F.A. Premiership 2009/2010

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Five English Premier League clubs have been named by Lord Stevens in his final report into top-flight transfers.

Deals involving Chelsea, Newcastle, Bolton, Middlesbrough and Portsmouth have all been highlighted by the former Metropolitan Police commissioner in his final report to the Premier League.


The main focus of the report targets agents though some of the clubs are set to face further investigation from the Football Association.

Stevens has also expressed concern about 15 agents and third parties involved in some 17 transfers.

Stevens' report specifically lists concerns about two managers.

One is Sam Allardyce, and a conflict of interest with his former agent son Craig and Bolton Wanderers. Allardyce left Bolton close to the end of last season and is now the Newcastle manager.

The other is Graeme Souness, with Stevens reporting inconsistencies in evidence provided by the former Newcastle manager and Kenneth Shepherd, son of Magpies chairman Freddy Shepherd.

Of the 17 transfers, four relate to Newcastle signings (Emre Belozoglu, Jean Alain Boumsong, Amady Faye, Albert Luque), four to Bolton (Ali Al-Habsi, Tal Ben Haim, Blessing Kaku, Julio Correia), three to Chelsea (Didier Drogba, Petr Cech, Michael Essien), three to Portsmouth (Collins Mbesuma, Benjani Mwaruwari, Aliou Cisse) and two to Middlesbrough (Aiyegbeni Yakubu and Fabio Rochemback) while one transfer has not been disclosed.

"Many lessons have been learned and strict adherence to and enforcement of the recommendations should ensure that the game and the transfer market can proceed in an untainted and transparent manner," Lord Stevens said in a statement.

The Premier League will now send the findings to the FA and FIFA.

"Following the final report of the Premier League's Quest Inquiry, the FA will give full consideration to its contents and the documentation that is due to be passed on by the Premier League and Quest," an FA spokesman said.

"The FA has provided full co-operation and support to the Premier League and Quest and will now go through their information as part of our governance and regulation process. This will determine what action is required."

Sports minister Richard Caborn said he was pleased that all the clubs had co-operated with the inquiry.

"I welcome the transparent approach taken by the Premier League in publishing these findings today," he said. "While it's pleasing to hear that all clubs and officials have co operated fully with the Steven's inquiry, I am deeply concerned that some agents haven't. They should do so immediately.

"It's now for the FA and FIFA to pursue these agents vigorously and they will have my support every step of the way. The role of agents in football will always be controversial and that's why they need proper regulation at national, European and international level."

[abadani69]

Chelsea and Newcastle were among five Premier League teams identified for alleged irregularities in soccer transfers.

Bolton, Middlesbrough and Portsmouth also were cited in the report by former London police chief John Stevens. He called on the English Football Association and world governing body FIFA to investigate the conduct of certain agents.

Stevens spent two years examining 362 deals following media allegations that managers, players or agents had been taking kickbacks from transfers. He said Friday there was no evidence of irregular payments to any club officials or players, but listed 17 transfers that may have broken Premier League or FA rules.

Stevens cited four deals related to Newcastle signings (Emre Belozoglu, Jean Alain Boumsong, Amady Faye, Albert Luque), four to Bolton (Ali Al-Habsi, Tal Ben Haim, Blessing Kaku, Julio Correia), three to Chelsea (Didier Drogba, Petr Cech, Michael Essien), three to Portsmouth (Collins Mbesuma, Benjani Mwaruwari, Aliou Cisse) and two to Middlesbrough (Aiyegbeni Yakubu and Fabio Rochemback).

"If further information is obtained by the relevant authorities the precise position may alter," Stevens said. "We would urge those individuals named (in the report) to now fully co-operate in order to assist with resolving all matters."

The Premier League and the FA accepted partial responsibility, saying they did not exercise "effective checking and verification systems" in the transfer process.

However, the Premier League said it did not excuse the "prevalence of slack administration and lack of understanding of complex rules by some clubs."

[abadani69]

"اسون گوران اريكسون" سرمربي سابق تيم ملي فوتبال انگليس ممكن است در صورت خريد باشگاه منچسترسيتي توسط "تاكسين شيناواترا" نخست وزير مخلوع تايلند، هدايت اين تيم را بر عهده بگيرد.

به گزارش خبرگزاري آسوشيتدپرس از منچستر، اين در حاليست كه خبر ورود اريكسون هواداران منچسترسيتي را زياد خوشحال نخواهد كرد.

ائتلاف هواداران منچسترسيتي در اين*باره اعلام كرد: ۷۰درصد هواداران اين باشگاه مخالف اريكسون هستند. او ركورد خوبي در سطح باشگاهي دارد اما نمي*توان اشتباهات وي را در تيم ملي انگليس ناديده گرفت. همچنين بايد پرسيد كه آيا او هنوز مي*تواند در سطح باشگاهي همانند گذشته باشد يا خير چون چندين سال از آخرين مربيگري او در يك باشگاه گذشته است.

اريكسون قبل از مربيگري تيم ملي انگليس، چندين باشگاه به خصوص گوتنبرگ، بنفيكا، سمپدوريا و لاتزيو را به قهرماني در مسابقات خانگي و اروپايي رساند.

وي تيم ملي انگليس را دو بار راهي جام جهاني كرد و يكبار هم اين تيم را تا مرحله يك چهارم نهايي قهرماني اروپا پيش برد اما هرگز نتوانست در نيمه نهايي حضور پيدا كند.

اريكسون پس از جام جهاني سال گذشته، از مربيگري تيم ملي انگليس كناره*گيري كرد و از آن زمان به بعد به دنبال يك تيم جديد است.

"استوارت پيرس" سرمربي منچسترسيتي در پايان فصل گذشته از سمت خود بركنار شد در حاليكه مسابقات فصل آينده نيز از يازدهم آوريل آغاز خواهد شد.

تاكسين كه در ماه سپتامبر پس از كودتا در تايلند از سمت خود بركنار شد، در حال مذاكره با منچسترسيتي در مورد خريد اين باشگاه است اما اين موضوع پس از اينكه يك هيات مبارزه با فساد تايلند دستور داد، بيش از ۱/۲ ميليارد يورو از دارايي*هاي تاكسين و همسرش به منظور بررسي مشروعيت آن، توقيف شود، بي*نتيجه مانده است.

بنابراين گزارش، پيش از اين خبرهايي نيز در مورد احتمال انتخاب "كلاديو رانيه*ري" سرمربي سابق چلسي كه به يوونتوس رفته، منتشر شده بود.

بر اساس اين گزارش*ها، "خوآنده راموس" سرمربي تيم سويا قهرمان جام يوفا و "جرارد هوليه" كه قهرمان فرانسه يعني ليون را ترك كرده است، از ديگر گزينه*هاي مربيگري منچسترسيتي هستند.

از زمان آخرين قهرماني مهم منچسترسيتي در سال ، ۱۹۷۶همسايه اين تيم يعني منچستريونايتد به ۹عنوان قهرماني در ليگ برتر، هشت قهرماني در جام حذفي باشگاه*هاي انگليس و يك قهرماني در ليگ باشگاه*هاي اروپا دست يافته است.

تيم منچسترستي معمولا در حضور بيش از ۴۰هزار تماشاگر در ورزشگاه شهر منچستر بازي مي*كند اما هواداران اين تيم از ناكامي*هاي آن در رقابت با منچستريونايتد، چلسي، ليورپول و آرسنال براي كسب عناوين قهرماني خسته شده*اند.

منچسترسيتي فصل گذشته با ۴امتياز فاصله تا سقوط، در مكان چهاردهم ليگ برتر قرار گرفت.

[abadani69]

Former England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson could be appointed as Manchester City manager this week following a takeover bid by the ousted Thailand Premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

Shinawatra has tabled an 81.6 million-pound ($163.1 million) takeover bid for the Premier League club with the backing of its board.

Seymour Pierce Investment Bank executive chairman Keith Harris, who is brokering the deal for Thaksin, told BBC radio on Sunday the Premier League club was anxious to attract a high-quality replacement for Stuart Pearce, who was sacked last month.

"As we have said Sven-Goran Eriksson is on that list," he said. "There are talks going on with others as well.

"But the important thing, frankly, is that a good quality manager is chosen and that a manager who wants the job takes the job in the next couple of days."

Asked if he thought Eriksson would be that manager, Harris replied: "There's a fair chance.

"There's been a huge amount of publicity surrounding him, some good some not so good. I think the important thing is in the research that I've done and people that I have talked to... what they all say absolutely to a man is that his respect among English players is very high. They all hold him in high regard."

Swede Eriksson, 59, resigned as England coach after his team lost to Portugal in the World Cup quarter-finals last year.

Although it was the third successive time that England had reached the quarter-finals of a major tournament under Eriksson he had come under increasing fire from his critics who labelled him inflexible and tactically limited.

His record at club level, though, is impressive and he is the only coach to claim league and Cup doubles in three countries -- Italy, Portugal and Sweden.

[donsaeid]

بازيكن فرانسوي در آستانه جدايي از چلسي

پورتسموت خواهان حضور ماكله له شد


بازيكن فرانسوي تيم فوتبال چلسي انگليس از تيم پورتسموث پيشنهاد بازي دريافت كرد.



به نقل از سايت اخبار فوتبال جهان، كلود ماكله له كه يك فصل ديگر با تيم چلسي قرارداد دارد،* از سوي مسئولان تيم پورتسموت انگليس نيز پيشنهاد بازي دريافت كرد.

اين در حالي است كه وي از ابتداي فصل نقل و انتقالات با پيشنهاد از سوي تيم هاي ويا رئال اسپانيا و پاري سن ژرمن فرانسه روبرو شده است.

ماكله له كه براي ترك چلسي از خود تمايل زيادي نشان مي دهد، *اظهار داشت پيشنهاد تيم پورتسموت را بررسي مي كند.

وي به دليل اختلافات با خوزه مورينيو،* مربي پرتغالي چلسي،* مايل به ترك اين تيم لندني اس

[abadani69]

Fernando Torres completed his $40 million transfer to English Premier League powerhouse Liverpool from Atletico Madrid on Wednesday.

The 23-year-old believes Liverpool's Spanish influence will help him hit the ground running.

Torres has signed a six-year contract, but the size of the fee will immediately put him under pressure to perform.

He will play alongside in the same lineup as fellow Spaniards Jose Reina and Xabi Alonso.

"Hopefully I can settle as quickly as possible," said Torres. "It will be a help that there are so many Spanish speakers here, including the manager (Rafael Benitez). I'll be able to understand them from the word go, and let's hope the settling-in period is as short as possible.

"I don't see it as a pressure. It's a good responsibility. I just hope I can do well over a good number of years. I hope I can repay the confidence they've shown in me."

While many players claim to have followed their new club all their lives, there is no doubt Torres is a Liverpool fan.

His friends sport Liverpool tattoos and he was pictured wearing an armband with 'We will never walk alone' - Liverpool's anthem - on it. He said: "A group of my mates and I are all Liverpool fans and we have been for some years. A few years back, my friends got tattoos on their arms, but as a soccer player, I couldn't really do that.

"On my last birthday they gave me an armband with 'We'll never walk alone' on it. This club is capable of winning the Premiership and other trophies as they have proved in the past. We will be fighting on all fronts this year."

Boss Benitez was impressed by Torres' desire to move to Anfield.

He said: "There is the anecdote with the armband, and he was talking with some of his teammates in the national team. "He said 'OK, if I leave Atletico Madrid I would like to go to Liverpool.'"

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Sheffield United is contemplating a fight to the bitter end against the English Premier League after taking its case to the British High Court.

The Premier League has received documents from the High Court informing it that the Blades are appealing against an arbitration panel's decision to dismiss their claims over the Carlos Tevez affair.

The club is claiming the panel made an "error in law" by not ordering that a new disciplinary commission deal with West Ham for breaching league rules when it signed Tevez.

A source close to Sheffield United insisted on Wednesday afternoon that the club had not yet lodged a formal appeal but were speaking to a High Court judge to see if such a move was permissible.

The Premier League, who are confident any further legal action against them will also fail, insist the appeal process has already started.

A Premier League spokesman said in a statement: "Our legal team inform us that this is a very narrow window of appeal where Sheffield United are claiming that the arbitration panel under Sir Philip Otton made an error in law by failing to send back the original decision to the independent disciplinary commission for reconsideration.

"It is a matter of record that the Premier League has acted at all times in accordance with our rule book and procedures, as such we expect this matter to be expedited as quickly as possible and, again, we will not be altering any plans for next season."

A Sheffield United source insisted that the club may not pursue an appeal.

The source told PA SportsTicker: "We have applied to find out if we can lodge an appeal through the civil courts. This involves speaking to a judge and is a technical process.

"We may lodge an appeal as a result but we may not. We are still going through the process."

Sheffield United, which was relegated from the top flight on the last day of last season, believes the Hammers should have been docked points for breaching league rules on third-party agreements.

The latest move comes after the arbitration panel dismissed the Blades' claim - but at the same time said West Ham should have been docked points.

The three-man tribunal refused to order a new disciplinary hearing however because they said the original decision to fine the Hammers $11 million could not be judged "perverse or irrational".

Sheffield United, which will lose revenues of around $50 million through relegation, also lost another claim - made jointly with Fulham - that the Premier League should have forced West Ham to deregister Tevez before the crucial last three matches of the season.

West Ham breached Premier League regulations by including third-party agreements when it signed Tevez and Javier Mascherano last summer, and as a punishment it was fined in April by an independent commission.

The wording of the tribunal's ruling made it clear West Ham was fortunate to still be in the Premier League.

The ruling stated: "We have much sympathy for Sheffield United's grievances arising from the decision and the manner it was arrived at. We go so far to say that this tribunal would in all probability have reached a different conclusion and deducted points from West Ham.

"We would for example have given much more weight to the deliberate deceit by West Ham officials which concealed the existence of the third-party arrangements."

It added: "However it was impossible for this tribunal to find that the decision was irrational or perverse."

[abadani69]

English Premier League side Manchester City will unveil former England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson as its new manager on Thursday.

Eriksson, who left the England job after the World Cup in Germany in 2006, was at the club's training complex on Wednesday, where he consulted with the scouting department over possible new signings.

West Ham midfielder Yossi Benayoun and Middlesbrough striker Ayegbeni Yakubu are believed to be targets.

The pair could cost Premiership strugglers City $24 million.

Eriksson is likely to have around $100 million to spend from the new owner, former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

The delay in the 59-year-old Eriksson's appointment is due to Thaksin wanting to buy 75 percent of the club's 55 million shares. If he achieves that, he can delist City from the British Stock Exchange.

Eriksson jetted into Manchester on Tuesday night and is expected to complete the formalities of his three-year contract - worth $5 million a year - shortly.

[abadani69]

"كريستيانو رونالدو" ستاره فوتبال پرتغال، تاكيد دارد خودنمايي نمي*كند و عاشق توپ زدن است و با اين شيوه بزرگ شده است.

به گزارش سايت گل، بازيكن تيم منچستريونايتد انگليس در مقدمه*اي كه براي كتاب "لحظات" نوشته، دروغ*هايي را كه در مورد مهارت*هاي سحرآميز وي گفته مي*شود، توضيح داده و در برابر اظهار نظرها در مورد خودنمايي وي، از خود دفاع كرده است.

وي گفته است، از زماني كه در خيابانها بازي مي*كردم به بازي با توپ عادت داشتم و اين كار را در تمام مدت تمرين ادامه داده و هنوز اين كار را انجام مي*دهم و اين كار را ادامه خواهم داد. اين رونالدوي واقعي است.

وي گفت: معتقدم وقتي مردم مرا در حال بازي كردن با توپ در زمين مسابقه قبل از تمرين مي*بينند، ممكن است فكر كنند اين چيزي جز خودنمايي و يا فريب ديگران نيست. اگر اينگونه فكر مي*كنيد، در اشتباهند چون من اين كار را بطور طبيعي و از روي غريزه انجام مي*دهم.

رونالدو افزود: پيش از مسابقات باشگاهي و يا تيم ملي پرتغال، هميشه اين كار را انجام مي*دهم. در رختكن، بازي با توپ را شروع مي*كنم و زماني كه منتظر شروع تمرينات فيزيكي هستيم، مهارت*هاي شخصي خود را تمرين مي*كنم.

وي با اشاره به اينكه فقط براي لذت بردن با توپ بازي مي*كند، تاكيد كرد پايان دادن به اضطراب پيش از مسابقه، دليل ديگر وي براي بازي با توپ است.

به گفته وي، با اين كار ضمن ايجاد انگيزه، فشار پيش از مسابقات را كم مي*كند و به خود آرامش مي*دهد.

[abadani69]

Tottenham has announced the signing of France Under-21 defender Younes Kaboul from Auxerre.

Spurs fought off competition elsewhere in Europe to sign the 21-year-old, who was rated at around $16.1 million.

The signing takes the club's expenditure to over $60.5 million following the arrivals of Gareth Bale and Darren Bent at White Hart Lane so far this summer.

"Younes possesses power, great pace and is good on the ball and strong in the air," said sporting director Damien Comolli.

"He is a good leader who showed a great desire to come to us despite interest and offers from numerous other clubs."

Kaboul is a center-back who will compete with Michael Dawson and Ledley King for a place in the starting XI, with skipper King currently recovering from knee surgery and facing a race to be fit for the new season.

King's injuries last season led to Dawson playing in all but one of Spurs games in the last campaign, leading to Comolli starting the search for cover.

"From day one he said 'I want to play for Spurs' and his personality made a big impression on Martin and myself," added Comolli. "He has been a regular in the Auxerre first team for the past two seasons and is an excellent signing."

The transfer maintains Spurs' policy of signing young talent.

"If you ask people in France who is seen as the hottest prospect in defense, they will say Younes Kaboul," Boss Martin Jol said.

"We are very happy to have him on board. It's important to have quality players in defence and, with Younes, we have that."

[abadani69]

English Premier League powerhouse Arsenal on Thursday described claims that Real Madrid had held talks with its manager Arsene Wenger as "completely untrue".

Madrid president Ramon Calderon suggested the club had spoken with Wenger after coach Fabio Capello was sacked.

A spokesperson for Arsenal told PA SportsTicker: "It is completely untrue. Arsene Wenger has not had talks with Real Madrid and is committed to Arsenal Football Club."

Madrid is set to appoint a new coach next week following the Italian's dismissal shortly after guiding the team to the Primera Liga title.

Calderon claimed on the club's official website - www.realmadrid.com - that Wenger was among the managers they had spoken to about replacing Capello.

Calderon said: "Once we decided that Capello would not continue, [Madrid sporting director Predrag] Mijatovic underwent talks with Bernd Schuster, Ronald Koeman, Michael Laudrup and Wenger."

Wenger's future has been the subject of intense speculation since the departure of long-term boardroom friend David Dein and, more recently, star striker Thierry Henry to Barcelona.

But it is Schuster - currently with Getafe - who is in pole position.

"Schuster has told us he has solved his situation with Getafe," said Calderon. "I am not sure if on Monday he will be at Real Madrid. He has always been among the three or four coaches with whom we have spoken.

"It appears logical that he will be the next coach."

[abadani69]

The English Premier League will block Carlos Tevez's expected move to champions Manchester United unless it is satisfied the transfer fee will go to West Ham.

The league accepted in April that Premiership strugglers West Ham had terminated all agreements with Tevez's agent, Kia Joorabchian - and will keep an eye on any transfer to ensure the club keeps it promise.

A Premier League spokesman said: "As far as we are concerned any deal to take Carlos Tevez away from West Ham has to be done directly with the club."

The league's stance means that the Argentina striker's proposed move to the Red Devils is far from sealed, even if it has agreed a deal in principle with the player's representatives.

One possible avenue would be for West Ham to be paid a transfer fee and then agree a compensation figure with Joorabchian for breaching contracts with his company, Media Sports Investments, when it terminated those agreements following its $11 million fine in April for breaching Premier League rules.

It is understood, though, that the league would want a substantial chunk of the transfer fee to remain at West Ham rather than it all be handed over to MSI in compensation.

The details of a deal for the 23-year-old are still unclear because any attempt to sign him on some kind of loan arrangement would be fraught with problems.

The player is still under contract for three more years with West Ham.

Tevez, who is in Venezuela with Argentina for the Copa America campaign, has been linked to several clubs in England.

He told Argentina newspaper Clarin: "As far as I am aware, I have not received any official offers. Once an offer arrives then we will see. But the fact that Real Madrid, Internazionale (Inter Milan) and Manchester United are interested in me makes me proud."

[abadani69]

So who does own Carlos Tevez?

While Manchester United bids to push through a deal to hire the talented Argentina striker, it's far from clear if the Red Devils are negotiating with the right people.

According to the Premier League, his registration is held by West Ham. Kia Joorabchian, an Anglo-Iranian businessman who set up Tevez's move to the Hammers from Brazilian club Corinthians, believes he still holds the contract.

While this sounds like a nitpicking piece of soccer business, it's a major headache for the parties involved, and it could have far reaching consequences in the English game.

The fact that Tevez's contract was owned by a third party led to a huge fine for West Ham for breaking Premier League rules. Its relegation rivals were furious that the Hammers weren't docked points and, when they survived on the last day of the season with Tevez scoring the goal that kept them up, there was outrage, especially from the team that went down instead.

Sheffield United is taking its legal battle to the High Court while the Tevez contract tangle remains unresolved. Manchester United doesn't yet know for sure whether the striker will be lining up at Old Trafford next season and doesn't want to take any chances.

"The essential parts have been agreed and we're just hoping to finalize it soon," manager Alex Ferguson said Monday. "I thought it would be done by the weekend, but there has been a delay.

"I'm sure the outcome will be we will take him with complete clarity with the deal without suspicions or anything dodgy about it. There is no way we can be involved in anything that's underhand."

Tevez, in Venezuela with the Argentina national side for the Copa America, for the first time on Monday confirmed discussions between his representatives and Manchester United.

"There has been some contact," he said while signing autographs after a training session in Barquisimeto, where La Albiceleste is preparing for its Wednesday semifinal against Mexico.

United has every reason to leave it to the lawyers, possibly because they may have been talking to the wrong people. If Manchester United, one of the biggest and most famous clubs in the game, fields a player it is not entitled to have, then the Premier League will be forced to take action against its defending champion.

But the Premier League is also in a tight corner.

It backed the findings of the independent panel that only fined West Ham and also has said publicly that it now believed the Hammers to hold Tevez's registration. If Tevez moves to United, however, Joorabchian will likely demand that the payment goes to him and, if he wins that argument, the Premier League will be embarrassed again.

West Ham, Joorabchian and the Premier League all seem terrified to say anything on the record about the situation while Sheffield United -- not a party to the Tevez contract dispute -- is the team being relegated.

Blades chairman Kevin McCabe said the circumstances behind the proposed Tevez deal with Manchester United strengthens his club's argument that it was right all along and will argue the point when it appears before the High Court on Friday.

"If I understand correctly, the deal would involve a type of loan over two years with something like 3 million pounds payable per year," McCabe said. "Nobody can say, when you are talking about such a significant sum of money, that it isn't a transfer fee. It would go to show what we have believed all along if some of that money, or option payments, goes back to a third party."

When Tevez arrived in English soccer last September, he was a welcome addition to a league which has been attracting more and more big stars.

After going 19 games without a goal for the Hammers, he scored seven by the end of the season, including a game winner in the 1-0 victory at Manchester United to make sure West Ham stayed up.

His next goal could be for -- rather than against -- Manchester United when the season opens Aug. 4.

Whether his contract conflict has been decided by then is another matter altogether.

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Owen Hargreaves has acknowledged the debt of gratitude he owes to former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson. At a time when many pundits argued Hargreaves should be nowhere near the England squad, Eriksson stuck by him.

The 26-year-old responded with performances of increasing maturity, culminating in his 2006 World Cup campaign when the midfielder was virtually England's only stand-out performer.

It could be argued Hargreaves owes his $36 million move to Manchester United to Eriksson's loyalty, so it is ironic his former national boss is now in charge at Manchester City.

Eriksson left the England job after the World Cup.

Their first faceoff will come when City play the Red Devils on August 19.

"Sven is a fantastic manager," Hargreaves said. "I appreciated his support of me when, at times, other people possibly didn't agree. He believed in me and he showed faith in me and I tried to repay that back at the World Cup.

"But City and United are two very different clubs and so are their ambitions. Sven has great potential there and I wish him all the best, but United are in a league of their own and I am focused on getting us clear of the pack early on."

Hargreaves has had to show plenty of patience to get his move to United.

The Calgary-born star was desperately disappointed when Red Devils boss Sir Alex Ferguson's initial approach floundered 12 months ago.

A broken leg sustained on club duty with his then club, Bayern Munich, shortly afterwards scuppered any real hope of Hargreaves moving in January.

However, once the Bundesliga season came to its end - and Bayern missed out on a Champions League place - it was virtually automatic Hargreaves would end his 10-year association with the German giants.

"It was a long, drawn-out situation," he said. "But a club like Bayern Munich is not accustomed to selling players and they had already seen Michael Ballack and Ze Roberto leave on free transfers, so they did not want to sell me.

"But I made my intentions clear and I am glad they went through with the transfer this summer."

Hargreaves already knows he is expected to bring a destructive element to the United midfield next season, offering Ferguson's defense added protection, while allowing the Red Devils' attacking stars the opportunity to exhibit their skills.

It is a role he is happy enough to take on and is confident the transition from German soccer to England - where Hargreaves' mother was born but he has never played - will be comfortable.

"The Premier League is a unique because it is played at such a high pace," Hargreaves said. "The fans like to see teams get forward and play attacking football, which is great. Hopefully, I can adapt as quickly as possible.

"I think my style will suit the Premier League. Training has been brilliant and, so far, the transition has been rather smooth."

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Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is confident $60 million target Carlos Tevez will eventually end up at the English Premier League champions.

Tevez is at the centre of a transfer wrangle with present club, West Ham, and the Premier League refusing to sanction a move to the Red Devils even though terms have been agreed with the player's agent, Kia Joorabchian.

Having allowed Tevez to play only in the final three games of last season because a so-called 'third-party agreement' between West Ham and Joorabchian had been ripped up, the Premier League is anxious the Hammers should be the main financial beneficiaries of any move.

However, Joorabchian is adamant Tevez remains his property and any financial windfall should come to him.

United legal expert Maurice Watkins has been left to find a solution to the impasse, with the Old Trafford club anxious to push through a deal quickly.

Sources close to the Red Devils are confident a compromise can be reached by the time Tevez's current commitments with Argentina at the Copa America are concluded at the weekend.

Ferguson is certain the 23-year-old former Corinthians star will finally join his squad.

"I am sure the outcome will be that we will be taking him," Ferguson said. "I thought it was going to be done by last weekend. Everything seemed perfectly okay, so the hold-up must be with the Premier League."

The matter could yet end up in the courts, or require the involvement of FIFA, the game's governing body.

Ferguson insists United will not submit to anything 'underhand'.

"The essential thing for us is that everything is agreed," Ferguson said. "We want complete clarity in the deal, with no suspicions or anything dodgy. There is no way we will be involved in anything underhand."