Wenger could sign two players in January

Arsene Wenger is preparing to strengthen his Arsenal squad in the January transfer window with possible moves planned for two players.

Wenger revealed that the club have made funds available to him in order to bring new faces in after a frustrating start to the Premier League season.

Schalke striker Klaas Jan Huntelaar, PSV Eindhoven midfielder Kevin Strootman and Crystal Palace youngster Wilfried Zaha have all been linked, but Wenger refused to disclose details.

"This winter we will work very hard because we have some funds available," he told French television station beIN Sport. "It could happen that we buy two players, but I cannot reveal the names."

The Arsenal boss also talked of reviving a move for Thierry Henry from New York Red Bulls, but insisted his focus was bringing players on a permanent basis rather than loan.

"A loan [for Henry] is still a possibility, but we will still try to strengthen for the long term," he said.

"Henry is the talent that you dream to have. He has fantastic physique, fantastic technique, a fantastic brain, all built together in one man.

"At the start he was not confident enough but he has gone on to show what a great player he is."

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Mourinho 'happiest at Inter'

Jose Mourinho has revealed that Inter Milan was the place that made him the happiest, but says his career would not have been complete without Real Madrid.

The Portuguese manager, 49, left Inter after his side famously defeated Spanish giants Barcelona on their way to their first European Cup title for 45 years.



Despite great success at Porto, Chelsea and Madrid, the man known as 'the Special One' says Inter is the place that gave him the most pleasure.



Since joining Madrid he has guided Los Blancos to their first domestic title since 2008, as well as success in the Copa del Rey and the Supercopa de Espana.



"Inter is the club where I liked most to stay, no one else gave me the same happiness. When I left, I cried more than once, I will belong to the Nerazzurri family forever," said Mourinho.



"I wondered why I left, and now I try to explain it. Friends told me that I could be a great coach, but without working for Real Madrid there would be a hole (in my career).



"It's why I got busy with Florentino Perez, but I always miss Inter."

Modric urges team-mate to join him at Madrid

Luka Modric wants former Spurs team-mate Gareth Bale to join him at Real Madrid next season.

The former Tottenham midfielder wants Bale to play alongside him and Cristiano Ronaldo in a midfield he describes as "unstoppable".

"It would be amazing for Gareth to come and play for Real Madrid," said Modric.

“I play with Ronaldo here at Real and the way he just runs with the ball with such confidence and defenders back off him is exactly the same as Gareth.

"It would be even better than now to have Ronaldo and Bale on the wings for Madrid. And it could make Gareth an even better player. For me, they are the best two wingers in the world.

“To have the both in the same team would be unstoppable.



The 27-year-old Croatian added: "I think he can do it. He is certainly good enough to play at the highest level. I hope he will come to us. He's a top player."

Modric, who joined the Spanish giants at the start of the season in a deal worth £33m, revealed that he and Bale often spoke of playing at a higher level when playing together at White Hart Lane.

“We used to talk and I know he wants to play Champions League football every season and has a big dream of winning the Champions League.

“Madrid would be a great club for him to achieve his dreams."

Bale's form, which has made him one of the most feared players in the Premier League, will make it difficult for Spurs club to hold on to their prize asset and manager Andre Villas-Boas has conceded as much.

"At the moment he is performing extremely well for Spurs and we are amazed at what he can do for us. He is on to a great career," Villas-Boas said.

"Obviously Tottenham as a football club want to keep him here for as long as we can but we understand players like this have propositions and a market which is the nature of the game."

Vidic set to return, Nani blow

Nemanja Vidic is back in training and could make his Manchester United return next week, but Nani is unlikely to play again this year.

Serbia international defender Vidic could make a surprise comeback in United's Champions League tie at home to Cluj on Wednesday.



The 31-year-old has been out since September after undergoing knee surgery but United manager Sir Alex Ferguson revealed on Friday his captain had returned to training and an appearance against Cluj at Old Trafford was a possibility.



"It would be nice for him to play on Wednesday," said Ferguson.



"We are not afraid of that."



However, there was less good news about Portugal winger Nani, who has been missing since the beginning of the month with a hamstring injury.



"Nani is going to be out for a longer spell, possibly another four or five weeks," said Ferguson.



The United manager also confirmed Antonio Valencia would miss Saturday's trip to Reading with a hip injury.

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Beckham: I’d love to play for England again

David Beckham road show is moving on but do not think for a minute it is winding down.



After six seasons in the States, Becks plays his final game for the LA Galaxy in the MLS Cup Final against Houston Dynamo tomorrow.

But ask him, at the ripe old age of 37, if he’s thinking of retirement the answer is an unequivocal “No”. Becks has not even called time on his England career.

Clubs in mainland Europe, China, Australia, Brazil and England would still love to sign Becks. However, he appears to rule out a return to the Premier League with QPR or West Ham.

Faded glamour team Monaco have now jumped to the head of the queue as favourites even though they are currently in the second tier of French football.

They are top of the table and backed by a Russian billionaire and you would have to say a stint on the French Riviera sounds very in-keeping with “Brand Beckham”.

It would be particularly appealing to Becks’ wife Victoria and her fashion projects.

Meanwhile, Beckham is also in talks about finalising his dream of becoming an owner of an MLS franchise.

The result of that will, he revealed, be announced ‘soon’.

Becks said: “Retirement hasn’t even come into my head yet, to be honest.

“I feel great, physically good. I’ve scored seven goals, had nine assists and played in the majority of games and physically I do feel I can play on “I’m happy I’ve played in America for six years but now is the time to go and do something different.

“Everyone knows I’ve always enjoyed a challenge in my career and done pretty well with them.

“I feel I’ve got another one in me. “I’ve been discussing a franchise with my manager for the last six months.

“I’m in talks, I can’t say who with, but it’s an exciting project.

“I’m going to enjoy being an owner, It will be announced pretty soon we are going over small details.”

Beckham made the last of his 115 England appearances against Belarus at Wembley three years ago and accepts it is unlikely he will wear the white shirt again.

But he turned down the offer of a farewell cap from then England boss Fabio Capello and refuses to write of his international career completely — despite new manager Roy Hodgson building a future with younger players.

Beckham said: “I’ve not played for my country for quite a few years now.

“Would I like to? Of course. That’s why I’ve never come out and said I’ve retired from England because if there was any chance at any point that there was hardly any players fit then of course I would love to be playing for my country. Will it happen? I doubt it but you never know.”

The MLS invested around £22million in taking Becks to the MLS and the general consensus is that it has been money well spent.

Beckham’s aim was to increase awareness of the MLS and to be successful on the field — and he believes both have been achieved.

This is his third MLS Cup Final and Galaxy are aiming to retain the trophy at their very own Home Depot Center tomorrow.

He added: “On the field has been most important because I want to win trophies and championships.

“Off the field has become important because I want to leave a lasting legacy — and a league that’s in a great position to push forward to challenge to be one of the big leagues.

“I’m happy with what I’ve done getting to three finals in six years, winning one and hopefully winning another one.

“I’ve seen six new stadiums built, there are six new teams, and attendances have been in the top three in US sports “Also Thierry Henry, Robbie Keane and Tim Cahill coming over is great for the game.

“The biggest thing is that people are talking about it in Europe now. Going back to England they talk about the Galaxy and the New York Red Bulls and Seattle.”

Beckham insists the move was not about money even if there are those who refuse to believe him.

He asked: “Do people still question my motives?” he asked.

“My career has never been about the money. Wherever I’ve gone in my career I played the sport because I love it. It was never about the money and never will be.

“I’m excited to be in another final. The emotions will come out and the realisation it’s my last game for the Galaxy.

“But to be in a final at our own stadium in front of our own fans is kind of a nice way to go out.”




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Rodgers: Sterling 'foolish' not to stay

Brendan Rodgers believes Raheem Sterling would be "very foolish" not to commit himself to Liverpool.

The 17-year-old winger has burst onto the scene this season, starting 13 out of 14 Barclays Premier League matches and earning an England debut in the friendly against Sweden.



He turns 18 a week tomorrow, with the club currently in negotiations over a first professional contract.



The player has already intimated new terms can wait until his birthday, and Rodgers has stressed he is confident there will not be any hitches, but that has not stopped the speculation about the teenager's future.



Rodgers knows how valuable Sterling can be to his side but he believes it is a two-way street and has urged him to recognise the importance of the Reds in his development.



"It's important for the club to sign our young talent - but it's even more important for Raheem," Rodgers told reporters.



"If you are 17 and playing regularly, you would be very foolish not to commit yourself very quickly.



"This is a club that is going to give young players an opportunity and he has played more games than he could have dreamed of this season, both in the Premier League and the Europa League.



"Liverpool have given him the chance to become a full international player.



"If I was Raheem Sterling and his agents, I would look to tie it up very quickly.



"Raheem's (contract) has been ongoing really.



"The club and his representatives are in good dialogue and communication and hopefully we will get that resolved very soon, but there is no timescale."



Although Sterling has been a key performer in Rodgers' first season at Anfield, the Northern Irishman accepts there will come a point when he will need to be rested for his own benefit.



Rodgers has no concerns about the physical demands on the player but accepts he may require a mental break.



"There will be at some point and we'll need to give him a breather, there's no question," said the Reds boss.



"He's a very young man and is still learning the game. He still has technical elements he needs to improve upon and tactical elements.



"But one of the biggest things is psychological at this level - real mental fatigue can set in.



"He's been terrific so far. He's got to this stage at the end of November and been absolutely brilliant, but at some point he will need that breather.



"He's been one of our leading players, but for the benefit of Raheem it'll be something I'll need to consider."

Campbell: I can 'fix' Torres

Former Olympic sprint champion Darren Campbell has claimed he could solve Fernando Torres' goalscoring problems for Chelsea.

Campbell, who won gold in the 4x100m at the Athens Games eight years ago, believes Torres needed just a fortnight's specialist training to recover most of his lost pace.



Torres briefly worked with Campbell during his first year at Stamford Bridge, prior to the departure of Dr Bryan English as Chelsea's medical director during Andre Villas-Boas' reign.



Interim manager Rafael Benitez suggested on Tuesday that Torres needed to do gym work to regain his explosive power.



And Campbell, a sprint coach in football and rugby union, told the Daily Telegraph: "It's something that is best done in pre-season but I think Fernando just needs two weeks when he hasn't got to worry about playing on the Saturday and just put in a nice two-week training programme that I think would definitely bring the majority of his speed back.



"I'm sure I could fix him. It doesn't have to be a lengthy process because these guys are already extremely fit. That's the great thing about working with footballers and rugby players. You're not having to worry about the base fitness so you just go in and teach the raw speed.



"In the case of Fernando, I think he would also probably need to do a bit of weightlifting as well as the running and the speed drills to put some power back into his muscles. That's why sprinters lift weights, to gain that explosive speed and power."



Meanwhile, Los Angeles Galaxy chief executive Tim Leiweke has admitted he is "honoured" his club have been linked with a move for Frank Lampard.



Lampard has long been touted with a move to Major League Soccer as a big-name replacement for David Beckham, who is quitting Galaxy at the end of their season.



Leiweke told Sky Sports News: "Chelsea is a club we have a great relationship with.



"We've heard of other players mentioned that are playing in Europe and we want to respect their clubs and where they're at."



But he added: "When you mention the likes of Frank Lampard to me, he's one of the class acts of football. I'm a huge fan of him as an individual, a huge fan of him as a captain and a huge fan of him as a player.



"We're honoured that anyone would even speculate that Frank would want to come here, that's a good day."