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Arsenal have been the busiest team on transfer deadline day, signing Mikel Arteta, Per Mertesacker, Andre Santos and Yossi Benayoun before the window closed.

Arsene Wenger had spoken of his desire to strengthen his squad, especially following the 8-2 humbling by Manchester United at Old Trafford last weekend, and has spent big to bring new faces to the Emirates.

Spaniard Arteta has joined from Everton in a £10 million deal, and will go some way to plugging the hole left by countryman Cesc Fabregas. The Telegraph has stated that the former Rangers midfielder has taken a dramatic wage cut, from £75,000-a-week to £55,000-a-week, to secure a move to The Gunners, and David Moyes could not stand in his way.

“Mikel indicated to me he wished to join Arsenal. I am very disappointed to lose him but the prospect of Champions League football was something I was not able to offer him,” the Goodison Park boss admitted.

As expected, defensive duo Per Mertesacker and Andre Santos have moved to North London to steady the side’s backline, with the Germany international costing £9 million and the Brazilian £6.2 million; both completed medicals on Tuesday and officially signed on Wednesday.

Finally, Benayoun has joined Wenger’s men on a one-year loan deal from rivals Chelsea. The Israel international has had an injury plagued time at Stamford Bridge and was forced down the pecking order by The Blues’ signature of Juan Mata; he will hope to get more first team action in North London.

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Tottenham’s hopes of finishing in the top four hang in the balance after a disappointing 2-1 home defeat to Norwich on Monday.

Anthony Pilkington gave the courageous visitors the lead after 13 minutes, before Jermain Defoe equalised with a deft chip over John Ruddy just after the half hour mark.

However, an Elliott Bennett strike in the second half gave the Canaries victory at White Hart Lane, meaning that Spurs stay two points behind Arsenal in the standings.

Harry Redknapp admitted that it was a poor result for his team, and prioritised finishing in the top four rather than winning back third place.

“We have not been in bad form the last few weeks, but today was a setback. We had a bad day,” he confessed to Sky Sports.

“It is all still to play for though.

“It is going to be close, but there are still five games to go. It is the team who wants it most.

“We would settle for finishing fourth, Champions League football is the key.

“It would be lovely to finish above Arsenal, but that is going to be tough now.

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“It is still all to play for – Chelsea have to play Arsenal, Newcastle have to play Chelsea, Chelsea have to play Liverpool away, so who knows?” he stated.

By Gareth McKnight

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Not much to talk about Old Trafford this week with the only news coming out of the football club is that David Gill has once again reiterated that there is money available to spend should Sir Alex choose to spend it. Fergie has also given his backing towards the Glazers once again, which isn’t likely to sit well with certain sections of the United faithful.

This week at FFC we have seen a mixed bag of Man United blogs which has included…Fergie unearths the new Ole Solskjaer; United star failed by lack of personal touch and should Sir Alex look to cash in on starlet?

Plus we have taken a look at the best Man United stories on the Web this week.

Has Sir Alex finally unearthed the new Ole Gunnar Solskjaer?

Has Sir Alex got a touch of the Arsene’s with policy?

United’s small signing is ‘bigger’ than you think

Hiring and firing at Old Trafford

United’s pre-season given added edge by Fergie’s comments

Man United star failed by the lack of personal touch

Would it be a Clever move by Fergie to cash in on Tom?

Fergie choosing to stick and not twist with Berbatov

Has Match of the Day had its day?

Premier League’s lesser lights set to benefit from new rules

Caption Competition: United duo trade blows

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Best of Web

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Chichonomics – United Rant

Be sure to be prudent: FC Barcelona’s amazing disappearing profits – The Andersred Blog

STATS: Which Teams Spend The Most? – RoM

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So what’s the story with Rodrigo Possebon? – The Busby Way

Ferguson misses point as he hits out at fans and lauds Glazers – United Rant

(Video) Sir Alex’s interview with CNN – The Busby Way

With the PL season nearly upon us, let’s see the WAGS that will be keeping the players on their toes. Click on image to VIEW gallery

Arsene Wenger has confirmed that Kieran Gibbs will miss Arsenal's top-of-the-table clash against Manchester United next Monday.

The defender had to be replaced in the first half of the 3-1 victory over Partizan Belgrade after picking up an ankle injury and Wenger has said the 21-year-old will not travel.

Gibbs has endured a difficult period over the course of the last year, with numerous injuries including a metatarsal problem as well as knee and ankle complaints.

Wenger revealed that, although Gibbs could face a spell on the sidelines, the injury is not as bad as was first feared and the defender has suffered a problem with his right ankle – not the left ankle which has caused him problems in the past.

"Kieran Gibbs has a twisted ankle, an ankle sprain," said Wenger following the victory over Partizan on Wednesday.

"I don't know how damaged his ankle is – he will have a scan tomorrow.

"He is unbelievably unlucky. No, (it is not the same ankle he injured recently), it is the right one tonight.

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"I spoke to him, he is quite down. He is on crutches. I cannot tell you more.

"We will know tomorrow, but he is already out for Monday night."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

Manchester United moved back to the top of Group C of the Champions League with a hard-fought 2-0 win over Otelul Galati on Wednesday night.

An early goal from Antonio Valencia had the Old Trafford faithful hoping that the floodgates would open, but they had to wait until the 87th minute for a second, when Wayne Rooney’s shot took a deflection off Cristian Sarghi to seal the victory.

After the game Sir Alex Ferguson spoke of the importance of getting three points against the Romanians.

“Winning was important. The opposition were very aggressive, they defended well, pressed us everywhere and made it difficult for us,” he told Sky Sports.

“The win makes it more comfortable for us at the top of the group and if we beat Benfica we win the group, it’s as simple as that. It should be a very good night.”

Ferguson started Dimitar Berbatov and Michael Owen in attack, but the English striker had to be replaced in the early exchanges with a new injury.

“It’s a blow for the lad. He’s done a thigh muscle and it’s a complete freak. I feel for him. It’s difficult to say how long-term it is,” the Scottish coach continued.

With the two fringe attackers starting up front, Rooney started in a central midfield role, and his manager was happy with the performance put in by the England star.

“I thought he was fantastic in central midfield. His awareness of people around him and choice of passing was really good. He did very well for us tonight.

“I think it’s a short-term thing at the moment. It’s difficult to say. The opposition played really well against us tonight but I’d be confident of playing him there (against bigger teams),” Ferguson concluded.

United received a boost in the other game in the pool, as Benfica dropped points by drawing 1-1 with Basel at the Estadio da Luz.

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Rodrigo Moreno put the Portuguese side into the lead after less than five minutes, but the Swiss visitors fought back and a goal from Benjamin Huggel in the second half meant the spoils were shared.

United host Sunderland at Old Trafford on Saturday, and will look to make up ground on cross-town rivals and current league leaders Manchester City.

By Gareth McKnight

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So it seems Roberto Mancini wants to replace Manchester City’s mercurial Argentinian with a fellow countryman. The Italian has earmarked Atletico Madrid’s Sergio Agüero as the man he wants to step into the soon to be vacated shoes of captain and talismanic goal scorer Carlos Tevez. According to The Sun, City are in advanced talks with Atletico over a £35 million pound deal for the 23 year old.

Mancini sees him as the ideal successor to Tevez who looks likely to leave Eastland’s once and for all after months of grumbling about his future at the club. Off the field we had it all from Tevez last season with the player slapping a transfer request in, considering early retirement and falling out with a number of executives at the club.

But in his two years on the field he’s proved to be simply invaluable during the clubs rise up the Premier League. His commitment and intensity on the pitch coupled with him consistently finding the back of the net and boasting record better than any City forward over the last 10 years. Sadly though it looks like Tevez won’t be wearing the famous light blue next season and Mancini want’s Agüero as City’s new idol.

But, if he does finally leave Atletico and take up residence in the blue half of Manchester will he be able to replace his fellow countryman? It would be foolish of Mancini to expect him to replicate what Tevez offers to City not just in attack but also all over the field. The pressure on the club to win trophies and perform at the high end of the Premier League is 100 times more intense than it was five years ago.

Only in the last two years have City finally started to show some sort of progress and that coincided with Tevez’s arrival at the club. Everyone knew how good he was at neighbours United but he has taken things to a whole new level at City, which culminated in winning the FA Cup last season and qualification to the Champions League.

Tevez plays like a bulldog. His stocky physique is perfect for the high paced rough and tumble Premier League. His ability to barge people off and hold up the ball despite his diminutive five foot eight height is remarkable. Agüero is a similar size but not as well built as Tevez. Then there’s his insatiable nature to chase down and be a nuisance to defenders which is something City fans haven’t seen since the days of the Wasp himself Paul Dickov. Can you see Agüero chasing lost causes and make defenders run scared?

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When it comes down to technical ability Agüero probably edges it. His light footedness on the ball and ability to glide past defenders without breaking a sweat is a joy to watch at times. He has a footballing brain that so many of us dream of possessing. Then again you do get around thirty minutes on the ball in Spain to decide what you want to do. It would be risky to bring Agüero in and expect him to adapt to his new surroundings and pace of the Premier League whilst also replacing Tevez. The pressure on his shoulders could turn him into another expensive City striking flop.

Impatient City fans have already seen the likes of Emmanuel Adebayor, Roque Santa Cruz, Craig Bellamy, Jo, Felipe Caicedo and even Edin Dzeko sign for big money and perform at a standard well below where the club aspires to be. However for a player who made his debut at 15 for Independiente before making the move to Atletico aged 18, pressure would be something he’s used too. But playing in the Premier League with fans screaming at you every week and expectations exceedingly high it can be a daunting prospect even for the most experience of players.

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There is no doubting Agüero’s abilities as a footballer in La Liga but coming to the Premier League and trying to fill the boots of Tevez will be a tough task if it does transpire. At 23 he does have time on his side but in the burdensome environment that is England’s top division time is a luxury that might not be afforded.

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West Ham manager Avram Grant is gutted to have midfielder Gary O’Neil out for the rest of the season.The 27-year-old will be sorely missed for West Ham’s final five games as they battle the drop, starting with Saturday’s trip to Chelsea.

“It was a bad, bad injury. Gary was one of our best players, especially against the big teams,” Grant said

“He has experience to work hard, he knows how to pass the ball and he was good.”

“We missed him last week when it was not so easy for us to play.”

““He’s a good lad who came to a new team and has played like he’s been with us for many, many years.”

“It’s a fact that we have many, many injuries and we need to deal with them.”

“When all the squad was fit and we need to know how to take points even when players are injured. We need everybody.”

West Ham have been struggling at the wrong end of the table all season but Grant still believes they can avoid the drop and needs his players to have the same faith.

“I don’t want players who don’t believe,” Grant said.

“In football you have to have to believe because anything can happen.”

“Chelsea are a very good team but we have caused problems for Arsenal and Tottenham away and this is our target this season and we are thinking only about this.”

“I believe very much in the future of this club because there is a good future if we do the right things, but for the moment we are busy with the present.”

“These are big, big games in front of us and a big challenge and it’s not easy, but nothing in football is easy.”

“There are the words possible and impossible, but the players know that it is possible and we need to give a lot of effort.”

Scott Parker was named as the Football Writers’ Association’s 2011 Footballer of the Year on Friday but will miss this game against his former club with an Achilles’ tendon problem.

Midfielder Junior Stanislas (groin) will also be absent.

Wales midfielder Jack Collison (knee) is set to make his first start in more than a year.

Midfielder Clint Dempsey scored a brace as Fulham eased their relegation fears with a 2-0 victory over a spirited Stoke at Craven Cottage.

Feuding managers Tony Pulis and Mark Hughes put their differences aside and shook hands before kick-off – having not done so after their side’s previous two meetings due to comments made by Hughes about the visitors’ robust style of play.

Potters captain Ryan Shawcross shaved the outside of the post with a header on the five-minute mark after Matthew Etherington found him with a pinpoint free-kick amid early Stoke pressure.

It was then Fulham’s turn to attack, and winger Damian Duff almost broke the deadlock with a superb long-range effort.

The former Chelsea star let rip from 30 yards and his shot looked to be flying into the top corner before the slightest of touches from Stoke goalkeeper Asmir Begovic tipped the stinging drive on to the bar.

Danny Murphy went close moments later with a shot from just outside the box after neat build-up play by the home side, while they had stand-in keeper David Stockdale to thank for saving Tuncay’s low volley with his legs during a vibrant opening 15 minutes.

Fulham captain Murphy committed a clumsy foul on Dean Whitehead to earn himself a booking and, from the resulting free-kick, Chris Baird’s clearance fell to striker Kenwyne Jones who rattled the post from a tight angle.

Fulham eventually made the breakthrough with 30 minutes gone after some slack Stoke defending.

The hard-working Duff slipped in Andy Johnson, who breezed past a static Robert Huth to get to the by-line, from where his low cross found Dempsey, left free by his marker Andy Wilkinson, and the American lashed home his seventh league goal of the season.

Fulham then gave themselves some breathing space 10 minutes into the second half when Dempsey bagged his second of the afternoon.

Murphy played the ball over the top of the Stoke backline to find the midfielder, who took a sublime touch to spin Shawcross and set himself through on goal.

Just before he was about to pull the trigger, Shawcross hauled him back, duly getting his marching orders in the process and allowing Dempsey to lash home from the penalty spot.

Johnson wasted a great chance to make it three as Begovic saved low down but, with Fulham already two goals up and Stoke a man down, the three points were safe.

Jermaine Jenas’ career has not gone the way he would have wanted it to in the last few years. Jenas has largely become a bit part player for Tottenham Hotspur and has failed to find his way into the England set-up as a result. Jenas himself has admitted he had doubts about the future of his Spurs career this summer, and began considering a move in order to get the game time he craves, Sky Sports quote Jenas as stating,

“There has been constant rumours about me leaving but I just want to be settled and part of the Tottenham team again. At one time I felt I’d have to leave because all I wanted to do was play football and I wasn’t getting games here. But despite the offers that came in, they were not worth leaving for.”

Jermaine Jenas obviously feels he still has the quality to play regularly for Spurs, but you get the feeling that this season, or indeed merely up to this January, will be his last chance to impress at White Hart Lane.

Jenas has by no means had a bad career at Tottenham. When he first arrived at the club from Newcastle for £7 million, he instantly cemented his place in the first team. Over the next few seasons Jenas impressed for the club, he was a mainstay in midfield where his all-round capabilities made him an efficient and effective player, he also netted a decent amount of goals.

When Harry Redknapp arrived at the club in 2008 however, the new boss saw Spurs midfield as an area that needed strengthening. In his first January transfer window, Redknapp made a host of signings, including one that would directly threaten Jenas’ position in the team. Midfield powerhouse Wilson Palacios was signed from Wigan, and he went straight into the first team, and until the last few weeks, the Honduran has not looked back.

Redknapp’s preferred choice in central midfield has been Palacios and Tom Huddlestone. Palacios is a rambunctious and energetic defensive midfielder, whilst Huddlestone really seems to have matured in the last year or so and appears to be a favourite of Redknapp. The signing of midfielder Sandro also looked to have pushed Jenas down the pecking order, though as of yet we wait to see what the Brazilian can offer. When you consider that Luka Modric, Rafael Van der Vaart and Niko Kranjcar are all comfortable in central midfield, one gets a sense of the level of competition there is for starting places in the Spurs midfield.

At the start of this season though, a little window has opened up for Jenas which he may not have expected. Palacios seems to have gone compeletely off the boil for the time being and it has allowed Jenas some game time, and crucially, some starts. Jenas has looked quite good in these games, providing the well-rounded displays he is known for. If he can maintain this current form, Jenas might just be able to prolong his career at White Hart Lane.

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The problem for Jermaine Jenas is that he comes across as a jack of all trades, but a master of none. When the season gets into the nitty gritty you imagine that Redknapp will be looking for powerful performances in midfield that Jenas may struggle to provide. Despite starting the season reasonably well, I just cannot see Jenas getting regular starts this term, and a move next summer or even in January may prove to be the best thing he can do for his career.

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Swansea City have booked their place in the Championship play-off final with a 3-1 win over Nottingham Forest.The Welsh outfit held Forest to a 0-0 draw in their semi-final first leg at The City Ground, but Swansea took the upper hand in the space of five first-half minutes on Monday at Liberty Stadium, when Leon Britton and Stephen Dobbie both scored.

Robert Earnshaw hit back for the visitors with 10 minutes remaining, but after Forest shot-stopper Lee Camp came up for a late corner, Swansea sealed the win through Darren Pratley’s effort into an empty net from the halfway line.

After Swansea monopolised possession in the opening exchanges, it was the visitors who almost went ahead after five minutes courtesy of a brilliant counter attack.

Attacker Nathan Tyson was freed down the right hand side and his cut-back pass found a surging David McGoldrick, but his left-footed shot skimmed the crossbar with City goalkeeper Dorus de Vries beaten.

The home side responded with their own chance, going within inches of an 18th-minute lead when attacker Fabio Borini also struck the crossbar.

The Italian attacker produced a fine turn before his right-foot shot was deflected onto the bar after a desperate block from Forest defender Wes Morgan.

But Swansea did open the scoring 10 minutes later thanks to a fine individual effort from Britton.

The midfielder received a short corner before being given too much space by the Forest defence, curling a left-footed strike into the top corner from the edge of the area with Camp unmoved.

The tie was all but over when they got a second through Dobbie five minutes later.

He played a one-two with Nathan Dyer before beating two markers and placing across Camp and into the bottom corner.

Nottingham should have been back in the game early in the second half when Tyson again carved out an opportunity, cutting back for Marcus Tudgay, who inexplicably fired over the bar from close range.

Forest did pull a goal back when Earnshaw got in behind the Welsh club’s defence to fire home a right-footed shot in the 80th minute, making for a tense finale.

Earnshaw almost single-handedly forced extra time when he hit the woodwork in injury time, making it the third time Forest found a goal post in the match.

But with Camp desperately trying to help his side score an injury-time equaliser from a corner, Pratley took full advantage on the rebound by striking a swinging ball straight into the heart of an empty net, moving Swansea one step closer to the Premier League.