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It is an old adage that when one door closes another opens, and this has certainly been the case for Tottenham Hotspur. In the club’s failure to secure the signature of one playmaker, in the shape of current Liverpool midfielder Joe Cole, Spurs managed to snap up disgruntled Real Madrid Dutch international Rafael van der Vaart. But are the north London outfit regretting their missed opportunity to sign the 28 year-old England international? Not a chance. A more pertinent question, however, might be; is Cole regretting the same missed opportunity?

The fortunes of Cole and van der Vaart’s new clubs couldn’t have been more disparate since their respective transfers, with Liverpool languishing in the relegation zone of the Premier League, and Spurs looking not only to challenge once again for the much coveted fourth Champions League spot, but also to extend their stay in this season’s competition into the new year.

On an individual level Cole and van der Vaart have also led very different lives following their transfers. Having been sent off on the opening day of the season against Arsenal at Anfield, Cole has since flattered to deceive with his performances for the Merseysiders, and has issued a statement in The Sun today stating;

“I’m not playing well. I’m not going to say otherwise…Whenever you have periods like we’ve had you have to deal with it…You have got to stand up and be counted, be a man. I haven’t started as well as I would have liked but I will turn it around…With every breath I take, I’m thinking of how I can change it.”

Obvious reference to The Police aside, these are not the words of a man who fits his new club like a glove. On the other hand, van der Vaart, although having also received his marching orders in front of his new home faithful, has scored every time he has donned the Spurs shirt at White Hart Lane and is rapidly gaining a cult following in the white half of north London.

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So Tottenham have clearly moved on from their brief summer flirtation with Cole, but what of the player himself? Does his mind still linger on what could have been? With interest reportedly coming from both sides of north London over the summer months, Cole certainly had choices to make, but did he make the right one?

At the moment he clearly thinks not. But in his own words he is going to “be a man” and stick it out with Liverpool, hoping to improve both his, and the team’s performances. However, within the defensively minded set-up Roy Hodgson is playing at Anfield, their more offensive players are suffering; namely Joe Cole and Fernando Torres. In a more attack-minded Spurs side I believe Cole would have flourished, and under the guidance of former mentor Harry Redknapp, Cole may have experienced a renaissance in his play. I am not suggesting that Tottenham would have played better or worse with Cole, rather than van der Vaart in their side, although similar, they are in no way the same player, but I do believe Cole would certainly have succeeded far more on a personal level at Spurs than he has done so far at Liverpool.

So while Spurs have proven there is life after a summer love gone wrong, Cole may well still be dwelling over a love lost, gazing up at erstwhile and prospective employers from the foot of the table, lamenting over decisions made, kicking an imaginary football into an imaginary goal, pretending to be Rafael van der Vaart.

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Where are the majority of us Premier League followers looking during the final few weeks of the season? The battle for the title? Or, the scrap to stay in the division?

Come the end of the campaign there are ordinarily two or three sets of fans focused on the title race and further four looking purely at the chance of European football. So what’s left for the other 13 tribes? The relegation dogfight of course.

We see season after season the same teams involved in the fight to stay in, arguably, Europe’s finest league, but the scrap never ever gets dull. Last season the axe swing precariously over Wolverhampton and Birmingham on the final day, until the wind of a combined Stephen Hunt wonder goal and a Roman Pavlyuchenko brace, edged the razor-sharp blade toward the blue sector of the midlands. Charles N’Zogbia once again dragged the Premier League’s barnacle team Wigan Athletic kicking and screaming to safety, while Blackpool suffered the gut wrenching drop, with defeat away to confirmed Champions Manchester United.

It’s not uncommon to go into the final day of the season with five teams all staring at the abyss, relying on a mixture of passion, faith and of course luck to drag themselves clear of the trap door. Not very often can we say that five teams have the chance to win the league on the final day, Actually, we can barely say even two teams even have that chance.

True, if we had the 20 best teams in the world in a league, three would have to be relegated, but would the passion and the humour be as evident at mega stadiums instead of arenas such as the DW or Molineux? I’m going to say no.

Some sides may not be glamorous, or even that good, but we are a ‘David Vs. Goliath’ nation, who love to see the underdog triumph against all the odds. The Premier League regularly offers this on a cold Wednesday night, under the floodlights, as the rain pours into the stands. We may moan at the time, but secretly we wouldn’t have it any other way.

When you ask followers of teams throughout the league of their favourite away stadiums, you’ll get the obvious answers such as Old Trafford or Anfield with their vast size and history, but often thrown in with this there will be a Craven Cottage or perhaps a Carrow Road. The ambiance created at the smaller ground is something to cherish, especially when compared to the ‘only sing when you’re winning’ atmosphere of stadia such as the Emirates.

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The truth remains that the relegation fight and the teams involved are a key part of the cocktail we call the Premier League, and offer just as much week on week as the title contenders.

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Eden Hazard ’s Lille team mate Aurelien Chedjou has stated today that the Belgian international has offers from 5 different clubs. The names in question are Real Madrid , Barcelona , Bayern Munich , Arsenal and Liverpool . These are certainly the cream of the crop of Europe’s elite clubs, so how can the Reds compete without the prospect of European football for Hazard next season? Below, I look at the options for Hazard and see which destination is the most likely for the Belgian starlet:

Real Madrid – French legend Zinedine Zidane has tried to persuade the player to move to the Bernabeu, and it looks as if Madrid have heeded Zizou’s advice and have made a bid for the player. From Hazard’s point of view though, he couldn’t go to a worst destination as the likelihood of getting first team football is minimal. Not only do they have Mesut Ozil, Kaka, Xabi Alonso, Sergio Canales, Pedro Leon, Angel Di Maria, Esteban Granero, Lassana Diarra, Cristiano Ronaldo and Fernando Gago on their books in midfield areas, they have also signed playmaker Nuri Sahin from Borussia Dortmund and Hamit Altintop from Bayern Munich in the last month or so.

Barcelona – Like Madrid, Barca have the same proliferation of midfield players in their ranks. In addition to Lionel Messi, Pedro Rodriguez, Andres Iniesta, Seydou Keita, Sergio Busquets, Javier Mascherano, Ibrahim Afellay, Jeffren Suarez, Alexander Hleb and Xavi, they are also still interested in purchasing Cesc Fabregas. Hazard will be first choice at Lille in a team playing in the Champions League, why would he sacrifice that for a place on the bench, where like Afellay, he could be sidelined to just five minute cameos?

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Bayern Munich – Probably a more likely switch than to either Real Madrid or Barcelona, the problem for Bayern is that despite being able to offer him a first team place, Hazard has already stated he wants to move to a big league. Bayern are no doubt a big club but is the switch from France to the German’s Bundesliga really a step up in class for Hazard? Franck Ribery made a similar move from Marseille, and managed to get to a Champions League final in the 2009/10 season but Bayern Munich are not the power they once were, and I doubt a move to Germany is really on the cards.

Arsenal – The Gunners seem to be favourites at this point in time for the player’s signature. For one thing Hazard has stated a number of times during the past that he admires how Arsene Wenger develops players and how he enjoys the football that Arsenal play. The additional fact that there is a lot of French speaking players at the club, with a similar culture to him, as well as the fact he could still play in the Champions League means the London club have to be considered the front runners.

Liverpool – So what do the Reds have to offer? The one thing the other four on this list can’t absolutely guarantee- regular first team football. Hazard would always be one of the first players on the team sheet and would be considered a key player in the Reds revival. It remains to be seen however whether such a challenge would intrigue Hazard. He will certainly respect the clubs history but will it have any sort of pull in bringing him to the club? Lille offer Champions League football while the Reds are not in Europe at all next season so it has to be said, something rather personal would have to be the motivation for the youngster to move to Anfield currently.

Read more of David’s articles at Live4Liverpool

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Imogen Thomas Joins Paddy Power For a Champion Offer! They will refund losing Champions League Final bets if Man United lose the match Make your bets now!

It seems that Ross Turnbull is unable to put a foot right. Chelsea’s back-up goalkeeper started his first and only game of the season against Newcastle in the Carling Cup last month and was beaten four times. Ever since joining the club from Middlesbrough on a free transfer in 2009, Turnbull has been nothing more than back-up to Petr Cech and Hilario in the Chelsea goal and he looks set to remain that way for the foreseeable future.

Turnbull has not progressed during his time at Stamford Bridge and Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti has apparently lost patience with the Englishman. Reports have linked Turnbull with a move to Stoke as part of a deal which would see young Bosnian goalkeeper Asmir Begovic join the club in the next transfer window.

The omens were not good for Turnbull, even at the beginning of his Chelsea career. He was handed his first Chelsea start against Aston Villa in a reserve team fixture. During the game, Turnbull made a series of bad errors which resulted in a humiliating 4-0 loss.

Things were not to get better for Turnbull. During Chelsea’s pre-season, Turnbull turned in yet another error-strewn performance against Ajax. He dropped a massive clanger for Ajax’s second goal when he slid to meet the ball on the edge of the area. However, he misjudged his momentum as it would take him and the ball outside of the area. He proceeded to let go of the ball which allowed Ajax midfielder Siem de Jong the easy task of rolling the ball into the open net.

Apparently, being an English goalkeeper at a “top” club is something of a poisoned chalice as Scott Carson and Ben Foster were to find out.

Scott Carson joined Liverpool back in 2005 but his time on Merseyside was fraught with frustration. He played only 9 times in 3 years with Liverpool and was sent on loan three times. Carson went on loan to Sheffield Wednesday on a one month deal in March 2006 and was  integral in helping the Owls escape relegation that season.

He returned to Liverpool at the end of the season only to be loaned to Charlton for the whole of the 2006-2007 season. During his time at the Valley, Carson was a regular in the Charlton goal, playing all 36 games in the Premier League that he was permitted to (he missed the two games with Liverpool as part of the loan agreement).

The next season was much of the same for Carson. He was considered back-up to first-choice goalkeeper Pepe Reina and was sent on loan to Aston Villa. At Villa Park, Carson was once again a mainstay in goal, playing 35 times for the Villians as they finished 6th in the league.

Once again, Carson returned to Liverpool but enough was enough. He decided to move to West Brom in search of regular first-team football which the Baggies could provide him.

By joining West Brom in 2008, Carson has managed to gain a semblance of stability in his career after playing for 4 different clubs in 3 years.

Like Carson, ex-Manchester United goalkeeper Ben Foster came to Old Trafford with the hope of eventually unseating Edwin van der Saar as United’s number one goalkeeper but eventually grew tired of waiting for his opportunity and decided to move to Birmingham City this summer.

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For Foster and Carson, it was a case of unfortunate timing as to why they failed to make the cut at Liverpool and Manchester United. It was not that they weren’t talented enough. It’s just that they had established world-class goalkeepers ahead of them in the pecking-order. To stick around and wait for their opportunity would be detrimental to their careers so they did the sensible thing and moved to secure first-team football elsewhere.

Both Carson and Foster have been vindicated in their decision to move. They both start week-in week-out for their respective clubs. If they continue their good form, who knows? There could be a chance that they could earn a move back to one of the “top” clubs sooner rather than later.

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The Premier league has up to 40 international stars who originate from Africa, making them one of the smallest minorities in the top English tier.

The question has to be asked, would Premier League clubs benefit from starting football academies out in Africa? The answer is most certainly yes. It would be naive to cut off hot prospects of African football, a continent which have portrayed their love for the game for so many years.

Players in the past have shown they have what it takes to showcase their talents on the biggest football platform in the world. The likes of Tony Yeboah, Nwankwo Kanu, Jay Jay Okocha, and more recently Didier Drogba have graced the Premier League to great effect.

It is essential that the Premier League continually acknowledge the wide spread football potential in Africa, not only does it compliment the works of the western world in the long run, but it implements a new platform and new opportunities for the youth in deprived areas.

The world is still yet to witness a ‘World FIFA’ player of the year since the legendary George Weah. That’s not due to the lack of talent in Africa (because there is talent) but it’s simply because there is not enough exposure of the African market within the Premier League.

Nonetheless, the likes of Liverpool’s Craig Bellamy and Manchester United’s Rio Ferdinand have set up foundations in Africa which have created a platform for young footballers to follow their dreams on that long road to success. It will only be a matter of time before player power will prevail and mount a positive influence on their respective clubs.

There is no harm in investing in African talent in my opinion; the only flaw will probably be wage demands as we saw with John Obi Mikel for Chelsea, but you have to expect that from any player in this day and age.

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However, one must look at the benefits in the long run, constant nurturing, plying his trade gradually to become the complete player without spending lucratively.

The only way is forward for both parties to be honest, if the Premier League open up a new doors to fresh talent then the young players within the continent have a chance to show what they are made of.

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It is widely expected that Arsenal’s loyal servant Pat Rice will retire from his role as Arsene Wenger’s assistant manager come the end of the 2010/11 campaign, after 15 years as the Frenchman’s right hand man. The two have often represented a cute old married couple that are so in sync with one another that you could easily imagine them finishing each other’s sentences, but sadly, like all good things, they appear to be coming to an end; is there another soul mate out their for Wenger?

Ray Wilkins

A hugely experienced assistant manger with Millwall, England U21 and Chelsea and is respected within the world of football. Wilkins may not be a popular choice with the fans due to his Chelsea connections, but the former Manchester United player has undeniable quality working with the players and fellow staff members. Another sticking point, if Arsenal were to hire Wilkins, is Wenger’s reluctance to bring someone on board whose ‘blood doesn’t run Arsenal.’

David Platt

He is currently assistant manager to Roberto Mancini at the Manchester City ‘revolution’. Platt’s premature career in management unfortunately lacks positives and has been marred by fan disapproval wherever he has gone, with Nottingham Forest blaming the former England international for their eventual fall into the third tier of the English leagues, and his current employers fan base disapproving of his appointment due to his perceived anti-City stance as a pundit. Despite all this, Platt would be adored by the Gunners faithful and without a doubt, with someone like Wenger as a mentor, Platt would progress in leaps and bounds to one day perhaps take over the reigns at the Emirates.

Tony Adams

Has had rather unsuccessful stints as a manager, overseeing Wycombe Wanderers relegation to League Two and then being sacked as Portsmouth manager after only sixteen games, which resulted in only ten points being picked up by Pompey. However, Adams has had various roles up and down the management hierarchy, reserve team manager at Feyenoord and first team trainee coach at Utrecht; no doubt these jobs will have provided great experience for ‘Mr Arsenal’ should he take up the role as Wenger’s assistant manager.

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Steve Bould

Current manager of Arsenal’s U18 youth side, a team that has won two successive titles as well as the ‘double’ last season. Bould’s appointment is the most convenient one as the former Arsenal defender would have been working closely with Wenger within the management set-up already.

Daniel Blazer

This blood does indeed run Arsenal, and with a wealth of experience after having successfully led Arsenal to back-to-back Premier League titles as well as a Champions League victory (on Football Manager), it is surely only a matter of time before Arsene picks up the phone and gives me the call. But if you’re reading, Arsene, I don’t come cheap.

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Who do you think should be Pat Rice’s replacement?

Follow me on Twitter and join in the discussion.

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It is widely expected that Arsenal’s loyal servant Pat Rice will retire from his role as Arsene Wenger’s assistant manager come the end of the 2010/11 campaign, after 15 years as the Frenchman’s right hand man. The two have often represented a cute old married couple that are so in sync with one another that you could easily imagine them finishing each other’s sentences, but sadly, like all good things, they appear to be coming to an end; is there another soul mate out their for Wenger?Ray WilkinsA hugely experienced assistant manger with Millwall, England U21 and Chelsea and is respected within the world of football. Wilkins may not be a popular choice with the fans due to his Chelsea connections, but the former Manchester United player has undeniable quality working with the players and fellow staff members. Another sticking point, if Arsenal were to hire Wilkins, is Wenger’s reluctance to bring someone on board whose ‘blood doesn’t run Arsenal.’David PlattHe is currently assistant manager to Roberto Mancini at the Manchester City ‘revolution’. Platt’s premature career in management unfortunately lacks positives and has been marred by fan disapproval wherever he has gone, with Nottingham Forest blaming the former England international for their eventual fall into the third tier of the English leagues, and his current employers fan base disapproving of his appointment due to his perceived anti-City stance as a pundit. Despite all this, Platt would be adored by the Gunners faithful and without a doubt, with someone like Wenger as a mentor, Platt would progress in leaps and bounds to one day perhaps take over the reigns at the Emirates.|Tony AdamsHas had rather unsuccessful stints as a manager, overseeing Wycombe Wanderers relegation to League Two and then being sacked as Portsmouth manager after only sixteen games, which resulted in only ten points being picked up by Pompey. However, Adams has had various roles up and down the management hierarchy, reserve team manager at Feyenoord and first team trainee coach at Utrecht; no doubt these jobs will have provided great experience for ‘Mr Arsenal’ should he take up the role as Wenger’s assistant manager.Steve BouldCurrent manager of Arsenal’s U18 youth side, a team that has won two successive titles as well as the ‘double’ last season. Bould’s appointment is the most convenient one as the former Arsenal defender would have been working closely with Wenger within the management set-up already.Daniel BlazerThis blood does indeed run Arsenal, and with a wealth of experience after having successfully led Arsenal to back-to-back Premier League titles as well as a Champions League victory (on Football Manager), it is surely only a matter of time before Arsene picks up the phone and gives me the call. But if you’re reading, Arsene, I don’t come cheap.Who do you think should be Pat Rice’s replacement? Follow me on Twitter and join in the discussion.

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Stricken Manchester United winger Antonio Valencia could be back in action as early as February, according to manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

The Ecuador international's season was thought to be over after he picked up a horrific ankle injury during Tuesday's goalless Champions League draw with Rangers.

The 25-year-old is still facing a long spell on the sidelines after dislocating and fracturing his ankle, but Ferguson has given an upbeat reassessment of the injury following surgery on Thursday.

"Antonio had his operation and it was successful," he said."The break was clean and we were delighted to announce that. It was a major concern for us at the time.

"There's ligament damage but we're looking at the end of February, which is better than we thought on Tuesday night.

"He's a strong boy and he's very positive about it – being positive helps in these situations."

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Meanwhile, Ferguson has backed his squad to cope with the absence of Valencia in the coming months, adding:"It's a blow losing good players but, in the context of the kind of squad we have, we should be able to cope with it.

"You always fear when you have a good player out of your team it's going to be a loss. But having players like Nani, Ryan Giggs and Park Ji-Sung, plus Gabriel Obertan and Bebe means we have options."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

Yesterday’s ‘Super Sunday’ certainly didn’t pass without controversy as both Manchester clubs served up more capital punishment on North London.

Harry Redknapp was left seething at the failure of Howard Webb to take action on Mario Balotelli, following his stamp on Scott Parker; while Arsene Wenger came out on the defensive in response to the barrage of abuse he received from supporters for his decision to replace Oxlade Chamberlain with Andrey Arshavin. The subsequent results mean that it appears to be a two horse title race, with Spurs now trailing the leaders by 8pts, while defeat sees Arsenal left fighting with Chelsea for a top four finish this season.

Harry Redknapp was left fuming yesterday afternoon as Mario Balotelli escaped punishment for stamping on Scott Parker’s head. To make matters worse for Tottenham the Italian went on to score the winning penalty in stoppage time, to rub extra salt in the Spurs manager’s wounds – Guardian

Kenny Dalglish has threatened to make changes to his Liverpool personnel, after a horror display at the Reebok Stadium. The Reds manager didn’t feel the attitude displayed on the pitch was fitting of the football club and was totally unacceptable – Guardian

Arsene Wenger went on the defensive last night after being heavily criticised by the Arsenal faithful who booed and heckled his decision to take off Oxlade-Chamberlain and replace him with Andrey Arshavin. The Frenchman doesn’t understand why he needs to justify his substitutions, even though the decision cost Arsenal dear – Guardian

Harry Redknapp appears in the High Court today to respond to charges of tax evasion. The case is expected to last at least two weeks, which will mean Harry will be missing from the day to day running at the football club – Daily Telegraph

Andre Villas-Boas has called for calm in the week ahead of John Terry’s return against QPR. The Portuguese manager believes that the media creating a Terry v Ferdinand campaign is only going to make the situation worse – Independent

Mark Hughes has no problem with Joey Barton’s tweeting and is not going to prevent his captain from using it as a vehicle to express his views – Daily Mail

Robbie Keane admits he doesn’t miss the Premier League, following his goalscoring return at Molineux at the weekend. The LA Galaxy star said he got itchy feet waiting for the MLS pre-season to start and wanted to get some game time, hence his loan move to England – Daily Mail

Chelsea have been told to up their offer if they wish to sign Shakhtar playmaker Willian. Andre Villas-Boas has been quoted a fee of £28m to land the Brazilian, after their reported £20m bid was rejected – Daily Mail

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Lyon have expressed an interest in signing Tottenham defender Vedran Corluka. The Croatian defender is out of favour at White Hart Lane and is thought to be keen on a move away to get regular first team football, with his place in the Croatia Euro 2012 squad uncertain – Mirror

QPR’s hopes of landing Manchester City’s Nedum Onuoha has taken a little setback as Everton have entered the running for his signature – Metro

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Manchester United moved a step closer to a Champions League final at Wembley with a convincing 2-0 semi-final first leg win over Schalke.The English powerhouse dominated possession at Gelsenkirchen on Tuesday, and their superior skills were put on show in a fine two-minute period midway through the second half which saw Ryan Giggs and Wayne Rooney score in quick succession.

United will take their two-goal lead to the second leg next Wednesday at Old Trafford, where they have not lost in all competitions since April last year.

Rooney was infamously sent off at the Veltins Arena when playing for England against Portugal in the 2006 World Cup in Germany, but the 25-year-old put that horror memory to bed when he put through Giggs for the first goal, before scoring himself.

Giggs snuck in behind the Schalke defence to fire a left-foot shot under Schalke goalkeeper Manuel Neuer in the 67th minute, and less than two minutes later, Rooney received the ball from strike partner Javier Hernandez to deliver a body blow to the Germans at Neuer’s near post.

In the opening 45 minutes, Neuer was a one-man band in keeping out United’s forward attempts, with each of Hernandez, Giggs, Rooney and Park Ji-Sung having chances kept out by the German shot-stopper and Schalke captain.

Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger have never enjoyed the most cordial of relationships, but Mourinho’s latest verbal assault against the Arsenal manager came completely out of the blue. The Independent quotes Mourinho as stating,

“If you don’t play well you don’t win. It is hypocrisy to say: ‘We played well but we did not win.’ They claim they had bad luck, that they had 90 per cent of possession or lost a goal to a last-minute set-piece. I sometimes think these coaches must be so much more intelligent than me. When I lose I always find the reason why. We lost because we played badly, because we made mistakes or because the opposition was better.”

Although Jose refused to name the coach he was referring to, it was clear that Mourinho was talking about Wenger, but just to clarify matters he went on to say,

“There is a coach whose teams have been playing fantastically for 10 years and his players are always young. It is always a very young team that never wins anything. For me this is hypocrisy.”

Mourinho has the right to say what he wants, but he is managing in Spain not England now and thus the comments he has made seem totally uncalled for, but Mourinho obviously misses his spats with Wenger and wants to get a rise from the Frenchman. One generally makes these kind of comments when a meeting between sides is imminent, but it is unlikely that Arsenal and Real Madrid will meet at all this season and Mourinho might be better off concentrating on his own teams quest to dethrone Barcelona.

Mourinho and Wenger experienced an ignominious relationship when the former managed Chelsea, with constant stinging comments being exchanged between them in the media. The war of words came to a head when Mourinho infamously called Wenger a ‘voyeur’. The Arsenal manager was understandably upset with these words and even Mourinho realised he had gone too far, and almost went as far to apologise for the incident. When Mourinho left these shores the rocky relationship cooled for obvious reasons, but now it seems that Mourinho is ready for another round of verbal jousting and it will be interesting to see if Wenger responds.

The fact is that despite what he says about Arsenal, Mourinho may well experience his own problems at Real Madrid this season. The expectation levels at the Bernabeu are unmatched anywhere across Europe, not only must the team win every trophy going for the board to be happy, but they must do it in style as well. At Real Madrid Mourinho may face the biggest difficulties of his career to date. There is no doubting his ability to win trophies, but his style of play is certainly on the more defensive side of the scale. He may bring trophies to Real Madrid, but he might have a harder time convincing fans who demand stylish attacking football that his is the best way. In the opening game of the season his side have already dropped points on Barcelona, drawing away at Mallorca. There will be easier games than this for Mourinho but it just might be worth his while to concentrate on his job at Madrid, rather than concerning himself with Arsene Wenger and goings on at Arsenal.

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