Guess who's back, with an EPL Transfer Update:

Hello and welcome to my first EPL Update in over a week.... Wow. It feels weird, but I MUST continue.


This will be a VERY long update, because a lot has happened over the last 10 days, including the official start of the London 2012 Olympics and some more EPL transfer activity, not to mention lots of football friendly action at the men's Olympic toournament has started.


So, without further ado, let me begin:

Chelsea have confirmed the £25million signing of Sao Paulo midfielder Oscar.

Promising startlet: Brazillian International Oscar has joined Chelsea for £25million.

American club New York Red Bulls have announced the signing of Everton midfielder Tim Cahill, subject to international clearance. 

It's official: Everton midfielder Tim Cahill has moved to New York Red Bulls for an undisclosed fee.

I'm here: Cahill talks the walk out into the Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey.

Interesting or what?: Tim Cahill has not ruled out a move back to Everton (on-loan)

Cahill said this on the club website:
'I am very happy to start a new chapter of my career with the New York Red Bulls'
'As we have seen over the past few years, MLS has developed into a very competitive league with many talented players.' 
'I am impressed with what the Red Bulls are trying to accomplish in MLS and within American soccer and I am looking forward to this new challenge. I will do everything I can to help bring New York its first MLS Cup'





Does anyone remember the news article that I had last post about Lens winger Thorgan Hazard?


Well, he has signed for Chelsea now, and will link-up with his brother next season.

It's official: Winger Thorgan Hazard will join Chelsea next season.

He will slide into the U21 squad, and may be loaned out for some first-team experience..


Interesting transfer done deal here: 


QPR have signed Blackburn Rovers winger Junior Holiett after agreeing a four-year contract deal.

Back to the EPL: He will fit into the way QPR play football, and will be their star player next season.

He wants to play EPL football next season, so you cannot blame him for wanting to move from a relegated club Blackburn.
He will be their young gem, and could score a lot of goals next season.

The following video proves that he has a lots of potential in the future and his talent from this video:

EPL Transfer Rumours:

Fulham forward Clint Dempsey has dropped a big hint fore his future, after missing The Cottagers pre-season trip to Switzerland. He has been linked with a move to Liverpool as he looks to play CL football before the end of his career.

Not surpirsing: Clint Dempsey may NOT play for Fulham next season, as he tries to force his way into a CL club.

Newcastle have made a £4milllion bid for FC Twente defender Douglas Texeira.

FC Twente may accept the offer, considering the fact that he only has one year left on his contract and he can leave next season on a free transfer.

England bound, surely? Newcastle have made a £4million bid for FC Twente defender Douglas Texeira (right).

Liverpool have rejected a £13million bid from Manchester City for defender Daniel Agger, who are looking to bolster their defence.

Hard decision: Defender Daniel Agger could be on his way out of Liverpool, to move to City or Barcelona.

Chelsea are ready to sign Wigan winger Victor Moses for £7.5million now after having being rejected twice already. 

Sunderland are looking to replace Asamoah Gyan with a decent striker who can give them a mid-table finish next season. 

They have had a £12million bid rejected from Wolves for Steven Fletcher.

If I was Wolves, I would accept the bid, because for a Championship club £12million is a lot and they want to return to the PL next season. They should be able to replace him anyway.

Liverpool reportedly have made a £12.5million bid for Swansea midfielder Joe Allen.

Chelsea chief executive Ron Gourlay says that the club are still in the transfer market for a few more signings.

Tottenham are considering a £7million bid for Liverpool's 17-year-old winger Raheem Sterling. 

Wanted: 17-year-old Liverpool winger Raheem Sterling is wanted by Tottenham Hotspur.

There is just over 2 weeks left until the start of the EPL 2012-13 season begins. It would not be fitting to start the season without a montage of the last, so please watch this 4 minute video to remind you of why this is the best league in the world.  

Everton have completed the signing of Tottenham midfielder Steven Pienaar for £4.5million on a four-year contract deal.

Guess who's back again: Midfielder Steven Pienaar re-joins Everton for his 4th spell at the club.

He will be Everton's talisman along with Nikica Jelavic after the departures of Mikel Arteta and now Tim Cahill in recent seasons.

He joined Spurs 18 months ago, but was not given a chance to shine and only started 5 matches.  Everton signed him up on a season-long loan in January where he scored 4 important goals.  

EPL Poll:  

Goal of the EPL Season:    

A: Papiss Cisse vs Chelsea: B: Fraizer Campbell vs Norwich City C: Peter Crouch vs Stoke City D: Robin Van Persie vs  E: Stilyan Petrov vs Everton F: Hatem Ben Arfa vs Bolton       ALL THE GOALS ARE ON THE FOLLOWING VIDEO BELOW:

   

Friendlies and The Olympics: 

Arsenal 0 Manchester City 2, in Beijing - July 27th

Midfielder Yaya Toure and defender Pablo Zabaleta both scored for City as they beat Arsenal by 2 goals to nil. 

Promising start: Midfielder Yaya Toure slots the ball out of goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski's reach into the net.

EPL Champions City celebrate Yaya Toure's 45th minute goal to give them a 2-0 lead against Arsenal in China.

Arsenal's brick wall: Defensive midfielder Alex Song prevents Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez from scoring.

Do not be fooled by the scoreline though because:

Arsenal played better football throughout the match, and had all of their youngsters on. Much fitter than City and passed the ball better.

They look very promising for the next season.

Arsenal 2 Kitchee 2, Hong Kong - July 29th

Arsenal continued their pre-season preparations with a 2-2 draw in Hong Kong against Kitchee.

Midfielder Thomas Eisfeld who joined the club for £450,000 in January from Borussia Dortmund equalised with 12 minutes to go of the match.

Forward Theo Walcott who has been subject to transfer speculation also scored for The Gunners.

Make it seem easy: Theo Walcott cooly slots the ball into the net to give Arsenal a goal against Kitchee.

MLS All Stars 3 Chelsea 2, Pennslyvania(USA) - July 25th

Chelsea suffered their first pre-season defeat in their America tour against the MLS All Stars.

Happy faces: Chelsea defender John Terry shakes LA Galaxy midfielder David Beckham's hand before the match.

Defender John Terry and Midfielder Frank Lampard both scored for The Blues, but it was not enough for them to win the match. 

Thank you very much: Midfielder Frank Lampard has played over 560 matches for Chelsea.

Notable faces for the All Stars included Arsenal legend Thierry Henry and David Beckham.

Chelsea 0 AC Milan 1, Sun Life Stadium, Miami(USA) - July 28th

Midfielder Urby Emmanuelson scored the only goal of the match for AC Milan as they beat Chelsea 1-0.

Notable faces including Fernando Torres returned to the Chelsea side but were not able to prevent The Blues from losing against the Italian giants.  Manchester United 1 Shangai Shenhua 0, Shangai Stadium - July 25th  United continued to send a message to local rivals City that they would challenge to regain their EPL title next season. This time, £17million signing Shinji Kagawa stole all of the headlines against a Chinese club who snapped up both Nicolas Anelka and Didier Drogba from Chelsea over the past year.

Raring to go: Manchester United winger Shinji Kagawa scores his first goal for the club against Shangai Shenhua.

Golden Boy: Kagawa is mobbed by his team-mates after a great start to his United career.

EPL, Here I come: The Japanese winger could be United's secret weapon in the next few seasons.

He scored the only goal of the match, and fitted in well playing for United. Looks promising for the future, and could even dominate the EPL. Watch this space.

 

London 2012 Men's Football Olympics:

Team GB's Results:

Great Britain 1 Senegal 1 - July 26th at Old Trafford

Liverpool forward Craig Bellamy scored the only goal of the match for Team GB as they drew against African side Senegal.

19-year-old Pape Moussa Konate equalised for Senegal in the 81st minute to give them 1 point.

Great Britain 3 UAE 1 - July 29th at Wembley Stadium

Chelsea striker Daniel Sturridge, Swansea winger Scott Sinclair and Manchester United midfielder Ryan Giggs were all of the scoresheet for Team GB as they cruised to a 3-1 win against United Arab Emirates.

Golden Oldie: Manchester United winger Ryan Giggs heads Team GB into the lead against UAE after 16 minutes.

 FACT: Ryan Giggs has become the oldest football player to score at the Olympics.

Deadlock broken: Ryan Giggs does the trademark fist pump as he celebrates his goal.

'Flying like a Swan': Swansea forward Scott Sinclair celebrates make it 2-1 to Team GB in the 73rd minute.

Recovered: Chelsea striker Daniel Sturridge recovered from meningitis to score for Team GB with a delightful chip to make it 3-1.

Other Groups News:

Spain have been knocked out of the Men's Olympics Football Tournament after 2 losses against Honduras and Japan. 

Japan and Brazil and the first two teams to go through to the Quarter-Finals. 

Thank you for reading my EPL Blog.

Please spread the word to your family and friends (who like soccer/football!). 

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I will speak to you all very soon for my next update.

Midweek EPL Action, including Monday's epic Manchester derby:

Midweek EPL Action:


But first,

Let me tell you all that West Brom manager Roy Hodgson has been appointed as the the new England manager.

New manager: Roy Hodgson being unveiled by The FA at Wembley earlier this afternoon.

It is sealed! Hodgson shakes FA chairman David Bernstein's hand after accepting the England job.

 


Good luck Roy! Prove the haters wrong!

Chelsea have completed the signing of Werder Bremen midfielder Marko Marin for £7-£8million on a four year contract deal. 

Marko Marin is the latest player to join the Chelsea revolution. The 23-year-old will join his new club in the Summer.

And unofficially*,

Arsenal have confirmed the signing of Koln striker Lukas Podolski for £10-£11million.

* I say that this is unofficial, as he has not been unveiled as of yet. 

Former Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur defender Sol Campbell has confirmed that he has retired from professional football at the age of 37, after two decades in the beautiful game. 

Olden days: Sol Campbell was captain for Tottenham Hotspur, and played with them from 1992-2001.

From one side of North London to the other: Sol Campbell playing for Arsenal in 2010.

Great times: Campbell lifts the FA Cup trophy with Portsmouth, back in 2008 after beating Cardiff in the final.

He made 73 international appearances for England and played at three different World Cups.
He has also in total played 644 matches in his career, scoring 29 goals.

Well done, and good luck in the future. Great defender and was rock solid at the back. 
Legend.


You can find this, (and more!) at my Transfer Window Blog every TW at:


http://epltransferwindowlive.blogspot.co.uk/   
(Which re-opens in mid-May)




Let's look at the epic title derby match from The Ethiad Stadium on Monday first:

Race for the title: Derby match between Manchester City vs Manchester United at The Ethiad.

Manchester City 1 Manchester United 0


This match was played at The Ethiad Stadium on 'Monday Night Football', as 1st placed United had the chance to go 6 points clear at the top of the table, against arch rivals City in 2nd place (which with a win would allow them to go back into 1st place).


This first 20 minutes, were all United, as they dominated possession and had more fire in their bellies. They looked like they wanted to win more than City to be honest. The atmosphere was electric and after half an hour, the City players nerves were finally calmed down.

Striker Sergio Aguero was the first player to give United goalkeeper David De Gea something to be scared of, with two good chances to go ahead which were both narrowly missed.


Just before half-time, City had a corner whipped into the box for defender Vincent Kompany who left man Chris Smalling before powerfully heading the ball far out of De Gea's reach to break the deadlock just before half-time.

Goal bound: De Gea is left helpless after Kompany's powerful header flies past him into the net.

Relief: City captain Vincent Kompany celebrates his goal against Manchester United at The Ethiad.

What a time to score for the home side, just before the break.

In the second half, United were desperate for the equaliser, and you could tell as they were starting to get a little bit frustrated when they did not get the ball.

The two managers were getting a bit angry aswell, with some entertaining action on the touchline.

You what? The two Manchester club managers had to be spilt up to avoid a fight on the touchline.

There were some notable celebrities in the crowd including Oasis singer Liam Gallagher, and famous retired Argentinan football player Diego Maradona (who was supporting his son-in-law Aguero). 

We can see you! Argentinan legend Diego Maradona is spotted watching the match high in the stands.

Tuesday's Action:
 
Liverpool 0 Fulham 1

This match was played at Anfield, as 8th placed Liverool hosted 9th placed Fulham in an interested mid-table battle between two decent clubs both wanting to play in Europe.
Defender Martin Skrtel gave his team the worst possible start, after his deflected from a Damien Duff cross went past goalkeeper Doni into his own net after only 5 minutes.

Oh dear: Martin Skrtel's deflection beat his own goalkeeper to put Fulham ahead at Anfield in the 5th minute.

Everton 1 Stoke City 1

This match was played at Goodison Park as in-form side Everton hosted a Stoke side who have only won 4 matches away from home this season.




Wednesday: 

Chelsea 0 Newcastle 2

This crunch, mouthwatering and interesting match was played at Stamford Bridge, as 6th placed Champions League finalists Chelsea hosted Champions League hopefuls Newcastle in a tense match which could effectively seal the fate of who plays in the CL next season.




Tottenham Hotspur 4 Bolton Wanderers 1

The main story surrounding this match broke on Tuesday night, as midfielder Fabrice Muamba confirmed that he would be watching the match at White Hart Lane, six weeks after collapsing on the pitch against Spurs in a FA Cup Quarter-final match.






Thank you for reading my EPL Blog. 
I widely appreciate all the daily views that I am getting, and the support from my followers.
Thank you for helping me to get over 15,000 views so far, I never want to stop doing this, as I love everything to do with football. With your motivation and support, I do not have to.
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See you later everyone.

2-Day EPL Weekend Special LIVE:

Yesterday's EPL Results:


15:00:


Stoke City 1 Arsenal 1
This match was played at The Britannia Stadium, as Stoke hosted 3rd placed Arsenal.


Striker Peter Crouch broke the deadlock in the 9th minute from a deadly header.

Deadly header: Crouch heads past Szczesny to score for Stoke against Arsenal.

'Player of the Year' striker Robin Van Persie equalised for Arsenal, 6 minutes later to make it 1-1.

Van Persie scores his 27th goal in the EPL this season to make it 1-1 against Stoke after 15 minutes.

Pure delight: Robin Van Persie celebrates his goal against Stoke with midfielder Tomas Rosicky.

This is how the match finished. 1-1.

Arsenal stay in 3rd place, with Stoke are in 14th place.




Wigan Athletic 4 Newcastle United 0
This match came from DW Stadium as Wigan hosted 4th placed Newcastle who are fighting for a Champions League qualification place.
Winger Victor Moses scored in the 13rd minute to give Wigan an early lead.
He doubled the lead, 2 minutes 


Swansea City 4 Wolverhampton Wanderers 4


Sunderland 2 Bolton Wanderers 2


Everton 4 Fulham 0


West Bromwich Albion 0 Aston Villa 0


17:30:


Norwich City 0 Liverpool 3

Today's EPL Matches:

Chelsea vs QPR: LIVE at 13:30pm

Tottenham Hotspur vs Blackburn Rovers: LIVE at 16:00pm

Chelsea vs Wigan:

Team Line-ups:

Chelsea: Cech, Ferreira, Bosingwa, Terry, Cole, Mata, Essien, Lampard, Sturridge, Torres, Kalou.
Subs: Turnbull, Romeu, Ramires, Drogba, Malouda, Meireles, Hutchinson.


QPR: Kenny, Onuoha, Ferdinand, Hill, Taiwo, Mackie, Barton, Derry, Buzsaky, Cisse, Zamora.
Subs: Cerny, Gabbidon, Campbell, Traore, Young, Smith, Wright-Phillips.

Live Commentary:

0: The referee blows the whislte to start this match-up at Stamford Bridge.
Former room-mates Roberto Di Matteo and Mark Hughes are the opposite managers in the dugout today. 
1: GOAL!
Daniel Sturridge takes a stinging drive from 20 yards out which spins and swerves past Paddy Kenny.

Chelsea players mob Daniel Sturridge after his 20-yard opener in the first 45 seconds of the match against QPR.

Dream start for Matteo and Chelsea.

13: GOAL!
Corner whipped into the box by Mata for John Terry who is unmarked.... He heads the ball past Kenny into the net. 
2-0, and Terry waves his hand in the air, (something to do with his dismassal on Tuesday against Barca) before patting his badge.

Defender John Terry heads the ball past Paddy Kenny to make it 2-0 to Chelsea against QPR.

He's earnt it: JT thanks the fans for their continued support after what happened on Tuesday.

18: GOAL!
Fernado Torres is played through in-front of goal and like his goal against Barcelona on Tuesday, gets past the keeper before slotting the ball in the far right corner of the net. 3-0, and it is probably home and dry for Chelsea.

3-0: Torres gets past Kenny with ease before slotting the ball into an empty net.

23: Chelsea are pasing the ball well and ensure ensuring QPR do not get any chance.


24: Defender Nedum Onouha heads the ball towards his goalkeeper Paddy Kenny who drops the ball towards open play, but Torres is there and cooly splots the ball into an empty net. 4-0 now and it's not even half-time yet! Poor defending by QPR, and this could get ugly very soon. 

Celebration time: Fernando Torres celebrates his 2nd goal of the day against QPR to make it 4-0.

28: Nice play by Chelsea, with one touch football from Sturridge, Mata and Torres. The ball comes to Lampard who is closed down well inside the box by Paddy Kenny to stop the scoreline being 5-0.


34: Chelsea still pressing for another goal, possession stats show that The Blues are dominating Rangers right now with 70% to 30% in Chelsea's favour.


35: Chelsea fans are booing QPR defender Anton Ferdinand now after the racial allegations involving him and John Terry.

Not surprising, but disgraceful nonetheless.


41: Foul by QPR midfielder Joey Barton on Chelsea forward Juan Mata. Free-kick to Chelsea, as Mata limps on. 
Replays show that Barton stomped on Mata on purpose to stop the dangerous attack. Lucky to get away without a yellow card.


45: The fourth official on the far side indicates that there will be 2 minutes of stoppage time to be added on here. 


45+2: Referee Howard Webb blows the whistle for half-time at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea comfortably lead 4-0 against their West-London rivals QPR who are still in the relegation battle.


2:25:

45: 
Howard Webb waits for Michael Essien and Daniel Sturridge to get back on the pitch for Chelsea, and we are now underway for the second half. 
Chelsea 4 QPR 0.


49: Sturridge has the ball at his feet inside the QPR half looking to strike at goal, before slipping on the floor and losing the ball.

51: Full-back Ashley Cole with the ball at his feet, he flicks the ball through the defence to forward Juan Mata who is onside and takes a shot at goal..... SAVE by Paddy Kenny!!

Weak shot by Mata, and it was straight at Kenny who comfortably saved (and held!) the ball.

52: QPR are trying to ensure that Chelsea are not getting the ball, or any more clear cut chances as they did in the first half, by passing the ball around well.

54: Striker Jamie Mackie runs on the ball and takes a shot from 20 yards out which is deflected by defender John Terry towards goal... GREAT SAVE!! by Petr Cech!
It was a swerving ball, and the deflection made it worse for Cech to save.. but it is still a clean sheet for Cech. Still 4-0.

59: Torres takes a shot from just outside the box, but the shot is parried by Kenny.

61: Yellow card given to Joey Barton after a late tackle on Juan Mata. He pretends as if nothing happens, trying to con Howard Webb.
I don't think the best referee in England will fall for that...


64: Juan Mata with a through ball to Fernando Torres who calmy placing the ball towards goal.... GOAL!!!

Fernando Torres places the ball past Paddy Kenny for his 3rd goal against QPR and Stamford Bridge.

It's been a long time coming: Torres celebrates his 3rd goal for Chelsea with their loyal fans.

Torres beats Kenny and completes his hat-trick today.

FACT: That is Fernando Torres' first hat-trick for Chelsea, and his first for over 2-and-a-half years.

5-0 to Chelsea.

67: Chelsea SUB:
Florent Malouda ON
Juan Mata OFF

71: Fernando Torres' stats today:
5 shots, 4 on target, 3 goals
Looks like a £50million striker again.

73: QPR striker Djiribil Cisse has a headed shot which narrowly goes over the bar. Close.

75: Chelsea SUB:
Ramires ON
Salomon Kalou OFF

77:  
QPR SUB: 
Shaun Wright-Phillips ON
Bobby Zamora OFF
Zamora has failed to get into this match at all so far and Wright-Phillips' pace will get Chelsea's defence something to think about.

80: Ramires crosses the ball into the box for Malouda. Ferdinand fails to clear the ball out of danger and Malouda simply powerfully taps in a shot past Kenny to make it 6-0.

Too easy: Florent Malouda scores for Chelsea to make it 6-0 against QPR in the 80th minute.

Destruction by Chelsea, and QPR will feel disgusted now.
'Refunds please'

82: Chelsea SUB:
Sam Hutchinson ON
Jose Bosingwa OFF


Hutchinson replaces Bosingwa to partner John Terry in the heart of defence. 
He had to retire due to a serious injury in 2010 (and he is only 19!), but made a remarkable comeback.


Well done, Hutchinson!
Great example to a rising star like me! Never give up!
 
Anyways,

84: Djirbil Cisse hits the ball low and hard past Petr Cech into the net from a good cross by Onouha.

90: The fourth official signals for 3 minutes of stoppage time to be added on here at Stamford Bridge.

90+3: The referee blows the whistle for full-time here. 

Chelsea thrash QPR 6-1 with Torres scoring his first hat-trick in over 2 years.
To be honest, they hardly need to get past fourth gear as QPR were poor in defence and attack, with Cisse providing a consolation goal.
Chelsea move ahead of Tottenham who are yet to play against Blackburn later today, while close behind Newcastle in 4th place.

QPR have more problems as they have to play well against Manchester City and Stoke City if they want to stay in the EPL next season.
They stay in 16th place. 


15:35:

Tottenham Hotpsur vs Blackburn Rovers:

Team Line-ups:


Tottenham: Friedel, Walker, Gallas, Kaboul, Rose, Lennon, Modric, Sandro, Bale, Van der Vaart, Adebayor.  
Subs: Cudicini, Saha, Giovani, Defoe, King, Livermore, Nelsen.


Danny Rose and Sandro both start for Tottenham.
Jermain Defoe and Louis Saha are the attacking options available for Harry Redknapp on the bench.


Blackburn: Robinson, Orr, Dann, Givet, Marcus Olsson, Formica, Dunn, Lowe, Pedersen, Hoilett, Yakubu.
Subs: Kean, Martin Olsson, Modeste, Petrovic, Nzonzi, Rochina, Goodwillie.

David Goodwillie and Ruben Rochina are both on the bench.
If David Hoilett (pace master, long shot taker) and Yakubu (clinical finisher) can strike up another good performance, they can give Spurs a run for their money.  


16:00: The referee blows the whistle to start the match at White Hart Lane.
Blackburn start the match in 19th place, with Tottenham are in 6th place.


16:45:
Half-time at White Hart Lane.
The home side have dominated throughout and deservedly are ahead at the break.
They were denied a couple of times by the woodwark and the post.
Midfielder Rafael Van Der Vaart broke the deadlock in the 22nd minute, after winger Gareth Bale's header hit the crossbar and came back to VDV who hit the ball into the net (but the defender tried clearing the ball to protest).

Rafael Van Der Vaart scores a rebound to put Tottenham ahead against Blackburn.

10th of the season: VDV wheels away to celebrate his goal to put Spurs ahead in a crunch match for a CL spot next season.

18:00:
Full-time here at White Hart Lane.
Tottenham comfortably beat Blackburn Rovers by 2 goals to nil.
Blackburn failed to defend properly and will be happy that they were saved by the woodwork and post on several occasions.
Full-back Kyle Walker scored a 30-yard screamer from a free-kick in the 74th minute to give Spurs all three points at home.

Full-back Kyle Walker hits a superb free-kick from 30 yards out to give Tottenham a 2-0 lead against Blackburn.

Absolutely brilliant: Walker celebrates his amazing goal against Blackburn to cap off a great fortnight after winning the PFA 'Young Player of the Year' award last weekend.

See Kyle Walker's screamer against Blackburn here:

Tomorrow:

Manchester City vs Manchester United: LIVE from 20:00pm at The Ethiad Stadium
The title race is all on this match.
If United win tomorrow, they have virtually won the title with 2 matches left and 6 points ahead of Manchester rivals City.
If City win, then only goal difference will be between the two teams.



19:35:
BREAKING NEWS:


West Bromwich Albion have granted permission for The FA to speak to their manager Roy Hodgson about the England job.