The Best Ever Loan Deals in Football History!

With the January transfer window just two weeks away it is a time for Clubs to take the opportunity to sign new players and release others as they bid to a fulfil the dream of a successful season or in some cases to help save their season!

Loan signings are rife in football these days, but who are some of the best short-term captures of all time?

Romelu Lukaku – Chelsea to West Brom (2012-13) and Chelsea to Everton (2013-14)

The Belgium striker was loaned out to West Bromwich Albion in August 2012 and scored his first league goal eight days later, coming on as a substitute in the 77th minute in a 3–0 win against Liverpool. He scored 17 goals in 38 appearances, in all competitions, and was a major reason for The Baggies excellent Premier League campaign.

Despite being loaned out by the club, Lukaku outscored all of his Chelsea teammates in the Premier League that season, finishing as the sixth-highest goal scorer of the 2012–13 campaign.

Lukaku returned to Chelsea, but on the final day of the 2013 Summer transfer window Chelsea loaned him out again, this time to Everton on a season-long loan. The striker made his debut for the Toffees away to West Ham United on 21 September 2013, scoring the winning goal in a 3–2 victory for Everton.

His final (on loan) goal for the club came on the last day of the 2013-14 season in a 2–0 win over Hull City. Lukaku found the net 15 times in 31 league games to help Everton to fifth place with a club record of 72 Premier League points.

On 30 July 2014, Everton announced that Lukaku had signed a five-year permanent deal with the club, for a record fee of £28 million.


Jimmy Glass - Swindon Town to Carlisle United (1999)

Jimmy Glass joined Carlisle from Swindon towards the end of the 1998/99 season, after a goalkeeper crisis struck the club, with the Surrey born stopper going on to play just three league games while on loan with the Cumbrian club.

His moment of fame came on 8 May 1999, in the final match of the 1998–99 season against Plymouth Argyle, which Carlisle needed to win to avoid relegation to the Conference. With the score 1–1 and with just seconds remaining, Carlisle won a corner. Glass came up from his own penalty area and promptly scored a dramatic last gasp volleyed winner.

Carlisle got the win they needed and Scarborough were relegated to the Football Conference instead after a 1–1 draw with Peterborough. Scarborough's match had already finished before Glass scored, and their fans had already been celebrating on the pitch at the McCain Stadium.

However, despite that vital last-minute strike to keep the Cumbrian side in the Football League and making Glass a Carlisle legend overnight, he never played again for the club.

Beyond the Carlisle goal, Glass's most notable time with any club was three seasons playing for Bournemouth from 1996–1998. Bournemouth was the only Football League club for whom Glass was a regular member of the first team and he retired from football in 2001 aged 27.

Thibaut Courtois - Chelsea to Atletico Madrid (2011-2014)

Within weeks of joining Chelsea in July 2011 Courtois was loaned out to Atlético Madrid, where he went on to make 154 appearances in all competitions and won four major trophies during his spell there in what was a remarkable journey from a young prospect to now arguably one of the best goalkeepers in the world.

It’s safe to say Courtois' three-year spell with Atlético ranks as one of the best loan signings in recent time.

La Liga (2013-14), Copa del Rey (2012-13), Europa League (2011-12) and UEFA Super Cup (2012) crowns were all won during his time in the Spanish capital and it could well have ended in even greater success had Atlético held on against rivals Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League Final last season.

Ironically his UEFA Super Cup win in 2012 with Atlético was against his parent club Chelsea as the Madrid based outfit defeated The Blues 4–1 in the Final held in Monaco.


Daniel Sturridge - Chelsea to Bolton Wanderers (2011)

Sturridge moved to Bolton on a six-month loan deal in January 2011, after struggling to win a starting berth up front at Stamford Bridge. He made his debut two days later, making an immediate impact by coming off the bench to score an injury-time winner on his debut against Wolves, the first of four goals in his first four games for the club, the others coming against Tottenham, Everton and Newcastle.

The on-loan Chelsea forward continued to make an impact at Bolton and finished his loan spell with eight goals in 12 Premier League appearances at the club.


Jermain Defoe – West Ham to Bournemouth (2000-2001)

London born Jermain Defoe was a member of the West Ham United under-19 team that won the Premier Academy League title in 1999–00, and went on to make his first-team debut for The Hammers in a League Cup game against Walsall in September 2000, scoring the only goal in a 1–0 win.

However the West Ham United manager at the time, Harry Redknapp decided to send 18-year-old Defoe out on loan to then second division club AFC Bournemouth, to gain some regular first-team football.

During his time on the south coast the striker scored in 10 consecutive league games, as well as finding the net on both his FA Cup and Football League Trophy debuts for The Cherries.

In total, Defoe bagged an impressive 18 goals in just 27 games for Bournemouth before heading back to Upton Park at the end of the campaign.


Robbie Keane – Tottenham to Celtic (2010)

Despite failing to win a trophy during his time at Parkhead, lifelong Celtic fan Keane certainly enjoyed his stay at the club.

The Republic of Ireland’s all-time top goalscorer and most capped international had a superb spell at the Scottish giants in 2010.

On 1 February 2010, Keane signed for Celtic in a loan deal until the end of the 2009–10 season, having fallen out of favour at White Hart Lane. He made his debut on 2 February at Rugby Park against Kilmarnock. Robbie Keane scored 16 goals in just 19 games for the club and, despite the fact he only played between February and May, he was awarded the club’s Player of the Year award for the 2009-10 season.


Ronnie Rosenthal - Standard Liege to Liverpool (1990)

Israel born Ronnie Rosenthal arrived at Anfield from Standard Liège on 22 March 1990 in a deal until the end of that season, with Liverpool trailing Aston Villa in the title race at the time.

However, it did not take the relatively unknown forward long to make a mark in England, with Rosenthal scoring a hat-trick on his full debut three weeks later, in a 4-0 win against Charlton Athletic at Selhurst Park.

And the Israel international’s 7 goals in the final 8 league matches of the season, displacing Peter Beardsley as Ian Rush's strike partner in the process, were crucial in Kenny Dalglish’s side going on to win that season’s First Division Championship, still the club’s last top-flight crown.

On 29 June 1990 Rosenthal was signed permanently by Liverpool for a fee of £1.1m making him the first foreign player bought by an English club for more than £1million.


Henrik Larsson - Helsingborg IF to Manchester United (2007)

The Sweden and Celtic legend was 35 when he made the shock loan move to Old Trafford back in 2007. With Sir Alex Ferguson short on strikers, he signed Larsson on 1 January until 12 March 2007 during the Swedish League's off season. He scored three goals in his 13 appearances, including one on his debut in the FA Cup against Aston Villa.

Although that may not sound like a particularly impressive goal return, it was his overall professionalism and team ethic that had an effect on the side. United went on to win their first Premier League title in four years, and Larsson played his part. He had not played the required quota of 10 league games to qualify for a Premier League winners medal, but he was granted special dispensation by the Premier League after the club requested an extra medal for the striker.

Larsson is currently the manager of his former Allsvenskan club Helsingborgs IF.


Kevin Campbell - Trabzonspor to Everton (1999)

Everton, who were battling against relegation from the Premier League, signed Campbell on loan in March 1999 from Turkish side Trabzonspor. His impact on the side was immediate as he scored 9 goals in 8 games, making him Everton's top goalscorer that season as Walter Smith’s side avoided the drop.

Campbell became the first-ever loanee in Premier League history to be awarded the Player of the Month award after scoring six times in five matches in April 1999.

Campbell's move to Everton was made permanent in the summer of 1999 for a fee of £3million


Andrés D'Alessandro - Vfl Wolfsburg to Portsmouth (2006)

In January 2006, Vfl Wolfsburg's €9 million club record signing Andres D'Alessandro shocked everyone when he joined Premier League relegation candidates Portsmouth, on loan for the remainder of the season.

In what would be a major coup by Pompey manager at the time, Harry Redknapp, the Argentine playmaker was heavily influential in the club's survival that season.

Once deemed the 'New Maradona,' D'Alessandro scored three goals in his time at Fratton Park and Pompey finished the season four points clear of relegation, having been 19th in the league at the time of D'Alessadnro's arrival. Redknapp tried to sign him permanently in the summer, but the Argentine moved to Real Zaragoza in Spain, before returning home to South America.

In 2010, D'Alessandro led Internacional of Brazil to their second Libertadores Championship, and was elected the best player in South America for that year. In the 2010 FIFA Club World Cup, he also helped Internacional to a third-place finish, and was awarded the Bronze Ball as the tournament's third best player. The 34 year-old is still plying his trade with Internacional.



* Other players that made a big impact during their loan spells.

Mikel Arteta - Real Sociedad to Everton (January 2005)

Fernando Morientes – Real Madrid to AS Monaco (2003-04)

Jurgen Klinsmann - Sampdoria to Tottenham Hotspur (January 1998)

Edgar Davids – Juventus to Barcelona – (2004)

Christophe Dugarry - Bordeaux to Birmingham City (January 2003)

Kyle Walker Tottenham to QPR (August 2010) and Tottenham to Aston Villa (January 2011)

Iván Campo – Real Madrid to Bolton Wanderers (2002-03)

Kieran Richardson - Manchester United to West Brom (January 2005)

Patrick Bamford - Chelsea to MK Dons (2012-14) and Chelsea to Middlesbrough (2014-15)

Dr Eva Carneiro - The Curse of a Scorned Woman!

Having closely followed the Dr Eva Carneiro versus Jose Mourinho 'controversy' and subsequent fall out, and having also written two previous articles on here outlining the case in question (on the 18th September and 24th September 2015), it is with interest that I read the very latest turn of events in 'DoctorGate'

Coming from a family with a substantial background in medicine, and having discussed and read in some detail the rights and wrongs of the behaviour of Mourinho on that fateful day back in August, I for one am pleased, if not slightly surprised to see that Dr Caneiro has the full weight of FIFA's medical committee behind her in her fight against Chelsea Football Club and manager Jose Mourinho.

They have promised the former Chelsea doctor the full backing of FIFA's medical chief in her legal case against the Premier League club.

Carneiro is taking action against the club for constructive dismissal and an individual action against Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho for victimisation and discrimination.

She was dropped from first-team duties after Mourinho criticised her and head physio Jon Fearn for going on to the pitch to treat Eden Hazard after being summoned by referee Michael Oliver.
The action meant that Chelsea were temporarily down to nine men against Swansea, and afterwards Mourinho called Carneiro and Fearn "impulsive and naive."


Mourinho was cleared of using discriminatory language towards her following an investigation by the Football Association, but he is now the subject of a separate but connected claim.

With Mourinho's Chelsea side currently ailing like a rudderless ship, and 'The Special One' now favourite with the bookmakers to be the next Premier League manager to lose his job, one has to question how much damage his bust up with Dr Carnerio (right), during the opening match of the Premier League season back on the 8th August has contributed to what can only be described as a cataclysmic disaster of a season.........to date.

FIFA's medical committee chairman Michel D'Hooghe has now revealed he has been in touch with Carneiro to offer his support and that of the world governing body.
He has backed Carneiro's insistence that she was simply doing her job.

D'Hooghe said: "Of course I support Eva Carneiro. She did her job, she did her duty - when somebody is medically in trouble she has to intervene. Of course she has my support and the whole medical committee's."

"I have had email contact with her and she is very happy with the global support of the medical world in football."

D'Hooghe said the fall-out from the case could mean that Carneiro may find it difficult to find a new job in football but that he would do what he could to help her.

He added: "I can imagine that in the short term she might have some problems with that, but with her personality and her competence she must certainly have a great future and if I can help her I will do it."

I may not be a Chelsea supporting fan, or someone who can be hoodwinked by Mourinho's confident external persona, but I am a football fan, and I can tell you for a fact that there is precious little harmony within the Chelsea camp as I speak!

Following defeat at home to to Bournemouth last Saturday, an insider told how 'The Blues' trained earlier this week saying: “It was a very, very flat atmosphere at the training ground,” with midfielder Nemanja Matic seemingly backing up this observation by admitting the whole club is stuck in a rut with no sign of a way out.
He said: “We are in a difficult situation, so it’s going to be hard to come back from this. But we have to try to resolve this problem, we have to try to recover."

This week could define Mourinho's future. He stays in charge for tonight's decisive Champions League clash with Porto and for a date with ex-Blues boss Claudio Ranieri’s Leicester City next Monday......but for how long! Should Chelsea bow out of the Champions League and then lose to Ranieri’s table-toppers it could force Abramovich’s hand — and get Mourinho sacked just a few months into a new four-year contract.

Chelsea refused to comment on FIFA's decision. The cases are likely to be heard early in 2016, unless they are settled beforehand.

In the wake of the controversy, FIFA's medical committee is to draw up a new code of ethics for managers and team doctors.

As the saying goes: "Nothing like the curse of a scorned woman"

Babe of the Month - Gorgeous TV presenter and model Layla Anna-Lee

Layla Anna-Lee was born on 22nd March 1983 in London, England.

Layla is an English TV presenter, host, model and actress, best known as the voice of the London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony, broadcast live to an audience of nearly one billion. She also hosted the London 2012 Olympic Beach Volleyball Finals.

That same year Layla hosted the Queen's Diamond Jubilee party live in front of 20,000 people in Trafalgar Square.

Layla has hosted 'OK! Insider,' since its launch in 2008, presenting red carpet events and interviewing celebrities for the magazine's website. In 2010, she became the face of  'OK! Magazine Online,' and has interviewed cast members of the Twilight movies, actor Harrison Ford, and fashion designer Vivienne Westwood, as well as covering 'Big Brother' series eleven in 2010, which lead to her appearance on 'Big Brother's Little Brother.'

Having presented the Goal Line show on Goal.com, Layla was headhunted by MLS's 'KickTV' and hosted their weekly show 'The Rumour Mill' before hosting 'KickTV’s' journey to the Confederations Cup in 2013.

In 2014 Layla returned to Brazil for the World Cup for 'KickTV.' Whilst in Rio the views on Layla’s videos helped 'KickTV' reach their 100 million viewer milestone. During the World Cup Layla also hosted adidas' live World Cup show 'The Dugout' - where she interviewed many legends of the game such as David Beckham, Kaka and Ruud Gullit.

Layla continues to work with the brand fronting their Champions League show 'adidas GameDay+,' currently the most popular football show online.

Layla has also worked for Eurosport and Sky Sports covering major road cycling events and mountain biking.

Layla has continued to interview many footballing legends including a rare interview with Lionel Messi, Gareth Bale, Pep Guardiola and Luis Suarez.

Since 2013, she has co-presented 'The Munch Box,' a Saturday morning children's cooking show alongside Ben Ebbrell and then Joe Hurd for ITV and CITV.

An accomplished writer, Layla attended the London School of Journalism and regularly writes for the Huffington Post. She is an avid Crystal Palace fan and has a regular column in the Crystal Palace official match day programme under the appellation 'Layla The Eagle.'

Layla speaks French, Spanish and Portuguese and can be seen on 'BBC Bitesize,' helping children learn French. She has also modelled for Max Factor, Daewoo, Samsung, Bacardi, First Choice Holidays, Harvey's and Kinder Bueno.

In 2013 Layla was named in FHM’s 100 Sexiest Women in the World and appeared in an exclusive interview and photo shoot for a 6-page FHM feature in their April 2013 edition. In 2012 she made Time Out’s Hot 100 – a prestigious list of the most influential creatives in Great Britain.

You can follow Layla on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram

Statistically, the EA Sports best performing players in the English Premier League so far this season!

The EA SPORTS PPI (Player Performance Index) is the only official player rating index of the Barclays Premier League which measures a player's all round contribution to the success of his team using six key indices:

The intention is to remove any opinion bias and only work with proven statistical measurements which become more accurate as the season progresses.

Season 2015/16 - Last update: 09/11/15

For those of you currently playing 'Fantasy Premier League Football' you may want to take note!


Goalkeepers:

1. Petr Cech (Arsenal) 162 EA Sports PPI
2. Kasper Schmeichel (Leicester) 152
3. Jack Butland (Stoke City) 136
4. Tim Howard (Everton) 133
5. Hugo Lloris (Tottenham) 130 (right)
6. Joe Hart (Man City) 129
7. Heurelho Gomes (Watford) 121
8. Boaz Myhill (West Brom) 114
9. Simon Mignolet (Liverpool) 112
10. Lukasz Fabianski (Swansea) 110


Defenders:

1. Scott Dann (Crystal Palace) 202 (below right)
2. Aleksandar Kolarov (Man City) 196
3. Nacho Monreal (Arsenal) 191
4. Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham) 189
5. Eric Dier (Tottenham) 185
6. Laurent Koscielny 175
6. Bacary Sagna (Man City) 175
8. Aaron Cresswell (West Ham) 174
9. Jose Fonte (Southampton) 161
10. Ashley Williams (Swansea) 160


Midfielders:

1. Riyad Mahrez (Leicester) 332
2. Dimitri Payet (West Ham) 292
3. Mesut Özil (Arsenal) 268
4. Georginio Wijnaldum (Newcastle) 255
5. Ross Barkley (Everton) 250
6. Sadio Mané (Southampton) 229
7. Dusan Tadic (Southampton) 228
8. Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool) 227
9. Juan Mata (Manchester Utd) 222
10. Santiago Cazorla (Arsenal) 218


Forwards:

1. Jamie Vardy (Leicester) 375 (right)
2. Romelu Lukaku (Everton) 302
3. Harry Kane (Tottenham) 288
4. Alexis Sánchez (Arsenal) 283
5. Odion Ighalo (Watford) 223
6. Raheem Sterling (Man City) 211
7. Sergio Agüero (Man City) 202
8. Graziano Pellè (Southampton) 193
9. Arouna Koné (Everton) 190
10. Olivier Giroud (Arsenal) 187


The Six Key Indices:

1. Winning Performance

Players receive points for time on the pitch in a successful team. Players will receive more points if they play the full 90 minutes in a winning team. This index shares league points won by a team between the players according to the minutes they are on the pitch. Only time on the pitch and points scored are taken into account in this first index.

2. Player's Performance per match

Players receive points for positive influences on a winning performance (shots on target, tackles, clearances, saves etc). Players have points taken away from their score for negative actions such as shots off target and receiving yellow and/or red cards.

3. Appearances

Players receive points for minutes on the pitch. The number of points won by ALL teams in the Barclays Premier League are divided among the players according to the number of minutes they have played. This does not take into account the result of a match, it awards points purely for playing time.

4. Goals scored

Players are awarded points for scoring goals. These points are only given to the goalscorer.

5. Assists

Players are awarded points for assists. These points are only awarded to players that make the assist.
Assists are awarded to the player from the goal scoring team who makes the last touch before the goal is scored.
If after this touch, an opposing player touches the ball outside the penalty area altering the intended destination of the ball, then no assist is given, except if this intervention directly results in an own goal.
In the event of a penalty or free-kick, the player earning the penalty or free-kick gets an assist if a goal is directly scored, but not if he takes it himself, in which case no assist is given.

6. Clean sheets

Allocates points for clean sheets to the whole team. The proportionate split of the points is weighted according to the player's position. Therefore a goalkeeper will be awarded a greater proportion of the points for keeping a clean sheet than a striker. The points are also awarded proportionately to the time spent on the pitch.


N.B. The overall EA SPORTS PPI is a correlation between all of the above indices. The Index only includes actions that can be measured objectively and does not reward one action more than another (e.g. a pass by a midfielder will not gain more points than a tackle made by a defender). Subjective factors relating to individual players' skill levels or evidence of a specific flair, such as a particularly spectacular pass or goal, are not included within the index.

All the very latest transfer gossip across Europe!

Here is all today's latest football news and transfer gossip with Diego Costa, Gonzalo Higuain, Liverpool, Barcelona, Riyad Mahrez, Corinthians, Charlie Austin, Andy Carroll, Tottenham, Juventus, Marco Reus, Southampton, Napoli, Javier Hernandez, Manchester United and Arsenal all in the news! 

Here is a round up of all the latest transfer gossip across Europe today!

Is your club involved?

Chelsea, Napoli, Manchester Utd Ajax, Leicester, Lazio, Southampton, Newcastle, Tottenham, West Ham, Bournemouth, QPR, Borussia Dortmund, Corithians, Liverpool, Barcelona, Porto, Bayern Leverkusen, AS Roma, Udinese, Inter Milan, Valencia, Juventus, Galatasaray, Arsenal, Nordsjaelland, Sunderland, Olypiakos, Fulham, Hull, Brighton, Portsmouth and Accrington Stanley..........are all caught up in the latest transfer news/rumours across Europe, as we speak.

Chelsea are considering a summer move for Napoli and Argentina striker Gonzalo Higuain, putting the future of current Blues forward Diego Costa, also 27, in doubt - Daily Mirror

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal wants a winger, and is interested in Lazio's Felipe Anderson, 22, Sadio Mane, 23, at Southampton, 24-year-old Riyad Mahrez at Leicester and Anwar El Ghazi, 20, of Ajax - Daily Mail

Newcastle want to bring back West Ham striker Andy Carroll, 26, to help their relegation battle - Daily Mirror and The Sun

Manchester United and Tottenham want to sign Newcastle United striker Ayoze Perez, 22, and could bid for the Spaniard in January - Daily Telegraph and Daily Star

Bournemouth are plotting January raid for QPR striker Charlie Austin after confirming an American billionaire has bought a 25 per cent stake in the club. Sunderland are also keen on the 26 year-old  - Daily Star and Daily Mail

Liverpool are the hot favourites to sign Borussia Dortmund star Marco Reus - Daily Express

Liverpool will sign former AC Milan striker Alexandre Pato, 26, in January, according to the president of his current club Corinthians - Tutto Mercato Web (Italian football news outlet) via The Independent

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has asked the club's transfer committee to make a formal approach for Barcelona winger Cristian Tello, 24, who is on loan at Porto - Fichajes (Spanish football news outlet) via Daily Star

Chelsea are looking at Javier Hernandez, who moved to Bayern Leverkusen in the summer and Valencia's Spanish international striker Paco Alcacer as possible transfer targets - ESPN

Southampton face a battle to keep star striker Graziano Pelle, who is wanted by Italian giants Juventus - Daily Mirror

Galatasaray are keen on signing Arsenal winger Joel Campbell in January - Daily Express

Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United are among clubs monitoring the progress of the Denmark Under-19s striker Emre Mor who is expected to leave Danish Superliga club Nordsjaelland in January - The Guardian

AS Roma are searching for a new defender and coach Rudi Garcia is keeping tabs on two Inter Milan players in Juan Jesus and Andrea Ranocchia. It is also thought that he keen on Udinese defender Thomas Heurtaux - Sportmediaset (Italian sports news outlet)

Sunderland manager Sam Allardyce has been given the go-ahead to sign two defenders to help his side in their battle against relegation, with West Ham's James Collins, 32, and French left-back Arthur Masuakyu, 22, who is at Olympiakos high on his wanted list - Daily Express and Sunderland Echo

Arsenal lead the transfer chase for Dean Windass' 21 year-old Accrington Stanley starlet Josh Windass, with Brighton, Fulham, Hull and Portsmouth also tracking the son of former Hull forward Dean - The Sun and Daily Mirror

Babe of the Month - TV Presenter Laura Esposto

Laura Esposto was born on 8th August 1978 in Bologna, Italy and works as a sports television presenter.

Formerly a volleyball player and model, Laura moved from Bologna to Milan in 2001 and started working for 'Milan Channel' (AC Milan’s official network). 
Laura says she was in the right place at the right time when she met someone who worked for the Milan Channel. 

The television company were looking for a new girl to work on their programmes. Laura was working as a model then, but they asked her if she'd like to do something in television, and she was keen to get some experience in something different. Laura started off as a reporter for a reality programme. Then they asked her if she'd like to be involved in football and she agreed. Being a huge football fan - it was her ideal job!

In 2007 Channel Five in the United Kingdom gained the rights to broadcast Serie A highlights and live games during the 2007–08 season.
The people at Channel Five in the United Kingdom were looking for an Italian girl to present this Italian football show, who could speak perfect English, and knew what they were talking about when it came to football. They saw Laura on the Milan Channel, & offered her a co-presenting role on the show.


Laura took the chance as she thought it would be a great chance to do something new, and in 2007 she moved to England to co-present 'Football Italiano' alongside Mark Chapman on Channel Five Television. The show thus returned to terrestrial television and live games were shown weekly at 1:30pm UK time on Sundays, as the original series on Channel Four.

However Channel Five didn’t buy the rights to Italian football after 2008, so Laura moved back to Italy and has worked on Sky Sport (Italy) since September 2009.

Since 2011 she has been the Presenter of  'Studio1Stadio' - a weekly Football Magazine about Serie A on DigitalTv.

Laura continues to work with Milan Channel and was also involved with the Italian candidacy in May 2010 to host the UEFA 2016 European Championships, which was held in Geneva.

You can follow Laura on: Facebook and on her Official Website

The World's Best Selling Beers!

Beer is the world's most widely consumed alcoholic beverage, and the third-most popular drink overall, after water and tea. Today, the brewing industry is a global business, consisting of several dominant multinational companies and many thousands of smaller producers ranging from brewpubs to regional breweries.

Overall, the top ten beers make up around 23 per cent of all the beer sold in the world. There are only four beers in the top ten that aren't from Chinese or Brazilian breweries. But watery, low alcohol-content beer may be losing favour with Chinese consumers. In 2014, domestic beer production output in China fell by 1%, the first drop in ten consecutive years of growth.

Meanwhile, beer imports from Germany, Belgium, France, the Netherlands and other markets are growing, according to the US Department of Agriculture’s Foreign  Agricultural Service.                          

Craft beer stores and bars have also been popping up around cities like Beijing and Shanghai, giving US industry observers hope that a window of opportunity, similar to one that opened for imported wine a decade ago, has opened for beer as well.

Here is the full list of the ten best-selling beers in the world, as a percentage of the global market share, and in a selection of other countries


Best Selling Beers in the World:


1/ SNOW - China - 5.4% of the global market share

Snow beer (literally Snowflake beer) is a lager beer from China. It is brewed by CR Snow, a joint venture between SABMiller and China Resources Enterprises. It is the best selling beer brand in the world, with annual sales of 61 million hectoliters, despite largely being sold only in China. When Snow was first released in 1993 it was produced by three breweries.
As of 2014, CRSB is the largest brewing company in China with over 90 breweries across the country, brewing more than 100 million hectolitres of Snow every year. SABMiller likes to brag that in 2012 it sold enough Snow beer to fill 12 Olympic-sized swimming pools every day for a year.


2/ TSINGTAO - China - 2.8% of the global market share

Tsingtao Brewery Co. Ltd. is China's second largest brewery. It was founded in 1903 by German settlers and now claims about 15% of domestic market share. The beer is produced in Qingdao in Shandong province. The beer market in China was very underdeveloped until into the 1980's and the brewery was forced to concentrate on overseas markets. Tsingtao Beer was introduced to the United States in 1972, and soon became the top-selling Chinese beer in the U.S. market. It has maintained this leadership within the United States ever since.
The company was privatized in the early 1990's and in 1993 merged with three other breweries in Qingdao and was finally renamed Tsingtao Brewery Company Limited. The Tsingtao brand is sold in 62 countries and regions around the world, and accounts for more than 50% of China’s beer exports.


3/ BUD LIGHT - USA - 2.5% of the global market share

Bud Light is part of the Anheuser-Busch brewing company and is the best selling beer in America. Bud Light was introduced in addition to the regular Budweiser and is a light beer. Other versions of Bud Light are Bud Light Premium, launched in 20112, which is a little sweeter and higher in alcohol, and Bud Light Lime, introduced in 2008, which is a light beer with lime and the same alcohol content as Bud Light.


4/ BUDWEISER - USA - 2.3% of the global market share

Budweiser is an American pale lager produced by Anheuser–Busch InBev.
Introduced in 1876 by Carl Conrad & Co. of St. Louis, Missouri, it has grown to become one of the highest selling beers in the United States, and is available in over 80 markets worldwide. It is made with up to 30% rice in addition to hops and barley malt and is produced in various breweries around the world. Budweiser is a filtered beer available in draught and packaged forms.
Anheuser-Busch, a wholly owned subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev, is the largest brewing company in the United States, with a market share of 49.2% as of 2010. The company operates 12 breweries in the United States and nearly 20 in other countries. Brands include Budweiser, Busch, Michelob, Bud Light, and Natural Light.


5/ SKOL - Brazil - 2.2% of the global market share

Skol is the most popular beer in Brazil. The name is related to the Scandinavian toast "Skål." It was originally produced by Caracu, which was bought by Brahma in 1980.
In 1999, Brahma merged with Antarctica and became AmBev, then InBev and later AB InBev. AB Inbev is the biggest beverage company in the world, larger than Coca-Cola in revenue. Skol beer became internationally recognized as a Brazilian beer, though not initially conceived in Brazil. Carlsberg holds the license to brew and market the beer worldwide, apart from in Africa and South America. In Asia, it is distributed in Malaysia, China, Hong Kong and Singapore.
In Africa, it is present in Angola, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea, Madagascar and Rwanda.


6/ YANJING - China - 1.9% of the global market share

Beijing Yanjing Brewery is a brewing company founded in 1980 in Beijing, China.
Yanjing Beer was designated as the official beer served at state banquets in the Great Hall of the People in February 1995. The company produced 57.1 million hectoliters of beer in 2013, making it the 8th biggest brewery in the world and the 3rd biggest in China. The company produces a range of mainly pale lagers under the brand name Yanjing. Other brands include Liquan, Huiquan and Xuelu.


7/ HEINEKEN - Netherlands - 1.5% of global the market share

Heineken Lager Beer is a pale lager beer produced by the Dutch brewing company Heineken International. Heineken is well known for its signature green bottle and red star. Since 1975, most Heineken brand beer has been brewed at the Heineken brewery in Zoeterwoude, Netherlands.
In 2011, 2.74 billion liters of Heineken brand beer was produced worldwide, while the total beer production of all breweries fully owned by the Heineken Group over all brands was 16.46 billion liters globally. Sold in more than 170 countries, Heineken is the world's most international premium beer. It has been incorporated with numerous beer brands from different countries all over the world including, Mexico, China, and Africa.


8/ HARBIN - China - 1.5% of the global market share

Harbin Brewery is a Chinese brewery founded in 1900 in Harbin, China. As China's fourth largest brewery and its oldest one, it has a leading position in Northeast China and owns the Hapi beer brand. Harbin has increased its annual beer production capacity to over 1 million tons and has become a giant in China's beer industry after its successful reform and listing on the Hong Kong stock market.
The brewery is owned by Anheuser–Busch InBev, which has helped to export Harbin beer to European and North American markets, but in comparison to Tsingtao Beer or Zhujiang Beer its share in these markets is minor.


9/ BRAHMA - Brazil - 1.5% of the global market share

Brahma is a Brazilian beer, originally made by the Companhia Cervejaria Brahma, which was founded in 1888. The brewery is currently the fifth largest in the world. The brands are now owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev. In 1914, Brahma produced their national Malzbier. After that the company began expanding internationally. The company bought the license for distribution of the Germania brand, which later was known as Guanabara, and was one of the earliest of the Brazilian beer brands.
In 1934, Brahma introduced the new bottled draft Brahma Chopp, and it became a Brazilian bestseller. In 1989, Jorge Paulo Lemann, Carlos Alberto Sicupira and Marcel Telles bought Companhia Cervejaria Brahma for $50 million.


10/ COORS LIGHT - USA - 1.3% of the global market share

Coors Light is light beer brewed in Golden, Colorado and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The beer has a "Cold Certified" label which turns the mountains on the label from white to blue when the beer's temperature is lowered to 4 degrees Celsius.
There were a number of trends occurring in the mid-1970s. Health was one of the most discussed topics in the American population. The baby-boomer generation was reaching their drinking age, and therefore they gave the beer drinking demographic a shift. They were concerned about their health, but they also wanted to drink beer. There was a growing interest in low-calorie beverages.
In 1975, light beers made up only 1 per cent of beer consumption in the USA, and by 1994, they accounted for 35 per cent of all domestic beer sold in the USA. For this reason the industry was shaped. In 1978 Coors introduced the popular Coors Light brand, produced by the Coors Brewing Company.

In order to expand Molson Coors brand portfolio outside of its major markets (US, UK, Canada), Molson Coors established Molson Coors International in 2008. MCI operates in three primary regions; Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean. Coors Light, as a signature brand of Molson Coors, was introduced in the new markets. The world's sixth-largest brewer, which also makes Molson Canadian, Carling and Blue Moon, was trying to diversify beyond its core markets.

*Source: Bloomberg
# The best selling beers in the world were calculated as a percentage of their global market share.


Best Selling Beers in a selection of other countries:

England - Carling
USA - Bud Light
Canada - Budweiser
Australia - Victoria Bitter
New Zealand - Lion Red
Italy - Birra Moretti
Belgium - Jupiler
Ireland - Guinness
Portugal - Sagres
Spain - Cruzcampo
Germany - Oettinger
France - Kronenbourg 1664
Czech Republic - Gambrinus
Poland - Tyskie
Croatia - Ožujsko
Switzerland - Feldschlösschen
Iceland - Viking
Denmark/Nepal - Tuborg
Turkey - Efes
Greece - Mythos
Russia - Baltika
Kazakhstan - Karagandinskoye
Saudi Arabia - Moussy Classic
Cambodia - Angkor
Thailand - Chang
Indonesia - Bintang
Malaysia/Singapore - Tiger
South Korea - Cass
Sri Lanka/Maldives - Lion
India - Kingfisher
Pakistan - Murree
Algeria - Tango
Tunisia - Celtia
South Africa - Carling Black Label
Nigeria/Sierra Leone - Star
Kenya - Tusker
Nambia - Windhoek Lager
Jamaica - Red Stripe
Columbia - Poker
Peru - Cristal
Barbados - Banks
Mexico - Corona
Bahamas - Kalik

Statistically, the EA Sports best performing players in the English Premier League so far this season!

The EA SPORTS PPI (Player Performance Index) is the only official player rating index of the Barclays Premier League which measures a player's all round contribution to the success of his team using six key indices:

The intention is to remove any opinion bias and only work with proven statistical measurements which become more accurate as the season progresses.

Season 2015/16 - Last update: 12/10/15

For those of you currently playing 'Fantasy Premier League Football' you may want to take note!


Goalkeepers:

1. Petr Cech (Arsenal) 104 EA Sports PPI
2. Tim Howard (Everton) 95
3. Kasper Schmeichel (Leicester) 93
4. Joe Hart (Man City) 89
5. Jack Butland (Stoke City) 87 (right)
6. Hugo Lloris (Tottenham) 84
7. Lukasz Fabianski (Swansea) 82
8. Heurelho Gomes (Watford) 81
9. Alex McCarthy (C.Palace) 77
10. Boaz Myhill (West Brom) 76


Defenders:

1. Aleksandar Kolarov (Man City) 150
2. Eric Dier (Tottenham) 146
3. Russell Martin (Norwich) 140
4. Scott Dann (C.Palace) 136
5. Nacho Monreal (Arsenal) 132
6. Bacary Sagna (Man City) 123
7. Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham) 122
8. Ritchie de Laet (Leicester) 120
9. Aaron Cresswell (West Ham) 117 (right)
10. Ashley Williams (Swansea) 117


Midfielders:

1. Riyad Mahrez (Leicester) 222
2. Dimitri Payet (West Ham) 219
3. Juan Mata (Man Utd) 173
4. Yohan Cabaye (C.Palace) 167 (below right)
5. Ross Barkley (Everton) 164
6. Yaya Touré (Man City) 159
7. Sadio Mané (Southampton) 157
8. André Ayew (Swansea) 153
9. Fernandinho (Man City) 153
10. Mesut Özil (Arsenal) 151


Forwards:

1. Jamie Vardy (Leicester) 227
2. Romelu Lukaku (Everton) 213
3. Sergio Agüero (Man City) 202
4. Alexis Sánchez (Arsenal) 201
5. Graziano Pellè (Southampton) 158
6. Callum Wilson (Bournemouth) 157
7. Bafétimbi Gomis (Swansea) 151
8. Mame Biram Diouf (Stoke City) 148
9. Odion Ighalo (Watford) 143
10. Diafra Sakho (West Ham) 137


The Six Key Indices:

1. Winning Performance

Players receive points for time on the pitch in a successful team. Players will receive more points if they play the full 90 minutes in a winning team. This index shares league points won by a team between the players according to the minutes they are on the pitch. Only time on the pitch and points scored are taken into account in this first index.

2. Player's Performance per match

Players receive points for positive influences on a winning performance (shots on target, tackles, clearances, saves etc). Players have points taken away from their score for negative actions such as shots off target and receiving yellow and/or red cards.

3. Appearances

Players receive points for minutes on the pitch. The number of points won by ALL teams in the Barclays Premier League are divided among the players according to the number of minutes they have played. This does not take into account the result of a match, it awards points purely for playing time.

4. Goals scored

Players are awarded points for scoring goals. These points are only given to the goalscorer.

5. Assists

Players are awarded points for assists. These points are only awarded to players that make the assist.
Assists are awarded to the player from the goal scoring team who makes the last touch before the goal is scored.
If after this touch, an opposing player touches the ball outside the penalty area altering the intended destination of the ball, then no assist is given, except if this intervention directly results in an own goal.
In the event of a penalty or free-kick, the player earning the penalty or free-kick gets an assist if a goal is directly scored, but not if he takes it himself, in which case no assist is given.

6. Clean sheets

Allocates points for clean sheets to the whole team. The proportionate split of the points is weighted according to the player's position. Therefore a goalkeeper will be awarded a greater proportion of the points for keeping a clean sheet than a striker. The points are also awarded proportionately to the time spent on the pitch.


N.B. The overall EA SPORTS PPI is a correlation between all of the above indices. The Index only includes actions that can be measured objectively and does not reward one action more than another (e.g. a pass by a midfielder will not gain more points than a tackle made by a defender). Subjective factors relating to individual players' skill levels or evidence of a specific flair, such as a particularly spectacular pass or goal, are not included within the index.

So Macho? Iran women's football team accused of fielding men!

The Iran women's national football team represents Iran in international women's football, and is controlled by the Iran Football Federation. The head of women's football at the IFF is Farideh Shojaei.

Football is highly popular among many Iranian women, despite religious rules that bar them from entering stadiums to watch matches between male teams.

In 2015 for the first time in Iranian women's football history a national team qualified for a top continental competition.

On 26th September 2015, after Iran beat Japan in the Final at the inaugural Asian Women's Futsal Championship in Malaysia, reports emerged that eight of the Iranian team were male.

A FIFA medical officer on Tuesday rejected media reports that Iran had broken rules by fielding women footballers, at the recent Asian Championship, who were actually men.

In violation of FIFA rules, the players either had yet to complete a sex change or had suffered from sexual development disorders, Britain's 'Daily Telegraph' reported, citing Iranian sources.

A report by an Iranian state television website said: "the women players had the physical strength of men and some had male inclinations."

An official for FIFA rejected the claims of rule breaking, though she indicated some players had previously suffered medical conditions that affected their appearance.

"There are no gender concerns for women's futsal and football teams," Dr Zohreh Haratian, the governing body's appointee in Iran, told Shargh daily.

"No scientific proof exists on these claims," she said, noting that all the players had been checked.

According to the rules, any players participating in overseas matches, should first go through gender verification by FIFA's medical representative, Dr Haratian explained.

"Only then the player will be permitted to play in Asian or global matches. FIFA will respond to such accusations by foreign media," she said, naming Saudi Arabia's Al-Arabia and Britain's Sky News.

The allegations are not new, said Haratian, also the Head of Iran's Football Medical Assessment and Rehabilitation Center. "In the past, a few of our female football players were accused of being bisexual," she continued, adding that "in 2010, one player suffering an inborn disease of adrenal glands, looked liked a man but was actually a woman."

"When FIFA understood that their problem was inborn, it rejected the claims and issued permits for them to play in matches."

However more recently, back in February 2014, it was reported that four players had been removed from the Iranian national team squad after failing to be determined as women. The British newspaper 'The Telegraph' reported that it was because the players "were either men who had not completed sex change operations, or were suffering from sexual development disorders"

Gender change operations are legal in Iran according to a fatwa - or religious ruling - pronounced by the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, spiritual leader of the 1979 Islamic revolution.

The law contrasts with the strict rules governing sexual morality under the country's Sharia legal code, which forbids homosexuality and pre-marital sex.

Sex changes are commonly carried out in phases in Iran, with the full procedure taking up to two years and including hormone therapy before the full gender transformation is completed.

In the recent week long tournament held in Nilai, Malaysia Iran defeated Hong Kong, Uzbekistan and the hosts in the group stages, before overcoming Thailand in the semi-final and Japan 1-0 in the final.

Iran's Fereshteh_Karimi (right) was awarded the title of the tournament's Most Valuable Player (MVP), scoring six times including the winning goal in the final.

The Iranian women's national team featured freely without the hijab up until the Iranian Revolution which began in January 1978 and ended in February 1979.
Reformed in 2005, the women's national team finished runners-up in the 2005 West Asian Football Federation Women's Championship held in Amman, Jordan.

In May 2006, the women's team hosted their first foreign visitors when a club from Berlin, Germany called BSV Al-Dersimspor played out a 2–2 draw in Ararat Stadium, Tehran.

The team were again runners-up at both the 2007 and 2011 West Asian Football Federation Women's Championship, after Iran had briefly been banned by FIFA from international competition in 2011 for wearing hijabs.

Babe of the Month - Sexy Lexi, US Golf Hottie!

Alexis Thompson - better known as 'Lexi' is an American professional golfer, who was born on 10th February 1995 in Coral Springs, Florida.

In 2007 at the age of 12 years four months and one day, Lexi became the youngest golfer ever to qualify to play in the U.S. Women's Open. That record was surpassed in 2014 by Lucy Li.
Also in 2007, Thompson won the Aldila Junior Classic, an American Junior Golf Association tournament, becoming the second-youngest AJGA winner ever. And she won the Junior PGA Championship, becoming that event's youngest-ever winner.

In 2009, Thompson won the prestigious South Atlantic Ladies Amateur.
She finished 21st, tied for low amateur, at the LPGA major Kraft Nabisco Championship, after receiving a special invitation to play.
As a 14-year-old in 2009, she qualified for a third time for the U.S. Women's Open and made the cut for the first time, finishing tied for 34th, +11 (71-73-78-73=295)

She played on the American team in the 2010 Curtis Cup, going 4-0-1. On 16th June 16 2010 she announced she was turning pro, stating she believed her game was ready to make the jump to the LPGA Tour.
She immediately signed sponsorship deals with Cobra-PUMA Golf and with Red Bull.

Thompson finished runner-up at the 2010 Evian Masters in France, (her best finish so far as a pro) on −13 (69-72-67-67=275), one shot behind Jiyai Shin, and winning $242,711.



Lexi was a member of the US Solheim Cup team that lost to Europe in Colorado in August 2013.

When in September 2011, at the age of 16, Thompson won the the Navistar LPGA Classic by five strokes, she became the youngest-ever winner on the LPGA Tour. (That record was broken a year later by Lydia Ko).

Three months later in December 2011, she became the second youngest winner of a Ladies European Tour (LET) event at 16 years, 10 months and 7 days, capturing the Dubai Ladies Masters by four strokes.

Thompson earned her second and third career LPGA Tour wins with the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia in October 2013 and the Lorena Ochoa Invitational in Mexico in November 2013.

She won her first major championship at the 2014 Kraft Nabisco Championship held in California with a score of -14, three strokes ahead of runner-up Michelle Wie and a winner's cheque for $300,000.

Last month Lexi helped the USA defeat Europe at the Solheim Cup held at St Leon-Rot in Germany, as her Country won 14½ to 13½ thanks in part to a stunning American comeback. Going into the singles matches on the final day, the United States trailed 10–6 and needed 8½ more points to win back the Cup. The Americans did just that, to give them a one-point victory. It was both the greatest comeback in the history of the Solheim Cup, and the closest finish in the history of the Cup.

Lexi's sponsors include: Rolex, EA Sports, Red Bull, Cobra Puma Golf and Zurich International Bank.

You can follow Lexi on Twitter, on Facebook and Instagram

Dr Eva Carneiro quits Chelsea following Mourinho outburst!

Dr Eva Carneiro has decided against a return to Chelsea Football Club, and is now expected to fight for a significant pay-off from the Premier League side.

The Times and the Daily Mail both report that the FA is investigating a complaint from a member of the public claiming Mourinho had shouted "filha da puta" - something that means "daughter of a whore" towards Carneiro during the Premier League match against Swansea City on 8th August.

New evidence regarding the incident involving Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho and team doctor Eva Carneiro has been submitted to the Football Association by Women in Football (WiF).

This evidence includes video footage and a written submission from a Portuguese translator who says the coach singled out the club doctor in his outburst.

After the controversial incident with manager Jose Mourinho, Carneiro lost her place on the Chelsea bench and was not allowed to attend training sessions, matches or enter the team hotel.

Carneiro was told to report back for duty at Chelsea last Friday by the club’s hierarchy, the day before the crucial game at home to Arsenal, but decided against doing so and is understood to have now left the club.

The news has invited criticism from within the Football Association, with chair of the 'FA's Inclusion Advisory Board' (IAB) Heather Rabbatts expressing her "sadness and anger" at Dr Carneiro’s departure.

Anna Kessel, chair and co-founder of WiF, said: "We'll be extremely surprised if there is no charge at all."

Kessel also wrote in the Guardian: "One day we will look back at the story of Dr Eva Carneiro and wonder how any of this happened."

"How did a highly respected doctor have her reputation ripped to shreds despite not putting a foot wrong?"

"How did a Premier League manager lose his rag, misinterpret the facts and the laws of the game and fail to apologise? And why did no one defend her?"

"It is time now to hear from the game's enforcers, the Football Association and the Premier League. WiF urges them to step up to the plate."

"This is about medical ethics, human rights, employment rights, the integrity of the game. This is a test and we urge football not to shy away from it."

Mourinho’s heavy-handed actions have been condemned by Fifa and the medical community while Chelsea have continued to insist it is an “internal staffing matter” and have not commented throughout the case.


Mourinho had claimed that both Carneiro and Fearn could both eventually resume their duties despite his angry criticism of them – when he called them naïve and not understanding football - but, according to sources at the club, it was always expected that the doctor would leave as her position had appeared to become untenable.

Carneiro is understood to have further angered the manager when in the immediate aftermath of the incident, during the 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge, she took to the social media network Facebook to express her thanks for the "overwhelming support" she received.

Chelsea are unlikely to replace Carneiro (right) in the short-term with Dr Chris Hughes, who has worked with the academy players, continuing to sit on the bench. However it is understood the club is eventually going to use another doctor, David Porter, in the role once he has the necessary certificate to enter the field of play.

In a further twist first team physiotherapist Jon Fearn, who was also rebuked by Mourinho and demoted after also running onto the pitch, is expected to return to the Chelsea bench and has continued to work with the first-team players and also travelled to games.

Defending the doctor’s actions against Swansea, Rabbatts said last night: "Any other response would have been a dereliction of her duty and a breach of General Medical Council guidelines."

"In acting properly she was then subject to verbal abuse and public criticism and in effect demoted by her removal from the bench."


"Over the weekend WiF submitted evidence to the FA's investigation into Mourinho's comments as well as writing to Richard Scudamore, Chief Executive of the highest tier of association football in England, the Premier League.

Anna Kessel says of Carnerio: "Anyone who has met her is impressed by her professionalism, her serious nature, her commitment to helping others – both the patients she treats and the young women who write her streams of letters wanting to follow in her footsteps. She has worked at Chelsea for six years, as first-team doctor under four different managerial regimes. Surviving as a female medic in the football industry is hard enough; excelling as one is almost unheard of.

Dr Carneiro had already endured so much in her career, the horrific sexist abuse from opposition fans highlighted by the WiF campaign last season. It is sad that her ultimate downfall appears to be at the hands of the very club who once supported her and a game that so far has suggested it does not care to."

The expectation remains that no charge will be leveled, but if he is prosecuted Mourinho could be handed a five-match ban.

Will Dr Eva Carneiro accept Chelsea's invitation to return?

Dr Eva Carneiro, who was banned from the Chelsea bench after being criticised by manager José Mourinho, has been told to report for work at the club’s training ground today.
Carneiro has not been seen at Chelsea since the incident on 8th August, possibly through the legal advice she has taken from law firm Mishcon de Reya, but has been informed that she needs to return to duty now.

Whether Carneiro turns up at the Cobham training ground in Surrey remains to be seen – although physio Jon Fearn, who also had his duties cut, has continued to work during the intervening period with the first-team.

The Football Association has confirmed it is investigating a complaint that Chelsea manager José Mourinho used abusive language during the incident in the opening game against Swansea that saw club doctor Eva Carneiro and first-team physiotherapist Jon Fearn stripped of their matchday duties.

Fearn has not, as yet, resumed his place on the Chelsea bench but is expected to eventually do so. Whether Carneiro is able to do the same would appear to remain in doubt although there have been claims the duo will be in place for Saturday’s Premier League match at home to Arsenal.
Chelsea have previously insisted the issue is an "internal staffing matter" and say they do not intend to comment although Mourinho has publically said that Carneiro might be reinstated.

According to a report in the Independent, the Football Association received a complaint after the match on 8th August and the governing body’s compliance department are now studying video evidence.

Carneiro (right), born in Gibraltar is understood to have already taken legal advice with the possibility that Chelsea might be seeking to re-deploy her within their medical department and away from being first-team doctor. Some lawyers have suggested she may have grounds for constructive dismissal.

The Chelsea manager lost his cool towards the very end of his team’s 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge, when Eden Hazard went down in the third minute of stoppage time and Carneiro and Fearn ran on to treat the winger and it was revealed last month that Carneiro and Fearn had been told they would not sit on the Chelsea bench after the incident with Mourinho accusing the pair of naivety and failing to "understand the game."

Under FA rule E3, players and coaches can be penalised for using "offensive, insulting or abusive language and/or gestures," with Mourinho facing up to a five-match ban if he is found guilty.

It subsequently emerged that not only did referee Michael Oliver twice gesture the medics to come on, but that he had also checked with Hazard that he wanted to receive treatment. This led to further criticism of Mourinho from medical professionals.

Sky Sports released video footage of the moment Mourinho lost his temper with his medical staff which appears to show the Portuguese boss calling one or both of them “son of a bitch”.
According to the report, Carneiro has not returned to Chelsea’s Cobham training ground since being withdrawn from matchday duties, with Doctor Chris Hughes and physiotherapist Steven Hughes having replaced her and Fearn.

Mourinho’s treatment of Carneiro and Fearn has already been discussed by world football governing body FIFA. Another influential body, the British Association of Sport and Exercise Medicine (BASEM) has also raised the matter with the League Managers Association of which Mourinho is a member.

Chelsea play Arsenal on Saturday 19th September at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League, kick-off 12:45 BST.

Will Eva be on the bench tomorrow in her capacity as Chelsea first-team doctor?

Statistically, the best performing players in the English Premier League so far this season!

The top ten performing English Premier League outfield players in each of their respective positions since the start of the season, ranked according to the exclusive CIES Football Observatory’s approach to the technical analysis of performance. Only footballers fielded for at least 60% of minutes are included in the rankings.
Data provider: OptaPro.

For those of you currently playing 'Fantasy Premier League Football' you may want to take note!

Season 2015/16 - Last update: 31/08/2015

Centre-Backs:

1. L. Koscielny (Arsenal) 100.0
2. A. Williams (Swansea) 78.2 (right)
3. J. Fonte (Southampton) 61.4
4. C. Smalling (Man. United) 60.0
5. E. Mangala (Man. City) 57.1
6. F. Fernández (Swansea) 53.2
7. E. Can (Liverpool) 53.1
8. J. Vertonghen (Tottenham) 48.7
9. S. Cook (Bournemouth) 47.4
10. V. Kompany (Man. City) 46.9

Full-Backs:

1. A.Kolarov (Man. City) 100.0
2. N. Monreal (Arsenal) 96.8
3. J. Amavi (Aston Villa) 86.5 (right)
4. C. Soares (Southampton) 80.5
5. S. Francis (Bournemouth) 75.9
6. J. Holebas (Watford) 71.7
7. L. Shaw (Man. United) 67.5
8. S. Coleman (Everton) 63.1
9. A. Nyom (Watford) 58.6
10. C. Daniels (Bournemouth) 57.6

Defensive Midfielders:

1. Y. Touré (Man. City) 100.0
2. F. Coquelin (Arsenal) 87.1
3. A. Ramsey (Arsenal) 75.5
4. J. Cork (Swansea) 64.1
5. J. Shelvey (Swansea) 60.6
6. J. McArthur (Crystal Palace) 59.0 (right)
7. N. Matić (Chelsea) 58.6
8. E. Capoue (Watford) 56.9
9. B. Schweinsteiger (Man. United) 51.8
10. L. Fernandinho (Man. City) 51.2

Attacking Midfielders:

1. D. Silva (Man. City) 100.0 (right)
2. E. Hazard (Chelsea) 75.0
3. J. Montero (Swansea) 73.0
4. S. Cazorla (Arsenal) 72.8
5. M. Özil (Arsenal) 71.2
6. S. Mané (Southampton) 66.0
7. R. Barkley (Everton) 62.4
8. J. Morrison (WBA) 60.5
9. W. Hoolahan (Norwich) 57.8
10. J. Mata (Man. United) 57.1

Forwards:

1. D. Tadić (Southampton) 100.0
2. A. Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal) 97.9
3. R. Mahrez (Leicester) 92.7
4. C. Wilson (Bournemouth) 74.7
5. A. Koné (Everton) 65.3
6. B. Gomis (Swansea) 60.2 (right)
7. R. Sterling (Man. City) 56.4
8. M. Diouf (Stoke) 47.4
9. S. Agüero (Man. City) 46.8
10. D. Costa (Chelsea) 41.4


The Football Observatory is a research group within the International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES), a private foundation affiliated to the University of Neuchâtel, in Switzerland. Set up in 2005 by Drs Raffaele Poli and Loïc Ravenel, it currently comprises a staff of full-time permanent researchers specialised in the statistical analysis of football.

The CIES Football Observatory has regularly been mandated to undertake original analysis by several prestigious institutions such as, but not limited to, FIFA, UEFA, European Club Association (ECA), European Professional Football Leagues (EPFL), Swiss Football League (SFL), Aspire Academy, as well as top-flight European clubs in several countries.

CIES Football Observatory, Avenue DuPeyrou 1, 2000 Neuchâtel, Switzerland, +41 (0)32 718 39 00