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New Year’s Day Ticker: Ferguson not ready to retire, Mancini laments missing out on RVP, and more

By DAN KARELL

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is 71 years old, and in his 26th year in charge, but he isn’t quite ready to give up his job just yet, even as rumors of potential successors make the rounds.

“I’m hoping to stay on for a bit of time,” Ferguson told the Abu Dhabi Sports Channel.

Jose Mourinho, Pep Guardiola and David Moyes have all been mentioned as potential successors at Manchester United, and all three could be available this summer, but Ferguson isn’t so quick to confirm any plans to step down after this season.

Here are some other stories to get you through New Year’s Day:

MANCINI LAMENTS VAN PERSIE PICKING UNITED OVER CITY

Speaking to the press in advance of Manchester City’s forthcoming match against Stoke City, manager Roberto Mancini stated that he believed Robin Van Persie is the difference maker for Manchester United in their quest for a title this season.

According to Mancini, the Citizens were very close to signing him before United got in the sweepstakes, but Van Persie didn’t sign for reasons Mancini would not reveal.

Mancini says this despite his plentiful striker options, with Sergio Aguero, Carlos Tevez, and Eden Dzeko in rich veins of form, as well as the on again-off again Mario Balotelli in the squad.

ARSENAL AGAIN LOOK TO TAP INTO SOUTHAMPTON PIPELINE

First there was Theo Walcott. Next came Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. And now, it seems it is only a matter of time before Arsenal sign the latest young English prospect from the Southampton academy, 17 year old left back Luke Shaw.

Arsene Wenger is keen on bringing the youngster to the Emirates Stadium, but it will cost him somewhere in the region of £5 million.

THE SILLY SEASON IS OFFICIALLY UPON US:

Here are some of the signings that have become official today, on the first day of the new transfer window:

Sao Paolo’s Lucas Moura to PSG. (REPORT)

Sporting Lisbon’s Daniel Carrico to Reading. (REPORT)

Kansas City’s Roger Espinoza to Wigan Athletic. (SBI REPORT)

FC Nordsjaelland’s Michael Parkhurst to FC Augsburg (SBI REPORT)

QUICK KICKS

Eintracht Frankfurt is interested in short-term Everton signing Tomas Hitzlsperger. (REPORT)

Liverpool are interested in a loan deal with Paris Saint Germain for striker Kevin Gameiro.(REPORT)

At a press conference in Orlando, Florida, Italian side A.S. Roma have announced plans for a new solely-owned 55,000 seat stadium on the outskirts of Rome. (REPORT)

What do you think of these reports? Should Mancini have appealed the red card? Is a three-match ban too harsh? And how will Michael Parkhurst’s move to Germany affect his US National Team hopes for the 2014 World Cup?

Share your thoughts below:

Comments

  1. Right, the Southampton Academy is one of the finest in England and Shaw will probably cost somewhere in the region of 20 million euros, im sure.

    Reply
  2. I just love Roma’s Stadio Olympico and will be sad to see them leave. Although it will leave Lazio as it’s primary football tenant. I discover the Stadio Olympico when I was traveling around Europe in the summer 1972, after I left High school and before I went to college.
    There was (is?) a Youth Hostel located on the Olympico Grounds that I discovered had a vending machine FILLED with the ubiquitous Peroni Beer!!. As a 17 yo from Cali, I was flabbergasted (and very pleased) I also got to run on the Olympic Track ( has a track and field scholarship) and ride on the Olympic Velodrome on my road bike! But the day I was leaving Rome, I decided to have one more timed run around the track, when a bunch of players showed up for some off-season kick-arounds on the soccer field. A few of them convinced me to stay and kick the ball around with them, so I did. As an AYSO player in Torrance Ca and a classmate of Sigi Schmidt,. I had a bit of soccer experience and they all asked me if I played…”No,” I said but I love the sport though. Later I learned that the group were reserve/new players from AS Roma and the trainer at that time gave me his card (which I think I still have somewhere)

    But the best time I had, was when I met a beautiful French girl, who was also traveling through Europe.we rode the train out of Rome that night and I was quickly overwhelmed…LOL

    Maybe that is why the Stadio Olympico always has a place in my heart.

    Reply
    • I’ve been to 20 Roma games over the last 25 years and one World Cup game there. It has a lot of limitations: low seats have no view, all seats are miles from the field, cavernous, curva is the only area where it’s loud, have to share with a low-life club like Lazio, and in someparts of the stadium getting to your seats requires you to crawl past 30 or so seats. Outside is a bit weird too. It isn’t really in an area where much goes on, transit isn’t great to that area, and parking is tough, traffic worse. I hope the new stadium will allow Roma to generate the revenue that will allow them to compete with the wealthy 3 in the North.

      Reply

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