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Liverpool fans seem to be waking each and every morning with a new reason to be optimistic as the gloom recedes over Anfield, and today, Pepe Reina has announced his intentions to remain in goal for the Reds following a series of revelations over the past year that he would be leaving, not least to join rivals, Manchester United.

“I am happy, calm and comfortable here,” Reina told the Spanish radio station, Cadena Cope, before continuing: “I am looking towards the future which I reckon will bring a lot of happiness and hopefully the new project with the new American owners [Fenway Sports Group] will be a convincing one.” The Spainish international had previously suggested that he was considering a career away from Liverpool, like national compatriots Xabi Alonso and Fernando Torres, if the club failed to meet his ambitions. But the 28-year-old, who is believed to have a £20m release clause in his current five-year contract, now appears to see a future for himself at a club that has been revitalized under interim manager, Kenny Dalglish.

“Obviously [Rafael] Benítez brought me here but that doesn’t mean that I’m unhappy with [Kenny] Dalglish, quite the opposite. I think he’s the ideal man for Liverpool at this moment,” Reina added. But was has really influenced the player’s sudden change of heart? He isn’t the only high-profile Premier League star to publicly announce his intention to leave his current club this season, and both Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez reneged on their initial avowals to a successful extent, so perhaps Reina believes his recent reversal will enhance his status at Britain’s most successful club.

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He is already considered one of Liverpool’s most significant assets, and has been since his arrival in 2005. He boasts a catalogue of fine performances during his 308 appearances for the club, and cemented his place as a fans’ favourite due to his commanding presence, excellent reflexes and regular penalty saves. What’s more, Reina’s dependability has allowed the three managers he has worked under at Anfield to allow reserve goalkeepers of sub-Premier League standard to occupy the bench. Diego Cavalieri, Scott Carson, Charles Itandje and Brad Jones, amongst others, have all sat patiently in the Liverpool dug-out over the past six years conscious of the unfathomable possibility of dethroning the Spaniard.

This worrying lack of alternatives would have concerned Dalglish up until the point of Reina’s u-turn, and maybe the goalkeeper’s ambition to stay is the final piece in Liverpool’s resurgent jigsaw. Fortunately, the club were able to immediately buffer the departure of Torres with the arrivals of Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez, and have found in Raul Miereles a decent enough replacement for Javier Mascherano, who left for Barcelona not long after the beginning of the season. But had Reina supported his original plan to leave, Liverpool would have been left with a colossal hole to fill in between the posts, in a market where Manchester United and Arsenal are also searching for goalkeeping solutions.

It is worth mentioning that Reina at no point suggested his desire to leave was motivated by anything other than Liverpool’s perceived lack of ambition, a concern he was more than justified to express. However, it seems like Kenny Dalglish’s influence has convinced Reina of Liverpool’s future objectives seeing as under the Scotsman’s leadership, the team has emerged from the bottom half of the table to be challenging for European qualification. His commitment to Liverpool in now unquestionable and will prove to be one of the most important features in the club’s rehabilitation, behind the signing of Dalglish’s full-time contract.

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Robinho is still a Manchester City player. Not many would have expected that statement to have been true at this stage of the transfer window when Robinho made his loan move to Santos in January. The interest in the player has been surprisingly limited to Turkish outfits Fenerbahce and Besiktas. Considering that he is one of the most talented players on the planet, one could well have expected a clamour for his services amongst some of the top European sides. Yesterday it was revealed that Robinho had in fact rejected a move to Fenerbahce, he told globoesporte.com

“With all due respect to Turkish football, I’m not going to play there at the moment. The only thing I’ll say is that I’ll carry on in Europe, in Italy or Spain.”

This is all well and good if there are teams interested, but Robinho’s transfer will require a substantial fee and currently there do not appear to be any suitors that will meet Robinho’s wishes. With the end of the transfer deadline fast approaching, there may be a chance the Brazilian stays at Man City. Roberto Mancini has indicated Robinho could have a future at Eastlands, BBC Sport quotes him as saying,

“Robinho has two or three options. I have spoken with Robinho and he can stay if he works well and trains well. I have a good relationship with him but I think he wants to play in Italy or Spain.”

Robinho then, can still have a future at Manchester City and it is my view that this may not actually be a bad thing. Robinho is undoubtedly one of the most talented players in the world, and he proved that ability in the World Cup in South Africa with some superb displays. The problem during his time at Man City has been his attitude, the Brazilian often performs wonders at Eastlands, but in the away games he has often been anonymous. Robinho is a luxury player, and if he is not performing he will not add anything such as defensive work to the team. But when he is performing, he is a devastating weapon.

Manchester City’s 3-0 defeat of Liverpool on Monday was very impressive and it may have given Robinho some food for thought. Like every top player, Robinho wants to be playing Champions League football, and on the evidence of what we saw on Monday this has to be a possibility at City. This will encourage Robinho that maybe life at Manchester City is not so bad after all and if Mancini can get him training and playing hard, then he could be a big player for the club this season. The fact is that even though Robinho may want to move to Spain or Italy, like Cesc Fabregas it is by no means guaranteed to happen, and if he does stay there is not a chance that he will be missing out on the 25-man squad.

If Robinho does stay at Man City he will need to sort his attitude out, but the club appear to playing well at the start of the season and this well be of help. Manchester City already count Mario Balotelli, Carlos Tevez and Emmanuel Adebayor amongst their forwards, add Robinho to this list and you have one of the most potent attacking forces anywhere in Europe. Robinho is capable of great football and linking up with these players he has the potential to be a Premier League star. Robinho will want to play, and if the club are looking like they will challenge at the top of the league it might just encourage him that City is the place to be.

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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has stated that he wants to avenge his side’s defeat by Manchester City with a positive result against Aston Villa on Wednesday night.

The Gunners were beaten 1-0 by the current Premier League leaders at the Etihad Stadium last weekend, with the French coach stating that his team’s title chances were now over.

Despite this, the North London club are eager to get back to winning ways against Alex McLeish’s men.

“We are a team who wants to respond quickly now and keep our spirit and determination,” Wenger told Mirror Football.

“Then we have a bright future, but it’s important that if we keep that spirit and determination we can go from strength to strength.

“We are not the same team we were two months ago. In the next two months of course we want to be different again.

“They are always passionate games against Villa. We have been criticised a lot since the beginning of the season but you can say what you want but where we go something happens.

“There is always entertainment, even the game on Sunday. It was a game where the two teams went for it – then football becomes a fantastic sport and we will do the same at Aston Villa,” he concluded.

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By Gareth McKnight

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Barcelona defender Maxwell believes Saturday’s home match against Almeria is vital if they are to retain the La Liga title this season.If Barca defeat Almeria and Real Madrid lose against Athletic Bilbao, the reigning champions could go as much as 11 points clear of second place.

Almeria have conceded 16 goals over three previous meetings with Barca this season, losing 8-0 at home in the league, before suffering defeats of 5-0 and 3-0 over two legs of the Copa del Rey semi-final.

And Brazilian fullback Maxwell wants Barca to record yet another win over Almeria ahead of the showdown at second-placed Real’s Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on April 16.

“It is a vital game,” Maxwell said.

“Three points that we can’t afford to drop. We want to get to the Bernabeu with an eight-point advantage – or more. But we will play our own game.”

“I think that Almeria have good players and a new manager (Roberto Olabe) who can motivate the team. We have to be alert to their strengths and try and take three more points.”

Barca thumped Shakhtar Donetsk 5-1 in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday.

Maxwell believes the Ukrainian champions were undone by their insistence on taking the game to their hosts at the Camp Nou.

“They are a very strong team, very physical and run a lot,” Maxwell said.

“People might have thought that it would be easy, because they don’t recognise the names, but we knew that it would be very tough, and that everyone would give their all.”

“I think that they came out to attack so strongly that we were able to get such a comprehensive result.”

Real lead Tottenham 4-0 in their Champions League tie, and with Barca also firmly in control, a Champions League semi-final between the bitter rivals is now a distinct possibility.

Nevertheless, Maxwell insists Almeria’s visit remains the priority.

“You always look at what might be ahead, but you can’t not focus on the match at hand,” Maxwell said.

“It doesn’t benefit us to look too far ahead. We have the Almeria game and the Champions League second leg, and then we will look at the next game.”

Boss Harry Redknapp has dropped a major hint that Tottenham Hotspur will utilise the loan market to try and strengthen their squad before the transfer window shuts.

Spurs continue to be linked with moves to sign Manchester City striker Craig Bellamy and AC Milan's Dutch frontman Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, but Redknapp is unlikely to pay out big money to land any of his targets.

He told the Daily Mirror:"I can see loans happening. I've got three players in mind that would not cost a lot of money.

"If we can pull off the deals you are talking about £8million or £9million for three players. Loans would certainly be a real possibility.

"People are going to loan players from all over the world, there will be loads because clubs are struggling to pay the wages. There will be high earners they have to loan out."

Meanwhile, Redknapp has dismissed recent rumours suggesting that he could be prepared to allow England striker Peter Crouch to leave White Hart Lane.

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He added: "Peter Crouch is going nowhere. He is definitely staying."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

Wojciech Szczesny has stated that Arsenal are not over-reliant on Robin van Persie, and despite his goalscoring prowess are not a one man team.

The Netherlands international has been in red hot form this season, and has scored 31 goals in his last 30 games.

Despite the attacker playing a key part in the North London club’s revival from a slow start this campaign, the Polish stopper feels that the Emirates Stadium team have a lot more to offer than one in-form striker.

“I don’t think we are over-reliant on him,” the keeper told The Sun.

“We’ve got some fantastic players in this team and we work as a team. The whole team stuck together when we went 1-0 down against Fulham, we stuck together well.

“I don’t think we are a one-man team — we are a great all-round team,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, Arsene Wenger has admitted that he will field a number of fringe players against Manchester City in the Carling Cup on Tuesday night, resting the likes of Van Persie.

“I believe that some players are on the fringe of being really limited. I will rest some players, but I still want to play a team that has a chance to win the game,” the French coach told Arsenal Player.

“Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Emmanuel Frimpong will play, but I consider them to be first-team players.

“Park Chu-Young is adapting to the level he is facing here and he has another opportunity against Manchester City to show that he can do it.

“Yossi Benayoun has been absolutely fantastic, but we have so much choice in midfield and we play with three strikers. The chances for the midfielders are not so big and that is why he has not played as much as he deserves.

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“The attitude of all the players that came in has been great, everybody helps focus the team to win and he does that as well,” Wenger concluded.

By Gareth McKnight

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Portugal coach Paulo Bento insists he was satisfied with his side’s 1-1 draw in their international friendly against Chile in Leiria on Saturday.With new Chilean coach Claudio Borghi taking the reins for the first time, the visitors fell behind after 16 minutes when Manchester United winger Nani whipped in a corner that was headed in by Silvestre Varela.

But Matias Fernandez levelled proceedings for Chile four minutes before half-time to ensure honours remained even, and Bento insisted he was content with the commitment of his side, which missed the spark of the injured Cristiano Ronaldo.

“We played quite well but certainly better in the second half than in the first. We were more dangerous and more dominant than our opponents and we also had more desire to win,” Bento told RTP.

“It is understandable at times that the players will be tired but the team responded well and showed the right attitude.”

Bento was also buoyed by Friday’s 1-1 Euro 2012 qualifying draw between Group H rivals Denmark and Norway in Oslo, a result that leaves his side just three points adrift of leaders Norway

“We have to rely on ourselves to get the top spot in the group but we will have time to think about that objective,” he said.

I have always felt that agents were the lowest of the low in football and nothing has made me changed that view after picking up the paper and reading we have been linked with a certain Didier Drogba.

If ever there was a blatant attempt at Manchester City’s name being used to broker a deal elsewhere then this is it and thankfully the words of Thierno Seydi have been dismissed by a spokesman at the football club. Drogba is an exceptional footballer and there is no club in the world that wouldn’t want him, but realistically there is no chance of him leaving Chelsea, or Ancelotti letting him leave, so what was the agenda here apart from alerting the money men of Chelsea? If Drogba wants a new deal then approach Abramovich himself, instead of dragging our name into the equation.

“Today he’s at Chelsea. Maybe there will be surprises before August 31,

“I haven’t spoken to just anybody. The only contact I’ve had directly was with City,

“At his age I can no longer hide the financial aspect. The club that want Didier will have to meet the price.” (Sun)

Unfortunately the use of the name Manchester City has been used far too often for my liking of late and it is getting rather tiresome. From being a contributor to England’s failings this summer (believe it or not), to ruining the make-up of football (even though clubs like Chelsea and United have spent millions upon millions in the last decade), we are now a plaything for agents so they can tout their clients, or in this case attempt to get an improved deal at their respective football clubs.

Written By Don Thomas

Click on image to see a gallery of the BEST BABES at the World Cup this summer

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Liverpool attacker Craig Bellamy has admitted that he is glad to be back at Anfield for a second spell, and has a good feeling about the club under Kenny Dalglish.

The Welshman spent an ill-fated spell at the Merseyside club in 2006-07, and has revealed that he was not comfortable under Rafa Benitez’s guidance.

“Sometimes it’s not quite as romantic as we all like to make it out to be,” Bellamy told The Telegraph.

“I was in the office speaking to Rafa, speaking about certain things and it didn’t feel right. If it was not Liverpool FC, I wouldn’t have signed. I didn’t feel right about the positions I was going to be used in and thought I was being signed because I was the right price at the right time.

“I do go on instinct and my gut feeling, and that was a time when I went against it. I ended up signing just for one reason, because it was Liverpool. I just thought we were on different wavelengths to what I felt I was as a player and how I would be involved at Liverpool. We were two different people on the way Liverpool should go about their business. But he was the manager – he had his own views.

“This now feels right. This is everything I wanted from the first time I was here. I’d never sound negative to Rafa or Gerard Houllier because they were outstanding for the club, but this was what I grew up with.

“I watched Liverpool towards the end of last year, I watched the way they were playing, and this is what I’ve supported, the pass and moving, the free-flowing football. How Liverpool go about their business now feels like how it must have been in the past. To me, this feels like Liverpool again, and the opportunity to be a part of that was just too big of a deal to turn down,” he concluded.

Bellamy played a part in Liverpool’s 2-1 win over Chelsea on Sunday, and will be motivated to take on former club Manchester City this weekend.

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By Gareth McKnight

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Aston Villa boss Gerard Houllier has defended making eight changes to his side before Wednesday’s 3-0 loss at Manchester City in the FA Cup.The French manager opted to leave the likes of Marc Albrighton, Ashley Young, Stewart Downing, Nigel Reo-Coker and Robert Pires warming the bench at City of Manchester Stadium, effectively conceding the fifth-round tie to a near-full strength City.Yaya Toure, Mario Balotelli and David Villa all found the net for the hosts, who advance to face Reading in the quarter-finals.Houllier, who came in for criticism for his team selection after the match, felt his top players would have made little difference against City.”I knew that you would ask that,” Houllier said when quizzed on the thinking behind his eight changes.”We started the team with Emile Heskey and Gaby Agbonlahor and Nathan Delfouneso, who is an Under-21 international, so that attack was practically three internationals.””We have quality and we use it. I don’t think Ashley Young or Stewart Downing would have avoided the first goal, which was very unfortunate.””After being down to 1-0 it was difficult. We have to acknowledge that we were beaten by a team that is better than ours at the moment.””I don’t think we had a bad game. I admit that we didn’t hurt them enough (but) the score is very flattering for them.”City boss Roberto Mancini defended Houllier against criticism, saying he would have done the same if it were not for injuries.”Gerard has experience. He knows it is impossible to play with the same players every three days,” Mancini said.”I don’t have seven or eight players to bring in. If I did, I would do the same.”Mancini was particularly pleased with the efforts of Italian striker Mario Balotelli, who played up front on his own and netted City’s second goal on 25 minutes.”I took a risk to play only Mario up front, but Mario played well and scored a fantastic goal,” Mancini said.”I was very pleased with the overall performance. This game was very important for us.”