According to an extraordinary report in the Daily Mail, Chelsea are still paying former manager Roberto Di Matteo £130,000 per week, or an eye-watering £6.7m per year.

Di Matteo, who won the FA Cup and the Champions League in 2012 after stepping in to replace Andre Villas-Boas, was sacked as Chelsea manager in November of the same year after failing to impress Roman Abramovich with his team’s performances both home and abroad.

However, the Mail reports the Italian was unable to reach an agreement with Chelsea’s owner over a pay-off, and so continues to collect the salary he once earned at Stamford Bridge.

Neil Ashton, the paper’s highly respected football reporter, writes: ”The Italian was unable to reach a settlement with owner Roman Abramovich on his three-year deal when he was fired six months after winning the Champions League as interim boss. ”Di Matteo has already banked almost £7million and will continue to pick up the king-sized salary until June 2014, meaning he is reluctant to take on another job for less money.”

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Victor Anichebe says he joined West Bromwich Albion because he felt in need of a change and wanted a boost.
The 25-year-old striker made the move from Everton, where he had spent his whole career to that point, on transfer deadline day in September.
And after a decade and a half with Everton, Anichebe believes the time was right for a new challenge.
“I felt like a change could give me an added boost,” Anichebe told BBC Sport.
“I had a great time at Everton, I was there for 15 years. Of course there were ups and there was downs, but that is all part of life .

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Arsene Wenger’s attacking options have received another blow after an injury to YayaSanogo which has left Arsenal with only one fit recognized centre-forward.

Sanogo – who was considered to be Arsenal’s second-choice centre forward –came back from under-21 duty with a back strain.

The 20-year-old will undergo intensive treatment at the club’s London Colney HQ in order to ensure his fitness for the weekend game against Sunderland.

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Manchester United attacker Shinji Kagawa has revealed his frustration at new boss David Moyes’ decision not to use him.
Kagawa, who was signed last summer by Sir Alex Ferguson, has played just seven minutes this season , coming off the bench in the Community Shield win over Wigan in August.
After Japan’s 3-1 win over Ghana on Tuesday where he scored a goal, the player expressed his disappointment at his current status at Old Trafford.

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Daniel Sturridge was forced to defend himself on Twitter after he seemed to consider playing for England as second fiddle to his club career at Liverpool only hours before England’s game against Ukraine.
In an interview that appeared on the club’s official website, the striker said: ‘I’m more worried about Liverpool and more worried about putting in good performances for us, us winning games and challenging for trophies.

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 Cardiff City have confirmed the arrival of Peter Odemwingie from West Bromwich Albion on a two-year contract.
Both the player and his agent revealed on a busy transfer deadline day that a deal had been done, and the Bluebirds have announced that the striker has become their eighth signing of the summer.
Odemwingie completed a medical on Monday and is now waiting on Premier League ratification before opening a new chapter in his colourful career in South Wales.

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Manchester United have agreed a £24 million fee with Everton for midfielder Marouane Fellaini.

The clubs are in advanced talks over a deal with Belgian midfielder, who will complete deadline day move to Old Trafford once Everton sign James McCarthy
The clubs have a verbal understanding and are now thrashing out the minor details of the deal, including payment structures, while Everton are not willing to complete the transfer until they have signed James McCarthy from Wigan as the Belgian’s replacement.

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Chelsea have confirmed that they have reached an agreement to sign Willian from Anzhi Makhachkala.

The Blues have not disclosed the fee for the 25-year-old, but sources say they will pay the Russian club £31.7 million for the winger.

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Rio Ferdinand is relishing Manchester United's showdown with Chelsea after the champions' impressive opening day victory away to Swansea.

The Red Devils, now under the stewardship of David Moyes following the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson, roared to a 4-1 win at the Liberty Stadium thanks to two goals each for Robin van Persie and Danny Welbeck.

Their victory came just hours after returning Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho suggested that United and previous title holders Manchester City were not 'terrific' winners of the top flight.

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Unsettled Liverpool striker Luis Suarez made his return to Anfield on Saturday, saluting fans from beside the pitch prior to his side’s opening Premier League game against Stoke City.

The 26-year-old Uruguayan was forced to train on his own after declaring that he wanted to leave the club, but he returned to training with his team-mates on Friday after reportedly apologising to the squad.

Suarez arrived at Liverpool’s home ground around an hour before kick-off and received a short burst of applause from fans already inside the stadium when he appeared beside the pitch carrying his daughter, Delfina.

He shook hands with former referee Mark Halsey, present to fulfil media duties, before disappearing down the tunnel, re-emerging 10 minutes later to walk to the executive boxes on the opposite side of the ground.

Suarez is suspended for the first six matches of the new season after biting Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic during a league game at Anfield in April.

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers says he is not willing to discuss Suarez’s situation until he is available for selection, but he confirmed that the striker has returned to full training with his team-mates.

Speaking to BT Sport prior to kick-off, Rodgers said: “He’s back in the group, he’s smiling and happy, and we’ll move on.” AFP

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Arsenal are set to launch a dramatic €46m for Real Madrid’s super French striker Karim Benzema, reports French publication Le 10 Sport.

Benzema scored 20 goals last season for the La Liga runners up, and at 25-years-old, is rightly regarded as one of the best forwards in Europe.

Unfortunately for the Gunners, the bid strikes more of desperation than realism. After Real Madrid sold Arsenal target Gonzalo Higuain to Napoli earlier in the summer, Benzema is the only established centre-forward at the club. Cristiano Ronaldo obviously scores a lot of goals, and the impressive Alvaro Morata is developing quickly, but Los Blancos would be crazy to sell their French star too this transfer window.

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Manchester United manager David Moyes put a testing pre-season behind him as his side beat Wigan Athletic 2-0 in the Community Shield at a sun-soaked Wembley on Sunday.

New Manchester United manager David Moyes put a testing pre-season behind him as his side beat Wigan Athletic 2-0 in the Community Shield at a sun-soaked Wembley on Sunday.

The successor to the legendary Alex Ferguson had to endure transfer market frustration and speculation surrounding the future of Wayne Rooney during a disappointing run of two wins in seven friendly games.

His luck changed in the traditional curtain-raiser to the English season, however, as Robin van Persie scored a goal in each half to give Moyes his first piece of silverware at the helm of the English giants.

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MOSCOW (AFP) – Jamaican sprint star Usain Bolt lifted track and field out of the doping doldrums as he reclaimed his world 100m title in emphatic style on Sunday.

Bolt clocked a season’s best 9.77 seconds in heavy rain at the Luzhniki Stadium, with American Justin Gatlin claiming silver in 9.85sec and Nesta Carter, also of Jamaica, taking bronze in 9.95sec.

Athletics’ credibility had again been called to account in recent weeks, notably after American sprint rival Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell tested positive for drugs.

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If Saturday is any indication, Borussia Dortmund won't miss Mario Gotze.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, brought in to beef up the attack after Gotze was sold to rival Bayern Munich, netted a hat-trick on his Bundesliga debut as the league and Champions League runner-up began by beating Augsburg 4-0.
If he continues to impress, his $17 million transfer fee -- Aubameyang joined from Saint-Etienne in July -- will be considered a bargain. The Gabon international finished second in goals in Ligue 1 last season and was fifth in assists.
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