SOCCER

Centre backs the likes of Vincent Kompany, John Terry and Mats Hummels are increasingly difficult to find in modern football.

As the final minutes of transfer deadline day ticked by last month, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger and Manchester United chief Louis van Gaal found themselves in a race against time to sign yet more attacking stars.

Radamel Falcao's move to Old Trafford triggered their sale of Danny Welbeck to Arsenal, yet the reality for both managers must have been that their high profile deadline day swoops were not the players that were top of their most wanted list in what was a lavish summer of transfer spending for the Premier League's top clubs.

Indeed, the days since those late night deals for Falcao and Welbeck were concluded have served to confirm that both Wenger and Van Gaal have left themselves dangerous short of cover at the other end of their team. While both have come under fire for their failure to bolster the centre of the defence, the reality may be that this apparent negligence was, in fact, unavoidable.

Injuries have conspired to ensure that United have been forced to dip into their junior ranks to plug holes in their defensive line, with their 5-3 defeat at Leicester offering galling evidence that Van Gaal's plans are being derailed by back line woes.

Louis van Gaal's back line has already been gashed on a few occasions this season, including a forgettable five goals allowed at newly promoted Leicester City.

Meanwhile, Wenger has been nursing a less than fully fit Per Mertesacker through games in the knowledge that his defensive options are desperately thin after the German powerhouse, or that his regular centre-back partner Laurent Koscielny will break down any time soon.

Yet when I suggested to the Arsenal manager that the only reason he did not sign a central defender to replace the departed Thomas Vermaelen was due to a lack of suitable talent, the response from the Frenchman was as honest as it was thought provoking.

"You sum up the situation we faced in the summer very well," he said with a smile. "People say we should buy defenders, but there is not a lot on the market and if you look at the other clubs, they had exactly the same problem as we did. Everybody is looking for defenders and everybody couldn't find any.

"I feel that we made a very good buy with Calum Chambers [from Southampton] and we are a bit unlucky to lose [Mathieu] Debuchy and [Nacho] Monreal at the same time. No matter how many players you buy, you cannot have three players in every position because it is impossible to manage."

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has been forced to rush back his defenders from injury in the early stages of the season.

Wenger's reluctance to splash the cash in the transfer market has long been used as a stick to beat him with, but he has proved that his prudence is now being cast aside with the lavish signings of Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil in the last couple of seasons.

Likewise, United showed their spending power with more than 150 million pound investment in players in recent months, yet neither club found players to build their teams around. That is no coincidence as this point in time appears destined to go down in the history of the game as the generation that lacked true defensive leaders.

Amid all the transfer activity of 2014, one deal that highlighted a recurring trend in the game was Paris Saint-Germain's decision to spend an unprecedented 50 million pounds to sign David Luiz from Chelsea.

Here was the single transfer that offered up conclusive confirmation that football has taken a turn of direction in the last decade, with applications to the school for producing top quality defenders woefully down in numbers amid a worldwide void of talent.

PSG spent 50 million pounds on centre back David Luiz, a player infamous for his defensive liabilities.

Spain and Barcelona's success in passing their way to glory on the international and domestic stages changed the landscape of modern football, with defensive responsibility replaced by a daring and somewhat reckless plan to outscore your opponents with avalanches of goals.

For us neutrals looking on, it has been a delight to be thrilled by attack-minded teams who replaced defensive tactics with garish attacking ambition, yet those tactics have encouraged the demise of the traditional centre-back and replaced them with ball playing flair players/liabilities of Luiz's ilk.

Long gone are the days when Arsenal built their success around the likes of Tony Adams and Martin Keown, when Irish great Paul McGrath was strutting his stuff at Manchester United and Aston Villa or when Gary Pallister and Steve Bruce put United manager Sir Alex Ferguson on the map as a Premier League winning manager.

In their place stands a clutch of expensively assembled teams whose tactics are thrillingly simple, yet notching more goals than your opponents in high scoring matches on a consistent basis is a plan laced with peril.

Any team scoring 101 times in the Premier League could have expected to be hosting a title-winning party in their back yard in the second weekend of May, yet Brendan Rodgers and his Liverpool team did just that last season and were still left to reflect on what might have been after allowing 50 goals to slip through at the other end of the pitch.

When push and shove collided and they dared to believe they were closing in on improbable title glory, a reminder of the less glorious era of the game came to haunt Rodgers and his players, with Chelsea perfectly executing a carefully-planned operation to win at Anfield and hand the title to Manchester City on a plate.

The Special One has a knack for being able to limit the most high-powered attacks in football.

Defending may be a dying art, but Blues boss Jose Mourinho is one of the few tacticians in the modern game who has highlighted that there is still a place in the game for teams to thrive playing meticulously thought out counter-attacking football. It provides the perfect antidote to teams that need goals to fuel their confidence.

However, the overriding evidence confirms that every kid bursting through the ranks in 2014 wants to be the next Lionel Messi, the next Cristiano Ronaldo. Very few want to be the next Franz Beckenbauer or the new Nemanja Vidic.

So while Wenger and Van Gaal are being questioned for their lack attention to their defensive line, both may end up ruing the reality that their extended careers continued into the era when top quality defending became a dying art.

Football's best central defenders

John Terry [Chelsea] - At the age of 33, Chelsea skipper Terry is a blast from the game's past, with his rugged attitude, fine reading of the game and never-say-die spirit carrying him to glories aplenty at Stamford Bridge.

Vincent Kompany [Manchester City] - Like Terry at Chelsea, Kompany has led the City charge towards title glory in recent years and his presence is most evident when he is absent. Warriors like this Belgian appear to be a dying breed.

Mats Hummels [Borussia Dortmund] - This German World Cup winner is not a flawless centre-back and is prone to mistakes, but his demeanor and refusal to give in to a challenge makes him one of the best in the world right now.

Gerard Pique [Barcelona] - It is fair to assume Pique would not have made a top ten list of defenders in the days when tackling power and leadership abilities were high on the agenda, but this is an example of the 2014 version of a centre-half. He starts as many attacks as he halts.

Raphael Varane [Real Madrid] - One of the rising stars of defending in the world game, Varane is a polished performer at the age of 21. There is more to come from him and he looks set to be a star for many years to come.

Thiago Silva [Paris Saint-Germain] - Evidence of Silva's brilliance was provided at the World Cup last summer as he was absent for the semifinal against Germany and David Luiz's shambolic display helped to ensure a 7-1 defeat for hosts Brazil. Silva is not perfect defensively, but he is fine a leader.

Who Wenger and Van Gaal could have bought

Eliaquim Mangala - This French international moved from Porto to Manchester City and his 32 million pound price tag was further evidence of the lack of defensive quality available in the transfer market.

Kostas Manolas - This Greek centre back was on Wenger's radar at Arsenal, but he opted to make the move to Roma instead. He is hardly a world-beater, but was the best of an average bunch that were available.

Ezequiel Garay - Long linked with a move to Manchester United, this defender moved to Zenit St Petersburg after ending his stay at Benfica. He could have been a decent option for any Premier League manager.

Mehdi Benatia - Bayern Munich moved quickly to snap up this Moroccan international in a deal with in excess of 20 million pounds. Again, his price tag was inflated by the lack of options in the transfer market.

Diego Godin - A star of the Atletico Madrid success story, they would have been very reluctant to sell this reliable Uruguayan. Yet a hefty offer from United may have persuaded the Spanish champions to do business.

SOCCER

In football, nothing settles arguments quite like results. When it comes to deciding the quality of managers, though, it can be more complex. Results can distort, not least for the fact coaches are working with different resources and from different starting points.

So, in order to try to work out the greatest manager in the game right now, ESPN FC opted to go back to the fundamentals. The key is in the job title: "managing" the resources available, and that was a fundamental factor as we looked at the past five years to determine this list.

These results, hopefully, are telling ...

1. Pep Guardiola

The real brilliance of Guardiola is that he didn't just change Barcelona. He changed football itself. You could sense something so different when his terrific team really began to find their stride, around September 2008. They blew so many opposition sides away, and thereby blew the game open.

His appointment marked one of those key junctures in football history, on exactly the same line as the rise of Johan Cruyff and Rinus Michels at Ajax in the late 1960s and Arrigo Sacchi's two European Cups with a magnificent AC Milan at the end of the 80s. Sacchi insisted as much himself. "Like my Milan," the Italian enthused at the very high point of Barcelona's spell of success between 2008 and 2012, "this team mark a 'before' and 'after' in world football."

It says even more than Sacchi that, from that point on, everyone had to adjust to Barca's approach. His possession-pressing game -- labelled "tiki-taka", a title Guardiola himself doesn't like -- rippled through the game more than anything since Sacchi's own abrasive approach. Either teams tried to replicate it or they had to adjust to it. It had an effect on everyone, but few could affect his Barca.

Unlike so many other innovators -- not least Sacchi himself -- Guardiola wasn't a manager who designed a tactic only to see someone else take it to new heights. He took it to its peaks, most notably the 2009 and 2011 Champions League final victories over Manchester United. Barca were as oppressively dominant in terms of silverware as they were on the pitch.

Since 2009, Pep Guardiola has won four league titles in two countries as well as two Champions Leagues and three domestic cups.

Yet, out of the nine major trophies he has won in five seasons, one question has persisted: how would he have done with a side that wasn't ready-made for success?

That is to almost miss the point. Guardiola hasn't just come into squads and facilitated victory. He's come in and taken teams to the most extreme levels possible, while displaying a defined influence. His one major career failure so far, in fact, was the consequence of those extremes. Bayern Munich won the Bundesliga ludicrously early last season, sapping the intensity and drive Guardiola so demands. It meant they were well off their best by the team Real Madrid levelled them 5-0 on aggregate in last season's Champions League semifinals.

That defeat illustrates how Guardiola is far from perfect. His purism often gets the better of him, as does his micromanagement. The true brilliance is that has brought him closer to perfection than anyone else.

2. Jose Mourinho

For all the controversy, all the theatrics and all the debate he creates, one thing about Jose Mourinho has always been clear: if he is in charge of a team, they will be genuinely challenging for trophies. It has been a constant of his career.

The Portuguese introduces a certain intensity, and that in turn ensures a baseline of ultra-competitiveness. Mourinho turns teams into proper contenders and, even after two years without a trophy right now, his Chelsea side are on the charge again. Like Guardiola, those who argue he has become little more than a chequebook manager almost miss the point. It is not that Mourinho needs money to win. It is that he has not yet had to drop down to the type of job at which money is an issue.

Since the supreme Champions League win with Porto in 2004, he has just kept going, through the 2010 treble with Internazionale to breaking Barcelona's dominance in Spain. Mourinho's high-end pragmatism makes him possibly the closest thing in the modern game to a guarantee since Sir Alex Ferguson. Those guarantees don't all involve controversy.

3. Diego Simeone

On the eve of the 2014 Champions League final, Atletico Madrid midfielder Tiago attempted to put Simeone's management into words. One stood out. "I think for us, for all the club," Tiago enthused, "he's like a god."

Simeone went extremely close to a modern football miracle, as Real Madrid equalised in the last minute of that final to go on and win 4-1 in extra time, but he still produced a feat of alchemy. The Argentine's Atletico side have defied the current economics of the sport, making a mockery of the resources available to Real and Barca with last season's title win. Simeone derives a remarkable devotion from his players, and that has produced astounding achievements. It has also produced teams who relentlessly reflect his tenacious personality. That is often said to be a hallmark of greats. Few display it better.

4. Jurgen Klopp

For all the great lines that Klopp has come out with, from those about liking "heavy metal" to how his side are "monsters of mentality," there's one that stands out. "The important thing is new ideas, not money," Klopp once said. "You always want to be the team that can beat the one with more money."

This is something that the German had made a habit of. He set the trend for the likes of Simeone and Brendan Rodgers in managing feats that were supposed to be way beyond their finances. Dortmund's successive titles between 2010 and 2012 were among the greatest achievements in the modern European game, as they levelled Bayern and so many other sides.

Mastermind or mad scientist? Jurgen Klopp seems to get the best out of his players when it really matters, but can go missing on games he should be winning.

But that is not all that sets Klopp apart. The common quality among such coaches is a leader's charisma, but Klopp has always offered something truly distinctive: a style of rampaging football somewhere between the purism of Guardiola and pragmatism of Mourinho. That has lately led his Dortmund to become stretched with so many injuries, but few should bet against Klopp again stretching expectations.

5. Louis van Gaal

It's remarkable to think that when it was first announced that Van Gaal would become Manchester United manager, there were considerable doubts over whether he was still at the forefront of the game. The 63-year-old then launched a moderate Dutch side to the World Cup semifinals, relaunched his legacy and reminded everyone he was still the coach who brought Ajax to the 1995 Champions League trophy and Bayern Munich to the 2010 final. Van Gaal remains one of the most astute tactical minds in the game, and a force of personality. He has pushed his way back to the top.

6. Manuel Pellegrini

Seemingly the calm at the eye of the storm, Manuel Pellegrini has been a steadying influence at Manchester City and a major reason they won last season's 2013-14 Premier League title.

The Chilean may have just won the first trophies of his career in Europe with the 2014 Premier League and League Cup, but they are far from his first feats. Pellegrini defied finance to produce brilliant football with Villarreal and then an asset-stripped Malaga, before then using cash superbly to produce some of the most sensational football ever seen in England at Manchester City. He may not seem to have the hard edge of other managers, but he still facilitates fantastic play.

7. Brendan Rodgers

A man at the forefront of a new breed of manager, defined by their positivity and technical excellence. These have also been the hallmarks of Rodgers' teams. They can rise to near unplayable levels through sheer technique. Consider, then, Rodgers' own rise. He got Swansea promoted and took them to a midtable finish their finances should have mitigated against before taking Liverpool to a title challenge that should have also been beyond them. The next step will be a challenge, but Rodgers has already risen to a few.

8. Antonio Conte

With three straight titles, Antonio Conte returned Juventus to Serie A glory, and that's almost all that needs to be said about him.

He's the coach who returned Juventus to glory by commonly reshaping their tactics and setting records along the way. His standout achievement was probably the 2011-12 unbeaten season, but there were so many it's hard to pick the best.

9. Rudi Garcia

The football dazzles, but the achievements should be considered in the same light. Garcia took Lille to a supreme Ligue 1 win that was almost France's equivalent of Borussia Dortmund, and already threatened to do the same with Roma. That side certainly look threatening in attack, as they have offered blistering football.

10. Roberto Martinez

It sums up much of the debate about the Spaniard that in the same week he sensationally won the 2013 FA Cup with Wigan Athletic, his club were finally relegated. However, that is the wrong way to look at it. It wasn't that Martinez sent Wigan down. It was that he had produced heroics to keep up for so long one of the least resourced clubs in the Premier League. Maximising resources led to Everton's best-ever points return in the Premier League, and indicates a bright future.

11. Carlo Ancelotti

Carlo Ancelotti has won European Cups with AC Milan (2003 and 2007) and Real Madrid (2014).

In 19 years of management, Ancelotti has won as many domestic titles as he has European titles. One of those stats is historic, the other is much more questionable. Overall, there is a clear contradiction to the Italian's career. He is better at navigating the nuances of fortune in knockout football rather than the deeper, more thorough nature of a league campaign. That means his career has peaks, but he himself has never quite been at the level of Guardiola or Mourinho.

12. Unai Emery

In winning the 2014 Europa League, Emery finally had the piece of silverware to prove his pedigree. The 42-year-old oversaw Valencia during one of the most difficult periods in the club's history, as they suffered from a raft of financial problems, but still competed against Spain's biggest sides with some technically excellent football. He is a manager to get excited about.

13. Joachim Low

As with Spain's Vicente del Bosque, Low illustrates one of the problems in judging coaches who are with teams so obviously better than the majority of their opposition: it's even more difficult to separate the squad's quality from managerial input. Low has made Germany so imposingly difficult to play against. In six years, there's barely been a slip or an error. Indeed, given that Spain were so clearly the best team in the world when defeating them in the 2010 World Cup semifinals, it could even be said that Low's only mistake in all that time was the Euro 2012 last-four defeat to Italy. 

MAGNIFICENT MANAGERS

- Delaney: Manager Power Rankings
- Rank 'em: Pick your order of managers
- FC TV's rankings reaction
- Delaney: Guardiola's greatest moments
- Okwonga: What makes a great manager?
- Smith: Manager familiarity is a problem

14. Marcelo Bielsa

One of the most influential coaches in the game, but it's not all theory with Bielsa, even if practice rarely makes perfect with him. The Argentine restored both Chile and Athletic Bilbao to prominence and showed that virtually any squad can play a vigorously attractive style. In guiding Marseille to the top of Ligue 1 this season, his legend has only grown.

15. Frank de Boer

Having starred for the club as a player, Frank de Boer has guided Ajax to four consecutive Dutch titles as manager.

The only surprise about De Boer's managerial career so far is that he hasn't yet followed so many of his former key players out of Ajax. It illustrates the promise of his management, however, that he still produces victories not just in the Eredivisie, but the Champions League too.

16. Vicente del Bosque

He was key to Spain becoming the first side to hold three major international trophies (2010 World Cup and European championships of 2008 and 2012), setting a certain tempo and regularly fine-tuning the team so they stayed at the top. He couldn't quite keep that up during the misery of the 2014 World Cup but there is an argument that the erosion of time made that inevitable. Del Bosque had been part of an achievement for the ages.

17. Cesare Prandelli

One of the keenest tactical minds in the game, he offered a keynote achievement in beating Germany with Italy to unexpectedly reach the final of Euro 2012. That tournament saw Prandelli repeatedly reshape his team, and it said much that it took a side as historically brilliant as Spain to stop their charge in the final..

18. Mauricio Pochettino

The Argentine hasn't yet lifted a trophy, but he has now lifted two separate teams -- Espanyol and Southampton -- to league positions and levels of football beyond their status. Having achieved with lower expectations, he must now guide Tottenham to the level they expect -- the Premier League top four -- based on the money that has been invested in the squad.

19. Arsene Wenger

After winning seven major trophies in his first nine years at Arsenal, Arsene Wenger has since collected just one.

In annually reaching the Champions League, the veteran continues to produce the minimum expected, which is something that so many others fail with and not to be scoffed at. The only issue is that he used to be about so much more. He used to strive to finish first. Arsenal now finish exactly where they are expected to. Financial gaps don't completely cover it. The great manager has entered an extended period of stagnation, but that has still meant standing strong.

20. Rafa Benitez

The Spaniard has almost been one of the greatest victims of Pep Guardiola's victories, given how the Catalan's tactical approach ensured Benitez became a little out of step with the game's most sophisticated football. That did not render him irrelevant, though; far from it. Few are better at setting up a solid team, as was emphasised by his 2012 Europa League win with Chelsea and the Italian Cup success last season at Napoli.

SOCCER

Sporting Lisbon have hit out at the Eric Dier camp after he completed his move to Tottenham yesterday.
Spurs announced on Thursday evening that they had reached an agreement with the Portuguese side, confirming that Dier would complete his move subject to a medical examination.
Sporting have since released a statement on their official website, and have slammed the actions of Dier's father and agent during contract negotiations.
"Sporting Clube de Portugal announces that during [July] the club started negotiations with Eric Dier over the renewal of his contract," read the statement.
"Unexpectedly, Sporting, SAD was confronted by the player's father and official representative with a bid from Tottenham Hotspur, with that bid activating a clause agreed by previous boards of directors for the sale of the player for an amount of €5million or more, unless the personal terms offered as part of the bid are matched.
"Due to the club's current salary policy, the respective balance within the squad and the on-going financial restructuring underway at the club, it was not possible to match the proposed terms.
"Furthermore, Sporting, SAD was also informed that the player did not want to remain with the club even on equal terms and that any equal or improved personal terms would not have been accepted.
"In light of the above, Sporting, SAD announces the complete sale of the economic rights of the player Eric Dier to Tottenham Hotspur for €5milion, without any future rights relative to the player.
"Despite the above mentioned events, Sporting, SAD wishes Eric Dier all the best in his career."

SOCCER

Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo will NOT rule out returning to Manchester United.
Ronaldo was interviewed after training by United legend Paddy Crerand on Friday night for the club’s TV channel MUTV.
Asked if he would ever like to come back to Old Trafford, Ronaldo said: "Well of course, it was one of my favourite clubs.
"Everyone knows that every time when I speak about Real Madrid I should speak about Manchester United.
"I loved it there, I was 18 years old, I win everything there, the people treat me like a god there so I appreciate and the future nobody knows…
"It’s crazy that they still sing my name.
"I remember when we played there against Manchester in the Champions League, they killed me, my heart was so happy, and fantastic moments and I appreciate this club, for me it’s one of the best clubs in the world and I have passion for this club.
"Of course I’m happy at Real Madrid. It’s my home, it’s my club but Manchester treat me unbelievable so we never know."

SOCCER

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger says Alexis Sanchez can become one of the biggest names on the planet.
The £30million signing from Barcelona is set to make his debut in the Emirates Cup this weekend and, in comparing Sanchez to his former Nou Camp team-mate Neymar, Wenger says the Chilean can become a global star in his own right.
"He’s a good finisher who made a great impression in Italy (with Udinese), I saw him there and he was really outstanding. And then at Barcelona it was a bit more difficult," said Wenger.
"But it’s like you could see with Neymar at Barcelona, because there you have Messi. You see Neymar with Brazil and Neymar with Barcelona and it’s not the same.
"I like the fact he can play left, right, up front and that’s why I went for him. But I took him because he is a player who has the qualities of Walcott, he goes behind the defenders off the ball.
"And with the quality of his runs he can be very important for us. Will he give us an extra dimension? Yes, I think so, and I hope I’m right."

SOCCER

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers has admitted his admiration for AC Milan striker Mario Balotelli.
Rodgers says he's a fan of the controversial Italy international, who has been heavily linked with a return to the Premier League this summer.
"Balotelli is a big talent," Rodgers said.
"I saw that in this time at Inter Milan as a young player and obviously going to Manchester City when we had a real close eye on him there.
"He's got all the qualities. He's 6ft 3ins, he's quick, his touch is terrific and he can score goals.
"He went back to Italy to play and he's still so young. If his focus is right, his concentration is right and he leads the lifestyle of a top player then he can play for any team in the world."

SOCCER

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers is still expecting to deal in the transfer market ahead of the deadline on September 1.
The Reds have already spent £89m on Adam Lallana, Dejan Lovren, Lazar Markovic, Emre Can, Divock Origi and Rickie Lambert, having sold striker Luis Suarez to Barcelona for £75m.
"We still have some positions that we want to fill within the squad so that by the end of August we have a strong group of players to go forward with," he said.
"We've still got some business to do. We've brought in specific players for specific roles, players that have the profile of how we work.
"A lot of the players that have come in, the transition has been very smooth and that should make the adjustment that bit easier.
"Of course some of them are young and coming to a different country, like Emre Can. That will take a little bit of time. The players are transitioning very well, though it will take a little bit of time."

SOCCER

Manchester United and Barcelona are chasing Borussia Dortmund contract rebel Marco Reus.
Reus has rejected a new contract offer from BVB, which included a buyout clause being hiked up to €35 million.
The Germany international's future now is up in the air and El Mundo Deportivo says United and Barcelona are circling.
Both European giants have asked Reus' camp to be kept informed of developments over the coming weeks.
Moving on from BVB has not been ruled out by Reus' agent.
“Marco would make any big European team stronger,” Dirk Hebel said earlier this week.
“That’s why it’s completely normal that a number of these major European teams are interested in signing him."

SOCCER

Chelsea have tabled a bid for Atletico Madrid defender Joao Miranda.
Marca says Chelsea are offering €25 million for the Brazil international. Miranda's buyout clause is set at €30 million.
Miranda is also interesting Barcelona and Manchester United.
But Atletico are refusing to do business for less than the defender's buyout clause.
Chelsea have taken of Thibaut Courtois, Filipe Luis and Diego Costa from Atletico's title winning team last season.

SOCCER

Newcastle boss Alan Pardew is keen to bring back QPR striker Loic Remy.
The France international was expected to complete an £8.5million move to Liverpool from Queens Park Rangers, but saw the deal collapse after undergoing a medical.
Pardew said in the Evening Chronicle: “I am surprised about what’s happening with Loic because I thought he was signing for Liverpool and that door was slammed shut.
“I didn’t expect that, and we certainly had no problem with Loic during his time with us.
“So we shall monitor it as we go along.”

SOCCER

Vanishing spray will be introduced in the Premier League next season following its success at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, reports BBC Sport.
Referees use the spray to indicate the position of free-kicks and the distance the defensive wall must retreat.
Chief executive Richard Scudamore, explained: "It was clear from watching the 2014 Fifa World Cup in Brazil that vanishing spray benefited referees, players, and all of those who watched the matches.
"Following consultation with our clubs and the Professional Game Match Officials Limited [the refereeing body], we have decided to introduce it in the Premier League and look forward to having it in place for the 2014-15 season."
The spray will not be used yet by the Football League, which intends to hold trials of its effectiveness in next season's Johnstone's Paint Trophy.

SOCCER

Ex-Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini admits he is keen to become coach of Italy.
Mancini left Galatasaray in June and is believed to be in contention to replace Cesare Prandelli, who stepped down after Italy's surprise first-round exit from the World Cup.
"I've always been patriotic, I never forget about Italy even when I've been working abroad," Mancini tells Il Giorno.
"Who doesn't dream about coaching their national team? I'd come running. The reality, however, is that for now, no one has called me."

SOCCER

Lazio's new centre-back, Holland international Stefan De Vrij, has denied Manchester United were ever in the hunt to sign him.
Speaking at his official unveiling, the 22 year old told a press conference: "I am very happy to be here in a big club and in a big city.
“Lazio were the only club that showed a real interest in me before the World Cup.
“After the World Cup, I evaluated other options but I received the best feelings from Lazio and I'm happy to be here.
“Several clubs contacted me, I don't think it's fair to say the names. I can say that Manchester United were not one of them.”

SOCCER

Chelsea have slapped a £30 million price-tag on Romelu Lukaku.
The Mirror says Lukaku will join up with Chelsea in Holland tomorrow after a £30million price-tag was put on his head.
Everton are desperate to land the Belgium star on a permanent deal after he scored 15 goals on loan at Goodison last term.
Lukaku, 21, also wants to make the switch for good.
But Chelsea are playing hardball and have made it clear he will only be allowed to leave if a buying club is prepared to meet their hefty asking price.

SOCCER

Inter Milan boss Walter Mazzarri is impressed by Manchester United in preseason.
United beat AS Roma 3-2 earlier this week.
Mazzarri said: “At this moment Manchester United seem unbeatable. They won their first game 7-0 against LA Galaxy and then got an easy enough victory over Roma, despite the late comeback.
“It will be a great test. We will go there to fight it out, then see what the result is at the end.
“I know Van Gaal and his methods. We will prepare on a tactical level first and foremost, then I’ll choose the line-up.
“Will I rotate the squad? I’ll talk to those who played against Real Madrid, but it shouldn’t be a problem.”

SOCCER

Southampton management are battling against a mass exodus of senior players.
While chairman Ralph Krueger insisted neither midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin nor England striker Jay Rodriguez will be leaving, Spurs are closing in on a £30million double-swoop.
The Mirror says defenders Nathaniel Clyne and Jose Fonte and midfielder Jack Cork are ready to follow Adam Lallana, Luke Shaw, Rickie Lambert, Dejan Lovren and Calum Chambers out of the door, putting further strain on new Saints boss Ronald Koeman.
Krueger insisted: "Schneiderlin and Rodriguez are part of the core that we have the intention of keeping at Southampton.
"They're not for sale and are part of the club entering the season, in and around the rest of the core players excited to build forward."

SOCCER

Aleksandar Kolarov admits he had plenty of offers to leave Manchester City this summer.
The Serbia fullback has signed a new deal with City.
"I have extended my contract and I'm staying here," Kolarov told Sky Italia. "I was associated with AS Roma, Inter Milan and Juventus, but instead I was about to sign with another Italian team.
"However, at this point I do not doubt I'll stay."
Kolarov is understood to have been talking about Fiorentina.

SOCCER

Dinamo Bucharest winger Dorin Rotariu is aware he's being scouted by Manchester United.
The 19 year-old has been a long-term target for United, but is also interesting PSV Eindhoven.
"I'm used to scouts looking at me, there were scouts from Manchester United in the stadium," said Rotariu after their friendly on Monday against Otelul Galati.
"I think the scouts see me more than my family."
"It's nice that there are clubs after me, that shows that I'm doing well," continued the attacker. "But I do not necessarily think about leaving.
"When you go abroad, you often need an adjustment period of six months or a year. This is important for a young player."

SOCCER

Everton have announced midfielder Ross Barkley has signed a four-year contract extension at Goodison Park.
The Toffees will be relieved to have secured Barkley's future after reports the promising youngster was attracting the interest of Europe's top clubs.
"It means everything. It's a dream playing for Everton. Today signing a new contract is a great thing for me. As soon as I got told about it I just knew I would sign a contract, said the 20 year old.
"I'm settled in at Everton, we have to push on now from here."
"Since the gaffer arrived he has helped me and all the young players a lot. He's great. He develops our all round game, talks to us every day," added the England international.
Boss Roberto Martinez was delighted with the deal. "It is a four-year deal which reflects his new role and his development. This is as big news as we could get.
"He is still a young man but as it stands he is a massive part of our squad. Ross Barkley is the type of player everyone wants to pay to see."

SOCCER

Southampton boss Ronald Koeman is interested in Sporting Lisbon defender Marcos Rojo.
Koeman likes Rojo's versatility, with the Argentina international comfortable at left-back and centre-half.
The Saints manager needs to find defensive cover after losing Luke Shaw to Manchester United, Calum Chambers to Arsenal and Dejan Lovren to Liverpool.
O Jogo says Southampton have opened talks with Sporting over a €15 million deal for Rojo.
Sporting are prepared to sell the World Cup veteran before the start of the season.