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Joey Barton wants to stay but claims Newcastle plan to replace him | guardian.co.uk
Joey Barton claims he wants to stay at Newcastle United but has not been offered a new contract by the club, who he believes want a "younger, better, cheaper player".
Could you really blame the club for letting him go if they actually did find a "younger, better, cheaper player"? Speaking of which...
Newcastle set to sign Lille star Yohan Cabaye | Sunday Sun
The Sunday Sun can reveal Cabaye agreed to sign for United on Thursday afternoon, with Newcastle beating competition from Arsenal to land one of the brightest talents in French football. He plays his last game for the French champions today and, while the deal is not yet finalised, United hope to confirm it in the next 10 days. In news which will delight the Toon Army, United are now confident of making it a double raid on Lille by clinching a deal for Ivory Coast striker Gervinho.
This seems like as good a place as any to say this, though I'll say it as often and in as many places as I think is necessary: We want to be very careful about transfer rumors on this site. So much of what is reported is false that many footy fans ignore rumors altogether, but I'm not one to throw the baby out with the bathwater. I know many of you like to stay apprised of what the latest rumblings are, and I will stand up and be counted among you. However, I want to also be respectful of those of you who won't believe a thing until the new player is shaking the gaffer's hand at the press conference - and with good reason. I ran across several articles just this weekend that had incredibly misleading headlines. A quick scan of my RSS reader would lead one to believe that Barton to Everton was a done deal (see below) and that as many as three different players had signed new contracts with Newcastle. I don't want to be part of that noise.
Here's how we've handled rumors in the past and how we will continue to handle them: Unsubstantiated rumors will appear in these links posts and in other posts that have a "Rumors" tag on them. You will not see a stand-alone story about a transfer until it has been confirmed in no uncertain terms by multiple sources. Often that will mean that we are not the first blog to report on a given move, but I prefer to sacrifice speed for accuracy when faced with the choice.
But the Toon are ready to accept a £4million bid for their 28-year-old midfielder – and it will be a case of third time lucky for Blues’ boss David Moyes, who has twice gone close to signing the Huyton-born once-capped midfielder.
More after the jump.
What You Need to Know About Swansea vs Reading: 2011 Championship Playoff Final | EPL Talk
Who ya got in this one? Give me Reading in a 3-2 thriller.
Sam Allardyce set to be confirmed as the new manager of West Ham United | Telegraph
Countdown to a crisis at Fifa | guardian.co.uk
Timeline of alleged FIFA corruption scandal. What a mess.
FIFA Soccer 12: Player Impact Trailer | Youtube
FIFA 12 will feature a new "Player Impact Engine," which I suppose means you can reenact your favorite De Jong move if you like.