Babe of the Month - Anouk Hoogendijk. Putting the 'sexy' back into Dutch football.

Anouk Anna Hoogendijk was born on 6th May 1985 in Woerden, Netherlands.

She is a Dutch female international footballer who can play at centre back or as a defensive midfielder.

Anouk joined FC Utrecht in 2007 after a spell training with SV Saestrum.
Hoogendijk realised her ambition of playing abroad when she signed an eight-month contract with English WSL (FA Women's Super League) club Bristol Academy in January 2011.

In February 2012 Hoogendijk returned to Utrecht, before moving on to newly formed AFC Ajax  in May 2012. The transfer represented "a dream come true" for Hoogendijk as she had been a girlhood supporter of Ajax's male team.

In January 2014, Hoogendijk signed for Arsenal Ladies (right) where she wears the number 6 shirt. The 28-year-old joined the Ladies' setup from Ajax and was the club's third defensive acquisition ahead of the 2014 campaign, following the signings of England captain Casey Stoney and goalkeeper Siobham Chamberlain.


Arsenal Ladies' general manager Vic Akers said on completing the signing of Hoogendijk :

"We are delighted to be welcoming Anouk to Arsenal Football Club. 
She's a top quality defender, who has proven herself on the international stage with Holland, in the Eredivisie with Ajax, and of course in the Super League with Bristol."

Anouk added: “I’m excited to be returning to England, and to have the chance to play for Arsenal Ladies. They are one of the leading women’s clubs in the game, with an amazing history, so it is a real privilege to have signed for them. I am looking forward to meeting my new team mates and preparing for the 2014 season.” 

On 6th August 2004 Hoogendijk debuted for the senior Netherlands women's national football team, as a half-time substitute in a 2–0 defeat to Japan in Zeist, Netherlands.


Hoogendijk played in every match as the Netherlands reached the semi-final of the UEFA Women's Euro 2009. In the quarter-final penalty shootout win over France, she struck the winning kick. The Netherlands were eventually knocked out of the tournament by England.
In June 2013 national team coach Roger Reijners selected Hoogendijk in the Netherlands squad for UEFA Women's Euros 2013 in Sweden, and to date Anouk has 94 international caps and eight international goals to her name.

You can follow Anouk on Twitter on Facebook and Instagram

Shock Results in UEFA Champions League History

Over the next few weeks the outcome of this season's UEFA Champions League round of 16 knockout stage will be decided, and just eight teams will be left to fight it out for Europe's most sought after club trophy. The last 16 teams are a mixture of some of Europe's most glamorous sides steeped in illustrious history and others less so, with many looking to overcome the odds in the hopes of claiming a quarter-final berth and ultimately reaching this years final, to be played at the Estádio do Sport Lisboa in Lisbon on 24th May.
Over the years there have been plenty of shock results at all different stages in the competition. Here are a selection of some of those incredible upsets!


Helsingborgs 1 Inter Milan 0  (Champions League 1st Leg, 3rd Qualifying Round 2000/2001) 

Helsingborgs are remembered by Inter Milan fans as the club that caused them one of the greatest shock Champions League results in the club's history. Club President Massimo Morrati had spent heavily over the summer to add Republic of Ireland striker Robbie Keane to an already star studded squad which included Brazilian magician Ronaldo and Marcello Lippi’s men were not expected to encounter any difficulties in progressing to the group stages. However, a 1-0 home victory and a stupendous goal keeping display by Sven Andersson meant Swede dreams for the Scandinavians as they qualified for the group stages for the first time in their history.


Chelsea 1 FC Basel 2  (Champions League Group Stage - 2013/2014)

Chelsea suffered a shock defeat in the first Champions League game of Jose Mourinho’s second spell with the club, after Basel came from behind to win 2-1 at Stamford Bridge.
Oscar gave Chelsea the lead on the stroke of half time, but gainst the run of play, Mohamad Salah levelled things up in the 71st minute and then Basel sealed a shock win with eight minutes left of normal time remaining, when Cech failed to keep out a header from Streller after the forward had managed to lose his marker inside the Chelsea penalty area. The shock loss came exactly six years after Mourinho took charge of the final match of his first Blues spell, a 1-1 draw against Norwegian side Rosenborg.


Artmedia Bratislava 5 Celtic 0  (Champions League 1st leg, 2nd Qualifying Round 2005/2006)

Described by Gordon Strachan as "out-and-out the worst football night" he had ever experienced, Celtic’s unexpected 5-0 drubbing at the hands of Slovakian Champions Artmedia Bratislava was the Glasgow giants' most embarrassing and biggest ever defeat in Europe. Prior to the game, Celtic, winners of the European Cup in 1967, had been favourites to progress from the tie, especially as no team in Slovakian history had ever made it as far as the third round preliminary stage. However, an incompetent display by the Hoops’ defence saw them concede four second half goals, including a Juraj Halenar hat-trick, ensuring that the men were well and truly separated from the Bhoys.
Celtic crashed out of the competition, despite a 4-0 home win in the return leg in Glasgow.


APOEL Nicosia 1-0 Lyon (agg: 1-1) APOEL win 4-3 on pens.
(Champions League 2nd leg, last 16 tie 2011/2112)

Trailing 1-0 after the first leg, one might have favoured Lyon, by far the more experienced of the two teams having just come off the back of an era of Ligue 1 dominance, to keep their cool and advance to the quarter-finals. A banner behind the goal Lyon were defending in the first period proclaimed 'Feel the terror of Nicosia' and within nine minutes Gustavo Manduca had belied the odds to level the aggregate score. Urged on by their passionate supporters, the hosts pushed for a second but neither they nor their opponents were able to find it. Eventually the duo would have to endure extra time and a penalty shootout, where spot-kicks from Ailton Jose Almeida, Nuno Morais, Nektarious Alexandrou and finally Ivan Trickovscki were enough to seal a 4-3 penalty victory and a historical Champions League upset by the Cypriots.


Real Madrid 0 Arsenal 1  (Champions League 1st leg, last 16 tie 2005/2006)

The Gunners were struggling in the league with their former captain Patrick Vieira having departed to Juventus and current club captain, Thierry Henry’s future in serious doubt. Arsenal went into the game missing senior players and injuries had decimated their defence so that an inexperienced back four including Emmanuel Eboue, Phillipe Senderos and Mathieu Flamini were left to face the likes of Madrid’s Zinedine Zidane, Robinho, Raul Gonzales, Ronaldo, David Beckham and Guti. No British team had ever won at the Bernabeau and Real had not lost at home in 18 Champions League games. The odds were stacked against Arsene Wenger’s young team, but to everyone’s amazement the Gunners took a deserved lead through a fantastic individual goal by Henry.
Incredibly, Arsenal would once again restrain Real's offensive powerhouses in the return leg at Highbury, their 1-0 aggregate triumph seeing the La Liga giants knocked out of the competition.


Deportivo La Coruna 4 AC Milan 0  (Champions League Quarter-Final, 2nd Leg, 2003/2004)

The 2003/2004 Champions League season proved to be remarkable for the number of extraordinary scorelines which transpired in the build up to an ultimately disappointing climax. None was more astonishing than that of the 2nd leg quarter-final between Deportivo La Coruna of Spain and the Italians from Milan, which saw the Spanish seasiders vanquish the six times European Champions and tournament favourites with a ruthless first half attacking display. 3-0 up by half time, Deportivo secured a 4-0 victory to miraculously overturn a three goal first leg deficit and become the first team in the 12 year history of the Champions league to do so, and against a Milan team who up until then had not conceded a European away goal.


NK Maribor 2 Lyon 0  (Champions League 2nd leg, 3rd Qualifying round 1999/2000)

Although not yet recognisable as the team of seven successive league titles and ever-presents in the Champions League, Lyon were still the team that had finished 3rd in the French Ligue 1 and they possessed the league’s top scorer in Brazilian Sonny Anderson. The Slovenian team had already caused a surprise in reaching this stage by beating Belgian team KRC Genk. It was an even bigger upset when they then dispatched the future French Champions by beating them in the 2nd leg to obtain an aggregate 3-0 victory and progress to the Champions League group stage for the first time in their history.


AS Monaco 3 Real Madrid 1  (Champions League Quarter-Final, 2nd leg 2003/2004)

Nine-time champions, Real Madrid had won the first leg 4-2 at the Bernabeau against an unfancied Monaco team. With one foot in the semi-final, Madrid took the French side far to lightly and paid the ultimate price!
Inspired by Ludovic Guily and former Madrid favourite Fernando Morientes, the Monegasques came back in sensational fashion with a 3-1 victory on the night against Los Galacticos, which sent them through to the semi-finals on away goals.
Monaco went on to reach the final in Gelsenkirchen, Germany before losing to Jose Mourinho's Porto side.


Inter Milan 1 Arsenal 5  (Champions League Group Stage - 2003/2004)

Once more Arsene Wenger’s men found themselves underachieving in European competition and under serious pressure to get a result in their penultimate group stage game to have any chance of progressing. Having earlier been humiliated at Highbury 3-0 by Inter Milan and having just managed to scrape past Dynamo Kiev 1-0, the odds were heavily stacked against the Gunners. As Arsenal entered the intimidating San Siro arena with the criticisms of the British media ringing in their ears and minus their injured captain, Patrick Vieira, there was no indication of what was to follow. A quite scintillating display by the North Londoners and a stunning individual performance from Thierry Henry saw the San Siro stunned into silence as the Gunners swept to an emphatic victory.


FC BATE Borisov 3 Bayern Munich 1  (Champions League Group Stage - 2012/2013)

BATE Borisov pulled off a huge Champions League shock, producing a classic display of counter attacking football to beat Bayern Munich 3-1 in Minsk in October 2012.
It was their first ever UEFA Champions League group stage home victory as Bayern's dream of a club-record tenth successive win at the start of a season floundered. Aleksandr Pavlov struck against the run of play midway through the first half, and while Viktor Goncharenko's side spent plenty of time manning the barricades thereafter, Vitali Rodionov doubled the lead on 78 minutes. Franck Ribéry pulled one back late on, but substitute Renan Bressan hit a third for BATE in added time for a famous victory.

Eight Shades of Grey - Why the Ferguson to Moyes transition has faltered!

1st shade: Sir Alex Ferguson’s decision to personally recommend David Moyes as the new manager to replace him was a mistake. Instead of hiring someone who had a better or different skill set, Ferguson selected a fellow Scot with a fiery temper. Both men were brought up in the same area of Scotland - Glasgow, and had a mutual respect and understanding of each other. By recommending Moyes for the job, Ferguson selected someone that was his safest bet.

  

Men in the Mirror - Ferguson and Moyes

2nd shade: By letting Manchester United coaches Rene Meulensteen, Mike Phelan and Eric Steele leave United, against Sir Alex Ferguson’s advice, Moyes brought in his own Everton coaching staff including Jimmy Lumsden, Steve Round, Phil Neville and Chris Woods. Manchester United had no comfortable transition from one manager to the next. All of the expertise and inside knowledge of Meulensteen, Phelan and Steele was irreplaceable. Due to Moyes's overconfidence in his own ability, Ferguson’s legacy and system were destroyed in one fell swoop!

Moyes could still have brought in Lumsden, Round and his fellow coaches from Everton without immediately getting rid of the previous coaches. They could have worked in an advisory capacity or alongside them for several months. This would have enabled Moyes and his own backroom team to get a true understanding and inside knowledge of what made United tick so successfully!


3rd shade: Despite winning the 2012/13 Premier League title, Sir Alex Ferguson had covered over the weakness of the team for the past two to three years. Instead of pressurising the owners to bring in more talented players, Ferguson used all of his experience and man-management skills to get the most out of his ageing squad, without spending extortionate amounts of money in the transfer market. Ferguson brought players back from retirement or who were on their last legs to fill holes in his side. Paul Scholes and Henrik Larsson are just two examples. The reality is that Ferguson handed Moyes a side that was in much need of rebuilding.

                                              Larsson and Scholes - 'The Comeback Kings!'

4th shade: After the news came that David Moyes was going to become the Manchester United manager before the 2012/13 Premier League season had even ended, Moyes had to somewhat awkwardly continue on as Everton boss until the season came to an end on 12th May, before he could settle into the Old Trafford hot seat.

Instead of using this valuable time to focus on the summer transfer market, Moyes instead chose to head off on vacation and only returned to Manchester United on 1st July. Moyes in hindsight may have regretted the timing of his family vacation, given that the first United friendly of the summer was in Thailand less than two weeks later. As a result this did not give him much time to concentrate on securing those much needed new signings.


5th shade The summer transfer window of 2013 was a crucial period for United to strengthen in key positions. Unfortunately for United, chief executive David Gill left the club at the same time as Sir Alex. His replacement, Ed Woodward, who had a background in accounting, was not active enough to make the transfer signings that the club so desperately needed. Instead, Manchester United made a 'panic buy' on transfer deadline day, spending £27.5 million on Marouane Fellaini, when United could have signed him for £4 million less just weeks beforehand.

In addition, United failed to sign midfielder Ander Herrera from Athletic Bilbao or Fellaini's former Everton team mate Leighton Baines. Central midfield and left-back were key positions that United desperately needed to strengthen so in last summer's transfer window Manchester United failed to resolve the areas of the squad that needed to be reinforced the most — a creative midfielder alongside quality defensive cover.


6th shade: Every single time Manchester United lose, draw or put in a poor performance, the camera zooms in to catch Ferguson’s reaction immediately after the referee blows the full-time whistle. As long as Ferguson is in the stadium, the focus will be on Ferguson, and how Moyes is not performing at the same level as his predecessor. The sooner Ferguson finds a new Saturday afternoon hobby or watches matches in the comfort of his own home, the better it will be for the current boss. Ferguson by being in the stands is not helping Moyes or Manchester United one iota.

                                    Sir Alex Ferguson looks on from the Old Trafford stands

7th shade: While much has been said of Manchester United no longer being a team to fear at Old Trafford, I'd argue that the problem is more severe. The main concern is not that teams no longer fear United, but that Manchester United players no longer fear the manager, or give him the respect he deserves.

While it’s difficult to know for sure what’s happening inside Old Trafford, the body language and reaction of the Manchester United footballers now that Ferguson has gone has altered dramatically. The players look as if they do not fear Moyes in the same way as they did Ferguson. Granted Ferguson is a United legend who spent 27 years at the Club and Moyes has only had his feet under the table for just nine months, but we have already seen instances of improper player conduct since his arrival.

"Roberto this is Marouane, can I come back to Everton?"

We have witnessed former captain Rio Ferdinand laughing behind Moyes’s back during a game, and going public to share his frustration with Moyes’s methods and Marouane Fellaini on his mobile phone texting, while sitting in the stands at Old Trafford.
These are instances that Sir Alex Ferguson would have not tolerated. But more importantly, these are instances whereby the players would have never acted in this manner in the first place if Ferguson was still in charge.


8th shade: One of David Moyes' most mystifying stances since taking over as Manchester United manager continues to be his handling of Wilfried Zaha. Let's not forget that Manchester United paid £10 million up front to Crystal Palace this time last year to acquire Zaha and could pay an additional £5 million if certain clauses are met. That's a fairly significant sum to spend on a player only to sit him on the bench each and every week. It's almost as if Moyes is trying to stamp his authority on the club by 'making an example' of one of Sir Alex Ferguson's last signings. That way, nobody questions who's running Manchester United.
There was talk about Zaha dating Moyes' daughter Lauren, but that seemed to be a more fanciful suggestion for why he wasn't getting in the first team.

Wilf Zaha - Serial bench warmer under David Moyes

The argument could be made that he lacks the experience to start regularly for a team you would normally expect to be vying for a top-four spot in the Premier League, yet his current club isn't willing to let him gain that experience. If this is Moyes' viewpoint, it would seem extremely hypocritical. It's not as if Adnan Januzaj had a wealth of experience before breaking into the first team. What's the excuse for not playing Zaha?

What's worse is that Ashley Young and Nani have both been far from impressive this season. Nani is his usual hot-and-cold self, when he can actually get on the pitch and Young has turned into a shell of his former self.
Zaha is clearly a talented player, and impressed during United's pre-season tour of Asia, but you'd never guess as much by looking at his Manchester United career statistics.

Unsurprisingly Moyes allowed Zaha to move to Cardiff City on loan in January for the remainder of the season. At least he is getting some Premier League game time under his belt at the Welsh club.

Crystal Palace Football Club Squad List - as at February 2014

Goalkeepers:

#1.Julian Speroni - Age 34 - Date Signed: 12 Jul, 2004.
#25.Neil Alexander - Age 35 - Date Signed 15 Aug, 2013.
#26.Wayne Hennessey - Age 27 - Date Signed: 31 Jan, 2014.

Defenders:

#2.Joel Ward - Age 24 - Date Signed: 30 May, 2012.
#3.Adrian Mariappa - Age 27 - Date Signed: 03 Sept, 2013.
#4.Jonathan Parr - Age 25 - Date Signed: 16 Jul, 2011.
#5.Patrick McCarthy - Age 30 - Date Signed: 12 Jun, 2008.
#6.Scott Dann - Age 26 - Date Signed: 31 Jan 2014.
#19.Danny Gabbidon - Age 34 - Date Signed 16 Sep, 2012.
#21.Dean Moxey - Age 28 - Date Signed: 31 Jan, 2011.
#27.Damien Delaney - Age 32 - Date Signed: 31 Aug, 2012.

Midfielders:

#7.Yannick Bolasie - Age 24 - Date Signed: 24 Aug, 2012.
#8.Kagisho Dikachoi - Age 29 - Date Signed: 04 Jul, 2011.
#11.Tom Ince - Age 22 - Date Signed: 31 Jan, 2014 (Signed on loan from Blackpool for the rest of the season).
#12.Stuart O'Keefe - Age 22 - Date Signed: 18 Aug, 2010.
#13.Jason Puncheon - Age 27 - Date Signed: 31 Jan, 2014.
#14.Jerome Thomas - Age 30 - Date Signed: 01 Jul, 2013.
#15.Mile Jedinak - Age 29 - Date Signed: 11 Jul, 2011.
#20.Jonathan Williams - Age 20 - Date Signed: 01 Jul, 2011.
#28.Joe Ledley - Age 27 - Date Signed: 31 Jan 2014.
#44.Adlène Guedioura - Age 28 - Date Signed: 04 Sep, 2013.
#46.Barry Bannan - Age 24 - Date Signed: 02 Sep, 2013.

Strikers:

#16.Dwight Gayle - Age 23 - Date Signed: 03 Jul, 2013.
#17.Glenn Murray - Age 30 - Date Signed: 31 May, 2011.
#18.Aaron Wilbraham - Age 34 - Date Signed: 04 Jul, 2012.
#29.Marouane Chamakah - Age 30 - Date Signed: 12 Aug, 2013 (Signed on a 1 year deal from Arsenal).
#30.Cameron Jerome - Age 27 - Date Signed: 03 Sep, 2013 (Signed on a season long loan from Stoke City).


*This page will be updated accordingly in the event of any new loan signings.


Management Team:

Manager: Tony Pullis
Assistant Manager: Keith Millen
First Team Coach: Ben Garner
Technical Coach: David Kemp
Coach: Gerry Francis
Goalkeeping Coach: George Wood
Head of Sports Science & Strength and Conditioning: Scott Guyett
Strength & Conditioning Coach: Andy Page
Head Physiotherapist: Alex Manos
Assistant Physiotherapist/Under-21 Physiotherapist: John Stannard
Assistant First Team Physiotherapist: Matthew Roberts
Rehabilitation Coach: Joe Best
Masseurs: Ian Evans and Chris Swallows
Kit Manager: Brian Rogers
Assistant Kit Manager: Danny Young
Club Doctor: Bill Jasper

Babe of the Month - Laure Boulleau

Laure Boulleau was born 22nd October 1986 in Clermont-Ferrand, France. Laure is a football player who currently plays for French club Paris Saint-Germain of the Division 1 Féminine. She primarily plays as a defender and is a member of the France women's national football team. Boulleau has made nearly 150 appearances for PSG, scoring 13 goals and has 42 caps for the French women's national side.



Laure began her senior football career in 2003 at CNFE (Fernand Sastre National Technical Centre), commonly referred to as INF Clairefontaine ("Institut national du football de Clairefontaine"), INF, or simply Clairefontaine. She spent two years at the centre that specializes in training French football players. The academy is one of twelve elite academies located in and around France that are supervised by the French Football Federation (FFF). Only the best players from the Île-de-France région train at the Clairefontaine academy.

In 2005 Laure joined Paris Saint-Germain Féminines (PSG Ladies) based in Paris, France. The club has been the female section of Paris Saint-Germain since 1991. PSG Ladies is managed by Camillo Vaz. The Stade Georges Lefèvre of the Camp des Loges in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, with a capacity of 3,500 seats, is the main stadium of the club. Paris Saint-Germain won the Division 2 Féminine in 2001 and were promoted to the top-tier. Since then PSG has never been relegated from the Division 1 Féminine. The ladies were Cup runner-ups in 2008. PSG captured their first major title and most prestigious honour to date after claiming the Coupe de France Féminine in 2010. In 2011 PSG finished runners-up in Division 1 Féminine and qualified for the UEFA Women's Champions League for the first time in its history, following a decisive victory over second-placed Montpellier in the final match of the season.

You can follow Laure on Twitter on Facebook and on Instagram

The World’s Richest Football Clubs

Deloitte Football Money League has unveiled its annual money list. They have profiled the top earning football clubs in 2013.

Real Madrid and Barcelona are football’s biggest moneymakers for the fifth straight year, while Manchester United lost its place among the top three biggest-earning clubs for the first time. Despite dropping down the list Manchester United increased their revenue by 13%.

Despite tough economic conditions, particularly within Spain, Real and Barca's ability to generate substantial commercial revenue both domestically and internationally is central to their success.
Both Spanish clubs enjoy substantial revenue from individually negotiated broadcast deals, which is key in contributing to their overall revenue advantage over their European peers.

United, who are enduring a lackluster season under new manager David Moyes, dropped to fourth behind European champions Bayern Munich in the Football Money League compiled by accountancy firm Deloitte.

It is the first time Manchester United have dropped out of the top three but Bayern Munich had an exceptional year. Next year United will have the Chevrolet (shirt sponsorship) deal plus other new commercial deals in their figures, and the new Premier League TV deal so they will be confident they will be back in the top three in twelve months time.
Beyond 2013/14, consistent qualification for the Champions League is key in Manchester United challenging to regain top spot in the Money League, a position it last held in 2003/04.

Two Gulf-owned football clubs rank among the richest in the world, according to Deloitte’s annual money list.

Qatari-owned Paris Saint-Germain made the biggest growth in 2012-13, shooting up from 10th to 5th.
The club’s global profile was enhanced by David Beckham’s four-month spell in the France championship-winning team.
The largest part of PSG’s income last season came from commercial deals that yielded €255 million. Its sponsors include airline Emirates, kit supplier Nike and the Qatar Tourism Authority.

Manchester City, owned by Abu Dhabi’s Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, moved one place up the rankings to sixth place, aided by their sponsorship deal with Etihad Airways.

Two English Premier League rivals are directly below Manchester City on the list, with Chelsea in seventh, who saw a small decline in revenues to £260 million pounds and Arsenal in eighth whose turnover rose 4% to £243.6 million pounds.


The Top 20 Deloitte Football Money League 2013:  


1st: Real Madrid 

Madrid stayed top for the ninth straight year after revenue rose slightly to £444.7 million pounds ($703 million/€518.9 million). Regardless of their trophyless 2012/2013 season, they have managed to maintain their top spot. Profitable stars like Cristiano Ronaldo – recently crowned the world’s best player is also a factor for retaining their top spot.

2nd: Barcelona

Barcelona had revenues of £413.6 million pounds ($654 million/€482.6m), $49 million behind Real. They also raked in huge sums commercially thanks to profitable players like Lionel Messi.

3rd: Bayern Munich

Bayern’s income leapt 17 per cent to £369.6 million pounds ($584 million/€431.2m), as the German club won the Champions League, Bundesliga and German Cup.

4th: Manchester United

United were overtaken by Bayer despite revenue growing to £363.2 million pounds ($574 million/€423.8m), thanks partly to their English Premier League title-winning success.

5th: Paris Saint-Germain

Income at PSG soared by 180 per cent to £341.8 million pounds ($540 million/€398.8m) as it won the French league for the first time in 19 years.

6th: Manchester City

The blue side of Manchester saw turnover rise by 17 per cent to £271 million pounds ($449 million/€316.2m), despite the team failing to win a trophy last season. They overhauled Arsenal and Chelsea to become the second richest English Premier League club on the list.

7th: Chelsea

Chelsea's turnover dropped slightly to £260 million pounds ($431 million/€303.4m). This saw the London club drop two places on the money list to seventh place.

8th: Arsenal

Arsenal’s turnover rose to £243.6 million pounds ($404 million/€284.3m), despite failing to win a trophy yet again last season! The purchase of German player, Mesut Ozil at a cost of $70 million resulted in a small drop in revenue.

9th: Juventus

The Turin based club saw a huge rise in total revenue to £233.5 million pounds ($369 million/€272.4m). Their move to a new stadium in 2011 helped boost revenue and they made the most money from the European Champions League in 2013 despite only reaching the quarter-finals.

10th: AC Milan

AC Milan dropped two places to tenth in Deloitte’s list after a modest rise in revenue saw them record £225.8 million pounds ($357 million/€263.5m) in total.

11th: Borussia Dortmund £219.6m/€256.2m
12th: Liverpool £206.2m/€240.6m
13th: Schalke 04 £169.9m/€198.2m
14th: Tottenham Hotspur £147.4m/€172m
15th: Inter Milan £144.6m/€168.8m
16th: Galatasaray £134.6m/€157m
17th: Hamburg SV £116m/€135.4m
18th: Fenerbahçe £108.3m/€126.4m
19th: AS Roma £106.6m/€124.4m
20th: Atlético de Madrid £102.8m/€120m

Liverpool dropped out of the top ten for the first time since 1999/2000.
Liverpool are five-time European champions but haven't qualified for the continent's most lucrative club competition since 2009. The encouraging sign for Liverpool is that even without European football they saw revenue grow by 9% and might shoot up the list next season thanks to a record TV deal for English clubs.

Turkish clubs Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe force their way into the rich list, making it the first time since 2005/06 that two clubs outside the recognized big five league in Europe -- Spain, Italy, Germany, England and France -- have appeared in the top 20.

Galatasaray are the biggest club in Turkey, and boast the biggest name manager in Roberto Mancini, the biggest name players in former Chelsea forward Didier Drogba, ex-Inter Milan playmaker Wesley Sneijder and the biggest star in Turkish football in Burak Yilmaz.

Fenerbahçe boast the likes of former Liverpool and Chelsea midfielder Raul Meireles, fellow former Anfield star Dirk Kuyt and Senegal striker Moussa Sow.
The Istanbul outfit continue to reach UEFA Champions League qualification, and although they have fallen at the play-off stage in each of the last two seasons, the foundations are there to go one better next year.

Those factors all combined make them the highest earning Turkish club on this list. As well as the two Turkish teams, Brazilian club Corinthians also made it into the top 30.


The total combined revenue for the top 20 clubs is up 8% to a staggering €5.4 Billion Euros.

All the latest transfer gossip across Europe!

With the closure of the January 'transfer window' fast approaching, here is a round up of all of today's transfer gossip across Europe......and it's been a busy day!

Is your club involved?

Chelsea, Manchester United, Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, Napoli, Sevilla, Everton, Liverpool, AC Milan, Basel, Benfica, PSG, Newcastle, Roma, Barcelona, Arsenal, Valencia, Zenit St Petersburg, Real Mallorca, Bayern Munich, Fiorentina, Crystal Palace, Cardiff, Norwich, Leicester, Bolton, Blackburn, Ipswich, Swansea, Tottenham, Juventus, Inter Milan, Stoke, AS Monaco, Newcastle, Montpellier, Celtic, Nottingham Forest, West Ham, Sivasspor, Genoa, Bolton, Freiburg, Sunderland, Lille, Leeds, Blackburn, Sheffield Wednesday, Wolves, Doncaster, IK Start, Huddersfield, QPR, Cagliari, Fulham, Evian TG and Colchester United............are all caught up in the latest transfer news/rumours across Europe, as we speak.


Chelsea have told Manchester United they will have to pay £40m for Spain midfielder Juan Mata, 25, who is keen to leave Stamford Bridge to secure regular first-team football ahead of the summer's World Cup. Reports emerged overnight claiming that the North-West outfit were considering launching a club-record £37m bid for the Spaniard (pictured right) - All newspapers inc: Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph and The Guardian

Atletico Madrid have entered the race with Manchester United to sign Chelsea's Juan Mata - Marca (Spanish national sport newspaper)

Manchester United have reportedly denied that they have made a bid for Chelsea midfielder Juan Mata - BBC Sport

Bayern Munich defender Dante has claimed that Manchester United have shown an interest in his services. Dante, 30 made forty-five appearances as Bayern won a treble of trophies last season - FOX Sports Brazil

Paris St Germain are preparing a record €80million (£66m) offer to try to sign Chelsea's Eden Hazard in June - France Football (French sports magazine)

Sevilla have reportedly rejected an offer of €12million (£9.9m) from an unnamed club for left-back Alberto Moreno. Rumours have suggested Manchester United and Napoli are interested in Moreno, who has also been linked with Real Madrid and has a release clause in his contract of €30million (£24.7m)- Diario de Sevilla (Sevilla based Spanish newspaper)


Liverpool are waiting to learn the extent of the knee injury that Lucas suffered during Saturday's 2-2 draw with Aston Villa. If Lucas' injury proves to be serious then Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers wants AC Milan midfielder Nigel de Jong to replace the Brazilian - Corrierre dello Sport (Italian national sports newspaper)

Liverpool are preparing an €18m (£15m) offer for Basel's 21 year-old Egyptian winger Mohamed Salah - Basellandschaftliche Zeitung (Swiss daily newspaper)

Everton manager Roberto Martinez has confirmed that he is keen to complete a loan move for AS Monaco striker Lacina Traore this month (subject to a work permit). Traore (pictured right), an Ivory Coast international, joined Monaco earlier in this transfer window from Russian side Anzi Makhachkala - sportsmole.co.uk and transfermarketweb.com

Napoli have been linked with a string of players this month and Rafa Benitez is now interested in Barcelona's former Arsenal midfielder Alex Song. The Cameroon international's former Arsenal team-mate Thomas Vermaelan is also wanted by Napoli during the transfer window, according to reports - Sport (Spanish daily sports newspaper) and La Gazzetta dello sport (Italian sports newspaper)

Napoli have been told Arsenal defender Thomas Vermaelen is not for sale - Daily Mirror

Paris St Germain coach Laurent Blanc wants to sign a midfielder this month, with reporting that Newcastle's Yohan Cabaye and Roma's Miralem Pjanic are the two targets. A €25million (£20.6m) offer could be made for Cabaye. PSG have started talks with Roma about a deal for Pjanic, which could include Javier Pastore heading in the opposite direction - L'Equipe (French daily newspaper)

Newcastle United are yet to receive a bid from Paris Saint-Germain for Yohan Cabaye - despite reports of fresh interest from the oil-rich French giants - Newcastle Cronicle

Miralem Pjanic has left the door open for a move away from Roma following interest from Manchester United - Manchester Evening News

Benfica striker Rodrigo Moreno (right), who had a loan spell at Bolton earlier in his career, is attracting interest from Arsenal, Valencia and Zenit St Petersburg with Benfica rumoured to want a minimum of €25million (£20.6m) before considering a sale - O Jogo (Portuguese daily sport newspaper)

Striker Samuel Eto'o, 32, says he will sign for Real Mallorca when his short-term contract at Chelsea expires at the end of the season - Daily Express and Daily Star

Bayern Munich are interested in Arsenal midfielder Tomas Rosicky, with the 33-year-old Czech midfielder's contract to expire soon - Bild (German tabloid newspaper)

Inter Milan vice-president Marcelo Madeiros has reiterated that the club only want to sell Ignacio Scocco after receiving a loan offer for the winger. Sunderland and Cardiff City have been strongly linked with a move for the 28-year-old - skysports.com

Crystal Palace have joined Stoke City in the race to sign £5m rated AS Monaco striker Emmanuel Riviere, 23 - The Times and Daily Mail

A number of clubs are monitoring Crystal Palace Daniel Gabbidon's contract situation at Selhurst Park. Wales international Gabbidon is out of contract at the end of the season and Palace have yet to open talks with him about a new deal. Norwich, Leicester, Bolton, Blackburn and Ipswich are all thought to keeping tabs on the Palace defender - skysports.com

Tottenham could make a move for Inter Milan midfielder Fredy Guarin, 27, (pictured right) after the Italian side rejected Manchester United's earlier offer for the Colombian - Le Figaro and L'Equipe (French daily newspapers)

Juventus and Inter Milan are going to finalise an exchange between Mirko Vucinic and Fredy Guarin, despite Inter fans strongly criticising this deal - Corriere dello sport (Italian sports newspaper)

Inter Milan have announced that they no longer wish to pursue the swap deal between Fredy Guarin and Mirko Vucinic with Juventus - sportsmole.co.uk

Celtic are willing to offer £6million for Benfica midfielder Filip Djuricic this month. Djuricic only joined Benfica last summer from Heerenveen, but could be allowed to leave for the right price - A Bola (Portuguese newspaper)

Newcastle have reached an agreement to sign Montpellier midfielder Remy Cabella, 23, but the French club say the £12m rated 23 year-old will not join the Magpies until the summer - Metro

Sunderland have completed the signing of goalkeeper Oscar Ustari. He is a 27-year-old Argentinian international. He is a free agent after he was released by Almeria - skysports.com

Fulham are waiting to hear back from Swansea after making an offer for Wales left-back Neil Taylor - skysports.com

West Ham striker Modibo Maiga is in talks with Turkish club Sivasspor - skysports.com and The Times

West Ham United want Genoa striker Alberto Gilardino (pictured right) - Corriere dello sport (Italian sports newspaper)

Nottingham Forest are in talks to sign Sunderland striker Danny Graham on loan. Graham is currently on loan at Hull City, but Steve Bruce is thought to be willing to cut short his loan stay at the KC Stadium following the recent arrivals of Shane Long and Nikica Jelavic - skysports.com

Danny Graham is the man Bolton boss Dougie Freedman has identified to lift the gloom at the Reebok Stadium - The Bolton News

Fábio da Silva could move on loan to the Bundesliga club Freiburg from Manchester United until the end of the season - The Guardian

Hull City manager Steve Bruce wants to sign Ghana international midfielder Sulley Muntari, 29, from AC Milan in a £3.9m deal - The Sun and Daily Star

Hull City striker Matty Fryatt is being linked with a host of clubs. The likes of Nottingham Forest, Leeds, Blackburn, Sheffield Wednesday and Wolves are all thought to be monitoring the striker's situation closely as they weigh up moves for the forward - skysports.com

Manchester United striker Federico Macheda currently on loan at Doncaster Rovers is on the radar of Fiorentina. Macheda's contract expires in June and the Italian club are interested in the 22 year-old - TMW agency

Arsenal scouts were at the Stade Geoffroy Guichard on Friday to watch Lille left-back Pape Souare (pictured right) play against Saint-Étienne - Daily Mail

Wolves goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey has emerged as a target for Championship leaders Leicester City. Hennessey's future at Wolves has been the subject of speculation all month with Crystal Palace also interested in his services - skysports.com

Huddersfield have signed midfielder Sondre Tronstad after agreeing a compensation fee with IK Start. The 18-year-old Norway youth international has put pen to paper on a deal until June 2016 and the Terriers have the option of an extra year.

Queens Park Rangers chairman Tony Fernandes has confirmed that Julio Cesar is likely to leave the club before the transfer window closes. Cagliari have shown an interest in signing the goalkeeper and the Brazil international has confirmed he would be open to joining the Serie A club - sportsmole.co.uk and skysports.com

Fulham midfielder Derek Boateng could join Evian TG on loan - L'Equipe (French daily newspaper) Watford are also reportedly interested in the Ghana international - skysports.com

Colchester United have signed 22 year-old Chelsea goalkeeper Sam Walker on a on an 18-month contract - sportsmole.co.uk

Biggest January Transfer Signings In Football History

The transfer window is the period during the year in which a football club can transfer players from other countries into their playing staff. Such a transfer is completed by registering the player into the new club through FIFA. "Transfer window" is the unofficial term commonly used by the media for the concept of "registration period" as described in the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of a Player.

The January transfer window in England commences at midnight on the 31st December and ends on the 31st January if a working day, and again, if not, on the first working day thereafter.


Here are the biggest January transfer signing in world football history:  


Luis Suárez - Ajax to Liverpool 

In 2011 Liverpool were looking for a striker who could partner Fernando Torres up front and their search ended at Ajax, when Liverpool signed Luis Suarez for £22.8m from the Dutch outfit. However in an ironic twist of events Torres ended up leaving 'The Reds' on January deadline day, to join Chelsea. It would be easy to argue now that Liverpool in fact acquired the better player since signing the Uruguayan hitman, as the Spaniard's career has stuttered since his big money move to Stamford Bridge. Suarez is now considered to be one of the top strikers in the world and has scored 22 goals in 16 Premier League games so far this season.


Klaas Jan Huntelaar - Ajax to Real Madrid

Klaas Jan Huntelaar, another Ajax man was signed by Real Madrid in 2009. The Spanish giants paid £24m to acquire Huntelaar's services. The Dutchman is one of the most prolific strikers in the world but his Real Madrid career got off to the worst possible start when a misunderstanding over UEFA's registration rules meant he could not be named in the club's Champions League squad. This and following Real's decision to look for a new crop of 'galacticos' he was forced out of the club after just seven months, despite scoring eight goals in 13 starts. He joined AC Milan for £13m in August 2009.


Willian Borges Da Silva - Shakhtar Donetsk to FC Anzhi Makhachkala

Russian Premier League club FC Anzhi Makhachkala surprised many with their money when they started splashing the cash for players. Willian was signed by Anzhi for £25m from Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk in January 2013. However following a restructuring decision by Russian owner Suleyman Kerimov, Anzhi chose to transfer list their whole squad in August 2013, including new signing Willian, and he was sold to Chelsea that same month for £30million.


David Luiz - Benfica to Chelsea 

Benfica's 2011 squad was full of talented players and one of those players was David Luiz, the unpredictable Brazilian ball playing defender/defensive midfielder. Chelsea signed David Luiz on 30th January 2011 for £26.5m, where he became an instant fan favourite. The 26 year-old is currently being linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge, with interest from Barcelona, Bayern Munich and also reports of a possible return to Benfica all on the cards.


Ediz Džeko - VfL Wolfsburg to Manchester City

Edin Džeko is a 'traditional' number 9, who was
signed by Manchester City from Bundesliga club VfL Wolfsburg for £32.5m on 3rd January 2011. In their title winning season of 2011–12 season Džeko finished as the second highest Manchester City goal scorer behind Agüero scoring 19 goals in all competitions, 14 of those goals in the Premier League. The Bosnia and Herzegovina international hasn't been a regular starter for Manchester City for a couple of seasons now, due in part to the quality of the strikers they have signed in the last few years. Despite this Džeko's record in front of goal is very impressive. In August 2010 Džeko became the highest scorer in the history of VfLWolfsburg with 59 goals in 96 appearances. For Manchester City the 27 year-old has netted 53 goals in 134 appearances in all competitions, many of those as a substitute.


Andy Carroll - Newcastle to Liverpool

Andy Carroll was enjoying the season of his life at Newcastle when Liverpool came knocking, after selling Torres on the last day of transfer window. Liverpool were short of options and paid a huge fee of £35m on 31st January 2011 for the striker,(the transfer made Carroll the most expensive British born footballer of all-time) and it proved to be a costly error of judgement. An injury sustained in December 2010 delayed his Liverpool debut until March 2011. Carroll was weighed down by the burden of that outrageous transfer fee and the expectation that came with it. It took its toll on the Gateshead born player and he was soon to find himself frozen out by Reds' manager Brendan Rodgers. In August 2012 Liverpool agreed a £2 million season-long loan deal with West Ham. This move was made permanent in June 2013 for a fee of £15 million.


Christian Vieri - Lazio to Inter Milan

Christian Vieri, a prolific scorer who hit the spotlight after having an amazing season with Atletico Madrid in 1997-98, scoring 24 goals in 24 La Liga games, as well as 5 goals in 7 appearances in European competition. The following season the Bologna born striker moved to Lazio for a fee of £22m. Inter Milan boss Marcelo Lippi suggested to his chairman Massimo Moratti that the Italian striker would make an excellent addition to his team and be the perfect strike partner for the Brazilian superstar Ronaldo.
So after one season at Lazio, Vieri was signed by Italian giants Inter Milan for a fee reported to be £32million, a world record at the time. Inter would be Vieri's ninth club in his ninth season of being a professional footballer. He went on to score 123 goals in 190 appearances for Inter in all competitions, before leaving in July 2005. Vieri then had spells at four other clubs before retiring in 2009.


Fernando Torres - Liverpool to Chelsea  

This former Atletico Madrid striker went on to become one of the best strikers in the world at Liverpool. He became an instant favorite. However, in 2011 he left Liverpool to join Chelsea in for a record breaking fee of £50m. The news he was to leave Liverpool along with the huge transfer fee was considered 'absolutely shocking' at the time. However he has still not justified his fee and or even come anywhere near the form that he showed at Liverpool.

The Top Divers in the English Premier League

'Diving' is the most elaborate form of cheating in professional football, but it stems from a basic disrespect and lack of authority in the game.
Diving is bringing down the whole reputation of football. Trying to trick and deceive the referee is cheating and too often it goes unpunished. At present, players can be suspended and fined for violent conduct even if the referee does not see the incident at the time. This should also be the case for diving!

Here is a list (in no particular order) of current Premier League players with a reputation for diving:


Danny Welbeck - Manchester United 

The Manchester United striker might be one of English football's brightest prospects, but has a tendency to tumble to the ground under no contact. His most recent attempt to con the referee came at White Hart Lane last Wednesday, as Welbeck pretended to fall over Vlad Chiriches’ outstretched leg in an attempt to earn his team a penalty (right). Welbeck may have been let off the hook by referee Howard Webb, but it definitely won't have helped his reputation.

Andy Carroll - West Ham United

The currently injured West Ham striker has been cautioned twice for a diving offence in his Premier League career, and on both occasions they have been blatant dives. For a man of Carroll's size it's quite amusing when he tumbles over to try and claim a free kick......his dives are horrendous and he hardly ever gets away with them.

Ashley Young - Manchester United 

Ashley Young has got his fair share of critics. The England and Manchester United star has been at the ­centre of several diving storms in recent seasons after seeming to go to ground too easily. The problem got so bad that he was warned about his conduct by Sir Alex Ferguson, while ­current manager David Moyes has also done the same. The latest controversy saw Young dive to earn United a ­penalty in their Champions League clash at Real Sociedad last month. It's fair to say not everyone is convinced that he was fouled, especially after he was booked for taking a tumble (right) at Old Trafford against Crystal Palace last September.

Daniel Sturridge - Liverpool

The Liverpool and England goalscorer has been called out twice in his Premier League career so far, and has dived throughout his time in the Premier League. He occasionally dives for Liverpool and was known to do it for Chelsea.

Fernando Torres - Chelsea 

The Spaniard averages a yellow card
for simulation every 66 games. He's
picked up three yellow cards so far in the Premier League, however he gets away with a fair few.
However back in October 2012 Torres received a second yellow card for simulation that resulted in him getting sent off. It left Chelsea with just nine players on the pitch, and in many people's eyes Torres behaviour was seen to have contributed considerably that day to a 3-2 defeat to arch-rivals Manchester United. Within six minutes of his red card Van Persie shot against the post and the ball came out to Rafael before Hernández applied the final touch for a dramatic victory.

Javier Hernández - Manchester United

Hernandez, also known as Chicharito is one of the most clinical finishers in the Premier League. He has a superb strike rate of a goal every two and a bit games for the Red Devils, but also has the unwanted reputation of going to ground far too easily. As a result and has been booked a couple of times for diving.

Oscar - Chelsea 

Oscar, the Chelsea attacking midfielder is at number two. He receives a yellow card at least once every 26 games, the latest incident of the Brazilian diving was at St Mary's stadium on New Years Day where Chelsea were victorious over Southampton. Oscar was faced with a choice last Wednesday: round the Southampton goalkeeper and score a virtuoso goal or dive and try to win a penalty.
Incredibly, the Brazilian let out a shriek and launched himself into the south coast’s rainy skies (right). It was a shameful, perplexing act that was punished with a yellow card by referee Martin Atkinson.

Luis Suarez - Liverpool

Luis is a wonderful footballer, one of the very best in world. Suarez could play for anyone with the form he's in now, unbelievable with the ball and scores the most terrific goals. However, the Uruguayan is a very controversial player as he's been known to cheat before. Most recently he was blasted for simulation, although he was not booked, after the Liverpool striker appealed in vain for a penalty during the Reds' 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge on 29th December.

Adnan Januzaj - Manchester United  

The Belguim born Manchester United winger has broke onto the scene this season with some brilliant performances in the Premier League. Unfortunately the winger has already been booked five times this season (3 of those for simulation), the last being on New Years Day during their 2-1 defeat by Tottenham Hotspur. Januzaj is now behind only Gareth Bale in the all-time list of top-flight divers, despite making just 14 Premier League career appearances!

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