Author: isport

SPURS LINK

Dimitar Berbatov might be making his way back to Tottenham Hotspur in near future. He has been reported not to be in the greatest of moods at his current cub Fulham. Berbatov’s first tenure at Tottenham Hotspur was quite successful. He had spent a couple of years at the club and had performed consistently. The Spurs had sold him to Manchester United in August 2008 after receiving a transfer fee of more than 30 million Pounds. Jermain Defoe who had been there as a backup striker at Tottenham will make a move away to Toronto FC after a few weeks and that would create a void in their squad. The Spurs management needs somebody who can fill that void and they reckon that Berbatov is the right man for that.

BERBS SET TO STAY

During the past few weeks there has been nothing but exit rumors surrounding the Bulgarian striker as he wants to depart from Fulham. He had already made statements concerning his ‘’unhappiness’’ with the Premier League club. However according to the manager of Fulham Rene Meulensteen, he is certain that Berbatov will remain with the team at least until the end of the season and not in January as it was initially believed. "I had a good chat with him; he's not a stranger to me. We know what games we have coming up all the way to January, and he's fully committed to Fulham."

TIME FOR JOL TO GO?

Having conceded 21 goals so far in this season it’s no wonder why Fulham are located in the bottom spots of the Premier League. They are also struggling in their offensive lines only managing to muster 2 goals in their 3 latest encounters. The performances have been so disappointing that even in their own home stadium at Craven Cottage when playing against Swansea City and losing 2-1 at the end of the encounter they were booed in a way louder than it has been at any other occasion and even worse were the chants that screamed ‘’Jol Out’’. The absence of Brede Hangeland in the defensive area of the squad is being felt and on the other side of the pitch, Berbatov and Bryan Ruiz seem to lack the creative and energetic minds of some seasons ago.

BERBS MOVING ON?

Fulham’s problems continue to escalade as their coach Martin Jol was sacked only a few days ago and Rene Meulensteen is now the man in charge to lead the Premier League side away from the relegation zone. But Fulham’s Dimitar Berbatov has recently stated his desire to leave the club. The former Manchester United player has a contract that expires in 6 months but according to his agent Emil Dantchev he wants to leave the club in January. 'I don’t usually speculate as nobody knows what will happen in January but what I can tell you is he (Berbatov) is not happy at Fulham,' Dantchev told Press Association Sport. 'He would like, if possible, to find another option.'

Lazio to swoop for Dimitar Berbatov in January

Serie A powerhouse SS Lazio could make a surprise move for unsettled Fulham striker Dimitar Berbatov in the inter transfer window, according to several media reports emerging from both England and Italy. The former Manchester United front man hasn’t been having the best of times this season at Craven Cottage with Fulham also suffering indifferent form and manager Martin Jol is under immense pressure from the club’s new American owners to deliver results after a splash in the summer transfer market. And Lazio have made the former Bulgarian international their primary target in the mid-season transfer market having failed to agree a move for Galatasaray and Turkish international striker Burak Yilmaz as negotiations broke down in the summer and it seems the player is likely to move to English giants Chelsea in January. Veteran German striker Miroslav Klose could also be expected to leave the club during the winter transfer window with Barcelona and Arsenal tracking him as a surprise target and that could open the door for Lazio to splash out on Dimitar Berbatov who only joined Fulham last summer from United when Jol, his former manager at Tottenham Hotspur took charge of the club. The 32 year old, without a doubt extremely talented, has often been criticized for being too lazy on the pitch, an attitude that saw him pushed out of the Old Trafford exit door and he has also cut a frustrated figure at Fulham, often being left alone in attack with very little service coming his way from the back. The Bulgarian did manage to score 15 goals for the club last season but it wouldn’t hurt Fulham to allow Dimitar Berbatov to leave and cash in on him with the striker having scored just one goal during the current season with the London club.

Fulham still searching for a partner for Dimitar Berbatov

Fulham manager Martin Jol has confirmed the club is scouring the transfer market for a strike partner to Bulgarian striker Dimitar Berbatov. According to a report from Sky Sports, the Dutch manager has made it clear to the team management that he wants a new striker before the start of the season to ease the pressure of star striker Berbatov. Jol watched on from the sidelines as his side failed to find the back of the net in a 1-0 friendly defeat at the hands of German giants Werder Bremen. New goalkeeper signing Maarten Stekelenburg was the main reason the club managed to come out of the match with a respectable score line but the lack of attacking potency up front was there for all to see and Jol wants a new forward player to add flair to the team’s attacking displays. Dimitar Berbatov was the star man for Fulham last season as he scored 15 goals for the London side in 33 appearances but they found their season petering out to mid table obscurity once the Bulgarian striker hit a patch of rough phase in the season. Jol signed the Bulgarian who had previously played under him at Tottenham Hotspur for a cut price fee from Manchester United and he admits without the influence of Berbatov, the team would have really struggled and that is why, he doesn’t want to solely rely on the former Bayer Leverkusen man this season. But Jol has also confirmed that they are looking for the right player for the club rather than going out and signing whoever they find in front of them and going for a quick fix. He added the team needs quality like that of Dimitar Berbatov, someone who will play a foil to him and take up the mantle from him.

BERBA WILL STAY

The agent of Dimitar Berbatov, Emil Danchev, has made it clear that the Bulgarian striker is not going to leave Fulham this summer. There had been speculations in the last few days that a couple of Russian clubs including Zenit St Petersburg are interested in signing Berbatov and the Bulgarian international might move to Russia this summer. But, those speculations have been turned down by Danchev. Talking to the correspondent of a Russian newspaper, Danchev said, “The reports of Dimitar making a move to Russia are completely false. He is not signing for any other club this summer. He still has one year left in his contract with Fulham and he will finish his contract.” “Dimitar doesn’t have any reason to leave Fulham at this point of time. He had a fantastic time there last season.” When asked if there were interests from the Russian club, Danchev said, “Yes, a couple of clubs had approached me to be honest. But, Dimitar was very keen to complete his contract at Fulham, so, he didn’t accept those offers.” When asked about the possibility of Berbatov retiring next year, Danchev said, “I don’t think he will retire this early. He would like to play competitive football for at least 2-3 more years.” These statements of Danchev would have given a huge relief to the Fulham boss Martin Jol. Berbatov joined Fulham at the start of the last season after leaving Manchester United. The Cottagers didn’t disclose the transfer fee that they paid to buy Berbatov. Berbatov proved to be a fantastic buy for Fulham. He was in brilliant form in the second half of the season. He found the net in quite a few vital games. Berbatov featured for Fulham in a total of 33 games last season and scored 15 goals.

BERBATOV HELPS JOL

The Bulgarian striker Dimitar Berbatov helped the Dutchman Martin Jol get his revenge on the Premier league club Tottenham after securing his first win since leaving the club four years ago. Martin Jol was one of the major reasons for the arrival of Berbatov to White Hart Lane several years ago. The striker has since went on to play for Manchester United before moving to Fulham in the summer. Jol, meanwhile, has managed several clubs in Germany and Netherlands before returning to the Premier league with Fulham. He has been unable to get revenge for his sacking by Tottenham back in 2009. This came in the form of the 1-0 victory for Fulham in the match between the two clubs during the weekend. Berbatov scored the only goal of the game as he helped ease any relegation fears for the London club as well. Jol has revealed that the striker spoke with him before the match saying that he would definitely score against his former club. In return, Berbatov wanted a day off from training. Jol has said that the striker had wished for the same when Fulham took on Stoke City in a league match. Again, a solitary goal from Berbatov was enough to secure three points for Fulham. “Before the game, I hoped for a point but Berbatov said you have to trust me to score. I thought he was joking but he said it before the match against Stoke and did it then. The only thing he wants is a day off if he scores. I promise him that and he scores! He’s a remarkable boy. It’s one of the best wins ever. But that’s between us!” said the former Tottenham manager. This defeat means that Tottenham have suffered three consecutive setbacks, which is threatening to derail their season once again.

T-SHIRT STUPIDITY

The Fulham manager Martin Jol has said that the striker Dimitar Berbatov is stupid for producing a bizarre T-shirt slogan in the recent 1-1 draw with Southampton. Dimitar Berbatov has been one of the influential signings for Fulham this season. He has been able to help the club reach levels closer to the top half of the table, while Fulham would also be struggling in the relegation zone had it not been for his presence this season. He was a £ 5 million signing from Manchester United in the summer. Martin Jol has praised him recently by saying that he is one of the best in the league. He scored in the match against Southampton during the weekend to put Fulham ahead in the match. Even though the visitors managed to equalise the match after 8 min, the sixth goal of the season by Dimitar Berbatov helped Fulham keep their heads above the relegation zone in comfortable manner. After scoring, Berbatov unveiled a T-shirt that said –‘Keep calm and pass me the ball’. This has infuriated the manager Jol, who has said that such a statement was unnecessary in a situation. However, he can understand where Berbatov is coming from. Berbatov is someone who encourages a lot of the youngsters to keep possession of the ball. “It was a bit stupid and I will have to have a word with him. He probably thought he would get away with it as he never gets booked. It wasn’t the brightest thing to do but he wanted to make a statement. He tells the youngsters every day to play with confidence, keep the ball and don’t be afraid. You need confidence and self-belief to play your football," said the Fulham manager, whose side have not had the best of form in recent weeks.

BERBS IS CLASSY

The Fulham manager Martin Jol has said that the former Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov is a classy entertainer following his excellent start to the Fulham career this season. The 31-year-old once again returned to London after enjoying a short spell at Manchester United. Fulham signed him in the summer for a relatively low transfer fee under the noses of the Italian club Fiorentina. He has made a great start to the Fulham career by scoring numerous goals in the match as he has played for the club. This has led to the manager Martin Jol praising him by saying that he is a fantastic footballer and an entertainer. Dimitar Berbatov was once again extremely important for Fulham in the 3-3 draw with Arsenal. He scored the penalty that helped Fulham take at least a point from the match. Even though he appeared to be disinterested throughout the whole match by not putting in the work rate of the other players, his undoubted quality and talent helped him outshine other strikers at the club. Even the opposition manager Arsene Wenger was in praise of the striker after the match. In the end, Berbatov scored two goals in the match, while also providing an assist for the other Fulham goal. "I don't think he likes to be an entertainer but he entertains with his style and I don't want to take that away from him. He wanted to show me that his last penalty was not a coincidence," the Dutchman recalled. "I said: 'Please, next time, just put it in the net, don't wait for the keeper'. People think he's a sulker and on the field they think he might not be giving 100 per cent but in his mind he is giving everything for the team and you have to accept that," said Martin Jol.