Defoe deal softens Kaboul blow for Spurs

Jermain Defoe has extended his stay at Tottenham Hotspur after signing a new three-year deal but the Barclays Premier League club must make do without the services of Younes Kaboul for up to four months after the defender had knee surgery.

Defoe made his 300^th appearance for Tottenham against West Bromwich Albion on Saturday and the 29-year-old intends to increase that tally significantly after agreeing terms on a new contract that expires in 2015.

Defoe has made 230 Premier League appearances in two spells at the north London club and scored 80 goals in the English top flight.

The England striker, who scored the winning goal against Italy in a recent friendly, has scored 16 times in 49 internationals and has been called up by Roy Hodgson for the forthcoming FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Moldova and Ukraine.

Kaboul blow

Kaboul, meanwhile, is likely to be out of action until the New Year after an operation on a knee injury. The 26-year-old appeared in the opening match of the season against Newcastle United but missed Saturday's 1-1 draw with West Brom and could now be sidelined for a further 18 League games.

"Morning all, surgery done with success," the central defender tweeted on Thursday morning. "Now looking forward for my rehab. I thank you all for your great support as usual."

He then added shortly afterwards: "Sorry I forgot to mention how long [I will be out for]... should be 4 months."

In Kaboul's absence Tottenham manager Andre-Villas Boas has Jan Vertonghen, William Gallas, Michael Dawson and Steven Caulker available as central defensive options.

Chelsea and City face tough test in Champions League

The top four clubs in last season's Barclays Premier League learnt their opponents for the group stages of this season's UEFA Champions League when the draw was made in Monaco.

Defending champions Chelsea, who defeated Bayern Munich to win the title in May, were drawn in Group E against three of last season's champions: Shakhtar Donetsk, of the Ukraine, Juventus, who won Serie A, and FC Nordsjaelland, the Danish side.

Manchester City face a similarly tough draw against the title-holders of their countries in Group D. Roberto Mancini's side will face Real Madrid, Ajax, the Eredivisie champions, and Borussia Dortmund, who won back-to-back Bundesliga titles last season.

Three-time champions Manchester United were drawn in Group H against Braga, of Portugal, Galatasaray, the Turkish champions, and CFR Cluj, of Romania.

The 2006 finalists Arsenal will face the German side Schalke, Greek champions Olympiacos and Montpellier, who won the French title last season.

The group stage of this season's competition begins on 18th-19th September and finishes on 4th-5th December.

The final will take place at Wembley Stadium, London on 25th May 2013.

Group A: Porto, Dynamo Kiev, Paris St Germain, Dinamo Zagreb.

Group B: Arsenal, Schalke, Olympiacos, Montpellier.

Group C: AC Milan, Zenit St Petersburg, Anderlecht, Malaga.

Group D: Real Madrid, Manchester City, Ajax, Borussia Dortmund.

Group E: Chelsea, Shakhtar Donetsk, Juventus, FC Nordsjaelland.

Group F: Bayern Munich, Valencia, Lille, BATE Borisov.

Group G: Barcelona, Benfica, Spartak Moscow, Celtic.

Group H: Manchester United, Braga, Galatasaray, CFR Cluj.

Paralympics 2012: USA swimmer Jessica Long targets more gold

Increased media attention, more interest from sponsors and closer links with Olympic athletes show the Paralympic movement has never been stronger.

That is the view of Jessica Long, arguably the most high-profile member of the 227-strong team the United States is sending to London for the Paralympics.

Long, still only 20, is a veteran of two previous Games, where she won nine swimming medals, including seven golds.

"The Paralympic scene is growing, we're all Team USA now," said Long.



"We could always do more, but we're getting out there. Hopefully we're encouraging disabled kids to get involved in Paralympic sport.

"One thing I've noticed is with the sponsors. It's very even now.

"It's great to see the movement continue to grow."

Long singled out BP's backing of five Olympians and four Paralympians in the US as an example of sponsors' growing interest in disability sport.

But companies such as Adidas, BT and BMW do the same in the UK, and she can count a number of blue-chip firms among her own sponsors.

That is hardly surprising when you consider her story.

Born in Siberia, Long was adopted by her American parents from a Russian orphanage aged 13 months.

Five months later, her legs were amputated below the knee because of a congenital condition that left her without most of the bones in her feet and lower legs.

Long refused to let this limit her sporting horizons, with gymnastics being an early favourite until her parents' worries about knee injuries pushed her towards swimming.

US Open: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga & Tomas Berdych into round two

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga booked his place in the US Open second round with a straight sets win against Karol Beck.

The French world number six, seeded fifth in the absence of Rafael Nadal, came from a break down in the third set to win 6-3 6-1 7-6 (7-2).

Joining him in round two is sixth seed Tomas Berydch after the Czech beat Belgium's David Goffin 7-5 6-3 6-3.

Andy Roddick beat fellow American Rhyne Williams 6-3 6-4 6-4 while defending champion Novak Djokovic plays later.

Tsonga made the quarter-finals in New York for the first time last year and has made a strong start in his latest campaign.

The Wimbledon semi-finalist dominated the opening two sets but found himself trailing Beck 5-3 in the third.

But Tsonga immediately overturned the break of serve before outclassing his opponent in the tie-break.

He next plays another Slovakian in Martin Klizan and remains on course for a quarter-final meeting with Andy Murray.

"I think I played good tennis the first two sets, and after that I lost a bit concentration at the beginning of the third," said Tsonga.

"It took some effort to come back. It was not easy today because the weather was hot. I'm happy to go through really quickly."

Berdych was similarly comfortable against 21-year-old Goffin and meets Jurgen Zopp of Estonia in the second round.

Number 20 seed Roddick, the champion in 2003, dispatched 21-year-old Williams and next faces Bernard Tomic or Carlos Berlocq.

Spanish 11th seed Nicolas Almagro beat Radek Stepanek 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 6-4 and next plays Germany's Philipp Petzschner, who outlasted Nicolas Mahut in three hours and 31 minutes.

Big-serving 15th seed Milos Raonic of Canada, a possible fourth-round opponent of Murray, battled past Santiago Giraldo 6-3 4-6 3-6 6-4 6-4 and will meet Paul-Henri Mathieu after the Frenchman overcame Igor Andreev in five sets.

Adam Johnson moves to Sunderland from Manchester City

Sunderland have signed England winger Adam Johnson on a four-year deal from Manchester City for an undisclosed fee.

Liverpool and Tottenham were believed to be interested in the 25-year-old, who made 26 Premier League appearances in City's title-winning campaign.

"Adding quality players to the squad has been our main aim this summer and Adam certainly fits that bill," said Black Cats manager Martin O'Neill.

Johnson's move follows Sunderland's signing of Steven Fletcher from Wolves.

The transfer will mean a return to the North East for Johnson, who came through the youth ranks at Middlesbrough.

"He has terrific ability, great delivery and I'm sure he is a player who will excite our fans," said O'Neill.

"I couldn't be more delighted to have him at the football club."

Johnson has 11 England caps, scoring two goals, and started for Roy Hodgson's side in the recent friendly victory over Italy.

He scored 15 goals in 97 games for City but 43 of those appearances came as a substitute as he struggled to hold down a place in Roberto Mancini's side.

Henri Lansbury joins Nottingham Forest from Arsenal

Nottingham Forest have signed England Under-21 midfielder Henri Lansbury from Arsenal for a fee believed to be in excess of £1m.

Lansbury, who has signed a four-year contract, becomes new manager Sean O'Driscoll's ninth signing.

The 21-year-old spent most of last season on loan at West Ham United and has also previously had spells at Scunthorpe, Watford and Norwich.

He could make his Forest debut against Charlton on Saturday.

Lansbury had been at Arsenal since the age of eight and made his Gunners first-team debut in 2007 having come through the club's youth system.

But he subsequently struggled to make an impact at the Emirates, and managed just three Premier League substitute appearances and five League Cup games for Arsene Wenger's side.

His one goal for the club came in the competition against Tottenham Hotspur in September 2010.

The Enfield-born player made 22 appearances for the Hammers last season while on loan, helping the Upton Park club gain promotion from the Championship.

Aguero & Messi - Argentina's perfect partners

Manchester City coach Roberto Mancini was frustrated when his striker Sergio Aguero wascalled up by Argentina for a friendly against Germany two weeks ago.

And he is exasperated to see Aguero's name in his country's squad for the coming World Cup qualifiers.

The trip to Germany came just a few days before City began their defence of the Premier League title. And Aguero's injury means that he has limited chances of being fit in time to play for his country next month. A journey across the Atlantic is quite possibly not an ideal part of the player's recovery. Mancini's position, then, is totally understandable.

But so too is that of Argentina boss Alejandro Sabella.

His complaint is that of all those in charge of contemporary national teams - the lack of time with his players means that he can hardly function as a coach. He becomes a selector. In the quest to form a cohesive group, any time he can spend with his players has to be utilised.

It hardly matters to Sabella that Aguero is unlikely to be ready for Argentina's next game, at home to Paraguay on 7 September - the player is suspended. But everything will be worthwhile if four days later Aguero is able to come off the bench and make an impact on the tricky tie away to Peru.

That is exactly what Aguero did against Colombia last November.

Injury had kept him out of the first three rounds of the 2014 qualifiers, and Argentina had made a desperate start in his absence. They had lost to Venezuela, drawn at home to Bolivia and were a goal down to Colombia when Aguero was introduced at half time.

It proved a turning point. Aguero's presence opened up space for Lionel Messi. Both were on target as Argentina struck back to win 2-1. Messi has not stopped scoring since. In the next game he weighed in with a hat-trick as Switzerland were beaten 3-1 in a friendly.

Malaga meltdown : When football and finance collide

When Malaga's status rocketed following a takeover from the Qatari royal family, it appeared that the route to the promised land of Champions League football would be a smooth one.

But the Andalusians head to Athens for the return leg of their Champions League play-off with Panathinaikos on the back of a journey that has taken a twist or two more than even the most thrill-seeking fan would have hoped for.

Financial problems have meant La Liga's biggest spenders of last season have become the only team in Spain not to sign a single player this summer.

With little money in Spain outside the Barca and Madrid duopoly, there was a real chance for Malaga to become a powerful presence in La Liga following Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser al-Thani's initial big impression.

A net £50m was spent on players last summer - more than either Barcelona or Real Madrid - and £12m was pledged to build a smart new facility for the club's youth academy.

Arrival in the group stage - and potential ties against the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United and Bayern Munich - have been the aim ever since summer 2010.

And after scraping home in fourth spot on the final day of last season, it seemed like they had taken that chance.

Liverpool Can Be Top Four - Sahin

Nuri Sahin says Liverpool can finish in the top four this season and is not ruling out a permanent move to Anfield.

Nuri Sahin wants to help Liverpool secure Champions League spot

Nuri Sahin says Liverpool can finish in the top four this season and has not ruled out making his loan move from Real Madrid permanent.

The Turkish midfielder, 23, who had also been linked with Arsenal this summer, joined Brendan Rodgers's side on a season-long loan on Saturday.

Asked whether the move could be made permanent, he said: "You never know.

"I am looking forward to playing this season and we will do everything to get into the top four."

Stoke 2-2 Swindon

James Collins scored an extra-time winner for Swindon to send Stoke crashing out of the League Cup.

Swindon took the lead when home keeper Thomas Sorensen dropped a cross and Collins pounced, before the same player added a second with a header.

A Kenwyne Jones header and Jon Walters shot hauled Stoke level but Aden Flint gave Swindon the edge in extra-time.

Peter Crouch nodded in another Stoke equaliser before Collins completed his hat-trick when he slid in to score.

Match officials appointments 1st-2nd September

The Select Group Match Officials appointments have been made for Barclays Premier League fixtures on September 1st and 2nd 2012 and are as follows:

Saturday 1st September

West Ham United v Fulham (12.45pm)

Referee: A Taylor
Assistants: S Long, M McDonough
Fourth Official: L Mason

Swansea City v Sunderland (3pm)

Referee: R East
Assistants: P Kirkup, A Garratt
Fourth Official: A Marriner

Tottenham Hotspur v Norwich City (3pm)

Referee: M Halsey
Assistants: S Ledger, R Ganfield
Fourth Official: T Kettle

West Bromwich Albion v Everton (3pm)

Referee: J Moss
Assistants: S Child, D England
Fourth Official: P Dowd

Wigan Athletic v Stoke City (3pm)

Referee: M Atkinson
Assistants: S Burt, R West
Fourth Official: I Williamson

Manchester City v Queens Park Rangers (5.30pm)

Referee: C Foy
Assistants: D C Richards, H Lennard
Fourth Official: M Oliver

Sunday 2nd September

Liverpool v Arsenal (1.30pm)

Referee: H Webb
Assistants: M Mullarkey, D Cann
Fourth Official: P Dowd

Newcastle United v Aston Villa (4pm)

Referee: L Probert
Assistants: S Beck, S Bennett
Fourth Official: K Friend

Southampton v Manchester United (4pm)

Referee: M Dean
Assistants: J Collin, J Brooks
Fourth Official: M Halsey

Pre-season with Arsenal's Stadium Manager

It is not just the Barclays Premier League's footballers who are being put through their paces this pre-season. The summer is also an important time for other departments within the country's leading clubs as they gear up for the new season.

Premierleague.com caught up with Arsenal's Stadium Manager Mark Pearce to find out what the team responsible for the upkeep of the iconic Emirates Stadium have been up to over the summer.

What is the role of the Stadium Manager?
"The role of the Stadium Manager is to prepare the stadium for the advent of 60,000 people arriving at the venue on a matchday. The stadium manager ensures the stadium has all the necessary certificates and maintenance requirements in place and that all the testing has been done in order to ensure that when we hand things over on an event day, the safety manager can run the event. It's coordinating everything to make sure the stadium is fit for purpose every day."

Moses delight at 'surprise' Chelsea move

Victor Moses has expressed his delight at being able to return to his home city of London by joining Chelsea and is not daunted by the prospect of playing alongside players who won the European Cup.

The 21-year-old completed a move from Wigan Athletic late on Friday and was presented to the Stamford Bridge crowd before the victory over Newcastle United.

“When I first heard that Chelsea had come in for me I was surprised, but I had a call from my agent saying they were really interested in me and what did I think,” Moses told theclub’s official website. “I said they are the European champions and anyone would like to play there and now that everything is sorted, I am delighted to be here.”

Moses has been handed the No 13 jersey by Chelsea, with another signing last week Cesar Azpilicueta, wearing the No 28 shirt.

The former Crystal Palace winger played 74 matches for Wigan in the Premier League since joining in January 2010 and the final one was against Chelsea in the opening-day 2-0 win by the West London side.

During the match he tested Chelsea’s full backs with his runs and Moses says his dribbling his one of his strengths.

"I love getting the ball and going past defenders," he said. "You don't want defenders tackling you all the time when you get the ball, you need to make them work hard, and that is what I love doing."

Moses played for England U21s but has opted to represent Nigeria at senior level, making his debut in February. He is looking forward to upcoming home-and-away fixtures against Liberia to decide who goes to next year’s African Cup of Nations in South Africa.

Arsenal midfielder Henri Lansbury has signed for Championship side Nottingham Forest on a four-year deal.

The 21-year-old, who is the seventh signing made by Forest's new owners, moves for an undisclosed fee.

Meanwhile, Croatian midfielder Luka Modric says there are no hard feelings towards Tottenham Hotspur after he completed his transfer to Real Madrid.

"There are no hard feelings," said Modric. "I want to thank everyone there. I spent three great years there and enjoyed every moment."

Fantasy Premier League champion revels in success

For Manchester United follower Sam Pater, the last day of the 2011/12 Barclays Premier League season was a nervy, tension-wracked experience.

But not because the team he supports was attempting to win the title.

The headteacher was in the running to win Fantasy Premier League; his team, samcity, had a chance of finishing first out of an incredible 2.8 million players in the biggest fantasy football game in the world.

Pater admits it was a fraught conclusion to the campaign as he constantly checked his team's score against the other two who could realistically challenge him for the title of Fantasy King.

"I was surprised at how nervous I was actually," Sam told premierleague.com. "I suppose in the month or two building up to it I'd thought about it a fair bit, so it meant quite a lot on the last day

"I had my brother-in-law - who introduced me to the game six years ago - round and told my four kids who to cheer for if any of my players scored, and we watched Final Score on the BBC.

"I knew it was between one of three teams at the top, so I wrote the other two guys' teams down and was constantly checking.

"There were plenty of ups and downs - like celebrating when my captain Rafael van der Vaart got an assist after two minutes, but then going through agony when he was taken off after 59 minutes!

"When the day ended, I was level on points with one of the other chaps, Garry. Bang level. I was trying to work out how the bonus points would go, then I was trying to work out how you work out the bonus points, as I'd never done it before!"