Sinclair with a pass to midfielder Joe Allen who takes a shot from 20 yards out... GOAL!!! Swansea have surely sealed three points away from home after this latest goal!?




16:53:
FULL-TIME:
Fulham 0 Swansea City 3
Sigurdsson scored twice and Joe Allen also scored for the away side as The Swans move up into  place with an impressive 3-0 victory over Fulham.


FACT: Today is only the third time that Swansea have scored 3 goals in an away match in the EPL - in their history.


Wigan 1 West Bromwich Albion 1
Midfielder James McCarthur gave the hosts the lead in the 54th minute, before defender Paul Scharner equalised for The Baggies in the 65th minute, which means that the two teams have to settle for one point each.






Analysis:


Wigan will feel disappointed that they did not win and get out of the bottom three, as they took lots of goal-scoring chances but only converted 1 out of 20 taken.


West Brom will feel good that they took a point away from home and are now in 12th place, but could have taken all three today against a Wigan side who did not take their chances. You would have thought that they would capitalize on their opponent's poor run of form, but it is hard to do without key player Peter Odemwingie who was missed today.


The match was dirty towards the end with both teams getting frustrated and there were 18 fouls, and 6 yellow cards.


Fulham will also feel upset that they could not impress their home supporters and get the result that they needed today, despite taking 14 shots and not scoring. Plus, they had a very strong team meanwhile Swansea's team was just above average; with the pace of Scott Sinclair and the clinical finishing of Gylfi Sigurdsson.


Swansea will feel good, after winning 2 in a row against very decent opposition (City and now Fulham), and now will push for a top 10 finish.


17:10:
Now onto the last football action today with the 2nd of 4 FA Cup Quarter-Finals this weekend:

Tottenham v Bolton:

Tottenham: Cudicini, Walker, Nelsen, Gallas, Assou-Ekotto, Van der Vaart, Parker, Modric, Bale, Defoe, Saha. Subs: Friedel, Kaboul, Giovani, Kranjcar, Rose, Livermore, Sandro.

Carlo Cudicini starts in-between the sticks for Spurs, defender Ryan Nelsen comes back into the squad.

Emmanuel Adebayor is out of action due to a hamstring injury so Louis Saha takes his place, while central defender William Gallas starts his first match for 10 weeks.

A strong Spurs side, that should be easily able to get the job done.

Bolton: Bogdan, Alonso, Boyata, Knight, Ricketts, Pratley, Muamba, Reo-Coker, Petrov, Miyaichi, Klasnic. Subs: Jaaskelainen, Eagles, Sanli, Kevin Davies, Ngog, Ream, Vela.

Ivan Klasnic and Ryo Miyaichi both start for Bolton, which will strengthen their strikeforce and attacking flair against a strong Spurs side.

17:30:

White Hart Lane, 

Tottenham vs Bolton:

The referee blows the whistle to start the first half.

17:36:

A Bolton corner, whipped into the box by Martin Petrov, falls to defender Darren Pratley who heads the ball towards goal... hits Gareth Bale and falls into the net past Cudicini. 1-0 to Bolton after only 6 minutes, with Gareth Bale scoring an own goal.

17:41:

Gareth Bale speeds past the Bolton defence, before whipping a cross into the box for full-back Kyle Walker to put his head onto.... GOAL!! Spurs are level in less than 5 minutes after conceding! Bale repays Tottenham after his own goal and it is 1-1.

17:43:

Striker Louis Saha takes a shot from 20 yards out towards goal... SAVE! (caught) by Bolton 'keeper Adam Bogdan. 

17:53:

Full-back Benoit Assou-Ekotto crosses a ball into the Bolton 16-yard box for Bale, who heads the ball towards the net.. MISS!!

17:58:

Shot by Bolton midfielder Martin Petrov from 18 yards out....

MISS!

18:04:
Spurs corner, crossed into the box by winger Rafael Van Der Vaart to defender Ryan Nelsen who heads the ball towards goal..... MISS!!


18:13-18:55: Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba is down in agony.... Both sets of medical staff rush onto the pitch now to treat him...
This looks VERY serious...., now the supporters around the ground are gobsmacked and are chanting his name.
He collapsed near the half-way line, on his own without any physical contact from anyone else.
CPR is being performed.... but I think he needs more.
He is not breathing, and is being rushed to hospital.
Referee Howard Webb has called off the match.
Smart decision...

Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba recieves CPR from the medical staff after collapsing on the pitch in the 42nd minute against Tottenham.

Tottenham winger Gareth Bale comforts striker Jermain Defoe who is distressed by what is being seen.

Horror show: Tottenham players Assou-Ekotto, William Gallas, Carlo Cudicini and Bolton manager Owen Coyle are in absolute shock at what they have seen regarding midfielder Fabrice Muamba.

Get well soon Muamba, stay with us please.
I will pray for you.


A distressing end to a Saturday.....
I hope his family are ok and he gets better soon in hospital.


See you tomorrow everyone.
Please continue to support me by viewing frequently and following my EPL Blog
I am sure that you all will pray for Fabrice Muamba and his family at this disturbing time.
Thank you.