Premier league news: Arsenal, Aston Villa, Birmingham City
Arsenal:
Arsene Wenger has stated that newly signed Marouane Chamakh is making a huge impact in the EPL because he loves the physicality of the league. Wenger added that Chamakh has done fairly well and the reason was fairly simple - his love for the physical game. The manager claimed that Chamakh loves contact and is devastating in the air.
“When you jump high, no matter if it is in Japan or England, if you jump higher than your opponent then you get the ball with your head. I believe that he is an intelligent player as well and he has adapted quickly because he is a real team player. He likes to work for the team, so even if he misses one or two things, he does so much that overall his contribution is very high," claimed Arsenal Manager Arsene Wenger
Aston Villa
Aston Villa caretaker manager Kevin MacDonald is delighted to be back to routine in serving the club but confessed that he is weighing his options, following the permanent employment of Gerard Houllier. The reserves coach will return to his former duties and let go of the control of the first team after this weekend’s home fixture against Bolton.
Houllier will be present at the match but owing to prior commitments with the French Football Federation this week, he has requested MacDonald to prepare, select and devise the tactics for the team. That match is expected to be MacDonald's last match as the first team coach. Although he would be resuming his duties with the reserves, he wants to take necessary steps to assess his own future.
MacDonald claimed that he put his name forward as the potential manager for Villa but was well aware that it might end in disappointment. The manager added that he took a long time to take the decision and was very disappointed when Houllier was appointed. With Houllier coming on, MacDonald claimed that he may well want to take a managerial role elsewhere and re-evaluate his own future. Some people do believe that he can make a good manager and some believe that he may not but it’s something he has to decide for himself.
Birmingham City
Alex Mcleish has finally signed a new deal with Birmingham City, paving way for striker Cameron Jerome to talks about his own contract renewal. The Scot is looking to finally put an end to the intense contract issues between him and the club and finally put pen to paper this week.
There is a sharp increase in the profile of Birmingham manager which is largely due to his club’s ninth place finish in the premier league last season. Birmingham only returned to the top flight last season and it was an impressive finish for the manager’s first tenure. His delay in contract signing has led to mega speculations regarding his future. The player claimed that he wants the manager to stay and has done an outstanding job in the premier league last season.
Even with a low budget, Birmingham managed to finish in the upper half of the table. He is an up-and-coming manager. That's why the likes of Liverpool and other teams will come knocking when they are looking for a new man.
“He has proven his worth,” claimed Cameron Jerome. Birmingham City recently managed to hold 18 time English Champions to a 0-0 stalemate at home. Liverpool has been in the top flight longer than any other club and to hold their threat off under new manager Roy Hodgson is a major upset. The manager would be delighted by the performance, especially by the newly signed players, who have shown a lot of value for the money being paid to them.
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