Chelsea move for Sergio Ramos
The current season may not yet be finished, but Chelsea are putting down a marker for next term, with reports that they are actively pursuing Real Madrid's defender, Sergio Ramos. "It was claimed yesterday that a deal worth in excess of £50m had already been struck for Ramos. While that suggestion was very premature and the figure quoted vastly inflated it is a sign of Chelsea's ambition that they are considering moving for the Real full-back," reports the Guardian. "Ramos, who began his career at Sevilla, became the third most expensive teenager in history when he moved to Real in 2005 for £20m." (Guardian)
Sven stung by TV crew again
Not again... After having his reign as England boss brought to an early end by a media sting, Sven-Goran Eriksson ought to be more wary of hotel meetings with prospective employers. But yesterday he was at it again when a Portuguese camera crew caught him leaving a Manchester hotel after meeting with officials from Benfica. "Eriksson can expect to be greeted with his P45 from Thaksin Shinawatra," reports the Times, "the City owner who hopes to replace him with Luiz Felipe Scolari, the Portugal and former Brazil coach. It is feasible that Eriksson may have jeopardised his chances of a full pay-off by being caught in flagrante with another club, but the Swede would argue that his position had already been left untenable by Thaksin’s treatment of him in recent weeks." (Times)
Keegan summoned by Toon boss
Kevin Keegan's Bank Holiday Monday outburst, that Newcastle were a "million miles" away from challenging the Top Four in the Premier League, has put him a collision course with Newcastle owner Mike Ashley. "Keegan has been summoned to London tomorrow for talks with Newcastle United's billionaire owner Mike Ashley," writes Rob Stewart in the Daily Telegraph. "Keegan is understood to have angered Ashley with his remarkably downbeat assessment of the club's future. Although reliable sources insist he will not be sacked, Keegan's volatile nature means there must be question marks over his future just four months after he returned to the Tyneside club." (Daily Telegraph)
Wasps on course for home play-off
The race for the play-offs in the Guinness Premiership intensified last night when London Wasps beat Newcastle Falcons 32-12 to consolidate their grip on third spot and home advantage in the end-of-season deciders. "Wasps earned their bonus point the hard way. Only five minutes remained when Danny Cipriani slipped Josh Lewsey through a midfield gap for their crucial fourth try, settling a rousing contest which featured seven tries," writes Robert Kitson in the Guardian. "Last season's European champions now sit in third place in the table with one round of matches to play. The closing furlongs are proving a demanding test of stamina, however, and they endured a testing first hour against a committed home team seeking to put a turbulent few days behind them." (Guardian)
"This win has put us in a position where we can have a big say in what happens in the play-offs" Ian McGeechan, Wasps' director of rugby
England bowlers enjoy good day
The bat was thoroughly dominated by the ball in an absorbing first day's play in the latest round of county championship four-day games, and England's fast bowlers flexed their muscles ahead of the Test series with New Zealand. Ryan Sidebottom (right), took 3/8 off six overs, reducing Kent to 5/4, while at Old Trafford, despite a second golden duck of the season for Andrew Flintoff, the England all-rounder took 4-21 and fellow national quickie James Anderson joined in the carnage with 4-31. Today, Matthew Hoggard will look to join in the fun in the England Lions four-day match against the Kiwis (Times, Guardian)
"Twelve months ago you wouldn't expect Matthew Hoggard to be fighting to regain his place in the Test team. But if he has a great session with the ball he'll have a great chance of playing in the first Test" England Lions captain Robert Key on the dropped England bowler
Murray slumps out of Rome Open
For a fleeting instant, the road to glory opened for Andy Murray, when his section of the draw at the Rome Open was thrown wide open by the shock defeat of Rafael Nadal in straight sets, only his second loss on clay in his last 105 matches. "But it wasn't to be for the British No?1 against his good friend Stanislas Wawrinka, a player he had twice beaten on hard courts this season," writes Mark Hodgkinson in the Daily Telegraph. "Murray's legs felt so heavy that he had them massaged by the trainer in a medical time-out and his light touch was occasionally on the heavy and clunky side, with a number of his drop-shots doing him no favours. There were also too many unforced errors, especially in the tie-break, and he was beaten 6-2, 7-6." (Daily Telegraph)
