Gregg Davies

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has warned Manchester United counterpart Sir Alex Ferguson that the Gunners have the belief to topple the Champions League holders in Wednesday's semi-final first leg at Old Trafford.

Kevin-Prince Boateng and Sulley Muntari put Ghana in the Champions League spotlight as they scored the goals which gave AC Milan a shock 2-0 win over Barcelona on Wednesday.

Manchester City midfielder Gareth Barry was ruled out of the European Championships on Monday with England manager Roy Hodgson calling up Everton's Phil Jagielka as his replacement.

FourFourTwo More than 50% of footballers believe spitting at another pro is the worst thing a player can do on the pitch.

Dele Alli Dele Alli has told FourFourTwo that it is a privilege to link up with a striker as talented as his in-form Tottenham and England team-mate, Harry Kane.

Arsenal’s highly-rated young striker Benik Afobe has revealed the Gunners’ coaching staff have been keeping close tabs on him during his loan spell at Huddersfield Town.

Player transfer spending by Premier League clubs was around £450 million in the summer transfer window, according to analysis by the business advisory firm Deloitte.Dan Jones, Partner in the Sports Business Group at Deloitte, commented: “After last summer’s record £500m of transfer spending, Premier League clubs’ spending is down 10 percent to £450m this summer."Whilst the level of player acquisitions from other Premier League clubs matched the previous record level, the level of acquisitions from overseas clubs was around 40 percent down compared to each of the transfer windows in summer 2007 and 2008."The reduced value of Sterling against the Euro and the proposed increase in the top rate of income tax are contributing factors to this.”Reflecting on the level of net spending, being the net amount that flows to non-English clubs and Football League clubs, Jones remarked:  “Premier League clubs received over £110m in transfer fees from Real Madrid alone.Combined with the lower level of player acquisitions from overseas clubs, Premier League clubs’ overall net transfer spending was £80m.This is down significantly compared to over £200m in each of the summer 2007 and 2008 transfer windows. Net spending comprised £8m to overseas clubs and £72m to Football League clubs.”

Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic has revealed he had to stave off severe pressure to quit the Premier League champions this summer... from his wife. The 27-year-old, who arrived from Spartak Moscow in 2006, has made more than 100 league outings for the Red Devils - scoring eight times - guiding the club to three consecutive league crowns and back-to-back Champions League final appearances. And the Serbian international - who has won 40 caps for his country - was rewarded for his consistently impressive form in 2008/09 by picking up both the Fans' Player of the Year and Players' Player of the Year awards at Old Trafford. May's Champions League final defeat to Barcelona in Rome could have been the last United supporters saw of the towering centre-back, after the player revealed that fellow European powerhouses AC Milan, Real Madrid and Barcelona were all keen on acquiring him. However, much to Mrs Vidic's chagrin - who is still to appreciate the delights of Manchester and was desperate for her man to move on - the defender is adament he will be going nowhere until the end of his current deal, which expires in 2012. “My wife Ana is unhappy with our lifestyle in Manchester but I am not going to change my mind as I am happy with the team and Manchester and the club’s ambitions for next season,” he said in The Sun. “I got offers from Milan, Barcelona and Real Madrid and I played a very honest game. I disclosed all these offers to my boss Sir Alex. “He reacted quickly. I was told he was raising my pay to bring it to the level where my reputation is in the Premier League and Europe. “After Milan and Real Madrid made their offers, Barcelona came in, they wanted to pay 30m for my services but after Sir Alex’s move, I am definitely staying in Manchester until my contract expires in 2012." UNITED FANS! Check FourFourTwo.com’s ever-expanding interviews archive for more stuff to read: Web Exclusives Wayne Rooney, Peter Schmeichel, Carlos Tevez Q&A Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ruud Van Nistlerooy One on One David Beckham, George Best Ask A Silly Question Bryan Robson Boy's A Bit Special Danny Simpson Perfect XI Garth Crooks, Bryan Robson, Sir Bobby Charlton, Eric Cantona What Happened Next? David May, Norman Whiteside Sing When You’re Winning Dominic Monaghan, Ian Brown And Another Thing Being a Big Four fan

Nicklas Bendtner insists he is not weighted down by the expectation of having to be the main man for Denmark at Euro 2012 this summer.

Nine-man Fulham suffered their first defeat of this season's Europa League campaign after Italian giants Roma came from behind to win 2-1 at the Stadio Olimpico, while Everton were beaten 2-0 at home by Benfica.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp has declared that no amount of money could tempt him to part with midfielder Luka Modric at the moment, not even ‘a billion’.

Nemanja Vidic Former Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic has told FourFourTwo how he nearly signed for their arch rivals, Liverpool.

Feyenoord fans are already hailing Arsenal loanee Ryo Miyaichi.

Manchester United’s reserve goalkeeper, Anders Lindegaard, is aiming to prove his worth over the summer and has his sights set on succeeding Edwin van der Sar as Old Trafford’s number one.

Terms and conditions for Mitre Carling Cup final competition: February 1-18 2010.

Arsenal forward Andrei Arshavin has admitted rivals Liverpool are virtually out of the title race – but believes Rafael Benitez’s men can still salvage a top-three position in the Premier League.

Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher is taking an extended break from football due to health problems, the Premier League champions said on Tuesday.

Chelsea's Brazilian central defender Alex says he is delighted to be working with Guus Hiddink again following the Dutchman's arrival at Stamford Bridge. The former PSV Eindhoven stopper spent two year's working with Hiddink in Holland, winning the Dutch Eredivisie title twice and reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League, with Alex's header at the Emirates Stadium eliminating Arsenal in the last eight. And he is confident the Blues's new coach, appointed on a temporary basis until the end of the season, can replicate his success in Holland with Chelsea. "He is a good coach and a fantastic man," he told the club's official website. "I think he will play a similar system here to what we have seen, and when I was at PSV we played a 4-3-3 system, we had some very exciting times there. "In my three years in Holland, two of them were with Guus Hiddink and we won the title both times, and the double once, as well as reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League in my first year."

LONDON - Striker Dimitar Berbatov scored a clinical first goal as Manchester United sauntered to a 3-0 victory against promoted Newcastle United in their Premier League opener at Old Trafford on Monday. Darren Fletcher and Ryan Giggs also struck to provide an emphatic response to champions Chelsea's 6-0 blast against West Bromwich Albion on Saturday, with Sir Alex Ferguson's slick side a class above Newcastle who faded away after a bright start.

JOHANNESBURG - World Cup finalists Spain and Netherlands have five players between them nominated for FIFA's Golden Ball award to the tournament's best player.

Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has revealed that John Terry was the ‘perfect’ captain during his time in charge of Chelsea.

PARIS - World Cup winners Spain have seven players featured in a 23-man shortlist for the FIFA Ballon d'Or unveiled by football's governing body and France Football magazine on Tuesday.

St Etienne sporting director Damien Comolli has admitted the Ligue 1 club may be forced to sell much-coveted midfielder Blaise Matuidi this summer.

Interim Chelsea boss Rafael Benitez believes Blues captain John Terry has the right qualities to make it as a manager.