Frontline Football Blog

Wigan Athletic manager Roberto Martinez has stuck his neck out and signed Steven Caldwell in an attempt to bolster his struggling defence and help prevent the Latics suffering Premier League relegation.

The 29-year-old dropped out of the top flight with Burnley at the back end of last season and he was a free agent after leaving Turf Moor.

He has been on trial with Wigan for the last few weeks and he has now joined his brother Gary on the books at the DW Stadium.

Martinez's job could be hanging by a thread as Wigan have endured a defensive nightmare in their first two Premier League games. The Premier League relegation betting now suggests they are doomed.

A 4-0 home defeat to top flight new-boys Blackpool was followed up by a 6-0 thrashing at the DW Stadium to reigning Premier League champions Chelsea.

In both games the level of defensive ability showed by Wigan was shocking and Martinez will be hoping the arrival of Scotland international Caldwell can help shore up the leaky backline.

Marked out as a trouble maker back in Italy, Roberto Mancini may have pulled off a shrewd move by snapping up Mario Balotelli.

The 20-year-old made his Manchester City debut last night, coming off the bench to grab the only goal in a 1-0 win against Timisoara in Romania.

Although the fee of £24 million can hardly be described as a bargain, he certainly showed signs that he will be able to live up to his price tag. Next season he could be some people's Premier League betting tips to be top scorer.

Speaking about Balotelli's performance, Mancini said: "He had a great debut. I am happy he scored. He's a good player."

"He needs to improve of course and get to know everybody. It was the first time he had played with the team."
After the win, the latest Europa League prediction suggests City should do very well.

Quite how he gets on in the Premier League remains to be seen, although he did develop a reputation for spectacular outburst towards the end of his spell at Inter.

The prospective owner of Blackburn Rovers is keen to get a deal done quickly so manager Sam Allardyce can splash the cash.

Ahasan Ali Syed is currently under taking a period of due diligence at the club as his advisers check over the club's accounts.

Speaking to BBC Radio Lancashire Syed revealed that time is of the essence. He said: "I am very keen to move very fast and buy this club at the earliest moment.

"I am aware that Big Sam has big ambitions for this transfer window and I would love to support his ambitions.

According to reports, the Indian businessman is looking to invest £300 million in acquiring the club, which should be enough to cover outstanding debts and fund the purchase of new players.

Syed added that Blackburn fits his style of investing and claimed the club is currently undervalued and could be turned into title contenders very quickly. Whether they will become Premier League best bets remains to be seen.
However, he also stated that he's not looking to make money out of the venture and wants to get involved with the club because he has a passion for football.

West Brom are still looking to add to their striking options ahead of the start of the season as they dream of avoiding Premier League relegation, though their number one target is not the most renowned goalscorer in England.

Manager Roberto Di Matteo wants to sign Liverpool David Ngog, who boasts a proud record of having scored eight goals in his three-year professional career to date.

The 21-year-old scored one goal for Paris Saint-Germain before he was signed for Liverpool for £1.5 million in 2008, after which former Reds boss Rafa Benitez kept showing faith in the French forward despite many less-than-impressive appearances. The Premier League odds certainly don't suggest he'll be top scorer this term.

Still, West Brom have been a classic yo-yo club in recent seasons and Di Matteo knows goals are key if he wants his side to defy the online odds and avoid Premier League relegation this season.

He currently has Roman Bednar, Ishmael Miller, Luke Moore and Simon Coxat his disposal, none of whom are proven Premier League players, so the Italian has been tracking Ngog all summer and would love to have in time for their opening league game against champions Chelsea.

After Martin O'Neill's shock departure from Aston Villa, fans of the club must be wondering what they can possibly hope to achieve next.

The side finished sixth in the Premier League three times in a row and last season made it to the Carling Cup final, where they were unlucky to be beaten by Manchester United.

Some fans had started to turn against a manager they saw as incapable of moving them to the next level, while a number of the side's key players were linked with moves away from the club. To be frank, Villa are no one's Premier League betting tips now.

We may never know the real reason O'Neill decided to leave Villa, he may be prevented from speaking his mind by a confidentiality clause. However, from the outside it seems like the chairman's ambitions did not match his own. O'Neill may have also felt that it wasn't worth putting up with the kind of criticism he was getting, especially after he'd done so much for the club.

Whatever the reason, it seems highly unlikely that Villa will be able to appoint a replacement who is as able as O'Neill and this, combined with the fact players like James Milner and Ashley Young also look to be leaving, suggests there are tough times ahead. Even in the short term, it's bound to have an impact on the football predictions for the weekend.

The top of the Premier League is more competitive than ever before and it seems likely that Villa will need to spend to even stand still.

Chris Hughton may be pleased at signing Sol Campbell, but for Newcastle fans it should really set the alarm bells ringing.

The 35-year-old may have made a steady return to the Premier League with Arsenal last term, but he did nothing to suggest he should be starting matches every week.
At the moment, with Newcastle's squad wafer thin and Steven Taylor out for a lengthy period, it seems that's exactly what will happen.

Although Campbell would no doubt provide useful back up, his lack of pace is a massive worry and means he cannot be relied on week in, week out.

Added to this is the fact he'll be playing alongside Fabricio Coloccini and between them they are likely to form a defensive partnership that's as slow as a very slow thing running through glue.

It could be that there are more defensive signings to come and Campbell will be given a supporting role after all.

However, considering how little money there is at St James's park and the fact the former Arsenal man has been given the number five shirt it does seem he'll be playing a massive part in the side's quest to re-establish themselves in the top flight, something the latest Premier League odds suggest they will have a hard time doing.

Ryan Giggs thinks Manchester United's old rivals City need to be more consistent and unite as a team if they want to go for the Premier League title next season.
Manchester City finished fifth last term and had to watch from below as United and Chelsea battled for the title until late into the campaign.

Roberto Mancini has already spent close to £70 million to bring David Silva, Yaya Toure and Jerome Boateng to Eastlands as they look to progress next season and the Premier League football odds suggest they should do well.

It is unlikely that the club's spending is going to stop before they open their Premier League campaign against Spurs - who pipped them to Champions League qualification in May - and the likes of James Milner, Edin Dzeko and Mario Balotelli have all been linked with City.

Giggs has seen many teams look to rival United during his long career at Old Trafford and knows City are going to be a major challenger for the Premier League title next season.

The veteran claims he will not take notice of City until United play them, but warned their rivals it could be a "frustrating season" for Mancini if he fails to get his side to reach their potential.

"It's a similar scenario to last season really. They have got so many talented players that, if they gel as a team, they'll be a force," said Giggs.

Paul Scholes isn't ready to be put out to pasture just yet, the Manchester United midfielder has revealed.
In June, the 35-year-old hinted he would retire from football at the end of the coming season, but now this seems this is far from certain.

He said: "I do not know if it will be my last season. I will just take every game as it comes.

"If I am feeling okay and doing the job the manager wants then we will see how things are at the end of next season."

Scholes has spent his entire career at United and in this time he has gone from emerging talent all the way through to seasoned pro and the latest Premier League odds suggest he has the chance to win another title this year.

Although his age means he is not the ever present he once was, it's clear that Sir Alex Ferguson respects the contribution the midfielder makes to the side.

Indeed, with Ferguson having a reputation for moving players on when they become too big for their boots or have started to slip in terms of quality, the fact Scholes has managed to remain part of the Old Trafford set up for almost two decades speaks volumes about his attitude and capabilities.

Harry Redknapp has again reiterated his desire to bring Joe Cole to White Hart Lane to help keep Spurs in the Premier League top four next season.

The veteran manager is preparing to take Spurs into the Champions League for the first time in the club's history - after taking them into the Premier League top four last season during his first full season in charge.

Redknapp is busy spending his summer looking for players who can improve the squad he has already assembled at White Hart Lane, and has been linked with a number of international stars and Cole in particular on a number of occasions.

The England midfielder is now a free agent after his contract with Premier League leaders Chelsea expired, and Redknapp has told Sky Sports he would love to sign the player he had as a youngster while in charge at West Ham.

Redknapp originally signed Cole as an 11-year-old at Upton Park but has admitted fans will have to "wait and see" if a deal happens, as Spurs' North London rivals Arsenal are also said to be interested in the midfielder.

"I think he is an outstanding player, a great professional and a top, top player," Redknapp said.

"I would love to have Joe at Tottenham but there are lots of clubs in for him."

The Premier League 2010/11 odds suggest the side could struggle to repeat their achievements of last year, and they will need to strengthen their squad.

It was a far cry from the scenes of celebration in the Argentina v Mexico game, and as Maradona stood with a blank look on his face towards the end of his side's 4-0 thrashing by Germany it was hard not to feel sympathy for a man so obviously out of his depth.

The blank look said it all. Here was a coach who had relied on the raw talent of his players to get him this far but, faced with his first real challenge, was unable to turn the tide of a game that had started to slip away from his team as early as the third minute.

Despite the ultimately comprehensive scoreline, it was Thomas Mueller's early header which separated the two sides for most of the game and it is this more than anything which highlights Maradona's failings.

Arguably, Argentina controlled the game, they had 61% of possession, but over the first 45 minutes it became painfully clear they were playing into Germany's hands. Time after time the Argentineans cut inside only to be faced by a wall of German defenders who were on hand to block shots and breakdown moves.

The World Cup odds made Argentina favourites for the clash, but they rarely looked like living up to the tag.

However, at only a goal down after the first half Maradona had an excellent chance to turn things around. A tactical substitution or two and a few simple instructions could have turned the game on its head.