History will be kind to me because I intend to write it

CHELSEA FAIL TO CATCH ZENIT GOALKEEPER

Chelsea came close to signing Zenit St Petersburg goalkeeper Kamil Contofalsky in the January transfer window, the Slovakian international has revealed.

Instead, after selling Carlo Cudicini to Tottenham, the Blues did not dive in and have to put up with second-choice Henrique Hilario.

And while No1 Petr Cech is out with a back injury, Chelsea's decision not to draft in another stopper leaves dodgy 33-year-old Hilario with the gloves for now - and with no recognised cover.

Contofalsky, 30, who has over 30 caps for his country and has been with the Uefa Cup winners for six years, said that he was one of a number of goalkeepers lined up to deputise for Cech.

"There were rumours that I might be going to Chelsea, but I did not pay attention to them until my agent spoke to me a week before the transfer window closed," he said.

"He then told me that I was going to be the Chelsea goalkeeper very soon, and we were waiting for the call from (CEO) Peter Kenyon.

"I learned that I was on the list of 10 goalkeepers they were looking at, and then that was decreased to two. Apparently Cech gave me a good reference.

"Eventually Chelsea chose not to fill their squad with another goalkeeper - it was a strategic decision.

"I am sure I could have been handed a chance to play for Chelsea, because they are playing in three tournaments and the rotation of players is vital."

Labels: Chelsea, Kamil Contofalsky, Zenit St. Petersburg

Posted by Oliver Pickup at 1:16 pm | Permalink | Comments

ARSHAVIN CLOSE TO MOVE?

Andrei Arshavin has told Zenit St Petersburg he will boycott training if the UEFA Cup winners do not sell him to a big European cup in the January transfer window – good news for Arsenal and Manchester City, who are leading the chase for him.

Zenit director Maxim Mitrofanov has revealed that he has negotiated “an agreement in principle” with Arshavin. And until next Tuesday, when the deal will be finalised, he will not say more, though he did admit: “We are negotiating with a number of English clubs.”

The 27-year-old forward phoned manager Dick Advocaat to say that he expected to be sold immediately, and is frustrated that Zenit are believed to be holding out for a fee of €18m.

Arsene Wenger, the Arsenal manager, is understood to have had a bid of €13m (including €3m in performance-related bonuses) turned down – and as a result Manchester City have entered the race to sign one of the stars of Euro 2008.

Dutchman Advocaat has resigned himself to losing the influential player, though he would not comment at length about who was closer to signing him. “This is a private matter between the player and the club,” he said.

Russian sources believe that a bid of €15m would secure Arshavin’s services – but Zenit want to make sure that they recoup as much money as possible, as agents are in line to receive €5m and Arshavin himself is due to be handed the same amount.

Labels: Andrei Arshavin, Arsenal, Manchester City, Zenit St. Petersburg

Posted by Oliver Pickup at 3:11 pm | Permalink | Comments

SUTCLIFFE: 2018 WORLD CUP BID COULD BE JEOPARDISED

Gerald Sutcliffe, the Minister for Sport and Tourism, has urged Manchester United and Chelsea supporters attending tomorrow's Champions League final at Moscow to behave themselves.

The Bradford South Labour MP, who took his cabinet position last June, was dismayed at the clashes between Glasgow Rangers' fans and police, as well as Zenit St. Petersburg supporters, after the Uefa Cup final in Manchester last Wednesday.

And he fears that any more violence could mark an indelible stain on England's 2018 World Cup bid.

Sutcliffe, who will be present at the Luzhniki Stadium, said: "We are hoping for a great game, a wonderful occasion and I am looking forward to what should be a fantastic advert for British football. Hopefully tonight will go without any hitches.

"Bad behaviour could very much jeopardise our 2018 bid. The World Cup is a showpiece event and what people don't want is violence attached to it. We want to have a very strong bid for 2018 and we want a maximum unity in the country to make sure that we are successful.

"We believe that we already have the stadia for 2018, but we want more than that. We want to show people that we can create a legacy for football throughout the world."

Sutcliffe, a Manchester United supporter, continued: "But we won't be successful if we have situations like last week in Manchester. The main concern for me about last week was the reports from the Zenit St. Petersburg manager [Dick Advocaat] himself and from Uefa.

"I have been very strong since I have been sports minister to try to have a zero tolerance to racism in sport. I am concerned by some of the comments that have been made. Things were ruined in Manchester last week by a small number of people - it is unacceptable behaviour."

Labels: Champions League, Chelsea, Gerald Sutcliffe, Glasgow Rangers, Manchester United, Zenit St. Petersburg

Posted by Oliver Pickup at 6:43 pm | Permalink | Comments